What are you watching?

[Awebb]

I'm currently on a break from my first time watching all the new Doctor Who episodes. I've been at it since November and I'm currently in Season 9, but I had to take a break, because binging this show was messing with my mind a bit. I wanted to watch it for a very long time and my girlfriend decided it's time to infect me with that particular virus.

Then I've recently discovered "Z Nation". I couldn't believe a Zombie show of this caliber got around me for half a decade. I'm currently in Season 3 and I'm having a blast. The show can be described as what happens, when film makers watch The Walking Dead, look at each other and say "We'll do this the right way!" simultaneously while jumping up and down (because the coke finally kicked).

 

[KennedyKiller]

Let's talk about silent films. Specifically Robot Carnival. It's not a true Silent Film. There's music and sound effects, as well as a couple of shorts that do have dialogue, but as a whole, this movie works out almost like a Tom & Jerry cartoon, but instead of a constant comedy, it keeps changing it up. Like 9 different short stories, all but one of which I loved, and from the opening scene I freaked out. I knew it just HAD to be the same guy that animated Cannon Fodder, which is the third segment of the classic Katsuhiro Otomo film Memories. And lo and behold I was right! Atsuko Fukushima! This has got to be the most avant garde anime I've ever seen, and that's saying something considering how out there anime can be. All these different shorts, portraying human/robot relations in totally different lights. Some in horrifying ways. Some in touching ways.

The first two (After the opening, which some may count as a short itself) are easily my favorite. "Franken's Gears" and "Starlight Angel." One is an anime robot version of Frankenstein, which uses music, lighting, and awkward animation to its absolute fullest, and one is a weird story set in a futuristic amusement park of some sort, revolving around a lost locket, and a human girls relationship with VR as a coping mechanism for being lonely because her best friend has a boyfriend and she doesn't. Both had me in awe and absolutely hooked. The weak link is "Cloud." The Music is breathtaking and...that's it. Literally nothing else about it is memorable. I could also go on about "Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: Westerner's Invasion" and "Presence" which are the only two shorts with actual dialogue and voice acting, but I think I've sucked this films d*ck enough in this post, plus I need to leave some excitement and mystery for you guys if you ever decide to watch it.

 

[KManX89]

Some of you may hate me for this (or maybe not, I don't know), but I'm FINALLY watching the Hunger Games for the first time. No, I never watched a single one of these movies before today, but as the old adage goes, there's a first time for everything. I got a limited time Amazon Prime trial and saw the entire 4 film Blu Ray collection for a mere $22, which is a pretty damn good deal, so I ordered them and got them in the mail yesterday and am finally watching the first film today. I just got them because Jennifer Lawrence is great in everything she's in and at least the first 2 movies were fairly well-received, though I heard a lot of polarizing things about Mockingjay Pt. 1 and 2, but will still watch them out of morbid curiosity after I'm done with the first two movies. I also like (love) the concept, even if it is toned down a bit.

I also got The Raid collection and I heard that one doesn't pull ANY punches. So I guess you could say I got a little bit of everything with my order.

 

[Res_Veteran]

Got my Nephew over for the night and WWE Elimination Chamber is on the agenda tonight, Apparently I'm an old timer in his eyes as wrestling has evolved so much, In my day it was Ric Flair, Triple H, X-Pac, HBK, Kane and Undertaker, Mick Foley now it's Seth Rollins, Roman Regins, The Street Profits, The Viking Raiders it's no fun being told you suck for not knowing who these people are. :lol:

 

[KennedyKiller]

After the absolute disaster that was the Tom Cruise reboot of The Mummy, it sure is nice to see the universal monsters in top form again! The Invisible Man was awesome! They set the movie up perfectly with a very tense opening that so effectively has you afraid to even breathe, only to give you 10 to 15 minutes of air afterwards. But from that point on the intensity slowly ramps up again. And it keeps steadily ramping until you get to a climax that feels worthy of the movie. And even after that climax, there's still a bit of movie left that is really worth seeing. This movie is proof that modern horror doesn't have to be all about jump-scares and loud noises, because until recently it's felt like that's all modern horror has been about. Aside from Doctor Sleep, this has got to be one of the best made scary flicks I've seen in a long time.

Not only is it a well-made horror movie, but it does have a legitimately great message about abuse and gas lighting. And in a time where movies are putting politics before story, it's refreshing to see Story come first, but the message still be there without feeling ham-fisted and forced.

All in all, I hope Universal keeps reviving the classic monsters, and doing something like this. Seeing Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or the Wolfman with the same sort of pacing, practical effects, minimal use of CGI, lack of cheap jump-scares, and a smaller budget will definitely get my butt in a theater seat.

 

[KevinStriker]

Irony: Ewan MacGregor in Doctor Sleep looks more like the kid of Shelley Duvall and Jack Nicholson than Danny Lloyd in the original Shining.

All in all, I hope Universal keeps reviving the classic monsters, and doing something like this. Seeing Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or the Wolfman with the same sort of pacing, practical effects, minimal use of CGI, lack of cheap jump-scares, and a smaller budget will definitely get my butt in a theater seat.

3/4 have been done already within the past decade, so I say let's get a Creature movie.

 

[KennedyKiller]

Irony: Ewan MacGregor in Doctor Sleep looks more like the kid of Shelley Duvall and Jack Nicholson than Danny Lloyd in the original Shining.



3/4 have been done already within the past decade, so I say let's get a Creature movie.

I'm down for a creature feature...as long as it meets the aforementioned criteria XD

 

[KevinStriker]

I'm down for a creature feature...as long as it meets the aforementioned criteria XD

Seems to me like The Creature From The Black Lagoon is an appropriate candidate, much of the 1954 film is spent on a boat waiting for said Creature, and a rubber suit could be worn with minimal CGI touch ups for a slimy texture, and articulated eyes/face.

 

[UniqTeas]

I did not watch The Mummy based on the review bashing it got - but I am down for more creature features.

Why not? Reminds me of being 14 and watching TNT MonsterVision where some guy would introduce the scary movie we were about to watch and have some sort of themed comedy act around it. I was like, 'Am I old enough for this!?" Turns out, I'd be okay.

 

[Angel]

I've just finished watching a tutorial on "crafting with cat hair".

I thought it was a joke.

It really REALLY isn't.

Ew.

 

[Rain611]

I just saw The Invisible Man, it was great. Great pacing and suspense with a very well-told story, and Elisabeth Moss was once again great. Universal FINALLY has a classic monster film in the modern era that's actually quite enjoyable. Dracula Untold, The Wolfman, The Mummy (2017), I Frankenstein, all mediocre-to-bad movies. Blumhouse is finally back on track as well after two straight duds in Black Christmas and Fantasy Island.

I also watched Event Horizon the other day, easily one of Paul WS Anderson's better movies (which I know isn't saying much, but still). Those demonic hallucination/orgy scenes are still f*cked up to this day.

Leigh Whannell loves classic monster movies so it doesn't surprise me that he did the subject justice. Maybe this will open the door for him to refresh even more classic monster movies.

I'm watching Ghost Adventures. I love this show. :3

 

[KennedyKiller]

I love watching movies that people recommend to me. So much comes of it. You get to either bond with someone over a new mutual shared love of a film. Of you can verbally eviscerate something they love with a critical analysis afterwards, with any luck, leaving them in tears on the floor, questioning their entire life's choices in the art they have consumed. Only to come face to face with the reality that they should give up, because what else is there to live for if they can no longer find meaning in watching Shrek 2 for the 93rd time?

Thankfully, this most recent instance was the former experience. A buddy at work knows I'm an anime nerd, and apparently to him that means I just have an obsession with the Asian World. He probably thinks I eat my Big Mac's with Chopsticks, and that my bathrobe is a Kimono. However, his stereotypical assumption of weebs lead him to recommending me a film called The Man from Nowhere. And It...Was...AWESOME. Imagine Asian John Wick...but with better hair.

As it turns out, this was South Korea's highest grossing film of 2010, and I can see why. This was an absolute thrill ride. Without giving too much away, the story is about a quiet pawnshop owner who lives in the slums, and a little girl who tries to befriend him because like him, she's a lonely loser. He brushes her off, because no adult male should be friends with a 9 year old girl. But when she gets kidnapped he becomes a 1 man army to slaughter every single member of the mob that could have possibly even heard about this girl's existence. It's a martial arts, guns a-blazin', bloodbath where a 3 way war is going on between the police, the mob, and this man in the middle. But it's not just an action movie. It's a very touching story about bonds you don't want to acknowledge, and never knowing when you'll get the chance to say goodbye. There's a subplot that deals with that MUCH further that I don't want get into due to spoilers. The ending is especially impactful, because it's such a mixed bag of events.

All in all, if you wanna see amazing choreography, creative kills, a touching story about protecting children, a mafia movie, and be able to be pretentious enough to say you watch foreign films, therefore you're above those around you, I'd highly recommend The Man from Nowhere. I couldn't do this movie justice in this post, I'll be completely honest. I just needed to rant about it because it was so god damned incredible. Taken and John Wick can bow down.

Leigh Whannell loves classic monster movies so it doesn't surprise me that he did the subject justice. Maybe this will open the door for him to refresh even more classic monster movies.

I'm watching Ghost Adventures. I love this show. :3

See, I like the first Saw and Dead Silence. Couldn't stand Insidious. And I don't think I've seen much of his other work. So now that the guy is more on my radar, I can't wait to see what he does next. I'm excited!

 

[Rain611]

I followed Leigh's career throughout my high school years because I would write a lot of original fiction and aspired (and still would love) to make movies. I want to do basically everything behind the camera. As time went by though, life happened and I stopped keeping track of his work. I love the first Saw and Saw 3 and Dead Silence (as campy as it was). I wanted to see Upgrade and I also want to see Invisible Man but I just have way too much going on right now.

 

[KennedyKiller]

I followed Leigh's career throughout my high school years because I would write a lot of original fiction and aspired (and still would love) to make movies. I want to do basically everything behind the camera. As time went by though, life happened and I stopped keeping track of his work. I love the first Saw and Saw 3 and Dead Silence (as campy as it was). I wanted to see Upgrade and I also want to see Invisible Man but I just have way too much going on right now.

Dead Silence was campy, but in the best possible way. There's nothing wrong with campy horror done right lol

 

[1995umk3]

The Ring 2002

 

[KevinStriker]

Watched Platoon on Wednesday. A very intense, upsetting, powerful film.

Still the best Vietnam movie for my money, and benefits greatly from the small details and touches to the script from Oliver Stone, himself an infantryman in Vietnam and participant of the events that the film recreates. It feels like one of those movies where violence was toned down (since the atrocities commited by either side of the war go beyond a mere R-rating). Casting choices were inspired, between Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe playing against type, to Charlie Sheen as a naive and affluent recruit (Stone's avatar), and a ton of character actors whose faces you recognize in retrospect. Every firefight in this movie is disorienting in the best way possible. A sense of geography amidst the chaos onscreen is rare but the visuals are never sensory overload. All the more impressive is what was able to be done on a budget of 6 million dollars. (For reference, Predator, from the following year was 18 million)

My only complaint: "Adagio for strings" is used too often, and is especially out of place in the opening title sequence; nothing has happened yet, like Chris Taylor, our protagonist, we just got there. Would have been better to play the scene with no music, just natural sounds.

And it's not the actual movie's fault, but the Blu-rays don't look the way the film was intended, foregoing any stylism. Colour timing, amirite

Spoiler: DVD

Spoiler: Blu-ray

 

[UniqTeas]

As it is Friday the 13th, I have done some fun research on the series. I don't really watch Slasher films anymore because they are just a ****ing joke, but if I had to watch one series - it'd still be Friday the 13th.

I read this entire list earlier - https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/03/ranking-friday-the-13th/ - and I enjoyed going through each iteration of the series. I don't know if I 100% agree with the rankings, but it sure is fun to read and remind me of the times when I was like 12 trying to watch these films and cowering under a blanket.

Getting that Halloween feelings now, and it is only March. :/

 

[KennedyKiller]

Restaurant to Another World - 8/10
OMG This was adorable. It was so simple…so visually appealing. This was the kind of anime you watch on a rainy day under the blankets, and feel like no time passes at all. I mean seriously, I hate Binge Watching. Idk if you guys know that about me, but binge watching is NOT my thing. I’ll watch 3 episodes at a time give or take, and that’s it. I watched all 12 episodes in one sitting. I just could help but feel all gooey and happy inside watching this. No real conflict. no real story. Just…Watching people get good food and talk about their lives…The simple cafe music that plays in the background. The High Fantasy elements. It all just works so well. I really really enjoyed this if you couldn’t tell..

 

[KManX89]

As it is Friday the 13th, I have done some fun research on the series. I don't really watch Slasher films anymore because they are just a ****ing joke, but if I had to watch one series - it'd still be Friday the 13th.

I read this entire list earlier - https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/03/ranking-friday-the-13th/ - and I enjoyed going through each iteration of the series. I don't know if I 100% agree with the rankings, but it sure is fun to read and remind me of the times when I was like 12 trying to watch these films and cowering under a blanket.

Getting that Halloween feelings now, and it is only March. :/

I still enjoy slasher movies, but let's be honest, a lot of them are bad movies. Entertaining bad movies (with a few notable exceptions, namely the first Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Christmas and Halloween), but bad movies all the same. I own Freddy vs. Jason on DVD and I can still find enjoyment out of it as a turn-my-brain-off kind of movie in spite of how bad it is, same with the My Bloody Valentine remake.

Oh and speaking of horror movies, I just watched The Thing for the first time in ages, such a great horror movie on so many levels. The tension, the atmosphere, the story, the acting, the characters. It earned its place as one of the most highly-renowned horror movies of all time.

And I watched The Fifth Element on Blu-Ray for the first time in years last night and once again rediscovering how great of a movie that was. Always great to see Bruce Willis in his prime. It was also my first movie with Milla Jovovich, too bad she couldn't make better casting choices after this one.

 

[bSTAR_182]

Just watched The VVitch and now every light in the house is on.

Really great horror movie with some creepy and disturbing moments. Robert Eggers is climbing the ranks for me as a director. I think he and Ari Aster have figured out that the scariest people coming after you are naked ones.