MovieChat Forums > bertnernie > Replies
bertnernie's Replies
This series doesn't really take a stance on the US being heroes and the Nazis being bad.
Sadly, this is due to quite a few reasons which really need to be addressed by the industry.
Nolan and his team, at least as of late, seem to do pretty poor audio mixes. Tenet is the worst offender by far with this audio mix. I'm not sure if it was due to the release being during COVID so it was pushed to HBO without much extra effort by the studio? Possibly also because Nolan is a 'purist' and wants movies to be seen in the theater, which just so happen to have speaker size and decibels that help outweigh any clarity issue. Although I saw comments that this had poor dialogue even in theaters.
Also, most major releases are really poorly optimized for home release now anyways. Soundbars are by large the choice for most home audio and they will tend to have weaker output compared to a more dedicated speaker setup. Even with that said, a full speaker setup may not fix the poor mixing done on the film, even with a dialogue boost or great center channel. Most mixes I've seen on streaming still show 5.1 and I don't see a soundbar outputting that kind of power and still leaving room for heavy lifting a dedicated center channel could work.
The way audio is recorded for films now is different than previous decades where it was much clearer and could easily be heard on a stereo setup or even with TV speakers. Studios need to really consider a 'streaming' mix or soundbar mix that might muddy some of the intent of the film but makes the dialogue understand. I've met people who only watch things with CC due to poor audio on a lot of TV/movies now.
Worst offender of all was that apparently Nolan wanted this film to have some conversations/bits where it was intentionally obscure and to leave you wondering what was said. The problem is when a lion's share of the dialogue is already indecipherable, then how is anyone to know that one particular conversation was deliberately made to be unheard and the rest weren't? It was a poor choice on his part.
<blockquote>Jesus Christ, <b>I wanted to see a movie all about the Manhattan Project,</b> and <b>not</b> all that extra family and relationship fluff, as well as all that boring shit <b>about</b> whether <b>Oppenheimer</b> was a Communist!</blockquote>
I think you should have adjusted your expectations. You went and saw a film titled Oppenheimer, not The Manhattan Project. The title indicates the main focus of the film.
How has the money been squandered?
It's interesting how many comments I have seen that said the same thing - all saw it when they were really young.
You're in luck for a repeat viewing - A quick search and the Internet Archive has it up to stream!
https://archive.org/details/fantastic-planet-1973-full-movie-french-with-english-subs-dir-rene-laloux-aka-la-planete-sauvage
It looks like there are also DVDs on ebay and Amazon which would probably be a lot higher quality.
<blockquote>A corollary: in the 60s and 70s, with blockbuster movies on fewer screens, sometimes it took a long time to SEE the movie. You had to buy advance tickets for "roadshows." And/or you had to wait for WEEKS for the lines to get down where you wanted to get in them. Or you DID get in a line and you had to wait HOURS to get into the theater. This is how it was when I saw The Godfather, and I must admit, when I was FINALLY in my seat, and the CURTAIN finally went up(do they have curtains anymore) and the music came on and the movie started and the man said "I believe in America" -- it had been a long, hard JOURNEY to be at that moment, and seeing the movie was a very exciting "event" moment in one's life.</blockquote>
Thank you for sharing this memory. I completely get this experience and how you lived it. As you said, entertainment wise, that's hard to beat. A true thrill. I think you've opened my eyes a bit on our love with films. There's a joy in " just going to the movies this weekend" and all the fun that brings, and then there is this step higher where you can say you went to the cinema and experienced something that impacted you deeply and left its mark as a piece of art. Very very cool.
As a follow-up to earlier comments in this thread regarding DVD by mail: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/04/so-long-red-envelopes-dvds-in-the-mail-version-of-netflix-ends-in-september/
Netflix DVD will be going away. You can see a lot of nostalgia in the comments section of that article. I don't even use the service anymore and I know it is a loss.
Who knows - vinyl is having its resurgence now - maybe one day DVD will have its time back in the spotlight.
I'm glad you found my post helpful!
I think your collection sounds fantastic. Very unique way of collecting and keeping a top list from each year to preserve and re-watch. Really a fantastic way to browse the years, made even better that you can have visitors to browse it in an "order" and see where they pick up in the timeline.
I will definitely reiterate my suggestion on making digital backups. There is plenty of information out there. Like most things, you can go as simple a solution or complex/deep as you want.
<blockquote>"Discuss or read about it." We used to call that "movies going away." You got to see a movie during release -- maybe two or three times and then..."it went away."</blockquote>
Very good point here. I think it illustrates how far media has come now into the digital age. Before, if you missed it...you missed it. You would be lucky to get a re-showing. Now, <i>"let's just wait for it on rental"</i> has turned to <i>"see it the same day on streaming."</i> With things moving so fast, and now the ability to actually buy a physical or digital copy, I feel there is an allure to keeping and preserving a given media versus just going off memories. I can imagine now walking by your collection and having memories stirred up just from seeing the title of the film on the spine of the DVD.
<blockquote>There is also that service -- I have used it -- where you can BUY a DVD of a favorite movie direct from the studio(Warner Brothers for instance) and then press you a copy and send it to you. (I did this with Warner Brothers' 1967 Hotel, which I love but others don't even know about.)</blockquote>
Can you tell me the name of that website? I haven't heard of that and it sounds like a great service to have.
Digital backup methods are very easy. Disk space/storage is now VERY cheap and can hold a lot of DVD and blu-ray movies. You can probably get a stand-alone external DVD drive to use to rip your discs to a hard drive so you have a copy and not have to worry about disc damages.
Following up on the point of streaming risks...
I think it's important we preserve all the media, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. Regarding Gone with the wind & the TV shows I listed - they were pulled due to racist imagery. I think pulling them does more harm than good. In the case of streaming giants making these decisions, we can end up in a world where we lose a dialogue or conversation regarding what is right or wrong. I think understanding context of times is important. This gets to a bigger point where we end up with only things that are deemed appropriate for all to watch.
To draw a similarity to your comments on NXNW, we can also end up in a sort of copyright/ownership hell, where Company X owns the title, but Y signed a contract for distribution rights, and Z had ownership of streaming and no one will compromise on who can release the title. I can't remember exactly what film, but I believe this situation has occurred exactly so that the film sits in a kind of no man's land. I believe this might be the case for some of the early Godzilla films with various subs/dubs/release. I think it's unfortunate this situation could arise and we may only have a few still images of a film or show that is locked away because some entity can't or won't release it and we're left to discuss or read about it.
In these cases, physical storage allows people to still access media that is basically now only a part of history.
Was just reading your other thread about NXNW removal from HBO before stumbling on this update. I'll reply here to some of the points since this is the newer thread.
Notably, Netflix still runs its DVD rental service (NXNW is available). More importantly, the DVD rental often has movies you cannot find streaming. Sadly, because of how popular streaming has become the rental service is a fraction of what it once was and I don't think they're replacing damaged or lost copies. So if a user in Fairbanks, AK wants to hold onto the last remaining copy for a while, then you're waiting on their time table.
Some worthwhile examples I can think of regarding streaming:
- HBO pulls Westworld to avoid paying residuals to cast/crew
- HBO previously pulled Gone With the Wind until a preface was added
- Netflix & Hulu pulled episodes of Community & It's Always Sunny due to episodes labeled offensive
- 2021 lawsuits against Apple for content and user access removal. Here apple said no reasonable person would expect when they click 'buy' that it means they have indefinite access to it.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/04/apple-faces-class-action-lawsuit-over-its-definition-of-the-word-buy/
Point being that with streaming, you are at their whim in terms of content you can access.
Reading your concerns in the other thread about playing movies on DVD and risk scratches, I would highly recommend you look into digital copy of your movies. Physical storage still has its place, particularly as another medium of preserving films or other media, but having a digital backup lets that film persevere in the unfortunate case of the disc getting lost, breaking, scratches, or wear/tear damage over the years.
<blockquote>By the end, the film depicts the failings of this project and of morality, as Vincent similarly cradles Neil against the backdrop of a desolate tarmac, symbolizing the final, closed form of the American Frontier: isolate, inured, and denuded of meaning; as the crestfallen Vincent looks to the departing planes while he stands by Neil, his final victory is bereft of triumph or purpose, for in this failed world, death bears no promise, and work no spiritual reward. </blockquote>
Great take, well written there.
I like the visual comparison of Jesus/Mary and Neil/Vincent, start and finish. Never picked up on at that in any viewings.
<blockquote>I noticed almost every episode was written by someone different (except two by DG I think) and that might have been part of the problem. You have a bunch of different writers trying to make their own unique mark but also hammering home the same themes. On one hand it's all over the place but at the same time you feel like you're getting the same message over and over. </blockquote>
That's a pretty spot on summary. It definitely felt repetitive.
Since every episode had a different writer, I wonder if their goal was to make every episode feel new, unique, whatever - but it just didn't come together... looks like they didn't compare notes. Reminds me of Four Rooms (https://moviechat.org/tt0113101/Four-Rooms) and I'm sure there are plenty of similar out there as well.
He is a good actor but I don't think he's going to move away from that style now. That shtick IS ryan reynolds. Literally, Deadpool = Van Wilder = Waiting, even in ads/commercials he plays roughly the same persona with his manner of speaking and delivery. I don't see this changing for him now, although it would be nice to see.
Maybe at some point in the future he acts in a film that reminds everyone he actually can act and gets big nominations or awards for it.
I heard about this initially as the book, surprised to hear it now as a movie.
In all honesty I really hate when sequels get made as nowadays they feel to me like they're solely milking the success of the original. People liked X back then - let's make X again!
Heat is such a good film. The story feels finished. There's some bits here and there that make you wonder what happens next, or what happened prior. The story drops you into this segment of what's going on currently and takes you for a ride. That's all you need to me. A little desire of some other details is good, but I don't know if it warrants another movie. It may be nice to get some more details because we enjoy the first so much, but I would be completely shocked if it lived up to the first, even acknowledging that he will cast, score and shoot it very well.
In then end - I enjoyed Heat so much and I like Mann's work so I'll regretfully see this.
The thread below this one (and many other threads on movies) all ask the same stupid question:
"How WOKE is this movie" i.e. How LEFT is this movie.
OP made a thread called: How FAR RIGHT is this movie.
Yes, he was trolling you.
EDIT* His username is Guy Haynes. The other thread is by GuyHaines.
Completely agree. Just wrote a similar post in the other thread above.
Creepy vibes for sure on 1 and 2 and I thought 3 was the most light-hearted. It's weird how stop-motion can have a very "scary" vibe just on the nature of the movements... surreal in a way because your brain picks up that it's real movement, but also "unnatural" movements too.
The stop motion was stellar.
I read a short paragraph-length review prior to watching and someone pointed this out which made me pay more attention during my watch: the lighting. I never would think that miniature dolls could feel so real but the set design and lighting felt 100% real.. it pulled me into the scene. Fantastic work with that, hard to believe it wasn't full scale/life-size from those.
The actual episodes:
- The creepy factor, like a horror film, was very present for the first episode.
- The second had a bit of it too, but also just odd.
- The third seemed to have the most 'story' to it compared to the others.
I would recommend to anyone - give it a watch just for the animation and to try something different. I don't feel like it was a waste of time, but I don't feel anyone will walk away wanting a second watch either. It's good to see some new stories, a different take and not run of the mill stuff, especially with how wonderful the stop motion was. Creepy horror vibes if you like that are great. Feeling disturbed as well for both the first and the second pieces. The third seemed to be more of a feel-good bit.
A good one-time watch to me.
Have not seen the first and I didn't actually know it was a remake until afterward.
I completely agree the cast was underutilized. I feel like the biggest problem is that "the bones" of a great movie were all there. The sets and lighting were great. The cast all could handle their roles very well. Even the story on the basic premise was good. It's like it had all these pieces together but it just felt.. flat? At no point did I really feel like I cared for anybody in the film or their motivations or emotions.
It's like the groundwork was all laid but everything needed to be turned up by 10-20% to really flesh out the movie. Almost as if this was setting the stage and then more would really "wow" you but it never came.
Haven't watched it yet, but figured this could add to the conversation. 20min long.
"New breakthrough could finally solve the mystery of missing flight MH370 | 60 Minutes Australia"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq-d4Kl8Xh4
I'll agree not quite as good as Season 1, but still a good watch. So easy to burn through these episodes. I really like this guys unique, seemingly randomly pieced together clips that manage to tell the story.
He must just be very disarming to people when he speaks with them, put them at ease somehow because he always manages to get them to open up into some deeper conversation.
I'll say I did enjoy how he appeared to stumble into new situations. It seems so lucky that I feel they have to be planned out by HBO, but I don't really see that as his style so they feel like he genuinely stumbled into these events. Then his nature just allows him to connect to people there and get to hang around. I'd be curious what he tells people off camera, if it's just as simple as "I'm shooting a documentary for HBO" and then people let him stay?
I'll have to dig back into the story then - I thought by the end of the investigation it was conflicted if he was really at fault. Weird he would be obsessed with flying but then crash the plane. But yeah... having the exact route is highly suspect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd2KEHvK-q8#t=15m18s
That's the relevant bit I remember from my link above. Starts talking about the pilot, route, home setup, his history. The one big takeaway I had from reading and looking at different things was that the Malaysian government held a lot of details from the public.
There was some talk about a new search going out for the aircraft in the past month. The search won't get going I think for a while though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQL5oHLx_l0
Supposedly it's somewhere about 2000km away from Perth according to a new investigator with some new technique Weak Signal Propogation.