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#61 Re: Guns N' Roses » 2024 “Taking Off” » 97 weeks ago
The reunion gave Axl the excuse to stop pretending. He's not interested in his career or making music anymore. Hasn't been for a long time. Best he can do is sign off on some microwaved chinese leftovers from Slash & Duff. Other than that he's got nothing going. Just turn up for the gig, do some Vince Neil and cash the check.
I've decided that GN'R fans aren't expecting new music as much as they are expecting them just to act like a real band again. What's up, what's going on, we're going to be doing this etc. It's like going to wall mart and just sitting outside hoping they'll open up. No lights in the building, no sign on the door, just some old twinkies mashed out in the parking lot.
When they stop touring we'll never hear from him again.
Dude lost his muse a long time ago (somewhere in the 2000s I'd say). And he isn't even interested in doing a simple singing on a song if the other guys did all the other stuff and all he had to do was show up and sing.
#62 Re: The Sunset Strip » Best Films of the 2000s » 98 weeks ago
Around the time of Iron Man, The Dark Knight and the Avengers I would say. I remember thinking the Avengers would bomb because there had been some similar movies in the past that did not do so well. That whole "crossover superhero" type movie. When that was a smash hit I think they realized there was an untapped market for generic super hero movies. Before that you needed something special. A great actor and a great director. After Avengers suddenly every other movie was making a billion. So late 00s, early 10s.
Yeah, directing lately is just not good. I can't even name a modern director that I like that started from the 2010s and onward. Once the old guys die off it's going to be dire and just not creative or fun.
Now they just hire the guy "that knows" how to director superhero films. I guarantee a bunch of these directors don't have any successes outside of the superhero stuff.
On top of the superhero shit still going,..and remakes too, we have the woke nonsense drowning the industry, ruining IPs, and so many streaming services creating an ocean of shit just so they can have content for their apps.
It's madness.
Another thing... comedies aren't funny anymore.
Yeah, the remakes. They don't exist as totally diferent stories from the originals they ape from. Take for example the 1997 remake the Jackal. It takes the framework of the 1973 original but makes it it's own diferent and distinct story (complete w/suspect Richard Gere accent btw). I think I may have enjoyed the remake more than the orignal which is kinda dry and boring.
Now? I don't really see different stories . I see them substituting minorities into the lead roles but the story remains the same and is a copy.
Funny you should mention streaming. The industry is trying to kill off physical media. But you want to know where you can find interesting stuff (from the past and present)? Yep, those "niche labels" that distribute and sell discs. Want 70-80s horror? Multiple labels provide that. Indie stuff? Classic erotica? Foreign films? Mainstream stuff that was underseen? You can even find Looney Tunes all on disc now.
It's just as the years go by, I just can't "identify" with some of this modern stuff. And it's not because I'm reaching old fart level. Some of this stuff just isn't good to watch or they just get some of the basic stuff (like the cityscape part we've talked about ) totally wrong.
#63 Re: The Sunset Strip » Best Films of the 2000s » 98 weeks ago
Yeah it's not a very good decade. You can sense the trouble ahead for the industry.
Just curious but when did this change? I still remember in the early mid 2000s where it was similar to the 90s in that there were a lot of choices in the type or amount of movies that were in theaters. Yeah, there were still franchises like LOTR etc, but I remember seeing the Others, Gangs of New York, Lost in Translation and even something like Memories of a Geisha playing in the theater. As opposed to now where it's just franchises and maybe "message movies".
Did this change start developing in the late 2000s or the early 2010s? where you really see the creative bankruptcy take place. I took a look at some of the best of 2010s films, and shit my list is going to be a ton of foreign films.
#64 Re: The Sunset Strip » Best Films of the 2000s » 98 weeks ago
On pure enjoyment and rewatchable level I think this decade fared higher than I thought.
Battle Royale
Infernal Affairs
About a Boy
Collateral
Oldboy
In Bruges
Lost in Translation
Casino Royale
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (aka the one w/Gary Oldman)
Inside Man
Up in the Air
Kill Bill Vol I
Spirited Away
Femme Fatale
I need to watch In the Bedroom. Apparently, Wilkinson (RIP) got robbed of an Oscar that year for that movie. I came close to putting Mullholland Drive on there but I've only seen it once. I wanted to put in another Miike film but I wouldn't place Ichi the Killer over some of the other films. Late 90s- mid 2000s is probably his prime. He has slowed down the past 10 years or so. Also almost put the Prestige on there. It's probably the only Nolan film that I can kind of see his genius in. The other ones I just find good and not great. Oh, Death at a Funeral is also fun in that Brit comedy kind of way.
#65 Re: The Sunset Strip » Most Recent Movie You've Seen » 101 weeks ago
Society of the Snow - Until a few days ago I had no idea this existed. It's an Alive remake...one of my favorite 90s movies.
It was ok but I hated the editing style. I also didn't like how they handled certain aspects of the story...the lone woman dying is barely an afterthought here yet in reality it almost killed their spirit.
Loved how the actors took it seriously and went on crash diets to lose a bunch of weight. Made it so much more realistic.
The CGI plane crash was inferior to the 90s version.
I was kind of wondering about this once since it got nominated for a best foreign film oscar. Looks like I'll pass.
The Outfit (1973). Revenge film starring Robert Duvall. Made in between the Godfather movies. And it delivers. It's not complex, just delivers what is sets out to. Gritty and cool. Suprised it isn't better known to be honest.
Missing (2021). Japanese film. Saw this on Tubi. The premise is a little misleading and it takes a bit to get started but once it gets into high gear I was totally into it. Reminded me of those 2010's Korean films I used to watch a lot of.
Hunt (2022) Speaking of Korean, this one is an espinoage thriller starring the guy from Squid Game (took me a while to place him). There's nothing wrong with it and it's probably better than the majority of Hollywood fare getting pumped out in the same genre. BUT some of these films can get overly complex plotwise and sometimes I swear I need a freaking scorecard/primer to keep track of the plots/characters floating around in the film.
Lost Souls (2000) I went in semi blind on this one. And guess what, I enjoyed it. Probably at the tail end of Winona Ryder's prime. I always kind of liked her which helps. Anyway, it seems like Hollywood released a bunch of religious/supernatural type style thrilers in 99 and 2000. I think this one kind of gets lost unfortuanatley. I enjoyed this one as a film more than Stigmata (which may be better made). One of the biggest pluses on this movie is the cinematography. It looks like one of those gritty 70s films, except it's set in 2000. It's a bit of a slow burner. I did get a kick out of seeing audio cassette tapes still in vogue in the year 2000. NYC is prominent/a character which is always good. I sort of liked the ending too.
#66 Re: Guns N' Roses » The General and Monsters » 102 weeks ago
that video is irredeemable garbage. at this point, i have more faith in the united states government than this band. this is nothing but a shameless, lazy attempt to jump on the AI bandwagon. axl has to be completely checked out at this point—unbelievable that he would sign-off on something this half-assed. saying it's half-assed might even be too kind... it's barely even quarter-assed.
from creative works london on instagram:
Release from Guns N' Roses: "The General" Music Video**
Guns N' Roses have unveiled a new music video for their single "The General." This release marks a significant milestone for the band, as it introduces a pioneering use of AI in their video production.
The video masterfully combines live footage, motion graphics, hand-drawn elements, and AI-rendered content, offering an immersive, A.I.-infused visual experience.
It features a narrative that explores the subconscious of a young boy confronting his dark childhood memories, seamlessly blending different visual worlds. This approach continues Guns N' Roses' tradition of delivering bold and innovative visuals.
The project was brought to life in collaboration with London based Creative Works, and led by Creative Director and Co-Founder Dan Potter, the concert visuals director for Guns N' Roses.
Potter explains, "The decision to integrate AI into our storytelling process was inspired ultimately by the band management. Prior to combining the AI workflow, the team had been working on an animated cinematic in Unreal Engine. Incorporating this new AI workflow significantly impacted the project's direction and the unique visual style resulting from this blend aligns perfectly with the song's vibe. This showcases how using these new tools leads to successful collaborations between traditional and AI-driven art forms."[
what a joke. looks like it was fernando's idea based on the bolded part above.
absolutely insane that this is the same band who put together the music videos for november rain and estranged. there isn't an ounce of creativity left in this group.
it's already getting ratio'd on youtube:
https://i.imgur.com/XRk2x4G.png
i'm gonna go walk my dog.
That's my issue with it. I have no idea what the hell the "story" was for this video. They would have been better off with just the live stuff. Also it makes them seem kind of desparate to fit in/be modern. There's nothing wrong with being a greatest hits band, which is what they are now.
I hate being negative, but the video is just a mess.
#67 Re: Guns N' Roses » The General and Monsters » 104 weeks ago
Sorry for the long delay. I was in the hospital for a minor procedure, caught some horrifying flu, and almost died. Never been in the hospital that long before. It was hell.
Damn. That was scary to read. Glad that you survived and got the hell out of there and are recovering.
#68 Re: Guns N' Roses » The General and Monsters » 109 weeks ago
Can't happen because it wasn't an actual band. They were rarely together, the different cliques cane up with songs on a whim while eating Chinese food or digging through Ben Hur samples, no one wants to go to the studio that smells like dog shit, list goes on.
We're lucky we got as many songs as we did. It's also not that surprising that songs left off the album all have issues. It was no longer a real project at that point.
As far as Slash goes, the real travesty isn't that he couldn't have worked on these specific songs....it's that the 93-94 GNR probably has their own Achtung Baby in 96-97 in some alternate timeline that took them to the next level.
Fans lost out on so much. Keith Richards was right....you never leave.
Yeesh, I totally blanked out the dog poop part of the saga.
But (he will deny this if ever asked), the spectre of Slash was still hanging over the entire project at that point. He still couldn't move on. You see it in all the stuff around the time period (the embarrassing rants, set lists etc). It became less of a band/solo project as time moved on.
And yeah, the original band should have never broken up. They definitely could have relesed something in the dark years or 1993-95 if I guess they got all their shit together and ironed out whatever issues they had back then. Again, proper management would have been an immense help here in terms of letting these idiots see the big picture they were all fucking up.
#69 Re: The Sunset Strip » Best Films of the 1990s » 109 weeks ago
Ever since I got into movies Carlito's Way has been recommended as a great mob type movie. Back then I didn't get it, Goodfellas, Godfather just seemed so much better. But now I see the greatness. It can be hard to explain exactly what makes DePalma so great. He's definitely an acquired taste and he can also be very hit and miss. He's not flashy, he doesn't really do anything new. There is no obvious music, humor or coolness about him. But you can tell he loves what he's doing. He lives and breathe film. He's a bit like Lynch where he's got this ideal, romantic touch to his film making. So many directors fall prey to their own hype. They want to be the big man and somewhere along the way they lose their essence. Tarantino is a good example of this. Great, innovative, fun director in his early years, now he's become pretentious and full of himself. Lars Von Trier also went down this path. But DePalma stayed true.
It's more of a toned down Scarface to me. And it's one of my faves since I don't care too much for Scarface. Pacino and DePalma give great performances. There's a great chase scene in the train station too. No one does chase/movement scenes better than DePalma. Like you said he loves film. I think he genuinely cares about how the scene is presented to the viewer and how to use the different uses of the camera to achieve them. He can do blockbusters (MI) and arty ish type (Femme Fatale) but there's a joy in watching his films.
Tarentino just makes these long slogs now that I can't really sit through. Pulp Fiction is like 2.5 hours and it doesn't feel that long. Some of the more current stuff just drags to me. Kill Bill 2 was basically the last great Tarentino film for me.
On Van Trier: where the hell would you start with him (film wise)? The Element of Crime always sounded interesting to me.
I should give this a chance someday.
I can't stand Hugh Grant or Andie McDowell in anything...so it was a deal breaker from the start.
Truthfully, if you can't stand either of them I'd pass. If you want to watch one of those Hugh Grant comedies to see what the fuss is about I'd suggest About A Boy, it's really different and dark and has Toni Colette and Rachel Wieisz. The other one might be Notting Hill but you've mentioned not being the biggest Roberts fan either so that's another deal breaker.
This is one of those movies that had pop culture by the balls yet wasn't really a huge blockbuster. It probably made a killing in VHS rentals.
I've always wondered if she eventually regretted not doing the TV series. She would've made less money than she did doing that Batman movie, but Batman was the beginning of the end of the Alicia craze and the Clueless series might have kept her in a holding pattern until she finds something better.
See, I think she did the right move. She kind of got lucky and was in the right place and right time with Clueless. Her main appeal was either the teenage vamp or the Clueless character. She was limited in her range and in this case struck while the iron was hot and made a lot of money. I'm not sure she had a lot of appeal outside of those type of roles and she definitely couldn't carry a film by herself.
I may watch this soon. Last year I watched a bunch of River's films but never got around to that one.
This is one of those star studded films "done right". Some of these modern ones are annoying in that it feels less like a film and more like something to showcase, actor X and Y. But Sneakers is great, tells a decent story and is entertaining and everyone gets something to do and contribute.
#70 Re: The Sunset Strip » Best Films of the 1990s » 109 weeks ago
After going over that, I may lean towards Polluxlm's view that the 90s is on par or even better than the 70s. While 70s films look better, I had to leave off a lot more amazing films on this list than I did for the 70s.
Yep. While I love the grittiness of the 70s and the ambivalent/creative endings, for pure rewatchability its the 90s stuff. It's just so easy to just kind of watch this stuff and get sucked back into the decade. I think it's probably we all grew up during this decade and for better or worst we can relate to the films more. I had a hard time just putting 10, I had to leave off some great films as well.
In the Line of Fire
Unforgiven
Casino
Pulp Fiction
Jackie Brown
The Last Seduction
Seven
The King of New York
Heat
Four Weddings and a Funeral
The ones I left off:
Clueless : it's probably one of the quintiseential 90s comedies and Alicia Silverstone was never hotter or better. Weird to think now that Paul Rudd has had the better career.
Silence of the Lambs: had a really tough time leaving this one off. Another 90s essential.
Bound/ Wild Things: both get notoriety for the lesbian scenes but that's a disservice. Bound is a great cat/mouse/heist movie. Wild Things i s just a freaking sleazy and wonderful movie where people decieve each other like crazy
Rushmore: coming of age story with Bill Murray transforming into whatever you describe his acting is (it's way different than his 80s stuff) kick ass soundtrack
New Jack City
Jurrasic Park
The Game
The Grifters
Face Off
One False Move
State of Grace
Shallow Grave
Basic Instinct; another 90s essential but I had to leave it off, the second half drags a little
Sneakers
Gonin; 90s japanese film, sort of rare, Japanese version (kind of) of Heat
Some brief comments on those that did make the list: Pulp, Heat, In the Line of Fire, Four Weddings, are all comfort movies. I pop it in and relax. Four Weddings seems like an odd one amidst all the thrillers but I've always liked how it made me laugh with it's British charm plus I've always sort of respected the question it poses in the film : Is marriage overrated or do you even need or want to be married?
Seven is a damn masterpiece in terms of almost everything. It's like perfect. Constantly raining and dark. And then you have these characters who are bleak yet balanced with upbeat ones. Then there's the moral choice at the end that has to be made, and it doesn't matter if you've seen it more than once; it's still gripping.
Unforgiven is a western...and it's not at the same time. And that 's the brillant part. It takes what you know about the genre and sort of twists it around.
The Last Seduction; it's sort of a similar reasoning for Unforgiven. The femme fatale/lure (use your own term) usually doesn't get the starring role, it's usually a support character or just used to move the plot along. Fiorentino has a ball here as Bridget and it shows. There's also a very un PC (in current times) ending.
On Strange Days: I liked it (saw it within the last few years) but I found the tech parts a little dated, not horrible like some other 90s film but it could use a modern approach
Point Break, saw it a few years ago after having not seen it since the 90s. and you know what time totally changes your perspective. When I was growing up, whenver I saw that film I focused on the heists and the masks "gimmick". But the last time I saw it, I saw it as a celebration of the surfer culture and less of a heist film.
Just as I post this, I see Polluxm's list.
I just saw Lost Highway last month or whatever. It's very trippy
Carlito's Way is probably top 5 DePalna for me. Snake Eyes is really fun to rewatch because the plot doesn't matter as much and you pay attention more to the camera work and directing.
