What MOVIE(s) have you been....seeing? watching?

I just rewatched Corvette Summer, an inconsequential bit of fluff from my youth (it was released in 1978). I've seen it many times, but not for at least 30 years or so. It holds up quite well and is a better film than I expected. The story is simple and straightforward (SO refreshing when compared to modern movies) and is absolutely elevated by an adorable performance from Annie Potts.

The Deep House (2021) was a moderately good horror movie. The concept is novel: two divers exploring a haunted house at the bottom of a flooded region turned lake. The writing is good, except that the two main characters are shallow and uninteresting. The boyfriend is an annoying thrillseeker who is obsessed with gaining lots of views on YouTube, while the girlfriend is anxious and irritable. Otherwise, the movie escalates nicely all the way to the frantic climax. The underwater setting makes everything eerie, and the contents of the house are now seared into my memory. I don't think that I will ever need to watch it again, but I am glad that I saw it.

Deadpool vs Wolverine or whatever Deadpool 3 is called is an ABSOLUTE BLAST. It's a terrible film with shallow villains, hackneyed plots, and only the loosest sense of continuity, but that's not what anyone is watching this. It is just a GLORIOUS finale for the entire Fox marvel run with a few extras thrown in. Insanely violent, profane as all get out, surprisingly chaste with no nudity/sex (I guess Disney KNEW there would be kids seeing this and that's where they drew the line) but the guest stars are really where this movie shines. The whiteboard with every possible cameo/surprise appearance had to have been a mile long and damned if they didn't get 80% of what I would have wanted, including a specific non-marvel cross-over casting that almost had my wife melt in her seat. The ending is quite touching as well, doubly so if you really dug those x-men films.

I don't think this movie is an indication of a shift in the direction of the main MCU films as it is basically just weaponized nostalgia, nothing you can do over and over, but if competently designed action scenes, charismatic leads, and a bit of naughty frat boy attitude carries over to their other films, I'm all for it.

I watched Deadpool + Wolverine last night. I saw the first two Deadpool films, but it has been years and I don't really remember anything about them. I also don't keep up with the endless sea of Marvel films. In other words, I mostly am evaluating this movie on its own merits.

I found it hilarious, and the fight scenes were very cool. There are also a few people who may surprise you when they show up, and that is always fun. I like that the film does not take itself seriously at all, often breaking the fourth wall. At one point, Deadpool refers to Logan as Hugh. Knowing that Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are friends also helps.

If you don't like Ryan Reynolds, don't see this, as I think he has 80% of the dialog. Also, I couldn't help but wonder how absolutely miserable it must be to wear his suit. At least Wolverine's has some skin exposed.

One more thing about prior films... one film that I had seen and I think it would be handy to have seen, is Logan. Also you should totally see it because Logan is a kick ass film. Better than this one.

hotseatgames wrote: One more thing about prior films... one film that I had seen and I think it would be handy to have seen, is Logan. Also you should totally see it because Logan is a kick ass film. Better than this one.

I can't get excited about Deadpool + Wolverine. I am certain that I will eventually watch it and enjoy it, but I can't get motivated to see it now in the theater, because I don't know anybody else who would go with me. A lot of people are burned out on the superhero movies, especially since most of the DC ones have sucked and even the Marvel movies have often been lackluster since Avengers: Endgame. However, Logan was an amazing movie that completely breaks away from the superhero movie formula. Great performances, but the ending wrecked me. Glad that I saw it, but not yet ready to watch it again. I recently rewatched Deadpool, and it was alright. Like most comedies, the entertainment value declines with each repeat viewing.

I was at a comic convention the year after the first Deadpool came out. Lots of dudes walking around in masks, insulting people to be funny. Turned me off the character completely.

As a general rule of thumb, all the good movies on Amazon Prime have roughly 4.5 stars. Not 5 stars, because there are always some naysayers, and not 4 stars, because Amazon users tend to be too generous with their stars. So I was curious when I saw an unfamiliar science-fiction movie with 4.5 stars and many reviews on Amazon, and gave it a try. The movie is Pandorum (2009), and it is actually a very good science-fiction movie with only two flaws. First, the name of the movie is bad marketing, because it does nothing to inform or attract potential viewers. Second, Pandorum lacks star power, with only a bearded Dennis Quaid in the cast. Otherwise, I strongly recommend this movie. It's a blend of science-fiction, action, and horror, with ambitious ideas and sufficient budget to actually deliver on the promise of those ideas. I won't say more, because the story begins with one character with amnesia. He doesn't know what's going on, so the viewers are looking over his shoulder as he figures things out. That is a superb alternative to the clunky exposition that so many lesser science-fiction movies use to bring the viewers into the setting.

Yeah Pandorum is good. Ben Foster is very underrated as an actor. He's great in everything he's in.

charlest wrote: Yeah Pandorum is good. Ben Foster is very underrated as an actor. He's great in everything he's in.

Oh! Now I remember him. He played a vile Renfield-type in 30 Days of Night. And I suspect I have seen in other shows, as he does look familiar.

He's great in Hell or High Water, The Messenger, Leave No Trace, and Alpha Dog. I'm not a fan of his character in 3:10 to Yuma but he portrays him well.

Coincidentally, I watched Pandorum this weekend, too, as I was going through a list I have on Amazon of Lovecraftian-style films and TV. Don't know that I'd quite file this film in that category (I think the atmospheric similarities to Event Horizon were what made it come up on the list) but it was decent. And, yes, I immediately noticed Ben Foster, too, as he definitely carries a lot of the weight here.

Twisters - Twister is a summer classic that came out in 1996. Twisters is like a Syfy version from 1997. The shots of Aunt Meg's table of food in the 96 film are better done than this entire movie.

Saw Alien: Romulus last night. It is the indisputable bronze medal winner of the Alien franchise. Takes place in between Alien and Aliens, but isn't really a prequel or sequel so much as another horror story that takes place in the same science-fiction setting, with new characters. There are some interesting ideas and the writing is good. There is a little too much fan service, in terms of callbacks to scenes in other movies from the francise. The set design is excellent and the overall look of the movie is great. However, I didn't like most of the characters, and the actors themselves were mostly young and not particularly talented.

I’ve disliked everything they did after Alien3. I think I may enjoy this one, though. I’ll have to catch it when it’s streaming.

I watched Jackpot on Prime, the new John Cena / Awkwafina film. Awkwafina wins a lottery, the entire city is trying to kill her, and it's up to John Cena to keep her alive.

If you like John Cena's antics, and why wouldn't you, he's a delight, you will enjoy this film. I was a bit drunk, but I liked it. And if you watch the credits, you get to hear him say "GET TO THE CHOPPA!"