[maxlevel]

Saw Annabelle Comes Home this morning, it had its moments. I’m sure horror used to be a lot more violent, this was basic teenage fluff with some interesting flashes. Personal favourites, a haunted reel to reel recorder and slightly haunted/ racist monkey toy

Also watched Summer of 84 last night. Very basic, mundane 80s murder mystery, enjoyable for the averageness of the cast (stranger things are all models and star power) and the Le Matos score was decent enough. I’m sure there’s better films out there just can’t seem to find them

For me, summer of 84 was fine, even if IT and stranger things and a lot of other stuff over the last few years sort of tapped that vein dry...and then the last act came along and raised that movie from “ok, fun” to “wow, what an ending!”

@hatter @inksb yeah but one scene isn’t enough! Even if it’s top notch and right on the button.

I think Boar will become a ‘so bad it’s good’ genre movie. It’s more interesting than Sharknado, better shot and from a country which has not enough films going on considering it’s tech and culture levels

[inksb]

@hatter @inksb yeah but one scene isn’t enough! Even if it’s top notch and right on the button.

I think Boar will become a ‘so bad it’s good’ genre movie. It’s more interesting than Sharknado, better shot and from a country which has not enough films going on considering it’s tech and culture levels

Agreed, that final act could not save that film for me.

I could completely see Boar having a big shelf life. It's a competently made film compared to trash like Sharknado. It could have been a lot better but there are plenty of people who will or do love Boar. I really hope it does find a big enough fan base, I think Shudder is the best home for it.

[ScoJo]

Speaking of which... the new Creepshow series is a Shudder exclusive. Looks like it is time to renew my sub!

[ScoJo]

IMG_0624.JPG (283.76 KiB) Viewed 3950 times

[static14]

[ScoJo]

Izat Lou Gossett Jr inna 3D flick? Hmm...I'm stumped...

(nah, it's not Louis...)

No wait - it IS Lou, so it must be JAWS 3D!! :D

[tim28212]

wow! such a clean fireplace mantel :)

those look like some Mirage Nanos up there. We have the OMD's.

[inksb]

Alita Battle Angel (or as I've always known it Battle Angel Alita). Directed by Robert Rodriguez. I've been waiting for this film for 2 decades, ever since Cameron said he was going to make it in the late 90's. I would have loved to see how he did it back then as it's now a giant CG spectacle but that's probably why he kept pushing it back (that and Avatar/s). A lot of people complained about the weird anime eyes on Alita, it didn't bother and I thought it kind of worked well. The movie is purely a special effects showcase with some good acting from Christoph Waltz and Rosa Salazar, the rest of the cast is OK and I really disliked the actor who played Hugo. Lots of really cool action sequences that are edited pretty well, no frantic cuts to hide shit, you get to see most of the action clearly. The roller ball sequence in the final act of the film is really impressive. Overall it's a fun action film that seemed to get way more shit than it deserved. I had a fun time watching it and it was really cool to see a movie come to life that I honestly had zero faith in it ever being made. It's not as good as the original manga or OVA but what film based on a thing of a thing is?

@static nice Mirage's, I used to sell a ton of them years ago when I sold home theater equipment. Every one loved the small foot print and they sounded better than the equivalent from Bose.

[maxlevel]

@inksb will check out Alita! Thanks for the review!

We are going to get into Trapped this weekend, the Icelandic tv series. Hildur Gudnasdottir scored it, and she did Cherobyl this year. Big fan, I think she’s just done a big Hollywood film too but can’t remmeber the name

[NathanLurker]

I enjoyed Alita too, I think it was a blast, although, that love story... so bland.

[inksb]

I enjoyed Alita too, I think it was a blast, although, that love story... so bland.

To be fair the original source material has that love story in it too and it's weak as well. In fact in the OVA there is so little motivation behind it that it feels artificial and pointless.

Some late night viewing last night:



City On Fire directed by Ringo Lam. I have never seen this film but have been aware of it for almost two decades as people love to remind you of how QT ripped off the film for Reservoir Dogs. Well that all feels a bit hyperbolic to me. He ripped off the last 15 minutes of an almost 2 hour movie and managed to craft an engaging and thrilling film that is far more nuanced than the scene he took from this. As for City On Fire, it's fantastic and one of the best Chow Yun Fat roles I've seen. He delivers a great performance and the character is so funny at times, I loved it. Almost all of the cast were great, the shame that the character Liu has on his face when he realizes some one younger has been brought in to assist in his investigation was heart breaking. I watched a bluray rip of it and boy am I glad that I didn't buy the bluray, it's awful. The scan is so old and has minimal detail, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that it was an upscale from an old DVD. I hope some one restores the film and puts out a release that the film deserves.

[NathanLurker]

I enjoyed Alita too, I think it was a blast, although, that love story... so bland.

To be fair the original source material has that love story in it too and it's weak as well. In fact in the OVA there is so little motivation behind it that it feels artificial and pointless.

Yeah you've put it into better words than mine, no motivation to their love story, they just happened to meet. It got my eyes rolling, but it didn't matter too much in the end, I still had a good time watching it. Would re-watch

[inksb]

I enjoyed Alita too, I think it was a blast, although, that love story... so bland.

To be fair the original source material has that love story in it too and it's weak as well. In fact in the OVA there is so little motivation behind it that it feels artificial and pointless.

Yeah you've put it into better words than mine, no motivation to their love story, they just happened to meet. It got my eyes rolling, but it didn't matter too much in the end, I still had a good time watching it. Would re-watch

I watched it in 4K w/HDR. It was a spectacle, I will definitely use it to show off how good films can look on a 4K TV. And yeah, it's just a fun action film.

[deafmetal]

Jamie and I caught Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood last night. I enjoyed it, especially the brief Corbucci/spaghetti western side story. There is so much vintage SoCal worship going on in this film with all the recreated neon signs and location backdrops. I won't get into the nuances of the story, but I felt it was pretty well done and surprised me. I also had quite a few laughs. Good times.

[maxlevel]

Saw Dead Don’t Die today. Actually fantastic comedy at times, but loses its edge in the final third. We’ve already got the gag by the time the script starts explaining the jokes which become less funny as a result. Still pretty fantastic though!

[ScoJo]

Jamie and I caught Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood last night. I enjoyed it, especially the brief Corbucci/spaghetti western side story. There is so much vintage SoCal worship going on in this film with all the recreated neon signs and location backdrops. I won't get into the nuances of the story, but I felt it was pretty well done and surprised me. I also had quite a few laughs. Good times.

Looking forward to this one. For some reason I feel like it might almost have a 'Nice Guys' vibe...

[inksb]

I won't say much about this other than I really enjoyed it. At 2hr40min it moves at a pace that never feels slow but let's everything breathe. Leo & Brad turn in fantastic performances. I think QT has managed to simultaneously make his most commercially accessible film and nerdiest film to date.


First time watch over the weekend. It's a fantastic film and I'm a little sad it has taken me this long to watch it. There were moments I felt like I had seen on cable at some point in the 90's but it's just faded memories at this point.

I finished Dark season 2 on Netflix. I really enjoy this show and the ending I was not expecting at all. Hats off to them and I'm extremely curious as to where they are going to take it next season.

And I finally was able to start Stranger Things S3. First episode was good, felt like nothing really happened but just exists to re-establish the characters and where they are in their lives at this point in time. My wife has no school this week so I think we may even be able to watch the whole season and not have to spread it out over 2-3 weeks.

[maxlevel]

Young wife

[inksb]

Haha, no just one that decided to get her masters degree in her 30s.

[ScoJo]

Currently a few episodes into The Boys on amazon, based on a Garth Ennis comic book.

In a way it's along the same lines as Watchmen (flawed heroes, adult themes) and BrightBurn (Supes behaving badly) and probably some other superhero comics and shows that I'm not aware of, so it's hardly mind blowing concept tbh, but I must admit I'm enjoying it. The writing and dialogue is fairly standard issue TV level, but from the big 'shock' inciting incident in Ep 1 it keeps snowballing nicely and does exert a fairly strong narrative grip.

[inksb]

I was curious about that one. I may have to check it out.

[maxlevel]

Halfway through the Boys and Succession. I was worried the trick of the Boys would wear off pretty quickly after the opening few twists and turns but it’s happily surged ahead plot wise. What is that accent? British? Australian? Kiwi? That aside fairly competent, I’d imagine the hot takes on various ‘issues’ play with today’s kids but it’s also not pulling too many punches so I’ll give it a 3.5 popcorns out of 5. And I think the dolphin flirting would be so much funnier if they had, y’know, good supporting actors!

Succession though. Wow, I’m addicted to it. I can only find one flaw, it’s a seething mess of evil with a really great script, but insists on a little camera punch at any opportunity, as if to say “that was the punchline you just saw”. It’s not clever, anyone paying attention will have grasped that momentous point. And there’s a little filler, some side stories starting to emerge which detract from the central plot. But it’s definately the best show I’ve seen this year, and we’re only on season 1.

[ScoJo]

Anyone tried SALLY4EVER yet?

Julia Davis (Nighty Night, Mrs Julian Barratt who is also in this).

Just started it on my day off, and holy fuck it's uncomfortable viewing - and effing hilarious. I can see where the rest of today is headed...

[inksb]

Angel's Egg. Directed by Mamoru Oshii (Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell 1/2). I know a lot of us around here are familiar with the score (which is incredible) but if you haven't seen the film, you should check it out. It's a beautiful, slow, mesmerizing experience. I think there may be 10 minutes of dialog in the 71 minute run time. It's all about the visuals. I loved it and I'm glad I finally was able to watch it. If you have seen the film In the Aftermath it has parts of the film spliced into a live action film. I've heard mixed reviews of that film but I may end up giving it a watch eventually.

[inksb]

Patlabor The Movie. Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Set in the near future we have developed mechs to help with various forms of labor, Random mech units start going berserk and destroying stuff, the police force is sent in to investigate what is happening and try to save any of the pilots that are stuck inside the units who have lost control. In typical 80's movie fashion, a virus has been deployed to the mech network causing this to happen and the police discover that it's going to be on a much larger scale soon. The animation here is beautiful, simple and plain color schemes, well designed and animated mechs, overall it was a visually impressive film during it's action scenes and pleasant to watch during the dialog heavy scenes. The film clocks in at a 101 minutes, which is a bit long and a majority of the film is dialog. It is an entertaining film that while slow never really drags and has a diverse enough cast to keep you engaged. The final mech battle at the end is awesome and worth checking out even if you don't want to watch the film itself.