MJ's favorite movie -- now on Netflix

[Supercar]

Revolutionary Road, as mentioned in TMF:

Revolutionary Road (2008)

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Not my favorite, utterly depressing! Slowlane nightmare!!

 

[mike24601]

Pretty fitting

 

[Restless8]

Much appreciate. I would like to watch.

 

[Ninjakid]

Not my favorite, utterly depressing! Slowlane nightmare!!

What is your favourite?

 

[Supercar]

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Do not read unless you watched the movie.

I think the movie is good, but what I didn't like is that the producers chose to make the action take place back in 1955. The man works a stereotypical boring desk job, the wife is a sit at home mom with two kids, with failed career aspirations, and no job. Both live in the stereotypical suburbia, and have stereotypical friends and lives.

My first thought: Their lives are obviously boring, they should change them.

My second thought: The modern lifes are different, much better and more fulfilling. What they showed in the movie does not apply to most of the modern couples and families. Besides, what choice did they have back then in 1955 anyway -- relocate to Paris? That's not the wisest choice, we have much better choices now.

My third thought: It surely does apply. The corporate and the common culture might have changed visually, but deep down it is still the same. Nothing has changed since 1955. This is almost exactly how most people live today.

I wish they had made the movie in a more modern setting. The man works a desk job at Microsoft. The woman works at a retail store while going to school to become a nurse practitioner. A dash of zest must be present, like an occasional vacation or a new Tesla in the driveway.

But then how do you show that their lives are not worth living?? And if the producers did manage to show that, wouldn't they alienate 99% of the viewing audience? Of course they would. Hence -- the decision to move the action into a distant 1955 -- a safe decision. Too safe of a movie. This is a bit disappointing.

What I liked were the reactions of the friends, neighbors and co-workers to the news of the life changes that the family was about to make. That alone made the movie worth watching.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I wish they had made the movie in a more modern setting.

Agreed, I think it is even more relevant today.

But then how do you show that their lives are not worth living?? And if the producers did manage to show that, wouldn't they alienate 99% of the viewing audience? Of course they would. Hence -- the decision to move the action into a distant 1955 -- a safe decision. Too safe of a movie. This is a bit disappointing.

Excellent point. Doing the movie in today's modern era would expose the SCRIPT and yes, it would piss off 99% of the movie audience. But then again, I can see that type of movie winning an Oscar despite making no money at the box office and being relatively obscured by the dumb Superhero flicks. Every so often a movie wins BEST PICTURE but was watched by no one. Or perhaps I'm being too optimistic, Hollywood gains nothing by exposing the SCRIPTED scam.

 

[Raoul Duke]

Agreed, I think it is even more relevant today.



Excellent point. Doing the movie in today's modern era would expose the SCRIPT and yes, it would piss off 99% of the movie audience. But then again, I can see that type of movie winning an Oscar despite making no money at the box office and being relatively obscured by the dumb Superhero flicks. Every so often a movie wins BEST PICTURE but was watched by no one. Or perhaps I'm being too optimistic, Hollywood gains nothing by exposing the SCRIPTED scam.

Ran across these two videos. Describes what is going on in Hollywood currently.

Weaponized Intertextuality = Fan Service

 

[Deleted52409]

Going to watch this movie tonight. Nothing helps me more psychologically than to constantly be reminded of the consequences of life on the script.

Remember guys, most slaves never even attempt to leave the plantation! But if your fears of dying a slave significantly outweigh fear of the major risks taken to become free.....

Well that's the only thing that keeps me disciplined and ready to go for it.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Weaponized Intertextuality = Fan Service

In other words, lazy call backs to emotional queues where a real writer did the heavy lifting of creating the drama and connection. Really sad, pretty much sums up the latest Stars Wars garbage.

 

[Veloce Grey]

Excellent point. Doing the movie in today's modern era would expose the SCRIPT and yes, it would piss off 99% of the movie audience. But then again, I can see that type of movie winning an Oscar despite making no money at the box office and being relatively obscured by the dumb Superhero flicks. Every so often a movie wins BEST PICTURE but was watched by no one. Or perhaps I'm being too optimistic, Hollywood gains nothing by exposing the SCRIPTED scam.

I think they'd just perceive that as missing the opportunity to stick another knife in the public perception of the more conservative 1950s to demonstrate how vastly superior Hollywood approved 2018 views are.

As for the Oscars, having seen that event somehow outdo the NFL in the political stakes, they can give their best picture to whoever they want because I'm no longer taking notice. If I could go back 20 years to meet my younger Oscars/CNN watching self, I'd punch him. I think one used to be about movies and one was news, but in reality maybe they always had their agendas and were just less open about it, while I was too stupid to notice.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

As for the Oscars, having seen that event somehow outdo the NFL in the political stakes, they can give their best picture to whoever they want because I'm no longer taking notice. If I could go back 20 years to meet my younger Oscars/CNN watching self, I'd punch him. I think one used to be about movies and one was news, but in reality maybe they always had their agendas and were just less open about it, while I was too stupid to notice.

Aren't you in New Zealand? How you know this?

 

[Deleted52409]

What I liked were the reactions of the friends, neighbors and co-workers to the news of the life changes that the family was about to make. That alone made the movie worth watching.

Just finished the movie. As April said, people will do all sorts of mental gymnastics to lie to themselves even though deep down they know the truth. Yet if you acknowledge the truth and you are unable to act on it you will be miserable for the rest of your life. So why even live?

I didn't like is that the producers chose to make the action take place back in 1955. The man works a stereotypical boring desk job, the wife is a sit at home mom with two kids, with failed career aspirations, and no job. Both live in the stereotypical suburbia, and have stereotypical friends and lives.

Exactly! Most of the people that have seen this film are not watching it through an UNSCRIPTED lens. They are more likely to criticize the gender roles/what was socially acceptable for that overall time period rather than to reflect on how many aspects of the movie still impact their lives today.

Although I must say, at least people were comfortable back then. That's a luxury today.

 

[Supercar]

Ran across these two videos. Describes what is going on in Hollywood currently.

Weaponized Intertextuality = Fan Service

Thank you for this info, Raoul. Now I know why evereything that has been coming out of Hollywood recently has been such a worthless crap. Zombies, remakes, sequals, prequals. They are out of ideas and out of their freaking minds.

 

[Veloce Grey]

Aren't you in New Zealand? How you know this?

Oh occasionally on my way back from our village's weekly sheep cuddling tournament I stop in at the bar which has one of NZ's five tvs and we all crowd around to watch the latest VCR tapes someone's uncle sends from the USA.

ALF is actually the number one show where I live, please don't spoil it for us by telling me whether he ever actually gets to eat that cat.

 

[Fox]

I watched Contact the other night cause I seen MJ recommend it in a post somewhere on here.
I highly recommend it also - great pace and story telling.

 

[luniac]

just saw revolutionary road now. I am speechless, one of greatest films ive had the pleasure to watch. After all the marvels and star wars bubble gum, this masterpiece has brought peace and balance to the force. i feel like ive watched the first real film in a long while. absolutely incredible.
Id cry if were not a manly man. But deep inside i teared up.

Especially considering my last few days. Finally found a job after 8 months unemployment. I work at a light fixture warehouse, assembling light fixtures 8 hours a day for 33k a year.

My best friend who works in IT industry making 55k was trying to recruit me to the company he works at, but of course he was saying "we're hiring now". Trying to sell me on making "45k minimum, maybe 50k", that it'll be easier to roomate(as if 33k + 55k is not enough to roomate...).
He knows how much i hate the office after 4 years in litigation support industry tech analyst job, and yet his selling point "listen bro i know its a shit job noone wants to work in office, but we're a great group of guys we have fun"... and the best part -> "and come on you know its not forever". This dude drank the coolaid. yea bro with your mentality its forever for u buddy.

i may work basically a sweatshop type job assembling lights all day, but at least im not rotting away in some dinky a$$ office. Done with that life. Never sitting at a computer for anyone else but my own business from now on.

sorry... mini rant?

p.s.
the 2 scenes with the "insane" son were f*ckin hysterical, i died laughing.
"hopeless emptiness"

its also interesting how decaprio's character in one kitchen scene talks about when he was at war and marching with his fellow soldiers, and in those moments he felt "the truth" of life.

This reminds me of the philosopher Sartre writings about the Nazi occupation of France. The Nazis enabled the french resistance to truly "live" authentically, through rebellion. It's all very deep and profound lol

Aha i found sartre quote:
"Never were we freer than under the German occupation. We had lost all our rights, and first of all our right to speak. They insulted us to our faces. ... They deported us en masse. ... And because of all this we were free."

EDIT:
sorry was sleep deprived yesterday, which makes me ramble on sometimes. I guess i had a hopeless emptiness moment, having just started a new fulltime job yesterday and all that. and i do appreciate that my best was offering me work with higher pay. Im just really bummed out on office environments.

 

[Veloce Grey]

Aren't you in New Zealand? How you know this?

I mentioned this thread to a friend since I'd initially replied thinking you were joking about the stereotype of NZ being a bit behind the times, but he seemed to think you were being entirely serious?

I think it would actually be an interesting new thread "growing up/living in x country"-I was shocked to read the thread on Korean schooling a few weeks back and how it differed from what I was used to and I would have hated it. In hindsight I realised most people probably have these blind spots and wrong assumptions about other countries-you probably have about as much idea about living in NZ as I do about Korea.