Miscellaneous Film/TV Discussion

[Disney's Divinity]

Watched Dune the other day. So--unexpectedly--good, just like with The Batman! I was only seeing it because of Chalamet (love him), but I didn't really expect to like it since it looked Star Wars-esque. Not really my thing. Imagine my surprise, I really got into this. I loved the score--looking up the details and finding Hans Zimmer of TLK fame (of so many things) did this, I wasn't a bit surprised, he's always great, imo!

Even with the nearly 3-hour running time, it felt like the plot was still going a little too fast. I've never heard of the original novel (or the previous films), so this was a completely new experience for me. The spice, Bene Gesserit, and the voice were the most intriguing things about this for me--Tim Brayton's review called the Bene Gesserit "space nuns" ( ) and that feels incredibly accurate. The Harkonenn Baron made me think of Jabba the Hut. Speaking of similarities, the warring house drama made me think of Game of Thrones. I liked most of the characters (however sparse their personalities were), which is probably down to the actors doing the heavy-lifting.

Zendaya was what I was most dreading about this--and the reason I expected not to enjoy this--but she was ultimately in maybe 2 minutes of the film, to this film's benefit. That's the only thing that makes me not completely look forward to the sequel...since she can't help but have a larger role in it.

[Disney Duster]

So good to hear Dune was so good! I'll think of checking it out! My mom loves the books, I think. I saw Emma (2020) recently, and was very surprised how emotional it got me and how good it was! I mainly wanted to see it for the costumes!

[Disney Duster]

I saw The Batman because of recommendations, and...did Batman really save the city by stopping all those shooters? I guess. It was just kind of a downer. Wasn't very uplifting like I expect Batman to be.

[Patricier21]

Jurassic World Dominion out of theatre reaction: https://youtube.com/shorts/nUpksnw7OBU?feature=share

[DVDBuff1]

Saw Nope twice last week, but couldn't review it due to the forum outage. If you weren't able to figure out by the trailer, this is an alien horror movie, and another type of movie in disguise, that which I will not spoil. What makes this film particularly special for me is that this film is both a nuanced take of the subject relating to timeless themes, and it's a loving patch quilt of homages to other great films that I didn't realize it was paying tribute to till the 2nd time I watched it. My first viewing of the movie unfortunately had a very obnoxious audience that was laughing too much over the dialogue, that I wasn't able to hear what they found funny, and their laughter was unwarranted at scenes I didn't find particularly funny.

Seeing the movie again in a better theater with stage surround sound, and most importantly, an audience that was far more composed and considerate to not let their reactions affect other's enjoyment is what helped solidify the film as a great movie for me and proof that you need to watch a film more than once to appreciate it. 1st viewing I thought the movie was a slow burn that lead to an explosive finale. I argue that sentiment still remains true, but with hindsight, you're able to notice all the pieces to the puzzle that make this picture, and that is ingenious to me.

[Disney's Divinity]

I'm looking forward to seeing Nope since I enjoyed Us, although I'm skeptical about it. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I've seen a load of films since the forum was online that I'm trying to remember them all--a lot of things I had backed up that I finally got around to: The Current War, Rocketman, Sunset Boulevard, Watership Down, Spies in Disguise, Respect, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Beginners. I actually would say I enjoyed all of those except for Beginners, King Arthur, and Rocketman, although even those two had some good moments. I mean, Rocketman wasn't bad, it was just too focused on the family and relationship drama to me and I hate that they didn't show any of Elton's current husband. I think even the best biographical films are always a little boring anyway. What finally inspired me to put it on was I saw Taron Egerton on Jimmy Kimmel's show as a guest when Chelsea Handler was co-hosting. He had such a cute personality, I wanted to see what he was like in the movie. I remember somebody suggesting him for Hercules, and I think he'd be great if they did pick him. He has that sweetness in the eyes / face that suits the character.

I had bought the Respect soundtrack ages ago, but only finally got a chance to see the movie recently. TBH, I liked this one better than Rocketman or Bohemian Rhapsody, even though I wish it had shown more of her later career. I'm so looking forward to seeing the Whitney and Elvis movies.

I'd never seen Watership Down before and recorded it when it aired a while back on TMC. It was pretty good, although different than I expected. I thought it would be really dark... I mean, it was dark, but not quite to the degree I thought it was based on its reputation; I wouldn't say it was much darker than The Secret of NIMH, for example.

King Arthur started off alright, but really petered out. I felt like the film didn't really have a middle. Disappointing, as so many Arthur adaptations end up being, surprisingly.

Spies in Disguise was the most surprising of those for me. I did not expect to like that one, another one like Abominable that looked like a hard no and ended up having a lot of bright spots. I'm not a James Bond or spy film fan and the idea of the character turning into a pigeon sounded more annoying than anything. That said, I liked the relationship between the main two characters--I didn't expect that. Walter is the reason I liked the movie though; what an adorkable character.

[Disney's Divinity]

I've been watching different things. Almost 2/3rds through Xena: Warrior Princess. I'm enjoying it for what it is, very campy. I wish they'd air the Hercules show, so I could watch them in tandem; it'll air someday, I'm sure. The Jennifer Hudson Show debuted the past week. I usually skim through fluff talkshows like this one even in the best case scenario and only watch interviews or anything that looks worth stopping for, but I did watch her first week anyway. I think she's doing alright, I hope the show survives a couple of years. I recently watched an old Joan Crawford film that I liked, Queen Bee. I sort of wonder if the only reason I watched it (and enjoyed it) was because I associate that type of character with the real Crawford thanks to Feud.

I've also been watching Touched by An Angel. It's a show I grew up with, but haven't watched in years, I just had a desire to watch it with adult eyes. Della Reese was always my favorite part of that show. I wish I could afford to watch all of One Piece, but I have watched at least one full arc now (the Fishman Island arc). I'll see it all someday. It's standard anime boilerplate, but I find those pretty fun. I have several movies stored up again to watch--Elvis, the two new Channing Tatum comedies, Sonic 2, House of Gucci, etc. I go in moods though, I wait to watch certain things when I'm feeling it.

Really I just wanted to say I was disappointed Pat Carroll wasn't shown during the Emmy's when they highlighted everyone who's passed this year. I didn't understand it since she was known for a lot of game show and TV series cameos. They did include Gilbert Gottfried though and I don't associate him with TV at all, so I don't get it.

[blackcauldron85]

If you liked the first Sonic movie, I think you'll love the 2nd. It's really good, really fun.

That's really the only newer movie I've seen lately besides Lightyear.

[Disney's Divinity]

If you liked the first Sonic movie, I think you'll love the 2nd. It's really good, really fun.

Good to know! I guess I worried the first one might have been a fluke. I don't know, I have this weird thing these days where I have to work myself up to watching movies sometimes. I look at the 2+ hour length of most movies and wonder if I have the willpower for that kind of time investment at the moment. I generally prefer TV shows and spending a lot of time with the same characters.

[blackcauldron85]

I can understand that for sure. There are pros and cons to tv and movies (movies usually tie up a full story in a short amount of time, but it's not broken up like a TV show, and tv shows give you more time with each character but you have a long time to wait for some storylines).

[carolinakid]

Is anyone going to see Bros? I hear it’s a bomb .

[blackcauldron85]

I just watched A Boy Called Christmas on Netflix. One of the best movies I've seen. It's not all sunshine and rainbows (it deals with some serious issues), but it's mostly a feel -good movie that is about hope and joy. I highly recommend it.

[Disney's Divinity]

What with the TV season ending, most of the finales are airing and with fewer new episodes, I'm able to catch up on some shows. I've got behind in a lot of the things the past half year. Anyway, I watched through to the season finales for So Help Me Todd and Ghosts. Anybody else watch those?

I like mysteries and whodunnits anyway, but I think Marcia Gay Harden and Skyler Astin's chemistry with one another has definitely lifted SHMT. Doesn't help that Astin's cute either. I knew Harden before this, not him though. I think the show's been doing alright in the ratings? At least I hope it goes for a couple of years, it's something fun.

Ghosts is a cute, little show. Maybe not for everyone? But I've enjoyed it. Nigel, Hetty, Jay, and Thor are my favorite characters. Flower is probably the only one I don't like, but I admit the prospect of Hetty having to endure her next season sounds like it could be ripe for a lot of good moments. I don't know which ghost disappeared, but I hope it wasn't Nigel... Personally, I hope it's Flower or Trevor.

Still have a bunch of things to go through though. A lot of PBS and/or Masterpiece stuff (Tom Jones, Marie Antoinette, Call the Midwife's new season), 9-1-1 and its spinoff, etc.

[Disney's Divinity]

I finally got around to watching the The Boss Baby and Trolls sequels the other day.

TBB: Family Business isn't as cute or funny as the first film, but it had its moments and it did feel creative enough to jusify its existence. I was sort of disappointed they returned the two characters from the first film to how they looked in the first eventually, but then they didn't bring Tim's voice actor back and kept James Marsden the whole time. (As I'm looking on Wikipedia at the first film's cast list--Tim's adult voice was actually Tobey Maguire in the first film rather than Marsden?) I'm seeing that the box office for this was pretty bad, but I think it was one of those affected by the pandemic? So a third film may happen? Who knows. Tina, the villain, the pony, and Tim's wife (Eva Longoria) were the best things about this that joined the wizard alarm clock and the zaniness of Baldwin's voice coming out of a baby's face from the first.

Trolls World Tour... I dunno, I think I liked it a little more than the first? Or about even. I'm not sure. I wasn't a huge fan of either the first one or this, so doesn't really matter, I guess, they were both okay. Probably my favorite parts to this film are the opening with the Cyndi Lauper song (I liked Poppy's and Branch's parts, Branch's crush is so sweet in this movie and Poppy made me think of Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde ), the villain that's not too serious, and the funk song re-telling the backstory of the strings. Oh, and the yodeling troll. I thought they copied the ending of the first film a little too closely (as far as everything becoming monotone and all), still I liked the villain wasn't as serious since the rest of the movie is too silly. I did miss Bridget from the first movie--just a cameo in the last 10 seconds, hopefully they show up more in the third film that's coming soon, I see.

I think the villain in Trolls World Tour's' model was probably re-used as the starting point for the creepy (and hilarious) baby in TBB sequel. The synopsis for Trolls 3 sound cute--and they got Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, Troye Sivan, RuPaul!

[DVDBuff1]

Been a while since I posted. These are the last few movies I've seen...

The Super Mario Bros. Movie: I'm not an obsessive Mario fan, I only own 2 Mario games, and tend to prefer Pokémon as my personal Nintendo fandom. I was originally dreading this movie when announced because I'm also not a fan of Illumination Studios. I saw only the first Despicable Me, and that was enough for me to write off all interest in their films, plus their obnoxious marketing. However, I quite enjoyed this one. Will I see it again? Sure. Best video game movie ever? I wouldn't go that far.

John Wick Chapter 4: My history with these movies is interesting. Didn't see the first movie till I heard the announcement of the second movie. First movie was a solid revenge flick. Saw the second one in theaters, it was an artsy themed action movie about how consequences can go from bad to damnation. Saw the third movie in theaters, I didn't enjoy it as much as the second movie which is part of why I wasn't eager to see Chapter 4 till convenient. This movie however is a love letter to action stories I've seen before plus more, and I dig it.

Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves: I enjoyed this in the same vein as The Road to Eldorado. Both are fantasy adventure comedies dealing with the subject of imposter syndrome, and blessed with a talented cast of actors. There's also a cute ferocious dragon in the movie, as well as some animation credits that feel like an homage to Terry Gilliam of Monty Python fame.

[Disney's Divinity]

I also was more into Pokémon, came out when I was a child, although it was definitely a fad. I wasn't crazy about Detective Pikachu though. I'm glad the Mario movie sounds like it may be fun. I'll probably see it and D&D at some point.

The Tony's were fun this year, I hope DeBose will continue to host. A shame Groban didn't win, but it was nice seeing him, Ben Platt, and the Glee alum. A lot of fun performances, but my favorite was New York, New York near the beginning.

[DVDBuff1]

I already mentioned seeing Barbie in the Barbie thread, but I also recently saw TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, which is a genuine great movie. It is a new incarnation on the origin story, but that's to be expected for a comic book/superhero franchise that's been around for 40 years. Will I go as far as to say BEST Ninja Turtles movie ever? Probably not. I do know I love it on par with the OG 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. I feel it's just as valid as any other incarnation of the Turtles. While it takes liberties, what's important is that it's faithful in spirit to the characters. The Turtles will always have a warm melted slice of my heart.

[Disney's Divinity]

Aw, I'm glad you enjoyed it, DVDBuff1. I actually did watch TMNT growing up, but it's one of those things along with Power Rangers that I didn't really hold on to as time passed.

I've been doing a re-watch of Desperate Housewives the past week or so. I'm about to start season 4 (Dana Delaney's season). It's been so long, it's like visiting an old friend in a way. I do wish this series would get a revival, even if it was only for a season. Something like Will & Grace, where it had 3 seasons would be lovely, but even if it was just a two-hour movie reunion or something, it would still be worth it for me.

For the longest time, I hoped something like that might happen for Ugly Betty. But with the original creator having passed a year or so ago, I sort of gave up hope of that one ever happening now. I suppose they could get another writer or something, and let the actors sort of take control of direction more, but it probably would end up with a different feeling than the original show.

What's fun to hear is I think Downton Abbey may actually be coming back for more seasons / series. I mean, without Maggie Smith it wouldn't be as great, but I'd still watch, I know.

[MoonMarc21]

I saw the new Studio Ghibli film The Boy and the Heron this weekend, and it's such a great visual treat. The animation, from the characters to the special effects and especially the backgrounds, is so beautiful, which is what you'd expect in a Studio Ghibli film. I agree with everyone who watched the film that it really is very weird. Everything Miyazaki puts in this film is so random, which I can accept since it at least has some sort of plot relevance. Basically, the movie is chaotic but still has control, doesn't go too off the rails and forgets the story. Speaking of story, you have to really pay close attention to it, or else you'll lose it because you'll be too mesmerized by the movie's pretty visuals. The story starts as a simple story about grief and loss until one of the major characters in the movie gets lost, making it turn into a "find the missing person" type of movie, and when they go into the "magical world," it then veers into things like parallel worlds and time travel where wacky shenanigans happen. (Though defining wacky in a Studio Ghibli movie is very different from when you use that word in a typical Western animated movie. )

Overall, really nice movie just like it's predecessors, would like to watch it again when it's available. Good luck to this movie and ATSV at the Oscars.

Also, I have to applaud myself since it's my first time to see a 2d animated movie in the big screen and it's a Studio Ghibli movie!

[carolinakid]

Our parish is running a bus trip to see Cabrini. My boyfriend and I plan to go with some friends.