Topic: The Movie Thread

@zupertramp, it's definitely full cheese, but good for a laugh as a long time Nintendo fan. Incidentally, IIRC the movie was how SMB3 was officially revealed in the US.

@zupertramp As I understand it, the actors did okay, for the most part (particular praise is unsurpririsngly reserved for Jack Black, who seems to do a great job as Bowser), but I do sort of wish we could get back to animated films not being stuffed to the brim with celebrity voices.

@RR529 I heavily recommend checking out the fun remake of Urusei Yatsura that is currently airing, as well as the second film, Beautiful Dreamer, which was an early surrealist masterpiece by director Mamoru Oshii.

@Ralizah, I actually have seen Beautiful Dreamer a number of years ago (not sure if it still is, but it was free on Prime at the time) & remember thinking it was pretty interesting. I think it's the next movie in line, so if I can track down the Blu-Ray I'll give it a watch.

The first set of the HD remaster of the OG series just released on Blu-Ray, so I'll probably start with those before committing to the reboot. I still need to finish collecting InuYasha though (just finished set 4).

Holyy ****, where did this come from? Not good for my bank balance.

@LN78 No problem mate. And thanks for info regarding dispatch. Hopefully it will be available on other sites eventually.

I see there have been a few UK only 4K releases recently. Cocaine Bear springs to mind, and i think there may have been one or two classic movies too.

Watched John Wick for the first time. Good movie, great fight choreography. Keanu doesn’t really need to act much but he gets the job done. I’d probably only point to a lack of visual oomph as a negative, but I’ve heard the sequels are a bump in that department given the first one was the guy’s directorial debut.

@nessisonett I've not seen the latest one yet, but I would rate them from best to worst:
1
3
2
I thought the 2nd had too much exposition for me. The 3rd has added attack dogs , so gets bonus points from me.

Welp, I certainly won't be watching this in the cinema.

John Wick 2 was pretty good as well. Easier to just imagine it as some sort of alternate reality where hitmen are a regular occurrence on public transport though! Maybe not quite as focused as the first one but the fighting was still great and the ending was definitely interesting.

@nessisonett I agree, I've always considered John Wick's world as an alternate reality, at least from 2 onward, anyway (too long since I first saw the first one to remember if I thought so back then).

I recently rewatched all of them before seeing 4 in IMAX and they all hold up very well, I think. Gun to my head, I would say 3 is the weakest and 4 is the strongest. I actually consider JW4 to be one of my favourite action movies of all time; easily top 5 for me.

My annual trip to the cinema was to go and watch Dungeons and Dragons. It was fine, a fun movie, nothing more and nothing less, which I'm in no rush too see again anytime soon. Some of the story beats felt a tad formulaic, and the quipy humour I began to tire by the end. It is nowhere near a vomit inducing as say Thor Love & Thunder however.

Maybe it was because the trailer for the third film was shown, but it felt like a fantasy set Guardians of the Galaxy, even down to a Drax like character who doesn't get irony or sarcasm.

Visually I thought it was very good, with it only looking a bit dodgy in a couple of minor places, weirdly when it comes to practical effects. The action scenes were excellent, especially the Dragon scene, and anything that invloves Michelle Rodriguez smashing stuff. Regé-Jean Page also has cool fight scene.

Overall I enjoyed it and it didn't feel like the 2 hour plus run time.

@JohnnyShoulder I agree, I had a good time with it, too. And as I left the cinema I remember thinking that there aren't enough movies with Michelle Rodriguez smashing stuff, as you put it She's a proper badass and quite charming as well.

I think the movie survives primarily by not taking itself seriously while at the same time keeping the story light and moving at a relatively quick pace. Good cast, too.

Only a couple this weekend.

Greyhound (Apple TV+)

Tom Hanks in the role of the captain of the "Greyhound", an attack ship charged with protecting a convoy of troop & supply trips from German U-Boats during WWII.

Wasn't mind-blowing, but it was pretty solid overall. Certainly effective at making me feel the cold of the icy waters & the action kept up at a good pace.

Zeiram 2 (Blu-Ray)

Like the first one I actually liked this one quite a bit.

I don't think the creature special effects were quite up to par with the first (certainly not as creepy as often), but it still has it's moments, and as a trade off it had much more of an action angle (almost like an Alien to Aliens transition). Had a fun time with it when all is said & done.

I definitely understand why the Super Mario Bros. Movie scored the way it did from both critics and audiences. It's a mostly delightful film for Mario fans that's beautifully animated and stuffed with references, but there's not really much to it. It's also sort of weirdly paced and doesn't spend time sufficiently developing plot points and character relationships. Nonetheless, it's probably the most fun I'll have with a film this year, and also one of the best video game adaptation films I've seen to date.

It has now passed $700 million worldwide after its second weekend, lmao.

@Ralizah And that is before releasing in Japan, is that right?

Strangely, the last two films (Avatar and Super Mario Bros.) that have done gangbuster numbers at the box office, I have almost zero interest in seeing. Like ever.

After seeing Sonic and not really enjoying it, I've realised that these type of films aren't really for me. And that goes for most of Illumination's films (I realise they have nothing to do with Sonic lol). From memory it is only The Secret Life of Pets and The Sing movies I've enjoyed in recent times.

Yesterday I watched Puss in Boots 2 The Last Wish and it was phenomenal! The first one was ok but this one really impressed me!

The message and the characters were just right!

Also:

And I could not be the only one, right?

@JohnnyShoulder Yeah, it doesn't open in Japan until the 28th. Bit ironic, eh? It'll be interesting to see if there's sufficient interest there to help carry the worldwide box office sales.

Good call on Avatar 2. The film was really quite boring. I probably would have left halfway through if I hadn't seen it with my family.

Still better than the new Ant-Man, at least.

@LN78 There'll be a smattering of success stories here and there, but it's clear the superhero bubble largely burst after Avengers: Endgame and COVID capped off the cape craze of the 2010s. Disney won't let its ultra-lucrative MCU machine go down without a fight, though, but I think it's fair to say the magic is largely gone.

I think people are only really starting to realize how lucrative the gaming market has become worldwide. It's the pre-eminent entertainment medium in the U.S., and that's only going to increase into the future, and you have this deep well of nostalgia to mine with stuff like Mario that people have grown up with across generations.

@LN78 Don't forget the Gran Turinso movie and Twisted Metal tv series. I bet there is a load more which Sony having cooking but not yet announced.

@Ralizah I was beginning to lose interest in the MCU before Infinity War, and have not regained any since. If Disney's track record is anything to go by, they will milk the MCU until people are sick of it and the quality dries up.

With James Gunn saying that there have been talks with Marvel to do crossover stuff with DC, it will be most likely a while before the bubble bursts. But it will happen, like with most things in the industry.

things im watching

rewatching The Shining with commentary track on
rewatching Doctor Sleep

then this weekend
watching Dragonslayer with commentary track on
watching The Kindred

Attended a local preview of Evil Dead Rise on Tuesday and enjoyed it quite a bit.
It didn't quite live up to the remake from 2013 (which I absolutely love) and while it changes the setting from a cabin in the woods to an apartment building in the city, it really doesn't do anything new, which was a bit of a missed opportunity, I think.
Still, a solid addition to the franchise and I'd definitely recommend seeing it if you enjoy these kinds of movies.
NOTE: Tonally it is more in line with the 2013 remake than the Bruce Campbell movies.