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A Young Doctor's Notebook Season 1 (Netflix)

An odd and cool story about a doctor in the middle of nowhere Russia during the Russian Revolution. Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm. The season is 4 half hour episodes. Going to watch season 2 (not on Netflix) this week.
 
Robin Hood , the 2006-9 BBC series, touted as a contemporary twist on the Robin Hood tale, supposedly likening Robin to some sort of modern day urban rebel, although the whole thing is done in pseudo medieval style. I never bothered much with this series at the time, but I was trying to work out where I'd seen Richard Armitage before (Thorin in the Hobbit films). He makes an excellent Guy of Gisborne.
 
Brigantium said:
Robin Hood , the 2006-9 BBC series, touted as a contemporary twist on the Robin Hood tale, supposedly likening Robin to some sort of modern day urban rebel, although the whole thing is done in pseudo medieval style. I never bothered much with this series at the time, but I was trying to work out where I'd seen Richard Armitage before (Thorin in the Hobbit films). He makes an excellent Guy of Gisborne.
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I thought the series was awkward at times and lost interest quite fast, but Richard Armitage impressed. Funnily enough, I said to everyone he'd make an excellent Aragorn type of character... And there he was, playing Thorin, Aragorn's counterpart in The Hobbit.
 
There's a limited pool of convincing period/warrior actors. :)

As Robin Hood stuff goes, I'll always be a bigger fan of the highly cheesy 80s ITV series, Robin of Sherwood. Great fun.
 
I finished up Fargo, the TV show. That was incredibly good, so much better than I was expecting. I like the one season and done series (like True Detective) in stories like this, really anyone can bite the dust at anytime
 
bearfan said:
I finished up Fargo, the TV show. That was incredibly good, so much better than I was expecting. I like the one season and done series (like True Detective) in stories like this, really anyone can bite the dust at anytime
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I've been meaning to watch Fargo, I'll have to check it out.

Just saw Jupiter Ascending. Although it had spectacular visuals and a really cool first half, the plot holes, lack of humor, terrible characterization, and damsel-in-distress shit really drag it down. So many easy changes could have made it such a better film.
 
Caught an early screening of Seventh Son last night and let's just say that you'd be better off listening to Maiden's album than paying to see this movie. Once it comes on TV, it'll be quite fun as it is basically a SyFy channel movie with some famous people in it. Silly FX, too much exposition, and clunky directing, but at least it is enjoyable as a bit of B-movie cheese.
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
Just saw Jupiter Ascending. Although it had spectacular visuals and a really cool first half, the plot holes, lack of humor, terrible characterization, and damsel-in-distress shit really drag it down. So many easy changes could have made it such a better film.
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I'm planning to go and see that tonight. Definitely aware of the reception, but I'm intrigued by the worldbuilding and the fact that it seems like a really cool space opera.
 
Just saw Big Hero 6. The animation is stunning, the jokes are good and there's a lot of action involved. Also, it's probably the first film about nerds that I've enjoyed. :P
 
It's a brilliantly conceived space-opera with some interesting depth. Entertaining, visually stunning - including the best use of 3D I've seen and excellent choreography (made with real stunts rather than digital doubles, and it shows). The aestethics could have been part of some bizarre cult TV-show, while the production values lift them up to new convincing heights, and it's all woven together into an interesting and rich world that rivals the best in the genre in scope.

All that is however background, for what really matters - the story. A young-adult-esque adventure detailing the journey of heroine with a firm basis in mythology. The three siblings trying to lead the heroine astray with wealth, compassion and intimidation, respectively, is just one example of a mythological element to the story. Many reviews states that Kunis' Jupiter is a passive protagonist, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. She makes active choices and eventually chooses her own way, the fourth path, and she changes along the way - notice how she goes back to life she lived before with renewed perspective at the end (perhaps the biggest irony of all). She needs a little help from Mr. Virtue (Tatum) on the way, but she eventually makes the right choice. The reason why you see the characterisation as flat is because it is - all the characters just represents an attribute, because Jupiter Ascending is a mythogical allegory first and foremost. A didactic tale, if you like.

While being that, it provides a good dose of humour as bizarre as the rest - the scene where Kunis pulls a sanitary towel from the glove compartment of the car and put it on Tatum's gunshot wound (only to have Sean Bean pull if off later and look puzzled while standing with it full of what only looks like menstrual blood) is just one example, and action sequences as thrilling as anything - Tatum's hover-boots may not exactly be original, but they're definitely the most exciting version of the idea. As for the acting, Kunis and Tatum has some real chemistry between them, and carry the film well. Eddie Redmayne's over-the-top performance will divide opinion, but is exactly the kind of villain a film like this needs. Someone who wants to be menacing, and maybe at first impression is - but just turns out to be a patethic loser who has no power once you see through him.

Jupiter Ascending is definitely not a parody, but it is a good example of what China Miéville identified as an appeal in the fantastic regarding his 2010 novel Kraken:

Part of the appeal of the fantastic is taking ridiculous ideas very seriously and pretending they’re not absurd.
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(Source: http://metro.co.uk/2010/06/02/china...idea-of-the-squid-cult-very-seriously-350880/)

That's what this film is about to me. It's the epitome of that kind of aestethic.
 
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Maturin said:
All that is however background, for what really matters - the story. A young-adult-esque adventure detailing the journey of heroine with a firm basis in mythology. The three siblings trying to lead the heroine astray with wealth, compassion and intimidation, respectively, is just one example of a mythological element to the story. Many reviews states that Kunis' Jupiter is a passive protagonist, but that couldn't be further from the truth. She makes active choices and eventually chooses her own way, the fourth path, and she changes along the way - notice how she goes back to life she lived before with renewed perspective at the end (perhaps the biggest irony of all). She needs a little help from Mr. Virtue (Tatum) on the way, but she eventually makes the right choice. The reason why you see the characterisation as flat is because it is - all the characters just represents an attribute, because Jupiter Ascending is a mythogical allegory first and foremost. A didactic tale, if you like.

While being that, it provides a good dose of humour as bizarre as the rest - the scene where Kunis pulls a sanitary towel from the glove compartment of the car and put it on Tatum's gunshot wound (only to have Sean Bean pull if off later and look puzzled while standing with it full of what only looks like menstrual blood) is just one example, and action sequences as thrilling as anything - Tatum's hover-boots may not exactly be original, but they're definitely the most exciting version of the idea. As for the acting, Kunis and Tatum has some real chemistry between them, and carry the film well. Eddie Redmayne's over-the-top performance will divide opinion, but is exactly the kind of villain a film like this needs. Someone who wants to be menacing, and maybe at first impression is - but just turns out to be a patethic loser who has no power once you see through him.
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The story is The Hero's Journey, we get it, we've seen it before in Star Wars, The Matrix, and everything else. I'm struggling to see how the temptations presented by the siblings are inherently mythological elements. Jupiter makes active choices, she is not completely passive. She is, however, a complete damsel in distress. She does nothing to help herself other than run away and call for help. She even has a chance to off the villain and decides to walk away. She is weak. She may be "powerful", but the only part of her that is strong is her choices. Much of her story makes literally zero sense - what the hell was the point of the bees? They never reappear, they have no significance other than helping Jupiter to believe the truth of her heritage (something which a bunch of aliens, spaceships, and bounty hunters could easily have done). And I'm all for mythological allegories, but that does not mean that your characters should be bland and forced.

Mila Kunis is absolutely flat throughout the whole movie. It seems as though she received no direction from the filmmakers. Case in point: the scene at the end of the film in which she runs around a factory that is crumbling and exploding. She's running for her life. This is it. If she doesn't survive, it's all over. Look at similar scenes in films like Aliens or Jurassic Park, where the heroine runs away from certain death. Those actresses are tripping, stumbling, gasping for air and running into walls. They are selling that perilous moment. Mila Kunis looks like she is jogging at the gym. It's disgraceful. Channing Tatum is one note, but likable. I enjoyed Redmayne's whisper voice, but the yelling moments were awkward at best.

There is very little humor in the film. It's as melodramatic as can be for the most part. There are so many moments where a simple joke would have gone over miraculously, but the Wachowski's are far too serious for that kind of thing. The love story is appalling in its insincerity. We're told that Jupiter always choses the wrong man. Ok, but we don't see that, so why do we care? We're told that she loves Tatum but we're never given any reason other than that she likes being rescued by hunky, unavailable guys and has a strange canine fetish. We're told that they're meant to be because that's what the plot demands. There is not one shred of believable romance in the whole film. I believe Tatum loves Sean Bean more than he loves Jupiter.

Also, why in the hell are a bunch of badass dinosaur/dragons kowtowing to that sniveling little brat?!
 
MrKnickerbocker said:
The story is The Hero's Journey, we get it, we've seen it before in Star Wars, The Matrix, and everything else.
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Partly true, but I find Jupiter Ascending to be a straight allegory. It's basically about the capitalist society and consumption, and it reaches the conclusion that those at the top does not have better lives than those at the bottom. Neither Star Wars nor The Matrix are didactic allegories of that kind. This aims to 'teach' people something. 1 to 1 interpretation - it could have been about Kunis finding out that her character was the daughter of Bill Gates and was destined to inherit Microsoft, only to find that life was much better before = 'Money does not make you happier'.

MrKnickerbocker said:
I'm struggling to see how the temptations presented by the siblings are inherently mythological elements.
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The temptations are the tests the hero is put up to during his journey. The siblings are immortals, no different than gods to a human like Jupiter (which means to say that they are gods) and they're all personifications of their traits - like Loki from Norse mythology is the personification of deception.

MrKnickerbocker said:
Mila Kunis looks like she is jogging at the gym. It's disgraceful.
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This is a valid criticism, but I didn't get that impression from her. I felt 100% invested in the characters' fates and had no trouble believing in them (or the actors playing them).

MrKnickerbocker said:
The love story is appalling in its insincerity. We're told that Jupiter always choses the wrong man. Ok, but we don't see that, so why do we care? We're told that she loves Tatum but we're never given any reason other than that she likes being rescued by hunky, unavailable guys and has a strange canine fetish. We're told that they're meant to be because that's what the plot demands. There is not one shred of believable romance in the whole film.
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The exposition in that dialogue is absolutely the film's weak spot, one that I can however easily forgive due to liking pretty much everything else.
 
Received the DVD of Fury (2014) in the mail today, so I'll probably watch that tonight unless there happen to be something really worth watching on TV. No expectations, not read a single review. Right now I have a need for more SF though, Jupiter Ascending really got to me. Rewatched the excellent Oblivion (2013) earlier this week because of it. I am considering seeing it (Jupiter) again, but it's about the price of the DVD to go to a movie in Sweden... I'll definitely buy the DVD either way, but yeah. It's as much about loving the movie as supporting original films rather than Marvel-junk and the like.
 
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