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#201 Re: Guns N' Roses » New GNR email » 113 weeks ago
LOL, jesus christ at least try to put out a good product (re: the t shirts). Seriously, the chain stores have better GNR shirts than the official online site.
#202 Re: The Garden » Current Events Thread » 114 weeks ago
Quick question: what the hell is DeSantis thinking about with this feud w/Disney? It makes no sense to me and he can only lose (politically) on that one.
#203 Re: Guns N' Roses » If GNR releases nothing in 2023, is this the end for you? » 114 weeks ago
ClaudeF wrote:Can they at least plan something for Record Store Day?
No.
We saw how Absurd/Hard School was rolled out that they would be unable to make any RSD deadline.
The record label would have to do everything from point A to point Z. That's the only way a RSD release is anything other than champagne wishes and caviar dreams.
It's really sad. Out of my favorite bands, they are literally the only one incapable of a RSD release.
Listening to the same GNR tunes over and over gets old.
I don't listen to them at all.... other than last year with the Ritz. Hell...I didn't even properly digest the Vegas show. Once I got burnt out on the Ritz, I was done.
Metallica has a new album...Stones placing one on the launch pad.... Soundgarden and Vicki Cornell just buried the hatchet which will clear the way for a Soundgarden swan song.
Dead bands and 80 year olds more productive than GNR.
I turn 48 in a week. Hard to believe between the ages of 18 and now, my favorite band released a grand total of ONE album...and we only got that thanks to Irving Azoff...who was then shit on by the fan base.
I used to find the Chinese Democracy saga fascinating. Used to love reading CD Whispers.
Now I find the whole thing laughable. It's like a bad sitcom that was in desperate need of cancelation.
What I once thought of as mysterious and intriguing was actually a jumbled mess of mismanagement and incompetence.
A trilogy that buries AFD and we gotta get it in stages because it's too advanced for us old timers living in the past?!?
https://media.tenor.com/aGsM5RXi34oAAAA … herman.gif
Can't believe I ever fell for any of it.
It was nothing but a 20 year bait and switch. Dangle Chinese to get your ass to buy a ticket and once you get through the door....you get AFD shoved down your throat.
If you want GNR excitement and mystery you gotta go back to the UYI saga to find it.
I'm close but not at this point yet. But yeah at some point, childhood memories/adolescence can only take you so far when you treat your fanbase like total retards. And just don't release stuff at all. Even dead bands and old farts treat their fanbase with more respect that as you noted on those 2 fronts.
#204 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 114 weeks ago
Another thing I love about Se7en is how you can't tell which city the story takes place in.
It kinda feels Midwest or east coast.....Philly... Pittsburgh...maybe Chicago or Cleveland. All the rain.... Seattle.
It was filmed in Los Angeles.
It does not have an LA vibe whatsoever.
It always felt east coast to me. I always thought it was set in Phily/NYC. But the film never actually states where it is. Which kinda leads to the appeal that yes, this shit could happen ANYWHERE, USA.
The problem w/Netflix is that to me they have zero shit outside of their TV series, which are fucking middling at this point. They have a few interesting movies but not enough to justify the cost.
I've been watching some Showtime series called Yellowjackets. It's set in 96 but shifts forward to 2021 (present day) as well. It's interesting enough.
True Romance: watched this the other day. Not bad, pretty fun. Great cast involved. Including Pitt who plays a hilarious stoner (sorry it's 420).
#205 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 115 weeks ago
I just checked...that Sleep film gets a 95% rating. Maybe I'll try it out. I rarely watch foreign films anymore.
Se7en - Never gets old. Looking back, it's amazing how influential this film really was...from the bat shit crazy intro, the bleak cinematography,....
I decided to read up on it after watching it. The people who passed on this is insane....and would've changed the entire feel of the film.
Denzel Washington as Mills
Sylvester Stallone as Somerset
And as John Doe.....
Ned Beatty
I gotta admit....even though Spacey did an incredible job as Doe, it's intriguing imagining Beatty in that role. If he hits a home run with it, he probably gets a massive boost during the final chapter of his career.
It was his for the taking. Fincher thought he resembled that old sketch of the Zodiac. Beatty read the script, turned it down, and said it was the most evil thing he'd ever read.
I wonder if he regretted turning it down.
While I can imagine Denzel in the film, Stallone would have ruined it. He had the clout to change the script...and as we know, the studio wanted it changed from day one. Stallone would've been a Godsend to them.
In that timeline, it's probably an entirely different film...and it probably bombs. This would have likely killed Fincher's career...and also causes Pitt to be forced back into the romance type of films he was wanting to avoid at that point.
Se7en is one of those cases where they accidentally stumble into the conditions for a perfect film to be made. Hell...it almost got ruined with a bullshit ending as it is. One of the alternate endings the studio was pushing for is an action movie style chase where they're driving after Spacey and Paltrow(she's been kidnapped) and they wind up saving her.
We have Pitt to thank for that not happening. The studio had overruled Fincher and Walker's objections but thankfully Pitt stepped in.
Another alternate ending...not as bad as the above... Freeman shoots Spacey instead of Pitt. Freeman was in favor of this one but luckily Pitt was against it.
It loses its impact if he's murdered by anyone but Pitt. It's mind blowing they would've considered anyone else.
Edit
I forgot...
Paltrows role could've went to Christina Applegate (who had it but turned it down) or Robin Wright.
It's hard to believe Applegate turned this down. Her career was pretty much burnt toast by the mid 90s.
Pacino, Hackman, and Duvall turned down the film as well.
If Pacino does Se7en....he's not in Heat.
That's a scary thought.
A lot to unpack here. Yep, the last time I watched it, I noticed (and loved) the bleak cinematography. It's like Hell on Earth and totally appropriate for the film.
Stallone would have never fucking worked as Sommerset. The reason why Freeman and Spacey work well together is that they are doubles as one another. Sommerset is grouchy as fuck in that film and jaded as hell. If Stallone is in that film instead, it's just a Stallone (albeit bleak) action film. There's no nuance to it probably. Look, this isn't a shot on Stallone but you're probably not getting the other stuff in the film that you got from Freeman playing Sommerset.
Beatty would have been interesting as Doe.
Both of those alt endings suck in my opinion. Honestly, it doesn't make that much sense for Freeman to shoot Doe anyway. It HAD to be the Pitt character because he's basically the entire beacon of light and hope in that film...and he finally succumbed to the dark side of humanity. No other ending is this powerful.
Personally I don't like Paltrow as well. But she's fine here and doesn't really detract from the film. Wright would have been a better pick maybe. Applegate never made any sense since as you stated her movie career was on the skids and she was still on Married w/Children at the time and was more or less a comedic actress.
Pacino was right to turn this down. Love Heat and it wouldn't be the same w/out him. He did Insomnia in the 2000's which is sort of close to Seven anyway.
I couldn't picture Duvall doing this but Hackman maybe, although he was sort of transitioning to supporting character roles at this point.
#206 Re: Guns N' Roses » If GNR releases nothing in 2023, is this the end for you? » 115 weeks ago
Let's be honest, it's Axl when we all talk about this creative bankrupcy. The other two guys have or will release material in the future. Only when they are in Guns do they get stuck in the mud and are musically constipated.
#207 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 115 weeks ago
Mad City - How did I go 26 years without this on my radar?
I thought it was pretty damn good but it has a shitty ending.
Dustin Hoffman and Travolta an odd combo.
Edit
One more thing....
They were building up to a huge confrontation between Hoffman and Alda but it fizzles out.
I watched this a couple of years ago and it's pretty good. I agree about the ending it wasn't very good. Don't think Hoffman likes this film very much either.
Duplicity--I rewatched this . First saw it in 2009 or 10. Got annoyed with it then. But this time I enjoyed it. It's one of those con/heist films. The thing is though you have to pay attention since there are a fair amount of flashbacks. It's not a gritty thriller film. I think I enjoyed this more than Mr. and Mrs. Smith since the comparison will be inevitably be made. That one has cartoonish over the top violence.
Sleep--German horror/psycho thriller. I wanted to like this but ultimately the plot just totally loses me in the second half and just left me confused. There's some mention to Neo-nazism in Germany that kind of is a factor in the second half of the film. But I just can't make sense of the film. Too bad, because I think it's pretty well shot.
#208 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 118 weeks ago
From what I recall, both Lowell and Harmon left L&O for the same reason: to start a family. Lowell with Richard Gere. And Harmon with former NYG (now ex husband) CB Jason Sehorn. And yeah, Harmon was the only one with Hollywood potential. As much as I like Jill Hennessey, she is basically a tv actress, which isn't really a shot and her.
The Stylist---this was bad. I mean it's shot well. But when you have a serial killer as a main character and you kind of don't explain to the audience why she kills. It's not exactly ideal. I don't need entire sections of the film on it but the main character kills for no god damn reason. And she basically pouts in the second half of the film and the thing drags on. Not exactly why she picked the other main character to stalk either. I liked the main actress but the script needed major work. This was originally a short and that kinda shows.
The Banshees of Inshiheeren. Reteams the director and the two main leads from In Bruges. This is not really similar at all to In Bruges. So if you're expecting In Bruges pt II, this isn't it. The humor is dry. And I found this kind of introspective and slightly depressing. But it's not a bad film. It's kind of different and a little dark. I will say the shots of Ireland throughout the film are uplifting. My fav character was the sister played by Kerry Condon though. She saw the situation for what it was and is basically the smartest character in the entire film.
#209 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 120 weeks ago
Other than Angie Harmon, he's my favorite Law and Order character. I love his style...he basically just sits there bitching at his ADAs.
A lot of humor in this show that I didn't notice in my youth... specifically Adam's bitching and of course Lenny's one liners.
A lot of times he'd be eating stuff too. So, he'd be taking a bite out of a sandwich while bitching out McCoy for some bad legal blunder.
IMO seasons 5-10 are the peak. It's when they finally got a perfect cast and everything gelled. The few cast changes during this period actually improved things....unlike what would happen to the show later on.
Seasons 11-12 are almost unwatchable due to Dianne Wiest as DA. She's the interim DA until Thompson is brought in for season 13.
It doesn't work. Her character is an ultra liberal but she's not respected by the ADAs. She'll tell them something and they'll do the exact opposite. It happens enough to the point it should've been a storyline at some point.
It sucks that Harmon's last season is wasted because of this.
The first few seasons of Criminal Intent are amazing.
I can agree with all of this. I've rewatched the Bratt/Martin eps from this time period more than the ones with Noth and Moriarity. They just seem fresher and less dated as well. Speaking of bad decisions, I bet Bratt regrets walking away from L&O for a movie career that never really happened. He definitely could have clocked in a few more years on auto pilot if he wanted.
Wiest was just miscast horribly. She never had the conviction of the other DA's. She just was there and never offered anything to the character and was wishy washy. Was just a waste of time.
Agree on CI, too. Those eps were incredibly intense and psychological. It seemed like D'Nofrio gave it his all in those eps and I wasn't surprised when he got burned out by it.
#210 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 120 weeks ago
You guys stop watching movies?
I've been on a Law and Order kick for weeks.
Currently watching season 5.
Nah. I've been watching a lot of questionable stuff.
Deadly Games (1982) Not sure how this got a cult following. This one isn't very good or interesting. The kills aren't particularly interesting. The best part of this is probably the Dick Butkus scenes. He had a small role in this film
I've always felt L&O quality falls way off when Hill retires/gets replaced by Thompson and Harmon leaves and Rohm replaces her. Also and obviously, when Orbach died.
The first 4-5 are the best because they seemed more balanced/or just gritty in terms of both exploring the Law and Order aspects and they didn't just rip something from the headlines and auto pilot the episode around that.
