@JohnnyShoulder I don't want to have that problem either and I keep telling myself it is silly, but I can't seem to get around it in some cases. It's easier when the problematic person isn't in front of the camera - I can happily watch things Joss Whedon made, for example, but when their mug is plastered on my screen I get a negative reaction. Granted, I've only tried this with Mel Gibson, so I don't know if he's a special case for me or not, and the movie was "Conspiracy Theory", which isn't exactly the best of his movies. I may have more luck with movies I truly liked back in the day, but I'm reluctant to even give them a go.
As mentioned, Spacey and "The Usual Suspects" are higher on my list, as it would be a shame to let that Arrow release going unopened.
Speaking of releases going unopened, you just reminded me that I haven't opened my "Seven" 4K steelbook yet. I wound up getting to see the 4K restoration at the cinema around the same time I got the steelbook, so it's been sitting there since. The restoration is a beauty, though, so hopefully it will come down in price soon so you can experience it yourself
I heard John Woo and VHS in the same sentence, I still seem to have all of mine. The Hong Kong collection might have been the last VHS run. I think I have the original DVD run too, John Woo is unmatched. I still haven't watched Badlands, I had two opportunities and passed each time because I'm a little wary that it might be so different that I might not like it. I did watch Gothic last night though, a Ken Russell move from 1986 about the night that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein. Gabriel Byrne plays Lord Byron, Timothy Spall plays Dr. Polidori and Natasha Richardson plays Mary. It's weird, sexy, a little scary. Not the kind of movie you'd see today, not in the mainstream at least.
@FuriousMachine@JohnnyShoulder I was definitely being facetious (the Singer/Spacey double whammy to what is a very good film seemed like low hanging fruit) but it is an interesting discussion to have. I find it fascinating that films like Megalopolis, in which the cast was specifically chosen to be controversial, exist at all. Ruffling feathers in art is a good thing but in fairness, it has to work both ways. So bring it on. That said, as easy as it is for me to say I have no trouble separating artist from art, and I generally don’t, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have trouble enjoying music by Lostprophets for instance. So I get it. Like anything with any level of complexity, it’s a nuanced conversation, and people should ultimately be free to wrestle with their own personal convictions on such things.
“Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.” -C.S. Lewis
@Metonymy Bryan Singer too. He came and did a talk when I was in film school and at the time I admired his work, especially The Usual Suspects. He was both Hollywood and on the fringes of the industry, he oozed confidence and was very approachable. I thought it was odd when a 'friend' joined him for the X-men commentary. That friend was Brian Peck. He was also given a cameo as the hot dog vendor on the beach. The same Brian Peck who has multiple charges for SA on children. People might want to skirt supporting those who are guilty of serious misconduct, but it's nigh on impossible. When you've been there you see how deep it goes. I find it hard to watch Bryan Singer's work now, but people knew what he was doing even when I was there. The same for Peck. There are so many others that haven't been accounted for. As for Lostprophets, all of my CDs went in the skip. What went on there was too much, I can't even look at the bands branding anymore without feeling sick. There's a sense that, and this is word for word what I've been told - that everyone in Hollywood is a sex worker. It's rife within so many parts of the industry, and ultimately why I left.
I had a Jeepers Creepers marathon over Halloween with a friend, again it was a hard watch with what Victor Salva did running around in the back of my mind. I wanted to show them Clownhouse too, but they tapped out. I think it's easier to boycott a particular person or product when you understand the damage those people do. It stays with you for life. It's one of those personal reference points you need to fully grasp the fallout, but one you don't want people to experience because it denies their right to thrive as a normal human being. You could be fine for years and then wake up one day and question everything.
It would be great to be able to just enjoy movies like The Usual Suspects and Se7en again (my favorite David Fincher movie) but honestly whenever I see Kevin Spacey now I feel physically ill. There's a certain level of debauchery in the entertainment business, most of it is consensual and the people are of age. I don't think the majority of those people had a history of what they did before they came to Hollywood.
I think it's the location itself, LA is a very weird place and it changes people. When I lived there I was told to never walk with my back to traffic, you always needed to see who was approaching you. It's not gotten any better. At the end of the day people gravitate to Hollywood in order to make a name for themselves and many of those people will go above and beyond to get booked. I'm not at all victim blaming, it's just that ingrained into the inner workings of the system. I think it's good to be able to separate the actions of one person from the finished production, they aren't the be all and end all of that picture. Boycotts affect innocent people more than they do the perpetrator.
Edit: I suppose I should add this last part too because it came up in a recent conversation. The general public don't thick of actors as 'real' they view them as more than. This creates an image that needs to be protected and a sense that if they did come forward they might not get the proper response that is required to help someone who has been through something that serious. You can't heal in the public eye, if anything it makes it worse because even if you do reach a point where you yourself have gotten past it the story/information is out there forever. This means you risk being seen as a victim for the rest of your life. Most people don't want to risk that kind of exposure, which feeds back into that loop of continuation.
@Metonymy Absolutely agree, I don't think boycotting films or advocating for that is the way to go - we're all different and as @GirlVersusGame mentions, boycotts hurt more than just the problematic person. So, for me, it's not a conscious decision to avoid movies with problematic people in front of/behind the camera, it's just an involuntary reaction for me when watching some movies
"Seven" gave me no problems with Spacey, maybe because it is easy to dislike the character he plays so my dislike for the actor plays into that, I don't know.
@GirlVersusGame The fame machine, be it Hollywood or the music industry, attracts predatory behaviour and people who seek to exploit the desperate, vulnerable or pliable for their own ends. I think the only thing that can be done with it is continuously shining a spotlight at the problem, calling out and shutting down predatory behaviour and making it as difficult as possible for people to behave that way. I think we've come a long way in the last couple of years, but there's still far to go.
On a lighter note, I've booked a ticket for Osgood Perkins' Keeper tomorrow. That guy is prolific! If he manages to retain the quality of his previous movies, that's not a problem, though Also booked an hour of aromatherapy massage beforehand, so I'm thinking tomorrow's gonna be good!
@FuriousMachine Very true. It's a problem that exists everywhere unfortunately. My own introduction to it was in the shape of being too young to be online and meeting the wrong person, to me it's ancient history but it's also why I advocate for internet safety back home. That's also extended now to online gaming, a lot of parents just aren't aware. I'm pretty sure I mentioned an online friend who received three years for what he was up to outside of gaming. For a while I thought I was just attracting a certain personality type, nope there are just good people and bad people. You can't boycott psychology only opportunity and even then innocent people get caught up in that too.
I've heard mixed things about Keeper, but I think a lot of the nay-saying relates to peoples expectations and inability to be patient and to allow things to naturally unfold. I'll watch it for the cinematography, it's the same cinematographer from LongLegs. The movie wasn't exactly groundbreaking but it had it's own vibe, it was also Osgood Perkins (writing) You've probably seen it.
These violent delights have violent ends & in their triumph die, like fire & powder Which, as they kiss, consume.
@Zuljaras Did you ever watch the Castlevania anime on Netflix? I loved Vampire Hunter D, it's one of my favorite Manga Entertainment releases and yes I still have the VHS. With DevilMan taking the top spot. The English dub is absolutely wild, there was a live action movie too and it's dreadful. It might be the worst Japanese movie I've ever seen.
@GirlVersusGame Yes I did I am a Castlevania fanatic to be exact. My absolute favorite franchise in the universe!
BUT, to be honest I did not quite like Nocturne. I liked the battle scenes and some of the lore like Juste's magic but the artistic liberties were not for me, like the implementation of the different gods.
It is great that many people loved but I am 50/50 on that.
The first seasons with Trevor were cool. Still, I do not think that there will be more Castlevania anime in the future.
@Zuljaras That's quite the collection! I've only played Lords of Shadow and my strongest memory from that game was being trapped in a music box for hours. I can close my eyes and hear faint traces of that tune. You should add some books to your collection, The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon comes to mind.
It features all of the box-art and even lists the controls, attacks and story of each game.
Then there are all the production sketches of monsters and scenery too.
These violent delights have violent ends & in their triumph die, like fire & powder Which, as they kiss, consume.
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