What Have You Watched Recently?

[Ternaugh]

The first two episodes of The Muppets Mayhem on Disney+. The basic premise is that there's a small record company in Hollywood that's winding down until the assistant finds that The Electric Mayhem owe it an album. She then attempts to herd cats the Electric Mayhem towards recording the album. Expect lots of random cameos. There are 10 episodes, each running about 28 minutes or so, but it feels much longer. The story probably should have been done in about 90 minutes, as I started losing interest fairly rapidly (and I'm a big fan of the Muppets). 

 

BTW, The Electric Mayhem at their best reminds me a lot of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sajA51HO6Ww

 

 

[Ternaugh]

The Running Man: Arnold Schwarzenegger movie about a world where violent television is used to control a population after an authoritarian "cadre" takes over following an economic downturn about a decade earlier. Schwarzenegger plays Ben Richards, a pilot who was framed as the "Butcher of Bakersfield" in the far-off year of 2017, and escapes 18 months later, only to be captured again and put on the violent game show, "The Running Man". This viewing was from a new 35th Anniversary 4K release, which generally looks much like I remember it appearing in the theater, with a sharp picture and lots of detail in the image. The sound is a DTS-HD 5.1 mix, and is very good. The package is just the 4K UHD and a certificate for a digital copy from either Apple or Vudu. There are also no extras included on the disc, unlike past releases. (UHD Blu-ray)

Edited May 24, 2023 by Ternaugh

[Ternaugh]

Shazam! Fury of the Gods: Second outing for Billy Batson and family, I enjoyed it. There is a certain optimism on display with a family of supers, who are heroic even when they have their powers taken away. It's almost a throwback to a different kind of DC superhero movie. (HBOmax)*

 

Superman: This movie, to be exact. Christopher Reeve plays the Man of Steel. It's probably my favorite portrayal of Superman in any media, and I'm still amazed by this scene. This version was the new 4K release, which in general looks much better**, and the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is well balanced to enhance but not distract. (UHD 4K Blu-ray)

 

 

*The new client for Roku is a bit of a mess. I had to log in again after the "upgrade", and my first attempt at playing the movie resulted in no picture. The icon still hasn't changed on my Roku home page. The actual navigation inside the client is now a jumble, with a ton of crap shows from the Discovery side being recommended above stuff I'd actually watch. My account now has the word "Legacy" in front of it, which seems to mean that I'm still getting 4K streams with Dolby Atmos audio for the time being, but that might change at some point unless I pay another $4 per month.

 

**Some of the night scenes are noticeably darker than previous releases, but the action is still very watchable. The sunny outdoor scenes in the second half make the best use of the HDR color grading.

[mattingly]

I saw Shazam 2 in the cinema, and again yesterday. I agree that it's very hopeful, and plenty of fun. Make sure you stick around for the stinger!

 

It's weird that two movies featuring dragons started streaming this week. D&D Honor Among Thieves and Shazam 2.

 

[slikmar]

5 hours ago, mattingly said:

I saw Shazam 2 in the cinema, and again yesterday. I agree that it's very hopeful, and plenty of fun. Make sure you stick around for the stinger!

 

It's weird that two movies featuring dragons started streaming this week. D&D Honor Among Thieves and Shazam 2.

 

Both of which fun to watch.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Mr. Harrigan's Phone: I didn't finish. I gave up after an hour. Very disappointing. 

[Pariah]

This week I'm watching the Cosmos episode "Who Speaks for Earth?" with my honors physics classes. As a child of the Cold War, this brings back a lot of memories, a lot of feelings (which my 21st Century students obviously don't share). But the possibility that we could end our own civilization is still very real, and I like to leave my students with the understanding that how our story as a species turns out isn't random, or determined by capricious otherworldly creatures. It's on us. We ultimately decide the fate of humanity. 

[death tribble]

Jimmy Edwards at the Tivoli

The British comedian was at the Tivoli theatre in Melbourne Australia as I think it was due to be demolished and this was one of the last performances there. The record was from his own personal collection. It was pretty good and was 60s comedy.

 

The Lone Wolf Strikes

A retired jewel thief is asked by a woman to recover a necklace after her father is murdered. This was the last of the Lone Wolf films. Formulaic but interesting and shows what happens when someone interferes instead of letting the hero get on with it.

 

The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady

This is the first of the Lone Wolf films to feature the valet of the Lone Wolf. A woman is due to marry and will wear a necklace that is a family heirloom. The husband she thought dead tries to take the necklace from her but is killed by a mystery person. The woman runs into the Lone Wolf who agrees to help her.

 

The Abominable Snowman

Peter Cushing is a scientist working in Tibet when he joins an expedition looking for the Yeti. But he is warned that no good may come of it. This is a Hammer picture and is not bad.

 

The Walls of Hell

This is a WW2 film set in the Phillipines about the liberation of Manila and how Japanese marines chose to fight on in a fortress inside the city and how the US soldiers and the locals fought them. Interesting focus on an area not usually covered. Jock Mahoney who played Tarzan stars as the American officer trying to get people out.

 

A Night in Casablanca

This was the penultimate Marx Brothers film and is a bit dated. Groucho takes over as the manager of the Hotel Casablanca where several other managers have all died. The reason is that there is a secret hoard of stolen Nazi treasure hidden in the hotel and they want to get their hands on it. Harpo is working for the head Nazi as a valet and Chico is running a camel taxi service.

[Ternaugh]

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three: The original 1974 version, "Mr. Blue" (Robert Shaw) is the leader of a color-coded criminal group who hijack a New York subway train with the demand of one million dollars ransom delivered within an hour or one hostage per minute will be killed. Transit Police Lt. Zachary Garber (Walter Matthau) leads the city's attempt to get the hostages free and to figure out how the criminals plan to escape. This movie's a favorite of mine, and it's a definite influence on subsequent movies like Die Hard. This version is a recently-released 4K and standard Blu-ray package from Kino Lorber, taken from a scan of the original camera negatives. The picture is very good, and both the original mono soundtrack and later 5.1 mix are crisp and clear. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

 

The first two episodes of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai on Max. This is an animated series that is a prequel to the movies set in 1920s China, and tells the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing meets Gizmo the Mogwai. It's very good so far.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Mrs. Davis on Peacock. It's listed as sci-fi but that's not really an adequate description. I couldn't give spoilers if I wanted to because there are too many wtf? moments. I was going to give up after two episodes, but I decided to try a 3rd and got totally sucked in. It's very bizarre fare from the guy who produced Lost.

Description: "A nun is forced to leave her quiet life at a convent when an all-powerful artificial intelligence known as Mrs. Davis enlists her to complete an epic quest." That is only the beginning. You think you know where this is going, but I promise you do not. It was a good ride with some genuine emotional hits.

Recommend (if you like bizarre stuff)

[Ternaugh]

12 minutes ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

Mrs. Davis on Peacock. It's listed as sci-fi but that's not really an adequate description. I couldn't give spoilers if I wanted to because there are too many wtf? moments. I was going to give up after two episodes, but I decided to try a 3rd and got totally sucked in. It's very bizarre fare from the guy who produced Lost.

Description: "A nun is forced to leave her quiet life at a convent when an all-powerful artificial intelligence known as Mrs. Davis enlists her to complete an epic quest." That is only the beginning. You think you know where this is going, but I promise you do not. It was a good ride with some genuine emotional hits.

Recommend (if you like bizarre stuff)

 

I made it through the first two episodes and then put it in the "there's other stuff I'd like to watch right now" pile. Maybe I should try episode 3 this weekend.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Silo, an Apple TV puzzlebox mystery set in the postapocalyptic shelter/prison/city-in-a-bottle of the title. "Silo" started with an award-winning short story in 2011 and somehow blossomed into a nine volume series over the next twelve years. It's kind of like the classic YA dystopian effort, only not, is my understanding of the books. The series is, so far, a whodunnit featuring an outsider detective pit against shadowy forces bent on maintaining order and possibly protecting a sinister secret. (I don't know, I've been trying not to spoil myself.)

 

Anyway, I'm enjoying it and also the sense that I wasn't wasting my money by auto-renewing my AppleTV subscription. 

[Ternaugh]

Paramount+ with Showtime is running a 50% off sale for the first three months for new subscribers until June 4 ($5.99 per month after a free one week trial), so I decided to sign up.

 

I'm currently a couple of episodes into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and I'm really enjoying it. I also watched "The Cage" from TOS, which I hadn't seen with the upgraded special effects.

 

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: This one was just plain fun. Well worth a watch (or rewatch). (Paramount+)

 

 

[Lord Liaden]

3 hours ago, Ternaugh said:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: This one was just plain fun. Well worth a watch (or rewatch). (Paramount+)

 

 

I caught it in the theater, and I agree, and I'd definitely be up for a sequel with this crew.

[mattingly]

11 hours ago, Ternaugh said:

I'm currently a couple of episodes into Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and I'm really enjoying it. I also watched "The Cage" from TOS, which I hadn't seen with the upgraded special effects.

 

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is fantastic.

The Nickelodeon show Star Trek: Prodigy is also surprisingly good.

 

[Old Man]

The Green Knight, 2020 version with Dev Patel.  A well written and brilliantly acted take on the old story.  Pretty faithful to the source material.  A bit slow and weird, though.

[Lord Liaden]

Which also fits the source material.

[Old Man]

And in this case, the viewer.

[Michael Hopcroft]

7 hours ago, Old Man said:

The Green Knight, 2020 version with Dev Patel.  A well written and brilliantly acted take on the old story.  Pretty faithful to the source material.  A bit slow and weird, though.

 

7 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

Which also fits the source material.

 

6 hours ago, Old Man said:

And in this case, the viewer.

It is certainly a beautiful film, with lots of visual intensity in every frame. But that did not help me much in terms of understanding what I was seeing. Especially the ending, which left me with a sort of Schrödinger's Knight sensation.

[Bazza]

That’s part of the original source material IIRC. 

[Ternaugh]

I've completed the second season of Picard on Paramount+, and I have to note that it is an improvement over the first season, though that's a low bar. I've watched a few episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks, which i like so far.

 

Meanwhile, my copy of The Last Starfighter Limited Edition in 4K arrived today. It's an Arrow Video release, and comes with a bunch of bonus features on the disc and in a booklet. The image quality is good (better than my Blu-ray released by Universal about a decade ago), and there's a choice between stereo, 4.1 (remastered from the original 70mm print's sound mix), and 5.1, and multiple commentary tracks. The computer-generated graphics look surprisingly good, with the HDR smoothing out some of the color banding that shows up on the Universal Blu-ray. It is, however, priced for collectors, with a $49.99 list price (I paid $35 at Amazon as a new release/preorder).

[mattingly]

Picard season 3 is very good.

[Pariah]

Next up in my ... er, voyage through Star Trek: Voyager is the episode "30 Days", wherein Tom Paris is busted to ensign and spends a month in solitary for an act of well-intentioned ecoterrorism. 

[death tribble]

Crown Court

Case 18 involves whether a councillor and his ex-secretary engaged in a fraudulent act in buying and selling land in order to profit from a bypass that the council had compulsorily purchased. Later the verdict may have gone against the pair but this was the 70s.

Case 19 involves which will that an artist made was the more up to date and correct one. This is one that could have gone either way and today would still work.

Case 20 involves whether a prison officer and a prisoner were in cahoots over smuggling material into the prison. Several familiar faces to British TV viewers including Bob Hoskins. The prison officer and prisoner had different lawyers and one turned on the other resulting in their acquittal.

Case 21 involves whether a baby born at home to a teenage mother was killed by the girl's father. Both the girl and her mother claim to have killed the child. The family is very religious.

 

Maigret

Maigret Defends himself. This story has the detective accused of attempted rape and he has to work out why. It ties into another story that followed it later as the surveillance on a particular criminal is what sets the criminal off. He thought they were watching him and not the other party who is close by. I did not piece together what was going on but the clues are there and as Maigret is set in early 50s France it works as Maigret's questioning of the people enables him to work out what is going on.

Maigret et la Tete d'un Homme. Maigret allows a man to escape from prison as he is sure that the man did not commit a double murder and wants to catch the real killer. Again I can directly relate this to the 60s series. This is one where the killer thinks they are smarter than the police.

Cecile is Dead. Maigret is constantly visited by Cecile who is sure someone is breaking into the apartment she shares with her aunt. The detective can find nothing but then the aunt is found murdered and Cecile herself is killed inside the police buildings. So who did it and why ? The answer is a lot murkier than you would suppose.

Maigret and Lock No 1. A rich entrepreneur is assaulted and dumped into the canal. He survives but who did it. This involves the man's family and an old friend of the man.

Maigret and the Ghost. When a French detective is shot in Finland, Maigret goes to find out who did it and why his colleague was there in the first place.

 

Soldier Blue

First time I have seen this Western which leads up to the massacre of an Indian village which is really nasty. The survivors of an Indian attack on a paymaster's column try to reach the army fort where the woman's fiance is. They run into other Indians and a trader who is taking guns to the Indians. Worth seeing once but the brutality at the end may put you off a rewatch.

 

Summer of Sam

This is a Spike Lee film about New York in 1977 as the heat builds and the Son of Sam killings occur. The locals look at anyone who they think might be guilty while the police and crooks try to find the killer themselves. It is not bad and the soundtrack is brilliant. The killings are handled discreetly to my way of thinking and not overly exploited or sensationalised.

 

The Groundstar Conspiracy

Several people are killed at the Groundstar installation with one man escaping the complex but he is badly wounded. As he undergoes hospital treatment George Peppard's investigator keeps everyone else away much to the chagrin of the base's administrators both military and civil and the senator who pushed for money for the project and is stationing in the state. A woman who the man ran into is used by Peppard to work out who was behind the man as he stole data from the facility. It is a complex story as the man recovers from operations to save him but is left with amnesia and so he and the audience don't know what is going on until close to the end.

 

The Giro d'Italia 2023

First of the year's Grand Tours got underway and looked like heading one way with Remco Evenepoel in the driving seat until Covid cut him down and he was forced to retire. This left the GC battle between Geraint Thomas and Primoz Roglic. Both were involved in accidents and Thomas's team mate Geoghan Hart forced to pull out because of an accident. Covid decimated the field as well. Thomas spent more time in the Maglia Rose but Roglic won on the penultimate stage which was a quasi repeat of the end of the Tour de France in 2020 when Roglic lost the lead and the race. In both cases it was a mountain time trial. The other story was that Mark Cavendish was racing for Astana and looking to go to the Tour if he won two stages. On the second rest day he announced his retirement at the end of the season. And on the very last stage Thomas helped his old team mate and Cavendish won the final stage which was the first win in four years at the Giro for the team. Another old campaigner Thibault Pinot had also announced his retirement and ended up King of the Mountains in a see saw battle.

[Logan D. Hurricanes]

Watched a few more episodes of GLOW. Netflix is gone now so no more eps for me. It starts really slowly IMO, and it was just starting to get good. Curse my impatienfce!