Posted December 9, 2008 Secondly the whole analysing thing...its looking for things that really arent there half the time and making up conclusions and themes that you just know the writer wasnt really thinking about ! Well, i think its a matter of taste. My girlfriend for instance can't stand analysing things. She doesn't want to know why she enjoyed something, she just says "i liked it" and that's that. But others want to dig a little deeper, and its by doing so that you get a better appreciation of more aspects and enjoy the whole thing more. It shouldn't be a chore to think about these things (school makes it a chore). Oh and the things are there. Good writers, move makers etc will always have things to think about because its all part of plot and character development. Interpretations are the only things that can become vague, but even still, if you pick up on something then that should be a good thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 9, 2008 Can I add Fargo to the film list? Watched it recently, and think it'd be fun to analyse. Anyhoo, I'll watch Slither and get hold of the first book soonish. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 9, 2008 @ Paj - completely off topic but it's nice to see that EA haven't changed and are still being unoriginal and making the students read the same books every year. I did all of those before I left with the greatest english teacher ever. Anyways, forgot about this until late last night so I'll get a watch of it later on and post what I think of it. Yeah but to be fair, I'd prefer to do a book they know well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 9, 2008 Sure thing grunchie, I'll throw it in Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 9, 2008 Slither... not an amazing film, not a bad one, just pure, relatively mindless entertainment. simple as. I'm gonna echo this. Now, I was actually going to ask, before I watched, if we could have genre's listed for the films as some I just am not a fan of, and what I'd heard of Slither didn't endear me, but I thought I'd give it a go and see, that's the point of the film/book club eh! As far as the film goes? I watched it with a mate who's big on zombie apocalypses and stuff, so we enjoyed it and made(more me) alot of jokes regarding zombie apocalypses and what to do in such and similar occurences(NEVER SPLIT UP! If i EVER end up in a zombie apocalypse with any of you guys, suggest or even HINT at splitting up and I'll gut you on the spot myself, pricks). Speaking of gutting, I found it slightly amusing when he just gutted the guy straight up one slice, insides spilling out. I normally hate gore, I still do, it was just the bluntness and abruptness of it that amused me. The film, let's be fair, it's generic and shit. Not epicly shit or shit shit, just as shit as anything as generic as what this film was, if that makes sense. Once you get used to that fact, get a few mates, and maybe a few alcoholic beverages, you can sort of enjoy it. To be honest, I actually enjoyed it more than I expected, as such films are never my sort of thing(not big on gore, pointless horror, but then again I know a few I DO like), but I can understand everyone's general dislike of things. I probably enjoyed it because it did such a shit job of being anything, really. As for the feminism thing, which someone(jay?) mentioned, you forgot the supposed lezzer from the police force. Second, fuck feminism! I cba discussing/thinking about that, though I thought it a very interesting observation, and probably could be bothered...as long as it isn't right now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 10, 2008 I'm up for this but I won't be able to do the reading side, I'm just too slow at it and way to busy generally but definitely wanting to join in with the films!! I'll pm my two films soon but just wanna have a real good think about them first....... nice idea this, it'll keep me nippin on here 'cos I have kinda forgotten over the last few months!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2008 Slither... not an amazing film, not a bad one, just pure, relatively mindless entertainment. simple as. Yeah,a bit late in the game for this, but I only got my hands on Slither yesterday. But anyway, I pretty much agree with this guy. It's not really a film I can spend hours debating technical aspects of the film and all that, but for what it was I enjoyed it. My mind did wander a bit during the second act, but the first hour at least, if nothing else, kept me entertained. Also, I've got a couple of suggestions for movies and books, but I'm not sure if we are adding anymore or not. We seem to have a long enough list already, so we probably won't get around to my choices for months (or years!) but, still... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 11, 2008 But still you'll submit your suggestions? No? Why not? Not like the website won't be here in a few month's time, of course we're still adding to the list Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 14, 2008 American Beauty is this week's film. I'm sure many of you have watched it already. nami, shorty and I should hopefully be watching this in a short while. Don't forget to read the book for January, too. p.s. I've added this link to teh first place. It's a really cheap version of Koyaanisqatsi from play.com. If you guys find a really cheap version of a movie then bunt it my way and I'll throw an earl into the mix. Even if people aren't buying the movies for this club, they may want a hard copy if they really like the movie. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 14, 2008 you watching it tonight? I'll borrow the DVD off you at some point this week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 14, 2008 oh, thought you had it in your mental wall o films. Carry on Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 14, 2008 Was an amazing film! Was really slow but not in a bad way, loved the gentle music too Has always been one of those films i've been meaning to watch and i'm glad i have now! I felt so sorry for him at the end, i thought he had finally decided he wanted to change and start afresh with his life when he was looking at that photo and then... Another character that i felt sorry for was the mother of the boy next door. She seemed immensely trodden on and dejected and needed a good stiff drink! So yea, overall a good movie bring on the next! PS thought i'd mention i have finished to book too At first i thought i'd b lucky to finish a book in a month but i managed it in a few days :P sign of a good book i think Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 14, 2008 Oops, forgot about the movie. I'll have to wait till tomorrow to get it watched. Have to admit that I've never actually seen it at all so it'll be new to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 15, 2008 nami and I just finished watching it. We were most curious about the psosible meaning of a plate in teh movie. Roses have been done to death, as with the colour red, but there were three (by my count) plates - the one Lester smashes, the one with the nazi symbol and the one the mum-next-door holds tight as Ricky leaves. The plate was the most curious symbol. The plate is pretty much the most submissive object there is, entirely used as a means to an ends, yet it demands attention otherwise it will be of no use anymore. I don't know! Lester's death was, on the one hand, perhaps too early for him as he had just turned his life around, but at least he did get around to changing. Personally I think the weakest part of the movie is the part which makes Frank think Lester is gay - the 'blow job'. Bit too contrived and coincidental considering it effectively alters the rest of teh movie. I don't know. A little drunk right now. Mother-next-door interesting too. Etc tired now! Bye. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 15, 2008 Yep the plates are a definite symbol for something or other...........not sure what though, maybe the anger, admiration and protection you can get in a relationship or maybe we were just looking way too deep for nooooo reason what so ever! Overall I enjoy the film, there are some original ideas and character situations and a twist at the end which is always a bonus first time you see it. The music is very well suited and I think really helps the film to be memorable to you. For some reason the voice over at the beginning bugged me (and at the end). Maybe they could have approached it a different way, not sure how though. And one other niggle, I thought there were more interesting shots, they were all very standard, which is fine for this type of film but I like to see people playing with it more! Might have more thoughts about this later....... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 15, 2008 So, I got round to watching both Slither and American Beauty. Slither was, well, mostly what it seemed to attempt to be - to whit, a somewhat tacky B-movie horror affair with a helping of comedy. Neither the horror nor the comedy was carried off brilliantly (though the collective conciousness thing was quite cool), but I got the feeling that wasn't really the point, and it was just supposed to be a bit of fun. Still, I probably wouldn't choose to watch it as I tend to like things that are a bit meatier. (the copious Slitherian meat was somewhat too literal) Oh well, in the absence of any serious artistic things to analyse, I'll have a look at the treatment of evolution. It seems that the topic's intentionally brought up, at least to some extent, as in her first appearance Starla is teaching about natural selection, and says the same tired old things about cockroaches as Mohinder did back at the start of Hereoes. Anyway, her basic points are roughly right, but what's interesting is the contrast with the monster thing, which is supposed to be better suited to its environment than humans are. (or is it, if disregarding the post-credit cat infection it gets "defeated" by them?) I'll break the rule of crap science fiction now and inject some genuine science, because it leads to something fun. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of organisms aren't ideally adapted to their environments, but are merely better adapted than their less successful forefathers, and organisms tend to occupy one niche and are held in check (if they're K-selecting, at least) by other things. Anyway, when a new, much better adapted organism suddenly turns up, a whole load of niches are open to it and it colonises the ecosystem like crazy - just look at, say, the introduction of rabbits in Australia. I thought it was cool that the film was unintentionally accurate in this respect, but that was offset by the "it's like a living disease!" line. Oh well, hopefully you'll forgive my mostly irrelevant digression... On to American Beauty. Surprisingly enough, I'd never seen this film before, although I nearly did on a couple of occasions previously. Having watched it, I can see what the fuss was about to some extent, and I think most people will agree if nothing else it's better than Slither. But yes, it was indeed a good film and I especially liked the characterisation of Ricky and his family and the relatively original way he was incorporated into the plot. The portrayal of reality seemed had a slightly cartoonish air to it, and while this detracted from the realism of the film, in retrospect I think it meshed in well with the themes of abnormality and unreal lives. As jayseven pointed out, rose petals were all over the place and this was a little too cliched for me (although maybe you could say that that's all part of the cartoonish aspect), but sometime they were used well, such as the (subtle) bowl of roses placed between Lester and Angela towards the end of the film. I noticed the plates too, and can only guess at what they signified - perhaps they symbolised that while life is fragile, you can make what you want out of it, or perhaps the director just liked plates because they were fun to cuddle and throw at things. My main problem was with the posthumous narration, which was ultimately a bit too silly for me, although it did draw you in at the start of the film and foreshadowed what was to come - really old trick, that. Overall, I'm definitely glad I got around to seeing this one. So then, a reasonable start to the culture club. I'll have to get the book next. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 15, 2008 nami and I just finished watching it. We were most curious about the psosible meaning of a plate in teh movie. Roses have been done to death, as with the colour red, but there were three (by my count) plates I didn't even realise that the roses were actually meant to represent anything. And it's my second viewing. First time I loved the film. This time...it seemed rather dull. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 16, 2008 I haven't seen AB in a while, so it's probably best if I watched it again first, but this is one of my favourite monologues I've ever seen in a film... I had always heard your entire life flashes in front of your eyes the second before you die. First of all, that one second isn't a second at all, it stretches on forever, like an ocean of time... For me, it was lying on my back at Boy Scout camp, watching falling stars... And yellow leaves, from the maple trees, that lined my street... Or my grandmother's hands, and the way her skin seemed like paper... And the first time I saw my cousin Tony's brand new Firebird... And Janie... And Janie... And... Carolyn. I guess I could be pretty pissed off about what happened to me... but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Waking Life for this sunday. Give it a chance, alright? Me, nami, shorty and Dan Dare watched it last night. Hopefully some of them'll add their comments... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 I'll see if I can find it tonight. Haven't got anything else to watch, unless I stumble across Ghostbusters 1 in which case that'll get a watching (I watched the second one last night. Such a legendary film.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 I'm in the Culture Club now! American Beauty, I don't like it, sorry. Waking Life, not its biggest fan, preferred it the second time round though. If I get to add to the list: Groundhog Day If I get to add 2: Fight Club (nobody said that? FAIL, guys. Fail.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 Ok. Waking life I quite liked it. A few of the conversations were interesting (really liked the existentialism one and the theory of conscious evolution) and some of the language was fantastic, almost poetic. The little touches of surrealism in the art were also fun and caught me by surprise every now and again. What I didn't like though was the sometimes shoehorned feel of the speeches. Particularly the one where the couple in the afterglow just...burst out with these profound mini lectures. I know it should be forgiven because of the dream framework but it felt wrong anyway. It's certainly different at any rate. Everyone make sure you catch this one as it'll be a real talking point hopefully. I don't think anything else that's come up has warranted as much as this could. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 17, 2008 I watched 20 mins till some guy set himself on fire. This film is really not my cup of tea. The style of the animations was giving me a headache or some kind of nausea and i barley understood any of the words they were saying :S Is this the kind of stuff you English geeks write about in your essays and stuff :P Give me maths and mechanics anyday! After 20 minutes i expect some kind of plot to my movies but this didnt really seem to be going anywhere, forgive me if this is regarded as some kind of masterpiece but i just didnt get it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 18, 2008 it doesn't go anywhere, really. It's not supposed to. It's merely a series of conversations and speeches about philosophy etc tied together by the dream motif and art. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
