I just really like this genre
April 17, 2019 12:09 PM Subscribe
Lucy Lang, former Manhattan prosecutor, reviews 30 courtroom scenes from TV and movies
Alex Honnold, only person to free solo El Capitan, Breaks Down Iconic Rock Climbing Scenes
Dr. Ali Mattu, clinical psychologist, Reviews Mental Illness In Movies
Bear Grylls Reviews Survival Movies
Alex Honnold, only person to free solo El Capitan, Breaks Down Iconic Rock Climbing Scenes
Dr. Ali Mattu, clinical psychologist, Reviews Mental Illness In Movies
Bear Grylls Reviews Survival Movies
I just want to say that if you've not had the opportunity to see the documentary "Free Solo" about Alex Honnold's climb of El Capitan, DO IT. It's one of the best thing I've seen in the last 10 years. It is beautiful.
posted by Fizz at 12:23 PM on April 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 12:23 PM on April 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
Bear Grylls reviewing survival movies is like Hannibal Lecter reviewing vegetarian cookbooks for children.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:28 PM on April 17, 2019 [28 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:28 PM on April 17, 2019 [28 favorites]
I watched the lawyer one this morning, and just watched the rock climbing one, and I love the contrast between her "yeah, that? That never happens" responses and his "oh yeah this totally unrealistic, but it's sick, OH MAN, it's getting epic."
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:33 PM on April 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:33 PM on April 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
The Erik Singer ones are my absolute favorites as well, though I do occasionally dabble in another genre/host--I recently watched one in which a young female Muay Thai champion discussed some martial arts combat scenes from movies.
The ones that work the absolute best, I think, are the ones where they stay away almost entirely from just shooting fish in a barrel. Erik Singer can usually find the good in an accent attempt, though he can also clearly point out where it went wrong or how a lack of prep time may have hurt it. Once in a while a quick fish-in-barrel is also just popped in there for a bit of fun, but it's not the main focus.
posted by theatro at 12:34 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
The ones that work the absolute best, I think, are the ones where they stay away almost entirely from just shooting fish in a barrel. Erik Singer can usually find the good in an accent attempt, though he can also clearly point out where it went wrong or how a lack of prep time may have hurt it. Once in a while a quick fish-in-barrel is also just popped in there for a bit of fun, but it's not the main focus.
posted by theatro at 12:34 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
A good one in the genre is a real lawyer reviewing My Cousin Vinnie.
(Spoiler: He's a fan.)
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:40 PM on April 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
(Spoiler: He's a fan.)
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:40 PM on April 17, 2019 [8 favorites]
Bear Grylls reviewing survival movies is like Hannibal Lecter reviewing vegetarian cookbooks for children.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:28 PM on April 17 [+] [!]
this is such a strong negative reaction contradicting things that I consider to be true so i've just got to ask - whats with the hate? I assume his show, like all TV, is fake. But he did grow up climbing with a special forces father, was in special forces himself, summited everest, etc.
posted by FirstMateKate at 12:42 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:28 PM on April 17 [+] [!]
this is such a strong negative reaction contradicting things that I consider to be true so i've just got to ask - whats with the hate? I assume his show, like all TV, is fake. But he did grow up climbing with a special forces father, was in special forces himself, summited everest, etc.
posted by FirstMateKate at 12:42 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
His shows aren't just faked - although they are - they also frequently demonstrate exactly the opposite behavior from what actual survival instructors recommend. If he had chosen to brand himself as "Bear Grylls' unnecessarily dangerous stunts in the wild," I would have no issue with him. But he pretends to give people advice. It is frequently very, very bad advice.
If you're really interested, a quick Google should provide plenty of background on why he is a very polarizing figure in outdoor communities.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:49 PM on April 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
If you're really interested, a quick Google should provide plenty of background on why he is a very polarizing figure in outdoor communities.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:49 PM on April 17, 2019 [11 favorites]
Donald Trump ranks great movie assholes.
(Also, I went through the rock climbing one looking for Star Trek V, and was quite surprised at how much praise he had for the sequence. At least until real Shatner shows up and then they're clearly just on some cement in a studio.)
posted by Naberius at 1:12 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
(Also, I went through the rock climbing one looking for Star Trek V, and was quite surprised at how much praise he had for the sequence. At least until real Shatner shows up and then they're clearly just on some cement in a studio.)
posted by Naberius at 1:12 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Les Stroud's Survivorman series, by contrast, is the real deal. He also plays guitar, which is an essential survival skill!
posted by Popular Ethics at 1:17 PM on April 17, 2019 [10 favorites]
posted by Popular Ethics at 1:17 PM on April 17, 2019 [10 favorites]
I loved Alex Honnold's commentary, especially about Vertical Limit -- I ranted memorably about the climbing accident at the beginning of that movie, it made no sense at all.
posted by suelac at 1:22 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by suelac at 1:22 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm currently involved in a pointless pissing contest with another Mefi member on who can kill Bear the quickest via bad decisions on his new Netflix show. It's more entertaining than you'd suspect. And surprising that something involving Bear Grylls can be entertaining.
posted by Keith Talent at 1:26 PM on April 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by Keith Talent at 1:26 PM on April 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
There's a whole YT channel from Buzzfeed on this very topic: Experts Review Movie Scenes.
posted by Cris E at 1:29 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Cris E at 1:29 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
I haven't seen the others yet but the Honnold reviews are very entertaining. I guess this is a spoiler, but that bit with Stallone punching through the ice and grabbing icicles with his bare hands cracked me up 😂
posted by exogenous at 1:30 PM on April 17, 2019
posted by exogenous at 1:30 PM on April 17, 2019
I enjoyed the Ali Mattu video, and appreciated his nice explanation of the difference between "psychopath" and "sociopath". Maybe it's less juicy than some of the other videos since he's mostly positive about all the things he reviews, but I feel educated now.
posted by polecat at 1:33 PM on April 17, 2019
posted by polecat at 1:33 PM on April 17, 2019
If you're really interested, a quick Google should provide plenty of background on why he is a very polarizing figure in outdoor communities.
This is such a non-answer. Just google it ? Really ?
posted by Pendragon at 1:45 PM on April 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
This is such a non-answer. Just google it ? Really ?
posted by Pendragon at 1:45 PM on April 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
I keep waiting for Wired to call me and do this with porn movies.
posted by dobbs at 1:47 PM on April 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by dobbs at 1:47 PM on April 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Waiting for the "IT experts review use of computers in movies and television" series. The abuse of computers and IT systems as plot points in entertainment is so egregiously bad I get super excited when a show even gets it partially right or makes a reasonable attempt.
posted by jzb at 1:51 PM on April 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by jzb at 1:51 PM on April 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
TwoSetViolin (previously) reviews Benedict Cumberbatch's violin playing (among others').
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 2:07 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 2:07 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
I really loved the lawyer-doing-court-scenes one. She really sold it. I’d watch her channel all day.
As an aside, it’s apparently been a very, very, very long time since I spent any time on YouTube, because, WTF?!?! ads interrupting the videos mid-way through??? When did that become a thing?
posted by Thorzdad at 2:44 PM on April 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
As an aside, it’s apparently been a very, very, very long time since I spent any time on YouTube, because, WTF?!?! ads interrupting the videos mid-way through??? When did that become a thing?
posted by Thorzdad at 2:44 PM on April 17, 2019 [6 favorites]
Waiting for the "IT experts review use of computers in movies and television" series.
My favorite part about the Ghost in the Shell movie with ScarJo is the accurate depiction that computer security is, in fact, impossible and your fax machine will hack you
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:49 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
My favorite part about the Ghost in the Shell movie with ScarJo is the accurate depiction that computer security is, in fact, impossible and your fax machine will hack you
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:49 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
accurate in spirit anyway
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:50 PM on April 17, 2019
posted by vibratory manner of working at 2:50 PM on April 17, 2019
This is such a non-answer. Just google it ? Really ?
That wasn't my answer. I was asked why the hate. My answer to the question was that his shows are faked and he gives bad advice. That is the reason for my hate.
My Google comment was that if you really want background details about why Bear Grylls is a polarizing figure, there is a metric shit ton of internet arguments about it already out there. No need to re-litigate it in this thread. If you care about the subject, it is trivially easy to find more information about it. Feel free to fall down that rabbit hole or not, as your interests take you.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:08 PM on April 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
That wasn't my answer. I was asked why the hate. My answer to the question was that his shows are faked and he gives bad advice. That is the reason for my hate.
My Google comment was that if you really want background details about why Bear Grylls is a polarizing figure, there is a metric shit ton of internet arguments about it already out there. No need to re-litigate it in this thread. If you care about the subject, it is trivially easy to find more information about it. Feel free to fall down that rabbit hole or not, as your interests take you.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:08 PM on April 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
The abuse of computers and IT systems as plot points in entertainment is so egregiously bad I get super excited when a show even gets it partially right or makes a reasonable attempt.
I dunno what you're talking about. Computer and IT work always seems incredibly realistic in movies and TV.
posted by hanov3r at 3:18 PM on April 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
I dunno what you're talking about. Computer and IT work always seems incredibly realistic in movies and TV.
posted by hanov3r at 3:18 PM on April 17, 2019 [4 favorites]
The climbing one was great because of how much he enjoyed those movies/scenes, it wasn't just "here's a bunch of things that suck".
posted by quaking fajita at 3:56 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by quaking fajita at 3:56 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
The climbing guy was very personable and obviously enjoyed the clips, even the bad ones. He's also a reminder that humans are incredibly variable physically, one from another. The things he talks about being physically able to do...do not apply to my body, let's just leave it at that. Which is pretty cool to realize.
posted by maxwelton at 4:20 PM on April 17, 2019
posted by maxwelton at 4:20 PM on April 17, 2019
Yeah, I started with the climbing video and will come back for more on the back of it. His hands just looked unbelievably muscular, I guess that ties with the stuff he was saying about sticking one finger in a crack in the rock and hanging off that so long as your fingers are strong enough. Plus that thing about shaping your hand in a space, fascinating! Should have let him talk more Cliffhanger though.
posted by biffa at 4:27 PM on April 17, 2019
posted by biffa at 4:27 PM on April 17, 2019
Grylls has more reasons to be disliked than just being fake. Witness the episode where he was in a cave and decided to kill as many bats as he could, by swatting them with a stick. A dick move.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:45 PM on April 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:45 PM on April 17, 2019 [5 favorites]
The Lawyer explainer is good, she's pretty sharp & witty, like I might expect from a decent prosecutor.
posted by ovvl at 5:02 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ovvl at 5:02 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Goddamn, I am suddenly just ... taken ... by Alex Honnold. I'd watch him talk about how to properly strike a match.
posted by aramaic at 6:16 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by aramaic at 6:16 PM on April 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
A good one in the genre is a real lawyer reviewing My Cousin Vinnie.
Oh, man. My dad got angry at the courtroom scenes in everything and he loved that movie to pieces.
posted by fedward at 6:49 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Oh, man. My dad got angry at the courtroom scenes in everything and he loved that movie to pieces.
posted by fedward at 6:49 PM on April 17, 2019 [1 favorite]
Real Doctor Reacts to HOUSE M.D.
Is the medical drama House MD accurate? Real doctor reaction
posted by MrVisible at 10:49 PM on April 17, 2019
Is the medical drama House MD accurate? Real doctor reaction
posted by MrVisible at 10:49 PM on April 17, 2019
Dog show experts weigh in: How accurate is Best In Show?
posted by panama joe at 4:18 AM on April 18, 2019
posted by panama joe at 4:18 AM on April 18, 2019
Dog show experts weigh in: How accurate is Best In Show?
Their pet experts won't admit this but: If you've done conformation shows, too accurate to be really funny. A lot of "Oh, yeah, I remember that."
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:25 AM on April 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Their pet experts won't admit this but: If you've done conformation shows, too accurate to be really funny. A lot of "Oh, yeah, I remember that."
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:25 AM on April 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Rock. Climbing, Crow.
Rock Climbing, Joel.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 8:32 AM on April 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
Rock Climbing, Joel.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 8:32 AM on April 18, 2019 [3 favorites]
I just want to say that if you've not had the opportunity to see the documentary "Free Solo" about Alex Honnold's climb of El Capitan, DO IT. It's one of the best thing I've seen in the last 10 years. It is beautiful.
Dawn Wall - which is about the guy who's working with him doing the first ascent of a different part of El Cap - also great. We watched it right before Free Solo and it was a perfect companion.
posted by flaterik at 1:38 PM on April 18, 2019
Dawn Wall - which is about the guy who's working with him doing the first ascent of a different part of El Cap - also great. We watched it right before Free Solo and it was a perfect companion.
posted by flaterik at 1:38 PM on April 18, 2019
And don't miss ob/gyn Doctor Mama Jones reviewing the birth scenes in Call The Midwife. She's very impressed!
She's MUCH LESS PLEASED though with how Sybil's birth story is portrayed in Downton Abbey.
Fascinating and informative.
posted by Corvid at 2:30 AM on April 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
She's MUCH LESS PLEASED though with how Sybil's birth story is portrayed in Downton Abbey.
Fascinating and informative.
posted by Corvid at 2:30 AM on April 21, 2019 [1 favorite]
Former CIA Chief of Disguise critiques disguises in spy shows and movies
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:10 AM on May 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:10 AM on May 8, 2019 [2 favorites]
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but yeah I love all these, too -- it's endlessly fascinating to listen to someone who is good at their job and good at communicating the nuances of that job.
posted by Kybard at 12:18 PM on April 17, 2019 [6 favorites]