What are you watching?
- Thread starter KevinStriker
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The Mandalorian has been the best non interactive Star Wars media since the original trilogy if you ask me. Only potential competition would be the Clone Wars TV series. The use of practical effects over CGI is definitely the right way to go. And making it weekly instead of releasing everything all at once is a top tier move. I'd rather watch a show weekly than binge any day, and now I have something to look forward to for the middle of the week (Seeing as Friday is my Wednesday)!
I hate weekly television because you often miss details the writers wanted you to pick up on due to how long you're waiting between episodes. Where as binging let's you get through more episodes in less time, and you can still remember everything you just watched, including earlier seasons, which would have been years back if you were keeping up with its weekly programming and would be long forgotten when randomly referenced seasons later. You really get to appreciate the writing more, which I did when I binged the first 2 seasons of Arrow, but it just hasn't felt the same since, now that I'm watching it weekly.
I 100% agree. Binging lets you read the details of series more finely. I watched the first 5 seasons of Arrow over the course of two months. And I saw connection after connection. If I had watched the series annually, I am sure I wouldn't see all of the connections and remember the minute details that I did. And with big storytelling concepts like Arrow (and the remainder of the Arrowverse), there are a lot of surprises, Easter eggs, and gifts to the viewer which are more easily found during a binge session.
Agents of Shield is the same way. I have not enjoyed the episodic nature of weekly releases. But I loved binging it.
Agents of Shield is the same way. I have not enjoyed the episodic nature of weekly releases. But I loved binging it.
It's winter, it's cold out, I watched Doctor Zhivago because I am a man of culture and taste.
I also watched Top Secret! because I am a man of culture and taste. Also, Omar Sharif is in both movies and I forgot until I started watching.
I also watched Top Secret! because I am a man of culture and taste. Also, Omar Sharif is in both movies and I forgot until I started watching.
I'm watching the original RoboCop on HBO right now. Still a classic and it still holds up well to this day. Clarence Bodicker is one of the best 80's action villains in cinema history and that scene with Murphy getting his arm blown off before getting shotgunned to oblivion was and still is a great watch as is the ED-209 malfunction scene.
Hopefully RoboCop Returns, which is getting the Halloween 2018 treatment (as in, it ignores all the sequels) will be good with a new director. I'm kinda disappointed Neill Blomkamp is no longer gonna be making this, his directing style from District 9 would be perfect for a RoboCop film.
Hopefully RoboCop Returns, which is getting the Halloween 2018 treatment (as in, it ignores all the sequels) will be good with a new director. I'm kinda disappointed Neill Blomkamp is no longer gonna be making this, his directing style from District 9 would be perfect for a RoboCop film.
Boo.
I maintain that RoboCop 2 is an uneven but ultimately still worthy sequel. You can't say it dumbed things down for a PG/PG-13 audience, in fact it might have been too abrasive for some. Matter of fact, its only fatal flaw is that the movie doesn't end, it leads directly into RoboCop 3 with a cliffhanger that's never resolved (The Old Man just gets away forever because Rip Torn is head of OCP in 3)
But 3 and the live-action TV series (both of them!) really do suck.
Saw the new Charlie's Angels last night...it's not great.
And I never thought I'd say this but Kristen Stewart was the only redeeming factor of the entire film. Which is saying a great deal.
But hey, it was a night out for £1.50 so can't really complain too much.
And I never thought I'd say this but Kristen Stewart was the only redeeming factor of the entire film. Which is saying a great deal.
But hey, it was a night out for £1.50 so can't really complain too much.
I’m on season 5 of Breaking Bad now... just goes to show what I’ve done with my staycation- absolutely nothing and I don’t regret it! :lol:
I forgot just how much I loved this show, it still holds up 6 years later and I’m excited to start Better Call Saul now, which I’ve heard great things about but never really gave it a chance before.
A couple things I want to mention:
I friggin love Jesse. His story is what I love most and he is so stinking cute. I love how emotional he is... Aaron Paul really gave his all for this series and exhibited so much range in his acting skills.
Also, I’m convinced that I have a very unpopular opinion for liking and empathizing with Skyler. Everyone is so quick to say they hate her but I love her and can see why she thinks and feels the way that she does throughout the series.
I forgot just how much I loved this show, it still holds up 6 years later and I’m excited to start Better Call Saul now, which I’ve heard great things about but never really gave it a chance before.
A couple things I want to mention:
I friggin love Jesse. His story is what I love most and he is so stinking cute. I love how emotional he is... Aaron Paul really gave his all for this series and exhibited so much range in his acting skills.
Also, I’m convinced that I have a very unpopular opinion for liking and empathizing with Skyler. Everyone is so quick to say they hate her but I love her and can see why she thinks and feels the way that she does throughout the series.
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Those films weren't exactly well-received, so it's easy to see why they're ignoring them with the new movie much like Terminator Dark Fate ignores every sequel after T2 and Halloween 2018 ignores every sequel after the first movie.
I also saw Knives Out last weekend, great movie. Great pacing and characters, and Daniel Craig was great, as always. The "twist" wasn't so much of a surprise, though, I saw it coming from a mile away.
My fiancee and I just had out 8 year dating Anniversary yesterday and had a romantic trip, but ended up seeing Knives Out at an AMC with a full menu and leather recliners. It was wonderful.
Knives Out had me really amazed. It feels like a movie you watch for the cinema of it. And the pacing and twistiness of the film is really great. Every half hour, you think you solved the whole mystery and then BUM BUM BUM you DIDN't! I like every movie I watch in general, so my opinion isn't so great, but I have a high opinion about Knives Out and you should probably give it a chance.
Knives Out had me really amazed. It feels like a movie you watch for the cinema of it. And the pacing and twistiness of the film is really great. Every half hour, you think you solved the whole mystery and then BUM BUM BUM you DIDN't! I like every movie I watch in general, so my opinion isn't so great, but I have a high opinion about Knives Out and you should probably give it a chance.
I'm watching Interview With the Vampire, still one of my favorite vampire/undead movies. Pitt and Cruise carry this film with some interesting character arcs and I really liked watching the growth of their characters. It's too bad the sequel, Queen of the Damned was such a trainwreck. A vampire movie with a resurrected vampire queen and hard rock concerts should be ten kinds of awesome (and Jonathan Davis does write some pretty cool vampire songs for the soundtrack that he unfortunately couldn't appear on the album for for contractual reasons, especially System, Forsaken and Redeemer), but it wasn't.
There actually was supposed to be a third movie based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, but it was cancelled and recently rebranded into a series that's being made for Hulu.
There actually was supposed to be a third movie based on Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, but it was cancelled and recently rebranded into a series that's being made for Hulu.
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I'm glad to hear this. This year FINALLY feels like we're getting out of the same formulaic films and franchises over and over. Not only am I excited to see Knives Out, but also Ford V. Ferrari and Uncut Gems. Those movies look fantastic.
Speaking of seeing movies that aren't formulaic Franchise films, I recently saw A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the Tom Hanks/Mr. Rogers film. And boy did I love it. I won't say too much because of spoilers, but I will say, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I knew it was going to be quite the heavy drama, and a Mr. Rogers film for adults, but my five year old daughter insisted she wanted to see it. I was worried since it wasn't like his show, or kid oriented at all, that she'd get bored. I couldn't be more wrong. She sat through the movie and as we got out was telling me how much she loved it, and I was genuinely surprised at how much of it she even understood, considering the more mature narrative. The idea that a 5 year old and a 25 year old can get two different, yet completely postitive and valid emotional responses out of this movie really speaks volumes to how well made it is.
I've been feeling the same exact way, but it still annoys me that these movies don't do as good as your average to mediocre comic book films, live action remakes, and big blockbuster sequels. Yet I always see people crying that Hollywood doesn't have any original ideas, meanwhile they go reward Hollywood for their un-originality in droves.
Doctor Sleep was great, but it flopped, Ford v Ferrari was absolutely fantastic, and why no one has mentioned The Irishman yet is shocking. Easily my favorite movie of the year. Saw it a couple of weeks ago on Netflix and I'm still thinking about it. Martin Scorsese is a filmmaking legend and The Irishman is easily one of, if not, his best film. It's laughable how many idiots have been trying to discredit his work after stating his opinions on superhero films, which he's 100% right about anyway.
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Doctor Sleep flopped?? Damn...That sucks. I mean, when me and my friends went it was a Tuesday night, so I thought it made sense that the theater was on the emptier side. I haven't watched the Irishman yet, but I really need to. Though I have trouble believing it's going to be better than The Departed, one of the greatest films in history lol. I agree and disagree with his statements on Comic Book films. It was a broad generalization that I'm not necessarily on board with. You can have Comic Book films, and them still be GOOD films in their own right. I'd say that Logan, Ant-Man, the original Men in Black, Spider-Man 2, and Watchmen (The Extended Cut) are all examples of this. But that said, they're a minority. Many superhero films are mass produced, formulaic, comedy movies with a superhero skin on them. And that's coming from one comic nerd to another. I mean...Look at our avatars on here XD.
The Departed was amazing, but Goodfellas has always been my favorite. Though personally, The Irishman is definitely up there with his best. It was 3 and half hours and it honestly didn't feel like it because you're never bored by the film. So many great scenes, quotable lines, and excellent use of music. Scorsese assembled an iconic cast one last time, even got Joe f*cking Pesci out of retirement and he absolutely nailed it. This felt like an end of an era for the gangster film genre, and it couldn't have had a better send off with such an amazing story that highlights how unglamorous the gangster life is and it's all the more interesting when you dig into the real story after the film. Like I said, I haven't stopped thinking about it.
The thing is, what he said didn't seem to be aimed at all comic book films. It seemed very apparent he was talking about Marvel and it's hard to disagree with his theme park attraction analogy and Spider-Man is a perfect example of this too as there's a very clear difference between Sam Raimi's Spider-Man the film and Marvel's Spider-Man the theme park attraction. I mean, it's Disney, theme parks have pretty much been their whole deal and their films are just giant commercials for them. Who the hell else makes movies out of theme park rides? The same thing has basically happened with Star Wars with how unoriginal and formulaic it has become and not only has it joined Marvel with its theme park attraction, it's getting its very own hotel as well.
This review made me even more excited for the Irishman, I’ll be watching that soon.
I can definitely agree with Marvel and the superhero genre becoming a formulaic spectacle. Sometimes I’m in the mood for that type of cheesy storytelling but it’s also the reason why very few superhero/villain flicks hold up for me (Logan, Joker, The Dark Knight easily being exceptions as they have phenomenal storytelling and artistic value).
Star Wars, on the other hand, I feel differently about. I think Disney is putting out better work than Lucas would have and I get that may be an unpopular opinion. Of course the original series is untouchable and iconic but when I think of the prequels... I have no interest in sitting down to rewatch them. Fans got upset over The Last Jedi straying away from the Star Wars formula (granted there were bits about the movie that I didn’t like but still it’s nowhere near being the worst film in the series). What they will do with episode 9 remains to be seen- apparently they want to end it with a darker mood so I’m curious to see how that plays out. But The Mandalorian has been fairly enjoyable and one that many fans have taken to. Rogue One was also under appreciated and is a far better movie than at least the first 2 prequels- imo.
Anyway, I mainly felt the need to point out that the entire Star Wars franchise has always been a bit of a spectacle/moneymaker and had a formula even before Disney got their hands on it. Perhaps some fans think that the story Disney is focusing on isn’t living up to some of the comics/books or CGI films that came before it, but others are finding the good in it and enjoying it.
Not completely, Black Christmas is getting remade yet again, and I hear it's absolutely dreadful. No surprise there, everything about that movie screamed trainwreck from the beginning.
Having said that, though, Ford v. Ferrari, Knives Out and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood were all great films and Uncut Gems looks to continue that trend of great original movies to round out the year (it looks like Adam Sandler CAN still make quality movies, just keep him away from comedies). This has certainly been one of the better years for original films, but let's not act like Hollywood still isn't largely turning out remakes, reboots, sequels or adaptations.
I also just saw Ready or Not on Redbox, it was a decent, fun romp. The humor was spot on and the story and action is compelling enough with some good pacing, albeit not having a lot in the way of character development. It's not a great movie, but it'll keep your attention.