Movies - Take Two. Action!

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Marvel does need to get off their ass and do a solo Black Widow flick. They've been kicking DC up and down the curb in terms of movies but DC stole their lunch money by beating them to the punch with Wonder Woman. That was an audience begging for something, anything, and with that film they got it.

Well, they do have a Captain Marvel movie coming, with Brie Larson as the good Captain...

[moecurlythanu]

^ Say what?

[frinspar]

I consider Gremlins to be a Christmas movie. I also throw Trading Places into the Christmas movie pile each year.

Well you'd be insane NOT to.

I'm with you, Trading Places is definitely a Christmastime movie for me.

[mozo-pg]

Watching The Untouchables tonight for the umpteenth time. This is easily De Palma's best movie. Still enjoyable to watch even though I've seen it so many times. Deniro is great as is Sean Connery. Such excellent film making. Kevin Costner is a underrated actor.

[GuitarGeek]

I also throw Trading Places into the Christmas movie pile each year.

Trading Places is a great movie to watch any time of year. Ya know, it took me decades, literally to figure out how Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy fucked over Don Ameche and Ralph Waite. I mean, when I think about it now, it makes perfect sense, I don't know why I didn't see it sooner, but I had to have a website explain it to me.

[aith01]

Well, they do have a Captain Marvel movie coming, with Brie Larson as the good Captain...

Yes, and I'm really looking forward to that one.

[DocProgger]

Just saw a trailer for the upcoming movie about the first Moon landing that is coming out in October, First Man. Ryan Gosling is playing Neil Armstrong, and I guess the movie primarily focuses on his story. As an avid fan of space history who just went to see Buzz Aldrin speak this past year, I'll be very interested to see this one, given we are coming up on the 50th anniv of this incredible achievement.

I love Apollo 13, it was so well done, accurate and realistic, so it will be hard to top that great film, but I was wondering when someone was going to do a major film on the first lunar landing. Armstrong was not exactly Mr Personality, so it will be interesting to see how they handle his very plain persona (esp compared to Buzz).

Of course, some schlump who lives in a very pale abode has already stuck his 0 cents into the film instead of concentrating on doing his frickin job for a change, so there is already a silly controversy re it.

[aith01]

I have the DVD of Black Panther here at home but like Guardians of the Galaxy 2, my summer has been too busy to watch them. But I am looking forward to it because, yes, I like that kind of movie. I don't know if I will like either one the way I loved the last Thor movie but that was just insanely fun (and obviously a homage to Jack Kirby). Marvel does need to get off their ass and do a solo Black Widow flick. They've been kicking DC up and down the curb in terms of movies but DC stole their lunch money by beating them to the punch with Wonder Woman. That was an audience begging for something, anything, and with that film they got it.

Personally, I loved Thor: Ragnarok. I agree, it was insanely fun and a great throwback to the days of Jack Kirby comics. So colorful, and with an "anything goes" aesthetic that was very appealing.

Black Panther is one of the more "serious" Marvel movies (comparable to Winter Soldier, or Civil War, IMO). There is still humor, but overall the tone is less comedic. The ties to the other films are cool too, in how they bring back Andy Serkis' Klaue from the second Avengers movie, and Martin Freeman's Everett Ross character from Civil War (both of whom are important to the story, based on some of the source material at least).

GotG2 is a blast, if you ask me.

Hope you enjoy them!

Oh, and I'm also on board with a Black Widow solo movie.

[Painter]

I love Apollo 13, it was so well done, accurate and realistic,

I am a HUGE fan of the Apollo program. In my opinion, the single greatest achievement of our species.

My one problem with the movie Apollo 13, and I always get sucked in when it is on, is the way they crapped over Jack Swigert's grave. They portrayed Jack Swigert as a playboy bachelor whose diligence in training up to mission was somewhat lax, and who's lack of attention-to-detail may have indirectly caused the problem with the capsule and that the crew was arguing in the LEM on their way back. If you read Lost Moon, Lovell's memoir, he made it clear that everyone in the program was the utmost professional.

My 2 cents: Gosling is a great choice for Armstrong

[DocProgger]

^^^
yeah, I got the feeling they played up Swigart's bachelor hood aspect a bit much, but maybe Dick Cavett is to blame. I have read Lost Moon and several other books about the Apollo landings and space program, and I agree it is probably the greatest achievement. Aldrin is fascinating to listen to, still very vigorous and involved in space education.
After seeing Gosling play the Bladerunner role which required that detached unemotional persona, playing Armstrong should be a breeze.

[ThomasKDye]

Trading Places is a great movie to watch any time of year. Ya know, it took me decades, literally to figure out how Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy fucked over Don Ameche and Ralph Waite.

Bellamy.

I had to have it explained to me THREE TIMES, and now I vaguely sort of get it, but it still feels weird and arcane.

[Painter]

^^^

After seeing Gosling play the Bladerunner role which required that detached unemotional persona, playing Armstrong should be a breeze.

Man, did he nail that "detached" replicant persona perfectly, or what? That's much harder than it looks. Then the scene where he has that sudden emotional outburst.

[GuitarGeek]

Bellamy.

Damn! You're right. Ralph Waite played John Boy's father on The Waltons, and Leroy Jethro Gibbs' father on NCIS.

I had to have it explained to me THREE TIMES, and now I vaguely sort of get it, but it still feels weird and arcane.

It's actually very simple. The falsified the crop report (which the Dukes had acquired under illicit circumstances) to make the Dukes think that there was going to be an orange crop shortage, due to the harsh winter. This, in theory, at least, would mean the price of orange juice stock would go up.

So with this "knowledge" at hand, they order their henchman to buy up as much stock as possible, which he duly does.

Now here's where it gets complicated, but I think I got this right: they wait until the stock price has risen to a certain point, then Dan Aykroyd announces they're selling contracts for the stock, payable in April, or something like that (remember it's still December, or early January at the latest), at a price significantly lower the current price. They don't actually own the stock yet, but they will before the day is over. In April, everyone they make a contract with pays them the price they've agreed to right now.

When the Secretary of Agriculture or whatever he is comes on the TV and announces the orange crop is expected to not be affected, the floor drops out from under the Dukes, and the price plummets. Once the price hits rock bottom, Aykroyd and Murphy then buy the stock that they're planning to sell in April, only now, the price that they've agreed to sell the stock for, is significantly higher than it is now.. Enough so that they make themselves, Jamie Lee Curtis (was she ever hotter?) and Denholm Elliott all super rich.

And at the same time, they mow down the Dukes, who are unable to get word to their lackey fast enough that the strategy has changed, and are thus put in the poor house (and giving Randolph Duke a heart attack in the process).

I still wonder if Don Ameche didn't take the role because it gave him the opportunity to drop an F bomb (among other choice words), something the Hayes Office wouldn't have allowed in his earlier acting career. I did read once that he apparently walked around the set.

Of course, for a stunt like this to actually work, you have to have foreknowledge of the crop report, which basically constitutes insider trading. If you get caught, you'll be moving to new accommodations, as a guest of the state, where you'll be sharing a one room apartment with a guy known as Crowbar.

The thing that gets me, though, is that as the Dukes scheme gets underway, other people start to notice they're trying to corner the market, and decide to "get in on the action". So how much collateral damage was there, in terms of other people who got screwed by their scheme?!

[TheLoony]

Wasn't Denholm Elliott one of the name drops at the end of Spinal Tap? He read the works of T.S. Elliot IIRC in the namesake series. Along with Dr. J, of course.

[GuitarGeek]

Wasn't Denholm Elliott one of the name drops at the end of Spinal Tap?

What do you mean "name drops"?

[frinspar]

Damn! You're right. Ralph Waite played John Boy's father on The Waltons, and Leroy Jethro Gibbs' father on NCIS.


It's actually very simple. The falsified the crop report (which the Dukes had acquired under illicit circumstances) to make the Dukes think that there was going to be an orange crop shortage, due to the harsh winter. This, in theory, at least, would mean the price of orange juice stock would go up.

So with this "knowledge" at hand, they order their henchman to buy up as much stock as possible, which he duly does.

Now here's where it gets complicated, but I think I got this right: they wait until the stock price has risen to a certain point, then Dan Aykroyd announces they're selling contracts for the stock, payable in April, or something like that (remember it's still December, or early January at the latest), at a price significantly lower the current price. They don't actually own the stock yet, but they will before the day is over. In April, everyone they make a contract with pays them the price they've agreed to right now.

When the Secretary of Agriculture or whatever he is comes on the TV and announces the orange crop is expected to not be affected, the floor drops out from under the Dukes, and the price plummets. Once the price hits rock bottom, Aykroyd and Murphy then buy the stock that they're planning to sell in April, only now, the price that they've agreed to sell the stock for, is significantly higher than it is now.. Enough so that they make themselves, Jamie Lee Curtis (was she ever hotter?) and Denholm Elliott all super rich.

And at the same time, they mow down the Dukes, who are unable to get word to their lackey fast enough that the strategy has changed, and are thus put in the poor house (and giving Randolph Duke a heart attack in the process).

I still wonder if Don Ameche didn't take the role because it gave him the opportunity to drop an F bomb (among other choice words), something the Hayes Office wouldn't have allowed in his earlier acting career. I did read once that he apparently walked around the set.

Of course, for a stunt like this to actually work, you have to have foreknowledge of the crop report, which basically constitutes insider trading. If you get caught, you'll be moving to new accommodations, as a guest of the state, where you'll be sharing a one room apartment with a guy known as Crowbar.

My dad was into commodities and the market long before I was even born. Some people have model trains, gardening, or making skin suits out of other human beings as a hobby. His hobby was numbers, his trusty Cross pencil and stacks of ledgers. He gave me a quick rundown on how they used the report. Though my kid brain had to chew on it for a long time after for it to make sense one day.

The trading they did then wasn't exactly illegal, but, thanks to that movie there is now a rule commonly referred to as the Eddie Murphy Rule that protects against insider trading.

The thing that gets me, though, is that as the Dukes scheme gets underway, other people start to notice they're trying to corner the market, and decide to "get in on the action". So how much collateral damage was there, in terms of other people who got screwed by their scheme?!

Fortunately it's a movie, so collateral damage ain't a problem. "Looking good, Billy Ray!" "Feeling good, Louis!"

There were undoubtedly far greater manipulations in the real world, though, which is why it's now illegal. At least for some of us.

[GuitarGeek]

The trading they did then wasn't exactly illegal, but, thanks to that movie there is now a rule commonly referred to as the Eddie Murphy Rule that protects against insider trading.

Interesting, I didn't know that. There was one movie, I forget which one, back in the 90's, where the plot hinged, in part, on some kind of scam. Supposedly, people had done it many times in real life, but I remember as the movie was about to be released, someone connected to it saying something like "BUt not after this movie comes out", as if to suggest that the movie's potential success could make it difficult if not impossible to pull off the scam in the future.

Remember Superman III? Remember Richard Pryor's scheme to have the half a cent withheld from each employee's check transferred to his account? Then, essentially the same stunt is pulled in Office Space (with the characters even admitting on screen "It's exactly like Superman III!"). Apparently, people have done that in real life, it's called "salami slicing".

Fortunately it's a movie, so collateral damage ain't a problem.

Yeah, I know, but it's one of those things, in my mind. When I was little, I used to fret whenever Popeye would stand in front of a train and cause it to complete collapse as he stopped it. I always wondered what happened to the people who were on the train. . In Runaway, Gene Simmons is using these remote control toy cars with bombs on them, in an attempt to kill Tom Selleck (who is in another car), but at least one of the blows up the wrong car, apparently with people in it. Same thing in Deathproof, you see a motorcyclist lose control, go over the handlebars, and slamming into a wall as a result of the car chase where Rosario Dawson and her friends are chasing Kurt Russell. I'm like, "Wait, what happened to that guy on the motorcycle?" Yeah, I know, it's irrelevant, but still, in the back of my mind, that question is always there.

At least in the Blues Brothers, you see the cops climb out of their ruined squad cars.

There were undoubtedly far greater manipulations in the real world, though, which is why it's now illegal. At least for some of us.

Too true.

[frinspar]

Interesting, I didn't know that. There was one movie, I forget which one, back in the 90's, where the plot hinged, in part, on some kind of scam. Supposedly, people had done it many times in real life, but I remember as the movie was about to be released, someone connected to it saying something like "BUt not after this movie comes out", as if to suggest that the movie's potential success could make it difficult if not impossible to pull off the scam in the future.

Remember Superman III? Remember Richard Pryor's scheme to have the half a cent withheld from each employee's check transferred to his account? Then, essentially the same stunt is pulled in Office Space (with the characters even admitting on screen "It's exactly like Superman III!"). Apparently, people have done that in real life, it's called "salami slicing".

Maybe "Boiler Room" with Vin Diesel and Giovanni Ribisi? It's basically the same penny stock scam story behind the Wolf Of Wall Street.

[Lou]

Apparently, people have done that in real life, it's called "salami slicing".

I think that means something different in a Hostel movie.

[Klonk]

I think that means something different in a Hostel movie.

...or to John Bobbit. OW!

[Hal...]

Ya know, it took me decades, literally to figure out how Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy fucked over Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy

I saw that movie eight or nine times and never understood it. It was at least another decade before I saw it again and for some reason it all made sense. I was also taking a bunch of math & statistics courses in college at the time, so that probably helped.

His hobby was numbers, his trusty Cross pencil and stacks of ledgers.

I have a feeling I'd like your dad. My brother & I sometimes send each other math problems.

The trading they did then wasn't exactly illegal...

I don't see how it's not. Regardless of their motives, all of the trading Louis & Billy Ray did is based on insider information (the report they stole from the Dukes' agent). That's illegal.

Which always made me wonder about executives who own stock in their own company. They know their company and the industry so buying or selling stock based on information they've learned at work would constitute insider trading, especially if selling their own, wouldn't it?

I once had an opportunity to make a metric fuck ton of money. The stock of the company I once worked for had dropped down to 60some cents. There was even an article online that said out of all the companies in our industry, our company was the most likely to file for bankruptcy that year. Two other companies then got into a bidding war over ours and the stock climbed back up to around $87 at its peak. That's 145 times greater than what I could have bought the stock for. Damn.

Maybe "Boiler Room" with Vin Diesel and Giovanni Ribisi?

Goddamn, that was a good movie. I still haven't gotten around to seeing the Wolf of Wall Street, but Boiler Room is the best movie I've seen about Business.

[frinspar]

I have a feeling I'd like your dad. My brother & I sometimes send each other math problems.

He was a math addict. That was his relaxation mechanism for sure.

I don't see how it's not. Regardless of their motives, all of the trading Louis & Billy Ray did is based on insider information (the report they stole from the Dukes' agent). That's illegal.

Fair enough. It was not legal, but the laws regarding it were largely ignored until Ivan Boekse hit the limelight in the late 80s.

Goddamn, that was a good movie. I still haven't gotten around to seeing the Wolf of Wall Street, but Boiler Room is the best movie I've seen about Business.

Wolf was really good, but long. And Leo's character, style and lifestyle was obviously the focus more than anything else.

You've got me wanting to watch Boiler Room again. Might need to do a double-feature of that with Glengarry Glen Ross. Might even throw Wall Street in there.

[nycsteve]

Re watched 1972s The Hot Rock with R Redford. Comedic heist movie, fantastic NYC location shoots. Funny story involving a jewel theft , a jewel that has to be stolen over and over. Redford in his prime , Yates directs , Quincy Jones score. Great supporting cast , George Segal and Zero Mostel standouts. Afganistand Bananastand!!

[Hal...]

Re watched 1972s The Hot Rock with R Redford.

Saw that at the drive-in when it was first released. It's still one of my fave Redford movies.

[JKL2000]

Yes! I forgot that he played the husband who offed his wife. When he saw Jimmy Stewart's girlfriend signalling him, and he (Burr) stares out the window straight at Stewart looking through his telephoto lens, that is such a chilling sensation. Zemeckis did the same thing in "What Lies Beneath". Michelle Pfieffer was looking at her neighbor's house one night and she sees him staring straight at her.

I love that movie (What Lies Beneath)! Anyone who's never seen it should watch it soon to avoid spoilers.