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

[Slim]

Interested to see comments above about the third series of The Orville. I watched the first one then gave up, because it just had none of the fun of the first two series. I'll give the second one a go this week.

[Red Lenses]

Up to episode 6 of The Man Who Fell To Earth, ticking along nicely with some excellent performances from the main lead actors/actresses.

[pxr5]

Prey. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11866324/ A Predator origin story set in 1719 Comanche country. It's not overlong and pretty much what you'd expect, but it is very well done. It's quite a slow build up, but the last 30 minutes of battle is spectacular with some original, well-enacted scenes. Overall an enjoyable action/horror movie and a great addition to the Predator series 9/10

[Red Lenses]

Finished The Man Who Fell To Earth, really enjoyed it & superb performance from Chiwetel Ejiofor - 8/10.

[Matt2112]

Swiss Army Man

Before co-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert made the (for me) ultimately underwhelming Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, in 2016 they made this smaller film but which has much of the bittersweet, wildly absurdist elements of their breakthrough movie.

And my reaction was very much the same: aspects I liked (the hugely ambitious originality, one genuinely brilliant performance from Daniel Radcliffe, as someone who is apparently dead) but more facets which missed the mark (the tiresome, cheap, smutty humour, the vapid pop philosophising).

There's a good film in these guys if they can keep the sniggering schoolboys within them in check.

Whatever you think of this (or EEAAO), I'd recommend watching Holy Motors, which is similarly surreal and outrageous, yet done with a good deal more charm, craft and class in my opinion.

Rating: **

[Nick]

Just about to start the new game of thrones thing.

[dom]

Watched Sliding Doors for the 1st time yesterday. Obviously I knew the premise and it's really all about the premise so entertaining and not much else really.

[pxr5]

Nope https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954984/ Jordan Peele directs and Daniel Kaluuya stars. From those 2, you can probably have an idea what to expect. But it's crap. There is not one redeeming feature of this film. Daniel Kaluuya mumbles his way through and the actress playing his sister is the most annoying ever. There is ridiculous side show about a chimp that goes berserk on an old TV show and has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. Also a wild west show run by Steven Yeun (yeah right) that also has little bearing on the main storyline. The story itself is ridiculous and if you do suffer all the way through, you'll be gobsmacked at the 'monster' - it's just all too silly and terribly told. And the title 'Nope' - no idea unless it's because it's the most used word in the script. Honestly don't bother - 1/10

[Fishy]

Shining Girls
We Own This City
Severance
Black Bird

[R6GYY]

Saturday night was a movie double bill.

First up Top Gun: Maverick.

This is my 2nd viewing and it confirms that this really is top-notch cinematic entertainment.

Followed by the deeply underwhelming:
The Lost City.

Not sure why we bothered, but once we started, we sort of felt obliged to see it through to the end. A side note is that Daniel Radcliffe seems to be making a pigeon-hole for himself as a megalomaniac antagonist (see Now You See Me 2).

The biggest problem here is the lack of chemistry between stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. There is a great performance (albeit relatively brief) from Brad Pitt which is probably the best thing about the film.

Kind of a poor man's version of the much much (much) better Jungle Cruise with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt.

[Slim]

Just completed my second M*A*S*H-athon. I watched all 250-odd episodes from the pilot episode made in 1972 to the Grand Finale from 1983 over a period of three months in 2008, and I decided to do it all again this year starting on January 1st at the more civilised pace of one per day (with very few exceptions when I've watched two). I've watched an episode every day this year, it's been a very pleasing diversion and I'll miss it.

The final, two-hour finale was first shown on British TV during the Christmas holidays in 1984 (New Year's Eve I think) but it was shown on US TV in February 1983. That's something that couldn't happen in the more globally joined-up world today, I think.

It's really beautifully done. Having watched eleven years' worth of stories set in the Korean War, a conflict that actually only lasted three in real life, I found the end of the war quite emotional.

Yesterday's episode ('As Time Goes By') was also a final episode of sorts; the last one to be filmed. Perversely, the 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen' finale which I watched tonight was actually filmed fairly early on in the final series production schedule.

[Fishy]

Watched The Marriage four parter on the Beeb with Sean Bean and Nicola Walker .. getting some terrible reviews in places but I really enjoyed it...

[The Letter R]

Trainwreck - Woodstock 99 - forgotten how badly this festival went down - handing out 100,000 candles at the end was never going to go well......

Fyre - US conman creates aspirational Music Festival on a paradise Island that's too good to be true and the wheels fell off once the rich punters arrived - felt sorry for the locals who lost money and never got paid.

[Fishy]

I Came By .... Pretty naff tbh...

[R6GYY]

The Phantom Of The Open

Very engaging throughout and some terrific 70's music.

All of the cast are superb and I really think they should have given Rhys Ifans (bizarrely playing a Scotsman) a twitch similar to Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther films.

Rhys Ifans plays Keith Mackenzie (not sure of his title, but head honcho at St. Andrews).

Anyhoo - highly entertaining, and I would say much more worthy of your time and attention that the underwhelming The Duke which we watched a couple of weeks ago.