Saturday, March 25, 2023

Weekend Open Thread

19 comments:

  1. My 4K tv won't be delivered today, it got damaged during transport, so we're rescheduling delivery for next week, because i don't work from home and can't take a day off. I'm super pissed, i bought a ton of blu-rays (and by that i mean replaced a ton of movies i already owned) and was really looking forward The Blues Brothers and others. So now they're all in a pile, waiting to be played.

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    1. Ahh that's too bad. It will be worth it in the end. Do you also have a surround sound setup to go with the new TV? Upgrading to blu-ray and UHD also comes with remastered sound.

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    2. No surround yet. I'm in a tiny apartment, so i can't go too crazy on that side of things. I'm planning to buy a soundbar eventually, but not before i get the tv and hear how it sound

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    3. Unfortunately, the thinner TV's get, the smaller the built in speakers get. They're fine for watching the news but they shouldn't be used for movie watching imo. Definitely invest in a sound bar at least or even a 2.1 stereo setup if you can't do the full surround. You'll be glad you did.

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    4. That's what i'm expecting. I'm sure within a few weeks i'll get one

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    5. Sorry to hear about the delay with the TV. But that's going to be great when you have it!

      I'm still rocking a 34" 720p tv...I was eyeing up a 4K tv recently, and it's just so big. I also live in a tiny apartment, and I think it might look out of place to have something so big. Like it would dominate over the other art and stuff I have decorating the walls. On the other hand, it would be great for watching movies! Constant bills, expenses, car repairs, medications, etc...yuck, all that stuff means I'm going to wait a bit before jumping to 4k.

      I've never bought a used tv. I wonder if I could get a slightly used 1080p for a good price, or even a steal, now that everyone is upgrading to 4k?

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    6. I'm pretty frugal, if it isn't obvious already. Actually, for big purchases like that, for things that are going to last a long time, I'll tend to spend a lot of time doing research on the best and then buy the best (balancing best quality vs cost).

      Which is a nice transition to what Luke was talking about. Years ago I investing in a nice stereo system, and it's definitely worthwhile for making your movies (and music) sound great. I guess a 5.1 or 7.1 might be better for movies? However, I had a friend with a 5.1 but is was pretty cheap didn't sound great, but he also had the the speakers set up all asymmetrically. Just a stereo setup with two speakers on either side of the TV works great. There's the odd time I'll hook the laptop up to the the tv and use the TV speakers, and it's a world of difference.

      I assume the 0.1 is for the subwoofer? I don't know. I have a decent subwoofer, but as I live in a tiny apartment also, it's always switched off (I bought it previously when living in a house, and bought it for music). I turn it on one a month to listen to a few songs, but any more than that would just anger the neighours. I miss using the subwoofer.

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    7. There are cheaper and smaller 4k tv. I went for an lower end OLED tv, but i almost bought a 4k LED that was 40 inches, under 1000$cad

      But yes, if sound quality is more important for you and only need a basic tv, you'll be able to find a cheap HD tv on marketplace, or some other cheap store

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    8. Actually, you're absolutely right. Having more pixels doesn't necessarily mean needing to have a bigger screen. I haven't really looked into at all, and only have seen absolutely humongous 4k TVs at Best Buy when shopping for other stuff.

      I'm more of a "rent it on Amazon" than a physical media person, so that's why I'm hesitating to upgrade as well. I'm not sure the difference will that remarkable. Or maybe it will! Hopefully you'll let us know what you think once your TV finally arrives.

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    9. It all depends on what importance you give to each technical elements of a movie. I was fine with my HD tv, but it's 13 years old, turned on every night and every weekend, so i decided it was time to change before it crapped out on me. And while i was there, i decided to get a good one, but not too good, i'm not made of money

      As for the difference, there is one, absolutely. The best reference i can give you, is the difference between DVD and Blu-rays. It's the same kind of jump in quality

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    10. On paper, the jump from 1080 to 4k is much greater than the jump from standard definition to high definition but unless you're watching on a huge screen, the difference between 4k and HD isn't that apparent. The difference in quality from standard to HD, or standard to 4k is tremendous though, regardless of the screen size. Implementing a high quality surround sound though, from my own experience, made the biggest difference for home movie watching.

      While it's definitely not a cheap hobby to jump into, there's definitely a large spectrum quality and cost and you can definitely get something great on a budget.

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    11. For those curious, i got the following tv, which was apparently the best bangs-for-bucks in the OLED tv, which are generally way better looking than LED, but the smallest was 55', which is gonna be an adjustment for my tiny living room. I had to modify the thing where the tv is

      LG 55" 4K UHD HDR OLED webOS Smart TV (OLED55B2PUA) - 2022

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  2. Apparently i felt so pissed off about my tv, that i watched a bunch of horror, gory, violent movies with my friends tonight.

    Uzumaki (2000)
    I bought the blu-ray a while ago, but never took the time to watch the movie. Last time i saw it was when the dvd came out in the early 2000s. The movie is still very good, even if the ending feels rushed. They clearly had zero dollars to make it, and it was made before the manga was done publishing. Those who read the manga will understand. And i recommend both the movie and the manga to anyone who is not familiar with the story. This is Japan Horror like only they can make.

    Scanners (1981)
    Another one i last saw a long time ago. But i never forgot the key scenes, especially the exploding head, which is often shown in movie compilations montage. I'm not of fan of Cronenberg later career, but back then he was firing on all cylinder. It's a classic for a reason.

    Tetsuo The Iron Man (1989)
    That one i never saw, but i bought the Tsukamoto boxset by Arrow a while ago and tonight i forced my friends to watch it. This thing is awesome. Weird, fast paced, it's an assault on the senses for one hour straight. As a longtime fan of industrial music, i felt like i was watching an hour long videoclip from Skinny Puppy. Trent Reznor did the end credit music for the 3rd movie, but it's sadly not in this set, and kind of difficult to find. So for now, i'll just listen to the music on youtube and enjoy the other movies collected in this set (which include the second Tetsuo movie).

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  3. I prefer early Cronenberg as well, but have never seen Scanners. On the other hand, Eastern Promises is a top ten movie for me. Funnily, I read your comments earlier, and thought "Hey, I should watch a few minutes of Eastern Promises", and of course watched the whole thing. What a fantastic movie. I should have watched Scanners instead lol, but I was in the mood for something familiar.

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  4. Rewatched JOHN WICK 1-3 in anticipation for the new one. Keanu is especially compelling in part 1, saying a lot with just the looks on his face. Part 2 was the weak link for me, as that's where the series' mythology is at its most obtuse. I felt that part 3 was an improvement, with the world-building and character motivations being clearer.

    And then there's JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4 (2023). It's just as outrageous as everyone's been saying. Casino Royale now has competition in the "all-time best stairway fight scene" category.

    Meanwhile SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS (2023) is every bit the disaster everyone's been saying. Totally scattershot on a narrative level. Nothing made sense, either in plot or in character. The Big Red Cheese deserves better.

    LOGAN'S RUN (1976) Look at those young people, freakin' out the squares.

    THE FABELMANS (2023) "Where the horizon?"

    THE BEASTMASTER (1982) It's hilarious every time Marc Singer says, "I am Dar."

    And now for F This Television: I finally finished the first seasons of ANDOR and CHUCKY, and the second season of AMPHIBIA. All three are terrific, in their own way. Recommended.

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  5. I haven't posted about what I've been seeing for a few weeks. Been busy, but managed to see some great movies.

    I've been watched stuff along with Blank Check. What a wonderful surprise Millions (2004) was. Just a great warm family movie with lots of stylish direction. Wonderful. Re-watched Sunshine (2007). I know people have a problem with the ending, but it's perfect. Contrary to popular opinion, it doesn't take a "sudden turn" at the end. It was clearly building up to that all along. I love that movie.

    After listening to the great episode on Cult Movies Podcast, I rewatched The Searchers. That's just great stuff. I've actually been listening to the score a bit the past couple of months. I bought The Unforgiven that Anthony recommended, and looking forward to it (John Huston!!! I've never been anything short of delighted by his movies before). I just want to be locked in a room with no way to get out, and be shown westerns for 2 weeks.

    Other than that, I've seen a handful of 90's action stuff. Volcano was pretty awesome! Early CGI, but what's not to love about people getting burned up by lava. Seven days and Six Nights I think I mentioned before, is better than reviewed. Kind of funny in retrospect with Harrison Ford being involved in several plane crashes in the subsequent years. The Net was one of the worst movies ever. Hard Rain was awesome, loved it.

    Rewatched Oceans 11 and Body of Lies with my son. Obviously the first one is a classic, and I'd argue the 2nd one is underappreciated too. It was nice sharing some of my favourite movies with him. Now that they're getting older, we don't get to spend as much time together, so I cherish the times that we do.

    Also rewatched the first 2 Hobbit movies. Hey! These are good. I'll maybe watch the 3rd today. The common perception that the original trilogy is awsome and the Hobbit ones are dogshit is wrong. I think the original series is much better, but they're not that far off in quality.



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  6. Another light week of movies. The weeks ahead are not going be any more favorable when it comes to free time, but I am hoping to be watch a little more than I have. I got to a couple of things.

    CHINA 9, LIBERTY 37 (1978, dir. Monte Hellman) - A euro-western with personal favorite Warren Oates. He gives the standout performance in what is overall a pedestrian film. Oates is being targeted for his land and has to deal with his wife running off with a gunfighter. Hellman was known for idiosyncratic films, and this is no different. It does not work, with pacing and tone all over the place.

    This afternoon I was flipping through channels and stumbled across SON OF GODZILLA. It was exactly the kind of goofiness I needed to take the edge off of my poor mood. Godzilla struggles to be a parent while giant preying mantises and a giant spider stalk his son on a tropical island. I was impressed by the spider; it's very creepy looking. Oh, and there humans for some reason on the island conducting research and trying to hide from the monsters. The dubbed version was shown, which only adds the weirdness of Son of Godzilla.

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