Tomes and Illusions · Legacy archive
What DVDs/ Video are you watching
-
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#201Dead. D - E - D. Dead. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#202". . . Flourescent!" :D -
This month in the theatres
#203So I've been to the movies twice this month, and did not see a single explosion during the nearly 4 hours I spent there.
Black Swan
When a friend of mine said I should go see this movie, I was a bit skeptical as to the premise: Ballerina goes insane; the tagline: "See Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis make hot lesbian sex" did little to allay my suspicions going into the movie. Despite, or possibly a bit because of the second, these points I went to see it, and was frankly a bit amazed. It's an extremely well done psychological horror, the main character loses her grasp with reality almost as fast as a protagonist in a Lovecraft story.
Also, the CGI is well done, supports the story and doesn't destroy you suspension of disbelief, and the music supports the story extremely well, and there's not really any moment where you're thinking to yourself "wtf? Why are they playing "I love you" while she's screaming at someone about how much she hates them." Which, when you think about it shouldn't be a plus, except there's far too many times where someone in the production of the movie was smoking crack and ended up putting music to a scene that has no right being there.
The King's Speech
So this movie has apparently been out for more than a month now, and the first thing I heard about it was at the coffee machine at work. There was something going on about the Prince and what'serface, and then a brief 30 sec spiel about the movie in the middle of the story. At that same moment a lady said "Oh that was such a good movie, you really need to see it!" Now, I've never even meet this women before, but you know, I'm a sport, so knowing nothing except that I had seen no previews for it, not a single one, which is in and of itself abnormal, I went to see it.
Anyway, it's a good movie, and the scene that most likely got it it's R rating in the US was possibly the funniest thing ever, all 5 of us that were in the theater at the time broke out laughing. If you have kids, they've probably heard worse at school, there's no blood, no violence, no nudity; just proper English and people hating on the Aussie.
I highly recommend both of these. :up:
-
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#204Currently watching the pillars of the earth. Quite good so far.
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth/1681167368/ID=1765892315 -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#205Top Gear.
That should pretty much summon it up.
Also picking up old episodes of X-Files on BBC. Its great fun seeing answering machines and pay phones, and hard copy files, and no computers, cellphones, or any of that stuff -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#206Pillars of Earth. 2 thumbs up.
Top Gear (British) Frick'n AWESOME
X-Files - just watched a few myself...all time favorite TV show in the world...still....I like Firefly too....and some others.... -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#207The US Top Gear isn't too bad, considering that it is in its first year, and unlike publicly funded BBC, has to make do with commercial revenues and sponsors. No talking bad about Mercedes when they pay the bill. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#208X-Men: First Class. The trailer just came out for anyone interested. Bay of Pigs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrbHykKUfTM&feature=player_embedded#at=22
-
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#209Heroes of the East. A 1979 Shaw brothers movie about a marriage between a Chinese man and a Japanese woman, and how they each try to show the superiority of their culture's brand of martial arts. Not a serious movie by any means, pretty funny in some place, but it does show some of the similarities and differences between Kung Fu and Karate/Judo/Kendo. There's a great scene where the "hero" must steal drunken boxing techniques from a master and so has his servants pick a fight with the man.
Of course, the movie makes little effort to hide its preference for Kung Fu, but the fight scenes are enjoyable all the same. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#210 -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#211
First 15 minutes of A Game of Thrones
http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html#/game-of-thrones/about/video/exclusive-preview.html/eNrjcmbO0CzLTEnNd8xLzKksyUx2zs8rSa0oUc-PSYEJBSSmp-ol5qYy5zMXsjGyMXIyMrJJJ5aW5BfkJFbalhSVpgIAXbkXOA==
Havent read more than 40ish pages of the book, but so far what I've seen of the series it could be called Throne of Tits, and I am okay with that.
Just watched TRON: Legacy. It was pretty good, a little self promoting within the film itself (Tron posters on the kid's walls, etc) and CLU was a little too uncanny valley for me. He totally looked like young Jeff Bridges, but only when he was smiling, otherwise he was commander plastic face. Soundtrack was awesome, graphics were slick, and I am horribly enamored with the Armory Sirens. I would like to have GEM. :nerdlust: -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#212Horatio Hornblower 8 episode TV series. It rocks! Had to download a couple that I was missing (where are you going to find a good rental in Italy I ask?) But love it.
Looking forward to finally seeing Red Cliffs II as well. Hitting that this week finally. Watched the first one lots up till the Armada showed up....and ended.
TRON...meh. I couldn't get into it for some reason. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#213The IT Crowd. Love this! Can't wait for the next season. Has a whole episode dedicated to Dungeons and Dragons that is VERY funny, at least to me. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#214I only made it through season two on IT Crowd. For some reason, I couldn't get past the laugh track on season three. Otherwise, I loved it.
I've seriously spent time trying to figure out how to make an automated recording that says, "have you tried turning it off and on again..." It would save on so many calls. :) -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#215
I only made it through season two on IT Crowd. For some reason, I couldn't get past the laugh track on season three. Otherwise, I loved it.
I've seriously spent time trying to figure out how to make an automated recording that says, "have you tried turning it off and on again..." It would save on so many calls. :)
I always think of this show every time I call our IT dept. .. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#216I think the episode where Moss emails the fire department because he can't remember the new '999' number is my favorite. Flames dancing around his desk and he's worried about how formal to make the salutation. That is totally something I would do. :D -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#217To me the whole show is made by Moss. Not to knock the other actors, but they exist (in my mind) to simply interact with Moss. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#218Twin Peaks, for the first time. I don't know why I missed it at the time it aired. I seem to be just twisted enough to get it. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#219Eastbound and Down.....wow! -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#220Zombieland!!!! Awesomeness! -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#221Evangelion: You are (not) Alone
Interesting in that it ramps up the action, and removes the awkward pauses and the psychological tension from the original series. It is beautiful to watch, but so much of the human side, the painfully awkward 14 year old teenage boy side, has been removed from it. The characters seem less real, and more stars in an action movie. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#222Netflix Instant Viewing: Dark Portals, the Chronicles of Vidocq
MUST SEE!
Steampunkish, Victorian-ish (except in Paris), great detective, historical vibe, supernatural and sinister machinations.
MUST SEE! -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#223
Zombieland!!!! Awesomeness!
That movie was a blast. I thought Bill Murray, as himself, was hilarious. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#224Ip Man; violence with a bit of class. :up: -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#225Kung Fu Panda II I have just one word.
AWSOME
To quote Po, It is full of awsome. Yah, I thought all those bad Black jokes would be played out. They dug up all those great Kung fu movie tropes (and played a couple on their head). They did some wonderful characterization (for a kung fu movie) and the animation is top drawer.
It makes me want to run Jadeclaw or a Jadeclaw like game. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#226OK, just watched 9 episodes of A Game of Thrones. I read the first book and I was pretty dissatisfied with it and never read any more. All I can say is I am very happy I read the first one as it made the series SUPER AWESOME.
I was absolutely hooked. I thought I would casually watch them through the next couple weeks but once I started I watched them one after another ALL DAY. I threw the kids in the other room playing computer games and was memorized. I guess there is one more episode but hell if I can remember what it is supposed to be. The closer for 9 was great.
Well, I just put the full series back on my ebook and am stopping the crappy zombie book I was reading (The First Days (As the World Dies, Book 1)). It was OK but wasn't hooked after 50 pages still. Typical run away, stop and shoot the zombies type thing. Nothing special compared to others and I may go back to it. But for now, must read A Song of Ice and Fire!
Also read the Hunger Games Trilogy. Liked it a lot, fast read. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#227Got reminded the other day of something I loved as a kid. Bud Spencer and Terence Hill were two Italian actors that made a ton of comedic films, notably featuring fistfights. So if you want some good ole hand-to-hand fighting with a little silliness attached, give them a try!
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill Best of part 4 -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#228ABC, no longer having a stranglehold on Saban. Saban, realizing that it may of made its last Ranger series, has finally released Every Single Power Ranger Episode on Netflx. (We are keeping streaming and downsizing to two disks instead of three for the same price) So given the Ranger Love in my house, you can imagine what we are watching.
This shall forever be known as the Summer of the Power Rangers!!!
WE have watched all 150 Might Morphing, all 8 Alien Rangers, all 54 of Zeo, the Turbo Movie, and are now starting on Power Rangers Turbo. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#229Well I have just finished watching Sahara (Penelope Cruz) for the umpteenth time yesterday. I love that movie. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#230Psych - LOVE IT Goes up there with Firefly as some of my favorite dialogue.
Castle - that is good for my Firefly type fix but like Psych better
Spartacus - Second season is a poor follow-up to the first...but still watched it
Walking Dead - Zombies, what can I say
House - Love the sarcasm. Really gets formula driven and even my wife is coming up with drinking game scenerios (House nearly kills him, extra drink per time per episode, House tries something on them without knowing what it is, House tries everything on them, etc.) Besides the pace being about the same, the great quotes he has keeps me watching. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#231Resident Evil 1-4. I don't know why, but I feel compelled to re-watch those every now and then. They are neither the best nor the cheesiest of zombie movies, but they are my favorite. It may or may not have something to do with a badass Milla wielding dual kukri in the Nevada desert in #3.
Speaking of which:
Resident evil 3: Extinction/ Human VS Zombies
And, looking forward to this:
RESIDENT EVIL 5 Retribution Trailer - 2012 Movie - Official -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#232Pandorum. I didn't sleep that night. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#233Watched Prometheus over the weekend. I don't usually go to the theater, but being such a big Alien/Aliens fan...
Overall it was really good but I do have some mixed feelings. Visually, it was spectacular. Great special effects that were not overdone. I saw it in 3D and I think they did a good job of making it fairly subtle, using it to add depth to the settings that pulled me in. The designs were similar enough to the previous movies that it easily felt like the same universe without going into full on copy mode. So even though I have a rant, I still really enjoyed it.
After seeing how well the characters were fleshed out in the first 2 movies, I was disappointed at how flat and two dimensional they were (http://strolen.com/viewing/7_Things_Ive_Learned anyone?) in this one. It also seemed like there were just too many things crammed into one plot that made it seem kind of schizophrenic. There wasn't enough time to fill in the holes. I would find myself thinking things like, "Are they ever going to explain why he did that?" or "Why doesn't anyone care that she's walking around all bloody?" (I'm trying to be vague to avoid spoilers.)
The action was good but I was expecting a lot more suspense.
The weird attempt to add mythical/religious symbols and undertones kept jerking me out of the movie. I wish they would have kept to a straightforward science fiction / horror movie without trying to get all deep and philosophical. (And annoyingly religious - why did the Darwinist biologist have to be painted as such a buffoon?)
Again, I think it was an excellent movie and I'm glad I made to the theater to see it. I highly recommend it. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#234Ooh! I've just been to see Prometheus too!
Watched the first five episodes of Robin Hood (Jonas Armstrong is the actor), I quite enjoyed them, I look forward to watching the rest of season 1. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#235I also just watched Prometheus last night. Still digesting it, but on the whole, I think it was worth my time and money. It could have been better, yes, but it could have been much worse.
As for what I'm currently watching, I just joined Ramit Sethi's Earn1K course, so my foreseeable future is pretty much focused on his video material. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#236Saw the worst movie ever made last night. Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast.
The premise: A huge shark hunts scientists in the snow. That is all. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#237Finished House. I am a sucker for his don't give a shit sarcasm and the show formula only got old a little bit near the end.
Love Psych, Castle, and The Mentalist and bounce between them to keep them a little fresh.
Family has been watching The Big Bang Theory From season 1 for the past couple months and love it. Not sure how I would compare it to Community as they are both awesome in their own way.
Watched Homeland and American Horror Story while in Japan and they are both entertaining enough to continue. Also watched Fringe which bored me rather quickly. Same with Warehouse 13 when I tried that, both were just blah to me. I could get into Supernatural eventually but too much to watch right now. Still spoiled by X-Files as my one true love I think.
Still have to catch up with Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead which are both, obviously, awesome.
The BBC Sherlock is outstanding and end of S02 was pretty good. Haven't tried Elementary but it is on my list.
Person of Interest will keep me hooked, I guarantee, and Arrow is a nice romping Super Hero show to get that fix.
Watched the first season of Falling Skies and I liked it quite a bit. Much better than Revolution whose premise pissed me off and failed to properly prime my suspension of belief before it did all kinds of stupid crap that didn't make sense...made it through maybe 2 episodes.
I have watched all of Vampire Diaries and I think their legends and folklore are simply outstanding. Just when I think they are getting dull they come up with some kind of magic or binding that just ties it all together so nicely. I watch it just to see the vampire legends they are weaving. Lots of fun. Also watched True Blood but that chick's teeth piss me off. Only worth watching for the sex because the plot is crap.
I think that is my last yearish of viewing history in a nutshell. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#238Europa Report, it was a doozy. Boring at first, captivating if one perseveres. -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#239 -
Re: What DVDs/ Video are you watching
#240Those were good books.