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Daddyjt

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Just watched an old favorite of mine.  An old spaghetti western from Tonino Valerii and Sergio Leone: "My Name Is Nobody".   Stars Terrence Hill and Henry Fonda.  Not sure why I like it so much, but hey, it is what it is.   

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Daddyjt said:

Archive 81 is smart


I had full intention of watching an episode, working out and completing a few to-do list items tonight…….

 

I just watched the first SIX episodes. 

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OK, Keanu Reeves fans...

 

I saw this movie last night.  "Siberia" starring Reeves, Ana Alaru, directed by Matthew Ross. 

 

And,..., I'm still trying to figure it out.  Pretty deep, intense, best with subtitles and a few rewinds here and there to catch all the dialog.  Lots of Russian language.  Released just 4 years ago in 2018.

 

If you saw it, what did you think?

 

 

 

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Watched this, Father Stu, this past weekend.  Based on a true story.  With epilogues from the real Father Stu at the end.  Pretty interesting.  Not your over-sensationalized, violent get your attention type of movie..., much more subtle.   Stars in addition to Mark Wahlbert, include Jackie Weaver (you'll recognize her) Mel Gibson, and Macolm McDowell.  I did not know the story before I watched the film.  I did not know where it was going until it took us there, watching it.   

 

Wahlberg and a few others have started a film company focused on making more movies like this - off the "usual Hollywood shoot-em-up or sensationalized social-media, or woke, or sex extreme, or make the most money...," approach.   I give him credit for that.

 

 

 

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If you are even remotely connected to current events, then you've no doubt heard the kerfuffle over The Terminal List on Amazon Prime.  Having watched it, I sincerely can't figure out what the progressive left's problem with this series is.  Rotten Tomatoes (which used to be a reliable source for ratings, but now is in-step with the woke Hollywood narrative) rating tells you exactly what you need to know - 39% from "critics" and 95% from the audience.  I'm guessing that they have "targeted" it because of Chris Pratt and the fact that they despise him for rejecting wokism?

 

Anyway, the series is spectacular!  Even though it could be classified as a "revenge thriller", it exhibits enough unique elements to make it fresh.  The story is compelling and fast paced (I burned through the first 3 episodes on my first sitting, and I rarely binge).  The characters are well thought-out and interesting.  If you've ever watched a Jason Bourne film and wished for a little (or a lot) more emotional buy-in with the characters, then this is for you.  The tactical acumen is spot on (the EFP weapon deployment was a thing of beauty) and the attention to detail is perfect.  Believability with regards to the realism of physical ability and the effects of physical damage are also very accurate - This is not a "Rambo" film, lol.  The story is fast paced, yet detailed and nuanced at the same time.  It has some very touching moments, and some very satisfying payoffs.

 

I cannot recomend this series highly enough.  Should you happen to watch it, please post your impressions, and also let me know if you can find what the progressives distain so much here...

 

 

Edited by Daddyjt
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1 hour ago, Daddyjt said:

If you are even remotely connected to current events, then you've no doubt heard the kerfuffle over The Terminal List on Amazon Prime.  Having watched it, I sincerely can't figure out what the progressive left's problem with this series is.  Rotten Tomatoes (which used to be a reliable source for ratings, but now is in-step with the woke Hollywood narrative) rating tells you exactly what you need to know - 39% from "critics" and 95% from the audience.  I'm guessing that they have "targeted" it because of Chris Pratt and the fact that they despise him for rejecting wokism?

 

Anyway, the series is spectacular!  Even though it could be classified as a "revenge thriller", it exhibits enough unique elements to make it fresh.  The story is compelling and fast paced (I burned through the first 3 episodes on my first sitting, and I rarely binge).  The characters are well thought-out and interesting.  If you've ever watched a Jason Bourne film and wished for a little (or a lot) more emotional buy-in with the characters, then this is for you.  The tactical acumen is spot on (the EFP weapon deployment was a thing of beauty) and the attention to detail is perfect.  Believability with regards to the realism of physical ability and the effects of physical damage are also very accurate - This is not a "Rambo" film, lol.  The story is fast paced, yet detailed and nuanced at the same time.  It has some very touching moments, and some very satisfying payoffs.

 

I cannot recomend this series highly enough.  Should you happen to watch it, please post your impressions, and also let me know if you can find what the progressives distain so much here...

 

 

We watched and enjoyed it a couple months ago. It didn't show white men as weak, stupid villains and women as the saviors of humanity. That's enough to set off the Holly weird biased critics.

For comparison look at how the male heroes of the show Seal Team are irrationally treated by the writers as confused, irresponsible morons while their female characters are mistreated victims, unappreciated geniuses.

 

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So...

My daughter decided to surprise us with a visit home from college over the weekend.

 

She has a list of "old" films she wanted to watch with me.

 

Ferris Bueller's Day Off - she immediately noticed the 500t in his bedroom scene.

 

American Psycho - "Dad - don't you have that stack set up in the spare bedroom?"

My job as a parent is complete - kids who actually notice their dad's hobby.

 

 

image.jpeg.811c39f95d678ba7191682f11e2a990d.jpeg

 

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Watched "The Speed Cubers" on Netflix, last night.  40-minute documentary, mostly following the life of two guys, an Australian world record holder named Feliks Zemdegs, and USA record holder Max Park.  (The world record holders for a variety of different events for solving Rubik's cubes are many..., and there's a few dozen players around the world who keep on breaking each other's records with new times at international events held year-round.)  This story is about the incredible relationship between Feliks and Max that grew through the admiration Max (younger) had for Feliks (older), and the humility of Feliks as Max with his unique skills and challenges came up and took his records.  40 minutes of feel good, and realization that there's something else that can hold us together in this world in spite of all the hate and divisiveness.  YMMV, but no one can dispute the incredible speed and skill these "Speed Cubers" have.

 

 

 

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UNLIMITED TV SHOWS & MOVIES
Wednesday

Wednesday

2022 | Maturity Rating:TV-14 | 1 Season | TV Comedies
Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.
Starring:Jenna Ortega, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome
Creators:Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
 

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Smart, sarcastic and a little dead inside, Wednesday Addams investigates a murder spree while making new friends — and foes — at Nevermore Academy.

  1. Watch Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe. Episode 1 of Season 1.

    1. Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe

    59m

    When a deliciously wicked prank gets Wednesday expelled, her parents ship her off to Nevermore Academy, the boarding school where they fell in love.

  2. Watch Woe Is the Loneliest Number. Episode 2 of Season 1.

    2. Woe Is the Loneliest Number

    49m

    The sheriff questions Wednesday about the night's strange happenings. Later, Wednesday faces off against a fierce rival in the cutthroat Poe Cup race.

  3. Watch Friend or Woe. Episode 3 of Season 1.

    3. Friend or Woe

    48m

    Wednesday stumbles on a secret society. During Outreach Day, Nevermore's outcasts mingle with Jericho's normies in Pilgrim World. Fudge, anyone?

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    4. Woe What a Night

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    Wednesday asks Xavier to the Rave'N dance, sparking Tyler's jealousy — but Thing's got something up his sleeve. Meanwhile, Eugene stakes out the cave.

  5. Watch You Reap What You Woe. Episode 5 of Season 1.

    5. You Reap What You Woe

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    During Parents Weekend, Wednesday digs into her family's past — and accidentally gets her dad arrested. Enid feels the pressure to "wolf out."

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    Wednesday's friends throw her a surprise birthday party. They mean well... but she'd much rather mark the miserable occasion by solving the murders.

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    Kooky Uncle Fester pays a visit and shares his theory about the monster. Wednesday begrudgingly agrees to a date with Tyler at Crackstone's crypt.

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    8. A Murder of Woes

    52m

    Wednesday lands in trouble with Principal Weems, but that's just the start of her problems. To fight an ancient evil, she'll need all her friends’ help.

It's great!!

 
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  • 3 months later...
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Saw Maverick (Top Gun 2) ...

 

Thought it was "meh..."   Anyone else?

 

Glad it was on Prime, vs. over-paying to see it in a theater.  Story was predictable (cameos, context in the conflict with superiors, love interest, etc. etc.).  There wasn't anything thought provoking (for me), and watching/following the story line, I didn't have to think, ...  More of a milk-toast movie someone wanted to do, but didn't have a reason/purpose/story-line..., and it got produced to make money - and even that reason, didn't work for me.  Finally, I like Lady Gaga, and her voice, but having her do the final music intro to the credits?  It has no tie-in to the very weak story, unlike "danger-zone" did for the first TG movie.  And danger-zone didn't fit this one..., but was played to kick off the movie?  Lady Gaga got short-changed, and her pipes could have helped the story, if inserted much much earlier..., just my opinion.

 

Curious to know what others thought.  Did I miss something?

 

(Yeah, I played it in my HT, with big screen, lots of atmos sound..., the "immersive experience" was there - just didn't get what I thought was hyped out of it.)

Edited by AndrewJohn
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Saw this movie tonight.  I enjoyed it.  Great story of Casablanca records and Neil Bogart.  Lots of great music references from the early/mid '70's.  The movie rambles a bit and probably over emphasizes Bogart himself.  But, there are some nice moments especially for those of us who grew up in the '70's.

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I didn't know where to share this - so we'll call it a cinema experience.

 

For my birthday, we trekked down to the Adler Planetarium for the Pink Floyd 50th anniversary airing of a new 30-minute, four song, US-re-launch event of the album.

 

I noted earlier that I was pretty bored with the story line of Top Gun, (graphics good, but not enough to carry it for me).  My wife and I both agreed that the 30 minutes in the dome-theater was light years of travel and graphics. 

 

BTW, Planetarium's "Dome Theater" design is like I-Max on steroids!, it's like being immersed in the visuals.  We used this multi-camera-perspectives in Imaginarium-style computer generated subservice modeling O&G exploration - but not to this level of quality.

 

I tried to find more about the redo, and information was limited.  I even asked the guy in the back of the planetarium running the show - and all he knew was that the cinema/video showed up a couple of months earlier, and they just play it.  Apparently, this new piece has only been played in the London Planetarium Dome Theater and the one here, Adler, in Chicago.  I presume it would make the rounds - and if you get a chance to see it, I liked it, and thought it a good value for the $20 a seat.  The quality of the graphics and movement had to be done with something like Maya - it was just awesome, to me.

 

Could it be better?  Sure, more songs, longer..., and reclining chairs.  Hint - Sit in the BACK, or you'll miss half the dome-theater-screen experience.  There are a couple of scenes that are memorable, including the lunar launch and landing and the fly-through of the Space Station.

 

Here's some extra information I was able to dig up, trailer, etc., - but a small-computer-screen is nothing like the multiple-projector, 18-channel sound, custom-mastered music that they played in the planetarium's dome theater.

 

It's a bit nostalgic, as 50 years ago (video below) they did something like this, at planetariums around the world, by just adding a turntable to a 2-channel PA system designed for a professor to talk about the stars...

 

CBS story on the Adler presentation.  https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/inside-pink-floyd-dark-side-of-the-moon-adler-planetarium/ which has some information on it's origin, and the idea that PF had for it, started about 2 years ago.

 

Official Trailer from Adler Planetarium.

 

 

If you search on YouTube, there are clips of the original launch video, very different technologically, but still pretty cool, from 50 years ago.

 

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21 hours ago, Daddyjt said:

Anyone remember deciding what movie/what time based on the movie page in the newspaper?

 

From 1983….

 

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yup. I first would look at the ratings to see which one my parents would allow me to see, then I would ask/beg them to take my brothers and me.  Looking at this page, I remember them taking us to Return of the Jedi, Superman III, and War Games.

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On 7/3/2023 at 9:17 PM, Daddyjt said:

Anyone remember deciding what movie/what time based on the movie page in the newspaper?

 

From 1983….

 

7A931F8C-0F5E-485F-BBA1-AA03F69F341F.thumb.jpeg.bb7909eccb37824e019e73f32d3a3e4d.jpeg

 

Sometimes it sucked, too..., w/o trailers and previews..., the medium (newspaper) had limited ability to convey what was in the movie.  Really crappy movies duped moviegoers...., 

 

I recall a movie my friends chose back in High School to go to as a group..., it was simply awful (to me).  One friend, who went on to go to Art School, liked it.  Me?  stuck with me as the worst movie I ever sat through in a theater...  worse than the original Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis.

 

The movie:  John Boorman's "Zardoz."  (BTW, John Boorman directed "Deliverance.")

 

"

Zardoz is a 1974 Irish-American science fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman and starring Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling, and featuring Sara Kestelman. The film, Connery's second post-James Bond role—after The Offence—was shot by cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth on a budget of US$1.57 million[2] as it depicts a future world where a stone image called "Zardoz" instructs the "Brutals" to kill each other for eternal life.

"

 

 

 

I couldn't find a single movie theater ad, but did find the ad-slick movie production companies would give to movie theaters to create their own newspaper ads in the local papers.

 

image.png

 

Maybe it was Sean Connery that made this movie suck?  Or was it just that ridiculous mustache (hardly something that a future post apocalyptic survivor would have...) 

 

Then, again, this movie has a Cult Following..., many call it a "must see."  So, of course, YMMV, and my opinion means nothing. 😉 

 

For those, the entire movie is up on YouTube...,, here (to buy or rent): 

 

 

 

 

 

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Watched "47 Ronin" with Keanu Reeves last night.  Very engaging, not overdone.  My wife chose it and liked it.  It's based on an early 18th century story in Japan, that has become hallowed ground and even a holiday.

 

A believable story that takes place and presents a believable depiction of Feudal Japan of the time, with believable acting and special effects that were not overdone.

 

A "Ronin" is a samurai that has failed to protect and keep the honor of his master or a samurai without a leader.  In the story, 47 go forth, against the ruling Shogun's directive to not pursue justice against another rival and ultimately avenge the death of their master, and restore his honor through the samurai code of Bushidō.

 

I like these kinds of movies (another would be Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon).  It is also a love story, with a ghost or two, a witch, demons, and incorporates the legend of Tengu.

 

Some interesting anecdotes about the movie: https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/11/04/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-47-ronin

 

The trailer:

 

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14 hours ago, AndrewJohn said:

 

Sometimes it sucked, too..., w/o trailers and previews..., the medium (newspaper) had limited ability to convey what was in the movie.  Really crappy movies duped moviegoers....,


I always counted on my man Roger - I did not agree with him ALL the time, but I’d say a solid 85%.  Gene on the other hand…:-(


Rest In Peace Mr Ebert - the balcony is as always, reserved for you…

 

 

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