TV/Movies Megathread

[Jacob]

I've been watching Hilda on Netflix with the kid. The faux-Scandinavian flavour is... I guess Scandinavianess is very trendy these days.

The show's pretty decent though.

Speaking of British shows and Scandinavian content (but not faux in this case), we also watched a bunch of the new Moomin Valley. It's pretty good. It took a few moments to adjust to the 3D animation, but once adjusted the charm of the material shines through. Each episode has a unique song by a current artist and they're quite good as well.

Also Shaun the Sheep is still going strong. It's an impressive run for the series.

There is, apparently, also a biographical movie about Tove Jansson coming out. It looks like it will (paging the Brain) including lesbian sex scenes.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - I'm looking forward to Tove. Her collection of adult fiction - maybe short stories or maybe it's a novella - is great.

[Malthus]

Glad you liked it!

Yes. Same. The BBC didn't go for a second series. The writer has revealed he had plans for it, one of which was a Taki and Rodney road trip in Japan and I don't think I've ever been as annoyed at a show not getting renewed

That is a shame - seeing those two navigating Japan would have been a treat.

[Malthus]

I've been watching Hilda on Netflix with the kid. The faux-Scandinavian flavour is... I guess Scandinavianess is very trendy these days.

The show's pretty decent though.

Speaking of British shows and Scandinavian content (but not faux in this case), we also watched a bunch of the new Moomin Valley. It's pretty good. It took a few moments to adjust to the 3D animation, but once adjusted the charm of the material shines through. Each episode has a unique song by a current artist and they're quite good as well.

Also Shaun the Sheep is still going strong. It's an impressive run for the series.

There is, apparently, also a biographical movie about Tove Jansson coming out. It looks like it will (paging the Brain) including lesbian sex scenes.

I really enjoyed Hilda, faux-Scandinavian-ness and all. 😄

It was kinda refreshing to see someone use that setting - another favorite series of mine for slightly older kids is Avatar the Last Airbender (for the love of all that is holy, do not watch the live action movie version) which is set in a faux East Asia, which is a lot more common fantasy setting!

A real work of art, though, is Over the Garden Wall. Highly recommended, but may be frightening for younger children. It is really a must-see if you are interested in animation.

[crazy canuck]

Outland. James Bond is marshall of some one-horse space mine. I hadn't seen it before, but I did read the MAD Magazine version as a kid. Unfairly forgotten today, there is much to like about this movie. It moves along at a nice pace. It's set in an Alien-compatible universe. Among other things, and unusually for space movies, it deals with being isolated in a crowd of people. It's not about any world-shattering events or threats, and the main baddie isn't some über-dude. There's a Lukashenko cameo. Of course, I guess one reason why it AFAIK didn't wow the audiences is that it doesn't have the [spoiler]alien organisms or space dogfights[/spoiler] that people may have been expecting in a space movie, and expectations matter in art.

I loved that movie.

[grumbler]

It's visually very beautiful. The generic "action-movie music" + michaelbaysplosions is also keeping my expectations in check.

After Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 I'm convinced that Villeneuve will make it reasonably interesting.

I'm just worried that like them it won't do well enough with audiences or awards to justify studios giving him another chance - which would be a shame

Arrival did quite well, and BR 2049 good enough to get Villeneuve the helm of a massive project.

I just hope that the crisp, intellectual director of Arrival triumphs over the drag-it-out explain-everything director of BR 2049.

[grumbler]

I welcome as many explosions as needed to ensure this movie is popular enough that Denis gets to make a sequel. The man can do no wrong.

I'd much rather see him do a big-budget movie on some other topic.  The Dune sequels were vastly disappointing and self-indulgent.

Imagine what Denis could do with Rendezvous with Rama or Ringworld or, better yet, The Most in God's Eye.   Moties are tight!

[Oexmelin]

I think Funk is referring to the fact that it's supposed to be a two-parter.

[grumbler]

I think Funk is referring to the fact that it's supposed to be a two-parter.

I thought that it was just going to be shown in two parts, but had already been filmed in its entirety.   Apparently not, since somewhere I just now read about the script for the second movie not yet being finished and the second part of the movie not yet greenlighted.  Kinda risky on the part of the studio; three years between filmings is a long time.

[jimmy olsen]

The Last Duel: https://youtu.be/mgygUwPJvYk

Here's my pitch: Matt Damon and Darth Vader's grandson duke it out in Medieval France over the honor of a beautiful French maiden. Directed by Ridley Scott.

It looks great!

[Jacob]

Not a big fan of the desaturated dark look to denote "medieval". Otherwise it looks like it could be decent.

[Syt]

I'm dubious after Scott's previous medieval outing Robin Hood.

I rather wait for the Green Knight.

[The Brain]

Ridley Scott started out extremely strong, but after the early 80s he's been meh.

[garbon]

I don't care for Adam Driver though I've admittedly only seen him in Star Wars and Girls.

[jimmy olsen]

Ridley Scott started out extremely strong, but after the early 80s he's been meh.

What the hell?