Movies 2: Electric Boogaloo

How was Cena in Bumblebee, Mas?

Seemed like he was playing Cena

Like, generic army man Cena or goofy dad joke Cena? Because I'm well up for the latter.

Much more along the lines of I'm a bro and America is great deal.

There's a really funny part where he wells up with emotion and does an incredibly Cena salute.

Went and saw John Wick 3 last week and it's just relentless from the get-go with the action.

Also might be the best thing Halle Berry has done for years

I found John Wick 3 to be a little underwhelming compared to the previous 2, sub par John Wick is still a banger of a film though.

Sent from Topic'it App

John Wick is another one that isn't releasing here until super late, like October or something.

I have to get out and see John Wick 3 soon, though my nearest cinema only has evening showings for some reason which is a bit annoying.

I think the reason is the mad amount of films that have come out, in the last 2 weeks I’ve seen:
Detective Pikachu
John Wick 3
Long Shot
Aladdin
Booksmart
Rocket Man

Plus I’ll probably see Godzilla and Thunder Road this weekend, maybe even Secret Life of Pets 2

Sent from Topic'it App

Also does age ratings have any bearing as Pikachu we only had one late-ish showing and with Wick it was the other way around.

Crumpy Andy wrote:

I think the reason is the mad amount of films that have come out, in the last 2 weeks I’ve seen:
Detective Pikachu
John Wick 3
Long Shot
Aladdin
Booksmart
Rocket Man

Plus I’ll probably see Godzilla and Thunder Road this weekend, maybe even Secret Life of Pets 2

Sent from Topic'it App

Ahh that's probably part of the reason then.

I rewatched Shin Godzilla and Godzilla 20114 with Matty yesterday. As well as now being super pumped to catch the new one next weekend, I noticed that in SG they make a reference to the legend of Susano, as seen in Okami. The plan to fill Godzilla with Coagulant and freeze it is named after the sake he gave to Orochi.

I saw Godzilla King of the Monsters this evening. I liked it but it is to long and to much focus on the humans, I wanted more Monsters fighting.

I may watch Godzilla 98, 2014 and the anime ones on Netflix at some point soon as those I can watch without fuss.

I saw Godzilla yesterday. It was incredibly dumb and ridiculous, of course, but I loved it. I felt emotions for the characters, I was engaged by the plot, I was wowed by the monsters and the action, and I generally had a great time. My only issue with it was that all of my favourite moments were, essentially, fanservice. Seeing classic monsters and characters doing their schtick from the classic films, hearing the classic musical themes, catching injokes and references, seeing the cameos which set up the next film. It got me thinking about the ways I've been, or am likely to be, serviced as a fan this year.

Bumblebee and Spider-verse (which I know came out in the west last year, but were this year in Japan) were very enjoyable- because they took comicbooks I loved and put them on the big screen. Avengers Endgame was wonderful- because it was a lovingly made swansong for a ten-year series, and it contained moments and characters I'd been waiting to see from the comicbooks I read as a kid. I loved Detective Pikachu, which was pretty much inoffensive and predictable, because it brought the Pokemon world to life. Then there was this, the Godzilla film I'd been dreaming of, with absolutely nothing new to bring to the table. Finally, at Christmas, we'll be getting a new Star Wars, the name and advertising campaign of which all seems to centre around "hey, this one will be like the ones you liked as a kid and will finish the Skywalker saga which isn't at all tired and played out!"

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being serviced as a fan, but it's not a deep enjoyment, y'know? I loved Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, which were full of loving homages to classic Zeldas and which recreated the flow of Ocarina of Time, but I wasn't in love with them in the same way I was Breath of the Wild, which took the soul of the thing I liked and did something mind-blowingly new and wondeful with it. See also Dark Souls III, which on my initial playthrough I thought was the sickest thing in the world, but which leaves me feeling nothing when I look back on it now compared to the freshness of the original and the odd twist on a sequel which was II.

I like being given fanservice and nostalgia kicks, but its diminishing returns. I think a lot of this stuff is losing its power for me. I need new and exciting - I need The Last Jedi, not The Force Awakens.

Still. Cool dinosaurs, innit.

masofdas wrote:

I saw Godzilla King of the Monsters this evening. I liked it but it is to long and to much focus on the humans, I wanted more Monsters fighting.

I mean, I could always use more monsters fighting, but I think this one delivered pretty well on that front. It was also paced through the film much better than in 2014, which totally backloaded all the cool stuff. What I really can't understand, though, are the reviews which complained about too much monster fighting and insufficient human drama! I think it balanced the too well, and even if this was a Godzilla: Final Wars-esque slugfest, that would be fine. That's what I go to a Godzilla film for!

Quote :

I may watch Godzilla 98, 2014 and the anime ones on Netflix at some point soon as those I can watch without fuss.

98 is a fun film, I just don't really consider that monster any real Godzilla. 2014 is no masterpiece, but its an okay film to watch now and again. The anime ones are very slow, and more concerned with big ideas than individual character moments, but they're worth a watch I reckon.

I think I feel the opposite about fanservice - when it's properly done, there's nothing else like it. Investing myself in a series over countless movies or games or what have you and then to see callbacks and references that I'd only pick up and appreciate having spent so many hours taking in the previous content... that's brilliant. It makes me feel appreciated as a fan and whilst it can just be dumb fanservice moments, sometimes I need that. Maybe that's what hampered TLJ - christ, I just said I wasn't going to talk about it too in my last post - as it fell in amongst a sequel trilogy to a long established series. It wasn't the right time to try something new. I hope they'll do something different for their next trilogy, whenever that may roll around. I hope they don't just rely on Rey, Finn, Poe and the gang like they had to for Han, Chewie, Luke and Leia.

Maybe it didn't come across in my post, but I also love all of this fanservice. My problem is that it feels like that's all there is at the moment. Maybe its my own fault, for only watching films which use that stuff to attract me, but other than John Wick I can't remember the last time I saw and loved something that was just its own, unique thing.

That's a fair observation - I think the big movies this year are all part of existing franchises. I'm sure the interesting, standalone projects are out there but they're not getting a huge amount of attention. Andy could probably recommend something - he's seen fucking everything this year, from what he was saying.

I think Andy does the thing where he has an unlimited pass. I should look into whether one is available for the cinema here. It is literally over the road from my house, and that would definitely mean I see way more stuff.

I watched Your Name. for the first time over the weekend. It's one of the few animes that's taken off in the West in my memory that isn't Ghibli. The genderswappage is a bit cringeworthy for the first third or so, but the remaining two thirds are absolute tear-jerkery. Recommended. (Also Summer Wars, because the Barbican was doing a 'summer of anime'. Less big, less likely to be on streaming services, but better in my opinion. Tremendous animation in particular.)

I also watched Detective Pikachu, finally. Loses something from not being on the big screen I'm sure, but it was still charming to see those Pokémon brought to life and I'd love a sequel.

I still haven't gotten around to properly watching Your Name, or any of the director's stuff, but I do plan to eventually; it looks beautiful.

As for Summer Wars, have I mentioned that here yet? It's from the director of Digimon The Movie, and is set in Ueda: the next town over from me, where Matt lives. We're definitely doing a podcast on it eventually!

I feel I own both on Blu Ray but just haven't gotten around to watching yet

Saw El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie last Friday. I liked it a lot - it wasn't 100% essential and "needed", as such, but I enjoyed the fact that it existed and to allow Jesse Pinkman to have an epilogue to his story. Above all else, I loved having more Breaking Bad content and enjoyed the movie as essentially a bumper episode. Well worth a watch.