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I hated the way the horse was portrayed with human qualities. There were many examples of this, but the scene where the horse switches with the old horse to pull the gun up the hill was ridiculous.
Seabiscuit was a good show.
Secretariat was like The Rookie but with a horse instead of a baseball player. So I liked it.War Horse...was not very good. Spielberg at his schmaltziest.
It's called anthropomorphization. And it's stupid.
'Andy Dufresne said:
And the originals from 78?
Completely unnecessary.'Andy Dufresne said:
This show is a drama about some of the most depressing middle aged men I've ever seen. I guess if you are watching to feel good about yourself because their lives are so sad... yeah it might be good. I personally prefer to watch shows that have more positive storylines.Raymond had to fire an employee because he lost a bunch of money gambling on sports. The one dude is an old guy still haning on to 'the dream' of being an actor... but he's all washed up and refuses to accept reality as he desperately grasps at the idea of being young again. Sorry, just not feeling it. Bunch of sad sacs in that show.
I didn't find them that sad - none of them are homeless and the guy who's the worst off financially gets laid any time he wants. Sure they had problems but everybody does.
The whole show kind of plays out like a docudrama on the sadness that is midlife crisis to me.As far as them being sad... I am referring more to the decisions they make... not necessarily their income.
I watched *Batteries Not Included the other day because I thought my 9 year old would like it. It was so ####ty, I could not believe that this was made by the director of Munich and Schindler's List.Seabiscuit was a good show.
War Horse...was not very good. Spielberg at his schmaltziest.
He was the executive producer. Not sure how involved he really was.I watched *Batteries Not Included the other day because I thought my 9 year old would like it. It was so ####ty, I could not believe that this was made by the director of Munich and Schindler's List.Seabiscuit was a good show.
War Horse...was not very good. Spielberg at his schmaltziest.
Clearly, we have different viewing agendas. Men of a Certain Age is a smart, funny, adult TV show. It sounds like you enjoy being uplifted by TV shows - and I cannot quibble with that. But I'd never paint this show with that broad of a brush. Men of a Certain Age isn't depressing - it's real. We all experience myriad emotions on a daily basis, and I like it when a film or a show captures that.
That makes sense.He was the executive producer. Not sure how involved he really was.I watched *Batteries Not Included the other day because I thought my 9 year old would like it. It was so ####ty, I could not believe that this was made by the director of Munich and Schindler's List.Seabiscuit was a good show.
War Horse...was not very good. Spielberg at his schmaltziest.
yeah... its 'real' depressing... knock knock knock.i don't know man. I mean. I just see all these 'reality' tv shows that claim to be real. And I see sitcom / drama tv shows that claim to have a 'real'ness to them. But they all have these characters with these really bad characteristics, that make extremely bad life decisions, and cause tremendous amounts of drama, and people claim they are 'real'. I just don't see it. I actually believe that actual 'real' life is a whole lot more booooorrrrriiiinnggg. And shows like these basically sensationalize things that are mildly real at an unrealistic rate of occurrence.
So how do you not like Parenthood then? IIRC you weren't too excited about it... didn't stick with it... something like that? I think Parenthood is a million times better then Men of A Certian Age. I think all the storylines in Parenthood are very realistic. If you value this realness factor I thought sure you would like a show like that.
it is a good series to pick up. it starts out *really* strong but, like many shows, it loses some steam. i think it could have benefited from a clear start and end for the series. "Lost" seemed to regain its footing once they decided that it needed to end.'Cliff Clavin said:
I don't get it. You only make good decisions?
I liked Parenthood the movie - haven't seen the show. I'd give it a shot, though. Dax Sheppard? I like him.
LOST lost me during towards the end but was fantastic until that point. Sounds like Battlestar is a go.
No. Thats not it at all. I am a very mathematical person. Let's say that I believe the average person makes 50% good decisions and 50% bad decisions. When I watched Men of a Certian Age I felt like the characters made about %75 bad decisions and %25 good decisions. I think TV often highly emphasizes the bad because it is more interesting, exciting, attention getting. I think Men of a Certian Age does this. Isn't Raymond like one of the worst dads ever? Or isn't his mom one of the worst Mom's ever? I just remember multiple characters that were just bad people. I think reality is more 50/50 or higher on the positive side.People make bad decisions on the show Parenthood... but there are probably just as many good decisions made on that show too. Decisions that aren't particularly exciting... many that are quite boring... but i think are very realistic. I would definitely give Parenthood the show a shot.
I don't think that any of the lead characters in Men are bad people. I think they are human.Sure, I'll give Parenthood a shot.
Jutz's reasoning behind why MofCA isnt good is perplexing to me, but it just sounds like a personal preference more than anything. Based on what he's saying on the decision making, kind of sounds like Californication which I think is great.As for Parenthood, I think its a really good show and totally out of my wheelhouse of what I normally watch TV series wise. Id say I typically only watch dramas that involve violence or criminal activity, so that fact the Im still watching Parenthood I think is credited to how good of a show it is. Pretty sure its the only network TV show Ive stuck with. Its got a great ensemble cast (Dax, Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Craig T. Nelson, Michael B. Jordan, and Monica Potter and Erika Christensen never struck me as very good actresses but they do a great job with their characters here) and the kid actors are pretty strong for the most part. Im way behind on this season but the first 2 seasons were very good.
Yeah, that was a good one
Im kind of disappointed this means I wont get to read your review about how much it sucked.After Suckbiscuit, I decided I was done with horse movies. Suckritariat? No thanks. War Hoary? Nope.'Chaka said:Never seen it. Just pointing out that in a movie named War Horse you should probably expect the horse to shine.'jdoggydogg said:Are you defending War Horse?'Chaka said:
Who knows? Maybe it'll work for me against all odds. After all, I enjoyed GI Jane and The Devil Wears PradaIm kind of disappointed this means I wont get to read your review about how much it sucked.After Suckbiscuit, I decided I was done with horse movies. Suckritariat? No thanks. War Hoary? Nope.'Chaka said:Never seen it. Just pointing out that in a movie named War Horse you should probably expect the horse to shine.'jdoggydogg said:Are you defending War Horse?'Chaka said:
I think most guys will admit Devil Wears Prada is actually a solid romcom/chick flick.Never saw GI Jane.Who knows? Maybe it'll work for me against all odds. After all, I enjoyed GI Jane and The Devil Wears PradaIm kind of disappointed this means I wont get to read your review about how much it sucked.After Suckbiscuit, I decided I was done with horse movies. Suckritariat? No thanks. War Hoary? Nope.'Chaka said:Never seen it. Just pointing out that in a movie named War Horse you should probably expect the horse to shine.'jdoggydogg said:Are you defending War Horse?'Chaka said:
G.I. Jane is one of those movies where you're watching it thinking to yourself, "I know this is corny. I know this is corny." But Ridley Scott knows his stuff.I think most guys will admit Devil Wears Prada is actually a solid romcom/chick flick.Never saw GI Jane.Who knows? Maybe it'll work for me against all odds. After all, I enjoyed GI Jane and The Devil Wears PradaIm kind of disappointed this means I wont get to read your review about how much it sucked.After Suckbiscuit, I decided I was done with horse movies. Suckritariat? No thanks. War Hoary? Nope.'Chaka said:Never seen it. Just pointing out that in a movie named War Horse you should probably expect the horse to shine.'jdoggydogg said:Are you defending War Horse?'Chaka said:
When I want your opinion I'll give it to you.G.I. Jane is one of those movies where you're watching it thinking to yourself, "I know this is corny. I know this is corny." But Ridley Scott knows his stuff.I think most guys will admit Devil Wears Prada is actually a solid romcom/chick flick.Never saw GI Jane.Who knows? Maybe it'll work for me against all odds. After all, I enjoyed GI Jane and The Devil Wears PradaIm kind of disappointed this means I wont get to read your review about how much it sucked.After Suckbiscuit, I decided I was done with horse movies. Suckritariat? No thanks. War Hoary? Nope.'Chaka said:Never seen it. Just pointing out that in a movie named War Horse you should probably expect the horse to shine.'jdoggydogg said:Are you defending War Horse?'Chaka said:
I agree but as I said when this conversation started I don't go out of my way to put in a DVD of a film that I have seen and really enjoyed but when it is on TV I won't change the channel. I think there is a difference. Kind of like my college days, I never went out with the intent of going to Denny's but I ended up there quite often.'Leeroy Jenkins said:
I believe I've only watched 1 episode of MofCA, and part of another episode. In the episode I saw, Joe lost a ton of money due to gambling. Because of this loss he had to fire someone at his store. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but I remember the firing going very poorly. This tells me that the guy's gambling, something that is illegal, put his and his family's welfare at risk, and put an employee on the street... and he was a poor manager when he handled it. I also seem to recall him being a poor father, missing his kids events or something like that.In this same episode the guy that is trying to be an actor was invited by some of his 'friends' to work on a tv or movie. He was all excited, made notes on the script, went to hang with them... and they basically laughed at him and treated him like crap. Basically taking the attitude of... we weren't seriously going to get you involved in this project... you are just lucky that we invited you to hang out with us. He left in shame. The depiction was of a guy still trying to be an actor and desparately holding on to his youth. The fact that he normally dates women much younger then him also adds to this depiction. The fact that he doesn't have a career, and works part time selling cars makes his character seem kind of sad.I don't remember anything about the black guy but I read about the show on wiki. I remember him not getting any respect from his kids. Just beaten down by his family. He works at his dad's car dealership and his dad treats him like crap. All three of these characters just came off as sad to me. I do think they are bad people. At a minimum, due to Joe's actions, he is a bad person, and the others just lead sad lives.What I was trying to say is, I'm sure they do make some good decisions in the show... but it seems like the show focuses on the dumb / bad / sad things they do. The partial episode I saw involved Joe's character and his mom. He was at his mom's house to try and spend time with her, because he never does (another bad characteristics) and he ends up hitting her with the car? Or something bizarre like that? Am I remembering this completely wrong? I just don't see much good going on in this show.I decided to stop watching shows with violence or criminal activity. At some point I just reached my fill. And look at all the shows that have been considered huge successes over the years... The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad. They all involve some type of criminal element. The Law & Order series, the CSI series, Criminal Minds, all popular and all chock full of crime. That's specifically why I like a show like Parenthood. It's a good show and no one has to break the law to keep it entertaining.'Kenny Powers said:
I gave this show a shot a few weeks back. I wanted to like it because I read how good it was. The things I read stressed how good the cast is, well written and moments that would be controved on other shows are somehow "earned" on this one. It was more real - not gritty necessarily - than most tv dramas.I tried it but it was none of that. I like Peter Krause a lot and I could see how hard he was having to work. Similar for a few of the other actors too. Otherwise, it was completely unremarkable and largely contrived. It wasn't awful but it wasn't good enough either. I bailed after maybe 4-5 episodes.'Kenny Powers said:
'Daywalker said:
It seems like you are going to avoid the vast majority of filmed art with this agenda.
Well he did enjoy We Got A Zoo. So he's got that going.
To reiterate: It seems like he's going to avoid the vast majority of filmed art with this agenda.
I agree. I can dig it and good for jutz, but it's just not something I could adopt personally. While films like WBAZ or Bend it Like Beckham or pretty much anything that can be described as "A heartwarming tale..." are entertaining in doses, I find they are too saccharine and quickly become to redundant for me to adhere to as a primary viewing choice.I appreciate jutz's commentary but I always remember to view it through the lens of what I perceive his taste to be.To reiterate: It seems like he's going to avoid the vast majority of filmed art with this agenda.
Thats true that I do miss out on a vast majority of filmed art... but surprisigly there is a lot that still fits what Im looking for. And I'm not 100% strict on the idea... just more a shift in what i gravitate toward. I loved Moneyball and WBAZ. I watch tv shows like Portlandia, Suburgatory, and The Middle. It's easier to avoid with TV because there are so many shows to choose from that don't have violence or crime, but movies not as much.I actually love fight movies, but only when it's old school man to man fighting. No weapons. I'm talking Any Which Way but Loose, and Bruce Lee style. I don't like the 'fake' fighting the Matrix introduced. There was a recent movie called Fighter which was pretty cheesy but was enjoyable to watch for the fight scenes (ok, I enjoyed the cheesyness too... but i know that's just me). I like car racing movies like all the Fast & Furious, Gone in 60 Seconds (original and remake), Days of Thunder. Most of those have violence in them, but it's usually not as much compared to the average action movies. And there is usually no 'mass' killings. I liked Shoot 'em Up because it was a parody of those violent movies. The fact that they were completely making fun of shoot 'em up movies made it fun for me. And if there is a particular gangster type movie that is different or original in some way I would check it out... thinking along the lines of Bronx Tale, Poolhall Junkies, Boondock Saints.But for movies I pretty much stick to comedies, chick flicks, and the occational action movie. I'll make an exception for any Nic Cage movie. I wouldn't mind checking out the new Ghost Rider. And I would definitely admit that The Devil Wears Prada was excellent as far as chick flicks go. In fact, that movie almost goes beyond the 'chick flick' lable to me.I agree. I can dig it and good for jutz, but it's just not something I could adopt personally. While films like WBAZ or Bend it Like Beckham or pretty much anything that can be described as "A heartwarming tale..." are entertaining in doses, I find they are too saccharine and quickly become to redundant for me to adhere to as a primary viewing choice.I appreciate jutz's commentary but I always remember to view it through the lens of what I perceive his taste to be.To reiterate: It seems like he's going to avoid the vast majority of filmed art with this agenda.
I love how the best film you mention in that post, and a true story nonetheless, was cheesy
I just realized I was talking about a different movie called Fighting with Channing Tatum. I did see The Fighter. I liked that a lot... and yeah it wasn't cheesy to me.
Here's the skinny: sentimental movies are often terrible. Awful. The one that comes to mind that I truly love is Dear Frankie with Gerard Butler. It's lovely. But most sentimentality comes across as crass an manipulative.I agree. I can dig it and good for jutz, but it's just not something I could adopt personally. While films like WBAZ or Bend it Like Beckham or pretty much anything that can be described as "A heartwarming tale..." are entertaining in doses, I find they are too saccharine and quickly become to redundant for me to adhere to as a primary viewing choice.I appreciate jutz's commentary but I always remember to view it through the lens of what I perceive his taste to be.To reiterate: It seems like he's going to avoid the vast majority of filmed art with this agenda.
