[Tiste Simeon]

Watched The Wild Robot. What an emotionally powerful, beautifully animated story! Just astonishing!

[QuickTidal]

Re-watched 3 of the 4 LETHAL WEAPON movies, and completely forgot that the first one opens with a slow zoom to a full frontal nude scene. Jaysus the 80's were wild.

Of the three, I think the first one is too gritty for its own good, and goes on WAY too long at the end. The second one is decent, but feels like a lighter more comedic re-tread of LW1, and I like that 3 went off on it's own...I will be re-watching LW4 but have not yet, and I admit the only thing I remember liking about that was Jet Li's character.

Re-watched VACATION, the first one and again, forgot entirely that there is not one, not two, but three nude scenes in that...Makes sense as it was Lampoons...but I feel like Christmas Vacation is so wholesome (for the most part anyways) that you forget how raunchy the first film is, and to a lesser degree the second. It's good, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Euro-Vacation and Xmas Vacation more....the less said about Vegas Vacation, the better. Some of the only Chevy Chase movies I can still watch without having to think about how much of a dick Chase is.

I tried to watch ST. ELMO'S FIRE, as I had never seen it....my gods what a shit movie. It's like Hollywood realized that the Brat Pack were getting butts in seats and decided to make an aimless ensemble story starring all of them as completely UNLIKABLE characters for two hours...my gods what a terrible film. Got a good score and a good song out of it, that's about it.

[Abyss]

polishgenius, on 28 December 2025 - 08:25 PM, said:

Abyss, on 23 December 2025 - 04:03 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 23 December 2025 - 02:38 PM, said:

Hmmm ...
[Odyssey trailer]

I'm very on the fence about this. I could be wrong, but the impression it leaves is that while some weird stuff happens they're going for a gritty 'real' version without the more mythological elements... Circe, the Cyclops, lotus flowers, Scylla/Charybdis... of the story. Solid cast, but did anyone want a grounded version of one of the most legendary adventure stories ever told?

This isn't actually true- they're going for the mythology, you see the Cyclops in the trailer.

I am, however, baffled that this is the trailer they chose to go with, it gets across none of that, so many people are convinced that it's as you said it is. Nolan's stated aim is to make something like Ray Harrihausen with a better budget and that's not coming across at all. It just looks dull.

Even the Cyclops in the trailer comes across more as a big dude with a deformity than a one-eyed giant, so yah if they're going for CLASH OF THE TITANS then i'm not sure why they would make it look like grimdark TROY.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 05 January 2026 - 03:40 PM, said:

Re-watched 3 of the 4 LETHAL WEAPON movies, and completely forgot that the first one opens with a slow zoom to a full frontal nude scene. Jaysus the 80's were wild.

Of the three, I think the first one is too gritty for its own good, and goes on WAY too long at the end. The second one is decent, but feels like a lighter more comedic re-tread of LW1, and I like that 3 went off on it's own...I will be re-watching LW4 but have not yet, and I admit the only thing I remember liking about that was Jet Li's character.

Re-watched VACATION, the first one and again, forgot entirely that there is not one, not two, but three nude scenes in that...Makes sense as it was Lampoons...but I feel like Christmas Vacation is so wholesome (for the most part anyways) that you forget how raunchy the first film is, and to a lesser degree the second. It's good, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Euro-Vacation and Xmas Vacation more....the less said about Vegas Vacation, the better. Some of the only Chevy Chase movies I can still watch without having to think about how much of a dick Chase is.

I tried to watch ST. ELMO'S FIRE, as I had never seen it....my gods what a shit movie. It's like Hollywood realized that the Brat Pack were getting butts in seats and decided to make an aimless ensemble story starring all of them as completely UNLIKABLE characters for two hours...my gods what a terrible film. Got a good score and a good song out of it, that's about it.

The first two LETHAL WEAPON movies are timeless classics to me, despite Mel Gibson's ugly turn. 3 and 4 were more or less comedies, i ignore them. Jet Li was wasted.

VACATION is one of those films you totally forget just how raunchy it was (despite Chase's ugly turn).

ST ELMO'S FIRE.... it's THE BREAKFAST CLUB sequel that wasn't the sequel but probably should have been. I have a tonne of nostagic fondness for it but it really didn't age well.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 05 January 2026 - 04:26 PM, said:

polishgenius, on 28 December 2025 - 08:25 PM, said:

Abyss, on 23 December 2025 - 04:03 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 23 December 2025 - 02:38 PM, said:

Hmmm ...
[Odyssey trailer]

I'm very on the fence about this. I could be wrong, but the impression it leaves is that while some weird stuff happens they're going for a gritty 'real' version without the more mythological elements... Circe, the Cyclops, lotus flowers, Scylla/Charybdis... of the story. Solid cast, but did anyone want a grounded version of one of the most legendary adventure stories ever told?

This isn't actually true- they're going for the mythology, you see the Cyclops in the trailer.

I am, however, baffled that this is the trailer they chose to go with, it gets across none of that, so many people are convinced that it's as you said it is. Nolan's stated aim is to make something like Ray Harrihausen with a better budget and that's not coming across at all. It just looks dull.

Even the Cyclops in the trailer comes across more as a big dude with a deformity than a one-eyed giant, so yah if they're going for CLASH OF THE TITANS then i'm not sure why they would make it look like grimdark TROY.

Yeah, in fact Nolan has already gone on record as saying that the more mythological stuff in the story will have grounded reasons...so I expect a big deformed dude who was cast out by whomever tribe birthed him, and not an actual monster....same with Circe as a witch....will just be a hot convincing secuctive woman, and not an actual witch using magic.

I also think this will destroy most of the arguments people have Made about it not being important that they pay attention to reality of armor and costuming..."Becuase it's a myth with a cyclops"....it won't be when Nolan tells it, and then that argument falls to pieces.

I'll still see it, but nothing I've seen so far leaves me thinking it's going to be good, or accurate.

Also, I found out that Nolan is legit color blind...and that's why the palettes of his movies are always blues and yellows and greys and browns...and my gods it makes so much more sense now....because he would rather it looks good to him VS the audience (something I disagree with, he should work with a DOOP he trusts to give a full colour spectrum, and not just please himself, but that's just my opinion). I wonder what's wrong with his ears, considering the sound in his flicks.

[worry]

QuickTidal, on 05 January 2026 - 03:40 PM, said:

Re-watched VACATION, the first one and again, forgot entirely that there is not one, not two, but three nude scenes in that...Makes sense as it was Lampoons...but I feel like Christmas Vacation is so wholesome (for the most part anyways) that you forget how raunchy the first film is, and to a lesser degree the second. It's good, but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Euro-Vacation and Xmas Vacation more....the less said about Vegas Vacation, the better. Some of the only Chevy Chase movies I can still watch without having to think about how much of a dick Chase is.

I tried to watch ST. ELMO'S FIRE, as I had never seen it....my gods what a shit movie. It's like Hollywood realized that the Brat Pack were getting butts in seats and decided to make an aimless ensemble story starring all of them as completely UNLIKABLE characters for two hours...my gods what a terrible film. Got a good score and a good song out of it, that's about it.

I don't know if I'll ever re-watch the Vacation movies, but I did watch the John Candy documentary and it is very, very sweet. Chevy Chase is not in it.
I've never seen St. Elmo's Fire but I watch a movie review show/pod on Youtube that has an occasional segment called "Was it great or were you 8?" for retro reviews. They watched it before the Brats documentary came out and had pretty much that same reaction. You might appreciate it!

[worry]

Also when I first watched that review I realized -- having seen neither -- that all these years I had conflated St. Elmo's Fire with Chariots of Fire.

[Abyss]

worry, on 05 January 2026 - 08:10 PM, said:

Also when I first watched that review I realized -- having seen neither -- that all these years I had conflated St. Elmo's Fire with Chariots of Fire.

you would have been better off with Streets of Fire.

[worry]

I haven't seen that either!

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 05 January 2026 - 08:10 PM, said:

Also when I first watched that review I realized -- having seen neither -- that all these years I had conflated St. Elmo's Fire with Chariots of Fire.

Of the two, CHARIOTS OF FIRE is better....though INTENSELY boring...there's at least substance to the story.....ST. ELMOS FIRE is void of anything of the sort. LOL.

Also STREETS OF FIRE is dope as hell for a flick from 1983.

[Abyss]

of the three movies STREETS has probably aged the bestest.

[worry]

So one sucks, one is British (aka sucks), and one is good. Sounds like a no-brainer.

[Abyss]

There's also Great Balls of Fire! and Quest for Fire. Fire & Ice if we include racy animation.


...i still think Streets of Fire is your best bet tho.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 06 January 2026 - 06:15 PM, said:

There's also Great Balls of Fire!

It's wild to me that they made a movie about Jerry Lee Lewis, included his marriage to his underage cousin (once removed), and everyone just was like "Oh okay, no problem"...1989 was still in the throes of "It's the 80's, anything is fine is we romanticize it"

Also, it will never not amuse me that Lewis hated that film because it was based on a book written by that very wife (apparently the truth was not to his liking), but still found it in him to praise Quaid's performance.

[worry]

Goodness gracious!

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 06 January 2026 - 06:50 PM, said:

Abyss, on 06 January 2026 - 06:15 PM, said:

There's also Great Balls of Fire!

It's wild to me that they made a movie about Jerry Lee Lewis, included his marriage to his underage cousin (once removed), and everyone just was like "Oh okay, no problem"...1989 was still in the throes of "It's the 80's, anything is fine is we romanticize it"

Also, it will never not amuse me that Lewis hated that film because it was based on a book written by that very wife (apparently the truth was not to his liking), but still found it in him to praise Quaid's performance.

Quaid is very very good in the roll, whatever one feels about the underlying story, he absolutely kills it on the performance.

[Tsundoku]

Took me a moment to recognise who was playing Robin. :

[QuickTidal]

Tsundoku, on 08 January 2026 - 01:45 PM, said:

Took me a moment to recognise who was playing Robin. :

I didn't have interest in this as it appeared to be deconstructing a hero (and that's the last thing we need as media in 2026)...but the trailer makes me think that Robin himself thinks he's a bad guy who did bad things and killed people...but that those around him will disabuse him of that notion and show him how he IS a good person and has done good things...which I'm much more amenable to jive with.