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theclaud

Reading around the chip
Who's seen it, then? It's on Netflix. I watched it New Year's round a friend's house.

Anyway, it's brilliant. Think Dr Strangelove meets Mars Attacks, with a touch of Naked Gun and smattering of Brass Eye, plus just the necessary injection of unadorned sadness and regret. For anyone who's not heard of it yet, it's a satirical film about political and media indifference to climate breakdown, told through an allegory of astronomers trying to warn of a comet on course to impact earth. All the performances are spot on, but Mark Rylance's creepy mashup of the world's sociopathic tech billionaires, Cate Blanchett's single-mindedly lascivious talk-show host, and a self-mocking cameo from Ariana Grande deserve special mention.

For a film so sharp, pacy, hilarious and entirely unpretentious, it's had a rough ride from the critics - presumably because it's so unforgiving of the media class. Normal people mostly love it tho. Hit me with your reviews, peeps.


View: https://youtu.be/RbIxYm3mKzI
 
My guess is that only a small proportion of New NACA denizens have the ability to screen Netflix films, or am I projecting?
 

Ian H

Guru
I saw a good review of it somewhere (LRB?). But I don't really do TV, and I don't think E subscribes to any pay channels.
 
D

Deleted member 49

Guest
Watched it on Xmas Eve and loved it ! I'm sure I posted about it on the other cyclechat forum.Anyway agree and loved it !
 

BoldonLad

Old man on a bike. Not a member of a clique.
Location
South Tyneside
Haven't watched it, but, it has come up in my "recommendations for you" from Netflix, so, will probably at least try it. May be a while, not a big TV watcher.
 

matticus

Guru
My guess is that only a small proportion of New NACA denizens have the ability to screen Netflix films, or am I projecting?
I don't have it - but then I'm not as middle-class as theClaud.

From what I've heard I think it would depress me too much. I need a few more years airgap before satire becomes enjoyable e.g. Death of Stalin.
 
OP
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theclaud

theclaud

Reading around the chip
I don't have it - but then I'm not as middle-class as theClaud.
LOL I don't have it either - hence watching round someone else's. But apparently around half of UK households do, so it's not exactly niche. My brother doesn't have a subscription but his daughter has one for multiple devices, probably paid for by her wealthy step-dad, so my brother can 'borrow' her account on his device.
 

matticus

Guru
Is digital property still theft?
 

mudsticks

Squire
Who's seen it, then? It's on Netflix. I watched it New Year's round a friend's house.

Anyway, it's brilliant. Think Dr Strangelove meets Mars Attacks, with a touch of Naked Gun and smattering of Brass Eye, plus just the necessary injection of unadorned sadness and regret. For anyone who's not heard of it yet, it's a satirical film about political and media indifference to climate breakdown, told through an allegory of astronomers trying to warn of a comet on course to impact earth. All the performances are spot on, but Mark Rylance's creepy mashup of the world's sociopathic tech billionaires, Cate Blanchett's single-mindedly lascivious talk-show host, and a self-mocking cameo from Ariana Grande deserve special mention.

For a film so sharp, pacy, hilarious and entirely unpretentious, it's had a rough ride from the critics - presumably because it's so unforgiving of the media class. Normal people mostly love it tho. Hit me with your reviews, peeps.


View: https://youtu.be/RbIxYm3mKzI


Since the COP I'm trying to stay upbeat, hopeful, and purposeful in my climate justice work.

Not doing too badly, in terms of quietly keeping on with keeping on, measuring out energy, and purposeful engagement

I've heard good things about this film, but what I'd like to know is.

Is it going to lift me up, or not .??

I don't need to be shown how uselessly crass, and obstructive the mainstream media have been about this whole issue, over the years.

I've lived all that, already.

So I guess I'm asking you for guidance now as to whether it will leave me feeling better or not.??

I'm done with wasting my energy on outrage at the obstructive business as usual, powers that be..
I'm very happy for other to pursue them through the courts though.

I'm 100% done with arguing with CC deniers, they can all just get in the bin.

So the question is will this film leave me energised or not.??

Could do with a laugh - for sure ..

But will this just raise hollow laughs of "all too" true recognition..??

My guess is that only a small proportion of New NACA denizens have the ability to screen Netflix films, or am I projecting?

I don't have netflix, but I do know (extremely middle class) peeps - such as my son who do 👍🏼
 

Ian H

Guru
LOL I don't have it either - hence watching round someone else's. But apparently around half of UK households do, so it's not exactly niche. My brother doesn't have a subscription but his daughter has one for multiple devices, probably paid for by her wealthy step-dad, so my brother can 'borrow' her account on his device.
But don't you need a TV the size of your wall to watch films properly? I enjoy the cinema but television mostly just irritates me.
 

winjim

Welcome yourself into the new modern crisis
My guess is that only a small proportion of New NACA denizens have the ability to screen Netflix films, or am I projecting?
I have the ability but not the time. Our Netflix account is almost permanently set to 'children'. As an added bonus we also got Disney+ over Christmas although trying to sit down and actually watch anything without the kids killing each other is nigh on impossible.

So basically I do have a television, I just might as well not have.
 

mudsticks

Squire
But don't you need a TV the size of your wall to watch films properly? I enjoy the cinema but television mostly just irritates me.
Depends on the film .

For massive CGI explosions, and prolonged car chases / shoot em ups , a bigger screen works better definitely.. :okay:

But if it's slightly more cerebral stuff, I find I can cope watching on a laptop..
 
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OP
theclaud

theclaud

Reading around the chip
Since the COP I'm trying to stay upbeat, hopeful, and purposeful in my climate justice work.

Not doing too badly, in terms of quietly keeping on with keeping on, measuring out energy, and purposeful engagement

I've heard good things about this film, but what I'd like to know is.

Is it going to lift me up, or not .??

I don't need to be shown how uselessly crass, and obstructive the mainstream media have been about this whole issue, over the years.

I've lived all that, already.

So I guess I'm asking you for guidance now as to whether it will leave me feeling better or not.??

I'm done with wasting my energy on outrage at the obstructive business as usual, powers that be..
I'm very happy for other to pursue them through the courts though.

I'm 100% done with arguing with CC deniers, they can all just get in the bin.

So the question is will this film leave me energised or not.??

Could do with a laugh - for sure ..

But will this just raise hollow laughs of "all too" true recognition..??



I don't have netflix, but I do know (extremely middle class) peeps - such as my son who do 👍🏼

Crikey, the responsibility! Well, I can't guarantee how it will make you feel, but it is very funny indeed, and it is largely focalized through characters I envisage you would identify with - specialists who are modestly plugging away at their area of expertise and find themselves having to act when governments and the media won't. And despite the way the film channels and distills the absurdity of popular denialism and media distraction, it doesn't need to do any preaching or persuading because, as the director Adam McKay has said, any idiocy they could dream up was 'out-crazied by reality' at every turn.

For me the best moment in the film, if you discount the closing Bronteroc gag with its deliciously obvious build-up, is...

... when the Jennifer Lawrence character (a PhD student who spotted and photographed the comet) has become a reluctant media figure and, having come close to getting the government to act decisively, is foiled by an insanely exploitative comet-mining plan implemented by the tech billionaire and has turned to grassroots campaigning to try and raise awareness. She goes home to visit her parents, perhaps for the last time. They reject her from behind a storm door with the words 'Your dad and I are for the jobs the comet will provide.'

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it makes hilariously short work of what divides us, and whilst it can't really afford to be an optimistic film, it is replete with possibilities from idealism to realpolitik, and it faces catastrophe by affirming what matters. There's a We Are Many, They Are Few vibe running through it, and no sense of invincibility or inevitably about the absurd forces propelling us toward disaster. Dunno if any of that helps.
 
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