Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Current Watching

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    As someone who finds the Marvel cohesive universe thing boring as fuck, good luck to DC. Especially if it sees Zack Snyder out of a job.

    Comment


      Not that I really should contribute to superhero conversation because, frankly, it's never been my thing... but I fully concur with Lang Spoon. A world where your superheroes are regular, if super-rich, dudes who make special gear for themselves to do crazy shit should not be the same world as one where you have ridiculously over-powerful people who can channel actual magic. Because the power imbalance is too obvious. And then trying to keep that coherent really doesn't work for me. All these heroes should be standalone.

      Comment


        It's a film that really deserves a thread of it's own but I'm pretty much with Monkey Harris, WOM and SB on 'Once Upon A Time...' as I thought it was great. Not too much happens (apart from the interactions with The Family at the ranch and the final scene which are genuinely tense) but the way it doesn't happen is ridiculously watchable and enjoyable.

        Agree that it's Pitt's film and I actually thought Robbie's slightly spectral Tate on the periphery of the film as a visual presence worked rather well. I also disagree about the first, main Bruce Lee scene - I thought it was fantastic and very very funny. Utterly superfluous and almost completely without basis in reality but that really doesn't matter. I am real sucker for Tarantino's schtick but this film has a different tone and pace to much of his previous work which quite surprised me with how compelling it was.
        Last edited by Ray de Galles; 30-08-2019, 11:46.

        Comment


          We’re up to S2 Ep2 of Big Little Lies and so far so good. I’m not a big fan of Meryn Streep but she’s been excellent, and controlled so far.

          Meanwhile I’ll be interested to hear thoughts if anyone sees Ad Astra. I’ve just read a 5-star review in the Graun; a sci-fi spin on Apocalypse Now apparently, with Brad Pitt searching for “dad” Tommy Lee Jones.

          Comment


            Originally posted by San Bernardhinault View Post
            Not that I really should contribute to superhero conversation because, frankly, it's never been my thing... but I fully concur with Lang Spoon. A world where your superheroes are regular, if super-rich, dudes who make special gear for themselves to do crazy shit should not be the same world as one where you have ridiculously over-powerful people who can channel actual magic. Because the power imbalance is too obvious. And then trying to keep that coherent really doesn't work for me. All these heroes should be standalone.
            As I’ve discussed before, there should be three different DC universes - a magical one with Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Dr Fate, etc. A “sci fi” one with Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern, and a quasi-realistic one with Batman et al.

            Marvel could do the same. Thor, Submariner, and Dr Strange in the magic one, maybe Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Hulk, and Spider-Man in the high tech one, Daredevil, Black Cat, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Luke Cage, etc in the low-powered one.

            Of course some of the sci-fi and magic people could occasionally find a portal to the other worlds.
            Last edited by Hot Pepsi; 30-08-2019, 02:00.

            Comment


              Originally posted by Sits View Post
              We’re up to S2 Ep2 of Big Little Lies and so far so good. I’m not a big fan of Meryn Streep but she’s been excellent, and controlled so far.

              Meanwhile I’ll be interested to hear thoughts if anyone sees Ad Astra. I’ve just read a 5-star review in the Graun; a sci-fi spin on Apocalypse Now apparently, with Brad Pitt searching for “dad” Tommy Lee Jones.
              I’m psyched to see Ed Astra.

              Comment


                Just finished watching the first season of Casa de Papel, mentioned I think by Amor de Cosmos on here. I really enjoyed it and recommend it. The first couple of episodes i thought it would be a kind of long form version of Ocean's 11 (this wouldn't have bothered me as I like those kind of films), then it seemed to slow down a bit and i was getting worried that it wasn't going to be all that good, but then the characters really started to shine through, and the build up of tensions and relationships and personalities was really great.

                One or two thoughts without any form of spoiler for anyone who wants to get into it.
                • We have finished watching the first season as it was on Spanish TV, which means that it is season 1 AND 2 in the way Netflix has presented it. I was really confused at the end of "season 1" because it seemed like such a half way point. So I looked it up and discovered that in fact the original 15 one hour episodes had been repackaged as 22(?) 40ish minute episodes by Netflix and divided into two seasons. This is irritating mostly because as we reached the end of "season 1" we were expecting some sort of denouement and there was none. If I'd know about the weird decision to break it up this anticlimax wouldn't have happened
                • While I feel like I have really become attached and interested by nearly all the characters who had any major part in the show, the one who is still a bit meh is the Professor. Not sure if it was bad acting, bad writing, or that was just the point.
                • Why have Netflix chosen to retitle the show "Money Heist"? What a fucking shit name. I bet there are loads of people who have never tried to start watching it because they're put off by the title. Which is a shame
                Anyway, I recommend it. I'm looking forward to the next series (which i will work out whether Netflix have fucked with before I start)

                Comment


                  Re the Lee/Pitt scene in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, one critic has used it as part of his argument that the film would have been more appropriately titled 'Make Hollywood Great Again'. After all, the scene is basically 'traditional Hollywood white guy puts little Asian upstart in his place'.

                  Tarantino himself seems to want it all ways. On one hand, he says Lee's claim in the film that he would 'make a cripple' of Muhammed Ali is based in reality, indeed that Lee's wife quotes him as saying something similar in her autobiography. On the other hand, he (Tarantino) tells us that his film is pure fiction and that his purely fictional creation Cliff Booth would beat up Bruce Lee.

                  I wasn't keen on this scene myself, but did like a later scene with Lee, where he is training Sharon Tate for a martial arts sequence.
                  Last edited by jameswba; 30-08-2019, 08:42. Reason: spelling

                  Comment


                    I've just discovered that Venture Bros season 7 is on All 4. I'd almost given up hope of being able to watch it without importing a DVD.

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by jameswba View Post
                      I've also just seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (well, on Monday evening). I have never 'got' Tarantino. I disliked Reservoir Dogs and found the praise heaped on Pulp Fiction bewildering. He's been fixed in my mind ever since as a maker of stylish, ultra-violent, empty films. Talented for sure, but with little to say.

                      It might have been partly lowered expectations that did it, but I enjoyed this film. It's lovingly filmed and edited, recreating its time and place to perfection. The performances, including (perhaps especially) that of the near-silent Margot Robbie, are also great. The way members of 'the family' are initially presented as sweet-looking hippies and only later, at the Spahn ranch, as something deeply sinister is well done - and I felt an inferior director wouldn't have resisted showing us more than just the one short scene with Manson himself in it.

                      Misgivings about the ending, though that's difficult to discuss without revealing what happens.
                      I saw it in the amazing Kino International in Berlin- only just managing to squeeze in as hundreds queued. It's a rarity of a cinema- one giant screen/auditorium, basically as it's a DDR remnant in a prestige location.

                      The sense of an 'event' was palpable. i can't remember a cinemagoing experience like it since the 70s (Jaws...Close Encounters). And its good bits were really good. the loving recreation of 60s LA was lovely on a huge screen. I have never been a huge 'tino fan and this does, still, suffer from his self-indulgence. some of the long Di Caprio spaghetti western scenes should have been shortened.

                      The end...I can see what it was doing, and appreciated that, and the 'gag' element of the final title but Tino's other tic, excess came to the fore and the 'event' element, of watching it with hundreds of others, turned a bit sour as I couldn't comfortably take their demonstrative reactions to the violence.

                      One of several great cinemagoing experiences in Berlin, though- we also saw Metropolis in Berlin's oldest kino with live orchestra.

                      Comment


                        SPOILER








                        Were their "demonstrative reactions to the violence" positive? It's a weird scene in that most of the violence is a hugely uncomfortable watch (I literally covered my eyes at one point) but there is a tipping point (when Di Caprio gets involved) where it becomes cartoonish and I have to admit I laughed at that, then winced again at the outcome.

                        Comment


                          Snake Plissken , any way the 'Once Upon A Time...' comments can be taken out or duplicated in to a stand alone thread? It's worthy of one.

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by ad hoc View Post
                            Just finished watching the first season of Casa de Papel, mentioned I think by Amor de Cosmos on here. I really enjoyed it and recommend it. The first couple of episodes i thought it would be a kind of long form version of Ocean's 11 (this wouldn't have bothered me as I like those kind of films), then it seemed to slow down a bit and i was getting worried that it wasn't going to be all that good, but then the characters really started to shine through, and the build up of tensions and relationships and personalities was really great.

                            One or two thoughts without any form of spoiler for anyone who wants to get into it.
                            • We have finished watching the first season as it was on Spanish TV, which means that it is season 1 AND 2 in the way Netflix has presented it. I was really confused at the end of "season 1" because it seemed like such a half way point. So I looked it up and discovered that in fact the original 15 one hour episodes had been repackaged as 22(?) 40ish minute episodes by Netflix and divided into two seasons. This is irritating mostly because as we reached the end of "season 1" we were expecting some sort of denouement and there was none. If I'd know about the weird decision to break it up this anticlimax wouldn't have happened
                            • While I feel like I have really become attached and interested by nearly all the characters who had any major part in the show, the one who is still a bit meh is the Professor. Not sure if it was bad acting, bad writing, or that was just the point.
                            • Why have Netflix chosen to retitle the show "Money Heist"? What a fucking shit name. I bet there are loads of people who have never tried to start watching it because they're put off by the title. Which is a shame
                            Anyway, I recommend it. I'm looking forward to the next series (which i will work out whether Netflix have fucked with before I start)
                            Netflix have (probably) tampered with the seasons again. Series 3 is quite short, 8 episodes I think (?) And ends smack in the middle of the action. So a quasi-series 4 is clearly happening at some point. Series 3 is OK, a bit more of an OTT plot and acting than the first two, but necessary viewing as it has the same cast as the first series, including some who died! I think I'm in love with 'Nairobi.'

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by hobbes View Post
                              Holy shit! Just binge-watched Russian Doll on Netflix.
                              On the surface it's like a goth version of Groundhog Day. But by crikey it's brilliantly put together and Natasha Lyonne is spectacular in it. In one episode I had to pause it because I was.laughing so hard I couldn't concentrate and the next episode I nearly cried. Fantastic just under 4 hours of TV.
                              Yes, I enjoyed it too. Wasn't sure how they were going to end it, but the final episode was very satisfying.

                              If they make another series, they'll need to follow different characters, surely?

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post
                                SPOILER








                                Were their "demonstrative reactions to the violence" positive? It's a weird scene in that most of the violence is a hugely uncomfortable watch (I literally covered my eyes at one point) but there is a tipping point (when Di Caprio gets involved) where it becomes cartoonish and I have to admit I laughed at that, then winced again at the outcome.
                                people were laughing all the way through the violence where we watched it. The laughter at the Bruce Lee scene made me a bit uncomfortable too.
                                Last edited by Lang Spoon; 30-08-2019, 18:44.

                                Comment


                                  SPOILER






                                  The dog food head ram seemed right up some folks' street. Like YouTube commentators made flesh.

                                  Comment


                                    Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post

                                    The laughter at the Bruce Lee scene made me a bit uncomfortable too.
                                    Really? I thought it was a very funny scene. Did you have a problem with the intent behind it or just the reaction to it?

                                    Comment


                                      It was laughter at the kung fu vocalisations that felt a bit Father Ted racist. And the apparent intent from creepy old Quentin. I haven't seen a Bruce Lee film since puberty but the screams seemed overdone and made him seem a ridiculous figure. Maybe he made just those noises in Enter the Dragon but.

                                      Comment


                                        Saw Once Upon A Time In Hollywood last night, and really enjoyed it. I’m of an age that got most of the cultural references, and knew the sinister Tate/Manson Family backstory well enough to have expectations about the likely ending. But I wonder if our youngsters would know much of that without doing some prep work beforehand.

                                        And, oh yeah, the dog was ace.
                                        Last edited by slackster; 02-09-2019, 06:36. Reason: Removed potential spoiler

                                        Comment


                                          Watched the opening episode of the Dark Crystal prequel series on Netflix and, despite being quite exposition heavy, it was pretty good. Great to see something using traditional puppetry techniques rather than soulless CGI although bits of it were still a bit too "Avatar". Very promising though and I'm keen to see the second episode.

                                          ****SPOILER****

                                          Was slightly disappointed though that the male Gelfling's motivation was basically a variation of the "fridged" girlfriend trope. : Show
                                          Was slightly disappointed though that the male Gelfling's motivation was basically a variation of the "fridged" girlfriend trope.
                                          Last edited by tracteurgarcon; 01-09-2019, 11:51.

                                          Comment


                                            I’m watching that now. I loved The Dark Crystal as a kid, of course. Not sure why they decided to do a prequel. It can only end badly given the state of the world at the start of the original story.

                                            I binged Carnival Row, a fantasy set in a world that mostly resembles Europe around 1900 except that this world has different races of humanoid and other creatures as well as magic, monsters, etc. Kinda steampunk. It is a bit slow and disjointed at first, but it gets better, looks good and has Jared Harris.
                                            Last edited by Hot Pepsi; 01-09-2019, 20:07.

                                            Comment


                                              In order to stop us killing them, or them killing each other or themselves (thank fuck School's In tomorrow) I was given the task of taking the kids to see Dora (as in the Explorer) and The Lost City of Gold yesterday afternoon. Having been subjected to the horror of the cartoon, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The kids certainly did, although the ending was basically every Indiana Jones film rolled into one, and no bad thing for it

                                              Comment


                                                Watching Caddyshack because why not?

                                                It’s one of the greatest “bad” movies ever made, with lots of classic, quotable bits. But I can see why most critics didn’t like it - critics generally don’t like broad comedies not made by Mel Brooks.

                                                And I can see why Doug Kenny was so disappointed with it. It could have been a coming-of-age classic like Almost Famous instead of a collection of gags.

                                                Red Oaks, the series on Amazon, took that idea and made it work. Except in that, the protagonist teaches tennis.

                                                Comment


                                                  The Furies

                                                  Comment


                                                    Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post
                                                    SPOILER








                                                    Were their "demonstrative reactions to the violence" positive? It's a weird scene in that most of the violence is a hugely uncomfortable watch (I literally covered my eyes at one point) but there is a tipping point (when Di Caprio gets involved) where it becomes cartoonish and I have to admit I laughed at that, then winced again at the outcome.
                                                    Yes, gales of laughter

                                                    Comment

                                                    Working...
                                                    X