What are you watching now ? Movies and TV

[Morkonan]

She was a lead character but ... she may be. I don't know her.

I agree with everything you said. In fact, I admitted to as much in my "unpublished" post, but wasn't man enough to call it out for what it was in public, so I edited it out.

Basically, it appeared to me to be a vehicle for Kunis and a J.J. Abrams 'splosion/action fest with something like "high stakes" and "drama" thrown into a classic "young person discovers their secret powers/Little Prince" theme. It just flocked up, miserably, at providing much of anything that appealed to the viewer. All the "edge of your seat" dramatic entertainment that was supposed to be there was only there because of people returning from the bathroom...

...If he wasn't capable of bringing any nuance to his role, unfair to blame Kunis for a similar problem with hers, methinks...

Agreed. I, for instance, couldn't stand Hayden Christensen in those things called the "Star Wars" prequel "movies." But, then someone reminded me that I liked "Jumper." I was forced to revise my opinion and went in search of "why is a barely functional block of wood being cast in a lead role" answer... That's when I found out Lucas virtually coached every darn scene to be as downplayed as humanly possible, then directed from off-set, practically, while watching it all on monitor. The problem was he didn't realize how crappy it actually was and how terrible his coaching was.

So, it wasn't Christensen's fault. And, from what bits and pieces I've seen of Kunis on "That 70's Show" and her extensive voice-acting in shows like "Family Guy" and the much respected and much beloved, maybe even award-winning awesome television spectacle that is "Robot Chicken" I have to say... There is direct evidence to show that she's a better actor than "Jupiter Ascending" gave her the chance to be.

I didn't see "The Theory of Everything." I am also hesitant to pay much attention to either exploitation movies (ie: topical celebrity exploitation) or awards for movies that focus on people overcoming disabilities. I'm not saying either situation can't end up producing a good or even a great movie. It's just that I'd rather time do the talking, there.

But, I don't doubt that he probably has better examples of his ability. I don't think they're going to put that much money into a movie and then purposefully tank it by filling it with bad actors. (Some exceptions to that rule, though.)

[burger1]

Runaway on amazon prime US region. It had Gene Simmons from kiss as the bad guy. It was kind of interesting to see some high tech 1980s stuff in the movie.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088024/


With Ash vs Evil Dead cancelled I have also been watching Burn Notice on amazon prime US. It's ok but very formulaic. Bruce Campbell is his usual character type.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0810788/

[pjknibbs]

Runaway on amazon prime US region. It had Gene Simmons from kiss as the bad guy.

...and Tom Selleck as the good guy. He might be largely forgotten now, but in the 80s Magnum PI made him one of the most recognisable names on TV. I recall watching that movie many years ago, it had its moments but was surprisingly dull for a film with Tom Selleck, Gene Simmons and robotic spiders...

[clakclak]

So I just finished "Vietnam" by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick on Netflix and I can only recommend it it. It is an in depth ten part documentary about the Vietnam war, each part is around one and a half hours long. Really good, really detailed and to me it seemed fairly balanced.

[Hank001]

I've been flat on my back all week
and have been watching lots of
YouTube and picked some I particularly
enjoyed.

They are all 3D animated shorts
and the theme here comes from
my youth when starting at 8pm
and ending at 2am a TV station had
"Science Fiction Friday".

So here's my version of a
Sci-Fi film fest.
(Pretty on topic for this site eh?)

"Voyager":

https://youtu.be/xcppZ2BKutw

"Howard's Drive-in":

https://youtu.be/Tuib_FQR-Tw

"Johnny Express":

https://youtu.be/LfQ0EEz5m4U

"Planet Unknown"

https://youtu.be/lwKrH37Ps0c

"Nova": (Award Winner)

https://youtu.be/EnFnDXiuvuA

"Abiogenesis": (Award winner)

https://youtu.be/FEUao7ysgDc

"Divisor":

https://youtu.be/lwKrH37Ps0c

"Ruin"

https://youtu.be/HkPk-uVWLMY


"Proto": (Live & CG)

https://youtu.be/Ji8va4IMmmY

This is short from the Metriod Series.
One of the best:

"Metroid: The Sky Calls"

https://youtu.be/x3kfyZJhC3U

TGIF...
(Yeah Right)

[burger1]

CBS all access is offering a free month. Expires Sept 4, 2018.



https://www.cbs.com/all-access/

[burger1]

It looks like The Expanse is leaving Netflix globally at the end of the month possibly due to Amazon Prime producing season 4.

[Morkonan]

...They are all 3D animated shorts...

I wanted to chime in on this particular subject. I looked at several, but I couldn't find any that specifically mentioned their chosen renderer. BUT... Game Engines are starting to blow my darn friggin mind in terms of real-time rendering capabilities. And, I don't mean the garbage stuff with baked-in shadows, but real-time PBR and stuffs. It's just damn amazing!

I'm finally going to start work on learning UE. I've thought about Unity, especially with some new stuff they've announced, but I think UE is a better home, right now, considering all the info that's out there for it. Anyway, some samples of what the "Big Three" can do in terms of producing quality "shorts:"

Unity Engine - Adam (Note: This is 2 years old. Unity is about to break out with friggin Real Time Raytracing. (And all that implies, including ray-trace reflections, IDL, GI, etc.. in real time.) Dunno what hardware it's going to take to drive that, though.)

Unreal Engine 4 - A Boy and His Kite (Another older sample and somewhat stylized. But, still wonderful work.)

Cryengine - Lilly(This is crap... But, I couldn't find a decent "movie" made with Cryengine that wasn't a tech-demo or didn't rely completely on "game assets" which aren't the same as render/movie assets. Anyway, there are probably better examples of Cryengine movies out there.)

The point being: As engines like these start to get used more, get more exposure, start developing easier UIs, content generation, modular animations/behavior, etc, "movies" that look good and free up the artist so they can focus on "story" are going to be much easier to make.

[Ketraar]

Unity Engine - Adam (Note: This is 2 years old. Unity is about to break out with friggin Real Time Raytracing. (And all that implies, including ray-trace reflections, IDL, GI, etc.. in real time.) Dunno what hardware it's going to take to drive that, though.)

I like how they used Neo's awakening from the matrix and then I look in the comments and was sad no one caught on it.

Great renderings though

MFG

Ketraar

[pjknibbs]

It looks like The Expanse is leaving Netflix globally at the end of the month possibly due to Amazon Prime producing season 4.

And presumably moving to Amazon Prime? Bugger, I signed up for Netflix specifically to watch the show--if I'd known it would be coming over to Amazon Prime in the UK within a few months I probably wouldn't have bothered and saved myself a few quid!

[Hank001]

CGI Story Telling.

Here's a list of CGI shorts with
a good story line. Some shorts really miss that vital element. These I think hit that mark.

Story telling Shorts:

"Rituel" (Ritual):

https://youtu.be/WUUIhsAAdYI

"Nobody Nose Cleopatra":

https://youtu.be/8Tc7PMuHTJQ

"Vudu Dolls":

https://youtu.be/HfPIuPuRJqA

"Catch It":

https://youtu.be/UNcYm8h_dyg

"Dear Alice":

https://youtu.be/phQDinMbmic

"The Cliff House":

https://youtu.be/eID10sstBAk

(I posted this before on the anime thread
But it belongs here)

"Sadako and the Thousand Paper Crains":

https://youtu.be/nxFP9ojpSDE

This really doesn't have a story, it's pure cute:

"Lucas the Spider (One man band):"

https://youtu.be/d-guQ3Pki-0

[Morkonan]

I watched Blade Runner 2018, today.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's a bit different, of course, from the original and it doesn't quite have the same atmosphere. But, it's certainly worth watching.

I still have a lot of movies on my backlog. Probably half-a-dozen darn Marvel Universe movies, Wonder Woman, the last Star Wars movie, etc...

[Ketraar]

Morkonan here my suggestions on prioritise in no particular order

- A Quite Place
- Queen of Katwe
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
- Miss Sloane
- Lady Bird
- Paddington 2
- Dunkirk

To mention a few

In other words, all that Marvel stuff is meh at best.

MFG

Ketraar

[Hank001]

@ Ketaar

Good list! I sailed through a few of them today.

And I found a movie I'd been trying to find for decades, but I never could find. There it was on YouTube in full. It showed up at a drive-in in 1964 and the only thing in the paper was it was about kids. Yeah it was. About kids in a fallout shelter as the bombs are about to fall. It scared me half to death and since I was 8 years old at the time the kids all looked and acted like me too. The movie got banned real fast in the US and I suppose we were lucky to have seen it at all. I saw "On The Beach" later and it's portrayal of a nuclear war wasn't half as shocking to me as as this movie's is.

"Ladybug, Ladybug" (1963 B/W)

https://youtu.be/DKo_GDLO-i0

[pjknibbs]

Have you ever seen the British nuclear war movie "Threads", Hank001? If not, give it a try--it's probably somewhere on Youtube.

[Hank001]

@ pjknibbs

I'll do that! Thanks for the tip. I'm back at the astronomy game and waiting for a few clouds to blow over. Great time to dig for some entertainment.

Edit: Theads movie yanked off of YouTube, but just ordered remastered DVD from Amazon Prime along with the UK version of "Children of Dune" which I missed but really liked Dune so thanks for putting me on the track.

[Morkonan]

..- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri..

I saw that a couple of weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised! Great movie! I was really pleased at its "over the top" storyline, with the improbable becoming up-front-and-in-your-face "real." And Sam Rockwell needs to be in more movies! Everyone did an outstanding job in that movie. For the supposed "premise" of the movie that additionally drew the people to the seats, there wasn't a darn lull in the beat - It kept on keeping on, without letting the audience get comfortable. The whole darn movie experience was a lesson on "discomfort." Great flick.

- A Quite Place - Cool. I'll watch it, but only as long as it actually remains interesting. Too many sci-fi horror flicks end up just being bad stories.

- Queen of Katwe - As long as it's not yet another 'sploitation movie, but has some real meat to it. The wiki reads dangerously like a "Shaggy Dog Story." (Yes, I know it's a "true story.")

- Miss Sloane - Maybe. But, it reads like a social commentary piece on gun laws. As long as it doesn't get too darn transparent...

- Lady Bird - Hmmm... Maybe. Though, it's a "chick flick" as I have no common frame of reference from which to interpret the events.

- Paddington 2 - I'm more of Pooh man.

- Dunkirk - No real interest in seeing it. I know that's shocking, but I never warmed to the idea. I felt like it was a sort of exploit piece. IF there's an actual story there, other than "showing the extent of human suffering and the terror of war on the big screen while you eat your $8 popcorn bucket" then... maybe.

In other words, all that Marvel stuff is meh at best.

I agree. But, there all over the place and sometimes a bit of mindless fun is "OK." I'm also tired of trying to avoid "spoilers."

[Ketraar]

- A Quite Place - Cool. I'll watch it, but only as long as it actually remains interesting. Too many sci-fi horror flicks end up just being bad stories.

Its the best modern "silent" film you'll ever see, and its not a traditional horror movie, its more in the veins of Alien, tension over jump-scares (though there are some). Great acting, s most of the story and world-building is done without speaking (though there are subtitles in some cases) Sound is a character, so make sure to be in a suitable location for best experience.

- Queen of Katwe - As long as it's not yet another 'sploitation movie, but has some real meat to it. The wiki reads dangerously like a "Shaggy Dog Story." (Yes, I know it's a "true story.")

Its a splendid story about chess. (not really, but its a great story)

- Miss Sloane - Maybe. But, it reads like a social commentary piece on gun laws. As long as it doesn't get too darn transparent...

Its about Lobbying, gun regulation is just the plot device. Any good movie will have social comentary of any kind, if not, its not a good movie.

- Lady Bird - Hmmm... Maybe. Though, it's a "chick flick" as I have no common frame of reference from which to interpret the events.

I refuse to be excluded to like movies that have females as focus. "Chick flick" is a sexist term that is kinda outdated. Its a movie about coming of age, it has a good story, with great actors doing great acting. It does not have 'splosions, that is correct.

- Dunkirk - No real interest in seeing it. I know that's shocking, but I never warmed to the idea. I felt like it was a sort of exploit piece. IF there's an actual story there, other than "showing the extent of human suffering and the terror of war on the big screen while you eat your $8 popcorn bucket" then... maybe.

Its nothing about that, its about film and cinema, its Nolan doing Nolany things with moving pictures and great sound design. Yes its about the war and struggle, but mostly its about film, it does not really contain a narrative in the traditional sense, and its also a "silent" film for most part. I highly recommend to watch this in the biggest screen and the best sound system you can.

I agree. But, there all over the place and sometimes a bit of mindless fun is "OK." I'm also tired of trying to avoid "spoilers."

I watched most Marvel movies doesnt make them better then meh, some are fun, like Deadpool 2, most are just OK. There are no real spoilers though, its comic book movies the impact of spoilers is in proportion to their narrative quality, which is mediocre at best.

MFG

Ketraar

[Morkonan]

...Its a splendid story about chess. (not really, but its a great story)

"Searching for Bobbie Fischer" - Great chess movie!

And, there's this one: Youtube - Geri's Game

- Lady Bird - Hmmm... Maybe. Though, it's a "chick flick" as I have no common frame of reference from which to interpret the events.

I refuse to be excluded to like movies that have females as focus. "Chick flick" is a sexist term that is kinda outdated. Its a movie about coming of age, it has a good story, with great actors doing great acting. It does not have 'splosions, that is correct.

OH NOES! I says a "sexist" thing! My entertainment must be approved by the Politically Correct Social Steering Committee! I had better go get some PCSSC stickers to put on all my DVD boxes.

Is it OK that I don't wear women's underwear? Is that "sexist" of me? If I pee standing up, will I get a Bathroom Police Citation? Or, if I only pee standing up half the time, will I only get half the fine?

I don't mind "chick flicks" that focus on topics that women more easily, or used to, identify with. I actually liked "Fried Green Tomatoes" and The Man Commission didn't even issue me a citation for that!

I'm being lighthearted, here... It's all good. It's just that the rampant use of the word "sexist" to the point where any reference to binary sexual role-types actually existing, in real life, is getting on my nerves and my funny-bone at the same time.

I will watch good stories, no matter what they are, but I have to be in the mood to stick with certain types long enough to appreciate them.

<Dunkirk>Its nothing about that, its about film and cinema, its Nolan doing Nolany things with moving pictures and great sound design. Yes its about the war and struggle, but mostly its about film, it does not really contain a narrative in the traditional sense, and its also a "silent" film for most part. I highly recommend to watch this in the biggest screen and the best sound system you can.

I read that about this movie. It sounds interesting, but I sometimes worry about movies, these days, when they take on "Big Topics." I wouldn't, for instance, be surprised to see "Dunkirk Action Figures." Is that jaded of me? I will, however, reconsider and try to watch it just so long as the whole thing doesn't focus on "Big Budget Film" features, but tries to tell some sort of valuable story, even if there's not much dialogue. (I agree that dialogue isn't needed to tell a good story in the right medium and film provides that. Some silent movies are still wonderful pieces, after all.)

..I watched most Marvel movies doesnt make them better then meh, some are fun, like Deadpool 2, most are just OK. There are no real spoilers though, its comic book movies the impact of spoilers is in proportion to their narrative quality, which is mediocre at best.

Ah, I forgot about Deadpool 2! So, now that's seven superhero/Marvel movies I haven't seen yet... Even though I would like to see some of them, you can tell I'm not exactly rushing out to the theater, DVD store or hunting them down through my "On Demand Programming" menus.

PS - Just got through watching Milius's & Schwarzenegger's "Conan." Love that movie. And, no, I have no desire to see the newest "Conan" flick. I heard it sucked.

[RegisterMe]

Just stumbled on a Spanish drama called "The Plague" (La Pesta?) on BBC iPlayer / BBC4. It's excellent. Very dark, well acted, "mature" in its intended audience (ie lots of sex and violence).

I'm enjoying it a lot.