What movie did you see today?

[Flixy]

EJ, there's some air in the borrom of the egg. Make a small hole so the hot air doesn't crack the shell, but not too deep or egg may come out.

[earthJoker]

Yeah but I don't know on which side the air is, otherwise I would alway win at egg tapping.

If you use fresh eggs this isn't much of a problem anyway.

[Flixy]

I think the flatter end, but I could be wrong. I usually fry my eggs

[earthJoker]

I hope you do it sunny side up.

[CitizenCain]

Amerikan or Swedish version?

Amerikan, sadly. I hear the Swedish version is "better," and given that I liked the Hollywood version, I'll get around to getting me a copy of the original.

[Loki]

Never put a small hole in the bottom, what is that good for?

It keeps the egg from blowing up.

[Nessus]

wiggin, (and why not others) since you asked (hopefully in this thread!) about Iron Sky, I can now say that in my opinion it played the morally heinous aspects of its subject material straight despite being a fairly silly comedy. I'll put some stuff in spoilers on the off-chance that someone here manages to see it

Spoiler:

There's an obligatory "redemption" character arc where the spunky happy-go-lucky cute Nazi chick is exposed to the reality of the darker aspects of Nazism; what she was raised to regard as the symbol of love, unity and wholesomeness wasn't. She turns on the fanatic Nazi protagonist, who is subsequently portrayed as a nihilistic and predatory shell of a human being, reflecting IMO the last years of the actual regime.

The movie has a finale straight out of King Kong; man is the real monster, the US kills countless (tens, hundreds of thousands?) of civilians, though granted after the Nazis have 'nuked' several major metropolitans. After the defeat of the Moon Nazi war machine, humanity destroys itself in an all-out global nuclear war, which could be interpreted as a rebuttal of Nazi exceptionalism in the area of horrifyingness. But that's left for the viewer to decide, I suppose.

The film at no point glorifies Nazism in any meaningful sense, pretty much all of it is presented in a mocking tone. The Holocaust is not touched upon at all, and the only open portrayal of racism is the Nazis turning a negro into a cracker (he gets better).

As a sci-fi comedy, the movie is okay; I went in with zero expectations and felt I was entertained for my money's worth. Nothing special, by any means.

[Flixy]

It still does not have a release date here I've watched Novecento (1900), a five hour Italian epos about two guys growing up in rural Italy, with clashes between socialism and fascism. Quite good, didn't bore (which is a feat for a five hour film). Don't think it would ever be made like this now, it's quite explicit at times. Not surprising considering it's the same director as Last tango in Paris. PETA would also hate it, ducks are shot and a pig slaughtered (by Gerard Depardieu!). The dubbing is weird though, even while it was the original version.

[Flixy]

Is Incendies recommended?

[Ominous Gamer]

I'm still skittish about how Peter Jackson is going to fuck up The Hobbit storyline as he turns it into 2 movies, but at least it should look good. Seems that its going to be filmed and played in HFR at 48 fps. Finally, progress.

[Aimless]

Saw Avengers tonight. I went in expecting cheese but to my great surprise I got to see a really solid movie featuring excellent direction (courtesy of Whedon ), a great script, actors who really seemed to be channeling their characters... and even good CGI. You can tell they put in a lot of time and effort into making this film right. This is the first modern marvel production to really do justice to both Bruce Banner and Hulk, and they were my faves in the movie. The rest of the actors also (mostly) brought their A-game. RDJ is ridiculously comfortable in his role as Tony Stark. Chris Evans portrays a heroic but less-innocent Captain America that doesn't grate on your nerves. Chris Hemsworth shows that he's more than just a pretty face/body/voice, that he is in fact just the right person to play Thor. I was a little worried that Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff would simply serve as eye-candy for straight teen guys, but she played a key role in the plot and was really fun to boot. I'd forgotten that SJ isn't just pretty and that Whedon isn't an idiot even Jeremy Renner, who was stuck as the super-lame Hawkeye did a good job. Finally, Tom Hiddleston makes Loki the best Marvel movie villain so far. He outdid himself in this one.

Warmly recommended, even in 3D!

[Ominous Gamer]

Brent saw it a few days ago and said the CGI was weak, especially with the hulk...

[Khendraja'aro]

I'm not quite sure where she saw weak CGI. I certainly didn't.

[Aimless]

Brent saw it a few days ago and said the CGI was weak, especially with the hulk...

WELL WHAT DOES BRENT KNOW

BRENT is weak! WEAK!

[Wraith]

Avengers. Just opened in the US, so I just saw it. I'll second Minx's recommendation. It was really well done. Putting this movie together, following the promise of the first five movies, was not an easy task, but Whedon proved he was up to it. The movie was extremely good. The writing was excellent, the acting was all very good, and the effects were great while still serving the story. It was also very funny - it got more laughs than many actual comedies do. Great movie, it looks like Marvel's gambit paid off.

Also:

Thanos!

edit: For anyone who goes to see it: don't be fooled! There's two stingers!

[Nessus]

Also:

Thanos!

I will beat you if you are joking. Holy Christ!

[EyeKhan]

Here here. The Avenger's was fantastic. Unfortunately I didn't show up early enough and had to sit in row 2 --- not good in a big screen 3D movie. Have to go back and see it again further back. Great film, though.

[wiggin]

It was also very funny - it got more laughs than many actual comedies do.

This was what startled me about the movie. Once I saw the rave reviews I knew it was going to be good (though I had been really skeptical beforehand), but I was still quite surprised at the way they were able to weave humor in. The entire theater laughed a lot.

[Loki]

The comedy didn't make up for a lame plot, with numerous holes in it. The special effects were great, as were most of the fighting scenes. The jokes were generally funny.

Spoiler:

But the movie made poor use of all the characters (the only powers that mattered were that all of the superheroes were strong), Loki was a weak and crappy villain, and the first half of the movie was spent on a plot that was ultimately dumped (Hulk can't control himself! oh wait, he can). Personally, I thought Captain America had a far better plot, though it obviously was inferior in special effects.

[wiggin]

I see your criticisms (and I had always thought they'd have real trouble making a good ensemble-cast superhero film - the only successful once I've seen before is Watchmen), but at the end of the day I just found the movie enjoyable. I didn't think it was A+ on every front, but I had a great time. For a superhero movie, that's all I'm really looking for, anyways. You're right about the Hulk storyline - it was largely pointless, and wasn't well explained to boot. (Also, how the hell did the Hulk get to the final showdown in time?) I also felt that Hawkeye was just shoehorned in without much backstory. There were a number of other issues as well.

So, yes, there are very valid criticisms. But I walked out of the theater with a smile on my face, so who cares?

[Loki]

I agree that it was an enjoyable movie and had plenty of fun scenes. What I don't get is why a movie that costs over $200 million to make can't do a better job of creating a coherent plot (even as far as "we must save earth" plots go).

[Aimless]

Spoiler:

Loki was a weak and crappy villain

*shows restraint*





I enjoyed it esp. for the way it portrayed the character. Black Widow vs. Loki was esp. fun

[Loki]

I would make a far better villain. Imposter.

[Khendraja'aro]

I agree that it was an enjoyable movie and had plenty of fun scenes. What I don't get is why a movie that costs over $200 million to make can't do a better job of creating a coherent plot (even as far as "we must save earth" plots go).

It's probably the same problem as with the AAA games like Call of Duty. It's probably quite impossible to create a good plot for games like those - I mean, what kind of main character is actually plausible and likable with a body count in the upper thousands?

[Loki]

[wiggin]

My sister totally knows a dude who dated her before she was big. Apparently he enjoyed her... ahem... assets as well.

[Loki]

They should be declared an asset of humanity.

[CitizenCain]

It's probably the same problem as with the AAA games like Call of Duty. It's probably quite impossible to create a good plot for games like those - I mean, what kind of main character is actually plausible and likable with a body count in the upper thousands?

BiA did it, though admittedly the plot is "history." Either way, it can and occasionally is done, but it never makes as much money as the vapid option.

You are right about one thing, which is that the problem is the same for AAA games and big budget movies - the budget gets spent primarily on making it look good (graphics/SFX), because that's what sells. Easier to make money, and lots more of it by selling your product to 80 million drooling morons who like the purty colors and explosions than to sell a great story that doesn't look as good as MW3 or Star Wars (or whatever).

[Wraith]

The comedy didn't make up for a lame plot, with numerous holes in it.

Looking back on it, I'll give you that. The plot wasn't actually that great. I was just having too much fun with the movie to notice at the time.

Spoiler:

Though the hulk thing did bother me, even then. It'd be fine if they made it a little clearer that Hulk only became uncontrollable on the Helicarrier due to Loki's influence through the staff, which is what I think they were going for, but they really didn't pull him off well. He seemed a bit too controlled in the final battle.

[Lewkowski]

Avengers was fantastic.

And seriously Loki? You read a book for its story. You watch a movie for its effects, action and comedy. And IMO the story was great for this type of movie. Though I was curious why Asgard doesn't seem to know more about the universe...