Topic: The Movie Thread

@RogerRoger No problem, man. The release date is October 18, 2022, by the way.

I finally got around to watching Turning Red on Disney+. I’d heard and read good things about it, but have to admit that I wasn’t all they enamored with the movie. It was okay, but not up to the Disney/Pixar standards, imho.

Lately Disney and Pixar animation hasn’t been hitting home runs at their usual clip. But I’ve mostly enjoyed everything they’ve put out in the last few years. Even duds like Raya and the Last Dragon and Onward. Although I was entertained by parts of Turning Red, it was definitely toward the bottom of the pack for me. Perhaps I’m not the target audience

@Th3solution I find it kinda crazy how many people have said the same. For me, Turning Red has more of a heart than any Pixar movie has since at least Inside Out and possibly Toy Story 3. It’s the least Disney movie they’ve made in a long time, which is absolutely a good thing.

@nessisonett I do think you’re right in that Turning Red is unique for the studio; it’s one of the few Disney or Pixar movies that doesn’t rely on the emotional manipulation of killing off the protagonist’s parent(s), spouse, or some other close relative. It does ‘coming of age’ decently enough. And focusing on the dynamic of the mother-daughter relationship in a Chinese-Canadian family is a unique backdrop. Nevertheless, I had trouble relating to the subject matter. Which is fine, as 12-13 year old girls likely have trouble relating to 90% of the movies I like.
Nevertheless, in Pixar’s other movies somehow I was able to really bond with some of their other characters and settings I have little in common with like Up, Soul, or Coco. In Turning Red it was fun to watch the light-hearted mockery of the struggles of a nerdy pubescent boy-crazy tween girl as a fresh subject to explore, but it probably hits harder for those with some sense of what that must be like. Jokes always register best when there’s some life experience that it harkens to. And the same usually goes for the emotional pay-off when the conflict resolution occurs.

Feels a little weird to say this in 2022, but Beavis and Butthead Do the Universe is absolutely my favorite new movie this year. Hilarious from beginning to end.

I've watched quite a few films as of late (Not something I've really done for a good long while)... So I'll take a page out of Frigate/Judge Dredd's book and do sone very short and sweet summaries.

IT Chapter 1

Bill Skarsgård was brilliant as Pennywise and the kid cast was great too. More jump scares then full on horror but it still works.

IT Chapter 2

Bill Hader crushes it as older Ritchie and the whole adult cast are spot on. Didn't find the pacing to be bad, still long though & didn't work as well as the first part. Bill Skarsgård is still menacing & fantastic as Pennywise.

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

An enjoyable romp & nice twist to Jumanji. Jack Black really sells acting as the avatar of a 17/18 year old teenage girl. The Rock sells being a nerdy hypocondriac teen boy too.

Jumanji: The Next Level

Kevin Heart's Danny Glover impression makes the film. Rory Maccan was a good villain even if it's basically a PG version of "The Hound" from Game Of Thrones. Solid enough but notably weaker then the previous film as well.

Child's Play

Wish they played up the psychological aspect more/did a better job at convincing you it was Andy before the reveal. Brad Dourif has a ball as Chucky. Catherine Hicks is a great action mom/momma bear towards the end.

Child's Play 2

Brad Dourif is really enjoying himself as Chucky. Solid sequel. Nothing outstanding though. The score's pretty good though.

Child's Play 3

... Not needed at all. Still... Brad Dourif is having fun as Chucky and I'm enjoying it too.

watching Halloween H20 and Halloween Resurrection.

Been a long long time since i watched Halloween H20 last time in 1999

Finally saw Top Gun: Maverick.

I did enjoy it, but I’d say it’s a hair over-praised. I kept hearing how fabulous the movie is so I decided not to wait for it to drop on streaming. And it was cool to see the action on the big screen, but… the movie isn’t the Citizen Kane of modern cinema that I was led to believe. It’s an issue of unbalanced expectations though, because if I’d have just watched it on a whim then I would have probably enjoyed it better than I did after the hype buildup.

The acting is decent. Tom Cruise does his best Tom Cruise impersonation, and Jennifer Connelly is (like Cruise) still unnaturally attractive for her age. The supporting cast is… okay? The plot is a smidge predictable, even at the end. The best part is the drama related to Maverick’s past and what transpired between the two movies. I like how those details were woven into the movie without excessive reliance of flashbacks or separate fanfare. Having a solid remembrance of the first movie is pretty useful, but one of my friends (inexplicably) went to see it without having ever seen the first movie and he still loved it.

Overall I recommend it, especially if you like planes. Don’t expect to leave with any life-altering experience though.

The new Jurassic World actually wasn't terrible. I liked the concept of dinosaurs integrating into the modern world and humans needing to find a way to live alongside ancient species that are here to stay. They didn't do a half-bad job of integrating major characters from the original Jurassic Park, either. Honestly, the only bits dragging it down for me were the characters and storylines from previous Jurassic World films. Kinda wish this had been developed as its own thing.

Still, nice to go in with a feeling of dread and actually mostly enjoy my time with it.

@XandertheWise H20 is still my favorite Halloween sequel to date. Nothing will ever compare to the original, which is one of the greatest films ever made, but it's one of the few follow-ups that I can watch without cringing.

@ThereThere Yeah, it'll be on some service before long. The family was excited for it, so it was like: whatever, let's go watch the crappy dinosaur movie. Because I strongly disliked the other Jurassic World films (particularly the second one). But I left the theater having had an enjoyable experience. The structure of it is reminiscent of the original film, but not obnoxiously so like with The Force Awakens, and, ironically, the plot is one of the only ones not to function as a bastardized re-telling of the original.

It's, IMO, the best of the sequels. Granted, that's a low bar to clear, and I will always think the original should never have had any sequels to begin with, but, alas, capitalism being what it is, you can probably count on more Jurassic Park/World/whatever movies coming out as long as they're still pulling in decent money.

@Ralizah The next set of films in the series will be called Jurassic Park Universe, when they send dinosaurs to space.

@JudgeDredd Live-action Mulan was decent enough for the Disney live-action fad they went through, but the animated is miles better, mostly on account of having Eddie Murphy.

The thing about the live-action Mulan is that it isn't a remake of the cartoon. It's a Wuxia film that functions as a separate adaptation of the folk legend, and was designed to appeal more to the Chinese market. As such, no attempt is made to bridge the gap between the two adaptations.

Anyone expecting anything but the vaguest of similarities between the two will inevitably walk away from one of them disappointed.

@Th3solution I think you will find that the Disney 'fad' for remaking their classic cartoons into live action films is far from over. Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid and Snow White are all incoming in the not too decent future. With more to come probably.

Hmm.. so it is. I thought they were just going through a phase, but I underestimate their commitment to the live-action remake. I guess it felt like a fad 2018-2020 because they literally were releasing one every other month! Looking over the list they released no less than FIVE (!) full length live-action remakes (or ‘re-imaginings’ as @Ralizah points out) during an 8 month period of 2019. Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, Maleficent, Lady & the Tramp. Then Mulan was in 2020. So it felt like an eruption of films of that ilk, with Mulan being the caboose of that hemorrhage of movies. So I guess that’s why it felt kinda faddish. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on one’s perception of the quality) they seem to be slowing back down on the release schedule.

Live-action Pinocchio sound like the stuff of nightmares.

@Th3solution The pandemic most likely delayed filming live action films more so than making animated movies.

James Caan 😢

I saw Thor four. Overall I liked it and probably preferred it to Ragnarok. There were some things I wish it did and also things I wish it did better. It was ok. Worth watching.

@Th3solution @JohnnyShoulder Wasn't there a Pinocchio game coming out? Not related to Disney, but looked souls like. Seeing that name reminded me of it. I wonder how far along it is in development? As for the live action Disney movies, I have yet to see any. I did like Miyazaki's Little Mermaid adaptation, Ponyo. I would love to see his remakes of all the Disney animated films.

@Elodin Based on the fairy tale of Pinocchio, Lies of P is an upcoming Soulslike game that takes a brutal spin on the story. From the trailers, the game looks to give a somewhat Grimm Brothers twist on Collodi's classic tale and has an experimental skill system unique to Soulslike games.