What's in/on Your DVD/VCR/PVR etc

[dom]

Agreed Matt, wonderfully done, a film that deserves more recognition

[Fishy]

Night Sky

[R6GYY]

Big Sky

[Nickslikk2112]

On GCN+ been watching the Tour Down Under. Pity there's no Mapatasi on show.

[pxr5]

I've got 2 more episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power to go and I think it's absolutely brilliant. Set 1000 years before the events of LOTR, this is a show with everything going for it for me. It's far better than the recent House of the Dragon. I've no idea why the review scores are so low, maybe there is some sort of vendetta against it for some reason - but it's often stated that the show has problems with pace and characterisations. Me, I don't see it at all. I'd say it's on par with the LOTR movies, if not better in parts. All the actors are excellent and the script keeps things moving along without becoming dull (something House of the Dragon suffered from). You can also see how much was spent on this - the scale and beauty of the sets and landscapes are breath-taking; and the action sequences are phenomenal. House of the Dragon felt dark and claustrophobic, whereas this is open and bright - a feast for the eyes. Nope, I can't fault this at all and I really can't see how anyone else could either. It's memorable too, and it'll stay in my mind for months to come (so many movies and TV shows are forgotten in a heartbeat, not this show). Accents are fun as well: Elves are posh, men are common, Dwarfs are Scottish, the harfoots (hobbits) are Irish and Orcs are cockney. 9.5/10 and 4 more seasons in the pipeline, I can't wait.

[Matt2112]

In Bruges

After being hugely impressed by last year's The Banshees Of Inisherin, I vowed to re-visit and re-appraise In Bruges, also of course written and directed by Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

I originally saw it in the wonderful Elland Rex on its release almost 15 years ago now, and remember coming away from it being disappointed, underwhelmed and even a little repulsed.

Not so on my viewing in the wee small hours of last night; in some respects, this is even better than Banshees, and certainly much more darkly comic, with some scenes at a level of humour that is so pitch black that I can't think of anything that surpasses it.

It's also one of the most gloriously politically incorrect films you'll see, yet none of it is gratuitous - McDonagh's script is absolutely sublime, heading off all potential righteous outrage at the pass.

The tragedy in this tragicomedy is portrayed unflinchingly by - be warned - a profoundly upsetting scene (which I'd forgotten about over the years), played absolutely straight as appropriate; I haven't felt so disturbed watching a film since I put myself through The Painted Bird a couple of years ago.  However, what both films also have in common is genuine contextual and narrative justification and good faith. A major reason this is the case in In Bruges is Colin Farrell's sympathetic portrayal of how this tragic element manifests itself, which is utterly astonishing.

So, it's safe to say my take on this film is very different to 15 years ago; I strongly recommend this for its superb script, dialogue, performances (Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes are also both excellent), sublime dark comedy and outrageous set-pieces.  What was I thinking back then!

Rating: ****

[Fishy]

More episodes of Night Sky...

[pxr5]

Just started watching Warship: Tour of Duty on the BBC. I really like these sort of shows, and there are some great characters amongst the Navy guys on board. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dnvb5k

Also started The Lazarus Project as well. I thought it was a US show, but it's actually British. It's a time jump story but it's a novel idea and a great start.

[R6GYY]

Last night was episode 9 of Quantum Leap (2022) which has started up again after the 'mid-season' break. Followed by Happy Valley.

[pxr5]

This TV Show: The Lazarus Project is turning out to be really, really good. It's not only a great thriller but demonstrates how awful things can be with time travel in ways I've not seen before. Without giving too much away, with the time travel model they use in the story, a poor woman has to go through the same child birth over and over again as time keeps getting reset - and it's quite harrowing to see. I'm really impressed with this.

[Fishy]

Happy Valley

[Fishy]

Boiling Point

[pxr5]

Finished The Lazarus Project tonight. Just brilliant, and one of the best time travel stories I've seen. More to come too.

[Fishy]

This Is Spinal Tap

[pxr5]

A movie - M3gan (A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own). It's a movie about a robot doll that goes bad. It's dull and 'devil doll' films have been done better than this many times before. The effects are OK, but that's just about all that's in anyway memorable. In fact it's already erased from my memory. 2/10