gdp's Comments

Big Hollywood : Morning Call Sheet: 'Lost,' 'Breaking Bad,' Tony Bennett, Jet Li, and The Billion Dollar Club

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 19:22:29 +0000

Hey, er... I seem to remember "the light" as Nolte calls it, was a suggestion made in a previous Homevideodrome post. Where credit is due, etc.

Big Hollywood : Why Modern Hollywood Villains Stink

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:24:39 +0000

I know your brilliant article is about the motivations of villains but I'm also seeing the motivations of the heroes being watered down. I agree the motivations of villains has become more about intention and less about action but I would also like to point out the majority of villains in recent films have had more motivation than the heroes. The bad guys are bad because they are and the good guys are just trying to be a little less bad than that. Like in a BH post about X-Men, Michael Fassbender said Professer X and Magneto's “views aren’t that different on some key things". It seems the trend is good is good simply for lack of being bad. I would love to read a companion piece on heroes and anti-heroes. Keep up the most excellent work, sir.

Big Hollywood : Why Modern Hollywood Villains Stink

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:35:43 +0000

There is no escape from TVTropes. I'm pretty sure it's run by Cyberdyne.

Big Hollywood : Why Modern Hollywood Villains Stink

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:18:09 +0000

I second Syndrome.

Big Hollywood : Why Modern Hollywood Villains Stink

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:17:18 +0000

Have you read How to Be a Villain: Evil Laughs, Secret Lairs, Master Plans and More!! by Neil Zawacki? From the back cover: "Should I wear black or red?" "Do I go with winged monkeys or ninja warriors?" "Just where will I put the evil lair?" Questions like these trouble any self-respecting villain. Now there's a handy guide to resolving these and other quandaries. How to Be a Villain includes: How to Do and Evil Laugh, The Evil Henchman Guide, The Evil Plan Generator and more.

Big Hollywood : Why Modern Hollywood Villains Stink

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:01:52 +0000

Irony. It's been said Alan Rickman hates being good at playing villains. His response when asked why he always plays villains was, "I don't play villains, I play interesting characters" (via: http://youtu.be/Pc3OyvbJkj4?t=2m13s)

Big Hollywood : Box Office Mojo Singles Out 'The Undefeated' For Hyper-Analysis

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:05:53 +0000

Speaking of bridges and feuds, I would love to read something here about the politics of other movie sites. I link to sites frequently in reviews or on tumblr, and it'd be nice to know which sites, other than BH, are worth supporting.

Big Hollywood : HomeVideodrome: Belushi! Akroyd! Sinise!

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 03:43:26 +0000

I could, but I appreciate Hunter's pithy reviews too.

Big Hollywood : HomeVideodrome: Belushi! Akroyd! Sinise!

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:07:31 +0000

I know the whole point of your Homevideodrome series is what's out on DVD and Blueray but I was wondering, with so many people being "forced" to shuffle their Netflix accounts away from DVD, is there any space in the drome for some streaming heads up?

Big Hollywood : Morning Call Sheet: Apes, Riddick, Superman, 'South Park,' and Walter Mitty

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:52:25 +0000

Here. Here.

Big Hollywood : Your Morning Call Sheet: Netflix Blues, More Spider-Man, Shatnerpalooza, and a Bad Seed

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:15:26 +0000

The problem I have with Netflix's price increase is what they spend the money on. I don't watch anything in the gay and lesbian section, I don't watch 90% of new releases, I don't watch the TV shows which cost them the most. It bothers me to think this rate increase will come out of my pocket so Netflix can buy the rights to the likes of Cougar Town, The Hangover III, or The Human Centipede.

Big Hollywood : HomeVideodrome: DVD Releases for June 21st, 2011

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 07:00:02 +0000

Primer is for people who can understand some principals of physics. Inception is for people who pretend to know psychology. Big. Difference. (See the xkcd comic I posted above)

Big Hollywood : HomeVideodrome: DVD Releases for June 21st, 2011

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:31:56 +0000

Primer, with its micro-budget, kicks the pants off of major films like Inception. It's so nice to see it referenced here. More Shane Carruth please. Primer comic by xkcd: http://xkcd.com/657/

Big Hollywood : 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:28:02 +0000

I don't have a problem with character development. I'm sorry you're missing my point.

Big Hollywood : 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:53:11 +0000

I appreciate you proving my point. Those who like Magneto are unable to see him as the villain. But he is. It's not just some guy and some other guy of relative value. It's The X-Men and their enemies. Magneto is the central, most prominent villain of the X-Men series. Originally, his motives were not so convoluted. But now every story in this genre has to have a relatable villain the audience is encouraged to be empathetic toward. My point is, I'm tired of it. It's dishonest. It's bad writing.

Big Hollywood : 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:18:51 +0000

Semantics. The whole purpose of anti-heroes is to allow people who love ambiguity to feel moral lines aren't being drawn against the villains they think have cool powers. But ambiguity is bad story telling.

Big Hollywood : 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 01:15:49 +0000

With each new retelling it becomes clear the motivation is to make Magneto's villainy justifiable. Deep and rich motivation doesn't rationalize evil. Satan has motivation.

Big Hollywood : 'X-Men: First Class' Trailer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:14:38 +0000

"These two brilliant minds coming together and their views aren’t that different on some key things." What about the whole one being a hero and the other being a villain. That's kind of key. I'm tired of watching comic and graphic novel films put so much effort into the villain's backstory. Sometimes bad guys just want to be bad. Sometimes we can't understand it. Sometimes they don't have deep motivations. It is possible to write a great story without the propaganda so many in this genre care to promote, that there's a minute difference between good and evil. There's a vast canyon between the two. Only someone who has refused to see the result of those choices would think there wasn't.