The Official Movie Discussion Thread

[Makhai]

My rankings of the Predator movies

 

7. The Predator

6. AvP Requiem

5. AvP

4. Predator 2

3. Predators

2. Predator

1. Prey

 

I really enjoyed Prey as my rankings showed. Naru was a very likable lead. There was some really bad CGI at parts, but overall, a fun sci fi action flick.

 

Prey is good, but there's enough dorky stuff, and bad CGI to keep it from being better than the original. If they went a little grittier with it, and cleaned up the rough edges, I'd be with you. But Predator is pretty close to a perfect movie.

[Jaysin]

Prey is good, but there's enough dorky stuff, and bad CGI to keep it from being better than the original. If they went a little grittier with it, and cleaned up the rough edges, I'd be with you. But Predator is pretty close to a perfect movie.

 

Honestly, my opinion could sway next time I watch the original. Prey is just more fresh in my mind.

[djskeemask]

Those have to be the same people writing wrestling promos these days where everyone is cussing to be edgy and cool.

 

Saying shit or p***y doesn't make a promo good Jungle Boy.

Also the same guys that write Jon Moxley's matches? I mean, seriously...blood EVERY match?!

[The Swanton825]

Those have to be the same people writing wrestling promos these days where everyone is cussing to be edgy and cool.

 

Saying shit or p***y doesn't make a promo good Jungle Boy.

 

Swearing, just like gore and nudity, is an art form in creative mediums. Do it all the time and it loses its impact but if you avoid it entirely some dialogue/promos can come off toothless. Unless you're, say, Terry Funk and you can make calling someone a Florida cracker sound intimidating. The problem IMO is that everyone wants their own version of Austin 3:16 or, for a film example "Yippee-ki-yay motherf-" without bothering to learn about how those moments were built up to for maximum impact.

[Jaysin]

Swearing, just like gore and nudity, is an art form in creative mediums. Do it all the time and it loses its impact but if you avoid it entirely some dialogue/promos can come off toothless. Unless you're, say, Terry Funk and you can make calling someone a Florida cracker sound intimidating. The problem IMO is that everyone wants their own version of Austin 3:16 or, for a film example "Yippee-ki-yay motherf-" without bothering to learn about how those moments were built up to for maximum impact.

 

I don't disagree, but it seems like everyone is just randomly cussing again and it sounds forced and lame.

 

As for the thread's actual topic, some stuff I've watched recently.

 

The Raid: Redemption- Some of the best fight scenes I have ever seen. Those hallway fights are incredible. If you like action movies, must see.

 

The Informer- Randomly looked on Netflix and a Joel Kinnaman movie was suggested to me. It's real creepy because I was texting a friend about how underrated Joel is. Anyway, not a must see movie or anything, but it is worth watching if you have time. Some nice twists.

 

Robocop(2014)- I've put off watching this for ages because I love the original movie so much. This was a very good sci fi action flick. Did it have the charm or satire of the original? No, but the story was good, the special effects were great, and Joel Kinnaman kicked ass.

 

Showdown in Little Tokyo- I've seen this before, but not for 20+ years. Lundgren and Brandon Lee had some real fun chemistry together. It's a shame we didn't get to see a reunion movie later on.

[guyver3]

The Raid: Redemption- Some of the best fight scenes I have ever seen. Those hallway fights are incredible. If you like action movies, must see.

 

The sequel is must watch as well with in my opinion even better fights. Only downside is it’s very unlikely to get a third that the ending sets up.

 

Add my voice to the folks saying they enjoyed Prey. I would’ve liked to see a little more of the Comanche fighting the predator but that’s just nit picking.

[The Swanton825]

Showdown in Little Tokyo- I've seen this before, but not for 20+ years. Lundgren and Brandon Lee had some real fun chemistry together. It's a shame we didn't get to see a reunion movie later on.

 

Love this movie! Between it and The Crow, it just makes me sad thinking about how great of a potential action megastar we lost in Brandon Lee.

[Makhai]

 

I don't think I've been this excited for a dork-ball comedy in a good while. But here we are. 

[Jaysin]

Just finished Werewolf By Night. It's technically a "special", but it's my favorite thing I've watched so far in September/October. I admit, half my excitement came from seeing Man-Thing in the trailer. I've always been a huge fan of both Man-Thing and Swamp Thing, so any time they get featured somewhere I need to see it. Without spoilers, Man-Thing is handled quite well. 

My biggest complaint is that it was so short. It was official runtime is 53 minutes, but a good chunk of that is credits since it's a D+ production. Would have liked to see 20-30 more minutes to really flesh out the characters. The main characters are well done, but some of the side characters could have used some build up.

[guyver3]

Just got home from seeing Halloween Ends. The franchise is my favorite and I’m happy with the climax. It’s very different from the previous ones in this series since 2018 and while I’m sure some people will have a problem with it I found it refreshing. I’m going to try watching all 4 in this timeline consecutively before the holiday and see how I feel about it as a whole. 

[CQI13]

Obvious Child - pacing and tone were all over the place. Had a few funny bits, but not enough to save it.

⭐ 1.5

[Jaysin]

We talked about this ages ago, but Vin Diesel just confirmed that a new Riddick movie called Riddick: Furya is being made. Even David Twohy is returning as screenwriter and director with Diesel producing and starring. It's about Riddick going to his home world. 

[St. Templar]

On 2/10/2023 at 10:01 PM, Jaysin said:

We talked about this ages ago, but Vin Diesel just confirmed that a new Riddick movie called Riddick: Furya is being made. Even David Twohy is returning as screenwriter and director with Diesel producing and starring. It's about Riddick going to his home world. 

I have to be honest: I never really got into Riddick past Pitch Black. I mean, I hope it's good and you (and any other fans of the character) enjoy it, but I didn't see the appeal.

St.T

 

[guyver3]

21 hours ago, St. Templar said:

I have to be honest: I never really got into Riddick past Pitch Black. I mean, I hope it's good and you (and any other fans of the character) enjoy it, but I didn't see the appeal.

St.T

 

Second that opinion. I loved pitch black and was really excited for chronicles of Riddick but it was such a jumbled mess. I know I watched the third but can’t remember anything about it. I feel like most of Vin Diesel’s characters are better off as one shot characters though but that being said his passion and enjoyment of the character really bleeds through. 

[St. Templar]

28 minutes ago, guyver3 said:

Second that opinion. I loved pitch black and was really excited for chronicles of Riddick but it was such a jumbled mess. I know I watched the third but can’t remember anything about it. I feel like most of Vin Diesel’s characters are better off as one shot characters though but that being said his passion and enjoyment of the character really bleeds through. 

But...is it all about family?

St.T

 

[Jaysin]

Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania was a blast. No clue why it's getting such bad reviews other than comic book movie fatigue.

It felt very much like a comic book come to life and the visuals of the Quantum Realm were unreal. 

Majors as Kang was unbelievable and they somehow made MODOK an interesting character. 

I'm not posting any spoilers, but if you're not suffering from superhero fatigue and love comic books, this one feels like its for you.

[Dawn]

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was a great time, though the session I was at was pretty empty which was quite weird. Yes, I watched it on a Thursday, but I expected more people to be around for the premiere (here, at least) of a movie from such a celebrated franchise. 

Either way, it's just as emotional as the first two and I love how much Nebula and Rocket especially grew over the trilogy. The latter gets focus on his backstory here, and having consumed other Guardians media in the meantime between 2 and 3, I already knew some of what was coming but it hit hard all the same. Batista is a joy to watch with how much he has fun in the Drax role too. Trying not to give too many spoilers yet since I don't expect many to have watched it at this point 😛

Chukwudi Iwuji did a great job as the villain (the direction they went there was completely different than what I expected after the post-credits of Vol. 2) and there is something heartwarming about how James Gunn takes care of his actors. So many people from TSS had roles here, even if minor. And of course, the man is a wizard in making superhero movies of pretty much any character/set of characters an emotional riot. I really hope to be able to work with him one day.

Highest recommendation.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Dawn

[Jaysin]

On 5/5/2023 at 5:02 PM, Dawn said:

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was a great time, though the session I was at was pretty empty which was quite weird. Yes, I watched it on a Thursday, but I expected more people to be around for the premiere (here, at least) of a movie from such a celebrated franchise. 

Either way, it's just as emotional as the first two and I love how much Nebula and Rocket especially grew over the trilogy. The latter gets focus on his backstory here, and having consumed other Guardians media in the meantime between 2 and 3, I already knew some of what was coming but it hit hard all the same. Batista is a joy to watch with how much he has fun in the Drax role too. Trying not to give too many spoilers yet since I don't expect many to have watched it at this point 😛

Chukwudi Iwuji did a great job as the villain (the direction they went there was completely different than what I expected after the post-credits of Vol. 2) and there is something heartwarming about how James Gunn takes care of his actors. So many people from TSS had roles here, even if minor. And of course, the man is a wizard in making superhero movies of pretty much any character/set of characters an emotional riot. I really hope to be able to work with him one day.

Highest recommendation.

My friend and I got into a debate on which is the best trilogy in the MCU, Guardians or Spider-Man. It was such a hard thing to pin down, but Guardians eeked out ahead in the end. The post credit stuff is intriguing considering Gunn being in charge of DC now. 

[Blackman]

Watched the D&D movie recently. The pacing is crazy but you get a nice nostalgic touch with some cool combat and magic scenes. Should be at least on par with the expectations of a normal D&D player or enthousiast.

The Super Mario movie had a BIG dose of nostalgia, combined with family fun. Someone of our age categorie (I'm thinking 30-50) won't appreciate the plot, obviously, but the good performance of Bowser should satisfy them. For kids it should be a nice afternoon.

[Jaysin]

Just watched The Flash and it was a very good time. I laughed. I cried. Little predictable at times, but that comes with the territory of being a comic book nerd. 

Hopefully I don't have to relive the death of Nora Allen again anytime soon. I cry every time. 😂

If you're a Flash or Batman fan, you should have a good time. They have some really fun cameos thanks to the Multiverse. 

[The Swanton825]

Watched the original Transformers movie with my older brother. Despite the fact that he grew up on the G1 cartoon and I was a huge Transformers nut as a kid (Armada Starscream is still best Starscream), both of us somehow managed to never see it before. This movie goes harder than a glorified 90 minute ad for new Transformers toys has any right to! Optimus Prime going all Carmageddon on the Decepticons while The Touch blares should be so, so stupid - and it is - but it does it with zero shame and such glee that I felt childhood nostalgia for something I'd never watched before! I'm not saying the Bayformers movies could be instantly improved with cheesy 80s arena rock, but I'm not saying they wouldn't either.

And credit to Judd Nelson and Leonard Nimoy giving real effort for what I'm sure both saw as an easy payday. Even that Orson Wells performance everyone always mocks I thought was fitting for a creature like Unicron.

[Jaysin]

Just watched Shin Kamen(Masked) Rider and boy what a fun movie! I really hope Anno ends up making a Shin Super Sentai or Shin Gamera movie. The Shin movies have been fantastic thus far. 

[Dawn]

Any Barbenheimer enjoyers for some feedback on what the best way to approach a double sitting is?

[The Swanton825]

27 minutes ago, Dawn said:

Any Barbenheimer enjoyers for some feedback on what the best way to approach a double sitting is?

I haven't been to a theater in forever, but I would assume the best way is to go Oppenheimer, considering the subject matter, and then follow it with Barbie so you leave the theater in a good mood.

[Jaysin]

4 hours ago, The Swanton825 said:

I haven't been to a theater in forever, but I would assume the best way is to go Oppenheimer, considering the subject matter, and then follow it with Barbie so you leave the theater in a good mood.

That's my plan when they hit digital. 

Next movie I'll be seeing in theaters is Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem and then Blue Beetle.