Recently Watched Movie Thread 2017

[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?"​

 

[nwhoopfan]

Sorry everyone. I'll drop it too.

 

[CL82]

Sorry everyone. I'll drop it too.

No worries. There's friendly rivalry between the two trails. You gave the typical PCT (losing) responses.

 

[Dove]

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Leave No Trace" is really good. One of the quietest, most understated films I've seen. Slow paced, but I found it mesmerizing and heartbreaking. Great performances from both leads. Ben Foster has been doing good work for years. Wasn't aware of Thomasin McKenzie before but she appears to have a bright future. The director is known for "Winter's Bone," which was also very well crafted and launched the career of Jennifer Lawrence.

Foster is a military vet suffering from PTSD and unable to fit into normal society. McKenzie is his teenage daughter. They live off the grid, moving periodically and camping in forests. They get caught illegally camping in Forest Park in Portland and hit the radar of the CPS system, starting the plot of the movie moving forward.

It's relatively early in the year, but if this doesn't score multiple Oscar nominations I'll be disappointed.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Agree on the good acting and they nailed the early 70s. But overall I was bit disappointed given the great reviews. Decent rental but just didn't think that great. 2 1/2 stars.

The Battle of the Sexes should have been a lot better, and I blame mediocre writing. Carrell was perfect for the part of Bobby Riggs, but the movie didn't quite capture how ridiculous Riggs was in real life. He is almost entertaining enough to justify his own biopic, but he comes across kind of flat in the movie, and there is a ton of unnecessary exposition to describe him, when better writers should have been able to show you what he is like. The movie should have been a lot funnier too.

The movie almost made King seem too complex, like it was running down a checklist of emotions and characteristics. This was a fascinating time in society and women's sports, and better writers would have shown you what King was like by how she navigated through this Era. Instead, King comes across as almost a narrator.

The final scene was just boring. I know they had to use body doubles for the tennis match, but the director should have been able to hide that fact a little better.

This movie is a 6, when it should have been a 9.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Watched Chappaquiddick last night. Very well done. Good casting and acting. Tells the full story a little too late, but it is a story people should be aware of.

 

[Mano]

Finally freaking found the time to sit and watch a full movie (two kids in diapers kinda kill the free time). Wife picked Blockers. Was somewhat funny. Pretty formulaic. The kids were good. The adults were better. John Cena has decent comedic timing. Lightweight, enjoyable fair.

 

[Walker11]

Jungle - amazing true story about a man lost in the Amazon but dragged on bit too much for me 5.5/10

Hunting Emma - well done South African (I think?) revenge thriller 7/10

Compliance - very unsettling "thriller" based on a true story. Prank phone caller impersonated a cop and convinced manager to strip search and degrade an employee. 3/10 Unnecessary movie.

 

[Mano]

Geostorm - Ha, brainless schlock with a lot of big-ish names in it. Total garbage. I mean, I knew it would be, that's why I put it on as pretty much background noise, but hoooo-boy was it bad. I wonder if Gerard Butler will ever climb out of this string of total dreck he's been headlining for a decade now?

 

[Dove]

10 Cloverfield Lane

John Goodman is a doomsday preparer and just before alien attacks sees Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher end up in his bunker. John plays a slow boiling psycho who the others figure out and an escape plan is hatched.

One set makes for slow scenenes. Final scene kinda like Randy Quaid yelling "Up yours!!"

Good movie. One viewing only.

 

[8893]

Saw Three Identical Strangers this afternoon. Truly astonishing in so many ways; the more it sets in the more disturbing it becomes, yet also fascinating. Somehow I don't remember the story at all from when it became "viral" in 1980 and was in all the newspapers and all over television.

I find myself left with a lot of questions, but I highly recommend the movie.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Finally freaking found the time to sit and watch a full movie (two kids in diapers kinda kill the free time). Wife picked Blockers. Was somewhat funny. Pretty formulaic. The kids were good. The adults were better. John Cena has decent comedic timing. Lightweight, enjoyable fair.

I thought the young lady who played Cena's daughter was excellent. I agree with your write-up of the kovie.

 

[Mano]

Set It Up - Netflix romcom. Was fine for what it was. Had a few laughs. Zoey Deutch is a terrible actress who fails at acting natural on screen. So forced.

I Feel Pretty - I need to stop letting the wife choose the movie.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Watched Ready Player One last night. Had never read the book. It's ok. Lots of action, and it's fun if also silly.

 

[temery]

Just watched Chips (2017). Dumb as hell, but a fun watch at 3 am.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

He's Just Not That Into You (2009) - Affleck, Aniston, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, bunch of second tier stars. One of the earlier movies that had big casts and was essentially just a set of interconnected, romcom, short stories. This movie is ferociously "meh" with an above average soundtrack.

So I look it up, and see that it grossed $181 milion. I would have never guessed there was that big an audience for a movie like this.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Watched 'Lion' twice this weekend, first by myself and then with kids (10yrs old-ish). Great family movie and really well done from casting, thru acting, soundtrack cinematography, everything just great. Can't wait to read the book.

 

[CL82]

Watched Ready Player One last night. Had never read the book. It's ok. Lots of action, and it's fun if also silly.

I read the book when the movie started getting buzz. It is good if you like the dystopian teen fiction (Hunger Games, Divergent).

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Mission Impossible: Fallout" delivered what you would expect from the franchise. Incredible stunt work, long chase scenes, good fight choreography, interesting locations around the world, convoluted plot, generally exciting and entertaining.


Stumbled across a trailer for a movie recently, don't remember it ever hitting theaters, but it looked interesting so I checked it out on DVD. "The Vanishing of Sidney Hall." Slow paced but intriguing and fairly haunting. Jumps back and forth from multiple time frames constantly, can be challenging to watch films like that. About an author that was a sensation at an early age, then became reclusive and disappeared. Endured some hardships and tragedies. Solid cast of both younger and more veteran actors (Logan Lerman, Elle Fanning, Blake Jenner, Kyle Chandler, Nathan Lane, Michelle Monaghan, Tim Blake Nelson among others).

 

[Mano]

A Quiet Place - One of the surprise hits of last year turned out to be a pretty decent thriller. Wasn’t much of a horror film in my mind though. Used the absence and sudden inclusion of sound in order to rachet up the tension to great effect. I very much liked how strongly it both began and ended. Very effective.

Ready Player One - I had read and liked the book a little while before it got optioned by Spielberg. I harbored some reservations that he would make an overly safe flick. I was somewhat right. Mostly I just didn’t like that they changed

Spoiler

the portion of the book where Wade kind of goes it alone and infiltrates IOI leading up the finale. The “resistance” was just silly.

I understand why they did it (Hollywood), but I just prefer the path in the book. It was all in all still entertaining and otherwise pretty faithful.