What are you watching?

[Kchrpm]

Falcon & Winter Soldier finale:
I really thought he was getting some sort of vibranium suit from the Wakandan briefcase last episode, which would’ve compensated for his lack of super soldier enhancement, but I guess it was just vibranium wings.

It helps a lot with fight choreography and matching comic imagery for him to not just be another guy in a suit. He can do a lot of fun things with the wings, in addition to flying.


Not a huge fan of Sharon Carter being a villain. I was wondering who the Power Broker was for a few episodes. I guess I can live with it. Why was she exiled again? I think I missed something there.

Same, and because she stole the shield from the government to give to Cap in Civil War

[dodint]

Mortal Kombat was neat. Fun movie, proper good 1hr50min run time. Hope they do another.

[JoeW]

Yeah. Either it was way too short or it needs a couple more movies to dig deep into that world,

Watching Shadow and Bone...really great.

[neanderthal]

Some Demon Slayer manga thing. My nephew wanted to watch it and needed an adult. I need a refund. And probably a stiff drink.

Save your money, save your time. I tried to sleep through it but one of the characters was one of those shout to speak idiots like some radio personalities.

[Leon]

The Nevers (Joss Whedon).

Rather good so far a couple of episodes in! Action / mystery / mysticism / alternate history.

[neanderthal]

Without Remorse. Amazon Prime. Tom Clancy.

So far, :up:

[JoeW]

Not sure if anyone has watched the series “Invincible” on Amazon but it’s brilliant.

[JoeW]

Stowaway is doo doo.

Lost interest in Nevers after the 3rd episode. Shadow and Bone blows it out of the water.

[JoeW]

Made it about 70% through Tenet before I gave up.

[Kchrpm]

I really liked Tenet. But it is doing nearly the bare minimum to keep you up with what is going on.

[JoshInKC]

I thought it was good.
But then I think it requires a level of buy-in to Christopher Nolan's specific flavor of bullshit - he's got some definite directorial and writing ticks (dicking around with time, sad white guys trying to find their souls, borderline inaudible dialogue) that aren't gonna work for some people. Same thing as Wes Anderson.

[Phil_SS]

I liked the idea of Stowaway but there are some major issues with a few of the story arcs. But the idea of how dangerous deep space travel will be was really well done.

I don't understand how the guy got stuck in the ship to be a stowaway. He stated he was working on some part of the craft right before launch, something about launch pins etc. But then he is stuck in a place that requires someone to unscrew a cover. Like how did he get there? My thought is that his story is bullshit.

Is that kinda the point? He did try to stowaway but then he was just going to live in that panel for months? What?

That being said, why did it have to be a black man.......like if anybody felt entitled to stowaway it would be a white male.

[JoeW]

It’s that major story hole that made the whole thing such shit for me in the end.

[sandydandy]

Recently watched the two Ewoks movies from the 80s. It was a pleasant trip down memory lane as I revisited my childhood. A lot of people despise the Ewoks, but I always thought they were kind of cool. The second movie, Battle for Endor, was definitely much better than the first, which was a little too kiddie. The second was a little darker and the acting considerably better. I remember being 10 or 11 when I first saw these on TV, and sort of having a thing for Aubree Miller, the girl who played Cindel. She's 42 now and still looks decent, according to her IMDb picture. Strangely, she never acted again after those two Ewok movies. The actor who played Noah died last year, Wilford Brimley. I don't really remember him from other films, but he was really great in Battle for Endor.

[Dicknose]

Naturally watched Star Wars (epIV) last night.
Tonight is... May the 5th Element!!

[Dicknose]

It’s that major story hole that made the whole thing such shit for me in the end.

It was strange but I was happy to go with that.
But then the physics nerd in me wasnt happy with the rotational gravity. That other craft seemed a lot smaller, so it would need to be much further from the centre of mass+rotation. So its centripetal gravity would have been much higher.
And whats with them doing this very careful space walk and not clipping on the descender brake or the tank.

So huge whole in plot that sets the show up - ok.
Minor quibble about physics - arrggh!

[JoeW]

Yeah I was worried about the physics too. I thought they were way too willy nilly with the untethered space walk from one side to the other as well. Life or death and the NASA doctor is going hand over hand like it’s no big deal.

[Leon]

I watched Stowaway too, and was entirely underwhelmed. I rapidly didn't care if any character in the story lived or died.

Also yes, the basic premise and lack of explanation of how the titular character achieved that status was at best, irritating.

[speedpimp]

Without Remorse is really good if you like Tom Clancy.

[sandydandy]

Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring just started season 3. Episodes 1 and 2 are focused on Brian Pillman. First episode was great, showing how he leveraged himself into a position of enormous influence and power in the wrestling world; in a position to call his own shots. Second episode was pretty dark and depressing, as he had thoroughly fucked himself. The stories his children told about life after his death were pretty sad. A lot of hate is directed at his widow, meth-head Melanie.

What’s even sadder is that to this day Pillman doesn’t get the credit he deserves for helping lay the foundation for the “Attitude Era”. By the time it started getting really hot, he was long forgotten. Not saying it wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t involved in 96/97, but he was such an instrumental part the way he pushed the boundaries with his volatile “Loose Canon” character, that he deserves the proper recognition.

Definitely Hall of Fame material if you ask me. Also can’t forget his superb in-ring athleticism prior to his car wreck, where he one of the few guys at the time employing high flying and daredevil antics in the ring as Flyin’ Brian. Definitely a pioneer of that style that got really popular when the WWF starting picking up steam in the late 90s and early 2000s. I often wonder how things would’ve gone had he not gotten hurt. The kinds of 5-star matches he could’ve had with Shawn Michaels, who was also in his prime, gives me goosebumps. It’s sad the way life played out.

I doubt they’ll ever induct him. The WWE Hall of Fame is not real anyway, it’s nothing more than a freaking gimmick.

[neanderthal]

Without Remorse is really good if you like Tom Clancy.

I second the emotion.

[neanderthal]

Mayans. Finding it hard to keep watching.
Late to the game, I know.

But i'm laid up after having two procedures on my left foot. I'm struggling to find content I want to watch.

[speedpimp]

Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring just started season 3. Episodes 1 and 2 are focused on Brian Pillman.

Can't wait to start watching it, me bruv. Really interested in the episodes on Grizzly Smith and Family and the North Korean super card.

[JSGeneral]

Crime of the Century on HBO. In depth, two part documentary about the creation, and profiteering of the opioid crisis in the US... and they don't shy away from showing how it has destroyed lives.

Please watch it.

[sandydandy]

Can't wait to start watching it, me bruv. Really interested in the episodes on Grizzly Smith and Family and the North Korean super card. For sure, bruv!

[Freude am Fahren]

The Serpent on Netflix. Really good. Had no idea of this story, now I'm gonna look for a documentary of it too.

[George]

Baseball by Ken Burns from 1994. Our local PBS station has been playing it in the evenings this week and it's one of those shows/movies (such as The Godfather) that compels me to stop and watch for a while when I stumble upon it.

[Tom Servo]

Girls5eva on Peacock is surprisingly amusing. Kinda feels like a mix of 30 Rock and Glow.

[Leon]

Girls5eva on Peacock is surprisingly amusing. Kinda feels like a mix of 30 Rock and Glow.

Is it musical, or is it just about singers?

[Tom Servo]

It's sorta like Glow in that respect. Glow was mostly just a show that occasionally had wrestling matches in it. There are the occasional songs, they're like parody songs, the "dream girl" one early on sings about how their dads are all dead, so you won't have to meet them and explain why you dropped out of school, but the vast majority of it is just normal 30-minute comedy.

[Leon]

Okay, sounds amusing will view :)

[JoeW]

New season of Love, Death and Robots is mediocre at best. A couple of gems but mostly rubbish.

[Dicknose]

Superstore.
Yeah its already finished but I only just found it. Enjoying it, actually laughing out loud.

[JoshInKC]

Yeah, the wife and I just finished Superstore last week, having started it about a month ago. That is a very funny show, with some surprisingly decent heart and politics.

Started For All Mankind tonight. After 2 episodes it's pretty damn interesting alt history.

[Leon]

Started For All Mankind tonight. After 2 episodes it's pretty damn interesting alt history.

I've finished the finale of season 2 in the last half an hour. It keeps right on delivering!

[Dicknose]

Yeah, the wife and I just finished Superstore last week, having started it about a month ago. That is a very funny show, with some surprisingly decent heart and politics.

Started For All Mankind tonight. After 2 episodes it's pretty damn interesting alt history.

I enjoyed For All Mankind. We had some friends stay for a week and watched the first ep, forgot that the first ep doesnt really reflect how the show goes.

A bit behind on season 2, waiting for my housemates to get back.

[Leon]

Whoah, binged the entire season of Ted Lasso in one sitting.

Pleasantly amusing, and delivered well above my expectations.

[JoshInKC]

Yeah, Ted Lasso was a really nice show. And I'm somebody who has exactly zero interest in soccer and very limited past enjoyment of Jason Sudekis.

[sandydandy]

Watched through most of Money Explained. Pretty decent. I am really hooked on their theme song, it’s so good.

[Cam]

Rocketman. Fabulous and entertaining. We really liked it.

[Cam]

Klaus. I saw some trailers months ago and the animation is spectacular. I started to watch it and thought the main character so annoying that I shut it off. :|

[speedpimp]

Psycho Goreman is awesome and on Shudder.

[Yobbo NZ]

https://youtu.be/zIxKKv8q5W0

I'm excited :D

[dodint]

Klaus. I saw some trailers months ago and the animation is spectacular. I started to watch it and thought the main character so annoying that I shut it off. :|

Hard to carry a redemptive arc if you are not a shitheel at first.

[JoeW]

Ragnarok season 2 is amazing.

[Godson]

I just watched "Stowaway" on Netflix.

Good acting, but some serious issues with the plot.

Basic things that wouldn't happen because of basic safety systems being in place.

[JoeW]

Army of the Dead…meh. Too long and predictable. I found myself clicking ahead for the last 35mins.

[sandydandy]

Can't wait to start watching it, me bruv. Really interested in the episodes on Grizzly Smith and Family and the North Korean super card. I watched the Collision in Korea episode and it was crazy. Don’t know why I never heard about this before. Must be some Mandela Effect shit going on, me bruv.

[speedpimp]

Watching that one right now. I had known about the card before thanks to PWI's Arena Reports. This whole thing seems so fucking surreal, bruv.
I like how Scott Norton wanted to fight everybody.

[sandydandy]

Watched Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It. Decent horror movie, without the horror. The first two were definitely better.

[Tom Servo]

Important news: What We Do In The Shadows returns Sept 2nd.

[Leon]

I rewatched Spice World, because sometimes I just need to watch a terrible movie, with a remarkable collection of actual actors appearing in it.

[speedpimp]

Watched Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It. Decent horror movie, without the horror. The first two were definitely better.

I watched it Friday night and was totally underwhelmed, bruv. It didn't suck, it just existed.

[sandydandy]

For sure, bruv. It just wasn’t scary at all. That part sucked.

Anyway, I’m doing my annual traditional MCU binge watch. On phase 1 right now. Trying to recapture the magic.

[sandydandy]

Loki episode 1. Holy shit it’s so good.

No doubt in my mind that the time villain is Doctor Doom. This should set up a Doom-Loki partnership, which has been done many times in the comics to perfection, and in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance video game. They could even throw Kang the Conquerer into the mix.

If there’s one guy that could top Thanos as the ultimate top tier MCU villain, it’s Doom. The MCU future is looking so exciting!

[JoeW]

Agreed

[George]

Finally saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Enjoyed it.

Still scratching my head about...

how Barnes can look roughly the same age as Rogers even though he was up and walking around for the last fifty years while Rogers was frozen for most of that time

...but I'm more than willing to suspend my disbelief and continue to enjoy Marvel movies with my kids.

I'm slowly closing in on Infinity War. I saw Endgame in the theatre (my first MCU movie, I think) when it came out but am trying to get through all the individual movies that lead up the the war. I've missed a lot of the infinity stone lore and whatever else has been said and shown about Thanos and his people.

[sandydandy]

Finally saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Enjoyed it.

Still scratching my head about...

how Barnes can look roughly the same age as Rogers even though he was up and walking around for the last fifty years while Rogers was frozen for most of that time

...but I'm more than willing to suspend my disbelief and continue to enjoy Marvel movies with my kids.

I'm slowly closing in on Infinity War. I saw Endgame in the theatre (my first MCU movie, I think) when it came out but am trying to get through all the individual movies that lead up the the war. I've missed a lot of the infinity stone lore and whatever else has been said and shown about Thanos and his people. Not sure we need the spoiler tag for an 8-year-old movie that almost everyone has seen, but what the hell.

Bucky was also on ice for a long period of time.

[JoeW]

God dammit Sandy…

[George]

But someone said he had been working as an assassin for the last fifty years. Again, no big deal, but it made me wonder, especially after seeing someone's appearance near the very end of Endgame.


Not sure we need the spoiler tag for an 8-year-old movie that almost everyone has seen, but what the hell.

At this forum, almost certainly not.

But outside of this tight-knit community, I tend to avoid movie discussions online because people will post spoilers about movies that aren't very old at all with an attitude of "well, it's your fault if you haven't seen it yet." It's the same in-your-face confrontational style that seems to have taken over our society in recent years. It's as if people go out into the world with the intention of being a complete jerk and hope someone calls them on it so they can unleash some rage on the person who was in the right to begin with.

But anyway, here's a not-very-serious rant about spoilers:

I really like old movies, but I don't have nearly the free time and motivation to see them that I used to. I have a list as long as my arm of movies I intend to see but haven't yet. My wife is a Turner Classic Movie enthusiast and routinely chides me for not having seen so many classics. The other evening she had To Kill A Mockingbird on and I went elsewhere in the house, since I really want to see it but don't want to jump in halfway through. And that's just one of more than I can count.

Many of the movies I still hope to see someday are older than I am. I don't think the age of a movie matters when it comes to spoilers. Of course, I recognize life isn't fair and we take our chances online, and so I'm more tolerant of stumbling into something I didn't want to know online, as compared with years ago when loud-mouthed jerks would ruin movies for others in person.

The first time I remember realizing that I really hated spoilers (and wanted to punch a known asshole right in the nose [he was a salesman; need I say more?]) was when a co-worker and I had this exchange a few years ago. And speaking of assholes, I was a salesman too at that time. :smh:

This contains a spoiler about a movie that is 21 years old. I hope I haven't told this before. I don't think I have because I'm still holding a grudge against the guy who trespassed against me, even though I haven't seen him in as many years.

Him: "What did you do this weekend?"

Me: "I saw [some new movie]."

Him: "I went to the movies also. I saw A Perfect Storm".

Me: "Oh, great cast in that one. I'm looking forward to seeing that one myself. In fact, I saw a trailer for that movie in the theatre this weekend. It looked very good. Can't wait to see it!"

Him: "Yeah, I couldn't believe that everyone died."

:eek:

:(

:twitch:

:mad:



I didn't react much but I was furious inside. And I've still never seen that movie. Apparently everyone (except me) knew what the movie was about, but I did not. I guess it made at least the local news at the time - if not national news (before a movie was made about it), but I didn't have a clue. Maybe I was like the one person on the planet who didn't know how Titanic ends before they saw it. I've never seen that one either; why bother?

It happened again with a movie starring and directed by Clint Eastwood that I hadn't seen yet, when some fool mentioned the ending in a too-loud voice. Great. That's another one I won't see, and I grew up watching his movies on TV and in theatres. His latest, at the time, looked like it would be a tour de force of his style, too.

:angry:

Oh, well...at least I got to see The Planet Of The Apes one day on Saturday afternoon TV when I was a teenager and blissfully unaware of the ending. That movie was probably fifteen years old at the time, but it was new to me. Soylent Green was another. If I sit here longer, I'll think of more like those that still "worked" as the movie makers intended, even many years later.

And that is why I don't like spoilers. :)

Writing about movies that spoilers can easily ruin made me think of Bruce Willis, and that brings me to another movie I caught on TV this weekend just as it was starting: Death Wish. I was surprised to see they had remade the 1974 classic and I must say they did a great job. Forget about the sequels, of course, but the original Death Wish was pretty good. It has that in common with the Rambo movies. Anyway, I thought the newer version starring Bruce Willis was very good and better than the original, unless you're looking for that 1974-era style of long sideburns and wide ties and huge cars. I enjoyed it the new one very much, despite the commercial breaks that increased in frequency and duration throughout.

And, just for fun, here's how sartorial style for "bad guys" have changed from Bronson to Willis:

1974: Navy watch cap

2018: Hoodie

[sandydandy]

Sorry man if my post came across sounding full of rage. I re-read it and should’ve worded it as “but what the heck”. I get your point about spoilers.

I had been meaning to watch The Thing for a long time, until I inadvertently heard a spoiler (I think on a top ten list on YouTube or something) that…

…the dog is the Thing.

Now I don’t want to watch it anymore.

[George]

Sorry man if my post came across sounding full of rage...

Not in the slightest. :)

And I admit I'm an oddball when it comes to spoilers.

[dodint]

I remember the Travels With Charley incident...

[George]

Hmm. I don't, but I remember talking about the audiobook here years ago. I hope I'm not being presumptuous to assume I was involved.

My problem is I sit in my office and find blathering on about nonsense here much more fun than doing my job.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yujF8AumiQo

[Fiat500]

I had been meaning to watch The Thing for a long time, until I inadvertently heard a spoiler

Dude, that's right in the beginning of the movie, not exactly a major plot point.

And if you manage to understand what the Norwegians are saying, the movie itself spoils you.

The Thing was one of my most intense moviegoing experiences.

[sandydandy]

Ok sounds good I’ll check it out.

[JSGeneral]

Ok sounds good I’ll check it out.

John Carpenter's The Thing is great cinema. The story, the practical effects, the music, the acting is a wonderful trip into psychological claustrophobia--maybe even more relevant due to the modern day crisis we've all endured. And still to this day the ending still leaves me thinking... even upon multiple viewings.

As an awesome meta... in the original Halloween by John Carpenter... do you know what the kids were watching on TV while Jamie Lee Curtis was babysitting them and eating popcorn? -- The original black and white The Thing movie. Mr. Carpenter had been planning on making this movie for a long time...

[sandydandy]

I should probably avoid the 2011 remake, right?

[SportWagon]

Last night in the middle of the night I happened to catch George Reeves as Superman in I Love Lucy.

[sandydandy]

Loki episode 2… …female Loki. Not what I was hoping for. I was so beyond sure the mystery time traveler was Doom. What a let-down. I didn’t care for the female Loki in the comics, so I doubt I’ll care in the show. I probably won’t continue with this.

Actually maybe I’ll give it one more episode. They were dropping visual hints of Doom all throughout this episode, so maybe he’s aligned with this woman behind the scenes. Who knows.

[George]

I'm posting this in here because this seems to be where all the Marvel discussion happens.

Have you guys heard of the Colorado Captain? I had heard of a guy dressed like Cap riding a motorcycle around Denver but I just saw this video clip today and found his website at www.coloradocaptain.com. Pretty cool.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWAAvxTOxs

[JoeW]

Loki episode 2… …female Loki. Not what I was hoping for. I was so beyond sure the mystery time traveler was Doom. What a let-down. I didn’t care for the female Loki in the comics, so I doubt I’ll care in the show. I probably won’t continue with this.

Actually maybe I’ll give it one more episode. They were dropping visual hints of Doom all throughout this episode, so maybe he’s aligned with this woman behind the scenes. Who knows.

It's actually not. There is a spoiler running around the net...you can see who it really is in the Spanish voice credits. I won't post here because I don't know how to do the spoiler tag.

Let me try real quick...
It's actually The Enchantress. Sylie Lushton. Given powers by Loki to do his bidding.

[MR2 Fan]

I'm really enjoying the Loki show, but not too much for me to talk about other than just waiting and seeing where it's going

[sandydandy]

It's actually not. There is a spoiler running around the net...you can see who it really is in the Spanish voice credits. I won't post here because I don't know how to do the spoiler tag.

Let me try real quick...
It's actually The Enchantress. Sylie Lushton. Given powers by Loki to do his bidding. That actually sounds interesting.

[sandydandy]

I’m doing my annual traditional MCU binge watch. On phase 1 right now. Trying to recapture the magic. Now on phase 3. Thor: Ragnarok. I’m enjoying this binge watch very much. Appreciating these movies a lot more than I did before, even those I previously hated, like Thor: Dark World and Ant-Man. I can now honestly say there isn’t a single MCU film I dislike. Except for Incredible Hulk, which I skipped over.

[JoeW]

The Ang Lee Hulk was my favorite. It more accurately represented the true power level of the hulk.

[George]

^ Speaking of the Hulk, why isn't The Incredible Hulk from 2008 available anywhere online (that I've found)? All the other MCU movies are on Disney+ but not that one.

Did the Marvel executives decide they don't want two actors to be seen playing the same character within the same "universe"?

[Freude am Fahren]

There's some distribution rights issues with another company (Universal maybe?). There was actually a few articles recently talking about how it may finally come to Disney+ because it's on there in Spain. But that kind of stuff can be very different in different markets, so I don't think that's much to go on.

It's similar to how Sony owns the rights to Spiderman, but came to an agreement with Marvel/Disney, so that's now on D+.

Not sure why it's not somewhere else though? What's Universal's Streaming service? Peacock?

I actually just started re-watching the MCU with the girlfriend and Hulk was 2nd, and I broke down and had to pay some additional dollars.

[MR2 Fan]

yeah Universal owns the rights to the Hulk for individual films...I don't know a lot of the details, but the MCU can use the Hulk for films where he's not the lead, like Thor: Ragnarok? It sounds weird to me.

This probably goes back to the 90's when Universal and Marvel negotiated a deal....




speaking of which, lol, long side note. Since I'm the resident theme park expert around here, it's very interesting IMO regarding theme park rights and Marvel.

The story goes that Universal wanted to build a DC comics themed land for their upcoming park opening in 1999 (Islands of Adventure) but they couldn't work out a deal. Marvel had NOTHING going on in the mid 90's and sold the rights for super cheap AND, they also allowed Universal to use the theme park rights "east of the Mississippi River"....in perpetuity aka forever.

So Disney comes along and buys Marvel around 2008? and wants to build Marvel attractions in their parks, BUT they can't use any character featured at Islands of Adventure or "families" of them in their Orlando parks, BUT they can use them in other places, but they can't use the name "Marvel".

Hence we now have Avengers Campus in Disney's California Adventure with a Spiderman ride. So we currently have a Spiderman ride in Florida at Universal and a Spiderman ride in California at Disney. (Hint: From all accounts, the Spiderman ride at Universal is still waaaay better, it's one of the best themed rides ever made)

One franchise that Disney can use in Florida is Guardians of the Galaxy and huge indoor rollercoaster ride is being built right now at Epcot.



I could go into a lot more detail if anyone wants :p

[sandydandy]

Loki episode 3

The weakest episode, but filled with Easter eggs and clues about the real big bad behind the TVA.

*drumroll*

Kang the Conquerer

[GB]

Quite possibly the best television show I've ever seen.

https://i2.wp.com/culturised.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/dark-1.jpg

[speedpimp]

Loving the hell out of Gangs of London. It's pretty much The Raid crossed with Peaky Blinders. SO. DAMN. GOOD.

[Kchrpm]

Loki episode 4.

Wowsers.

[Rare White Ape]

Dumb theory:

****may contain Loki spoilers****

All of the variants that the TVA picks up are Lokis, the great timeline war was just a battle of the Lokis, and the TVA was just set up by the most powerful Loki to make sure that another Loki doesn’t take control.

‘Our’ Loki is just a more determined and strongly willed Loki who has the potential to bring it all down. His relationship with Sylvie could mean they both become extra powerful.

[JoeW]

Well I loved and hated this episode. For obvious reasons.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Sorry I'm a little slow, not so obvious to me... can you share your reasons?

I have to admit this show is a pleasant surprise. Never liked Loki, but this show is pretty awesome!

[MR2 Fan]

Dumb theory:

****may contain Loki spoilers****

All of the variants that the TVA picks up are Lokis, the great timeline war was just a battle of the Lokis, and the TVA was just set up by the most powerful Loki to make sure that another Loki doesn’t take control.

‘Our’ Loki is just a more determined and strongly willed Loki who has the potential to bring it all down. His relationship with Sylvie could mean they both become extra powerful.

There is a spoiler tag option

Anyway, what you're saying sounds like Jet Li's movie "The One" which I've already had some vibes from this show about (it's not an entirely unique idea, just the most familiar one to me)

[sandydandy]

Loki is really getting good!

[JoeW]

One thing I am getting tired of…the signature Loki hair flip.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Did I miss the explanations about 'pruning'? What does that mean?

If it's meant to exterminate, why would you call it 'pruning'? Perhaps you just get the unwanted part trimmed away by the TVA and then somehow start over as a new 'employee' of TVA?

[Kchrpm]

RE: Pruning
It's specifically not explained so that it can be assumed what it does and then that assumption can be upended

[Crazed_Insanity]

Ah! Thanks! Anyway, I figured they must've called that pruning for a reason...

[speedpimp]

Chances are they cut something out to enhance the growth of something else. Just like if you were pruning bushes.

[sandydandy]

I watched House at the End of the Street. It was on my list for a long time. Decent movie. Not bad, not great. Nice swerve.

[Yw-slayer]

Record of Ragnarok, Dynasty Warriors, and Kim’s Convenience.

[Kchrpm]

The Tomorrow War. Which is, like, not exactly what you expect, but everything you expect.

[JoeW]

I was entertained by it.

[speedpimp]

It wasn't bad. I liked the critter design.

[Leon]

rewatching Mandalorian Season 2, and Critical Role Campaign 1.

[Kchrpm]

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard was like a Mel Brooks version of an action movie. Entertaining and purposefully dumb/weird choices.

Fast 9 enjoys leaning in to ALL of the Fast stuff: always being about family, constant retcons, and bonkers action things executed mostly practically but increasingly with CGI.

Werewolves Within is funny and weird, like most of the characters in it.

[sandydandy]

Loki 5

Thanos-copter! :lol:

That looked like Castle Doom at the end there, or perhaps a reasonable facsimile made by Kang the Conqueror to pay homage to Doom, which is where he’s probably headquartered. Apparently it’s Marvel canon that his whole time traveling thing started after he became fascinated by watching a time traveling Doom.

Anyway, this whole episode felt like filler and the ending took forever. Talk about decompressed storytelling to the max. Hopefully there’s a huge payoff next week to close it out.

[Kchrpm]

I thought that episode was GREAT, with strong character moments and tension building. I think you're so focused on having your prediction proven right that that is all you want to see and everything else is getting in the way.

[sandydandy]

Is it that obvious? :lol:

[speedpimp]

Getting caught up on Loki. Just started ep. 4.

[Tom Servo]

Finally watched the 1974 The Taking of Pelham 123. Pretty good, and a trip to see a young Walter Matthau and a young Jerry Stiller in it.

[JoshInKC]

I thought that episode was GREAT, with strong character moments and tension building. I think you're so focused on having your prediction proven right that that is all you want to see and everything else is getting in the way.

Yeah, I loved it. Richard E Grant absolutely killed it as classic Loki.

[MR2 Fan]

Just saw Black Widow in the theater...really enjoyed it 8/10 for me, and I really like Florence Pugh now. I don't know where it ranks in MCU movies yet, maybe in the top 10...there's what 24 of them now?

[JoeW]

What is this “theater” you speak of?

[sandydandy]

Black Widow was pretty good.

[Tom Servo]

Saw the first episode of Wellington Paranormal on HBO Max, enjoyed it so far. Not quite as goofy/obnoxious as What We Do In The Shadows, but still very good. I'm worried for it though, it did go up against a big NBA Finals game but it's still unnerving to hear it got a 0.0 ratings share when it aired on CW. Between that and the fact that I've seen zero advertising for it other than Jemaine Clement posting about it on Twitter on the regular, it feels like it's just being thrown out there as a "see, this kinda stuff won't play in the US" move.

[Leon]

It's one of those shows that will get a bit of an underground following, she's a slow burner.

[Kchrpm]

Loki 6

sandy: Happy now? ;)

[Tom Servo]

It's one of those shows that will get a bit of an underground following, she's a slow burner.

I really hope so. It's just such a marked difference from the promotion WWDITS got out here. Billboards everywhere, ads on the sides of trains and buses, it was all over the place. I haven't seen a single ad about Wellington Paranormal, including in the email I just got from HBO Max about what's new on it this week. I have seen a bunch of positive reviews in entertainment publications, so at least there's that.

[JoeW]

Watched Loki 6. Glad to see another season planned. I wasn’t blown away by the last episode but I do understand it’s a setup for future endeavors.

[MR2 Fan]

as I expected, there's a setup for up to 3 or even more future Marvel movies with the Loki series

[dodint]

Just started Breaking Bad. Had no idea the first season's quality was really bad. It comes off as a pratfall slapstick comedy. I'm told that every season it improves. Pretty interesting, compared to something like The Sopranos whose pilot was launched completely polished.

[sandydandy]

Loki 6

sandy: Happy now? ;) Overall yeah. The ending was sort of confusing, like a giant mind-fuck. Kang definitely looked to be in Immortus garb here, which is another of his aliases. I know this because I’m a comicbook nerd. :p

Glad there’ll be a second season to sort of unfuck our minds. I also wonder how this will tie into the Doctor Strange movie.

Post-Thanos MCU looks to be very exciting!

[MR2 Fan]

Loki

The upcoming release schedule might shed a lot of light on things...if season 2 is coming before or after some of the upcoming movies, it seems they're all going to be tied together

[Rare White Ape]

I finished Loki as well and was entirely satisfied with the series. It’s the first time I’d ever watched a show and genuinely thought that it was longer than it actually was. Going through the previous episodes in the menu on Disney+ I was thinking, so *this* happened in episode 4, and… wait, what? Episode 2?!?!?

There was so much stuff packed into every episode that 6 actually felt like 12.

I really loved Owen Wilson in the show. He’s a loveable guy anyway but this role was perfect for him. Wow! And the two female lead characters Sylvie and Ravonna threatened to steal every scene they were in.

Plus a lot of really cool callbacks to not just the MCU, but to the wider Marvel Comics universe and some real life urban myths. Game of Polybius, anyone?

[Leon]

Just started Breaking Bad. Had no idea the first season's quality was really bad. It comes off as a pratfall slapstick comedy. I'm told that every season it improves. Pretty interesting, compared to something like The Sopranos whose pilot was launched completely polished.

If you haven't watched it before, definitely stick with it.

I ignored a lot of people who told me that I should watch it, for far too long. Then I saw it, and kicked myself a lot for not doing so while it was a current show.

[dodint]

Yeah, we were waiting for Ash to finish school to start it. We've finished Season 1 and it is improving.

[sandydandy]

Just started Breaking Bad. Had no idea the first season's quality was really bad. It comes off as a pratfall slapstick comedy. I'm told that every season it improves. Pretty interesting, compared to something like The Sopranos whose pilot was launched completely polished. It's truly one of the greatest TV shows of all time. If you stick with it long enough you'll agree.

[Jason]

Gonna go against the grain a little… if you think Season 1 Breaking Bad is “slapstick” then the series as whole might not live up to the expectations everyone is laying at your feet.

[George]

I tried Breaking Bad on Netflix or somewhere like that a couple years ago. I watched maybe the first five episodes or so and found myself happier when each ended than while I was watching it. I like dramas and have little patience with most comedies, but BB just made me sad. I can think of certain episodes of TV series that dealt with hard subjects (M*A*S*H had a few and certainly hospital and police shows do also), but not entire series. The actors and scenery and whatever else gives a show its "personality" seemed very good, but I didn't like watching it.

[JoeW]

I’m with George. An entire series based on a guy making and selling meth wasn’t my cup of tea. I tried it for a bit and was quite turned off.

[sandydandy]

While it does have its comedic moments, Breaking Bad is far from comedy. Obviously people are free to draw their own conclusions about the entire series, even after only watching a handful of episodes, and dismiss it outright if they choose. It's your loss. :|

Game of Thrones (with the exception of the final season) was stellar...but it took me multiple attempts to get into it because I had such a closed mind about it, and kept stopping after watching only a few minutes of the first episode and deciding it wasn't for me. That was a big mistake on my part.

Ultimately when it comes to entertainment, everything is subjective. But a lot of times the majority consensus is correct. Just gotta give a story time to unfold before judging it. :)

[dodint]

Yeah, this is definitely not a comedy:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saURDXcUd7U

;)

[sandydandy]

One funny scene doesn't make the entire show a comedy. Sure there are comedic elements sprinkled here and there, but it's done to take the edge off of what's otherwise a dark and violent series.

[dodint]

We're into Season 2. I'm satisfied that my sample size is large enough to qualify my opinion.

"One funny scene." I'm not spending my day pulling out clips for you.

I'm not sure what you're even saying. You're using definitive labels but also asking people to view the show subjectively. And you're criticizing the position of two posters that said they don't watch the show because they didn't like the tone; the tone you're claiming the show definitively has.

Seems like you're just upset not everyone puts your favorite show on a pedestal. That's fine. This is art, not science. But don't expect everyone to change their minds because you like it a lot.

[George]

I may try Breaking Bad again someday. Since having kids, my TV watching is very sporadic anyway. The last new TV shows I watched regularly were The Simpsons and Prison Break.

Edited to add: and on Netflix, Longmire and the first two seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise.

[sandydandy]

We're into Season 2. I'm satisfied that my sample size is large enough to qualify my opinion.

"One funny scene." I'm not spending my day pulling out clips for you.

I'm not sure what you're even saying. You're using definitive labels but also asking people to view the show subjectively. And you're criticizing the position of two posters that said they don't watch the show because they didn't like the tone; the tone you're claiming the show definitively has.

Seems like you're just upset not everyone puts your favorite show on a pedestal. That's fine. This is art, not science. But don't expect everyone to change their minds because you like it a lot. All I’m saying is it’s not a comedy. Not sure where you got the rest from, but that’s fine.

[Jason]

This is why I said to lower expectations, if you see BB as a comedy, frankly it's not the best comedy out there and will not at all live up to expectations.

If you see it as a drama that happens to have some dark humor in it, then I think the show holds up better.

But like Nate said, it's all subjective.

[dodint]

Dexter did a pretty good job of balancing darkness with levity. That's kind of what I thought it would be. That said, BB was AMC and Dexter was Showtime so the production requirements were very different.

[Crazed_Insanity]

If a show calls itself BAD, then perhaps it's really really BAD? :p

Anyway, back to Loki!


I finished Loki as well and was entirely satisfied with the series. It’s the first time I’d ever watched a show and genuinely thought that it was longer than it actually was. Going through the previous episodes in the menu on Disney+ I was thinking, so *this* happened in episode 4, and… wait, what? Episode 2?!?!?

There was so much stuff packed into every episode that 6 actually felt like 12.

I really loved Owen Wilson in the show. He’s a loveable guy anyway but this role was perfect for him. Wow! And the two female lead characters Sylvie and Ravonna threatened to steal every scene they were in.

Plus a lot of really cool callbacks to not just the MCU, but to the wider Marvel Comics universe and some real life urban myths. Game of Polybius, anyone?

Very rarely I share the same sentiments as RWA! However, I'm not really all that familiar with the Marvel universe though..., but the show far exceeded my expectations!

So far, Mandalorian and Loki really impressed! I wish the same writers worked on the last 3 sequel trilogies...

BTW, I haven't watched Wanda Vision yet. Is that really good as well?

[MR2 Fan]

Wandavision is VERY unique and excellent...it does take a couple of episodes before you start to understand things, but it keeps you guessing plus it's an important buildup to future movies, so definitely recommend watching it

[Crazed_Insanity]

Thanks for the tip, I will give Wanda my vision then! :p

[sandydandy]

It’s Wednesday and no Loki today. Anyone else feeling some withdrawal? It was such a great series. I would look forward to it every week.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yep. Some withdrawal feelings when I finished the Expanse, Mandalorian and now Loki...

[sandydandy]

Watched the latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring, focusing on the Dynamite Kid. Sad stuff.

[Leon]

Officially the most bizarre thing I've watched in 2021.

"We are Lady Parts".

Six episode TV Comedy about an all female, all Muslim, punk rock band, in East London.

So very good. I missed so very many of the jokes due to only speaking English, but it's friggen hilarious, and the characters are so good!

[sandydandy]

Watched two great suspenseful movies on Prime this weekend: Danika and Black Box. I would recommend them both.

[speedpimp]

Finished up Mr. Inbetween and starting Welling Paranormal. Both are excellent in their own ways.

[George]

I've been enjoying Olympic softball games that are shown "on demand" so we can see them whenever we want to. My daughter plays softball and we enjoy watching the games together, but I might still tune in even if she wasn't interested.

Unlike baseball, which I also like, softball at this level is so much "faster". I watched most of a game last night and didn't see a single walk or a strikeout. Those ladies hit the ball! Sure, they're often thrown out while running the bases and, unlike my daughter's team, they actually catch fly balls most of the time, but that's still more exciting that watching a pitcher's battle in baseball or a good batter stand there with two strikes and foul off twenty-seven pitches in a row while he waits for a good one...and step out of the box to undo and redo the velcro on his batting gloves after every single pitch.

The only annoying thing in the camera placement. In every game and highlight reel I've seen, the camera is over near the shortstop, so we don't see the ball go over the plate at the same angle as we do in professional baseball games on TV. In baseball, we generally get the view from behind the pitcher instead of off to one side. But, this is a minor complaint.

[Tom Servo]

Officially the most bizarre thing I've watched in 2021.

"We are Lady Parts".

Six episode TV Comedy about an all female, all Muslim, punk rock band, in East London.

So very good. I missed so very many of the jokes due to only speaking English, but it's friggen hilarious, and the characters are so good!

I was wondering if that was any good, will have to check it out!

[Yw-slayer]

People from the place I live WINNING stuff.

[JoeW]

Suicide Squad. Had some good laugh out loud moments. Entertaining. Not the best movie I've seen but not the worst. Likely will not see again...but I will harken back to there being some good chuckle moments and just flamboyant violence for the sake of gory violence.

[George]

Clint Eastwood has a new movie coming out in September. And he's in it, not just directing.

He's certainly on my short list of favorite actors and I'm glad he's still working. I realize his films aren't masterpieces, but I like (most of) them very much.

A couple weeks ago I finished the audiobook American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood by Marc Eliot. It was just an impulse grab from the library but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would and learned a bit about movie making along the way.

Example:

Apparently showing someone getting shot in the same scene as the shooting was against the movie code in the USA when A Fistful of Dollars was filmed in Spain. It was okay in the states to show someone pulling a pistol and firing but they had to show the victim getting hit and falling down in a different shot, or from a different camera. Apparently Sergio Leone didn't know and/or care about American film codes. The book mentioned how they did gunfight scenes like that in one "long shot", which I suppose means one camera showing the whole thing.

I've never gotten into "director stuff" and don't really notice things like that on my own, usually, but the book talked about more of that than I've been exposed to previously. Apparently the author is a longtime Hollywood insider and not just some random muckraker, as I first thought when I saw it was an "unauthorized biography."

[Kchrpm]

I also liked The Suicide Squad. I could see myself watching it again while it's still on HBO MAX, but I really need to remember to cancel HBO MAX.

[sandydandy]

Watched Ma, which was pretty good.

Also the Girl in the Bathtub, which was good and quite sad.

[speedpimp]

Clint Eastwood has a new movie coming out in September. And he's in it, not just directing.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVc8SI5CAKw&ab_channel=WarnerBros.Pictures

I thought the new Suicide Squad was far superior to the one from a few years ago. Pete Davidson's appearance was perfect.

[FaultyMario]

I also liked The Suicide Squad. I could see myself watching it again while it's still on HBO MAX, but I really need to remember to cancel HBO MAX.

ISP offer thru Dec 31st?

[Kchrpm]

ISP offer thru Dec 31st?

No, I signed up to watch A Black Lady Sketch Show season 2 and...something else, I don't remember what, and just never bother cancelling it because I might watch something else.

[sandydandy]

Marvel's What if..?

Decent first episode.

[Kchrpm]

I like the concept, loved seeing Captain Carter kicking ass and the short aerial action scene was WILD.

[JoeW]

I found it mediocre. I will continue watching because I was entertained.

[MR2 Fan]

I found it mediocre. I will continue watching because I was entertained.

same

It was a bit too convenient for Stark Sr. to make basically an iron man suit for Steve, didn't really break much new ground

[JoeW]

It didn’t help that I had just watched Captain America yesterday with my 12yr old daughter (I am running her through the MCU movies in release order). So many lines word for word from the movie just seemed like weak writing. And an iron man suit in 1942? Come on man…he couldn’t get a car to levitate for 5 secs at the science expo in the movie.

I am looking for more in this show.


In other news…Taika Waititi’s “Reservation Dogs” is pretty damn funny on FX. Only two episodes released so far…well worth 30mins.

[Tom Servo]

Speaking of Taika Waititi, just finished the first season of Wellington Paranormal. I also found out that it's streaming for free on the CW's website, you just have to watch some ads. No cable login or anything required. They do GeoIP it though, so you'll need to at least appear to be coming from the US.

[Leon]

That's some serious Wellingtonness in that show.

[Tom Servo]

I almost feel like I've been there!

[Kchrpm]

It didn’t help that I had just watched Captain America yesterday with my 12yr old daughter (I am running her through the MCU movies in release order). So many lines word for word from the movie just seemed like weak writing.

That's usually the point of these alternate universe things, that a lot of things are similar because the characters and situations are similar, just one thing changed, and we're watching the butterfly effect of it.


And an iron man suit in 1942? Come on man…he couldn’t get a car to levitate for 5 secs at the science expo in the movie.

Did Stark have the Tesseract in the movie? It's been a long time since I've seen it, so I don't remember. Because I think having a source near limitless power the size of a rubix cube would change what you're able to pull off.

[JoeW]

I thought of that too. But in the movie he distinctly says they are way ahead of the allies in technology. The red skull was merely harnessing the energy for his evil weapons. The tesseract didn’t invent things for them. So stark shouldn’t have had the knowledge to know what to do with it.

[FaultyMario]

What if that didn't apply to that particular universe?

[JoeW]

Well the split happened when she got the shot instead Rogers.

[Rare White Ape]

The first ep of What If…? was really freaking good! And a bit emotional at the end.

But I haven’t just watched Captain America, only having really vague memories of it.

I’m down for more.

[JoeW]

Watched Val today. Quite a good look into Val Kilmer’s story. Lots of great home video stuff from backstage.

[JoeW]

Episode 3 of Reservation Dogs came out. This and Ted Lasso are my two favorite shows right now. Just great stuff.

[Kchrpm]

Watched Free Guy on Friday and Respect on Saturday. Both excellent movies that delivered on what they were trying to do. Free Guy was full of laughs and enough heart to get the message across, and Respect had fantastic music and tells a quite compelling if embellished story of Aretha's life (and I'm not expert on her history, just looked up some stuff online later).

[JoeW]

New What If is much better. Loved it. Lots of new writing and content.

[Rare White Ape]

What If ep 2:

I think I spotted one, or maybe even a pair of TIE Fighters in The Collector's hangar during the end credits!

[JoeW]

I just watched the credits again and still did not see what you mentioned :)

[Phil_SS]

Watched Val today. Quite a good look into Val Kilmer’s story. Lots of great home video stuff from backstage.

i watched it with my wife and we both thought it was really well done.

[Leon]

Another vote for Reservation Dogs. It's a good little show :)

[Rare White Ape]

I just watched the credits again and still did not see what you mentioned :)

I’ll get a screenshot and highlight it for you. A cursory search online when I posted tells me that nobody else has spotted it either.

[speedpimp]

Another vote for Reservation Dogs. It's a good little show :)

Latest episode make you hungry for backstrap?

Got a cheap trial of Epix and diving into Pennyworth.

[MR2 Fan]

Watched What IF? Episode 2....while the first one wasn't too unique to me....this was the opposite :p I thought it was a bit too different.

Perhaps this show isn't for me. I've gone through watching all of the MCU knowing that everything is intertwined as part of a larger story arc. Obviously "What If?" is designed to throw this all out the window...which is great but I'm not sure if it's for me.

They also said that this is canon....ahem "canon". When you have a multiverse anything you make could be considered "canon"

[JoeW]

I’ll get a screenshot and highlight it for you. A cursory search online when I posted tells me that nobody else has spotted it either.

I know what scene you are referring to but it's not a Star Wars vehicle.

[Rare White Ape]

While looking closer at the image I found more than just some TIE Fighters!

https://i.imgur.com/CzO3tdA.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3IrfdQo.jpg

[JoeW]

Ummm no. Those are ships already seen in Guardians.

[MR2 Fan]

wait, I see one ship used in Thor:Ragnarok!

[JoeW]

Yeah they are all MCU craft for sure.

[sandydandy]

Obviously "What If?" is designed to throw this all out the window...which is great but I'm not sure if it's for me. I think it’s only supposed to be for fun. Just like What If’s in the comics. They’re not supposed to tie into anything.

I haven’t gotten around to watching episode 2 yet, but will this weekend.

[sandydandy]

What if…? episode 3 was quite good.

[JoeW]

Yeah I thought the part where Coulson was hot on Thor was done a little corny. Just seemed a little too googly-eyed immature to me.

[JoeW]

Not usually one to recommend comedians because everyone’s idea of funny is different. But I am going to make an exception because I have been following this guy since he was on a Netflix show called “The Standups”.

Check out Nate Bargatze “The Tennessee Kid” and if you like it then watch “The Greatest American”.

I’m always in tears when I watch it. He’s clean so it’s family safe. Very funny if you haven’t already seen him.

[Tom Servo]

Just watched the Rifftrax of the movie "Rollergator", starring Joe Estevez, brother of Martin Sheen. I have watched a lot of shitty movies. This was so bad that I think it actually crossed the line from incompetence to malice. Just 70 minutes of unadulterated pain, even with the Rifftrax commentary.

Watch it only if you want the cinematic equivalent of being waterboarded.

[dodint]

If you want something that hurts like that, let me offer The Last Chase.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4eQsgudVhY

1981's view of a dystopian 2011 where the government hunts a man and a boy in the last car in the world, which happens to be a CAN-AM racer from the 70s. :lol:



Youtube has it both clean and in MST3K form:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3edpKaDZhw

[JoeW]

Hey asshole I grew up with that movie! 6 Million dollar man...check. Race Car...check. Public roads...check. Burgess Meredith...check. Jet Fighters...check.

All the important boxes are checked!

From a preteen mind I thought it was awesome! Haven't seen it in awhile of course ;)

[George]

1981's view of a dystopian 2011 where the government hunts a man and a boy in the last car in the world, which happens to be a CAN-AM racer from the 70s. :lol:

Oh, man, this is right up my alley, like Logan's Run in the Red Barchetta. I'm going to give it a try. It looks like something I would have liked when it came out.

[dodint]

When you finish let me know and I'll ruin part of it for you. ;)

[Tom Servo]

Whoa, MST3K K20, I think that means it was from the original season on a local Minneapolis TV station, before they made it to Comedy Central. I've never seen most of that season, including that one. I know what I'm watching later.

[sandydandy]

I watched Dragonfly, with Kevin Costner, on Netflix last week. I liked it very much.

I then went to check Rotten Tomatoes and was shocked to see it rated so incredibly low by the critics. Talk about a huge divide between critics and audience - 7% and 62%. Not sure what their problem was, I thought it was quite a decent movie.

I'm glad I didn't look at that before watching. I'm trying to refrain from doing that these days. From letting other people's opinions influence my decision to watch a movie or not.

[dodint]

Whoa, MST3K K20, I think that means it was from the original season on a local Minneapolis TV station, before they made it to Comedy Central. I've never seen most of that season, including that one. I know what I'm watching later.

I rewatched the intro this morning, pretty neat. :)

[MR2 Fan]

I watched Dragonfly, with Kevin Costner, on Netflix last week. I liked it very much.

I then went to check Rotten Tomatoes and was shocked to see it rated so incredibly low by the critics. Talk about a huge divide between critics and audience - 7% and 62%. Not sure what their problem was, I thought it was quite a decent movie.

I'm glad I didn't look at that before watching. I'm trying to refrain from doing that these days. From letting other people's opinions influence my decision to watch a movie or not.


I generally don't care about critic reviews anymore. Back in the days before we could get good audience reviews it was one thing, but these days I don't care what most of the so called "experts" think

[Rare White Ape]

Yep, never let critics ruin a film for you. Other people’s opinions are trash too (except mine).

If you love it, you love it.

[JoeW]

What If? Is starting to lose my interest. It’s just OK for me as it stands.

[George]

When you finish let me know and I'll ruin part of it for you. ;)

I have finished The Last Chase. I doubt it won any awards, but it was okay. It could have been a lot worse.

[dodint]

The 1973 Porsche 917/30 they used for shooting was actually a 2/3rd size kit car with a VW floor and motor underneath.

[JoeW]

I assume no one thought it was an actual race car?

[George]

Some of the things I thought about commenting about, but didn't:

The gaps between the tires and the fenders looked odd. The passenger door looked improbable for a race car, like the hinged small section of a bar that opens and closes to let bartenders carrying supplies in and out. I thought maybe it was a race car built for passengers, as they used to offer at NASCAR tracks when I lived in the southeastern USA.

And, the two actors were sitting up really high in the seats, as if they were sitting on phone books. And, what about going 100 mph and more with no windshield, no helmets, and not even sunglasses (in most of the shots)? Yeah, it looked fishy, but I couldn't have said exactly why.


If you want something that hurts like that, let me offer...

More, please. :):up:

[Rare White Ape]

What If… has been fantastic. I never got totally invested in the MCU so the parts they usually refer to are mostly vague memories for me. Like, I’d completely forgotten 90% of what happened in Doctor Strange to the point where it was bothering me who that familiar voice was for the actress who played the girlfriend. Then I remembered it was Rachael McAdams and I was like, ahhh yeah!

Anyway I found it really easy to imagine what it would be like to be in her character’s position at the end of that episode, having been through an MVA and all of its associated weirdness recently. Except she, you know… died. But imagine being in her position of in one instance travelling in that car, then the shock of an accident, and then having gone through the trauma of death (and in the meantime being plucked from the wreckage immaculate and uninjured) then waking up to see your partner who is now Strange Supreme causing all sorts of weird shit to go on around you and wondering what the fuck kind of hell is going on, like some ketamine-fuelled nightmare. I guess that’s why the paramedics tell you to put your mind into a positive happy state before they juice you up on that drug.

To me it’s a lesson on grief and loss, as well as not heeding the warnings from those with greater knowledge than yours, plus a closing scene depicting a rather graphic and relatable (to me) scenario of what it’s like to go through a car accident and suddenly be thrust into a position where everything changes and you essentially have to relinquish control of self for a while.

So there’s a lot of depth to the show. Not bad for a half-hour animated series.

[Kchrpm]

I also liked What If ep 4 a lot, I enjoy that they're running with different ideas with this freedom they have.

Saw Shang-Chi tonight and enjoyed that. They did a good job making some complex characters on multiple sides, and the action scenes were mostly impressive but follow-able.

[Leon]

What we do in the shadows is back again, huzzah.

[sandydandy]

Watched Baby Driver. It was pretty good and quite funny.

Looking forward to watching Doctor Sleep later this month on Netflix. Apparently this is a 2019 sequel to The Shining. I had absolutely no clue this even existed. I can't believe I totally missed it. There must be some Mandela Effect shit going on in the world. :lol:

[dodint]

It's pretty decent. I knew it was coming on account of having read the book a few years ago.

Speaking of sneaky sequels, there are two sequels to A Time To Kill in books, but I don't know that they're going to be made into movies.

[Kchrpm]

Watched "The Half Of It" on Netflix, which is a mixture of Cyrano Debergerac, 80s movies, and queer love story. It was fun to point out the silly choices in addition to just enjoying the movie.

[Phil_SS]

There a host of great 70's and 80's movies that became available on Netflix and Amazon this past month. I watch Predator the other night, I'm about half way through Predator 2.

I started watching Smokey and the Bandit with my daughter, we are about half through and she likes it. I told her she has to watch it because it was/is my favorite movie from my childhood. I can still recite every line. No, i don't care if it gets non-PC on occasion.

[Leon]

Only Murders in the Building.

Properly exceeded expectations.

[sandydandy]

Finally got around to watching The Thing (1982). It was pretty good. Felt like Alien.

Will watch the 2011 movie soon. I thought that was a remake but apparently it's a prequel.

[JoeW]

New What If?

Jeez these guys are really reaching now…

[George]

My daughter has been enjoying The Simpsons reruns lately. My son watches occasionally, but he doesn't seem to be as into it as she is. There's a cable channel that plays reruns all the time and they're also on one of the streaming services. My wife and I have been drawn to the TV like moths to a flame whenever it's on lately. We loved that show for many years and have been enjoying some good laughs, reminders of how inappropriate some of the stuff on that show was then and still is today, and also having some nostalgic sadness about how much time has passed, such as seeing Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz again and realizing Phil Hartman has been gone for 23 years.

Recently we saw the episode with the neighborhood garage sale that introduced Disco Stu and had Homer on a table singing "Hey big spender, buy this blender!" and other sales pitches set to the tune of "Stayin' Alive". I thought that one was about as funny as it got, but then the next four or five episodes we saw (not necessarily in order) were just as good, if not better. What a great show that was...and maybe still is, but somewhere along the way, we just stopped tuning in on Sunday evenings at 7:00. It was probably when we became parents and some things we used to have time for kind of got shoved aside. In some ways, we have never recovered, and having tons of leisure time to watch TV is one of those things that changed along the way. No regrets; just making an observation.

Anyway, I got to thinking about the Simpsons episode in which they parody the Planet Of The Apes and realized the kids haven't seen that movie yet. I saw it on TV when I was about their age and I had no idea about the ending, so I got the full impact of it as the movie makers intended. I wanted them to have that same experience before they read about it on the internet, so we watched Planet Of The Apes from 1968 this weekend.

My son loved it and wants to see more. My daughter enjoyed it also, but afterwards she said she figured out the ending long before the movie was over. And I believe her; she's smart as a chimp! ;)

I still have the box set of the first five Apes movies my wife gave me many years ago. However, they're on VHS and I'm not sure if I can even connect our VCR to an HDTV, but we can always get them elsewhere. I do remember the second movie well - Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, which is about as...

dark and depressing...as a movie can get.

And that brings us to today's movie trivia question. I haven't searched for answers but did think of one and then one more just as I was about to post this reply.

What other movies end the same way as Beneath The Planet Of The Apes from 1970 does?

It occurs to me as I write this that I'm asking for spoilers. Hmm. Maybe I shouldn't. Anyway, my answers are below.


Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines


Finally, have do you guys have any comments on the more recent Apes movies? Are they worth the time to watch? I saw the first remake when it came out but I remember almost nothing about it.

[Kchrpm]

New What If?

Jeez these guys are really reaching now…

Yeah, they were going for a very specific genre, and they hit all the tropes pretty well I think.

[MR2 Fan]

watched Shang-Chi...really enjoyed it. As a mostly uneducated wsterner's perspective it FELT like a lot of authentic Chinese stuff in it. Fight scenes were glorious...had some very similar vibes to "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in parts.

A few surprises and would watch it again just for the fight scenes

[JoeW]

Saw Schumacher. Pretty good stuff.

[sandydandy]

I watched Higher Learning over the weekend. Nice blast from the past. This version I saw had an extended love scene with Jennifer Connelly and Kristy Swanson. I used to have this movie on VHS and don't recall their intimate scene being more than just a kiss. The movie is generally well acted, but has way too many social issues that are crammed together. Sadly, all those issues are still relevant today, and some have even gotten worse.

Looking forward to watching Doctor Sleep this evening. I fear I might be building up my expectations a bit too high, as sequels generally suck. But this one is actually rated highly, and I already love the subject matter.

[drew]

We just started watching Vikings. Think we're only 5-6 episodes in. I heard "it's like GoT, with Vikings, but no dragons", I'll call BS on that, as I've not see a single titty yet.

I watched Schumacher on Sunday. It was profoundly sad. Especially when I was explaining to her what the significance was of the highlighted races/dates. Particularly, when "May 1, 1994 - Imola" came onto the screen....

[sandydandy]

I see ads for Vikings on Facebook all the time. Maybe I'll check it out.


I've not see a single titty yet. :(

[George]

I caught a little bit of two episodes of Muhammad Ali by Ken Burns the last two nights on PBS.

The episodes can be streamed for free at the link below.

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/muhammad-ali/

[lostnight]

Yeah, just watched Schumacher yesterday morning, pretty decent, a downer though, but still pretty good. That, and some rare ESPN recent coverage of F1 makes me want to get up early Sunday morning to watch the Russian GP.

[JoeW]

Vikings was fantastic but it was on History channel. Lots of gore but no real serious nudity that I remember. Great show though.

[drew]

Vikings was fantastic but it was on History channel. Lots of gore but no real serious nudity that I remember. Great show though.

Ah, that's right. It wasn't a Netflix original. So much for tits. COme to think of it, there is a very obvious lack of colorful language. I've not heard "cunt" once.

[JoeW]

The Netflix original in the same vein is called The Last Kingdom. It is also excellent.

Vikings has some nudity but not the wanton nudity of GoT.

[sandydandy]

Doctor Sleep was really great. Top notch.

[speedpimp]

GOT's greatest scene is in the brothel while Little Finger gives his soliloquy.

Still working my way through The Sopranos for a second time. Even better than I remember it.

Brand New Cherry Flavor on Netflix. WTMFFMF? All I can say is kittens.

[dodint]

I am trying to watch Friday Night Lights (the TV show, not the movie) on Netflix but it's not very good.

[JoeW]

Foundation is amazing so far. First two episodes are top notch.

[Leon]

Foundation is amazing so far. First two episodes are top notch.

I am still having mixed feelings about it, probably because I adore the books, and I think they have perhaps for me, gone too far in their attempts to inject action and jeopardy into what was a gently paced book series. The regendering doesn't worry me, but the change of pace is throwing me off what I thought would be a story, rather than a thrill ride.

[Leon]

Only Murders in the Building.

So good. Hopefully they don't drop the ball in the payoff...

[sandydandy]

Watched the latest episodes of Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring.

The plane ride from hell episode was insane. The Chris Kanyon episode was pretty depressing.

[Tom Servo]

Started watching Only Murders In The Building. I expected to like it because of Steve Martin and dislike it because of Martin Short and Selena Gomez. Happy to say so far I really like it.

[Leon]

Ted Lasso is just going from strength to strength. The last couple of episodes have been emotionally draining, and also so good.

[speedpimp]

Only Murders is amazing.
While watching the Dynamite Kid episode of DSOTR I was amused at how easily his ex-wife slipped into/out of his accent.

[Kchrpm]

Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It had some good ideas, but not enough, and kind of lazily threw together a bunch of stuff.

[sandydandy]

I skipped the first Venom movie. Was it worth watching?

Trying to get into Squid Game, but it's hard reading subtitles and fiddling with the phone at the same time.

[speedpimp]

First Venom was decent, me bruv.

[Dicknose]

Trying to get into Squid Game, but it's hard reading subtitles and fiddling with the phone at the same time.

you dont have it dubbed?
I watched the first ep last night - just dont see the appeal

[sandydandy]

English dub option is there, but I never use it when watching foreign films/TV shows. I prefer listening to the foreign dialogue and reading the subtitles.

[Leon]

Only Murders is amazing.


Only Murders Episode 8 just dropped

[screaming]

[FaultyMario]

Maid. @7 out of 10 Eps.

[MR2 Fan]

Watched Squid Game- It's not a new idea but it's done quite well.

I got MAJOR Stanley Kubrick vibes from several parts and I'm sure that wasn't by accident on the creator/director's part.

Overall, I could see this kind of thing branching out to a larger storyline in multiple places with similar activities and some overarching secret organization

[George]

First Venom was decent, me bruv.

Watched it last night with my son. It's pretty enjoyable. No complaints.

We heard a sequel was coming out, and I didn't remember much from seeing the original with him when it was new. He wanted to see the original as a refresher before the sequel and so did I. It was my first modern Marvel movie with a Stan Lee cameo and the comic book opening graphics they stole from the 1980 Flash Gordon movie. :p

And, minutes ago, we just bought tickets online (what?) to see the sequel Saturday afternoon.

For any who haven't seen speedpimp's favorite movie, here's the "Marvel-esque" opening.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMMhwlABKwE

While looking for that, I found this. Old news to most of you guys, I'm sure, but there are still several I haven't seen yet.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj8UnKp2QVQ

[speedpimp]

George, dude, I dislike Flash Gordon with a serious passion. Haven't seen it in almost forty years and I never want to see it again.

[George]

Yeah, I remember you saying the recently when I mentioned watching it again after a very long time.

[Foghorn Leghorn]It, I say, it was a joke, son! :D

[Leon]

Foundation.

Really not sure about this one, I hope they are going to pivot the "magic" into "science" soon. Because to me, the Asimov Foundation books were at least at the start, about mathematics and the fall of the Roman Empire (only set in space). But now they have mysterious ghosts (?), a character who has some way of reading individual coin toss results, and a carpet chewing emperor (as compared to the books which barely touched on the individual emperors, really it was all about a dying empire seen from a vast distance).

[JoeW]

Having never read the Asimov series, I am unburdened. So on its own right now, I quite like it :)

[Leon]

Yup, watching without reading will be a very different experience!

[George]

My son just finished a collection of short stories by Isaac Asimov called 9 Tomorrows that he found on my paperback book shelf. This morning at breakfast he asked me if I have "the trilogy." I don't, but you can bet we'll be buying it soon.

He must have looked up Asimov online to learn about the Foundation series, or maybe his friends are school are talking about it if it's a TV series now. For a kid who I thought wasn't going to be a reader, unlike his sister, he sure has become a bookworm all of a sudden.

Yeah, I know this is the Watching thread and not the Reading thread, but I thought of the conversation above when he asked for more Asimov.

And in other Watching & Reading crossovers, this weekend I was watching The Simpsons with my daughter. Bart had to present a book review in class about Treasure Island. He obviously hadn't read it and improvised a bunch of silliness. When the show was over, I went downstairs and brought up my father's hardback copy of that book, printed in 1949, and told her the answer to Mrs. Krabappel's question was Long John Silver. She grabbed it and disappeared into her room, but not before asking if we could put the book jacket somewhere safe since it's so old. :up:

I had previously tried reading that book to my son when he was younger as a bedtime story, but he said it was too violent. :lol: Maybe he's ready for it now.

Sorry for all this boasting, but I'm really proud that my kids are reading books and don't always have phones in front of their faces.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp_EArT4H_E

Oh, and back on topic, my son and I saw the new Venom movie in the theatre this weekend. There were two other pairs of fathers & sons there and that was all. I thought the movie was great, and by that I mean the entire theatre experience, having not been inside one in a long time. I'm sure the movie can be picked apart by film critics, but we liked it.

As usual with Marvel movies (or at least most I've seen), when the credits start rolling...



...keep watching.

[SportWagon]

FWIW, a part of my childhood was the already-old-then Robert Newton Long John Silver series. You know, the origin of pirate-talking.

I have some DVDs of it.

[MR2 Fan]

saw the new "The Batman" trailer....people seemed to love it, but to me it's just another Batman movie trailer...seems to re-tread things done already.

[Leon]

Only Murders in the Building.

First season completed. Knocked it out of the park I reckon.