Watch, Watched, Watching: Mr and Mrs Smith and Other Famous Hits

[RumHam]

Re-watching Barry before the new season starts tomorrow. So good. If you'd told me ten years ago that Bill Hader was a great dramatic actor I would have been very surprised.

[Nictarion]

Watched the director’s cut of Dark City last night. I remember having this on DVD back in the day - but I believe that only had the theatrical cut. I know the biggest difference in the DC is the removal of the opening narration (which explains too much of the plot). The DC is also about 15 minutes longer. But it’s been years since I’ve seen the TC, so it’s hard to say what all was added back in. I think it’s mostly just extended scenes/shots. Anyway, love this film. Especially 90’s Jennifer Connelly

[Argonath Diver]

I have a huge fond spot for that movie, specifically the Director's Cut DVD. The final battle with Mr. Book definitely has more 90s CGI effects fun than the theatrical cut. Easily one of my top "Oh you havent seen ___ ever? We're watching it now" DVDs back then. 

Also, it pairs pretty well with The Thirteenth Floor, another Matrix-but-not noir potboiler from the era.

[Zorral]

15 hours ago, dbunting said:

Ok, I didn't know that was based on real life, makes me like the series even more! I watched it last year so I didn't do the normal deep dive I would've done had I been watching it as it was released.

I, on the other hand, always knew this, and moreover am / was hostile to the very idea of making sympathetic protagonists of people whose objective was to destroy my country.  For one thing this sort of shyte was going on and got a lot worse with the orange shoggoth playing uranus sir with Putin.  Unwatchable for me.

[RumHam]

1 hour ago, Zorral said:

I, on the other hand, always knew this, and moreover am / was hostile to the very idea of making sympathetic protagonists of people whose objective was to destroy my country.  For one thing this sort of shyte was going on and got a lot worse with the orange shoggoth playing uranus sir with Putin.  Unwatchable for me.

You should give it a shot. Can you imagine you were born in russia during the height of the cold war and constantly told America was evil and wanted to help your country? I don't think many american viewers had sympathy for their mission, but you do feel sympathy for the characters, especially as they become more conflicted about their mission.

 

[Ramsay B.]

7 hours ago, Nictarion said:

Watched the director’s cut of Dark City last night. I remember having this on DVD back in the day - but I believe that only had the theatrical cut. I know the biggest difference in the DC is the removal of the opening narration (which explains too much of the plot). The DC is also about 15 minutes longer. But it’s been years since I’ve seen the TC, so it’s hard to say what all was added back in. I think it’s mostly just extended scenes/shots. Anyway, love this film. Especially 90’s Jennifer Connelly

Damn, I forgot about this one. I saw it in the theaters when I was in high school. Don’t even remember Connelly being in it either. Gonna have to give this a go soon.

[Nictarion]

We went to see The Northman tonight. Probably safe to say that those who enjoyed Robert Eggers’ other two films, will like it. I did. The story is nothing groundbreaking (obviously), but visually it’s pretty impressive. There’s some spectacular imagery. I think it was mostly filmed in Northern Ireland, but there was definitely some shots (of glaciers and whatnot) actually from Iceland. The score was also really good, too. Very intense.

Alexander Skarsgard was solid, and Anya Taylor-Joy is always the highlight of anything she’s in as far as I’m concerned. There was a few trippy scenes that kind of reminded me of The Green Knight a bit, but it’s definitely more accessible overall. I did have a similar issue I had with The Witch in the theater though - in that there was some dialogue I couldn’t quite make out. Just like with that one, subtitles on a second viewing at home should help. 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

Season 1 of Russian Doll is truly weird and very, very good. Onward to season 2.

[Ran]

1 hour ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

Season 1 of Russian Doll is truly weird and very, very good. Onward to season 2.

Finished the 2nd season yesterday. It lost me a bit after the fourth episode or so, partially because Natasha Lyonne's performance was starting to grate for me (she has given the character some "tics" that just start to feel lazy and repetitive when they keep showing up even in contexts where it doesn't make a lot of sense), partially because the way the writers made it so that for the most part characters didn't blink at this person babbling insanity at them and just went with it, and partially because I feel like Alan's part of the story was perfunctory and wedged in just to keep the second lead in.

Not as good as the first season, IMO. Great soundtrack, though.

 

[Heartofice]

I managed the first episode of season 2 of Russian Doll and think I might stop there.

The main character, in fact all the characters in season one were grating and generally hard to watch, but somehow the premise and the writing pulled me through that first season and I enjoyed it.

This time there doesn’t seem to be enough there for me to overlook how much I dislike the main character, and it’s like they dialed up her personality to be more obnoxious. 
 

On the plus side I enjoyed the look and feel of early 80s, it doesn’t seem to be hyper glamourised version that we get shown today, but is grubbier and shitter, just like how I remember it 

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

I'm watching season 1 and I'm thinking, "The female lead looks really familiar." So I look up Natasha Lyonne on the google.

Everything. She's basically been in everything.

[Corvinus85]

6 hours ago, Heartofice said:

I managed the first episode of season 2 of Russian Doll and think I might stop there.

The main character, in fact all the characters in season one were grating and generally hard to watch, but somehow the premise and the writing pulled me through that first season and I enjoyed it.

This time there doesn’t seem to be enough there for me to overlook how much I dislike the main character, and it’s like they dialed up her personality to be more obnoxious. 
 

On the plus side I enjoyed the look and feel of early 80s, it doesn’t seem to be hyper glamourised version that we get shown today, but is grubbier and shitter, just like how I remember it 

I didn't find episode 1 that engaging either. I might benefit from re-watching season 1 to warm up to the characters. But I do remember season 1 also was slow going so I'll press on.

[Heartofice]

18 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

I didn't find episode 1 that engaging either. I might benefit from re-watching season 1 to warm up to the characters. But I do remember season 1 also was slow going so I'll press on.

I had similar issues with that first episode in season one, everyone really irritated me, but good reviews meant I forced myself to go back and was glad I did.  Not sure that would happen again 

[DMC]

35 minutes ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

I'm watching season 1 and I'm thinking, "The female lead looks really familiar." So I look up Natasha Lyonne on the google.

Everything. She's basically been in everything.

I'll always remember her as the only kid who could act in American Pie.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

26 minutes ago, DMC said:

I'll always remember her as the only kid who could act in American Pie.

In retrospect no one should be surprised that she was the best thing to come out of that film.

Well her and Stifler's mom.

[Zorral]

A first review of We Own This City.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/tv/2022/04/24/we-own-this-city-hbo/

At this time there are only three comments, which all three say basically the same as this one:

Quote

Sounds almost exactly like “the wires” initial reviews.

 

[RumHam]

Quote

The first couple of chapters are especially — and to be frank, unnecessarily — opaque, jumping between timelines with little payoff.

I hate this trend. Just tell the story in order!!

Still really looking forward to this though. I gotta say it was really depressing to read that article about how all the murder detectives from Simon's book who inspired characters on Homicide and The Wire were horrible people who regularly sent innocent young men to jail for murders they didn't commit.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

In retrospect no one should be surprised that she was the best thing to come out of that film.

Well her and Stifler's mom.

It's been so long since I've seen that film that I barely remember any of it. One of several pop culture phenomenons of the '90's  (e.g. Friends, X-Files, Hootie and the Blowfish) that just grazed me. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

18 minutes ago, Deadlines? What Deadlines? said:

It's been so long since I've seen that film that I barely remember any of it. One of several pop culture phenomenons of the '90's  (e.g. Friends, X-Files, Hootie and the Blowfish) that just grazed me. 

I saw it at 11 in theaters. One of many times my friends and I bought tickets for some kids flick then walked right in to any R movie we pleased.

[Deadlines? What Deadlines?]

12 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I saw it at 11 in theaters. One of many times my friends and I bought tickets for some kids flick then walked right in to any R movie we pleased.

I can remember taking my younger sister to see Not Another Teen Movie. Around the time the priest walked in during the bedroom scene it occurred to me that she was way too young for that movie.