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Post by randomtask on Dec 23, 2020 16:20:59 GMT
I decided to subject myself to The Star Wars Holiday Special, all 1hr 48m of it. I had heard that it was awful, George Lucas tried to get all the copies destroyed etc... but what the hell, I was bored. Jeez, it's bad, really really bad.
The first 20 mins or so were actually in the so bad it's good territory. From Chewbacca's family being introduced like it was an episode of Happy Days, to Chewie's son being yelled at by his Mum to do the dishes, to, and i kid you not, some bloke giving Chewie's Dad some VR porn as a "Life Day" present!
It's utter terribleness stops being charming and just starts to grate after that a while though. It mostly takes place at Chewbacca's family home and they are just growling at each other, without subtitles, so there is no real dialogue going on and it gets irritating quick. This is all interspersed with cameos from who i assume were famous people of the time (1978) singing songs or doing skits like a cooking show or DIY.
I'm glad i watched it though, if only because now i know i will never ever have to watch it again! 2/10
Oh yeah, at one point Princess Leia randomly bursts into song!
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Post by hblock on Dec 23, 2020 18:13:18 GMT
I decided to subject myself to The Star Wars Holiday Special, all 1hr 48m of it. I had heard that it was awful, George Lucas tried to get all the copies destroyed etc... but what the hell, I was bored. Jeez, it's bad, really really bad. The first 20 mins or so were actually in the so bad it's good territory. From Chewbacca's family being introduced like it was an episode of Happy Days, to Chewie's son being yelled at by his Mum to do the dishes, to, and i kid you not, some bloke giving Chewie's Dad some VR porn as a "Life Day" present! It's utter terribleness stops being charming and just starts to grate after that a while though. It mostly takes place at Chewbacca's family home and they are just growling at each other, without subtitles, so there is no real dialogue going on and it gets irritating quick. This is all interspersed with cameos from who i assume were famous people of the time (1978) singing songs or doing skits like a cooking show or DIY. I'm glad i watched it though, if only because now i know i will never ever have to watch it again! 2/10 Oh yeah, at one point Princess Leia randomly bursts into song!
Ah, so someone else I sort of know has seen this too! Got a copy on VHS I picked up at a memorabilia fair years ago. It's not all that bad provided you approach it as a bit of fun and don't expect it to be Episode 4.5. Although I've long since forgotten a lot of the fine detail you describe so I guess it didn't make that much of a positive impression on me either.
And to think people moaned about Jar Jar Binks!
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Post by richardroper on Dec 23, 2020 20:18:33 GMT
Might sound a bit macabre but The Ripper on Netflix is worth a watch if you were alive during that time. Interesting take on the social scene of Britain at the time.
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Post by randomtask on Jan 2, 2021 10:39:24 GMT
Finding Jack Charlton - Great documentary about the late Jack Charlton, focusing mainly on his managerial stint at Ireland, the effect it had on the country as a whole and on his dementia towards the end. Unexpectedly moving as well. 9/10
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Post by iks on Feb 2, 2021 13:15:26 GMT
I recommend you don't watch gmtv. I would love to see Piers Morgan's mouth filled up with resin.
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Post by Art Vandelay on Feb 7, 2021 9:19:21 GMT
I don't understand the continued presence of Morgan. Shouldn't he have been publicly shamed and just faded into obscurity after that phone hacking business? I remember being quite shocked when he popped up America's Got Talent or whatever it was. He's not American, he hasn't got any talent, he's a shamed public figure, how the hell has he got that job? What's next, Rolf Harris as the new judge on 'Dancing with the Stars'? Ludicrous. Imagine entering a competition with a genuine talent and having to stand there in front of everyone while that prat criticises you. Unbelievable.
The Mirror Crack'd - Murder mystery Miss Marple film. I'm not sure I've seen a film before with such a disparity between the star quality of the cast and the quality of the script. Really quite rubbish. 2/10
The Amazing Mr Blunden - Mystery ghost story type thing. I think this is quite highly thought of but I couldn't get into that at all. I assume it's meant to be a kids film but it's really quite weird. And not in a good way. Long, slow, quite amateurish, and just all a bit strangely done. I think the style of the film is best summed up by the fact at the end all the characters appear one at a time, look into the camera, and go "goodbye". I'll go 3.5/10
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Post by iks on Feb 7, 2021 19:22:03 GMT
Amazon prime bods. I wholly recommended The Green book 9/10, and Upside. 8/10.
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Post by Art Vandelay on Mar 3, 2021 8:34:53 GMT
Dallas, Dynasty, Terrahawks, He-Man, Tom and Jerry, Dukes of Hazzard, Airwolf, Blue Thunder, Rambo, Road Runner, Daffy Duck, The A-Team, The A-Team, I see the A-Team.
Do you ever just find a song that you haven't thought of in at least 20 years just appears in your head for no reason? I hope it's gone tomorrow.
I see the Second series of Dead Pixels is available on Four. It won't be for everyone but I like it. Sort of Peep Show/Dead Meat sort of thing.
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Post by iks on Mar 6, 2021 17:03:56 GMT
Yeah, break my stride by Matthew Wilder. Annoying ditty.
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Post by Art Vandelay on Mar 13, 2021 8:32:45 GMT
Didn't know what that was but looked it up and immediately recognised it. And immediately turned it off. I don't want that in my head.
I've been watching The Wire again. It's really good. 10/10
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Post by randomtask on Mar 13, 2021 9:37:20 GMT
Tenet - I'd put this off because i'd heard it was really complicated and hard to follow but it wasn't that bad in the end. Some great action scenes and intriguing storyline, even if you did have to suspend your disbelief a heck of a lot. 8/10 Enjoyed WandaVision series as well... If you want a laugh, read some of the reviews of the final episode on IMDB. It's full of Marvel geeks and man-babies throwing hissing fits because the crap theory they had been building over the weeks on how it would end didn't happen  I've also been rewatching Dave Gorman's Modern Life is Goodish shows, he's put them all on YouTube. Love those shows, pity he decided to stop. One of his Found Poems on the Meghan and Harry shit, or the now genderless Potato Heads would have been cracking 
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Post by randomtask on Jun 6, 2021 10:23:17 GMT
Watched a few recently:
Bruno vs Tyson - A documentary about Bruno, Tyson and their many demons and how their fights affected them. Not really into boxing myself but i suppose it was sort of interesting. 5/10
Godzilla vs Kong - If you don't mind a movie making no sense whatsoever then the set pieces and fights are ok i guess. It's nothing not seen before though and it really was stupid. 4/10
The African Queen - An old Bogart film from the 50's. Everytime i saw a review for it it was always 5 stars, one of the greatest films made, passes the test of time etc... I didn't particularly enjoy it though. A washed up boat captain and a missionary decide to brave the perils of a white water river so that they can destroy a nazi boat and help the war effort. 5/10
Wrath of Man - Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham team up again. A mysterious man joins a security firm driving trucks but clearly has another agenda. It's the least Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham film i have ever seen. Still some great fights but it takes itself far too seriously for that pairing for my liking. 6/10
Mandy - I usually avoid Nic Cage films these days but this one got really good reviews. It was rubbish though. A cult leader attacks and murders the hippy wife of a tree-logger. He goes nuts, and avenges her. It's all filmed in a very trippy style though, which is probably why it got better reviews than it was. 4/10
Army of the Dead - Zach Snyder tries a zombie movie. Started good, ended really poorly. If i may, here were my inner thoughts as it went on: Nice. LOL. Ah good plot idea. Ok she's definitely going to use that bloke as bait. Wait did they just leave that gate wide open? Yep she's using him as bait. Cool. Ah that was good. Err... ok? What was the point of that? That didn't make sense. Oh nice. Nope it still didn't make sense. Saw that coming. Bit of a cliche. How can it be a 2.5hr long film and they still rush the ending? Err... so what the fuck happened to Geeta?? Does radiation not affect that guy? Oh it's finished. 5/10
I did watch the Friends Reunion as well. Actually wasn't as bad as i was expecting it to be, well apart from the cringe "he was the greatest person to work with" style crap they said about literally everyone involved. I mean, no work place is that perfect. There was surely one absolute dick in the mix? 6/10
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Post by Art Vandelay on Jun 9, 2021 7:43:18 GMT
Visioneers - Hmm. Some people are exploding from stress in slightly dystopian deadpan comic drama type thing. It's like a poor mans Yorgos Lanthimos film. Maybe I missed something but I did not enjoy that at all 4/10
Tales From the Lodge - A group of quite boring people meet up to commemorate a friend and share scary stories in British comedy horror type thing. Lacking in both. There's a bit of surprise to come but it's not enough 5/10
The Hate U Give - Police brutality and racism themed drama. The first half was good but it then became increasingly melodramatic and unbelievable. Seemed almost amateurish by the end compared with such a strong opening. Which was a real shame. 6/10
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Post by randomtask on Jul 24, 2021 8:46:51 GMT
Yesterday - A musician is getting nowhere and then gets hit by a bus at the same time as a weird global power outage. He wakes up being the only person in the world to know any Beatles songs and uses them to get famous. This actually wasn't too bad, not great but ok for lets say a hungover Sunday afternoon or something. 6/10
Oceans 8 - I really didn't want to be one of those twats that writes off a film because it's an "all-female remake", and i also enjoyed Ocean's 11, so i finally gave this a go. Unfortunately it is utter trash though. It's like the makers just thought they had the big names and the all female gimmick so who gives a crap if the story is rubbish. It also completely ruins it's girl power thing by having James Corden (basically playing himself) come in at the end, figure it all out, but let them off anyway! 3/10
Black Widow - Standard Marvel fare, some fun characters and it's always fun to see Ray Winston attempt an accent that isn't his own. 7/10
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Post by Art Vandelay on Jul 27, 2021 7:31:00 GMT
I watched the first episode of Bagpuss. Have to say I was not expecting the nudity. I know it was the 70s but...
"Oliver, quick word about the animations... You've got the drawings to go with that mermaid story?"
"oh yes, very happy with those".
"It's just I was wondering....you've drawn them in sort of fish scale style bikinis right?
"No, no, just regular topless girls"
"Oh. So you've given them long hair so they're covered up, right?"
"No, not at all. Just boobs out"
"Oh. It's just that might be a bit odd for a kids' show?"
"No, it's fine. I've made them all look about 13 so it's not inappropriate".
"Er yeah, it's just that might actually be more inappropriate"
"Oh well too late now......"
A bit odd. Also I watched Ivor the Engine. Thankfully the engine driver remained fully dressed throughout.
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Post by randomtask on Aug 4, 2021 8:31:56 GMT
It's been a sequels sort of week...
The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard - I quite enjoyed the first one in a brainless action comedy sort of way but this sequel isn't very good. They seemed to forget all the good bits and just include the annoying bad bits from the original. Anyway, a bodyguard ends up protecting a hitman again in a very contrived sort of way. 4/10
Underworld : Blood Wars - I didn't even realise there was a fifth Underworld film until i noticed this. It's more of the same, vampires vs lycans, a little bit of treachery, action but not much else. Not really very good again, i enjoyed the first 3 quite a bit but the fourth and this one not so much. 5/10
Fast and Furious 9 - They really need to stop making these (and i need to stop watching them when they do). More over the top, utterly unrealistic action (they managed to send a fucking car into space, that drives with a steering wheel by the way, with about 5 hours notice apparently). I suppose this one is a bit more tongue in cheek, there are a couple of conversations about how they manage to get through all this stuff without a scratch on them, still it's not good. Anyway, Dom's estranged brother come's back to reek revenge on him by, you know, taking over the world. Remember when they were just stealing portable TV/VHS combi's from lorries? 3/10
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Post by Art Vandelay on Aug 5, 2021 7:02:00 GMT
That's quite an unappetising selection of offerings there RT. Possibly the worst since the start of this thread. Or at least since I saw 'Killer Weekend' and 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' one after the other. I really can't imagine ever watching eight sequels to a film  Even if it was my favourite film, more than one sequel seems pushing it.... I assume we're all fans of Pointless. Question - Name a country that shares a border with another country over 1000km. See if you can guess the two answers one couple came up with...... The Nice Guys - 70s set private investigator crime caper. It's the same kind of thing as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but less irritatingly written. Nothing particularly new or interesting but enjoyable enough, if too long. 6/10
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Post by randomtask on Aug 16, 2021 14:15:13 GMT
That's quite an unappetising selection of offerings there RT. Possibly the worst since the start of this thread. Or at least since I saw 'Killer Weekend' and 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' one after the other. I really can't imagine ever watching eight sequels to a film  Even if it was my favourite film, more than one sequel seems pushing it.... I think of it like a TV series, I'd watch multiple seasons of the same TV series so why not multiple movies of the same series. Plus stuff like Marvel have changed things, we aren't watching "sequels" anymore, we're watching movies set in the same Universe But yes those 3 films were particularly poor examples! I used to watch Pointless all the time, even had a series link (for all the new episodes anyway, not repeats or it'd be all i ever watched). At some point over the first Lockdown though i remember being quite happy that there was going to be a break in new episodes, and then being quite annoyed when i noticed that they were about to start showing new ones again. At that point i realised there was something i could do about that, deleted the series link and immediately felt about 10 times better  I did the same thing with Richard Osman's House Of Games although that didn't take as long to get sick of. I'd hate to even guess what the answer was. Did someone say 2 US states or something? The Suicide Squad (2021) - this latest one by James Gunn is way better than the first one. Doesn't take itself too seriously and, crucially, doesn't try and turn the characters into good guys. The whole point of the Suicide Squad is that they are the worst of the worst forced to do good, which the first film screwed up by trying to make them all misunderstood and good guys underneath it all. Fun stuff anyway, the squad are sent to destroy evidence of the US involvement in some dodgy experiments overseas. 8/10. Law Abiding Citizen - I got about half way through this and realised I must have seen it before and forgotten because it was all weirdly familiar. Anyway a blokes family is brutally murdered and the main perpetrator is essentially let off by the dodgy justice system. He plots revenge against both the murderer and the justice system with extreme sneakiness and violence. It's not terrible in a brain left at the door kind of way but best not to take it seriously. 5/10
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Post by richardroper on Aug 16, 2021 14:59:55 GMT
Can’t remember if I’ve already mentioned it but Der Pass (Pagan Peak) is an interesting take on the European murder investigation strand.
Murder victim right on the German / Austrian border sees ernest Austrian detective and sort of corrupt German detective working to solve it. Bit dark and everything a bit bleak. Appeals to me. Give it a 6/10
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Post by ER on Aug 17, 2021 11:12:18 GMT
This must be the most regularly disappointing thread - I always check it yet no one actually recommends anything. They just tell you what old shit they have watched and not enjoyed 😂
Can we change the thread title to Film and TV Thread to avoid like AIDS 😂
IKS did recommend a couple but i had seen them both and both were good
Anyway - films worth a watch if you haven’t seen them
The Mauritanian The Wanderers (old New York gang film on prime) 1917 The Gentleman (typical Guy Ritchie film but ok) The Imitation game Before I go to sleep 71 Escape from Pretoria - that Harry Potter cunt but worth a gander
I will try and think of some more but I liked all of those
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