Movies/Shows you're watching.

[Bosco]

I love Zimmer's music, I would advise everybody to see the live show. It is fantastic! On par with the Chems.

Very different experiences, but I'd advise the same.

For those that don't know, Zimmer tours with a wonderful orchestra. His music is extremely powerful when you strip it from the movie that its soundtrack to. During the show, they'll sometimes use clips of the films or make visual call backs that accent the music, otherwise it's just a spectacular array of fantastic musicians and vocalists that help bring Zimmer themes to life.

When I went to my show, the crowd was noticeably made up of young orchestral musicians and it was amazing how giddy they were to see him. 

I got my brother the Live Blu Ray for his birthday. We've yet to sit down and watch that though.

[kosek]

Story of Dune is very complex and one can really grasp it only after reading first few books

I wanted just to read the first one before the movie. And if I would like it, then maybe the rest later.
Do you think I should do it or maybe skip it for now to have a more compelling and fresh experience during the movie?
I know Denis Villeneuve won't disappoint

[sandelic]

I wanted just to read the first one before the movie. And if I would like it, then maybe the rest later.
Do you think I should do it or maybe skip it for now to have a more compelling and fresh experience during the movie?
I know Denis Villeneuve won't disappoint

I would advise reading it later, after seeing the movie, for two reasons - first, and I might be wrong here, this movie covers about half of the book so if you read it further, you might spoil the story and second, I've read books after watching 1984 Dune and it really helped to ease myself into that universe, as I was by then already familiar with major characters and story arc - first book is almost 900 pages, if I remember correctly. Seeing movie first helped me quite a bit.

[Bosco]

Would anyone like to have a civil discussion about Dave Chappelle's new comedy special? 

[Wolkenkrabber]

Would anyone like to have a civil discussion about Dave Chappelle's new comedy special? 

If you haven't seen No Time To Die yet, then DON'T WATCH this. Spoilers galore.
I thought it was imperfect but also very intense. Never heard "F**k" before in a Bond film.

[Bosco]

lol, can I at least take that this as confirmation that you have seen it?


Edit: anyone catch the Val Kilmer doc on Amazon Prime? I'm not not huge fan or anything, but it's hard to see someone so passionate about acting in the state he currently he is in. Worth a watch, I think.

'Real Genius' is a fun gem of the 80's!

[sandelic]

Sooo... Yesterday I've seen Dune for second time.
Do I need to say I really liked it?  🤩
I can't say what I like more - acting, cinematography, way it is directed or music.
Probably music, bloody thing gave me two hour goosebumps 

[Wolkenkrabber]

I've never read Dune but I watched David Lynch's film for the first time in the past 5 or 6 years.
It didn't exactly blow me away. Indeed I've forgotten most of it. Nonetheless watching the new Dune, I was struck by how much of it did NOT make me say "oh yeah this is familiar". Sand and Spice are the only things really. I guess Villeneuve approcahed the source novel with fresh eyes and did his best to avoid the '84 version. Some might say this isn't a remake at all.

I was also struck by the similarities with Star Wars. I didn't realise until now that Dune was published in 1965. Watching Dune yesterday I thought: this has a LOT of similarities with Star Wars
e.g:

Spoiler

Sandy Planets, Emperors, Giant sand worms, The Way (The Voice)/The Force, Bene Gesuit/Jedi, Spice, Sand Crawlers.

So it turns out that Star Wars owes the debt to Dune rather than the other way around. But did I find this as entertaining as Star Wars? Nope.
Dune takes itself very seriously and at times the dialogue gets very nerdy-Sci-Fi.
I mean no one says anything like this in Dune:

I guess if you look at Villeneuve's other Sci Fi stuff like Arrival and BR2049, it tends to take itself quite seriously too. But maybe because I've seen Sting in a leather mankini in the '84 version, I wasn't prepared to take Dune 2021 that seriously.

Also the "part 1" of the title was kept pretty low key in the build up to Dune's release, wasn't it? Now we have to watch more of these things?
As a stand-alone film it didn't go far enough story-wise for me. "Tune in next week" to find out what happens next, eh?

Good visuals and a decent cast though.

https://twitter.com/DonaldClarke63/status/1453111491864023045
(tweet didn't embed because: emoji in name)

[ThePumisher]

[Enjoyed]

No Time To Die.
Dang I love a bond movie. Very satisfying end to the Craig era. It really had every thing it needed - the music, the action, the gadgets, the quips, story was compelling... just an all-round solid entry into the series. And that Paloma scene in Cuba was just brilliant.


Would love some recommendations for horror movies if anyone has any great ones they've seen recently?
We recently watched You Should Have Left, which was a decent premise but fell hard off a cliff of interest toward the end.
Same with Occulus. Started off great and largely held us throughout but just didn't bring it home in the way I hoped.

We have on our list:
The Wailing
The Lodge
The Night House
Saint Maud (wife said I may have to watch that one on my own)

Ideally looking for movies on the level of The VVitch (easily one of my favourite movies ever), The Ritual and The Haunting of Hill House (sadly Midnight Mass does not come close - another flat ending to a super interesting premise)

[kosek]

The Wailing

You'll love it. It has great atmosphere.

Try one of these maybe:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4273292/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772262/

[Wolkenkrabber]

Gotta say I've never been a big fan of the kind of horror films that involve haunted/spooky houses and lots of discordant music playing throughout.

Kosek's choice of Midsommer is more my cup of tea, though I do remember thinking, "why don't they leave? it's clearly all a bit odd".

Something from 2016 that I only watched recently was
Raw. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4954522/?ref_=rvi_tt
92% on Rotten Tomatoes. A nice unsettlng atmosphere, some dark humour and (literally) buckets of blood.

For some more straight up comedic Halloween fun, try
Wolfcop https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2781516/?ref_=rvi_tt and its sequel Another Wolfcop.
Ignore the IMDB scores; the RT scores are better. It's not really a spoiler to confirm that yes, it really is about a disheveled, hard-drinking Canadian cop who turns into a werewolf when the moon is full. 

And a recent (ish) one: Nocturne: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11044858/?ref_=rvi_tt
A psychological horror/drama that some have described as Black Swan Lite.
Again the RT scores are better than IMDB.

On the Bond thing

Spoiler

If you watched the Pitch Meeting I posted above, at 4:59 he says "there are pools of acid and poison gardens". "For the nanobots?" "yes" "ok"(dubious voice).
My understanding is that "nanobots" was dubbed-in in post production. We never see the characters saying the word. Originally it was a virus, but they changed it for some reason!
Bond says (to Nomi, I think) "there's the farm, and there's the factory". Why would there be a farm for man made nanobots? Surely you would just need a factory?
I believe Safin's dialogue had to be cut down due to the changes as well.

So it seems they made a film about a virus that then got prevented from being released because of a virus and then had to be re-edited because of a virus.
I hope we'll be able to see the pre-covid cut one day.
Must say the old "Villian who wants to destroy the world" thing has become a bit of a cliche at this point. Nonetheless the film had great action, and Bond's personal journey was very engaging.

But THAT ENDING! The only time they've ever 'killed' JB before was in You Only Live Twice. And we kinda knew it was a fake job (followed by putting his face/obituary in the paper. As you do with undercover spies... who aren't actually dead).
But this time they killed JB for real! Obliterated by missiles that he requested/commanded.
Holy shit! Do they just reboot again from the start like they did with Casino Royale 2006?
Just carry on making films set in the present day? Or go back in time for more stand-alone adventures?

We know Amazon has bought MGM. Barbara Broccoli says JB is only for the big screen but Amazon can probably do what they like now: 1960's-set TV show? The credits said "James Bond will return" but they didn't say "in another movie". Also if they didn't put that bit at the end, everyone would have discussed the end of JB in a very spoiler-y way.  I don't know where they go from here.

ps: Why didn't Safin die when he was shot through the heart near the beginning? There was never a bulletproof vest kinda explanation.

pps: The villain was a....florist?

[Enjoyed]

You'll love it. It has great atmosphere.

Try one of these maybe:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4273292/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7784604/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772262/

Seen the bottom 2! I'll watch most anything that A24 puts out. Definitely enjoyed both of them but nothing made quite as much of an impression as The VVitch.

Definitely adding no.1 to my list though, thanks!

Something from 2016 that I only watched recently was
Raw. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4954522/?ref_=rvi_tt
92% on Rotten Tomatoes. A nice unsettlng atmosphere, some dark humour and (literally) buckets of blood.

And a recent (ish) one: Nocturne: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11044858/?ref_=rvi_tt
A psychological horror/drama that some have described as Black Swan Lite.
Again the RT scores are better than IMDB.

I've heard some good things about these two. Will add them as well. Nocturne is a Blumhouse I believe. It's so bizarre to me that a studio like that can release some truly brilliant horror cuts (It Follows, Get Out, (arguably) Us). And then fill the rest of their portfolio with utter tosh. Makes every time you sit down quite the gamble!

I'll reply about Bond in the next kitten smothering post...

[Enjoyed]

On the Bond thing

Spoiler

If you watched the Pitch Meeting I posted above, at 4:59 he says "there are pools of acid and poison gardens". "For the nanobots?" "yes" "ok"(dubious voice).
My understanding is that "nanobots" was dubbed-in in post production. We never see the characters saying the word. Originally it was a virus, but they changed it for some reason!
Bond says (to Nomi, I think) "there's the farm, and there's the factory". Why would there be a farm for man made nanobots? Surely you would just need a factory?
I believe Safin's dialogue had to be cut down due to the changes as well.

So it seems they made a film about a virus that then got prevented from being released because of a virus and then had to be re-edited because of a virus.
I hope we'll be able to see the pre-covid cut one day.
Must say the old "Villian who wants to destroy the world" thing has become a bit of a cliche at this point. Nonetheless the film had great action, and Bond's personal journey was very engaging.

But THAT ENDING! The only time they've ever 'killed' JB before was in You Only Live Twice. And we kinda knew it was a fake job (followed by putting his face/obituary in the paper. As you do with undercover spies... who aren't actually dead).
But this time they killed JB for real! Obliterated by missiles that he requested/commanded.
Holy shit! Do they just reboot again from the start like they did with Casino Royale 2006?
Just carry on making films set in the present day? Or go back in time for more stand-alone adventures?

We know Amazon has bought MGM. Barbara Broccoli says JB is only for the big screen but Amazon can probably do what they like now: 1960's-set TV show? The credits said "James Bond will return" but they didn't say "in another movie". Also if they didn't put that bit at the end, everyone would have discussed the end of JB in a very spoiler-y way.  I don't know where they go from here.

ps: Why didn't Safin die when he was shot through the heart near the beginning? There was never a bulletproof vest kinda explanation.

pps: The villain was a....florist?

Spoiler

You know. I completely believe that to be true. His father grew flowers for poison for Spectre, so the whole garden, and ultimately the setting for the finale certainly makes much more sense with a virus. The scientists at the beginning are also talking about ebola and petri dishes. Not nano-technology. Definitely would be interesting to see a cut with the original premise, but I think the rest was brought together well enough for it not to have suffered that much.
Fortunately, I've developed a phenomenal suspension of disbelief when it comes to Bond movies. I'm literally along for the ride. So nano-bots? DNA-targeting virus? bionic eye? I'll take whatever you have. I'm completely in.

[Bosco]

I'm just gonna spit out some recommendations. Not necessarily that correspond with the VVitch or the others you've highlighted, but some that I have watched over the last few years and have enjoyed. I will also add I tend to like more psychological thriller types, so my picks will probably be less haunting/scary and more-so creepy and unsettling.

'Bone Tomahawk'- Non-traditional horror; more-so, western gore fest. Probably not a great watch for your better half, but unless she can stomach some extremely gruesome scenes, I think you'll appreciate it as Bone-Chilling flick (see what I did there!). Richard Jenkins = The best.

'Killing of a Sacred Deer': Bizarre thriller, that ties in disturbing situations and dark humor. Loosely based off a Greek Myth. Establishes shots similar to 'The Shinning'. Barry Keoghan is awesome in this film, and without a doubt solidifies him as one of my favorite young actors out there.

'A Ghost Story': Romance and very, very, very, slow moving drama, with uneasy imagery that can be scary either psychologically or emotionally, if you want to be. It's a very unique film and might not reach everyone with the same effect, which is why you'll find a polarizing reception. For me, it hit me like a wall of bricks. Maybe the pandemic has softened me up, but damn I was quite a mess by the end of this film. Two critiques: The song written for this movie was horribly cheesy (IMO), and the notorious pie eating scene was a bit much.


Something from the past:

'Eraserhead' - Already a legendary film. But if you've managed to have escape it until now, it's an experimental horror that will make you physically uneasy and claustrophobic. Probably should experience once, just to understand. I guarantee, even if you don't like the film, you'll be thinking about it days after. NOTE: Again, probably not the best to watch as couple. Most effective when you marinate in it by yourself.

Also, 'The Machinist' and 'The Descent' which I have recently re-watched and we probably don't need to talk about as I'm sure most of you have gotten around to by reputation.

[Stefan]

Kosek's choice of Midsommer is more my cup of tea, though I do remember thinking, "why don't they leave? it's clearly all a bit odd".

It's been a while since I saw that movie, though I that there were several scenes where they specifically wanted to leave (also with the british couple). There was like one car, and only the people of the commune had access to it, so the only other option would've been to just run awaway, in the middle of nowhere in a country you don't know.

[Enjoyed]

Cross-topic posting about League of Legends here, but Riot just put out the first three episodes from their animated series on Netflix, called Arcane.
It's bloody fantastic. Genuinely think it is one of the best things I've watched on the screen in recent history. Would be interested to hear what non League folks think because the story, even without any pre-existing knowledge of the characters, has been great so far, and the animation... phweeooofff. So good.

Highly recommend for fans of fantasy, adventure, animation. First three episodes on Netflix now. Then 3 more released each week for the next two weeks.

[Stefan]

I know absolutely nothing about League of Legends other than that it is a video game with a fantasy setting, but I'll check the series out 

[Conn6orsuper117]

For the 1st time last night I watched The Shining. Ive practically seen the movie through memes and references but watching it whole, i still get taken by surprise. Clearly a classic

Definitely rewatching doctor sleep tonight so i can get the full experience (especially the directors cut)

Edit:
Just finished it. Is Good! 
Alot of references i missed the 1st time watching that i now got after last night

[Bosco]

For the 1st time last night I watched The Shining. Ive practically seen the movie through memes and references but watching it whole, i still get taken by surprise. Clearly a classic

Happy to hear it withstood its bastardization through todays various forms. If you found yourself enjoying the style of movie beyond the story, I advise seeking out more films from Stanley Kubrick. You'll quickly find out that he is a master of cinema. If you haven't, check out "Full Metal Jacket", next.

We'll make you a 2001: A Space Odyssey disciple soon enough