Mr. Hakujin

Just saw his SNL S43 opener performances and they were...lacking, to say the least. I feel like he's trying to put out a message of positivity with the last two tracks, but he's falling short. Also listened to that 7 song EP he put out with Cudi over the summer and found it pretty forgettable. Sad. 

Ant-Man & The Wasp
B+
It suffers from a one note plot and some not so menacing antagonists, but it was damn fun. The humor wasn’t as adult as Thor Ragnarok—it felt a little safer. It felt more like a family movie than your typical MCU film.

A Quiet Place
A-
Great concept and it was executed extremely well by first time director John Krasnski. The tension and suspense in this film is outstanding and helped along by great performances by the four main characters, especially Emily Blunt.

Isle of Dogs
B+
So fucking weird, but in a good way. Maybe the best thing Bryan Cranston’s done since Breaking Bad. I don’t think you could really call this a “kid’” movie in the way you would a Pixar or even Ghibli film. Still, it was heartwarming and filled with Anderson’s signature awkward humor.

Blockers
C+
I was all set to avoid this in the theaters, but three separate people absolutely raved about how funny this was. So I took a chance and was treated to exactly what I expected: mediocrity. 

Sicario: Day of the Soldado
C
This one was surprisingly boring and frustrating. Brolin and Del Toro have some good moment but there’s nothing great here. Not even a great showpiece action sequence like the border crossing in the first film. 

Equalizer 2
B-
Denzel Washington is a damn fine actor that carries a film directed in an overly languid and rather mediocre style. It’s kind of like Taken but with a tad less action.

Sorry To Bother You
B-
It tries to straddle the line between comedy and social allegory, but it really flounders in the third act and especially in the ending. It’s got some great performances and if you’re in the mood for some social commentary in a quirky package then you should dig this enough.

Three Identical Strangers
B+
Documentary about three adopted brothers separated at birth. A very compelling story with some surprising twists, but it leaves several important questions unaddressed and unanswered.

I've got the most hope for Aquaman. I get a DCEU meets Thor 3 vibe form the trailer, and I dig it. 

1 hour ago, Da Cap'n 2099 said:

While I think all will suck, I'm thinkin Aquaman will surprise the world by being fine. Not good. Fine. Phoenix will be Apocalypse 2 and Venom? Venom will be Catwoman. It'll be Elektra. It'll be unwatchable.

I was thinking this from the trailers, but that clip in the Venom thread makes me think it'll possibly be more Thor 2 than Elektra. At least I hope.

On 9/26/2018 at 3:51 PM, Axels said:

Ok... Give me a lot more of that. That was cool.

Co-signed. Still wish they would've put the classic white spider logo on him. It's kinda like seeing the Punisher w/out the skull logo on his chest. Just do it already!

Looks like I've been talking to myself in this thread since 2016, so it's time for the yearly update.

So I just caught up on The New World Order arc that ends with issue #180. I really dig where this is heading. First, it's great to get an arc which has Michonne as the A-story lead. It's also a fairly happy arc for her, until #180. Second, Kirkman is expanding the book's scope beyond tribal wars and basic human reactions to extreme survival situations and more into an examination of what makes not just a community but a society function. I dig it.

Oh, did it drop this weekend? That's weird. Netflix usually sends an email when a new season drops. I got one for Ozark S2, but nada for IFS2. It'll likely be a bit before I get around to this. Glad to hear it's living up to the trailer so far.

These pics give me the same feeling of excitement I got when I saw that first GotG trailer. Skrulls, Ronin, Young Nick Fury, Mar-Vell--it's got a lot going for it and so far it all looks outstanding. Can't wait for the trailer to drop.

Just a reminder not all people are thieving scumbags. Some interesting stats here.

I thought I read back when S1 finished up that Sam Esmail had five seasons in mind. Hmm. *reads article* Ah, seems this is his idea...

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 "Since day one, I’ve been building toward one conclusion — and in breaking the next season of Mr. Robot, I have decided that conclusion is finally here. Everyone on the creative team, including the amazing people at USA and UCP, didn't want to say goodbye, but we ultimately have too much respect for Elliot's journey to extend past its inevitable ending. Therefore, season four will serve as the final chapter of the Mr. Robot story. To fans of the show: thank you for the past three years, and I can't wait to share this exciting final season with you."

Looking forward to seeing how this all ends. Hopefully I can find time to rewatch the first three seasons before S4 drops in 2019.

On 8/14/2018 at 1:35 PM, Axels said:

Movie pass is FUCKED . . .

. . .They are uncancelling accounts.

Yeah, I cancelled it a week ago then got an email saying "Thanks for renewing your account!" WTF!? After reading about what they did I kind of understood it because they did change the terms last minute--which is something they do often, and why I cancelled. Moviepass in June & July were a dream. I had my three favorite theaters on board and saw about 20 film for $20! Then August came around and two theaters quit the program and the random "blackouts" started. I checked times for a film, drove to the theater, and when I went to check in @ the theater the film was no longer available! After this happened a second time I canceled the service. Now they've at least got a set schedule on the website for the week. Eh. I'll give it a go for another month for $10. I'll see at least two films (Alpha & Mile 22 probably). And I might even get a third in there.

On 8/15/2018 at 1:14 AM, FireDownBelow said:

Perhaps because even if you pay for it, you're still subject to ads, thus limiting who might one to pay for it. Also, the interface is crap and the selection is meh at best. I keep it because it complements Netflix.

I got Hulu ad free this year and watch it more than Netflix. I still need to watch Handmaid's Tale S2 and jump in on Castle Rock.

On 8/16/2018 at 11:03 PM, The NZA said:

literally everything there looked better than last season - fights, production, villain, all of it. feels good to be excited about this 

 

 

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minor gripe but i rolled my eyes at the trailer trope of i didn't ask for the iron fist..." BRUH YOU FOUGHT LIKE A FOOTBALL TEAM OF DUDES AND A DRAGON FOR IT, COME ON GUY

 

Agreed on all of it (especially the spoiler). But S1 did me so damn dirty...I...I'm just not sure I'm ready to forgive it...yet.

Damnit. I might have to actually watch S2 now. Or at least ffw to the fight scenes.

Quote

Excerpt from an interview with ABC's big boss:

What's the future of Agents of SHIELD? Is the shortened 13-episode run a final season?

We'll see. I feel like last season was our strongest creative season ever and the fan base remains very loyal — and we do very well in delayed viewing. It's my hope that by moving it to summer, where our live-same-day ratings are less important and it might be able to continue for longer.

  Hmm, it sounds like ABC is curious in experimenting with the Netflix Marvel model by doing 13 episodes released in the summer. Now if we could only get an AOS & Defenders crossover.

I've got Netflix, HBO GO, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. I definitely use AZN the least. I can see myself subscribing to Disney in the future if they start putting all the Marvel stuff there exclusively. And I'll probably be getting CBS All Access in 2019. Thanks Obama Picard.

On 8/8/2018 at 3:23 PM, The NZA said:

source 

 

 

still no stunt man, choreography, voice acting & such, but...yay for popular movie copout, i guess?

Exactly right about it being a copout and needing a stunts category or two. I wonder if they could include stunts under choreography since we don't really get that many key dance numbers in films these days?

Bout.Damn.Time.

4 hours ago, alive she cried said:

I struggled through three episodes, but couldn't take anymore. I am stunned at the acclaim it has attained here, especially from you Haku. You think this is similar to TNG? It feels more like a cross between Andromeda and American Dad.

 

And I went in fully expecting to love it, but it disappointed on every level. It was exactly what it looked in the trailers, average comedy and worse drama. 

 

Well, back to rewatching DS9 I go. 

Damn. That's sad to hear. I never really watched either Andromeda or American Dad, so I can't agree or disagree with you there. However, I really like Orville for what it is--an unabashed love letter to ST:TNG with humor thrown in. And Panch is right, I found the more I watched the more I liked the show. 

This looks like more of the same from S1--and I'm A-OK with that!

18 hours ago, Jables said:

 

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I like that Luke has appropriated Daredevil's Shadowland, effectively at the end of S2, but I'll be surprised if we see it in effect past ep one of S3

 

How cool would it be to combine Luke & Danny's shows moving forward(alternate between current events tying into their respective arcs), freeing up a slot for another show?

^Yes! This please. More Luke & Danny crime fighting duo action.

As for spoiler comment...

13 hours ago, Jables said:

It's a damned shame but I'm not going to knock a creative process that works! 

My feelings exactly. Besides, I'm already one arc behind (I stopped in the 40s somewhere.) and I haven't been on the monthly train in a while. Looking forward to catching up to issue 54 and then picking back up on 55 down the line.

That Daryl sketch was just awful--in content and execution. But I think Harmon's job is gonna be safe as CN sure as shit ain't Disney and Rick & Morty sure as hell ain't GotG. 

Wasn't there already a remake of Enter the Dragon? I think it was called  Mortal Kombat. 

^ I got a feeling at least one will be that teenage girl from Split. That was her in the trailer, right? 

19 hours ago, Axels said:

I'm telling you, Infinity War spoiled us. They released too early. And after a string of movies that, frankly weren't very good or nearly as exciting to look forward to, it just turned people off for the summer season. That's what I think happened at least. 

You mean they released Ant-Man & the Wasp too soon after Infinity War? I can agree to that. I believe the first one was an August release. Superhero fatigue is also setting in. Maybe if Marvel waited until after SDCC they could've gotten some extra juice from the convention? Eh. Tough to say; since that con is so jam packed with new reveals any Ant-Man hype could've gotten lost in the mix.

Eleven & Tywin Lannister in a movie with Godzilla and basically every major franchise kaiju?

Yes please.