Octopus Overlords

hepcat wrote: ↑Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:15 pm Speaking of horror films, I just noticed there’s a film spin off of the fantastic Korean period thriller with zombies series Kingdom available now. Kingdom: Ashin of the North. Really looking forward to seeing that now as the series is a blast.

Watched this the other day.
Pretty good once it gets going. Seemed to drag a little at first, but in hindsight the movie is probably better for it.
Gives a nice backstory to a character that is probably going to be a big part of Season 3.

That was my take too. Slow start, but a pretty strong finish.

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:55 pm

Freyland wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:53 pm What did you guys like? The trailers are not pushing buttons for me.

I would try just going in with as open a mind as possible. It's definitely a weird one, and the trailers especially give off kiddie vibes. But I just thought the world it builds worked really well.

Everytime I try to go in with an open mind to shows everybody seems to love, I'm disappointed. I understand that's just me, which is why I'm trying to understand the appeal when it doesn't seem terribly good based on the trailers. Apocalyptic world should be right up my alley, but....

It's partly the story and production quality. It's just really well done. The writing is good and it's quite engaging. There are several points it hits that are quite relevant to what's going on currently. Like, in the first 5 min of the last episode, there's an argument with an anti-vaxxer and overcrowded hospitals.

Freyland wrote: ↑Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:53 pm What did you guys like? The trailers are not pushing buttons for me.

It was sweet hearted (pun intended) without being cloying. It was adult themed while still seeing through a child’s eyes. It had a story that wasn’t new, but was told well and sparingly. Enough so that you always knew something bigger was coming right around the corner.

But most importantly, it was 100 percent Mark Wahlberg free.

How about JK Simmons?

It’s a live action series, not animated.

Just blew through Eden on Netflix with my girls. It's a 4-episode anime that came out in May. Set 1,000 years after humans disappeared, the world is now inhabited by robots.

We all loved it. It deals with some heavy themes but wasn't over the kids' heads. I've seen mixed reviews, but I think this one will stick with us for awhile.

Anyway, go watch it so Netflix greenlights a season two.



If nothing else, enjoy the soundtrack:

Almost forgot: Rosario Dawson, David Tennant, and Neil Patrick Harris...

Added it to my list. I'm not looking to start a new series right now, but I think I can handle four 25-min. episodes.

Just finished Sweet Tooth. When I started this show I didn't think I would finish it. I just wasn't in the mood for what it seemed to be presenting. I'll be damned if it didn't stay with me though.

Thoughts
Will Forte is great. He can be funny as hell or evoke such pity.
"Big Man!" I love hearing that.
The General - What team is he playing for? Sometimes he seems like he's evil for evil's sake. I kind of wish he was a little more torn by the choices he has to make. That's ALWAYS more intriguing.
The Doctor - Oh, hell. There's no going back now. Enjoy your nightmares, Doc.

Yeah, the General needs a backstory that explains why he's Snidely Whiplash mustache twirling bad. That was my biggest gripe.

Glad you enjoyed it though. The good does outweigh the bad. And Forte is always good.

In other news, Brand New Cherry Flavor is...well...ah hell, I don't know yet. It's like David Lynch lite so far, but I'm only one episode in.

It looked like they were setting up a possible backstory by the end of the season finale. He's little more than a bit-player early on, but gets more usage by the two final episodes, with everything coming together. Season 2 might be where we learn more about him.

Kate

Worth

Prisoners of the Ghostland

A Journal for Jordan

The Hand of God

The Starling

Watched the DeLorean documentary miniseries, and it was fairly interesting, although the last episode and the lead up to how he got arrested wasn't very well explained at all, and much of it confusing. It's like a big chunk of the story is missing. The 3rd and final episode starts with him being arrested by the FBI and the lead up to why he got arrested, ie that of a frameup, but much of that was, and what should have been the most interesting part, was quickly glossed over leading to an unsatisfying conclusion. It's like a documentary that does everything to lead up to the big drama, but then hardly utters a peep about said drama. Anyway, it's how I feel about it, but others may feel differently about it.

There's also a movie about him on Netflix that will be available soon called Driven, so I'm curious to see how it compares.

I enjoyed the Bob Ross documentary Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed. I was particularly interested because I have a friend of a friend who knew Bob's son, and claimed that Bob was an asshole that physically abused his son.

However, his son does most of the talking in this doc and while it appears they had their ups and downs when he was younger, I didn't get the vibe that there was any animosity there. Quite to the contrary. Guessing it may have been an anecdote blown out of proportion (as I recall, the story was that Bob kicked his son's ass after the son stole his van and flipped it. So it may have been a deserved ass kicking. )

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Aug 25, 2021 10:08 pm Prisoners of the Ghostland

In. Cage is just knocking it out of the park lately. He's found his niche.

I had to look up her name, but Sofia Boutella is the real deal. Hard to believe she is almost 40.

I just finished Clickbait. It's an 8-episode "limited" series. Cool premise and fairly well executed, although the ending is a little far fetched and there does seem like quite a bit of wasted opportunity. The pacing is fast and did make me want to see what the resolution was.

If you haven't seen the preview, it's basically that a seemingly nice guy is kidnapped and shown in a viral video holding a sign that reads "If this gets 5 million hits, I die" and "I abuse women" or something like that.

They bounce between different characters, and things turn in unexpected ways as more details unfold. I think there was probably some intent to have it be more of a social commentary on a number of topics, but it seems like that kind of got swept under the rug in favor of being more of a conventional crime drama.

I watched The Old Ways over the weekend. It's a demon possession movie but from the perspective of Latin American witchcraft/shamanism. While technically a horror movie it feels more like a straight thriller since many of the typical demon tropes are subdued.

The end feels a little silly in places but overall solid film. Worth a watch.

Intrusion

Kate. Oh goody. Another film about an assassin with a heart of gold and a kid to protect. I haven’t seen anything like that in…what…8 hours?

Really enjoying Black Mirror and sad that there are only 3 "episodes" per "season" (neither of those terms really even apply in the conventional sense, since each one is a self-contained mini-movie). The six or seven we've seen so far ranged from pretty good to holy shit.

Season three of Sex Education released today. This might be the best show on Netflix, and the first episode is hilarious.

hepcat wrote: ↑Sat Sep 11, 2021 7:21 pm Kate. Oh goody. Another film about an assassin with a heart of gold and a kid to protect. I haven’t seen anything like that in…what…8 hours?

I watched it. It wasn't terrible. The first 2/3rds or so was pretty darn formulaic. And highly predictable. Actually, the ending was extremely predictable. However, the last 30 min or so was an adrenaline fueled, action packed, popcorn fest. That I thoroughly enjoyed.

It wasn’t horrible. It just…wasn’t anything new or original. I’ve seen this movie approximately 487 times at this point. At least throw in a puppy instead of a kid, or do some world building to add more depth. John Wick did that and it made all the difference in the world.

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:43 pm It wasn’t horrible. It just…wasn’t anything new or original. I’ve seen this movie approximately 487 times at this point. At least throw in a puppy instead of a kid, or do some world building to add more depth. John Wick did that and it made all the difference in the world.

Agree completely. Well, I think I've only seen it about 38 times before. But you've seen a lot more movies than I have.

I’ve also seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. And I’ve willingly watched Waterworld. All those moments will be lost…which is probably for the best.

Time to….oooh, a skittle!

They should remake Waterworld.

With Mark Wahlberg recast as the main character.

Maybe get Michael Bay to direct? Or M. Night Shamalamadingdong to give it a new twist.

Wahlberg could play a jet ski if he took some acting lessons.

...maybe.

What if he took acting lessons from an animated JK Simmons?

Anyone watching Oktoberfest: Beer & Blood? It's pretty good! I've been seeing comparisons to Peaky Blinders, and I can see why. Set in 1900 Munich, a man wants to build the biggest beer hall and will do anything to make it happen. Finding it pretty entertaining with some great acting and set work.

I did finish the final season of Lucifer and while I know it's fallen out of "must see" for some, I did enjoy it up to the end. I didn't necessarily like how they arrived at the ending, but in terms of the actual ending (what it was, thematically), it was the best way to wrap up the show, imho.

So yeah, watch it.

Also, cartoon Lucifer was weird.