| Author | Message | ||
     Aesquire |
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) One of the Best Comic Book Movies! I'd like to thank all the internet trolls for lowering my expectations. If I thought this was the Best DC movie going in, I'd probably be more critical. But constant, whining, complaining about political/feminist manifestos had me walking in just hoping it would not suck. It Did Not Suck. Pros. Cinematography! The colors! The watercolor? Washes? on the big scenes ( alas my vocabulary fails ) Captured the Full Page spread from a comic, beautifully. Very little shaky cam stupidity. Colors... Watchmen used a different palette than regular comics, and the movie captured that well. Birds Of Prey uses the classic comic book colors where it counts, and stark city realism where that's appropriate, or often inappropriate, since, Harley! Stunt work & fight scenes. The Stunt work is top notch. There's not a lot of "Super Powers" stuff obviously going on. Other than the relative indestructible heroines, who shake off hits that would turn actual humans into paste. Hey! Comic Book! Motorcycle and roller derby fans, rejoice! Practical effects and serious stunt work. Fight scenes are Fracking Brutal! Dark Knight and beyond. If you liked the Darkness ( philosophical ) in DC movies, this captures it perfectly, without apology, without the brooding hero. Oh, Harley might brood, but it's manic, justified, and meaningful. It's not "What She Does" like the Batman movies. Acting. Great! Even the Villain(s) are working it here. Black Mask ( Ewan McGregor ) is actually scary. Even main characters meant to be cliche' refuse to stay in their box. Sure, the disposable villains don't get any character development, they get beat up too quickly, but you don't care about minion 7's motivation anyway. Greed and violence, nuff said. Universe Building. Finally! Someone gets it right! Birds Of Prey is the follow on to Suicide Squad. They don't change Harley Quinn at all. Consistent character, and character development! Plenty of fan candy references to the previous film, but done right, not overloaded. Darkness. Not a kiddie movie. That might be a negative. There is some serious adult hell going down here. Bad decisions, dire consequences, real villainy, blood and horror. Do Not Take Young Children. But for those who loved the Dark Knight Trilogy, this takes it to 11 and does it better. Cons...that are internet troll b.s. Feminist? It's an all girl team! Sure there's some "men suck" spin happening, but it's a Break up Movie in part. ( It's in the trailers ) Very much the one sided view. On purpose. Plus, most of the men are bad guys or victims, and it's a seedy, dirty Gotham City crime underbelly here. Everyone sucks. Pacing. Flashbacks in flashbacks. There's some justification for complaints on frentic, irregular pacing. But this is Harley's story, and she's insane, remember? Bright, educated, but twisted. It fits even when it jars your expectations. I still think Wonder Woman is the best DC film, but this is a close second. It's hitting second run theaters, and I highly recommend you ignore everything you hear or read about it, and go. ( including my rant ) Don't anticipate, just enjoy. Adults only! If you've got a 13 year old, see it first and decide, before taking them. | ||
| Aesquire |
A Million Ways To Die In The West. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2557490/ Picked up in the $3.79 bargain bin at Wal-Mart. That's the right price. It's horrible! Nearly Every Western cliche is crammed in. It's offensive. Rude. Racist. The humor is crude, offensive, racist. The pacing is occasionally glacial. The cinematography is outstanding. Monument Valley. The town built near Santa Fe for Gunsmoke. Spectacular. Sets, costumes, and settings are nigh perfect. There's a LOT of pop culture and movie references, and cameos. Acting is excellent for a cheap comedy. Charlise is both talented and gorgeous. Funny as hell. I almost stopped watching a few minutes in as it sucked so bad, but then laughed hard through most of the movie, when I wasn't cringing. Is it the Blazing Saddles of the 21st century? No. But if you can see it for free, or better yet, get the DVD really cheap, you will want this one for your collection. So bad, it's good. I'm informed it's even funnier on recreational drugs. | ||
| 86129squids |
Watched the new Blade Runner again the other night. I liked it the first time, a second viewing allowed me to catch more nuances, great stuff. It goes from almost whispers to the big noises, so it's hard to watch when my honey's in bed already. Don't want the subwoofer to get busy. | ||
| Aesquire |
 Mean Dad trick. When you leave the internet connected entertainment TV or PC thing that you use, crank the volume up. Porn videos played by the kids typically cause panic as the opening moans or bad music boom out. Warning, damage to property and kids during startle reactions may ( nay, Will ) occur. | ||
| Daddio |
The US Navy has stolen Captain America away from the Army, well, at least the House Flag on the newest Amphibious, the USS America LHA-6  | ||
| Jaimec |
So I'm FINALLY watching this series on Netflix now that I've finished all of the individual character arcs. I quickly figured out this takes place after Daredevil season 2 and before Season 3. So far, so good. I've enjoyed all of them, but Iron Fist was the sole disappointment. WTF was that ending all about??? I see Daredevil was setting up for a fourth season too, before it was canceled. Agent Dex looked like a prototype "Bullseye" that never got off the ground. | ||
| Aesquire |
A LOT of people hated the last Star Wars Trilogy. I understand why, mostly. It's not the story you wanted. The disillusioned Luke, the Big Bad with no explanation of how this mutant? got to be the Ruler, ( I assume it's in a book, but I didn't read it, and most who did probably just LUUUUUV anything Star Wars ( like my niece ) and would forgive a lot. ) and the tone didn't meet expectations. And mostly, Star Wars is so hyped that it's impossible to please everyone who's been waiting since childhood ( or college age for us old farts ) for the NEXT one. And parts 1-3... sigh. Myself, I stood in line for the very first showing of Star Wars. Opening day in Pittsford NY. I was eager to see something new, and, like many, was blown away. The special effects were the first time anyone had seen... That. Sure the story was a basic fairy tale, princesses, wizards, sword fights, villains all in black. ( and white, which was a cool choice by Lucas ) But no one cared if the plot was cheesy and the dialog stilted. ( famously the best lines in episodes 4-6 were improvised ) It was cool. And I really like Rouge One. Gritty, realistic, but not fake Batman dark. But Still Star Wars. Anyhoo... I enjoyed the third trilogy. I didn't like everything, and I don't insist anyone agree with me. There are lots of videos and articles telling you how bad, & good it was. But I just saw this one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFglBgPpQUs I'm not trained in fight choreography. I've done some, amateur stuff, mostly playing around, and Demos for the public. My martial arts stuff for the last 25 years has been tournament & mass melee, with nice polite rules. Which mostly work, since it keeps us from actually killing each other, which is kinda important in a weapons form that is full contact. But the rules are basic stuff like "Don't clobber a guy who doesn't see you" and "Don't hit the knees and below, since those are delicate, and not everyone has really good protection" and "Don't keep hitting someone once they fall down", and "keep an eye out for some poor sap you've just stunned, and hasn't fallen down yet, because you just lit him up and he isn't all there". And yes, I've had that happen, in both directions. ( It turns out a rising wrap shot with a mass weapon to an unarmored Butt not only makes you stand upright for a few seconds, but also "lights you up" so you can't see or hear for a few... Seriously ) So I have an appreciation for fight choreography, even if I don't practice it. And I especially enjoy a good sword fight. ( duh ) And I really understand how hard it is to make it all look good, without crippling the poor actors. And I agree with the pro above about the throne room fight in The Last Jedi. | ||
| Aesquire |
The first Demo fight I did for the SCA was in a book store. We showed off Arts & Science stuff, costumes, passed out flyers, the usual. Then it was time to show the crowd A Fight. Unfortunately, my sparring partner and I had been training, hard, for a major tournament coming up the next weekend. So we were basically dialed up to 9 and ready to go to 11 when we competed. The Lady called "lay on" and we went at it just like we had earlier in the week, full speed, maximum effort, I Want To Win attitude. After the first "point" the lady running the Demo stopped us, and told us to dial it WAY back, since we just scared the $%^& out of the crowd. Choreographed stuff is actually Harder to do. | ||
| Aesquire |
Often, when I like something I get a bit verbose when telling others how awesome it is. so... Smart redhead lady does it better... | ||
| Tpehak |
It's time the Marvel Defenders to end the riots protests. | ||
| Aesquire |
See the riot scene in Watchmen. Actually pretty good analogy between Citizen Sheepdogs and Masks in Watchmen. Hmm. Don't think I want vigilantes busting heads in riots. Mercs, either, nor civilians outside the system, ( deputized or recognized State Militias ) except in self defense. Harmon's Wearing The Cape series addresses the ways Capes/Masks is legalized. To use a DC villain, what if Mr. Freeze decided to stop the riots in Chicago by flash freezing a few hundred people... into the hospital and morgue? I admit, a movie version of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones & Iron Fist pummeling a squad of goons would be entertaining. But not for real. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/08/28 /chadwick-boseman-dies-of-cancer-at-43/ Condolences to family and fans. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/12/04 /nolte-no-coming-back-from-warner-bros-hbo-max-bom bshell/ No movie stuff for months. The end of an era. And pay services promote piracy. Imho. | ||
| Aesquire |
Wonder Woman 1984... Not bad at all. The pundit idiocy that the villain is a Donald commentary might be true, but frankly seems stupid to me. Pedro Pascal is brilliant, as is Kristen Wiig, villains you can understand the motivation, and not cardboard action figures. Special effects, good. I didn't like a few artistic touches, the use of low resolution footage which I think was a nostalgic call, but other than that, well done all around. I prefer the first movie, no surprise, but it's a decent comic book movie & a good setup for another in the series. I'll avoid spoilers and wait for feedback from you guys, and... Bottom line, Worthy of your time and popcorn money. 2:36 so avoid the giant beverages if you're going to the theater...  Or take a break around 1 1/2 hours in. There are stinger scenes, at the beginning and end of credits. Worth seeing. I watched at home, and the demand on Christmas day broke the internet. Multiple reboots of the streaming service and modems, as the movie stopped repeatedly. | ||
| Hootowl |
Interesting. Streaming services typically use third party content delivery networks colocated in datacenters where ISPs operate. Might have just been your ISP or that one CDN. | ||
| 86129squids |
I'm going to be assessing our "needs" for different services we have streaming now... despite having four of the major ones, M will regularly be watching one of the secondary network channels like Laff, MeTV, or what have you. Yes, the Warner/HBO deal will suck for many in the entertainment production biz, not to mention traditional cinema. Given that HBOMax will have all those movies in the pipeline, including "Dune", might sell me though. I've been of the mind for years now to just wait out a movie until it hits DVD or stream to watch at home. The movie theater experience was ruined by overpriced snacks years ago, then another time over by cell phones. When I could no longer sneak in my own snacks with a backpack, screw it. (I would still pay good $$$ for an authentic, first-gen theater with IMAX.) | ||
| Aesquire |
A Lot of the streaming video companies got a flood of fresh signups Christmas day. A fairly common present, I got a subscription myself. They may have underestimated the traffic. And there's the Nashville bomb. The Deathstar is pretty darn good at re-routing traffic, they did most of the design of the physical web. ( after Arpanet ) But there are limits to traffic in any single cable. But blaming my ISP is most likely best. They suck. | ||
| Aesquire |
For some reason there's a campaign to say the villain in WW84 is a Donald analog. To what ends, I don't care. Bull. I can understand unhappiness with Hollyweed Political Rant writing. But this is being upset about claims that a villain in a comic book movie is a current political figure, AND buying into the claims without questioning them. Double sucker stupid. I don't see any reason to argue Pedro's character isn't what pundits imagine. You go enjoy your rage, and let me enjoy Themiscyra. It's like movie reviews have become Downfall memes. | ||
| Aesquire |
Thumbs up on Quartermass And The Pit, and The Power. Saw both as a wee lad and had nightmares about both Martians and psychic killers for years. Barberella and a few of the others might be best seen on substances Dragnet warned you about. I favor mid to late '50s sci-fi movies, like The Marching Monoliths and Them, and the top ten ever Forbidden Planet, but it's probably because they were Sunday afternoon Creature Feature films and the pessimistic '60s stuff was too adult for a small town kid, & by high school age they had to compete with '70s stuff that was less Cold War Dystopian and more Post Apocalyptic. Plus more partial nudity... | ||
| Aesquire |
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zIlTuZUL02I Adam Savage's top 5 science fiction books. I haven't read all of them, so I've got something to look forward to. My 5. Subject to change & I'll cheat. In No Order! 1. Neutron Star, set in the Known Space series by Larry Niven. Too many books total, so... Solid, hard SF and early, he gets better. 2. The Mote In God's Eye by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. The First Contact Novel. Set in Pournelle's Codominium series, it stands on it's own just fine. 3. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress / Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein. Moon has politics and revolution, Time has sex. Something to offend anyone! 4. Emergence, by David Palmer. The kid genius hypercompetent character can be annoying when done wrong, and awesome when done right. Set in a very realistic Apocalypse, this is a book I buy every time I see one in a used book store. Then I give it to a woman. I never get one back, they've loaned it on... 5. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold The novels Shards Of Honor & Barrayar together, although written years apart, it's one story. And the beginning of the Vorkosigan Saga, which has almost every book nominated for, or winning a Nebula and/or Hugo awards. Cordelia's Honor is another book I've bought countless copies of, to gift. Strong female protagonist, solid action. 6, or honorable mentions... Inherit the Stars by James P Hogan. Everything by James H. Shmitz. Or Christopher Anvil. | ||
| Ebutch |
Bad Taste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-3jsZBbEXw | ||
| Crusty |
https://babylonbee.com/news/warner-bros-casts-kama la-harris-as-the-joker | ||
| Aesquire |
She does have that edgy cackle. David Boreanaz as Harley? | ||
| Aesquire |
SPOILERS for the Movie Passengers! I enjoyed Passengers, and was a bit torqued by it, and I think I was meant to. Cinema CGI & really pretty pictures, lovely cast, decent acting. But morally troublesome. Interesting review, don't disagree too much, as movies go, but as a Science Fiction Fan, I think I see a different take on the Classic sci-fi story, The Cold Equations. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cold_Equations So there may be a deeper story here than the froth the review below terms it. I do recommend the flic, but it's got issues. SPOILERS! | ||
| Patches |
She was born Lady Jayne Seymour Fonda, but earned her reputation as “Hanoi Jane” Fonda after “aiding and abetting” the enemy – North Vietnam – as documented in these photos taken in Hanoi (July 1972): https://patriotpost.us/references/75783-traitor-ha noi-jane-fonda | ||
| Aesquire |
Black Widow. THERE IS A STINGER SCENE. Watched it online with popcorn & friends. Hey, it's a Marvel movie. I enjoyed it. Duh. Highs... Action! Lots. Often. Great acting, pretty girls, funny dialog. Lows, fight scene editing? Underdeveloped villain? I can't complain a comic book movie has a comic book plot, or comic book improbable tecnobabble. Quantum wasn't mentioned. Not worse than contemporary spy novel stuff. The Honest Trailers video picks on the fact that real humans would be killed in these comic book movie scenes. True. Duh. There's some really good humor in Black Widow about the absurdity of the genre. Meta, or self referential, it's funny. Liked it, and of course will rewatch! Not just because of the hot ladies in skin right costumes, but it does not hurt. | ||
| Ebutch |
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| Ebutch |
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| Oldog |
roflamo~!  Very good stuff Butch! thanks for the laugh! I was disgusted when super man was to be made "Bi" So in my eyes he is "BYE" | ||
| Ebutch |
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