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Started on The Expanse season 4 and I had this sudden revelation. Its Colony in Space, an early 70s Jon Pertwee era Doctor Who story.

I mean, settlers on a weird alien planet with ancient remains from a precursor civilisation, check. Corporate expedition with semi legal rights to exploit the planet, check. Violent corporate leader, check. It's all there.

Funny how deeply Westerns have influenced sci fi across the decades.
 
Started on The Expanse season 4 and I had this sudden revelation.
I watched only the first episode last night in an act of uncharacteristic restraint. It's probably my second favorite show on TV these days. I can already see the impact of the move to Prime - better FX and Avasarala literally giving more fucks. I'm holding out hope that they make her as foul-mouthed as her character in the books.

There's a surfeit of excellent shows that are currently in-season. I'm really looking forward to the continuation and completion of The Good Place, and Steven Universe Future has already put out their first block of four episodes with two more to come tomorrow (SU has always had the most eccentric release schedule of any show on TV ever). Mr. Robot ends the series in two more episodes and I'm getting ready to binge on Watchmen when that season ends (this Sunday, right?). I've also heard good things about The Mandaloran, so that's building up to a nice binge.

I just realized that all those shows are sci-fi, with the possible exception of Mr. Robot. But Robot is full of hacking, and the last couple episodes promise the possibility of actual sci-fi elements (they've been hinting at time travel for a few seasons now). Sci-fi has never been better represented on TV.
 
We just watched Santo y Blue Demon vs. Los Monstruos in Spanish. I could've sworn it was in color last time I saw it, so I did some googling. Turns out there's a DVD circulating that has a black & white version, which apparently is the one we picked up in Mexico. A copy of the color version, subtitled in English, can be found on YouTube.

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My DVD copy is in colour.
 
My DVD copy is in colour.
Ours says "color" in the description on the back of the box, but it's definitely black & white. This is the Spanish-only version; no subtitles or overdubbing. Oh well, I like glorious technicolor just as well as black & white.

By the way, we were puzzled by the presence of this guy. It's just standing around in the evil guys' lab. There's no explanation as to who or what it is or why it is there. I've found some vague references online that it also featured in another film but haven't been able to find out any details.

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Finished American Gods and it was OK. Nothing special and I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't recommend it.

Not sure what to watch now, as I want something I can finish in a week.
 
Ours says "color" in the description on the back of the box, but it's definitely black & white. This is the Spanish-only version; no subtitles or overdubbing. Oh well, I like glorious technicolor just as well as black & white.

By the way, we were puzzled by the presence of this guy. It's just standing around in the evil guys' lab. There's no explanation as to who or what it is or why it is there. I've found some vague references online that it also featured in another film but haven't been able to find out any details.

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Yeah my DVD has subs so that must be it.

As to the Braindude, I have no idea. I think this film is the Citizen Kane of Luchador films though.
 
I happened across this wonderfully avant-garde program the other day:
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They're really pushing the envelope and taking risks with this show. Personally I found it a bit pretentious, but it was still better than 99% of what's being broadcast these days.
 
Decided to watch two of my favorite "modern" westerns, Tombstone and Silverado. Looking at it now, Tombstone is packed with many future stars. I still don't get how Val Kilmer didn't win an Oscar for his role as Doc Holliday. Too bad his career went nowhere after this and top gun. Tombstone I like more, but Silverado is a fun movie. I try and watch both once every year
 
I'm getting ready to start Expanse Season 4. I just need to knock out Star Trek Discovery Season 2 and Watchmen.
 
Watching Good Omens and enjoyed the first Episode, although it missed out what I think was the best gag in the book, especially if you are a fan of The Omen.

The demon bought Warlock a Tricycle, but the Angel wouldn't let him ride it in the house.
 
Decided to watch two of my favorite "modern" westerns, Tombstone and Silverado. Looking at it now, Tombstone is packed with many future stars. I still don't get how Val Kilmer didn't win an Oscar for his role as Doc Holliday. Too bad his career went nowhere after this and top gun. Tombstone I like more, but Silverado is a fun movie. I try and watch both once every year
I'm a big fan of Silverado, and for some reason it cracks me up that Kevin Costner is "the kid"
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We watched Lorena, la de Pies Ligeros on Netflix. A charming snapshot portrait of Rarámuri (Tarahumara) long-distance runner Lorena Ramírez.

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wearing sandals and skirt, like a boss!

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"I don't think I'll be using these. I'm not used to them."
 
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Watched the zombie apocalypse Christmas musical, Anna and the Apocalypse, last night. I found it entertaining, and
I thought it was clever how the movie was book-ended with the song about how there won't be a Hollywood ending
.

Listening to the soundtracks from musicals is something that I do approximately never, but the music from this film was enjoyable enough that I listened to the soundtrack this morning.
 
Watched the zombie apocalypse Christmas musical, Anna and the Apocalypse, last night. I found it entertaining, and
I thought it was clever how the movie was book-ended with the song about how there won't be a Hollywood ending
.

Listening to the soundtracks from musicals is something that I do approximately never, but the music from this film was enjoyable enough that I listened to the soundtrack this morning.

Speaking of horror musicals I just watched Climax by Gaspar Noe, it is about a dance troupe who are dosed with LSD and descend into orgy, madness and violence. Not for everyone obviously but the dancing is excellent and the techno soundtrack is also very good.

 
Speaking of horror musicals I just watched Climax by Gaspar Noe, it is about a dance troupe who are dosed with LSD and descend into orgy, madness and violence.
Noe is always a hard watch. A lot of French films in the last decade or so have pushed the limits of watchability with their embrace of visceral horror. For all the attention paid to Japanese horror in the last couple decades, the French might be just as bracing and challenging or more.

On an amusing note, here's a compilation of the best comments from the scorched-earth reviews of the Cats movie which have been poring in.

Personal favorite:

"To assess Cats as good or bad feels like the entirely wrong axis on which to see it. It is, with all affection, a monstrosity." [Vulture]
 
Noe is always a hard watch. A lot of French films in the last decade or so have pushed the limits of watchability with their embrace of visceral horror. For all the attention paid to Japanese horror in the last couple decades, the French might be just as bracing and challenging or more.

On an amusing note, here's a compilation of the best comments from the scorched-earth reviews of the Cats movie which have been poring in.

Personal favorite:

"To assess Cats as good or bad feels like the entirely wrong axis on which to see it. It is, with all affection, a monstrosity." [Vulture]

The French horror films Inside, Martyrs and more recently Raw are certainly at the furthest extreme of modern horror (Raw is particularly excellent btw) but I’d say the horror films of Miike, Sono and others still has them beat in terms of taboo breaking because of the sexual content that would be largely unthinkable in the West.
 
The French horror films Inside, Martyrs and more recently Raw are certainly at the furthest extreme of modern horror (Raw is particularly excellent btw) but I’d say the horror films of Miike, Sono and others still has them beat in terms of taboo breaking because of the sexual content that would be largely unthinkable in the West.
Well, I probably don't have the stomach to do the research, so I will take your word for it. I'm familiar with some of the works in question, but my knowledge is far from encyclopedic.
 
Well, I probably don't have the stomach to do the research, so I will take your word for it. I'm familiar with some of the works in question, but my knowledge is far from encyclopedic.

Raw is really good and worth a watch if you’re a horror fan.
 
Raw is really good and worth a watch if you’re a horror fan.
I'm not so much a fan of horror as I am amenable to horror. So...I'll steel myself and give it a whirl. I've heard things about this one.

On a related note, one day I plan to force myself to watch Salo. Aw, who am I kidding? That one sounds too far for me.
 
I'm not so much a fan of horror as I am amenable to horror. So...I'll steel myself and give it a whirl. I've heard things about this one.

On a related note, one day I plan to force myself to watch Salo. Aw, who am I kidding? That one sounds too far for me.

Raw has a great soundtrack by the same guy who has done all the scores for Ben Wheatley's films, it is clearly inspired by Goblin's original score for Suspira without being derivative. It isn't that gory per se but it has a few scenes that made me wince even as an experienced horror fan. But like any good horror film the horror comes more from the psychology more than anything else. It also has a hell of a last shot...

The funny thing with Salo is that since I've read Sade it seems relatively (and really is) quite restrained. The horror of it also comes more from the political/psychological aspects, the Criterion release also lets you appreciate how formally beautiful, and cold, it is.
 
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The only French horror films I've seen was Haute Tension and Them (which is actually French-Romanian). I liked both of them.

As for what I'm watching right now: I checked out Ronny Chieng's new special on Netflix. His bit about NYC's subway system was hilarious. Also checking out 6 Underground, Michael Bay's first movie for a streaming service, starring Ryan Reynolds. So far it's decent. I started to watch Season 4 of Gotham, and got a short way into the first episode. But the Witcher is calling me, so I don't know if I will get past the 1st episode.
 
Finished Good Omens and enjoyed it.

However, it missed out the second best gag in the book as well. The people who adapted it must have looked at all the gags I enjoyed and removed them.

In the book, the rival demon was trapped in a tape and then put into Crowley's car, which turned everything put into it into something by Queen, so the demon said something and ended up with a Queen lyric. In the Series, he is released from the tape by someone calling because someone had had a car accident that wasn't their fault, which was also funny.
 
Has anyone watched this season of The Expanse? I think they did a great job adapting the weakest novel. It helped that they found B and C plots for peripheral characters who were left out of the book. Also, knowing what's in the next novels allowed them to do a lot of setup and foreshadowing of the next season. Anyone who is familiar with the books knows that the sewage plant hits the turbofan for the next season or two.

I like the transition to Amazon. The FX are subtly improved - there's a lot more use of holographic displays and the tablets that the characters use have a much richer UI. Now that I think about it, it's kind of funny that the improved budget for CG was spent on improving the fictional CG. It makes a ton of sense if you think about it.

Also, I think Dominique Tipper as Naomi had some great acting moments in the season. There were a couple of scenes where they softened her character a bit and she really shined at those moments. Naomi and Holden are easily the weakest characters in the novels and the show, and while you can't blame the show for sharing the books' weaknesses, you can hope they'll improve upon it. I'm still not sure how much of TV Holden is bad script or weak acting. I'll give Stephen Strait the benefit of the doubt for now.
One thing the show fumbled a little bit was the demise of Ashford. Since his role is greatly expanded in the show, sending him to hunt down Marco Ineros, the main antagonist for the next two seasons, looks suspiciously like a narrative suicide mission. You know he can't succeed and the TV character has already massively expanded his role over the novels. So my immediate thought is that the show has decided to truncate this storyline to clear the decks before everything goes crazy. This is basically confirmed when Drummer gifts him a bottle of whiskey before his mission, but he returns it to her saying that they will drink it when he returns. Oh come on! This is one of the few storylines new to the show and now they take the surprise completely out of it. I really wish they had dropped that whiskey scene.
 
Watched the first 2 episodes of Gotham Season 4, and am now watching John Wick 3. Figured it was time I watched it. Picks up right where the last one left off, which is cool.
 
Started watching The Witcher!

There's finally more seasons of Adventure Time up on Netflix! Only... why did they skip season 4? Weird. So, we started watching s5.
 
Started watching The Witcher!
Also watching the Witcher and the new Harley Quinn animated semi-parody series. The former I really enjoy and I'm shocked that Cavill does it well. He always seemed very flat in other media I've seen him in. The latter is funny enough at times, but not exceptionally so.
 
Also watching the Witcher and the new Harley Quinn animated semi-parody series. The former I really enjoy and I'm shocked that Cavill does it well. He always seemed very flat in other media I've seen him in. The latter is funny enough at times, but not exceptionally so.

Watch the film adaptation of The Man fron U.N.C.L.E, not only one of best films Guy Ritchie has made but Cavill is quite good and very charming throughout.
 
Finished The Witcher. Now off to work more on my Hexer adaption for Zweihander.

Rob
 
Watching Eddie Murphy perform on Saturday Night Live for the first time in 35 years. He's putting the rest of the cast to shame.
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Watching Eddie Murphy perform on Saturday Night Live for the first time in 35 years. He's putting the rest of the cast to shame.

I'm DVRing it, I think he did most of his best work on SNL, almost the opposite of everyone who followed who have done their best work once they got out from under the control of Lorne Michaels.

His performance in Dolemite is my Name is definitely some of his best work in decades.
 
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I'm DVRing it, I think he did most of his best work on SNL, almost the opposite of everyone who followed who have done their best work once they got out from under the control of Lorne Michaels.
Maybe that is related to Eddie Murphy being on the show during the only seasons when Lorne Michaels wasn't involved.
 
Maybe that is related to Eddie Murphy being on the show during the only seasons when Lorne Michaels wasn't involved.

Didn't realize that, it explains a lot then.
 
Nearing the end of my project of watching the entire Friday the 13th series. Latest was Jason X. Good things about this movie were, Lexa Doig was in it and... um... Lexa Doig was in it.
Of course, she dies 5 minutes in. But it's fine, because it's a fake-out death, and she does indeed end up being our main character and Final Girl.
.

Okay, it's also pretty cool when
the nanites turn Jason into UberJason. That's what he's actually called in the credits. "Kane Hodder as Jason/UberJason"
.

All that's left is Freddy Vs. Jason and the reboot.

Friday the 13th Part VII remains my favorite of the series because of the
telekinetic girl
.
 
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Last night, after returning from Christmas dinner with my cousin & her family in the suburbs, and getting my mom safely ensconced in her Airbnb, I settled in by the light of my Christmas tree to watch Slay Belles, which streams free on Prime, if anyone cares. It's a pretty entertaining romp about three young ladies who break into the abandoned Santa Land theme park, which turns out to be owned by the real Santa Claus. They team up to fight crime Krampus. At one hour and seventeen minutes, it was pretty fun. Much longer and it would've worn out it's welcome.

It does use the "start at the climax, then backtrack many hours and see how we got here" structure, so if you're bothered by that, then maybe skip it.
 
Also, watched the penultimate episode of Lucifer Season 4. I'm not that keen on Season 4. Seasons 3 & 4 are good drama, but Seasons 1 & 2 were fun. I miss that fun. Looks like there will be a Season 5. I'm leaning towards just skipping Season 5, rather than being one of those people who continue to watch a show they no longer enjoy & then spend time & energy complaining about it.
 
I decided to dive into The Witcher. Other than knowing of the video games, I had no knowledge of the setting or it's characters. I liked it, but found it mostly uneven (partly due to not catching on that the episodes were in two time periods up until Geralt meeting the Queen). I really enjoyed the last episode though. I still feel Geralt is a slight rip off of Elric (one of my favorite characters/series), so that might be tainting my opinion of the show.

As I posted elsewhere, The Roku channel is showing Game of Thrones Season 1 for free until January 1st. Being one of the few not to have seen it, I figured this was a good time to start.
 
New episodes of Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 are up on Netflix, so we started binging that today.

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So I only got one episode into GoT when a friend texts me to ask if I want to see Star Wars on his dime (he didn't want to see it himself, and his S/O isn't into SW). I figured why the hell not. I didn't get into the first 3rd of the film, but as the movie progressed, it got better. The climatic end battle was worthy of the Death Star battles, but maybe more so (won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it though).

Hopefully, I can get through the other episodes of GoT by the 1st. I have work starting Sunday (and I work NYE, which will be busy), but I can likely get in 2 today. Worse comes to worse, I'll find a way to see the rest. I think my sister has HBO Go, and if so, I'll ask her if I can use it to finish the season.
 
We are giving Altered Carbon another go. My wife and I started watching it about 2 years ago, but there was a lot going on in life and we kind of quit watching anything. We had only seen a few episodes and it is kind of confusing so we are starting from scratch.

We finished the 3rd episode, I'm liking it. They have done a good job capturing the cyberpunk vibe.
 
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