Messages

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Off Topic / Re: What TV/Netflix show are you currently watching? (Megathread)

« on: February 18, 2026, 09:02:27 pm »

The fourth (and final) season of Resident Alien was really hood.  More focused than seasons 2 or 3, but it doesn't forget to be really funny.  They give solid send-offs to all the side characters, and really nails the finale in a way I  didn't see coming.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 18, 2026, 06:59:45 pm »

Yacht Rock - I actually learned quite a bit here. I've only recently really started to dive into this era of easy listening and didn't realize just how intertwined it all was. Really enjoyed this!

Decision to Leave - A bit more idiosyncratic than I expected, but still expertly put together. Felt like a full 6-8 episode mini-series stuffed into 130 minutes. I really dug it, but just wasn't a total home run for me. I couldn't get fully emotionally invested, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid - If I had nickel for each Kris Kristofferson western that was cut up by the studios and poorly received on release but was later re-evaluated when the Director's Cut came out, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

The Dark Knight - It's probably been a decade since I've watched this, and I was honestly a little afraid to go back to it. Well, I have some great news. It still absolutely fucking rules. Ledger is obviously the standout, but everything else here is still a perfectly oiled machine.

Life of Brian - The only Python flick with a real plot from front to back, you can definitely feel why they stick to bits as it feels a little dragged out in places, but that doesn't stop it from being uproariously funny. A couple of jokes don't land today, but taken as a whole and a product of its time it is still my #2 Pyhton picture (Grail has the most memorable bits, but also the biggest misses for me).

The Bodyguard from Beijing - Disappointing. Yuen and Li are capable of better. Annoying kid and a bland romance outweigh the far too infrequent action.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut - Unreal how topical this still feels today.

The Bridge on the River Kwai - The prison camp story is powerful exploration of pride, morals, classism, and legacy. The William Holden story is really just a pretty solid war flick.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: February 16, 2026, 04:04:16 pm »

Stray is a totally fine indie came that got a disproportionate amount of coverage and hype because you play as a cat.  It's a walking simulator that has a couple of puzzles and happens to be kinda cute. A Game of the Year nomination for this is insane.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: February 13, 2026, 01:12:01 pm »

Played Mega Man X3 for the first time.  Maybe it's just because I played X and X2, but I found this game a fair amount more difficult than those.  Not in a bad way, though.  Great music, level and boss design.  I totally understand why this is kashell's favorite in the series. Until the final end game stages.  Those I didn't really like at all, and I found the final boss to be annoying instead of difficult.  Left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth after really enjoying the rest of the game.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 09, 2026, 08:55:39 pm »

Train Dreams - Absolutely gorgeous and moving exploration of life at the turn of the century.  One of the best films of last year.

A Working Man - Statham can carry a movie like this in his sleep, and Ayer is a completely servicable director for this stuff, but the script is terrible. A full third of the movie could have been avoided (a real problem for a movie that is already too long) if Statham had bothered to look through the cellphones in his possession after talking to the very first suspect. Not exactly a Taken level of skills and Beekeeper it is not. The big action finale almost makes it worthwhile.

Pain & Gain - Michael Bay uses his signature style for a true crime drama, and it's pretty much a perfect match. Especially for these particular crimes.

Batman Begins - Just as good as I remembered. Maybe even a little better. That weapon that evaporates water would definitely just kill everyone, though.

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Off Topic / Re: What TV/Netflix show are you currently watching? (Megathread)

« on: February 09, 2026, 08:50:29 pm »

The newest season of Futurama is easily the best and most consistent of the Hulu era.  Not a dude episode in the bunch.

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Off Topic / Re: What TV/Netflix show are you currently watching? (Megathread)

« on: February 07, 2026, 11:44:02 am »

Second season of Fallout is almost as good as the first.  I think they crammed in a little too much plot for 8 episodes and could have used a little more time to breathe, but it looks incredible and has a lot of far reaching implications for tge world of Fallout at large.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: February 06, 2026, 05:09:44 pm »

So, I made it to the final mission of Star Trek: Armada II, and the AI seems to go all wonky and make it basically impossible to beat the game.  My resource gathering ships were just stopping in place and not delivering, and half of my fleet wasn't moving when I was commanding them around the map.  Left a real sour taste in my mouth for a game I haven't played in almost 25 years.

Also beat Mega Man X2 for the first time since maybe the 90s.  Some of the collectible upgrades in this one are a real pain in the ass, but it is still a fun game overall.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: February 05, 2026, 04:19:03 pm »

I've been on a tear for the first month of the year, having logged 37 different movies since Jan. 1.

Replicant - This is completely insane. Ostensibly a JCVD vehicle that is, honestly, worse off because of him. I love the guy, but the dual characters here are just out of his reach as a performer. That doesn't mean it's not entertaining, though! Ambulance chase at the end is legitimately incredible.

Diablo - Peak DTV actioner. It has got a little bit of everything; kung-fu, shoot outs, a James Bond villain, obvious plot twists. Decent performances all across the board, rather than super spotty, including an 'annoying kid' who is giving a genuinely great performance and has a surprisingly interesting character arc. Two aspects not usually associated with younger actors in these things.

Oklahoma! - The songs are bland and it is not as gay as I expected (derogatory).

Tai-Chi Master - A ton of fun. Great action, terrific performances, engaging story. Doesn't really let any cringe or misogynistic humor squeak through, which is a problem for a lot these, but still manages to actually be funny.

Send Help - Raimi proves that he's absolutely still got the sauce, with a huge assist from barn-burner performance from Rachel McAdams. Funny, gross, scary, and it keeps you guessing about where exactly it is going until the very end. Occasionally clunky CGI is the biggest misstep here.

The Rip - Went in expecting a shoot 'em up and got a slow-burn chamber mystery instead - that still gets pretty shooty at the end!

Best in Show - Not gonna lie, watching Catherine O'Hara win at the end of this made me a little emotional.

Zathura - The VFX are great (Zorgons look sick), and it's fine enough for kids' fare, but the little brother is insufferable. Josh Hutcherson is right, it was all his fault, and he never really seemed to learn a lesson. Also not sure how any of the timey-wimey stuff worked. Best not to dwell on it.

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General / Re: February 2026 - Recently added to collection/recently purchased

« on: February 05, 2026, 03:15:40 pm »

Splurged a bit for the first time in quite a while!

PS5
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Switch
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Switch 2
Donkey Kong Bananza

I don't even have a Switch 2 yet, but it was like $25 off, so I went ahead and picked up Bananza, because I'll definitely play it once I do have one.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: January 26, 2026, 10:02:38 am »

The Apple Dumpling Gang - It's cute! Some genuine laughs, a couple of surprisingly cool stunts sequences, but, like pretty much all live-action Disney from the era, it is hobbled by kids who are both too cutesy by half and not great actors.

Stalker - Far too well-crafted and gorgeous to be boring, but it is a bit ponderous (I hit my 'Yeah, I get it' point with about 20-25 minutes left). I do love the ambiguity of just how much (if any?) power the Zone has. How much of what occurs is just the characters cracking under the potential of what might happen? All of it? None of it?

The Front Page - Cynical journalism and corrupt politicians? Take out the transatlantic accents and it's basically the state of modern media.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - Two biggest things I loved: the fact that it expects you to have seen the previous movies so it doesn't explain shit and that final major needle drop. Rest of the movie bangs, too, but those two things were tailor-made for me.

Play Dirty - Not without its moments (it is a Shane Black flick after all), but it is definitely one of his weaker efforts. Looks like crap, and the plot gets significantly less interesting when it switches from a revenge tale to a heist.

Blade Runner 2049 - Just as gorgeous as the original, with, what was for me, a more compelling narrative. I do think it gets a little messy in the last act and Gosling doesn't have quite the same magnetic presence as Ford did, but those are pretty minor quibbles in the grand scheme. Denis is the man.

Before Midnight - A shatteringly realistic follow-up to the romantic fantasies of Sunrise and Sunset. Yes, Celine is a more resentful and unhappy person, but that completely makes sense with where she would naturally end up if she and Jesse got together. She was this beautiful free spirit who feels trapped by her family. It's a wonderful performance from Delpy, and the best Hawke has been in these films.

Winchester '73 - Just a great motion picture. I saw this once like 25 years ago, and it was even better than I remembered. Wild that this was the first collaboration between Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Mann. Pretty much nailed the dynamic right out of the box.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - I thought I'd seen this before, but I guess it was only a couple of sketches. This is minute for minute one of the funniest films ever made. 100% hit rate for me.

Clearcut - Powerhouse performance from Graham Greene. RIP, King.

Hard Boiled - Man, I forgot how comically evil the villains get at the end of this. Secret lair, bombs in hospitals, straight up execution of hostages. Insane. Almost justifies the wanton destruction by the cops. Incredible stuff.

Tiptoes - This is so goddamn fascinating. In a movie where Gary Oldman plays a little person by walking on his knees (which is both impressive and distracting) nearly every other decision is just as baffling. The tone is all over the place, the script is laughably on the nose, its heart is the right place, but it's so condescending, and it is so self-serious it feels like a parody.  I have to see the Director's Cut.

An American in Paris - I love how this looks, and the extended dance sequences is are terrific, but I don't find any of the songs that memorable. Also, Gene Kelly basically bullies a lady so much she breaks up with her perfectly nice and charming fiancé she seems to really love. Also, his rich patron is an absolute simp over him.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: January 16, 2026, 10:17:09 am »

Tron - It's pretty impressive how close this is to being unwatchable garbage, but there is just too much charm, talent, and ambition for that to actually happen.

Tron: Legacy - What if that silly thing you liked when you were a kid was actually the coolest thing you've ever seen?

A Chinese Ghost Story - This movie has everything. There's a lovesick ghost, a guy dancing with his sword, Evil Dead camera moves, a bread roll so hard it breaks a rock in half, and goofy zombie FX.

Primate - So, I'm sitting in the theater, the movie starts. It's tense. It's dark. And then a guy gets his whole face ripped off by a monkey. Somewhere in the back row a toddler starts bawling. Excellent cinematic experience.

Tron: Ares - A whole Tron movie without Tron.  Ugh.

Shane - How was this dead-eyed too cutesy by half performance nominated for an Oscar? There's a few weird editing choices as well, but the rest of the movie is great.

Aladdin - It's crazy how well-paced this movie is.

Stand by Me - The end of this still hits like a truck.

Blade Runner - It only took like 3-4 tries over 25 years, but it finally fully clicked for me. Not my favorite Ridley, and it does still have a few issues, but I like it now!

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General / Re: Do you ever buy Non-Original accessories

« on: January 07, 2026, 04:58:15 pm »

When I was younger I was almost exclusively buying third-party accessories.  First party was expensive!  I've still got a few of them around somewhere, but now it's first or second party for everything.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: January 05, 2026, 07:35:20 pm »

Star Trek - The way this film operates as a sequel, a prequel, and reboot simulateously is a real wonder to behold. Unafraid to do its own thing while also being respectful of the franchise history. Amazing casting and Giacchino's score is straight fire.

Star Trek Into Darkness - Sigh. I didn't hate it this time. In fact, I think it's somewhere around 75% a good movie, but that other 25% I can't stand. Why, why, why is it Khan? He doesn't fit at all in the story they are telling here, nor does any of the extra baggage they saddled him with (magical healing blood?!).

"A story about a paranoid and militarized Starfleet... you know who works for that? The guy not even from their century."

Makes it extra annoying that Cumberbatch is great here.

Star Trek Beyond - Watching the whole Kelvin trilogy makes me bummed we probably won't ever see this cast together again. A total course correction from all the things that didn't work in Into Darkness and expounding on the stuff that did. Everyone gets a chance to shine, and it even manages to explore the post-Enterprise and pre-TOS Federation. I love this one.

The Royal Tenenbaums - Gene Hackman is devastatingly funny in this, and it has Ben Stiller's best performance by virtue of a single line reading.

Jurassic World Rebirth - It opens pretty strong, and the movie is smart enough to understand the plot is dumb as hell - blasting through the exposition fast enough that the audience has no time to say anything other than, "OK, I guess." It really runs out of steam in the last act so much that the try to throw made-up monsters at you to try and keep your attention.

The Furies - Maybe my first Barbara Stanwyck? Shakespearean scheming and plotting that puts way more emphasis on the women that were behind the men of the Old West. Great performances, well-directed by Mann.

Avatar: Fire and Ash - Doesn't do enough with its most interesting ideas (needed way more with the new fire tribe) and instead has a third act which is a carbon copy of The Way of Water.

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Off Topic / Re: What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

« on: December 31, 2025, 08:48:07 pm »

The Naked Gun (2025) - So dumb and funny.

Gremlins - If Gremlins 3 is CGI what is even the point.

The Alamo - John Wayne had made enough movies that when he does try his hand at directing he knows what a film should look and feel like, but he doesn't seem to have that extra vision that knows how to make it compelling. The action spectacle stuff is thrilling enough, but the writing and characters are impressive one-note, pretty much across the board.

Live Free or Die Hard - Much better than I remembered, and maybe an underrated action gem of the 00s. More practical effects and stunts than its contemporaries, which really scores it points with me. Still a step down from the previous three films, but I'm glad I revisited it.

A Good Day to Die Hard - If this were a lower budgeted Scott Adkins straight to streaming title it'd be amazing, but it's not. It's supposed to be a Die Hard film, and at that it fails pretty spectacularly. Action was never boring at least.

Sense and Sensibility - Beautiful and moving.  Maybe Ang Lee's best movie.

Friendly Persuasion - It's not until the last 30-40 minutes that this really lines up with the logline, and by that time the movie has already delivered something so much lighter that the Civil War stuff feels a bit tonally at odds. It looks incredible, and the acting is all good, it just feels like two different movies thrown together.

Tenet - The most Christopher Nolan movie of them all.  Convoluted, incredible to look at, a bit high on it's own supply.  He was obviously surrounded by yes men, which is probably for the best because he got it out of his system.  Operating almost exclusively on vibes.