posh-goofiness
Well-known member
How It's Made. Loved that show and I just rediscovered it on HBO Max.
So what are you watching?
- Thread starter Argent
- Start date
Saw two movies these past few weeks.
First was Becky which apparently has a sequel that came out recently. Long story short is a daughter goes to this Cabin by the lake with her Dad a year after her Mom passed away and they're joined by the Dad's new girlfriend and her brat. The Dad and Daughter have a strained relationship and then it gets worse when a quartet of violent recently escaped prisoners show up at the Cabin looking for something on the property.
Long story short, and it's not really a spoiler, but the Daughter has to act like the 'Final Girl' in this situation as she attempts to connive ways to run, hide or fight these convicts. The setup would allude to being kinda cringe, but honestly, there isn't really any waif fu here and it's about as 'realistic' as any other action or horror/thriller movie. It was surprisingly gory and violent though so I appreciated it. Would recommend the movie as a watch. it strains credibility sometimes, but mostly in characterization of the Inmates as opposed to any of the action taking place onscreen IMHO. I was intrigued by the concept presented and when it managed to pull it off as an entertaining movie, I was very pleased and immensely entertained.
Giving credit to Kevin James here, he did a surprisingly good job as an Aryan Brotherhood convict.
Second movie I saw was Master which came out in 2022. It's a dual story with the main character being a Black woman who becomes the first Black faculty member of this Ivy League style college. She is called a "Master" which is the term they use for the Director of one of the Residential Dormitories. The second character is a Black student named Jasmine (one of eight Black students apparently) and both of them kinda navigate the university life and dealing with general things. Like the Master kinda deals with this Woke asf African Literature Professor but also the elite liberal snobbery of the other faculty members.
And Jasmine has to deal with more general insensitivity and class issues since most of the student body is from wealthier backgrounds and hasn't dealt with Black people on a personal level really and also... a Woke asf African Literature Professor who she doesn't really relate to at all. And I guess if you wanted to see the insidiousness of so-called "microaggressions" this movie might have a few examples for you.
And then there's this undercurrent of horror... and it keeps you guessing as to whether its legitimately supernatural or something with pausible explanation or mental/emotional issues or a mixture thereof. And it was neat because it was a pretty psychological and character driven film so it kept my attention. No padding and flat characters and stuff, it kind of forced you to think about what was going on. Ultimately though it was a pessimistic and melancholy film and some of the racism/racist themes didn't gel with me to the films detraction.
OVERALL though I thought it was a good film. Not a feel good film but a solid psychological thriller with some polemics that I felt went too hard but still, most of the themes were presented with a lot of nuance.
First was Becky which apparently has a sequel that came out recently. Long story short is a daughter goes to this Cabin by the lake with her Dad a year after her Mom passed away and they're joined by the Dad's new girlfriend and her brat. The Dad and Daughter have a strained relationship and then it gets worse when a quartet of violent recently escaped prisoners show up at the Cabin looking for something on the property.
Long story short, and it's not really a spoiler, but the Daughter has to act like the 'Final Girl' in this situation as she attempts to connive ways to run, hide or fight these convicts. The setup would allude to being kinda cringe, but honestly, there isn't really any waif fu here and it's about as 'realistic' as any other action or horror/thriller movie. It was surprisingly gory and violent though so I appreciated it. Would recommend the movie as a watch. it strains credibility sometimes, but mostly in characterization of the Inmates as opposed to any of the action taking place onscreen IMHO. I was intrigued by the concept presented and when it managed to pull it off as an entertaining movie, I was very pleased and immensely entertained.
Giving credit to Kevin James here, he did a surprisingly good job as an Aryan Brotherhood convict.
Second movie I saw was Master which came out in 2022. It's a dual story with the main character being a Black woman who becomes the first Black faculty member of this Ivy League style college. She is called a "Master" which is the term they use for the Director of one of the Residential Dormitories. The second character is a Black student named Jasmine (one of eight Black students apparently) and both of them kinda navigate the university life and dealing with general things. Like the Master kinda deals with this Woke asf African Literature Professor but also the elite liberal snobbery of the other faculty members.
And Jasmine has to deal with more general insensitivity and class issues since most of the student body is from wealthier backgrounds and hasn't dealt with Black people on a personal level really and also... a Woke asf African Literature Professor who she doesn't really relate to at all. And I guess if you wanted to see the insidiousness of so-called "microaggressions" this movie might have a few examples for you.
And then there's this undercurrent of horror... and it keeps you guessing as to whether its legitimately supernatural or something with pausible explanation or mental/emotional issues or a mixture thereof. And it was neat because it was a pretty psychological and character driven film so it kept my attention. No padding and flat characters and stuff, it kind of forced you to think about what was going on. Ultimately though it was a pessimistic and melancholy film and some of the racism/racist themes didn't gel with me to the films detraction.
OVERALL though I thought it was a good film. Not a feel good film but a solid psychological thriller with some polemics that I felt went too hard but still, most of the themes were presented with a lot of nuance.
filipina84
Well-known member
Watching Wish Ko Lang, Tadhana and Imbestigador on GMA Public Affairs right now.
Argent
Well-known member
So I started the new version of Rurouni Kenshin. I have only seen the frist few epsoides but so far it is decent and hits the main plot points of the frist one. It still feels like Rurouni Kenshin I remember.
I also started watching Frasier. I have seen it before but thay was years ago. It still holds up and.humor and mixing of tropes still make o e of the best sitcoms I have seen.
I also started watching Frasier. I have seen it before but thay was years ago. It still holds up and.humor and mixing of tropes still make o e of the best sitcoms I have seen.
Got my kids watching the Dead Zone series. I think what I like best about it is the look that how powers like that would effect someone on a personal level.
Saw The Hitmans Bodyguard recently with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson and overall I really liked it. It was a fun action movie with lots of quirky humor which movies nowadays have but... it worked here. And the action scenes actually were pretty fun twists with elaborate vehicle chases in the canals of a Dutch city, and a first rate ambush on an armored convoy in Britain and lots of cool action sequences in between. The interplay between the protagonists was fun, including their different life experiences and philosophies and how that plays out and so characters are just likable as well. Overall a very fun action movie.
It might not seem hard to make a proper action comedy, but there have been some disappointing ones out there over the years, including recently and including ones starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson... but this wasn't one of them. It feels like the prototypical modern action film. Just the right balance of everything to keep you drawn in, engaged and entertained.
It might not seem hard to make a proper action comedy, but there have been some disappointing ones out there over the years, including recently and including ones starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson... but this wasn't one of them. It feels like the prototypical modern action film. Just the right balance of everything to keep you drawn in, engaged and entertained.
Argent
Well-known member
Lower Decks is back with a new season.
I have only watched the the frist episode but it was decent. This epsodie deals with the famous Tuvox incdent. It also points fun at parts of the Voyager's run like the cheese overtaking the ship.
Overall the last seasons have some great jokes for Star Trek fans With enough new plot to make it interesting. So if you like past seasons or Star Trek give a chance.
I have only watched the the frist episode but it was decent. This epsodie deals with the famous Tuvox incdent. It also points fun at parts of the Voyager's run like the cheese overtaking the ship.
Overall the last seasons have some great jokes for Star Trek fans With enough new plot to make it interesting. So if you like past seasons or Star Trek give a chance.
Saw Equalizer 3 in theaters today. I kinda forgot it was out and was wondering what exactly was playing in theaters right now and realized oh yeah, I kinda wanted to see that movie.
And I liked it. More then the second film, maybe not as good as the first one. He's back to doing good for near strangers he randomly encounters and the quaint Southern Italian setting is very appealing change of scenery from Boston. This film does seem to have more brutality and gore then the previous films but its not excessive IMHO. The villains are seemingly more brutal and barbaric but also not as well developed IMHO despite the focus on the whole Mafia plotline and how its machinations are affecting the small town Denzel Washington's McCall character ends up in.
Like the other Equalizer films, this one has great action, but its more brutal. Denzel's character has amazing dialogue and hearing him talk to people is a real treat with how smart his character is portrayed as. But the real asset that elevates this film beyond the standard slick action flick is definitely the use of the setting. I have no idea how authentic it is, but the film took its time establishing the mountainside village he resided in and how he gets to know the people there and when tragedy affects them, instead of it feeling narmy or cringe, I was surprised at how a "stereotypical" film tragedy actually had some emotionally resonance. I wasn't crying or anything but it had emotional impact seeing it onscreen and that was actually unexpected. Dakota Fanning also did a good job as a supporting cast member.
The main drawback was... I feel the climax was so quickly rushed that it almost felt anti-climatic. It wasn't bad... but seemed truncated. I liked the climax... but just over too quickly. And that wasn't helped by the somewhat shallow and perhaps overly done villainous characters.
Still overall... would recommend. I have other thoughts but they'd be spoilery.
I just saw Expendables 4.
Sorry... I mean... *looks it up* Expend4bles.
Where do I start?
There's humor in this film... much like the predecessors and while it's offkey humor, it services the story and characters here because that's the feel you get with the Expendables film franchise, one of my favorite guilty pleasure movie franchises.
One of the jokes which isn't as funny is about one of the Mercenaries whose a stereotypical Latin Womanizer and makes a comment about "Golden Showers." That comment and other piss jokes become a running joke with the banter of the cast to the point there's one scene where one of the Expendables has to take a piss on something... for plot reasons, which in turn served as a vehicle not only for more piss jokes... but also a romantic catalyst between two of the characters.
Watching Expendables... sorry Expend4bles made me feel like the plot device being pissed on. Slow. Uncomfortably long. Wet. And according to subsequent dialogue, quite smelly... stinking of piss presumably.
This film was bad.
It wasn't unwatchable... But I was thinking if I wasn't in a theater paying for this, I might've taken a nap in one of those amazing heated reclining seats I had. It wasn't good. In fact... the film was BORING.
They made a boring Expendables film.
Not only was it boring... with lots of blah blah blah going on between the least interesting cast of characters yet, the banter even seemed a bit more lifeless. And the action scenes... they were so... bland... millions of quick cuts in all of the fight choreography. Boring chase scenes and empty gun battles. Lame villains and adversaries.
Expendables 3 was light years beyond this in quality even though it was PG-13. Expendables 3 was still great fun. But this film, the action scenes were so blah and uninspired. There were some nicer moments but overall it was boring. Boring when there's no action. Boring when there is action.
And the special effects... Oh my gosh. Half of the film looked like it had the characters superimposed on a greenscreen... and not just where you might think a greenscreen belongs... but like... during a discussion in front of a house. Could they not shoot a scene in front of a house? But if it wasn't greenscreen... something f'd up was going on with the visual effects throughout half of the movie where it looked like bad CGI greenscreen.
Then there was the visual effects. Say what you want about how CGI is everything nowadays... there is so much CGI noise in big budget movies that it is expected. Here... the CGI is just... bad... and used a lot. For like every explosion. Poorly. I have no idea where the $100 million dollars went. The cast wasn't even better then previous casts. The special effects are so poor. It looks like the movie was made fifteen years ago. And with a B-movie... and not like a 1980's action movie "B Movie Plot" but just a B movie... as in BAD... which is what this film was.
A cheap, bad, boring action film... with a semi decent cast... I feel sorry for everyone involved in this. I'd of rather watched two hours of Hyenas in game footage.
Ugh...
I went into this movie seeing the thumbnail from Critical Drinker, the 13% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes but I still went in because, even if lots of people might've not even liked Expendables 3 (go fuck yourselves) I was like... can this fourth one be that bad?
Oh yes... it can be and it was.
It's like watching a janky Bioware cutscene... a poorly written one... filled with meaningless narm... that you can't skip... for over a 100 minutes.
I can't remember a big budget movie I liked less then this one that I saw in theaters. Even the uninspired messes of MCU Phase Four films were more entertaining than this.
Sorry... I mean... *looks it up* Expend4bles.
Where do I start?
There's humor in this film... much like the predecessors and while it's offkey humor, it services the story and characters here because that's the feel you get with the Expendables film franchise, one of my favorite guilty pleasure movie franchises.
One of the jokes which isn't as funny is about one of the Mercenaries whose a stereotypical Latin Womanizer and makes a comment about "Golden Showers." That comment and other piss jokes become a running joke with the banter of the cast to the point there's one scene where one of the Expendables has to take a piss on something... for plot reasons, which in turn served as a vehicle not only for more piss jokes... but also a romantic catalyst between two of the characters.
Watching Expendables... sorry Expend4bles made me feel like the plot device being pissed on. Slow. Uncomfortably long. Wet. And according to subsequent dialogue, quite smelly... stinking of piss presumably.
This film was bad.
It wasn't unwatchable... But I was thinking if I wasn't in a theater paying for this, I might've taken a nap in one of those amazing heated reclining seats I had. It wasn't good. In fact... the film was BORING.
They made a boring Expendables film.
Not only was it boring... with lots of blah blah blah going on between the least interesting cast of characters yet, the banter even seemed a bit more lifeless. And the action scenes... they were so... bland... millions of quick cuts in all of the fight choreography. Boring chase scenes and empty gun battles. Lame villains and adversaries.
Expendables 3 was light years beyond this in quality even though it was PG-13. Expendables 3 was still great fun. But this film, the action scenes were so blah and uninspired. There were some nicer moments but overall it was boring. Boring when there's no action. Boring when there is action.
And the special effects... Oh my gosh. Half of the film looked like it had the characters superimposed on a greenscreen... and not just where you might think a greenscreen belongs... but like... during a discussion in front of a house. Could they not shoot a scene in front of a house? But if it wasn't greenscreen... something f'd up was going on with the visual effects throughout half of the movie where it looked like bad CGI greenscreen.
Then there was the visual effects. Say what you want about how CGI is everything nowadays... there is so much CGI noise in big budget movies that it is expected. Here... the CGI is just... bad... and used a lot. For like every explosion. Poorly. I have no idea where the $100 million dollars went. The cast wasn't even better then previous casts. The special effects are so poor. It looks like the movie was made fifteen years ago. And with a B-movie... and not like a 1980's action movie "B Movie Plot" but just a B movie... as in BAD... which is what this film was.
A cheap, bad, boring action film... with a semi decent cast... I feel sorry for everyone involved in this. I'd of rather watched two hours of Hyenas in game footage.
Ugh...
I went into this movie seeing the thumbnail from Critical Drinker, the 13% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes but I still went in because, even if lots of people might've not even liked Expendables 3 (go fuck yourselves) I was like... can this fourth one be that bad?
Oh yes... it can be and it was.
It's like watching a janky Bioware cutscene... a poorly written one... filled with meaningless narm... that you can't skip... for over a 100 minutes.
I can't remember a big budget movie I liked less then this one that I saw in theaters. Even the uninspired messes of MCU Phase Four films were more entertaining than this.
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Just saw Resident Evil: Death Island on a physical disc called a Blu-Ray. It's like streaming or digital but the entire movie is contained on this disc like you sometimes still see with console video games. It sounds dumb but it was a pretty interesting medium to watch movies and even listen to music and such back in the day. Using this disc I put it in a player device which is like the CD Player in your car but you connect it to your television.
And finally I purchased it on a sale from this place called a store. You know the stores that sell towels and clothes. I'm not talking about e-commerce websites like Amazon, but the places where you can get your groceries and other things, like a super store? Yeah they have an electronics department with a sale on these blu ray discs... and other kind of discs. Actual physical media like with some video games. So I bought it there.
With that out of the way...
It was a solidly... adequate Resident Evil film. The story was mid. The villain was pretty mid (I guess they tried). The characters were nice but there wasn't too much development going on. The dialogue ranged from cringe, to generic to amazing one liners with jokes either falling flat or landing with hilarity. Very Capcomish. And the animation was pretty good (except in some parts like where were running or jumping/flying through the air etc) but the action scenes, of which I wish there was a lot more, were awesome.
And of course the movie was better because it had the big five of the Resident Evil franchise, Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy and Rebecca Chambers. So it was like the Avengers of the RE franchise coming together and it was a real treat. There were a lot of nice little interactions and moments of cooperation between these iconic characters and it was genuinely enjoyable to watch.
Movie felt pretty short, like less than ninty minutes and the Boss Battle at the end was a big cheese fest of fan service, which was perfectly fine and enjoyable. Overall... entertaining film. Maybe even one I'll watch again sometimes. I feel it was slightly better then other Resident Evil animated movies so if you liked them or found them entertaining, you'll like this film just a little bit more I feel.
And finally I purchased it on a sale from this place called a store. You know the stores that sell towels and clothes. I'm not talking about e-commerce websites like Amazon, but the places where you can get your groceries and other things, like a super store? Yeah they have an electronics department with a sale on these blu ray discs... and other kind of discs. Actual physical media like with some video games. So I bought it there.
With that out of the way...
It was a solidly... adequate Resident Evil film. The story was mid. The villain was pretty mid (I guess they tried). The characters were nice but there wasn't too much development going on. The dialogue ranged from cringe, to generic to amazing one liners with jokes either falling flat or landing with hilarity. Very Capcomish. And the animation was pretty good (except in some parts like where were running or jumping/flying through the air etc) but the action scenes, of which I wish there was a lot more, were awesome.
And of course the movie was better because it had the big five of the Resident Evil franchise, Chris Redfield, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy and Rebecca Chambers. So it was like the Avengers of the RE franchise coming together and it was a real treat. There were a lot of nice little interactions and moments of cooperation between these iconic characters and it was genuinely enjoyable to watch.
Movie felt pretty short, like less than ninty minutes and the Boss Battle at the end was a big cheese fest of fan service, which was perfectly fine and enjoyable. Overall... entertaining film. Maybe even one I'll watch again sometimes. I feel it was slightly better then other Resident Evil animated movies so if you liked them or found them entertaining, you'll like this film just a little bit more I feel.
Typhonis
Well-known member
You young whipper snappers have no clue how good you got it!
I remeber the days before there were these fancy DVDs, Hell I remeber the days when VCRs did not exist. You had four channels on TV and had to go to the movies to watch a movie. Unless you lucked out and NBC,ABC, CBS, or public TV had it on. Heck...that's how I watched Doctor's 4-7.
Now get off of my lawn before I shoot!
I remeber the days before there were these fancy DVDs, Hell I remeber the days when VCRs did not exist. You had four channels on TV and had to go to the movies to watch a movie. Unless you lucked out and NBC,ABC, CBS, or public TV had it on. Heck...that's how I watched Doctor's 4-7.
Now get off of my lawn before I shoot!
When your remote control was your younger sibling!!!
Typhonis
Well-known member
Woe befell you if your knob came off. Then you needed a pair of pliers to turn channels. Don't get me started on TV antennas. If, IF you were lucky you had a motorized one.
Best was when the person correcting the antenna also had braces or a retainer...signal got so good they had to stay there holding the antenna!
Agent23
Ни шагу назад!
I will see your 5 channels and raise you 2.
The 2 official national level channels.
I remember Watching g TNG and Babylon 5 on them.
Since money was short, the first few seasons were dubbed by 2 people for the whole cast.
Then came "cable" tv with some bootlegged satellite channels like Cartoon Network and shit like Pro 7, where I first saw anime, Sailor moon and DBZ and some animation of Highlander, in German...
All this on an old, locally produces commie tube TV.
I remember the first VCR rentals being basically at home operations and side businesses.
Then a few years later we all switched to bootlegged CDs with movies on em, then along came the faster intent and filesharing ultimately the torrents.
Good Times!
In Commie Poland we had 2 tv canals - but,some movies and shows was good,like Space 1999,Zorro or Bonanza.
And,in commie times we had propaganda,bujt also good movies made in Poland.
For unknown reasons,after 1990 nobody in Poland knew how to made good movie anymore/well,with few exceptions/ and the less you say about satire,the better.
And,in commie times we had propaganda,bujt also good movies made in Poland.
For unknown reasons,after 1990 nobody in Poland knew how to made good movie anymore/well,with few exceptions/ and the less you say about satire,the better.
Just like in Poland.Movies about fighting Ottomans,Swedes and Teutonic Order were good or at lest not bad,but everything about soviets was full of soviet shit.
Althought...commie movies about Westerplatte and Hubal/first polish partisant/ were good ones,too.
Argent
Well-known member
So the fall anime season has dropped and new shows are out. Overall a few shows like Spy vs. Family and other that look decent.
But I did start Frieren: Beyond Journey End.
It is a nice change of pace to find a fantasy anime that is not an isekai anime. It picks up with the group of heroes after they defeated the demon king. They are the stereotypical group with the elf magic user, dwarf, priest and main hero swordsman.
Then proceeds to follow the life the elf after the celebrations ends. It is a slice of life that follows the elf Freinen as she deals with her party members start getting old and dieing off. It also shows how her long life leads to a disconnection with humans and her journey to understand them and her relationship to the other party members.
The animation is bog standard and the voice acting is average. Both are decent with and serve the purpose snice the show is a character study.
This show is a unique take on part of fantasy world that we don't see. I have seen the frist 3 epsodies and will say it is worth a try.
But I did start Frieren: Beyond Journey End.
It is a nice change of pace to find a fantasy anime that is not an isekai anime. It picks up with the group of heroes after they defeated the demon king. They are the stereotypical group with the elf magic user, dwarf, priest and main hero swordsman.
Then proceeds to follow the life the elf after the celebrations ends. It is a slice of life that follows the elf Freinen as she deals with her party members start getting old and dieing off. It also shows how her long life leads to a disconnection with humans and her journey to understand them and her relationship to the other party members.
The animation is bog standard and the voice acting is average. Both are decent with and serve the purpose snice the show is a character study.
This show is a unique take on part of fantasy world that we don't see. I have seen the frist 3 epsodies and will say it is worth a try.
