[amphibian]

That Tron Ares review is an Apt level opinion.

[QuickTidal]

Ha! Probably. But still, I went in with super low expectations, so perhaps that helped? I had fun.

[polishgenius]

Project Hail Mary.


That was really good guys.

[QuickTidal]

polishgenius, on 23 March 2026 - 03:45 PM, said:

Project Hail Mary.


That was really good guys.

Heard nothing but praise so far. Waiting for a time to see it as a date night with my wife.

[polishgenius]

Prepping the double stamp over here, no pressure.

[QuickTidal]

polishgenius, on 23 March 2026 - 05:43 PM, said:

Prepping the double stamp over here, no pressure.

Tis always a good day for the double stamp!

[worry]

Wicked For Good -- thought this was kind of a mess compared to the first one. I haven't seen it on stage or read the book, mind you, but this was tonally all over the place and the pacing was weird as hell. It's not a short movie, yet everything felt abrupt somehow. There's a time jump from the first, but there's almost zero new place-setting -- all plot plot plot. I did like that it was dedicated to its premise (light spoiler: not an 'origin story' of the Wicked Witch we know, but a full re-imagining of how things went down that's firmly on her side, which I honestly didn't know going in). Jeff Goldblum remains great as the Wizard, even if it's an uber-Goldblumy performance. I can't remember the last time he actually disappeared into a role, but also I don't really care. And Cynthia Erivo's voice is remarkable, and it still surprised me on occasion to hear how good she is.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

worry, on 23 March 2026 - 06:56 PM, said:

Wicked For Good -- thought this was kind of a mess compared to the first one. I haven't seen it on stage or read the book, mind you, but this was tonally all over the place and the pacing was weird as hell. It's not a short movie, yet everything felt abrupt somehow. There's a time jump from the first, but there's almost zero new place-setting -- all plot plot plot. I did like that it was dedicated to its premise (light spoiler: not an 'origin story' of the Wicked Witch we know, but a full re-imagining of how things went down that's firmly on her side, which I honestly didn't know going in). Jeff Goldblum remains great as the Wizard, even if it's an uber-Goldblumy performance. I can't remember the last time he actually disappeared into a role, but also I don't really care. And Cynthia Erivo's voice is remarkable, and it still surprised me on occasion to hear how good she is.

There's a video somewhere on Youtube (can't link on my work PC unfortunately) of her singing Gethsemane from Jesus Christ Superstar. I think the performance was at Madison Square Garden? It's mesmerising how good she is.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 23 March 2026 - 06:56 PM, said:

Wicked For Good -- thought this was kind of a mess compared to the first one. I haven't seen it on stage or read the book, mind you, but this was tonally all over the place and the pacing was weird as hell. It's not a short movie, yet everything felt abrupt somehow. There's a time jump from the first, but there's almost zero new place-setting -- all plot plot plot. I did like that it was dedicated to its premise (light spoiler: not an 'origin story' of the Wicked Witch we know, but a full re-imagining of how things went down that's firmly on her side, which I honestly didn't know going in).

I think my favourite thing about Wicked is how easily you can slot in the revised view of the situation, cobbled around a fact that the original Wizard of Oz book AND movie don't shy away from, which is that the Wizard is a mortal charlatan from another world...so it's super easy to buy the politics, and the fact that real bloodline inhabitants from Oz (which Elphaba half falls into) would fee slighted that this asshole had taken all their presumed power over themselves. It also takes something seemingly ridiculous from the original story (that the witch could be killed with a bucket of water) and says to you "Of course it's ridiculous, it was a ruse to fool that stupid tart Dorothy that the Witch was dead".

The songs are good, but the revisionist worldbuilding is what I like most about it.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 24 March 2026 - 11:33 AM

[D'rek]

polishgenius, on 05 December 2025 - 07:47 PM, said:

In other news, cool.

I watched this and it's the worst movie I've seen in years.

[D'rek]

But in happier news I also watched Project Hail Mary and it was very funny, heartwrenching, poignant, and beautiful.

[QuickTidal]

 D, on 24 March 2026 - 10:21 PM, said:

 polishgenius, on 05 December 2025 - 07:47 PM, said:

In other news, cool.

I watched this and it's the worst movie I've seen in years.

Agreed. Fucking terrible movie.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 25 March 2026 - 02:27 AM

[Cause]

 D, on 24 March 2026 - 10:25 PM, said:

But in happier news I also watched Project Hail Mary and it was very funny, heartwrenching, poignant, and beautiful.

People I have spoken to didn’t seem upset but I feel if you haven’t read the books the project Hail Mary movie is missing some really important details and plot points.

How the bacteria are able to blot out the sun ie the entire mcguffin of the plot is never discussed. The entire final 3rd of the book is glossed over in a 1 minute sequence.

[D'rek]

Cause, on 26 March 2026 - 12:30 AM, said:

D, on 24 March 2026 - 10:25 PM, said:

But in happier news I also watched Project Hail Mary and it was very funny, heartwrenching, poignant, and beautiful.

People I have spoken to didn’t seem upset but I feel if you haven’t read the books the project Hail Mary movie is missing some really important details and plot points.

How the bacteria are able to blot out the sun ie the entire mcguffin of the plot is never discussed. The entire final 3rd of the book is glossed over in a 1 minute sequence.

I had not read the book. In fact I knew nothing about the book/movie at all beforehand except that the book it was based on was from the same author as The Martian.

I didn't feel like any of the explanations that were 'missing' were a problem. Yeah, they don't give an in-depth explanation for how exactly the bacteria function or how they survive in space or why light causes them to move. But they didn't need to explain it for me to accept that there's just some lengthy scientific explanation the screenplay isn't going to delve into. It there was no problem of plausibility.

How does the dream-science stuff in Inception *really* work, down to the deep neuroscience/chemical level? How do James Bond's high-tech gadgets actually work? What's the actual detailed scientific explanation for how a radioactive spider biting Peter Parker changes his DNA and physiology?

It's a movie. It doesn't have to fully explain every little thing. It just has to establish the premise in a plausible enough way that doesn't ruin your immersion. And my immersion was not ruined.


Okay maybe slightly my immersion was broken when

Spoiler

Gosling deciphers enough of The Rock's language to communicate cleanly in, like, a few days - he's not even a trained linguist, and it takes professionals in that field like years to figure out the languages of uncontacted papua new guinean tribes or whatnot

but whatever it's a movie, I understand why they needed to do that.


I dunno, didn't feel to me like anything was being glossed over in the last act. It drove towards the climactic moment for Gosling's character and hit the big payoff in a typical successful movie way.

[Cause]

D, on 26 March 2026 - 04:47 AM, said:

Cause, on 26 March 2026 - 12:30 AM, said:

D, on 24 March 2026 - 10:25 PM, said:

But in happier news I also watched Project Hail Mary and it was very funny, heartwrenching, poignant, and beautiful.

People I have spoken to didn’t seem upset but I feel if you haven’t read the books the project Hail Mary movie is missing some really important details and plot points.

How the bacteria are able to blot out the sun ie the entire mcguffin of the plot is never discussed. The entire final 3rd of the book is glossed over in a 1 minute sequence.

I had not read the book. In fact I knew nothing about the book/movie at all beforehand except that the book it was based on was from the same author as The Martian.

I didn't feel like any of the explanations that were 'missing' were a problem. Yeah, they don't give an in-depth explanation for how exactly the bacteria function or how they survive in space or why light causes them to move. But they didn't need to explain it for me to accept that there's just some lengthy scientific explanation the screenplay isn't going to delve into. It there was no problem of plausibility.

How does the dream-science stuff in Inception *really* work, down to the deep neuroscience/chemical level? How do James Bond's high-tech gadgets actually work? What's the actual detailed scientific explanation for how a radioactive spider biting Peter Parker changes his DNA and physiology?

It's a movie. It doesn't have to fully explain every little thing. It just has to establish the premise in a plausible enough way that doesn't ruin your immersion. And my immersion was not ruined.


Okay maybe slightly my immersion was broken when

Spoiler

Gosling deciphers enough of The Rock's language to communicate cleanly in, like, a few days - he's not even a trained linguist, and it takes professionals in that field like years to figure out the languages of uncontacted papua new guinean tribes or whatnot

but whatever it's a movie, I understand why they needed to do that.


I dunno, didn't feel to me like anything was being glossed over in the last act. It drove towards the climactic moment for Gosling's character and hit the big payoff in a typical successful movie way.

I am glad to hear it. Its not as scientifically grounded as the martian which even then has a few WTF moments but its a really fun book. I guess it only bothers me because I know its missing but I felt some people would feel a disconnect as the story kept running fown the rails without explaining the engine. I am glad its well recieved and doing well. Artemis must never get a movie though.

[Abyss]

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH. I thought that the mosasaur/spinos boat attack was a fun sequence, and the rest of the movie was dumb. And bad. And predictable. And predictably bad and dumb.

[worry]

Yup. It's amazing how much interesting stuff the first movie did with a pretty simple premise, and how little the sequels accomplish (especially the World sequels) with much more baroque B-movie premises.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 26 March 2026 - 04:46 PM, said:

Yup. It's amazing how much interesting stuff the first movie did with a pretty simple premise, and how little the sequels accomplish (especially the World sequels) with much more baroque B-movie premises.

World I liked...a lot really...but the second world one (which was by a director I really enjoy) you could tell they were trying to bridge the story away from the JP movies and into new territory and it didn't really work...and then the 3rd one was mostly about locusts?

I have not bothered with REBIRTH, but my son wants to watch it...cause Dinosaurs (which along with Pokemon, Mario, and pirates of the Caribbean are his favourite things)

[Tsundoku]

Just watched Project Hail Mary and had to add my plaudits to the others on here. Just a great story, well done in all departments.
Yup, some of the science was a bit glossed over, but that did not affect my enjoyment at all. I do stress I have not read the book though.

I strongly urge you all to get along and see it. Please support great moviemaking like this.

9.5 human-alien bromances out of ten. Best movie experience I've had in years.

EDIT: and apparently it has a Lego set: https://www.dexerto....inifig-3314927/

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: Yesterday, 01:04 PM