17 Comments

This is one of the omens of the End Times.

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Pig is a great film. One of my recent favourites. The dressing down of his previous underling in a fancy michelin-starred (ish) restaurant is a stand-out scene, but there are many.

I'll be watching the new Quiet Place when it comes out: the first one was great. The second one OK. Really good aliens and in a shocking change from usual Hollywood alien fare, the humans all behave sanely and plausibly under extreme duress. Concerned about them cocking up the otherwise plausible invasion back story in the new one.

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I too am a fan of movies where I get to see competence porn and what you call 'humans all behave sanely and plausibly under extreme duress'.

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Netflix and Stan has it according to Just Watch site. I watched it on Stan and it was certainly a movie. Some actor get to a certain level of fame and choose to do those films solely because of how off the wall they are. I think Nicolas Cage is at that stage and I am here for it.

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Some of his movie choices make me think he is desperate for the money.

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He's done some that are definitely "odd". "Jujitsu" for a recent example. Simply can't explain that one. The "doing it for the money" argument falls down on how little some of them have made, I think. My pet theory is that he does some of them on a dare.

I'd gladly have a film discussion about "Vampires Kiss" (1988) vs "Renfield" (2023), both of which I enjoyed.

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I think he just likes to work. Whereas for him, sitting around at home with nothing to do is problematic.

And he’s probably a bit like John Hurt. He was asked how he planned his career with his film choices. John Hurt laughed and said there was no plan. He said, as an actor, I’m like a cab. I just pull into the rank and I take the next fare.

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I really enjoyed Renfield, and the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

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I too enjoyed Renfield. You have excellence taste and by that I mean it accords with my own.

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As a kid who did his first gig working at maccas to buy a personal tv to watch sbs (yes initially for the nudity (hey i was 16!), but ending up with a healthy dose of arthouse and foreign film appreciation) i try to watch anything without bowing to public pressure and try to avoid spoilers. There's nothing like going into a movie with zero expectations and getting a good surprise. For some reason though i never got around to the quiet place movies and Pig sounds up my alley as well. Nicholas Cage is such a strange beast - i can never decide if he is a good actor down on his luck or a bad actor punching above his weight. But i will watch stuff he does every time because its always a gamble.

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There seems to be a recent subset of movies and series which view society and its failings particularly the isolation experienced under capitalism through the lens of kitchens and chefs, obviously Pig but the Bear series and a personal favourite of mine 2020's The Menu with Ana Taylor Joy, and Ralph Fiennes.

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I can't stand Nicholas Cage. There. I've said it.

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Jun 28·edited Jun 28

Between the sandwiches and this, I’m getting very hungry. I feel a hot porchetta sandwich with maybe a little truff sauce might help. Washed down with some tea maybe. Unsalted. (The tea, not the porchetta.)

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It’s on Netfix. It is a very good film.

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That’s ‘Pig’ I am referring to.

Like you, I’m not watching Quiet Place as I don’t find dread and terror very enjoyable.

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Apparently Pig is pretty good.

I am interested in his new horror, which I will definitely watch with all the lights on in the middle of the day because I too am a scaredy cat.

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On Prime I believe. Didn’t watch it. It was beyond ms insomniac’s acceptability.

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