In a world post-Hurricane Maria, we can at least attempt to watch some films!... or at least the ones we have stored in our laptops. Here are some tidbits of our attempt to return to normalcy.

Moana (2016) I had "seen" this one before with my niece, but didn't really pay much attention, what with her talking and jumping around. Anyway, I could really appreciate it this time around. Performances are great, and I love th chemistry between Moana and Maui. It's also refreshing to see an animated film with a strong female lead and no romantic subplot. Soundtrack was great too. Grade: Probably an A-

Finding Dory (2016) Another rewatch, but my wife hadn't seen it. She liked it as much as I did. Cute and earnest story, albeit a tad overlong. Anyway, I love the Hank character, and love the fact that the film doesn't follow the hero/villain structure. Grade: Still a B

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) This one, my wife had seen it. She didn't like it, but we didn't have a lot of options and weren't looking for anything deep. Still, it was pretty crappy. No chemistry between Willis and Courtney, plus their dialogue was horrible. The action was mind-numbing. A mess in almost every aspect. Grade: D+, because I finished it.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) This one, I will need to rewatch later. I dozed off through most of the middle section, which isn't a slight on the film, but rather the direct result of trying to watch a 2+ hour film at 10:30 in the dark, after a long day. Still, I did enjoy what I saw. I did get the impression, and this could be because of me dozing off, that it was a bit messier than the first one. Also, the big emotional moment with Yondu lacked any surprise, it was telegraphed from the beginning. Rocket rocks, and I loved most of the Baby Groot moments. Grade: Pending

maria denialAccording to the students reviews in many forums or online debates we have seen the most of the students prefer to buy assignment online because many of student don't like to write 10 or more pages assignment so they pick Assignment Ninja for their assignment writing because they believe no one is better service provider as the Assignment ninja are.

Assignment Ninja vs. Run-on Sentence. Run-on Sentence wins. FATALITY!

MOST of us. He said MOST of us. There's still hate in his heart.

Wooley

Thief12

Part of me thinks it's nice that, at least, John Carpenter is involved in some way.

Wasn't Carpenter involved in the Fog remake?

I don't know. Never saw that one. But anyway, I think it's nice that he is involved. Like I said, "part of me" thinks "some involvement" from the original creator is better than "no involvement". We'll see.

Lots of mixed feelings about this...?

Part of me thinks it's nice to see a "better" ending to this franchise than Halloween: Resurrection. Granted, I've only seen bits and pieces, but it was enough.

Part of me thinks it's nice that, at least, John Carpenter is involved in some way.

Part of me thinks it's nice to see Jamie Lee Curtis back at it.

However...

Part of me thinks that bringing Curtis seems like an easy cash-grab move to lure old fans.

Part of me thinks that it would be nice, like someone else said, to just have a bunch of people we don't know.

Part of me thinks that another stab at this seems completely unnecessary at this point.

Catbus

last splashSo now we're getting parody threads.

[img]https://inspirationsmagazine.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Margaret-Reads-Thread-Painting-2-Princess-Parrot-001.jpg[/img]

Bravo, sir. Bravo.

Dude, this forum can barely stand up to pee and you're asking it to do cartwheels??

The girl in the meat hook in Texas Chain Saw Massacre has haunted me since I saw the film back in the day. Probably part of the reason why it is my favorite horror film.

Another one that came to mind for some reason, was from Saw III. I didn't like the film but that trap with the guy racked up that twists each leg and arm, and finally his neck? Ugh...

Death Proof[img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gxOju9FNDrg/hqdefault.jpg[/img] ? ? ?> Dunkirk

[img]http://cf.chucklesnetwork.com/items/1/2/8/2/6/8/original/yep-id-hit-that.jpg[/img]

Meh, I never had much expectations for BobHarris to begin with.

The GuyYeah Rogue One didn't really work for me ?(I believe another director was brought in for reshoots changing the ending to the current one that sees our main characters killed off).

What exactly is the morality there? Jane Erso discovers her long lost father was a good guy all along with his last dying breath, only so she can go off on a suicide mission of her own?

Well, I thought that the main moral points of the story were redemption and sacrifice for the greater good. First, each of the members of the "Rogue" team is some sort of outcast for different reasons, and being part of this mission gives them a chance to seek redemption. And second, the idea of sacrificing one-self for the greater good, the fact that they are all willing to go on this mission, with little support from the Rebellion, knowing that the outcome wll not be the best one.

Puffin NubbinsFans have had a right to be worried about everything that has happened since The Phantom Menace.

Yeah, this is right. Every new Star Wars film is received with a certain trepidation in the midst of all the hoopla. I think that's even part of why TFA and RO were received so well. Because, despite some flaws, they were "better than the PT".

That said, I did enjoy both. I thought TFA was a lot of fun despite some logic flaws or its tendency to adhere too much to several OT tropes. As for RO, I was really surprised by it. I thought it was really, really good and I felt the darker tone served it well.

As for the upcoming films in the new trilogy, maybe they give the last one to Rian Johnson as well.

MaxRennCheck out Metalocalypse. It's one part Spinal Tap, one part Sam Raimi-inspired horror comedy and all parts hilarious.

Yeah, I saw a few episodes of this a couple of years ago and it was solid.

The last cartoon series I watched regularly was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that started in 2012. It was really good, but for some reason, I stopped watching around the second or third season. I think it was the excess of TV shows I had on queue and it sorta fell off the side. I should get back to it later.

I also had an unhealthy addiction to Phineas & Ferb, but I got over it.

It's too bad that you didn't enjoy that one a bit more. My brother recommended it to me a while ago, and I've loved it since. I just like the "banality of evil" with which the topics are discussed. Plus, I consider myself a WW2 buff, so this was right my alley.

Anyway, like I said, I'm flattered that you took the time to watch those recs so promptly! *high five*

Wow, I'm flattered that you decided to just jump right into my recs. Glad you enjoyed both films. Out of the Past is one I saw a couple of years ago when I took a film noir online course and I loved it right from the start. Such great performances, such a great script. I could see it making it on an All-Time Top 10 or Top 20.

Now I'm dying to see what you think of the other one :D

MKSA solid finale but felt like they took a note from the Wire, where you wow them with the penultimate episode and reserve the coda for the finale. Can't wait for s7 and I'm glad that these long episodes fly by, as I feared the prospect when I last heard it. Didn't think they could pull a Sons of Anarchy but the risk seemed too great.

Yeah, but that has been their MO since Season 1. Most of the great/huge moments have happened on episodes 8 or 9 (Baelor, Blackwater, Red Wedding, Mountain vs. Viper and the Battle with the Wildlings, Hardhome, Battle of the Bastards)... but since this season was only 7 episodes long, I wasn't sure where they would put their chips in. I think that was a bit disappointing since I really wasn't that wowed by Episode 6, and 7 felt more like the typical last episode where the writers are just putting the pieces on the table for the next season.

Popcorn ReviewsThe Last Laugh (1924) - 7/10

This movie does a great job at getting you to sympathize with the main character by showing the struggles he has to face. Due to all the poor treatment he undergoes, it makes it a deeply powerful film. I also liked the body movement the doorman made. As he worked in the bathroom, he would often slouch and move around slowly. This was a great way of showing his misery. I also liked that the film had no title cards (except for one near the end, which I'll get to soon). I prefer silent films which feature no title cards as they're usually more immersive experiences since they use visuals and facial expressions to tell their story. Also, the camerawork was impressive. In the opening scene, the camera shows the doorman from a low angle. This highlights his superiority. After he gets fired, however, that style is gone. I also liked how scenes from the hotel were juxtaposed with scenes from the bathroom. Additionally, several facial close-ups made me feel like I was viewing the world from the doorman's point of view. As for the single title card near the end, it serves as a prelude to a major tonal shift with the movie. I thought about it for quite some time as I wasn't sure what to think of it. However, I have to admit it was flawed. It served as a deus ex-machina. Not only that, but it was drawn out to be much longer than it needed to be. The restaurant scene was also over-the-top in the way of the food served. Since Murnau appeared to apologize for it with the title card, it's clear that its not meant to be taken seriously and that it's a comical ending. However, this is another flaw since the film which proceeded it was serious. It didn't fit the movie in my opinion. That might not have been too spoiler-y, but close enough. Despite the ending, however, I still enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It's essential viewing for silent film fanatics.

Watch it for free on youtube.

I can understand any reserve you might have with the epilogue. I'm still not sure what to make of it. But I was so in love with the rest that I didn't care that much. To me, the greatness of the film rests in two things: the great performance of Emil Jannings, and the superb camera movement of Murnau. Saw it a couple of months ago and fell in love with it instantly. Casually, I saw it back-to-back with Battleship Potemkin, which also blew my mind. Have you seen that one?

Popcorn Reviews

Thief12

Popcorn ReviewsI liked reading your reviews on the films in this thread. You brought up many great points. I also feel honored that one of the films I recommended received the highest rating. Out of curiosity, what day in August is your birthday on? Mine is on the 23rd of August.

Mine is August 5. Happy birthday then, man!

I'll try to return the favor. Not sure if you've seen these, but if not, check them out...

Out of the Past (1947)
Conspiracy (2001)
The Last Laugh (1924)

...and one for the road: Source Code (2011)

Let me know what you think.

I've only seen Source Code. I haven't seen the rest, but I'll make sure to check them out. They look pretty interesting. Want me to post my thoughts here or in the "Rate the Last Movie You Watched" thread?

As for Source Code, I loved it quite a bit. It did so much with its plot in terms of the mystery of who the bomber was and developing the story, I had a deeper connection with it than I've had with most modern sci-fi/action films to come out in the past 10-15 years (Source Code, Children of Men, and Snowpiercer are my favorite sci-fi/action films in recent years). I enjoyed Duncan Jones' Moon a bit more, but both are excellent films.

Ooooh, I'm sure you'll have a treat with the other three then. Feel free to use this thread if you like.
As for Jones, I also enjoyed Moon quite a bit. I think I give a slight edge to Source Code because it made me think more about its quantum physics mechanics. But yeah, I would put both near the top as far as recent sci-fi films go.

Popcorn ReviewsI liked reading your reviews on the films in this thread. You brought up many great points. I also feel honored that one of the films I recommended received the highest rating. Out of curiosity, what day in August is your birthday on? Mine is on the 23rd of August.

Mine is August 5. Happy birthday then, man!

I'll try to return the favor. Not sure if you've seen these, but if not, check them out...

Out of the Past (1947)
Conspiracy (2001)
The Last Laugh (1924)

...and one for the road: Source Code (2011)

Let me know what you think.