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Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

News Flash, I had two big revelations last night.

First the minor one. California Christmas was popular enough to get a sequel coming on December 16th. I can't wait...... maybe.....

Second revelation involves the Christmas Prince{/b] and the [Princess Switch{/b] trilogies. In the [b]Princess Switch 2 there is a small cut away, where the Christmas Prince{/b] characters are at the titular princesses wedding, and pregnant which foreshadows/teases the {b]Christmas Prince III.

Therefore, there are now 3 successful* shared movie universes out there:

1. MCU
2. Godzilla Monsterverse
3. Christmas Royalverse!

Contemplate that on the tree of woe!



* Some are more successful than others......

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/11/30 15:25:39


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Made in gb
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

The Guilty (2021)

Do you like Antoine Fuqua films? (Training Day, Magnificent Seven)
Do you like films with very limited scope, shot in just a couple of rooms and a tiny cast? (Tom Hardy in Locke is probably the closest modern parallel I could think of)
And therefore about an hour of close-up of Jake Gyllenhaal?!

I really enjoyed the film. Gyllenhaal puts in an earnest, convincing performance in the role (just as well as he is practically the only person on camera).
You gradually find out more about the context and background as the film progresses, and it's done in a subtle way.
1hr 30 means it doesn't overstay its welcome and is a tightly performed film.

4/5 from me

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Red Notice

Kind of average. But who knew after her DCEU misdirection Gal Gadot has at least a modicum of acting ability?


I enjoyed the film, it was good fun. The leads were all good in it (with the caveat that you have to like Ryan Reynolds, as much of the humour and script has his hand on it).

Was shocked to see how much the film had cost, over $200 million (apparently a good chunk of it going on the cast).

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Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




The Black Hole

I saw this movie as a kid and was obsessed with the robots (though I thought there were more than 2 of the trashcan 'bots)

Fast forward a few decades and... huh. I have no idea why Heart of Darkness in Space! (also starring cowboy gunslinger robots) was a thing.

The end with a weird embrace between the madman and his robot and then an extended woo-woo lightshow and an extended fertilization metaphor using a phallic spaceship entering a black hole and arriving at a planet-egg was a bit... much. A lot too much.

Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in it
Waaagh! Ork Warboss




Italy

 Pacific wrote:
The Guilty (2021)

Do you like Antoine Fuqua films? (Training Day, Magnificent Seven)
Do you like films with very limited scope, shot in just a couple of rooms and a tiny cast? (Tom Hardy in Locke is probably the closest modern parallel I could think of)
And therefore about an hour of close-up of Jake Gyllenhaal?!

I really enjoyed the film. Gyllenhaal puts in an earnest, convincing performance in the role (just as well as he is practically the only person on camera).
You gradually find out more about the context and background as the film progresses, and it's done in a subtle way.
1hr 30 means it doesn't overstay its welcome and is a tightly performed film.

4/5 from me



Yeah, I liked it too but I suggest watching the original, a danish movie. The main character is much more ambiguous and interesting.

And also...

Spoiler:

An american cop pleading guilty to manslaughter is simply unbelievable.

 
   
Made in gb
Executing Exarch





Free Guy

The most gloriously stupid smart film I've seen in quite some time, to overcome to my Reynolds ennui (I suspect our Jodie helped at the outset) and deliver that much fun is remarkable, even got most of the game references even if my gamey know whats ends around GTA and Saints Row 4, well worth a go

"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED." 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

The 13th Warrior

I like it for what it is.


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Made in gb
Dakka Veteran



South East London

This weekend I watched:

The Cleanse on Netflix.

Johnny Galecki (Big Bang Theory) plays pretty much to type. Nerdy, heartbroken guy, going through a rough time after a bad relationship break up.

He signs up for the chance to attend a free, self-help/new age retreat, to "cleanse his inner demons"

There he meets Anna Friel's fellow lost soul at the retreat, along with a group of similarly broken individuals.

The idea of the retreat is to engage in some new age style introspection, along with a set of strict instructions to ingest a series of specially formulated drinks that will help them purge their inner demons.

They mustn't drink each other's drinks, and must follow the instructions to the letter....

The morning after though, after a lot of vomiting, it seems that their inner demons have literally been purged - in physical form.....

I enjoyed this, it's darkly humorous, and is executed quite well. It's one of those films where the concept is probably better than the final, end product. But it was interesting and well done, worth a watch.

"Dig in and wait for Winter" 
   
Made in at
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!





Vienna, Austria

 Easy E wrote:
The 13th Warrior

I like it for what it is.



I don't remember much of that film, except the hilarious scene in which Banderas learns the Viking language.

Otherwise - it's alright, innit.

   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







Don’t forget grinding a Viking style sword blade into a scimitar/sabre shape… cos that is totally not going to cause major structural and stability issues with the blade and tang…

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

 Sigur wrote:
 Easy E wrote:
The 13th Warrior

I like it for what it is.



I don't remember much of that film, except the hilarious scene in which Banderas learns the Viking language.

Otherwise - it's alright, innit.


Yeah, the scene takes a minute or two, but it is clear that it is suppose to represent weeks to months of travel. I mean, they travel from down by Byzantium up into Norway over that course of time.

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Made in gb
Executing Exarch





Loki / Falcon

Did the Mouse win some CW writers in a drunken bet or something, lasted 2/3 episodes Dog awful rubbish

Mando S1

Just a live action extension to Clone Wars / Rebels really but pretty to look at with the promise of more pretty to come means I'll stick with it

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/07 20:30:25


"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED." 
   
Made in at
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!





Vienna, Austria

 Easy E wrote:
 Sigur wrote:
 Easy E wrote:
The 13th Warrior

I like it for what it is.



I don't remember much of that film, except the hilarious scene in which Banderas learns the Viking language.

Otherwise - it's alright, innit.


Yeah, the scene takes a minute or two, but it is clear that it is suppose to represent weeks to months of travel. I mean, they travel from down by Byzantium up into Norway over that course of time.



Indeed, it just stuck with me, because it's a thing we don't see often in films. People actually learning something new. Just imagine, when they turn that into a TV show they'll spend 4 hours on that part of the story alone, and it will achieve exactly the same. We'll learn though that one of the vikings was bitten by an eel when he was young, so he pronounces Es weird. But by the 4th hour of the whole scene he'll have learned to pronounce Es just like everybody else by learning that he's his own man and totally an individual. Which will have achieved nothing, but it keeps people glued to the screen for a few more hours, because they're promised that that big battle will be really something to look at.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/12/08 12:28:44


   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






Not actually watching it. Yet. But…..

Reign of Fire

It’s somewhat daft, but it sticks to its in-universe logic and makes for a pretty entertaining film.

Solid performances, including a not-quite-Gotrek-because-if-you-were-Gotrek-it-would’ve-worked-but-you-died-like-a-true-Slayer-death from Matthew McConaughey.

   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

Bodycam

There is something deeply perverse and unsettling about a horror movie that runs all the wrong stereotypes, but seems to want to use them to tell the opposite message. I don't think the intent of this movie is to be as incredible offputting as it is. But it's like, at every point this movie tries to make some kind of commentary on a serious social anxiety (as horror films are ought to do), it ends up making that statement with the wrong characters, the wrong circumstances, and the wrong tone.

Instead of a nuanced and thoughtful film about the the low key horror of modern policing anxieties and uncertainties (from all sides), it just ends up doing a whole lot of 'woe is me, the true victim of society" that comes off as rather sociopathic when it presents a series of candid and mostly authentic situations, but throws all sympathy to the person with the badge and the gun who is heavily implied to be violent, unrepentant, and bitter towards a society that's only crime is looking on their unrepentent violence and bitter attitude contemptuously.

A really great concept here that butchers itself to become utterly tone deaf. To be clear, the film presents it's marine heroine as a 'good cop' but in the course of film she does everything good cops don't do; engages in a violent altercation and defends herself with "it was a tense situation," enters private property without a warrant, turns off her body cam when it suits her, steals evidence from a crime scene for literally no reason, and engages in the grand old tale of 'we must avenge the dead police officers' until near the end of the film (said officers are corrupt as gak which is telegraphed to hell and back to the point it's not a spoiler and one has to wonder how she doesn't know). Yet, she is the hero of this movie by sole virtue of not being a cold blooded killer... And that's just all incredibly fethed up with the film's apparent intent to tell a very different kind of story.

And on top of all that, it's just kind of a very unscary horror movie.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/12/08 23:16:07


   
Made in at
Buttons Should Be Brass, Not Gold!





Vienna, Austria

Life of Pi (2012)

First of all, it's been 10 years since that film was released? Holy poop.

Anyway, a boy(Pi) from India loses his family when the ship they travel on sinks. He's almost the only survivor. A tiger which was being shipped as well sits in his life boat, out on the ocean. And it goes on from there.

Mr. Ang Lee had major balls to choose this story to turn into a film. There's a good amount of CGI in there, but the Tiger looks really good 99% of the time. To my knowledge they did as much filming as possible with a real tiger. In general the film looks really good. There are some visual gimmicks added (not the least because this was a 3d release. 2012 and all of that. But I read it was done really, really well too, and I'm willing to believe that.).

Other than my initial assumptions this is way less Calvin&Hobbes on a Boat, and much more about being in a really crappy situation with a tiger. Or like a good episode of star trek in which a principal cast member is stranded on a planet with a hostile other person.

Anyway, it's a good film that keeps you guessing what'll happen next. Watch It.

   
Made in gb
Joined the Military for Authentic Experience





On an Express Elevator to Hell!!

I really enjoyed Life of Pi. I did wonder if they would manage to capture the dream-like quality of the book, but I thought Ang Lee did as good a job of it as it was probably possible to do.

Batman Vs. Superman (directors cut)

Did anyone else previously hold quite a low opinion of this film, which was then changed quite considerably by the additional 30 minutes of this version?
There just seemed to be so much more context added, of Lex Luther playing both of the big guys to get them to go at each other, which gave that character at least more of an impression of being a Machiavellian schemer, rather than just a lunatic.
I think some of the flaws remained; the conclusion to the big fight still comes across as ropey (with, I thought, a fairly poor piece of acting by Affleck at that moment), the final fight was either unnecessary or a wasted opportunity (would much rather have seen something like a super-Michael-Shannon, rather than the troll from Lord of the Rings perhaps).

But overall I would definitely say an improvement over the standard theatrical cut, and I found myself enjoying it, rather than finding myself getting angry at the idiosyncrasies of the original release.

I am now going to watch the Snyder-cut of Justice League, as I wonder if it's the same situation with that film too.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Not actually watching it. Yet. But…..

Reign of Fire

It’s somewhat daft, but it sticks to its in-universe logic and makes for a pretty entertaining film.

Solid performances, including a not-quite-Gotrek-because-if-you-were-Gotrek-it-would’ve-worked-but-you-died-like-a-true-Slayer-death from Matthew McConaughey.


Haha that's a good observation about MM. I thought it was one of those films that was a great premise, but a few bits of it (the sky diving for one) while looking great, made little sense. And so the execution wasn't that good.

I haven't watched it in years. I wonder if it might actually stand up a bit better in amongst the endless tide of other post-apoc movies (disease/zombies/aliens - delete as appropriate), with a protagonist that's quite original and a great deal cooler - dragons!

Epic 30K&40K! A new players guide, contributors welcome https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/751316.page
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Made in gb
Executing Exarch





Mando S2

Starts okayish with the ongoing whole quest of the week format, then a hard swerve in the somewhat sticky fan service swamp (Ahsoka gets a pass cos Rosario...) and should of been Mara or Kyle at the end as they are proper good at sabering up Dark Troopers

"AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED." 
   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







Phineas and Ferb.

My kids found it on D+. I am so glad they did. It is very much my kind of show. Uplifting, sciency and with a massive dash of the bizarre. Even the films are good.

We are currently on watch through number 4 or 5. Might be into 6 shortly

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Finished House of Cards and wow, it does jump the shark, and sooner than expected.

So we all knew that Season 6 (the season where Kevin Spacey was fired for being a serial predator) would be pretty strained, but I see the Shark Jumping around S5. And S3 was a bit of slog too.

So S1 and S2 are about a congressman manipulating and destroying people until he rises to vice president and then president, without the both of getting elected.

S3 was a slog because now that he was on top there was little for him to do.

S4 and 5 picked up as Underwood now had to actually win an election by manipulating social media, and declaring a national emergency to shut down voting in states he was likely to lose.

Awesome stuff and more than a bit chilling after the real 2016 and 2020 elections.

And then...



Well we find out that America's billionaires are members of an honest to gosh pagan cult and like to dance through the woods in the robes and burn offerings. And Underwood now has political assassinations live streamed to his tablet. Basically he's gone from semi-plausible Machiavellian schemer to Lex Luthor.

S6 might have been able to turn this around with Frank dead and Clair president. (Oh yeah he got his wife appointed VP in the middle of all of this). But they futzed around for 5 of the 8 episodes, ended on a cliffhanger with Clair pregnant (supposedly with Frank's child), a nuclear war about to start, a coup about to overthrow her, and her murdering someone in the oval office.

The end.

So uh, if you don't have issues with watching something staring Spacey then watch Seasons 1 and 2. If you like finish it, but be warned.

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

Going to get my ass spanked for this but...

One could say the entire show's premise ultimately was just a house of cards.

I'll show myself out XD

   
Made in gb
Longtime Dakkanaut





Spoiler:
 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Finished House of Cards and wow, it does jump the shark, and sooner than expected.

So we all knew that Season 6 (the season where Kevin Spacey was fired for being a serial predator) would be pretty strained, but I see the Shark Jumping around S5. And S3 was a bit of slog too.

So S1 and S2 are about a congressman manipulating and destroying people until he rises to vice president and then president, without the both of getting elected.

S3 was a slog because now that he was on top there was little for him to do.

S4 and 5 picked up as Underwood now had to actually win an election by manipulating social media, and declaring a national emergency to shut down voting in states he was likely to lose.

Awesome stuff and more than a bit chilling after the real 2016 and 2020 elections.

And then...



Well we find out that America's billionaires are members of an honest to gosh pagan cult and like to dance through the woods in the robes and burn offerings. And Underwood now has political assassinations live streamed to his tablet. Basically he's gone from semi-plausible Machiavellian schemer to Lex Luthor.

S6 might have been able to turn this around with Frank dead and Clair president. (Oh yeah he got his wife appointed VP in the middle of all of this). But they futzed around for 5 of the 8 episodes, ended on a cliffhanger with Clair pregnant (supposedly with Frank's child), a nuclear war about to start, a coup about to overthrow her, and her murdering someone in the oval office.

The end.

So uh, if you don't have issues with watching something staring Spacey then watch Seasons 1 and 2. If you like finish it, but be warned.


Interesting, I watched seasons 1 and 2 a while ago and thought it was good enough but felt it had told its story and had no interest in watching season 3 or beyond. Glad I didn’t bother!!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/11 20:04:19


 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

Alien Covenent

A god-awful movie with two really good bits (the medical emergency on the shuttle, and the very last sequence of the film) and literally everything else about it is just a waste of all our time. It wasn't even worth watching on TV while I had nothing better to do. Watching paint dry is more stimulating.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/11 23:30:30


   
Made in us
Legendary Master of the Chapter





SoCal

Don’t knock watching paint dry. It’s captivating how it starts out shiny and alive and watery, glasses over, stiffens and then fades to dull lifelessness while you lean close, whispering “What do you see paint? What do you see when the end comes?”

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/11 23:48:47


   
Made in gb
Leader of the Sept







Exalted for the pure darkness there

Please excuse any spelling errors. I use a tablet frequently and software keyboards are a pain!

Terranwing - w3;d1;l1
51st Dunedinw2;d0;l0
Cadre Coronal Afterglow w1;d0;l0 
   
Made in it
Waaagh! Ork Warboss




Italy

 LordofHats wrote:
Alien Covenent

A god-awful movie with two really good bits (the medical emergency on the shuttle, and the very last sequence of the film) and literally everything else about it is just a waste of all our time. It wasn't even worth watching on TV while I had nothing better to do. Watching paint dry is more stimulating.


It is mediocre indeed but Prometheus and Alien 3 were much much much worse. I managed to watch it a couple of times without getting too bored.

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

I feel like that's a debate almost unto itself really.

I like none of those movies, but if I had to rank them Prometheus would be on top and Covenant on bottom. I think that ranking is fairly subjective. Like Prometheus was terrible, but I do appreciate some of the things it tried to do a lot more than anything in Convenant. Prometheus had a small handful of redeeming qualities in all the garbage where as Covenant really has none. Alien 3 I think I mostly hate because did they really need to kill Newt and Hicks? Seriously feth them for that, but outside of that issue, the movie (especially some of the extended cuts) is decent enough. It's really just that one sore spot of bitterness that prevents me from caring to give the film any credit even for the things it does right.

And I feel like we could go back and forth on that for pages because at the end of the day all three of these movies are kind of crap and we're just debating which is the least crappy of the lot. There's so many things to dislike in all of them the actual ranking probably becomes pure personal preference.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/12/12 14:32:37


   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

For me Alien 3 gets a lot of hate for not even coming close to the Dark Horse Comics Aliens Sequel.

 
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

Honestly I feel like both Alien and Predator ultimately peaked in their comic book adaptations years ago. It's been downhill for both franchises ever since as movies and books kept getting dumber or are clearly attempts by someone to write something completely different but that have Alien or Predator shoehorned into them.

Prometheus probably would have managed to be a much better movie if it either A) stuck to the original concept of being a true Alien prequel, or B) cut the entire connection to alien away and did some stupid ancient aliens gak (granted I'd still think less of the movie for trying to capitalize on a fad). I think we'd all feel a lot less insulted by it if it had just picked a lane and stayed in it and the movie probably would have been better off too. The same really applies to Covenant IMO. Ridley Scott seems to want to make some biblical allegory deep think movie, but can't get away from Alien enough to actually make it and the end result is the most uncomfortably awkward flute-playing scene in cinema history.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/12/12 14:44:30


   
Made in us
Decrepit Dakkanaut





 LordofHats wrote:
Honestly I feel like both Alien and Predator ultimately peaked in their comic book adaptations years ago. It's been downhill for both franchises ever since as movies and books kept getting dumber or are clearly attempts by someone to write something completely different but that have Alien or Predator shoehorned into them.



Careful with that sentiment, or else we'll get Fast and Furious 10, where Dom, in order to save the crew must out space-car race a motorized gang of Predators
   
Made in us
Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau




USA

That actually sounds like stupid fun >.>

   
 
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