What Have You Watched Recently?

[slikmar]

3 hours ago, pinecone said:

Just started the animae Knights of Sedonia, and I am liking it so far.

Hmm, thought was maybe an anima based on the song by Muse, which could also be cool. hopefully they use the song at least once.

[pinecone]

It is about a near future when the solar system is over run by weird alien life forms and a single (so far) surviving colony uses mecha to defend it's self.

[Jeffrywith1e]

Just watch Hereditary. Legitimately scary movie.

[Starlord]

6 minutes ago, Jeffrywith1e said:

Just watch Hereditary. Legitimately scary movie.

 

Seconded, that's a creepy bleeping movie.

[death tribble]

The Tall T

This is a Randolph Scott film but has Maureen O'Sullivan playing the old maid daughter of a mine owner who has just married the firm's accountant. Richard Boone is an outlaw planning to rob a stage when Scott turns up in a specially charted stage. Boone and colleagues have killed the waystation's caretaker and his kid. Scott convinces the outlaws to ransom O'Sullivan as they will get more money. Then all he has to do is stay alive long enough to take them down.

 

Flash Season 4

Lo and behold the villain of the series is not a speedster. Hallelujah ! The Thinker was an interesting opponent and we have the introduction of Elongated Man. Because there was no speedster villain and The Flash and Iris got married this was the best season so far.

 

Spanish Fly

This is a British comedy from the 70s which wastes the talents of Leslie Phillips and Terry Thomas. The former has brought models to the Med to be photographed while the latter is trying to hold off creditors by coming up with various scams. The latest selling wine does not do well until Spanish flies are added and they end up being an aphrodisiac.

 

Three Men in a Boat

A 1950s version of the Jerome K Jerome book with Laurence Harvey and Jimmy Edwards as two of the three men. Has appearances by Shirley Eaton (so memorably killed in Goldfinger) and Jill Ireland. It's rather quaint.

 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 

After his grandfather is murdered a young boy comes to an island off the coast of Wales and finds a time loop where children with extraordinary abilities live. The same people who killed his grandfather are hunting for the children and their guardian. As well as Samuel L Jackson, the cast includes Eva Green playing Miss Peregrine. well worth seeing.

 

Hell Boats

James Fransciscus plays an MTB commander reassigned to Malta in 1942 and given the task of raiding a Scilian port to destroy glider bombs that the germans are storing there. He has an affair with his commander's wife as well as setting up the mission which results in the destruction of the MTBs. It's not a reat film but it is worth a watch.

[pinecone]

I just spent two days watching Doom patrol. I did not expect to like it, as I did not like the Grant Morrison weirdness run. But I was suprised. I liked it, and look forward to next season, if there is one....

[mattingly]

There is! 

 

 

[Ternaugh]

Dave: A presidential double takes over after the president suffers a massive stroke. A good watch. (Hulu)

 

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: He tasks me! He tasks me! (Hulu)

 

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Sean Connery leads the cast as Allan Quatermain, in this almost-adaptation of a graphic novel. I hadn't seen this one since it came out, and I can't say that it's aged particularly well. The last act splits up the group into a bunch of individual fights, and the pacing bogs down dramatically. (Hulu)

 

Ultimate Tag: Apparently, this is a series on Fox. Six contestants face off against each other and "professional taggers" in a series of mini-games. I get a "Fuzion Frenzy" vibe to the whole thing, and the pro taggers are themed like on American Gladiators. The show seems to favor parkour and freerunners, as there's lots of stuff to flip over/jump onto on the various courses. (Hulu)

[Pariah]

On 6/21/2020 at 12:42 PM, Michael Hopcroft said:

I've never read the Artemis Fowl novels and didn't even know there was a supernatural element. I thought it was about the capers of a juvenile mastermind who was on a path to becoming his generation's Professor Moriarty. Am I incorrect?

 

Here's the rundown from someone whose knowledge I trust: Imagine going through the Harry Potter series, but rooting for Draco Malfoy. That's Artemis Fowl.

 

Honestly, I never developed enough interest to investigate it myself. So this assessment may be way off.

[Pariah]

On 6/24/2020 at 10:31 AM, death tribble said:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 

After his grandfather is murdered a young boy comes to an island off the coast of Wales and finds a time loop where children with extraordinary abilities live. The same people who killed his grandfather are hunting for the children and their guardian. As well as Samuel L Jackson, the cast includes Eva Green playing Miss Peregrine. well worth seeing.

 

The movie was fine, but it goes without saying that the book was better. There were some visual elements from the book that were just impossible to recreate in the movie, strange as that sounds.

[Pariah]

I've begun watching The Umbrella Academy again. Those guys are even more screwed up than I remembered. Luther and Diego, each in their own way, is trying so hard to be a hero that each has failed to actually do so. Allison is like a bird hopping between two wires, unable to settle down on either one. Klaus is a hot mess, but at least he's entertaining. Number Five is the only one of the group that has a damn bit of sense. And Vanya? Ooo, where do you even start with Vanya?

[mattingly]

The Umbrella Academy is worth sticking around for the whole season.

[Pariah]

A comic book geek friend of mine says that The Umbrella Academy is the best on-screen rendition of the Dark Phoenix story that's ever been done.

 

I'm inclined to agree.

[Ternaugh]

The first 10 minutes of the VHS version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? as a test of an old VCR that hasn't been powered up in about 17 years*. Setting the clock was amusing, as it only includes years up to 2016 (it thinks that it's in 2009 right now). My receiver helpfully upscaled it to 4K, but there's only so much that can be done with 250 lines. The Hi-Fi audio sounded good, but I don't believe that the tape has Dolby encoding, so I haven't tried the receiver's matrix decoder yet. I'm not used to the remote anymore, It's huge, with a large shuttle knob at the bottom, and a roller switch for selecting from menus in the middle.

 

 

*I had moved onto TV tuner cards for my computers around 2002 or so, and only really stopped using them when I got rid of cable a few years ago. The VCR never really got set up when we moved into our house.

 

 

[tkdguy]

The Season 8 finale of Father Brown. I was glad to see a couple of former regulars coming back for a visit.

[death tribble]

Special Branch season 3. This came 3 years after season 2 and had a new cast. The new senior officer was George Sewell playing Detective Chief Inspector Craven. Patrick Mower was introduced as another DCI and appeared in a few episodes. This is the Special Branch I recall growing up.

 

Reilly Ace of Spies Sam Neill played the eponymous spy who worked for British intelligence. He was a professional and had influence on Russia and Germany due to his actions from the start of the 20th Century until his death in Russia in the 20s. This was a popular series in the early 80s. Worth a look.

 

The Legend of Tarzan Watch this for Margot Robbie and Christoph Waltz. It is an interesting take on the Tarzan story.

 

Braven Jason Mamoa owns a lumber business and runs up against the drug business when his driver works for them and crashes. The driver stashes the drugs in Mamoa's Summer cabin. The bad guys turn up and try and get the drugs. It is quick and entertaining.

 

Invasion USA  This is the Chuck Norris film and I had not seen it. He is fighting Communists who have secretly entered the country. Generic baddie Richard Lynch was the leader of the Communists.

 

Come Back to the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Members of the James Dean fan club gather back at the store where they used to meet to mark the 20th anniversary of Dean's death. This was a play and it shows. It is alright but after hearing about it I finally got to see it.

[slikmar]

15 minutes ago, death tribble said:

The Legend of Tarzan Watch this for Margot Robbie and Christoph Waltz. It is an interesting take on the Tarzan story.

I actually wish they would do more with her and Skarsgard. This may be one of the closest actual Tarzan stories, though with Jane a lot more modern. Plot is bad guy kidnaps Jane to get Lord Greystoke back to Africa for revenge by someone else who becomes Tarzan again to rescue her. I was not happy with Samuel Jackson's casting. I feel if they had cast someone younger, his role would make more sense. The stuff he does to keep up with Tarzan I do not believe a 70 year old Jackson could pull off. And Robbie is excellent, but then, I have decided she may be one of the best chameleon actresses of this generation (Jane, Harley, Queen Elizabet, Tonya Harding; all of which she nailed whether you liked movie or not).

[Spence]

1 minute ago, slikmar said:

And Robbie is excellent, but then, I have decided she may be one of the best chameleon actresses of this generation (Jane, Harley, Queen Elizabet, Tonya Harding; all of which she nailed whether you liked movie or not).

 

I'd agree with you there.  The only thing that can sink her career would be bad script choices.  To many other actresses have destroyed themselves by taking parts that seem to be great but have zero staying power.  Grunge Harley is one of them.

[pbemguy]

She's quite good in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

[Spence]

1 hour ago, pbemguy said:

She's quite good in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Don't get me wrong, Robbie is an excellent actress.  She nails the parts she is given.  When she is given a turd role, she is able to make it a well polished turd.  And when she is given a good role she can be spectacular. 

 

I really hope she gets control and begins avoiding the turds.

[Michael Hopcroft]

3 hours ago, Spence said:

Don't get me wrong, Robbie is an excellent actress.  She nails the parts she is given.  When she is given a turd role, she is able to make it a well polished turd.  And when she is given a good role she can be spectacular. 

 

I really hope she gets control and begins avoiding the turds.

Apparently she still loves playing Harley Quinn, though.

[Spence]

2 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said:

Apparently she still loves playing Harley Quinn, though.

And the relevance of that? 

If it sucks no amount of "I love this" will make it unsuck.

How many "bands" fail each year because they suck? 

Loving to do something has very little to do with success if it is inherently bad.

 

Now to give Robbie her due, she is a very talented actress and did an amazing job with the part.  But a polished turd is a polished turd. 

It makes me wonder about the great show we will never see because she was pulled into this.  What DC or Marvel character could she have brought to life that we  will not see because this.

 

 

[slikmar]

38 minutes ago, Spence said:

It makes me wonder about the great show we will never see because she was pulled into this.  What DC or Marvel character could she have brought to life that we  will not see because this.

God, Imagine her as Spitfire (Lady Jacqueline Falsworth Crichton) in an Invaders movie opposite a Chris Evans Captain America, maybe a Rock as Namor and Haley Atwell as Peggy (the mere thought of those 2 women sharing a screen makes me wish for it).

And I disagree about Harley. You don't like this Harley, but it is a straight from the comics Harley, specifically her solo book. That was a very emancipated Harley trying to do good in her own insane way. Just because you want Harley to be the Dini animated series one, doesn't degrade what she has done. There were parts of the movie that were good and a lot bad, but it was still Harley. Heck, none of the characters resemble the Dini characters from the series anymore.

[Spence]

9 minutes ago, slikmar said:

God, Imagine her as Spitfire (Lady Jacqueline Falsworth Crichton) in an Invaders movie opposite a Chris Evans Captain America, maybe a Rock as Namor and Haley Atwell as Peggy (the mere thought of those 2 women sharing a screen makes me wish for it).

 

That would be something wouldn't it.

 

 

[Spence]

17 minutes ago, slikmar said:

And I disagree about Harley.

 

Fair enough, we all have opinions.

 

17 minutes ago, slikmar said:

You don't like this Harley, but it is a straight from the comics Harley, specifically her solo book. That was a very emancipated Harley trying to do good in her own insane way. Just because you want Harley to be the Dini animated series one, doesn't degrade what she has done. There were parts of the movie that were good and a lot bad, but it was still Harley. Heck, none of the characters resemble the Dini characters from the series anymore.

 

Absolutely I don't.  There is plenty of utter garbage out there that was "printed in a comic".  But garbage is garbage.  For every really good comic from the 90's, 00's and 10's, there are a dozen hack attempts to rewrite a story.   There are a lot of directions that they could have taken Harley, grungy trash isn't it.

 

But like I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

If you like this version of Harley, then enjoy.  I am always glad if someone can find a comic/manga/anime/movie they like.

But for myself I am sad that this version will kill any near hope for a "good" version. 

 

I'm getting cranky about these things because I am getting too old to be able to wait 10-20 years for the studios to decide to do a remake 😥