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| bartist |
 Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:42 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6967
Location: Black Hills
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yambu wrote: bartist wrote: ....Wop was an acronym for "without papers"...... I have always heard that wop came from the Spanish "guapo", meaning handsome in the young male sense.
Hadn't heard that one, Yam. I'm scurrying off to the Urban Dictionary to see what they say about all this. The "without papers" derivation I learned when I was 13 and living in a heavily Italian neighborhood of Boston, so I figured I had the facts. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:11 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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I believe without papers is a backronym.
Wiki says:
Quote: Wop is a pejorative racial slur used primarily, but not exclusively, to refer to people from Italy.[1]
It originated between 1910 and 1915 in the United States. One famous false etymology is that it stands for "without papers" or "without passport" (abbreviated WOP),[2] widely known to be a fantasy derivation by acronym.[3]
According to Merriam-Webster its first known use was in 1908.[4] The commonly accepted etymology is that it originates from a southern Italian dialect term guappo, meaning swagger, derived from the Spanish term guapo, via dialectical French, meaning ruffian or pimp
Yipes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:52 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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Richard Linklater's "Beore Midnight" has intelligent and insightful dialogue, long continuous scenes each leading up to intense dramatic tension, and excellent performances, especially the one by Julie Delpy. It is set 18 years after the first film in this series and 9 years after the second film, and in my view it is even better than the first two films.
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 5:11 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Captain Phillips is a gripping thriller about the real-life events around the pirating of a cargo ship by Somalians in 2009. Paul Greengrass directs in a documentary style, but the performances by Tom Hanks in the title role and Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, and Faysal Ahmed as the pirates are finely tuned and memorable. Hanks and Abdi (or is it Barkhad? Don't know which comes first) are award-worthy in particular. Hanks, far from my favorite actor, gives what I consider his best performance in decades, with a final scene that is absolutely stunning. If Hanks had not already won two completely undeserved Oscars, I would be in his corner. Barkhad Abdi manages to make the lead pirate not only terrifying but also strangely sympathetic, no small feat.
But it's Greengrass who is the real hero of this I-want-to-say-unique film. His ability to meld a quasi-doc and a human story is the kind of thing I've never seen before, at least not with this kind of mastery .
P.S. About Hanks, New York Magazine's David Edelstein says it all:
"...Hanks attains a new stature as an actor. Part of me will always miss the high-energy clown with the best fastball of any light comedianand lament the awards-friendly move to Inspire and Enlighten. But the way he disappears into the character here is unprecedented."
Edelstein is right. Hanks's best performances up until now have remained Bosom Buddies, Splash, Big, A League of Their Own and the forgotten "Uncle Ned" on Family Ties. His mediocre turns in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump were ridiculously overhyped and over-awarded. But in Captain Phillips he finally does a great job of "serious" acting. Now I wish he'd return to comedy--as long as he avoids things like You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:00 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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I don't think you're doing the initial review of a film properly.
I believe if you're the first one to see a film you like then you're supposed to berate all the rest of us for not having seen it yet ...
Did you ever see:
Quote: The Road to Guantanamo, a British 2006 docudrama film directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross about the incarceration of three British citizens (the 'Tipton Three'), who were captured in 2001 in Afghanistan and detained by the United States there and for more than two years at the detainment camp in Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.
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It sounds somewhat similar in approach.
I thought it was quite well done.
I saw a documentary on Somali pirates.
But it was kind of limited and had rather amateur graphics.
Pretty sure I wrote something up about it here maybe 6 months back.
Will link to it if I find it. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:47 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: I don't think you're doing the initial review of a film properly.
I believe if you're the first one to see a film you like then you're supposed to berate all the rest of us for not having seen it yet ...
Did you ever see:
Quote: The Road to Guantanamo, a British 2006 docudrama film directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross about the incarceration of three British citizens (the 'Tipton Three'), who were captured in 2001 in Afghanistan and detained by the United States there and for more than two years at the detainment camp in Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.
?
It sounds somewhat similar in approach.
I thought it was quite well done.
I saw a documentary on Somali pirates.
But it was kind of limited and had rather amateur graphics.
Pretty sure I wrote something up about it here maybe 6 months back.
Will link to it if I find it.
There's also a much more recent film called A Hijacking which deals with the same thing. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:04 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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The doc was called Stolen Seas and is form 2012. It's pretty worthwhile even if a little general and naive at times. It's impressive they got such access to the Somali negotiator and the Danish ship owners.
Here was my review:
http://www.thirdeyefilm.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=232683#232683 |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:51 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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Gromit,
wisass.
I've taken my film discussions to Facebook where people actually go to the movies. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 1:20 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Marc wrote: Gromit,
wisass.
I've taken my film discussions to Facebook where people actually go to the movies.
Marc--Chill, baby. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 4:51 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12944
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I just got back from watching Gravity in 3-D at the IMAX in Moore. It was a pretty overwhelming experience. (Maybe next time I should sit a couple of rows further back.) It took me a while to adjust back to Earth's gravity.
This is one of those movies where a surcharge (actually a double surcharge considering this was a matinee and it cost $13.00) is worth it. You want to see this on a big screen in 3-D. Once again, it's an excellent director knowing what to do with 3-D. Acting is impeccable, which is good because there are only two actors in the movie, excluding voices on radio.
There's a very good chance this could be the first science fiction movie to win Best Picture. (The Return of the King is fantasy.) |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 5:07 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Heading out to see Gravity in IMAX now. Will report, obviously. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 9:47 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Gravity was an amazing film in every way. The best use of 3-D ever, great photography, editing, etc. But I expected all that. What I was not ready for was the beautiful performance by Sandra Bullock, never a favorite of mine. She is a great actor doing something with the kind of depth she's never attempted before. The spiritual, emotional story line was a genuine surprise. The final scene was gorgeous. George Clooney did a nice job in support, but Bullock carried the movie for me. |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:39 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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Bill,
I think I agree with just about all of that. Perhaps my only criticism of the film was that I found the succession of miraculous escapes in space to not only be very similar in nature, but also in intensity and drama. The film was in danger of becoming a theme park ride.
Like you, I loved the ending. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 4:42 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Slightly rewritten version, the morning after:
From everything I had heard in advance, I expected Gravity to be a visual miracle and to employ the best use of 3-D in the history of movies. These are fantastic achievements but, as I say, I had expected them. And the expectations were met. What I had no preparation for was the beauty and genius of Sandra Bullock's performance in the lead role. I have always found Bullock to be at best likeable (The Net, The Blind Side) and more often a second-rate and unusually annoying Julia Roberts type. But in Gravity she is a marvelous actor at the peak of her powers, and she carries this movie, which could have been merely a visual and technical marvel, into emotional territory that makes it great. Genius director Alfonso Cuaron directs everything beautifully, most especially the final scene of the movie, where he and Bullock collaborate to create a stunning and profound statement about...I won't even hazard a description. Just take the journey. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:05 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Just been reading some of the reviews I had intentionally bypassed before seeing Gravity. Wow, some published critics can really miss the boat. A.O. Scott of The New York Times gets snotty about the back story of Sandra Bullock's character Ryan Stone, one of the most moving things about the film. James Berardinelli compares it with the (IMO) lame cult favorite Moon. Others dare to mention it in the same breath with Hugo (a particular aversion of mine).
In any case, Gravity is not only better than those turkeys, it's even better--far better--than 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is the only viable comparison to be made. It's tighter, much more emotionally involving, and (through no fault of Kubrick) more technically impressive.
The only published reviews that get to the heart of Gravity are (no surprise) Matt Zoller Seitz's at RogerEbert.com and (sorry, Gary) Peter Travers's in Rolling Stone, which of course includes all of the usual Travers cliches but in which the reviled PT does seem to understand what's really at the crux of the movie's unusual success.
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gravity-2013
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/gravity-20131003 |
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