What Movie Are You Watching?

AnimeGamer183

OG Dojoers Club Since 2001
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Old Topic, New Forum. Yall know the drill.

Blade Runner 2049 was surprisingly engaging and extremely symbolic and thematic. I like how it doesnt hold you hand about whats going on but makes it pretty clear with out having characters have to inform the audience in with extra dialogue. It tells a decent little story and while its not really action packed its a total visual stunner. Its long but I actually didnt really notice, surprising for it being almost 3 hours, I definitely recommend giving it a watch.

I went back and watched Alien and Aliens since they were on HBO streaming, its really amazing to me how the Xenomorph models they used visually look better than anything else in the rest of these films, its like the rest of these 2 movies look grainy and out dated but as soon as one of the Xeno's appears it instantly stands out, maybe it has to do with them being so shiny and perhaps the lighting, but hats off to Ridley Scott and James Cameron for not only making incredible films but the visual effects are game changing in these.
 
The Mrs has bought 1408 on DVD. Going to watch that this week. Is it any good
 
I'm really looking forward to Shane Black's new Predator movie coming out this year, so I watched the original two movies last night and the night before. Seen them before, but it's been a long, long time.
First movie has always been the better of the two, obviously, but the sequel isn't quite as bad as I remembered. I mean, sure, I don't buy Danny Glover for a second playing the halfway unhinged, "throw-the-book-out-the-window" type of cop (the movie would have been better with someone else; maybe Wesley Snipes or someone), but it still does some fun stuff with the Predator itself. Great elaboration on their race, for example, with stuff like the Predator opting not to kill a woman because he can detect that she's pregnant, or the revelation of how long the Predators have been visiting Earth. Not a great movie by any stretch, but it's still a nice enough addition to the mythos, so to speak.
Can't freakin wait for The Predator.
 
I watched the first X-Men... ah yes the beginning of what would ultimately become the MCU, even though this film isnt technically a part of that, it is Marvels first real big screen endeavor and with the early 2000s Spider-Man films the birth of the Marvel movie craze begins. I dont think I have seen X-Men since I watched it in theaters in 2000, it was a big year for me I was moving to a new town a few hours away but I was also supposed to begin high school, and one of my good friends from where I was living went and watched the movie as one last hurrah before I moved away, one of the last times I saw him as well. I was awe struck at the film and was hyped as ever, I think especially because I was desperate to have anything take my mind away from the fact I was leaving everything behind mere days after that, the film felt perfect then and I me and my buddy got to see the characters in real life that we had watched from the 90s cartoon series, so freaking cool. Looking back on the film now? Yeesh it hasnt aged well at all, what a horrible rendition of sabertooth and man has shooting comic book movies come a lonnggggg way since this, but you could still say this film laid the ground work for everything after it, set certain tones for all the Marvel movies to come after it. Its not a bad first crack at making a movie like this considering when it came out, what an incredible evolution compared to what we have today. I think maybe I never went back and watched this one because maybe there was too much pain attached from the time I originally watched it, summer 2000 when I went through another significant shift in my life. It was definitely due to watch it again especially since I watched X-Men Last Stand through Logan the past few months so why not? Also another gaming fun fact, David Hayter, Voice actor of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid was the Screen Writer for X-Men, interesting.
 
Radio Free Albemuth
And OZland
Ozland was better then what i thought it would be. I can't wait to rewatch it.
 
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Blade Runner 2049 was surprisingly engaging and extremely symbolic and thematic. I like how it doesnt hold you hand about whats going on but makes it pretty clear with out having characters have to inform the audience in with extra dialogue. It tells a decent little story and while its not really action packed its a total visual stunner. Its long but I actually didnt really notice, surprising for it being almost 3 hours, I definitely recommend giving it a watch.
I loved Blade Runner 2049, and most definitely love the original Blade Runner too. 2049 managed to some how to actually be the sequal we never really wanted, but actually managed to - in some minds - out do the original.

2049 is a stunning piece of art, every shot is masterfully done, unique and even when it tries to replicate the visuals of the original, it manages to out do them. LOVE. IT.

You haven't seen these, I recommend you do ?

Listning to Blade Runner - Nerdwriter

Blade Runner and the 20-year sequals - Movies with Mickey (writer of the Borderland games)
 
The other night I started watching Battles Without Honour And Humanity Or The Yakuza Papers (It was apparently called this in the west.) Watching the first movie last night, I have to admit that I was kind of knocked out by how modern it felt. I mostly mean in the pacing, granted. But I'm used to 70s movies generally having a slower pace and more patient build-up, which is absolutely fine. But the movie started and just didn't let up with the pacing, keeping me engaged at around 1 in the morning when I'd usually be struggling to keep my eyes open. I can safely say it exceeded my expectations and I'm looking forward to seeing where the series goes in the next few movies. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who likes themselves a crime saga, or just Asian cinema in general.
 
I just watched "Birdman" a few days ago. I thought it's a movie about actors and theatre... but it's actually about mental illness. If you know about his topic you see that it's very well researched and you can see the protagonist going through various phases of depression and schizophrenia including wild hallucinations. So only watch it if you like rather serious mental health films.
Also, Edward Norton is in it and does an amazing job!
 
Watched CALIBRE on Netflix, if you want a suspense filled thriller then this ones for you.
 
Went to see Christopher Robin. Great movie. There were lots of genuinely funny moments, but man it had me in my feelings several times. When Pooh said
"Did you let me go, Christopher Robin?"
???

There isn't too much bad I can say about it except that I wished piglet and rabbit's voices were more like I remembered them from the cartoons.

If you liked Winnie the Pooh when you were younger I highly recommend you go see this, if only to see if you can fight back the tears it will inevitably induce.
 
I just got back from my honeymoon and being super-engrossed in Casino Royale (the book), I read it on my trip instead of it's intended place, the plane. I watched... 6 films on the flights from Toronto to Italy and back:

1. Die Hard:

This is probably the 15th time I've watched this film, all since 2015 (I had never seen a SECOND of it, prior to that, as I always disliked Bruce Willis, though I've warmed up to him in recent years) and the 14th time on a plane (its kind of a ritual for me lol); I'm sure I don't need to tell you all what its about lol.

I understood the hype for this film after my first viewing; what a fantastic piece of cinema, with every major (or middling) character doing a wonderful job acting; the pacing and just everything, is brilliant from beginning to end. Rickman, Willis, Bedelia and Vel Johnson are all amazing, while Gleason, Davi, Bush and the terrorists as a whole, support everyone super-well.

I place it in the top 3 action films of all-time, with Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park.

Will always give it a 10/10. Really want to read the novel too, especially since its a bit different from the film.

2. Chasing the Dragon:

A newer (September, 2017) film starring Donnie Yen and Andy Lau (terrific pairing). I wouldn't rate it among the Hong Kong greats (that I've seen) like A Better Tomorrow, Infernal Affairs or (my favourite) Hard-Boiled, but its just a shade below those wonderful titles.

Its a "based-on," retelling of Crippled Ho (Donnie Yen and yes, that's his name lol) and his rise to drug lord prominence in 70s Hong Kong, as well as his relationship with Lee Rock (Andy Lau's character from the films of the same name), while he corrupted the HK police force on the drug side of things (as the Brits were already corrupting things on their own end).

Lau and Yen are just brilliant actors, IMO and the film really rests of their shoulders. Bryan Larkin does a great job too as the corrupt British officer and he truly makes you hate him (the makings of correctly-written and characterised character, IMO). The writing has a lot of great dialogue and nothing really plods around, plot-wise. It is a long film at 2 hours, 10 minutes or so, but the pacing is good.

Would probably give it an 8/10.

3. Mad Max:

An absolutely dazzling film that has a ton of heart and love put into it (at that budget, a film like this needs it). Its too bad the Miller/Kennedy relationship ended so quickly, otherwise we probably could've had many more great installments in the series and more heart put into the films, like this one.

I've seen quite a bit of it in the past 7-9 years, but this was the first viewing from start to finish, since 2007. Mad Max can be very hokey at times, but it WORKS and the film is a joy to view, from beginning to end. You can't help but love the cops (specifically Max, Fifi and Goose) and their actors, while hammy at times, do a great job as well. The visuals are what made the film popular and is the reason why it is still popular today; wonderful stunts, great camerawork (though I never understood {or liked} the sped-up camera shots) and vivid imagery is abundant in this film.

And the last of the V8 Interceptors; just awesome.

9/10, all day every day.

4. Mad Max: Fury Road:

Hard to say if its my second favourite of the series (between it and the first), but its definitely the second best in the series, IMO (nothing will ever top the Road Warrior).

Of course, being massively-budgeted, the hokiness is basically gone and the film is obviously much slicker than it's prequels, but this also is what makes the film work, as the action sequences are phenomenal and there is a well-done amount of CGI as well.

Tom Hardy is brilliant, like he always is and Charlize actually made me like her, in this film (not a fan of hers at all). The wives all make good use of their screen time (Zoe Kravitz is incredibly sexy, I find) and Nicholas Hoult does a great job as the emotionally-diverse, Nux. Hugh Keays-Byrne does an excellent job in his return to the series and I adore how over the top and ridiculous Nathan Jones is (still the best choice to play Abigail if there was a Final Fight film). There's humour, there's drama, pacing is on point, its shot (and edited) brilliantly and its still Australian, which makes it fit perfectly with the series.

Miller was robbed of best director. 10/10.

5. Ferrari: Race to Immortality:

Being a Formula 1 fan, this was a must-view. I wasn't disappointed, but with most documentary-type things, it has to be perfect in order for it to really work (like the masterpiece that was Senna). This wasn't perfect and at times, had me uninterested.

A bit of a rant here.

The trailer and description had it talk about the 5 prominent Ferrari F1 drivers of the 1950s: thus, I was expecting:

- Alberto Ascari
- Juan Manuel Fangio
- Jose Froilan Gonzalez
- Peter Collins (with maybe Giuseppe Farina in place)
- Mike Hawthorne

All of these drivers won races (or titles) with the marque in the 50s and all were super-prominent figures in Formula One, in the inaugural decade: Fangio won 5 titles and Ascari 2, back to back, plus Hawthorne and Farina, 1 each: these guys were amongst the biggest names of the sport, let alone Ferrari and Froilan was the 1A to Ascari's 1, for Ferrari's first 5 seasons in the decade and missed out on 2 titles to Fangio, in '51 and '54.

Instead, we get:

- Mike Hawthorne
- Peter Collins
- Luigi Musso (the fuq? Really?)
- Eugenio Castellotti (indeed, was an up and comer, who died too young)
- Alfonso de Portago (um, who? I know his name, but not much else)

Hawthorne was the first British F1 Driver's Champion and he truly brought Ferrari back from their disastrous end to 1957 (where, IMO, the greatest performance ever in an F1 car, happened), when it seemed that it was anyone's game, with the rule changes beginning in '58. He makes sense. Collins was an awesome human being that allowed Fangio to take his 4th title (literally giving his car up and LOSING the title himself, something that is unheard of nowadays) and he was an up-and-coming driver that had a ton of talent, always leading or near the lead in every race.

These guys, make sense.

Musso was a no-name that had a bit of prominence in Italy, but did little to nothing in the grand scheme of things; not worth the time.

Castellotti was being groomed to be the next great guy and definitely had the makings of it, but unused potential due to death made his career a blip; not worth the time.

The most egregious waste of space though, was de Portago; he was the typical, pre-80s paydriver: come from nobility, spend money on cars and buy your way onto the team. He did nothing, wasn't even a minor player in a league full of big names and he was clearly; not worth the time.

Rant done.

Anyways, not the greatest piece of work, but the old footage was wonderful to watch. Just wished they spent less time on Brits and nobodies and more time on the guys who actually made a major contribution to the sport.

6/10

6. Toy Story:

My 6th favourite, animated Disney title and IMO, one of their 3 best. A wonderful tale from the Toys' POV, again, I'm sure I don't need to explain this film to anyone ;).

10/10
 
Martial Law 2

cheesy martial arts movie, the villains are a bit cartoonish but it has some good moments.

8/10, because I'm into that shit.
 
I loved Blade Runner 2049, and most definitely love the original Blade Runner too. 2049 managed to some how to actually be the sequal we never really wanted, but actually managed to - in some minds - out do the original.

2049 is a stunning piece of art, every shot is masterfully done, unique and even when it tries to replicate the visuals of the original, it manages to out do them. LOVE. IT.

You haven't seen these, I recommend you do ?

Listning to Blade Runner - Nerdwriter

Blade Runner and the 20-year sequals - Movies with Mickey (writer of the Borderland games)

i recently rewatched blade runner on vhs, then blade runner 2049 (dvd)

i agree, 2049 is a piece of art. ive read that Ridley-Scott wants to make a 3rd film, which would be good.

:geek: warning fan theory/idea:
personally i think alien awaking would be a great opportunity to bring both the alien and blade Runner universes together.

as well as Front line Soldier Android, wallace said in blade runner 2049, they create androids to serve humans off world & help start up colonies. in alien awaking, i could imagine basic worker (slave) androids, made to be farmers/builders/ servant etc but David (from alien) has helped break their programming, making them dangerous.

+ then when the marines / "good" Android are sent to The new home world or investigate the engineer planet from Alien covenant, you could have actors who look identical to the androids from Blade Runner 1982 or even the 2049 film ( ie Roy, Pris, Leon, Dave Bautista, younger looking Harrison Ford etc)
 
Finally watched, "The Killer," last night and want to preface with while the film is indeed awesome, it is tons overhyped.

Woo is in classic form here, as is Yun-Fat Chow, but the film just doesn't grip me like Hard Boiled or even A Better Tomorrow, both I deem, to be Woo's greatest.

The acting is done very well for the most part, with a bit of ham and over-the-top-ness at times, but Sally Yeh, Chow and Lee carry the film well, with Kenneth Tsang being just great like he always is (wished he got more screentime in Rush Hour 2).

Chu Kong does a good job for the most part as well, but he is the most hammy of everyone in the main cast and his character's exploits in the film, make every other Woo film seem realistic to death lol.

Still, good story (basically an action/romance of sorts), soundtrack fits somewhat and the action/gun fu is just brilliant, of course, though I'd still put Hard Boiled at the top, for a Woo film.

Yun-Fat Chow is just an awesome actor though and is truly under-appreciated, here in the West (rightfully so, as he hasn't done much over here).

8/10
 
Watched, "Bullet in the Head," 2 nights ago (wanted to split Woo up, but it was sorter than the other film I have to watch so I took in this one) and I can honestly say, IMO, that it is Woo's absolute best work he's ever done... after Hard Boiled; the two are different films, but they are his two best by far, in my eyes.

Tony Leung (one of the best actors to ever come out of HK, I have never seen a bad performance by him in anything) is a young adult, without much going for him. He is super close with his 2 friends and they are like Blood Brothers of sorts. Leung's character decides to get married one night, then he and one of the friends, go off to beat up a gang leader that beat up said friend. They accidentally kill him, then flee to Vietnam (with the third friend in tow), right in the middle of the Vietnam war.

The first third of the film is the usual Woo hijinks, with great action sequences, character development and a bit of exposition. I was not expecting the second third at all though and it left me very somber and... detached, for the past 2 days. Like many people in North America, I have seen a ton of Vietnam War-related material, especially fictional films. By far, this was the most accurate depiction on film I have ever seen (as I wasn't alive to witness it, I'm only going off of anecdotes and written-history, of the actual war) of the war and it is a film that doesn't pull it's punches to show the severity, even if it can be a tad hammy at times.

One slight thing that keeps your spirits up, is the character of Ah Lok (played by Simon Yam, who is awesome in the role); this character was originally going to be played by Chow Yun-Fat (which would have been BEYOND AWESOME), but Woo talked him out of it, as it wasn't one of the 3 leading roles. Anyways, this character is the 3 friends' guide and gatekeeper, while in Vietnam and he is just super badass and heroic, while also being human and making his share of mistakes; it is a brilliantly-written character and Yam stands out just as much as the 3 friends.

The final third of the film shows the aftermath of the previous 2/3 and loose ends get more or less tied up, with heartache and joy, both realistic in nature and great bits of acting. The VERY last scene is a bit ridiculous and kind of out of place with the rest of the film, but doesn't go over the top and it keeps the film from falling off the rails completely.

If you can get your hands on a copy (Cantonese dub, btw), do so; an absolutely wonderful film and Woo's best... after Hard Boiled.

10/10.


Gareth Evans' "Apostle," came out yesterday on Netflix, btw; I'll try to take that in soon!
 
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