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Post by Ness on Oct 8, 2021 12:06:53 GMT
Fast Five was a turning point. Saved the franchise and turned into what it became but also was the push Rock needed to become a real mega star. Movie doesn't happen and we're in a very different place in 2021.
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Post by mikec on Oct 9, 2021 14:54:18 GMT
I watched Many Saints of Newark last night. Mostly just bored by it. I agree with the takes that the Silvio impression was cringy, people are different over twenty years, so I’m not sure why he thought he needed to ape every mannerism. The little touches on the Paulie impression like the index/pinkie out pointing were good enough for me.
But generally I felt like the show leaned too much into the Sopranos nostalgia and too little into the actual story.
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Post by Lony on Oct 9, 2021 20:23:35 GMT
So I ended up, watching the first three Final Destination movies, with the fiancée last night. The first two movies are so good, the third one isn't nearly as good IMO. Having said that, the roller coaster scene is far more terrifying than either of the airplane or highway scenes.
Also, it's so weird seeing AJ Cook as a brunette, as I'm so used to seeing her as a blonde, due to Criminal Minds.
We're planning on watching the fourth and fifth Final Destination movies tonight.
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Post by iron maiden on Oct 9, 2021 23:59:01 GMT
Last night I saw No Time To Die. The 27th movie in the Bond video library and Daniel Craig's swan song as James Bond. While, Bond is not for everyone, I love how giddy I get from the first few notes of the iconic music. I highly suggest watching Spectre before going to see it or re-watching it as No Time to Die takes place shortly after Spectre. In fact, as Spectre ties all the Craig Bond's together I would do a mini Bond-A-Thon and re-watch them all. If you've a good memory for recollection (I don't), then do as you will. I will miss Craig as Bond. I liked the aloof, often campy Bond of the 60's through to 2006. What many complain about Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby's more serious take on the character, is what made Craig's Bond more dynamic. There was more introspection, more cohesiveness. I hope they continue to evolve the characters: villains, the women and most importantly Bond. There's lots of great action scenes, heart wrenching serious scenes and I really don't know where they are going to take the franchise from here. BIG spoilers ahead...do not click if you don't want to know: {Spoiler} A surprise to most was seeing a black, female given the position of 007 in Bond's absence, but as it was said a few times in the movie 'it's only a number'. She isn't playing Bond, she is 007. A position that was left vacant after they thought him dead. It's MI6 they don't retire your jersey/number after you kick it. If my manager died, my company wouldn't say 'well, we just won't have this position anymore.' No, they'd fill it with a (hopefully) competent applicant. Another big surpise was the addition of a child in this movie. Dr. Swann's daughter, Mathilde who has familiar big blue eyes. She tells him she's not his but at the end she reveals that she is in fact his daughter. The ending was heart breaking for me. He finally could have the life he wants with the woman he loves but like On her Majesty's Secret Service or with vesper Lynd, it's not to be. At the end he embraces his fate knowing he can never touch Madeline or Mathilde again and thus, the end of Bond...or is it? Will we see him wake up with no knowledge of who he is after having massive facial reconstruction surgery or will we see something more like Dr. Swann was left with a parting gift in the form of a male baby who she names, James Bond and he takes up the mantle? Or will they continue on with Nomi as the new 007. As much as I think that would be a breath of fresh air, I don't see the masses embracing that idea overly well. This is a good love letter to Craig's Bond (again SPOILER warning): www.msn.com/en-ca/entertainment/movies/reviews/how-no-time-to-die-ends-the-reign-of-daniel-craig/ar-AAPjHHY?ocid=entnewsntp
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Post by nath45 on Oct 10, 2021 0:06:34 GMT
Fast Five was a turning point. Saved the franchise and turned into what it became but also was the push Rock needed to become a real mega star. Movie doesn't happen and we're in a very different place in 2021. Fast Five is the pinnacle of the series. The 4th one is almost forgotten, and everything after it is ridiculous. But don't discount the first generation of movies. The original is a classic and captured early 2000s tuner culture perfectly or atleast inspired the scene, 2F2F is stupidly fun and even Tokyo Drift remains probably the most grounded in reality of the entire series and a welcomed break from the romance between Dom and Brian.
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Post by iron maiden on Oct 10, 2021 0:17:33 GMT
I didn't really care for 2-4, but 5 and onwards have all been fun. 6 has them up against Owen Shaw and finding Letty. 7 had them up against Jason Statham which was also a delight and 8 had them pitted against Dom used by Cipher (Charlize Theron). 9 was a bit of a let down, but still fun overall. I thought Cena and his character, along with the fleshing out of Dom's character was great. The rest...meh.
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Post by c on Oct 10, 2021 0:38:28 GMT
Watched VHS 94. Most was good but not great. Timo Tjahjanto's segment however was freaking amazing about a mad scientist making basically killer cyborgs. Ends up looking like something right out of Wolfenstein.
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Post by mikec on Oct 10, 2021 14:08:05 GMT
Went to see No Time to Die last night. Turns out I should’ve followed my normal rule of not going to movies that have excessively long runtimes, because it was excessively long for me, someone who liked Casino Royals and Skyfall but not enough to really care about the full series. I also learned that even with big explosions, loud Bond theme music, and a cold room I can fall asleep in a theater easier than I care to admit.
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Post by Emperor on Oct 10, 2021 16:04:04 GMT
It's James Bond season, and while I have no interest in No Time To Die, I took the next step in my Bond journey.
From Russia With Love (Terence Young, 1963)
From Russia With Love is the second official James Bond movie. I had good things to say about the first, Dr. No.
I can't quite heap the same amount of praise on its successor, but it's still a good movie.
After a brief prologue featuring Bond's main antagonist of the movie, From Russia With Love opens with a chess match. We see one of the players summarily executing his opponent with a very basic two-move combination. He makes both of these moves with a dramatic flair and a stare that is completely unlike how any real chess player plays. I do not wish to criticise, only to observe: it clearly had intended impact in establishing this man as a calculating villain
The next scene sees the chess player explaining a genius masterplan to his superiors. One of those is Rosa Klebb. The audience wouldn't have known this at the time, but the other superior is Blofeld. We only see his hands and his cat, never his face. His plan is foolproof because, and I quote, "he has anticipated every possible variation of countermove". This corny allusion to chess is exactly the kind of thing I'd expect from a Bond film. Strangely, this chess player, who is responsible for the entire plot, doesn't appear at all until the end, where he is killed because his foolproof plan failed. Talk about a waste of a great character introduction.
From Russia With Love hits a lot of the same notes as its predecessor. There's a pre-mission briefing with the MI6 people. Q shows a gadget, this one being a briefcase gimmicked with all kinds of chicanery. There's adventure, there's allies, there's danger, and of course there's a Bond girl. It all moved along fairly quickly, but strangely I wasn't particularly enthralled by any of it. My theory is that it's due to the plot. Let me explain.
Bond is being tailed by the assassin Grant, played Robert Shaw (the fantastic villain from The Sting). His job is to kill Bond, of course, but only when Bond has acquired a certain item. We see Grant every so often, lurking behind the scenes, even keeping Bond alive before he has the item. For me there was no suspense, because we know Bond is going to get the item and meet Grant. To be fair, the way they acquire the item is pretty clever, but most of Bond's antics up to that point were either too easy or uninteresting.
Things pick up on the Orient Express, where Bond is aiming to escape with the item, and the girl, who is pretending to be his ally. Grant enters the scene, he ends up outwitting Bond and placing a gun to him in an empty compartment. The foolproof plan has gone without a hitch, and although I knew Bond was going to get out of his predicament, I had no idea now. The tension! Grant, of course, reveals all the intricate details of the plan, then Bond says some words and tricks Grant into opening the gimmicked briefcase. As established in an earlier scene, you have to open it up in a special way, otherwise it will blow up in your face. This happens to Grant. Bond takes his chance and they have a hand-to-hand fight. I was impressed by the grittiness and realism of this fight. Bond wins of course, choking Grant to death with his own piano wire.
That's the peak of the film, but it's not the final action. After that we get the scene of Blofeld's henchman killing the chess player (what a waste of good chess talent), before Rosa Klebb promises to get the artifact back herself. In the final few minutes of the movie, she gets the jump on Bond by posing as a hotel maid, before the entirely predictable babyface turn of the Bond girl happens, giving our favourite secret agent yet another lucky escape.
Ride off into the sunset, kiss kiss, bang bang, goodbye. Not as consistent as Dr. No, but the confrontation between Bond and Grant on the train was the best scene of either movie.
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Post by iron maiden on Oct 10, 2021 18:49:31 GMT
Nice write up Emperor but once you work your way through the Craig Bond’s you’ll be ready for No Time To Die. My friend who is not as big of a fan as I am said ‘that was a great film. Didn’t even feel like it was 3hrs long’.
From Russia With Love is one of my least favourite Bond’s. Definitely in the lower tier. But the next one definitely makes up for it.
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Post by iNCY on Oct 11, 2021 10:32:02 GMT
So 14 days in lockdown and I watched surprisingly few movies:
Snakeyes: Probably the best of the GI Joe movies so far, which is like having a favourite red-headed triplet... Enjoyable enough Bombshell - Very good acting, left me disturbed at how casual the sexism was American President - An oldie but an enjoyable movie, my wife and I were talking the other day about how there are no "just nice" movies any more
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Post by RagnarokMike on Oct 12, 2021 9:18:30 GMT
So I ended up, watching the first three Final Destination movies, with the fiancée last night. The first two movies are so good, the third one isn't nearly as good IMO. Having said that, the roller coaster scene is far more terrifying than either of the airplane or highway scenes. Also, it's so weird seeing AJ Cook as a brunette, as I'm so used to seeing her as a blonde, due to Criminal Minds. We're planning on watching the fourth and fifth Final Destination movies tonight. I wish Final Destination 5 was called “The Final Destination,” because I’d lump it in quality with the first two, so I could own 1, 2, and THE. 1, 2, and 5 just doesn’t look right, and I didn’t care for 3 or 4 (the one they did call THE Final Destination).
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Post by System on Oct 13, 2021 13:51:16 GMT
The DVD of the original Candyman has been stuck in my PS4 for months, watched the remake tonight. Guess what DVD decided to come out after the movie? 🐝
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Post by c on Oct 15, 2021 13:43:25 GMT
Well, watched Halloween Kills with low expectations and holy shit this movie is good. While the first was iconic and the reboot was solid, this was amazing with the ending being the best scene in any Halloween movie. Just came out so do not want to say much, but holy shit, this film made me a Myers fan. I never thought I would say this, but so hyped to see how this story ends. For those who do not care about spoilers basic plot below: Plot is the movie starts as soon as Halloween ends, and Myers is rescued from the flaming house. As he starts to kill the town learns that he is back, not in custody and killing people. So they form a mob to hunt his ass down. He faces off against the mob at the end and they beat his ass down brutally. Then he gets up and kills them all while Laurie in a voice over says he is no longer a mortal man but the embodiment of fear that cannot be defeated with brute force.
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Post by RagnarokMike on Oct 16, 2021 5:44:31 GMT
Free Guy was a ton of fun, action comedy Truman show, good laughs, good feels, enjoyed it start to finish.
Halloween Kills was excellent, my only thing is they had a perfect conclusion in the first movie, then this had a moment that would have also made for a perfect conclusion, so now I hope they go 3 for 3 and come up with yet another perfect conclusion in the actual conclusion. Fucking amazing though, god damn that was a movie.
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Post by Emperor on Oct 16, 2021 11:15:56 GMT
Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)
Drive, as you can guess from the title, is about an unnamed Driver who Drives a lot. He's really good at Driving. He works as a stunt Driver and as a mechanic. He also Drives criminals around at night. He knows that the wheels go round. He knows how to Drive forwards and backwards. He knows that turning the steering wheel left makes the car go left. He knows the same rule applies for the other direction.
Actually, there's much less Driving than I thought. Wikipedia describes this as an action crime drama. That's pretty accurate. For me it's very much a classic Western story set in more modern times. The Driver, played by Ryan Gosling, is a very intriguing character. At first he comes across as a plain, almost robotic man, who speaks very little. Later on we learn he is extremely deliberate and cautious in everything he does, including his choice of words. But there is something a little off with him, and the rest of the cast seems oblivious to it, treating him like just a quiet guy.
The style of the film Drive is much like its protagonist: deliberate, minimalist, lacking flashiness. There are a couple of car chases but they are pretty short, not like the overly-elaborate action scenes you're used to. They focus on his ability to use his Driving skills to get away as quickly as possible. Ditto with the man-on-man combat. The kills are brutal yet quick and efficient. It makes it feel more like the real world, instead of a movie.
Going back to the Western comparison, The Driver operates very much like the archetypal Clint Eastwood character. He moves through live, not really living a life of his own, simply observing what goes on around him and acting accordingly. What happens around him is that his neighbour's partner comes back from jail, but it's one of those "you're never really out of prison" situations. The Driver tries to do the right thing and help him out, but it all goes horribly wrong, since bigger players are involved than anybody realises. It descends into an orgy of minimalistic violence. We see The Driver's ugly side, and are conflicted as to whether to should support his cause or not. At least I was. So is Carey Mulligan's character, his neighbour and love interest.
The films ends in the logical way, The Driver has done his work and drives off into the sunset. Battered and beaten, and ultimately unsatisfied. Much like Clint Eastwood rode off into the sunset at the end of many of his movies.
The Verdict: Excellent, much better than Baby Driver.
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Post by c on Oct 16, 2021 16:41:16 GMT
Halloween Kills was excellent, my only thing is they had a perfect conclusion in the first movie, then this had a moment that would have also made for a perfect conclusion, so now I hope they go 3 for 3 and come up with yet another perfect conclusion in the actual conclusion. Fucking amazing though, god damn that was a movie. When they announced the restart trilogy I was like ughh do we really need more of this. Then gave the first movie a shot since it was an interesting and premise and it was not bad. But this movie was just great. The final piece I do hope can stick the landing. Usually this set up ends badly when they do not have a good resolution and it ends up being something silly like the Japanese girls in Cabin in the Woods turning the monster into a butterfly or some shit. I really hope they avoid the generic third movie that descends into flashbacks introducing some magical item that just resolves everything. I want real struggle and grit here. They do that and this horror trilogy will be remembered for a long, long time.
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Post by 🤯 on Oct 16, 2021 18:50:39 GMT
Drive (Nicolas Winding Refn, 2011)Drive, as you can guess from the title, is about an unnamed Driver who Drives a lot. He's really good at Driving. He works as a stunt Driver and as a mechanic. He also Drives criminals around at night. He knows that the wheels go round. He knows how to Drive forwards and backwards. He knows that turning the steering wheel left makes the car go left. He knows the same rule applies for the other direction. Actually, there's much less Driving than I thought. Wikipedia describes this as an action crime drama. That's pretty accurate. For me it's very much a classic Western story set in more modern times. The Driver, played by Ryan Gosling, is a very intriguing character. At first he comes across as a plain, almost robotic man, who speaks very little. Later on we learn he is extremely deliberate and cautious in everything he does, including his choice of words. But there is something a little off with him, and the rest of the cast seems oblivious to it, treating him like just a quiet guy. The style of the film Drive is much like its protagonist: deliberate, minimalist, lacking flashiness. There are a couple of car chases but they are pretty short, not like the overly-elaborate action scenes you're used to. They focus on his ability to use his Driving skills to get away as quickly as possible. Ditto with the man-on-man combat. The kills are brutal yet quick and efficient. It makes it feel more like the real world, instead of a movie. Going back to the Western comparison, The Driver operates very much like the archetypal Clint Eastwood character. He moves through live, not really living a life of his own, simply observing what goes on around him and acting accordingly. What happens around him is that his neighbour's partner comes back from jail, but it's one of those "you're never really out of prison" situations. The Driver tries to do the right thing and help him out, but it all goes horribly wrong, since bigger players are involved than anybody realises. It descends into an orgy of minimalistic violence. We see The Driver's ugly side, and are conflicted as to whether to should support his cause or not. At least I was. So is Carey Mulligan's character, his neighbour and love interest. The films ends in the logical way, The Driver has done his work and drives off into the sunset. Battered and beaten, and ultimately unsatisfied. Much like Clint Eastwood rode off into the sunset at the end of many of his movies. The Verdict: Excellent, much better than Baby Driver. Is the comparison to Baby Driver fair though? Or rather, should the same measuring stick be used? Of course there are similarities, but I think each one's intent and tone was so different that I personally don't try to compare them against each other. But then again, maybe that's because I like both. Anyway, LOVE your modern western thesis. That never dawned (donned?) on me before, and thinking about it now makes me retrospectively like Drive so much more.
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Post by Lony on Oct 16, 2021 19:15:03 GMT
Speaking of Michael Myers, the fiancee and I ended up watching both Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) last night (as we decided to watch them prior to seeing Halloween Kills). Watching the first movie was a chore (or as the fiancee put it, boring AF), thankfully the sequel was better.
The only Halloween movies, I've seen prior to this, were Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Halloween: Resurrection, as for the fiancee she hasn't seen a single Halloween movie before last night. Question though, is Halloween III: Season of the Witch worth watching? It's my understanding that Michael Myers isn't in it, how much does it tie into the other movies?
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Post by Ness on Oct 16, 2021 19:19:52 GMT
Neither of you liked the 1st...?
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Post by Lony on Oct 16, 2021 19:23:13 GMT
Neither of you liked the 1st...? No, no we did not. Although, I did like the two I've seen prior to last night. Like I said though the second one was better, good enough anyways that we plan on continuing on with them.
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Post by Ness on Oct 16, 2021 19:26:44 GMT
Well least we know you're made for each other. I have never heard of anyone in the history of the universe not loving the original.
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Post by Lony on Oct 16, 2021 19:35:40 GMT
Well least we know you're made for each other. I have never heard of anyone in the history of the universe not loving the original. As I said, I found it to be a chore to sit through. Having said that, maybe back in 1978 the original Halloween was considered scary, however, watching it for the first time in 2021, it's really not.
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Post by 🤯 on Oct 16, 2021 20:46:52 GMT
Well least we know you're made for each other. I have never heard of anyone in the history of the universe not loving the original. As I said, I found it to be a chore to sit through. Having said that, maybe back in 1978 the original Halloween was considered scary, however, watching it for the first time in 2021, it's really not. This gives me hope that maybe Wife & I will actually like the OG Halloween!
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Post by Emperor on Oct 16, 2021 21:20:31 GMT
I do respect the first Halloween movie but it is a chore to get through at times. Plus it is kinda silly, even for horror movie standards. Guy gets locked in a mental hospital since childhood and he knows how to drive? Is the comparison to Baby Driver fair though? Or rather, should the same measuring stick be used? Of course there are similarities, but I think each one's intent and tone was so different that I personally don't try to compare them against each other. But then again, maybe that's because I like both. Anyway, LOVE your modern western thesis. That never dawned (donned?) on me before, and thinking about it now makes me retrospectively like Drive so much more. It never dawned on you. The Baby Driver thing was a throwaway line, don't read too much into it. I just wanted to take a shot at the other modern driving film, one that I dislike :lol:
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Post by 🤯 on Oct 16, 2021 21:57:26 GMT
I do respect the first Halloween movie but it is a chore to get through at times. Plus it is kinda silly, even for horror movie standards. Guy gets locked in a mental hospital since childhood and he knows how to drive? Is the comparison to Baby Driver fair though? Or rather, should the same measuring stick be used? Of course there are similarities, but I think each one's intent and tone was so different that I personally don't try to compare them against each other. But then again, maybe that's because I like both. Anyway, LOVE your modern western thesis. That never dawned (donned?) on me before, and thinking about it now makes me retrospectively like Drive so much more. It never dawned on you. The Baby Driver thing was a throwaway line, don't read too much into it. I just wanted to take a shot at the other modern driving film, one that I dislike :lol: Now out of curiosity I must know why you dislike Baby Driver?
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Post by mikec on Oct 16, 2021 22:23:41 GMT
Well least we know you're made for each other. I have never heard of anyone in the history of the universe not loving the original. Meh it’s ok I guess. I’d much rather rewatch the Rob Zombie version.
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Post by Emperor on Oct 17, 2021 0:19:45 GMT
Now out of curiosity I must know why you dislike Baby Driver? The whole music gimmick was dumb. Don't like it when movies force a soundtrack on you like that. "Oh look how cool my aesthetic is!" Needs to be more subtle. Plus the story as a whole wasn't anything special. Without the whole music shtick it's just an OK movie, but I dislike it for that reason.
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Post by 🤯 on Oct 17, 2021 0:27:29 GMT
Now out of curiosity I must know why you dislike Baby Driver? The whole music gimmick was dumb. Don't like it when movies force a soundtrack on you like that. "Oh look how cool my aesthetic is!" Needs to be more subtle. Plus the story as a whole wasn't anything special. Without the whole music shtick it's just an OK movie, but I dislike it for that reason. Fair enough. The reasons you disliked it turned out to be some of the reasons that pushed it from OK to quite enjoyable to me. If I'd ever heard it before, it never stuck with me like it did until Marilyn Manson's Killing Strangers hit in Baby Driver.
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Post by 🤯 on Oct 17, 2021 2:52:35 GMT
UT— Wife just had me watch Scream for the first time ever. I think I get it. I understand thereallt's gripes, and think he maybe just doesn't get it. Scream screams of being a movie you have to get to truly appreciate. I'm actually both shocked by my reaction and impressed with Wes Craven and gang for being able to elicit it.
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