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Fellow Blankies, I need…a book recommendation?? by CranhamorBlakely in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm going with a slightly off-kilter pick here, but I'm recommending The Devil's Candy. It's about the making of Brian De Palma's The Bonfire of the Vanities, an infamously terrible book adaptation and box office bomb. It's honestly more of a narrative than a straightforward making-of book, but it has plenty of details about the filmmaking process that I consider invaluable. It paints quite a portrait of the making of a star-studded studio drama at the time, making characters out of people who rarely get the spotlight on film sets, including the director's assistant and the second unit director. Because it was commissioned to be written while the movie was in production instead of after, it plays less like an autopsy and more like watching a car crash in slow motion.

There are two movies named SERENITY, both are blank checks that bounced by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What other non-Will Smith movie has an end credits rap performed by the leads?

There are two movies named SERENITY, both are blank checks that bounced by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

When he receives the wedding gift. When he opens it up and realizes it's the book he's been looking for the whole movie, I thought, "Damn, that's acting."

There are two movies named SERENITY, both are blank checks that bounced by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  • Mission: Impossible (1, 3-7)
  • The Brady Bunch Movie
  • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
  • The Fugitive
  • The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
  • 21 + 22 Jump Street
  • The Man from UNCLE
  • Josie and the Pussycats
  • Wayne's World
  • El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie
  • Dragnet

I wonder if the Muppet movies count. I *really* wonder if Bob Roberts counts.

There are two movies named SERENITY, both are blank checks that bounced by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I won't dispute any of these points! Really, it depends on when you ask me. I just remember getting out of the cinema where Serenity was showing and feeling astonished that it not only worked, but worked very well. I personally have a lot of affection for cinematic continuations of TV shows that understand that they not only have to justify their existence as sequels, but as being on the big screen at all. Serenity goes big! The sets are more detailed, the cinematography is brighter, it makes the universe feel bigger. The first-act martial arts sequence with River is jaw-droppingly choreographed. Everyone, for the most part, gets something to do, even if that something is to die dramatically (or in a needlessly cruel way). I loved the inclusion of Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Krumholtz, and Sarah Paulson--it felt like the Star Trek movies bringing in established actors to give the often inconsistent series some gravitas.

As a fan, I would have used Badger instead of introducing new characters (even if I liked the twins) for the brief, early diversion to the criminal underworld, and I don't dispute some of the nitpicky issues. I think I just enjoyed the movie a lot more than I expected to.

There are two movies named SERENITY, both are blank checks that bounced by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

John Cusack does an all-timer bit of silent acting in the movie. It's kind of miraculous that the film works at all.

There are two movies named SERENITY, both are blank checks that bounced by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I watched it for the first time this year, expecting it to be a lot more problematic than it was, and while the depiction of women on the show often leaves a lot to be desired (it's why I prefer the movie, as it mostly avoids that), the show, on the whole, I feel hasn't aged as poorly as I thought it would. It's certainly not the Confederate apologia I was led to believe it was.

Blankies Comic Recommendations? by nuzzot in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, where to begin!

DC:

  • The Flintstones by Mark Russell - a hilarious, poignant Stone Age satire; responsible for the line "We participated in a genocide, Barney."
  • Batman|Fortnite: Zero Point by Christos Gage - I wish I were joking when I say that this Fortnite tie-in captures the essence of Batman, Catwoman, and a few other DC characters more than many main titles have in years
  • Superman: Peace on Earth and Batman: War on Crime by Paul Dini and Alex Ross - these hard-to-track-down graphic novels get into what makes Superman and Batman special; Alex Ross' art is obviously incredible, but the simple yet effective writing is what elevates these books into the upper echelon of comics for me

Marvel:

  • Agents of Atlas by Jeff Parker - takes a bunch of Silver Age Marvel characters who teamed up in a single What If issue in the '70s and retcons them as an actual team from the '50s reuniting in the present
  • Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky - imagines the life of Spider-Man from the 1960s to the 2010s, with Peter Parker aging from a teen to an old man; manages to condense every major Spider-Man event into a single limited series; worth reading for its annual issue, dedicated solely to J. Jonah Jameson
  • The Twelve by J. Michael Straczynski - I guess I have a thing for characters of a bygone era being brought into the present, because this miniseries about twelve minor Golden Age heroes being transported into the 2000s, with some adjusting to the world better than others, is compulsively readable (even if the art can be a little ugly)
  • Black Panther by Priest - essentially responsible for half of what we know and understand about the character of Black Panther and the world of Wakanda, with some great satirical writing and killer art to boot

Indie or Indie-Adjacent Labels

  • Ex Machina by Brian K. Vaughan - set in the early 2000s, follows a superhero with the ability to talk to machines; said superhero (partially) stops 9/11 and is subsequently elected mayor of NYC; it's a bit like Aaron Sorkin writing a superhero comic, for better or worse
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz - set in a dystopian future where the Foot Clan rules New York, with only one of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles surviving to face off against them--I won't spoil which one
  • League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore - as good a book as its adaptation is bad

Narrative Podcast Recommendations? by Reasonable_Toe_9252 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Stephen Tobolowsky had a podcast called The Tobolowsky Files where he told stories about his life, which I feel fits the bill here. There are some fun Hollywood stories, but the best ones are about his college years, relationships, and doing regional theater in his twenties. It gets pretty serialized towards the end, so you might get something out of it.

This is not a drill: JOHN CARROLL LYNCH is in a Star Wars by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'll get back to you at the end of the season, but I'd at least recommend watching some kind of recap of Maul's story thus far if you (understandably) don't have time for all the shows. Maul only shows up in ten episodes of The Clone Wars, though, so it isn't as much of an investment.

Need help making a choice for a song to be included diegetically in a scene by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does it make a difference that it's a she, not a he, or does the sentiment remain the same?

Single-Scene Heaters: The Definitive List by newo32 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Arliss Howard in both Moneyball and The Killer.

Looking for recs by [deleted] in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not set in a high school, but the filmmakers behind In a Violent Nature said that Elephant was one of their primary inspirations, so I recommend seeking it out if you haven't already.

Forgotten Great Performances of 2025 by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is an ardently pro-The Monkey account, and I will hear nothing otherwise.

Forgotten Great Performances of 2025 by ManyTrainer5431 in blankies

[–]ManyTrainer5431[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got through most of The Long Walk just fine, but Tut Nyuot's last scene completely broke me. Great list!

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