TV/Movies Megathread

[Josquius]

I was watching wonder woman 1984 then 3/4 through amazon took it off.
So no idea of the ending.
You know. Its not terrible. Has the feel of a bit of a throw back to old MCU comic book films. Feels very dinky low-high stakes and shot in low budget places. Surprised to see it did have a big budget.
Not good of course. But there's worse

Asteroid City. I'm not Wes Anderson's biggest fan, but this is one of his weakest films, imho. The camerawork and attention to detail is brilliant as usual, but the story is a hodge-podge of the usual wesandersonisms (precocious kids! estranged parents! stylish suitcases!) without much of a through-line, it feels more like a accumulation of quirky scenes. And the whole meta thing is dialed up to 11, you have the meta element of wesandersonifying sci-fi tropes (the most entertaining part of the film, I must say), and then yet another meta layer where everything is supposed to be a play and the film frequently cuts away to the behind the scenes story of the actors and the author, wondering about the point of the story (here's my answer: it doesn't have any).

After the French dispatch my enthusiasm for this film was already low. Which is a shame as Anderson used to be good.

[Josquius]

Episode 2 of the new Black Mirror. Loch Henry.
Very weird episode. Doesn't feel like Black Mirror until a twist in the very last few minutes. More like an episode from an episodic horror. I get the message. But its a weak episode.

[Gups]

I liked Loch Henry. Certainly better than any from the last short season (which was admittedly the worse yet). I love that the first two episodes of this season rip in to Netflix. The true crime genre needs a bit of a kicking.

From various interviews with Charlie Brooker I've read that he is moving away from the technology focus and will be more  like anthology.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Secret Invasion Episode 1:
Felt like a chore.  Kind of all over the place with bits of exposition spouted off seemingly at random and I felt like I was expected to already know the plot (beyond the obvious secret alien invasion).

[Josquius]

I finished series 2 of Carnival Row. A sad casualty of covid. The first series really was great I remember but this became a chore.

[Barrister]

Secret Invasion Episode 1:
Felt like a chore.  Kind of all over the place with bits of exposition spouted off seemingly at random and I felt like I was expected to already know the plot (beyond the obvious secret alien invasion).

Isn't it a follow up basically from Captain Marvel - which admittedly came out like 4 years ago)?

[Darth Wagtaros]

Secret Invasion Episode 1:
Felt like a chore.  Kind of all over the place with bits of exposition spouted off seemingly at random and I felt like I was expected to already know the plot (beyond the obvious secret alien invasion).

Isn't it a follow up basically from Captain Marvel - which admittedly came out like 4 years ago)?

I guess.   

[celedhring]

So, I watched the first episode of Marvel's Secret Invasion, aka "What if David Icke has been right all along".

I was... bored? The skrulls look pretty dumb (which the show seems aware of, hence them retaining human forms even when it doesn't make sense to do so), and the whole post-cold war spy theme they try to set up... it's not very interesting and certainly not very thrilling. Even Sam L. Jackson looks bored, although his scene with Olivia Colman is the sole highlight of the first episode.

Feel bad for Emilia Clarke, she has the worst of luck when being cast in franchises.

[Duque de Bragança]

David Icke's stuff is much better handled in V then, not to mention Robert E. Howard's books. 

[Darth Wagtaros]

Like the Civil War I think it was handled better in the comic books. Just more options. 

[Admiral Yi]

The Mule on Netflix.  Clint Eastwood starts muling coke.

Not as bad as Trouble with the Curve, but not a good movie.  Some clunky scripting and directing.  Most notable for how very old Clint is now.

[Darth Wagtaros]

The Mule on Netflix.  Clint Eastwood starts muling coke.

Not as bad as Trouble with the Curve, but not a good movie.  Some clunky scripting and directing.  Most notable for how very old Clint is now.

Yes. We are old now.  Even Ryan Seacrest is ancient.

[celedhring]

Watching Indy V today. Curiously, the reviews in the Euro press are much more positive than in the yank press. We'll see.

[celedhring]

Sadly, I think the yank reviewers were closer to the truth 

Mind, there's some strong scenes - the opening in particular, even with the occasional slips into uncanny valley, feels like classic Indy. But most of the rest of the movie is really boring and unimaginative, which is a sin for an Indiana Jones movie. We get tombs, sunken ships and chases through exotic locales, but everything feels perfunctory.
Phoebe Waller is a pretty good foil for Indy, though, and their chemistry manages to barely hold it together. Then the third act is weird and fun - although I can see a lot of people hating it for being "too much" (I didn't, heck I could have used even more moments of nazis battling ancient romans). The movie also features the most poignant scenes of Indy as a character of the saga. Actually, this is probably the only recent nostalgia bait film that nails the emotional side of the aging hero (in moderation, this is not a crepuscular film). Although I don't think it's enough to overcome how bland the first two acts are.

It's certainly better than Crystal Skull, but that's not saying much. I mean, I didn't hate it, but I can't really recommend it either.

[Duque de Bragança]

It's certainly better than Crystal Skull, but that's not saying much. I mean, I didn't hate it, but I can't really recommend it either.

Thanks, I feel reassured now 

Will watch it at the Fête du Cinéma so as to limit damage (max. price 5 € (double what I paid for Crystal Skulls though).