(no subject)

[rusty_halo]

Anyone know, what's a good place for in-depth Half-Blood Prince discussion? On LJ or elsewhere. I'm not familiar with Harry Potter fandom--from what I can tell, it's huge and full of kerfuffles and little kiddies--where do grown-ups go to talk rationally?

Just wondering. I'm in the midst of re-reading the HP series.

So I joined Netflix, in an attempt to see those movies that I've "always been intending to see but never got around to."

Anyone have movie recommendations?

Last night I watched "Stand By Me," because I'd never seen the whole thing. What a cast! River Phoenix was so good, Wil Wheaton was adorable, Corey Feldman was... Corey Feldman!, Keifer Sutherland and John Cusack both brought such depth to small roles... It's really interesting to see, just for the actors.

I have issues with the screenplay, the sort of fantasy-nostalgia and idealization of childhood, but I also liked how real the kids were in certain ways: drinking, cursing, more "South Park" than scmoopy kid movie. (Isn't it interesting how adults can nostalgically view children with complexity, but when it comes to their own kids it's always ultra-clean and sanitized?)

Whatever. I mostly rented it because it's a Corey Feldman movie I hadn't seen (I might go see his play again, they're offering $20 rush tickets an hour before the show) and because I'd been reading WilWheaton.net. (Wil Wheaton seems so cool--really smart and honest and dorky--I'll have to read his book.)

Next up: Evil Dead.

Comments

[gloss]

what's a good place for in-depth Half-Blood Prince discussion?
musesfool has been collecting reaction posts here, and they're *fascinating*. I don't, however, know of a general, rational forum for discussion.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Excellent, thanks. :)

[kellyhk.livejournal.com]

Sparklies has a pretty descent discussion about HBP. Yes, customary snark is included, but the dialogue (bub and site are huge HP fans) is pretty devoid of the assume crash positions wank that is running through that fandom. besides, would love to see your take on the book!

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

I've been lurking over there--I'll have to check out the HBP stuff.

I haven't much to say, really... more in the mood to read other opinions than share my own at this point.

[miss-tress.livejournal.com]

Evil Dead! Make sure you watch it with the commentary on after you watch it once normally.

*loves Sam & Bruce*

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good idea, I definitely will. Bruce Campbell is so awesome. :)

Random aside: I was totally fascinated by the "Stand by Me" commentary--it was Rob Reiner talking about the character motivations and the reasons for how and why the characters were written. It was so cool--exactly what I wanted to hear and found interesting! Usually it's all "here's a five minute story about how we chose this camera angle" or "let's explain the special effects" or "we got really drunk that night." I've never heard a commentary before that focused on characters and writing instead of trivial technical bullshit.

[10zlaine.livejournal.com]

wilwheaton is a feed from his blog.

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks!

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

I have issues with the screenplay, the sort of fantasy-nostalgia and idealization of childhood, but I also liked how real the kids were in certain ways: drinking, cursing, more "South Park" than scmoopy kid movie. (Isn't it interesting how adults can nostalgically view children with complexity, but when it comes to their own kids it's always ultra-clean and sanitized?)

An overly-nostalgic view of childhood is certainly not a hallmark of Stephen King's work, as a rule. I'm not sure if he has any kids, but I never got the impression he was all that fond of his own childhood.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

He does have kids, but he had a pretty sucky childhood himself.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Try this site : http://www.livejournal.com/users/garlandgraves/3409.html#cutid1
She also has a number of HP groups listed in her User Info. Enjoy.

[aea]

Ginger Snaps
Shaun of the Dead
Dead Alive (but only if you don't mind zombie grossness)
My First Mister
Adventures in Babysitting
F/X
Harold and Maude
The Iron Giant
I Love You to Death
Pump Up the Volume
Queen Margot
Quick Change
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Some Like It Hot
Victor/Victoria
Walking and Talking
Young Frankenstein

[witling.livejournal.com]

Hey there!

I have no good recs for you right now, except for The Princess Bride, which we watched last night, and which I'm resmitten with all over again. Not that I ever was unsmitten, but you know. I love that movie so much. I thought of you (of your icon, specifically) during the "Drop. Your. Sword." scene. Also, Stand By Me was directed by Rob Reiner! I didn't know that until this morning, when I IMDB'd Reiner to see what he's been up to lately. Apparently during the scene where Wil Wheaton and another of the boys are being chased down by the train, he couldn't get them looking frightened enough, so he took them aside and yelled at them until they cried. Then he reshot. That's...wow. Show biz is tough.

Evil Dead rocks so hard. Netflix is crack.

[mikelesq.livejournal.com]

Dark City
Ghost in the Shell (if you're into anime)
Manhattan (if the Woody Allen thing doesn't squick you)
Barcelona (Whit Stillman's other two in the trilogy (Metropolitan and The Last Days of Disco) are also good, but Barcelona is the best of the three

a post of mine from a while back

[aexia.livejournal.com]

10 Great Movies No One Talks About (http://www.livejournal.com/users/aexia/51821.html)

Tried to leave out movies that won awards and anything considered a cult classic. So hopefully there's stuff you've not seen. And ideally, you'll do your own list at some point.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

What kind of movies are you in the mood for?

[rusty_halo.livejournal.com]

I tend to like action, sci-fi, fantasy, and dark comedy. I tend to dislike anything sappy or schmoopy or romantic or "traditional family values" themed.

[sp23.livejournal.com]

If you're a Corey Feldman fan, and if you haven't already seen it, you should watch The Burbs. Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Corey Feldman, Carrie Fisher. Hysterical.

[elizard100.livejournal.com]

If you find one that is good, please let me know. I'm into HP but don't want to chat with children either. There's a thread on the Toronto Trek message board about Harry Potter but hardly anyone posts.

[monanotlisa.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I love Stand By Me! Yes, it has a vaguely romanticised notion of childhood, but still, the portrayal of the characters, the way the actors sell ideas of boy friendships, courage, and that special but very genuine and realistic magic of certain times of your life and certain friends--excellent.

Be sure to tell us about Evil Dead. May want to broaden my comedic horrorizon. *g*