What are you currently watching?

[Reed Rothchild | 9,521]

I actually prefer the Doctor Sleep film.  The True Knot is less silly/more ominous, and I feel like the ending is less of a whimper.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I am currently in the middle of this:

Ten criminals condemned to death fighting it out on an island with the sole survivor to be freed,  Tired plot (or other similar variations of the classic The Most Dangerous Game) but this one handles it pretty well - it is also surprisingly good for a WWE movie - you could do worse for an action movie.

[avatar! | 1,810]

It was too long, but overall I enjoyed it. Some excellent performances. Overall I would give it a 8/10 - although I am a pretty tough grade

 

[Californication | 1,477]

On 3/10/2022 at 12:15 PM, ICrappedMyPants said:

I watched the remake of West Side Story. Outside of Maria, I found it to be  inferior to the original even though that is not my favorite musical.

I watched The Last Duel. It was good, but definitely not Ridley Scott’s best. I also watched Mary Queen of Scots and probably preferred that movie to this one.

I finally watched Vertigo and Anatomy of Murder. Jimmy Stewart is amazing. He might be my favorite actor. I can’t wait for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence to come out on 4K. I loved both these movies, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the ending of Vertigo. I also rewatched Psycho. Hitchcock was brilliant.

I watched KIMI. I’m not that big of a Soderbergh fan. He’s more style over substance to me. Zoe Kravitz was great and I appreciate the COVID references. However, the second half of the movie was poorly executed to me.

I also watched BlacKkKlansman. I usually can’t appreciate Spike Lee films, but so really enjoyed this. Between this and WSS, I found myself rethinking race relations in the U.S. I’m been more just uncomfortable by some of these far-right people, but now I’d disgusted by them. 
 

Lastly, I watched 1931 Dracula. The acting and cinematography were pretty primitive, but it kept me engaged throughout the whole movie.

Next up is Nightmare Alley. 

I really liked The Last Duel, but I do need to watch it again. The acting that was required to show the different perspectives of each event were top of the line. The fighting is probably the best fighting I've seen with people in armor. And the writing had several subtle nuggets of gold  and the story had a nice flow imo.

[ICrappedMyPants | 302]

1 hour ago, Californication said:

I really liked The Last Duel, but I do need to watch it again. The acting that was required to show the different perspectives of each event were top of the line. The fighting is probably the best fighting I've seen with people in armor. And the writing had several subtle nuggets of gold  and the story had a nice flow imo.

I enjoyed it, although the third perspective felt like it was rushed compared to the previous two perspectives. I also thought the wife was the most interesting character, so it was disappointing she got less time from her perspective. Also, I cannot stand Ben Affleck in most roles. This was vintage awful Affleck to me. I wish he’d just direct. He’s so much better at that.

Edited March 20, 2022 by ICrappedMyPants

[Californication | 1,477]

34 minutes ago, ICrappedMyPants said:

I enjoyed it, although the third perspective felt like it was rushed compared to the previous two perspectives. I also thought the wife was the most interesting character, so it was disappointing she got less time from her perspective. Also, I cannot stand Ben Affleck in most roles. This was vintage awful Affleck to me. I wish he’d just direct. He’s so much better at that.

Ya, forgot about Affleck, lol. Def. the weakest link.

[Hammerfestus | 3,836]

Fringe.  I watched the first few seasons during their original run but I’m watching it all now.  
Ive also got my wife hooked on Star Trek TOS.  Just watched the episode with the dog with antennas.

[avatar! | 1,810]

12 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

Fringe.  I watched the first few seasons during their original run but I’m watching it all now.  
Ive also got my wife hooked on Star Trek TOS.  Just watched the episode with the dog with antennas.

Fringe... another JJ Abrams production. So, it starts off interesting and thought-provoking, and ultimately ends up a big ol' pile of doo-doo. You have been warned 

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

18 hours ago, avatar! said:

It was too long, but overall I enjoyed it. Some excellent performances. Overall I would give it a 8/10 - although I am a pretty tough grade

I think I got maybe halfway through it before I just couldn't take it anymore and turned it off.  I think it was done incredibly well, but basically too incredibly well given how interchangeably it reflects how people have been reacting to scientifically verifiable concepts over the last 5-10 years, if not longer.

The most recent thing I watched was both seasons of "Black Summer" on Netflix.  I had started watching it sometime in the summer of 2020 but apparently only watched the first episode before getting distracted and never going back.  I powered through the first season figuring that the overall plot would probably end up being interesting enough, even if I thought that all of the people being portrayed, main cast as well as background/temporary characters, were all morons.  While there were some memorable and believable characters, the ending of the first season wasn't really enough to make me think that it was any good, basically because of how incredibly, incredibly stupid everyone is.

So, with nothing else immediately on the agenda to watch, I put on season 2, mostly in the background, and can say that things did not improve in regard to anyone in the show making any sort of intelligent decisions virtually at all.  I believe the acting was great, especially for the one character I actually liked, as even though I felt everybody was being stupid, I really hated the characters that you were obviously supposed to hate (although I ended up hating characters you were likely supposed to sympathize with as well, although to a lesser extent).  The last couple of episodes, I basically decided to just power my way through to see it to completion, having come that far, and being mildly curious how it ended.  I wish I could say it was worth the effort, but it really wasn't.  There was a very, very slight, long overdue "good" moment at the very end of the second (last?) season, but that's basically it.

If the show was trying to make some sort of commentary about regular people being worse than a plague of zombies, I guess it made it, but really, to me, it came down to bad writing and/or storytelling, as over the course of the entire dawn and settling in of the zombie apocalypse, nobody, anywhere, ever learns anything.  Examples below.

Spoiler

The thing starts like 6 weeks into the apocalypse, but nobody living in their own neighborhood knows how to get anywhere, even to the designated evacuation collection point, a stadium, that should be patently obvious for residents and super easy to find.  This stuff has been on the news to the point where at least one character mentions having seen a herd of the undead roaming around somewhere near whatever city the show starts in, and is afraid of it coming toward them.  These same people, with this level of news coverage of the military trying to handle the crisis, somehow have no idea that shooting these things in the head is the only way to get them to stop.  After they figure this out via trial and error, once they pick up some guns, they continue on, through more than one season for some characters, shooting every zombie center mass, then all over the place, and basically only the head by luck, or after someone has knocked one down.  So, these people clearly know where to shoot these things, but they just don't.  They also have the terrible habit of picking up lots and lots of weapons but failing to concentrate on loose or boxed ammo or preloaded magazines.  Sure, pick up a rifle or two and a side arm, but then you need to load down your pack with as many bullets for each that you can stand to carry.

To be fair, outside of the occasional bit of "shaky cam" where fast paced, usually running, action scenes are concerned, the cinematography tends to be really good, costumes and props are spot on, etc.  The show has fantastic production values across both seasons.  However, what little story they are trying to tell gets immediately drug to the deepest trenches of the ocean for anybody really paying attention and thinking about things since no character that you're introduced to ever seems to learn or retain anything at any point.  After a while, this basically left me with almost nobody to root for, more or less hoping the whole lot of them would hurry up and die so that maybe a new writer could try again with some better scripts and characters.

If you're into The Walking Dead TV show(s), this might be for you, as that show got awfully stupid after a while too, and if you kept watching that with a smile, you'll be able to chow down on the crap sandwich that is "Black Summer" with a smelly grin.

[ICrappedMyPants | 302]

The director’s cut for Rocky IV was on sale for $5 on iTunes. I watched it and I have to go back and watch the theatrical cut, but I think they added a decent bit of monologue which I do not like. I’ll stick with the original cut. Hopefully Amazon has mercy on us and either gives us a physical 4K set or licenses it to a boutique firm like Kino.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

I just finished watching this -intense like most of this genre - pretty well done - you could do worse if this sort of film is what you like:

 

[Gloves | 11,776]

Finally found time to finish up Ranking of Kings. Loved it! 

I've also made some progress on One Piece, on episode 410 now (of over 1000 episodes). 

[Hammerfestus | 3,836]

Started Star Trek Discovery.  It’s…different.  They sure do have a lot of feelings.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

Just watched this  little hidden action gem about a group of strangers on  a bus trapped by a methed up biker gang in an abandoned junk yard.  Never heard of it before but I really liked it.

 

[G-type | 2,480]

I just watched 3 movies after getting some coupon codes for Redbox:
Parasite (really good)
Spare Parts (meh)
Pig (really good)

I've also been steadily working my way through the Fast & the Furious series. Just finished part 8: Fate of the Furious. My idea for the title for part 10: The Fas 10 the Furious.

I'm also watching Survivor now that the new season is back. and I also have started watching "Is it Cake?" on Netflix, which is a fun show when I want something light to watch while I'm eating dinner.

Just rewatched a few episodes of Nathan For You. (One of my favorite shows ever)
 

[DarkTone | 984]

Breaking bad. So far its not good. 

[RH | 4,903]

I watched the first Capaldi season of Doctor Who right after it aired and lost interest.  Came back to it last week and I just binged and finished his run as The Doctor.  He definitely grew on me and I might even like him better than Matt Smith.   

I didn't really like his use of his glasses (well, until they were required) and him rocking on guitar was a "weird flex, but cool" as the kids would have said 5 years ago.  I wasn't the biggest fan of Clara but Bill and Nardole were a nice shake up on the typical companion/companion pair. So, Capaldi might become one of my top Doctors... maybe.  I need to sit on that one a bit.

I'm about to start the current, Jodie Wittaker era, and I'm half-way into her first episode.  We'll see about that one, but I'm always skeptical at the beginning of every new Doctor.  I suffer deeply from a bit of Your-Not-My-Real-Dad-Mom syndrome with each new regeneration. Haha.

Edited March 30, 2022 by RH

[avatar! | 1,810]

5 hours ago, RH said:

I'm about to start the current, Jodie Wittaker era, and...

[RH | 4,903]

46 minutes ago, avatar! said:

Haha, well, I don't read fan news or forums.  I've gone too long without the Doctor.  I'm trying to be open minded about it.

[Tabonga | 2,317]

Really cheesy - but fun so far!

 

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

My wife and I finished up The Good Place. I agree with the critics that it is probably one of the best comedies of the last ten years. I found myself actually caring about the characters by the end, which is no small feat for a man who doesn't get invested in television shows very often. It's probably one of the smartest comedies around with lots of clever jokes and subtle references that reward the eagle-eyed viewer. It also has some of the biggest swings in plot of any show I've ever seen, yet somehow manages to stay consistently good. Highly recommended!

Other than that, I've been working my way through the Best Picture nominees. Overall, I have not been impressed with this year's crop, but that's kind of par for the course. Here are a few short thoughts.

• Dune: This was easily my favorite of the nominees, although I'm heavily biased due to my love for the books (the first two, anyways). I saw this in IMAX and it was an absolute feast for the eyes and ears. As beautiful as the cinematography and directing are, the sound design is some of the best I've ever experienced. You owe it to yourself to find a good surround setup to experience this film. It's a damn shame that Villeneuve wasn't nominated for best director for getting this story on screen in a coherent and entertaining fashion. I'm hopeful the Academy will reward him after he finishes his planned trilogy in the same way they did Peter Jackson for LotR. Highly recommended.
   
• Power of the Dog: An extraordinarily ordinary movie with some interesting themes that are never explored with any sort of depth or creativity. Everything here feels like a caricature of something real (New Zealand makes for a laughable parody of Montana; I kept expecting Hobbits to pop up). Cumberbatch is horribly miscast as a "macho" cowboy with a terrible American accent. It's hard to blame him when the script is so weak, but his character is such a stereotypical picture of angry repression that it could have been written by a high school drama student. Dunst's transformation from a strong survivor into an alcoholic mess happens so quickly and casually that it almost comes off as a joke. Plemmons basically serves as window dressing with almost nothing to do. The only good thing here is the creepy Smit-McPhee and the twist ending, which is appropriately subtle if a bit silly. This movie is the epitome of what it means to be Oscar-bait.
   
• Don't Look Up: I thought it was okay, although it was unclear why it was nominated for an Oscar. To its credit, it touches on some important issues and definitely nails the zeitgeist of our time. Still, the premise isn't exactly mind blowing and, despite making its point within the first thirty minutes, the movie limps on for another two hours after that. If you like to be bludgeoned with satire rather than finessed by it, this is the movie for you.
   
• Belfast: I enjoyed this one, but it suffers from feeling too personal and too small. I honestly think it would work better as a play. There are some standout performances here, particularly Judi Dench as Granny, but the stakes just feel too low to be meaningful. There are a few ethereal scenes that make you question the reality of the situation and it works surprisingly well; I wish Branagh had leaned into the unreliable narrator aspect a bit harder. The innocence of childhood really does tint our memories of hard times and would've made some of the the sillier scenes (i.e the riot/standoff near the end) a bit more palatable, in my opinion.

I'm still planning on watching CODA, Westside Story, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, and Drive My Car. I'm particularly interested in Nightmare Alley since I love Del Toro and definitely enjoy a good noir mystery.

Edited April 1, 2022 by DoctorEncore

[Reed Rothchild | 9,521]

35 minutes ago, DoctorEncore said:

New Zealand makes for a laughable parody of Montana

Well now I have to watch it

[RH | 4,903]

On 3/30/2022 at 4:39 PM, avatar! said:

Well, I've tried about 7 episodes but you seem to be right.

This should be called "Doctor Woke".  It went from being mostly fun to every episode being sooooo preachy. 

This is why we can't have nice fun things.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Well now I have to watch it

For the first thirty minutes, I kept asking myself, "Did they seriously not film this in America?" They did not. And it is obvious.

I could see taking the angle that everything about the movie is an imitation of reality and this would actually play into some of the heavier themes of the movie in an interesting way. But I don't think that's the case. I think they legitimately thought the sets and scenery were a good imitation of the American west.

[Californication | 1,477]

On 4/1/2022 at 12:08 PM, DoctorEncore said:

My wife and I finished up The Good Place. I agree with the critics that it is probably one of the best comedies of the last ten years. I found myself actually caring about the characters by the end, which is no small feat for a man who doesn't get invested in television shows very often. It's probably one of the smartest comedies around with lots of clever jokes and subtle references that reward the eagle-eyed viewer. It also has some of the biggest swings in plot of any show I've ever seen, yet somehow manages to stay consistently good. Highly recommended!

Other than that, I've been working my way through the Best Picture nominees. Overall, I have not been impressed with this year's crop, but that's kind of par for the course. Here are a few short thoughts.

• Dune: This was easily my favorite of the nominees, although I'm heavily biased due to my love for the books (the first two, anyways). I saw this in IMAX and it was an absolute feast for the eyes and ears. As beautiful as the cinematography and directing are, the sound design is some of the best I've ever experienced. You owe it to yourself to find a good surround setup to experience this film. It's a damn shame that Villeneuve wasn't nominated for best director for getting this story on screen in a coherent and entertaining fashion. I'm hopeful the Academy will reward him after he finishes his planned trilogy in the same way they did Peter Jackson for LotR. Highly recommended.
   
• Power of the Dog: An extraordinarily ordinary movie with some interesting themes that are never explored with any sort of depth or creativity. Everything here feels like a caricature of something real (New Zealand makes for a laughable parody of Montana; I kept expecting Hobbits to pop up). Cumberbatch is horribly miscast as a "macho" cowboy with a terrible American accent. It's hard to blame him when the script is so weak, but his character is such a stereotypical picture of angry repression that it could have been written by a high school drama student. Dunst's transformation from a strong survivor into an alcoholic mess happens so quickly and casually that it almost comes off as a joke. Plemmons basically serves as window dressing with almost nothing to do. The only good thing here is the creepy Smit-McPhee and the twist ending, which is appropriately subtle if a bit silly. This movie is the epitome of what it means to be Oscar-bait.
   
• Don't Look Up: I thought it was okay, although it was unclear why it was nominated for an Oscar. To its credit, it touches on some important issues and definitely nails the zeitgeist of our time. Still, the premise isn't exactly mind blowing and, despite making its point within the first thirty minutes, the movie limps on for another two hours after that. If you like to be bludgeoned with satire rather than finessed by it, this is the movie for you.
   
• Belfast: I enjoyed this one, but it suffers from feeling too personal and too small. I honestly think it would work better as a play. There are some standout performances here, particularly Judi Dench as Granny, but the stakes just feel too low to be meaningful. There are a few ethereal scenes that make you question the reality of the situation and it works surprisingly well; I wish Branagh had leaned into the unreliable narrator aspect a bit harder. The innocence of childhood really does tint our memories of hard times and would've made some of the the sillier scenes (i.e the riot/standoff near the end) a bit more palatable, in my opinion.

I'm still planning on watching CODA, Westside Story, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, and Drive My Car. I'm particularly interested in Nightmare Alley since I love Del Toro and definitely enjoy a good noir mystery.

Nightmare Alley is good, I think Licorice Pizza may have been the best movie last year though. No Oscars for Licorice Pizza is a joke. The biggest weakness in both movies is Bradley Cooper's mediocrity - he's not terrible, but for having two excellent parts he just does okay.

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Californication