Topic: The Movie Thread

@LN78 If I had my way, we'd drop Netflix and just re-sub occasionally when new seasons of Stranger Things and Cobra Kai dropped. Service is way overpriced compared to the competition, and they haven't put out something genuinely new in years.

Somehow forgot to add that we have Disney+. Another one I'd drop if it was on my dime.

Paramount has been amazing so far. So much Star Trek. Finally watched Top Gun 2 as well, which was... great, actually. Never fell in love with the first one, but I thought the sequel was pretty great. In retrospect, it was definitely a contender for best film of the year.

I'm gonna ask you to elaborate on that, because I have no idea what you mean.

Apparently it was inspired by Honk Kong Massacre. Not played either game or seen the film, so can't say where I stand.

@LN78 it really can depend on wherever you live, as most cable companies have a monopoly over various areas. Cox, Cable One, Xfinity, TW/Spectrum, etc... and they all have varying price packages so it's possible having that many streaming services is cheaper but probably not. I sporadically subscribe to HBO Max and that's already too much for me but definitely cheaper than cable in my area.

Though really, much of the (best) programming is now only available on a streaming service so they got us all over a barrel over here anyway imo.

@JohnnyShoulder I read that the other day, I've only played the first Hotline Miami game but have both. Will have to look into Hong Kong Massacre.

Went to see the mario movie last night. Great soundtrack when it's based on the games, some of the pop soundtrack is a bit jarring. There is one original song that I absolutely love though 😅

Decent movie, quite funny and a fun time.

There was a lot of talk about Chris Pratt's voice before the film came out but he does actually have an accent. They just don't show it in the trailers

Wouldn't mind getting The Truman Show, if it comes out over in the UK.

@LN78 Are you serious about the tune? The meshing of 'whoo whoo' bits in to theme sounded silly to me. Still not sure if time travel is going to be a part of this or not. My love for the originals has diminished in recent years so my anticipation for this is fairly muted.

@LN78 Fair enough. Hopefully this one match the best ones, it feels like it's taking ages to come out.

Definitely excited for Indiana Jones, unreasonably so given KotCS. But then yeah, not a fan of Temple of Doom so perhaps odd numbering will help this.

@LN78 @nessisonett Is this the opposite of Star Trek then? Fairly sure the even ones are considered the best with those.

@LN78 I wasn't sure whether to put this here or on the Star Wars thread but just seen all the stuff they announced and it included a James Mangold film. I'll be even more curious how Indy turns out now as it will determine my enthusiasm for that project.

@LN78 Understandable. I'm hoping Secret Invasion can be to Marvel what Andor is to Star Wars.

Just got back from watching the Super Mario Bros. Movie in 3D!

Sonic ran & Tetris cleared the way so Mario could jump for the (Super) Stars.

Seriously though, this is hands down the best VGM ever made. I know that's not a high bar to clear, but it was more fun than I could have ever imagined. It's not deep & they don't really bother to explain why things in the Mushroom Kingdom work the way they do (floating blocks, power ups, etc), but it's honestly better that way and let's them get right down to it. Everything is lovingly crafted, the cast is fun to be with (Mario & DK are the best "frenemies" ever), and the various nods to series' (& Nintendo) history constantly brought a smile to my face. Really, even my mother who doesn't really have any knowledge with the series past the SNES came away having a good time with it.

3D was fan-frickin'-tastic too. I've always heard that animated films tend to transition to the format better than most live action films (sans the stuff filmed in 3D like Avatar), and based on this I'd have to agree. It was constantly a feast for the eyes, whether it be a series of pipes bursting in a bathroom or an army of Dry Bones emerging from the ground (to name a couple of early film moments).

You know, I expected it to be successful, but I'm still kinda surprised The Super Mario Bros. Movie toppled Frozen II to claim the best worldwide opening for an animated movie. The box office numbers for this are going to be insane if it maintains interest and momentum.

And I think it will, because, despite the poor critical consensus, word of mouth has been extremely positive. Everyone I know who has seen it enjoyed the heck out of it.

Something tells me this isn't going to be the last collaboration between Illumination and Nintendo.

As for the movies I watched at home this weekend...

The Wizard (Blu-Ray)

Don't have the '93 Mario film on disc, so watched this instead to prep myself for the new Mario movie.

Wanting to prevent his younger brother from being holed up in a mental hospital, Corey (Fred Savage) sneaks him out and they hitchhike their way cross country to California (making money hustling at arcades & such along the way because the younger bro is a "wizard" at video games) in order to compete in a Nintendo competition at Universal Studios (which will prove the younger kid is cognizant or some such). Along the way they team up with a girl (so Corey can have an obligarory romantic plot), and are chased down by the duo of their father & eldest brother (who are genuinely worried about them), and a bounty hunter who specializes in catching runaways (hired by mom's new husband, he's our cartoonishly evil bad guy).

Yeah, it's cheesy as heck (you really need to turn your brain off to roll with the idea that a bunch of kids under 13 can successfully travel cross country & no one bothers to ask questions other than the few characters activity in pursuit), and it really is just a big commercial for Nintendo (even the eldest bro & dad reconnect by playing an NES they dragged along whenever they make a stop in their journey), but that latter fact is what makes it so fun if you were a fan of gaming in the 80's & 90's.

For what it's worth they do try to squeeze in an emotional revelation as to why the younger brother has the issues he has, and while it's probably more of an afterthought it does have me tearing up. But yeah, "the Wizard", much like the Power Glove featured in the film, is "so bad" (and it's up to you how you want to read that context).

Urusei Yatsura: Only You (Blu-Ray)

I'll admit I was going into this one a bit blind (I've never seen the show it's based on), but it was easy enough to get to grips with the various players.

A bit rough & slow in spots, but it was a fun enough time & there were times when you could tell they were trying to stretch their artistic chops (like the opening tag scene). Will definitely check out other stuff in the franchise.

Got dragged to see the Mario movie by cousins. Absolutely abysmal. The kids enjoyed it though. That’s what matters, not balding manchildren seeking validation from critics.

@RR529 I have a vague recollection of The Wizard but a fairly crystal clear memory of how excited I felt watching it as a kid. I had a slightly unhealthy obsession with Mario 3 back in the day so to see it get a nod in a movie was A LOT for young me. I cringe a little as an adult because yeah, from what little I do recall now, it was extremely cheesy. Still unabashedly love Mario 3 though.

@Ralizah yeah I saw initial critic reviews and thought it'd probably do okay in spite of their negativity but wasn't expecting it to blow up this much. Some of my kid's friends tried to see it only to drive to the theater and find it was sold out. Which doesn't happen here often bizarrely.

I still think the voice casting is brazenly low-brow but I imagine I'll end up watching it when it's available to stream. And I'm sure I'll begrudgingly enjoy it.

@nessisonett hey now, I'll have you know I've a full head of hair.

@zupertramp You can’t have a little rant without wildly unfair generalisations!