Don’t Look Up

[Bateshorn 9931]

Streaming now on Netflix.  It’s pretty obviously an analogy on Climate change, as well as a broader commentary on society at large.  It’s a new take on the Idiocracy theme that hits very close to the bone.

Here’s your thread to both discuss the movie as a piece of cinema, but also CR it up. 

[David Dennison 18945]

Bad movie.

[Bateshorn 9931]

I overall enjoyed it.  It had some truly lol moments: the general charging for snacks, Jonah Hill, Cat Blanchett’s barely veiled Gretchen Carlson send up. Ron Perlman shooting at the comet.

 

As an analogy for Climate Change, I thought it was pretty meh.  The insidious-ness of climate change is the slow moving planet killer aspect. 

[Underdog 28767]

You stupid motherfucker, didn’t you hear us?! 

 

[Neonmoon 38130]

I thought it was hilarious. Jonah Hill playing a coked out son of the President was too good. 
 

thanks for dressing up 

[Bateshorn 9931]

9 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I thought it was hilarious. Jonah Hill playing a coked out son of the President was too good. 
 

thanks for dressing up 

I fucking died with the reverse Ivanka bit.  

[MC Fresh Breath 4074]

I'm not sure I'll watch this thing.  I don't necessarily need to start the year with more things to get sad and angry about. 

 

[henrygandorf 29194]

58 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

As an analogy for Climate Change, I thought it was pretty meh.  The insidious-ness of climate change is the slow moving planet killer aspect. 

climate change is not very cinematic. there’s really no other way to do this. it’s staring us right in the face, but instead of acting, we dithered and postured. and got destroyed. 

not sure why you have this gripe. we’re in lockstep overall in regards to our general feelings about the film otherwise. 

[Bateshorn 9931]

10 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

climate change is not very cinematic. there’s really no other way to do this. it’s staring us right in the face, but instead of acting, we dithered and postured. and got destroyed. 

not sure why you have this gripe. we’re in lockstep overall in regards to our general feelings about the film otherwise. 

I don’t disagree with you.  I just would have preferred a bit more subtly plot wise and cinematically with the analogy. But given how dumb the general public is, I suppose McKay really need to be over the top obvious.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Bateshorn

[henrygandorf 29194]

3 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I don’t disagree with you.  I just would have preferred a bit more subtly plot wise and cinematically with the analogy. But given how dumb the general public is, I suppose McKay really need to be over the top obvious.

yeah, satire like this doesn’t really work without the literal comet and the literal red hats. people need to get punched in the face. 

it took me about 25 minutes watching the movie to figure out the title. then everything fell into place. 

half the country has their head buried in the sand about [insert issue here] so an over-the-top scenario was necessary to make the intended point. 

[Bateshorn 9931]

7 minutes ago, henrygandorf said:

yeah, satire like this doesn’t really work without the literal comet and the literal red hats. people need to get punched in the face. 

it took me about 25 minutes watching the movie to figure out the title. then everything fell into place. 

half the country has their head buried in the sand about [insert issue here] so an over-the-top scenario was necessary to make the intended point. 

And I think that’s why you see the coastal intelligentsia bitching about the movie.  It really is this bad, and no we can’t be super clever about it. 
 

I had two people ask me about it on the flight and I just said “it’s a movie about an asteroid hitting the earth. You should watch it.”

Edited January 1, 2022 by Bateshorn

[Celery Man 20996]

Per global warming it doesn’t matter and the democrats have done a horrible job and *etc etc both sides I’m not saying liberals are awesome or smart hand waving * but bless the hearts of the folks in the other forum who aren’t sure if the presidential administration is satirizing Trump/MAGA idiots directly.

[Bateshorn 9931]

14 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Per global warming it doesn’t matter and the democrats have done a horrible job and *etc etc both sides I’m not saying liberals are awesome or smart hand waving * but bless the hearts of the folks in the other forum who aren’t sure if the presidential administration is satirizing Trump/MAGA idiots directly.

OMG.  It’s just mind bottling.  
 

If McKay had included some stuff about an unnamed side being self sabotaging, ineffectual limp dicks, I would not have had any problem recognizing the modern Democratic Party.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Bateshorn

[Neonmoon 38130]

55 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Per global warming it doesn’t matter and the democrats have done a horrible job and *etc etc both sides I’m not saying liberals are awesome or smart hand waving * but bless the hearts of the folks in the other forum who aren’t sure if the presidential administration is satirizing Trump/MAGA idiots directly.

President is denying science and slept with a former male porn star. Her son is an idiot coke head who has a top job in her administration 

It’s pretty fucking obvious which team they’re referring to

[washparkhorn 9939]

1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

yeah, satire like this doesn’t really work without the literal comet and the literal red hats. people need to get punched in the face. 

Interesting. Thanks. 

I thought “thank you for smoking” was done quite well for satire, but I watched it recently with someone who hadnever seen it. It confused the hell out of her because she was used to Aaron Eckhardt playing the good guy in films. 
 

Satire is tough for many. 

[Pato del Muerto 52571]

31 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

President is denying science and slept with a former male porn star. Her son is an idiot coke head who has a top job in her administration 

It’s pretty fucking obvious which team they’re referring to

And he thinks she’s hot and if she weren’t his mom…

[henrygandorf 29194]

26 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

Satire is tough for many. 

roughly 38-40% of the population. 

[Goredho 17414]

The biggest magat anti science, anti earth and antivax idiot in my extended family urged me to watch this because they think it supports their opinions.  I had already watched it and was like, “I don’t think that movie means what you think it means.”

[Thrawn 538]

Just now, Goredho said:

The biggest magat anti science, anti earth and antivax idiot in my extended family urged me to watch this because they think it supports their opinions.

[Goredho 17414]

They think it’s an anti-mainstream media brainwashing movie. (because Leo screams at the morning news hosts)

Edited January 1, 2022 by Goredho

[Guest Lobo]

38 minutes ago, washparkhorn said:

Interesting. Thanks. 

I thought “thank you for smoking” was done quite well for satire, but I watched it recently with someone who hadnever seen it. It confused the hell out of her because she was used to Aaron Eckhardt playing the good guy in films. 
 

Satire is tough for many. 

Oh my god, please...please...please show her "In the Company of Men."  

It makes his role in "Thank You for Smoking" look like the male equivalent of Mother Theresa.  She'll either want to make angry love to you or get physically ill.  Either way, take her on the roller coaster ride.  It's such a slow burn but he ends up being beyond evil.  Absolutely no violence of any kind, just the most depraved long-game mindfuck in rom-com history.  It's so sick and twisted.  Please, please, please screen it for her.  And report back.  

[henrygandorf 29194]

10 minutes ago, Goredho said:

The biggest magat anti science, anti earth and antivax idiot in my extended family urged me to watch this because they think it supports their opinions.  I had already watched it and was like, “I don’t think that movie means what you think it means.”

maybe their takeaway is “we’re fucked anyway so screw it”. ignorance, bliss, and so forth. 

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

Subtle political satire presupposes a political environment in which the existential threat is not immediately obvious.

We are not living in such a time. That's kind of the point behind the different initial responses of the professor and the student. Leo's attempts to gently guide his audience reflect his failure to readily grasp how intentionally stupid 21st century Americans are. JLaw's character grew up knowing this already.

If we have any hope at all as a species, it ain't gonna be anybody over 30 who leads the way. Even Liberals like me are too conservative.

Edited January 1, 2022 by Walden Ponderer

[GhostOfTomJoad 9350]

The sharpest point in the film was how quickly the masses accepted the intentional malfunctioning of the rescue plan & redirecting of the rockets when an uber rich guy convinced them that the potential of trillions of dollars in wealth that would line the pockets of the already wealthy was in their best interest.

The poor & uneducated lined up in lock step support of an unproven mining technology in hopes that they might get a few crumbs. The downside is they sealed their own doom.

[Bama Chick 28596]

I liked it.

But it made me ragey.

I know it was a climate change allegory but it resonated more with me as a send up of how America has reacted to coronavirus.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

7 minutes ago, Bama Chick said:

I liked it.

But it made me ragey.

I know it was a climate change allegory but it resonated more with me as a send up of how America has reacted to coronavirus.

If it wasn't climate change or a pandemic, it could have been virtually anything else.

There is a very real possibility, not likely, but greater than 0%, that a big enough solar storm will fry our electric grids on a global scale, knocking out internet, phones, lights, heat/AC, gas pumps, and God knows what all else.

We're not prepared for that kind of calamity, any more than we are prepared for climate change, nuclear accidents, earth-killer asteroids, or another Kardashian TV show.

And it's all because conservatives deny anything is wrong, and liberals dither and quibble and come up with stupid slogans instead of actually solving problems.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9350]

I also enjoyed the sly dig in the title. Social media (which will soon own all media, if it doesn't already) never wants eyeballs off the phones/screens.

Yeah, the buttons and hats were easy allegories for political parties, but it also represents the fact that media peddlers only want you consuming what they feed. Don't stop looking at your device that has been programmed to sense your discomfort and only send you content that stimulates your pleasure synapses.

[Tom 2959]

3 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

President is denying science and slept with a former male porn star. Her son is an idiot coke head who has a top job in her administration 

It’s pretty fucking obvious which team they’re referring to

 

That could literally be anybody.  I guess we'll never know.

[Celery Man 20996]

43 minutes ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

The sharpest point in the film was how quickly the masses accepted the intentional malfunctioning of the rescue plan & redirecting of the rockets when an uber rich guy convinced them that the potential of trillions of dollars in wealth that would line the pockets of the already wealthy was in their best interest.

The poor & uneducated lined up in lock step support of an unproven mining technology in hopes that they might get a few crumbs. The downside is they sealed their own doom.

Hahaha jlaw‘s parents turning her away because they are for the jobs that the meteor will create

[Bateshorn 9931]

1 hour ago, Walden Ponderer said:

Subtle political satire presupposes a political environment in which the existential threat is not immediately obvious.

We are not living in such a time. That's kind of the point behind the different initial responses of the professor and the student. Leo's attempts to gently guide his audience reflect his failure to readily grasp how intentionally stupid 21st century Americans are. JLaw's character grew up knowing this already.

If we have any hope at all as a species, it ain't gonna be anybody over 30 who leads the way. Even Liberals like me are too conservative.

I also thought there was a very subtle dig at Hollywood (and McKay may or may not intended this) that even though JLaw is the critical factor that transitions each act, it DiCaprio who is the face of the act.  
 

JLaw discovers the comet, it’s her meltdown that leads to DiCaprio becoming a media personality/Fauci stand in, she’s the one who tells the truth in the bar. And her resignation and acceptance of Chalamet sets the stage for that lovely last supper.

But it’s DiCaprio’s movie.  That a woman scientist finally got something other than an obscure element named after her and it’s the rock that destroys the planet is just *chefs kiss*

 

[Pato del Muerto 52571]

6 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I also thought there was a very subtle dig at Hollywood (and McKay may or may not intended this) that even though JLaw is the critical factor that transitions each act, it DiCaprio who is the face of the act.  
 

JLaw discovers the comet, it’s her meltdown that leads to DiCaprio becoming a media personality/Fauci stand in, she’s the one who tells the truth in the bar. And her resignation and acceptance of Chalamet sets the stage for that lovely last supper.

But it’s DiCaprio’s movie.  That a woman scientist finally got something other than an obscure element named after her and it’s the rock that destroys the planet is just *chefs kiss*

 

They also highlighted this when they were doing the original rescue and potus gave him the headset for countdown and said he discovered it.
 

So she gets shit on during her efforts to educate the public because it’s named after her, but he gets all the commendation. 

[GhostOfTomJoad 9350]

And she ends up working as a cashier and boning some skater dude booze thief while Mindy keeps getting promoted and is having an affair with a TV celebrity.

Lots and lots of layers to peel.

[Bateshorn 9931]

1 hour ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

And she ends up working as a cashier and boning some skater dude booze thief while Mindy keeps getting promoted and is having an affair with a TV celebrity.

Lots and lots of layers to peel.

That’s where I’m at. The more I think on it, The more I think this movie was working at several different levels.

[Huckleberry 33076]

I thought

"get your head out of your ass
listen to the god damn qualified scientists"

was pretty catchy. Probably my favorite Ariana Grande song ever.

[Hagbard Celine 10910]

20 hours ago, Goredho said:

The biggest magat anti science, anti earth and antivax idiot in my extended family urged me to watch this because they think it supports their opinions.  I had already watched it and was like, “I don’t think that movie means what you think it means.”

my god that is frightening

i really really don't want to leave texas or the us but if the 39% can be hit over the head with a baseball bat (this movie) and see CONFIRMATION of their reality tunnel, there is no hope

[Beantown Express 2.0 6559]

3 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

my god that is frightening

i really really don't want to leave texas or the us but if the 39% can be hit over the head with a baseball bat (this movie) and see CONFIRMATION of their reality tunnel, there is no hope

You are just realizing there is no hope?  Let’s go Brandon sign out front should have told you.

[Hagbard Celine 10910]

18 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

If it wasn't climate change or a pandemic, it could have been virtually anything else.

There is a very real possibility, not likely, but greater than 0%, that a big enough solar storm will fry our electric grids on a global scale, knocking out internet, phones, lights, heat/AC, gas pumps, and God knows what all else.

We're not prepared for that kind of calamity, any more than we are prepared for climate change, nuclear accidents, earth-killer asteroids, or another Kardashian TV show.

And it's all because conservatives deny anything is wrong, and liberals dither and quibble and come up with stupid slogans instead of actually solving problems.

an asteroid or comet larger than 1km is 99.9999999% going to be detected at a minimum weeks if not months out, and the larger it is, the more time we will have to deflect it

a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) is unstoppable, and we have at maximum 17.6 hours warning

the 1858 Carrington Event is the largest recorded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event#Similar_events

we just missed a repeat on 23 July 2012 with an estimated impact costing ~10% of total GDP in damage

[Pato del Muerto 52571]

2 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

an asteroid or comet larger than 1km is 99.9999999% going to be detected at a minimum weeks if not months out, and the larger it is, the more time we will have to deflect it

a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) is unstoppable, and we have at maximum 17.6 hours warning

the 1858 Carrington Event is the largest recorded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrington_Event#Similar_events

we just missed a repeat on 23 July 2012 with an estimated impact costing ~10% of total GDP in damage

There’s a recent movie that deals with the aftermath of this, too. 
 

Finch, on appletv. Well, the post-apocalyptic part of it anyway. 

[Hagbard Celine 10910]

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/dont-look-up-who-characters-based-on/

[Hagbard Celine 10910]

i encourage everyone to make sure they keep up with all of the posts in the m&tv thread, especially from those who claim the film doesn't work, and _why_ they say it doesn't work, which actually _prove_ how effectively it works

[Goredho 17414]

20 hours ago, Hagbard Celine said:

my god that is frightening

i really really don't want to leave texas or the us but if the 39% can be hit over the head with a baseball bat (this movie) and see CONFIRMATION of their reality tunnel, there is no hope

This movie is nothing.  I mean, I liked it, thought it was really well done, but expecting this movie to be a wake up call for people is going to leave you utterly disappointed.  We’ve buried 824,000 US citizens who died from covid in the last 23 months and still have significant numbers who believe this is just an overhyped cold.

If there is one thing the past few years should have taught us, it’s that you cannot overestimate man’s capacity for delusion, denial, hubris and stupidity.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13522]

Yes, the film hits the GOP more but there were bits that slammed Dems as well. Like when the Administration didn't want to listen to 2 nobodies and wanted confirmation from Ivy League educated scientists. Dems are definitely more enamored with top schools, at least publicly.

[Guest Lobo]

Does the film include a scene in which either DiCaprio or Lawrence is riding in the back of a car through a populated area and mumbles something to the effect of, "All those people, they have no idea what's about to happen..." 

[Celery Man 20996]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Yes, the film hits the GOP more but there were bits that slammed Dems as well. Like when the Administration didn't want to listen to 2 nobodies and wanted confirmation from Ivy League educated scientists. Dems are definitely more enamored with top schools, at least publicly.

Don't disagree generally but I felt like that was still a jab at the general "We're with you" con on the rubes from the modern GOP/MAGA establishment. That is a standby for all politicians but the GOP have aimed lower and taken it to 11. Jonah Hill (the unaccomplished adult child cabinet member of a TV celebrity president) dismissing the public university scientists and then his speech later - "The working class, the lower... do you understand? I'm taking about nutritionists, I'm talking about personal trainers, people at the spa" at the rally while his mother president wears a baseball hat with "DON'T LOOK UP". It's not subtle.

Even in CR I feel like I have to put the disclaimer of "liberals/democrats/bernies/what have you are also not great and are also guilty of things and are also jabbed at in the movie" on every post to hopefully ward against potentially stupid tangents.

There's also the stupid logic of "there are some Fauci jabs with DiCaprio's character (among other more "dem"/ based jabs), and therefore it pokes at democrats as well as republicans, and therefore it is 50/50 which means it is not a critique of any particular party". Again with the hopefully tangent preventing caveat that i don't care about teams but one of the main things that this movie satirizes is how huge portions of the population are made to ignore science and reality, and that is not a proportionate both sides attack for anyone with a functioning frontal lobe.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Celery Man

[BrickHorn 18283]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Like when the Administration didn't want to listen to 2 nobodies and wanted confirmation from Ivy League educated scientists. Dems are definitely more enamored with top schools, at least publicly.

Nah, that was a Trump dig. That dumb motherfucker has an Ivy League fetish. 

[Guest]

Anyone notice the old Kid Rock at the end when they land on the new planet? 

[atomheartbevo 89780]

Her Supreme Court nominee being an unqualified county sheriff that she was banging on the side said quite about about who was getting lampooned the most.

[Asithappens 974]

This sounds a bit like Brain Dead, a summer mini-show from a few years back. Good satire poking fun at the right-wing.

[Chewbacca 7782]

On 1/1/2022 at 11:37 AM, Celery Man said:

bless the hearts of the folks in the other forum who aren’t sure if the presidential administration is satirizing Trump/MAGA idiots directly.

No shit.  They made hats and everything!  And Jonah Hill plays a great Ivanka/Don Jr. who wants to fuck his mom.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Chewbacca

[Brisketexan 105279]

I can't watch a movie like this.  It would just utterly depress me.

Same reason I can't watch a movie where a parent loses a child.  Just too emotionally raw.  The fact that this film might as well be a fucking documentary makes it that much worse.