what was the last movie you watched?

[Warhawk]

I was wondering if it was worth watching. I'll try to check it out.

Watched it today and enjoyed it. Like you said, a callback to the old Godzilla movies (acting, Japanese dialogue with subtitles, WWII plot, etc.) but with modern special effects.

Also, my sister is in from out of town and she and my folks came over to watch a favorite movie of dad's - We're No Angels (1955) that he likes to watch around Christmastime. I hadn't seen it in years. Good flick, nice comic banter, etc. Catch it if you haven't seen it. With Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, and Aldo Ray.

 

[Warhawk]

While visiting relatives in Oregon last week, my FIL and I caught Ferrari in the theater. While the general subject matter and time period covered would draw immediate comparisons to Ford vs. Ferrari, the film focuses more on Enzo Ferrari's life during that time (especially his wife and mistress) and their impacts on the car company and not so much the cars or races themselves (Ferrari used numerous racers, none of which get fully developed as characters in the film, etc.).

While we both liked the film and thought it was good (strong acting, etc.), we agreed that we liked the focus of Ford vs. Ferrari better and thought that film was more enjoyable overall.

 

[Warhawk]

Dad wanted to check out Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, so we did. Unless you are pretty hard up to see a superhero flick, I'd wait until it comes out on video. It's pretty meh overall.

There are several direct/blatant Star Wars ripoffs in the movie (creature cantina, Jabba the Hutt, taking down the AT-AT walkers, etc.) and a few nods to several other films here and there. Part of the time I was just watching for what was going to be copied next.

 

[Warhawk]

Dad wanted to check out The Beekeeper, so we hit the theater tonight.

It's one of those movies where the setup could make it a decent action flick, but the execution is just not good. Plot holes, silly bad guys, some stretches of pretty bad dialogue, lots of killing of folks who really didn't need to be offed, etc. Don't bother.

 

[kingofkings07]

Badland Hunters was ok.

 

[Warhawk]

Yes, please! Catching this in IMAX on 3/3.

 

[Warhawk]

Dad wanted to check out Argylle, so we did. Decent little story in a candy-coated wrapper that took too long to get to the end. It was silly at times, and very silly at others. It definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. I forgot how much I enjoy watching Sam Rockwell though (I've always liked him since Iron Man 2, which I think is underrated). Everyone did a pretty good job with their parts, but the movie itself kind of wavered in the zone where it wasn't a serious movie but also wasn't Austin Powers, either. I think my wife will like it, though, and she wants to see it, so we'll probably catch it this weekend sometime.

 

[dude12]

Dad wanted to check out Argylle, so we did. Decent little story in a candy-coated wrapper that took too long to get to the end. It was silly at times, and very silly at others. It definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. I forgot how much I enjoy watching Sam Rockwell though (I've always liked him since Iron Man 2, which I think is underrated). Everyone did a pretty good job with their parts, but the movie itself kind of wavered in the zone where it wasn't a serious movie but also wasn't Austin Powers, either. I think my wife will like it, though, and she wants to see it, so we'll probably catch it this weekend sometime.

Is it the same mode as The Kingsman movies?

 

[Warhawk]

Is it the same mode as The Kingsman movies?

I don't think I've ever seen one of those, but my impression is that it is likely somewhat similar. There are a couple scenes, especially at the end, which border on comical. This is the story of a female writer of spy/action yarns becoming involved in one in real life, and there are lots of stereotypical setpieces or sequences that are also rooted in her writing process, etc., which superimpose themselves on the screen with the action. At times these are an interesting juxtaposition between the writer and the work taking place simultaneously. At times they are just way over the top. Most seem to "make sense" within the movie, though. But there is a sequence or two at the end, in particular, that some folks didn't like but my wife enjoyed. This movie makes nods to the female audience members in both approach and execution (I know, another stereotype - sorry - but I think generally valid) but I generally enjoyed it for what it was. Frankly, it was a bit better for me in the second viewing.

 

[Warhawk]

A friend was pushing Hunter Killer (Netflix) so we watched it this afternoon. I actually generally liked the story, but there were a lot of things that just didn't make a lot of sense or were severely too "hollywood" for the movie to be taken too seriously. Still, a somewhat enjoyable flick if you just don't expect too much going in and accept what it is.

Stuff like:

Spoiler

Submarines able to turn almost on a dime
Submarines going at relatively high speed through narrow undersea canyons
Seemingly strange torpedo behavior
US soldiers being able to parachute into Russia from a "typical" military transport aircraft without being detected
3 US soldiers being able to infiltrate the Polyarny Russian naval yard without being detected (heck, you didn't see any military patrols or anything) and rescue a high Russian official being held under guard

and so on ... you get the idea

 

[Warhawk]

We had a free movie ticket to use so I went to see Madame Web. While I don't think it was as bad as the reviews said, it wasn't great.

Marvel usually does a great job with casting, but Sony maybe not so much? A couple of characters just seemed to be lacking some emotional depth, and some dialogue and delivery was a bit off. There were a few things that I was just kind of shaking my head at, such as:

Spoiler

After saving three (teenage?) girls from being killed by the bad guy, she apparently drives them out of town and drops them in the woods with no food and no water and says "I'll be back in 3 hours" and didn't even promise to bring food (even though they were asking and obviously hungry). They don't really know anything about her, and they are supposed to just hang out in the woods, hungry and alone? She couldn't have, I don't know, hit a drive-through or something along the way?

The ending takes place in a conveniently-placed, structurally-deficient warehouse jam packed with commercial fireworks and a huge neon Pepsi-Cola sign on top that has no door or security of any kind? They just go waltzing right in without a care in the world. Who would keep such things in such a place? Nobody stole all the fireworks? Nobody closed down the building?

Some 20+ years after her mom died in the Peruvian jungle, she goes back on a whim and as she walks around in the jungle the man who helped her mom deliver her just walks right up and knows who she is?

Where does this flick fit in with the MCU? It appears that Spider-Man doesn't exist in the movie or the movie takes place before superheroes are well known? Everyone seems surprised that there are people that can do super-hero type stuff. Is this a parallel universe or ???

Oh, and I kind of liked what they were trying to set up in this flick but reports are that the poor performance at the box office and bad reviews may have sunk any chance for a sequel.

 

[dude12]

The Holdovers on Peacock…..I believe you can find it elsewhere too, was a good flick. Worthy of its academy award nominations but not good enough to win but this is a solid movie.

 

[Warhawk]

Dune (Part 2)

It was EPIC. Absolutely fantastic. I want to see it again.

A few slight changes from the book but he’s already well into the screenplay for Dune Messiah, the next book in the series, to complete the story “trilogy” he’s working on. I think he's going to clean up some of that in the next film.

Seeing it in IMAX was perfect. I don’t go to IMAX often but it was worth it for this film.

Go see it.

Now.

 

[dude12]

Watched Spaceman on Nextflix starring Adam Sandler. Not his usual role but also a very unusual film. I liked it. Didn’t love it. But it was different and enjoyable and weird.

 

[Warhawk]

Wanted to get out of the house so dad and I went to go see Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and it is a hot mess in a lot of ways. Too much story, too many monsters, and too much "WTH is going on" at times all crammed into 1:45. I didn't expect much as far as a "good" movie. That's what I got. Parts were entertaining and the special effects are pretty good. But it isn't anything to write home about.

 

[Warhawk]

I watched Oppenheimer again - it was better the second time through. I caught some connections, etc., that I didn't catch in the theater.

I liked the bit where they dropped Kyoto off the bombing list - that actually happened and for the reason stated (he had visited the city previously and refused to bomb it due to the beauty and cultural significance).

 

[Warhawk]

Dune (Part 2)

It was EPIC. Absolutely fantastic. I want to see it again.

A few slight changes from the book but he’s already well into the screenplay for Dune Messiah, the next book in the series, to complete the story “trilogy” he’s working on. I think he's going to clean up some of that in the next film.

Seeing it in IMAX was perfect. I don’t go to IMAX often but it was worth it for this film.

Go see it.

Now.

Excellent. Dune part 3 (or whatever it will be called) is officially in the works!

Legendary Keeps The Spice Flowing, Announces Dune 3 (msn.com)

 

[hrdboild]

I was in a Philip K. Dick sort of mood a couple days ago so I dusted off an oldie I haven't seen since around the time of it's release: Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly (2006). I remember liking the movie at the time, but not in an overly enthusiastic way. I'm happy to report that it has aged really well!

Keanu Reeves in the lead role as undercover officer / druggie Bob Arctor plays confused and stoned about as well as anyone ever has. Robert Downey Jr. was just on the cusp of becoming a full-fledged star back then and he really brings the goods as Bob's paranoid roommate with psychopathic tendencies. Woody Harrelson and Winona Ryder don't have big parts but they're fun in their roles as well.

The rotoscoped animation style is a little distracting at first and (true to its source material) this is a mostly contained story without any epic sci-fi visual flair -- but that's the end of my nit-picks. And I have to say, watching this again through the lens of 2024 instead of 2006, now that epic sci-fi visual flair seems to be omnipresent while thought-provoking original literary content is in comparitive short supply, how refreshing to see a movie like this which dazzles with its ideas and heart instead of digital matte paintings galore and action set pieces.

This is a big 'would recommend' from me!

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I was in a Philip K. Dick sort of mood a couple days ago so I dusted off an oldie I haven't seen since around the time of it's release: Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly (2006).

Great movie. The little-known answer to the question: "What is the second-best movie adapted from a Philip K. Dick work?"

 

[hrdboild]

Great movie. The little-known answer to the question: "What is the second-best movie adapted from a Philip K. Dick work?"

Spielberg's Minority Report adaptation has a lot of fans too, and I think there's a lot of clever ideas in it, but I would agree with this. I think 'A Scanner Darkly' is a better movie because it does a better job of setting up and paying off the central character dilemma. The screenplay for Minority Report is so different from the original short story that it barely qualifies as an adaptation -- more of a parallel idea which starts with the same premise. And I've never been happy with the forced happy ending of that movie...

Spoiler: Contains Plot Details for Minority Report

In the short story John Anderton has to choose whether to willingly commit his predicted murder to preserve pre-crime or let the villain get away with framing him to discredit pre-crime and replace it with an authoritarian military state. It has free-will vs. pre-determination and the needs of the many vs. the fate of one individual all wrapped into the same dilemma. The movie off-loads this dilemma to the villain, which allows our hero to remain pure, but the writers don't even commit to that since their villain chooses a third option and just kills himself. So much for dramatic stakes.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

Spielberg's Minority Report adaptation has a lot of fans too, and I think there's a lot of clever ideas in it, but I would agree with this. I think 'A Scanner Darkly' is a better movie because it does a better job of setting up and paying off the central character dilemma. The screenplay for Minority Report is so different from the original short story that it barely qualifies as an adaptation -- more of a parallel idea which starts with the same premise. And I've never been happy with the forced happy ending of that movie...

Spoiler: Contains Plot Details for Minority Report

In the short story John Anderton has to choose whether to willingly commit his predicted murder to preserve pre-crime or let the villain get away with framing him to discredit pre-crime and replace it with an authoritarian military state. It has free-will vs. pre-determination and the needs of the many vs. the fate of one individual all wrapped into the same dilemma. The movie off-loads this dilemma to the villain, which allows our hero to remain pure, but the writers don't even commit to that since their villain chooses a third option and just kills himself. So much for dramatic stakes.

I only watched Minority Report once, but my recollection agrees with the gist here (re: the film, I haven't read Dick's version).

Interestingly, Wiki lists Blade Runner 2049 as a Dick adaptation, and I'd put that above Scanner, but I don't remotely consider it an adaptation of Dick.

 

[Warhawk]

My wife and I went to check out Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and other than all the fun cameos, it is pretty middle of the road. Wasn't nearly as funny as I thought it might be based on most of the previous flicks. It's fine, but nothing to write home about.

 

[dude12]

Rebel Moon Part 2 was solid. I thought the first part was somewhat slow given they were trying to flesh out the characters backgrounds which was important but the inevitable confrontation when the war began was what everyone was waiting for and it delivered. Some good action.

 

[kingofkings07]

I watched a punk movie called Jubliee (1978) not long ago (Not bad) and watched Dune Part 2 and Rebel Moon Part 2 - all very good.

 

[dude12]

Rewatched War for the Planet of the Apes Saturday night which I look at as a great movie
Then watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes this morning. Really liked it. A great start to the new trilogy.

 

[Warhawk]

I had outpatient surgery yesterday and am taking a couple days off to get back up to speed. I had a sedative before the surgery and while I was awake throughout, I got home, threw in Dune Part 1, and promptly fell asleep for a couple of hours.

However, Dune Part 2 arrived on my doorstep yesterday as well so I did get to re-watch that afterwards - excellent, just like the first time.

 

[dude12]

Finally got to watch Dune 2 on Max. I feel as though if I had read the book or books, I’d have a better idea of what was on the screen….felt like I was trying to catch up on characters and storylines. Probably should have watched the first movie again. That being said, I liked it.

 

[Warhawk]

Finally got to watch Dune 2 on Max. I feel as though if I had read the book or books, I’d have a better idea of what was on the screen….felt like I was trying to catch up on characters and storylines. Probably should have watched the first movie again. That being said, I liked it.

Dune parts 1 and 2 are just the first Frank Herbert book, "Dune", split into two movies. It really is a sci-fi classic, so check it out if you get a chance. It is deeper than any of the movies. There is so much packed in there they split it into two movies and they still had to cut parts out to get it to work coherently (as a "good" movie) on the screen.

Edit: I made a couple of minor revisions to this post for clarity.

 

[dude12]

Dune parts 1 and 2 are just from the first Frank Herbert book, "Dune". It really is a sci-fi classic, so check it out if you get a chance. It is deeper than any of the movies. There is so much packed in there they split it into two movies and they still had to cut parts out to get it to work coherently (as a "good" movie) on the screen.

Good info….it looks like there will be a 3rd movie, right?

 

[Warhawk]

Good info….it looks like there will be a 3rd movie, right?

Yes, they are working on a script I think. That movie will (reportedly) be based on the second book in his 6-book series, "Dune Messiah". My understanding is that he wants to do the movie trilogy and then call it good. That should cover the general story arc for Paul, covering his ascent to being the most powerful emperor ever seen, but also the reason he was so afraid that his visions would come true.

The Dune world is rich and deep and fairly fully fleshed out, with politics, religion, science, human nature, planetary ecology, war, etc. It goes much deeper than a movie can portray. Dune Parts 1 and 2 left out entire segments of the book, including CHOAM, the Spacing Guild/Navigators, the Landsraad, most of the discussion of the Mentats and Suk doctors, all the benefits of spice to the empire and people, more detailed discussion on the Bene Gesserit, etc. Basically, it stripped down a lot of what gave the book depth to create a story that could "breathe" on film, instead of the overstuffed 1984 movie (that was pretty bad as a "movie" but in some respects followed the book details better). Unlike the book, they also didn't introduce Alia, the unborn sister of Paul, as a young child at the end of Part 2.

After the first couple books things get really weird, including Paul's son essentially turning into a giant sandworm, the ability to grow clones of humans in alien female bodies, Face Dancer aliens that can mimic/copy someone's looks/voice, etc. And the books can get very long-winded, as Herbert gets deep into people's thoughts, motivations, etc.; it can be a slog to read through despite some of the more interesting aspects.

Frank's son, Brian, teamed up with a writer and all of Frank's notes about the history and future of the Dune universe and wrote about another 20 books that take place predominantly before the events in "Dune", but also during and after. Those books are not as "dense" and are much more accessible to the reader. Frankly, they are written in a way much easier to digest and would be more adaptable to the screen. Some of the early books regarding Omnius/Erasmus, Agammemnon (the Cymeks), the Butlerian Jihad, the Machine Crusade, etc., might make great movies more in line with "typical" action sci-fi flicks (think things like Terminator/T2, anything with giant mechs, a known-universe wide jihad of religious wars, etc.).

See here for more: Dune (franchise) - Wikipedia