Topic: The Movie Thread

Finished watching Predator 2. Decent movie but definitely not as memorable as the first one with Arnold. Although I'll have to admit, the last half hour was good stuff.

Next up is Alien vs Predator.

Just finished watching Glass Onion on Netflix. Thought it was better than Knives Out.

My 2022 movie ranking (people are starting to do this on the NL movie thread, so I figured I'd just paste over my post since I spent so much time on it).

12. Thor: Love & Thunder (Theatre 3D) - Had some cool moments, but leaned way too heavily into comedy (that didn't always work). Gorr could have used some more fleshing out too. The black & white scene on that moon looked dope though (especially in 3D).

11. Morbius (Netflix) - This wasn't even all that terrible IMO. Just felt like an average 00's superhero flick, and they've evolved so much so by now (I think it could have hit harder had they been allowed to get a bit gorier, but as a Spider-Man adjacent property that was never going to happen).

10. Jurassic World: Dominion (Theatre 3D) - While it was cool seeing most of the old cast again & there is an inherent level of fun with dinos, this was very been there seen that & it's disappointing because it didn't have to be. The big premise is that the dinos are finally out of the park/reserve, then they go ahead and reign it in to our heroes having to escape a dino reserve anyways.

9. the Bob's Burgers Movie (Hulu) - Bob's Burgers isn't one of my favorite adult animated comedies, but it's still pretty okay & this is pretty much a really long, better animated episode of the show. One for the fans.

8. Chip N' Dale: Rescue Rangers (Disney +) - A bit more of a B-grade Disney film, but it was still a pretty good time with some fun cameos.

7. Turning Red (Disney +) - As someone who was a young teen in the early 2000's with a taste for anime I thought this was pretty fun too. Not being a girl it didn't connect with me as well as it could have, but I'm glad it exists.

6. Lightyear (Theatre 3D) - Maybe the most controversial thing in this ranking, but I actually kinda liked this. Now, it probably didn't need to be a Toy Story tie in (though it made a few references) and I get why it could be a bit slow for young kids, but as someone who enjoys deep space sci-fi I thought it was actually a pretty good time (and had some cool 3D scenes), and is the best thing Pixar has released in awhile.

5. Prey (Hulu) - Really solid, back to basics Predator prequel, with some suitably brutal kills.

4. Doctor Strange & the Multiverse of Madness (Theatre 3D) - Maybe a bit high because I thought it made really good use of 3D, but I thought this was really fun & I liked the light horror elements.

3. Blonde (Netflix) - Parts of this were hard to watch (and from what I understand, it plays very fast & loose with the facts for drama's sake), but it was absolutely excellently shot & one of the most memorable things I've seen this year.

2. Top Gun: Maverick (Theatre) - The quintessential summer blockbuster. With a narrative that pays homage to the original without being overbearing with it, it's an absolute thrill on the big screen.

1. Avatar: the Way of Water (IMAX 3D) - The visuals & 3D are an absolute religious experience, and while the middle might be a tad slow the climax is a tour de force of thrilling action, and the story is quite a bit improved over the original with a family angle that gives it a more personal stakes.

Honorable mention to the Avatar rerelease (Theatre 3D), which while technically not a 2022 film was a fantastic theatre experience in it's own right (it'd easily fit there alongside Blonde or Maverick if I had to place it.

Everything Everywhere All at Once. Fantastic. Definitely one of my fave films of this year. Some bonkers fight scenes, and I can't decide which I preferred from the super pinky one or the scene before it.

@LN78 I need to watch your top 3, loved Pinocchio and the Northman.

We must be getting old, tired of the flashy Hollywood tent pole movies these days.

Merry Christmas you filthy animals 😜

@LN78 not seen any of those other than Glass Onion which we enjoyed. Might get round to some in 2023!

Finished watching Alien vs Predator. It was a surprisingly good movie! I didn't think a spinoff would be anything special, but I was wrong. It was actually very interesting learning about the historical ties between humans, predators and aliens. The battles were very cool as well. I'm glad that I watched it.

Not sure which movie I want to see next on Disney+. I'm contemplating watching either Solo: A Star Wars Story, Thor: Love and Thunder, or X-Men Apocalypse. I'll watch all of them eventually, but I think I might start with Thor.

I couldn’t even finish Pinocchio. Perhaps I was in the wrong mindset at the time.

@Th3solution Nor me. Not really my type of film with there being songs in it lol.

Well Glass Onion was bloody brilliant! Sequels are always hard but that absolutely stands alongside the first one.

@nessisonett I thought Glass Onion was better. Maybe I'll rewatch Knives out at some point to see if I take to it better as I found it to be overhyped on my first viewing, but everyone here was enjoying themselves. Craig especially after being Bond for so long seems to really Relish the role!

@LN78 @JohnnyShoulder I don’t mind the musical nature of it, nor the themes or animation. I’m not sure what it was. I did think the voice acting was grating at times. And I guess maybe the whole Pinocchio folk tale doesn’t quite click for me because it’s one of the few Disney movies that I’d skip too.

@MightyDemon82 It was a pretty good takedown of Elon Musk as well!

Yet another one of James Cameron's films coming to 4K Blu Ray, with Titanic being tipped to being released next year. It feels like there is only matter of time before we hear of more of them coming out.

Not sure whether to post this in the TV Thread or Movie Thread but it’s technically a movie —
I’ve always been fascinated by good CGI animation, and as I’m always on the lookout for good video game crossover media, I came across GANTZ-0 and decided to check it out (although it’s not a video game IP but is very ‘video gamey’ in its style).

At about 90 minutes, it’s not too much of an investment, and I found myself engaged with it from the start, despite in the end not being able to give it a full recommendation. An appreciation of quirky Japanese-styled narrative and art design is a must though, if you want to consider it.

What could be best described as a realistically rendered Sci-Fi fantasy set in a dystopian Japan, the visuals are quite good, with a combination of accurately appearing human characters and settings, filled with high tech gear and machines (what’s a Japanese show without at least one large mech?) and ghoulish fever-dream monsters. It’s basically a CGI anime, replete with fan-service, cheesy acting, and anime tropes. It’s quite bloody, and not for the faint of heart. The most shocking aspects are the monsters and as a PSA there is one particular boss monster that not only pushes the boundaries of sensibilities but vaults way beyond that mark with one of the most bizarre combinations of fan service and grotesque that I’ve seen. Kudos to the art direction team for their imagination, but it’s so weird and niche that many people might find it off-putting if you’re not into Japanese media.

It kind of reminded me of a Japanese Hunger Games mixed with Persona style monster design and a smidgen of cyberpunk flair thrown in. The story is decent enough, but the star is the visuals. Definitely not for everyone though, due to the really weird content and mature themes. But if you like Japanese entertainment media and CGI, it might be up your street.

@Th3solution I watched it not to long ago. Enjoyed it, weird and niche sci-fi /fantasy, horror Is right up my street.

@LN78 Never been a fan of 3D for films at home, especially if it means needing to buy any extra piece of kit in order to watch it. So I would probably give it a hard pass even if it did come back.

@LN78 Ah, and I have even less interest in PSVR or the follow up to it.

Thinking about it, whenever I saw a film in 3D at the cinema I mostly came away very underwhelmed by the outcome. I can only recall Avatar being really impressed by. So I kind of hope the success of the sequel doesn't bring back 3D into films, as in the main I think it is a bit gimmicky.

@LN78 I probably need to give that another viewing if I’m honest. I remember I liked it well enough… but absolutely nothing has registered in terms of the story and characters. Another decent espionage film from that period was Bridge of Spies, which I’ve also been mulling over a rewatch of. Might have an espionage-athon once the missus and I have finished Strike.

@LN78 I didn’t mind Glass Onion (or Knives Out for that matter) but I did fall asleep around halfway through, so take from that what you will. Obviously The Last Jedi was an absolute Super Star Destroyer-sized train-wreck. I did quite like Brick though… and The Brothers Bloom was okay. Having said all that though, I do get your point… Johnson does seem to have an ego which can overshadow his work.