Topic: The Movie Thread

We are going to see Elvis this afternoon ill give feedback when I get home.

I watched Godzilla VS Kong last night to wrap up my viewing of the 2014 Godzilla series and I was kinda disappointed in it. I found Kong Skull Island and the two Godzilla movies to be much more enjoyable. The plot was ok it whole Hallow Earth theory and all. However the seemed to be no reason why Kong and Godzilla were fighting each other. I mean the whole thing that they were fighting for supremacy of Hallow Earth just seemed to make all that stuff about Godzilla being around to restore nature balance to the earth just seem to not matter anymore. That and then the whole thing with MechaGodzilla.

Another gripe I had with the series is that every movie had a different set of characters without any explanation of the previous movies characters. I guess we are to assume that they died in some Titan attacks. It would be like if the Marvel serious didn't do the Avengers movies and just tried to link all Marvel Movies to say Thanos. Then when the big battle with Thanos happens there's a different group of heroes fighting him with no explanation of what happened to say Captain America and Iron Man. I understand that for example Kong Skull Island takes place about 60 years before Godzilla but again it would have been nice to know what happened to those characters. Mayne if they did another Kong movie before Godzilla VS Kong like they had a second Godzilla movie it would have explained more, but in all honesty these just felt more like Godzilla movies then Kong movies.

In the end they weren't bad movies or a bad series. They are worth a watch at least once and have some good action scenes but overall pretty forgettable and didn't live up to the hype.

Watched Conan the Barbarian (the original) yesterday.

A bit slow in spots, but I have to say I liked it more than I did the last time I tried watching it.

So we did not make it to Elvis I should've posted sooner. We got there and people were in our assigned seats rather then make a big fuss we let them refund our tickets and give us credit to a few more shows we will try again this Friday.

@RR529 i really liked this Red Sonja is also very good if you liked Conan it should be right up your alley way better production quality too

Following on from last week, I watched Conan the Destroyer this morning.

It was decent, though I think I prefer the first. It definitely has a bit of a quicker pace (and shorter runtime), which I think helps it compared to how slow the first could be at times, however I think it overall feels more pedestrian. The set up is very run of the mill fantasy fate (steal a magical jewel from a wizard's castle, etc.), they've added more humor (and removed nudity) to maybe make it seem more palatable as a mainstream appeal, and it completely removes the mysticism from the magical elements (most sorcery in this movie boils down to someone quickly waving their arms to lift a door or spark a fire, which is a step down from the elaborate set ups in the first film, such as the snake transformation or the nightmarish scene where spirits were trying to drag Conan to death).

I will say it has a more exciting climax than the original, with a pretty cool monster.

@VisitingComet1, Thanks, I'll look into it if I ever see it pop up anywhere.

Also, is this theatre assigned seating thing something new that has popped up since COVID? We've been to our local theatre multiple times this summer (and once last autumn) and they haven't been doing anything similar, but I've heard a lot of people mentioning it (is it something that's only happening in the bigger cities or certain countries?).

@RR529 to answer your question we have had assigned seating for about 4 years now. So, the way it works here at the two theaters we use anyway is all the seats have recliners that are powered. When you go online to order tickets it labels all the rows abc and then numbers the seats 123 you can see what has already been purchased and pick your seats ahead of time. It is awesome you never have to worry about big new movies you can just secure your seats ahead of time. Also one of the two theaters we sometimes go on date nights is a bistro so they have an actual kitchen with real food beer, and wine that they deliver to your seat the seats have fold out trays you can use to eat on. Some of the food is really gourmet stuff like you would find at steak house or something like that. Since we live in the gulf coast their seafood is really good.
The issue with the Elvis move we found out was the people bought the handicap spots where wheel chairs were supposed to go so there are no seats. It wasn't so bad but they were very belligerent towards us and the theater staff. The manger made it up to us with a lot of free tickets and free food so in the end for being inconvenienced a little bit and not being total ass-hats we made out pretty well in the deal. I don't know if its because of covid but people have been really rude and stupid in public around here lately.

Just finished up Lupin the 3rd: Jigen's Gravestone. The first in the so-called "Koike" trilogy of Lupin anime films (named after the guy who directed them), that forgoes the sillier/family friendly vibe of most of the series' other anime adaptations in favor of a more serious tone more similar to that of the original manga.

In this first entry, Jigen (the gang's sharpshooter) has his work cut out for him when he finds himself in the crosshairs of an assassin that's purportedly even a better shot than himself. With a fantastic visual style, some thrilling action set pieces, and a few clever narrative twists I thought it was a blast. It was perhaps a bit shorter than I typically expect from a movie (ran for just about an hour), and despite the narrative ultimately centering around Cold War politics they made it take place in a fictional country (a pet peeve of mine in stories that otherwise take place in the real world, which the Lupin series is admittedly a repeat offender), but I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to getting to the next one.

Watched a couple movies yesterday.

Deadpool - Continuing my trip through all the FOX X-Men films. Oh so very raunchy, and a thoroughly good time. Actually managed to be a bit emotional at times too.

National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation - Last of the Vacation movies (before the reboot). It's pretty much more of the same at this point, but another excuse to let Chevy Chase & (especially) Randy Quaid ham it up certainly isn't unwelcome. While the film's version of Rusty is pretty middle of the road, I think it might have my favorite Audrey.

Watched Piranha (1978) this morning.

Biologically enhanced Piranhas are accidentally let loose from an abandoned military facility and threaten a big lakeside celebration as they work their way downstream.

It's definitely a bit cheesy in spots due to age, but still a pretty fun & effective disaster/horror film overall. Currently free on FreeVee.

@RR529 I watched this as a kid it was pretty effective at terrorizing me especially the end.

Prey (Hulu) - I'll admit I've never delved too deeply into the "Predator" universe (I know I've seen the original at least once, as well as AVP, the latter of which isn't canon as far as I'm aware), but I thought this was a very good time in a brutal, gory action film kinda way. Many great combat scenes.

Ghost in the Shell ARISE 1 & 2 (Blu-Ray) - A pair of hour long OVAs in the GitS universe (billed as sort of a prequel to the other adaptations, though I'm not exactly sure if it fits into any of their continuities). Anyhow they're pretty good stuff if you like sci-fi action anime with more mature tone & themes.

Watched a few of the special features & found it amusing when they interviewed a fan during a segment filmed at an anime convention in 2013, and they were glad that the Major "wasn't denigrated like Samus in Other M", lol.

The Bob's Burgers Movie (Hulu) - pretty much feels like a long, better animated, episode of the TV series. As someone who finds the show amusing from time to time it elicited a few chuckles, so whether or not you'll get on with it depends on how you feel about the show.

Heavy Metal (Tubi) - Early 80's animated film featuring an anthology of sci-fi & fantasy stories loosely connected by a "narrative" surrounding the source of evil in the universe (a glowing green orb). The overall story is a wash, but it's an interesting curio filled with copious amounts of nudity & gore, and animation that while rough in spots looks like they were having fun experimenting around with it.

Belfast

Much better than 'Death On The Nile'. Every cast member was brilliant. Has lots of funny moments along with serious ones. The black and white film was great as well.

A couple movies for me today.

Sucker Punch (Pluto TV) - This was an interesting one. A girl is thrown into an insane asylum with an abusive staff after accidentally killing her sister while trying to save her, and her desires to break out manifest as her going on imaginatively stylish action packed adventures (like taking part in a steampunk version of WWI) that represent her escape attempts. It was a really unique experience & am glad I found it.

Piranha DD (Tubi) - I've heard it was infamously bad, but it's leaving Tubi soon so I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a go. It's absolutely grade A schlock, but it absolutely knows it's terrible & runs with it. From the absolutely gratuitous gore & nudity, to the decidedly B grade CGI, and crazy scenarios (like the exploding cow, genital chomping piranha scene, and the prosthetic shotgun leg), it's not a good movie, but a fun time nonetheless (also, how can anyone dislike a movie that has Dr. Emmet Brown himself, Christopher Lloyd, still playing the role of a wide eyed scientist).

Uncharted

Possibly the worst ever videogame-to-film adaptation made, or at least one of the worst. Terrible script and direction that made it boring as anything, with terrible villians, and whatever they did with the Chloe Frazer character. This film makes Monster Hunter look like a masterpiece. Had scenes that was very similar to the setpieces / levels in Uncharted 4, but this film was supposed to be an origin story of Nathan Drake and Sully. I love the Uncharted games, but this film did a great disservice.

2/10

@SingleStooge 0how would you compare it to the warcraft movie? I actually enjoyed that one to be honest. the worst movie i have ever seen was the assassins creed movie.

@VisitingComet1 I have not seen either film. Saw Mortal Kombat several months ago and didn't like that either.

I watched 1917 (FreeVee) this morning & thought it was pretty great.

Absolutely killer set & costume design that really brought you into the trenches, with plenty of environments that managed to managed awe, whether it be the brutality of no man's land, a striking journey through a wartorn city at night, and even a few moments that were hauntingly beautiful in a way. The illusion of the "single take" camera work also played a crucial role in really immersing you in it.

I definitely teared up a few times as well. It definitely does a good job making you feel the fear & horror the soldiers had to deal with.

@RR529 I really enjoy your reviews and other then the Japanese animations stuff which I have not tried honestly I watch most of the stuff you mention so thanks. The piranha one man that brought back memories of no longer being able to swim in the local lake for a bit.
Anyhow if you can find it and you might try at your local library All is quiet on the western front the black and white one from the 50's or 60's is really good. It follows these German kids through school and to the war. I think it did a great job for me of washing away some of the romance of war watching it for the first time in seventh grade as a school project.