Liar Liar: A comedy about a lying lawyer who is forced to tell the truth for 24 hours when his son makes a birthday wish. I enjoyed it. (Movies Anywhere)

Toys: After the death of its founder, a toy company is taken over by a general, and proceeds to make weapons. The children of the founder must find a way to stop him. It's a polarizing Robin Williams film, that bombed at the box office. The design is best described as surreal and quirky. It's a movie that I like enough to have tracked down a 2003 DVD copy, which is long out of print. The movie's never been released on Blu-ray, can't be found for digital rental or purchase, and only occasionally shows up on streaming. (DVD)

Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters: Rona Jaffe wrote the book that this TV movie was based on in only a few days, and its production was rushed to release without any real editing. It was loosely inspired by the reports of the disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III from Michigan State University, and blending in some of the tropes from BADD (Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons--part of the "satanic panic" of the early 80s). The movie's not much better, though it does star a young Tom Hanks. The streaming copy I watched looked very much like it had been captured from an old VHS tape, complete with some of the chromatic dropouts near edges of objects, and a certain blurriness familiar to anyone who used a VCR to time-shift. It's a bit of a nostalgia watch, but I can't really say that the movie is good. (Amazon Prime Video)

While this is a bit of crankiness, given the subject matter, I'm putting it here.

I had to drop off a package at the local post office, and I noticed a little stand on the sidewalk, with a big sign saying, "Defend Trump". I was going to ignore them, but as I was getting back into my car, one of them waved me over. Probably not his best idea. After I asked why are we defending a billionaire, his response was, "well, they're trying to take it away."

To which I responded, "Good. He deserves it." I then gave him a short rundown of how he stiffed a company I worked for ("I don't know the details of that"). So, then I explained to him about how Trump Tower was built using undocumented workers. I finished by saying that he is dangerous, should never be near the presidency again, and that he should be locked up. I then wished them a good day, and left. As I was getting back in my car, the gentleman I had been talking to looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

It's only water in a stranger's tear
Looks are deceptive, but distinctions are clear
A foreign body and a foreign mind
Never welcome in the land of the blind

You may look like we do
Talk like we do
But you know how it is

You're not one of us, not one of us
No, you're not one of us
Not one of us, not one of us
No, you're not one of us

There's safety in numbers when you learn to divide
How can we be in if there is no outside?
All shades of opinion feed an open mind
But your values are twisted, let us help you unwind

You may look like we do
Talk like we do
But you know how it is

It's only water
It's only water
It's only water
It's only water in a stranger's tear

You may look like we do
Talk like we do
But you know how it is

You're not one of us, not one of us
No, you're not one of us
You're not one of us, not one of us
No, you're not one of us

He's not one of us
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
He's not one of us
He's not one of us
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
He's not one of us

On 3/11/2024 at 7:55 AM, Cygnia said:

“Disgraceful”: Messy ToS update allegedly locks Roku devices until users give in

https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/12/24098398/roku-hackers-breach-credit-card-info

Time Bandits: A kid gets involved with a troupe of thieves with a map showing holes in spacetime. It's a quirky, good watch. (Max)

The Lost Boys: After moving to a new town, two brothers find out that there's a sinister reason people keep disappearing. It's a good watch. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Animated film from Disney, a linguist leads the search for the lost city of Atlantis. This one's much better than I remembered from watching it in the theater. (Blu-ray)

Labyrinth: Fathom Events had it for two nights in theaters, tonight, and Sunday, March 10. While I've seen the movie multiple times, I'd never seen it on the big screen. It was a great watch. (Fathom Events at select theaters).

1 minute ago, Cygnia said:

Family uses Oreo cookies to help lure 450-pound pig named Kevin Bacon back to his home

Oreo cookies bring home the Bacon?

Oppenheimer: It's a very good watch. Ostensibly, it's about the father of the atomic bomb, but the story's much more complicated. Highly recommended. (Peacock)

Rollerball: In the Future (2018), Jonathan E. is the best Rollerball player in a world run by corporations. When he refuses to retire, the corporate managers make lethal changes to the game. The movie's been recently remastered for 4K, and it looks wonderful. My old Blu-ray copy would get banding in some of the darker scenes, but the HDR10/Dolby Vision on this version eliminates that. It's a good watch. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

Night of the Comet: A couple of valley girls survive the return of the comet that wiped out the dinosaurs, and must battle zombies and survivalist scientists.This has been remastered in 4K, and looks and sounds great. It's a good watch. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Thor must team up with his brother Loki Aquaman must team up with his brother Orm to defend the Nine Realms to defend Earth from Dark Elves an ancient evil that has possessed Jane Foster Black Manta. It's not something I need to watch again. (Max)

1 hour ago, Pariah said:

 

Have you ever seen Murder By Death? It lampoons murder mystery tropes in much the same way.

I have an old DVD copy that gets played occasionally, I usually get the urge after watching movies from the Thin Man series.

Shout Factory has it remastered on Blu-ray for about $13, so I might upgrade soon.

Clue: To make a long story short*, this is usually a regular re-watch for me. I'd had a DVD for ages, but found out that Shout Studios had recently put out a 4K version. Picture and sound are both improved from the DVD, and this version allows choosing the DVD's ending, or randomly choosing one of the three (like when it was released in the theaters). It's a good watch. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

My Cousin Vinny: Two youts traveling through Alabama are accused of murder, and reach out to a family member to help with their defense. It's a good watch. (Blu-ray)

*Too late!

Wonka: A magical vision of Wonka's early days, it's very much a love letter to Gene Wilder's take on the character. Highly recommended. (UHD 4K Blu-ray)

My older Sony 4K Blu-ray player has been frustrating me a bit lately, with freezing issues on some 4K discs. It also doesn't handle Dolby Vision. I've been pricing a  Panasonic 4K Blu-ray player (DP-UB820), which is Dolby Vision-capable. Checking my email this morning, Best Buy sent me a special $10 certificate, and so I decided to check their website. It was marked $75 off, and so I've bought it. Picture and sound are superb. It's the one to get if you are in the market for a 4K Blu-ray player. 

The Amazing Maurice: Animated version of the Terry Pratchett book, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, with Hugh Laurie voicing the title character. I enjoyed it, recommended for Pratchett fans. (Hulu)

The Marvels: The three heroes have to find a way to save the people of several worlds from a Kree revenge plot. I enjoyed it. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

The Equalizer: A man with a hidden past takes on Russian mobsters. I enjoyed it. (Bravia Core)

I need to stay out of the Political thread for a while.

8 minutes ago, Cygnia said:

"Collect the whole set!"

Funny, it works fine for me.

https://g.co/gemini/share/7ced2ac67d6b

10 minutes ago, L. Marcus said:

Whoah! When did Doonesbury get all political?

 About a half-century ago.

Conan the Barbarian: Arnold Schwarzenegger's first major action role, my memories of this were mainly of watching it on old VHS tapes, and washed-out TV broadcasts. This time, it's remastered on 4K Blu-ray by Arrow Video, with Dolby Atmos sound (a DTS-HD mono track is also available for purists). Looks and sounds great, and the HDR color grading is done well. It's part of a limited edition Conan Chronicles set that also includes Conan the Destroyer, reproductions of the movie posters, a bunch of postcard pictures, a thick illustrated book, and a Blu-ray of special features. (4K UHD Blu-ray)

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum: Third movie in the series, John is on the run for the events in the second movie. It's a good watch. (Netflix)

Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part Two: A crossover between the two properties, wrapping up the loose ends from part one. I enjoyed it. (Max)

Blazing Saddles: A favorite of mine. A very good watch. (Max)

In N Out manages to pay their workers a good wage and benefits, and their prices are still good. My Double-Double combo a few nights ago was right around $10, with a large drink. I can't seem to get anything similar at McDonald's for less than $15.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason: Remixed & Updated (Surround mix) by Pink Floyd, followed by Ammonia Avenue (5.1 mix) by the Alan Parsons Project, and now A Trick of the Tail (5.1 mix) by Genesis. Music for puttering about the house and reading newspaper sites.