I had trouble with the site too, I had to use google translate tool and a few headaches before I worked it out, Amazon.de does sound like a safer option, I'm not even 100% sure I got it right, I did get an email saying order went through but it was tough, ill only know for sure when it arrives, I would recommend the Amazon for safety and ease that Mikko mentioned
I watched Kong: Skull Island which was fun but largely forgettable. Great cast for the most part although Samuel L. Jackson doesn't really get much of a character to play and doesn't go out of his way to bring anything to the part either.
Having seen Logan the previous week, I'd be wanting to revisit the rest of the franchise so I watched the first X-men movie for the first time since seeing it in the theater. I've always appreciated the X-men movies for what they did for Superhero movies more than I actually liked the movies themselves. As a comic book fan, I understand that it's hard to distill the essence of the X-men comics into something that works as a movie. Hell, it took them 12 years and a relaunch to get the comic book right so I don't really fault them for taking a long time to really get to making movies that I actually enjoyed. I was curious to see if my feelings on the movie had changed or if my memories of it were accurate.
It turns out I still don't like it. I like Wolverine and for the most part I like Rogue although she unfortunately is sidelined for most of the climax. We get a few bits of cool stuff at the school, obviously some of the casting is pretty good, and that's about it for things I like. Wolverine, Rogue, and Magneto are the only ones who come close to being actual characters here. Scott, Jean, and Storm are bland, and Toad and Sabretooth are actively bad. Magneto's plan is a mess involving a plot to turn humans into mutants, but it doesn't actually work and would result in people just dying, plus he needs Rogue to drain some of his powers to power this machine which doesn't really make any sense. Very little of this works for me.
I didn't bother to watch X2 when it came out in the theaters such was my disappoint with this movie the first time I saw it. I like X2 a bit better but even that movie is just 3 or 4 cool scenes and then a bunch of stuff around it I didn't really care about. It wasn't really until First Class and DOFP where I really started enjoying the X-men movies. Of course they'd blow it on the next movie but I'm still curious to see where they go next with things.
Why is the The Man With the Golden Gun podcast comments section specifically the one place targeted by spam bots? It's a lightning rod for Poker and Escort links.
That's funny. There's so many there! I sometimes find the odd one, usually on big movies that no one has posted on for a while (ie. Avengers). Patrick is studious at weeding the bots, however, and I'm thankful for that. Maybe he ignored them for that post as a joke?
Maybe. I might need those links so I can hire an escort for the sole purpose of watching Slamma Jamma with me if I get booked to play it at my theater, just so I can comment on Riske's eventual column.
Watched a few new movies this week. Ant-Man: decent. Independence Day: Resurrection: Typical Emmerich. The Girl With All The Gifts: Added one new idea to the tired zombie genre. Jaws 3: 50/50 between big-dumb-grin and boredom. Doomsday (2008): I really enjoyed it. If this exact same movie was made in the 80's, with a much lower budget, and shittier FX, it would be universally beloved. Also, "Tactical Yoga Pants", credit to Mark Ahn from the Doomsday podcast.
Last, but not least, the kids and I picked movies out of a hat, and we watched The Pacifier. I've been on a bit of a Vin Diesel kick lately, and I was worried about killing all the goodwill I had built after watching the Riddick and Furious movies. But it ended up being an enjoyable and funny movie. He doesn't have the comedic chops of say, Arnold, but sitting with the family, sharing popcorn, and hearing the kids laugh is always a fun experience.
Sidenote: I scored a hat-trick playing hockey. So a good week!
My dad is trying to understand himself through his kids perspective (which is great), so I recommended The Royal Tenenbaums to him :) I hope that wasn't too mean. I see its humor now but I remember when I first saw The Royal Tenenbaums in a theater I cried the whole time. No one else in the theater was laughing OR crying so I didn't know what else to think except that it was the saddest movie ever.
Last year my parents and I had a big falling out over their idea to divorce and I wanted them to watch a bunch of movies or else I wouldn't talk to them again (something like that). I got to ask them to watch all these movies that were really important to me, including The Squid and the Whale and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, among others. It was awesome. It was a dream come true to share those with them, especially The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie... and to feel understood via those movies that were so close to my heart.
Also wanted to share this interview. Daryl Davis made a documentary, Accidental Courtesy, I can't wait to see. I've been reading way too much on nationalists and neo Nazis lately, mostly to understand. This guy has my respect bc he knows how to educate and communicate...with anyone.
Sabogal combined different animation techniques and live action, and the result looked really pretty (check out a trailer ). The plot of investigating corruption within the Colombian government however was really dense and at times a little hard to follow (the fact that the English subtitles whizzed past pretty quickly didn't help).
The movie I'm thinking of is Waltz with Bashir. It's actually an Israeli animated film (documentary?) about the "Sabra and Shatila massacre" of 1982. The animation was very unique and but looked similar to the trailer for Sabogal. Was very good. I read that it is banned in Lebanon, but I remember discussing it with a couple Lebanese friends that were studying in my program, and they were very favorable towards it. It was more about the emotional struggles of a soldier than the war itself.
XXX: return of xander cage - very fun movie that knows what it is
addicted to fresno - good, small dramatic comedy with a bunch of small actors that you know but can't quite remember in what you've seen them. and also judy greer.
little sister - good story about a sister getting back home after her brother had an accident, recommended
I tried to like Addicted to Fresno because I love Judy Greer and just kinda root for Natasha Lyonne in life in general but I couldn't really get into it.
Watched Christine thinking it was Carrie. Kept wondering when Sissy Spacek was going to appear.
Adam, thanks for recommending Jackie last weekend. It starts as a meditation on depression and grief but ultimately explores public perception, legacy, and vanity.
Woke up the other night after a dream that played like a movie. Federal agents are called into an office building to deal with a hostage crisis, only there don't seem to be any assailants and the hostages aren't talking. The lead agent finds himself isolated from the others when one of the hostages pulls out a gun... So, basically, I dreamt a Die Hard knock-off.
Watched a really fun documentary this week called Man Vs. Snake on Netflix. It's a "sort of" spin-off to King of Kong. Not as good as that movie but still an entertaining watch.
Also, just finished Love season 2 on Netflix. I will never get over woman after woman throwing themselves after Paul Rust but other than that I enjoy the show for the most part. Gillian Jacobs is great and it makes me nostalgic for the quaintness of the Apatow-naissance of ten years ago. Love is a show that shouldn't exist anymore but does. It's like going to a 4th of July carnival and seeing a band whose hits you used to like.
I've tried to make it a point to see every Halloween themed Horror film from the biggest to the most micro budget and thought I had accomplished that last year until tonight when I stumbled across this little gem, "Hollow Gate" (1988). An IMDB user who rated it 2/10 described exactly why I would give it an 8/10 - "Pointlessly violent horror film that wallows in its own ineptness". I thought it was great!
Also watched "Devil in the Dark" (2017) which is a small, slow burn indie that had some great atmosphere and build up. I thought the filmmakers pulled off what they attempted and I liked it well enough.
I watched it on YouTube. Keep in mind if you are not a fan of SOV Horror you might be turned off by this. I was mostly excited from a completist perspective but I also really liked it.
I watched The Greasy Strangler on Amazon Prime. Anyone else seen that? Maybe this says more about me than the movie, but I thought it was as unique and hilarious a comedy as I've seen in years. Highly recommended if you like your comedy pitch black.
Skull Island was old school and fun. Stockiest of stock characters, yes, but charismatic stock characters who were directed with fun in mind and not gritty smoldering acting.
Re, Patrick, the Site in German for Bluray
ReplyDeleteI had trouble with the site too, I had to use google translate tool and a few headaches before I worked it out, Amazon.de does sound like a safer option, I'm not even 100% sure I got it right, I did get an email saying order went through but it was tough, ill only know for sure when it arrives, I would recommend the Amazon for safety and ease that Mikko mentioned
https://www.amazon.de/gp/aw/d/B01N7ZEHV4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1488994919&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=xtro+blu+ray
Still a good price for 5 discs and easier to use, get in touch if you get stuck and I'll help out
The Amazon.de site also works in English, just select the language from the menu on the top right if it doesn't detect it automatically.
DeleteI pre-ordered it from there and added a cheap Blu-ray of Bloodsport to get the total over 39€, which means free shipping (at least inside Europe).
Let's hope we get it soon, :)
DeleteI watched Kong: Skull Island which was fun but largely forgettable. Great cast for the most part although Samuel L. Jackson doesn't really get much of a character to play and doesn't go out of his way to bring anything to the part either.
ReplyDeleteHaving seen Logan the previous week, I'd be wanting to revisit the rest of the franchise so I watched the first X-men movie for the first time since seeing it in the theater. I've always appreciated the X-men movies for what they did for Superhero movies more than I actually liked the movies themselves. As a comic book fan, I understand that it's hard to distill the essence of the X-men comics into something that works as a movie. Hell, it took them 12 years and a relaunch to get the comic book right so I don't really fault them for taking a long time to really get to making movies that I actually enjoyed. I was curious to see if my feelings on the movie had changed or if my memories of it were accurate.
It turns out I still don't like it. I like Wolverine and for the most part I like Rogue although she unfortunately is sidelined for most of the climax. We get a few bits of cool stuff at the school, obviously some of the casting is pretty good, and that's about it for things I like. Wolverine, Rogue, and Magneto are the only ones who come close to being actual characters here. Scott, Jean, and Storm are bland, and Toad and Sabretooth are actively bad. Magneto's plan is a mess involving a plot to turn humans into mutants, but it doesn't actually work and would result in people just dying, plus he needs Rogue to drain some of his powers to power this machine which doesn't really make any sense. Very little of this works for me.
I didn't bother to watch X2 when it came out in the theaters such was my disappoint with this movie the first time I saw it. I like X2 a bit better but even that movie is just 3 or 4 cool scenes and then a bunch of stuff around it I didn't really care about. It wasn't really until First Class and DOFP where I really started enjoying the X-men movies. Of course they'd blow it on the next movie but I'm still curious to see where they go next with things.
Why is the The Man With the Golden Gun podcast comments section specifically the one place targeted by spam bots? It's a lightning rod for Poker and Escort links.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny. There's so many there!
DeleteI sometimes find the odd one, usually on big movies that no one has posted on for a while (ie. Avengers).
Patrick is studious at weeding the bots, however, and I'm thankful for that. Maybe he ignored them for that post as a joke?
Maybe. I might need those links so I can hire an escort for the sole purpose of watching Slamma Jamma with me if I get booked to play it at my theater, just so I can comment on Riske's eventual column.
DeleteWatched a few new movies this week. Ant-Man: decent. Independence Day: Resurrection: Typical Emmerich. The Girl With All The Gifts: Added one new idea to the tired zombie genre. Jaws 3: 50/50 between big-dumb-grin and boredom. Doomsday (2008): I really enjoyed it. If this exact same movie was made in the 80's, with a much lower budget, and shittier FX, it would be universally beloved. Also, "Tactical Yoga Pants", credit to Mark Ahn from the Doomsday podcast.
ReplyDeleteLast, but not least, the kids and I picked movies out of a hat, and we watched The Pacifier. I've been on a bit of a Vin Diesel kick lately, and I was worried about killing all the goodwill I had built after watching the Riddick and Furious movies. But it ended up being an enjoyable and funny movie. He doesn't have the comedic chops of say, Arnold, but sitting with the family, sharing popcorn, and hearing the kids laugh is always a fun experience.
Sidenote: I scored a hat-trick playing hockey. So a good week!
A Vin Diesel kick is one of the bravest things I've heard of in a while. You're doing the Lord's work son.
DeleteMy work will not be done until I watch The Last Witch Hunter and Babylon A.D.
DeleteYou could technically watch Guardians of the Galaxy to sweeten the pallet.
DeleteI think I liked Babylon A.D. more than most people but I haven't revisited it since it was in the theater. I might also conflate it a bit with Hanna.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMy dad is trying to understand himself through his kids perspective (which is great), so I recommended The Royal Tenenbaums to him :) I hope that wasn't too mean. I see its humor now but I remember when I first saw The Royal Tenenbaums in a theater I cried the whole time. No one else in the theater was laughing OR crying so I didn't know what else to think except that it was the saddest movie ever.
Last year my parents and I had a big falling out over their idea to divorce and I wanted them to watch a bunch of movies or else I wouldn't talk to them again (something like that). I got to ask them to watch all these movies that were really important to me, including The Squid and the Whale and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, among others. It was awesome. It was a dream come true to share those with them, especially The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie... and to feel understood via those movies that were so close to my heart.
http://www.npr.org/2014/11/14/363896136/the-silver-dollar-lounge
ReplyDeleteAlso wanted to share this interview. Daryl Davis made a documentary, Accidental Courtesy, I can't wait to see. I've been reading way too much on nationalists and neo Nazis lately, mostly to understand. This guy has my respect bc he knows how to educate and communicate...with anyone.
Just walked out of Kong. Ross's assessment of "fun but forgettable" is pretty spot on for me too.
ReplyDeleteIn 20 minutes I'm seeing Sabogal, a Colombian animation, at a Tampere Film Festival screening. No idea what it's going to be.
Sabogal combined different animation techniques and live action, and the result looked really pretty (check out a trailer ). The plot of investigating corruption within the Colombian government however was really dense and at times a little hard to follow (the fact that the English subtitles whizzed past pretty quickly didn't help).
DeleteThe trailer is here.
DeleteWow. I'm intrigued.
DeleteThe style reminds me of a Lebanese movie I saw about a massacre during the civil war of the 80's.
The movie I'm thinking of is Waltz with Bashir. It's actually an Israeli animated film (documentary?) about the "Sabra and Shatila massacre" of 1982. The animation was very unique and but looked similar to the trailer for Sabogal. Was very good. I read that it is banned in Lebanon, but I remember discussing it with a couple Lebanese friends that were studying in my program, and they were very favorable towards it. It was more about the emotional struggles of a soldier than the war itself.
Delete"Galaxy of Horrors" is a decent anthology but really a mixed bag. Still, I enjoyed most of the segments in varying degrees.
ReplyDeleteXXX: return of xander cage - very fun movie that knows what it is
ReplyDeleteaddicted to fresno - good, small dramatic comedy with a bunch of small actors that you know but can't quite remember in what you've seen them. and also judy greer.
little sister - good story about a sister getting back home after her brother had an accident, recommended
I tried to like Addicted to Fresno because I love Judy Greer and just kinda root for Natasha Lyonne in life in general but I couldn't really get into it.
DeleteWatched Christine thinking it was Carrie. Kept wondering when Sissy Spacek was going to appear.
ReplyDeleteAdam, thanks for recommending Jackie last weekend. It starts as a meditation on depression and grief but ultimately explores public perception, legacy, and vanity.
Woke up the other night after a dream that played like a movie. Federal agents are called into an office building to deal with a hostage crisis, only there don't seem to be any assailants and the hostages aren't talking. The lead agent finds himself isolated from the others when one of the hostages pulls out a gun... So, basically, I dreamt a Die Hard knock-off.
Watched a really fun documentary this week called Man Vs. Snake on Netflix. It's a "sort of" spin-off to King of Kong. Not as good as that movie but still an entertaining watch.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just finished Love season 2 on Netflix. I will never get over woman after woman throwing themselves after Paul Rust but other than that I enjoy the show for the most part. Gillian Jacobs is great and it makes me nostalgic for the quaintness of the Apatow-naissance of ten years ago. Love is a show that shouldn't exist anymore but does. It's like going to a 4th of July carnival and seeing a band whose hits you used to like.
I've tried to make it a point to see every Halloween themed Horror film from the biggest to the most micro budget and thought I had accomplished that last year until tonight when I stumbled across this little gem, "Hollow Gate" (1988). An IMDB user who rated it 2/10 described exactly why I would give it an 8/10 - "Pointlessly violent horror film that wallows in its own ineptness". I thought it was great!
ReplyDeleteAlso watched "Devil in the Dark" (2017) which is a small, slow burn indie that had some great atmosphere and build up. I thought the filmmakers pulled off what they attempted and I liked it well enough.
Is there a viable means available watching Hollow Gate? Amazon just had 3rd party sellers for the DVD.
DeleteI watched it on YouTube. Keep in mind if you are not a fan of SOV Horror you might be turned off by this. I was mostly excited from a completist perspective but I also really liked it.
DeleteI watched The Greasy Strangler on Amazon Prime. Anyone else seen that? Maybe this says more about me than the movie, but I thought it was as unique and hilarious a comedy as I've seen in years. Highly recommended if you like your comedy pitch black.
ReplyDeleteSkull Island was old school and fun. Stockiest of stock characters, yes, but charismatic stock characters who were directed with fun in mind and not gritty smoldering acting.
ReplyDelete