What are we watching now?

[mbenigni]

IRL has been shit lately, so I've been self-medicating with Netflix. (Etc.)

Mo: A little uneven, but overall I really liked it. Jumps a couple of sharks, but it has a lot of heart IMO. Helps that the lead reminds a lot of a dear friend (best friend, in fact) who passed away many years ago. It gets a little heavy-handed with its politics - if you're squeamish about the Israel/ Palestine thing you might get your feathers ruffled somewhat. Anyway, I liked it.

Radioactive Emergency: OK, so the absurdly on-the-nose title should have been a giveaway, but I figured something must have been lost in translation. Turns out there wasn't much to lose in the first place. Disclaimer: I only endured about one episode of this stinker. I got sucked in by the aesthetics, honestly. Parts of South America have that gritty 1970's look to this very day - old Datsun-alikes and buildings that look like there's film grain painted right on them - and I'm a sucker for all that. Unfortunately, the script is a turd, immediately revealing itself as a cynical, low-budget cash-in on the success of Chernobyl - even more so once characters start dropping the name "Chernobyl" into every other line of their dialog. (And I don't know whether this makes matters better or worse, but there is a major character named Evendildo LOL.)

 

[mbenigni]

Netflix instead of real life part deux: SISU Road to Revenge.

This movie hit me completely out of left field. I was just looking for something to fall asleep to, and this popped up on my home screen. My expectations, based on the description and the general anonymity, were very low, but I could immediately recognize that there was serious film craft going on. (Some shots are so amazing, they must surely be CGI - but they look so authentic.) By about a half an hour in, I'm thinking, "This movie is a gem... a masterpiece even!"

It's your basic revenge flick, but instead of the typical oversaturated Hollywood treatment, it's all period-perfect WWII vibes: pastoral European landscapes, orchestral score, flawless lighting and camera work. The only "flash" comes in the form of Kill Bill-style title cards announcing the chapters. (I could have done without them.) Otherwise, there is zero fat on this movie: a couple of characters, a time and a place; and then it just goes ham on the superman revenge thing for all of 90 minutes. The movie is shorter than a Sex Pistols single LOL. It's surely not for everyone; it's definitely not for your kids. The action starts out just on the far side of implausible and gets crazier and crazier with each scene. (It gets into that "live action Warner Brothers cartoons" territory - if you've ever seen Kung Fu Hustle, for instance, you'll know what I'm talking about.) The violence starts out intense and plows right past uncomfortable without even slowing down. But it's got a couple of emotional beats, too, which I thought were effective.

YMMV, but I loved this movie.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Has Paradise been mentioned? REALLY loving Season 2

 

[JiveTurkey]

Netflix instead of real life part deux: SISU Road to Revenge.

This movie hit me completely out of left field. I was just looking for something to fall asleep to, and this popped up on my home screen. My expectations, based on the description and the general anonymity, were very low, but I could immediately recognize that there was serious film craft going on. (Some shots are so amazing, they must surely be CGI - but they look so authentic.) By about a half an hour in, I'm thinking, "This movie is a gem... a masterpiece even!"

It's your basic revenge flick, but instead of the typical oversaturated Hollywood treatment, it's all period-perfect WWII vibes: pastoral European landscapes, orchestral soundtrack, flawless lighting and camera work. The only "flash" comes in the form of Kill Bill-style title cards announcing the chapters. (I could have done without them.) Otherwise, there is zero fat on this movie: a couple of characters, a time and a place; and then it just goes ham on the superman revenge thing for all of 90 minutes. The movie is shorter than a Sex Pistols single LOL. It's surely not for everyone; it's definitely not for your kids. The action starts out just on the far side of implausible and gets crazier and crazier with each scene. (It gets into that "live action Warner Brothers cartoons" territory - if you've ever seen Kung Fu Hustle, for instance, you'll know what I'm talking about.) The violence starts out intense and plows right past uncomfortable without even slowing down. But it's got a couple of emotional beats, too, which I thought were effective.

YMMV, but I loved this movie.

Both Sisu's were great. Road to Revenge was definitely a lot more "cartoon-ish" as you say but killer either way

 

[JiveTurkey]

Watched some diverse material over the weekend

'Song Sung Blue'. Which I thought was a Neil Diamond biopic but was instead about a husband and wife tribute band? Excellent performances and definitely full of emotional moments as well as being heart warming and funny in a watch it with the wife to make up for all the times you made her watch 'Human Centipede 5' sort of way Kate Hudson was great in this. As was Wolverine \m/

'Good Luck, have Fun, Don't Die'. Screwball end of the world action 'comedy' with the most excellent Sam Rockwell. Fear of AI folks get in this one. Quirky, big production with a lot of charm and humor. And dread. Excellent flick.

Finished if up with 'Nuremberg' late last night. A film about what you would expect it to be about. Russel Crowe is fantastic as per usual. Always good to see Remy Malick in things, too. Not a good time for obvious reasons but also done in a way that let you focus on the characters and their interactions just as much as the heinous things that were done. Heavy film because of the subject matter but very well done and worth a watch for the performances most certainly.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I've been watching Long Strange Trip on Amazon. A Grateful Dead doc.
Pretty cool so far, and I was never like a hardcore fan or follower of the Dead, but I respect their legacy and what they were doing. It's interesting to see it now from a different perspective. I couldn't help think back to my first band and compare some things. We just didn't stick to it long enough and let personal drama get in the way.

 

[mbenigni]

Both Sisu's were great. Road to Revenge was definitely a lot more "cartoon-ish" as you say but killer either way

Here's me living under a rock again. I'd never heard of either of them, and had no idea Road to Revenge was a sequel while I was watching it. (Which speaks to its holding up on its own merits.) The first one just made my very, very, very shortlist. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[mbenigni]

Finished if up with 'Nuremberg' late last night. A film about what you would expect it to be about. Russel Crowe is fantastic as per usual. Always good to see Remy Malick in things, too. Not a good time for obvious reasons but also done in a way that let you focus on the characters and their interactions just as much as the heinous things that were done. Heavy film because of the subject matter but very well done and worth a watch for the performances most certainly.

Oh yeah, I forgot I'd squeezed in Nuremberg as well. Good stuff.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Oh yeah, I forgot I'd squeezed in Nuremberg as well. Good stuff.

Crowe is always worth a watch. Even when he is in paycheck movie level material.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Here's me living under a rock again. I'd never heard of either of them, and had no idea Road to Revenge was a sequel while I was watching it. (Which speaks to its holding up on its own merits.) The first one just made my very, very, very shortlist. Thanks for the heads-up.

I actually like the first one just a bit more? It's over the top but a little more 'subtle' comparatively. If there is a such a thing in the action movie realm

 

[mbenigni]

I actually like the first one just a bit more? It's over the top but a little more 'subtle' comparatively. If there is a such a thing in the action movie realm

It's hard to imagine "less subtle" LOL. Though the charm of this movie (and I'm guessing the first, as well) is the way it juxtaposes cliches ("unleash Hell" LOL) and completely over the top action sequences with its straight-faced war movie aesthetic.

 

[JiveTurkey]

So just saw there is now an SNL UK. Not to plunge deep into the usual SNL boomer discussion narrative; but I wonder if it was really necessary after all these years? I looked at the cast and I am admittedly thimble deep in my UK humor knowledge (AKA Gervais crew, Greg Davies/In-Betweeners, Jimmy Carr) but not sure if there are any people to look out for? I saw Graham Norton was up helping Tina Fey and I honestly would have rather just had Norton host it?

 

[spawnofthesith]

Flu the last few days so have been on a binge of indie cosmic/psychedelic/woods horror. 4 movies between two directors… Black Mountain Side, Archons, Into Earth, and A Field In England (although need to revisit this last one as I fell asleep, felt the slowest of the bunch but Reddit claims it’s the best idk)

Definitely all slow burns and have their issues. Again indie flicks, I’m not sure if A24 backing would make them better or worse lma. but I enjoy this cerebral horror nonsense even when it kinda sucks

 

[la szum]

Has Paradise been mentioned? REALLY loving Season 2

Diving in tonight. Haven't even watched Season 1.



My streaming service bi-monthly rotation has me on Hulu/Disney+ and Paramount +. for the
next couple of months.

 

[spawnofthesith]

I enjoyed season 1 of paradise looking forward to diving into the next


Song Sung Blue is wildly entertaining. Only watched the first half need to resume

 

[JiveTurkey]

Flu the last few days so have been on a binge of indie cosmic/psychedelic/woods horror. 4 movies between two directors… Black Mountain Side, Archons, Into Earth, and A Field In England (although need to revisit this last one as I fell asleep, felt the slowest of the bunch but Reddit claims it’s the best idk)

Definitely all slow burns and have their issues. Again indie flicks, I’m not sure if A24 backing would make them better or worse lma. but I enjoy this cerebral horror nonsense even when it kinda sucks

I enjoyed season 1 of paradise looking forward to diving into the next


Song Sung Blue is wildly entertaining. Only watched the first half need to resume

Hope you get to feeling better! There are a ton of options in those horror genres. Paradise I wanted to like but it went too sci-fi, for lack of a better genre term; for me fairly early? Maybe I will revisit. Kate Hudson is charming AF in SSB. REALLY surprised on that one. Glad we gave it a watch!

 

[MTB1973]

Been watching The Kids in the Hall during the day when I work. I casually watched this show back when it was on Comedy Central. Wow. What a nostalgia bomb I wasn’t expecting.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Hope you get to feeling better! There are a ton of options in those horror genres. Paradise I wanted to like but it went too sci-fi, for lack of a better genre term; for me fairly early? Maybe I will revisit. Kate Hudson is charming AF in SSB. REALLY surprised on that one. Glad we gave it a watch!

Season 2 has a solid Last of Us vibe to me. There is a subplot of people getting bloody noses that I am concerned is going to turn into "the twist is that a bloody nose is a sign that the person isn't actually the person at that moment and is being occupied by a multiverse version of blah blah blah" something or other that's going to get me all up into a "can't we just get back to basic bread and butter end of the world stuff?!?"

 

[spawnofthesith]

Hope you get to feeling better! There are a ton of options in those horror genres. Paradise I wanted to like but it went too sci-fi, for lack of a better genre term; for me fairly early? Maybe I will revisit. Kate Hudson is charming AF in SSB. REALLY surprised on that one. Glad we gave it a watch!

Tubi has such a hilarious hit or miss ratio. I’m to the point where most major streaming platforms have nothing for me aside from occasional fresh drops. I find myself scraping tubi a lot. The failure ratio is super high for attempting something that sounds at least vaguely intriguing but I do continue to find a lot of hidden gems there, especially if I’m getting recs from Reddit threads other of off the beaten path films

You’ll also never find a larger wealth of star studded films you never heard of on there because they bombed so hard


That said, holy shit ive never seen/started so many hilariously bad films that are bad to the point that they can’t even be redeemed by how bad they are as on tubi lmao

 

[la szum]

That said, holy shit ive never seen/started so many hilariously bad films that are bad to the point that they can’t even be redeemed by how bad they are as on tubi lmao

That's why I have such a love/hate relationship with most Media, and the TV, in general. All the time lost
spent looking for something inspiring or fun to watch, and then the realization that there is actually
so very little of it.

Then I beat myself up for trying, and think of the multiplicity of ways the time could have been better spent.
But I can't get that time back.

Only to forget all of that and do it all again.





I may end up just doing Youtube at some point. For some reason I can always find something cool on there.