Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Nephythys]

Originally Posted by JWBear

There's no such place as New Zealand.

Huh?


-am I missing the joke?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Alex

Two along a similar vein that immediately come to mind are:

In The Last Shot, Matthew Broderick plays a movie director hired to make a movie. Unknown to him, it is actually an FBI sting operation.

In The Man Who Knew Too Little, Bill Murray thinks he's participating in a a bit of theater playing out in the real streets but is actually involved in spy business.

Were these any good? I would love to have seen EVERY film in this micro-genre.

I'm curious as to how this would come up in conversation very often.

My dad loves sci-fi, especially end-world scenarios. I may have to actually see this film.

Originally Posted by mousepod

Then there's the inverse, where someone's real life becomes a movie unbeknownst to them. The Truman Show, The Secret Cinema, and, my favorite, Bowfinger.

Wow, I've seen two-thirds of those!

Originally Posted by Nephythys

Huh?


-am I missing the joke?

Yes.

[innerSpaceman]

I was disappointed with On the Beach. For a post-apocalyptic movie set down under, it was really rather staid. It's been a while though, and it's a semi-classic that might deserve revisiting.


But for the micro-micro genre of post-apocalyptic down under, best stick with the first two Mad Max movies. Those are awesome!

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Were these any good? I would love to have seen EVERY film in this micro-genre.

Not particularly. The Last Shot was pretty bad. The Man Who Knew Too Little was Murray chewing scenery, but more fun than The Last Shot.

And I wouldn't really put Galaxy Quest in the same category. It more belongs to mousepod's inverse of people thinking it is real but it's actually fake (from the alien point of view; all the humans, after a short period of confusion, knew correctly what was fake and what was real).

Another entry would be The Game which at times plays it both ways. Michael Douglas's brother gives him a weird birthday present which is to play The Game, some kind of live action role playing game. Douglas is told he has been rejected but then the game appears to start and he's not sure whether what is happening is real or fake as things seem to escalate way out of control.


I've asked on Straight Dope for help filling out the niche. Will report back any given.

ETA: Doh, missed an obvious one. Tropic Thunder. For most of the movie they think they're making a war movie while it is all real.
ETA2: And if they ever get it made Ender's Game would go on the list.

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by Alex

Another entry would be The Game which at times plays it both ways. Michael Douglas's brother gives him a weird birthday present which is to play The Game, some kind of live action role playing game. Douglas is told he has been rejected but then the game appears to start and he's not sure whether what is happening is real or fake as things seem to escalate way out of control.

I forgot about that film! It is a great one.

Isn't there a M Night Shamalamadingdong film that fits in this genre?

[mousepod]

tvtropes.org has a nice page on The Man Who Knew Too Little genre.

[Gemini Cricket]

I watched The Reader over the weekend. I liked it, I thought Kate Winslet deserved the Oscar. But I guess I felt torn about her character...

[Alex]

A lot of the mentions on the TV Tropes page are situations where the character thinks it is real but it is actually faked/staged. That's the opposite of The Man Who Knew Too Little.

More from Straight Dope:
Shadow of a Vampire - Everybody thinks they're just making Nosferatu but he's really a vampire.
Life is Beautiful - Roberto Benigni convinces his son that the concentration camp their in is a complex game.
My Name is Bruce - Bruce Campbell, action star, thinks he's on a lark.

In the thinks it is real but it isn't camp:
Last Action Hero
Bolt

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I watched The Reader over the weekend. I liked it, I thought Kate Winslet deserved the Oscar. But I guess I felt torn about her character...

Please GC, explain this to me. I watched the film recently and felt this was meh, flat (except she is curvaceous) and could not for the life of me figure out what was so earth shattering about the performance.

I like Kate Winslet, I'm a big fan, but this one mystified me as to why it received all the kudos. I've got Revolutionary Road at home waiting to watch it. I really did not understand what was so all that about her performance.

[Gemini Cricket]

To me, it was because she helped turn this pretty heartless and unlovable person into a sympathetic character. That's my feeling. (I also felt that she should have been given one long ago.)