Easy E wrote: Yeah, I want it as a animated Disney movie......
According to Google, Amazon MGM Studios own the rights to RoboCop, so no RoboCop Disney movie for you...
Until Disney buys out Amazon MGM too, like they're buying everything else. Disney's probable end goal is to become the sole purveyor of entertainment in the USA, if not the world.
I liked the theory the reason Disney kept putting good actors in mediocre films was to stop others making good films with those people in and therefore smothering competition
I know it's going to suck (99.44% ivory sure) but for some reason I really want to see this.
It seems like they're playing up the romance angle in ads and it's releasing on Valentine's Day of all days but I wonder if it'll primarily be an action flick with a romance subplot/elements instead. Worst case scenario is that I end up liking it and file it under "guilty but cringey pleasure" along with AVP1 and Stardust.
Aside from the tragedy of Chadwick Boseman passing away when the MCU really needed someone to fill the shoes of Chris Evens as the center that holds (no offense to Sam but the actor just isn't carrying the same weight, you know?) the biggest tragedy of post Infinity War MCU imo is that Dr. Strange isn't really allowed to be a strong hero.
He's an donkey-cave most of the time whenever he shows up in someone else's movie. Like a huge dick. Just needlessly abrasive in a way that seems to betray his character development in Strange 1. Then in Strange 2, it feels more like Wanda's movie than Strange's because I honestly can't even remember what Strange really does in the movie except try to stop Wanda and generally not succeed until Wanda does a 180 on her whole path of evil.
Most of our heroes emerge from their first movies wiser and more responsible. But Strange? He sought out the sorcerers for selfish reasons - to heal his hands so he can get back to being famous surgeon. And once he proves incredibly adept? His old arrogance reasserts itself.
Not necessarily in a nasty way like. But he’s definitely way, way over confident. Which is explored with some success in Multiverse of Madness - he always knows best. Only he can say what should happen.
He’s kind of like Stark, without a Cap to rein him in.
Which is why he plays so well against Wanda.
Poor old Wanda. Since she was a kid, she’s been treated as little more than a weapon to be controlled. She’s allowed to use her powers only when it suits others.
She tries to do the right thing, and ends up losing her parents, then her brother, then the love of her life twice in about five minutes, with the first there being at her own hand for the benefit of others.
She then loses the plot, and goes ‘nanners, creating a fantasy life where she’s just left alone with her new family. Until, once again, another person sees her solely as a source of personal power to be exploi
Just a life of nothing but trauma and exploitation, despite her frankly ridiculous powers.
Strange? Oh he can just do whatever he wants, that’s fine. He can be trusted with magic, because he says he can be trusted with magic.
Automatically Appended Next Post: As for Multiverse of Magic? I think that was more about showing Strange his actions have a cost. That he’s not always right. That, perhaps, his selfishness and arrogance will always colour his approach. Even when he gets the win, it doesn’t mean he was therefore completely right in every way.
I don't think being full of himself is the problem.
The problem is that he comes off as completely unlikable. You can have characters who are likable but completely full of themselves; see Greg House, Rodney McKay, and Tony Stark as played by Robby Down J.
A character can be an arrogant ass and still be likeable.
When Strange shows up in other people's films, he's an arrogant ass and he's unlikable.
LordofHats wrote: I don't think being full of himself is the problem.
The problem is that he comes off as completely unlikable. You can have characters who are likable but completely full of themselves; see Greg House, Rodney McKay, and Tony Stark as played by Robby Down J.
A character can be an arrogant ass and still be likeable.
When Strange shows up in other people's films, he's an arrogant ass and he's unlikable.
Tony Stark is the only one in that list who hasn't reminded people that his name starts with"Doctor."
It’s a bit funny to me that it’s Dr Strange in the first place. As he is a surgeon, if it was in the UK, he would be Mr Strange due to entertaining historical shenanigans
Flinty wrote: It’s a bit funny to me that it’s Dr Strange in the first place. As he is a surgeon, if it was in the UK, he would be Mr Strange due to entertaining historical shenanigans
Can you help me with that, because I've heard this before, but I remember Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes referred to John Watson as Doctor...
(I also wondered if your name was John Watson if you'd be pressured into becoming an Army Doctor... I know this has to be a thing, otherwise we wouldn't have the United States Navy's PR dream commanding a vessel: Captain James Kirk.)
It's a historical thing. In theory "Doctor" refers to physicians, specifically members of the Royal College of Physicians, while members of the Royal College of Surgeons are simply Mr. It comes from the time when surgeons were less prestigious than doctors, and were often barber-surgeons who were seen as basically butchers. Obviously as surgery has advanced things have kind of gone the other way.
In terms of army and navy 'surgeons' they were likely actual doctors who performed surgery because they were the only ones there.
pgmason wrote: It's a historical thing. In theory "Doctor" refers to physicians, specifically members of the Royal College of Physicians, while members of the Royal College of Surgeons are simply Mr. It comes from the time when surgeons were less prestigious than doctors, and were often barber-surgeons who were seen as basically butchers. Obviously as surgery has advanced things have kind of gone the other way.
In terms of army and navy 'surgeons' they were likely actual doctors who performed surgery because they were the only ones there.
warboss wrote: I know it's going to suck (99.44% ivory sure) but for some reason I really want to see this.
It seems like they're playing up the romance angle in ads and it's releasing on Valentine's Day of all days but I wonder if it'll primarily be an action flick with a romance subplot/elements instead. Worst case scenario is that I end up liking it and file it under "guilty but cringey pleasure" along with AVP1 and Stardust.
Attractive leads... nice idea, should be good imo. I really enjoyed stardust though.
Most of our heroes emerge from their first movies wiser and more responsible. But Strange? He sought out the sorcerers for selfish reasons - to heal his hands so he can get back to being famous surgeon. And once he proves incredibly adept? His old arrogance reasserts itself.
Not necessarily in a nasty way like. But he’s definitely way, way over confident. Which is explored with some success in Multiverse of Madness - he always knows best. Only he can say what should happen.
He’s kind of like Stark, without a Cap to rein him in.
Which is why he plays so well against Wanda.
Poor old Wanda. Since she was a kid, she’s been treated as little more than a weapon to be controlled. She’s allowed to use her powers only when it suits others.
She tries to do the right thing, and ends up losing her parents, then her brother, then the love of her life twice in about five minutes, with the first there being at her own hand for the benefit of others.
She then loses the plot, and goes ‘nanners, creating a fantasy life where she’s just left alone with her new family. Until, once again, another person sees her solely as a source of personal power to be exploi
Just a life of nothing but trauma and exploitation, despite her frankly ridiculous powers.
Strange? Oh he can just do whatever he wants, that’s fine. He can be trusted with magic, because he says he can be trusted with magic.
Automatically Appended Next Post: As for Multiverse of Magic? I think that was more about showing Strange his actions have a cost. That he’s not always right. That, perhaps, his selfishness and arrogance will always colour his approach. Even when he gets the win, it doesn’t mean he was therefore completely right in every way.
Pepper and his daughter is more important to reign in Tony than Cap. Strange has nothing and no-one.
warboss wrote: I know it's going to suck (99.44% ivory sure) but for some reason I really want to see this.
It seems like they're playing up the romance angle in ads and it's releasing on Valentine's Day of all days but I wonder if it'll primarily be an action flick with a romance subplot/elements instead. Worst case scenario is that I end up liking it and file it under "guilty but cringey pleasure" along with AVP1 and Stardust.
The script has been leaked online and it's
Spoiler:
not good.
Not a serious spoiler, just a comment on the quality.
I've watched things solely because Anya Taylor-Joy was in them, but The Gorge won't be one.
Paddington is weird. It's gotten significant critical praise, but I just checked and the first one only pulled $300m at the box office and 2 did worse. For some reason I thought it flirted with the billion mark.
Furiosa was a bomb, Dune: Part Two had a decent haul (but ATJ wasn't in a significant role), Super Mario was huge (but it's a voice role), Amsterdam bombed, The Menu did okay, The Northman bombed, The New Mutants bombed (but ATJ was easily the best part of the film), Last Night in Soho bombed, Emma did okay relative to its production cost, Glass and Split were massive hits relative to production cost, and The VVitch was a financial success as well.
Outside of Super Mario she hasn't starred in a financially successful film since Glass in 2019.
TLDR: I would bet against an ATJ led film doing well at the box office.
The praise quotes in the trailer all
Describe it as a comedy and hilarious. The trailer itself is straight psychological horror. A24 might have played themselves.
I'm excited. I really liked the first one. And it looks like a good extension of the first and on first glance not to terrible of an up the stakes outrageously extension (outside of the obvious ridiculousness of the premise). I'd suggest catching the first one personally.
Hulksmash wrote: I'm excited. I really liked the first one. And it looks like a good extension of the first and on first glance not to terrible of an up the stakes outrageously extension (outside of the obvious ridiculousness of the premise). I'd suggest catching the first one personally.
Yeah, I'll second that The Accountant was a pretty good flick.
Lathe Biosas wrote: I'm still waiting for a studio to release an Alien film where the hero is a Weyland-Yutani executive. Imagine the fan rage about that twist.
That’s basically the original Aliens vs Predator story. I still don’t understand why they didn’t just make a film of the damn book, instead of the abomination that we got.
Bit early to get hyped, but Spielberg is working on an as yet unnamed UFO film and Raimi is returning to horror(albeit "survival horror") with "Send Help". Both releasing in 2026.
nels1031 wrote: Bit early to get hyped, but Spielberg is working on an as yet unnamed UFO film and Raimi is returning to horror(albeit "survival horror") with "Send Help". Both releasing in 2026.
They'll have strong competition if they're looking for a Christmas release...
IDK what it is, but there's something so incredibly encouraging seeing this series shape up like it's trying to be everything our edgy teen selves thought was badass and cool in early 00s. Like, if I had to peg what it is about Devil May Cry and keeps DMC3 in particular in my head even 20+ years later, it's that. That Dante embodied everything stupid teenager me thought was awesome.
Somehow, the trailer matches to capture that particular brand of nostalgia and not be utterly cringe inducing while sounding like an early youtube AMV XD
The Last Starfighter 2 During a recent appearance at this year’s Indiana Comic Convention (via /Film), The Last Starfighter director Nick Castle confirmed he’s still working with the original film’s writer, Jonathan R. Beutel, on a sequel.
Honestly at this stage I'd do Last Starfighter remake because capturing the charm of the old film decades upon decades later is going to be freakishly hard to achieve.
Whilst I dislike the whole "reboot everything" if you're going to do it after this many years - sometimes - its better to just start fresh.
Overread wrote: Honestly at this stage I'd do Last Starfighter remake because capturing the charm of the old film decades upon decades later is going to be freakishly hard to achieve.
Whilst I dislike the whole "reboot everything" if you're going to do it after this many years - sometimes - its better to just start fresh.
Agreed. Jumanji's how you do it right. Update the tech, keep the premise.
There's a space fight simulator MMO VR tournament, and our young hero manages to win it. The next day, or that evening, they are recruited to go after the Kodan armada, or if you must have continuity, a resurgent Kodan force. They proceed to battle in their top of the line Starfighters, until they get cocky, and it takes too much damage to put back in the air (space? whatever). And over the strenuous objections of the alien copilot tech specialist, the human brings out the ancient relic of the Last Starfighter from the command center museum and battles desperately before Death Blossoming their way to victory. Toss in some techno nonsense about how the outdated starfighter's emissions make it mostly invisible to modern sensors to explain how something so old stands a chance, and you're off and running. Your final shot could be a star map, showing other incursions across the galaxy, opening the door to sequels.
IDK what it is, but there's something so incredibly encouraging seeing this series shape up like it's trying to be everything our edgy teen selves thought was badass and cool in early 00s. Like, if I had to peg what it is about Devil May Cry and keeps DMC3 in particular in my head even 20+ years later, it's that. That Dante embodied everything stupid teenager me thought was awesome.
Somehow, the trailer matches to capture that particular brand of nostalgia and not be utterly cringe inducing while sounding like an early youtube AMV XD
I'm still weirded out that Dante sounds just like his nephew in this
I'll be shocked if its actually good, but here's hoping. Somehow the OP song is the best and worst choice I could imagine.
Sydney Sweeney, Anna de Arnie and Vanessa Kirby discover it’s a bad idea to trap themselves on an island with Jude Law.
The Trouble with Jessica
An independent film quirky comedy about a house party gone wrong when one houseguest commits suicide at a mist inopportune moment. Whatever you feel when you hear the string of words “quirky independent film”, this looks to deliver exactly that.
An independent film quirky comedy about a house party gone wrong when one houseguest commits suicide at a mist inopportune moment. Whatever you feel when you hear the string of words “quirky independent film”, this looks to deliver exactly that.
...there's an opportune moment to do something like that?
I've seen Liam in a few cameo roles in comedy movies/shows and he always kills it. Buying Trix cereal in Ted 2, I think he was a tattoo artist in one of the Hangover movies, and his improv scene in Ricky Gervais's show kills me every time I watch it.
Was kind of cynical and bored about the news of this reboot, but I'm hyped now.
Got a chuckle out of the 'Nope!' at the end of the teaser...
Yeah, that got me good.
Honestly, Liam Neeson is perfect for this. He absolutely embodies the same kind of deadpan, self serious delivery from someone not afraid to look ridiculous that made Leslie Nielsen an icon. This has serious potential, but we'll have to wait and see.
Got a chuckle out of the 'Nope!' at the end of the teaser...
Yeah, that got me good.
Honestly, Liam Neeson is perfect for this. He absolutely embodies the same kind of deadpan, self serious delivery from someone not afraid to look ridiculous that made Leslie Nielsen an icon. This has serious potential, but we'll have to wait and see.
Yeah, I was very nervous about this, but now I have hope!
Director Edgar Wright and stars Glen Powell, Colman Domingo, and Josh Brolin all appeared on stage for Paramount’s presentation of The Running Man, a new adaptation of the Stephen King story that Wright said he loved as a kid, but felt had never been told in the way the book intended. Powell said that the film “doesn’t just have touches or flavors of things audiences love; this one is a full meal,” after which he proclaimed “I’ve never worked hard in my life.” The quartet presented the first trailer for the film, which featured Wright’s trademark sense of humor and the action ratcheted up to 10, ending with a fun scene where Michael Cera’s character helps Glen dispatch some enemies by shooting them with water while they’re standing on an electrified floor.
The Running Man will open in theaters on November 7, 2025.
Honestly of these three Hot Fuzz stands out as the absolute best. Shaun of the Dead is a neat bit of light comedy satire of zombie films with a few great gags along the way and a few that are ok.
World's End to me felt like one joke/theme that got overstretched to the extreme. The part where it got really interesting was the last few moments with the post apoc scene. That felt like it would build into an actual exciting flim.
Baby Driver is also great. None of his stuff is normal, but I find it hard to say any of it is actual crap. As long as they don’t fall prey to the Total Recall pit of retelling where they make terrible creative decisions that make absolutely no sense just to divorce it from the Arnie original.
Dale Carnegie in his seminal book titled How to Win Friends and Influence People says, "Never tell someone they are wrong." He goes on to say "The best way to avoid an argument is not to have one." I am a big believer in Mr. Carnegie's work and have implemented it for my own personal and career benefit.
Therefore, I do not say this lightly, but MDG you are wrong about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Fight me.
Flinty wrote: Baby Driver is also great. None of his stuff is normal, but I find it hard to say any of it is actual crap. As long as they don’t fall prey to the Total Recall pit of retelling where they make terrible creative decisions that make absolutely no sense just to divorce it from the Arnie original.
I liked Baby Driver except for Baby Driver's ridiculously stupid ending. Sorry, Federal Prison aka The Bureau of Prisons doesn't work like that.
I am sure someone, somewhere is writing a thesis on the idea that for the past 25 years cinema has been fixated on Superheroes to save us, and Post-apocalyptic Zombie movies that focus on our destruction. Pretty sure there is something to say about the Cultural Zeitgeist there.
It's going to be interesting to find out how the zombies survived considering that the other films kept establishing that without regular food the zombies would eventually die off and just fall apart.
Granted they did hit mainland Europe at the end of the last film but in theory after 28 years you'd have thought they'd have burned through the population.
Nope - It was exactly that - they drew out the first girls (Drew Barrymore?) kill over about half an hour. Truely terrible film that I wish I walked out of the cinema.
Why in a country apparently full of guns - no girl just pulls one out and shoots the stupid idiots in masks....
Not at all feeling this Predator: Badlands trailer.
Supposedly one of the skulls in the opening shot is one of the Independence Day aliens. Sweet, more gakky crossovers that fail to come close to its potential!
Saw this trailer the other day and giggled. It's so much crammed into a movie but both of those guys are underrated for their comedy. I'm kinda excited for the silly.
nels1031 wrote: Not at all feeling this Predator: Badlands trailer.
Supposedly one of the skulls in the opening shot is one of the Independence Day aliens. Sweet, more gakky crossovers that fail to come close to its potential!
It looks like its following the vein of a Predator comic series that started after The Predator and was about as bad as Predator. I suppose hoping we could get another movie like Prey was hoping for too much because everything about this looks like someone's gakky scifi concept with the Predator name slapped onto it, not a real Predator movie.
nels1031 wrote: Not at all feeling this Predator: Badlands trailer.
Supposedly one of the skulls in the opening shot is one of the Independence Day aliens. Sweet, more gakky crossovers that fail to come close to its potential!
That was... unexpected. Well a 'bold' new twist I guess.
Saw this trailer the other day and giggled. It's so much crammed into a movie but both of those guys are underrated for their comedy. I'm kinda excited for the silly.
Ok, I laughed several times in that trailer, it looks like exactly the right kind of dumb to be good
nels1031 wrote: Not at all feeling this Predator: Badlands trailer.
Supposedly one of the skulls in the opening shot is one of the Independence Day aliens. Sweet, more gakky crossovers that fail to come close to its potential!
That was... unexpected. Well a 'bold' new twist I guess.
It didn’t wow me, but consider me intrigued. It feels much more like the original AvP novelisations, and having something more from the Predator’s point of view could be interesting to see on screen.
Really looking forward this. "The Rock" getting into a pretty intense dramatic role, Emily Blunt looking hot AF, a slew of early UFC/Pride FC lore, and a bunch of UFC/Boxing folks playing early MMA guys.
Its based on a pretty good documentary, if anyone wants to skip ahead!
Bridesmaids meets Gross Pointe Blank. It looks like it takes itself about as seriously as its title suggests. I laughed a couple times at the trailer, but I still don’t know whether this will be a decent action-comedy or a total trainwreck.
The Legend of Ochi
I didn’t see much advertising for this one, but it’s out now (except in the UK where it was yanked for mysterious reasons) and reviews are deeply divided.
People who loved it describe it as Stephen Spielberg’s How to Train Your Dragon, starring fuzzy Grogu, as directed by Wes Anderson.
People who loathe it describe it as a Wes Anderson film about a fuzzy Grogu based on a knock-off How to Train Your Dragon script meant for Stephen Spielberg.
Everyone agrees that Willem Dafoe is the best part of the movie.
The 70s and 80s really went for the dystopian game show. Whilst I'm sure the film is about themes of individualism versus collectivism and rebellion against authority when pressured, I don't think I'd be able to get over the weird setup. Not for me.
Flinty wrote: The 70s and 80s really went for the dystopian game show. Whilst I'm sure the film is about themes of individualism versus collectivism and rebellion against authority when pressured, I don't think I'd be able to get over the weird setup. Not for me.
King started writing the book back in 1966-67 when he was in college, so a bit before the dystopian game show phase and it's been categorized as a metaphor for the Vietnam War. Personally, I'll watch it just to see Mark Hamill...
It’s one of the few early King books I never got around to. Better find a copy…
What summer movies are you all looking forward to most?
I feel a little weird that the films I am most hyped for are M3gan 2.0, Weapons and HIM. I thought I would feel more excitement for Superman or F4, but I just don’t. The only interest I have in Lilo and Stitch or MI Final Reckoning is if they pull off the “Stitchin’ Impossible” cultural moment, which I doubt they will. Tron and Jurassic World are almost certainly going to be meh. What else even is there?
Oh right, The Phoenician Scheme. Ehhhhhhhhh, beats HTTYD for me.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: It is out right now, but not for long. It got crushed by Sinners and Revenge of the Sith rereleased.
Which kinda sucks cause it was a LOT of fun and a genuinely enjoyable movie. Granted Sinners was better but that doesn't take away from how enjoyable The Accountant 2 was. Hopefully it makes it's money back via the way the first one did with streaming.
Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of live-action “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.
Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
Ugh...
Release date of 17 December 2027 according to Variety.
Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of live-action “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.
Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
Ugh...
Release date of 17 December 2027 according to Variety.
Good, the further away it is, the better. I can do without another Peter "I don't like the way Tolkien wrote it so I changed it, hur, hur." Jackson, LoTR cash-in film.
I'm not sure which director fills me with dread more, Jackson or Ridley Scott.
Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of live-action “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.
Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call Thursday.
Ugh...
Release date of 17 December 2027 according to Variety.
Good, the further away it is, the better. I can do without another Peter "I don't like the way Tolkien wrote it so I changed it, hur, hur." Jackson, LoTR cash-in film.
I'm not sure which director fills me with dread more, Jackson or Ridley Scott.
There are a lot of things that I know had to be trimmed or excised from the writings of Tolkien to fit into a cohesive film. But Jackson said he changed things he didn't like...
Ie the Scouring of the Shire, Faramir (Faramir understands the danger of the One Ring and that it must not come near Minas Tirith. He believes the Ring came within his grasp as a test of his quality, and he declares that he never would have taken the Ring from Frodo. When he encounters Frodo and Sam, he treats them with courtesy and honor). Faramir is also a self insert of the author in the series. Tolkien based Faramir on himself during WWI.
But Jackson thought the character was wrong and changed it. Much like Denethor, and other characters Jackson didn't like, so he gave them radically different personalities... or having Sam leave Frodo. In the book, Sam contemplates suicide when he thinks Frodo is dead.
One more gripe. The Duidain (aka the Rangers of the North) return. The big reveal in the books is Aragorn's people come back. The movies? Never mentioned.
I'd rather not talk about the Hobbit Movies.
I can go on, but you probably have already stopped reading this.
Eh, I think the choices made when Jackson adapted LotR were reasonable and made sense. Probably for the best he just did that trilogy and nothing else set in Middle Earth, moving on to other projects afterward.
Ahtman wrote: Eh, I think the choices made when Jackson adapted LotR were reasonable and made sense. Probably for the best he just did that trilogy and nothing else set in Middle Earth, moving on to other projects afterward.
I kinda wondered what happened to Sauruman though... they just forgot about him in his tower.
Isn't Andy Serkis (aka the Cook from King Kong) directing this new one?
I think that Peter Jackson did an excellent job with the visuals and Howard Shore did an excellent job on the soundtrack. It's a great achievement to get LOTR on film at all, and the first film is remarkably close to the book. It's also my favourite of the films.
But Jackson changes characters to make them worse all over the place in his films, often to inject conflict into scenes where it isn't needed (in my view).
Frodo is the best example of worsening a character. Frodo in the book is brave and heroic, the best of the Hobbits. He fights back at Weathertop and in Moria. He stands up to the Black Riders at the Ford. He skillfully negotiates with Faramir and impresses him. Film Frodo runs away and falls over at Weathertop and Moria. He is essentially unconscious at the Ford. He is totally out of it with Faramir and tries to give the Ring to a Nazgul. I think they just amped the Ring up way too much and leaned way too much into the addiction idea and ended up robbing Frodo of all agency and making him pathetic, or a Ring Zombie.
Theoden is much less brave and sensible than in the book. Gandalf is much more aggressive and bellicose. Aragorn is nowhere near as assured and kingly. Legolas loses his sense of humour while Gimli loses his dignity. Merry and Pippin become total morons rather than irresponsible but good hearted youths.
Denethor goes from being an incredibly strong man cracking under insane pressure to a pompous, evil lunatic. About the only character elevated by the films is Boromir, mostly by Sean Bean's performance but to be fair they had some decent script for him too. Faramir's character assassination is well known.
And yeah, people always argue that doing all this was required to do a film adaptation. I don't believe that's true, and I think if it WAS required they simply shouldn't have done a film adaptation then. It's tantamount to vandalism.
Ahtman wrote: Eh, I think the choices made when Jackson adapted LotR were reasonable and made sense. Probably for the best he just did that trilogy and nothing else set in Middle Earth, moving on to other projects afterward.
I kinda wondered what happened to Sauruman though... they just forgot about him in his tower.
Isn't Andy Serkis (aka the Cook from King Kong) directing this new one?
Saruman's fate was cut from the theatrical version for pacing reasons. It's covered in the extended edition of Return of the King. Short version:
Spoiler:
Angry trees lock down Isengard until Gandalf and murder hobo posse arrive after the siege of Helm's Deep, there's a brief conversation in which Saruman hurts Grima's feelings, Grima stabs Saruman, Grima gets shot by Legolas, Saruman falls to his death, murder hobos get loot and move on.
Probably not a name too well known outside of Murica, but apparently there's a biopic of John Madden coming, starring Nic Cage as Madden and Christian Bale as Al Davis. Have only seen a shot of Bale/Cage in their makeup for the roles, but I'm already sold.
Announcing Cage’s casting last August, director Russell(David O Russell (American Hustle, Three Kings, The Fighter)) said: “Nicolas Cage, one of our greatest and most original actors, will portray the best of the American spirit of originality, fun and determination in which anything is possible as beloved national legend John Madden.
“Together with the ferocious style, focus and inspired individualism of Al Davis, owner of the underdog Oakland Raiders, the feature will be about the joy, humanity and genius that was John Madden in a wildly inventive, cool world of the 1970s.”
Easy E wrote: "If the movie wants to be good, it will have to score more box office dollars than other movies." - John Madden probably
It would be pretty dope if Madden is the narrator and just circles random stuff during the movie and goes off on a tangent. I learned about cumulus, stratus and cirrus clouds sometime in the late 80’s because he went off topic and starting pointing out the different kinds of clouds during a football game.
‘Don’t worry about the horse being blind, just load the wagon” is what he told his team before taking the field.
Man, hearing/seeing Nic Cage say some of this stuff is going to be amazing.
An Ari Aster movie from A24 about the COVID pandemic in a rural town...... you know.... that worldwide global event that we like to pretend never happened and never talk about...... this is going to bomb so fething hard!
Geifer wrote: I think the trailer may be broken. I watched it but I still have no idea what the movie might be about. That's not how trailers are supposed to work.
That’s how Ari Aster trailers are supposed to work.
Chances are the film will involve mental illness spiraling into neuroses and paranoia, with maybe some weird sexual hangup. Which reminds me:
The Souffleur
Willem Dafoe is a soufflé maker hiding in a condemned hotel, spiraling into paranoia and madness.
Geifer wrote: I think the trailer may be broken. I watched it but I still have no idea what the movie might be about. That's not how trailers are supposed to work.
That’s how Ari Aster trailers are supposed to work.
Chances are the film will involve mental illness spiraling into neuroses and paranoia, with maybe some weird sexual hangup.
I never said it was a successful way of doing it. Quite the opposite. Beau is Afraid was a huge bomb that changed Aster’s reputation from the master of elevated horror to that guy who blows tens of millions of dollars making his mommy issues public.
Ah the dichotomy of making trailers: "Trailers give away to much, I want to be surprised" while simultaneously "This trailer doesn't tell me anything, why should I see this".
I'd think of marketing more in terms of informing potential customers of the product's features versus provoking an emotional response to create demand. The former isn't in vogue these days and you usually have to contend with the latter and get out of that what you can if you want to make an informed decision.
That's a bit of an issue for trailers (or written synopses for that matter). You can't get around the basic structure of storytelling where buildup comes before payoff. But when it comes to emotional appeal, you are most likely to find matching scenes in the latter part. It's all too easy to give away the good bits because you rely on those bits to sell the audience on the movie.
I suppose that approach has proven effective, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. If I was in charge of marketing a movie I'd be tempted to do something weird with it, too, simply because I don't like the way it's usually done. Doesn't make me right and I probably wouldn't do it because I'd not expect it to be as effective.
It's something you just have to consider. It's not as simple as the crowds demanding you tell them everything without spoiling anything. There's a sweet spot.
Now that the manifesto is written, on to this particular case which is only partially connected to the above. I watched the trailer. I don't get it. So I ask, did I miss anything? It's just something I have to ask. I am so far outside the target crowd that it's easy for me to miss the appeal, themes and relevance of the movie. I'm cool with the answer being it's just a weird director being weird. At least I know a little more about what to expect.
Would be nice if said weird director didn't need third parties to do his work for him, you know.
I haven’t seen the trailer in a few days, but IIRC it shows the sheriff(?) doomscrolling videos of his Covid rivalry, in bed in the dark. I felt like it was trying to capture the feeling of helpless doomscrolling with a more typical downfall story.
Ahtman wrote: Ah the dichotomy of making trailers: "Trailers give away to much, I want to be surprised" while simultaneously "This trailer doesn't tell me anything, why should I see this".
Well you gotta hook me into seeing it with something....
Ahtman wrote: Ah the dichotomy of making trailers: "Trailers give away to much, I want to be surprised" while simultaneously "This trailer doesn't tell me anything, why should I see this".
Well you gotta hook me into seeing it with something....
For a film like this the sales point is the creative team ie Aster, Phoenix, Pascal. Even so I'm not specifically referring to you but the problem of threading the needle with trailers in general. Hitting that sweet spot of just enough information but not giving away to much is rare.
Ahtman wrote: Ah the dichotomy of making trailers: "Trailers give away to much, I want to be surprised" while simultaneously "This trailer doesn't tell me anything, why should I see this".
Well you gotta hook me into seeing it with something....
For a film like this the sales point is the creative team ie Aster, Phoenix, Pascal. Even so I'm not specifically referring to you but the problem of threading the needle with trailers in general. Hitting that sweet spot of just enough information but not giving away to much is rare.
Reminds me of when Abigail’s trailer (and to a lesser extent Sinners’ trailer) gave away the twist. Yes, it robbed the audience of the surprise of seeing it in the film, but how many would have even seen it in the first place if they didn’t have the twist as the hook?
Lowkey surprised that Ron managed to stay an actual ginger in this casting. Ginger race swapping is a real thing in Hollywood and media right now, but that casting for Snape says it all for me regarding this series and I've never been a fan of Harry Potter as a fantasy setting to begin with.
It's funny how so many people hate JK Rowling for different reasons, one because she's not considered progressive enough, the other because she's also just plain crazy with some of her answers on how wizards just use magic to clean up their dookies on the floor lol.
Grimskul wrote: Ginger race swapping is a real thing in Hollywood and media right now, but that casting for Snape says it all for me regarding this series and I've never been a fan of Harry Potter as a fantasy setting to begin with.
...what casting for Snape? And what does the casting tell you about the show?
Grimskul wrote: Ginger race swapping is a real thing in Hollywood and media right now, but that casting for Snape says it all for me regarding this series and I've never been a fan of Harry Potter as a fantasy setting to begin with.
...what casting for Snape? And what does the casting tell you about the show?
They cast an incredibly attractive black man to play someone constantly described as fish belly white and unpleasant to look at. I might be exaggerating for effect.
A bit of light googling also suggests that one character changed skin colour between the UK and US editions of the books, so it’s not even unprecedented in the series.
Dysartes wrote: That's certainly a choice - however, perhaps he was the person who gave the best audition for the role?
Let's be clear here: I really don't give a gak about the casting but you asked what some people were bothered by so I told you.
Now for important news:
Time to get your critique of Japanese bureaucratic structures on again!
Also
The first was a good story but I think part of what made it work was having just a bit of the supernatural in an otherwise grounded setting was part of what made it work so having a deceased killer go the full Freddy Krueger has me trepidatious.
I'm excited to see adult Bobby, and the idea that Dale might be Mayor of Arlen, or running, is either going to be really bad political comedy, or utterly brilliant political comedy.
I'm excited to see adult Bobby, and the idea that Dale might be Mayor of Arlen, or running, is either going to be really bad political comedy, or utterly brilliant political comedy.
The rumour is that its Nancy running for Mayor, not Dale.
Also, really sad to hear what happened to John Redcorn's VA, that's freaking out of left field for me.
It feels over the top in just the wrong way. Like the characters are aware of the fact they are in a comic action flick and hamming it up but then run all the way up too but don't quite break the 4th wall so it comes off flat.
But it could just be whoever did the trailer picking out the punches in the jokes and leaving the buildup out.
nels1031 wrote: I want to not like it because I loved the Naked Gun movies as a kid, but its looks fun and I'm pretty excited for it.
I think I'm in the same boat. I recently picked up the Police Squad series to reminisce. Its not good, but a) that's the point and b) its still so bizarre and surreal its great fun.
nels1031 wrote: I want to not like it because I loved the Naked Gun movies as a kid, but its looks fun and I'm pretty excited for it.
I think I'm in the same boat. I recently picked up the Police Squad series to reminisce. Its not good, but a) that's the point and b) its still so bizarre and surreal its great fun.
If you're ever in the mood for a modern version of this very particular style of humor, Angie Tribeca is excellent.
I'm surprisingly excited for the Liam Neeson Naked Gun. He's doing a great job in the trailers.
A feel bad comedy about a bad breakup apparently based on every Reddit relationship advice thread ever, aimed to steal The Roses’s thunder at the box office.
The Roses
A feel bad comedy about a bad breakup based on The War of the Roses (not the historical one), aimed to steal Splitsville’s thunder at the box office.
Gabby’s Dollhouse
The movie of the summer for college kids trippin balls and Kristin Wiig fans.
Hopefully this means Rebecca Furgeson will be in it... or... was there anyone else in the Dune movies?
Im sure he could snag some of the other actors... Who did we have? There was the kid from Interstellar, Thanos/Cable, Elvis Presley, Draxx, Aquaman, and MJ from Spiderman...
Lathe Biosas wrote: Hopefully this means Rebecca Furgeson will be in it... or... was there anyone else in the Dune movies?
Im sure he could snag some of the other actors... Who did we have? There was the kid from Interstellar, Thanos/Cable, Elvis Presley, Draxx, Aquaman, and MJ from Spiderman...
Ok, I know you’re joking, but I’m now genuinely hoping that we get Oscar Isaac as Felix Leiter!
Rebecca Ferguson wouldn’t be a terrible choice for Moneypenny either.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Stellan Skaarsgard could probably do a good Blofeld too.
First three are good fun, and I think the first one is based on a ‘wargames what-if’ on how the White House might be successfully attacked? Either this one or White House Down.
First three are good fun, and I think the first one is based on a ‘wargames what-if’ on how the White House might be successfully attacked? Either this one or White House Down.
The behind the scenes for Olympus Has Fallen said it was originally a sci-fi movie involving aliens. I wonder when the aliens became North Koreans?
Straight to Netflix? Sigh. Really makes you wonder at the future of movies in general. If no one pays to watch this stuff anymore, they're just gonna stop making them.
creeping-deth87 wrote: Straight to Netflix? Sigh. Really makes you wonder at the future of movies in general. If no one pays to watch this stuff anymore, they're just gonna stop making them.
But I AM paying to see it - via my Netflix subscription....
Wich now costs slightly more in order to avoid the adds.
creeping-deth87 wrote: Straight to Netflix? Sigh. Really makes you wonder at the future of movies in general. If no one pays to watch this stuff anymore, they're just gonna stop making them.
It’s not like direct to video sequels weren’t a thing in the past.
When it was first announced, and talked about here, that Edgar Wright was doing The Running Man it was stated that it was based on the book, not the 80s film that only had the "killer game show" as a connection.
Easy E wrote: The Running Man trailer looked really solid with the right tone.... until the electric floor bit...
Michael Cera doesn't get a lot of parts that allow him to kill people so you be nice and let him have this moment.
Even the Cornetto Trilogy is honestly very up and down.
To me Hot Fuzz is the best without question; then Shawn of the Dead and then the other one that I forget the name of entirely but felt just - lacking and like it had one joke it overplayed. Then in the last few minutes they tease the end of the world and that looked way more interesting than the pub crawl we'd watched
Overread wrote: Even the Cornetto Trilogy is honestly very up and down.
To me Hot Fuzz is the best without question; then Shawn of the Dead and then the other one that I forget the name of entirely but felt just - lacking and like it had one joke it overplayed. Then in the last few minutes they tease the end of the world and that looked way more interesting than the pub crawl we'd watched
World's End. It's definitely the weakest of the 3. The other two are both superb and mostly a matter of taste.
The only one of those I really like is Hot Fuzz. Shawn of the Dead starts strong but the second half is boring and makes the whole movie a forgettable experience for me. Worlds End also started strong, but really shat the bed in the second half.
Did Edgar Wright make Spaced? That would be another I put in his win column.
They've rebooted Ghost in the Shell almost as many times as a DC superhero
That said honestly I'd 100% welcome them doing a faithful adaptation of the Manga. It just feels right, even though the landmark original films set a tone that was insanely good and was followed several times before.
Be interesting to see if they change any of the voice actors too.
Dysartes wrote: Eh, pretty high on the list of "Things the world doesn't need any more of, thank you very much" is "more Japanese anime".
Or football matches, or soap operas, or nature documentaries…
As with all categories of entertainment media, it’s not strictly necessary and some of it is better than others. GitS is very high up in the list of Mamga worth revisiting. Especially if it brings along the original industrial design. Shirow’s stuff is just gorgeous.
Meanwhile, i sit here and wonder if, once more, Fate/Strange Fake's release will be pushed back. I want to see the utterly ludicrous display of magic Richard the Lionsheart shooting laser beams from his sword. I don't care that it's stupid I wanna see it!
Feels like I'm in 'holding pattern' on most of the animes I actually want to see. JJK S3, Chainsaw Man, and Kagurabachi. For the last one I guess they're just waiting for Demon Slayer to be over to avoid directly competing with another 'dudes with magic swords' style show, but still.
Aside from Dandadan, Summer 25's anime lineup isn't really packing much I'm much interested in. All the good stuff was front loaded in the spring season.
LordofHats wrote: Meanwhile, i sit here and wonder if, once more, Fate/Strange Fake's release will be pushed back. I want to see the utterly ludicrous display of magic Richard the Lionsheart shooting laser beams from his sword. I don't care that it's stupid I wanna see it!
Feels like I'm in 'holding pattern' on most of the animes I actually want to see. JJK S3, Chainsaw Man, and Kagurabachi. For the last one I guess they're just waiting for Demon Slayer to be over to avoid directly competing with another 'dudes with magic swords' style show, but still.
Aside from Dandadan, Summer 25's anime lineup isn't really packing much I'm much interested in. All the good stuff was front loaded in the spring season.
Wait... they make anime that doesn't feature kaiju or mecha?
[i]Bah!
In other news, can we prevent Japan from releasing anime based on American properties (ie. Terminator)?
I mean, no you can’t if the IP owner wants to. Also not clear on where the anime bashing is coming from. It’s just a medium. It has a lot of dross, and some pinnacles of genius like any other medium.
Would French animation be acceptable to you? Terminator in a Hanna Barbera style? Wile E. Coyote vs T1000?
Flinty wrote: I mean, no you can’t if the IP owner wants to. Also not clear on where the anime bashing is coming from. It’s just a medium. It has a lot of dross, and some pinnacles of genius like any other medium.
Would French animation be acceptable to you? Terminator in a Hanna Barbera style? Wile E. Coyote vs T1000?
Not sure about that, but Predator vs Road Runner could be fun…
Flinty wrote: I mean, no you can’t if the IP owner wants to. Also not clear on where the anime bashing is coming from. It’s just a medium. It has a lot of dross, and some pinnacles of genius like any other medium.
Would French animation be acceptable to you? Terminator in a Hanna Barbera style? Wile E. Coyote vs T1000?
1. The Japanese Terminator series wasn't so much the style - it was the production company, the writers and the director.
2. And Archie vs. Predator is the pinnacle of crossovers. It's violent, gory, and done in the Archie style. (With cameoes of Sabrina, and a picture of Frank Castle on a nightstand, anyone else remember Archie vs. The Punisher? )
To be fair Sonja does have her own stories; she doesn't have to have Conan. Plus whilst Conan didn't appear, Arny 100% did appear in the first film so its "almost" got Conan the first time.
My first thought is she looks a little young/thin; but it could easily be an origin story effect going on.
I just hope they can capture the sword-swinging aspects. The big problem with the newer Conan was it went all heavy on the magic and the thing is the whole Conan/Sonja setting was one of low magic. Plus they were never about saving everything. Heck in Conan comics he more than once signed up just to fight in a random war and was on the losing or not just side of things for a while.
They were never meant as "super-hero" characters. Though I noticed that Dynamite basically went all for that after they completed their first main story arc and it felt like they didn't know what to do with her (esp as they only had her licence not Conan) so they just went super-hero.
Conan was great under Dark Horse, but Marvel has again gone for that "he's a super hero now"
I think I got an aneurysm watching that trailer. Very much from the school of "if we switch between scenes fast enough, no-one can complain about spoilers"
Lathe Biosas wrote: Hopefully Conan the character from the stories makes an appearance in the movie. He's 0/2 so far.
Doubtful. Conan's IP is owned by Funcom apparently while Red Sonja (originally created by Marvel Comics) is owned by Red Sonja, LLC. That would be two IP's that the film makers would have to have a license for, and I would imagine that a license to use Conan would be quite pricy for second billing.
