Strong Style Mod
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
11,332 POSTS & 11,473 LIKES
|
Post by Emperor on Apr 24, 2021 9:57:47 GMT
The Equalizer (2014)
In 2008, there was a film called Taken, which was a big hit. It featured an action hero older than your typical mid-20s musclehead, who used brains more than brute force to overcome his enemies. The action was very stylish and slick, with an emphasis on the hero's cunning, which made it a tad more realistic than your run-and-gun flicks from the 80s.
John Wick and The Equalizer, both released in 2014, revisit this motif. Both feature elderly, seemingly normal males, with a mysterious past that makes them hyper-effective killing machines. Both feature a generic army of vaguely Russian/Easter European people as villains. Both protagonists want have left their hard lives behind, but got brought back into it. In John Wick's case, his dog is killed by thugs, and those thugs happen to be part of an enormous crime syndicate that is annihilated by Mr. Wick.
The Equalizer's motivation is a little less direct. Nobody hurts him, or his family, or his pets. He simply has a desire to help people in need. This leads him to kill some generic slavic thugs, and suddenly the full force of the Russian mafia is after him.
The Equalizer is not a particularly clever action flick, nor an unpredictable one. It's the kind of film (like John Wick 2) that I'd scoff and roll my eyes at for 90 minutes before dismissing it as garbage. However what The Equalizer lacks in brains, it more than makes up for in heart. This is clear in the first 25 minutes of the film, where we see no action whatsoever, not even a hint of it. All we see is a mild-mannered black gentleman who lives a pretty dull life. He works at a hardware store. He has a plain, clean apartment. He reads a lot of books. He's a good man who tries to help everyone in life. For example, he is assisting a work colleague to get in better shape to pass a security guard exam. He's also an insomniac who spends the late hours in a 24 hour café. It's here he encounters a young prostitute. She doesn't want to be a prostitute, of course, but that's the only way she can survive. The Equalizer notices this, and he notices how badly she is treated by her generic slavic employees.
Of course everyone knows this triggers The Equalizer going on a killing spree, but that first act was still very important. The Equalizer is a good guy, with a good heart, who only kills bad people when he has to. Batman, essentially. But even when carrying out his duties, he's very mild-mannered. He always gives his enemies a chance to "do the right thing". If they repent and show remorse, he leaves them alone. If not, then they are unworthy of life, and he ends that life.
As I'm typing these words I realise there's nothing remarkable about them. I seem to be describing a lot of action heroes. Why, then, do I find the Equalizer so compelling? I'm not sure. Maybe it's Denzel's performance. Even though he's a violent killer, it's crystal clear that he's a good guy at heart. Sounds like a contradiciton, but in this film, it's true. He has warmth, empathy, genuine caring, which is rare to see, and even rarer to see acted so well. Denzel has had a career of equal parts profound dramas and action-packed thrillers, so he's the perfect man to play The Equalizer.
Everything he does is motivated to remove bad humans from the world. Bad humans who exploit good human for their own greed. He doesn't just kill a bunch of people though. He intereferes and destroys the criminal money-making operations of the head of this Russian mafia, so-called "Pushkin". He uncovers a money laundering operation and brings the cops in (after he has dealt with the bad guys). He finds a hidden cache of digital documents and sends it to the FBI. He takes down a global criminal enterprise by himself. He does this with a slick efficiency and craftiness that Jason Bourne would be proud of. His methods are crowd-pleasing. Even the way he speaks is a reflection of his skills - direct, efficient, no wasted words. It's a two hour film that seems far less because of the smoothness of the presentation.
Perhaps the thing that sets the film apart from the rest is that nothing really bad happens to the good guys. Every action movie has a big downturn, where all seems lost for the hero. His best friend dies, or he's mortally wounded, or kidnapped. Not the Equalizer. It's all good. Only one good character dies in the entire movie, a minor character who is killed by the main villain before The Equalizer knows of this villain's existence. The mafia takes a dozen of The Equalizer's co-workers hostage to lure him into the open. None of them die. The Equalizer isn't even close to getting defeated himself. This is unusual, and it hurts the realism of the movie, but that's not really the point. This is as escapism as it gets. One good guy takes out a giant criminal enterprise by himself, and all the sociopaths that run the enterprise. Almost no casualties. It feels so good to watch that happen. The movie may as well be a dream, but it's a really good dream.
I'm not sure I like The Equalizer more than John Wick, but it's on the same level. I'm just shocked that nobody talks about The Equalizer while John Wick has become the action franchise of the decade.
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on Apr 24, 2021 11:36:54 GMT
The Equalizer (2014)In 2008, there was a film called Taken, which was a big hit. It featured an action hero older than your typical mid-20s musclehead, who used brains more than brute force to overcome his enemies. The action was very stylish and slick, with an emphasis on the hero's cunning, which made it a tad more realistic than your run-and-gun flicks from the 80s. John Wick and The Equalizer, both released in 2014, revisit this motif. Both feature elderly, seemingly normal males, with a mysterious past that makes them hyper-effective killing machines. Both feature a generic army of vaguely Russian/Easter European people as villains. Both protagonists want have left their hard lives behind, but got brought back into it. In John Wick's case, his dog is killed by thugs, and those thugs happen to be part of an enormous crime syndicate that is annihilated by Mr. Wick. The Equalizer's motivation is a little less direct. Nobody hurts him, or his family, or his pets. He simply has a desire to help people in need. This leads him to kill some generic slavic thugs, and suddenly the full force of the Russian mafia is after him. The Equalizer is not a particularly clever action flick, nor an unpredictable one. It's the kind of film (like John Wick 2) that I'd scoff and roll my eyes at for 90 minutes before dismissing it as garbage. However what The Equalizer lacks in brains, it more than makes up for in heart. This is clear in the first 25 minutes of the film, where we see no action whatsoever, not even a hint of it. All we see is a mild-mannered black gentleman who lives a pretty dull life. He works at a hardware store. He has a plain, clean apartment. He reads a lot of books. He's a good man who tries to help everyone in life. For example, he is assisting a work colleague to get in better shape to pass a security guard exam. He's also an insomniac who spends the late hours in a 24 hour café. It's here he encounters a young prostitute. She doesn't want to be a prostitute, of course, but that's the only way she can survive. The Equalizer notices this, and he notices how badly she is treated by her generic slavic employees. Of course everyone knows this triggers The Equalizer going on a killing spree, but that first act was still very important. The Equalizer is a good guy, with a good heart, who only kills bad people when he has to. Batman, essentially. But even when carrying out his duties, he's very mild-mannered. He always gives his enemies a chance to "do the right thing". If they repent and show remorse, he leaves them alone. If not, then they are unworthy of life, and he ends that life. As I'm typing these words I realise there's nothing remarkable about them. I seem to be describing a lot of action heroes. Why, then, do I find the Equalizer so compelling? I'm not sure. Maybe it's Denzel's performance. Even though he's a violent killer, it's crystal clear that he's a good guy at heart. Sounds like a contradiciton, but in this film, it's true. He has warmth, empathy, genuine caring, which is rare to see, and even rarer to see acted so well. Denzel has had a career of equal parts profound dramas and action-packed thrillers, so he's the perfect man to play The Equalizer. Everything he does is motivated to remove bad humans from the world. Bad humans who exploit good human for their own greed. He doesn't just kill a bunch of people though. He intereferes and destroys the criminal money-making operations of the head of this Russian mafia, so-called "Pushkin". He uncovers a money laundering operation and brings the cops in (after he has dealt with the bad guys). He finds a hidden cache of digital documents and sends it to the FBI. He takes down a global criminal enterprise by himself. He does this with a slick efficiency and craftiness that Jason Bourne would be proud of. His methods are crowd-pleasing. Even the way he speaks is a reflection of his skills - direct, efficient, no wasted words. It's a two hour film that seems far less because of the smoothness of the presentation. Perhaps the thing that sets the film apart from the rest is that nothing really bad happens to the good guys. Every action movie has a big downturn, where all seems lost for the hero. His best friend dies, or he's mortally wounded, or kidnapped. Not the Equalizer. It's all good. Only one good character dies in the entire movie, a minor character who is killed by the main villain before The Equalizer knows of this villain's existence. The mafia takes a dozen of The Equalizer's co-workers hostage to lure him into the open. None of them die. The Equalizer isn't even close to getting defeated himself. This is unusual, and it hurts the realism of the movie, but that's not really the point. This is as escapism as it gets. One good guy takes out a giant criminal enterprise by himself, and all the sociopaths that run the enterprise. Almost no casualties. It feels so good to watch that happen. The movie may as well be a dream, but it's a really good dream. I'm not sure I like The Equalizer more than John Wick, but it's on the same level. I'm just shocked that nobody talks about The Equalizer while John Wick has become the action franchise of the decade. You know how you know the Equalizer was good? They rebooted it as a network TV show starring Queen Latifah.
|
|
Strong Style Mod
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
11,332 POSTS & 11,473 LIKES
|
Post by Emperor on Apr 24, 2021 12:25:40 GMT
I had no idea that was a thing.
Anyone seen the Equalizer sequel? Worth watching? Because the sequels to Taken and John Wick were crap.
|
|
Strong Style Mod
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
11,332 POSTS & 11,473 LIKES
|
Post by Emperor on Apr 24, 2021 23:48:57 GMT
Paddington (2014) Paddington 2 (2017)
Both of these films are amazing. Genuinely funny, gorgeously animated, family friendly films with a heart of gold. Everyone should watch these, especially those with young children.
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on Apr 24, 2021 23:50:44 GMT
Paddington (2014) Paddington 2 (2017)Both of these films are amazing. Genuinely funny, gorgeously animated, family friendly films with a heart of gold. Everyone should watch these, especially those with young children. OK, fine. Streaming free somewhere?
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 24, 2021 23:50:50 GMT
I had no idea that was a thing. Anyone seen the Equalizer sequel? Worth watching? Because the sequels to Taken and John Wick were crap. It’s a step down , like most they double down on the action and lose some of the heart but it’s still a fun movie.
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 24, 2021 23:51:15 GMT
Paddington (2014) Paddington 2 (2017)Both of these films are amazing. Genuinely funny, gorgeously animated, family friendly films with a heart of gold. Everyone should watch these, especially those with young children. OK, fine. Streaming free somewhere? Really you haven’t seen these? Perfectly charming and good watches.
|
|
Strong Style Mod
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
11,332 POSTS & 11,473 LIKES
|
Post by Emperor on Apr 24, 2021 23:53:24 GMT
Paddington (2014) Paddington 2 (2017)Both of these films are amazing. Genuinely funny, gorgeously animated, family friendly films with a heart of gold. Everyone should watch these, especially those with young children. OK, fine. Streaming free somewhere? The first Paddington is free on Amazon Prime.
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on Apr 24, 2021 23:53:31 GMT
OK, fine. Streaming free somewhere? Really you haven’t seen these? Perfectly charming and good watches. Yes, really. But now I'm getting the sense I'm missing out on something as secretly amazing as Lego Movie turned out to be.
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 24, 2021 23:58:12 GMT
Really you haven’t seen these? Perfectly charming and good watches. Yes, really. But now I'm getting the sense I'm missing out on something as secretly amazing as Lego Movie turned out to be. Well they are totally worth it. As Emperor said the first one is free. Though I’m offended that one post from Emperor gets you to watch a movie and I have to complain for YEARS AND YEARS.
|
|
Legend
19,985 POSTS & 20,019 LIKES
|
Post by Ness on Apr 25, 2021 0:09:00 GMT
Paddington is like a perfect score movie right? I always saw it rated super high and it just reminds of Malenko/Scotty 2 Hotty. Now way it's that good.
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 25, 2021 0:09:13 GMT
The first Paddington is free on Amazon Prime. I have Amazon Prime and it says it isn’t free for me. I didn’t want you to find out this way.
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on Apr 25, 2021 0:09:18 GMT
Yes, really. But now I'm getting the sense I'm missing out on something as secretly amazing as Lego Movie turned out to be. Well they are totally worth it. As Emperor said the first one is free. Though I’m offended that one post from Emperor gets you to watch a movie and I have to complain for YEARS AND YEARS. You've NEVER told me to watch Paddington. -_- The first Paddington is free on Amazon Prime. I have Amazon Prime and it says it isn’t free for me. Same. Must be a UK vs. US thing?
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 25, 2021 0:10:22 GMT
Well they are totally worth it. As Emperor said the first one is free. Though I’m offended that one post from Emperor gets you to watch a movie and I have to complain for YEARS AND YEARS. You've NEVER told me to watch Paddington. -_- I have Amazon Prime and it says it isn’t free for me. Same. Must be a UK vs. US thing? Just 27 other movies. Watching Mortal Kombat as we speak. Ton of fun so far.
|
|
Legend
19,985 POSTS & 20,019 LIKES
|
Post by Ness on Apr 25, 2021 0:10:38 GMT
Also not 100% convinced Paddington is real.
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 25, 2021 0:59:12 GMT
Finished Mortal Kombat (2021) - that was a ton of fun. Don’t understand some of the hate for it... I guess some people just take a silly video game adaptation too seriously and I loved the games.
I do wish in the back of my mind they went with an original character as the lead but I got over it enough to where it didn’t bother me.
|
|
Senior Member
IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
I came, I saw, I came again.
4,934 POSTS & 2,003 LIKES
|
Post by RagnarokMike on Apr 25, 2021 4:40:52 GMT
I had no idea that was a thing. Anyone seen the Equalizer sequel? Worth watching? Because the sequels to Taken and John Wick were crap. If you thought John Wick sequels were crap, probably not to you, it's a decent flick, but not as good as either of the Wick followups.
|
|
Strong Style Mod
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
11,332 POSTS & 11,473 LIKES
|
Post by Emperor on Apr 25, 2021 9:52:41 GMT
The first Paddington is free on Amazon Prime. I have Amazon Prime and it says it isn’t free for me. Probably a regional thing. That's a shame.
|
|
Legend
19,985 POSTS & 20,019 LIKES
|
Post by Ness on Apr 25, 2021 14:15:01 GMT
1/2 through MK, nothing makes me hate anything about it so far. Though I guess with an hour left... will they even have time to do the tournament.
Kano as always is a treat. Ever since the original movie, he has been a highlight of anything that gives him a speaking role.
|
|
God
6,687 POSTS & 2,869 LIKES
|
Post by Lony on Apr 25, 2021 15:36:10 GMT
So I ended up watching a couple of movies last night... Raya and the Last Dragon: The first movie we watched, was Raya and the Last Dragon. I thought it was a great family film and the kids really enjoyed it as well (which is always a good sign). It’s definitely something we’ll be watching again and I highly recommend it to anyone with kids. Godzilla vs. Kong: After the kids went to bed, my fiancee and I gave this a watch, it surprisingly didn’t take a lot to convince her to get on board with it. I thought the film had some pretty good fight scenes between the monsters as well, even if the ending was predictable, as in the “heroes” teaming up to take down the real threat. As much as I enjoyed Godzilla vs. Kong, I feel like it would have been a better viewing experience in theaters, however, movie theaters are still closed out here, so that obviously wasn’t an option. Anyways, next up on the watch list, is the newest Mortal Kombat movie, honestly I’m really looking forward to this one. 2021 Movie Rankings 2. Godzilla vs. Kong 1. Raya and the Last Dragon
|
|
Legend
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
Fan Fic Legend
27,747 POSTS & 20,170 LIKES
|
Post by UT on Apr 25, 2021 15:37:18 GMT
1/2 through MK, nothing makes me hate anything about it so far. Though I guess with an hour left... will they even have time to do the tournament. Kano as always is a treat. Ever since the original movie, he has been a highlight of anything that gives him a speaking role. Kano as the shit heel was quite perfect and one of the best parts.
|
|
God
6,687 POSTS & 2,869 LIKES
|
Post by Lony on May 1, 2021 2:49:07 GMT
Mortal Kombat: It’s bloody, it’s action packed, it’s pretty much everything you would want, from a Mortal Kombat movie and I loved pretty much every second of it. Kano was hilarious AF (especially the egg roll dinner scene with both Kung Lao and Liu Kang), everything with Scorpion/Sub-Zero was great as well. Hopefully this will get the full movie trilogy treatment, as there are quite a few characters I’d love to see pop up in future films, namely Kitana, Baraka, Kenshi and Erron Black. Tom and Jerry: I thought it was a pretty cute movie for the most part. Although, nothing that hasn’t been done before (IE the Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, and Yogi Bear films). Still though, it brought the laughs and it’s always good seeing the kids happy, so I can’t complain. Jumanji: A classic that’s always worth a watch. Locked Down: I gave this a watch, as the fiancee wanted to see it. It’s a romantic comedy/Heist movie, set during the Covid pandemic. If I’m being honest though, I found the film to be pretty tedious. 2021 Movie Rankings 5. Locked Down 4. Tom and Jerry 3. Godzilla vs. Kong 2. Raya and the Last Dragon 1. Mortal Kombat
|
|
God
6,687 POSTS & 2,869 LIKES
|
Post by Lony on May 5, 2021 22:26:43 GMT
Thunder Force: I gave this a watch on Netflix, it was a surprisingly good movie, at the very least better than I thought it would be. I don’t really care for Melissa McCarthy as an actress, as I usually find her to be cringey and over the top, however, I actually enjoyed her character in this movie. I also started a re-watch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the fiancee as she hasn't seen any of the movies. She did however, like both WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, and has an interest in seeing Black Widow, so I'm looking to change that... we've only see Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Iron Man: The movie that started it all, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the first Iron Man film, so it was interesting to see how well it holds up, especially compared to the rest of the MCU. Honestly, it’s still a great origin story, and there’s nothing bad you can say about Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, it’s as perfect a casting choice as you can get. Speaking of RDJ, him and Gwyneth Paltrow play off of each other so well, I definitely like their back and forth banter. The Incredible Hulk: I know for a lot of people, this is considered a pretty weak MCU movie and it definitely is, however, I’ve always maintained that it’s one of the better early Marvel films. I will say one of the downsides, is that they set up two major Hulk characters, that never got a chance to be fully developed like their comic book counterparts (Doc Samson and The Leader). Also, I’m just gonna say it, the fight between Hulk and Abomination is way better, then the showdown between Iron Man and Iron Monger. 2021 Movie Rankings 6. Locked Down 5. Thunder Force 4. Tom and Jerry 3. Godzilla vs. Kong 2. Raya and the Last Dragon 1. Mortal Kombat
MCU Movie Rankings 2. The Incredible Hulk 1. Iron Man
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on May 8, 2021 11:53:16 GMT
Finally saw Brokeback Mountain.
Biggest takeaways in no particular order:
- Heath Ledger was an incredibly talented actor. Seeing him in this in many ways made me miss him and more sad than any rewatch of The Dark Knight. He's so fucking good.
- Jake Gyllenhaal is so fucking good too. The fact he only has one Oscar nomination in his career is absurd. Glad the one he got was at least for this turn. But dude is getting besmirched by the Academy.
- Solid turns Michelle Williams, Linda Cardellini, Kate Mara, Randy Quaid, and Anne Hathaway probably in that order. I didn't realize Quaid could actually play compelling dramatic roles.
- Gay hate and violence towards gays is so fucking stupid. Why did white men suddenly develop an issue with homosexuality? Seemed like it was pretty standard to dabble in the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. I mean, I guess it's Christianity's fault... But seems like a harsh over-correction based on their own repression and resentment that they can't just openly fondle Altar Boys.
- I still don't and never will understand how butt fucking is pleasurable to any party involved.
- What was the "Jack, I swear..." ending supposed to mean?
- As bad as I feel for lonely Jack & Ennis, I feel worst for Ennis' kids and Alma.
|
|
Legend
19,985 POSTS & 20,019 LIKES
|
Post by Ness on May 8, 2021 13:19:50 GMT
Finally saw Brokeback Mountain. Biggest takeaways in no particular order: - Heath Ledger was an incredibly talented actor. Seeing him in this in many ways made me miss him and more sad than any rewatch of The Dark Knight. He's so fucking good. - Jake Gyllenhaal is so fucking good too. The fact he only has one Oscar nomination in his career is absurd. Glad the one he got was at least for this turn. But dude is getting besmirched by the Academy. - Solid turns Michelle Williams, Linda Cardellini, Kate Mara, Randy Quaid, and Anne Hathaway probably in that order. I didn't realize Quaid could actually play compelling dramatic roles. - Gay hate and violence towards gays is so fucking stupid. Why did white men suddenly develop an issue with homosexuality? Seemed like it was pretty standard to dabble in the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. I mean, I guess it's Christianity's fault... But seems like a harsh over-correction based on their own repression and resentment that they can't just openly fondle Altar Boys.- I still don't and never will understand how butt fucking is pleasurable to any party involved. - What was the "Jack, I swear..." ending supposed to mean? - As bad as I feel for lonely Jack & Ennis, I feel worst for Ennis' kids and Alma. This one never made sense to me. You'd think the guys that are grossed out by gay dudes would be happy if two good looking dudes were outta the market. More for them and all that? Mark Nomand (or whatever his name is) has a good bit on gay dudes where a dude wouldn't even shake a gay dude's hands because they touch dicks. A LOT of people touch dicks. In fact I'd say the vast majority of the population have a lot of interactions with penises.
Anyways we should do a thread talking about our same sex crush. I believe you're on team Frank Grillo with me, right? Or was that vendrell? RIP...
|
|
Moderator
USER IS OFFLINE
Years Old
Male
8,867 POSTS & 8,638 LIKES
|
Post by Big Pete on May 8, 2021 14:14:10 GMT
Finally saw Brokeback Mountain. Biggest takeaways in no particular order: - Heath Ledger was an incredibly talented actor. Seeing him in this in many ways made me miss him and more sad than any rewatch of The Dark Knight. He's so fucking good. - Jake Gyllenhaal is so fucking good too. The fact he only has one Oscar nomination in his career is absurd. Glad the one he got was at least for this turn. But dude is getting besmirched by the Academy. - Solid turns Michelle Williams, Linda Cardellini, Kate Mara, Randy Quaid, and Anne Hathaway probably in that order. I didn't realize Quaid could actually play compelling dramatic roles. - Gay hate and violence towards gays is so fucking stupid. Why did white men suddenly develop an issue with homosexuality? Seemed like it was pretty standard to dabble in the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. I mean, I guess it's Christianity's fault... But seems like a harsh over-correction based on their own repression and resentment that they can't just openly fondle Altar Boys. - I still don't and never will understand how butt fucking is pleasurable to any party involved. - What was the "Jack, I swear..." ending supposed to mean? - As bad as I feel for lonely Jack & Ennis, I feel worst for Ennis' kids and Alma. Ennis is so repressed he can't even bring himself to confess his love for Jack even when he stumbles on these reminders. It's the most he can bring himself to say and to really drive the metaphor home all the keepsakes are in his closet. (along with Tom Cruise)
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on May 8, 2021 19:48:00 GMT
Finally saw Brokeback Mountain. Biggest takeaways in no particular order: - Heath Ledger was an incredibly talented actor. Seeing him in this in many ways made me miss him and more sad than any rewatch of The Dark Knight. He's so fucking good. - Jake Gyllenhaal is so fucking good too. The fact he only has one Oscar nomination in his career is absurd. Glad the one he got was at least for this turn. But dude is getting besmirched by the Academy. - Solid turns Michelle Williams, Linda Cardellini, Kate Mara, Randy Quaid, and Anne Hathaway probably in that order. I didn't realize Quaid could actually play compelling dramatic roles. - Gay hate and violence towards gays is so fucking stupid. Why did white men suddenly develop an issue with homosexuality? Seemed like it was pretty standard to dabble in the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. I mean, I guess it's Christianity's fault... But seems like a harsh over-correction based on their own repression and resentment that they can't just openly fondle Altar Boys.- I still don't and never will understand how butt fucking is pleasurable to any party involved. - What was the "Jack, I swear..." ending supposed to mean? - As bad as I feel for lonely Jack & Ennis, I feel worst for Ennis' kids and Alma. This one never made sense to me. You'd think the guys that are grossed out by gay dudes would be happy if two good looking dudes were outta the market. More for them and all that? Mark Nomand (or whatever his name is) has a good bit on gay dudes where a dude wouldn't even shake a gay dude's hands because they touch dicks. A LOT of people touch dicks. In fact I'd say the vast majority of the population have a lot of interactions with penises. Anyways we should do a thread talking about our same sex crush. I believe you're on team Frank Grillo with me, right? Or was that vendrell? RIP... Not sure if it's ever been discussed before between us, but Grillo is def a shinobimusashi-esque stud unit. Think my biggest, hardest man crush in history was Henry Cavill as Man of Steel. Zac Efron rates up there as well.
|
|
Legend
19,985 POSTS & 20,019 LIKES
|
Post by Ness on May 9, 2021 0:51:40 GMT
This one never made sense to me. You'd think the guys that are grossed out by gay dudes would be happy if two good looking dudes were outta the market. More for them and all that? Mark Nomand (or whatever his name is) has a good bit on gay dudes where a dude wouldn't even shake a gay dude's hands because they touch dicks. A LOT of people touch dicks. In fact I'd say the vast majority of the population have a lot of interactions with penises. Anyways we should do a thread talking about our same sex crush. I believe you're on team Frank Grillo with me, right? Or was that vendrell ? RIP... Not sure if it's ever been discussed before between us, but Grillo is def a shinobimusashi-esque stud unit. Think my biggest, hardest man crush in history was Henry Cavill as Man of Steel. Zac Efron rates up there as well. Never cared much for Zac because I have a seriously hatred for anyone that shortens the name. I don't mind if you use a K or an H at the end, but eliminating one letter all together is a sin much like spelling jTjohncenaGOAT as Geoff. Yeah I said it.
But Efron in Baywatch was a candidate. I liked the movie and I'm sure his manlet stud ass was why.
|
|
Legend
23,184 POSTS & 12,594 LIKES
|
Post by 🤯 on May 9, 2021 1:31:47 GMT
Not sure if it's ever been discussed before between us, but Grillo is def a shinobimusashi-esque stud unit. Think my biggest, hardest man crush in history was Henry Cavill as Man of Steel. Zac Efron rates up there as well. Never cared much for Zac because I have a seriously hatred for anyone that shortens the name. I don't mind if you use a K or an H at the end, but eliminating one letter all together is a sin much like spelling jTjohncenaGOAT as Geoff. Yeah I said it. But Efron in Baywatch was a candidate. I liked the movie and I'm sure his manlet stud ass was why.
Thoughts on Ric dropping the K?
|
|
Legend
19,985 POSTS & 20,019 LIKES
|
Post by Ness on May 9, 2021 1:44:58 GMT
Never cared much for Zac because I have a seriously hatred for anyone that shortens the name. I don't mind if you use a K or an H at the end, but eliminating one letter all together is a sin much like spelling jTjohncenaGOAT as Geoff. Yeah I said it. But Efron in Baywatch was a candidate. I liked the movie and I'm sure his manlet stud ass was why.
Thoughts on Ric dropping the K? Damn you. Just realized I never had a problem with Ric in that way. Funny I don't even see it as a version of Rick because there's only one Nature Boy so I don't even see it as a similar name. If that makes sense. Lots of people have gone by Zac, but only one (to my knowledge) has ever gone by Ric.
Now catch me stupid again by pointing out a really famous other Ric and I will lose this game of prove Ness wrong.
|
|