Movies/Shows you're watching.

[whirlygirl]

I have to admit that I was somewhat afraid that Bladerunner would be as bad as ridley's last few movies were, but having seen it yesterday, I'm happy to say that Bladerunner 2049 didn't disappoint and I'm looking forward to new movies set in that universe

Also, It was amazing!

This is it for me, exactly!! Except I wasn't somewhat afraid. I was terrified it would try to take away from the original.

2049 was a beautiful successor. I enjoyed it so much more than I was willing to give it credit for. I'm humbled.

[Conn6orsuper117]

just watched the 1st episode of Stranger things 2 with the fam

[sandelic]

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/blue-planet-2-series-season-bbc-one-david-attenborough-transgender-fish-kobudai-walruses-dolphins-a8023666.html

whatwhatwhat?! how did I miss this?!

[Wolkenkrabber]

I was terrified it would try to take away from the original.

2049 was a beautiful successor. I enjoyed it so much more than I was willing to give it credit for. I'm humbled.

Hmm. I was excited for this one. I already owned the Five-disc box set of BR1, and the early reviews for 2049 were good.

Well, it certainly looked great, it sounded great and it didn't denigrate the original. So far, so good. But several times during the film I asked myself: how much am I enjoying it? And by the end, my answer would be: about 3.5 out of five. Don't know why exactly. Perhaps it was the slow-ish overall pace. Perhaps nothing got my heart racing like the snake woman being chased through plate glass windows. Perhaps nothing engaged my head (and pulse) like that final fight and "tears in rain" finale with Rutger Hauer.  The overall feel of the film was almost portentious.

The budget may have been bigger, the visuals more convincing (the original film's outdoor scenes feel at times like they're in a studio, which they are) but it just didn't excite me like the first one did. And I don't really want a "universe" to tie into it. There's nothing wrong with films just standing on their own. Maybe I'm being a grouch. I did like it but just not as much as the reviews and my expectation led me to believe.

Incidentally the people at ID Magazine (and others) reckon that 2049 was misogynistic. I kind of see their point, although I don't agree with the stuff about Robin Wright. And as for Joi's depiction,

Spoiler

why should she be any more real than K, who was a replicant?

Getting back to the film, regarding K's story

Spoiler

I actually wanted him to be the son of Rachael & Deckard and felt a bit disappointed when he wasn't. I briefly clung to the idea (well, my idea) that he was twins with Dr Anna Steline in her glass box, but no. It made the film less personal in the end; we hardly knew Anna (also doesn't Anna's weakness suggest that replicant pro-creation isn't such a good idea?) . Even Deckard asks K why he cares: "who am I to you?". Well, not your father (it's like the antithesis of Vader & Luke). I know there was the bigger picture of replicants being treated as humans, but fuck, they're machines, doesn't anyone remember the terminator films?!

The bees had me scratching my head a bit: (feel free to skip this Bee sidebar, I'm kinda explaining it to myself)

Spoiler

Why were they there? How did they survive without plants/polination? Why does K stick his hand into the hive?
Well I guess Deckard somehow managed to get them going (and it represents Deckard being "outside" the mainstream), but it's not clear what they fed on. Someone on twitter suggested glucose from evaporated alcohol, as the vegas hotel(s) had loads of booze. And it seems K's memory banks didn't tell him to be afraid of being stung by bees, so he was acting out of naive curiosity. Dennis Villeneuve discisses the bees (I've just found this) in a narration clip and mentions the aspect of hope underneath HERE.   

Do I want a sequel to this? Not really. I'm thinking (again) about films like the Terminator franchise; the further you try to push it the more you will suffer deminishing returns. Let's allow our imaginations to figure out what happens next.

[sandelic]

Finished watching Stranger Things 2 yesterday, it was just as good as first season.

By gawds, those kids can act!

[MadPooter]

I thought that the 2nd season of stranger things finished just as strongly as the first season, but the 2nd season suffered from certain... disjointed plotlines...

A lot of the episodes lagged--there wasn't a whole lot of movement in the story and I came away feeling like it lacked cohesion. Some of the individual character developments were interesting, but ultimately it seemed like it didn't hold together throughout the middle as well as the first season did.

With all of that said, though, I loved the last two episodes. I thought it ended splendidly, and I was absolutely pleased with the season, despite the above.

[Bosco]

I thought Season 2 was disappointing.

After watching season 1, I thought the show was really smart, bold, and spaced itself from explaining itself too much. Season 2 regressed really bad in that department.

I knew character development would play a big role this season, since we now know this show is going to go at least 4-5 seasons. But, like Pooter was saying, it bogged the development of the show.

I did enjoy all the new characters. I had no problems with their inclusion other than episode 7.  I also did like the P.I. arc and think they should have worked that angle over what episode 7 was. Winona Ryder is still fucking awesome.

All in all, it felt like they compromised to extended viewership on this second season. And the music soundtrack is a great indicator of that.

I'll continue to watch but with a lot lower expectations. 

[whirlygirl]

Hmm. I was excited for this one. I already owned the Five-disc box set of BR1, and the early reviews for 2049 were good.

Well, it certainly looked great, it sounded great and it didn't denigrate the original. So far, so good. But several times during the film I asked myself: how much am I enjoying it? And by the end, my answer would be: about 3.5 out of five. Don't know why exactly. Perhaps it was the slow-ish overall pace. Perhaps nothing got my heart racing like the snake woman being chased through plate glass windows. Perhaps nothing engaged my head (and pulse) like that final fight and "tears in rain" finale with Rutger Hauer.  The overall feel of the film was almost portentious.

The budget may have been bigger, the visuals more convincing (the original film's outdoor scenes feel at times like they're in a studio, which they are) but it just didn't excite me like the first one did. And I don't really want a "universe" to tie into it. There's nothing wrong with films just standing on their own. Maybe I'm being a grouch. I did like it but just not as much as the reviews and my expectation led me to believe.

Incidentally the people at ID Magazine (and others) reckon that 2049 was misogynistic. I kind of see their point, although I don't agree with the stuff about Robin Wright. And as for Joi's depiction,

Spoiler

why should she be any more real than K, who was a replicant?

Getting back to the film, regarding K's story

Spoiler

I actually wanted him to be the son of Rachael & Deckard and felt a bit disappointed when he wasn't. I briefly clung to the idea (well, my idea) that he was twins with Dr Anna Steline in her glass box, but no. It made the film less personal in the end; we hardly knew Anna (also doesn't Anna's weakness suggest that replicant pro-creation isn't such a good idea?) . Even Deckard asks K why he cares: "who am I to you?". Well, not your father (it's like the antithesis of Vader & Luke). I know there was the bigger picture of replicants being treated as humans, but fuck, they're machines, doesn't anyone remember the terminator films?!

The bees had me scratching my head a bit: (feel free to skip this Bee sidebar, I'm kinda explaining it to myself)

Spoiler

Why were they there? How did they survive without plants/polination? Why does K stick his hand into the hive?
Well I guess Deckard somehow managed to get them going (and it represents Deckard being "outside" the mainstream), but it's not clear what they fed on. Someone on twitter suggested glucose from evaporated alcohol, as the vegas hotel(s) had loads of booze. And it seems K's memory banks didn't tell him to be afraid of being stung by bees, so he was acting out of naive curiosity. Dennis Villeneuve discisses the bees (I've just found this) in a narration clip and mentions the aspect of hope underneath HERE.   

Do I want a sequel to this? Not really. I'm thinking (again) about films like the Terminator franchise; the further you try to push it the more you will suffer deminishing returns. Let's allow our imaginations to figure out what happens next.

Hmmm. Interesting insight for sure. On an emotional and more personal level I agree with the feelings you brought up here. 2049 was for me a good successor but did not thrill me on the same level as Blade Runner. That is pretty much the bar I set for all sci-fi films. There was no immediate connection to 2049's characters. They grew on me, whereas the character development in the original, the emotional connection felt more immediate. True there was no Tears In Rain moment, or death by sprinting through multiple panels of glass, there was no JF Sebastain, there really weren't many endearing characters the main ones met along the way (like that Hannibal Chew). The landscape of 2049 was not as visually appealing as the original though I did find it fantastic in its own way. And the original soundtrack? Brilliant - how can you top it? I suppose how I went into Blade Runner 2049 with such reluctance and with a preconceived idea I was going to cringe watch the whole way through - I suppose those low expectations enhanced my surprise of enjoyment for 2049. A good test I think is how well it will stand up to the test of time. And again, that bar for me is set by the original Blade Runner and that's not just for sci-fi, that's pretty much every film.

Not sure I'm keen on a sequel either, or expanding the Blade Runner universe and franchise.

[ThePumisher]

Movies i have seen in the past couple of days and/or weeks:

Blade Runner - nat as thrilling as seeing the first one for the first time, but definitely worth a watch. plus this was the loudest movie i have in seen in cinema, but this could have been the cinemas fault - there where moments where i have to cover my ears, and me was not the only one.

Baby Driver - Starts really really cool, but the last third somewhat drifts away and i don't know how to judge the movie now. do you also havethese moments where a movie a a tv show starts great but the final somehow is the most shit of all (sopranos for example, or lost)

Wonder Woman - From all the new dc movie (man of steel, superman vs batman,justice league, wonder woman) this one is the only good one. and not it is only good, i quiet had a fun time watching it. thumbs up for this movie.

The House - average movie with will ferrell. can be seen, but not a must seen.

Whiplash - go watch this. one of the best movies i have seen this year.

[sandelic]

"Am I rushing or dragging?!"

[Wolkenkrabber]

Blade Runner - the loudest movie i have in seen in cinema, but this could have been the cinemas fault - there where moments where i have to cover my ears, and me was not the only one.

It was loud but not THAT loud. Maybe it was indeed your cinema. (BTW Whirly, thanks for your new comments on BR. I'm still expecting someone to take issue with my BR2049 comments. Am I being unreasonable?)

Baby Driver - Starts really really cool, but the last third somewhat drifts away and i don't know how to judge the movie now. do you also havethese moments where a movie a a tv show starts great but the final somehow is the most shit of all (sopranos for example, or lost)

Loved Baby Driver from start to finish. Soz!

As for the Sopranos and Lost. Sometimes when a TV show looks/feels cinematic I want it to actually be a film. So I get bored if it goes on for series after series. I therefore only occasionally watched the Sopranos, and I gave up on Lost after 1.5 episodes.

Similar with Heroes. I managed the whole first season and enjoyed it, but felt it came to a natural end, and I was happy to leave it there.

I'm part way through Stranger Things 2 (I don't binge watch) and it's fine but people are already talking about season 3, 4 or 5. I think it could have ended after one season (which I think was Bosco's point), and I'm not sure I'll want to watch beyond season 2. Again it has that cinematic feel (ET, Goonies etc) and I want it to have an ending without feeling like I'm being strung along over multiple series.

Winona Ryder is still fucking awesome.

As pleased as I am to see Winona have a career resurgence (remember the shoplifting?), I dunno about her perfomance in Stranger things. Could it be a little one-note?

Wonder Woman - From all the new dc movie (man of steel, superman vs batman,justice league, wonder woman) this one is the only good one. and not it is only good, i quiet had a fun time watching it. thumbs up for this movie.

Yes it is very enjoyable. People seemed to be excited for this movie on the forum before it's release but didn't really discuss it afterwards. Gal Gadot's naive yet determined interpretation really worked (better than I feared. A lot better); it allowed for both humour and likeability. The trenches/Front scene felt truly heroic and of course she was a joy to look at. I just wonder how long Gadot can play the role for though. She was 32 by the time it came out . She is meant to look like she hasn't aged between WW1 and the present day. But by the time the third (?) WW film comes out she's gonna be 40 or something and those lines between her eybrows ain't gonna be any smaller. Maybe that sounds a bit sexist, but she will reach a point reasonably soon where she has noticeably aged.

Whiplash - go watch this. one of the best movies i have seen this year.

What if we already saw it in 2014? I seem to remember Birdman, Whiplash and Foxcatcher all coming out around the same time here (January 2014). Exciting for those of us who want something different to a Marvel universe. Whiplash was my favourte of the three. This surprised me as I thought it looked a bit too straightforward in the trailers. Should pop up on TV soon. Spotlight which came out a year later felt like it was the 2015 equivalent of those films. Really good.

[ThePumisher]

What if we already saw it in 2014? I seem to remember Birdman, Whiplash and Foxcatcher all coming out around the same time here (January 2014). Exciting for those of us who want something different to a Marvel universe. Whiplash was my favourte of the three.

i know it's an older one, have seen it on my flight back from japan

[satur8]

The Last Jedi was awesome. Sure, there were a few things I would have preferred if they were handled differently, but overall it was an intense and unique take on the saga. I've seen some fans complain and really don't understand what they are looking for. It's superior to The Force Awakens the way Empire is superior to Jedi in the original trilogy.

[Stefan]

I second that. Loved it. Will watch it a second time tomorrow 

[Conn6orsuper117]

It felt great to walk into a full theater, and hear Everyone react to certain segments, like the little bits of comedy and the epic plot twists (and there are lots of them but I will not spoil it)
Cant wait to go see last jedi again on Sunday with my grandparents once they arrive.

[satur8]

I second that. Loved it. Will watch it a second time tomorrow 

Same here.

[WhiteNoise]

I am a huge Rian Johnson fanboy, so I felt I was going to love it anyway. But The Last Jedi made me feel like a kid, watching the original films for the very first time again. I saw it a while ago and I'm still buzzing on how good the film was.

The thing with Rian Johnson's films is they always have problems I am incredibly happy with, always unique in their "flaws" in a way that is itself somehow perfect. There's a moment in The Brothers Bloom, for example, that goes frustratingly unexplained yet it give the film a charm and authentic touch that can't be replicated, making the film all the more valuable for it. And, while I can understand that said issues can annoy other viewers, I just feel like they're not looking deep enough into the film and loving it for being as authentic as it is wonderfully executed.

[Csar]

After watching it I've come to realize that,even as a mere causal fan, SW for me ended after EP 3 (aka VI). It was better than VII (which I didn't really like either) and had some good moments and scences to look at, but overall, and especially story-wise, this installement was just disappointing.

[satur8]

After watching it I've come to realize that,even as a mere causal fan, SW for me ended after EP 3 (aka VI). It was better than VII (which I didn't really like either) and had some good moments and scences to look at, but overall, and especially story-wise, this installement was just disappointing.

I understand different folks have different opinions, but I keep seeing people reference the original trilogy as if it is by default superior to anything that has come after. But, I think if you had someone with no ties to Star Wars watch both ROTJ and TLJ back to back they would say the latter is objectively a better film. The direction, the acting, the motivation, the risks...all of it. I love ROTJ and do agree TLJ has some odd plot choices, but ROTJ is filled with ridiculously bad plan after bad plan. And really, all...all Jedi had was a bunch of muppets.

I respect your opinion...nobody has to like anything, but in general I think loyal nostalgia and character expectations are driving a lot of the overall negativity towards the new film.

[WhiteNoise]

I think it really helps to see these new films as the start of something new, a sequel to the whole of Lucas-era Star Wars, and not a strict continuation of the original (and prequel) films. The Lucas films really are a complete, solid story. This is something new to be appreciated on different terms. Not completely, but a little like going from Star Trek TOS to Next Generation, they're in the same continuity but really are different stories.

And for the record I was not a fan of The Force Awakens, beyond visual splendor and the great acting and concept behind Kylo Ren it was a dull rehash of A New Hope. This new film actually gives me hope for the future of the franchise.