[QuickTidal]

Watched EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS on Netflix...and it's not quite as bad as I assumed it was going to be, but it's not good by any stretch. Weaver and Turturo have VERY small roles (and Weaver felt fully miscast to me)...and Turturo does a better than average job with Seti I (for the ten minutes he's in the film anyways). Bale and Edgerton try their best in a very best in roles that requite them to pretty much be over-the-top. The film is overlong, and the big spectacle set pieces (while nice to look at) never really get near older Rdley Scott Levels. I mean the opening to GLADIATOR with the Roman army under Maximus takes on the armies of the Germanic along the frontier is nothing short of breathtaking. Nothing in EXODUS reminds me of that Ridley Scott...nothing evokes anything close to the amazement I felt watching KINGDOM OF HEAVEN...it just feels like it's going through the motions. The idea of taking the biblical aspects and giving them non-religious reasoning (Moses is a Schizophrenic [seen conversing with the voice of god...but actually talking to himself], The plagues all have natural reasons and follow one another for natural world reasons, the crossing of the red sea is a tidal and tsunami issue ect.) was a nice aspect, but the rest of the film wants to play off the miraculous stuff in a more theological way. So instead of going fully non-religious, or fully religious...it tries to ride this middle line and never succeeds in making me buy either. I'm hoping whatever his next sand and sandal epic is, that Ridley picks a better script and a better topic and maybe he can get back to who he used to be 15 yeasr ago.

[Tiste Simeon]

Finally saw F&F7. Really enjoyable film, just as I expected it to be. Emotional last few minutes too, they did that well. Also, I couldn't ever really tell when they used his brother.

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 12 September 2015 - 09:19 PM, said:

Finally saw F&F7. Really enjoyable film, just as I expected it to be. Emotional last few minutes too, they did that well. Also, I couldn't ever really tell when they used his brother.

He was the wide shots for the last action sequence, and then Paul's face was digitally imposed over the beach scene and the last car scene with Vin. Everything else he'd already shot.

[Tiste Simeon]

Oh cool all the way through I was trying to work it out. I didn't realise they'd completed so much!

[Tiste Simeon]

Also this looks... interesting...
http://www.empireonl...y.asp?NID=45375

I should add this is NSFW violence...

This post has been edited by Tiste Simeon: 13 September 2015 - 09:19 PM

[Primateus]

Just finished watching Tomorrowland. That was actually pretty damn good. Really, I was pretty sure I'd enjoy it, but it was much better than I expected. Clooney was great, as Clooney often is. The girl, whatsherface, delivered the young hopeful dreamer rather spectacularly. The smaller girl put up a solid performance as well. And Hugh Laurie, Hugh Laurie always delivers.

It had a great story, predictable, sure, but still a really good story about actively working to make the world a better place instead of just saying "not my problem"

[A Demon Llama!]

Black Mass. A overly long, drawn out and very average movie. Even boring at times. Would not recommend. Read the wikipedia article instead.

[QuickTidal]

So on Friday, the wife and I were stuck without anything to watch while house-sitting at her parents place, and were trawling through Netflix and and the first MAZE RUNNER movie was on it. Now full disclosure, I tried to read the book way back when but the voice of one of the secondary character in then first chapters annoyed me enough to stop. So I openly mocked the movie when it came out and stated no desire to see it...fast-forward to bored on a Friday night, and we watched the movie. And you know what? It was really quite good! I wasn't blown away, but the director (newcomer Wes Ball) not only does an apt job at pacing and structure, but has a great DOP and sensibility for the blockbuster. It's never going to beat the HUNGER GAMES, but it's a DAMNED sight better than DIVERGENT, or any of the other recent YA films. Well worth a look if you want a post-apocalyptic mystery actioner (some great acting talent too, with Aml Ameen [SENSE8's Capheus], Ki Hong Lee [THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT], and Thomas Sangster [GAME OF THRONES] in strong secondary roles).

So then on Sunday afternoon we went to the theatre to see the second movie, THE SCORCH TRIALS, which was great as well. Blows open the world in which the MAZE RUNNER takes place, and is entertaining enough that I ran out and bought the 3rd book in the series to find out what happens next. Again totally worth a look.

[A Demon Llama!]

So, Terminator: Genesys.

Spoilers

Spoiler

Better than the fourth one but still pretty much garbage.

Never explained why the now super bulked up Kyle Reese was sent to the "alternate timeline" or why and how the timeline was changed. Not to mention if the timeline changed that much then everything up to that point would have been unable to happen. Also, turning John Conner into a super robot and him being the ultimate bad guy? Fuckin bullshit and unnecessary. They could have just used the 11th Doctor instead and it would have made no difference.

So, it very poorly invalidated all of the other movies, probably just so they can make more shit films which most likely will be about saving young Kyle Reese. Which wont make any sense.

This post has been edited by A Demon Llama!: 02 October 2015 - 11:52 PM

[worry]

Blue Ruin. Pretty awesome revenge flick set mostly in Virginia. Brings to mind Jeff Nichols (I'm sure Shotgun Stories got mentioned in the press on this) but more straightforward, less Terrence Malick-style impressionism. It has quiet moments, but it's only 90 minutes so it doesn't overindulge or go limp. In fact it's pretty tense for a lot of its run.

[QuickTidal]

A Demon Llama!, on 26 September 2015 - 11:31 PM, said:

So, Terminator: Genesys.

Better than the fourth one but still pretty much garbage.

Never explained why the now super bulked up Kyle Reese (is this really a complaint? The size of the actor?) was sent to the "alternate timeline" or why and how the timeline was changed

Spoiler

It was explained. It was because a future version of Skynet [further ahead than 2029] had become aware of the humans getting a hold of their time travel tech and interfering with the "send-a-termie-back-to-kill-Sarah-Connor" plan [T1 & T2 timeline], so they sent Smith's T-5000 back to 2029 to infiltrate the rebels, and infect 2029 John Connor with the "swarm/nanobot Terminator cells. The old timeline ceases to be at that exact point, and the new one emerges. At this point and forward you have to view things as Future Skynet [again, further ahead than 2029] and Future humans that are playing the cat and mouse time travel game...NOT the 2029 group anymore.

A Demon Llama!, on 26 September 2015 - 11:31 PM, said:

Not to mention if the timeline changed that much then everything up to that point would have been unable to happen.

Spoiler

Indeed and that's why everything up to that point is now totally changed. And it actually makes perfect sense, if a bit convoluted but it was all on the screen.

Stay with me, this twists around a lot: T1's T-800 is still sent back as per normal (as that was hours before Matt Smith's T-500 changed the timeline by interfering as Reese went back), but after the timeline change Skynet ALSO sends a T-1000 back to kill Sarah Connor AND her parents when she's 9 (knowing that the humans have sent Kyle back to 1984 they try to head him off at the pass there AND Sarah further in the past), she is saved by the Future humans sending a T-800 (Pops) back to save her, and then protect her. Kyle Reese STILL goes back to the same time (1984) because his time shift occurs BEFORE/AT THE SAME TIME Matt Smith changes the timeline (when he grabs John around the neck crowing "Did you really think it would be so easy?"). So he still goes back to 1984 as planned...only now the timeline has been changed and they've sent a T-1000 back to kill him on the very place they know he lands. T-5000 John Connor is sent back to not only infiltrate Cyberdyne at an early stage, but also to wait around and eventually kill the T-800 protecting Sarah...and probably kill her too. The rest of the movie plays out in the new skewed timeline.

A Demon Llama!, on 26 September 2015 - 11:31 PM, said:

Also, turning John Conner into a super robot and him being the ultimate bad guy? Fuckin bullshit and unnecessary. They could have just used the 11th Doctor instead and it would have made no difference.

Spoiler

In a series where they've pretty much pulled out all the bells and whistles and exhausted every avenue of "termie tries to kill X"...turncoating John into a Terminator by force is actually a stroke of narrative genius. It's got emotional push as he's Sarah and Kyle's kid (that's a Skynet bonus: They'll hopefully think twice about killing him), it's got the wow factor of "I wasn't expecting that, where will the series go now?"...but the bottom line here is that Matt Smith's character as the main bad guy is very "been there, done that"...and doesn't change up the status quo of the series at all. Making the very LEADER of the resistance into a terminator changes everything. How does the future proceed now? Who leads the resistance? What happens? In a series where you always pretty much knew what would happen in the next film...now all of the sudden we don't know. That's a great thing. That's why John was turned.

A Demon Llama!, on 26 September 2015 - 11:31 PM, said:

So, it very poorly invalidated all of the other movies, probably just so they can make more shit films which most likely will be about saving young Kyle Reese. Which wont make any sense.

Um, how does it invalidate the other movies? It changes them, and changes their significance, but you can easily look at them as the first salvo and battle of a war that is now continuing in another vein. It doesn't make them not matter...as without them we would not be where we are now, storywise. We'd still be in an endless loop of Skynet 2029 VS Humans 2029...and now we are not. They are still a part of that, but a now done and dusted part of that.

I'm going to guess you were bothered enough by the film to not wait and see the post-credits scene underneath destroyed Cyberdyne? Missing out, as it's a nice link to a sequel. But then you likely won't want to watch a sequel. Still, it's a nice scene.

While I don't think it's completely amazing or anything, I thought it captured the spirit of the first two films much more than 3 or 4 did. It was better than I expected.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 October 2015 - 12:19 PM

[A Demon Llama!]

QuickTidal, on 02 October 2015 - 12:18 PM, said:

I'm going to guess you were bothered enough by the film to not wait and see the post-credits scene underneath destroyed Cyberdyne? Missing out, as it's a nice link to a sequel. But then you likely won't want to watch a sequel. Still, it's a nice scene.

I actually like to be proven wrong and have my view changed on a movie. Was gonna discuss your points but your assumption and dismissive comment about me just put me off. And yes, I did stay till the end credits and yes I will most likely watch next one to come out.

An another note. Anyone excited for The Martian? Hopefully I will be able to go see it today. Also, wonder if its worth seeing it in 3D.

[QuickTidal]

A Demon Llama!, on 02 October 2015 - 04:19 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 02 October 2015 - 12:18 PM, said:

I'm going to guess you were bothered enough by the film to not wait and see the post-credits scene underneath destroyed Cyberdyne? Missing out, as it's a nice link to a sequel. But then you likely won't want to watch a sequel. Still, it's a nice scene.

I actually like to be proven wrong and have my view changed on a movie. Was gonna discuss your points but your assumption and dismissive comment about me just put me off. And yes, I did stay till the end credits and yes I will most likely watch next one to come out.

Your post was full of dislike for the movie...so I took the assumption you did not stay till after the credits because A. I certainly wouldn't if I hadn't enjoyed a movie, and B. Why would you if the Terminator movies had never used that as device before. Sure I assumed on that point...but based that on what I would have done...that's my bad for assuming.

It was really not my intention to come across as dismissive. If I did, I apologize.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 02 October 2015 - 05:31 PM

[A Demon Llama!]

No worries QT.

I just like to complain and be bitter.

[Gnaw]

Excellent reason to play mafias.

[QuickTidal]

THE MARTIAN was fucking phenomenal. Start to finish.

[Slow Ben]

I enjoyed the shit out of Mad Max. Sad as hell I don't get to enjoy it in the theater.

[A Demon Llama!]

The Salvation starring Mads Mikkelson was pretty good.

If you like Westerns, or that actor, then this one is worth a watch and available on Netflix.

[paran falcon]

Slow Ben, on 03 October 2015 - 02:16 AM, said:

I enjoyed the shit out of Mad Max. Sad as hell I don't get to enjoy it in the theater.

Just saw Fury Road on blu-ray myself. What a visual spectacle! I agree it would've been incredible on the big screen.

[Morgoth]

I really enjoyed the Martian. Seems like we're in some sort of Sci Fi revolution these days. I hope it lasts.