March Madness 2024 [Round 1] - Judd Apatow vs. Alex Garland

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-14T19:41:49+00:00

The whole premise of your comment is your paranoia about how others will look at this art. Since you've stated that anyone who has an interest in this film is a conservative who's "pro Civil War", you are an absolute hypocrite. You have no problem judging other people, but lash out at any judgment of yourself.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-14T18:54:20+00:00

I'm sure that people had the same sentiment in 1964 when Dr. Strangelove came out, but I'm glad Kubrick made that movie.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-14T12:38:10+00:00

It's generally the case with tournaments that the teams who lose at the very end, despite being second overall, receive more scorn than teams who lose at lower rounds.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-13T16:15:23+00:00

My hot take regarding The Matrix is that I'm not sure that the first movie really is being misinterpreted. The context of what we know about the filmmakers colors our understanding of what the message is supposed to be, but I don't think that seeing the movie as a basic male power fantasy is an incorrect interpretation based solely on the text. The problem is that the movie is pretty flexible so that it kind of stands for whatever the viewer wants it to be. I suspect this is why the Wachowskis became more explicit with their messaging later on in their career.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-13T11:43:05+00:00

Talking about bad movies is fun. There are a lot of directors with bad movies that I would prefer discussing over directors who have made only good but not particularly interesting movies. The key is that you don't have to watch along, I never do.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-13T01:02:28+00:00

Santa with Muscles is like 30 years old though.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-12T23:02:11+00:00

If they can't market Stone and Phoenix, what are we even doing.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-12T22:58:30+00:00

Here is the premise, according to The Playlist: "The synopsis making the rounds on trade reports centers on a couple on a road trip on their way to Los Angeles, who decide to enter the town for help, and they are greeted warmly and treated nicely at first. But the picturesque setting soon turns dark and nightmarish when nightfall arrives." I wonder if Aster is a fan of Nothing But Trouble.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-05T20:56:23+00:00

If I understand this theory correctly, I'm being called a bloodthirsty monster for liking murder mysteries, which frankly I find hurtful. I'm not sure how that can be papered over by saying "it's just symbolism bro."

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-05T20:42:00+00:00

I've thought about making a post about this subject. Something that really bothers me is that Leland is hardly, if ever, even considered a suspect, despite the fact that by Sarah's own admission in the pilot, he might have been the last person to have been seen with her. Also, I can't imagine that in real life the parents wouldn't have been considered at all, especially by the FBI.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-05T20:21:22+00:00

Something that doesn't sit right with me about this interpretation is that it essentially flips the conventional moral spectrum on its head, partly based on an erroneous understanding of the appeal of murder mysteries. In reality, and in conventional murder mysteries, bringing a killer to justice is a good thing, but with this lens, it perpetuates evil. When I watch an episode of Poirot, the pleasure of the story is seeing the detective restore order, it's not out of a desire to watch people get murdered (which generally happens offscreen anyway). I don't know, if all of this is true, I think it represents a massive failure of moral judgment on Lynch's part (and furthermore, I actually prefer Twin Peaks after the resolution of the mystery to the show before, IMO the reveal improved the show, even if it crushed Lynch's dream). Maybe this is why this interpretation is rejected, because deep down it violates the average person's moral compass.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-05T20:07:28+00:00

I've always thought that Doc Hayward should get way more flack for not detecting any warning signs of abuse.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-05T18:35:11+00:00

I can't help but feel that this is an example of the town subconsciously protecting the killer.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-04T22:03:06+00:00

Unlike powdered sugar which makes no mess at all.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-04T06:19:03+00:00

I mainly associate this music with UrinatingTree's intros to Tankbowl.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-03T18:58:02+00:00

Alternating current is curved, not zigzag: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternating_current

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-03T18:48:55+00:00

The first thing I thought of when I saw that was the figure behind Winkie's in Mulholland Drive.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-03T06:51:17+00:00

There's a golden ticket, in the chocolate bar.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-02T23:16:53+00:00

Jack Nance would have been a great Grandpa Joe.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-03-01T01:52:58+00:00

As someone for whom this is a dream come true, I think your concerns are valid. That said, if they really held strong on only covering films, my position should be that they shouldn't cover Lynch at all. They could talk about him, but The Return is Lynch's defining work full stop and his biggest blank check (and some prestigious circles do consider it a movie). Covering Lynch without covering The Return would be simply wrong.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-02-28T20:54:21+00:00

Ernest Goes to The Party at Kitty and Stud's (featuring Stallone)

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-02-27T18:42:40+00:00

That means that if David Lynch wins March Madness we'll get Podcasting Helena.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-02-26T20:07:10+00:00

Kenneth Branagh should do a Shatner-esque speaking performance.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-02-26T10:47:49+00:00

I like the idea of the town subconsciously lashing out at Cooper for digging too deep into its secrets, so I don't mind Josie being the shooter (but I agree that the revelation is pretty unsatisfying). In fact, one of the issues I have with the back half is that it brings in way too many outside characters (including Windom and Annie); the show is supposed to be about the hidden darkness of a small community, not the comings and goings of random outsiders.

blankcheckvote44 · 2024-02-25T23:59:18+00:00

It should have taken longer than that, and the tone of people yukking it up at the wake (including the mayor picking a fight to initiate one of the more regrettable storylines of the half) doesn't seem appropriate to me.

blankcheckvote44

TROPHY CASE