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I feel a bit over-burdened when there are too many costumes. And the humor in the IM films doesn´t hurt too. I don´t understand why IM2 is many times rated so low, it has so many fun factors. I could imagine practicing for hours just to sound like Sam Rockwell in that movie, he´s so outrageously amazing. And the banter between Tony and Pepper is priceless.
I actually feel more the other way round. The first Cap film for instance felt very dragging, while the second one is a quantum leap. Marvel still show varying results, but overall I think they improved a lot, as also @DarthDimis above-posted impressive research shows.
</b>What's your favourite X-Mas movie?</font>
While it's not really a Christmas movie, for me, it's Trading Places. It's set in Christmas so I guess it counts.
The themes it covers, minority vs, white, rich vs, poor, greedy vs, charitable, 1% vs. 99%, are all very Christmasy and very relevant even today, particularly in light of the growing income disparties in all advanced economies. It's supremely well acted and very humourous. I'm always ready to watch it when it's on TV.
You know what? Great choice. Totally up there for me too. Mclane saved a whole building for pete's sake. How much more in the Christmas spirit can you get than that!
Miracle on 34th Street (original black and white film) Everything about this film - the era, the acting, the story, the entire ambience - is what I love best about Christmas.
Two strong runners-up: The Bishop's Wife and It's a Wonderful Life.
but, if we are talking conventional X-Mas films...
- Christmas Vacation
- Home Alone 1 & 2
- Scrooged
- A Christmas Carol (the one with George C. Scott)
- The Santa Clause
- Miracle On 34th St (the original)
- A Christmas Story
The Holiday
Love Actually
Die Hard
OHMSS
Home alone
Can you guess it yet?
Bain...Bubby! I'm ya white knight! ;)
:p
Ellis might as well have had a target on his forehead.
The Holiday was fun, too, I just forget it is a Xmas film. But Love Actually is just a great film, a better one for me. It is really hilarious and poignant and has great actors in it.
Little trivia regarding LA. Andrew Lincoln's brother (the man in love with Kiera Knightly) used to teach me at school.
Although, being more biased toward an abstract understanding of the creator, rather than G-d appearing as a man, I must say last night´s Star Wars - A new Hope was pretty spot-on for the occasion. As if that weren´t enough, my father instantly recognized Luke as the boy from Little Lord Fauntleroy, and of course was fully immersed once Alec Guiness too appeared :)) !
Black Christmas (original)
Silent Night, Deady Night
;)
My fav-
Die Hard
OHMSS
A Christmas Story
The Santa Clause
It would also have to atleast be a 3 hour movie minimum to incorporate all the characters too!!! :))
</b>Are television series more successful than movies now?</font>[/quote]
The medium is different of course. If you can tell a story on a 6 hour versus a 2 hour canvas, there’s simply more you can do. Spread your big action and drama scenes out and fill up the gaps with lots of conversations. For some reason, we, the audience, seem more tolerant towards half an hour of dialogue in a TV episode versus in a theatrically released movie. For a movie, screenwriters need to limit the number of characters, be very economic in dialogues because they only have so much time to get the story told, and are thus forced to also be more creative in how characters are set up. Television material, by contrast, doesn’t worry about a few extra characters; you can give them minutes and minutes of exposition via dialogue – audiences won’t easily complain as long as they get that cliffhanger at the end of each episode – and by the sheer quantity of time we spend with characters, we automatically get involved in their story.
That isn’t to say that TV writers can be lazy of course. They will still need to provide the goods no matter what. But television shows offer chances that movies do not and I think, though maybe I’m wrong, that it’s a bit easier to write a few episodes for a television series than a movie. In a movie, you have to know your constraints; you have to give us enough thrills, with fewer characters, much less time to set things up and less opportunities to tell us things instead of showing them (because movie audiences are a lot less tolerant towards minutes and minutes of dialogue). Also, you need to reach some kind of conclusion by the end of the story; you can’t leave all your questions unanswered even if the plan is to do sequels. A TV series, however, gives you time to plan things several episodes ahead, get multiple storylines worked out, either parallel or entangled, and take your time to set up the world, the people, the conflicts and whatnot.
But I don’t want to sound disrespectful towards the television medium. I can understand that to keep the flame burning, it takes a lot of talent too. Often enough, TV series have a strong pilot and a few brilliant episodes after that, but eventually start to drag. Microscopic stories draw our attention away from the bigger conflict, they get resolved within half an hour at best and often leave nothing behind that is of any consequence to the rest of the story. I have seen episodes in certain TV series that made me wonder why they weren’t cut since they change or progress nothing at all.
In the end, some things work better for television than they work for film. The Walking Dead, Heroes, Breaking Bad… try squeezing those things into a 90 minute movie. By contrast, I’m willing to bet that The Hobbit trilogy would have worked a lot better as a Game Of Thrones kind of series, even we wouldn’t get the same visual thrills at home.
Some TV series really are tremendously successful nowadays, like The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and Game Of Thrones. People would tune in even if the world exploded. They order every season on DVD the minute it’s released. They have marathons: an entire season from start to finish. So I would almost conclude that in a sense, TV series have become strong competition for the movies. Are they more successful though? I wouldn’t be able to say. ;)-
I love the long tv version of Das Boot.
But in general I much prefer one 90-130min film that manages to put it all in that period of time. I like to take a dive for 2h, and then resurface. Most series feel like they´re binding me too much, stealing my time. Even though it´s true that you can develop characters and all else so much better if you have more time, the basic idea of most series is to make the viewer tune in again the next time, i.e. not to come to the point, which in my book is wasting my time in the end. I find it much more impressive to see the first five minutes of a Michael Mann film and already know as much about the characters as if I had just watched an entire film.
This year i must remove 2 tv series i record, because simpley because there is to much, look to much the same (I can't watch tv series with almoost simalars things at same time.) and removed couple of episodes by overwriting or Wintertime error (The time go back for 1hr but strange enough the recording time too. What made i missing the last 40 minutes of second episode for 2 weaks.)
Other tv series we must wait very long. For example there whas no Mad Men Season 6 this year. I think it is because the Public Channel must save money or/and that channel whant to give all 14 episodes of Season 7 and Season 8 in 2016. Season 8 wil start in 2015 in the original country (VS) with break there mabey expect more viewers. I can understand this choose, but there should have confirmd this and insteed of saying we can expect it in March 2014, then September 2014 and now there say March 2015. I wish series going in to the 70's what wil not happen. Season 6 wil play in 1967-1968 and Season 7/8 in 1968-1969.
Because Mad Men only be on tv for the fans like what also count for Board Walk Empire (Public) and 24 (Comercial tv) But i have more problems with the fact we wait now already 2 years on Season 3 of Board Walk Empire. A dificult tv series who's first season whas 12+ but since the 2th season 16+. That, the count views and mabey it going to be on Belgium 2 again, i can understand there prefer Homeland. Homeland Season 4 wil start in January 2015. Also iam not happy that Boardwalk partly be spoiled by the to soon refeald cover of Season 4.
With Bonus Season 9 who after 14 months wil start, iam happy it whas gone for a whyle. I get a bit bored and confusing or what a new episode or episode of season 4 with all those assistents. Short time a go i understand this whas done because of canceld Unvergottible who channel deside to give season 2 and season 3 this year with break of 25 weaks for Suits. Iam not sjure or i wil contuned if the channel already deside to contuned with the low numbers of this 2011 tv series.
Iam also waiting on Leverage (Last episode of Season 2 whas in 2010) Burn Notice Season 4 (Season 3 finaly finished in 2013 after 3 year break. In 2010 there only give the first 5 episode who also be repeat first in 2013.) Only Season 1 of Leverage is released on dvd and Burn Notice 3 seasons. Two series who in my opnion has potional that i buy them like The A-team and Knight Rider.
New tv series that i follow now too is Scorpion who only 14 episodes and be confirmd there wil be another 7 episodes.
Tv series i try to watch in same weak as given and if possible i watch it live.
CSI or Bonus (CSI Not on tv now, moost of time on Thusday, Wednesday or Thursday when iam eating or before 20.00.)
Mad Men (Not on tv now, Live or Saturday) Moost of time after 22.50 with sometimes also 23.25. Last season whas on Thursday, much better, but i wish there move it to Saturday.
Homeland (LIVE)
Board Walk Empire (Not on tv now, LIVE) First season get Homeland time, 2th season same day, but 11.00 PM and sometimes after 11.15 PM.
Beauty and the Beast. Last episode of S1 whas in 2013. I think the channel not going to contuned, but mabey it is too soon for that to say.
Scorpion (Litle delay..) Get now time of Arrow or first seasons of Nikita, but that a lot of time aganist Public tv programs or i watch Homeland. Finaly another tv series where episode story end, i mabey have intrest to buy.
I record first and delay it for a whyle:
Under The Dome Season 2. Only 4 episode to go who wil watch on 2 and 9 January.
Sleepy Hollow Season 1. I start with 2 episodes on 23 December and another one on 25 December, but not realy get in to it yet.
The Last Ship. Only 10 episodes, there wil be 2th season, i think i wil start when iam finished with Under The Dome and finish it in 5 weaks. But i need a breath before i start with Arrow S3. So iam not sjure.
Crossing Lines. A couple of weaks a go i finaly finished with 9th season of 24. Atleast that is what i expect a bit. So mabey i wil wait til the Sunday is less full.
Revolution. Sympley don't find time yet, first i have doubts there wil not be 2th season, but channel quite after the 3th episode of season 2 there directly start with. Problem: There saying there not wil contuned. Problem 2: It have 22 episodes and must make room now for Arrow. Iam afraid this wil end in trow way again and wil end like Lost.
Arrow Season 3. Wil start soon on the 16th of January there moved it to Friday with new tv series based on Batman. I think wil start recording and when there be enough episodes 8 or so i wil start. Arrow is show i don't wanna see 1 episode a weak but two. I finished with 2th in August. From the first season i am thinking too mabey a tv series to buy, but then to much red line again.
Not happy at all there start so quike with that Batman tv series. Confusing with Arrow and Nikita whas a reasen too why i wait in the first place with Agent Of Shields, who i trow a way. Resurrection i also trow a way. In expect the channel wil repeat Agent Of Shields, but i stil not have found the breath i feel i need for it and stil haven't seen Captain America movies.
On dvd i also stil have 3 older tv series i must (re) watch, but complete and 1 more present series i collect the first 2 seasons (On tv there are now at season 7 and possible wil be 8th season and wil mabey get problems to collect the rest.)
I think the UK is well known for having outstanding televions shows, programs, and movies of all genres consistently of high quality with their finest actors taking part in TV programs and cinema films and stage theater all within their career; no backlash about being "just a TV actor" or anything like that. The quality of writing and everything seems to have been consistently better in the UK over the last few decades - but that is my impression as an outsider.
Now, finally, over the past 15 years, with cable especially forcing the issue, the quality of television programs has truly improved a good deal. We are now, I think, in the U.S. enjoying an unprecedented choice of good material consistently to choose from.
My favorite example being True Detective. I cannot say enough good things about the overall very fine quality of writing, cinematography, directing, and certainly acting that produced.
To say television as a whole is more successful than cinema films/movies now is a difficult question. But I think, for me, it seems maybe YES that television is producing a higher number of quality product than theater films during this past year (or a few recent years). Interesting to ponder.
</b>Which Sutherland do you like best? Donald or Kiefer?</font>