Miscellaneous Film/TV Discussion

[Disney Duster]

But Samantha loves being a witch and I thought she used magic because she wanted to sometimes! And she and Darrin love each other!

By "need to assimilate" do you mean today we should never say people should lose themselves to get along with others? By the way, I loved your clever wording with "fly" and "broomstick"!

[Avaitor]

I too have a soft spot for Bewitched! I got the first two seasons for cheap a while ago at Target- I think I spent $10 for them together in their original black and white. But wow, I haven't thought about it in that way. I admittedly haven't seen the show in a while.

[UmbrellaFish]

Ryan Murphy’s remake of The Boys in the Band is set to premiere this coming Wednesday on Netflix. I saw the original movie a few years ago and was glad to have seen it. It’s a very uncomfortable watch, but the original movie, at least, is very much a time capsule of the gay experience of the late 60’s. Not sure we needed a remake (it is based on a revival Murphy brought to Broadway a few years ago), but the starry gay cast (Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer) make it of interest. Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are promising so far.

[DVDBuff1]

Ended up caving in and saw Tenet after all. It’s essentially a James Bond movie with time travel, so you know what you’re in for with those two combinations. For me it’s worth it for the nameless protagonist played by John David Washington, who is full of charming personality. Unlike 007, The Protagonist isn’t promiscuous and is a spy with non-negotiable morals that restricts killing to a last resort, but preferably not desired. I liked the movie overall, but I didn’t get to enjoy every minute of it, because I had to use the bathroom twice and take an important phone call (my phone was on silent and I stepped out of the theater, of course). On top of that, the 20 mins of trailers didn’t start until 15 mins after showtime, so the 2 & 1/2 hour movie became a 3 hour movie. While reopened movie theaters are practicing social distance in this pandemic, you’re still likely going to get an inconsiderate member of the audience who doesn’t believe in the reality we’re experiencing. Be prepared to move to a different seat around the trailers, that’s what I had to do. I would like to see Tenet again, but I think I'm going to enjoy it more at home, then in a theater.

[DVDBuff1]

Been re-watching a lot of Christopher Nolan's films since the release of Tenet. My opinions on the director’s filmography have reevaluated away from nitpicking to admiration for what his movies are. Re-watched The Dark Knight Trilogy on Sunday, which as a whole is still an enduring trilogy for Batman’s character arc being the kindest depiction of the vengeful vigilante in mainstream cinema. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises are not “perfect” like The Dark Knight, but both are still good examples of superhero performance art compared to others. Yesterday, I also re-watched The Prestige, which is an underrated SPECTACULAR movie that should continuously be re-watched for it’s exceptional casting. Still have 4 more movies to watch in my Nolan marathon, but so far I’m not burnt out yet.

[Disney's Divinity]

Both of these are random, but that is the reason I made this thread--for random thoughts that can't fit anywhere else.

I don't know if anyone here even listens to country music (of the past or the present). I used to be more into country ten years ago. Now I mostly ignore the genre and buy the few artists I like, because of the dearth of female-lead music there (seriously, if you don't think misogyny is alive and well, go read about how country radio and the awards shows have treated women these past fifteen years). Anyway, I was happy Carrie Underwood finally won Entertainer of the Year at the ACMs after last year's travesty. It's been 10 years I believe, since any woman has won the award--and I think it only happened now after last year's controversy. Carrie's not even my favorite artist, but she has been enormously successful and has done so much for country music. She deserved it.

Completely unrelated note, has anyone else watched Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir? I'd seen an episode or two in the past, but I got sucked into watching the marathons Disney Channel's played the past couple of weeks. It reminds me so much of Sailor Moon, as far as the transformation animations, the ridiculous-looking monsters of the week created by a far-off villain (Hawk Moth v. Queen Beryl), and the love drama between Marinette / Ladybug and Adrienne / Cat Noir (+ competing love interests in the background) being so much like SM and Tuxedo Mask. The main character is clumsy and boy-crazy just like Usagi (sorry, I still think of her as Serena even all these years later...), and she has a spinning spell that is like when Moon would throw her tiara. That's my only justification for why I've been watching it. I think it's cute and I hope it's popular with the new generation, considering it's better than a lot of the other animated stuff you see on TV these days. It doesn't even bother me that it's 3D.

[blackcauldron85]

I know about Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir but haven't seen it. Is it on Netflix I wonder...

[DVDBuff1]

Continuing with the Nolan marathon, I re-watched Inception last night. It’s impossible for me to enjoy Inception as its own movie without comparing it to Satoshi Kon’s Paprika, because I’m a bigger fan of animation than main-stream cinema. For surreal visuals and soundtrack, I do enjoy Paprika more. What Inception engagingly has on its terms for me is the stellar acting, impressive practical effects, and a doomed romantic plot about moving on in life, that I related to better than when I first saw it in theaters 10 years ago. Sometimes you have to watch a movie more than once to confirm your feelings on it. To quote Roger Ebert "Movies never change, but their viewers do."

[blackcauldron85]

^ I've never seen Inception, but I know that my husband likes it, so I just emailed him about where to rent Paprika- I've never heard of it, but it sounds right up his alley. Thanks!

[DVDBuff1]

^ No problem. Today I watched Memento for my very first time. Will probably expand more later, but all I can say is, that was a trip...

[Disney's Divinity]

I remember enjoying Inception back when I saw it, but it's been so long. I am a fan of Leonardo Dicaprio anyway, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's great, too. I'd like to sit down and watch it again soon.

I was able to see 21 Bridges yesterday, one of Chadwick Boseman's last performances. I won't lie, the movie itself was pretty boring and I predicted most of what the turns would be (the female cop being a bad guy and I was right that they'd even echo her earlier comments about being a single mother and not wanting to leave her kid mother-less in the climax, too ). Cop movies are usually like that for me; I still wanted to see it. Such a shame he didn't get to have a long career--for him and for us both.

[Farerb]

I've been binge watching Modern Family for the past weeks and currently in the middle of season 9. I'm glad I got this opportunity because I watched it when it aired but stopped after season 7 because I moved away so I'm glad to see it again and continue with it where I stopped.

[UmbrellaFish]

Over the past two weeks, I’ve been going through the original cycle of Frankenstein films from Universal. Previously, I’d only seen the original (and it’s amazing that this movie and Bela Lugosi’s Dracula will be 90 years old next year!) and its first sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein.

The first movie and “The Bride” are by far the best movies in the series. The pathos that Boris Karloff was able to inject into the monster is unmatched. Some of the other follow-ups are pretty good, too, I liked “Son of Frankenstein” because of its slick camera direction and Bela Lugosi steals the show as the hunchbacked Ygor. By the time Karloff passes the monster mantle to Lon Chaney, Jr. the character has been removed of so much which made him compelling in the first place— after this point, the monster is basically a super strong superhero charged by lightning or a kind of Golem-character who just does others’ bidding and lumbers around semi-comically.

I think my favorites are

1. The Bride of Frankenstein
2. Frankenstein
3. Son of Frankenstein
4. House of Dracula (I liked this because it’s the first one where the Doctor isn’t both a completely awful person and an idiot— and it gives the Wolfman a happy ending)
5. House of Frankenstein (Boris Karloff returns as the Mad Scientist character instead the Monster)
6. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (this is more of a Wolf Man movie than a Frankenstein movie, but it’s a pretty good Wolf Man movie)
7. Ghost of Frankenstein

[blackcauldron85]

^ Did you watch them on a streaming service (which?) or on DVD or TV?

[UmbrellaFish]

I bought the 30-movie Blu-Ray box set (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classi ... ic+&sr=8-3) 2 years ago, so that’s what I’ve been watching.

Peacock, which I think is free with ads, has at least the original Frankenstein and Dracula when last I looked.

EDIT: Just scrolled through the Peacock website and it looks like they have all the Frankenstein movies https://www.peacocktv.com/stream/movies/classics

[blackcauldron85]

Thank you for letting me know! I did sign up for Peacock, but haven't watched it yet.

[Avaitor]

Oh neat, I didn't know that Peacock has the movies! I only have the Blu-Ray set with the "major" monster films, which has the first two Frankenstein films. A lot of these films aren't all that great, but they're well worth popping in if you're in the mood for a low key night with a spooky aesthetic in the background.

The first two are quite good, all things considered, but I remember being surprised by how much I liked Son of Frankenstein. I guess I was expecting it to be useless without James Whale, but it's a decent story and Karloff is still strong as the monster. I like all the movies to various extents, but I do have a soft spot for Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. It is more of a Wolf Man movie, but there's nothing wrong with that, and their meeting at the end is a heap of fun.

[blackcauldron85]

What Happens When The Directors Of ‘Foodfight!’ And ‘Beauty And The Beast’ Make A Film Together? ‘Bobbleheads: The Movie’
https://www.cartoonbrew.com/home-entert ... 97777.html

I got a chuckle out of the trailer, but to watch a full-length film with their heads bobbling is I'm sure pretty unsettling, as it was just in that short trailer...

[UmbrellaFish]

This popped up on my Netflix recommendations: Someone Has to Die— it’s a Spanish-Mexican limited series on Netflix. “ A young man is recalled to Spain from Mexico by his wealthy family after a 10 year absence as they have found a suitable young woman for him to marry. However, he brings a male ballet dancer with him, sending shockwaves through his conservative town.” It sounds like it could be a lot of fun, and it stars Carmen Maura who I discovered through my binge of Pedro Almodovar this year. The series is by the person who did House of Flowers on Netflix which I’ve heard good things but haven’t checked out yet.

I’m trying to only watch spooky, Halloween stuff until the end of the month so I may wait before I dive in. It could be a nice treat for surviving past the election!— this, and The Crown Season 4 (which is gonna be fun— Thatcher and Diana!!!)

Speaking of spooky things/Halloween things, I’ve watched...

Hereditary and Midsommar. Very good! I don’t watch a lot of true horror movies but both of these I liked. Speaking of Toni Collette, I watched Muriel’s Wedding for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it. Might be one of my new favorite movies.

The Haunting of Hill House. I didn’t watch it when it came out and forgot about it last year. Good stuff. Very creepy, gave me nightmares. Need to check out the second season before Halloween is over.

Hocus Pocus. 2x. What can I say, I love this movie. It’s like the spirit of Halloween to me. I will probably get in a few more viewings before the end of the season.

The Halloweentown movies. Grew up on these. Tbh, they aren’t very good! But I love seeing Debbie Reynolds and Kimberly J Brown.

I have Mickey’s House of Villains and Nightmare Before Christmas (which I don’t really like but I try it out every year) laid out to watch. And also, it strikes me that Coco is an appropriate pick for this season too. I have a hankering to rewatch my favorite AHS season which is Asylum but I’m not sure I’ll have time before the end of the month.

[Farerb]

^Will you wait with Over the Moon till next month or will you watch it this Friday?
I'm also excited about The Crown. It's one of the few shows I watch nowadays. I'm not that invested in TV shows anymore.