What Movie Are You Watching?

DT

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I think besides Blade Runner it was the only great PKD adaptation. I too like the vibe a lot. It's also set in the same universe as BR, you can see the ads for Off World exploration in BR, and the Nexus replicants are designed for the off world.

I still chuckle when I remember the three boobed alien:D

The Minority Report film (2002, Spielberg) is a very solid adaption (never saw any of the TV series).

Also, people may not know that The Man in the High Castle which was an Amazon Prime series is actually based on a PKD work.

There's also a TV series, Electric Dreams (aka, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams), anthology series that ran for 10 EPs, British production that's also available on Prime. Not bad, not great, like the more mediocre-to-decent EPs of Black Mirror, but they used some great stories of his.
 
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The Minority Report film (2002, Spielberg) is a very solid adaption (never saw any of the TV series).

Also, people may not know that The Man in the High Castle which was an Amazon Prime series is actually based on a PKD work.

There's also a TV series, Electric Dreams (aka, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams), anthology series that ran for 10 EPs, British production that's also available on Prime. Not bad, not great, like the more mediocre-to-decent EPs of Black Mirror, but they used some great stories of his.
Minority Report wasn't bad, but I wish Tom Cruise had an acting double....

Man In High Castle lost me after season 2.5. I don't fall for TV bluffs (except for GoT), and wait out the reviews of the finale if I see too many unexplained elements popping up.

Electric Dreams was super mediocre. Reminded me of the Outter Limits (which I love dearly), every 5th episode is a gem, but you have to push through the other 4... Black Mirror in contrast, is a gem mine. But y'know PKD died long ago, whereas Black Mirror's stories have been written real time.

One of the biggest disappointments I've had was A Scanner Darkly. My fav PKD book, but the adaptation was meh.
 

DT

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FWIW, I didn't watch Man In High Castle, just aware of the plot and it being a PKD story. I'm totally OK with Cruise, I know some people let his craziness sort of seep into his work, which I sort of get, but I find him decently compelling in the right role (he's fantastic in the Mission Impossible films).

1000% agree about Electric Dreams, on average, mediocre, and the few decent / standout EPs are like a 6-ish on 1-10. Yeah, Black Mirror for me is more like a 6-9 (on 1-10), most a good, many are very good, and a few are just goddam fantastic. I mean,
San Junipero may be the most touching, emotional hour of sci-fi TV ever written.

NO I DIDN'T, I WAS CUTTING ONIONS ...

I __love__ the original Outer Limits, some great speculative sci-fi blended with some terrific stories about morality, the human condition, etc., you know, like good sci-fi should. Two EPs, Soldier and Demon with a Glass Hand are not only genius, but written by one of my favorite authors, Harlan Ellison. The Sixth Finger, The Bellero Shield, Nightmare, The Invisibles, I Robot, all just so fantastic, and they did some amazing things with an F/X budget per show that wouldn't cover the cost of one lunch for most modern shows.
 

Alli

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Last night I watched “I care a lot.” Holy ballz! What a great movie. I just wish we’d seen more of Diane Wiest, but the cast was exceptional.
 

Thomas Veil

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...I __love__ the original Outer Limits, some great speculative sci-fi blended with some terrific stories about morality, the human condition, etc., you know, like good sci-fi should. Two EPs, Soldier and Demon with a Glass Hand are not only genius, but written by one of my favorite authors, Harlan Ellison. The Sixth Finger, The Bellero Shield, Nightmare, The Invisibles, I Robot, all just so fantastic, and they did some amazing things with an F/X budget per show that wouldn't cover the cost of one lunch for most modern shows.
You just named one of my favorite old shows, including some of the same episodes. The gothic black and white photography was great. I also liked "The Forms of Things Unknown", which was a backdoor pilot for a spinoff and a really weird story.

large_sbflMQPcCXykooBh3aDX4LOSOlB.jpg
"Cell" didn't get many good reviews, despite the fact that the script was by Stephen King adapting his own novel.

Frankly, I found it imaginative enough. Zombie stories are pretty much all the same at their core--main characters running away from mindless hordes--but this one comes from a cell phone signal whose source is never identified. (That may annoy some, but it's actually not that uncommon in horror stories.) The plot is suspenseful enough and leads to a decent ending. 🍿🍿
 

Thomas Veil

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F537EF54-E2DF-4580-8EC2-17109F7E215C.jpeg

I remember when this came out the commercials never really gave a good idea if this was a kids’ movie, a horror movie, or what.

Turns out it’s very much in the vein of the Harry Potter films, “Goosebumps”, “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and even “The Addams Family”.

I’m not much of a Jack Black fan, but he’s charming in this as a benevolent warlock; the movie’s leavened with humor; and the horror aspect is not too intense. It’s a good movie night film for families with kids, say, 9-14...although I even enjoyed it all by myself. 🍿🍿
 

Huntn

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X-Men United (X2) (2003)- Possibly the single best X-Men movie ever made. Of course you should watch X-Men (2000) first. :D

53CC2F33-6E7E-47C3-A1BB-12958992B200.jpeg

Congo (1995)- I need to re-read this Michael Crichton novel which I liked a lot. A King Solomon’s Mine story. The movie is ok, it’s a haphazard, light adventure story loosely based on the book, some might say far fetched situations, and it got hammered by the critics and audience at Rotten Tomatoes 29% probably by readers of the book who did not like said changes. Yet it is very much in tone with The Mummy (1999) where the audience gave it a 75% like. Comparing the two, The Mummy is a better composed and executed story.

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Congo


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The Mummy​
 
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Chew Toy McCoy

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Checked out the new horror/sci-fi movie The Block Island Sound. The premise didn't really grab my interest at release but it got good reviews. It's pretty good, original, and kept my interest. At the end there isn't so much a twist as a interesting parallel to real life that makes you think.
 

Thomas Veil

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Very mild spoilers below, most of which have been reported in the media.

ZSJL.jpg

I vowed to temper my enthusiasm for this movie simply because the original "Justice League" set a fairly low bar. I purposely went in thinking I'm not going to be saying that ZSJL is one of the greatest superhero movies ever. I'll be happy if it's just better.

Except now I've seen it.

Wow. I'm impressed.

Zack Snyder's "Justice League" is one of the best superhero movies--if not ever, at least in the DC universe. I'd put it up there with "Watchmen", "V for Vendetta" and "Wonder Woman". It's actually very good in its own right, not just by comparison to the original "Justice League". If anything, ZSJL makes you realize just how lousy the original was.

Rather than being let down, I'm surprised that I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

There isn't any facet of the movie that isn't better, sometimes far better, than Joss Whedon's version. They may both be working from a premise about heroes coming together to fight aliens, but Whedon was making a comic book movie. Snyder is telling us a story about gods and monsters.

As I'm writing this I'm watching the first few minutes of "Justice League", and the problems are obvious. Whedon sets up the "we're going to be invaded" premise within the first few minutes through some perfunctory expository dialogue. Snyder, on the other hand, takes his time laying out the backstory of each hero in a more leisurely fashion, with beautiful photography and music and exquisite directorial timing. You can argue that Snyder's version is too slow, but I'm telling you that after you've seen it, it seems that Whedon's version is paced too fast. It's like he's always in a rush to get onto the next scene.

A few notes I made as I watched:
  • It only takes about ten minutes for you to feel that you are watching a completely different movie. I did not expect to be hooked by those first ten minutes, but I was.
  • The cinematography, especially in the beginning, is magnificent. Lengthy shots and elegiac music give everything the feeling that you are watching mythology, rather than an action movie.
  • The 4:3 aspect ration was not nearly as off-putting as I thought it would be.
  • The underwater effects are sure better than they were in "Aquaman".
  • It's cool the way the Green Lanterns show up. It's not much, but it's nice to see them.
  • Ditto Martian Manhunter.
  • Cyborg's powers are, frankly, creepy. Much is made of how there is nothing on the planet he can't hack into. It's presented as if that's a good thing.
  • A scene involving Barry, Supes and the mother boxes is a bit muddled (trying not to give any spoilers here), but not nearly enough to ruin the movie.
  • We really need to stop using Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in everything. I hear it in so many movies it's becoming a cliché.
  • The dreaded "cliffhanger" is merely a setup for a sequel movie. ZSJL survives well without it. If you feel the so-called cliffhanger would bother you, just stop when the movie says "Epilogue", and you'll have a much more satisfying ending. Seriously.
  • The end credits contain two really nice bits. One is a solo title card, "For Autumn", that actually made me a little teary-eyed. (I'm a real softie.) The other was a really thoughtful touch. The first item under "Special thanks to..." was "All the fans who made this film possible". That's us, folks.
Overall, the difference between the two movies is that Whedon's film comes across as something directed by talent-for-hire, and Snyder's movie is more like a work of art by someone who truly loves the subject. I'm not gonna whack Whedon completely here, because now that I've seen this, it seems to me that the common thread of the worst DC movies is that they were dictated by the bean counters at Warner Bros. rather than the creative people.

In the end, the true test of this movie is, would I watch it again? And if there were any sequels, would I see them?

Yes. Yes I would.

🍿 🍿 🍿 🍿
 
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Chew Toy McCoy

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I vowed to temper my enthusiasm for this movie simply because the original "Justice League" set a fairly low bar. I purposely went in thinking I'm not going to be saying that ZSJL is one of the greatest superhero movies ever. I'll be happy if it's just better.

Except now I've seen it.

Wow. I'm impressed.

Zack Snyder's "Justice League" is one of the best superhero movies--if not ever, at least in the DC universe. I'd put it up there with "Watchmen", "V for Vendetta" and "Wonder Woman". It's actually very good in its own right, not just by comparison to the original "Justice League". If anything, ZSJL makes you realize just how lousy the original was.

Rather than being let down, I'm surprised that I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

There isn't any facet of the movie that isn't better, sometimes far better, than Joss Whedon's version. They may both be working from a premise about heroes coming together to fight aliens, but Whedon was making a comic book movie. Snyder is telling us a story about gods and monsters.

As I'm writing this I'm watching the first few minutes of "Justice League", and the problems are obvious. Whedon sets up the "we're going to be invaded" premise within the first few minutes through some perfunctory expository dialogue. Snyder, on the other hand, takes his time laying out the backstory of each hero in a more leisurely fashion, with beautiful photography and music and exquisite directorial timing. You can argue that Snyder's version is too slow, but I'm telling you that after you've seen it, it seems that Whedon's version is paced too fast. It's like he's always in a rush to get onto the next scene.

A few notes I made as I watched:
  • It only takes about ten minutes for you to feel that you are watching a completely different movie. I did not expect to be hooked by those first ten minutes, but I was.
  • The cinematography, especially in the beginning, is magnificent. Lengthy shots and elegiac music give everything the feeling that you are watching mythology, rather than an action movie.
  • The 4:3 aspect ration was not nearly as off-putting as I thought it would be.
  • The underwater effects are sure better than they were in "Aquaman".
  • It's cool the way the Green Lanterns show up. It's not much, but it's nice to see them.
  • Ditto Martian Manhunter.
  • Cyborg's powers are, frankly, creepy. Much is made of how there is nothing on the planet he can't hack into. It's presented as if that's a good thing.
  • A concluding scene involving Barry, Supes and the mother boxes is a bit muddled (trying not to give any spoilers here), but not nearly enough to ruin the movie.
  • We really need to stop using Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" in everything. I hear it in so many movies it's becoming a cliché.
  • The dreaded "cliffhanger" is merely a setup for a sequel movie. ZSJL survives well without it. If you feel the so-called cliffhanger would bother you, just stop when the movie says "Epilogue", and you'll have a much more satisfying ending. Seriously.
  • The end credits contain two really nice bits. One is a solo title card, "For Autumn", that actually made me a little teary-eyed. (I'm a real softie.) The other was a really thoughtful touch. The first item under "Special thanks to..." was "All the fans who made this film possible". That's us, folks.
Overall, the difference between the two movies is that Whedon's film comes across as something directed by talent-for-hire, and Snyder's movie is more like a work of art by someone who truly loves the subject. I'm not gonna whack Whedon completely here, because now that I've seen this, it seems to me that the common thread of the worst DC movies is that they were dictated by the bean counters at Warner Bros. rather than the creative people.

In the end, the true test of this movie is, would I watch it again? And if there were any sequels, would I see them?

Yes. Yes I would.

🍿 🍿 🍿 🍿

Looks like somebody needs to learn how to use the spoiler alert function on the forum. In your defense I don't know how to use it either.
 

Thomas Veil

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Actually I do know how to use it. But with the exception of Cyborg's powers and the credits, Snyder has been spilling this information all over the media. I'll tack on a note, though, for anybody who has never heard of this film.
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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Actually I do know how to use it. But with the exception of Cyborg's powers and the credits, Snyder has been spilling this information all over the media. I'll tack on a note, though, for anybody who has never heard of this film.

I haven't really been paying attention and most people I know who are interested share in my view that I didn't really like the first but I heard this one is better. Honestly I don't even remember the first but I watch a lot of movies and it takes a lot to stay in my memory.

No worries though, I didn't really read your post. I just saw the length and went "Ahh! TMI!"

I once gave away the shock ending to a popular series finale in a short post and a lot of members wanted my head on a platter. I didn't even realize I did it but when I did my response was "Come on, it's been a week! Who doesn't know this?" I didn't consider people who were late to the game or people who squirrel away episodes to binge watch later.
 

Huntn

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The Da Vinci Code (2006)- I like the book and the movie, the author is clever enough to weave a narrative which feels real, although it is not, which sprinkles some truths among many fictional ideas, to weave a decent story. Now the book was pinged for poor writing, but simple me, I was impressed how the author managed to end each chapter with a revelation. :D

The story centers on the search for the Holy Grail, which is not what you think it is. It’s Opus Dei vs Knights Templar and Priory of Scion. (Note: Knights Templar was also big in another fictional story, National Treasure which uses the same methodology to tell it’s fictional story.)

In this story people are murdered to hide a revelation which could shake the faith of Christianity. I should not say more, and I’ll be damned if that person sitting to the right of Jesus in the Last Supper does not look a lot like a woman. But Leonardo, the painter is said to have his differences with the church. :)

My disappointment is that
a descendant of Christ is found, but nothing is resolved, status quo as far as Christianity is concerned, the viewer is just let in on this secret.

2E7AC5D3-193B-4858-8E89-ED4581150271.png

 
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Thomas Veil

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I did. But I haven't read anything on this film so would rather remain as spoiler free as possible. As it is, I need to psyche up for a 4 hour film. But even though I'm more of a Marvel gal, I would like to give this film a chance. Probably in shifts like you did.
You really want to stay away from the online reviews, then. I didn’t give away any important plot points, I only referred briefly to a couple of cameos. Vox, however, put one of them out there in a big screaming heading, along with a description of the scene and its implications for potential sequels.

In fact, avoid most reviews because many go into a lot more detail than I did.

You do want to see the movie in shifts, though. Four hours is a long sit.
 
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