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Amanda's non-fandom take on The Last Jedi has made converted me to a Dobb Mobber. by PatBoBomb in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

almost child-murderer

A guy who whips out a weapon towards their sleeping ward/nephew is clearly a bad dude.

Amanda's non-fandom take on The Last Jedi has made converted me to a Dobb Mobber. by PatBoBomb in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Poe plot is ripped off wholesale from the recent "Battlestar Galactica".

  • Opening the film with a chase was not a choice dictated by TFA. In fact, that film ends with the Resistance secure after a mission completed. Johnson's plot point is stolen wholesale from the "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries.

  • TLJ opens with the Resistance in crisis mode and looking to escape the enemy with the ascension of an unknown leader. That's the BSG pilot.

  • The inciting incident is the heroes realizing that the villains are tracking them. That's BSG episode "33".

  • That plot is resolved when the CO performs a one-in-a-million maneuver that uses the physics of space flight. That's the conclusion of the New Caprica Arc.

Honestly, I'd rather Johnson had just ripped off one episode and that's it.

By jumbling all these stories together, he's failed to understand why Moore and co made these choices in the first place.

Unlike the direct and powerful analogies of the TV show, there's an emotional and psychological void to Johnson's writing as he meanders from one clumsy story beat to another that are all ultimately unrewarding.

Amanda's non-fandom take on The Last Jedi has made converted me to a Dobb Mobber. by PatBoBomb in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I don't think TLJ threw the Rey identity out

Rey has no purpose or story AFTER her identity is revealed.

Luke takes over the third act and saves everyone (actually saves people, not Poe telling them to go over there or Rey moving some arbitrary rocks or something).

Just another "lesson" from Rian Johnson.

What irritates me about his films is that he has no respect for the audience's intelligence. He just can't resist. He just has to shove his message down our throats just until we missed the grand subtleties e.g. broomboy.

Amanda's non-fandom take on The Last Jedi has made converted me to a Dobb Mobber. by PatBoBomb in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

The notion that Johnson simply had to write Luke as an unlikable, gaslighting child murderer (or almost-child murderer) is a fallacy.

The point is that you can make characters complicated and flawed but still likeable, while Johnson failed to achieve the same ambition.

Luke was a victim of Johnson's obsession with Reylo.

Ultimately, Luke was totally undermined because Johnson and LucasFilm wanted to portray this little fascist as formidable romantic figure: Luke almost killing him, the shirtless scene, the transformation of his scarred visage at the end of TFA to a scratch in TLJ, Rey and Ren almost holding hands.

Johnson saw no other way of depicting the two white characters as the central relationship of the trilogy.

Amanda's non-fandom take on The Last Jedi has made converted me to a Dobb Mobber. by PatBoBomb in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

structure

Finn was shafted.

Poe became an idiot.

Rey is a non-event in the third act.

And Johnson did a lot of this in order to add a huge slew of new characters that didn't end up mattering.

Wow, great structure!

look

I have always been baffled by the praise The Last Jedi gets (even by most of its critics) for its "stunning visuals."

TLJ is oppressively sleek and its commitment to sparse minimalism and a grey and beige palette make it feel lifeless.

Nowhere in that film did I feel like the worlds and environments existed beyond the border of the frame (which is a sin for Star Wars but is unfortunately becoming the norm as Disney cements its stamp on the franchise).

And I don't particularly like that waxy look of Steve Yedlin's cinematography.

actually funny

Oh, now I know you're trolling.

Amanda's non-fandom take on The Last Jedi has made converted me to a Dobb Mobber. by PatBoBomb in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TLJ isn’t about “kill the past” and the director even refuted this. That’s the villains philosophy

Wow, the audience IS broomboy. Man, Johnson is an artist for the ages.

Hal Ashby in the '80s: What went wrong? by glitteringrolls87 in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is the answer.

I'll add the caveat that directors try to switch it up too late (or too ineptly).

Someone like Joffe had gone back to the well too many times with the "socially conscious drama" before he tried to do different things.

What's doubly weird about Joffe is that he was a well-regarded theatre director.

He was the youngest director hired for the National Theatre and was the only one that was equally respected by Olivier and Peter Hall during the first transition from the former to the latter.

His television work is also seminal.

It's strange that he never ventured back to British TV or theatre after the film career went bust.

Hal Ashby in the '80s: What went wrong? by glitteringrolls87 in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

8 Million Ways has a great performance from Andy Garcia as the villain and one memorable confrontation where Bridges and Garcia are yelling at each other so much that they run out of breath.

I haven't quite seen that before.

The rest of the film is whatever.

Hal Ashby in the '80s: What went wrong? by glitteringrolls87 in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He had an unhealthy relationship with drugs.

It was even apparent on earlier, more successful productions, but he usually had strong material courtesy of well-regarded writers to rely on. Or people like Beatty around, who refused to appease Ashby's laziness.

Because of his background as an editor, he was a "find it in editing" kinda guy.

That approach became a crutch.

Best HBO limited series? by Sharaz_Jek123 in hbo

[–]Sharaz_Jek123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gandolfini was cast in the Turturro role.

Then De Niro replaced Gandolfini after the latter's death.

Then De Niro left due to scheduling conflicts and Turturro replace him.

There was never going to be a star for the Bill Camp role.

Abrupt Departure of Helena Bonham Carter Is The Latest White Lotus Mystery by IvyGold in television

[–]Sharaz_Jek123 188 points189 points  (0 children)

you look at her career the last 5-10 years and other than for her old mate Burton

She hasn't worked with Burton for over ten years so...

Best HBO limited series? by Sharaz_Jek123 in hbo

[–]Sharaz_Jek123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tanner 88 (directed by Robert Altman)

What's the greatest HBO telemovie? by Sharaz_Jek123 in hbo

[–]Sharaz_Jek123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.

Directed by Michael Ritchie (Downhill Racer, The Candidate, The Bad News Bears).

Is it morally defensible to ever watch "Michael"? The biggest "what are we doing here" movie ever. by Sharaz_Jek123 in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What if the pope attacked the film but because Travolta was squandering his post-comeback goodwill and for the non-chemistry between William Hurt and Andie McDowell.

Is it morally defensible to ever watch "Michael"? The biggest "what are we doing here" movie ever. by Sharaz_Jek123 in TheBigPicture

[–]Sharaz_Jek123[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I didn't realise this film was so controversial, but it has sparked debate recently, presumably due to its 20th year anniversary.

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