TV/Movies Megathread

[Bauer]

And now I watched the next few episodes of s4 and they were bad bad.  I don't know how they can screw up the tone that badly it's all wrong.

[The Minsky Moment]

I've not really "got" Henry Cavill - he seemed a bit like a British Armie Hammer (minus the cannibalism) in being plausibly, standard-grade handsome with big roles but (for me) never really making an impression. But seeing someone else do the role I think he did bring some sort of charisma to it that made the ridiculous work a bit more - which I'm not sure this Hemsworth has managed.

Saying Armie Hammer minus the cannibalism is like saying Oswald Mosely minus the fascism . . . how can you put that out of your head?

I get the point though - I've also associated them in my mind as actors. The distinction is that Henry Cavill has always seemed eminently likeable.  I want him to succeed. Canning him from a project that he really cared about leaves a bad taste.

He was a good fit for the role IMO.  The story lines are over the top silly fantasy with a good dollop of weirdness.  You need a solid straight man to pull off the lead for that.  And Cavill can play a Zeppo-like straight man as well as anyone in the business.

[celedhring]

I've not really "got" Henry Cavill - he seemed a bit like a British Armie Hammer (minus the cannibalism) in being plausibly, standard-grade handsome with big roles but (for me) never really making an impression. But seeing someone else do the role I think he did bring some sort of charisma to it that made the ridiculous work a bit more - which I'm not sure this Hemsworth has managed.

Saying Armie Hammer minus the cannibalism is like saying Oswald Mosely minus the fascism . . . how can you put that out of your head?

I get the point though - I've also associated them in my mind as actors. The distinction is that Henry Cavill has always seemed eminently likeable.  I want him to succeed. Canning him from a project that he really cared about leaves a bad taste.

He was a good fit for the role IMO.  The story lines are over the top silly fantasy with a good dollop of weirdness.  You need a solid straight man to pull off the lead for that.  And Cavill can play a Zeppo-like straight man as well as anyone in the business.

FWIW, he wasn't canned, he quit the show. A few weeks later, though, he was dropped from the Superman movies. I really hope he fired his agent after that sequence of events. From all accounts, he was unhappy with The Witcher's creative direction, so I can't blame him for walking away. I don't think much of him as an actor overall, but Geralt was one of his strongest roles.

The same qualities you underline are the ones that make him a good fit for the in-development WH40K show. I do think adapting that universe to live action with a straight face is kinda a tall order, though. I'm not sure it will work.

[Jacob]

Are the Witcher books worth reading?

From my fairly limited exposure: yes

I got one of them - a series of short stories (maybe interconnected in the long run). I thought they were pretty reasonable, if I approached them in like I would Harold Lamb or Robert E Howard. So basically, solid pulp with interesting atmosphere and situations and a bit of depth to them.

Better than most fantasy these days, IMO, but I'm pretty critical of the genre.

[Sheilbh]

I do low-key have an interest in fantasy novels from other cultures so should pick them up at some point.

[viper37]

FWIW, he wasn't canned, he quit the show. A few weeks later, though, he was dropped from the Superman movies. I really hope he fired his agent after that sequence of events. From all accounts, he was unhappy with The Witcher's creative direction, so I can't blame him for walking away. I don't think much of him as an actor overall, but Geralt was one of his strongest roles.

The same qualities you underline are the ones that make him a good fit for the in-development WH40K show. I do think adapting that universe to live action with a straight face is kinda a tall order, though. I'm not sure it will work.

He quit the Witcher, but the show's creators let rumors float like he was difficult to work, and even difficult for women, which the cast firmly rebuked. They tried to crush him, it didn't work, at all.

As for Superman, none of the actors under Zack Snyder came back for the new universe reboot.
James Gunn wanted a total clean slate, it wasn't just about Cavill.

With WH40K, he's apparently producer, or executive producer?  It's not yet listed on IMDB, must not be very far in the development process.

[Josquius]

The best warhammer 40k adaptation would be one which DOESN'T do it with a straight face and really highlights the entire point that it's meant to be a satire and all this stuff is so ridiculous and over the top.

Alas with what GW is today and all that I expect it'll just be pure zero self awareness edge.

Witcher - I played and loved the original Witcher game way back when. That got me to seek out translations of the books. I did enjoy them.
They're not great literature but fun trashy romps. Which is all you need really.

[viper37]

Witcher - I played and loved the original Witcher game way back when. That got me to seek out translations of the books. I did enjoy them.
They're not great literature but fun trashy romps. Which is all you need really.

Witcher 3 was a great game.
The novels, so-so.
I got a much better feeling of Geralt and Yennifer's relations in the game than in the books, for example.

[celedhring]

FWIW, he wasn't canned, he quit the show. A few weeks later, though, he was dropped from the Superman movies. I really hope he fired his agent after that sequence of events. From all accounts, he was unhappy with The Witcher's creative direction, so I can't blame him for walking away. I don't think much of him as an actor overall, but Geralt was one of his strongest roles.

The same qualities you underline are the ones that make him a good fit for the in-development WH40K show. I do think adapting that universe to live action with a straight face is kinda a tall order, though. I'm not sure it will work.

He quit the Witcher, but the show's creators let rumors float like he was difficult to work, and even difficult for women, which the cast firmly rebuked. They tried to crush him, it didn't work, at all.

As for Superman, none of the actors under Zack Snyder came back for the new universe reboot.
James Gunn wanted a total clean slate, it wasn't just about Cavill.

With WH40K, he's apparently producer, or executive producer?  It's not yet listed on IMDB, must not be very far in the development process.

The WH40K show seems to be going nowhere at this point. The deal between GW and Amazon was about to lapse at the end of last year and they extended it at the eleventh hour without any firm announcement of anything.

They have released an animated short, but that's all.

The best warhammer 40k adaptation would be one which DOESN'T do it with a straight face and really highlights the entire point that it's meant to be a satire and all this stuff is so ridiculous and over the top.

AFAIK (I have only played a few videogames), all the WH40K media out there takes the setting seriously and rather embraces its edgelordiness, so I gather that's what the fans want.

Personally, I don't think the live action show will happen. It would be super expensive and have little mainstream appeal. Maybeeeee if they do something super-narrow that doesn't show too much of the world at once. Like following a small marine squad on a mission or whatever.

[viper37]

The WH40K show seems to be going nowhere at this point. The deal between GW and Amazon was about to lapse at the end of last year and they extended it at the eleventh hour without any firm announcement of anything.

They have released an animated short, but that's all.

Ah.  Maybe the failure of Halo dimmed their hopes.
Gamer fans can be really annoying with their sense of purity.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

The WH40K show seems to be going nowhere at this point. The deal between GW and Amazon was about to lapse at the end of last year and they extended it at the eleventh hour without any firm announcement of anything.

They have released an animated short, but that's all.

Ah.  Maybe the failure of Halo dimmed their hopes.
Gamer fans can be really annoying with their sense of purity.

Maybe if showmakers didn't shit on the sourcematerial so hard the gamer fans wouldn't be so annoyed at them?

[celedhring]

Given that superheroes are faltering, and Super Mario/Minecraft and to a lesser extent Sonic have done really well, I'm expecting Hollywood to go all in on videogames.

Apparently Taylor Sheridan is writing a Call of Duty movie - although couldn't that just be any movie with soldiers in it?

[Josquius]

On video games in media.
 I've started watching Mythic Quest.
its decent.

FWIW, he wasn't canned, he quit the show. A few weeks later, though, he was dropped from the Superman movies. I really hope he fired his agent after that sequence of events. From all accounts, he was unhappy with The Witcher's creative direction, so I can't blame him for walking away. I don't think much of him as an actor overall, but Geralt was one of his strongest roles.

The same qualities you underline are the ones that make him a good fit for the in-development WH40K show. I do think adapting that universe to live action with a straight face is kinda a tall order, though. I'm not sure it will work.

He quit the Witcher, but the show's creators let rumors float like he was difficult to work, and even difficult for women, which the cast firmly rebuked. They tried to crush him, it didn't work, at all.

As for Superman, none of the actors under Zack Snyder came back for the new universe reboot.
James Gunn wanted a total clean slate, it wasn't just about Cavill.

With WH40K, he's apparently producer, or executive producer?  It's not yet listed on IMDB, must not be very far in the development process.

The WH40K show seems to be going nowhere at this point. The deal between GW and Amazon was about to lapse at the end of last year and they extended it at the eleventh hour without any firm announcement of anything.

They have released an animated short, but that's all.

The best warhammer 40k adaptation would be one which DOESN'T do it with a straight face and really highlights the entire point that it's meant to be a satire and all this stuff is so ridiculous and over the top.

AFAIK (I have only played a few videogames), all the WH40K media out there takes the setting seriously and rather embraces its edgelordiness, so I gather that's what the fans want.

Personally, I don't think the live action show will happen. It would be super expensive and have little mainstream appeal. Maybeeeee if they do something super-narrow that doesn't show too much of the world at once. Like following a small marine squad on a mission or whatever.

Yes, as I said that's definitely the way its gone in recent decades.
Though I have seen hints it has nudged slightly back the way it should be due to the political climate and WH40k being adopted by pretty unsavoury types.

[Duque de Bragança]

Lèvres de sang (Lips of Blood) (1975)

A heterosexual female vampire?  Why, I've seen zany stuff in low budget vampire movies before, but this one tops them all.  What is this world coming to?

So a man named Frederic is at a perfume release party and sees a photograph of a castle by the sea; which reminds him of a time as a boy he met a young woman in a similar castle.  His mother tells him there was no such woman.  Regardless Frederic becomes obsessed by returning and finding her.  Then the young woman, looking as she had in his memory starts appearing to him and staring at him for an uncomfortably long period of time.  Then he unwittingly releases four female vampires in sheer gowns who casually stroll about and... cause havoc?  Terrorize people?  I'm not really sure.  Then he finds the castle by the sea and discovers the young woman is actually a vampire who, his mother explained, was terrorizing the village.  His mother, and her group of vampire hunters destroy the four other vampire girls and his mother tells him to kill the young woman vampire; but can Frederic turn his back on his obsession or will he follow the course of love?

This is yet another Jean Rollins classic.  This one is more "Atmospheric" than Requiem for a Vampire, although the "Atmosphere" is built up by very long shots of buildings for seemingly no reason.  Most of the characters are there to either provide exposition or to look like they just stepped out of a Goth night club.  Frederic's job in the film is to stand in for the audience and look as confused as the audience.  The vampire doesn't do anything but stare for a very long period of time.  Maybe this was spooky in the 70s, but it falls short today.

I did wonder if Rollins took any inspiration from Poe's Annabel lee.  There's a castle by the sea, if not a kingdom, children (well a child and a young woman), and a love stronger than death.

Almost a mainstream Rollin. 




Here's your next Rollin to watch. Yes, it's Rollin's birth, as indicated by the Indicator (sorry) interesting boutique label.

[mongers]

'A House of Dynamite' - Most excellent.