* Did you watch a film last night (on Blu or DVD), and what was it? *

[NorthStar]

This was the best Marvel movie yet:

I enjoyed it immensely, for the emotions, the power and the everything else.

Overall (film value): 85
Technical merits:
- 4K HDR10 picture = 95.5
- Dolby elevated Atmos audio = 79.5

If you love comic books and if you love Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, there is a high probability chance that you're going to like this as well...very close, almost as equal, but not quite because it is different as it has a huge amount of CGI effects. And the music score can't equal The Dark Knight, simply not.

Last word: What a ride! It's worth taking it to infinity, definitely.
And it's only part one.

Fasten your seatbelt, you might get ejected to smithereens without.

https://youtu.be/zbuFPtxHjzI

 

[NorthStar]

I revisited this last night, the one on the right:

? https://www.whatsbestforum.com/show...-what-was-it-*&p=424032&viewfull=1#post424032

 

[NorthStar]

I watched two flicks last night; first I revisited 'Predator' in 3D, and then this guy:

1. Predator in 3D: Mainly to compare/experience from the new 4K version I've recently viewed. Here I sligthly prefer the 4K, visually.

2. Mayhem in 2D of course, on regular Blu-ray (not 4K):

"Derek Cho is having a really bad day. After being unjustly fired from his job, he discovers that the law firm's building is under quarantine for a mysterious and dangerous virus. Chaos erupts throughout the office as the victims of the disease begin acting out their wildest impulses. Joining forces with a former client who has a grudge of her own, Derek savagely fights tooth and nail to get to the executives on the top floor and settle the score once and for all."

It's a horror/comedy, and not bad @ all with good performances.
It's a little over-the-top but not by much.
I enjoyed it, for the fun surprise it was.

Overall: 69

Last word: If you're sensitive to blood and crazy humorous violence, it won't be your bag. But if you can climb the echelons of a law firm after being fired you might see the comical aspect of it and make a fun comparison with reality TV news of everyday.
I'd say give it a shot, it's safe enough for most.

• https://youtu.be/iJJGAInln0c

 

[NorthStar]

I've watched the Theatrical version (the Super Duper Cut, SDC, is for another day).
This movie was like watching real life but a different story all together.
This is a love story, make no mistake. But the sad thing is that his girlfriend got killed by a single bullet to the heart, right from the get go. After that is anything but all loose.

We don't see many super heroes flicks like this, and its predecessor.
The bad guys sure meet their karma, with alarming effectiveness.

It's a love story but turned bad after one lover got killed. It's all exaggerated "die with a vengeance" from that moment on. Our hero doesn't even care if he dies or not, but surely would prefer to die.
The sad thing is that he cannot die, he's like invincible, immortal. ...What a tragedy!

I didn't laugh except very slightly once or twice, so from that movie aspect it didn't gain much in my emotional film aura. Some of the choreography, CGI, was interesting in couple scenes. The acting was about on par, plastic.

This is a violent flick, extremely, so the sensitive type might want to stay away.

Overall: 69

https://youtu.be/l_n-Cw_whls
_____

Just to put things in perspective @ the box office:

Deadpool

Budget: $58 million
Box office: $783.1 million

Deadpool 2

Budget: $110 million
Box office: $733.7 million

First, they spent $170 million to make two super violent comic hero flicks.
People loved them so much they voted with their wallets to the tune worth over $1.5 billion (worldwide).
That's approximately a $1.33 billion profit. ...With merchandising and videos and downloads much more.
Or 9 times the original investment, for both flicks. ...Not bad @ all.

I'm in the wrong business, I should be auditioning in Hollywood.

 

[NorthStar]

This was a welcome break from Mayhem and Deadpool 2. The dialog during the entire film running time was quasi non-existent. And for the little there was it was inconsequential, plus some of it in a language that 99.99% of us couldn't understand.
You simply observe the facial expressions with the vast hot burning desert in the background.
The familiar actors were in unfamiliar decor settings and roles. I watched smoothly their chops, relaxing with unusual composure.

There is a clan, a cult living in the desert away from society, cannibals. Some scenes are not like eating your cereals in the morning, but they are not gory because they don't show clearly, they just let your imagination do the math, very clearly though.

It's a good assortment of actors with Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, Giovanni Ribisi, Diego Luna and Suki Waterhouse.

"Arlen is abandoned in a Texas wasteland that is fenced off from civilization. While trying to navigate the unforgiving landscape, Arlen is captured by a savage band of cannibals led by the mysterious Miami Man. With her life on the line, she makes her way to The Dream. As she adjusts to life in the bad batch, Arlen discovers that being good or bad mostly depends on who's standing next to you."

Overall: 67

https://youtu.be/4aJeVSMaf20

Last word: Take the ride, it has some worthy images, plus its open style cinema art vision. Check the actors perform under the hot sun.

 

[audioguy]

Not my kind of film!!

 

[NorthStar]

:b Chuck, you like films, you are easily entertained by films.

The Bad Batch is different, no doubt. But it's way better than other films and I found it reflecting some of the reality we are living today. The cannibalism is simply a way to describe it by the clan people eating the people who don't submit to their leader...the Miami Man.

Anyway it's almost a silent movie with various frames, vignettes, scenes that are more the observatory type. It's avant-garde with the music tunes to support it. The cinematography is smooth and close, very close to the main actors with full colors under the sun. It's like an essay where the actors are given freedom to act and interact with each other.

Yes some people will find it edgy, overboard, others will draw comparisons, others will stand right in the middle. No matter what we perceive from the onscreen pictures there is an underneath speechless revelation right from the very beginning of this film; I can't spoil it.
Then our young main actress we follow on her journey, she's the film's entire character attraction.
The other people we meet along the way are just surviving, and she befriends two of them...a little girl and her father. I think it's the father but I'm not 100% sure.

It's only a film, and we take the good out of it...just like the ending.
It's very watchable, with some beautiful cinematography and familiar actors.
I enjoyed it and I know that most here will too.

 

[NorthStar]

I watched this last night, on Blu-ray 1080p:

"Childhood friends Lily and Amanda reconnect in suburban Connecticut after years of growing apart. Lily has turned into a polished upper-class teenager who has a fancy boarding school on her transcript and a coveted internship on her resume. Amanda has developed a sharp wit and her own particular attitude but all in the process of becoming a social outcast. Though they initially seem completely at odds, the pair eventually bond and hatch a plan to solve both of their problems."

Here we have more dialog and the film is mainly about two friends who reignite relationship after a long absence. It's twisted, it's dramatic, it's horrifying, it's comical. It's a horror/comedy set in a beautiful house.
There is one male actor in it; I think that it was the last movie he was in. He died from a car accident in real life, a very young and very likeable actor too.

It's very slow going but attractive because the first character we are introduced to is a young woman and her horse. That very first scene is very powerful, the horse presence is magic. From that moment on we are draw to the film entire spell. The camera movements are perfect, the two young actresses deliver excellent performances of high magnetism.

This film is more accessible than The Bad Batch. And yet it's a twisted comedy/horror film too, in a different setting and with more conformed personalities which we are more accustomed to. We feel more comfortable inside the house and around, more protected and secure. Except it's not all what it appears to be. You have to see it, I recommend it.

Overall: 78

https://youtu.be/JXlm9Im_ego

Last word: If you need a break from Marvel, from DC comic flicks, from Star Wars and Star Trek and and all that Aliens/Predators stuff, this is a good recipe. But a romantic love story it ain't, it's not like Brooklyn the movie.

 

[NorthStar]

I forgot mentioning something important about Thoroughbreds; the Music score.
It is extremely subtle but a most essentiel element.
It sure had a very satisfying impact while I was watching.
I can use some words from the English or French vocabulary to help describe, but I won't because I know it's best to experience for yourself...each person...movie watcher.

Just the music recording score alone gives this film its unique charm.

 

[NorthStar]

I revisited this guy last night, Bane:

It was just like that, out of the blue. And that was a good "outoftheblu" choice because it pulled me back full right in. Christopher Nolan is a great filmmaker, top-notch. The music score is implemented to the highest standard of film entertainment, superbly integrated all the way with the best highest calibrated art...like a high caliber bullet from a magnum revolver. The music score is the story, is the acting, is the action, is the film.
Bane's voice is also artistically integrated. And the sound effects are impactful, very.

Here we have a selection of premium actors, and their direction is impeccable, highly convincing and entertaining. This film is made from high artistic punch value.

The IMAX cinematography over the city's landscape with its skyscrapers is breathtaking.

I could write a book easily, but I won't.

Overall replay value (4K): 90

https://youtu.be/nPLfngmqV0Y

In the times we are living right now this flick happens to be the perfect antidote. And I'm not kidding.
I highly recommend revisiting it to everyone. If it can do only 50% of what it did revisiting it for me, you would still be ahead and amply rewarded. Trust me.

 

[NorthStar]

I revisited the Unrated Cut (Super Duper Cut), which is fifteen minutes longer and with few changes and additional crazy stuff.
• https://www.whatsbestforum.com/show...-what-was-it-*&p=527094&viewfull=1#post527094

Overall: 63

* I prefer the Theatrical original version to this Unrated one.
Some people here are going to hate this flick, while others are going to be entertained enough.
If we look from a subjective standpoint, exactly what's the point...entertaining kids, us? Only each person can make that assessment for themselves, and nobody else.
And from an objective view; the sound effects, the music, the camera angles, the slow-mo action scenes, the CGI choreography, the dark humor, the sarcasm, the heads decapitated, the storyline, the acting, the coloring, the entire montage...some are going to hate it, not even watch it, and others find it diversifyingly funny enough. No one is above, no one is below, everyone is equal when it's time to judgement day. Some will go to heaven, others to hell, but no one will decide who except nature and the smoke in the air that makes us more dumb.

* A reminder of my own personal rating scores; anything above 65 is worth a look, anything below 65 is worth a skip. If someone says it's pure crap, I would 100% respect his view, if another says it was entertaining and fun, the same.
The balance rests in between...the diversity.

 

[NorthStar]

Revisited:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

 

[audioguy]

Almost a complete waste of time (and money) - and this is coming from someone who loves action flicks. It was certainly not a lack of a great cast. Just way too much of not-necessarily-a-good-thing - CGI , and a silly plot. And Disney should be ashamed of themselves. The audio was soooo compressed. I literally had to play this above reference to get anything out of what could have been an amazing audio experience. The HDR/image quality was the only saving grace.


This one I enjoyed a bit more but again, Disney has crippled the audio but not as badly as the Avengers movie. This had enough humor and silliness in it to keep me entertained.



We bought the series of 5 Jack Ryan movies in HDR. We have watched them all but "The Sum Of All Fears", and "Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit". I had not seen The Hunt For Red October since it's original release for the home. Loved it. Even though I had seen it previously, it was as if I had never seen it. One thing was very clear. Audio in the newer releases is far superior than what is in these films. It doesn't take away from the movie but does take away form "the experience".

 

[NorthStar]

Chuck, it's about time someone put some movie spice in here.

• Disney is getting into streaming, with their own channel; I started a new thread on this few days ago. They make huge sums of money, with Marvel comics, CGI effects and subdued sound effects for the kids. They have a vast territory for all families.

I shall be back with PIXAR Incredibles 2 on 4K. ...I will.
And there is 2001 from Stanley on 4K. He deserves his own thread all by himself; the film maestro.

Right now I'm in the middle of Dirty Money, a documentary on Netflix, with six episodes, roughly six hours total. Talk about a wild ride, a real ride from different sectors. I'll say more in the dedicated thread. That, is essential viewing if you haven't done so yet. I was late with the program.

* I like the Jack Ryan Series, it's in my Blu collection and I skipped the 4K collection, for now.
______

R.I.P. Stan Lee (95)

I've just read about the news now. Stan is big, very big in Hollywood and across the lands from his comic books.
His legacy...immortal.

 

[NorthStar]

I watched this last night, on regular Blu:

I like Spike Lee, he directed some important films in a style that we can all relate with zest.
This one here is well acted, incisive, with sharp humor, reality punch, likeable characters, keeping interest, simple, black and white clear.

It's a must see in my book. There is not much to say because it was meant to deliver a clear message. And the best way to experience it is not to read about it but to see it.

Overall (film value, not production and explosion values): 89

Harry Belafonte (91) is in it, he's very very good even if shortly, and one of my favorite tunes played nearer the end. ...From Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

 

[NorthStar]

We are 5 1/2 weeks from Christmas, but last night I needed an advanced dose.

I still prefer the first original one, but this sequel is fun too.
It starts where the first left off.

It's impossible to not like Bob and his family of superheroes. PIXAR is @ its best here again.
The character's voices are perfect. The animation is top grade, the colors pop of the screen like scintillating stars on a clear black satin night.

I did not get bored but highly entertained in a fun pleasant way.
Overall (action, visuals, audio, ...all that jazz): 86
Recommended, very.

 

[NorthStar]

When you revisit films you become more receptive to the production values, both visual & sound.

Visually and decor sets and custom vehicles and costumes this film is stunning.
The cinematography is magic.
And the music score is fantastic.

I truly appreciate what the director and cinematographer and actors gave us here in high octane entertainment.

I was also more aware of the dialog sometimes feeling disconnected, canned, added; it took away some of the realism. It is evident that it sounds reverberating, similar to be in a phone booth.
But the music score in some scenes was the redemption, simply fabulous.
Check the night scene starting @ around 1:15:00 into the film; the music score is delicate and perfect. For roughly ten minutes you are treated with satin comfort delight zone like a king pitching his tent in the desert after travelling with his camel and having tea under the stars of a dark blue navy sky.

This film is no Disney Mickey mouse stuff; the low frequencies are prominent.
Perfect no, efficient yeah.

Overall replay value: High

There is so much here; the vistas in the desert, the characters, the stunts, the vastness, the amazing decor sets, the makeup, the pumping adrenaline sounds, the music, ... the custom vehicles.
All contributing to high entertainment.

Last word: Don't be shy to replay it, you always learn more from it.
I could have gone 3D but I went 4K this time around.
I could have watched thousands of other flicks but I went Fury Road once more.
It keeps your brain out of reality for couple hours, good.

It is not Lawrence of Arabia (this one is coming soon for another replay, on Blu), it is Mad Max: Fury Road with Charlize and Tom in the desert landscape with a bunch of hypnotic characters.

 

[c1ferrari]

 

[NorthStar]

The first film (1984) from the master Coen brothers.
...A true movie classic gem in the neo-noir crime genre.
Good choice, you just inspired me to revisit soon...before Christmas.

 

[c1ferrari]

First time viewing last night -- glad we did!