Topic: The Movie Thread

@FuriousMachine Glad to find another fan of Dark City! I think I may have seen the 4K a couple of years back, as the rental service I used for discs would sometimes have 4K's not yet available in this country. Hereditary also springs to mind.

@FuriousMachine I found out only recently that the director of Dark City also directed The Crow too! I do have the latter on 4K and was well impressed with it. I'm obviously not talking about the recent remake, which I refuse to watch lol.

@JohnnyShoulder Cool! I haven't seen it for quite a while, back in my DVD days.

@Ravix Funnily enough I saw the steelbook on Amazon last night and almost went for it, but I've already got the film on DVD. Must resist...

@JohnnyShoulder

Do not bother with the remake of the Crow. It is truly awful. I have seen it so that you don’t have to. Thankfully I watched it for free.

Alex Proyas is a good director, though. Those films of his I have seen, I have enjoyed.

The Crow, Dark City, and I Robot are all excellent.

On the other hand, Gods Of Egypt is apparently dreadful. So I avoided that one. Perhaps the fact that Proyas is Egyptian is the only reason he made it?

I think I mentioned this weird bit of trivia somewhere before.

The character Gideon (the pawnshop owner), in James O’Barr’s original graphic novel The Crow is based on a character from the Coen brothers movie Millers Crossing. I forgot this character’s name, but he is played by the actor Jon Polito.

In the original movie of the Crow (1991?), this character is played by the same actor. At the time, I remember getting heavily into the musical influences that inspired both the graphic novel, and the movie. The Cure, Joy Division, and things like that.

@Gremio108 Amazon must have been theiving! I'm stumped. I must have lent it to someone and forgotten, long ago 🤦‍♂️ I just assumed it was still on a shelf somewhere and hadn't thought about it until yesterday 😅

@JohnnyShoulder don't be tempting me with those inky blacks now! I can't see it being a purchase no matter how inky they get 😛 I usually try not to stoop so low as to ever use those overused OLED clichés either, and thankfully I think you're using the term 'ironically' as an American would say 😁

@Matthewnh I will take your word for it with The Crow remake. I generally try to avoid remakes as they are usually a pale imitation of the original.

@Ravix I'm sure there are also colours that pop in Dark City.

@JohnnyShoulder well, if the colours pop too then that's a whole different story. Expect an order to be made imminently!

@Gremio108 @Matthewnh weird how there's a link between the latest few movies mentioned here that I'd otherwise think as being unrelated. And speaking of the Devil, I found the Miller's Crossing Steelbook! It was at the back of a random clutter cupboard so I don't know how it got separated from the rest, but now it is reunited with the Fargo steelbook, and all is well.

@Ravix

I really like the look of the Fargo steelbook, with the Paul Bunyan statue on the cover.

I had to get rid of a lot of stuff, moving house. So most of my old 4K steelbooks are gone.

But I have been getting new ones.
Training Day
The Untouchables
Ghost in the shell (anime)
Babylon
Tombstone (my most recent 4K purchase)

I remember having both 4K steelbooks of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. But I am sure they have gone.

Also the steelbook of Heat, on Blu-ray. But replaced it with the 4K release,
The boxed set of Game of Thrones has each season in its own seperate steelbook case, which is gorgeous.

I think it is definitely worth paying extra for a nice edition, if the producers really make an effort.
But the most valuable, and rarest 4K I own is the limited edition of the Star Wars Skywalker Saga. That one cost a small fortune, and I preordered it months in advance.

Further to the 4K collecting discussion:
I was looking through the pre-order page for my 4K "dealer" and when I came across the pre-order for a Blade Runner steelbook, it struck me: I'd really love to be able to buy just the packaging... The release I already own of the movie on 4K is more or less perfect, so there is absolutely no way I will buy the steelbook, but I'd love to buy it without discs and then just move my existing discs into their new steel home
In this particular case, the steelbook wasn't all that good looking, but I was thinking that I would love to move many of my existing discs over to beautifully designed steelbook cases. Someone should get on that, I can't be the only one? Or maybe I am...

In other news, The Quick and the Dead gets a 4K steelbook (along with a regular) release in October, so that's another pre-order for me, then

@FuriousMachine I agree, and I believe people make custom, ahem... unlicensed, steelbooks, with their own designs based on the movies. Maybe that is a middle ground for you. I saw the official Blade Runner one and thought it was incredibly boring for something that, with a little bit of love from a commissioned artist, would sell bucketloads because of it being Blade Runner, but alas it is just a boring close up of Harrison Ford's face with a tiny bit of city hanging off him, and I don't know why they are bothering with it.

In fact I will google it now, as I bet soemone has already made a better one...

Okay, so it is a lot of etsy types and people selling through Instagram, so I don't think I'll look any further into it. But there is some cool stuff for all kinds of movies and games available if that really is something you'd be interested in.

I was having a sneaky peek at that V for Vendetta one that you ordered too (looks alright tbf) but I can't remember how much I like the film itself so I will probably pass 😅 But my thinking over the last few days has transitioned to... they kind of keep their value better so maybe they are worth getting because you can always sell them if you end up not wanting to keep them, and if you do keep them, then you are probably getting your money's worth anyway. Potentially another dangerous road to embark on, but if you look at the Lawrence of Arabia one that sold out instantly in pre-orders, that is already being scalped for £70/80 I guess from imports that were out earlier 🤷‍♂️😂 and the advice tends to be; "Pre-Order now, think later" when it comes to steelbooks, as they are a bit unpredictable as to how quick they will go out of print, and you're screwed at that point if you wanted it.

I hope I've not just tricked myself into ordering:

😅

@Matthewnh I think the Pulp Fiction one (red cover) is actually being reissued/reprinted this year, not sure on the date but it is advertised as coming soon on a few sites. I'd really love the Reservoir Dogs one to come back (Ear slice cover) that would be an instant order (the standard 4K alone seems harderbto source in the UK than the other QT's 🤷‍♂️) and Jackie Brown had a steel too earlier this year that I would have loved to have. It is available 'new' on Ebay (for more than rrp), but those types of sellers can take a long walk off a short pier 😅 maybe a good second hand from someone that just wanted to buy it, watch it once and sell it on for near RRP could work, at least they aren't scum incarnate scalpers 🤔

I finished Shogun Assassin ,which, I have been, I am sure, most reliably informed by @Matthewnh is essentially a "highlight reel" comprised of two films, but, after some further digging I found that most of it is taken from one film, Babycart on the River Styx and, thus, I was able to follow the plot and found it a thoroughly enjoyable watch, if, admittedly, I may surmise from Matthew's comments, inferior and perhaps less coherent than the full "Babycart" film.

The sword-slashing action was magnificent, and has spurred my katana-based playthrough of ELDEN RING forwards, and additionally inspired me to purchase the full "Babycart" Box Set for the authentic cinematic shogun experience.

Last night I finally got around to watching John Wick.
It reminded me a bit of a video game... Except video games usually try to include some kind of plot or storyline.
It was fine. If you want to see Keanu shoot lots of people in the head, do some martial grappling and occasionally go back to the hotel before doing that stuff again you will love it.
Not sure I'm gonna be in a rush to look up the next one.

@Ravix Yeah, did some googling myself and didn't find anything to my satisfaction of the services out there. I'm not sure if I like that Scarface artwork or not, I keep going back and forth on it. Not a huge fan of the movie, though, so I'll give that one a miss.

I managed to get the Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown steelbooks, but missed out on the Kill Bills... that one smarts a bit

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN I lucked out; a mate of mine is a collector of all sorts of Asian cinema and is willing to lend me the box set whenever I'm ready to commit to it, so I'll be able to try before I buy

@FuriousMachine ah, well then, just send them on in the post and I'll make good use of them 😁

I actually "pre ordered" the Pulp Fiction one, and have set a reminder for Jackie Brown for if it comes back in. I had a peek on Amazon Italy which people seem to use a fair bit, and noticed Reservoir Dogs is listed for an October release again, but it is only the plain red cover, not the ear one 😢

So I stumbled upon a thing and thought I might as well ask... Does anyone here do displays kind of like this with their steelbooks?

I think they look so cool like this, either displayed with magnets, grooved shelves or those small picture display shelves. I'm formulating ideas of how I could make a small display in a similar style myself, and realising what a distinct lack of suitable wall space I actually have available that doesn't have lights, radiators, (ahem, swords) or esential sh** getting in the way of doing something cool like this 😭

I'm sure you've all at least seen people do this kind of thing before (it seems quite a common thing in collecting circles) but if not, maybe a little inspiration to liven up those collections. I really want to make something similar 😅

@FuriousMachine Excellent, glad to hear you get to watch the adventures of Lone Wolf and Cub under those terms and conditions! I started a recent rec of yours this morning, The Tale of Zatoichi .Seems good so far.

Edit: I actually have the entire Zatoichi Criterion Collection Box Set but I somehow doubt that I can make it through all 25 films! But I can certainly try!

Had a cinema-centric weekend and saw no less than four movies on the big screen.
On Saturday there was a mini-filmfestival in Oslo which included some early previews of movies premiering in a few weeks.

The first one I saw was The Life of Chuck, based on the (non-horror) novella by Stephen King, adapted by Mike Flanagan. I liked the novella, but didn't love it. Still, I felt it may work better as a movie and it absolutely did. Despite being filled with tragedy, death and ruminations on the fragility of our existence, it is an incredibly life-affirming movie and I'm not ashamed to say that I had a lump in my throat quite a few times. The cast is incredible with familiar faces inhabiting pretty much every role, no matter how small, almost to the point of distraction. Fantastic movie, but depending on your mindset, your mileage may vary.

The second movie was Together, a Lovecraftian body-horror about love and codependency. Darkly funny at times, with some seriously gnarly moments, this was quite a good time. Real-life spouses Alison Brie and Dave Franco does excellent work selling the floundering relationship and while things get a tiny bit predictable, it is never boring. Some early nightmare sequences gets the blood pumping before the real horror begins.

Yesterday I saw the new version of The Naked Gun and it wasn't half bad. There are some genuinely funny moments in there (more if you haven't seen the trailers that, as is custom, includes most of the best bits) and Neeson and Anderson work well here, but in the end it feels more than a little like a paler and tamer imitation of the Leslie Nielsen classic.

I rounded out the weekend with Bring Her Back, the new horror movie from the Phillipou brothers (who did the sleeper hit "Talk To Me" a short while back), where stepsiblings Andy and Piper are sent to live in a foster home after their father dies. There are two big problems with this movie: firstly, it takes quite a while to get going and, secondly, it completely forgets to be scary. It does have a couple of truly grisly sequences that has earned it some notoriety (along with a very rare 18 age rating here in Norway) and it is buoyed by two likable leads along with a very strong performance from Sally Hawkins as the oddball woman who takes them in. Ultimately, the movie was OK, but quite far from the best the genre has to offer.

I did a thing... I was mildly intoxicated yesterday... and I did a thing 😅 these 4 will be winging their way to me, apparently.

So, I guess I really do want to make some kind of steelbook wall art display at some point and will have to research the best way, magnets, knife/tool racks or mini shelves 😂 i'm thinking magnets would be sleek. So again I will ask the room if anyone has attempted a steelbook display before?