FILMS MADE TO ENTERTAIN...

[George Clarke]

I'd like to hear peoples views on what they think is an entertaining film. Peronally, I believe film was invented to create the likes of fantasys and dreams - to entertain and step out of the real world. Too many serious, true-life and factual stories are made nowadays and the idea of watching a movie to escape reality is becoming thin. Speed Racer rocked!! It was the first film I've seen in a long long time that allowed me to forget about real life... Give me some more please :-)

[Jason Pitt]

I'll certainly agree with you that "Speed Racer" rocked. Not a fantastic movie by any stretch of the mind, but it was a visually astounding movie, and did exactly as you mentioned, takes you out of the real life, and into it's slightly twisted yet beautiful reality... and it was hilariously enjoyable. I watched it for the first time on Halloween night, and enjoyed the hell out of it.

I'll post a few more shortly, cause I'm on limited time, but I did feel the need to post my thoughts on Speed Racer, seeing as how you brought it up.

JP

[Josh Darling]

I like films that make me feel gutted, emotionally, and to me that is entertaining... Like The Fly, or Requiem for a Dream... I'm going in the wrong direction for this aren't I? Man, Entertaining? Would Hard Boiled or The Killer count? You ever see "A Better Tomorrow Part 3" with the very close range uzi fight? that was ill...

Would anything done by Jackie Chan count? the 100's of Jackie Chan films... Man entertaining... Shit I don't really watch new films... I have a felling you don't want to hear about Broken Flowers. Oh yeah, ANYTHING by John Carpenter? That should work? Um, I don't know... It depends on your perception of "entertainment" I'm kind of in a "discussion" with someone about this. To me Nightbreed is my ultimate escape film, and they will take me in Mediain.

Never Saw Speed Racer... What type of a Racer is he and does he go fast? If not, would he still be considered a "speed" racer, or just a "moderately paced" racer. And thus I don't write comedy. Thanks folks... Hello, Is this thing on! Hey, the 11 o'clock show is totally different from the 9 o'clock and we'll have juggler here at that time too. Good night and just remember you don't have to go home but no where on your ticket does say you can stay here.

[George Clarke]

Josh someday I will email you a shot of my 2500+ kung fu DVDs - actually if you watch THE KID on our youtube page you will see them -so YES of course anything Jackie Chan or Chow Yun Fat does is entertaining... Thats why Im addicted!! :-) What I mean though, is something that allows you to stop thinking about reality - and with that curse as a filmmaker of breaking everything down technically - hence Speed Racer. E numbers for the eyes!

[Jason Pitt]

I just watched Trey Parker's "Team America" for the first time the other day. Hilarious. Ridiculous, but hilarious.

[George Clarke]

I have to agree!! It is disgustingly hilarious! It should be illegal :-)

[Josh Darling]

Okay, now that you say Trey Parker,"Orgasmo," is not only funny but educational, I mean who knew that's why they were called the "Ass Fuck Twins."

2,500+, but the real question is have you watched them all at once? Cause like wise it doesn't count.

"They Live" which I think has one of most believable fist fights I've ever seen, but is he total oppose of anything Kung Fu, it's clumsy and slow but looks like it really hurts. But to me that film is pure entertainment, it also feeds my very real paranoia, which is um, healthy, right?

And I will check out "The Kid" tonight. George you put William Castle to Shame really it's amazing and I mean that as a compliment. Mostly cause the world needs to see more Kung Fu from Northern Ireland... That sounds so weird but is so true.

[George Clarke]

Yes I have watched them all at once... I have 2500 little televisions in my front room - its a bitch on electricity but it works! ;-) Oh, and its The Kid 3 that has the shot of all the DVDs (or most of them). But watch them all anyhoo... enjoy!!

[Carlos Antonio Leon]

I agree with George, movies were made with the intention to entertain the viewers. But I also think cinema in general needs to reflect and go along with society's current conditions...like the zeigeist or "intelectual conditions of the time"...I think a great idea is to mix both entertainment and social conditions in one single movie...For instance, when I watched the second isntallment of the "X men", I could not resist but compare the "mutants" social rejection with homosexuality...there was a scene in which the boy who turns things into Ice goes home (accompanied by Wolverine, Rogue, and the later-turned-bad, fire boy) and comes out to his parents, telling them he was a "mutant", and the mother replied "Can you try NOT to be a mutant?" and a whole drama starts right there....typical of many homes where gay kids (or not so kids) come out to their parents and the reply is very similar: "can you try not to...?" in "X men 3" there was a "cure" for the mutants, developed by a doctor whose son was a mutant and thus the father rejected him so much, it forced him to come up with a "cure"...here in America, some religious groups are trying (for real!) "convertion therapies" (against the American Medical Association and every other reputable medical-psychiatric association around) ; the goal is to "convert" gays into straights (??)...go figure! Although this underlying of social issues are subtly illustrated in these very fascinating and entertaining movies, the mixture of both tendencies creates a very interesting product.
It also depends of the region the viewers are living in. For instance, in my country, Venezuela, there are many political turmoils related to Hugo Chavez regime; these may cause people to look for very entertaining things to do, such as go to the movies and watch something inspiring, fascinating, encouraging, and above all, NON-POLITICAL.
Maybe we can come up with a fun, fictional, heroes-like, kick-ass movie that touches the social subject in a very subliminal way without revealing the underlying idea. And we all have FUN!!!

[George Clarke]

Damn straight!! (Although I dont mean that in a anti-gay way lol) We CAN come up with a movie like that and all be it on that subject. Actually, I have an action comedy/drama series written for tv and the BBC are very interested. Its two leads are a 46 year old woman who is a bounty hunter, and her (fight-magnet) nephew who is a closet gay and takes out his anger of hiding this when he is out with her catching the bad guys. Its a fun show called My Young Auntie so keep your ears peeled!! And lets entertain... Spread the fever!! :-)

[George Clarke]

Oh - and about Xmen 2 and Ice Boy (who was quite cool) - I think that was the idea behind it... With Bryan Singer as a gay director, Im sure he wanted to get that across to the community and you certainly hit the nail on the head ;-)

[Jason Pitt]

First of all, as I didn't particularly enjoy the X-Men films as much as some of the other Superhero films released in the last 10ish years... I have to admit that underlying social context completely escaped me. But reading Carlos' observations, it does make perfect sense. Just looking back at my comic book days, and the general inability of the 'comic book public' to accept the mutants for what they were, it does seem like incredibly suitable metaphor. Not really sure how I never clued into that one while watching the movies...

Second, George... an Action-Comedy/Drama series for the BBC? Do you ever stop working. Ever take time to just relax? You're going to have your finger in every available medium... Film, TV, literature, and music... come on. Save some for the rest of us. lol...

[Josh Darling]

George is actually a gay friendly (yet not gay him self) super hero...

How else do you explain the level of energy. And Carlos that observation on "mutants" is how I've been made to feel at times by my family that now accept me as an "artist/film maker" which is why I sympathize deeply with the gay community who I personally know have it worse, then "You have to get rid of that stupid dream."

My personal favorite films are one that have a doubled edged sword to them, with entertainment on one side but if your paying close attention there is a a very deep message it's one of the truely great things about horror films the genera tends to do that a lot.

I mean George Romero is great example of it, but there are even films like Nightbreed, or Videodrome which are really fun to watch but have a lot to say, or Battle to the Bone for that matter.

By the way GREAT mindless entertainment the New and Improved Rambo.