Useless Conversation

[calapine]

Like me!   I'll be seeing this one.  

I think you'll like it then.

IMHO horror films have a hard time with the plot, because well, as audience you know its a horror film, people die, either the good guys win or the bad guys, but I think this one straddled the line between "generic cliché horror" (the lone psychopath, the turn around and bad guy stands behind you, etc...) and "artsy for art sake / 'Look at me! I-am-an-independent-film!' "

There are some nods to genre conventions, but not overdone. As well as some references to other films, but it's subtle (nothing I would have noticed on my own. For example, one mobile phones ring-tone was the soundtrack of [Horror Film I forgot]). Which I liked, because IMHO "ironic horror" is a crap.

Tone wise it's not completely dry (some humour in the dialogue). People die obviously, the early deaths are more "standard horror film, you know what's happening", the later ones kind of bugged me more because the characters grow on you. So it's not a "fucking bunch of American teenagers I want dead anyway!" situation.

It's the directors first film and he said he basically lucked out to be able to even do it by getting support from Belgian film funds / state grants because normally horror films aren't considered to have artistic merit, but he wanted to show even a horror film can be worthwhile as film / do something new.

My interpretation is the director just wanted to make a good horror film with a decent plot. There is a story (idea) that drives the film, so its not just sort of '90-min gore porn for shock effect' but it's pretty straight forward, so neither some intellectual of "Twist ending! Let's fuck with the audience!" wankery.

I don't mean to suggest a masterpiece and some moments it felt a bit "lengthy" but overall it's a well crafted film.

I apologise for this sounding like a 5-year old's essay; quite few glasses of wine since the last post 2 hours ago.

[Sky]

I like very few slasher type horror things (and mostly genre twists like Cabin in teh Woods, Saw or Tucker & Dale), I'm more into the slow burn subtle effects like the first couple paranormal activities, the ring, or even session 9. I guess I like more the nexus of suspense and horror.

[Signe]

Thanks, Calapine.  I think it was a good review! 

I'm not so crazy about just plain slasher or gore for gore's sake (unless it's got awesome makeup and effects) and I think the torture-horror has gone over the top silly.  There's more of those than good old fashioned horror films these days.  Having said that, I'm a sucker for Rob Zombie films.  Captain Spaulding has earned his eternal resting place on my ankle.  :)  I liked Tucker & Dale.  What an unexpectedly good laugh that was.  Horror, suspense, mystery, all that... ever since I was a little kid.  And the campier the better.  Every film should have a token zombie, too.

PS  The first and latest The Crazies got a bad wrap.  I especially love old 70's horror flicks and George Romero is my idol.  He did both Crazies.  I even love his old face.

[Sky]

Yeah, Rob's movies are so well done.

Zombies I only like in moderation. The early Romero stuff, Night (and the remake) and Return are my favorites (Return was hilarious); Sean of the Dead; 28 Days Later.

[Signe]

Just a flash, in the back, in the corner.  You see I'm an atheist and zombie is my hope for an afterlife.  You know, reincarnation and all that.  Hopefully Karma won't kick in or I'll be back as an angry leaf or sommat.

[Salamok]

Here, I'll help.

spoilered biggass chart of inferior mississippi holidays:

Confederate memorial day? Really, Haemish?

bah amatuer hour compared to Texas: http://www.hr.sao.state.tx.us/compensation/Holidays2015.pdf

I get Confederate Heroes Day, Texas Independence Day and San Jacinto Day off!  Now you may be thinking "Those bastards down in Texas only get Confederate Heroes Day off because they renamed Martin Luther King day!" but no it usually falls on a different day and we get it off in addition to MLK.

[schild]

San Jacinto Day is worth celebrating.

Whatever the fuck that is.

[Signe]

Happy San Jacinto Day, Schild.  He was my favourite saint (?) too.

Wait.  That's not what I came here to say.  I must have got myself caught up in the holiday festivities.  Anyway, this is my day so far:  I have a horrible cold or something.  I can't stop coughing and it's like an epidemic inside my chest.  I had to go to the grocery store anyway and some horribly disfigured bitch woman (it might have been a man, I didn't actually see it's face) ran over my little toe with it's cart.  OMG.  It hurt so bad I had to check out before I was done shopping so I could take my shoe off.  It's squashed.  :(  So as I'm carrying my paltry bag of unfinished shopping to the house...  just before I open the screen door... Loki , our most lovely elderly doggie, bursts through the door which then hits me in the mouth.  Fat lip.  Squashed toe.  What next?  I'm scared.

[taolurker]

REMEMBER THE ALAMO

[pxib]

Here in California we get Cesar Chavez day. It shows up on the 31st regardless of what day that happens to fall on, and everybody wonders why they library is closed.

[calapine]

OK, alors, two more film recommendations:

Réalité

French film, but plays in the US.  The announcer that introduced the film said it's "controversial" and "some will hate it, some will like it". Not sure if I agree with that. If you are a person that enjoys / can endure absurder films than you will probably like it. If not you'll be bored [although there is quite a bit humour in it, absurd one...], but hardly offended.

His other comment was that "being drunk or possibly even stoned" will fit the film. Agreeing here, but it's not a prerequisite. I liked it, and from the reactions so did the rest of the audience.

Trailer (French)


Autoportretul unei fete cuminti or en anglais Self-Portrait of a Dutiful Daughter

Romanian film. Very much an independent film, if independent is an euphemism for no budget. The director used her own parents to play the role of the film parents, both to safe money and as because of the autobiographic nature of the film. The producer has a role in the film. Someone lent them the camera for a free, etc...

The film is shot rather slow, or maybe I should realistic. Lot's of static camera, few cuts and focus on the protagonists daily life. The friend I was with said after that a lot of scenes made her think "Hey, that could be me!".

Overall the film is a bit topical: if you are 30ish, female, stuck in late-puberty and lack a self-determined life this feels very relatable. Else it might not quite be your cup of tea. In that case there is still the main actress who is quite good lucking, has beautiful long hair and you see her naked, so there is that.  

On of the high points for me were the family scenes with the talkative, ranty father. Either great acting for a non-actor or he is that way. Wish I had a father like that.

A quick synopsis

Cristiana is a 30 year old woman, brought up in a “proper”, bourgeois middle-class family. Her time is split between writing for her PhD in Earthquake Engineering, conversations with Alex and Michelle, her two close friends and occasional, but eagerly awaited rendezvous’ with Dan, a married man with whom she is romantically involved. After her parents move out of the family apartment into a new house, she decides to get a dog. It is something that she wanted ever since she was a child and now that she lives on her own she can finally fulfill this wish.

From left to right: Protagonist's best friend, director, protagonist, announcer.

Trailer with English subtiles

[Sky]

Oo, we're doing film recommendations? Over the weekend I watched Zombie, directed by Lucio Fulci. Really nice cinematography, good score, decent acting, dubbing isn't great (Italian film).

Really worth it for the camera work and the effects. While there are a few places the effects wear thin (the underwater fight between a zed and a shark), overall it's one of the best early examples of the zombie subgenre. One scene in particular was extremely difficult to watch (a splinter slowly piercing an eye, ouch) but was masterfully shot.

Also, lots of tits.

edit: here's a trailer. HD transfer is gorgeous.

[Bunk]

Here's a true bit of useless conversation on my mind:

Newer guy in our call center. He was born in India. Has great English, good communicator, but the little differences in conversation... He just sent me an email, and the last line in it:

"Kindly check and do the needful."

For some reason I think this might be one of the greatest phrases ever, but I can't start using it without sounding like I'm mocking him.

[IainC]

'Do the needful' is a very common Indian-English phrase. It made me double take each time I saw it too when we had an Indian PM at Acony.

[Teleku]

I think we had a big thread detail sometime back about that phrase, heh.

[schild]

Yup. My wife has to do the needful constantly.

If ya know what I'm sayin.

[Strazos]

My boss used that phrase the other day - all I could do was tilt my head and say, "Do the...needful...sir?"

I knew what he meant - still funny. He had just spent 3 years in London, so maybe that's where he picked it up?

[Khaldun]

Sigh. My colleague has been telling me for the entire last year that I was handling an important issue exactly wrong and that I wasn't going to get our department a result that we all really wanted. Even started trying to freelance negotiate for it behind my back in a way that was guaranteed to undercut my negotiating authority until I told her to cut it out, that it was my responsibility.

We got what we were looking for this week, when many other departments didn't. Her response? "That's great! I don't know why that happened."

IT HAPPENED BECAUSE I WAS RIGHT. Dammit.

[Triax]

Sigh. My colleague has been telling me for the entire last year that I was handling an important issue exactly wrong and that I wasn't going to get our department a result that we all really wanted. Even started trying to freelance negotiate for it behind my back in a way that was guaranteed to undercut my negotiating authority until I told her to cut it out, that it was my responsibility.

We got what we were looking for this week, when many other departments didn't. Her response? "That's great! I don't know why that happened."

IT HAPPENED BECAUSE I WAS RIGHT. Dammit.

"That can't be it!"


Ugh, I used to hate coworkers like that. 

[Merusk]

If you're right that means I was wrong. That can't be right, because I'm smart and you're an asshole.

[Cyrrex]

Yup. My wife has to do the needful constantly.

If ya know what I'm sayin.

Take a poop?  Solve your helpdesk ticket?  See, it has so many applications.

[Paelos]

If you're right that means I was wrong. That can't be right, because I'm smart and you're an asshole.

I got over that a long time ago in the office place. Being wrong and being able to admit it and adapt makes you the better team player and coworker. People like you more, not less. And you know what? You advance in the ranks faster because people trust you not to be a stubborn dickhead.

EDIT: Perfect response in Khaldun's scenario, if that lady responded with, "You know what, you did a great job. I didn't think that was possible and you pulled it off. I guess I've learned not to doubt your skills." Then you both have a chuckle, and everyone feels better.

[Merusk]

I envy your work environment. Working with designers for the last 4 years they just double-down when wrong and insist it will work next time, or that you were in error and got lucky.

I take that back. Actually it's just one floor that does that, and that whole business unit here is filled with toxic people.

[WayAbvPar]

I do what I can to innocently ask questions that make the other person realize they fucked something up. Most of them will fess up, but even if they don't, shit gets fixed.

[Paelos]

I envy your work environment. Working with designers for the last 4 years they just double-down when wrong and insist it will work next time, or that you were in error and got lucky.

I take that back. Actually it's just one floor that does that, and that whole business unit here is filled with toxic people.

I used to be that way, I'm still that way in sports even though I'm trying not to be.

I learned from my last job, nobody cares if you were wrong. They care if you can fix it and the job gets done. And being the guy that can take the blame and move on gets your more credibility than the asshole who tries to BS excuse everything that goes wrong. People in today's business environment HIGHLY value accountability. They respect the people who own their mistakes and endeavor to correct them. But that second part is the most important part of owning a mistake. You can't just continue to be a fuckup, you have to work hard at being better every day.

[HaemishM]

I learned from my last job, nobody cares if you were wrong. They care if you can fix it and the job gets done.

This is so true and so hard a lesson to teach. People who have long stints at jobs are the ones who accept and correct their fuckups. The ones who can't be wrong, or will do everything in their power to hide their fuckups until they just can't anymore, then try to blame something besides their own incompetence for said fuckups are the ones that make their coworkers stabby.

[Merusk]

I envy your work environment. Working with designers for the last 4 years they just double-down when wrong and insist it will work next time, or that you were in error and got lucky.

I take that back. Actually it's just one floor that does that, and that whole business unit here is filled with toxic people.

I used to be that way, I'm still that way in sports even though I'm trying not to be.

I learned from my last job, nobody cares if you were wrong. They care if you can fix it and the job gets done. And being the guy that can take the blame and move on gets your more credibility than the asshole who tries to BS excuse everything that goes wrong. People in today's business environment HIGHLY value accountability. They respect the people who own their mistakes and endeavor to correct them. But that second part is the most important part of owning a mistake. You can't just continue to be a fuckup, you have to work hard at being better every day.

I'd foward this post on to those people, but I'd end-up fired and enjoy the job other than these 8 individuals.  So instead I'll just continue being the guy they blame and don't listen to until I get fed-up and find a new place to work. Taking ownership of their mistakes isn't happening as they are client-facing and project leads while I'm support. I'll continue to train and educate the correct processes that Adobe and Autodesk demand.  When problems arise I point out where they've ignored it, why things didn't work and how to fix it, then move on. 

Unless you thought I was speaking for myself instead of from their perspective. In which case.. ha.

[rattran]

We now have a 6 week old kitten with some special needs. So every 4 hours I get to put antibacterial lubricant on cat butt.

It's been a long week already.

[Signe]

You are awesome, rattran.

[Polysorbate80]

You want a replacement kitten?  I've got three new litters at home.  14-ish kittens; it's hard to get an exact count since the mothers insist on keeping them all in one big pile and surrounding it.

[IainC]

You want a replacement kitten?  I've got three new litters at home.  14-ish kittens; it's hard to get an exact count since the mothers insist on keeping them all in one big pile and surrounding it.

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to demand pictorial evidence of such an unlikely story. Lots of pictorial evidence. 

[tazelbain]

Obviously he is training them in Shadowbane combat tactics.

[Viin]

You want a replacement kitten?  I've got three new litters at home.  14-ish kittens; it's hard to get an exact count since the mothers insist on keeping them all in one big pile and surrounding it.

That would be awesome for, like, 30 minutes!

[Paelos]

Unless you thought I was speaking for myself instead of from their perspective. In which case.. ha.

Heh no I was just spitballing on the issue as a whole

[Polysorbate80]

You want a replacement kitten?  I've got three new litters at home.  14-ish kittens; it's hard to get an exact count since the mothers insist on keeping them all in one big pile and surrounding it.

I'm sorry but I'm going to have to demand pictorial evidence of such an unlikely story. Lots of pictorial evidence. 

I'll throw some in the cute pictures thread