Saturday, March 10, 2018

Weekend Open Thread

Look up. Look down. Now look at Mr. Frying Pan.

61 comments:

  1. It's finally here you lovely people

    I can't tell you how excited I am

    REGION FREE too which is a brilliant bonus

    The official specs were released yesterday and my heart skipped a beat when I saw my name officially on the release

    See below



    XTRO: LIMITED EDITON Blu-ray (region free) released May 28th. Packaging will feature a rigid slipcase with both original UK theatrical and video artwork, each flipped vertically on either side so you choose which is front. Inside will be digipak containing Blu-ray and CD soundtrack plus soft cover book. Here are the full contents…

    • New restorations of extended version with option of alternate endings plus original UK video version
    • New director restoration
    • ‘Xploring Xtro’ - a new 57 minute documentary featuring interviews with Harry Bromley-Davenport, Mark Forstater, Bernice Stegers, Susie Silvey, Tim Dry (Tik), Sean Crawford (Tok), Robert Pereno, Alan Jones and Craig Lapper
    • ‘The World of Xtro’ - a new featurette with Dennis Atherton, Harry Bromley-Davenport and Mark Forstater
    • ‘Beyond Xtro’ – a new featurette with Harry Bromley-Davenport and Mark Forstater looking ahead to new reboot ‘Xtro – The Big One’, including exclusive test footage
    • ‘Loving The Alien: A Tribute to Philip Sayer’ featuring exclusive Brian May music tribute
    • ‘Xtro Xposed’ archive interview with Harry Bromley-Davenport
    • Soft cover book with new writing by Kevin Lyons plus behind-the-scenes stills and promo material
    • Original soundtrack CD
    • New English subtitles for the hearing impaired

    So many brand new features. It's gonna be Epic

    You can pre-order via Amazon UK
    Here
    Xtro: Limited Edition (Blu-Ray) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077H8S2PT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cn9OAbWKXZPQF


    Or also via Diabolik website if that is easier


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    1. Well now I gotta sell the German release I got last year and order this one!

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    2. I ordered as well, Dennis. Looking forward to it!

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    3. I was shocked at the pre order price on Amazon, very reasonable

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    4. So was I! Basically $20 bucks for us U.S. folks!

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    5. about 35$ in canadian money

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    6. Dennis the-menace-of-those-who-don't-respect-"Xtro" Atherton is the man! Congrats, Dennis. Looking forward to owning this Blu-ray beaut when I get some extra cash to spare. :-)

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    7. Oooh I like that. ..

      Long winded name but funny

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  2. I've been trying to step out of my "film douche" shell as of late and watch more fun movies. Me and my buddy have been mostly watching over the top action flicks like Road House, Ong-Bak, Drug War (Johnnie To), Last Action Hero, First Blood, and Tango and Cash.

    My favorite of the bunch so far I finally go around to watching, per Patrick's glowing review(s), is Turbo Kid. Now I didn't grow up watching the over the top 80s films this is clearly parodying/paying homage to, but I still found it charming and fun.

    Can anyone recommend some films that would interest someone that enjoyed this movie that is trying to play catch up on the 80's.

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    1. you could start with the past FThisMovie Fest lineup

      FTMF 1: 1982 - Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Blade Runner, The Dark Crystal, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior)

      FTMF 2: 1991 - The Last Boy Scout, The Rocketeer, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, New Jack City, Terminator 2: Judgment Day

      FTMF 3: 1985 - Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Commando, Explorers, The Goonies, Back to the Future

      FTMF 4: 1993 - Demolition Man, Army of Darkness, Hard Target, True Romance, Jurassic Park

      FTMF 5: 1984 - The Last Starfighter, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Night of the Comet, Streets of Fire, Ghostbusters

      FTMF 6: 1987 - The Princess Bride, Predator, Raising Arizona, RoboCop, The Monster Squad

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    2. Certainly looks like a good place to start. Thank you.

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    3. Mikko Viinikka made the list for me when i asked about it last week.

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    4. Ricki-Oh: Story of Ricky is an over-the-top martial art schlock-fest. Not 80’s but it’s early 90’s and I think might hit some of the vibe you’re looking for.

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  3. I recently started watching the great Heath Holland’s youtube channel, Cereal At Midnight. One video that stuck with me is the one about Mill Creek. And then I SPENT ALL MY MONEY ON MILL CREEK STUFF… ahem… sorry about that… I bought a couple of genre set. I received Spaghetti Western 20 movies pack and started watching it. Like Mr Holland said in the video, it’s about quantity over quality (very low). From what I saw in the couple of movies I’ve watched, they’re basically VHS rips. Which is fine to me. The price of the package is pretty low, pretty much being less than a dollar per movie (5 discs, 4 movies per disc in this case). Some movies are available on blu-ray (a lot actually, after a quick search), with better video and sound quality, even extras, but like I said before, it’s about quantity. But there’s a bit of nostalgia creeping in when watching these crappy transfers, feels like the old days of the VHS. The price is also a factor. In fact, I know I already own at least one movie from this set on blu-ray, which I actually started watching because I forgot I had it. I realized pretty quick I did.

    I just got the Mystery Classics 50 movie pack. I’ll probably order one of the sci-fi pack soon.

    Oh, Mr Holland, suggestion for a future vlog: showing us your movie room and your comics room. Unless you did it already and I just didn’t see that video yet.

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    1. These highly specific deep dives are exactly what I love about Cereal At Midnight. Personally, my Mill Creek "Drive In" set has treated me well. Junesploitation goldmine. Ocassional audible sound as well!

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    2. Hey, guys! Thanks so much for the love! Man, I buy a ton of Mill Creek, probably more than any other label. Just this last week, I picked up almost every new release they dropped on us. I bought their two new Hammer Films double feature Blu-rays (the films look stunning visually), the unrated extended cut of Lords of Dogtown, and the complete series of Crossbow, which was a syndicated European show about William Tell that aired in the early '90s and had some Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves acting talent in the cast. Best part is that none of the discs are stacked. They've already moved away from the paper sleeves, and now they're moving away from stacking. Mill Creek had some very humble beginnings, but they're growing into a company that is doing some serious pop culture preservation. They put out stuff that none of the other distributors seem to think is worthwhile, and they've really stepped up their game in the last couple of years. I love where they've come from with their battered public domain prints and their Crown International catalog, but I also really love where they're going.

      I have not done an up-to-date video on my movie and comic book rooms because both of those areas are very embarrassing. The movie room is still a work in progress and the camera is positioned so that you can't see the absolute chaos on just out of frame. The comic book room is in a similar state. Hopefully both will be in shape to show off in the near future.

      I appreciate you guys!

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    3. if i don't eat next week, it's because of you Heath

      last week was because of JB

      you guys are killing me ;)

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    4. Hey, you can always sustain yourself with all that cheese from the 50 movie packs.

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    5. I'm gonna need bread or crackers

      So, the next set i'll buy will be the Dark Crimes one. Which is the one i wanted before the Mystery set, but i made the wrong order

      Speaking of the Mystery set, there's a picture of Orson Welles on the cover, but i can't figure out what movie he's in. His name is not in the description of any movie in the set. Guess i'll have to imdb each movie one by one to find out

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    6. Heath's stuff over at Cereal at Midnight is indeed great work.

      I started watching a bunch of Kurt Russell's early movies this last week (a number of Disney movies and a couple other things like Fools' Parade and Guns of Diablo) and as has become typical, I did a search of F This Movie to see if there were any columns written about some of them. Not surprisingly I came across one written by Heath about Kurt Russell that expressed a lot of the same thoughts I have about the man and his body of work.

      Keep doing what you're doing Heath!

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    7. Kunider: I don't have that Dark Crimes set, or I'd offer what knowledge I could. I need to pick it up. I've been working my way through the Warriors set (peplum) and the Combat set. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

      Ross: Right on! Patrick is also a big champion of Kurt Russell, too. In fact, I think a lot of us are here. KR is just THE BEST.

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    8. Yeah, I think people have really come to appreciate KR more and more in recent years, but I know you're also a big fan of Disney movies including their older live action stuff that not as many people talk about which is why it wasn't surprising to see that you had written a bit about them.

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  4. I just couldn't resist and had to have the Criterion 100 Years of Olympic Films boxset. Got it yesterday, and already watched the three docs about the 1952 Helsinki games. Based on those, the restoration job is pretty amazing. A must have for any sports fan. It's gonna take a while to get through the whole set though, it's well over 100 hours of material...

    In other news, everything you've heard about Wish Upon is true. It's goofy, it's nonsensical, it's really funny!

    There's also a film festival in town. Tampere Film Festival focuses mainly on short films, but there are a few full length ones in there too. Saw an interesting documentary about a Finnish linguist who traveled through the Far East 100 years ago and studied the local languages. Tonight I'm gonna see Waru, a New Zealand film that's composed of eight scenes, all happening around a young boy's funeral, directed by eight female Maori directors. And tomorrow night there's a showing of all the short films that won awards in the different competitive categories of the festival, gonna try to make time to see that.

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    1. was i the one who influenced you? if yes, i'm sorry :)

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    2. Heh. Only slightly. I've wanted it since it was announced, and what got me to pull the trigger on it was someone on a Finnish message board saying they ordered it without trouble. It's always a hassle importing something this big and expensive to Finland, but it turns out Amazon offers a service where they charge you a reasonable amount for import taxes etc. and then the courier deals with the "paperwork".

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    3. very cool.

      it's been a while since i watched a movie from the set. i watched 4 or 5 when i first got it. i need to get back to it.

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  5. Just want to champion a small indie Horror again that I watched a few weeks back that should be getting more love than it is. It's called "The Campus" and is available on Amazon VOD. It's still my favorite Horror film of the year so far and is a great love letter to the different sub-genres within the Horror genre. It's since come down in price to rent to a mere $1.99 in HD. https://www.amazon.com/Campus-Rachel-Amanda-Bryant/dp/B07938TLQ1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520707657&sr=8-1&keywords=the+campus

    and for you UK cats: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Campus-Rachel-Amanda-Bryant/dp/B0793FJ2WX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520707746&sr=8-1&keywords=the+campus&dpID=51OJYepcAjL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

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  6. Just your friendly yearly reminder that "The Warriors" theatrical cut is back on Amazon Prime.

    The fest was a blast guys! Everyone is so damn smart and funny.

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  8. a quick word on the new The Dark Crystal blu-ray release.

    - picture quality is very good. i can't compare it to the regular edition because i don't have it, but it was pretty good if i remember correctly
    - i can't talk about the 4K version, i don't have a 4K tv
    - the only new extra is a 10 minutes retrospective on Henson's career relating to the movie

    all in all, i feel like the upgrade is well worth it. and you get a nice Digibook package on top of it. the regular blu-ray edition is only 13$ (20$ for the 4K).

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  9. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Alex Garland's ANNIHILATION is my favorite new 2018 movie so far. It helped that I walked into the theater thinking it was a 'PG-13' Natalie Portman vehicle. Not only is it an 'R' rated release, but Portman and just about every actor (male or female) is interchangeable. Alicia vikander (if she hadn't jump ship to headline her "Tomb Raider" franchise-in-the-making vehicle) could have stepped in for Portman, or 'generic actor X' could have replaced Oscar Isaac (good but not 'Shake your booty!' good), and so forth. This is not a weakness, though, but a device the writer/director of "Ex-Machina" uses to make the world and premise of "Annihilation" the highlights of the experience. This is hardcore science fiction, and the least you know going in the better. It steals and borrows ideas, tones and plot devices from "Event Horizon," "Under the Skin," "2001: A Space Odyssey," etc. but manages to somehow make the whole thing its own twisted beast. I was blown away, and highly recommend you try "Annihilation" in a theater to experience the visually-alluring special effects (artistic and measured CG use) and killer Dolby ATMOS-enhanced soundtrack (which is trying to unnerve viewers).

    Also caught Eli Roth's DEATH WISH remake, which is fine. The original '74 "Death Wish" was no Shakespeare, and the new one knows it cannot replicate its predecessor's social impact. So instead it focuses on giving us what we'd expect from an aging Bruce Willis star vehicle: ass-kicking galore, giant leaps of logic/common sense and Eli Roth pushing the limits of a commercial release's 'R' rating with some gnarly CG gore. There are at least three "'WTF!?!" moments in this flick that had my entire half-filled theater laughing nervously. I'd be curious how the Chicago-based FTM crew feels about "Death Wish" using the city's current crime epidemic as the backdrop for Paul Kersey (who is now basically the doctor from "The Fugitive," complete with hospital as his base of operation) going on a revenge quest. Elisabeth Shue is not given much to do before you-know-what happens, but Vincent D'Onofrio crushes it (without stealing the spotlight from Bruce) as Kersey's loser brother. I doubt stupidly fun sequels will spawn from this "Death Wish" remake, which will keep the Cannon ones living forever in that special place in movie heaven known as Junesploitation! :-P

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    1. I didn't read what you wrote about Annihilation, because I'm going to see it today or tomorrow, lest it leaves the theater before I get a chance. Super looking forward to it!

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  10. Trying to watch as much on Brown Sugar before I cancel it. Did all the Grier stuff, trying to get through all the Fred Williamson flicks as well.

    Abar aka Black Superman (1977)
    This was not as fun as I thought it would be.

    Black Caesar (1973)
    Good, but not as memorable as Hell Up In Harlem. Will try and finish The Black Cobra series as well.

    Also checked out Last Rampage (2017) based on a previous I Stream, You Stream. It was pretty awesome and gritty. Was especially in the mood for it after hearing a great interview with Robert Patrick on Rappaport’s podcast.

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    1. ABAR is an odd film, politically more serious than the average blaxploitation picture. I did find the ending poignant.

      I also need to drop a streaming service at this point. There is a stack of DVDs and Blu-rays at home awaiting my attention.

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  11. I've been rewatching a bunch of Batman movies lately. A few thoughts...

    It's kind of difficult for me to rewatch The Dark Knight in 2018 and see Ledger's performance and listen to his dialogue. It's all been so ingrained in pop culture in a bad way. All I can think about is every bad impression for every annoying guy at a party. It's a bummer because it's not Ledgers fault. Maybe its just me.

    However, Gary Oldman is incredible in the movie and now one of my favorite parts.

    Batman Returns has now become my favorite Batman movie. I think it has aged so incredibly well and looks better than ever in 2018. If you're tired of the same ol' superhero movie at this point, you might want to rewatch it. It's so bizarre and different and bold. I just love it so much. There's no superhero movie like it.

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    1. about Heath Ledger, i have that issue with other movies (not Dark Knight though) that have become too cult. the kind of movies that are quoted, copied and referenced so much that it loose its shine. among that list, i have The Big Lebowsky and Scarface.

      Batman Returns is a fantastic movie. Batman 1989 is still my favorite, but Returns is very close 2nd

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    2. I enjoyed Batman '89 more on this last watch than ever before. I think it has a big love-interest problem, but other than that it's a really kick-ass, fun time.

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    3. I think the problem with love interests in any Batman story is that he's too fractured and driven to actually have a romantic relationship. With Superman, Clark Kent is the guy and Superman is the facade. With Batman, that's the guy, and Bruce is the mask. The only story I can think of that handled any sort of romantic angle for Batman well is Mask of the Phantasm. I also like the idea of Batman being attracted to Catwoman because that makes sense for his world and the reality he lives in, but I don't think the guy can ever be happy. Romance equals happiness, and happiness is antithetical to who Batman is and why he exists. If he's in a relationship, he's probably not being Batman anymore. But what do you do? Leave out any hint at romance for Batman on film? That's not satisfying movie experience. It's a tough nut to crack. Batman Returns walked that line very well, but I think they took it about as far as you can.

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    4. I think Batman Returns is the best love story Batman has ever had in a live action film and Selina is the only good female lead in any of them. It works with Catwoman bevause those two are never going to be happy together. Batman really can't have a relationship with a normal woman like Vicky Vale.

      Plus, I dont think Keaton and Basinger have any chemistry and he seems completely unengaged in his scenes with her. Bruce and Selina are exploding with chemistry.

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    5. And to be clear, I'm not bashing Kim Basinger. I think she does the best she can, but she's playing a character with no purpose and I don't like how the other characters react to her, especially Joker.

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  13. The weather prevented me from taking part in the festival last weekend. Internet service was knocked out along with the electricity. Anyway, I am getting around to watching the films included it. TANGO AND CASH was more fun than I expected. It is ridiculous in a good way. I wish Robert Z'dar had been in more of the film.

    BATMAN and ROADHOUSE will be watched soon.

    The only other film I have watched recently is an early Italian horror film called THE VAMPIRE AND THE BALLERINA, from 1960. It perfectly suited my mood for some horror schlock on a Saturday night. Although by no means a great film, it does possess many of the characteristics of the Gothic chillers of the era: atmosphere, great b/w cinematography, and a little touch of sex. Entertaining in that plodding Italian style of the 1960s.

    The focus of my recent acquisitions is on Asian films. I have picked up a couple of John Woo films (a big cinematic blind spot), a bunch of kung fu films, and Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION.

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    1. That's unfortunate that you missed fthismovie fest. It's fun..But it's a big day too. I got a little burnt out and hardly watched Batman at all (and what I watched, I wasn't enjoying at all).

      But Tango and Cash, which was my first time watching, was the highlight for me! It is a bit ridiculous, but also ridiculously fun.

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    2. If you don't mind me asking, what Woo films? He's one of my favorite directors and I'm always interested when people start watching his stuff for the first time

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    3. No problem at all, hibachijustice. I have The Killer and Hard Boiled, films I found in stores around me. Hard Boiled was a find at the local used goods store. Only being familiar with the kung fu side of Hong Kong action cinema, these will be new territory for me.

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    4. Those are two of the best ones man. I hope you enjoy them!

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  14. i did a Scott Adkins night. Ninja 2, Undisputed 3 and 4. i never saw any of them. neither Undisputed 1 and 2. U3 is clearly better than 4, the director knows his stuff

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    1. That is a great way to spend an evening. You hit most of the Adkins high points right there.

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    2. I noticed that Undisputed 4 just came out on Canadian Netflix. I've never seen the other Undisputed movies, and I kind of want to watched them in order. How much of it is chronological? I don't care about spoilers, but sometimes having seen previous movies really adds to the understanding of later ones.

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    3. Unidisputed 1 can totally be skipped. It's only tangentially related to the rest of the series. Undisputed 2 is worth watching but not essential as the important plot points are recapped in Undisputed 3. I would definitely watch 3 before watching 4 though. The arc of Adkins character (as much arc as there can be in movies about kicking) really stretches through 3 and 4.

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    4. Thanks a lot. I'll hold off on 4 for now, and try to get my hands on Undisputed 3 (which I've been wanting to see for a while anyways), and maybe 2/1 if I can find them for cheap.

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    5. i only watched U3 and U4, and i don't feel like i'm missing out by not watching the first 2. i did a bit of research to see if i should bother. the first one feature ABSOLUTELY NO Scott Adkins, and he's the bad guy in the 2nd one.

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    6. Undisputed has it's own value. I mean it's a Walter Hill movie starring Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes so it's worth a watch. But if you're interested in Boyka's story there's no need.

      Undiputed 2 has Michael Jai White, and introduces Adkins as Boyka, but like you said he's the villain. It's decent but it feels like a rough draft of what Adkins and Florentine would do in U3. If you can see both of them you should, but not if you just want a dose of Adkins.

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  15. Watched some Patrick Bromley recommendations this weekend. First was Welcome Home, Brother Charles. Man what a crazy movie. I can't talk about the story because the less you know the better, but about an hour in the movie takes a turn that has to be seen.

    I also watched Harvest Lake. Nice little atmospheric horror movie. No onscreen violence but tons of mood. Well worth a watch. Also watched a similar Mexican horror movie called The Untamed. Both make a thematically nice double feature.

    Finally, I watched Justice League again. I know, I know. The movie's a mess but I love it nonetheless. It hits all my comic book buttons, and a movie that is so focused on hope and optimism after the slog that was BvS hit at the right time for me.

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  16. I had the nice experience of watching 2 movies with the kids yesterday. A lazy after lunch movie, Air Bud: Golden Receiver, was fine. It hit all the "heartwarming" cliches, but I laughed a bit.

    For a evening headliner, to end the March Break, we watched Coco, which everyone loved. I cried a bit at the end.

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