Lupin the 3rd: Fujiko's Lie (Blu-Ray) - 3rd film in the "Koike" trilogy of Lupin films. Like the two before it, I thought it was thoroughly entertaining. Seemed to suggest a narrative connection to the last two as well, so hopefully the line continues to finish the story.
Trailer:
The Forgotten Battle (Netflix) - Dutch WWII film that centers around the battle for control of a port town near the end of the war, from three different interconnecting perspectives (a town girl who gets caught up in the resistance, a young Dutch guy who joined the Reich in the hopes of escaping his family's poverty, and a British airborne trooper who gets shot down behind enemy lines). It can be a bit brutal, but it's a good watch, showing just how harrowing the experience of war can be for all involved.
Trailer:
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Just finished watching The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Great sequel! They fleshed out the LOTR universe more and focused on tons more characters, which is great. Moreover, I thought the movie was overall good until the last half hour where it became absolutely awesome. The last couple of scenes were so cool, they alone made the movie so much better.
I'm so excited to watch the last movie in the trilogy now. Might start it up as early as tomorrow!
Looks like a sequel to Constantine is in the works with Keanu Reeves returning, and the planned HBO show being scrapped.
I need to rewatch the original as each time I watched I thought the premise was really cool but they just failed to stick the landing. I think there a couple of DC animated films which I've not seen, but he was in one of the Suicide Squad animations which was decent.
Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, the movie’s a mess but Keanu’s decent. A sequel could be interesting especially with Keanu being in a better place career wise. I honestly think Matt Ryan’s perfect for the role though and it’s a bit of a shame that he’s not getting another shot at a show or movie.
@XandertheWise My parents bought the extended cuts on DVD so long ago that they were still together! I last watched them a few years ago but I’ve seen the theatrical cuts loads of times. Really want that 4K Blu-Ray set but it’s bloody expensive.
@XandertheWise I watched the extended editions a few years ago. I liked the theatrical trilogy when I saw them in the cinema, but I LOVED the extended trilogy. Yes it’s exciting but there’s also a real emotional core of that trilogy that elevates it.
I watched High Plains Drifter on Amazon Prime. Man that is a brutal film, with a shocking scene in the first 10 minutes. I can’t imagine it being revered today, but despite its questionable morals, it’s a great Western. Definitely unique while playing on man with no name tropes. Clint Eastwood’s second movie as a director.
Had the main TV all to myself all day, so I watched a lot of movies.
Blade Runner 2049 (Netflix) - Excellent. Now, it could definitely be a slow burn AND it was long (just under 3 hours), but I'd be lying if I said my eyes weren't glued to the screen from beginning to end. Fantastic world building, an interesting narrative surrounding a gripping mystery, they didn't seem to try to sterilize the content (like the original, it's still R rated), and they managed to call back to the original film without being suffocated by nostalgia. Harrison Ford doesn't even show up until the film's final hour.
Trailer:
Lupin the 3rd: the Castle of Cagliostro (Blu-Ray) - This is often lauded as the seminal piece of Lupin the 3rd media, and after finally getting around to it I can safely say all the praise is justified. In spite of being over 4 decades old it's an absolutely gorgeously animated film, and while the core narrative isn't too deep or original (it see's Lupin thrust into the position of a knight in shining armour rescuing a young damsel in distress from a menacing Count in a picturesque small European nation), it's a breezy feel good movie that just brings a smile to your face. It's also the most tame (dare I say family friendly) piece of Lupin media I've ever watched, making it a great introduction point to the franchise. A bit of warning though, in addition to the original Japanese, this release has 3 different English dubs (1992, 2000, & 2000 Family Friendly). The 1992 dub changes some of the character names due to legal issues of the time (Lupin is called "the Wolf"), the 2000 dub uses the correct names but includes tons of added profanity that wasn't present in the original script, and then you have the "Family Friendly" 2000 dub which is based on that dub but removes/alters most of the profanity, making it the most correct dub of the three. I'm absolutely glad I looked that up beforehand, otherwise I would have never guessed the "Family Friendly" labelled option was the most faithful.
Trailer:
Uncharted (Netflix) - I'll admit first thing that I don't know much of anything about Uncharted as a game series (I played part of the first game as a rental over a decade ago), but taking the movie as it's own thing I liked it. It's not high art, but I thought it was genuinely fun. I enjoyed the banter between the leads, and I was entertained by the many larger than life set pieces (many of which I understand are ripped straight out of the games). Dare I say I might like it more than the first Sonic movie (haven't seen the second), & would watch a sequel. I will agree that Tom Holland looked a little too "babyface" for the role, but it wasn't a big deal.
Trailer:
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
Watched Lord of War on Netflix last night. Don't think I've seen it since it came out. Really good movie, not quite as funny as I remember it being but still had some laugh out loud moments.
In other movie news my slow but sure cull of my DVD collection is still on going. Got back to do some archiving via downloading and im Gona start ripping some DVDs I can't find the torrents/torrents with special features for. I feel like I've made some progress though (I am clearly a minor horder) as I have selected some really good/nostalgic movies (including a couple of the first DVDs I ever owned!) for disposal so hopefully I will feel more ruthless next time I cull the main selection.
@RR529 completely agree with your thoughts on BR2049 there! One of my favourite movies from the last 15 years. Despite its run time, I feel it's actually a much easier and more gripping watch than the original. Admittedly the 5 different versions of the original don't help, it becomes a chore to research before you even put the DVD in.
@LN78 oh yeah for sure. I had totally forgotten about it and as soon as the credits started and I realised what was happening, I knew exactly where that bullet was going to end up. I was more curious about how they would handle the long distances travelled but some stylish cut to blacks disguised as bullet movements/containers closing deftly handled the time elapsed.
Just got back from watching the Avatar theatrical re-release in 3D!
I've always thought the movie was just okay, however finally seeing it in 3D blew me away. Many scenes are absolutely magical (it really gets going during their first excursion into the jungle), and the big final climactic battle is just so much more engaging in 3D. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this tops Top Gun: Maverick as the most exhilarating big screen theatrical experience I've had this year.
They also added on a scene from the sequel during the credits (a character I'm assuming is one of Jake & Neytiri's kids swimming with a whale like creature after removing a harpoon from one of it's fins), which was breathtaking.
@ralphdibny, what's really interesting is that the reception I've had (to BR2049) is exactly the opposite over on NL's movie thread, with one user saying it's one of the most disappointing sequels they've ever seen. Just goes to show how varied opinions can be.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@RR529 yeah it's probably just different tastes, might be to do with expectations as well though. I have heard people really rate the new Dune film and I thought I would love it too considering the original Dune and BR2049 (same director) are two of my favourite sci films. It was good enough but unfortunately it wasn't the sum of all its parts for me! I will rewatch it when the second one comes out and hopefully have a better time watching the whole thing as a complete story
Avatar is one of those films that I kind of forget how good it is. I don't think it's an amazing film, even when I first saw it in cinema but whenever it's on TV, I usually watch it until the end because it engages me quite well!
@ralphdibny Hopefully they updated the CG of Avatar, because when I rewatched it a couple years ago some of the creatures and visuals had a very plastic sheen to them which appeared fake. For the time, I’m sure the special effects were trailblazing, but it was a minor distraction compared to current capabilities.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution oh really? I haven't seen it in some time so I don't think I realised. I haven't heard anything about a CG update. All I've read is that they upped the frame rate of certain sequences to make the 3D flow better. Not sure if I am remembering correctly though!
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