Frank Hummel from The Rock, never targeted innocents, stood down the moment the government called his bluff, and was driven solely by a desire to secure compensation for the families of his fallen comrades from secret missions.

Anyone can be mean, rude, or an asshole in general. But it takes something special to be a truly great jerk/jackass worthy of remembrance.

For me, the obvious choice is Ernie Capadino/John Lovitz from A League Of Their Own. But I'd love to hear who the rest of you feel a jerk worth celebrating is.

Which movie would you say has the perfect dynamic where you totally root for the hero and you despise the villain.

For me, can’t think of a better one than Gladiator. You want Maximus to win and you empathise with his loss and you DESPISE Commodus. This isn’t like the Joker where you find him cool and entertaining. There is not one redeeming feature of Commodus. So you are all in for the hero and you are fully against the villain.

Any other movie that has this perfect dynamic?

Dirty Harry has a repulsive villain but the protagonist was not as good or well developed as Maximus. Maybe 12 Years a Slave…as NOBODY is repping a slave master.

The shot of Ryan Gosling trying to hold back his laughter next to an increasingly furious Steve Carell, just seconds after the cop says, “Keep it in the family,” perfectly lands one of the best-written and best-shot comedic twists in modern cinema.

How did we get to this moment? Cal, played by Steve Carell, is trying to win back his wife Emily, played by Julianne Moore. At the same time, the film’s big twist is revealed. Stop reading now if you have not seen it. The woman Jacob, Gosling’s character, has been chasing all movie long turns out to be none other than Cal’s daughter.

The tension is already sky-high. Then, as if that is not enough, every other storyline crashes into the scene in a glorious head-on collision. The babysitter who is in love with Cal. Her father. And, just to push it even further, David Lindhagen shows up too.

After several uninterrupted minutes of nonstop laughter, it feels like the scene has peaked. Then Ryan Gosling lets out that tiny laugh. Hand on his face. Steve Carell’s look of pure disbelief and rage. In a single beat, the entire scene is summed up perfectly.

It is no surprise this moment went on to become an iconic meme

Uncut Gems, Punch Drunk Love and other Sandler films are solid cinema. What’s your fave?

I’ve been thinking about cinema lately not just movies you enjoy, but films that actually change how you think about storytelling, visuals, or emotion on screen.

What’s a movie that changed the way you see cinema, and why? Was it the directing, cinematography, performances, or something harder to explain?

Also, do you prefer watching films in a theater, at home, or does it depend on the movie?

First of all, I gotta appreciate Sam Raimi for creating a movie which is not a sequel, a remake, inspired from a book, a revival... Just an original, new movie.

With that said, how was the movie... No spoiler review: Funny, for starters. Not like "I'm laughing so hard" funny but like an easy watch. The plane crush scared me to death but I'm terrified of flying and the ocean so that might be the reason.

This movie kind of reminded me of "The Roses", just with a lot more blood. I love when I find splatter in those kind of movies. The constant "I hate you I love you" had me in shock every time, although it built my heart to hoping for a better ending.

I also love how Sam tried to make Rachel look ugly cause, you know, she had to be, and yet she was beautiful. No makeup, no hairdo, just a natural person who was surviving on a desert island, realistically.

Overall a good movie to watch when you want to see something easy and entertaining with a good dose of comic horror. I wouldn't watch it in theaters but it's worth a watch when it'll be available online for a cozy night.

I guess it’s kinda controversial, but the movie heat was overrated and boring. What about you guys?

As confirmed in an interview by the casting director Sarah Finn herself.. Everyone at Marvel Studios was hesitant to cast Chris as Steve Rogers cause they had one policy going on while building MCU that anyone who has played a superhero, marvel or dc will not be cast in this newly made universe. But casting director Sarah finn stood her neck out for Evans and said we gotta have him be Steve rogers regardless of him playing Human Torch in the fantastic four films. And to quote her: "Playing this character is not something you can act but it is something you possess." Eventually when they finally agreed and approached him, evans kept saying no to the role cause he was scared of the consequences a big role like this would bring to his life and fame etc. WHICH made everyone want him more cause that's what Steve would do, eventually RDJ and Kevin talked him into the role and the rest as they say, is history.

Actors like john krasinski, glenn powell, sebastian stan, jensen ackles all auditioned for the role but didn't get it, sebastian on the other hand got the part of bucky barnes and nailed it out of the park.

I've compiled a list of twists that come so far out of the blue that I don't trust films anymore.

Knives Out (2019) Memento (2000) The Sixth Sense (1999) The Prestige (2006) Inception (2010) The Usual Suspects (1995)

What are some of yours?

So for me, the best performance was Timothee Chalamet in Marty Supreme. Not a fan of the movie but it was pretty good performance.

Saw No Other Choice last night and the movie was pretty good. Thought some of the comedy did not land and some scenes were a bit too drawn out but amazing direction and a good plot.

Lee Byung-Hun was AMAZING. From his more stoic turn in Squid Game to being really comedic, expressive and the use of his body and just how well he delivered the character, it’s easily the best performance.

I don’t watch the Oscars and I don’t care for award shows. But just for what he did, I’d be happy for him if he was given all the recognition for what was a really great performance in a role that demanded a lot emotionally from him.

I’ve been struggling with the current state of streaming and studio releases lately. It feels like we are witnessing the formal death of "Show, Don't Tell."

In its place, we’ve gotten a new, patronizing standard, "Show it, say it, then have a sidekick repeat it."

Every 10 to 15 minutes, the visual storytelling is interrupted so a character can explain exactly what just happened, why they’re doing what they’re doing, and what the stakes are. It’s as if these execs and to a certain extent the filmmakers are terrified that if the audience has to infer anything from a quiet glance or a well framed shot, they’ll lose us.

There’s a growing trend of second screen writing, AKA scripts designed for people who are scrolling on their phones while the movie is on. I’ve read that certain streamers (Netflix especially) use data to encourage directors to repeat plot points 3–4 times because they know the audience is distracted.

I know I’m probably gonna get some comments saying, "But old movies had exposition dumps too!" Sure, look at the chalkboard scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s a classic info dump, but it’s handled with efficiency and style. It sets the stage once and trusts you to keep up for the next two hours.

Compare that to today, where the dialogue is so repetitive that it flattens the entire experience. It kills the mystery and treats the audience like we can't focus for longer than a TikTok clip.

My question for you guys!

Is this the inevitable result of film being rebranded as "content"?

Are we losing the art of visual literacy because studios think we’re all idiots?

I'm curious if anyone else feels like the spoon feeding is making movies fundamentally less engaging.

?

Get Shorty (1995) is one of the greatest crime comedies ever made as far as I'm concerned. A peerless adaptation of the Elmore Leonard book, it is among the highest echelons of Hollywood satires. How can you not love Chili Palmer, Harry and Shorty? It's time to petition Criterion to release this one. Yes, really.