winther's recent activity
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Comment on Denmark set to withdraw the 1,000 kroner note, its largest denomination, from circulation by May 2025 – just 10% of payments in stores are made in cash in ~finance
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther (edited )LinkI watched Grave of the Fireflies last night at it made me question why I seek out films like this. Films that creates a tightening knot in my stomach that ends in uncontrollable sobbing. I guess...I watched Grave of the Fireflies last night at it made me question why I seek out films like this. Films that creates a tightening knot in my stomach that ends in uncontrollable sobbing. I guess when ones own life is thankfully with few worries or tragedies, then there is something compelling about seeking out strong emotions from the world of film.
There isn't exactly a lack of great films showing the tragedies war inflict upon people. What I think this animated film does that is unique is telling it from a childs perspective. Usually child actors aren't very good or convincing, and if they are, often only in a few isolated scenes. Using animation opens up to make a focus that I don't think could be done the same way with child actors, and even though animation makes for much simpler facial expressions for example, we somehow fill in the blanks as viewers and it feels real despite the limitations.
I can see that the film does pull on ones emotional strings with various effective methods, but I don't think it was too much and it definitely worked better on me than when Hollywood movies is trying to make me feel sad. I am not immune to shedding a few tears, but it often comes from nostalgia - like a particular piece of music in, but it is rare that an ending makes me sob like this. Even though you basically know that this is where the story will end, so it is no surprise, but still effective. Likely doesn't help I had two daughters at a similar age sleeping upstairs.
I am going to put this film in the box of "the greatest films of all time, that I don't want to watch again". I think it is important to at least sometimes watch something like this to set things into perspective and reflect a bit on what to be grateful for.
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Comment on Vote for "Movie of the Week" in December - 1990s edition in ~movies
winther Link ParentThat is a lot of titles in one post, but I will note you down for The Talented Mr. Ripley :) I don't mind 3 hour movies but we did somehow chose some rather long ones this month. Maybe I should do...That is a lot of titles in one post, but I will note you down for The Talented Mr. Ripley :)
I don't mind 3 hour movies but we did somehow chose some rather long ones this month. Maybe I should do a month of movie with a limited runtime.
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Comment on Vote for "Movie of the Week" in December - 1990s edition in ~movies
winther LinkLost Highway from 1997 is my pick. No other reason than I have only watched a few David Lynch films and want to see this seemingly well regarded one of his.Lost Highway from 1997 is my pick. No other reason than I have only watched a few David Lynch films and want to see this seemingly well regarded one of his.
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Comment on Sam Altman’s second coming sparks new fears of the AI apocalypse in ~tech
winther Link ParentYes, regulations have often been used as a way to limit the competition. Lobby for complex regulation that only bigger companies can handle to make it difficult for new companies to enter the market.Yes, regulations have often been used as a way to limit the competition. Lobby for complex regulation that only bigger companies can handle to make it difficult for new companies to enter the market.
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Comment on Douglas Adams and Iain M. Banks in ~books
winther LinkBanks has plenty of humor and the same playfulness as Adams. I think you will like Excession which has plenty of hilarious banter between intelligent spaceships.Banks has plenty of humor and the same playfulness as Adams. I think you will like Excession which has plenty of hilarious banter between intelligent spaceships.
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Vote for "Movie of the Week" in December - 1990s edition
Thanks to everyone who have so far participated in the five movies we did in November. We need to pick four movies for December and it is going to be any movies from the 1990s. Rules Must have a...
Thanks to everyone who have so far participated in the five movies we did in November. We need to pick four movies for December and it is going to be any movies from the 1990s.
Rules
- Must have a release date between 1990 and 1999. If in doubt, whatever it says on IMDb
- Not one we have already done
- Only one nomination per user
- Please only nominate if you intent to participate
In case of ties in the number of votes, random.org will decide. Voting closes Sunday.
This overview on Letterboxd can be of some inspiration.
In addition, I think it will be too much to do a vote on voting categories, but I am curious to get some feedback and ideas. Should we go narrower like genres (westerns, horror, science fiction) or perhaps niche genres (road movie, murder mystery, historic)? How about directors - like I had an idea of doing a Kubrick versus Spielberg for example. Actors, countries, film festivals? Or is it okay to have the category be very broad?
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Comment on The McDonald's theory of why everyone thinks the economy sucks in ~finance
winther Link ParentCould be part of it, though a bit strange if somehow the entire restaurant business has shifted to American made terminals in the last five years and all other shops haven't. At least they...Could be part of it, though a bit strange if somehow the entire restaurant business has shifted to American made terminals in the last five years and all other shops haven't. At least they actively choose to enable the option.
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Comment on The McDonald's theory of why everyone thinks the economy sucks in ~finance
winther Link ParentI agree on pushing back on corporations trying to create these cultural shifts. There is even weird spillover to other countries. Here in Denmark there hasn't really been a tipping culture. It was...I agree on pushing back on corporations trying to create these cultural shifts. There is even weird spillover to other countries. Here in Denmark there hasn't really been a tipping culture. It was usually only something you did if the service was truly extraordinary in some way. And there was never any expectancy for it. In recent years there has been a massive increase in card terminals asking for tips. Sometimes these terminals are made with some sort of dark pattern (or maybe just terrible ux) making it obscure to say no to tipping. No one likes this and everyone seems to agree it is a terrible thing to introduce into our restaurant economy, but they are now the norm rather than the exception, so I assume it is working. I fear there is some industry end goal to use it to argue for reducing wages at some point down the line.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #5 - West Side Story (2021) in ~movies
winther LinkI feel kind of bad by having to preface a review with "I am not really into this type of thing", but these movie of the week discussions is also about challenging yourself outside your comfort...I feel kind of bad by having to preface a review with "I am not really into this type of thing", but these movie of the week discussions is also about challenging yourself outside your comfort zone. And this musical really was somewhat of a struggle to get through. I am not generally into musicals, though I have enjoyed watching a few live and I think Moulin Rouge is a pretty good movie musical. But this did very little for me. I can appreciate the talent, the production value and the cinematography, but I can barely remember any of the songs and the whole Bernstein jazz-like score is not really my thing. It is way too long for the rather small story. Also, why I am not familiar with the original, it has too much of a feel of being a "love letter remake" - I could be totally wrong here though not having seen the original. It is still set in the 50s. If you want to remake it in 2021, why not make something new and set it in the present day? I am sure Spielberg has his reasons for this, but they elude me at least.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentYeah some of the dancers move their hands in an almost inhuman like manner. I thought they did okay even though they weren't actors. Felt very authentic. Suspirira is one of the VHS boxes next to...Yeah some of the dancers move their hands in an almost inhuman like manner. I thought they did okay even though they weren't actors. Felt very authentic.
Suspirira is one of the VHS boxes next to tv showing the audition tapes among with several other movies. I guess there are more references to be found there.
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Movie of the Week #5 - West Side Story (2021)
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
This is the fifth and last movie we discuss of Academy Award Winners. Ariana DeBose won for Best Supporting Actress. It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
Did the movie deserve its nominations and awards? Feel free to add any thoughts, opinions, reflections, analysis or whatever comments related to this film.
Voting for December will come up in a few days.
8 votes -
Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther (edited )LinkI watched Gaspard Noé's Climax this weekend. Really hard to describe but it is something like a psychological horror arthouse dance movie. Impressive long takes, funky camerawork, scenes that you...I watched Gaspard Noé's Climax this weekend. Really hard to describe but it is something like a psychological horror arthouse dance movie. Impressive long takes, funky camerawork, scenes that you can't stand to watch but also can't stop watching. Apparently most of it is made through improvisation over the course of 15 days. Real dancers played all the parts instead of actors and the blend of music, dancing and LSD hallucinations makes for a mesmerizing experience. Though I am sure many people will see this as nonsensical arthouse crap and it is hard to disagree really, but still I was fascinated by how a horror movie can also be made. Horror is not usually a genre I watch much, except when it is more an exploration of psycholigical terror like this one. Fans of Suspiria might get something out of it.
At least watch the intro dance
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Comment on What minor or inane decisions have had the biggest butterfly effect on your life? in ~talk
winther LinkIn a random online chat in 2001 some girl posted their ICQ number and I added her and we started chatting. Still together today now married with kids and everything.In a random online chat in 2001 some girl posted their ICQ number and I added her and we started chatting. Still together today now married with kids and everything.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #4 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) in ~movies
winther (edited )LinkWhen my parents took me to see The Mask I instantly became a Jim Carrey fan. With both The Truman Show and Man on the Moon he showed he could do more than being just a rubberface. However, in...When my parents took me to see The Mask I instantly became a Jim Carrey fan. With both The Truman Show and Man on the Moon he showed he could do more than being just a rubberface. However, in terms of acting, I don't think he does anything extraordinary here. It is the script that elevates this movie to among the best science fiction movies.
I don't think I have seen this film since it released and I could mostly remember the basic concept and the tragic love story, but I had forgotten how trippy the memory sequences was. Those were really well done with some convincing effect shots as well. The emotional impact didn't hit as hard when I knew where everything was going with Joel and Clementine.
My praise for this movie is how it is science fiction done right. I love science fiction, but many science fiction movies are crap. They are decades behind concepts and ideas the genre provides in written form, and often poorly executed. The best science fiction movies also tends to be based on a novel or short story, with this being a notable exception. A single invention is introduced to our world and we just let the consequences go from that. In this movie it exists in this little microcosm of the city and we don't explore the ramifications for the greater society with such a technology, but that would have been a total different film. I think it works well on letting this concept develop within just this small group of people.
There are many philosophical themes explored here with regards to how memory shapes who we are and how it likely won't work to simply erase stuff and stay sane, and while the ending may seem like a happy ending on the surface, I think the point is that they will just repeat the pattern because they refuse to learn and reflect from their breakup.
I really wish more movies like this were made. The only one I can think of that has a similar feel is Her from 2013.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #4 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) in ~movies
winther Link ParentMillion Dollar Baby is still highly regarded - at least for me, though Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is definitely a contender for best picture that year as well.Million Dollar Baby is still highly regarded - at least for me, though Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is definitely a contender for best picture that year as well.
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Movie of the Week #4 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
This is the fourth movie we discuss of Academy Award Winners. It won for Best Original Screenplay and Kate Winslet was nominated for Best Actress.
Did the movie deserve its nominations and awards? Feel free to add any thoughts, opinions, reflections, analysis or whatever comments related to this film.
The rest of the schedule is:
- 27th of November: West Side Story (2021)
15 votes -
Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
winther LinkWe have been getting a steady rain the entire month but yesterday it was massive. Sewers overflowing in most of the city and many have problems with massive pools of water in their gardens or...We have been getting a steady rain the entire month but yesterday it was massive. Sewers overflowing in most of the city and many have problems with massive pools of water in their gardens or basements. Compared to others we were lucky, but we still got a few centimeters of water in the crawl space under the house. So I have been having "fun" with pumping water out yesterday only to see it return again today. The ground is just filled with rain water so it can't absorb more and it creeps through the concrete floor in the crawl space basement. Hopefully a few days without rain will allow the water to sink again.
Apparently this is a "once in a century" kind of event, though it does seem we get a lot of those these years...
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther LinkWe watched Drive My Car last week here and this led me to watch The Worst Person in the World which seems to be many peoples second choice for the International Academy Award that year. It was...We watched Drive My Car last week here and this led me to watch The Worst Person in the World which seems to be many peoples second choice for the International Academy Award that year. It was easier for me to get into this, most likely because the cultural distance to Norway is practical zero for me - and it is just more charming and funny compared to the very subdued and restrained Drive My Car.
I was rolling my eyes at the start about a young millennial and her indecisiveness with her education and relationships. Not really in the mood to a movie about that kind of struggle. While it sort of is exactly that, there was also plenty more to keep me interested - especially all the other people Julia encounters. So the movie did end up winning me over gradually. The structure with a prologue, 12 chapters and an epilogue works really well here to set the frame around a narrative that is very messy and without any clear character arc or plot - which is sort of refreshing because that is how life can be. Each little chapter can stand on its own, some elements adding to the overall picture and other things are just left where there are. I actually found that structure very pleasant to follow and experience. Everything is showed with a great level of charm, humor and romanticism that never overstays its welcome.
In some ways this feels like a movie aimed at millennials, and while I am technically one, I could probably mostly relate to the older Aksel. Of course it is not a requirement to personally relate to characters in order to enjoy a movie, and this manages to show an interesting depiction of someones messy life and struggle with finding meaning - even though I can barely relate to any of it. And I think people of all ages will be able to get something out of this.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #3 - L.A. Confidential (1997) in ~movies
winther Link ParentYeah, it is weird how Guy Pearce didn't take off. He was great in Memento but other than that, he hasn't really gotten many major roles. He was great in Brimstone though.Yeah, it is weird how Guy Pearce didn't take off. He was great in Memento but other than that, he hasn't really gotten many major roles. He was great in Brimstone though.
Add to that, the slow but persistent aim to remove the Dankort as well and get everyone onto Visa where there are more fees. If we remove cash, we are locked into digital solutions and we can be basically held hostage with fees to be able to use our own money. I know it probably won't happen tomorrow, but the future prospect is worrisome.