Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Saw this in the cinema when released 20 years ago and was sorely disappointed at the time, rewatched it years later and it was still shite. So watched again last night and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. Obviously not a patch on the previous 2 films but you can tell money and effort went into the production. The effects hold up really well and there's a ton of practical stunts and property destruction with the crane chase being a hoot. The story is okay for the most part and moves at a good pace, takes itself a wee bit too seriously in places and not at all in others. Arnie looks like he's having fun anyway. Plus it was under 2 hours.
I Just Watched (Films)
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
Finally, someone else that doesn't hate it. 
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
I didnt hate it either, I thought it was pretty close to T2 in its tone and daftness. A little worse but same ballpark.
The Blithe Spirit 1945
I really enjoyed this! A married couple perform a séance for a laugh and end up bringing the ghost of the husbands ex wife to inhabit the house. The dialogue is snappy and full of flavour, theres a good number of laughs and its just a good solid light hearted British comedy with some dark touches. It features Margaret Rutherford as the medium who looks and acts almost 100% like Stephen Fry in drag.
The Blithe Spirit 2020
Judy Dench (medium) and Isla Fisher(wife) star in a remake and its utter fucking trash. We turned it off after 30-40mins. It has no class, no style, no care for the quietly dignified snappiness of the original. Over produced, under written garbage.
The Blithe Spirit 1945
I really enjoyed this! A married couple perform a séance for a laugh and end up bringing the ghost of the husbands ex wife to inhabit the house. The dialogue is snappy and full of flavour, theres a good number of laughs and its just a good solid light hearted British comedy with some dark touches. It features Margaret Rutherford as the medium who looks and acts almost 100% like Stephen Fry in drag.
The Blithe Spirit 2020
Judy Dench (medium) and Isla Fisher(wife) star in a remake and its utter fucking trash. We turned it off after 30-40mins. It has no class, no style, no care for the quietly dignified snappiness of the original. Over produced, under written garbage.
A man who could tell more truth and eat fewer pies.
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ManBearSquid
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)
It came across as a shite imitation of that film. T2 is a great action movie, and was still a respectable direction in the series, for me, but I'm much more in the camp of T1 and its more tense, horror vibes.
T3 is a turd that I'd never watch again.
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Took the kids to see this today, and it was an absolute blast. Great action, good humour and genuinely touching moments, while it felt like every character had their own arc with a satisfying pay-off. One of the best kids' films I've seen in recent years.
Took the kids to see this today, and it was an absolute blast. Great action, good humour and genuinely touching moments, while it felt like every character had their own arc with a satisfying pay-off. One of the best kids' films I've seen in recent years.
I have a Youtube channel now! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6kVsr ... Q/featured
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Lenny Solidus
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)
The Black Phone
Ethan Hawke is suitably and at times wonderfully creepy as The Grabber, but that is about as much praise as I can allow this movie I'm afraid. It attempts to convince you that it is all building up to something with far more prominence, impact and meaning than it eventually awards. Considering how much of a bleak and stark reality this kind of scenario is and the terrible, often horrific eventualities that would normally unfold, I was expecting much far more from this movie, maybe a little too much. Truth is, many Blum House releases take me right back to my very early John Carpenter discovery days with the way they are shot and produced but also much like Carpenters works they can be very hit-and-miss at times.
6/10
The Grey
What a fantastic movie. There's nothing I can really add more than I was captivated from beginning to climax, and what a way to end a movie. Although it does also have a great cast (Frank Grillo is always a win in my eyes, please watch Kingdom!) Liam Neeson is the supreme draw here and gives a truly mountainous, gravitating performance.
Joe Carnahan is such a wonderful director and the way he builds tension is some scenes is just, fuck yes. The way he visually and audibly handles every single scene with the baying bloodthirsty you know what, my god. Right up there with one of my favourite ever Liam Neeson roles of his in Next of Kin.
9/10
Also, Joe Carnahan's A-Team is one of the best most fun watch movies ever made. Don't quote me.
Ethan Hawke is suitably and at times wonderfully creepy as The Grabber, but that is about as much praise as I can allow this movie I'm afraid. It attempts to convince you that it is all building up to something with far more prominence, impact and meaning than it eventually awards. Considering how much of a bleak and stark reality this kind of scenario is and the terrible, often horrific eventualities that would normally unfold, I was expecting much far more from this movie, maybe a little too much. Truth is, many Blum House releases take me right back to my very early John Carpenter discovery days with the way they are shot and produced but also much like Carpenters works they can be very hit-and-miss at times.
6/10
The Grey
What a fantastic movie. There's nothing I can really add more than I was captivated from beginning to climax, and what a way to end a movie. Although it does also have a great cast (Frank Grillo is always a win in my eyes, please watch Kingdom!) Liam Neeson is the supreme draw here and gives a truly mountainous, gravitating performance.
Joe Carnahan is such a wonderful director and the way he builds tension is some scenes is just, fuck yes. The way he visually and audibly handles every single scene with the baying bloodthirsty you know what, my god. Right up there with one of my favourite ever Liam Neeson roles of his in Next of Kin.
9/10
Also, Joe Carnahan's A-Team is one of the best most fun watch movies ever made. Don't quote me.
Building the future, and keeping the past alive - are one and the same thing.
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
A handful of recents:
Mortal Kombat (2021): I wasn't exactly expecting a masterpiece here, but the source material is more fun than the film is. There's a couple of brutal fatality-esque kills, but it feels like they're trying too hard to make it feel like a realistic depiction of a ludicrous fantasy fighting tournament. It's fine I suppose, certainly worth a watch if you've nothing better, but the fight choreography, something that could have been spectacular given the genre, is average at best.
Joe Kidd: Cowboy Clint Eastwood plays Cowboy Clint Eastwood in a Western featuring Cowboy Clint Eastwood. I'm not sure you need to know more about it than that; it's not as good as the Dollars trilogy but it's still fairly fun. The story's certainly dated (being about rightful land-owners resisting a land-grab, but the titular character doesn't really see their point of view), but not to the point of spoiling it.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Ehhh. It's a film mourning the actor that used to play the title role, and I think this gives it an air of melancholy that doesn't fit the material. It's obviously sad that Chadwick Boseman died long before his time, but the film won't let you forget it even right up until the final scene. It's a bit of an interesting contrast actually between how the series mourned characters following Endgame, and how it mourns actors. But it has a similar problem to Love and Thunder; the exciting superhero fantasy stuff doesn't bring the film's energy level up enough, and in Wakanda Forever's case the cast just don't have Boseman's charisma either. It's still a better film than the most recent Thor, but it's still disappointing, as with almost every film outing since Endgame.
I'm not really sure what's happened to the MCU in the last few years. With the exception of Spiderman, which I enjoyed arguably more for the gimmick than the story, it really feels like they've run out of steam, and while I guess that shouldn't be surprising given the crescendo of Endgame, after seven films and three years it still doesn't feel like they're interested in regaining any sense of momentum.
Mortal Kombat (2021): I wasn't exactly expecting a masterpiece here, but the source material is more fun than the film is. There's a couple of brutal fatality-esque kills, but it feels like they're trying too hard to make it feel like a realistic depiction of a ludicrous fantasy fighting tournament. It's fine I suppose, certainly worth a watch if you've nothing better, but the fight choreography, something that could have been spectacular given the genre, is average at best.
Joe Kidd: Cowboy Clint Eastwood plays Cowboy Clint Eastwood in a Western featuring Cowboy Clint Eastwood. I'm not sure you need to know more about it than that; it's not as good as the Dollars trilogy but it's still fairly fun. The story's certainly dated (being about rightful land-owners resisting a land-grab, but the titular character doesn't really see their point of view), but not to the point of spoiling it.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Ehhh. It's a film mourning the actor that used to play the title role, and I think this gives it an air of melancholy that doesn't fit the material. It's obviously sad that Chadwick Boseman died long before his time, but the film won't let you forget it even right up until the final scene. It's a bit of an interesting contrast actually between how the series mourned characters following Endgame, and how it mourns actors. But it has a similar problem to Love and Thunder; the exciting superhero fantasy stuff doesn't bring the film's energy level up enough, and in Wakanda Forever's case the cast just don't have Boseman's charisma either. It's still a better film than the most recent Thor, but it's still disappointing, as with almost every film outing since Endgame.
I'm not really sure what's happened to the MCU in the last few years. With the exception of Spiderman, which I enjoyed arguably more for the gimmick than the story, it really feels like they've run out of steam, and while I guess that shouldn't be surprising given the crescendo of Endgame, after seven films and three years it still doesn't feel like they're interested in regaining any sense of momentum.
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
I’ve not seen Wakanda Forever yet, but I completely agree on the state of the MCU. The three phases over 11 years which saw the formation of the Avengers and the eventual defeat of Thanos ARE the MCU to me - that’s what I cared about and became invested in. Whatever this new phase is (something something multiverse), the individual films aren’t good enough to stand on their own merit and the wider story arc is too confused to be coherent. It’s a mess.
I think the key to fixing it is to stop releasing so many damn films and series. It’s too much. I still haven’t caught up with Hawkeye, She-Hulk and Ms Marvel, not because I disliked what I saw of each of them, but because I only have one set of eyes.* And I expect down the line, some critical plot moment will depend up on me having seen all of it. That’s the point where it changes from entertainment to work.
I also think no small part of it is that Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans were immensely charismatic touchstones that are absent now, and it shows.
* I did eventually finish Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which I thought was terrible from start to finish. Dull characters, dull story, dull, dull, dull. There was no real reason for it to exist.
EDIT - Christ, just thinking about it has made me want to vent some more.
Aside from being powerfully boring, the problem is that it sets itself up as Sam and Bucky avoiding having the Captain America torch passed to them, and then they berate the arsehole who's been appointed to that role, but it never really addresses the key problem: neither of them are Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers' whole deal is that he always sticks to his principles no matter what, even if it means fighting friends or starting a war. Sam sticks to his principles when he feels like he probably should, or when he's not a bit tired with it all, or when he's not restoring a boat and going for a bank loan (good god, they actually did that scene). Bucky doesn't appear to have principles beyond not wanting to be a brainwashed Hydra assassin. No matter how hard they train, how much they want to live up to the legacy of Captain America, they don't have that core of unshakeable principle that drove Steve Rogers. And rather than accepting that and figuring out how to follow their own paths, they double down on trying to be the next Cap. And it just doesn't work. Such a stupid series.
I think the key to fixing it is to stop releasing so many damn films and series. It’s too much. I still haven’t caught up with Hawkeye, She-Hulk and Ms Marvel, not because I disliked what I saw of each of them, but because I only have one set of eyes.* And I expect down the line, some critical plot moment will depend up on me having seen all of it. That’s the point where it changes from entertainment to work.
I also think no small part of it is that Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans were immensely charismatic touchstones that are absent now, and it shows.
* I did eventually finish Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which I thought was terrible from start to finish. Dull characters, dull story, dull, dull, dull. There was no real reason for it to exist.
EDIT - Christ, just thinking about it has made me want to vent some more.
Aside from being powerfully boring, the problem is that it sets itself up as Sam and Bucky avoiding having the Captain America torch passed to them, and then they berate the arsehole who's been appointed to that role, but it never really addresses the key problem: neither of them are Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers' whole deal is that he always sticks to his principles no matter what, even if it means fighting friends or starting a war. Sam sticks to his principles when he feels like he probably should, or when he's not a bit tired with it all, or when he's not restoring a boat and going for a bank loan (good god, they actually did that scene). Bucky doesn't appear to have principles beyond not wanting to be a brainwashed Hydra assassin. No matter how hard they train, how much they want to live up to the legacy of Captain America, they don't have that core of unshakeable principle that drove Steve Rogers. And rather than accepting that and figuring out how to follow their own paths, they double down on trying to be the next Cap. And it just doesn't work. Such a stupid series.
Last edited by Wrathbone on Mon Feb 06, 2023 11:33 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
It has the same issue that comic books invariably always have, there's always another threat to the universe that has to somehow previously top the last one. When the stakes of your first main arc are that half the people in the universe are erased from existence, it's kind of hard to really up the ante after that without descending into convoluted rubbish. I know there's plenty more source material to draw on, but I don't really rate the Marvel comics and simply being faced with a never ending stream of them trying to top the first phase is just fatiguing.
I don't want to have to buy into everything in order to understand a movie on its own either. Dr Strange 2 makes no sense without watching the Wanda and Vision show. I didn't mind that so much as that's one of the spin offs I've actually seen, but I've missed pretty much everything since then and the more they pull stunts like that the less likely I'm going to want to buy in at all.
It certainly doesn't help that Robert Downey Jr was basically the highlight of the entire franchise up until Endgame either. It's fitting that the movies in the aftermath of it deal with how they're adapting to living in a world without Tony Stark when really the producers are probably dealing with the same issues in how to approach the movies without Downey Jr.
I don't want to have to buy into everything in order to understand a movie on its own either. Dr Strange 2 makes no sense without watching the Wanda and Vision show. I didn't mind that so much as that's one of the spin offs I've actually seen, but I've missed pretty much everything since then and the more they pull stunts like that the less likely I'm going to want to buy in at all.
It certainly doesn't help that Robert Downey Jr was basically the highlight of the entire franchise up until Endgame either. It's fitting that the movies in the aftermath of it deal with how they're adapting to living in a world without Tony Stark when really the producers are probably dealing with the same issues in how to approach the movies without Downey Jr.
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
I think that's my biggest issue. I'm not sure there *is* a story arc at present. There've been a few similar themes explored recently, but nothing that connects any of them. There've been three multiverse-themed productions now I think (No Way Home, Loki, Multiverse of Madness, I'm possibly forgetting one), but I don't recall there being anything to connect them, no villain emerging, nothing to really overcome as a group. I can understand that the producers might want to introduce the concept of multiple realties slowly as there's definitely potential for confusion there, but there's nothing stopping them just hinting at stuff like they did with the earliest films.
I'm not of the opinion that there's too much MCU stuff to watch, but the quality is spread too thinly across it. The TV productions are definitely stronger than the films are at the moment, but I think that's just the nature of big-budget TV; there's more time to tell a compelling story, although it has to be said that not every series is managing that.
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Lenny Solidus
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)
Thor: Love and Wtf Fuck Was That rang the true death knell of the MCU for me, a point I fear they can never return from that finally spilled into utter mediocrity. I have not seen nor do I have the intention of even watching Black Panther 2 or anything else Marvel produces any longer, it's all developed into little more than time sapping garbage since Endgame and Marvel clearly just no longer give a flying fuck.
Building the future, and keeping the past alive - are one and the same thing.
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
Onto less disappointing films...
Starter For Ten
This is a very enjoyable coming-of-age film revolving around a University Challenge team in the 80s. And what a cast - James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Alice Eve, Dominic Cooper, each quite early in their careers, as well as small roles from Charles Dance and Mark Gatiss (as Bamber Gascoigne). Superb performances all around - a real feel-good film.
8/10
Starter For Ten
This is a very enjoyable coming-of-age film revolving around a University Challenge team in the 80s. And what a cast - James McAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Alice Eve, Dominic Cooper, each quite early in their careers, as well as small roles from Charles Dance and Mark Gatiss (as Bamber Gascoigne). Superb performances all around - a real feel-good film.
8/10
Re: I Just Watched (Films)
I've been meaning to watch Starter for Ten for years, given that I quite enjoyed the book. I had a quick scout around after reading that and realised it's on iPlayer, so I might finally get around to it at the weekend.
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Lenny Solidus
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)
Final Score
Imagine a modern day semi political take on Die Hard and Under Siege or any amount of Van Damme movies, but this one is starring good old Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan and one time Punisher Ray Stevenson. A group of cold-blooded hardened terrorists pinpoint a political target they wish to kill, only this particular target...
As big a chap as Dave is, he still somehow manages to exude that relatable everyman persona that Willis himself made such a trademark in the Die Hard movies.
6 Penalty kicks out of 10.
A pretty good way to spend £1.99, actually. Less than a pack of Pringles.
Imagine a modern day semi political take on Die Hard and Under Siege or any amount of Van Damme movies, but this one is starring good old Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan and one time Punisher Ray Stevenson. A group of cold-blooded hardened terrorists pinpoint a political target they wish to kill, only this particular target...
Spoiler
Yes, that's right. And I know it sounds utterly preposterous because it bloody well is, saying that I honestly had a lot of fun watching this movie. It's competently put together being a mostly brit made production and I would say that I'm now of the firm belief I could watch Dave Bautista take on the role of a milkman who is actually a secret hitman and if he brings out a vanilla muller corner - you know he has found his designated target and milks about to get spilt. As big a chap as Dave is, he still somehow manages to exude that relatable everyman persona that Willis himself made such a trademark in the Die Hard movies.
6 Penalty kicks out of 10.
A pretty good way to spend £1.99, actually. Less than a pack of Pringles.
Building the future, and keeping the past alive - are one and the same thing.
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Can't think of one
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Re: I Just Watched (Films)
I watched that movie a few months ago, I was thought it a good popcorn movie...though totally unrealisticLennyquantum wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 11:57 pmFinal Score
Imagine a modern day semi political take on Die Hard and Under Siege or any amount of Van Damme movies, but this one is starring good old Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan and one time Punisher Ray Stevenson. A group of cold-blooded hardened terrorists pinpoint a political target they wish to kill, only this particular target...
SpoilerYes, that's right. And I know it sounds utterly preposterous because it bloody well is, saying that I honestly had a lot of fun watching this movie. It's competently put together being a mostly brit made production and I would say that I'm now of the firm belief I could watch Dave Bautista take on the role of a milkman who is actually a secret hitman and if he brings out a vanilla muller corner - you know he has found his designated target and milks about to get spilt.
As big a chap as Dave is, he still somehow manages to exude that relatable everyman persona that Willis himself made such a trademark in the Die Hard movies.
6 Penalty kicks out of 10.
A pretty good way to spend £1.99, actually. Less than a pack of Pringles.
Spoiler