Topic: The Movie Thread

@LN78
Oh I have vague memories of 'Over the top' also. I remember that when he turns his cap backwards he means business! Even as a kid I found that weird though I think I might have adopted that for a while...his cap is on back to front so you better watch yourself kind of thing.
Also recall being severely disappointed by the Masters of the Universe movie and boycotting my action figures because of it.
Cobra and the Delta Force movies I think I liked and would probably watch again given the opportunity.
Enjoy!

@sorteddan Out of the stack you see in the picture the only two I have recollections of from when I was younger are "Masters of the Universe" and "Superman 4" and I remember liking them both but I saw them way before I had developed any sorts of critical faculties. According to the documentary they were the two (along with "Over the Top") most directly responsible for the implosion of the studio so I might leave them until last!

@LN78 I vaguely recall watching something about 'Masters of the Universe' and how it destroyed a studio, Carolco wasn't it? I think I may have watched it youtube and didn't they almost make a Spider-Man movie but chose to do He-Man with the money instead?

Unrelated but I just saw the latest Thor trailer and one for the new Mission Impossible, both look really promising to me. With the new Top Gun as well there are some exciting films coming soon. Although I've just remembered I still haven't watched MI:Fallout yet despite getting the Bluray on release. I might just rectify that today.

@BearsEatBeets Close - it was Cannon Studios and they were indeed in the process of making a "Spider-Man" movie when they folded. There's a documentary all about it called "Electric Boogaloo" (the disc at the top of my stack) that comes highly recommended. I haven't seen any of the "M:I" films (only bits and pieces of them) because I have a deep and persistent (altogether illogical) loathing for Tom Cruise. Really excited for "Thor" though - Taika Waititi hasn't really put a foot wrong so far.

@LN78 I may check that out, when I saw that title I thought it was some film I'd never heard of. I got curious and found the vid I saw

Yeah Taika Waititi really turned Thor around after 2 average films and I love 'What We Do In The Shadows'. I haven't seen JoJo Rabbit yet but I've added it to my Disney+ watchlist. I'm really curious to see what he can do with Star Wars, I believe that's still happening.

@BearsEatBeets Let me know what you think of "JoJo Rabbit" - it was probably my favourite film of 2019. His early stuff is pretty good too - particularly "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" which features a career best performance from Sam Neill. Have you seen "Our Flag Means Death" yet?

@LN78 The first I was aware of Taika was as director of Flight of the Conchords and stuff after that so not familiar with the titles you've mentioned. I'll certainly look those up.

Edit: Found the former on Prime so have added that to my watchlist there. Not sure I have access to the latter but I will try and find a way, I'll watch anything with Rhys Darby. He's probably my favourite part of FotC and the best Werewolf to be committed to film. 😁

@BearsEatBeets Speaking of "Flight of the Conchords" I think Taika's first movie was "Eagle vs. Shark" which stars Jermaine Clement. I'm not sure which came first, actually. It's a bloody funny film, though.

@BearsEatBeets I saw that new Mission: Impossible trailer earlier, as well. Looks stunning as always, and another impressive entry in a series that keeps getting better and better, bucking all the usual trends. Tom Cruise is one heck of an impressive machine, and a bonkers one at that. Can't wait to see what he flings himself off in the second part.

Don't sleep on Fallout, either. It's one of the best movie experiences in recent years, in that you come away from it feeling like you've been shown something real special.

@BearsEatBeets @LN78
Agree that Hunt for the Wilderpeople and JoJo Rabbit are well worth a watch and just because it's not yet been mentioned I would also give a recommendation to the film Boy. Was that one that started me paying attention to Taika and looking forward to his next projects.
Haven't personally seen Eagle Vs Shark so guessing that's probably going to be hunted down and watched this week.

@RogerRoger I've decided I'm going to rewatch Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation (possibly tonight) before Fallout to reacquaint with the characters/events. It's crazy the authenticity he goes for in stunts, especially as he's 59!!! I'm guessing the story must be pretty big for the new one if it's only 'part one'.

@sorteddan @LN78 Eagle vs Shark is also on Prime (in UK) but only to rent/buy. I don't mind spending a few quid on it though.

@BearsEatBeets Good choice; they are surprisingly interconnected, without being overbearing about it. For me personally, I'm not sure any one individual sequence has yet to beat the opera in Rogue Nation, but the overall quality is remarkable and yes, the stunts are breathtaking! There is nothing Mr. Cruise won't learn or do for the sake of authenticity, and I hugely respect that.

@RogerRoger I've now watched those 3 MI films and really glad I finally got round to it. It's genuinely a bizarre series in that they have got better with each installment. I haven't watched the first 2 in a long time but remember them being enjoyable if nothing special. The main continuation thread certainly started with 3 and I think that's where the series started to grow although I feel I need re-watch that one. Ghost Protocol is very good but Rogue Nation and Fallout were both excellent. I think Rebecca Ferguson's IIsa was an excellent addition to the cast/story and glad to see she will be back for the new one.
After watching Rogue Nation and Fallout I actually watched the special features which I haven't done in a long time. The work going into the action sequences is mind blowing, I was especially impressed with the underwater training in RN and the HELO jump work done for Fallout. There was even a bit about a stunt I couldn't recall watching and wondered if I got distracted for a few minutes but they did a load of work to have Tom swing off the roof of the building they parachute onto only to cut it. No wonder these films cost so much to make.

I re-watched the trailer for Dead Reckoning afterwards and I'm even more excited for it now. Just a shame I noticed it's actually still over a year away.

@BearsEatBeets Yeah, from what I recall, M:I-III established the blueprint, but it was very much a JJ Abrams mystery box, and it was more the tone and authenticity of the characters that they chose to carry forward, rather than the stylised, twist-laden, rug-pulling plot and pacing. I haven't gone back to it for a while, but I haven't felt the need to, either. Every callback that needs explaining gets explained.

Completely agree with regards Rebecca Ferguson, she's utterly superb. What great casting, and what good writing to back up her performance, as well. Ilsa's probably my favourite character, alongside Ethan.

And yeah, the stuntwork is second-to-none. I remember watching Mr. Cruise swinging about on the outside of the Burj Khalifa and thinking "wow, greenscreen's come a long way" before I started to look closer and when the penny dropped, so did my jaw. That's what I meant earlier, about these movies being excellent experiences, and great examples of Hollywood showing you a spectacle that you simply can't see anywhere else. It's a shame they had to cut some stunts, that'd drive me nuts after all that work!

Really glad you enjoyed Fallout, and revisiting the others, as well. Here's to twelve months of patience!

@RogerRoger @BearEatBeets Have either of you seen "American Psycho"? Apparently Christian Bale met Tom Cruise several times on the Hollywood chat show/awards ceremony circuit and decided to base his weirdly detached (and therefore completely appropriate) performance as Patrick Bateman on him. That's equal parts hilarious and disturbing.

Sad to hear of the passing of Ray Liotta. Some of his portrayals are truly legendary.

@Jimmer-jammer Damn. That is sad. "Goodfellas" is a legitimate classic.

@LN78 One of my favourites. He’s a big part of what made that movie work as well as it did.

@Jimmer-jammer It's in the Top 5 mob pictures of all time, no doubt. Just been looking over his filmography and I'd completely forgotten that he was in "Field of Dreams". That film is a masterpiece as well. It's a hell of a thing to be in one all timer but to be in two is a rare thing indeed.

@LN78 Absolutely. Can’t forget Tommy Vercetti of Vice City as well!