Recently Watched Movie Thread 2017

[JMick]

Saw A Quiet Place . Interesting movie. Didn't really match the hype IMO. A couple really good scenes though.

 

[ZooCougar]

How do you not like Snatch? Are you 80 years old?

He hasn't made a movie that good in ages. Like I said, he is the most mediocre of successful directors. It seems like he has gone from making art to making blockbusters rooted in English culture.

 

[ZooCougar]

Annihilation.

Damn good the first time Probably the creepiest and most disturbing sci fi film since Event Horizon.

Too bad that they deviated so far from the books and that it did poorly in the box office. There is actually a highly regarded trilogy based on the books.

 

[Dove]

Hereditary

Toni Collette with just an awesome portrayal of a mother who just lost her mom and then her daughter. she carries this movie full tilt.

As for the movie...interesting premise but overall a slow-burn creepy movie with no scary moments.

 

[8893]

Saw Being John Malkovich again last night for the first time in several years. Forgot how great that movie is. And how screwed up. Watched it with my oldest daughter and she was like WTF? several times but liked it too. Love Catherine Keener.

 

[CL82]

Stumbled onto Wild with Reese Witherspoon. It's about a woman who decides to hike the Pacific Coast Trail (their equivalent to the Appalachian Trail, which I've always wished I took the time (3 months) to hike. It's not a great movie by any stretch but it touches on a few themes that I typically like. Man (or woman in the case) versus nature; through hiking; physical journey as metaphor for journey of self-awareness. As I write this I think that it sounds pretty boring but it held my attention. Here's a trailer that doesn't do it justice.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Stumbled onto Wild with Reese Witherspoon. It's about a woman who decides to hike the Pacific Coast Trail (their equivalent to the Appalachian Trail, which I've always wished I took the time (3 months) to hike. It's not a great movie by any stretch but it touches on a few themes that I typically like. Man (or woman in the case) versus nature; through hiking; physical journey as metaphor for journey of self-awareness. As I write this I think that it sounds pretty boring but it held my attention. Here's a trailer that doesn't do it justice.

Read the book and watched the movie. I thought both were interesting. Pretty sure it lead to a surge in people attempting the PCT like Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" did to climbing Everest. It's notable she didn't get anywhere close to completing the approx. 2600 mile trail. Skipped parts of California and stopped at the Oregon/Washington border, which if you're doing the PCT means you missed most of the best of it. And no offense to East Coasters or the AT intended, but it can't hold a candle to the scenery the PCT offers. If you're gonna do a long north/south thru hike across the country, skip the AT and do the PCT or CDT.

 

[CL82]

Read the book and watched the movie. I thought both were interesting. Pretty sure it lead to a surge in people attempting the PCT like Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" did to climbing Everest. It's notable she didn't get anywhere close to completing the approx. 2600 mile trail. Skipped parts of California and stopped at the Oregon/Washington border, which if you're doing the PCT means you missed most of the best of it. And no offense to East Coasters or the AT intended, but it can't hold a candle to the scenery the PCT offers. If you're gonna do a long north/south thru hike across the country, skip the AT and do the PCT or CDT.

I may read it. I loved the Bill Bryson book A Walk in the Woods. Of course Bryson is hysterical. (Just the sidebar on talking about equipment is familiar and hysterical.)

The PCT goes, literally from dessert to rain forest. It is generally considered less physically taxing (the AT is very steep in parts) even though it something like 500 miles longer. They both have their charms and challenges. The AT definitely has it's moments. Running the ridge from Washington to Madison is a really beautiful walk in an area known for the "worst weather in the US." The hundred mile wilderness in Maine has a history of breaking hikers. Walking the Knife's Edge on Katahdin can be very intimidating in any kind of wind. Agree that both are very mentally taxing for a lot reasons.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yeah Bryson's book is hilarious. I kinda think he likes to tell a tall tale and some of the stuff in the book didn't actually happen. Cheryl Strayed's book is not going for humor obviously as the movie would indicate.

The PCT goes, literally from dessert to rain forest. It is generally considered less physically taxing (the AT is very steep in parts) even though it something like 500 miles longer. They both have their charms and challenges. The AT definitely has it's moments. Running the ridge from Washington to Madison is a really beautiful walk in an area known for the "worst weather in the US." The hundred mile wilderness in Maine has a history of breaking hikers. Walking the Knife's Edge on Katahdin can be very intimidating in any kind of wind. Agree that both are very mentally taxing for a lot reasons.

I'm admittedly somewhat of a hiking snob and also West Coast born and raised, so probably more than a bit biased. I haven't visited the mountains in the New England states, I'd like to but not sure when it will happen. Also some fairly high elevation peaks in Tennessee and North Carolina. But mountains are different out West. If nothing else, the fact there are still glaciers out here (and some big ones in some areas) adds a whole other level of ruggedness and drama to the scenery. Plus just the size of the peaks. Several 14ers along the way and a boatload at 10,000'+. Both the High Sierras and the northern half of the Washington section, it's pretty much non stop mountainous terrain. Never mind some good stuff in portions of Northern California, Oregon and southern Washington. Of course physical proximity is a big factor. More population in the East so more hikers along the AT. I've never endeavored to do any real long distance hiking but I've hit quite a few short sections of the PCT here and there and it's pretty amazing.

 

[CL82]

Yeah Bryson's book is hilarious. I kinda think he likes to tell a tall tale and some of the stuff in the book didn't actually happen. Cheryl Strayed's book is not going for humor obviously as the movie would indicate.



I'm admittedly somewhat of a hiking snob and also West Coast born and raised, so probably more than a bit biased. I haven't visited the mountains in the New England states, I'd like to but not sure when it will happen. Also some fairly high elevation peaks in Tennessee and North Carolina. But mountains are different out West. If nothing else, the fact there are still glaciers out here (and some big ones in some areas) adds a whole other level of ruggedness and drama to the scenery. Plus just the size of the peaks. Several 14ers along the way and a boatload at 10,000'+. Both the High Sierras and the northern half of the Washington section, it's pretty much non stop mountainous terrain. Never mind some good stuff in portions of Northern California, Oregon and southern Washington. Of course physical proximity is a big factor. More population in the East so more hikers along the AT. I've never endeavored to do any real long distance hiking but I've hit quite a few short sections of the PCT here and there and it's pretty amazing.

I totally get it. I'm coming from the other side of it. "PCT, bah it's a mule trail... "

The truth is, as my dad used say: "There's a whole lot of the world that you can't see from the car. You have go out and be a part of it." That's what I love about backpacking.

 

[Fishy]

Living near the AT and maintaining a section of it, I have a ton of respect for through-hikers.

The AT is like getting punched in the face over and over and over and over. It's never level and there's never a good place to put your feet - it's all rock and root and there's far more vertical gain and loss on the AT vs the PCT.

That said, the New England portions of the trail are as beautiful as anything you'll find on this planet. Also, if you're not careful, those parts of it, especially New Hampshire, will happily kill you.

I really didn't like Bryson's book. Didn't find it particularly funny and thought he carelessly used another human being as a prop.

 

[nwhoopfan]

(sorry for the thread drift for anyone that isn't participating )

My brother has the theory that much of the elevation gain and loss on the AT is due to poor trail construction and failure to follow the contours of the landscape. Can't say myself as I haven't had boots on the ground there, but he has.

I suppose I'd have to hike in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for comparison, but I have a really hard time believing it stacks up to the scenery along the John Muir Trail section in California or the Alpine Lakes and Glacier Peak Wildernesses and North Cascades National Park in Washington. Of course what constitutes great scenery is highly subjective. Do a quick image search on Google though and the difference is stark and stunning to me. I really don't know the route of the CDT, but I've done a number of road trips in the Northern Rockies and Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are pretty dang spectacular as well. To me it's just a no brainer if you want really great mountain scenery you go West (never mind British Columbia and Alberta north of the border, guaranteed to blow your mind).



edited--don't judge the PCT based on the film version of "Wild." Much of it wasn't filmed on the actual PCT and the author missed almost all of the best parts of the trail. She did the California desert, skipped almost all of the Sierras and didn't hike in Washington at all. Oregon has some nice sections but overall is the least interesting of the 3 states the PCT passes through.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Watched King Arthur (2004). Solid movie, albeit a little slow in spots. I like the alternative history aspect to it. We know less about western Europe's history from 500 to 900 A.D. than we do about the 1,000 years prior or all the years since. The story's take on King Arthur's legend is a bit of a stretch, but different, and interesting. The battle scenes are pretty good, especially the one on the frozen lake.

 

[dbmill]

Just watched a British comedy from 1957 called "The Naked Truth". Tabloid publisher Dennis Price has a long list of celebrity figures that he is blackmailing. Finally Peter Sellers, Terry Thomas and others decide enough is enough. As you often see in a Peter Sellers movie, he appears in a number of disguises. Hilarious stuff.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So a few for the list.

Death Wish. Enjoyed it. Not great, but vigilante justice just always has some appeal.

All The Money in the World. Very good. Plummer is superb. Can't imagine Kevin Spacey in that role, it would have been much worse.

Red Sparrow. Better than expected based on reviews. A little slow in parts, but ultimately entertaining.

 

[Fishy]

(sorry for the thread drift for anyone that isn't participating )

My brother has the theory that much of the elevation gain and loss on the AT is due to poor trail construction and failure to follow the contours of the landscape. Can't say myself as I haven't had boots on the ground there, but he has.

He has no idea what he's talking about.

You're basically walking the length of the Appalachian Mountain range - with a few exceptions, you're constantly either going up or down. It's unavoidable. By comparison, the PCT was designed for pack animals, so the grades, again with exceptions, is kinder. The difference is fairly significant - 515,000' over 2,200 miles on the AT vs 315,000' over 2,65o miles on the PCT.

Having spent some time on both, if I were to undertake a thru-hike on either one, I would prefer the more open PCT. The AT is a steep green, buggy tunnel that would get on my nerves very quickly.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The difference is fairly significant - 515,000' over 2,200 miles on the AT vs 315,000' over 2,65o miles on the PCT.

I've seen a wide variation for the numbers for total elevation gain for the long trails. I think 315,000 is significantly underestimating for the PCT. I understand the grade is designed for pack animals so it's not as steep, but you still have to climb to get over all the passes. Forester Pass is over 13,000, twice the height of the highest point of the AT. I don't care how it's graded, that's really high and your legs still have to carry you up there, and then down the other side, and back up to the next pass. The mountains in the Appalachians are piddly compared to the Sierras and Cascades. PCT may not follow the exact spine of the ranges for the entire length but it's not like it skirts below all the high country.


Here's 2 links that puts PCT total gain at nearly 500,000. Makes the 315,000 number look made up.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjhrf6m45LcAhXm5YMKHRWfDGAQFggqMAE&url=https://www.pctmap.net/2014/03/elevation-gain-on-the-pacific-crest-trail/&usg=AOvVaw39dtHIrXyUp2TYlIxvFvNQ

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjhrf6m45LcAhXm5YMKHRWfDGAQFghlMAs&url=https://www.pcta.org/2014/new-numbers-elevation-gain-loss-pacific-crest-trail-17581/&usg=AOvVaw3HNdPVJHq7NsTRrqb1oKcD

 

[ZooCougar]

(sorry for the thread drift for anyone that isn't participating )

My brother has the theory that much of the elevation gain and loss on the AT is due to poor trail construction and failure to follow the contours of the landscape. Can't say myself as I haven't had boots on the ground there, but he has.

I suppose I'd have to hike in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont for comparison, but I have a really hard time believing it stacks up to the scenery along the John Muir Trail section in California or the Alpine Lakes and Glacier Peak Wildernesses and North Cascades National Park in Washington. Of course what constitutes great scenery is highly subjective. Do a quick image search on Google though and the difference is stark and stunning to me. I really don't know the route of the CDT, but I've done a number of road trips in the Northern Rockies and Montana, Wyoming and Idaho are pretty dang spectacular as well. To me it's just a no brainer if you want really great mountain scenery you go West (never mind British Columbia and Alberta north of the border, guaranteed to blow your mind).



edited--don't judge the PCT based on the film version of "Wild." Much of it wasn't filmed on the actual PCT and the author missed almost all of the best parts of the trail. She did the California desert, skipped almost all of the Sierras and didn't hike in Washington at all. Oregon has some nice sections but overall is the least interesting of the 3 states the PCT passes through.

You realize it is called the Appalachian Trail for a reason right? As in the Appalachian mountains. You’re hike along a range of mountains.

THAT IS THE DESIGN BRO! Lol.

 

[ZooCougar]

When it comes to hiking and biking long distances, I’ll take long climbs and descents over frequent ups and downs 9/10 of the time.

Riding in Colorado is easier than riding in the Ozarks or even rollers in Kansas.

 

[nwhoopfan]

As in the Appalachian mountains.

Do tell me more about these mountains. I haven't seen any out here in the West.

One of your colleagues who is apparently very familiar w/ the AT just referred to it as a green tunnel, as in mostly in the trees w/ limited views.


edited--PCT is Pacific Crest Trail. It also follows mountains. More of them and bigger ones than the Appalachians. I've seen numerous comparisons saying the AT is physically harder, but the PCT is more of a mental challenge. More logistics to deal with, more time further away from civilization and longer between resupply points. It makes a difference.

 

[Dove]

Just got sucked into Uncle Buck. I'm okay with it. The bit where he calls Chanice to tell her he won't be into work...lol.

 

[ZooCougar]

Do tell me more about these mountains. I haven't seen any out here in the West.

One of your colleagues who is apparently very familiar w/ the AT just referred to it as a green tunnel, as in mostly in the trees w/ limited views.


edited--PCT is Pacific Crest Trail. It also follows mountains. More of them and bigger ones than the Appalachians. I've seen numerous comparisons saying the AT is physically harder, but the PCT is more of a mental challenge. More logistics to deal with, more time further away from civilization and longer between resupply points. It makes a difference.

Whatever dude. Don’t knock it till you rock it.

Those rollers will break you down and you may never come back.

 

[G0UCONN]

Loved Deadpool.

Just saw Deadpool 2. Terrific too. Funny stuff.

 

[Fishy]

Whatever dude. Don’t knock it till you rock it.

Those rollers will break you down and you may never come back.

He got a little odd. I dropped it.

 

[CL82]

Do tell me more about these mountains. I haven't seen any out here in the West.

One of your colleagues who is apparently very familiar w/ the AT just referred to it as a green tunnel, as in mostly in the trees w/ limited views.


edited--PCT is Pacific Crest Trail. It also follows mountains. More of them and bigger ones than the Appalachians. I've seen numerous comparisons saying the AT is physically harder, but the PCT is more of a mental challenge. More logistics to deal with, more time further away from civilization and longer between resupply points. It makes a difference.

It some places it is a green tunnel, I guess, in others...not so much. Note the trail marker at the bottom of the picture.

"Uh you want me to go where?"​