CineD Genchat: Horror Antifa Haven

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Anonymous Robot: Jun 1, 2007; Lost his leg in Robo War I

Saw Targets (1968) tonight. An odd picture that alternates between gritty, distressing scenes of muted, horrific violence and light character-based comedy. This vertigo-inducing effect isn't counterproductive, however, and functions as part of the movie's greater conceit.

It's a real gut-punch to see a film begin with a title card listing recent gun massacres and assassinations and asking why, in the year 1968, we still haven't seen meaningful firearm reform legislation. I don't really think that's the core of the issue in this picture, however. Targets presents the quintessentially American character of the mass killer, a young, disaffected white man who seems on the surface like a cipher, massacring without purpose or direction.

I started to wonder why it was that Bob was this corn-fed young Kennedy lookalike, and why he's so coded as being juvenile- still living with his parents, cheeks always bulging with candy bars or PB and J. I realized that it had to do the way in which other characters, from the "other half" of the film, Orlok's half, express that their education and talent has only led them into the service industry. Similarly, Bob asks his wife if she thinks he "can't do anything," a question that appears as a non-sequitur to her but which is actually his attempt to navigate the "strange thoughts" he'd just confessed to having.

Targets attempts to trace the unique epidemic of the spree killer to the root, and centers it on a uniquely American complex wherein people find themselves without any role in society, no avenue for providing for themselves in a meaningful way or producing anything of real value, overskilled and underutilized. In a capitalist society, where one is valued by the profit they generate, this is a crisis of overproduction- a surplus of human beings.

The solution is twofold: the first is industrialized warfare. No movie that examines violence made in 1968 is going to elide the Vietnam War, and Targets is no exception. You'll never see it here, and that's intentional. Note the way in which the characters at the drive-in are completely oblivious to the presence of a sniper killing them off, because they are isolated in their cars and deafened by the sound of the film

The second solution is Bob, the psychopath. Scenes of firearm transactions- in particular, the selling of ammunition on a mass scale- pervade the film, and always on credit or bounced checks, at that. Sustaining non-productive life is highly expensive, but taking it is cheap, and Bob finds himself driven irrepressibly towards making the biggest impact he can in the only way he feels able.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:18

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# ? May 17, 2024 10:01

WeedlordGoku69: Feb 12, 2015; by Cyrano4747

Anonymous Robot posted:

Saw Targets (1968) tonight. An odd picture that alternates between gritty, distressing scenes of muted, horrific violence and light character-based comedy. This vertigo-inducing effect isn't counterproductive, however, and functions as part of the movie's greater conceit.

It's a real gut-punch to see a film begin with a title card listing recent gun massacres and assassinations and asking why, in the year 1968, we still haven't seen meaningful firearm reform legislation. I don't really think that's the core of the issue in this picture, however. Targets presents the quintessentially American character of the mass killer, a young, disaffected white man who seems on the surface like a cipher, massacring without purpose or direction.

I started to wonder why it was that Bob was this corn-fed young Kennedy lookalike, and why he's so coded as being juvenile- still living with his parents, cheeks always bulging with candy bars or PB and J. I realized that it had to do the way in which other characters, from the "other half" of the film, Orlok's half, express that their education and talent has only led them into the service industry. Similarly, Bob asks his wife if she thinks he "can't do anything," a question that appears as a non-sequitur to her but which is actually his attempt to navigate the "strange thoughts" he'd just confessed to having.

Targets attempts to trace the unique epidemic of the spree killer to the root, and centers it on a uniquely American complex wherein people find themselves without any role in society, no avenue for providing for themselves in a meaningful way or producing anything of real value, overskilled and underutilized. In a capitalist society, where one is valued by the profit they generate, this is a crisis of overproduction- a surplus of human beings.

The solution is twofold: the first is industrialized warfare. No movie that examines violence made in 1968 is going to elide the Vietnam War, and Targets is no exception. You'll never see it here, and that's intentional. Note the way in which the characters at the drive-in are completely oblivious to the presence of a sniper killing them off, because they are isolated in their cars and deafened by the sound of the film

The second solution is Bob, the psychopath. Scenes of firearm transactions- in particular, the selling of ammunition on a mass scale- pervade the film, and always on credit or bounced checks, at that. Sustaining non-productive life is highly expensive, but taking it is cheap, and Bob finds himself driven irrepressibly towards making the biggest impact he can in the only way he feels able.

I loving love Targets.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:27

LesterGroans: Jun 9, 2009; It's funny...

You were so scary at night.

Anonymous Robot posted:

Saw Targets (1968) tonight. An odd picture that alternates between gritty, distressing scenes of muted, horrific violence and light character-based comedy. This vertigo-inducing effect isn't counterproductive, however, and functions as part of the movie's greater conceit.

It's a real gut-punch to see a film begin with a title card listing recent gun massacres and assassinations and asking why, in the year 1968, we still haven't seen meaningful firearm reform legislation. I don't really think that's the core of the issue in this picture, however. Targets presents the quintessentially American character of the mass killer, a young, disaffected white man who seems on the surface like a cipher, massacring without purpose or direction.

I started to wonder why it was that Bob was this corn-fed young Kennedy lookalike, and why he's so coded as being juvenile- still living with his parents, cheeks always bulging with candy bars or PB and J. I realized that it had to do the way in which other characters, from the "other half" of the film, Orlok's half, express that their education and talent has only led them into the service industry. Similarly, Bob asks his wife if she thinks he "can't do anything," a question that appears as a non-sequitur to her but which is actually his attempt to navigate the "strange thoughts" he'd just confessed to having.

Targets attempts to trace the unique epidemic of the spree killer to the root, and centers it on a uniquely American complex wherein people find themselves without any role in society, no avenue for providing for themselves in a meaningful way or producing anything of real value, overskilled and underutilized. In a capitalist society, where one is valued by the profit they generate, this is a crisis of overproduction- a surplus of human beings.

The solution is twofold: the first is industrialized warfare. No movie that examines violence made in 1968 is going to elide the Vietnam War, and Targets is no exception. You'll never see it here, and that's intentional. Note the way in which the characters at the drive-in are completely oblivious to the presence of a sniper killing them off, because they are isolated in their cars and deafened by the sound of the film

The second solution is Bob, the psychopath. Scenes of firearm transactions- in particular, the selling of ammunition on a mass scale- pervade the film, and always on credit or bounced checks, at that. Sustaining non-productive life is highly expensive, but taking it is cheap, and Bob finds himself driven irrepressibly towards making the biggest impact he can in the only way he feels able.

Very nice write up. I love Targets and enjoyed reading this take on it.

Also, I don't think Targets can be mentioned without this scene being linked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88wMrLGch9w

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:29

Blisster: Mar 10, 2010; What you are listening to are musicians performing psychedelic music under the influence of a mind altering chemical called...

Are there any good essays or discussion out there about the politics of The Avengers? I'm halfway through Captain America: Civil War, and this poo poo is just bizarre. Like I feel like Captain America's side is an unironic Team America, but they of course throw in all this stuff to make you side with him. Maybe I'm taking these superhero movies too seriously but they seem to be directly referencing and commenting on current events, so I don't even know.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:33

Lurdiak: Feb 26, 2006; I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do.

Please don't try to think about the politics of the Civil War movie because that'll inevitably lead to reading about the Civil War comic and its politics and then you will be sad.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:35

axelblaze: Oct 18, 2006; Congratulations The One Concern!!!

You're addicted to Ivory!!

_{and...oh my...could you please...

oh my...}; Grimey Drawer

Almost all superhero stuff has a huge scoop of facism in it that's almost impossible to remove and the larger the scale the harder it is to downplay. I mean Superheor stuff is almost all escapist fantasy about being a guy that can beat up evil people and not be beholden to anyone. Civil War directly goes up against this basic part of being a Superhero so the honestly sane idea of people with huge power having some over site is demonized and likened to much different issues to try and distract away from the specifics of the actual situation.

In general, as much as it tries, Superhero stuff can't get away from the fact that one of its central ideas is "the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:41

Carly Gay Dead Son: Aug 27, 2007; Bonus.

Detective No. 27 posted:

Is the book worth reading?

I haven't read it but based on the film I'd say probably, and I wish I had read it.

Edit: There's a lot going on in Hard To Be A God that wasn't clear to me watching the film. That said, I was stoned when I saw it and missed the first ten minutes on account of being pulled over by cops on the way to the theater. YMMV. Either way it's always good to read a book.

Carly Gay Dead Son fucked around with this message at 07:35 on Feb 9, 2017

# ? Feb 9, 2017 06:57

Blisster: Mar 10, 2010; What you are listening to are musicians performing psychedelic music under the influence of a mind altering chemical called...

glam rock hamhock posted:

Almost all superhero stuff has a huge scoop of facism in it that's almost impossible to remove and the larger the scale the harder it is to downplay. I mean Superheor stuff is almost all escapist fantasy about being a guy that can beat up evil people and not be beholden to anyone. Civil War directly goes up against this basic part of being a Superhero so the honestly sane idea of people with huge power having some over site is demonized and likened to much different issues to try and distract away from the specifics of the actual situation.

In general, as much as it tries, Superhero stuff can't get away from the fact that one of its central ideas is "the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun"

Yeah it's kinda sad. They try to address it but it definitely ends up demonizing Stark's position. The whole plot revolves around the UN being so incompetent they don't check the ID of the guy interviewing Bucky, if they'd done that one simple thing it all would have been good? The movies are just endlessly frustrating to me because I like the characters and they brush up against interesting themes but just don't seem to explore them in any depth.

Oh well. At least I've been able to catch up on some of my to-watch list lately. I just moved into a place that's a few blocks from a music/movie store that still does rentals. I have their movie pass which gives unlimited rentals per month, which is pretty sweet. I was able to finally watch some of the movies I'd read about in the thread, like M (amazing! Can't believe it was made in the 30s) and Lifeforce (Mathilda May is fiiine. Reminds me of a less political/philosophical John Carpenter film). Also saw Sean Garrity's first film Inertia, which I liked a lot (way better than Lucid or Blood Pressures anyway). And rewatched Spirited Away, which is even better than I remembered.

Next up is rewatching The Third Man and The VVitch.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 07:58

CelticPredator: Oct 11, 2013; 🍀👽🆚🪖🏋

Sean Spicer and Donald Trump!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZpYQLGJDGQ

# ? Feb 9, 2017 10:17

josh04: Oct 19, 2008; "THE FLASH IS THE REASON
TO RACE TO THE THEATRES"
_{This title contains sponsored content.}

Egbert Souse posted:

It'll get taken down again. The problem is that I edited in VideoWave (lol), so all I have is an edited 320x240 file with copyrighted music (mostly used the score from North by Northwest).

I've wanted to retransfer all my MiniDV stuff (also most of my college films), but the decks are expensive. I was able to reconstruct one of my college films only because I kept the 480i capture AVIs on a drive.

If you want to transfer MiniDV, a camcorder with i.Link (firewire) out is usually cheaper than an actual deck and will give you the same results because it's a straight digital transfer. You'll need a firewire port on your PC though, which is rarer than it used to be.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 11:20

Lobok: Jul 13, 2006; Say Watt?

Uncle Boogeyman posted:

Warren Ellis' recent James Bond comics have been pretty cool

Oddly violent, though. Like he goes out of his way to invent special bullets so that Bond's kills can have that Punisher MAX gore.

But overall I did like the first story arc. Fleming has you believe that between events of his books Bond is either recuperating/on leave or tasked with mind-numbing office drudgery but Ellis' Vargr story felt like just the sort of shorter but no less Bond-esque adventure he might have between the major cases.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 13:34

Egbert Souse: Nov 6, 2008

Short test footage I shot on the iPhone 7 Plus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zmBfbdaV1E

josh04 posted:

If you want to transfer MiniDV, a camcorder with i.Link (firewire) out is usually cheaper than an actual deck and will give you the same results because it's a straight digital transfer. You'll need a firewire port on your PC though, which is rarer than it used to be.

I still have my old MiniDV camcorder, but it doesn't play any of the footage I shot on the PD-150 or XL-1 for some reason. It always played back fine on the Sony decks at college.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 13:48

josh04: Oct 19, 2008; "THE FLASH IS THE REASON
TO RACE TO THE THEATRES"
_{This title contains sponsored content.}

The PD150 may have recorded in DVCAM mode, in which case you'd need a DVCAM camera to play it back. I don't know about the Canon, beyond that different manufacturers did love making things incompatible for no reason.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 14:24

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD: Sep 14, 2007; everything is yours

K. Waste posted:

So, Rob Zombie's idea for his version of Halloween III is an "Italian mockbuster" version of The Hunger Games/The Purge.

I dig it. Add this to list of "better than" versions of Suicide Squad.

Do it, damnit!

Lurdiak posted:

Please don't try to think about the politics of the Civil War movie because that'll inevitably lead to reading about the Civil War comic and its politics and then you will be sad.

Do the opposite of this. Don't just mindlessly consume.

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Feb 9, 2017

# ? Feb 9, 2017 14:33

corn in the bible: Jun 5, 2004; Oh no oh god it's all true!

Don't watch comic book movies if you care about supporting good politics or ideas hth

# ? Feb 9, 2017 14:42

X-Ray Pecs: May 11, 2008; New York
Ice Cream
TV
Travel
~Good Times~

corn in the bible posted:

Don't watch comic book movies if you care about supporting good politics or ideas hth

Counterpoint: watch Dredd all day every day.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 14:59

married but discreet: May 7, 2005; Taco Defender

*mutters to self* each criminal killed is a cycle of violence broken

# ? Feb 9, 2017 15:15

Vegetable: Oct 22, 2010

High expectations are the worst. Went into The Batman Lego Movie knowing that it was universally acclaimed. Felt kinda underwhelmed. I wish it�d be less self-aware.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 16:10

MacheteZombie: Feb 4, 2007

Mecha Gojira posted:

I'm offended on like 20 different levels right now. It's impressive.

Sorry

https://twitter.com/seanspicer/status/11794196641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/seanspicer/status/569687695531892737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/seanspicer/status/550011930463977473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

# ? Feb 9, 2017 16:29

GonSmithe: Apr 25, 2010; Perhaps it's in the nature of television. Just waves in space.

Anyone watch Legion last night? The pilot owned bones.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 17:49

MacheteZombie: Feb 4, 2007

GonSmithe posted:

Anyone watch Legion last night? The pilot owned bones.

On my DVR, hopefully can get to it tonight.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 17:52

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD: Sep 14, 2007; everything is yours

I wanna know how Spatulater bro! is marching through that top 1000 list.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 17:54

MacheteZombie: Feb 4, 2007

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I wanna know how Spatulater bro! is marching through that top 1000 list.

All I know is it's making me feel bad for not doing better getting through the They Shoot Zombies list.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 17:56

ynohtna: Feb 16, 2007; backwoods compatible; Illegal Hen

GonSmithe posted:

Anyone watch Legion last night? The pilot owned bones.

Yeah, it was great! Delightfully delirious.

Finally a protagonist I can relate to.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 17:58

Spatulater bro!: Aug 19, 2003; Punch! Punch! Punch!

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I wanna know how Spatulater bro! is marching through that top 1000 list.

Basically whenever I'm deciding on a movie to watch, I ask myself "is it on the list?" And if it is it gets instant priority.

Also neglecting my family, social life and other obligations. I watched about three hours of Out 1 at work yesterday. :cool:

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:01

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD: Sep 14, 2007; everything is yours

I've only seen one uhhh part of Out 1. Do you think you'll finish it?

MacheteZombie posted:

All I know is it's making me feel bad for not doing better getting through the They Shoot Zombies list.

I'm downright embarassed at having seen like 70% of the list so I'm good.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:07

Spatulater bro!: Aug 19, 2003; Punch! Punch! Punch!

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I've only seen one uhhh part of Out 1. Do you think you'll finish it?

Of course. I haven't sat through 6+ hours of insufferable, self-indulgent bullshit just to call it quits now.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:10

TrixRabbi: Aug 20, 2010; Time for a little robot chauvinism!

Anonymous Robot posted:

Saw Targets (1968) tonight. An odd picture that alternates between gritty, distressing scenes of muted, horrific violence and light character-based comedy. This vertigo-inducing effect isn't counterproductive, however, and functions as part of the movie's greater conceit.

It's a real gut-punch to see a film begin with a title card listing recent gun massacres and assassinations and asking why, in the year 1968, we still haven't seen meaningful firearm reform legislation. I don't really think that's the core of the issue in this picture, however. Targets presents the quintessentially American character of the mass killer, a young, disaffected white man who seems on the surface like a cipher, massacring without purpose or direction.

I started to wonder why it was that Bob was this corn-fed young Kennedy lookalike, and why he's so coded as being juvenile- still living with his parents, cheeks always bulging with candy bars or PB and J. I realized that it had to do the way in which other characters, from the "other half" of the film, Orlok's half, express that their education and talent has only led them into the service industry. Similarly, Bob asks his wife if she thinks he "can't do anything," a question that appears as a non-sequitur to her but which is actually his attempt to navigate the "strange thoughts" he'd just confessed to having.

Targets attempts to trace the unique epidemic of the spree killer to the root, and centers it on a uniquely American complex wherein people find themselves without any role in society, no avenue for providing for themselves in a meaningful way or producing anything of real value, overskilled and underutilized. In a capitalist society, where one is valued by the profit they generate, this is a crisis of overproduction- a surplus of human beings.

The solution is twofold: the first is industrialized warfare. No movie that examines violence made in 1968 is going to elide the Vietnam War, and Targets is no exception. You'll never see it here, and that's intentional. Note the way in which the characters at the drive-in are completely oblivious to the presence of a sniper killing them off, because they are isolated in their cars and deafened by the sound of the film

The second solution is Bob, the psychopath. Scenes of firearm transactions- in particular, the selling of ammunition on a mass scale- pervade the film, and always on credit or bounced checks, at that. Sustaining non-productive life is highly expensive, but taking it is cheap, and Bob finds himself driven irrepressibly towards making the biggest impact he can in the only way he feels able.

I was also at this screening.

Watched it from the balcony :cool:

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:18

Alhazred: Feb 16, 2011

corn in the bible posted:

Don't watch comic book movies if you care about supporting good politics or ideas hth

Persepolis is pretty good.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:21

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD: Sep 14, 2007; everything is yours

Targets is excellent btw and that's a great review.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:21

Anonymous Robot: Jun 1, 2007; Lost his leg in Robo War I

TrixRabbi posted:

I was also at this screening.

Watched it from the balcony

Those end credits are something, huh?

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:22

corn in the bible: Jun 5, 2004; Oh no oh god it's all true!

Alhazred posted:

Persepolis is pretty good.

That's a graphic novel

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:26

I Before E: Jul 2, 2012

corn in the bible posted:

That's a graphic novel

Does Crumb count as a comic book movie

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:30

FishBulb: Mar 29, 2003; Marge, I'd like to be alone with the sandwich for a moment.

Are you going to eat it?

...yes...

I Before E posted:

Does Crumb count as a comic book movie

Sure why not

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:30

Coffee And Pie: Nov 4, 2010; "Blah-sum"?
More like "Blawesome"

Vintersorg posted:

Just back from a screening of John Wick 2 -- holy poo poo... amazing -- everything great about the first is ramped up big time here! Ruby Rose is a little weak... but everything else really comes together.

That's surprising, she was one of the best parts of xXx. Like if she decided to make schlocky action movies her thing I would be totally down for that.

I didn't end up showing my geef John Wick OR Fury, we decided to do a Wild at Heart/True Romance double feature.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:31

Sir Kodiak: May 14, 2007

GonSmithe posted:

Anyone watch Legion last night? The pilot owned bones.

Yeah, it was great. It seems to be making the TV format work for it better than any of the other serialized comics-on-television stuff I've seen (though obviously much of a season to go). Even the necessity of having kinda-janky CGI is used to make things more otherworldly.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:33

TrixRabbi: Aug 20, 2010; Time for a little robot chauvinism!

Anonymous Robot posted:

Those end credits are something, huh?

The thing you really get out of the film in a theater on 35mm is that the projectionist at the drive-in gets killed right before the reel change.

I'd seen it before, but I forgot how chilling and ruthless it is. Bogdanovich really nails how senseless and horrible the spree is, but also sells the emptiness of Bobby's life. Look at the set design of his house, it's so vacant and empty. Very little wall decoration, barely any clothes in the closet, outside of the mounted guns and the magazine on the table there are no other markers of personality. It's the idyllic suburban life in little boxes, devoid of anything out of the norm. And Bobby is so cheerful and peppy it seems that the psychosis comes from something more existential, a subconscious disease brewing inside him and telling him this lifestyle is unsustainable and lacks true emotional release. In a society that idolizes guns and violence, that's how the release manifests itself.

And it's paralleled in Byron Orlok. He's also fed up with his life, which has become a stagnant existence of B-grade movies that lack substance. But what sets him apart is his ability to express this discontent. He can take action and retire, he can tell the people in his life something is wrong and he can't keep on living the way he is. Bobby is incapable of this. Why, we're not sure exactly and it's not fully explained. Maybe he truly is a broken mind that will never be content until it can kill, or maybe it's the way society prevents him from ever being able to express himself beyond the white picket fence norms. Maybe it's Vietnam. I don't think we can know this for sure from the film because I think it's an answer Bogdanovich was also looking for. The title card asks this question after all - what caused a young man to shoot people from a bell tower at Texas A&M?

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:43

Egbert Souse: Nov 6, 2008

I'm hoping to catch up on movies since I'm behind due to work. I've been paying too much attention to the news lately. The problem is that I'm travelling for work a lot and rarely do the hotels have TCM and the wifi usually isn't fast enough for streaming.

Finally saw Aparajito (the second Apu movie), though. I called my mother right after it ended.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:49

Josh Lyman: May 24, 2009

John Wick 2 is 95% on RT. I should've gone to a screening.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:53

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# ? May 17, 2024 10:01

BENGHAZI 2: Oct 13, 2007; by Cyrano4747

guess who's going to see john wick tomorrow

# ? Feb 9, 2017 18:57

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