Thursday Movie Picks #350: TMP Television Edition - Opening Title Sequence

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five titles and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is TMP Television Edition -  Opening Title Sequence

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I've been really looking forward to this week's theme TV opening title sequence which is more on the visual aspects of the opening (next month's TV TMP will be for theme songs). You know how most streaming platforms like Netflix has an option to "skip intro"? I almost never do that because I love watching opening title sequences (OTS) and appreciate a well made and well thought out one. And if you like opening title sequence too there's this excellent site you might want to check out that has been around for several years https://www.artofthetitle.com/ Today's post is going to be quite long. My picks are going to be the OTS I like and will be based on 5 themes so there will actually be more than 5 TV series here.

A Different Opening Title Sequence for Each Season

 

 

The Politician (2019 - )

The OTS starts off with an opened wooden mannequin. There are compartments in it and we see it is filled with objects that are important to the main character (MC) and story. The objects in season 2 are different from that in season 1. The mannequin is then closed, painted, clothed and ends with it becoming a real man, the MC. It's a great looking OTS and has a catchy song to go along with it.

Deutschland 83 (2015) Deutschland 86 (2018) Deutschland 89 (2020)

OTS has this pop art collage-ish look with scraps of paper pasted together with images from the season. Each new season is a new collage scene with images from the new season. The series is about the cold war so coupled with a great song the OTS has this almost colorful upbeat spiralling sense of doom. 

 

Artsy

 

 

Anne with an E (2017-2019)

The OTS has this really beautiful storybook decoupage diorama-like look. It fits very well with the title character and how imaginative and dreamy she is.

 

Comic Book Inspired

 

 

iZombie (2015-2019)
Unlike the other series I picked today, I don't love this series but I do like it and like the OTS. Loosely based on a comic book, the OTS is presented as comic book panels that shows how the MC becomes a zombie and also introduces the major characters in the series. Subsequent seasons would add new panels introducing new characters important to the season. 

 

 

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020)

Similarly as above, while I don't love this series, I do enjoy it. And I do like the OTS and how it pays tribute to it's comic book roots. The graphics has this very vintagey comic book look to the tune of an eerie Halloweenish music.

 

 

Transforming Images

 

The Night Manager (2016)

Last of my picks that I don't love but do like the OTS. It has this clever sort of playing with the images where when the camera zooms out it transforms the images into something else. A tea set on a round tray from above becomes a barrel of a gun. Moving boats in the ocean from above transforms into missiles in the sky. This is a spy thriller so the OTS is very fitting in that nothing is what it seems.

 

 

Defending Jacob (2020)

OTS here is less sleek than The Night Manager but it still has the same transforming images thing going on. A blade of a knife becomes the light coming from beneath a door. Branches in a dense woods becomes a finger print.

 

 

Each Episode a Slightly Different Opening Title Sequence
 

 

Game of Thrones (2011-2019)

The OTS shows a map of the Game of Thrones world. With each episode highlighting the locations that the story goes to in that particular episode. I absolutely love the OTS here. It is just looks so stunning and has great sound (the sounds of metal clanging, fire burning and gears moving) plus there's also that now iconic theme song.

Home Before Dark (2020 - )

The series is about a young girl looking into the unsolved case of her father's still missing best friend who was abducted as a child. The OTS shows the girl's notebook being flipped open on a desk and each episode highlights new things on the desk or in the notebook reflecting the girl's new findings in that particular episode.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #349: Fake Identity

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Fake Identity

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There's two ways to go for this theme: Teens using a Fake ID to buy alcohol or get into clubs or someone using a fake identity to conceal their real one. I'm going for the latter. My picks today are recent watches that I like featuring characters that use a fake identity. All of these movies the characters that use a fake identity are only revealed the earliest somewhere in the middle of the movie and the latest ones revealed only at the very end; so I will keep it all spoiler free.

Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Strangers descend at a hotel and bad things are about to happen. Everyone here looks shady from the beginning, so I totally thought a few were faking who they were.

The Invisible Guest (2016)
A wealthy businessman meets a lawyer, an expert in witness preparation, to prepare and build a defense for a trial where he is accused of murdering his lover. I really enjoyed this mystery thriller. It has a lot of fun twist and turns and I did not expect the fake identity.

Stonehearst Asylum (2014)

Based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe - A new graduate, the alienist Dr Newgate arrives at Stonehearst Asylum to expand his training. He soon realises something is not quite right in the asylum.

I was already spoiled about some parts of it except for the revelation at the end which was a nice extra twist.

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Thursday Movie Picks #348: Movies That Haven't Aged Well

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Movies That Haven't Aged Well

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This week's theme is a suggestion by Getter. This is a great theme. Haven't we all seen a movie and think "this won't age well; 10 years from now it would look terrible". The only problem is I rarely get to rewatch movies so I don't actually get to see if it is true years later, so I am having trouble finding picks today.

Avatar (2009)

I did not see this in IMAX 3D. I saw this on a DVD rental at home a few months after it's theatrical release. Even then I think it's already started to age with its over reliance on visual effects. Without the supposedly stunning visuals of IMAX 3D experience this movie was so meh with its mediocre story. What is it other than a mash up of a Pocahontas and FernGully story. I can't believe Disney is making 4 more Avatar movies. Does Avatar really have a strong fan base? Is anyone really pining for them? 

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
This was quite popular when it came out but I only saw it in 2016 and I didn't like it. I think we're suppose to laugh at these ridiculous sexist male characters in the seventies as if it was a thing of the past and society have progressed to a better inclusive and respectful version. Then of course in 2017 and 2018 #MeToo and #TimesUp movement happened...and duhh...say all women...not quite a thing of the past issit? So yeah Anchorman has not aged well...and is so obviously written by men.

 

Blade (1998)

I saw this in the late 90s on a rental and liked it a lot. In the mid 2000s I rewatched it and yes the visual effects did not aged well. However I still think it's a fun vampire action movie. By the way, Blade is getting a reboot which will be part of phase 5 of the MCU with Mahershala Ali playing the title role and apparently it will be a PG13 movie. Initial thoughts on the reboot: Not sure how old Blade is suppose to look but I had thought they would go for someone younger in the reboot if they were going to have more than one movie. Snipes was in his mid-30s when he was Blade and Ali is now in his mid-40s. And why is a vampire movie PG13? 

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Thursday Movie Picks #347: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Actor and Best Actress

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Actor and Best Actress

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This post is coming quite late so I'll be keeping it short. Here are my favourites:

 

 

BEST ACTOR

 

Forest Whitaker in The last King of Scotland (2006)

Whitaker put in a good and terrifying performance as Idi Amin.

 

Russell Crowe in Gladiator (2000)

The late 90s and early 2000s was the height of Crowe's acting career, he was nominated back to back Best Actor for three years and won for Gladiator. I don't remember much of The Insider but I didn't much like A Beautiful Mind. Gladiator I like a lot.

 

Peter Finch in Network (1976)

Finch was great as the anchorman who has a meltdown on air, the first of what would be his many rants.

 

Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons (1966)

I've picked this before for Best Picture and Scofield puts in a terrific performance as Thomas More.

 

 

 

BEST ACTRESS

 

Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine (2013)

Blanchett is great here as a former socialite who is trying hard to hold on to her former life and losing her mind in the process. The story reminds me of A Streetcar Named Desire, but I prefer Blue Jasmine and Blanchett's performance.

 

Natalie Portman in Black Swan (2010)

I thought Portman was really good in this as the ballet dancer spiraling towards insanity.

 

Faye Dunaway in Network (1976)

There's just a lot of outstanding performances in this one including Dunaway's who plays the ambitious TV executive.

 

Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins is one of my childhood favourites and Andrews was just great in it

 

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