TV/Movies Megathread

[celedhring]

I don't know why they're trying to distribute it overseas though. That's ridiculous.

Numbers are out and it sold 600 tickets in Spain over the weekend. They won't even cover distribution costs.

[Syt]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mk3v2k3r0o

Melania director Brett Ratner pictured cuddling woman in Epstein files



The director of the new documentary on US First Lady Melania Trump has appeared embracing a young woman in images released by the US Department of Justice on Friday.

Brett Ratner, who also directed the Rush Hour films and X-Men: The Last Stand, can be seen sitting on a sofa beside the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and two women whose identities have been obscured.

When the images were taken remains unclear, though they appear to have been taken in the same location as photos of Ratner and Epstein alongside the late French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel that were released in December.

There is no indication of wrongdoing from the files. The BBC has contacted Ratner's representative for comment.

The newly released images were part of a tranche of millions of files relating to the late sex offender, who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

A series of thumbnails of the picture collection shows Ratner, Epstein and Brunel smiling and relaxing with different women, all of whose identities have been concealed.

The law that led to the files' release mandates that they be redacted to protect victims or ongoing investigations - though a lawyer representing many of them has said the identities of numerous survivors were disclosed in the drop.

The files were released the same day as Melania: 20 Days to History, a behind-the-scenes look at the first lady's life in the days leading up to her husband's January 2025 inauguration.

The film has already suffered from a dismal reception from critics and political commentators over its ties to the Trump administration and funding, which began before it was even showing in cinemas.

It is Ratner's first project since he was accused of sexual misconduct at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017. Ratner has denied the allegations.

The files released on Friday have revealed new details about the relationships Epstein had with high-profile figures, including Elon Musk, Lord Peter Mandelson, Bill Gates and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Among them are images of the former Duke of York, who was stripped of his titles over his association with the disgraced financier, that appear to show the former prince kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground.

Brunel, who co-founded French modelling agency Karin Models in 1977 and MC2 Model Management in the US with funding from Epstein, was found hanged in his Paris prison cell in 2022 in an apparent suicide.

He had been under investigation on suspicion of the rape of minors and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation. Prosecutors suspected him of transporting young women for Epstein.

[The Brain]

There is no indication of wrongdoing from the files.

I understand why they say this, but in a more relaxed common-sense way there's certainly indications of wrongdoing.

[Syt]

Final episode of Fallout S2.


Overall enjoyed the season, though they could maybe stand to cut down on the separate plot threads a bit - Lucy, Max, the Ghoul, the Vault, Norm, Hank, plus the flashbacks ... sure, the threads merge at times, but it's a bit much for 8 episodes. On the plus side, it keeps the pace up. Thaddeus remains the best Johnny Pemberton channels the same energy he had as Bo on Superstore.


SPOILERS:







Thought the climax was less climactic than the previous season's and also a bit rushed - could have used an additional episode, maybe? Or half hour?

Where did the NCR come from now? Also, the fan service with the NCR sniper .... it was so cheesy it made me laugh for a minute or two.

The Deathclaws ... I'm mixed on them. I thought some died too quickly, though they made sure the one-shot kills were to the eyes. Explosives work, too. And in close combat, even with power armor, they're real problems. So I thought they balanced it decently between spectacle action but also not making it too easy? I don't know.

It's unclear what Hank's pushing the button did - he says the real experiment was the surface and people will execute hundreds of years old programming ... who? Surely not everyone (or even a majority) has been chipped?

The Enclave is revealed to be the Big Bad - makes sense to me, I guess. Though in Fallout there never seems to be a stop to the rabbit hole of who is at fault for what and who is the worst. Waiting for the Enclave to be like, "Well actually Mr House/Vault-Tec/the Chinese ... "

We had supermutants teased this season (yay, Ron Pearlman!), so maybe more in next season? Also, we appear to be headed to "new" Fallout territory in Colorado? The Enclave HQ seems to be in a mountainous region. I thought Alaska (would fit Demon in the Snow), but maybe Colorado? Plus the post credits scene ("Oh yeah, the Brotherhood of Steel chapters were fighting each other!") teases Liberty Prime showing up ... plus, what happens when Legion and NCR meet in Vegas (again again)?


It's still a fun ride that IMHO fits the vibe of the games quite well (though maybe don't try to over-analyze it too much), and I'm looking forward to S3 whenever that comes out.

[HVC]

The only line I don't really care about is the brother.

[Syt]

Yeah, that was IMO the weakest so far IMO. Though I have hunch his new friend who was only at the job for a week was probably Enclave (failing that, an insert by Muldaver).

[HVC]

*spoiler*




It's convenient that she somehow was the only one to survive