What Movie Are You Watching?

[Huntn]

I felt like it couldn't decide between which of 3 movies it wanted to be, and didn't follow the logic from the first. I still want my Unobtanium.

It was pretty to watch, though.

Finished my second viewing last night also. It reinforced my first reaction. I think it’s good. My wife resists James Cameron, like she digs Aliens and his Terminator films, but will never succumb to the charms of Titanic. But she was crying on the couch multiple times during the last hour. Cameron got her this time .

Basically I was able to overlook the flaws, the detour which made Sully realize he can’t hide from this. That was his last sentence “gotta fight” in the ending “opened his eyes” scene. I just question why he as Turok Makto, did not run to Awa and have millions of angry critters rain fire on the invaders intent on trashing the planet? Now a teaser, Grace‘s daughter seems to have a direct line to Awa, so stand bye…

 

[Huntn]

Finished my second viewing last night also. It reinforced my first reaction. I think it’s good. My wife resists James Cameron, like she digs Aliens and his Terminator films, but will never succumb to the charms of Titanic. But she was crying on the couch multiple times during the last hour. Cameron got her this time .

I went to Titanic dreading it and walked out loving it. The story seperate from the disaster engaged me. This is why Cameron is viewed as a movie making genius, he knows how to craft engaging and entertaining stories and much of this has to do with his attention to detail. I proclaimed that the original Avatar was the first photo realistic CGI, made in a warehouse movie that I ever saw. I figure they use some actual physical sets, but I don’t know where real ends and CGI starts.

 

[Alli]

I went to Titanic dreading it and walked out loving it. The story seperate from the disaster engaged me. This is why Cameron is viewed as a movie making genius, he knows how to craft engaging and entertaining stories and much of this has to do with his attention to detail. I proclaimed that the original Avatar was the first photo realistic CGI, made in a warehouse movie that I ever saw. I figure they use some actual physical sets, but I don’t know where real ends and CGI starts.

And I walked out of Titanic wishing they’d ended it 40 minutes sooner.

 

[Huntn]

Extraction 2 (2023 Netflicks)- Holy crap. Did I say HOLY CRAP!? Long uninterrupted sequences of blazing hot action, with the camera flying all over. Huge action thumbs up!

 

[Huntn]

American Graffiti (1973)- Hard to believe this is 50 years old, all the actors in this, now old geezers if they are still with us. I really can’t express the emotions I feel when I watch this, even though I missed it (1962) by about 10 years as a teenager. I was in college when this was released. But I can relate to the theme of leaving home for college. my friends who stayed at home spiraled off into a seperate world, at least from my perspective, But I had no second thoughts about leaving, it seemed to be ordained.

The theme of this movie is often described as an age of innocence. From a world wide perspective, these characters have no thoughts about how good they had it, it’s just their lives, facing a milestone, leaving childhood behind looking at adulthood. There is a period, they are on the verge of, where the newness of living fades as John Mellencamp said in Jack and Diane- “Oh yeah life goes on long after the thrill of livin is gone.” Chasing the blond in the white corvette seems like an imperative. Anyway some outstanding music from a previous life (as it seems) , some of it magical.

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[Huntn]

Transformers Rise of the Beasts (2023)- Decent transformers movie, good CGI, but I’ve already forgotten most of the particulars. Some key, to open a portal and let a bad planet gobbling entity threaten the Earth. If I understand it based on the date it takes place 1993?, this was a reboot.

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[Huntn]

Spider-Man (2002)- The-Best-Spiderman…

 

[Huntn]

Pitch Black (2000)- Besides Vin Diesel’s masterful “I Am Groot!” of recent years, I’d say this is his best (first lead) performance in an excellent sci-fi story, with a top notch spaceship crash, and excellent flesh eating critters. I did not care for a sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick.

 

[Alli]

Pitch Black (2000)- Besides Vin Diesel’s masterful “I Am Groot!” of recent years, I’d say this is his best (first lead) performance in an excellent sci-fi story, with a top notch spaceship crash, and excellent flesh eating critters. I did not care for a sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick.

Gotta admit, I liked all of them. You keep what you kill.

 

[Eric]

Gotta admit, I liked all of them. You keep what you kill.

Huge fan myself, just watched all 3 again within the last month.

 

[Nycturne]

Just got back from Across the Spiderverse. The art direction was just insane. Story wise, it felt a lot like Matrix Reloaded. Big reveals but no real resolution that would help it stand on its own. It really needs Part 2 before I can really pass judgement on the story as a whole, but I am digging what they are doing so far, and will be in the theater for the finale. Fingers crossed they can stick the landing here.

Transformers Rise of the Beasts (2023)- Decent transformers movie, good CGI, but I’ve already forgotten most of the particulars. Some key, to open a portal and let a bad planet gobbling entity threaten the Earth. If I understand it based on the date it takes place 1993?, this was a reboot.

It was fun but it is definitely forgettable in the long run (like a lot of MCU films to be honest). As someone who was growing up when Beast Wars was new, there were some references and callbacks in there that were neat to see. A little sad we won’t likely get to see David Kaye reprise the Predacon version of Megatron at some point.

 

[Huntn]

The Rental (2020) - Dan Stevens. Two couples rent a house on the coast for the weekend, bad things happen. It’s 90 minutes, mostly slow, and the end is unsatisfying.

 

[Huntn]

We watched Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008) good start, riding the fridge in a nuclear blast broke my suspension of disbelief, and I really disliked Shia Labeouf as a Marlin Brando Wild Bunch wannabe. He was miscast Imo. The chase though the jungle was over the top and over the waterfalls, sure, whatever. The ending, just accept what your eyes show you…

 

[Herdfan]

We watched Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008) good start,

It was soooo bad. Then when our daughter started watching them we told her not to bother with this one. She didn't listen, but wished she had.

 

[Roller]

It lost its way from 1 and 2 imo. The quantum realm is not a good place for the story to be set as a primary location. Originally in the first movie the idea of shrinking to sub-atomic was interesting although I had to set aside all logical considerations, and not think about that as in how big are atoms and how can you continue to function if you shrink down to atom size? I just avoided thinking about it.
Then Chap 3 came along and rubbed my nose in it, thinking that the quantum realm could be populated with all sorts of little people who live there, having tribal wars as a matter of routine was creative, but they did not succeed pulling it off Imo.

Just watched parts of it on Disney+, fast forwarding through the boring, repetitive stuff. Aside from the over-the-top variety of life forms, which seemed like they were trying to outdo the cantina scene in the first Star Wars, the fact that most of the action took place in the quantum realm seemed almost incidental. According to imdb.com, Quantumania has done well at the box office, but it and some other recent entries (Thor: Love and Thunder comes to mind) feels like the MCU is jumping the shark.

 

[Huntn]

Just watched parts of it on Disney+, fast forwarding through the boring, repetitive stuff. Aside from the over-the-top variety of life forms, which seemed like they were trying to outdo the cantina scene in the first Star Wars, the fact that most of the action took place in the quantum realm seemed almost incidental. According to imdb.com, Quantumania has done well at the box office, but it and some other recent entries (Thor: Love and Thunder comes to mind) feels like the MCU is jumping the shark.

Running out of good ideas? Taking their audience for granted, as in their assimilated now and will swallow any crap we shove down their throats?

 

[Huntn]

Seven Kings Must Die (2023 Netflix)- Is the excellent series final for the Netflix series The Last Kingdom. I liked the ending. You have to watch the series, 5 seasons first…

 

[Alli]

We went back to the thrilling days of yesteryear this afternoon and watched Orson Wells The Third Man. I realized that despite knowing the theme song, I’d never seen it. Totally enjoyed it.

 

[Alli]

Tonight we watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Gotta admit, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it kept my husband’s attention, There was something about it that just reminded me of The Princess Bride.

 

[Nycturne]

Tonight we watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Gotta admit, I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it kept my husband’s attention, There was something about it that just reminded me of The Princess Bride.

A friend made us watch it a while back. I did enjoy it, but there's definitely this weird trend that seems to be all the rage in films these days that is getting harder and harder for me to ignore. One of those "once you see it" sort of things. I don't have a name for it other than how I'd describe it: "Marvel Banter Syndrome". Honestly, there was a lot to like here, but retreading well worn approaches to banter in dialogue and adding comedic touches to scenes was the main mark against it for me. It's leading to a bunch of same-y feeling movies over the last decade, despite having a lot of good in many of them.

We watched Nimona very recently. It had a depth and nuance that I was not expecting, and the animation felt fresh despite being built on the shoulders of all these other experiments animation studios have been doing for years. The folks at Blue Sky should honestly be proud that this was the last project they got before Disney dissolved the studio. It's a shame it had to be handed off most of the way through production.