Watched, Watching & Rewatch Redux

[Derfel Cadarn]

Thunderball maybe? He blackmails a nurse into having sex. Sheeven says no.

[HexMachina]

There’s probably more than one let’s be honest

[Macklunkey]

He tricks Solitaire into sex using her tarot cards which is rather sordid.

[Heartofice]

My other half is watching a bunch of reality tv shows from the US and it really made me realise what a spot on parody Nathan for You is of that genre. 

I'd been trying to work out what it is about US tv that is so specifically different to what I would expect here in the UK, what it was that Nathan for You was doing that make it such an accurate parody. I think its the sheer pacing. I've noticed that US reality shows do not allow a single second to be filled by silence. They edit everything so that as soon as one sentence ends.. another begins. And its cut so that you cannot ever get your bearings. 

[Corvinus85]

7 hours ago, red snow said:

I am so pleased i stuck with "Russian Doll". From episode 2 it just gets better and better with just enough twists to keep the viewer on their toes with a real emotional core (which I thought was impossible when the first episode was about a bunch of shallow, unlikeable people). There's also a horror element as well as the comedy. For an almost done to death premise they really manage to convince thst there's more than one way to use a concept effectively.

It also ranks as one of the most efficient series Netflix has made in terms of being the perfect length. There is no flab in this show at all. Except for that first episode (which they should have really made a double episode). The thing is that first 25 minutes makes a lot of sense thematically when you reach the end.

Anyhow, i just want all those, like myself, who were down on the first episode to give the second one a chance. It's only another 25 minutes so if you still don't like it, no loss. But if you do - there's a few hours of excellent entertainment to be had.

Again, you and me are on the same wavelength. I haven't finished it yet, but only have a couple of episodes left. I didn't find any of the characters relatable at first, and if anything this show made me to never want to visit NYC, ever.  But the 2nd episode was highly entertaining, and from then on everything about it grew on me, and there was a bit there to relate to. 

[RhaenysBee]

Ugh. I went to the cinema and spent €12 on watching The Favorite. I wish I had bought another mascara instead........ 

 

[Mexal]

Deadly Class is still bananas and surprisingly deep. I guess maybe not surprising that everyone has a fucked up life given they're being trained to kill people but still. Really really like this show.

[briantw]

7 hours ago, HelenaExMachina said:

i love Goldeneye for going full on campy and ridiculous and for bringing us Xenia Onatopp and Boris and Nadia and Sean Bean dying, again.

Might be the only movie where you get to see Sean Bean die twice.

[Zorral]

I don't know where on this board to post a notification of this long article that examines the first pilot script, rejected by HBO and compares it to what actually got put on the screen then.  However, as it may well be of a lot of interest to a lot of members of this board, ah-hem, I'll put it here -- and then if the mod doesn't like it, maybe I can be told where it should go?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/game-of-thrones-unaired-pilot_us_5c0af138e4b0ab8cf6934dbe

Quote

Here’s What Happens In The Original, Terrible ‘Game Of Thrones’ Pilot That Never Aired
We went to a small Texas library to track down the script. It’s got everything from an unreleased Cersei scene to a really drunk Jon Snow.

 

[red snow]

5 hours ago, Corvinus said:

Again, you and me are on the same wavelength. I haven't finished it yet, but only have a couple of episodes left. I didn't find any of the characters relatable at first, and if anything this show made me to never want to visit NYC, ever.  But the 2nd episode was highly entertaining, and from then on everything about it grew on me, and there was a bit there to relate to. 

One of the joys of the entertainment forum here is discovering there're several people with similar tastes. Over the years it has made it a lot easier to decide which shows to watch as i can wait to see what others say and follow accordingly. It is odd when we can have matching opinion swings though. That first episode should have really been double-length and finished with episode 2 though as i wouldn't have been as down on it. Costly mistake for a show not to have a great premier though.

 

Watched two very different films today. First one was lego movie 2. I'm pleased i knew nothing about it other than how the first film ended as it was fun discovering the new settings. It's still a surprisingly clever film in that we are seeing two kids playtime played out as if the toys were real and they seemed to ratchet up the cleverness again. Although it might just seem that way because this one was a lot less funny and way less funny than batman. Speaking of batman has a fairly muted role in this film which is a shame and there are a lot less call outs to the different lego franchises. Rex is fun though. It's impressive how they can make a film which kids can enjoy as straight forward entertainment while adults can stroke their chin and smile at the meta story taking place. 

The i watched "you were never really here'. Don't worry it wasn't the strangest double bill ever. At face value it's a "taken" ish sort of plot but it is done in a fascinating way - chiefly through visual storytelling. Which means you have to pay a lot if attention to work out what's really going on. Phoenix also does an excellent job getting so much character from blinks and puffs etc. Certainly not a "fun" film but an interesting one.

[Iskaral Pust]

On 2/7/2019 at 8:44 AM, Mark Antony said:

S5 is the weakest for sure and yeah the Ava in jail storyline was my least favorite of the entire show but s6 is full of quality episodes and the ending is one of the better tv endings imo

 

On 2/7/2019 at 10:13 AM, Mexal said:

Agreed. Thought the ending for S6 was pretty solid.

Good to hear.  I’m half way through S6 now.  It’s a bit formulaic as it introduces Walker & Markham to replace the roles of the Crows, Bennetts, Crowders, Quarles etc, and Catherine Hale to replace Tonin, Picker, the mining company, etc.  The antagonists are always really fun each season but a bit repetitive in their arc from introduction to growing menace to unforgivable sin to deserved downfall at about the same pace each season.

- Ava’s arc is too much of a downer again and we spend too much time seeing her look anxious.  Do you think she wants to run?

- After six seasons of being homicidal alpha bad-asses, it’s still a bit jarring that both Raylan and Boyd have an effeminate, knock-kneed, sashaying walk.  John Wayne could only just about carry it off; someone really should have shown them how to butch up their stride by now. 

- I’m so happy for Rachel, although it was obvious from S1 that that would happen.  Rachel, Tim, Art and Winona are the real heart of the show.  Raylan, Boyd, Ava, etc are entertaining, interesting, flawed characters, but basically narcissistic assholes.  Even Vasquez is closer to being the heart of the show than they are.

- Dialogue (and monologue, Boyd) has always been the central strength of this show, laced with humor, flowery phrases and pithy sarcasm.   Aaron Sorkin only wishes he could write dialogue as snappy as this.  Dicky Bennett could have stepped straight out of Deadwood.

[Isis]

Now that The Expanse S3 is finally available in the UK. we're zipping through that. I still think it's one of the more successful book to screen adaptations - because when the best thing about a book is plot (and action), there's not much to be lost and a great deal to be gained turning it into a screenplay.

In the week I watched the Fyre doc. I don't know if I am just too jaded these days or if the effect was lessened by the fact that I'd read stuff about it already or what, but I just didn't find it that 'shocking'. I mean, the end was more interesting where you see that not only will people make the same mistake twice, but some people see themselves as literally above the law... Anyway it was midly diverting.

Also watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - which I enjoyed more than I expected to, especially the look of it, the colouration and costumes. Right after it finished the first thing I said was, 'I still don't get why people kept saying that Harry Potter was such a brilliant wizard when really he only knew about three spells'. It's almost as if (from the HP films) it's meant to be a character trait of Harry's that he doesn't really do much magic - compared to his contemporaries. It's just something that really bugs me about the films. In this film (FB) people do all kinds of quite flashy, powerful stuff as if it's no big deal at all. I don't know, for a creation which is about magic, I just never felt that Hp world dealt with its magical system very well.

 

[Argonath Diver]

I have not gone to the theaters to see The Lego Movie 2 yet, as a ticket, snack and drink cost me about as much as a healthy bar tab, but I will at some point. Its release did prompt me to invite my movie buff buddy over to watch the original - he'd missed it for whatever reason.

I love The Lego Movie so much. As a kid, I was such a massive Lego nerd that I wrote a letter to the company, with attached designs for some of my robots I'd created. Thirty years later, my mom still has their letter of induction to the Builders Club (I think that was the honorary name) they sent back; it was one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me. I peaked at age 7. 

I could babble for pages about what I love about the original film. I have a big projector screen and 3D goggles. I shamelessly love 3D movies, as they look better in my opinion in my living room than they do in the theater. This movie was absolutely made with 3D visuals in mind; some of the action sequences are simply incredible on my setup. My buddy was barely dodging the pieces flying toward his recliner. Before I sat him down for Coraline a few years ago, he was a determined 3D-hater. He'll grudgingly put on the glasses at my place - I only use them for movies truly made for it, not those garbage upconverted summer flicks. Ugh.

I was also a fiend for those mid 80s blue and grey spaceships, and I love Charlie Day. I was absolutely laughing and crying uncontrollably the first time he build that *incredibly awesome* spaceship. One of my favorite moments of any movie, ever.

Also, Lego Batman, the neat plot shift near the end, all the incredible models and sets created. Enough from me. I do hate that song.

[williamjm]

I watched Alita : Battle Angel earlier today. For a long time James Cameron was intended to direct this, and although he eventually passed the role on to Robert Rodriguez it does still feel very much like a James Cameron film - impressive visuals and a script that is sometimes quite clunky. The world it is set in seems a fairly standard cyberpunk dystopia but it looks spectacular both in the action scenes and the quieter moments. Having Alita herself be a motion-captured CGI character was something I was a bit worried about beforehand since CGI characters can still look a bit artificial, but I think that is quite fitting here since it reinforces that Alita herself is largely artificial. She is a likeable protagonist, and I thought the scenes with her and Chrisoph Waltz worked well, although I was less keen on the underwritten romance she has with Hugo. At times the plot felt a bit rushed and sometimes characters make really stupid decisions apparently just to make the plot work. The ending was also surprisingly abrupt, just when it feels like it is building up to the finale it finishes.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

On 2/9/2019 at 4:41 AM, HelenaExMachina said:

Yeah, very poorly aged in so many ways. The sex scene in Skyfall always makes me cringe with discomfort too. “I was traded as a sex slave when I was younger, and he’s going to kill me for betraying him.” “Cool story, I’m going to sneak on your boat and have sex with you!” Gross.

i know what you mean about the example where he straight up forces himself on someone. Maybe Pussy Galore?

i always enjoyed Dalton, and I’m rather partial to License to Kill, it’s up there with my favourites.

i love Goldeneye for going full on campy and ridiculous and for bringing us Xenia Onatopp and Boris and Nadia and Sean Bean dying, again.

Die Another Day, such wasted potential when they had the lovely Rosamund Pike to work with.

No, it’s not PG and she is one of the stronger Bond girls. It’s a nurse from either the second or fourth movie, where Bond says she’ll get fired if she won’t sleep with him.

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

On 2/8/2019 at 6:19 PM, williamjm said:

I think Goldeneye is good enough to show that any problems with Brosnan's films weren't necessarily to do with Brosnan himself, it's just a shame the series went downhill so much.

It did go downhill, but each actor’s entries have too. Tomorrow Never Dies isn’t terrible, and Die Another Day is so bad it’s good. The Worlds Is Not Enough was horrifically bad though. Bottom five all time in my book.

[Veltigar]

On 2/9/2019 at 12:13 AM, Tywin et al. said:

I think GoldenEye is a top three Bond film and it doesn't suffer from the campiness (sp?) of Moore's films, but the rest of Brosnan's Bond entries have a massive tonal shift. I wish they would have kept him a bit darker like Craig's entries. 

Oh, I love GoldenEye, probably my favourite after Casino Royal. Only Goldfinger comes close for me.

6 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

It did go downhill, but each actor’s entries have too. Tomorrow Never Dies isn’t terrible, and Die Another Day is so bad it’s good. The Worlds Is Not Enough was horrifically bad though. Bottom five all time in my book.

Oh come on, any Bond film with Robbie Coltrane in it is certified to be a good one. Also, always had a thing for Denise Richards in that film 

On 2/9/2019 at 8:54 PM, red snow said:

The i watched "you were never really here'. Don't worry it wasn't the strangest double bill ever. At face value it's a "taken" ish sort of plot but it is done in a fascinating way - chiefly through visual storytelling. Which means you have to pay a lot if attention to work out what's really going on. Phoenix also does an excellent job getting so much character from blinks and puffs etc. Certainly not a "fun" film but an interesting one.

I saw that one in theatre as well. Very different from what I expected. Phoenix is amazing in it as usual. The theatre experience was dreadful though, I almost got into a fight with a bozo who did not understand the film and kept on talking to his moronic girlfriend throughout the film until I stopped them. Fun times.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

52 minutes ago, Veltigar said:

Oh, I love GoldenEye, probably my favourite after Casino Royal. Only Goldfinger comes close for me.

Ditto, though sometimes I rank Dr. No over Goldfinger. Those are probably the top four in my book. 

Quote

Oh come on, any Bond film with Robbie Coltrane in it is certified to be a good one. Also, always had a thing for Denise Richards in that film 

I did too until a friend once told me my mom looks like an older Denise Richards. Never been able to look at her the same again. 

[red snow]

1 hour ago, Veltigar said:

Oh, I love GoldenEye, probably my favourite after Casino Royal. Only Goldfinger comes close for me.

Oh come on, any Bond film with Robbie Coltrane in it is certified to be a good one. Also, always had a thing for Denise Richards in that film 

I saw that one in theatre as well. Very different from what I expected. Phoenix is amazing in it as usual. The theatre experience was dreadful though, I almost got into a fight with a bozo who did not understand the film and kept on talking to his moronic girlfriend throughout the film until I stopped them. Fun times.

This is why Amazon prime and netflix can be a boon. You can control who you watch films with.

I can see how the average person might get upset/confused based on the trailer. Talking through it won't help them understand the film any better though 

It must be a certain type of person. I can recall being at gigs that cost around £30 yet there were people who seemed much more interested in trying to talk over the band. I've even had bands stop playing until people shut the fuck up and the culprits still look butthurt

[GallowKnight]

16 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

No, it’s not PG and she is one of the stronger Bond girls. It’s a nurse from either the second or fourth movie, where Bond says she’ll get fired if she won’t sleep with him.

 

I think the nurse-bit is in Thunderball, so the fourth movie.