Last Good Movie You Saw

[Thursday Next]

17 hours ago, toxicitizen said:

 

Since you mention that many books beyond book 5, I take it you've read the Brian Herbert sequels/prequels?

 

If so, give it to me straight, what am I getting myself into here?

 

I've read from Dune through to Sandworms of Dune (you have Hunters and Sandworms back to front btw), not the prequels. The rest of the series (Heretics - Sandworms) has a good overarching arc, and a satisfying resolution provided you can get over the tropey sex-nun and other female representation issues (women do not fare well in the Dune series).

[toxicitizen]

5 hours ago, Thursday Next said:

I've read from Dune through to Sandworms of Dune (you have Hunters and Sandworms back to front btw), not the prequels. The rest of the series (Heretics - Sandworms) has a good overarching arc, and a satisfying resolution provided you can get over the tropey sex-nun and other female representation issues (women do not fare well in the Dune series).

 

Hahaha yeah, I noticed that when I posted the pic. I had just done some reorganizing when I took it, it's since been rectified.

 

So you didn't read the prequels at all, uh? See, I bought the Legends of Dune trilogy because I read that it's basically required reading to get the most out of Hunters/Sandworms, which are the two that I was always going to read no matter what since they're the ending to the entire series. Apparently they used a lot of what they introduced in that trilogy when they wrote the finale. You didn't feel that at all?

[Thursday Next]

Nah, didn't feel I was missing any essential context. It's not Foundation levels of complexity where if you don't know what a Seldon crisis is and go bowling in to book 3 you're in for a bad time.

[TheMightyEthan]

I read one, or possibly half of one, of the prequels, and I do not recommend them.

[toxicitizen]

The Matrix Resurrections

 

The original Matrix is probably my favorite movie of all-time so I was beyond hyped for this. It's kinda weird. The first half is more or less a soft remake of the original movie, TFA style, but with a new angle to the mystery. That part really worked for me. The new elements introduced in the movie I almost universally loved. If you go into it just wanting a new Matrix story, you'll probably enjoy it. It's definitely better than Revolutions although I personally still love Reloaded more. But I always thought Reloaded was an underappreciated gem that got way more shit than it deserved.

 

If you go into it expect a sequel to the trilogy that single-handedly revolutionized action cinema, though? Yeah, maybe don't. The action in this is..... I wouldn't say bad but woof. Some of the fight choreography is only kind of okay and then there's bits when people will just stand around and shoot and it's like "This is supposed to be the Matrix! Wtf are you doing?!" I don't think it's even a matter of not having good fight choreographers, I think Lana Wachowski just wasn't interested in making that kind of movie. Don't go into this expecting anything like Neo vs Smith in the subway station, the Burly Brawl or the highway chase. It's just not that kind of movie.

 

Oh and

Spoiler

new Smith definitely did NOT work for me. That guy was no Hugo Weaving and his delivery was very off for the character. And now that I think back on it, he really had no justification to be in there. Feels like at one point he shows up for a final action scene with little to no justification and then literally just teleports out of the movie.

 

Edited December 23, 2021 by toxicitizen

[Mister Jack]

Ghostbusters Afterlife

 

This is definitely a movie made for the fans, which both helps and hurts it. This one is a direct continuation of the original two films (although I don't remember them referencing 2 at all) so it calls back to the first film quite a bit. While it's not a total retread of the original story beats like the reboot was, you'll still be seeing a lot of familiar characters that are sometimes used in familiar ways. The climax is fanservice overload, which is kind of a mixed bag. It's fun to watch, but sometimes it also distracts from the story they're trying to tell. I'd still recommend it, though. Obviously it won't be as good as the original film but I'd put it above the second one.

 

Spoiler

I'm sure the CGI ghost of Egon is going to be a controversial element but I think they used it in a mostly tasteful way. He has no lines, the model they made looks pretty good and isn't uncanny, and he's used in kind of a sweet way that allows the other characters, not to mention the actors, say goodbye to him. I do think Egon's ghost sticks around a little bit longer than he should have, but Jason Reitman was definitely trying his best to pay a respectful tribute to Harold Ramis. Your mileage may vary on if he succeeded, but I was happy to see him one last time, even if he wasn't really there.

 

 

[TheMightyEthan]

Spider-Man: No Way Home

 

First movie I've seen in a theater for 2 years, and it was a good one to come back to. Often on a first viewing I feel like Marvel movies have pacing issues, that for some reason resolve on subsequent viewings, but this didn't have that issue. I'm impressed with how good it was especially considering 

Spoiler

it's basically the same premise as Into the Spiderverse.

I also like how they seem to be making Dr Strange take on the role that Iron Man used to have, of being the thread that connects all the different movies. I'd thought I was over the MCU, but between this and Shang Chi I'm getting drawn back in.

[Mister Jack]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

 

You know what, I fucking loved this movie and I won't apologize. I enjoyed the first movie, but part of me still had to admit it was missing a lot of the things people love about Sonic. This one, however, is definitely a movie written by Sonic fans for Sonic fans. A lot of the jokes landed for me and there are also a ton of fun winks and references to the games and even the memes but they flow in a way that's natural and doesn't feel forced or in your face like the references in Ghostbusters: Afterlife often did. Tails and Knuckles are highly enjoyable and they feel true to their character, even when they took the no-nonsense proud warrior approach with Knuckles, which Idris Elba absolutely nails. Carrey is great as Robotnik, naturally, but aside from him the movie is probably 90% focused on Sonic and co. and the human characters, for the most part, take a back seat. I didn't even mind Tom and his wife in the first film but it made this one so much better to write them out for a while. There is one part during the second act that primarily focuses on the humans for a little longer than I think it should have, but it got back to Sonic right when it was starting to lose me so I can forgive that brief misstep. There are a few small plot contrivances here and there, but nothing egregious enough to take me out of it and frankly I was having so much fun that I didn't care. This has probably dethroned Detective Pikachu as my favorite video game movie ever made.

[toxicitizen]

Is it true that Shadow the Hedgehog is in the post-credit scene?

[Mister Jack]

Spoiler

Yup

 

[Mister Jack]

The Batman

 

This one is even more grounded than the Nolan trilogy, but I thought that made it more interesting. Batman isn't a flawless fighter and takes a few hits and several bullets from common thugs. The Batmobile is basically just an armored muscle car. Batman himself never does anything crazy like blocking a gun barrel with a batarang and he has to go out of his way to prepare for taking on a room full of guys with guns. I thought it was neat to see how they make him work around these more realistic restrictions, not to say it never has its "comic booky" moments. But boy oh boy.

 

Spoiler

This Batman kinda sucks at his job. The Riddler basically won in the end. The only real victory Batman got over him was unfriending him on Facebook.

 

Pattinson is also a pretty good Batman and they really play up the fact that you'd have to be mentally disturbed to put on a bat suit and go out at night to kick the shit out of criminals. Pattinson's Wayne is visibly unhinged for the whole movie and it made for an interesting take on the character.  My main complaint is that it's too long. It's almost three hours and I really feel like they could have cut down fifteen to twenty minutes and not really lost much.

[Mister Jack]

The Bad Guys

 

It's furry Lupin III. No, really, that's not much of an exaggeration and I mean that in a good way. I love Lupin III. I know this movie is based on a book series but it is extremely obvious that the director of the movie is a big Lupin fan. They even have their own Zenigata, who made for a great foil. I love the character designs, the animation is super stylized and the action is cartoony and completely over the top. In fact, this film somehow managed to have one of my new favorite car chase scenes. I just love how crazy it looks to see dozens of police cruisers all going after the Bad Guys and getting into a huge pileup with officers flying all over the place because they were clinging to their cars like Mad Max characters. The plot is pretty predictable but it's a heist movie. All heist movies are predictable, but that's okay when the characters are fun and funny and have great chemistry. You just enjoy being along for the ride. 

[TheMightyEthan]

Dr. Strange - In the Multiverse of Madness

 

Not a lot to say on this one, it's a Marvel movie, if you like those you'll probably like this one, and if you don't you won't. I liked it.

 

One thing in particular that I liked was that 

Spoiler

Wanda goes full-on supervillain. My wife and I had just been discussing how she got off pretty easy after WandaVision, with the MCU treating it like "oh you realized your mistake, so it's all okay" which wasn't very satisfying, so I'm glad they expand on that with this. I do wish though that she hadn't died at the end. I understand that death is mutable in these stories, but I still would have preferred her to just be put in an Asgardian prison or something so they could bring her back if they wanted without quite so much silliness as it will now require.

 

[toxicitizen]

Finally got around to watching The Batman last night. This might actually be my favorite one yet. It's grounded like the Nolan films (somehow even more so) but it also has that subtle gothic vibe that permeated the Burton movies, although to a lesser extent. I loved how it's really not a superhero movie at all. This is a serial killer thriller and the climax of the movie wasn't this big, bombastic doomsday device scenario but rather something genuinely terrifying because of how plausible it is. Even Batman/Bruce isn't really glorified and even comes off as an unstable psycho himself at times.

 

I love the Nolan films but yeah, the more I think about it the more I'm leaning towards loving this one even more. Can't wait for the sequel, especially based on all the setup in this one.

[Mister Jack]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

 

Much better than the first Doctor Strange movie. However, what I appreciated the most about it wasn't actually anything to do with the movie itself. It was...

 

Spoiler

...the lost art of trailers that don't spoil the shit out of everything. The trailers I saw and probably what everyone else also saw completely mislead me on what the movie is really about, so I actually got to enjoy being surprised by twists and cameos. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie where I couldn't see all the major beats coming. Like wow, a trailer that doesn't spoil the whole movie for you before you even buy your ticket? What a novel concept!

 

 

[TheMightyEthan]

I agree wholeheartedly. I was shocked the trailers didn't spoil that 

Spoiler

Wanda was the villain.

 

Especially since it happens like 1/4 of the way through the movie.

[Mister Jack]

Beavis the Butt-Head Do the Universe

 

Holy crap this is the funniest movie I've seen in a while. Throwing them into 2022 through timey-wimey ball shenanigans results in some of the best modern satire in recent memory. There are certain scenes that I wish I could talk about but it's too funny to spoil. Mike Judge has still got it. 

[Thursday Next]

On 5/7/2022 at 3:31 AM, TheMightyEthan said:

without quite so much silliness as it will now require.

 

There was a

Spoiler

red flash at the end, that could easily be a shield/teleport/etc. Would only require minor silliness.  

 

I really enjoyed Dr Strange II. Especially when Disney nipped down the shops and Raimi went full Raimi while their backs were turned.

[MetalCaveman]

Prey

 

Holy cow, this is how you do a Predator movie!

 

Small scale, the Predator being a hunter not an invading force or whatever, hunting a group of people who although fairly skilled and competent in their own right, are going against something far stronger, agile and with technology that far surpasses them

Spoiler

minus the plasma caster, which is fair, would've been an instant win otherwise.

 

 

This Predator looks cool, the scene with

Spoiler

the trappers trying to capture it

was badass. \m/ \m/

 

I was also happy that the

Spoiler

dog survives.

Would have been lame otherwise.

 

My biggest issue is the CGI, in some early scenes with some animals it looks weird, and there's some scenes where the Predator itself looks kinda off, OG Predator still best Predator IMO.

 

Also, some people might not like that it retcons an old comic, I thought it was neat.

 

Spoiler

Though I do wonder if Naru and the others were killed or if they had some sort of trade going on, otherwise how did the Elder end up with that pistol in Predator 2.

 

Overall, for me, the best Predator movie in a long time, I read that there are plans for more historical themed sequels if this one does well, after watching this one, I'm kinda looking forward to those, assuming they stick to the formula and just change the setting and tweak the weapons/tools the Predator has.

 

It's available via Star Plus in Latin America, Hulu in the US and... Wherever Fox stuff goes in other regions.

 

[Thursday Next]

On 8/5/2022 at 7:11 PM, MetalCaveman said:

Prey

 

 

Wherever Fox stuff goes in other regions.

 

 

In the UK the Predator is a Disney Princess for those wondering.  

[TheMightyEthan]

Hmm, maybe I should look into that movie, I didn't realize it was on streaming already.

[deanb]

22 hours ago, TheMightyEthan said:

Hmm, maybe I should look into that movie, I didn't realize it was on streaming already.

 Was only on streaming - no cinema release

[Thursday Next]

On 8/5/2022 at 7:11 PM, MetalCaveman said:

Prey

 

I loved the bait and switch with 

Spoiler

the whole herd of buffalo being skinned by fur trappers

 

Totally had me in the first half as I wondered why the Predator would even do that.  

[MetalCaveman]

Yeah, my reaction was "Wait what!?"

 

Spoiler

Until Naru picked up the cigar (I think it was a cigar?).

 

[TheMightyEthan]

You guys convinced me, and I convinced my wife by telling her that it's apparently the best depiction of Native Americans ever in a major movie. As soon as I told her that they had actual native people not just as consultants but as actual highly involved people at all levels of the production she was like "well then let's watch it, I want to support that," so we're watching it this weekend.