[Macros]

DnD Honour amongst thieves.


Hell that was a fun show. From the top down just 2 hours of laughs, we'll executed action and enough characterisation to draw a tear at the close, even if we saw it coming.

10 big dragons out of 10

Genuinely, me and the wife loved it

[Tsundoku]

Abyss, on 20 April 2023 - 01:40 PM, said:

At least he didn't post six photos and a colon scan.

worry, on 20 April 2023 - 03:21 PM, said:

I'm still uploading the 50MB Bitmap files.

That's one massive :

[Cause]

I saw the covenant. Great action flick.

That said I wouldn’t call it a propaganda film but it had me thinking at the end. The premise of the movie is that America abandoned hundred of translators in Afghanistan even though it promised them visas in America. However the movie doesn’t really make this come across as despicable. Instead it portrays one fictional portrayal of an American doing whatever it takes to save his brother. The movie undercuts it’s own point.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Macros, on 21 April 2023 - 10:03 PM, said:

DnD Honour amongst thieves.


Hell that was a fun show. From the top down just 2 hours of laughs, we'll executed action and enough characterisation to draw a tear at the close, even if we saw it coming.

10 big dragons out of 10

Genuinely, me and the wife loved it

We saw it on Saturday, also both loved it. Nailed the "big dumb heist with many plans" tone of a good D&D campaign perfectly, lots of fun nods for people familiar, all the cast are great and it genuinely feels like they had as much fun making it as we did watching it. I was also quite touched at the end, despite it all being very predictable - sometimes things are just that fun and wholesome that seeing it coming doesn't matter.

I would like to be Michelle Rodriguez's barbarian when I grow up, but Rege Jean-Page's paladin was my favourite. "I do not deal in colloquialisms" - HA!

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 24 April 2023 - 08:21 AM

[Macros]

Michelle's exhusband, quite the cameo!

[worry]

Can't watch D&D yet, so I watched Seventh Son for a fantasy fix. Here's what I knew going in -- it has a high pedigree cast and I saw the trailer in theaters multiple times over several years because the studio kept postponing it. Here's what I know coming out -- they should have made postponing it an annual event till everyone involved had safely passed away. In particular this is the most bizarre, wrongheaded performance I've ever seen Jeff Bridges give. It's distracting to the point of movie-ruining. Fortunately for this movie, there was very little that could be ruined.

[QuickTidal]

You know what disappoints me about RUSH HOUR 2? Like I still like the movie a decent amount, but not nearly as much as the first...but the thing that really bothers me is that RUSH HOUR is very much Jackie Chan as 'fish out of water' Chinese cop in LA, right? Well RUSH HOUR 2 is supposed to be (and starts off that way) as a Chris Tucker 'fish out of water' in HK movie....the problem is that not quite midway through we introduce another white villain pulling the strings of the Chinese villains and the whole thing jumps back across the pond to the USA and we spend MOST of the running time in the USA rehashing parts of the plot from the second hour of RUSH HOUR minus the kidnapping.

They should have spent the WHOLE movie in Hong Kong, and the triads could have been a perfectly feasible big bad in the story to fight again, and especially Carter who would be VERY out of his depth up against a Chinese gangwar. We didn't need the white guy/smuggling ring nonsense again.

I find that on re-watches, my interest wanes CONSIDERABLY after that first 50 minutes in HK....everything after that feels mildly boring.

But hey, at least it's not RUSH HOUR 3 where they fucked up BOTH as 'Fish out of water', by setting it in fucking Paris inexplicably.

In a perfect world the 3rd film would have been in Japan....they would BOTH be wildly out of their element, but the backdrop would serve the concept so much more than a bunch of weird ass "French" jokes.

[QuickTidal]

FINALLY got to see D&D: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (it was released digitally yesterday) and had a blast. What a fun movie. Wife was more middling on it as she felt she was out of her depth with the D&D references, but man I had a good time.

And frankly, just hearing about things I'd read about for so long (Waterdeep, Elminster, ect.) and then seeing other things like the Sword Coast, Neverwinter, Neverwinter Wood, ect. was like some weird balm to my longtime D&D fandom where Iv'e never seen these things live action, and it was all wrapped up in a clean little story with a bunch of humour and heart.

Spoiler

I loved some of the little things...Xenk essentially being a DM NPC character who only shows up to help, and then leaves once he's helped...LOL....hell, he was saving a damned baby when they meet him. Genius. Holga's death was PROPERLY emotional...and then to have her come back with a Death Save?!?!? Amazing. The other fighters in the arena being the damned 80's D&D cartoon characters, costumes and all....amazing.

My only wish was that we'd have seen Drizz't in the post-credits scene...or Menzoberranzan or something....but I get that's super Easter egg-y insider baseball that Casual audiences would not get.

You can tell that the directors have a deep love of D&D and infused a really fun adventure movie with that love. I hope they make more movies with this cast and these characters in Faerûn.

[Cause]

QuickTidal, on 03 May 2023 - 01:34 PM, said:

FINALLY got to see D&D: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (it was released digitally yesterday) and had a blast. What a fun movie. Wife was more middling on it as she felt she was out of her depth with the D&D references, but man I had a good time.

And frankly, just hearing about things I'd read about for so long (Waterdeep, Elminster, ect.) and then seeing other things like the Sword Coast, Neverwinter, Neverwinter Wood, ect. was like some weird balm to my longtime D&D fandom where Iv'e never seen these things live action, and it was all wrapped up in a clean little story with a bunch of humour and heart.

Spoiler

I loved some of the little things...Xenk essentially being a DM NPC character who only shows up to help, and then leaves once he's helped...LOL....hell, he was saving a damned baby when they meet him. Genius. Holga's death was PROPERLY emotional...and then to have her come back with a Death Save?!?!? Amazing. The other fighters in the arena being the damned 80's D&D cartoon characters, costumes and all....amazing.

My only wish was that we'd have seen Drizz't in the post-credits scene...or Menzoberranzan or something....but I get that's super Easter egg-y insider baseball that Casual audiences would not get.

You can tell that the directors have a deep love of D&D and infused a really fun adventure movie with that love. I hope they make more movies with this cast and these characters in Faerûn.

Spoiler

I didnt quite get the DM character but not that you say it, it makes a lot of sense. I thought it was just a fun parody of wildly different power levels and a guest player from a past campagin or somethign along those lines. I am familiar with ow DnD works but sadly never managed to play more than 2 sessions.

[Cause]

Guardians 3 is out this week. Somehow the release date slipped under my radar and I am pleased to have the movie fall in my lap and outside a few jokes on youtube I know very little about it. I dont love the Guardians the way most people seem to, some of the comedy falls flat for me but there are also some spectacular jokes in there too. Still it should proce to be a good light hearted fun movie I am sure.

[worry]

Riders of Justice -- Aside from the name (which makes more sense in context, but is still a clunky title), this is a very good revenge movie. It doesn't really stick to the old patterns, and yet it's also not a post-John Wick gun ballet either. It just feels like it's really doing its own thing, hard to pigeonhole. On top of that, Mads Mikkelsen is at his scary best in this -- but this is also very much an ensemble movie, not a lone wolf thing.

[QuickTidal]

Trying to cheer myself up with some kung fu, and have now watched both POLICE STORY 1 and 2. Both are TOP SHELF Jackie Chan flicks. The ending sequence of the first film is an utterly insane (near perfect) fight. The second flick is a bit more involved, a less simply story but no less enjoyable for it. The score is about 1000x better than the first (which was the only thing I hated about 1), and the difference in the polish of a HK film in 1985 VS 1988 is night and day....it's like they were shot in different decades, not 3 years apart.

And now, I have to figure out how to find a copy of SUPERCOP (Police Story 3) to watch....I've seen it, but I LOVE it and Michelle Yeoh and Jackie together is always a damned blast.

[worry]

Criterion Channel currently has a whole Starring Michelle Yeoh block that includes Supercop.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 05 May 2023 - 10:21 PM, said:

Criterion Channel currently has a whole Starring Michelle Yeoh block that includes Supercop.

Oh sweet! Thanks did she heads up man! I’ll check there

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 05 May 2023 - 10:21 PM, said:

Criterion Channel currently has a whole Starring Michelle Yeoh block that includes Supercop.

This advice was cherry. I nabbed a 7-day free trial of Criterion Channel and last night watched POLICE STORY III: SUPERCOP in all it's 4k remaster exceptional glory (I always remember that Tarantino LURVES this movie and considers the final act action sequence the finest action sequence in any movie ever...and frankly it's hard as hell to argue....it's insane).

The whole thing is great, and seeing it now on the back of the first two instead of all by itself as I first saw it, everything makes so much more sense...why they send him in, who his girlfriend is and why she's plot-important ect.

Michelle Yeoh (credited at that point still as Khan) is a revelation in this film. She gives Jackie a run for his money on the martial arts front...she's incredible. There's one shot in this where she's fighting a thug on a rooftop and I rewound it 3 times on the request of my daughter who loved the move she did so much.

I'm going to watch FIRST STRIKE today (the last of the original line of POLICE STORY films before they spun-off and rebooted), and then I'll use the other 6 days of my Criterion Collection to watch the Yeoh/Rothrock flicks they have on there, and probably the last Kurosawa flicks I've not seen yet.

So anyways, thanks Worry. The Kung Fu weekend I put myself into really cheered up my mood and SUPERCOP was a great capper to that viewing experience. Much obliged man.

[worry]

QuickTidal, on 08 May 2023 - 12:29 PM, said:

worry, on 05 May 2023 - 10:21 PM, said:

Criterion Channel currently has a whole Starring Michelle Yeoh block that includes Supercop.

This advice was cherry. I nabbed a 7-day free trial of Criterion Channel and last night watched POLICE STORY III: SUPERCOP in all it's 4k remaster exceptional glory (I always remember that Tarantino LURVES this movie and considers the final act action sequence the finest action sequence in any movie ever...and frankly it's hard as hell to argue....it's insane).

The whole thing is great, and seeing it now on the back of the first two instead of all by itself as I first saw it, everything makes so much more sense...why they send him in, who his girlfriend is and why she's plot-important ect.

Michelle Yeoh (credited at that point still as Khan) is a revelation in this film. She gives Jackie a run for his money on the martial arts front...she's incredible. There's one shot in this where she's fighting a thug on a rooftop and I rewound it 3 times on the request of my daughter who loved the move she did so much.

I'm going to watch FIRST STRIKE today (the last of the original line of POLICE STORY films before they spun-off and rebooted), and then I'll use the other 6 days of my Criterion Collection to watch the Yeoh/Rothrock flicks they have on there, and probably the last Kurosawa flicks I've not seen yet.

So anyways, thanks Worry. The Kung Fu weekend I put myself into really cheered up my mood and SUPERCOP was a great capper to that viewing experience. Much obliged man.

I agree wholeheartedly about Supercop and her performance in it.

I did watch Yes Madam among this collection, one of her team-ups with Rothrock, and it was pretty rad. It's a bit zany, but the finale is great, has some great 80s style villains, and there's also some crazy inventive movable room choreography with Tsui Hark (yah, he's acting in this one!) -- it's hard to explain until you see it but it's so cool.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 08 May 2023 - 01:23 PM, said:

I did watch Yes Madam among this collection, one of her team-ups with Rothrock, and it was pretty rad. It's a bit zany, but the finale is great, has some great 80s style villains, and there's also some crazy inventive movable room choreography with Tsui Hark (yah, he's acting in this one!) -- it's hard to explain until you see it but it's so cool.

Cool, that one is on my list!

Yeah, I'm also going to try to find SUPERCOP 2 which was Just Yeoh and not Jackie (minus a small cameo) as it's still her and Stanley Tong directing, so I expect it will be good.

[QuickTidal]

So (POLICE STORY 4) FIRST STRIKE is a weird flick...I THINK it was them trying to make Ka-Kui into James Bond instead of just a really good HK cop...it feels super weird as a story and in execution. The whole Ukraine section is dismal, barring the bits where Jackie is fish out of water, and the chase down the hill. The rest of the movie in Australia is better as it doesn't feel as bleak, and features more fights...including the ladder fight which is one of Jackie's most iconic. I can't recall if I saw this one in theatres or not...I MAY have, but I didn't remember it. The plot of stolen nuclear weapons is mostly lame, and the shark is next level ridiculous.

It's not a bad flick, and has some really good stunts and fights in it, and Jackie is great as always...but why this had to be a POLICE STORY movie at all baffles me. Like I get that POLICE STORY 1-3 aren't exactly "connected" either...but they are connected enough and Jackie is not trying to stop anything but largely street level criminals as an HK cop. This one basically is like "What if Ka-Kui was James Bond now?" and I don't think it works too well?

Anyways.

I'll be watching NEW POLICE STORY from 2004 next...I hear it's really good, just in a darker and less campy way as the original flicks and In know Jackie is not reprising Ka-Kui and plays someone else....but stacked cast is stacked, with Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Daniel Wu, Andy On, starring alongside Jackie. And I know that a sequel to this movie with the same cast is what Jackie's shooting next as well (before RUSH HOUR 4 gets off the development hell page...if it ever does, I'm not holding my breath, and I'd rather Jackie make more HK-based content than Hollywood content anyways...the HK movies are always more fulfilling).

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 08 May 2023 - 02:46 PM

[QuickTidal]

Worth the watch. Especially for the "hit" edit trick. Really genius.

[QuickTidal]

Holy shit! It's like STAR WARS and ELYSIUM had a baby and I'm HERE for it. Wow.