Veltigar

I went to see The Substance over the weekend. The film is remarkably good imo, well worth the hype. With the exception of the ending, which I thought was somewhat unsatisfying, I'd describe it as exceptional even. Never would have imagined Dennis Quad eating shrimp would give me nightmares XD I also continued with The Penguin. I still have the final two episodes to go, but so far I think this is an excellent series and not a caped crusader in sight. I wonder how they sold this to HBO, but I'm very glad they did so far.

I finished Vox Machina's third season. The commentary is basically the same as for the rest of the season. I'm still loving the action sequences, but everything in between is disappointing. They are also doing everything they can to get rid of dramatic stakes as they went for I also feel like they should put more effort into the humor. This season has been light on it, but every time they remember to be funny I think the series picks up steam. For example, I have harped a lot on the relationships In general I'd say I'm still disappointed, but I'll probably lower my expectations and come back to poke fun at the clichés next season To cleanse our palette, we then moved on to the first two episodes of The Penguin. I heard good stuff about it and I wasn't disappointed. I was engrossed from the beginning and there was nothing that really bothered me. It's perhaps a bit derivative sure, but it felt more like a good remix than something burdensome. I'll definitely continue onwards with this.

I had the good fortune to see The Wild Robot over the weekend. I was doubting because the theatre was jampacked, but glad that I persevered because this film is magnificent. I remember being intrigued by the trailer, but the film totally delivers on its promise. The animation is gorgeous, about as far removed from the ugly Pixar photorealism that has dominated (and imo dragged down) western animation for years as one can expect. The voice cast is great and the film's story and themes are deceptively simple and executed to perfection. They are probably already working on a sequel for this and I wouldn't mind seeing one. It feels like they only just hinted at one part of a larger world and for once I think there is scope for new films to explore this universe. TLDR if you love your kids, you should take them to see this film on the big screen. Your tolerance levels probably differ. I think it's overblown and lazy, as if people's lives are entirely determined by them being part of a pair of twins, but I still have three episodes to go tonight, so perhaps I'll change my tune. We live in a world full of miracles :p

Of course she does. Note that @HexMachina/Eris even tried to fan the flames of the outrage even further with this proverbial apple of discord: No one mentioned her, but some women just want to see the world burn EDIT: Kind regards, Veltigar/Paris *Retreats silently back into the underbrush* With the caveat that I still have not seen Rogue One, I agree.

Never forget Jace, Palpatine fucks. It's almost as bad as J.K. Rowling in the cursed child deciding that Yeah, in a universe obsessed with genetics and midichlorians this type of empty gesture doesn't get her a hallpass.

You'd think they'd actually be good at them then no XD We watched this one, which I think was pretty complete: Yeah, that's true, there are some weird action climaxes (in terms of where they take place in this season) that are perhaps the result of that. None of them are mawkish? You made me look up the definition of the word, because I think we use a different frame of reference then XD I also find the love plots of the twins exceedingly similar to one another

I was less enamored with TFA than most when it came out (JJ Abrams is a top contender for biggest hack in Hollywood, which is not easy given the competition), but I agree that from the spaghetti thrown at the wall by Abrams, some stuff could have been salvaged. Sadly, they didn't and I agree that the less I see of these characters, the better from my POV. Ideally, the next movie begins with Mark Hamill stepping out of a shower in the Jedi academy and then telling someone that they had the weirdest dream nightmare ever. EDIT: Or he steps out of the shower, looks at the screen and says "those were the worst damn trippy mushrooms I have ever had. Don't do drugs younglings" Wasn't she a Palpatine? Reading this post and the one by Heartoffice reminded me again of just how sorry I am for John Boyega. Not only is he underutilized as an actor, but his character's potential is just utterly wasted despite the fact that in his storm trooper deserter arc there was probably the most potential of them all. Poe is a horribly one-dimensional character and Rey is just a lazy retread of Luke. With a traumatized child soldier they could have moved this franchise back into original territory, which is probably why they Canto Blighted him in the follow-up.

My order is exactly the opposite of the bolded. These characters need never be featured again, so that we can pretend the sequel trilogy did not happen.

We had exactly the same problem, so we paused the first episode of season 3 and watched a season 2 recap video on YouTube during the pause. There was a lot of stuff we had forgotten and it's kind of important to remember season 2 if you want to keep up with the season 3 plot. If by safe you mean generic, than I think the show has always been that. For me the problem is that there is just not enough action and humor in comparison to prior seasons. And the relationship drama they dilute the show with is boring, because of a) the poor quality of the dialogue and b) the implausibility of the behavior of people involved in the aforementioned relationship drama. EDIT: In a way season 3 is an interesting experiment because I think it would approximate really closely how the characters of my (all-male) D&D group would behave if the DM forced everyone to be in a relationship with one another. One moment they'd be shit talking or be engaged in combat and the next, when switching to the relationship stuff, they'd find so many accidental ways to make it awkward For a Few Dollars More is something you need to see though. I find it's a very underrated film and in some ways superior to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

It's a pretty good marketing ploy on his part though. I'd never heard of him and now I have. Pretty sure he might juice his sales slightly due to this dedication version of "owning the libs" as his core fanbase will probably think of him as quite the chad for "daring" to do this.

Was able to continue with season 3 of Vox Machina. When I arrived at my friend's place he kicked-off the night with the phrase "are you ready for some perfectly mediocre fantasy" and sadly, that introduction is on point. In a way, that is what Vox Machina has always been, but I find it more pronounced this season due to the heavy focus on the relationship drama and the cringe-worthy dialogue that accompanies it. Whenever the series jumps into combat or remembers that it used to be rather funny (Scanlan's musical numbers) it goes back to its old level, but this season just keeps focusing attention on all these sets of rather unconvincing/boring will-they/won't they that I sometimes find myself rooting for their opponents Anyways, I have like three episodes left to go. Curious to see whether it picks up again near the end.

I watched the first 4 episodes of the new season of Vox Machina. Perhaps it is the result of having had to wait for it for so long, but I was underwhelmed. All the attempts at romance make me cringe so hard and the dialogue can be excruciating. In a way a very good approximation of a bad D&D session, but I hope they improve in later episodes.

Yeah, I saw El Topo during the pandemic. I didn't care for it either, but in hindsight, I do think it was a bit better than The Holy Mountain which I believe is rated more highly by pundits. Given the reputation of both films (and my soft spot for the Jodorowski's Dune documentary), I decided to take the opportunity to watch The Holy Mountain, but I don't think anyone should bother to waste their time with either now that I can assess them.

I went to see Jodorowski's The Holy Mountain in theatre. I'm going to lose a lot of nerd cred, but I'll just say that I disliked it extremely. I was hoping for something "cult" along the line of The Room, but it's just a dreadfully boring film, which lasts forever. With the exception of the ending, which I thought was reasonably clever, I just didn't see the point of any of it. Fuck the Seventies as a decade. Between Joker 2 and this, I'm in need of some cinematic wins.

I went to see Starship Troopers on a big screen during yet another revival. Great movie and this time around I was struck mostly by the action elements. It's an incredibly funny film, but it is also just incredibly exciting. The effects also hold up on the big screen, which is a great proof of Verhoeven's skill.

The earlier re-release of Gladiator was so successful, they brought it back for another go. I couldn't help myself and went a second time. Still amazing, this film always pulls me in. The sequel better deliver, but I'm afraid it will only tarnish the original. I'd say that Joker 2 is worse than Cat Woman, because that one was at least funny. I agree with Cas Stark that there was potential in the idea of doing a musical. I remember thinking, this is either going to be brilliant or it's going to be terrible. I had hoped creative control from the director after the huge financial success of the first one would increase the chance of it being brilliant, but alas we got a screw you from the director instead.

I ignored the reviews to go and watch the Joker sequel in the theatre. I'd hereby like to formally apologize to all reviewers I ignored. They were right and I was wrong. My thinking was that with my expectations sufficiently lowered by the reviews, I probably would be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, that turned out to be wrong, as the movie was tedious throughout. Every time they started singing I had to groan and that was a lot, because there are so many listless covers in this thing. All of this makes the movie feel much longer than it actually is. They also didn't commit to a clear approach for the songs. Do they happen in this head? Do people follow him? The ending was divisive and I can get it

Out of the definitions proffered so far, I lean closest towards the one suggested by Ran. That being said, I think I'm even less inclined than he is to take chronology into account. I could refer to a film that is three years old as a "classic" if it meets the memorability and quality thresholds that Ran (IMO correctly) puts forward. I'd probably hedge a bit by labelling a very recent film as an "instant classic" or something like that, but the point remains pretty much the same

I went to another rerelease of a classic film in the theatre. This time it was Gladiator and it was just brilliant. I have always loved this film, but sadly I never got to see it in the theatre before. Seeing it on the big screen in all its glory... It was just overwhelming to be honest. Yes, she did. It's only her best guess of course, but I think she's not that far of the mark, which makes me sad. Even though she aged, you can't tell me that Hollywood magic couldn't erase much of the gap. I think it was a mistake for the character of Maverick, but if that was the sacrifice that had to be made for Maverick to be created, then I'll take it.

I fulfilled a childhood dream this week, as my local movie theatre did a rerelease of the original Top Gun. I know its bon ton to brag about the quality of your home entertainment system, but seeing a film like this on the big screen of a modern theatre (with a respectful audience) is just an experience that cannot be beat. Storywise I think there is not much new praise I can add to this wonderful, cocaine-addled feature length commercial for the Navy. It shouldn't be as great as it is, but somehow it works. One thing that does strike me as unfortunate given the fact that we have a sequel now:

There is a always a chance for this year to be peak Glen Powell, but right now I think the odds favor him to stick around a while longer. After all, these are his past five films: Twisters Anyone But You Hit Man Devotion Top Gun: Maverick Now the only one of out of that list which didn't rake in serious cash, got lots of critical praise or both was Devotion. That string of hits will most likely lead to a Matthew effect, where he'll get offered more and better roles. If he picks from those opportunities wisely, he could definitely become fixture. You are correct in the different audiences for the two, but my point about the gulf in ambition (which then translates into quality) between the two still stands I think. If you told me in 1988 that this guy would end up creating a movie that is as great and ambitious as Mononoke in about 10 years time, I would have been skeptical. I'm actually sad that they did not rerelease Nausicaa, because I actually remember that one very fondly. It would be interesting whether I would still think of it in the same way as Mononoke. I think you're correct about the bolded at present. I think at some point Tom Cruise just decided he really enjoys his action capers and is now making them for as long as his body can take it. 1990s era Tom Cruise was a different beast however. I think he was hunting for prestige and taking more creative risks in which he could disappear in roles. From the mid-2000s there are occasional flashes of that Tom Cruise, most notably in Collateral, Top Gun: Maverick and Edge of Tomorrow (where he riffs on his own persona), which are imo his best roles. Do they tone down the screaming in the dub?

I went to see My Neighbour Totoro yesterday. I'm glad I have seen it and I though the animation was beautifully dreamlike, but the rest of the story did not connect with me unfortunately. I think that mostly had to do with the fact that I found the constant anime yelling unsufferable, which stopped me from enjoying a film that has a rather benign outlook on life that I think I would normally have appreciated more. It is interesting to think that only about ten years separate this film from Mononoke. Amazing how big the gulf between them is in terms of quality (as I would feel confident to recommend Mononoke to non-anime fans, while My Neighbour Totoro is more for those already converted). You know, I never got that complaint about Tom Cruise. Sure, he has an on-screen persona that he leans into in e.g. the MI films, but the man is also quite capable of disappearing into roles. His Vincent in Collateral for instance is a great performance that is detached from his usual on-screen persona. I hope that one day he'll find his way back to doing more work like that. I also don't get the complaint about Glen Powell btw, I find he's a very talented actor in the old movie star tradition. Ah, I actually thought it was more than just nods and hearsay from Ridley Scott. I do think making the link more explicit (timeline be damned) would be one way to push the plot forward.

I went to the theatre again to watch Alien: Romulus and was quite happy with that decision. I would say it is the best film in the franchise since Aliens (though it's been a long time since I saw Alien³), but that is a very low bar to clear and this film does deserve some more creative compliments. My favorite aspect was definitely the production design, which is top notch. It manages to be faithful to the original Blade Runner and Alien aesthetic (those films share the same cinematic universe), but also includes some nods to some of the better design elements of Prometheus (I particularly enjoyed the Capitoline Wolf imagery) which is not easy to do given the discrepancy between the two as introduced by Ridley Scott himself in his belated sequels. I also thought the scares were pretty effective. I have heard people describe it as Alien 1.5 because that is chronologically where the movie fits, but I also think that it's a good indication of this films creative aim. It's not quite as action heavy as Aliens, but it is somewhat grander in scale than the first film in the franchise. I think the blend worked and thought there were also a couple of really good action set pieces On the downside, it has to be said that while this film really manages to curate a selection of greatest hits from the Alien franchise, it doesn't do anything sufficiently new with its characters to push the envelop further. It's still better than most franchise fare, but I wished they dared to be just a bit bolder. I also thought the callbacks and easter eggs were a bit distracting. I wish the creative team would have taken their cue from Twisters, where there are subtle signs of a connection, but here they even go as far referencing lines from the original films, which I think is just a tad much

A buddy of mine hadn't seen Deadpool & Wolverine, so I decided to chaperone him to the theatre. I don't think I have ever rewatched a Deadpool film in full, so this was a pretty big break for me. I definitely liked it more the first time around, because the pace of comedy was strangely enough more bit overwhelming the second time around. I guess not knowing the story made the best jokes hit harder, papering over some of the weaker jokes in the process. That luxury I obviously did not have the first time around. That being said, I was struck by just how good the dramatic beats were and how much attention to detail was dedicated to setting the plot up. Whatever else you can say, this clearly wasn't just a pay check project for the people involved. I do think superhero films in general are in trouble though. Everything about Deadpool as a character makes you feel the cracks in the MCU/the superhero genre in general. It is just tired and needs a rest. While I think I'd like to see Deadpool integrate into an Avengers film, I also think it's highly likely that such a proposition would collapse under its own weight. There is still room for great stories I think, as the interactions between Wolverine and were captivating, but I just don't think either the MCU or the DCU have the strength-of-will to deliver them to us. Everyone is panicking, pushing the RDJ nostalgia button instead of venturing into a bolder creative direction. It was said at the time, but Glen Powell really does feel like an heir to Tom Cruise. I thoroughly agree. The "you'll leave hungry" argument is one of the most baffling stereotypes about fine dining as I have never had any experiences like that. We'll just have to disagree on this. I thought both Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell were incredibly charming in those roles. In fact, I wouldn't mind them making more romcoms together Richard Gere and Julia Roberts style.

I'd actually propose to do the opposite. While I adore Anya Taylor-Joy, I think the actress playing young Furiosa was the strongest element of the entire film. Much closer to Charlize than Anya, so I would have liked to have seen more focus on her youth. Challengers is a great film and I say that as someone who is not necessarily enamored with Guadagnino's work. I do find it strange that Zendaya is so often maligned. She's not my favorite actress, but the things I have seen her in, she's always been at least decent in. In Challengers she was very good. Booo, it's a great romcom imo. Those films are hard to get right, but when they connect, they hit hard.