Which movies have you watched? ΙΔ' - The House of Asterion

[BenitoChavez]

Split is really good. Glass is good but flawed.

 

[civvver]

The concept and plot in split I thought were very average but James McAvoy's performance is outstanding which really carried the film.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Split is really good. Glass is good but flawed.

I agree with this completely.

 

[tjs282]

Hidden Figures. Given the subject-matter, nothing really unexpected story-wise, but great performances all round.

Given Hollywood's tendency to jazz up/ re-write/ sanitise history for dramatic effect, though, would be interested in reading the book it was based on.

 

[civvver]

My wife said the book is really boring. It reads like a history text book, not like a dramatic novel.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Hidden Figures. Given the subject-matter, nothing really unexpected story-wise, but great performances all round.

Given Hollywood's tendency to jazz up/ re-write/ sanitise history for dramatic effect, though, would be interested in reading the book it was based on.

My wife said the book is really boring. It reads like a history text book, not like a dramatic novel.

I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. It was insanely boring.

 

[Sommerswerd]

I didn't see Glass, but Split is pretty good. You don't even know it's a related film until the very final scene.

That was a really cool twist that caught me totally by surprise. The catch is... in true Shamalan form... once you know this the movie is somewhat spoiled.

Although, this movie, unlike many of his others, isn't completely ruined once you know what the ending twist is... its delivered more like an Easter egg.

 

[Ajidica]

Watched two movies over the weekend - Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and John Carter (rewatch).

Valerian was visually a lot of fun, Luc Besson knows his visuals. Unfortunately, the plot was a bit of a mess and some dialogue was a bit stilted, but overall a fun movie. However, the main character, Valerian, was terribly miscast. Instead of some strong, handsome, and slightly dim character (think Chris Hemsworth from Thor: Ragnarok), we got a guy who came off as a massive creeper and dweeb. There was also some weird Lexus product placement in the movie, with Valerian's space jet having a Lexus badge on it....

Rewatched John Carter with a friend. I was struck again at how much the movie was weighed down by three factors: One, the fact the John Carter actor, Taylor Kitsch, cannot act to save his life. He seemed to confuse stoicism and grim determination with looking perpetually confused and/or constipated. Two, how little sense the opening / closing of the movie makes, with a frame story of Edgar Rice Burroughs receiving Carter's journals from his time on Barssom, borrowed from the books. While a nice touch, they completely mess with the pacing of the open and close, along with spending way too much time setting up things that ultimately are meaningless. We get basically four different openings. (Narration on Mars laying out the fight between Helium and Zodanga on that dying planet, Carter placing a telegram for ERB to come find him, ERB getting Carter's journal, then finally 'starting' the movie with Carter in the American Frontier prospecting for gold.)
Third, Disney fouled up the marketing on this movie big time. The trailers were composed from generic movie action shots, with no attempt to establish that A Princess of Mars was a major inspiration for most modern sci-fi and fantasy* leading reviewers to call it derivative, the fact Disney removed "of Mars" from the title from a movie that takes place on Mars and the novels all contained of Mars in their titles!
All of it is a shame because the director got the visual feel of the novels down pat, and I would have loved to see a sequel that was so obviously planned, with the Holy Therns, the decadent grandeur of the Temple of Issus - Goddess of Death and Life Eternal, and the great air battle over the Lost Sea of Korus between the navy of Helium and the First Born.

*Star Wars (Barsoom has titles like jed/jeddak, and padwars. I wonder where Lucas got the names of jedi and padawans from? The entire first hour of Return of the Jedi on Tatooine and Leia's slave outfit was a love letter to Barsoom), Frank Herbert's Dune (Noble families feuding on a desert planet, noble but savage 'barbarians', swordfighting, and fake religions manipulating people for their own ends?) and even Superman (in his earliest incarnations, Superman had basically the same abilities of John Carter - bravery, strength, and exceptional jumping abilities.)

 

[Takhisis]

Over my last few days in which I barely logged in here:
Scarface (1983). Never gets old.
The Mummy (1999). Again, never gets old.
Mission: Impossible: Fallout (2017). Okay.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

Rewatched:

Star Trek: Insurrection - I know this gets lumped in with the all odd ST movies suck category, but I actually rather like it. Lots of neat little easter eggs and character moments.

Jupiter Ascending - Granted the script and some of the acting is pretty poor, but I find that I'm intrigued with the world building and visuals. Could have been a fun series had the Wachowskis not been involved and some different casting choices. Too bad the box office tanked.
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Morbius Teaser:

Had no idea this was even in development. Definitely connected to the Marvel Spider-Man universe with that cameo at the end.

Also, BW special look...

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I wonder where Lucas got the names of jedi and padawans from?

Jedi comes from jidaigeki.

 

[rah]

I grew up reading the John Carter OF MARS series so I was able to overlook all the shortcomings pointed out and actually enjoyed the movie. Once they got into it, it felt like the books. And the bad acting by the lead almost went along with the juvenile feel of the books. Yeah, too bad it bombed, since I would have paid to see a sequel.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Jupiter Ascending - Granted the script and some of the acting is pretty poor, but I find that I'm intrigued with the world building and visuals. Could have been a fun series had the Wachowskis not been involved and some different casting choices. Too bad the box office tanked.

I was flabberghasted that I ended up liking a movie where a werewolf dude roller blades around the universe but yeah it's not total trash. It seemed like they could have made it into an interesting series but I guess that is not going to happen.

Did you notice how the big in-space drone battles were very similar to the final battle in Matrix 3? That was when I first realized the Wachowski sisters directed the movie, I had no idea beforehand.

Star Trek: Insurrection - I know this gets lumped in with the all odd ST movies suck category, but I actually rather like it. Lots of neat little easter eggs and character moments.

I thought this one was ok. Not total trash but not nearly as good as First Contact.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

Did you notice how the big in-space drone battles were very similar to the final battle in Matrix 3? That was when I first realized the Wachowski sisters directed the movie, I had no idea beforehand.

I did, yeah. Their involvement was one of the reasons I was hopeful it would be good. Unpopular opinion - all three Matrix movies were good and I actually liked them.

I thought this one was ok. Not total trash but not nearly as good as First Contact.

Agreed. First Contact is the gold standard of the Next Gen.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I like all the Matrix movies as well. I'm soft on the second one but I recently re-watched it and thought it was better than I remembered.

 

[abradley]

A Hobo rides the rails into town and

 

[Moff Jerjerrod]

I saw 1917 this past weekend and enjoyed it a lot.

I also finished watching season 1 of the Netflix original called 'Messiah'. Not sure what to think about it however.

 

[Synobun]

I also finished watching season 1 of the Netflix original called 'Messiah'. Not sure what to think about it however.

I'm about to finish it in 10 minutes. So far thinking I'll end up in the same position as you.

 

[Broken_Erika]

A Hobo rides the rails into town and

Still waiting for "Machete Kills Again in Space." to get made.

 

[Ajidica]

Jedi comes from jidaigeki.

Hmmm, still think think the Jed -> Jedi makes sense given how much Lucas borrowed from Barsoom.

I grew up reading the John Carter OF MARS series so I was able to overlook all the shortcomings pointed out and actually enjoyed the movie. Once they got into it, it felt like the books. And the bad acting by the lead almost went along with the juvenile feel of the books. Yeah, too bad it bombed, since I would have paid to see a sequel.

I actually read the books up to Chessmen of Mars after watching the movie and getting a RPG book set on Barsoom. A Princess of Mars is a classic, but I personally prefer the sequel, The Gods of Mars.