What are you watching?

[MR2 Fan]

So...the trailer is finally here, the movie version of our forum, ehm, I mean Gran Turismo.


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

[JoeW]

Watching BEEF...not my cup o tea. I made it to episode 6 and I'm just kinda bored with it all.

[sandydandy]

I keep hearing about this movie called Nefarious. I saw the trailer and it's about a guy on Deathrow claiming to be a demon. Critics hate it (33%), but the audience overwhelmingly loves it (97%). It's supposed to "red pill" the audience so I'm very intrigued, but can't seem to find the movie anywhere. It's not in theaters or any streaming platforms I use. Don't want to have to go to one of those illegitimate sites that attack your computer/phone with malicious software. Frustrating! :mad:

[speedpimp]

It's playing in theaters and gets a wider release around here this weekend, me bruv. Not sure about up there though.

[sandydandy]

Not playing anywhere here, bruv. I read that it was a limited release, but I’ll check again this weekend. Hopefully it shows up somewhere.

[Crazed_Insanity]

If the movie is a hit, I'm sure it'll eventually expand release to Canada! :p




So...the trailer is finally here, the movie version of our forum, ehm, I mean Gran Turismo.


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

This is the movie based on Cudaman, right?

[MR2 Fan]

we started a thread here and something about pants

http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?2156-The-movie-about-CudaMan-looks-like-pants-I-want-to-buy-tickets!

[Leon]

So...the trailer is finally here, the movie version of our forum, ehm, I mean Gran Turismo.


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

So it's basically Cuda's story, but with added bullshit?

[sandydandy]

I wonder if we’ll be featured in the GT movie as well. :P

Anyway, I started watching Vice’s Icons Unearthed: Marvel - which takes a look at the background and buildup of the MCU. I’ve only watched four episodes and it is fantastic. It’s sort of getting me back in the mood to rewatch the entire MCU.

Apparently there are other Icons Unearthed series as well - Star Wars, Simpsons and Fast & Furious, I believe. I only have access to the Marvel one, which is 8 episodes so far.

Vice makes a lot of really really good documentary series. See Dark Side of the Ring and Dark Side of the 90s.

[FaultyMario]

Shit that will get some guys fired from their jobs.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SSVIg4Noqc

[JoshInKC]

That's right, Frank Stallone!

[MR2 Fan]

I watched Guardians 3....great movie and sendoff of the Guardians.

Definitely a lot of feels going on, but also plenty of the types of jokes you can expect from a James Gunn/Guardians movie which is humor I really like

Rocket's friends dying was really sad, but I'm glad they had a "heaven" scene later

[JoeW]

Silo is great on Apple TV.

Big Door Prize is meh.

Citadel is decent on Amazon.

Watched Venom for the first time. Actually liked it. Had some really funny parts. This movie bumped to an R rating could give Deadpool a run for its money if done properly.

[sandydandy]

Watched GOTG 3 in the theater. I didn’t enjoy it much. The comedy was stale and action was repetitive and meaningless, and I just didn’t care about the plot…
…because I’ve never been a fan of Rocket Raccoon, so his backstory meant nothing to me.

I was also quite unimpressed with the characterizations of the High Evolutionary and Adam Warlock. One being portrayed as psychotic and the other a bozo. Not exactly what I recall from the comics. Warlock has always been one of my favorite characters, but his big screen debut made me want to puke.

The movie was way too long too. I kept waiting for it to end but it felt like it was going to go on forever. After it ended I finally left. Didn’t even stick around for the mid and post credits scenes, but I did see them on YouTube.

Maybe I’m finally burned out of MCU films.

I also watched the Kovak Box on Prime. It was a low energy and lazy ass “thriller”.

[sandydandy]

I watched a Spanish film called Mirage, (aka Durante la tormenta), on Netflix which had been sitting in my list for about four years. I loved it. It was a clever and satisfying thriller.

[speedpimp]

Florida Man. Slightly interesting but mostly meh.

[Leon]

Florida Man. Slightly interesting but mostly meh.

That's about how I felt about it as well. I couldn't quite work out what it was trying to be, either a comedy or a drama.

Ended up not really giving a damn about any of the protagonists, and only watched through to the end out of a sense of wanting completion.

[G'day Mate]

Australian Alone just had a good ending (IMO).

[Leon]

First couple of episodes of Mrs Davis
[brain explosions]

[George]

Finished El Camino and Better Call Saul.

Opinion, not plot spoilers below. But still, don't read if it you haven't seen the series.

BCS was great up until the final season. The ending was a real let-down. Ain't no way Slippin' Jimmy would have gone that way. I know these shows are about change, but that was too much.

He was a survivor, first and foremost.

We thoroughly enjoyed a show that has been running in prime time for the last couple weeks: Jeopardy: Masters. It had six big winners from recent years competing in hour-long shows with two games per episode. We are daily Jeopardy! watchers in this house. My wife and I still have the edge over our kids in the shout-out-the-answer department, but they are really coming along. In a couple of recent science categories - and others - they really impressed us with their knowledge and said, more than once, "we just learned this in school!" I think kids today just know more than we did at their ages.

Also Reggie, free on Amazon Prime, a documentary about Reggie Jackson. I was a fan as a kid. I was playing little league and collecting baseball cards when he became Mr. October. I'm sure my lifelong Yankees fan father would have had the World Series on TV in those years, back when there were only three or four channels on TV. It was fun to watch clips from that world series in the documentary and know I probably watched those games live. I also started wearing glasses around then. There weren't a lot of players who wore glasses on the field, but he did. I wasn't aware of the controversies about him nor the racism in America at the time. He was just a good player to me.

[JoeW]

D&D movie was great. So much better than expected.

[speedpimp]

That's about how I felt about it as well. I couldn't quite work out what it was trying to be, either a comedy or a drama.

Ended up not really giving a damn about any of the protagonists, and only watched through to the end out of a sense of wanting completion.

It comes off as a bootleg Fargo. It's not bad in any way, but it's just a Florida Fargo.

[Leon]

D&D movie was great. So much better than expected.

Agreed. As a D&D nerd, this pushed a lot of my buttons.

[JoeW]

Yeah D&D was a fun part of my life from 1980 up to about 2015. My kids aren’t interested and the group I played with most recently have all just drifted apart as we have passed 40+ with kids, work etc. But will never forget. Sold all my OG hardback manuals several years ago to collectors. Still have my personal character stuff and dice :)

Quantumania…it’s passable. When I used to collect comics and worked at a Comics store I never was connected to these characters. But the actors do a great job of keeping it light in the Ant Man movies so that offsets it a little bit.

[George]

Hope I haven't told this story before, but my next-door neighbor is really into D&D. He's 50-ish and plays with coworkers and his teenage son. He's a really handy guy (electrical engineer by profession) and he built a nice-looking large dining room table. It doesn't look "homemade" at all. There are hidden drawers that pop open at each seat for players to keep their stuff, and the top slides open like something in a James Bond villian's hideout to reveal either a large computer monitor or a TV facing up for everyone to see. Apparently he's the dungeon master and displays what he wants the players to see on the screen as they play.

That's a long way from books and dice and graph paper and pencils in the old days.

[Leon]

Yup, with digital mapping and so on now, you can if you want make a lot of use of multi media.
You can still also do everything on paper with pencils and random objects as the players and monsters.
D&D are building their own digital platform, having been buying up other companies with digital assets. However the company has burnt a LOT of bridges with their players of late, so it's hard to know how much buy in they will achieve.

[Tom Servo]

Just watched Death Promise. Blaxploitation to the point where the only black people in the movie get supporting roles, along with a ton of people desperately trying to be Bruce Lee. Truly awful, wonderful stuff.

[Leon]

Just slept through large sections of the new & Obelix movie (dubbed into English). Unfunny enough that I didn't so much as change expression once (while I was awake anyway).
Pretty average.

[sandydandy]

Watched Unthinkable (2010) last night. Quite intense.


I keep hearing about this movie called Nefarious. I saw the trailer and it's about a guy on Deathrow claiming to be a demon. Critics hate it (33%), but the audience overwhelmingly loves it (97%). It's supposed to "red pill" the audience so I'm very intrigued, but can't seem to find the movie anywhere. It's not in theaters or any streaming platforms I use. Don't want to have to go to one of those illegitimate sites that attack your computer/phone with malicious software. Frustrating! :mad: Finally going to watch Nefarious tonight. There’s one theater - one - in all of Toronto that’s playing this, and it’s all the way downtown. Looks like a small seedy place, but whatever. Next closest theater playing this is west about 45 minutes away.

Last weekend it was playing at a small theater just 10 minutes north of me at 1:00 in the afternoon, but I couldn’t go because it was my niece’s birthday. That theater has since dropped the movie.

[JoeW]

So I started watching American Born Chinese on Disney….5hrs later and I’m still watching. It’s really quite good. In many different ways.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Wonder if my kid would enjoy American Born Chinese since that's what she is... :p

Anyway, I know I'm probably way late, but just finished watching Designated Survivor. It's kinda interesting that it touched on so many topics and seemingly also very prophetic considering it's release date...

I guess the moral of the story is that we shouldn't vote for politicians who actually 'want' the job? Once they actually want to keep their the jobs regardless of party affiliation, they inevitably become full of shit?

[MR2 Fan]

Finished El Camino and Better Call Saul.

Opinion, not plot spoilers below. But still, don't read if it you haven't seen the series.

BCS was great up until the final season. The ending was a real let-down. Ain't no way Slippin' Jimmy would have gone that way. I know these shows are about change, but that was too much.

He was a survivor, first and foremost.



I've watched Breaking Bad (for the first time!), El Camino and just finished Better Call Saul over the past 2 months.

El Camino just felt like a 2 hour episode of Breaking Bad to me. I liked Breaking Bad but it wasn't "ZOMG BEST SHOW EVER!!!" territory for me.

I agree with George and while a lot of the show was good, some of it was dragged too long IMO (especially the things with his brother)

I enjoyed the other stuff with the Salamancas and of course Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring...I wish he was the one who got the spin-off show so we could see a lot more of the dealings with that part, but we did get a lot. I love every time Giancarlo Esposito plays a role like that, but I think Gus Fring is my favorite.

The other thing I wasn't a big fan of were the numerous times they jumped to a black and white story for Saul that you couldn't really tell if it was in the past or the future...most of it was pretty mundane.

[George]

I think Gus Fring is my favorite.

Gus was fascinating. He, along with...

Marco, Flynn, Skinny Pete (in El Camino), and especially Mike were my favorite characters.

And I know we're not supposed to like Walt, but I did.

I liked the criminal stuff in both series. A lot of it was as good as any Tarantino movie or .

It was the family stuff - husband/wife/kids/romantic interests/brothers/in-laws - that made both series difficult to watch, I thought.

And I can just see some TV/movie professor asking his students to explain the significance of...

...the elderly in retirement homes in both series.

I don't claim to know, but I imagine the academics who study such things have theories.

[i]"What message was the writer trying to convey in this scene?"

Edited to add, after further reflection:

Maybe "You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. This is where you end up if you're lucky. Or, if you're not lucky."

[MR2 Fan]

Yeah Mike was also a great character who was complex and interesting

[G'day Mate]

Last night I finished watching that film "Whiplash", which was really good. Then I decided to try the complete opposite and watched "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga" and it was soooooooooooooooooo good.

[George]

I confess I'm up too late, running on not much sleep this week, and I've had at least a couple beers, but one more thought on Gus, if I may:

If BB and BCS were Star Trek series, Gus would be...

...half Vulcan and half Klingon.

[sandydandy]

Been watching a lot of restoration videos on YouTube lately. Guns, knives, cleavers, axes, etc. It’s quite satisfying to watch and also addicting. I’m told a lot of them are fake, but they look pretty legit to me.

[Tom Servo]

Just saw "Big Shark" with director, writer, and star Tommy Wiseau in attendance. It was surprisingly light on the big shark.

[Leon]

Is anyone really enjoying Fubar? I've watched a few episodes, but I can't really get too excited about it.

Rewatching Community instead.

[Tom Servo]

I haven't watched, but did read some reviews. They mostly boiled down to "why does this exist, and how can we make it so it doesn't?"

[pl8ster]

Late to the party, just got Hulu in April and have watched Letterkenny through four times, currently on my fifth watch-through. I like Shoresy and have watched that through a couple of times, but I like LK better.

At some point, I'm going to make the 13-hour drive to Sudbury to see the filming locations.

[sandydandy]

Started watching Secret Invasion but couldn't get through the first episode because...
...my experience was soured in the first few minutes with the revelation of Everett Ross being a Skrull. Really, why? :mad:

I was instantly turned off after that.
*sigh*

I'll eventually get around to watching.

[speedpimp]

Watched Renfield and Evil Dead Rise. Great movies, especially Renfield.

[MR2 Fan]

Watched the first episode of Secret Invasion and went just about how I'd expect, nothing ground breaking....I might be getting over my MCU enthusiasm

[MR2 Fan]

Sorry, this was in response to sandydandy's thoughts on Episode 1 of Secret Invasion

it might not be THE Everett Ross though

[JoeW]

Wow the Silo just mindfucked me. Brilliant show.

[Kchrpm]

I have liked the first two episodes of Secret Invasion, I'm not over my enthusiasm. The talk between Rhodey and Fury was excellent.

[JoeW]

Yeah the Fury talk was great. Nobody does it better than Samuel Jackson. Dude just oozes charisma. I bet he got a lot of his inspiration from John Amos. Another powerful and charismatic actor.

[JoeW]

Not sure if any of you watched Warrior on HBO but season 3 is out and it’s awesome.

[sandydandy]

Sorry, this was in response to sandydandy's thoughts on Episode 1 of Secret Invasion

it might not be THE Everett Ross though Ok I need to get back to watching Secret Invasion. I’ll do it soon.

In the meantime I watched a good foreign film and TV show recently. A Korean film called Forgotten and a Thai series called Delete. Both were very cleverly done and quite excellent.

[Cam]

Just got out of the latest Mission: Impossible movie. Despite some contrived bits, I was entertained.

[Leon]

Goodwood FOS livestream on YouTube. So good ... so much car porn.

[sandydandy]

I watched a lot of the highlights. Exciting stuff. Sad that the weather isn’t cooperating, leading to today’s run being cancelled. Hopefully it continues tomorrow.

[Kchrpm]

Just got out of the latest Mission: Impossible movie. Despite some contrived bits, I was entertained.

I enjoyed it, too, though it didn't push all the buttons. I liked the concept and many of the stunts, but something I can't really put my finger on didn't work.

[JoshInKC]

I watched The Flash. It's mystifying how the cgi can still look like hammered crap when the movie has been finished shooting and in post-production for literally years now. The only thing I enjoyed about it was Michael Keaton Batman.

[Cam]

We just saw Barbie. It was cute, wacky fun. Some macho bros are going to be mad tho.

[dodint]

Too late.

[JSGeneral]

https://youtu.be/_NFBpoD6jcw

Are you not entertained? I am.

[George]

If anyones cares, Patton is free with ads on YouTube currently. I've seen it a couple times before, but not in many years.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6AaLxv5B0E

[Tom Servo]

Not sure if it's worth pulling up the sportsball thread, but the world cup has been great so far. Italy v. Argentina was one of the most physical matches I've seen, and there have been some great late goals in others. We've been having a neighbor over to watch recorded matches, it's been a great time.

[sandydandy]

Watched On The Line. I thought it was pretty good. I was quite surprised to see it rated so low.
Maybe it has to do with Mel Gibson, I thought his image was rehabilitated by now. Still I recommend checking it out.

[Kchrpm]

Just watched Barbie. Liked it a lot. Very silly, very fun, but also a great message that was well delivered. Having to toe the line to keep Mattel on board was a little strange, but because so much of the movie was strange it worked.

[pl8ster]

First episode of the new Black Mirror season was universally liked at my house.

[Drachen596]

This last week I saw the following.

Transformers. Quite enjoyed it but it makes the old movies kind of messy for timeline.

Fast X - enjoyed it for the action sequences being over the top as is Jason Momoas evil guy.

Redfield- this has Nic Cage as Dracula. Over the top violence and a weird set of relationship drama going on. I'd watch it again.

[JSGeneral]

I'm 2 episodes in of the new Twisted Metal series... and hooked!

Some writer really knows how to bring the nostalgia. The characters are well developed... (holy shit, Sweettooth!) The action/violence is over-the-top, but somehow relatable to those of us who played the game. The sets are better than any John Carpenter post-apocalypse. The acting is aces with a great cast. Anthony Mackey is NOT from the MCU in this. The story is compelling too, even for a video-game-show... with a heavy dose of humor throughout.

[speedpimp]

Watched On The Line. I thought it was pretty good. I was quite surprised to see it rated so low.
Maybe it has to do with Mel Gibson, I thought his image was rehabilitated by now. Still I recommend checking it out.

Rehabilitated? No, but he will get work because he's a good actor and can draw people in, but he'll always have that stink on him for that stupid shit he said.

Have you seen Dragged Across Concrete, me bruv? It's good, and it doesn't seem like it's two and a half hours long.

[FaultyMario]

Thanks to Bruno, I've learnt that the eponymous character fro Rick and Morty shares his last name with us.

[Dicknose]

First episode of the new Black Mirror season was universally liked at my house.
Joan is Awful - was great.
Demon 79 was good, but was a bit off topic.

We started watching Arnold on Netflix, interesting although I knew quite a bit of his backstory.

[Tom Servo]

This Fool is back on Hulu for season 2, so pretty excited for that.

[JoshInKC]

This Fool is back on Hulu for season 2, so pretty excited for that.

Started it last night - 1st 3 eps at least are even better than the first season. Very funny.

[Tom Servo]

Started it last night - 1st 3 eps at least are even better than the first season. Very funny.

Just finished ep3, crying laughing.

[JoeW]

Watched 65…terrible.

[sandydandy]

Rehabilitated? No, but he will get work because he's a good actor and can draw people in, but he'll always have that stink on him for that stupid shit he said.

Have you seen Dragged Across Concrete, me bruv? It's good, and it doesn't seem like it's two and a half hours long. Thanks for the recommendation, me bruv. I've added it to my list.

Started watching a way back blast from the past. Belle and Sebastian. A cartoon from the 80's that I used to watch every day as a kid. It's actually a Japanese anime, but set in the Pyrenees mountains, as it follows a lonely kid who befriends a big white dog and goes off searching for his mother all across Spain, while at the same time avoiding dangers and enjoying other adventures. I remember it had so much heart, so I'm really looking forward to going through this. I've only watched a couple of episodes so far.

Here's the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkvoV8pk5KQiGqwQTdJDWK2uqdk5IGRkv

[sandydandy]

Been watching Dark Side of the Ring season 4. Latest episode was Bash at the Beach 2000, which was an absolute clusterfuck. The episode made me look at Vince Russo in a different light. Maybe he wasn’t the chief villain of WCW after all. Okay he was clearly one of the key contributors to the ultimate demise of the promotion, but this episode made it clear that there was an obviously bigger cancer in the organization, and that was Hulk Hogan.

I miss WCW…when it was good. 1996-98.

[speedpimp]

Brother, the Hulkster had "Creative Control", brother, and he doesn't do jobs, brother. The only person he ever laid down for was Bubba The Love Sponge's wife, borther, me bruv.
I'll catch it when it hits Hulu.

Been watching a lot different stuff lately. Series wise it's been finishing up Hijack, Physical & Jack Ryan. Been catching What We Do In The Shadows as the episodes air.
The newest season of It's Always Sunny... was good, it seemed like it was missing something. I loved this season of The Righteous Gemstones.

When it comes to movies I watched Unwelcome and it was excellent.

[George]

If anyones cares, Patton is free with ads on YouTube currently. I've seen it a couple times before, but not in many years.

I have never heard of this movie until this morning, but apparently George C. Scott played Patton again in a sequel called The Last Days of Patton. It also is free with ads on YouTube now. I imagine it's a stinker if I never heard of it, but I'll probably give it a try in the near future.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guIXz0ToGwA

[FaultyMario]

Michael Mann - 1995 - Heat.

[speedpimp]

Physical and The After Party on Apple+.
New seasons of Only Murders In The Building and Reservation Dogs are so far, so good.
Justified: City Primeval is really good. It's lost a step since the series ended and really needs Walton Goggins.

[JoshInKC]

I haven't started the new seasons of AfterParty and Only Murders yet, Res Dogs is still maybe the best show on tv.
Agree about Justified - if you need a goggins fix, the just ended season of Righteous Gemstones should fix you right up.

[George]

I have never heard of this movie until this morning, but apparently George C. Scott played Patton again in a sequel called The Last Days of Patton. It also is free with ads on YouTube now. I imagine it's a stinker if I never heard of it, but I'll probably give it a try in the near future.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guIXz0ToGwA

I had reason to be up most of the night a couple nights ago and managed to get through this movie. It was a made for TV movie from 1986, so George C. Scott was sixteen years older than in the original movie. That was a little odd, since the movie takes place just weeks after the first movie. But, he carried the movie. Scott was as good as expected. He was Patton again, if a little softer and fatter.

The rest of it, though, was...

...mediocre. The first half was pretty decent, but the second half got very slow and boring.

Missing was the grand landscape shots and huge battle scenes of the original, with dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops in battle, with airplanes flying over and tons of vehicles everywhere. It also had the earmarks of a 1980s made for TV movie, such as men wearing big 1980s-style eyeglasses in a movie set in 1945 and the obvious lack of a military advisor. Soldiers and officers were wearing hats indoors and saluting while passing each other in indoor hallways and had non-regulation haircuts, for the most part. The scenes with a stationary military formation were sloppy. At least once, they did an about-face while at right shoulder arms. And coming to right shoulder arms instead of present arms to welcome the commanding general? Tsk, tsk.

The YouTube movie was obviously converted from VHS tape as well. But, for a history fan like myself who appreciates the nostalgic fuzziness of video tape and enjoyed the original movie and knows Patton's tragic end, it was alright, as far as late-night movies go. Watch it if you have lots of spare time, but fast forward once you see a scene or two with him in the hospital bed to the last five or ten minutes of the movie and call it done.

[speedpimp]

I haven't started the new seasons of AfterParty and Only Murders yet, Res Dogs is still maybe the best show on tv.
Agree about Justified - if you need a goggins fix, the just ended season of Righteous Gemstones should fix you right up.

Watched it. He is one of the highlights of the show. It was good seeing Steve Zahn and Kristen Johnson in something.

[JoshInKC]

I've been muttering "Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers" under my breath over and over again since the season started.

[SportWagon]

"Rust Valley Restorers" has become my new show to watch.

It takes place in the interior of BC, mostly pretty much halfway between Kamloops and Revelstoke, somewhere near Shuswap Lake. A Strava friend bicycles roughly near there, though more down to the Penticton area.

I was going to say my new Mythbusters, but it's a different genre. It's a male-bonding reality show thinly disguised as a show about restoring old cars. Hmm. Maybe it does have some Mythbusters dynamic to it.

[sandydandy]

I watched the latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring, focusing on Marty Jannetty. Honestly, it was underwhelming. I didn't care much for this guy during his wrestling years, and this episode made me care about him even less.

Also watched Nobody starring Bob Odenkirk. It was weird watching him portray someone else besides Saul Goodman. Overall it was a fun film.

[Godson]

I watched the original DUNE movie about 4 months back. I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it.

I watched the new version of it and I was blown away at how well it was done up. The scapes were gorgeous, the ships were impressively futuristic but not over done.

I feel like I'm starting to circle the drain on total immersion of all things dune.

[Godson]

Watched 65…terrible.
It was borderline entertaining.

Not good. Just entertaining.

The typical Hollywood BS really ruined the overall possibility of the movie being actually good.

But when I look back at it, it's a movie about humans landing on earth 65 million years ago, so it won't be great to begin with...

[JoshInKC]

The strange thing about 65 is their decision to say "Well, Jurassic Park has always done dinosaurs real well, I dunno if we can compete with them. So what if we just go with some weird lizard creatures instead of real-looking dinosaurs?"
It also just wasn't a great movie.

[sandydandy]

I watched the movie ReSet on Prime Video. I thought it was a pretty decent thriller. Sort of like Source Code and other similarly themed movies I’ve seen.

[George]

The American Buffalo by Ken Burns. (https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-american-buffalo/) I stumbled upon it tonight on PBS. It's also streaming free online at that link.

[G'day Mate]

Recently, while recovering from hospital, I watched all of a show called “Breaking Bad”

[MR2 Fan]

Watched the full season of Secret Invasion...it never got better :|

[sandydandy]

Watched the full season of Secret Invasion...it never got better :| Well that sucks. I actually forgot about it. I'll eventually get around to watching it.

I recently watched the Devil on Trial, which was quite creepy.

[MR2 Fan]

Yeah, this screencrush video breaks it down really well and apparently according to rumors they had to re-shoot a lot of it due to external political factors (Ukraine invasion being a topic of the original plot and filmed before it happened IRL)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9juNayPwXIo

The problem is it was mostly just...boring and derivative. IMO Deep Space 9 did a much better job at the "earth invasion" plot

[SportWagon]

The History channel here seems to have started cablecasting many of its reality shows in my area in such a manner that I do not get any voice sound track. Saves me a bunch of time when I just skim through the programs and delete them without really watching.

[George]

I confess some of the "docu-dramas" on the History Channel are a guilty pleasure. Shows such as "The Food That Built America" and "The Cars That Made America", in which they have actors portraying businessmen plotting and planning about how to get and stay on top in developing markets, aren't as bad I would have assumed.

One thing that's obvious is the lack of wardrobe changes among the actors in these shows. They'll show a story spanning some years, usually, but in every scene the actors wear the same clothes. I figure they film all that stuff in one day to save money and then edit it accordingly.

[dodint]

For me, it's Air Disasters. The acting and sets are pretty cheesy, but they do a good job telling the stories. Each one is basically a one-hour mystery with an aviation setting. I'll watch one after work before cooking dinner to kind of unwind from the intense world of cyber security policy writing. ;)

[Kchrpm]

I believe my uncle is a character in some show like Air Disasters, if not being a talking head expert, since he worked for the FAA and similar.

[G'day Mate]

I watched Goodfellas for the first time in probably 15 years last night. So good :up:

[dodint]

I believe my uncle is a character in some show like Air Disasters, if not being a talking head expert, since he worked for the FAA and similar.

You have an UNCLE!?!?!?!?!

[sandydandy]

Yeah, this screencrush video breaks it down really well and apparently according to rumors they had to re-shoot a lot of it due to external political factors (Ukraine invasion being a topic of the original plot and filmed before it happened IRL)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9juNayPwXIo

The problem is it was mostly just...boring and derivative. IMO Deep Space 9 did a much better job at the "earth invasion" plot I'm going to skip watching that until I've watched the actual series. I'm not too excited to watch, but it feels like an obligation at this point. I can remember way back to 2008 when they did the Secret Invasion comic series, (written by Brian Michael Bendis), and how excited I was for it, and how it was complete let down. I remember running to the comic store at noon when they opened to pick up the final issue. I was travelling that day and read the issue a few hours later on the plane. I can't remember much right now except that it was terrible.


I recently watched the Devil on Trial, which was quite creepy. Just to follow up on this in case anybody watched it. It was really interesting how......they kind of exposed how devious Ed and Lorraine Warren were in their business practices. It makes perfect sense how they could feed the kid suggestive lines to make him believe he was possessed by a demon. The fact that the irritated father could walk into the room and yell at the kid to shut up, and have the "demon" comply as well, was very telling.

Not saying this demon/devil/supernatural shit is all fake...some of it might be true...but the Warrens, definitely highly suspicious.

[George]

Coming to Amazon Prime on December 15th, for the Jack Reacher fan(s) here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC-rRhQcnlI

Unrelated to S2 of the Reacher TV series, I'm halfway through the latest (audio)book, No Plan B. It reminds me of the good ones in the first half or two-thirds of the novels, before Lee Child's brother Andrew Child started writing them. The last few have seemed rather bland and not quite right.

Reacher is more in character this time and, while it's obvious Andrew is mining the classic bits from Lee's earlier work, such as his habits and personality and laconic style, it's working. Of course, that's part of the appeal. I've compared him before to James Bond, and I still think that's true. We watch Bond movies to see all the boxes checked off with the things we enjoy about the character. The development of the story and the mystery that's unfolding is usually better than the eventual assault on the bad guy's fortified compound near the end of most Reacher novels and Bond movies.

I had to chuckle at this occurrence in the latest book...

Reacher beats up two bad guys behind a truck stop and knocks them out cold. Then, of course, he takes their cash, but he also takes off their pants, ties them up, smashes the cell phones they've been using to keep in touch with their boss, and then stuffs them in the luggage compartment of a nearby parked passenger bus. Finally, he breaks the handles off the compartments, so they can't be opened easily. Classic Reacher. :lol:

Now, if they could just get a better audiobook reader than Scott Brick, I'd be really happy. Sadly, Dick Hill, who to me WAS Reacher, has passed away.

[sandydandy]

I watched a few films over the weekend.

Old - interesting movie that keeps you hooked, but falls a bit short of Shyamalan's previous greatness. Still worth checking out.

Fair Play - intense thriller with raunchy dialogue. Overall it was pretty decent.

Veronica - Spanish horror movie. I tried getting into this before when there was hype around it a few years ago, as it was being touted as "the scariest movie on Netflix". I won't call it the scariest, but it's definitely a cut above standard horror flicks that rely solely on jump scares. The buildup of dread was genuine, and so the few jump scares it did have didn't feel cheap.

Now I'm looking to watch Sister Death this week. The trailer creeps me out, but I keep watching it. It's a prequel to Veronica.

[MR2 Fan]

Might go watch The Marvels next weekend, but not surprised about the crap first weekend sales.

I think there's a few points regarding not promoting the movie since the strike just ended, no huge stakes involved like the first Captain Marvel movie, a lot of people didn't know the other two characters and............a lot of people hate this point but........Brie Larson just isn't very likeable by a lot of people including me, and it has nothing to do with her comments about critics etc.. I just don't think her acting was good in the first Captain Marvel movie and just comes across as fake to me.

There's many other actresses they could have chosen IMO.

[dodint]

I enjoyed Old. It was interesting watching the kids grow up knowing mentally they're still kids (morons) but having to cope with having adult bodies (and choices).

[speedpimp]

Watched The Killer over the weekend and really enjoyed it. It's a slow burn, but it's worth the wait.

[JoshInKC]

I liked it quite a bit.

[Tom Servo]

The Chow Yun-Fat movie?

[JoshInKC]

That too! Though it's prob been 25 years since I saw it.
I was talking about the new David Fincher film starring micheal fassbender that premiered on netflix this last weekend.

[MR2 Fan]

so it's not based on the John Woo movie? lame

[speedpimp]

The Chow Yun-Fat movie?

No. David Fincher's new movie. It's based on a French graphic novel called(wait for it....)The Killer.

[Phil_SS]

Reacher Season 2! Woot!

I started watching a Documentary on the 2009 Brawn GP season. It's on Hulu, called Brawn - the Impossible Formula 1 Story. Pretty dang good. Keanu Reaves is the investigator reporter and I love his style. :D

[Tom Servo]

Oh awesome, when I first heard about that it sounded like it was headed to Disney+, which I don't have. Looking forward to watching that.

[sandydandy]

Watched Sister Death, it was okay. Not as scary as I thought, or hoped, it would be. Maybe I set my expectations too high.

Also watched Locked In with the still very lovely Famke Janssen. It wasn’t really that great, but not nearly as bad as its RT rating would suggest. I’d say it was passable and worth a watch.

[George]

I stumbled upon a documentary called Grant on Amazon Prime.

All I really, specifically, know about him - other than who he was in as someone from history class - is from Ron Chernow's book of the same name. Turns out Chernow and a bunch college professors provide the color commentary. I am really enjoying this 3-episode series. I'm halfway through it now.

Highly recommended for those who like hte History Channel's way of telling stories.

[sandydandy]

I watched Smile. It was quite creepy and lived up to the trailer. Thought it was great. Kind of felt like a combination of The Ring and It Follows. I was pleased to learn that a sequel is in the works.

[sandydandy]

I watched The Stranger. Truly a masterpiece by Joel Edgerton. Nail-biting, nerve-wracking, intense drama that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most part. I have to highly recommend this. Based on a true story.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Just finished watching the 4 episode mini-series "all the light we cannot see" on Netflix. We only watched it because wife and I both love Hugh Laurie, but later found out the series was really well made, with a very hopeful story in the midst of a screwed up world...

Anyway, the amazing part I found out later is that the show actually cast real blind actresses to play the blind characters! It's amazing how talented these 1st timer actresses are... wish Netflix could make the series a bit longer! :p

[sandydandy]

Watched a few movies this past weekend that were kinda hit or miss.

The Silencing with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Critics gave it a crazy low score of 20% on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience gave it a whopping 90%, probably only because of the lead actor. I’d give it a solid 65%.

Neon Lights - it was a little weird and predictable, but not the worst movie I’ve seen.

Compulsion - this one featured Heather Graham, who I hadn’t seen in decades. The movie itself wasn’t that great, but I thought her acting was. I remember her as Mercedes from License to Drive in 1989. I don’t think I’ve seen any of her other movies.

[speedpimp]

You've never seen Drugstore Cowboy or Boogie Nights, me bruv?

[sandydandy]

Haven’t seen those, me bruv. I actually do remember seeing her in Scream 2 at the beginning as the Stab version of Drew Barrymore’s character.

[JSGeneral]

She was fantastic in a small part in Swingers as well.


I recently saw Godzilla Minus One in theater. I cannot recommend this movie enough. Go see it. It'll be the best movie you'll see all year. (Yes, I'm serious.)

[Tom Servo]

I have seen a ton of people saying the same about Godzilla Minus One. I have not seen it myself, but I have no doubt you're serious after all the other praise I've seen.

[speedpimp]

Last night I watched Fool's Paradise. Charlie Day wrote, directed and stars in it. It's a great little movie about lookalikes.

[dodint]

I went and watched the 4K remaster of The Abyss at a movie theater on Wednesday. Had to go to the next county over to do so, but it was worth it. The transfer wasn't as spectacular as I thought it would be, but it was great to get to sit and enjoy one of my favorite movies of all time in a full theater environment.

The story is straightforward but it's a master class in suspense. The action pieces have a purpose which I think is missing from a lot of modern films in the same genre (Fast/Furious, Transformers, etc.)

[Rare White Ape]

I re-watched season 1 of Altered Carbon recently. Following this, I watched (for the first time) season 2 of the same show.

Season 1 is a banger. Season 2 is still good, but lands differently. The vibe is very much the same, but the impact is lessened by the change of location and lead actor.

[Tom Servo]

The Abyss is definitely an underrated movie. Haven't watched it in a while, I need to change that.

[Cam]

I planned to go to The Abyss on Wed. but got very sick this week. It was a one-night-only thing, right? I missed my chance.

[sandydandy]

I don’t think I’ve ever watched the Abyss. I might have seen parts of it on TV a long time ago. Now I’m kind of interested.

[Tom Servo]

Rewatching Flight of the Conchords.

"Did you use protection?" "Yes, but only on my penis."

[dodint]

I don’t think I’ve ever watched the Abyss. I might have seen parts of it on TV a long time ago. Now I’m kind of interested.

The 4K remaster hits streaming on the 12th. They're releasing it on physical media in March as well.

I have it on DVD but that's like so 2003.

[George]

:twitch:

[George]

Once Upon A Time In America is free with ads on YouTube right now. I started watching it in a little window on one of my monitors while working a couple days ago but got completely sucked in and had to start over and give it my full attention over the last couple of late nights.

It is long (3'49"!) and very violent at times. The story is intense and powerful and most of the acting is very good.

Recommended for those who like gangster movies, can stomach violence against women (I was disgusted, but got through it), and have a whole lot of time to watch it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXdSN57UDHg

There's also an Easter Egg in the excellent soundtrack, I noticed. I was disappointed there's no mention of it at www.imdb.com.

Unless I've gone tone-deaf, a popular and appropriate song from the 1960s was rearranged as a quiet jazz instrumental and played in a prohibition-era speakeasy. I think I heard it at other times in the movie as well, as just a faint theme that I was barely aware of.

It was directed by Sergio Leone. Music by Ennio Morricone. I think it's safe to assume Quentin Tarantino has seen this one.

[speedpimp]

I've got OUATIA on bluray. Great movie. I saw the trailer for it right before a showing of Ghostbusters during the summer of '84. Apparently the theatrical release was cut WAY down from Leone's original cut.
If you like the Man With No Name movies then check out Once Upon A Time In The West. You get Henry Fonda as the villain, Charles Bronson and a whole bunch of other stuff.

[MR2 Fan]

I finally watched "The Creator" which I was hoping to see in theaters but couldn't get to it. I really enjoyed it, however I do need to watch it again as I was multi-tasking and not really focused on it. This movie also should be on a big screen as the visuals are stunning and CGI is amazing....all for a total cost of $80 million. It's sad that it didn't make much in the box office, but it does show that even high quality CG fest movies can be made way cheaper (relatively speaking).

The storyline isn't exactly that unique, but the way it's told was good along with real location filming for much of it and the acting was great.

[JoshInKC]

I thought it was pretty decent plot and story-wise, and the effects and production design were really cool-looking. And yeah, it looked *way* more expensive than it apparently was.

[neanderthal]

Reacher season 2.

i'm a sucker for action movies. Except when they suck. Which, is a bit of an oxymoron. The statement stands, i'm the moron.

[George]

Reacher season 2.

Ooh, that comes out today, doesn't it? :up:

I'll check it out tonight if I can. Season 2 is from one of the better books. It should make for good, if not high-brow, TV.

[George]

If you like the Man With No Name movies then check out Once Upon A Time In The West. You get Henry Fonda as the villain, Charles Bronson and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Thanks for the reminder. I've seen the opening with the harmonica playing a couple times but have never sat through the whole movie.

[neanderthal]

Ooh, that comes out today, doesn't it? :up:

I'll check it out tonight if I can. Season 2 is from one of the better books. It should make for good, if not high-brow, TV.

Came out yesterday. The first 3 episodes at least. I just woke up so I haven't seen if the rest of the season has dropped yet. yes, i watched it last night. Put the phone on do not disturb, ... BAM!

[Cam]

The Boy and the Heron. I am accustomed to Miyazaki films being wonderfully wacky, but this one seemed a little too far out there. I did not get it. Nonsensical.

[sandydandy]

Watched the full season of Secret Invasion...it never got better :| I finally got around to watching Secret Invasion and what a stinker it was.

I’d rather not get into the details as I much prefer to just forget this series entirely. It was bad.

[MR2 Fan]

yeah, it's so bland it's barely worth even talking about

[Crazed_Insanity]

Anyways, just glad that I can still see eye to eye with Neanderthal regarding 'Reacher'! :D

I guess in a messed up world like ours, it's always nice to see shows like that to help us get a sense of justice? Reacher, John Wick, Equalizer... violent, yet satisfying to watch? Decent stories as well...

[MR2 Fan]

After all of this discussion about Zack Snyder movies and the critic ratings of Rebel Moon....people also brought up his other movies that they didn't like....Sucker Punch being the main one.

I watched it a few years ago and decided to re-watch it last night and I still really enjoy it. Sure it's a fever dream that's heavily comic book/anime inspired but there's other movies that don't get the same kind of hate. Maybe this is channeling my inner 13 year old but yeah I think it's great.

[MR2 Fan]

not a specific "Watching" thing but more of movie/media news. Warner Bros Discovery is in talks to buy Paramount.

That would leave us with only:

Universal
Disney
Warner Bros
Sony

as the major movie/tv companies as far as I can tell....and I wouldn't doubt that in 5-10 years we'll be down to like 2 companies because "anti-trust...what's that??"

[George]

I'm on episode 6 of Band of Brothers. It's on Netflix now.

I never watched it the first time around, mostly due to not having HBO, but also because I've been reading books and watching TV shows and movies about WWII since I was a little kid. Been there, done that.

I wasn't overly impressed with the first episode or two - mostly because I kept saying to myself, "that's the guy from _______" and "oh, I know that guy from _______" and so forth, but now that I know who's who, it's getting good. I mean, it is good. It's straight out of one of my favorite, well-worn paperbacks from the 1960s, "Brave Men" by Ernie Pyle. And, yes, I know it's based on a different book, but just sayin'.

Might have to watch The Pacific next. It's on Netflix also.

[JoeW]

Both are great.

[dodint]

The Pacific is less great. Worthy of a watch, but basing a mini-series on three completely different books left it a bit disjointed. Whereas Band of Brothers was based on the Ambrose book alone and is a much tighter narrative. Which is a shame because Sledge's memoir is a masterpiece of WWII history; The Pacific would've been much better without the Basilone storyline crowbar'd into it.

[Yw-slayer]

Watched 2 PRC movies on recent flights. Born to Fly and Wandering Earth 2. Billi would hate them for no sensible reason whatsoever lol

[neanderthal]

Reacher season 2.

i'm a sucker for action movies. Except when they suck. Which, is a bit of an oxymoron. The statement stands, i'm the moron.

Episode 4 is out.

I have physical therapy in less than 8 hours but i'm watching this shit before I go to sleep.

<edit> forgot to hit "post quick reply."

Episode 4: fuck yeah!!!!

[Tom Servo]

To be fair, Born to Fly sounds like an incredibly bad movie. Wandering Earth 2 sounds decent, but I think it's improbable but possible that Billi would hate the former just because it's not a good movie.

[Yw-slayer]

As someone who has actually watched it, I can say that Born to Fly was good, and the flying sequences were particularly so. Billi would be unlikely to hate it if the entire movie were set in a different country.

The Wandering Earth movies are very good IMO, although 2 is better than 1.

[MR2 Fan]

I watched Rebel Moon........very meh

[Yw-slayer]

Watched Pendatang on YouTube over the past 2 evenings. Excellent movie overall. Some of the nuances may be difficult for non-Malaysians to fully appreciate.

[Crazed_Insanity]

As someone who has actually watched it, I can say that Born to Fly was good, and the flying sequences were particularly so. Billi would be unlikely to hate it if the entire movie were set in a different country.

The Wandering Earth movies are very good IMO, although 2 is better than 1.

Oh com’on, I only hate CCP I don’t hate China okay? I’ve watched plenty of Chinese TV dramas and movies on Netflix or whatever free streaming services I can get. Some of them are indeed quite good. Some are pretty lame though. Just like any Hollywood stuffs! ;)

Wandering earth sounds like a Chinese Elon Musk film? ;)

[speedpimp]

I finished up season three of Slow Horses. That was an amazing season and tense finale. Season four is already filmed.
Starting season two of Shoresy. Fuck you Shoresy!

[MR2 Fan]

Watched Oppenheimer, surprisingly there was a lot of talk about it not being released in Japan (for obvious reasons) but was interesting that 90% of the movie barely even mentioned Japan....mostly because the whole lead up was to get ahead of the germans. Good movie.

[Drachen596]

I guess its supposed to get a 2024 release date in Japan.

I should probably watch it this weekend.

[Tom Servo]

Watched The Blackening with my in-laws. I don't think they much cared for it, but I really enjoyed it. Got strong Evil Dead horror-send-up vibes from it.

[Rare White Ape]

I watched Rebel Moon and it wasn’t as terrible as the entire internet seems to be making out to be. Yeah it kinda jumps around a bit and has way too many slow-mo shots, but it has some great action sequences and set pieces.

It could also do with being a tad longer and maybe introducing the side characters a bit better. It’s an incredibly average film, not a shit one. I’m actually looking forward to part 2.

[sandydandy]

I watched a lot of movies/TV shows over the holidays. More than I've ever watched over a short time period.

I won't list them all, just a few:

Behind Her Eyes - six-part series which was simply fantastic. The ending was one of the best I've ever seen.

The Snowman - pure shit. I only watched because Michael Fassbender was in it, but even he couldn't save this trash.

Enemy - good slow burn movie with Jake Gyllenhaal. This was interesting for me because it's set in Toronto, which is rare. 95% of the time Toronto stands in for New York, but not this time.

The Secret: Dare to Dream - I thought it was great.

The World to Come - strong premise with good actors but fell flat.

Reptile - this was pretty good.

Faithfully Yours - good foreign film.

Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer - largely unfunny and disappointing.

Been waiting patiently for X-Men '97, (I talked about it in the comics thread), which was supposed to come out in fall of 2023 but didn't happen. Then I heard it would be January 4th, but nope. Now I read Marvel is going to release a four-part comic series in March to bridge the gap between the original shows ending in 1997 and the start of this one. So we're looking at April at the earliest for this show to start. Oh well, I waited 27 years so what's another few months?

Also waiting eagerly on Dark Matter on Apple TV. Zero updates on its release so far. Still says 2023. I hope they haven't forgotten about it. I read the book a while back and am really looking forward to the series.

[FaultyMario]

The Brawn GP documentary.

The ending is... very Keanu.

[MR2 Fan]

I watched Rebel Moon and it wasn’t as terrible as the entire internet seems to be making out to be. Yeah it kinda jumps around a bit and has way too many slow-mo shots, but it has some great action sequences and set pieces.

It could also do with being a tad longer and maybe introducing the side characters a bit better. It’s an incredibly average film, not a shit one. I’m actually looking forward to part 2.

We're getting a Director's Cut also...because a streaming service couldn't just make that one available to start with for some reason?

[MR2 Fan]

I watched a Theodore Roosevelt documentary that came out last year, 2 part miniseries (?) produced by Leonardo DiCaprio (mentioned because there were rumors an actual theatrical movie was being made).

It was quite good, I don't think the older actor was great but decent enough (it's difficult to capture how larger than life TR seemed to be). Dude was just an overwhelming force overall in his accomplishments, truly IMO the "most interesting man in the world"

[MR2 Fan]

Had to put this here as it's sooo accurate to my experience with Rebel Moon. Other "honest trailers" I can disagree with or think they're just being silly with things, but this....spot on IMO


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvaXqRS29cw

[JoeW]

Well that was damn funny.

I was entertained by the movie. This story and world needs like 8 hours of material to create real backstories for the characters. Each one got 5 minutes and then we’re supposed to be invested. This was my main issue. Every character got some sort of quick sentence or two about their lore and that’s all. For the audience to really get invested we need to see their stories.

[Rare White Ape]

Crazy how well Star Wars does exactly that. From the start of the opening crawl to when we first see Han Solo and Chewbacca it's a bit over 45 minutes. After the conversation with Kenobi and Skywalker to hire their services to fly to Alderaan, all of the main characters are established.

By my count that's 8 characters: two droids, Vader, Leia, Luke, Ben, Solo, Chewie in less than an hour, and you know enough about each one of them to start caring a lot. Two of those characters don't even speak a word of English! And the character development among the group doesn't stop coming after that.

The original cut of A New Hope was reportedly pretty shit, but in the end it was a tightly honed and effective story.

[JoeW]

But Star Wars doesn’t give any pretenses about these characters. Han is just a bounty hunter. Chewy just a sidekick. Etc. There is no grand label given to their stories. Even Obi Wan is downplayed as Old Ben. Star Wars develops the characters and lets us learn about them through their personalities as we go.

Rebel Moon tries to do the exact opposite. They try to set up a grand backstory through a few sentences without taking us on a journey. The General is some legendary leader of some great army at some great battle. The Bloodaxes are actually played up even more. “Prince Tarak” and the sword lady are more in line with Star Wars as they don’t get any previous mentions. They try to get us to get attached to the thief guy but then kill him off. The main hero gets some flashback scenes at least.

[MR2 Fan]

I don't know if the dialogue is worse than A New Hope or that I'm just so used to that dialogue over the years that it seems better, but Rebel Moon has some....weird dialogue. I also don't blame the actors, more possibly the directing and script.

[George]

I watched a Theodore Roosevelt documentary that came out last year...

Whoa! I must see that. A quick Google visit shows it's available for free on Roku and Amazon Prime. I'm going to check it out ASAP.

Thanks for mentioning it, MR2 Fan! :up:

Edited two hours later to add: it appears they want me to pay The History Vault to watch that show. Too bad. Hopefully it will come to a free service eventually. I get really grumpy about paying streaming services a monthly fee to begin with, but then when they want extra money to let us watch some of their content that I thought we were paying for already, I have to say no (and a few choice curse words, at times).


...produced by Leonardo DiCaprio...

I noticed DiCaprio was one of the producers of Band of Brothers, as well. Hmm. That kid might have a decent future in historical entertainment.

Speaking of "docutainment," I've been watching a documentary about William T. Sherman on Prime (https://www.amazon.com/William-Tecumseh-Sherman-Beyond-March/dp/B07PWYKWMQ). It's pretty good. It's more of a Ken Burns-style documentary rather than what the History Channel does with actor portrayals.

[George]

I caught the first half of the original Death Wish last night. I had forgotten how good that first one is.

I've suffered through DW2 through DW4 and maybe more, but that first one isn't nearly as cheesy as the franchise became.

And this car!

https://pics.imcdb.org/12851/snap3155.jpg

I can't find many pictures of it online, but it had cowhide-covered seats and door panels also, visible in a quick shot of the interior.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I watched The Creator on the plane back from Taiwan.

Never even heard of the film before. However, I needed to stay up in order to not get too jetlagged later... pretty much watched all other films I want to watch so this was the last option I had.

Anyway, was pleasantly surprised by the film. Later on I learned it's directed by the same guy who did Rogue One. So there were similar vibes except this happened on earth in the future. Pretty original story I think... at least original to me. ;) Highly recommended.

[JoeW]

So apparently I missed this when it came out on whatever channel it was on that I didn’t have…but Loudermilk is on Netflix and it’s hilarious. I never even heard of it but saw it has some great cast members and damn it’s good.

[sandydandy]

The original cut of A New Hope was reportedly pretty shit, but in the end it was a tightly honed and effective story. For sure. I watch the "Empire of Dreams" documentary every now and then, and remember how Lucas was mortified by the first cut of Star Wars. He then hired two guys (who are now famous I think) to re-cut the film from scratch. One guy said that only what was presentable was what made it to the screen, everything else was a mess.


But Star Wars doesn’t give any pretenses about these characters. Han is just a bounty hunter. Chewy just a sidekick. Etc. There is no grand label given to their stories. Even Obi Wan is downplayed as Old Ben. Star Wars develops the characters and lets us learn about them through their personalities as we go. I don't remember it ever being shown or implied that Han was a bounty hunter. He was established to be a smuggler in his scene with Greedo, (in which he clearly shot first!)

[JoeW]

I misspoke. But the point is Star Wars never really built up any characters before we meet them.

[Rare White Ape]

And that’s the point I was making. You instantly know them because of their vibe, and not the exposition that Rebel Moon shoved into it.

Filmmaking rule of thumb: show, don’t tell. Making a judgement about a character based on their first physical impression is perhaps the ultimate embodiment of this rule.

[dodint]

So apparently I missed this when it came out on whatever channel it was on that I didn’t have…but Loudermilk is on Netflix and it’s hilarious. I never even heard of it but saw it has some great cast members and damn it’s good.

Ashie is watching this and really enjoys it, as are a couple of members of another forum I follow. Glad you like it.

[Tom Servo]

Finally got around to watching Barbie. Wasn't so sure in the first 20-30 minutes, but by the end I loved it. Far better than it had any right to be.

[Kchrpm]

I loved the first 20-30 minutes of Barbie, because I love silliness, and then the heart and messages really brought it home.

Coincidentally I just saw Godzilla Minus One, and at points I was worried about the path it was heading down, but there were a couple key points that gave me hope for what they were setting up, and it delivered.

[FaultyMario]

I really wanna watch Minus One.

[sandydandy]

I re-watched the Dark Knight trilogy and it was still great. I like to watch these again from time to time, they have so much heart. I'm not a DC guy - at all. These are the only DC films I really like and can watch over and over again. Other Batman and Justice League stuff I have no time for.

Also watched a documentary called This Is Not Financial Advice, following the fortunes (and misfortunes) of crypto addicts and influencers. It was a pretty pathetic for the most part, especially that one guy called Pro who maxed himself out to buy Dogecoin and was a multi-millionaire on paper but never cashed out. AFAIK he's still holding onto his shitcoins.

[JSGeneral]

Another Guy Ritchie film with Henry Cavill is great and all... but this one also has Reacher! Looks bloody fun.


https://youtu.be/zvwDen1Wrx8?si=6Q-9aFLJQ8dMR13s

[George]

That does look good. Also saw Babs Olusanmokun in that trailer.

[MR2 Fan]

Isn't that ministry what Sir Christopher Lee belonged to during WWII?

[G'day Mate]

Fargo! Looked like I’m two seasons behind, but only S5 is available to me for now.

[Fiat500]

Fargo is so damn good.

[JoshInKC]

I thought S05 was better than S04 by a good margin

[speedpimp]

Finished up The Brothers Sun and it kicks ass. Started Griselda and it's promising. Sofia Vergara is great. Both are on Netflix.

Also watching Monsieur Spade. Clive Owen is Sam Spade in early 60s France. It's on AMC+.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Brothers Sun felt super surreal to me when I was watching that… it’s like watch some Chinese John Wick showdown and it’s all happened near my real ‘home’ worlds whether it’s in Taiwan or San Gabriel Valley… cool show, just felt so weirdly familiar watching that! ;)

[George]

Stumbled upon a real treat this weekend that I had never heard of before, that I can remember. It won't appeal to everyone, but those who like 1970s movies featuring criminals, cops, car chases, and that whole seventies nostalgic vibe should check out Charley Varrick on Netflix in the USA now. Looks like it's on YouTube, too.

Directed by Don Siegel. Music by Lalo Shifrin! Great cast from that era. Joe Don Baker is a badass. And the Scorpio Killer from Dirty Harry is in this, too. I never could figure out who Woodrow Parfrey was until I looked up the movie online. I kept thinking, "I know him! But from where?" Turns out he would later play the snake-oil salesman in the white suit in The Outlaw Josey Wales.

This trailer contains major spoilers, especially past about 1:45.


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

[sandydandy]

I watched the movie Windfall recently. It was alright. Could've been better.

Also watched the 8-part series Safe, with the guy who played Dexter. Watched all 6+ hours in one sitting. It was quite good.

Also recently did my annual re-watch of the Godfather Trilogy. I found the re-cut Part III, (renamed Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone), to be interesting. I won't say it's a significant improvement over the original, but it does flow a bit better. Still much weaker than the first two films, and doesn't erase Sofia Coppola's cringeworthy acting.

Been watching a lot of MrBallen on YouTube and it's pretty dark stuff that messes with your head. Really good though.

[Cam]

Up until this week-end, I was using a 52" 4K TV as my sim racing screen. I just got triple monitors, so I put the TV in the bedroom. This is an extremely novel concept for us, as we have not really had a TV for... well, I don't know how long. Lori watches shows, but it has always been on her computer or tablet. I almost always had TVs, but they were pretty much used for gaming only. I often said that the only station my TV gets is PlayStation. Now we can watch TV and movies in bed. I understand this is probably standard American household stuff, but it seems completely foreign to me right now, like we are in a hotel. :lol:

[Tom Servo]

Hah, and we have a TV in our bedroom that I don't think has been turned on in like three years.

That said, speaking of hotel rooms, I am totally bringing my Steam Deck docking station with me on our trip this weekend, wonder if I can play Diablo that way.

[FaultyMario]

Paolla Oliveira's Tiktoks.


What, you thought I was just going link (https://www.tiktok.com/@paollaoliveirareal) to them (https://www.tiktok.com/@sambemos)?

[dodint]

I bought a 55" TV for my garage rebuild, got it from a friend who upgraded his TV so I only paid like $200 for it. When I got it home Ashley promptly redirected it to our bedroom to replace a 36" that was in there. Now it's like sleeping in a movie theater. :lol:

[Cam]

Started watching The Boys spin-off, Gen V. I’m hooked.

[Cam]

Couldn't help myself, I binge-watched the rest. I really enjoyed it. Great characters and acting.

[JSGeneral]

Couldn't help myself, I binge-watched the rest. I really enjoyed it. Great characters and acting.

I heard the full season is good. I stopped about midway through, so I should go back and finish it before next The Boyz season.

I just binge-watched Hazbin Hotel. It was... surprising and fantastic. Best way I can describe it without spoiling too much is to imagine if Fud made an animated raunchy Disney musical about demons in Hell trying to be saved. LOTS of mature material, dialog, themes, humor, drama, and compelling characters. Also Keith David.

[speedpimp]

Finished up the latest season of True Detective. The performances were good, other than that...meh.

Started watching Loudermilk(on Netflix) and it's great for being about a caustic person who leads an addiction recovery group.

In the middle of the latest season of Creepshow and it's been amazing from top to bottom.

[Tom Servo]

Michele's out of town, thought I'd watch Days of Thunder.

How come none of you never told me how incredibly awful this movie is?

[drew]

I heard the full season is good. I stopped about midway through, so I should go back and finish it before next The Boyz season.

I just binge-watched Hazbin Hotel. It was... surprising and fantastic. Best way I can describe it without spoiling too much is to imagine if Fud made an animated raunchy Disney musical about demons in Hell trying to be saved. LOTS of mature material, dialog, themes, humor, drama, and compelling characters. Also Keith David.


Color me intrigued.

We're about halfway through Gen V (love this shit), having just finished a Reacher binge.

Brian, Day of Thunder is massive shit. There, now you know.

[Tom Servo]

The belated warning is much appreciated

[Cam]

Started to watch Superhero Movie. Shut it off 20 minutes in. It was dumb.

Started to watch Talladega Nights. Shut it off 20 minutes in. It was dumb.

[Rare White Ape]

I re-watched Days of Thunder nearly two years ago and found it to be actually very good. And I don’t mean good in a cinematic high art way, I mean in a modern formulaic blockbuster way. It absolutely nailed what it set out to do.

It’s definitely not Dune. It’s a Simpson/Bruckheimer film starring Tom Cruise directed by Tony Scott. Basically Top Gun in race cars. Once you understand this, you will discover true enjoyment.

[sandydandy]

I watched the Killer. Pretty good.

[JoeW]

I watched Airbender and was sufficiently entertained.

[dodint]

Carol & The End of the World on Netflix. An adult cartoon.

It's hard to explain why it's good. It's a fish out of water story where everyone is the fish, I guess. It's mostly about people coping with the world about to come to an end.

It's from guy that invented Rick and Morty, the good one, not the guy that got cancelled.

[Tom Servo]

I re-watched Days of Thunder nearly two years ago and found it to be actually very good. And I don’t mean good in a cinematic high art way, I mean in a modern formulaic blockbuster way. It absolutely nailed what it set out to do.

It’s definitely not Dune. It’s a Simpson/Bruckheimer film starring Tom Cruise directed by Tony Scott. Basically Top Gun in race cars. Once you understand this, you will discover true enjoyment.

It's like I don't even know you.

[Phil_SS]

I re-watched Days of Thunder nearly two years ago and found it to be actually very good. And I don’t mean good in a cinematic high art way, I mean in a modern formulaic blockbuster way. It absolutely nailed what it set out to do.

It’s definitely not Dune. It’s a Simpson/Bruckheimer film starring Tom Cruise directed by Tony Scott. Basically Top Gun in race cars. Once you understand this, you will discover true enjoyment.

Totally agree. I was a huge Nascar fan when it came out originally, saw it in the theatres etc. I was 15 at the time. And I hated how it portrayed Nascar as just bunch of guys smashing into each other and that was how you win. Which wasn't true, especially at the superspeedways. At Darlington or North Wilkesboro, yeah, there was definitely some rubbin is racin. But I think it did a phenomenal job of portraying the excitement and raw energy of the sport at the time. Something it is sorely missing today.

Next up for Cam is Monty Python and the Holy Grail where he watches it for 20 minutes and then shuts it off, declaring it is dumb. :D How stupid, they are just smacking coconuts together and acting like they are riding horses.

[JoeW]

Lmao

[Rare White Ape]

It's like I don't even know you.

I’ve reached new levels of zen in my life.

[Cam]

Next up for Cam is Monty Python and the Holy Grail where he watches it for 20 minutes and then shuts it off, declaring it is dumb. :D How stupid, they are just smacking coconuts together and acting like they are riding horses.
I fart in your general direction. :finger:

[JoeW]

What also floats in water?

Very small rocks?


Soooo dumb…

[Tom Servo]

A coworker asked me for movie recommendations when she was leaving the company. I told her one of my all time favorites is Airplane! She said she "didn't get it."

What's to get? It's dick jokes for two hours.

Was afraid to suggest Life of Brian, though I think maybe I still might try to get her to watch Young Frankenstein.

And you're all crazy. Days of Thunder was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was like a vampire trying to suck the life out of better racing movies.

[JoeW]

Comedy is definitely an acquired taste. Some people just don’t have the gene to find things funny.

I don’t know how you don’t laugh at least a little at Airplane. “Johnny what can you make out of this?”. “This? Oh I can make a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl.”


My wife doesn’t get Monty Python at all, though. Her movie interests include Rom-Coms, Hallmarks and…that’s about it. That tells you how many movies I end up watching by myself.

I don’t usually recommend comedy stuff to anyone unless I really know them well. Because I know how it is…I’ve had people tell me to watch something that they said was the funniest shit in the world and I’ve turned it off 10mins into it.

There’s a morning radio show here that’s pretty entertaining and they all said the Shane Gillis Netflix stand up was soooo funny…I couldn’t get through 10mins of it.

Could be a mood thing too? Sometimes you have to just be ready and open to watching comedic content. And sometimes it’s just shit no matter what.

[Rare White Ape]

Yeah I find comedy hard to sit through unelss it suits my taste. For example I found Dude, Where's My Car? to be one of the most lifeless comedies ever written. This didn't stop it becoming incredibly popular and continuously quoted by millions of people around the world for half a decade.

I honestly can't name the most recent comedy I watched that I enjoyed.

[dodint]

And you're all crazy. Days of Thunder was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was like a vampire trying to suck the life out of better racing movies.

It's okay, this is a safe space, you can tell us you're a Driven fanatic.

[JoeW]

I still haven’t seen the Gran Turismo movie because I’m scared it will be so cheesy and bad that it will diminish all my good GT memories.

[Tom Servo]

Oh yeah, I'm definitely in that crowd that I would consider snobby about comedies. I still don't get why people like The Hangover.

Still, I'd say there's a difference between not "getting" something and just not finding it funny.


It's okay, this is a safe space, you can tell us you're a Driven fanatic.

For a second I was thinking that I had never seen a Sylvester Stallone movie, but it turns out I've seen three, which surprised me.

[dodint]

Is Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot! on the list?

[Tom Servo]

Nope. It's Death Race 2000, Demolition Man, and of all things, Get Carter.

[Rare White Ape]

But not Rambo?

Are you insane?

[Tom Servo]

Haven't seen Rocky either.

[MR2 Fan]

One of my favorite Stallone movies is the comedy gangster film "Oscar". Part of the reason I watched it is because it was one of the few movies they filmed set pieces for here at Universal Studios Florida and my mom watched them film it as she was working there at the time. But beyond that it is a good, silly time.

[speedpimp]

Oscar is a fun time.
A great Stallone movie is Nighthawks. It's one of Rutger Hauer's best roles and Stallone and Billy Dee Williams do their best.

[FaultyMario]

first blood is awesome.

judge dredd is not that bad. Unless you're one of those comic book incels.



Oh, and...

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/d/d5/Rick_Zumwalt.jpg

[George]

first blood is awesome.

First Blood vs. the rest of the Rambo movies reminds me of Death Wish vs. the rest of those movies. And I guess the first Rocky movie belongs in this group, although a much younger me liked the second, third, and fourth Rocky movies when they were new. Say what you want about Mr. T, but he was great in Rocky III, or at least that's how I remember it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNnr60_UZtg

A year or two ago, while stuck in a motel room in North Carolina, I saw roughly the first half Rambo: Last Blood from 2019 and thought it wasn't bad either.

[Rare White Ape]

I binge-watched the first 5 episodes of Halo season 2 and by Jove it’s way better than the first season. And I already liked the first season.

But you have to watch the first season to know who’s who and be able to follow the second season. And that’s just the way these things are nowadays.

[Tom Servo]

Watching Griselda on Netflix. As South American druglord shows go, it's not bad, and Sofia Vergara is good.

[Dicknose]

Looking forward to Fallout
New trailer dropped

https://youtu.be/V-mugKDQDlg?si=l_fGEX37Fb6ieVQN

[JoeW]

Constellation on Apple TV is pretty damn good.

[sandydandy]

Watched Seeking Justice with Nicholas Cage. I thought it was pretty decent thriller...maybe a little predictable, but still good.

X-Men '97 gets released tomorrow on Disney+. 10-part series. I'm super excited!

[G'day Mate]

Finally watching House of the Dragon. Well, finishing the second half. It’s no GoT but I like it

[neanderthal]

Roadhouse on Prime. :up:

Nice cheap entertainment for a couple of hours. Too much of the hollywood BS in it, but i liked it. Would've loved it more as a series to be honest.

[sandydandy]

X-Men '97 - first two episodes were fantastic. It feels like a dream that it's back, like I'm in my late-teens/early-20's again. So surreal that I'm watching X-Men in 2024. Looking forward to the rest of the season, which will wrap up in May. Just in time for Dark Matter to start on Apple TV.

[Tom Servo]

Finally saw Rocky. It was O-kay.

[speedpimp]

Road House was meh AF. I had a better time with Destroy All Neighbors.

[FaultyMario]

true detective night country

man, that big chick is hawt!

[Yw-slayer]

Jeffrey, because Patrick Stewart.

[Tom Servo]

Finally catching up on The Last of Us. Every episode is a gut-punch, I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to finish this.

[neanderthal]

The Gentlemen. Netflix.

[neanderthal]

The Gentlemen. Netflix.

:up:

I hope there's a second season.

I have one called Pine Gap lined up.

[speedpimp]

Quiet On The Set. I knew Dan Harmon was a problem, but he's just the tip of a scumbag iceberg.

[Cam]

Just finished season 5 of Cobra Kai. It got a little hokey compared to earlier seasons, but I am still enjoying it. Ending left me chomping at the bit for season 6, which is in the works.

[JoeW]

Fallout…pretty fucking good first episode. Guess I’m diving in the deep end…

[dodint]

Yup, I never played the games but am in for the show. I ordered a copy of Fallout 3 to circle back and play, too.

[Tom Servo]

I have played them, though Fallout 3 is the only one I ever finished. Just finished up episode 4, so far it's pretty good.

[Phil_SS]

Agreed. Really enjoying Fallout. I never played the games as well.

And Cobra Kai is great because it is hokey. And the way they have interweaved all of the old characters has been brilliant. Just a fun watch for anybody that grew up with and enjoys 80's movies.

[speedpimp]

Enjoyed the hell out of Fallout.

[Tom Servo]

Started watching Jimmy Carr's latest special on Netflix. I have enjoyed his stuff in the past, so figured it was a safe bet. Started out with a allusion to being cancelled, and then was just...boring. Not offensive. Just boring. Jokes I've seen a ton of times in Reddit threads. Just dull "going for shock" punchlines that aren't clever in the slightest.

I'm sure he'll chalk it up to cancel culture, but after 20 minutes of not laughing or being shocked, I just switched to something else.