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The Director, LeSean Thomas, explains why he made a deliberate choice to focus on these other areas, and I can't fault him for that.


As well as this good quote from Entertainment Weekly


Plus, in the first interview above, he states that there's really not a lot of knowledge about the actual historic figure available.

The fact that there isn't alot known about the real person gives a lot of leeway when doing something without the need for magic and mechs. It didn't stand out to me at all. I still hope it does well, and I hope the director gets to work on more projects. This obviously wasn't for me, and that's ok. I'm hardly the target audience for a lot of anime these days it seems.
 
The fact that there isn't alot known about the real person gives a lot of leeway when doing something without the need for magic and mechs. It didn't stand out to me at all. I still hope it does well, and I hope the director gets to work on more projects. This obviously wasn't for me, and that's ok. I'm hardly the target audience for a lot of anime these days it seems.
He's had plenty of projects. Most don't seem to do all that well.
 
There have been historical based anime, without the need for fantastical elements. Peacemaker Kurogane was a pretty good one I saw. So it's not like it couldn't be done. From what I've read about the man, it seems like his real life would have been interesting enough for a series. It's too bad they went the route they did though.
Oh yeah... and the fact that he just disappeared when all was said and done- There were mentions through the era, and what happened at the end is a mystery (though some suppose that he was sold back into slavery after his master committed seppuku after the defeat)
 
Just watched Godzilla: King of Monsters on Netflix. That was certainly entertaining.

Started watching Tokyo Vampire Hotel on Amazon Prime. This is for afternoon coffee during weekends.
 
Watched the Snyder Cut and it turned a mediocre-but-watchable film into a stunningly bad 4-hour marathon of poor choices, good actors sadled with terrible dialogue and pointless slow-mo. All the flaws of the theatrical cut are here but turned up to 11.

Snyder like Bay has been in self-parody for a long time now but similar to the souless Transformers films this one seals the deal.

This is now my preferred cut (starts at 2:15).

 
Unlike Snyder, Bay doesn't have pretensions or delusions of grandeur. He knows exactly the sort of films he makes - loud popcorn movies with lots of explosions - and isn't trying to fool himself or anyone else otherwise. By contrast, Snyder thinks he's an Artist with a capital A, and actually believes his films are deep and meaningful.
 
Unlike Snyder, Bay doesn't have pretensions or delusions of grandeur. He knows exactly the sort of films he makes - loud popcorn movies with lots of explosions - and isn't trying to fool himself or anyone else otherwise. By contrast, Snyder thinks he's an Artist with a capital A, and actually believes his films are deep and meaningful.
Snyder's fans don't help him either..
 
Unlike Snyder, Bay doesn't have pretensions or delusions of grandeur. He knows exactly the sort of films he makes - loud popcorn movies with lots of explosions - and isn't trying to fool himself or anyone else otherwise. By contrast, Snyder thinks he's an Artist with a capital A, and actually believes his films are deep and meaningful.

I'm one of the few who seem to have enjoyed Bay's black comic thriller No Pain No Gain, his only good film since The Rock I think (although The Island wasn't a complete waste of time).

Looking on imdb I see the script for No Pain No Gain was written by the same fellows who did the original Captain America, Winter Soldier and Infinity War/Endgame so that explains a bit I think.
 
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Watched the Snyder Cut and it turned a mediocre-but-watchable film into a stunningly bad 4-hour marathon of poor choices, good actors sadled with terrible dialogue and pointless slow-mo. All the flaws of the theatrical cut are here but turned up to 11.
I didn't mind it, in all honesty. Liked the added story around Cyborg, and it really showed that there was a big difference in the central story for the two cuts- where one was built around Cyborg's arc, the other was built around nothing. It wasn't a perfect movie, and it needed some editing or someone to tell him 'no, that's enough'. But the story (what there was of it) made a lot more sense with the context restored.
 
I didn't mind it, in all honesty. Liked the added story around Cyborg, and it really showed that there was a big difference in the central story for the two cuts- where one was built around Cyborg's arc, the other was built around nothing. It wasn't a perfect movie, and it needed some editing or someone to tell him 'no, that's enough'. But the story (what there was of it) made a lot more sense with the context restored.
My problem with it is that it's the same miserable, angry, nihilistic vision as the first take, just longer and with pointless slow motion.
 
I liked it better than the theatrical cut (I did appreciate that Cyborg and Flash actually have more important roles to play, as I felt they were bit players in the theatrical cut), but it still retains the issues that turned people off of the film in the first place
 
Last night I saw the end of season 2 of the X-Files, "Anasazi," on Comet TV. It's one of the higher-ranked episodes in the entire run of the show, I think, and you can see why. A lot happens in it and in has at least small roles for those popular guest-stars, the 'Lone Gunmen.' Most importantly, though, it seems to move the 'mythology' forward a good deal. Even knowing that this won't pan out, ultimately, I still enjoyed rewatching it. Duchovny and Carter shared writing credits for it. Below is an image of the 'aliens' that Mulder finds in the buried boxcar in the desert:

Screenshot_2021-05-04 Anasazi (1995).jpg
 
Demolition Man was on Prime for a bit so I watched that last week. Sort of like Brave New World meets late 80s/Early 90s action movie. It has been ages but kind of miss movies like this. The humor held up IMO. Wesley Snipes was terrific in it (especially with the physical performances). Dennis Leary stuck out a little bit (but then I suppose Stallone did too: but the latter felt more at home in the movie than the former to me).
 
Demolition Man was on Prime for a bit so I watched that last week. Sort of like Brave New World meets late 80s/Early 90s action movie. It has been ages but kind of miss movies like this. The humor held up IMO. Wesley Snipes was terrific in it (especially with the physical performances). Dennis Leary stuck out a little bit (but then I suppose Stallone did too: but the latter felt more at home in the movie than the former to me).
What I remember from that movie is the very young Sandra Bullock as the female cop/love interest and the 'now every restaurant is Taco Bell,' which was used as advertising at the time.
 
What I remember from that movie is the very young Sandra Bullock as the female cop/love interest and the 'now every restaurant is Taco Bell,' which was used as advertising at the time.

Yes. I think it was the first movie I saw her in. She was quite good in it as well. I always heard it was product placement, and assume it was, but it is kind of odd because the joke is sort of that Taco Bell goes from being a cheap fast food restaurant to every restaurant, including fine dining establishments. So they are kind of the butt of the joke.
 
Last night I saw the end of season 2 of the X-Files, "Anasazi," on Comet TV. It's one of the higher-ranked episodes in the entire run of the show, I think, and you can see why. A lot happens in it and in has at least small roles for those popular guest-stars, the 'Lone Gunmen.' Most importantly, though, it seems to move the 'mythology' forward a good deal. Even knowing that this won't pan out, ultimately, I still enjoyed rewatching it. Duchovny and Carter shared writing credits for it. Below is an image of the 'aliens' that Mulder finds in the buried boxcar in the desert:

View attachment 30458

I have been meaning to go back and watch X Files again to see how well it holds up (I only remember bits and pieces of it)
 
Yes. I think it was the first movie I saw her in. She was quite good in it as well. I always heard it was product placement, and assume it was, but it is kind of odd because the joke is sort of that Taco Bell goes from being a cheap fast food restaurant to every restaurant, including fine dining establishments. So they are kind of the butt of the joke.
That was the start of the thinking that letting your company be the butt of the joke just showed how hip and relatable you are. It's why every other sketch on SNL now revolves around product placement.

I'd say the trend hit its height with Community, where Subway and Honda were basically villains on the show.
I have been meaning to go back and watch X Files again to see how well it holds up (I only remember bits and pieces of it)
I started watching the first season a few years back, and it really held up well. My memories of the show were clouded by the show's decline. It was good to remember that it was actually a great show at one point.
 
So they are kind of the butt of the joke.

Allowing yourself to be the butt of the joke like that is a massive flex, though. It doesn't matter what they say about Taco Bell in the film itself, because they know where you and your friends are going to eat afterwards.
 
I really like X-files. I don't care if it's monster of the week or mythos and which season it is. I love it all, except the two stupid episodes written by William Gibson. Also enjoyed both movies. Haven't seen anything from the recent "comeback" season(s) (yet).
 
Allowing yourself to be the butt of the joke like that is a massive flex, though. It doesn't matter what they say about Taco Bell in the film itself, because they know where you and your friends are going to eat afterwards.
It's like back in the '90s, the tobacco companies arranged it so they got "punished" for their misdeeds by having to run anti-smoking ads, knowing full well that every time a cigarette gets mentioned on TV, no matter had unpleasant the context, every smoker watching lights up.
 
Been watching Invincible. I'm six episodes in, and really liking it. I've read all the comics, so I was excited when I learned about this. I haven't picked up on all the changes they've made, but I'm loving it. Should be finished with it tomorrow at the latest. Makes me excited for Jupiter's Legacy coming up
 
It's an adaptation of the Marc Millar comic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter's_Legacy_(comic))

Personally, I'm turned off by that style--Millar and Ennis (The Boys). I've enjoyed Invincible despite the dark themes and graphic violence because it's ultimately aimed at the heroism, Invincible at it's core is kind of "What if Spider-Man was the son of Superman, only he turned out to be bad, and we'll give the series an R-rating". It's dark but not cynical.
 
I really like X-files. I don't care if it's monster of the week or mythos and which season it is. I love it all, except the two stupid episodes written by William Gibson. Also enjoyed both movies. Haven't seen anything from the recent "comeback" season(s) (yet).

I was disappointed by the reboot, all in all, though it did have a couple of good comic episodes, especially "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat," in season 11. I also wasn't that impressed by Gibson's episode "Kill Switch" from season 5. It showed (IMO) a common problem encountered when bringing big-name writers to a TV series for a guest episode; they will write a story about their own characters in which the characters from the series are largely peripheral.

Last night I caught most of the third season episode "D.P.O.," which starred a very young Giovanni Ribisi as a creepy young Oklahoma teen who can control lightning and an equally young Jack Black as his dead-end friend. Ribisi at that age was perfectly cast for the menacing, slightly psycho heavy--it was just something about his appearance. Sort of like a young Bruce Dern.

Screenshot_2021-05-05 D P O (1995) - Copy.jpg
 
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It's an adaptation of the Marc Millar comic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter's_Legacy_(comic))

Personally, I'm turned off by that style--Millar and Ennis (The Boys). I've enjoyed Invincible despite the dark themes and graphic violence because it's ultimately aimed at the heroism, Invincible at it's core is kind of "What if Spider-Man was the son of Superman, only he turned out to be bad, and we'll give the series an R-rating". It's dark but not cynical.

Yeah, Invincible is very much to me a tribute to Bronze Age Marvel, just with the family filter turned off. It's violent, but it isn't a deconstruction - the author' clearly love superheroes.

I found the Boys entertaining enough, but I can only take that superhero-hating stuff in small doses. I like Ennis bet when he's writing non-superhero stuff like Preaher and Punisher.
 
Unlike Snyder, Bay doesn't have pretensions or delusions of grandeur. He knows exactly the sort of films he makes - loud popcorn movies with lots of explosions - and isn't trying to fool himself or anyone else otherwise. By contrast, Snyder thinks he's an Artist with a capital A, and actually believes his films are deep and meaningful.

That's why I don't watch interviews with Hollywood people.

All I can say is I enjoy the Snyder films I've seen overall more than the Michael Bay ones.

The Dawn of the Dead remake was fantastic.
300 was great.
Watchmen is one of my favourite films.
I didn't care for Sucker Punch.
Man of Steel was enjoyable.
Batman vs Superman wasn't enjoyable.
and Snyder's Justice League was 1/2 a great movie, 1/4 a pretty good popcorn flick, and 1/4 me going "OK, We really should have ended this already"

I'm struggling to think of a Michael Bay film I thought was even watchable.
 
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My problem is that most of Snyder's protagonists lose or die. And it's constantly misery filled, death porn which he believes is high art.

At least Michael Bay has no pretensions on what he's about. And I was OK with the first Transformer movie, there was also one scene in the second that almost redeemed it for me, the bit where Optimus Prime was actually holding his own against three Decepticon scrubs, showing exactly why he was a Prime.

Your mileage WILL vary.
 
That's why I don't watch interviews with Hollywood people.

All I can say is I enjoy the Snyder films I've seen overall more than the Michael Bay ones.

The Dawn of the Dead remake was fantastic.
300 was great.
Watchmen is one of my favourite films.
I didn't care for Suker Punch.
Man of Steel was enjoyable.
Batman vs Superman wasn't enjoyable.
and Snyder's Justice League was 1/2 a great movie, 1/4 a pretty good popcorn flick, and 1/4 me going "OK, We really should have ended this already"

I'm struggling to think of a Michale Bay film I thought was even watchable.

The only one of these I've seen is 300 but that was a beautiful film
 
Unlike Snyder, Bay doesn't have pretensions or delusions of grandeur. He knows exactly the sort of films he makes - loud popcorn movies with lots of explosions - and isn't trying to fool himself or anyone else otherwise. By contrast, Snyder thinks he's an Artist with a capital A, and actually believes his films are deep and meaningful.

Generally I find snobbery off-putting, and I also like to root for movies and books that aren't pretentious. Sometimes though, I like a wild, self-important person like Kubrik. The world kind of needs both. But I think where most of the obnoxiousness, at least for me, tends to arise is among fans and among media aficionados (I am less troubled by a director who thinks he or she is brilliant, especially if they make good movies, but will get more annoyed at people I feel are mocking me for not having tastes as 'sophisticated' as their own). I know there have been a number of Michael Bay movies I've enjoyed. I can't really comment much on Snyder, as I only saw 300 (I know I have seen bits and pieces of his other movies, but haven't sat down and watched them from beginning to end). 300 really impressed me when it came out. Just the visuals, the way it used lines from Spartan history (at the time I was a history student and I remember the line "Come back with your shield, or on it" from a documentary we had to watch. But it was also campy, over-the-top, and filled with great action sequences (and being into MMA at the time as well, that definitely seemed reflected in it). So 300 just landed with me. But I kind of file it under the same as the Michael Bay movies in that, in present day nerd culture (which is probably where I am most at home), both are viewed as guilty pleasures (I've definitely felt the eye-rolls when I said I loved 300, but also Armageddon (which when it came out, me and my friends, who were all nerds, enjoyed with zero sense of shame...but since has become something people get a bit snooty about if you like).
 
...but also Armageddon (which when it came out, me and my friends, who were all nerds, enjoyed with zero sense of shame...but since has become something people get a bit snooty about if you like).
Those people can go watch Deep Impact.
 
Generally I find snobbery off-putting, and I also like to root for movies and books that aren't pretentious. Sometimes though, I like a wild, self-important person like Kubrik. The world kind of needs both. But I think where most of the obnoxiousness, at least for me, tends to arise is among fans and among media aficionados (I am less troubled by a director who thinks he or she is brilliant, especially if they make good movies, but will get more annoyed at people I feel are mocking me for not having tastes as 'sophisticated' as their own). I know there have been a number of Michael Bay movies I've enjoyed. I can't really comment much on Snyder, as I only saw 300 (I know I have seen bits and pieces of his other movies, but haven't sat down and watched them from beginning to end). 300 really impressed me when it came out. Just the visuals, the way it used lines from Spartan history (at the time I was a history student and I remember the line "Come back with your shield, or on it" from a documentary we had to watch. But it was also campy, over-the-top, and filled with great action sequences (and being into MMA at the time as well, that definitely seemed reflected in it). So 300 just landed with me. But I kind of file it under the same as the Michael Bay movies in that, in present day nerd culture (which is probably where I am most at home), both are viewed as guilty pleasures (I've definitely felt the eye-rolls when I said I loved 300, but also Armageddon (which when it came out, me and my friends, who were all nerds, enjoyed with zero sense of shame...but since has become something people get a bit snooty about if you like).
And you know what's impressive? You can SEE it in how both directors film their movies, it's not what they say off screen, but how they shoot their movies, the angles they put the cameras, the lines they make the actors say. It's amazing how blatant their attitudes show on screen.
 
If you took parts from both Armageddon and Deep Impact and combined them, there could have been an awesome movie.
 
It's an adaptation of the Marc Millar comic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter's_Legacy_(comic))

Personally, I'm turned off by that style--Millar and Ennis (The Boys). I've enjoyed Invincible despite the dark themes and graphic violence because it's ultimately aimed at the heroism, Invincible at it's core is kind of "What if Spider-Man was the son of Superman, only he turned out to be bad, and we'll give the series an R-rating". It's dark but not cynical.
There's heroism in Jupiter's Legacy; it just takes awhile for some characters to embrace it. It's not on the level of Invincible, but it's nowhere near the level of The Boys either.
 
I'm going to open a beer and start binging Shadow and Bone. Could be a one sitting affair, we'll see.
 
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