Now Watching, Films/ movies discussion Options

[SubRosa]

I am almost finished with watching the entirety of the Clone Wars TV show. I just have one episode left of Season Seven. Wow! Just Wow! The final four episodes of the season - and show - have been just stunning. They went for a very cinematic feel to it all. From the visuals, to the music - which I can tell is a full orchestra. The whole thing feels so very big in scope and scale. Even the fight scenes between Ahsoka and Darth Maul were motion captured rather than computer animated, with Ray Park returning to do Maul.

I was expecting it to end right at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith. But instead it actually takes place at the same time as RotS. Order 66 just happened in the second to last episode. They even recreated a scene from it, and used the original audio from the movie in another sequence.

Of course, Ahsoka is just awesome. She was always my favorite character in the Clone Wars. She might even be my favorite of all, over Princess Leia. Which is saying a lot, since Leia was my favorite since I was a children. She is a whole barrel of whoop-ass, but someone who is still growing and evolving as a person even after 7 seasons of storytelling.

Edit: And finished the last episode. That was epic! It all wraps up well, and leads right into the Ahsoka novel by E.K. Johnston that came out a few years ago.

Have you seen any of Season 2 Mandalorian?

Not yet. Although I do know that Rosario Dawson plays Ahsoka in one episode.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Not yet. Although I do know that Rosario Dawson plays Ahsoka in one episode.

YEAH she does! Lol

[Decrepit]

One of the better uses of modern film-manipulation I've seen:

(YouTube Video) Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sylvester Stallone DID Make Another Movie Together! (YouTube Video)

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 17 2020, 12:25 AM

[mALX]

One of the better uses of modern film-manipulation I've seen:

(YouTube Video) Arnold Schwarzenegger & Sylvester Stallone DID Make Another Movie Together! (YouTube Video)

BWAAHAA!!! The smuggled "Nose Powder!"

[SubRosa]

I watched Tenet today. It was meh. The plot is... murky and head-scratching at best. Most of the characters have absolutely no development, or background, or any sort of humanity to them all all. They may as well be cardboard cutouts moving around the screen. The main character does not even have a name. He is literally called the Protagonist. The only character who does have any sort of depth is the damsel in distress. Because of course, why else put a woman in a story if she is not there to be rescued by the big strong man.

OTOH, at least it was not as outright boring as Dunkirk was (they are made by the same person, I think Christopher Nolan?). And there is actual dialogue between characters in Tenet, unlike in Dunkirk.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I watched Tenet today. It was meh. The plot is... murky and head-scratching at best. Most of the characters have absolutely no development, or background, or any sort of humanity to them all all. They may as well be cardboard cutouts moving around the screen. The main character does not even have a name. He is literally called the Protagonist. The only character who does have any sort of depth is the damsel in distress. Because of course, why else put a woman in a story if she is not there to be rescued by the big strong man.

OTOH, at least it was not as outright boring as Dunkirk was (they are made by the same person, I think Christopher Nolan?). And there is actual dialogue between characters in Tenet, unlike in Dunkirk.

I’ve never heard of this. What is it about?

[SubRosa]

I watched Tenet today. It was meh. The plot is... murky and head-scratching at best. Most of the characters have absolutely no development, or background, or any sort of humanity to them all all. They may as well be cardboard cutouts moving around the screen. The main character does not even have a name. He is literally called the Protagonist. The only character who does have any sort of depth is the damsel in distress. Because of course, why else put a woman in a story if she is not there to be rescued by the big strong man.

OTOH, at least it was not as outright boring as Dunkirk was (they are made by the same person, I think Christopher Nolan?). And there is actual dialogue between characters in Tenet, unlike in Dunkirk.

I’ve never heard of this. What is it about?

Its a spy action thriller, with a loose excuse of time travel to provide an excuse for lots of gunfights. I am probably being too harsh. Basically someone in the future wants to destroy the past, and I think reverse the flow of time. They make a lot of objects and people inverted, traveling backward through time. So an inverted bullet is not fired from a gun. Instead it goes backward into the gun. Same with inverted people.

The Protagonist (that is his name, since, you know, coming up with a real name like Joe or Ed is too much work), becomes part of a super spy network fighting the future people. The spy network does not have a name. Because why would it? They just have a hand signal and a few phrases to show you are in the club, one of which is the word "Tenet". I am guessing they picked that because it is the same forward and backward.

It's ok if you just want to watch some gunfights and not think too much. Honestly, the more you think about it, the less it seems to make sense, especially the inverted stuff, the shtick does not work when you think about it too much. It also contradicts itself in places. A google search brings up plenty of examples.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I watched Tenet today. It was meh. The plot is... murky and head-scratching at best. Most of the characters have absolutely no development, or background, or any sort of humanity to them all all. They may as well be cardboard cutouts moving around the screen. The main character does not even have a name. He is literally called the Protagonist. The only character who does have any sort of depth is the damsel in distress. Because of course, why else put a woman in a story if she is not there to be rescued by the big strong man.

OTOH, at least it was not as outright boring as Dunkirk was (they are made by the same person, I think Christopher Nolan?). And there is actual dialogue between characters in Tenet, unlike in Dunkirk.

I’ve never heard of this. What is it about?

Its a spy action thriller, with a loose excuse of time travel to provide an excuse for lots of gunfights. I am probably being too harsh. Basically someone in the future wants to destroy the past, and I think reverse the flow of time. They make a lot of objects and people becoming inverted, traveling backward through time. So an inverted bullet is not fired from a gun. Instead it goes backward into the gun. Same with inverted people.

The Protagonist (that is his name, since, you know, coming up with a real name like Joe or Ed is too much work), becomes part of a super spy network fighting the future people. The spy network does not have a name. Because why would it? They just have a hand signal and a few phrases to show you are in the club, one of which is the word "Tenet". I am guessing they picked that because it is the same forward and backward.

It's ok if you just want to watch some gunfights and not think too much. Honestly, the more you think about it, the less it seems to make sense, especially the inverted stuff, the shtick does not work when you think about it too much. It also contradicts itself in places. A google search brings up plenty of examples.

That sounds confusing for the sake of being confusing lol

[SubRosa]

I just saw Wonder Woman 1984. It was good. Though not as astounding as the first WW movie. It is very much a character driven piece, with a lot of time and attention lavished on the main characters. We get to really see who they are, what they want, and what they are willing to do to get it. The whole movie is all about those things. In the end, the real villain in the story is greed. Not just for money, but for more, more of everything, no matter what it costs yourself and everyone else. Which is pretty topical, in pretty much any time really.

There were not really that much action at all. So if that is what you are looking for, it might disappoint. OTOH, it does have a lot to recommend it. They brought back the whole fish out of water idea, only with the roles reversed between Diana and Steve Trevor. Speaking of which, they brought him back too. It is part of the core of the story. What people want, and what they are willing to give up for it.

So it is a good movie.

[Acadian]

I just recently heard about the new one. Thanks for the review. I quite enjoyed the first one and look forward to seeing this new one (though '1984' and 'new' don't really seem to go together).

[SubRosa]

I am enjoying the festive spirit by watching Batman Returns - the second Michael Keaton Batman movie from back in the early 90s. I never realized until now how little Batman is in the movie. I reached the half hour mark, and he was only in one scene in all that time, for about 2 or 3 minutes. It is really a movie about Penguin, Shreck, and Catwoman. Not that I am complaining, Michelle Pfieffer really hits it out of the ballpark as Catwoman.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I am enjoying the festive spirit by watching Batman Returns - the second Michael Keaton Batman movie from back in the early 90s. I never realized until now how little Batman is in the movie. I reached the half hour mark, and he was only in one scene in all that time, for about 2 or 3 minutes. It is really a movie about Penguin, Shreck, and Catwoman. Not that I am complaining, Michelle Pfieffer really hits it out of the ballpark as Catwoman.

It’s hands down my favorite Batman movie, but yeah, it has a villain heavy focus. I love how dark the film is.

This post has been edited by TheCheshireKhajiit: Dec 28 2020, 02:25 AM

[Decrepit]

At year's end (2020) I think it only fitting to report that the list of verifiable surviving actors who appeared in silent films (during the silent era) recently shrunk from five to four. Alas, I do not recall which actor passed to reach that measly sum. Of survivors, the one most people with even a hint of interest in silent films is apt to know is Silas Hathaway, age 101, not so much an actor as a prop in his one silent credit, portraying the 'kid' as a baby during the opening scenes of Charley Chaplin's movie "The Kid". The other survivor who might trigger a vague remembrance is Mildred Kornman, age 95, who played as an 'extra' in 18 Our Gang (later known as Little Rascals) comedies. Her sister, Mary, was one of the series' stars at the time. 2020's big silent film loss was the passing of Diana Sara Cary, 'Baby Peggy', this February. Immensely popular, her films were major money earners, though she saw little benefit from that, her salary going to her guardians rather than herself.

(video link) Here's an Our Gang 'short', which purportedly includes Mildred Kornman. (video link)

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Dec 31 2020, 02:12 PM

[SubRosa]

I did some research on Hawaii for the Stormcrow fic last week. So naturally I am now watching Magnum PI again. I started over from season one. Back when the theme was this 70s bass guitar and horns, rather than the iconic electric guitar version. Out of curiosity I looked up the RL location of the Robin Master's estate. Here it is, on the north eastern shore of the island. The grounds look a lot smaller than on the TV show, and a lot dumpier. So I wonder if the buildings were filmed somewhere else? Or if the land has been parceled up and redeveloped since the show.

But the tidal pool is definitely the same, as is the square rock in the water. Last night I compared some images from google taken from the beach, and the islands in the distance match perfectly with those in the TV show. So it is absolutely the same beach and tidal pool.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Alas, I do not recall which actor passed to reach that measly sum

I think it was Olivia de Havilland that passed.

[SubRosa]

I found the Hobbit movies on 4k at my local Target. Sadly, I could not find LOTR anywhere. But I was able to order it from Barnes and Noble's website. I was talking to one of my neighbors about it, and he said he would like to watch it. So we started with the first movie in the Hobbit trilogy last night. He has never seen them, and only a little bit of the LOTR movies, so he is coming into it fresh.

While watching the movie, I came to realize that it probably would have been better to watch the trilogies in the other order - with LOTR first, and Hobbit second, even though that is the opposite in chronology. The Fellowship of the Ring explains the world and background events pretty clearly. While the Hobbit - being made later - was done expecting you to already know that stuff. So I found myself having to stop to explain thing like who the Istari are, or who Sauron was and why he matters, who the ringwraiths are, etc...

I found a relatively short Middle Earth history video on YouTube that I will show him next time, to help him get up to speed.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I found the Hobbit movies on 4k at my local Target. Sadly, I could not find LOTR anywhere. But I was able to order it from Barnes and Noble's website. I was talking to one of my neighbors about it, and he said he would like to watch it. So we started with the first movie in the Hobbit trilogy last night. He has never seen them, and only a little bit of the LOTR movies, so he is coming into it fresh.

While watching the movie, I came to realize that it probably would have been better to watch the trilogies in the other order - with LOTR first, and Hobbit second, even though that is the opposite in chronology. The Fellowship of the Ring explains the world and background events pretty clearly. While the Hobbit - being made later - was done expecting you to already know that stuff. So I found myself having to stop to explain thing like who the Istari are, or who Sauron was and why he matters, who the ringwraiths are, etc...

I found a relatively short Middle Earth history video on YouTube that I will show him next time, to help him get up to speed.

Weird. My GF and I just finished a marathon of the Extended Edition of LotR last weekend! It was just my reg’lar ol’ DVD box set from the 00s.

[SubRosa]

I watched Goodfellas last night with one of my neighbors. Still a good movie. What I really noticed this time watching it was how how Henry Hill (the protagonist) described the mafia was the same a cult. You only associated with other people in the mob. Your wife only associated with other mob wives. Everything he did, everything he was, was due to the mob. It was his sole way of measuring his accomplishments, his worth, his identity. That really put a much creepier spin on the whole thing.

[Decrepit]

I watched Goodfellas last night with one of my neighbors. Still a good movie. What I really noticed this time watching it was how how Henry Hill (the protagonist) described the mafia was the same a cult. You only associated with other people in the mob. Your wife only associated with other mob wives. Everything he did, everything he was, was due to the mob. It was his sole way of measuring his accomplishments, his worth, his identity. That really put a much creepier spin on the whole thing.

I'm pretty sure I saw this in a cinema when it was new and shiny. I remember thinking it pretty good. Reminds me I really ought to watch Once Upon a Time in American again. Thankfully, I own it with scenes in their proper non-chronological order, not the chronological edition that first toured the US.

[SubRosa]

I watched Goodfellas last night with one of my neighbors. Still a good movie. What I really noticed this time watching it was how how Henry Hill (the protagonist) described the mafia was the same a cult. You only associated with other people in the mob. Your wife only associated with other mob wives. Everything he did, everything he was, was due to the mob. It was his sole way of measuring his accomplishments, his worth, his identity. That really put a much creepier spin on the whole thing.

I'm pretty sure I saw this in a cinema when it was new and shiny. I remember thinking it pretty good. Reminds me I really ought to watch Once Upon a Time in American again. Thankfully, I own it with scenes in their proper non-chronological order, not the chronological edition that first toured the US.

Goodfellas is definitely one of the best mob movies ever made. I never saw Once Upon a Time in America. Maybe I should check it out.