Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2011 April 4

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April 4

Bands that sound like Mindless Self Indulgence.

Anyone know any bands that sound like Mindless Self Indulgence? — Preceding unsigned comment added by XBoYxRoLleRcOaStInGxPrEcIpItOuSlYx (talk • contribs) 01:20, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Lots of them. Oh wait, you probably mean the band Mindless Self Indulgence. Never mind, I misunderstood the question. —Kevin Myers 03:45, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Go to http://allmusic.com and find their page there. Then you should be able to answer your own question, as allmusic.com has lots of tools to help you find similar bands. --Jayron32 04:27, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Check their Last FM page which lists a bunch of similar artists. --Viennese Waltz 07:26, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Last.FM's page seems a little... over-inclusive shall we say? I don't really think MC Chris and MSI sound anything alike. One is industrial the other is nerdcore rap... Off the top of my head, though: Orgy sounds very much like them (good luck googling them, turn on safesearch!), Combichrist, C-tec is harder than MSI but in the same genre (hope you don't mind a little white noise), and of course Marylin Manson and Nine Inch Nails. KMFDM is a little more on the electronic side of industrial but you might dig them as well, same goes for Apoptygma Berserk. HominidMachinae (talk) 20:12, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Oh and don't forget Front 242 HominidMachinae (talk) 20:13, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I would recommend checking out KMFDM. They were pioneers of industrial metal, so they go back, but there are definite similarities. Kansan (talk) 02:35, 9 April 2011 (UTC)

"Bent"

Even from the U.S., I was prone to interpret "Bent (song)" in the same way as the UK residents; that is, to take definition number 2 from wikt:bent, as it seems well suited to the lyrics, and there being no other definition that obviously applies. Yet Rob Thomas, the lead singer featured prominently in the video, is described in his article and in writings^[1] as being clearly not bent but straight. Which leaves me with a conundrum: what the heck did the original video mean then? Wnt (talk) 07:18, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I don't know the song or the video, but just because they are sexually suggestive of homosexuality doesn't mean the writer of the song is necessarily gay himself. He could be writing from the viewpoint of another. Not all writing is autobiographical. --Viennese Waltz 07:24, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

It's true, but that's one kind of acting you don't see done often. Oh, the video is here, and don't worry, anything on YouTube with an ad is some company with copyright clearance. (To avoid the ad, Video DownloadHelper) Wnt (talk) 09:11, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

This is mentioned at our article on the song. The consensus on chatrooms is that he did not use "bent" in the sense of "homosexual", but in the sense of "almost broken". Ghmyrtle (talk) 09:44, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Hmmmm. For example we have various lyrics like: "... If I need some other love / Give me more than I can stand ... Start bending me / It's never enough / till I feel all your pieces / Start bending me / Keep bending me until I'm completely broken in / Shouldn't be so complicated / Just touch me and then / Just touch me again / Can you help me I'm bent / I'm so scared that I'll never / Get put back together ... And this is how we will end / With you and me bent ..." I'm not sure what sense of "almost broken" you have in mind, but I think I'm sticking with the "not straight" interpretation. Maybe he just wanted to arouse curiosity among some fans? Wnt (talk) 08:10, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

I don't see the problem. Compare: "Bend me, shape me anyway you want me, long as you love me it's all right" —Tamfang (talk) 20:20, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

Realistic war films

please suggest some Black Hawk Down-style realistic war-action movies and Behind Enemy Lines-style war adventure movies (not boring war drama movies) that depict modern warfare? --Darth Nader 1222 (talk) 09:40, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

It's not exactly "modern", but Saving Private Ryan, especially the opening scenes depicting Normandy, are cited as particularly realistic. --Jayron32 12:26, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

The Hurt Locker won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Comet Tuttle (talk) 18:12, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Three Kings (1999 film). Corvus cornix_talk 19:30, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I don't remember how much action there was, but Downfall (film) is one of the best and most realistic war-movies of all time IMHO. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 19:44, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I think Der Untergang (the Downfall) isn't exactly an action movie, it's probably more in line with the "war drama" he doesn't want (which would also include war movies like Apocalypse Now I assume). I think the only time someone gets shot at in Der Untergang is when Hitler tops himself. HominidMachinae (talk) 20:15, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

There were other scenes with soldiers shooting themselves in the head. Anyway, Letters from Iwo Jima is excellent and definitely has more action. A Quest For Knowledge (talk) 20:22, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Band of Brothers is a mini-series, but quite good, especially on DVD where you get some very informative extras. StuRat (talk) 21:51, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

The Pacific (TV miniseries) is quite similar to Band of Brothers. But Band of Brothers is by far the gold standard. It's like a longer, more nuanced Saving Private Ryan. Generation Kill is also a modern version of the same thing. All of them are amazing pieces of work. Shadowjams (talk) 22:01, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Full Metal Jacket by the great Stanley Kubrick. Also, it has a realistic boot camp section.63.17.91.115 (talk) 04:11, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Jarhead (film) was pretty good, too. Kingsfold (Quack quack!) 18:26, 8 April 2011 (UTC)

Das Boot is very good. If you don't understand German, I recommend getting the German version without subtitles, and listening to the rivets popping. Frightening. Zoonoses (talk) 14:32, 10 April 2011 (UTC)

Horror movie or show from the 1980's

In one part, this guy gets buried up to his head on th seashore & is left to drown when the high tide comes in. Later, he returns as a mumified sea-zombie to destroy his murderers. In another part, this ancient crate is discovered & taken from the deeps. The crate has a monster in it, that will eat anything. GoodDay (talk) 15:43, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Creepshow. --Onorem♠Dil 15:48, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

(edit conflict) See Creepshow, the 1982 film written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero. The first one you mention is the segment "Something to Tide you Over", featuring Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson and the second one is the segment "The Crate". --Jayron32 15:52, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Thanks guys, that's the movie. PS: I don't know how yas are able to remember these movie titles. GoodDay (talk) 16:15, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I didn't remember the title directly, but I did remember the scene with Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen in my mind, so I simply went through their filmographies, found a film they had in common, and viola. --Jayron32 16:36, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

IMDb has a very useful function called Two People Working Together, whereby you put in the names of the two people you're interested in, and it comes up with all the movies they were both involved in. It works for any two people who had any part to play in movies, not just actors. This saves a lot of time where the 2 people have a long filmography; and is particularly helpful where the movie you want is obscure and is not necessarily listed on the selected filmographies we often have. I put in Nielsen and Danson and, voila, got the same result as you did. -- Jack of Oz [your turn] 19:39, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Resolved

StuRat (talk) 21:48, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Looking for the name of a prank

Hi everybody !

I look for the English word for a « prank » (bullying is probably more appropriate) which seems to replace in France the wedgie.

It consists in four guys holding arms and legs of a victim and puting his legs on both sides of a post (for example a goal post) to bang his genitals against it (resulting pain depends on the strength of the shock and the will to harm). It would be incredible if such a silly game was not practiced by any children around the world So thank you if somebody can tell me how you call this in English. Saint-Martin (talk)/Saint-Martin (discussion) 15:54, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

In England we would call it Assault occasioning actual bodily harm. More seriously I, despite being middle-aged and having heard of, read of, witnessed and/or suffered a range of bullying behaviours, have never heard of this particular brand of thuggish stupidity before, so in my own Anglophone culture it is probably sufficiently rare as not to have any one widely accepted name, in contrast to other juvenile tortures such as the Chinese burn. However, I would be disillusioned but not surprised to be proven wrong.

Perhaps, Saint-Martin, you should add the French name and description of this prank to our article List of school pranks. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.197.66.144 (talk) 16:19, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Yeah that one seems a little dangerous...we have an article about sack tapping, which is bad enough, although I admit it was a popular thing to do in high school (and pretty hilarious, actually, even when you are the victim). Adam Bishop (talk) 16:38, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

At our East London Comprehensive school, it was known as "posting". Whether this appellation extended beyond the railings of our playground, I don't know. Alansplodge (talk) 16:43, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I had actually already search into the articles you say (sack tapping whose I thought the prank I talk about might be a variant, and the List of school pranks where I was quite desppointed for not finding it)... I may not have been clear in my explanations, those who want can watch what it looks like on this extract from the film The Faculty ( here at the very beginning of the scene).

The French name of this practice is poteau-couilles or couilles au poteau which one could translate by «post-nuts» or «nuts to the post». Saint-Martin (talk)/Saint-Martin (discussion) 17:08, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I may have finaly found the right word, and our stupid prank would be known as pole racking. It only remains for me to wait for someone to blue the link and I will be able to translate the article on WP-fr. Or Perhaps I will add the prank to the list Tanks for your help. Saint-Martin (talk)/Saint-Martin (discussion)

Happy corner must be the most used term, they even have an article on WP-zh : zh:HappyCorner. Saint-Martin (talk)/Saint-Martin —Preceding undated comment added 18:09, 4 April 2011 (UTC).

See this page. Most references to "pole racking" seem to be from the other (US) side of the Atlantic, while "Happy corner" appears to be only used in southeast Asia. Probably a good thing for this British establishment! Alansplodge (talk) 18:41, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Calendar Girls

In the atage show Calendar Grils, do you get to see their bits? I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, though I can imagine Camilla Dalerup looks better naked than Leslie Joseph. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.128.32.32 (talk) 19:28, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I assume you mean Calendar Girls (play). I don't know what a Grils is... --Jayron32 19:46, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

just which bits are you referring to? HominidMachinae (talk) 20:06, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I am sure he means breasts and vulva and buttocks. If I left a bit out, he can correct me, but generally those are the "bits" that are euphamistically referred to as "bits" when talking about females. If we add males to the party, male bits usually include penis and testicles as well. --Jayron32 20:18, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

What I mean is that if he's asking about topless nudity the answer is likely to be far different. In many areas of the US bottomless might be illegal even. HominidMachinae (talk) 21:47, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

So that's what's in Kibbles 'n Bits ! StuRat (talk) 21:36, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

You probably don't want to know. Its probably more "truth in advertising" than you'd care to believe. --Jayron32 21:47, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

As with Monty Python when they would refer to "naughty bits". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 06:20, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Where did the idea for the Grand Theft Auto games come from?

It seems so interesting I wonder where the creators got the idea for the game and how it's history.76.176.136.156 (talk) 21:29, 4 April 2011 (UTC)GTA King

Turbo Esprit has been cited as a major influence by many people. - X201 (talk) 11:26, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

Not sure, but they may have noticed how kids like to break the rules and run people over in a "normal rules" car game. StuRat (talk) 21:40, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

I am not certain of the provenance, but it may have been influenced by the game Carmageddon which itself was inspired by the film Death Race 2000. Carmageddon was released about half a year earlier than the first GTA game. The look-and-feel of GTA reminds me more of the film The Italian Job, or perhaps mobster films like The Godfather and Goodfellas. But that's just my own opinion. --Jayron32 21:45, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Before Carmageddon was the early arcade game Death Race (video game), 1976, also with a running-things-over theme. 81.131.10.208 (talk) 15:39, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

The Grand Theft Auto: Vice City installment displays great elements of inspiration from the 1980's television series Miami Vice as well as the Al Pacino movies Scarface and Carlito's Way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 10draftsdeep (talk • contribs) 20:11, 5 April 2011 (UTC)

Of interest might be the original design docs (under its original, pre-released name). 94.172.116.125 (talk) 00:02, 6 April 2011 (UTC)

The radio-controlled cars with bombs in them (in GTA3) is from The Dead Pool. The "Brown Thunder" sequence of GTA:San Andreas is a reference to, and clearly an exaggerated version of, Blue Thunder. As 10draftsdeep notes, Vice City owes a lot to Scarface: in particular, the mansion shootout at the end is very like the similar ("say hello to my little friend") sequence that concludes Scarface; the same game's "Publicity Tour" mission (where you have to drive the Love Fist limo and keep it above a certain speed) is very reminiscent of Speed. Some of GTA4's chases under the elevated railway are very similar to those in The French Connection. The two mission packs for GTA1 play off films like Get Carter and The Italian Job. I think the producers of the games just sat down and watched every cops'n'robbers film they could, and if anything looked fun to do (from the criminal's perspective) they added that. -- Finlay McWalter ☻ Talk 23:00, 7 April 2011 (UTC)