MicShazam Presents: That's Not Music

~~MicShazam~~ · 03-01-2018, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Starship Troopers >>> Aliens

What about Die Hard and Alien: Resurrection? Do they make the Bat-grade?

The Batlord · 03-01-2018, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

What about Die Hard and Alien: Resurrection? Do they make the Bat-grade?

Of course I love Die Hard, but Alien: Resurrection is stale. It has its charm but Joss Whedon wasn't born to write an Alien movie. I'm trying to think of another 80s action movie to compete with Die Hard but Terminator is a bit too good at being a dark sci-fi movie to stand on the same VHS shelf as Rambo. Otherwise Terminator would hands down be the best 80s action movie.

~~MicShazam~~ · 03-01-2018, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Of course I love Die Hard, but Alien: Resurrection is stale. It has its charm but Joss Whedon wasn't born to write an Alien movie. I'm trying to think of another 80s action movie to compete with Die Hard but Terminator is a bit too good at being a dark sci-fi movie to stand on the same VHS shelf as Rambo. Otherwise Terminator would hands down be the best 80s action movie.

Yeah Terminator is very sci-fi and often feels like a thriller too. It's not quite the hi-octane action Aliens and Die Hard goes for. Terminator is the best Terminator movie, of course.

The Batlord · 03-01-2018, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicShazam

Yeah Terminator is very sci-fi and often feels like a thriller too. It's not quite the hi-octane action Aliens and Die Hard goes for. Terminator is the best Terminator movie, of course.

Indeed. Its genre bending is what makes it so great at being both. The bleak, apocalyptic sci-fi makes it such a raw action movie, and the brilliant action scenes make it one of the most badass sci-fi movies ever. In a weird way it kind of reminds me of The Warriors tbh. They both have that sort of bleak atmosphere and tension, combined with balls out action scenes.

Lucem Ferre · 03-02-2018, 03:05 AM

Ever seen La Hane? That's a great ass movie. And Trash Fire. Also a great ass movie. Something Strange About The Johnson's is a great one that I know would touch your soul.

Oriphiel · 03-02-2018, 06:46 AM

And Beautiful Dreamer

~~MicShazam~~ · 03-02-2018, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucem Ferre

Ever seen La Hane? That's a great ass movie. And Trash Fire. Also a great ass movie. Something Strange About The Johnson's is a great one that I know would touch your soul.

I have never heard about any of those.
Just from a quick IMDB overview, they could be my thing, but I'll take a bit of a closer look. Trailers, movies sites or critics that I like, etc.
I will read up on them a bit and see if I want to track them down and watch them.

~~MicShazam~~ · 03-02-2018, 03:24 PM

Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer

1984/Mamoru Oshii
1 Hour, 37 minutes
4/5

Oriphiel, your constant pestering has paid off and I've finally caved and watched the damn movie!

***Dear reader: Notice that I will make several links to a full Youtube upload of this movie. These will take you to specific timestamps in order to illustrate a point about the visuals, as well the audio of this movie. I advice you to have the volume up plenty when watching, as this will better let you appreciate these scenes.***

While watching this, I was thinking of what I love about good anime, contra US and other western animation films. Anime at it's best tends to have a beauty and artfulness to it that you never see in soulless work like that of Pixar.
There are so many little details and moments in Beautiful Dreamer that exemplify this difference. Take for instance the moment running from 36:55 to 38:17.
The sequence has a very cinematic quality to it and makes full use of both visual elements and music, to make a powerful scene that ties in with the dream oriented plot line of the movie. This is outright beautiful film making. Stuff like this is part of the reason why I fell in love with anime in the first place.

Another, similar moment that is more low key and ominous happens a bit earlier. Notice how the shop beams out stark, white light into the night, while the rest of the city is pitch black. This is really creative, aesthetically aware visual design. I love the use of music in this scene as well. Again, it's a dream like moment, which ties into the plot of the film.

Several little details also caught my eye and some sequences had some really good composition ideas. One chaotic action sequence late in the film had a moment that really stood out.
Notice how this short moment plays with perspective, in order to subtly underscore the not-yet-entirely confirmed unreality of the world our protagonists live in.

I haven't talked about the story at all yet, and I don't really feel like explaining or spoiling it much.

The premise is that the same day seems to repeat itself, but this is no mere Groundhog Day rip-off. A key line appears early in the movie, where the titular Lum has a conversation with another girl from the school where the many odd characters of this film live. The other girl is dissatisfied with the boys and their behaviour, even that of her love. She complains and bickers. Lum - a sort of magical girl archetype who is supposedly from another planet or another "star" as it's said somewhere late in the movie - does not understand. She simply replies in a soft voice that she loves it here at the school (it's portrayed as a messy and chaotic place and there is something strangely apocalyptic about the surrounding area of the school), where the boy she loves and all her friends are with her every day.
What follows is a film that's equal parts comedy, mystery and at the same time a much more interesting take on the nature of dreams than Groundhog Day ever was. Dreams play a huge part in the themes of this movie, and so do personal, selfish desires.
I don't want to spoil things, so I'll stick to showing a single scene that illustrates an odd sort of contrast at play in the film, where this increasingly ominous, apocalyptic wasteland scenario is also portrayed as a paradise of endless days, free of worry. Note that this scene is after the "Ground Hog spell" has been seemingly broken, but where reality is still strange.

Another key component to any part of the Urusei Yatsura universe is of course comedy. I won't be saying much here, but instead I'll just show two moments that really exemplify Rumiko Takahashi's (creator of the Lum manga series) brand of humor.

Since I'm avoiding spoiling things too much, I can't really comment on the themes and how they're resolved. I'll just end this little bit of writing on this film with saying that it ends with a very creative string of dream sequences that just further show what a surplus of visual and thematic ideas this film has.

I'd recommend this one to any person who feels sceptical about the artistic merits of ditzy, comedic anime.

(NOTE: Not yet fully spell checked.)

Oriphiel · 03-02-2018, 05:24 PM

Yay! Glad you liked it.

Btw, Beautiful Dreamer actually came out a few years before Groundhog Day.

~~MicShazam~~ · 03-02-2018, 05:33 PM

That just makes it more impressive that it has a more interesting and thoughtful take on the same premise (despite also being a comedy film).

03-02-2018, 06:46 AM	#56 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	And Beautiful Dreamer __________________ ---------------------- \|---Mic's Albums---\| ---------------------- ----------------------------- \|---Deafbox Industries---\| -----------------------------

03-02-2018, 03:24 PM	#58 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer 1984/Mamoru Oshii 1 Hour, 37 minutes 4/5 Oriphiel, your constant pestering has paid off and I've finally caved and watched the damn movie! *Dear reader: Notice that I will make several links to a full Youtube upload of this movie. These will take you to specific timestamps in order to illustrate a point about the visuals, as well the audio of this movie. I advice you to have the volume up plenty when watching, as this will better let you appreciate these scenes.* While watching this, I was thinking of what I love about good anime, contra US and other western animation films. Anime at it's best tends to have a beauty and artfulness to it that you never see in soulless work like that of Pixar. There are so many little details and moments in Beautiful Dreamer that exemplify this difference. Take for instance the moment running from 36:55 to 38:17. The sequence has a very cinematic quality to it and makes full use of both visual elements and music, to make a powerful scene that ties in with the dream oriented plot line of the movie. This is outright beautiful film making. Stuff like this is part of the reason why I fell in love with anime in the first place. Another, similar moment that is more low key and ominous happens a bit earlier. Notice how the shop beams out stark, white light into the night, while the rest of the city is pitch black. This is really creative, aesthetically aware visual design. I love the use of music in this scene as well. Again, it's a dream like moment, which ties into the plot of the film. Several little details also caught my eye and some sequences had some really good composition ideas. One chaotic action sequence late in the film had a moment that really stood out. Notice how this short moment plays with perspective, in order to subtly underscore the not-yet-entirely confirmed unreality of the world our protagonists live in. I haven't talked about the story at all yet, and I don't really feel like explaining or spoiling it much. The premise is that the same day seems to repeat itself, but this is no mere Groundhog Day rip-off. A key line appears early in the movie, where the titular Lum has a conversation with another girl from the school where the many odd characters of this film live. The other girl is dissatisfied with the boys and their behaviour, even that of her love. She complains and bickers. Lum - a sort of magical girl archetype who is supposedly from another planet or another "star" as it's said somewhere late in the movie - does not understand. She simply replies in a soft voice that she loves it here at the school (it's portrayed as a messy and chaotic place and there is something strangely apocalyptic about the surrounding area of the school), where the boy she loves and all her friends are with her every day. What follows is a film that's equal parts comedy, mystery and at the same time a much more interesting take on the nature of dreams than Groundhog Day ever was. Dreams play a huge part in the themes of this movie, and so do personal, selfish desires. I don't want to spoil things, so I'll stick to showing a single scene that illustrates an odd sort of contrast at play in the film, where this increasingly ominous, apocalyptic wasteland scenario is also portrayed as a paradise of endless days, free of worry. Note that this scene is after the "Ground Hog spell" has been seemingly broken, but where reality is still strange. Another key component to any part of the Urusei Yatsura universe is of course comedy. I won't be saying much here, but instead I'll just show two moments that really exemplify Rumiko Takahashi's (creator of the Lum manga series) brand of humor. Since I'm avoiding spoiling things too much, I can't really comment on the themes and how they're resolved. I'll just end this little bit of writing on this film with saying that it ends with a very creative string of dream sequences that just further show what a surplus of visual and thematic ideas this film has. I'd recommend this one to any person who feels sceptical about the artistic merits of ditzy, comedic anime. (NOTE: Not yet fully spell checked.) Last edited by MicShazam; 03-02-2018 at 05:37 PM.

03-02-2018, 05:24 PM	#59 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	Yay! Glad you liked it. Btw, Beautiful Dreamer actually came out a few years before Groundhog Day. __________________ ---------------------- \|---Mic's Albums---\| ---------------------- ----------------------------- \|---Deafbox Industries---\| -----------------------------

03-02-2018, 05:33 PM	#60 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,634	That just makes it more impressive that it has a more interesting and thoughtful take on the same premise (despite also being a comedy film).