What is a critically acclaimed film that you think is highly overrated?
Richard Linklater's Waking Life.First things first, I'm a big Linklater fan. And I'm a big fan of animation, and as you know, initially the big talking point about Waking Life was its innovative animation. Shooting scenes initially on video, Linklater subsequently painted over them using Rotoscope technology similar to that used by Ralph Bakshi for his version of Lord Of The Rings. The end product is a film that's visually dazzling, if not genuinely ground-breaking.And to what end does Linklater use this technique? To introduce us to people you'd contract diseases to avoid. Seriously, you'll find more self-involvement and cod philosophising here than in all the world's coffee houses.Worse still, most of the nonsense is spouted by people we liked in Linklater's earlier movies. And this is the film's real failing - the director's inability to leave his previous pictures alone.For fans of Dazed & Confused, Wiley Wiggins is frozen in time, listening to Aerosmith after the night of his life. But thanks to Linklater, we now find him wandering around in a dream-like state, chatting to people you'd cheerfully take a chair to.The same goes for the star-crossed couple from Before Sunrise, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. That film works because we're left hoping they'll somehow get it together, and the two official sequels deliver on the promise of the original. Waking Life, however, destroys that magic at a stroke by showing the pair in bed contemplating what happens to you when you die.No, it's not awful, but it is self-indulgent. And with the film now being re-released to great acclaim, its appeal continues to puzzle me.
What are some acclaimed independent movies to watch and study?
Reservoir Dogs - the film that launched Quentin Tarantino. From that first film you can see his mastery of direction.Memento - Christopher Nolan’s second film takes a linear narrative, throws it out the window and demands you keep up.Eraserhead - David Lynch shot this on a shoestring and it’s utterly terrifying and oppressive.Pi - Darren Aronofsky’s debut, like Lynch’s Eraserhead manages to suck you into a horrifying, yet relatable world.Trainspotting - there’s a reason it took them over twenty years to make a sequel, it’s that good they knew they couldn’t match it.Winter’s Bone - Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout performance and arguably her best. Worth it for the way a world is so perfectly created.Night Of The Living Dead - one of the most iconic horror films ever made.Mulholland Drive - one of the greatest films ever made, originally started out as a TV pilot before Lynch lost funding and turned it into a feature film…. it’s worth every hiccup he encountered along the way and is all the better for it.
The godfather vs goodfellas vs scarface vs resovoir dogs?
This is like asking who's the most beautiful woman or what's the best song. WHAT exactly are your preferences? The Godfather 1&2 are masterfully crafted sagas filled with subtle nuances, but runs too long and slowly for most audiences. Goodfellas is a MUCH MORE accessible movie, You actually LIKE Harry Hill but lacks the artistry and culture of The Godfather. Scarface and Reservoir Dogs replace the nuance and likability with copious amounts of violence and "realism." I liked Reservoir Dogs and as a first film thought it was wonderful. I've yet to make it all the way through Scarface as I really didn't care one way or another about any of the characters. If I have time to actually pay attention I will watch The Godfather(s) anytime they are on. Goodfellas is one of those films I like to have on in the background when I'm alone since I actually like the characters. In short. All are worth watching. If you have the time to commit, watch The Godfather 1 & 2. If you like movies at all watch Goodfellas. If you have time left over watch the last two.
Why so much hype over Game of Thrones?
And why does he have to use such difficult words as boistrous (sic) and mirthless and whatnot? I am an engineer and I found them difficult to understand. I can imagine how much others who are less educated would struggle with this.Your problem is obvious. You have a hard time understanding the plot or the language because it is complex. This isn't something specific to you. Everyone faces it. But everyone has a different threshold.There are people who read Chetan Bhagat and other Indian "authors" like Ravindra Singh etc who churn out the same story with no new substance and a bland language. Then there are people, who read a Dan Brown or a Archer or Suzanne Collins or Rowling or Meyer and get a cheap thrill out of the fast paced, decently detailed plot.Then there are people reading a Tolkien or a Stephen King or Martin or Jordan where the fictional worlds are huge, painstakingly detailed and the story spans over generations and a encompasses a huge legion of characters, interconnections, subtle hints, deductions etc.Finally there's Shakespeare whose works are difficult even for the experts because of the vast changes in language and culture since the time the books were writtenEvery author in the above categories has a target segment that cater to and it is fine. Rowling is presently the most popular and successful writer by any measure. She is the richest woman in the UK. And she owes it all to a simple story, elements of which were clearly lifted from LoTR and which had a decent storyline, albiet somewhat predictable. Suzanne Collins' entire Hunger Games series is clearly "inspired" by Battle Royale. Yet she has a huge fan base. Meyer did a terrible job in Twilight and still caught the fancy of millions of teenagers around the globe. I mean, try reading even 1 page from the book, and you will see why it is terrible to say the least.All of them have received much more acclaim that ASOIAF which just came into spotlight after the HBO show was released and owes a major part of its popularity right now to the grand scale (dragons, huge sets, armies, bloodbath and nudity) in the show.ASOIAF is far better written than anything mentioned above (from a pure literary viewpoint) with the exception of LoTR. Also, the language isn't as complicated as, for example, The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King.
What great TV show would you advise me to watch?
Here's my problem. I finished watching Mad-Men and Boardwalk-Empire TV shows and they were just fabulous ! I am looking for something of that caliber but just can't seem to find anything, Everything beside those 2 shows seems so lame to me. What would you suggest that I watch please? Thanks.
Slumdog Millionaire or Bride Wars?
You should see Slumdog Millionaire. Very critically acclaimed, and nominated for Oscars this year, including Best Picture, and especially if you are a fan of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Personally, I want to see Bride Wars myself.
What is a great RPG available on Steam?
Adventure Quest 3DThe sequel to the critically acclaimed Adventure Quest World's, it's set in the world of dragons and primordial beings, you fight to keep the forces of chaos at bay with the occasional puns.It focuses on a light-hearted adventure of you v's monsters of unimaginable sizesWhilst Adventure Quest World's is 2D and point and click, Adventure Quest 3D is completely 3D, MMORPG like controls and a very “unique” combat system, oh yeah, did I also mentions it’s Early Access? Yeah even more stuff is coming.Now there might be some hate on the art-style, and it’s light-heartedness but just remember, this is made by Artix Entertainment and they have the most trusting employees, they'll see that you are fit for your needs.
Why doesn't Valve develop Half-Life 3?
I suggest you watch this video, as it has some great points.One of the big reasons presented is that they have no reason to. They already make a lot of money through Steam, they don't have a reason to complete it's development (the script is already written) and risk upstetting hardcore fans, because it might not be how they envisioned it.It is, after all, one of the most hyped-up sequels in the history of video games, what would you do in their position?