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I will disagree with your disagreement.

1) They were already functionally immortal.

2) There is nothing of value added and in fact several things detracted from it. Pissing on history for slightly cleaner fx shots is asinine and insulting. I don't need redone fx for the original King Kong, Godzilla, or Metropolis I want to see them as they were originally shown in theaters that created the fan-bases, not a revised history version.

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
I read this quote from Alec Guinness

"A sweet-faced boy of twelve told me proudly that he had seen Star Wars over a hundred times? I said, 'do you think you could promise never to see Star Wars again?' He burst into tears. I just hope the lad, now in his thirties, is not living in a fantasy world of secondhand, childish banalities"

and decided to watch the original Star Wars earlier tonight.

I remember about 12-13 years back excitedly showing my daughter Star Wars. She was bored, and I had to admit it was a lot better when I was a kid.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Luke meeting Biggs on Yavin also explains why, of all the pilots shot down in that battle, Luke particularly reacts to Biggs.

It always baffles me this wasn't in the original film. It adds so much to the stakes of Yavin and really Luke's whole arc through the film I'm always shocked they cut it.

War machine. Lots of stoic buzzcuts with no names getting massive amount of soft tissue damage. Predictable and unpleasant to watch, and none of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable.

I like Mr Ritchson, but this is forgettable, and the ending is unbelievably cheesy.

Battlefield LA did it much better in my opinion.

 Flinty wrote:
War machine. Lots of stoic buzzcuts with no names getting massive amount of soft tissue damage. Predictable and unpleasant to watch, and none of the characters are particularly likeable or memorable.

I like Mr Ritchson, but this is forgettable, and the ending is unbelievably cheesy.

Battlefield LA did it much better in my opinion.

Funny. I drew the same conclusion.

In War Machine's defense, we already have Battle Los Angeles. We don't need another one. So I give it credit for trying a different approach.

If you want a film about a small group of soldiers against an unbeatable threat, go watch Dog Soldiers.

I saw it. It's okay.

Wuthering Heights

I don't recall much of the book so I have no idea how it compares/holds-up. Frankly, I am not sure I care and prefer to look at this film with its own merits. So, here we go......

This flick looks like a million bucks. Great set designs, great fashion design, and some shots that look like still shots of artwork. Plus, the two main leads are the hottest people in the show by far, and they make sure you know it with the cinematography. Some great landscape shots too. Well shot and constructed film.

This movie is trying to bring back the erotic thriller film genre single handedly. Lots of sex and interpersonal drama of historical, bodice-ripper style modernized with a sprinkling of 50 Shades of Grey. This movie does not get made if Bridgerton was not a hit.

Will this be a movie I think about going into the end of 2025? Probably not.




Automatically Appended Next Post:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
I …think… I watched the first Paddington movie with my son, but must not have found it captivating since I remember almost nothing.

Paddington 2, on the other hand, is an instant classic.


I’ve read The Long Walk and enjoyed it a lot, but I can’t quite bring myself into o watch the film. My family would hate how it makes them feel.

Oh no, not Paddington..... the Ari Aster movie Eddington. This one is all about a small-town sheriff and mayor in a New Mexico town during the pandemic.

 LunarSol wrote:

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Luke meeting Biggs on Yavin also explains why, of all the pilots shot down in that battle, Luke particularly reacts to Biggs.

It always baffles me this wasn't in the original film. It adds so much to the stakes of Yavin and really Luke's whole arc through the film I'm always shocked they cut it.

My understanding is they wanted the first half hour or so to just follow C3P0, and not cut away to any other characters. Which is pretty cool that you don't meet Luke until a half hour in or Han until almost an hour.

Maybe there'd be some way to edit the scene with Biggs into it after Luke buys the droids...

I can’t believe I’ve misread Eddington as Paddington. Very different movies, I imagine. We still need to see Eddington, as we are fans of Aster’s weirder work. Wasn’t able to convince anyone to watch a movie about pandemic stress for some reason…


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The Room

Johnny enters the flower shop.
Hi Can I help you yeah can I have a dozen red roses please oh hi Johnny I didn't know it was you here you go that’s me how much is it it’ll be eighteen dollars here you go keep the change hi doggy you’re my favorite customer thanks a lot bye bye bye
Johnny exits the flower shop.
18 seconds have passed.


The Room is an infamous movie so bad it’s hilarious, and so bizarre that they made an Oscar-worthy movie about the making of it.

I can’t give an objective review, because I saw the film in a crowded theater holding a Rocky Horror style event, where people called out jokes, threw spoons, tossed footballs, and jogged around the seats at the funniest parts. The actor who played Mark (the “Ohai Mark” Mark) told stories before the film and had audience members act out a scene from the script that didn’t appear in the movie. (Oddly, it was a load bearing scene.). There was cheering and rude noises and a lot of riffing. I lost it during the neck scene, laughing almost as hard as I did at the end of Cats.

I highly recommend the experience. The movie, not so much.

The Fall Guy. Actually increases my confidence in Hail Mary. Gloriously stupid, hugely entertaining

The Oscars were a surprise this year, as the horror genre did really really well. Sinners won really big, and Weapons saw a Best Supporting Actrress.

Not sure how K-Pop Demon Hunters won best animation though. Sure, the film is quite good fun, but the animation is pretty naff

Hard disagree on the KPDH point. The animators have even weaponised the frame rate to get points across. The whole of the screen is in use at all points, with background details that aren’t strictly necessary for the plot, but really add to the depth and world building. The use of changing facial features to add emphasis really makes it pop for me. I don’t just mean expressions, but they play with proportions. Not quite as far as going full chibi, but eye and mouth proportions change with the intensity or the goofiness of the scene.

The colour palette is well used across each scene, it’s just a great animation.

My only negative is a slightly awkward run at the end, where I think they are trying to be too dynamic in all dimensions all at once and they don’t quite pull it off.

I love that film.

I’ll put that down to my lack of familiarity and general struggles with overall anime stylings.

Still not my bag, but as ever no point harshing anyone else’s mellow.

Points awarded for Matt Berry doing the announcements, some points deducted for him not being in character as Steven Toast.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Or when the series really leaned into the Gothic, almost Folk Horror angle. Only complaint here is when the two other schools turn up for the tournament and do those somewhat cringe entrances.

Bonus point for Jarvis Cocker though.

Twister (1996)

Young, dumb scientists stubbornly refuse to use their brains and let chance do their job for them. Mostly they just drive around Oklahoma in bad weather.

Twisters (2024)

Younger, dumber scientists stubbornly refuse to use their brains and let chance do their job for them. Mostly they just drive around Oklahoma in bad weather.

They're perfectly entertaining disasterish movies with some nice vistas. I'm a volcano man myself, but the bad weather sure looks pretty.

Not sure I'd consider them disaster movies in the classic sense. The tornadoes are a dime a dozen and everyone's just going about their business normally (which makes sense in context, of course). They touch on the subject once or twice, but they're really not about survival and rescue in the way of a typical disaster movie. They feel a lot more like adventure movies, which I didn't expect going in without prior knowledge of what they'd be about.

The first one is at least an interesting use of then cutting edge CGI, and couldn’t really have been made quite the same without it.

I’d argue extreme weather conditions is an appropriate use of CGI, as it does things for you that you just can’t really achieve convincingly with purely practical effects.

Then you just need to peg it to a half way interesting tale and you’re away with an entirely worthy slice of cinema.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Great fun this one, with a terrific villain in Dolores Umbridge. A vile, despicable person who is only interested in pushing their own peculiar values on others despite the manifest harm caused.

One can’t imagine where the inspiration came from.

Perfect Blue

“Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?”


From a Dakka recommendation.
Perfect Blue is a mindtrip psychological thriller about a J-Pop idol who leaves singing for acting, to the deadly displeasure of her biggest fan. It’s colorful and gritty like a giallo, with an increasingly surreal descent into madness. It’s also got a lot of great thriller sequences and a fantastic chase scene. The main character’s ignorance about the (new-ish) internet gives it a charming time capsule quality. The animation is stylish if not quite in the level of a Ghost in the Shell.


Watch it.

Prime!s algorithm needs a bonk on its head.

Finished watching a Harry Potter film. I have the others on there. So it cues up….Madam Web.

I mean…..it’s not as bad as people make out. It’s at worst “ok”. But why not Half Blood Prince to wash down my Order of the Phoenix?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Prime!s algorithm needs a bonk on its head.

Finished watching a Harry Potter film. I have the others on there. So it cues up….Madam Web.

I mean…..it’s not as bad as people make out. It’s at worst “ok”. But why not Half Blood Prince to wash down my Order of the Phoenix?

I've seen Madam Web more than those two Harry Potter movies you mentioned, combined.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Perfect Blue

“Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?”


From a Dakka recommendation.
Perfect Blue is a mindtrip psychological thriller about a J-Pop idol who leaves singing for acting, to the deadly displeasure of her biggest fan. It’s colorful and gritty like a giallo, with an increasingly surreal descent into madness. It’s also got a lot of great thriller sequences and a fantastic chase scene. The main character’s ignorance about the (new-ish) internet gives it a charming time capsule quality. The animation is stylish if not quite in the level of a Ghost in the Shell.


Watch it.

Funny thing is that I just thought about Perfect Blue the other day. I really dig that film.

And onto

Half Blood Prince

Really solid movie this one, though I feel it’s glosses over much of the whole Half Blood Prince thing.

Plot still moves along nicely, and I’m particularly impressed with Draco’s character development as he finds himself in way deeper than he can really handle.

Deathly Hallows Pt 1

A very different film to its predecessors as we begin the climax of the tale. Again, with impressive character development. Closer to a thriller than an adventure film.

Abigail

“Those are fething onions, Sammy!”


A rewatch for me, but my son got to watch it unspoiled and really enjoyed the ‘twist’. A fun, gory time.



The Apple

“From New York down to LA
everybody does it her way.
Popping power
By the hour.
SPEEEEEEEEEEED!”

Got to show this gloriously so-bad movie to people who hadn’t seen it before. My wife was stuck on the idea they had a whole musical number about doing speed. Then the BIM hour started, and we all got the song stuck in our heads.

“Hey hey hey, BIM’s on the way!”

 Flinty wrote:
If you want a film about a small group of soldiers against an unbeatable threat, go watch Dog Soldiers.

I know I'm a little late but War Machine made me think of Dog Soldiers as well. I wasn't as negative on it as Flinty but I do think he is correct that "forgettable" is a good descriptor.

The Accountant

I feel like I have seen this before, but this genre does start to run together. The main idea is that Ben is an autistic accounting genius and efficient killer who does financial auditing for a variety of very bad people. This is just one fleeting moment of a turbulent life.

Honestly, the Airstream and wandering nomad, violent guy, with plenty of cash, seems like a trope of male fantasy or something!

 Sigur wrote:

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
Perfect Blue

“Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? Who are you?”


From a Dakka recommendation.
Perfect Blue is a mindtrip psychological thriller about a J-Pop idol who leaves singing for acting, to the deadly displeasure of her biggest fan. It’s colorful and gritty like a giallo, with an increasingly surreal descent into madness. It’s also got a lot of great thriller sequences and a fantastic chase scene. The main character’s ignorance about the (new-ish) internet gives it a charming time capsule quality. The animation is stylish if not quite in the level of a Ghost in the Shell.


Watch it.

Funny thing is that I just thought about Perfect Blue the other day. I really dig that film.

An all time classic that was decades ahead of its time. There are few directors I feel the loss of as much as Satoshi Kon. I'd love to see his take on the modern day.

I'd recommend his mystery series Paranoia Agent for more of this kind of story.

Weapons

Now an Oscar winner!

Saw it when it first came out so my review will be back some.

But this is everything I adore about Horror as a genre. Yes, it can become dull and predictable. Because once a new sub genre makes some lucky studio serious money, everyone else jumps that band wagon and soon the ship is floundering.

Yet the genre still produces novelty, year on year. And this is a good example. Made for a pretty modest $38m, it’s easy to see why the genre can do this. They’re typically low investment, and really really need to go some to lose money. So I guess studios are more willing to take creative risks and let the director /writer bring their vision to us.

As I’ve argued before, a tight budget can also, in the right hands lead to positive compromises. Ref the Xenomorph in Alien, where we rarely see much more than a glimpse of the beast. It seems to encourage proper thinking about how to Be Scary, as opposed to “how much CGI blood is too much CGI blood”.

Of course, there is an awful, awful lot of drivel. But half the time it’s fun to watch those precisely because they’re drivel. The other half can be worthwhile to see the potential behind the story, and think about how you might’ve tweaked things.

I was going to watch Bring Her Back next, but man that one requires the right mood. Because whilst gruesome in places? It’s a challenging in the right way movie to watch.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Speaking of horror, come back later in the week when I’ll be offering my thoughts on the next three volumes (62, 63 and 64) of 88 Films’ Slasher Collection.

Question my sanity with Stripped To Kill

Wonder why you’re reading this pish in Fade to Black

Boggle at my life choices at Sorority House Massacre.

No. I will not stop. As long as this collection continues, so will I.

Buffaloed

A movie about small-time, seedy-as-hell, debt collectors in the city of Buffalo, NY. I am sure this bears little resemblance to the real Buffalo, N.Y.

Amusing enough for what it is. KInd of a quirky, indie-style, dark-comedy.

Remiders of Him

A mostly by-the-numbers romanctic drama that feels like you are watching the movie version of a novel.

My biggest gripes are that this is supposedly set in Laramie, Wyoming. I have been a resident of Laramie Wyoming and they clearly did no research on Laramie, Wyoming for the film.

1. Laramie is about two hours from Denver Colorado. It is not in the middle of Nowhere.

2. It is the High-Desert. Thunderstorms are very rare.

3. Everything is very green and obviously the PACNW in this film. Laramie is rocky, brown, and always windy!

4. Not enough people wearing cowboy hats and clothing.

5. Laramie is a small town, but the center of it is the University of Wyoming! This is the largest University in the state. It dominates the town and you can not go very many places without seeing part of the University and tons of college age kids everywhere.

It would have been better if this was a made-up town in Wyoming. I have no idea if the book makes the same mistakes.

Watched the original Scream again last night and it was just as good as always.