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[Onhell]

I initially dismissed the Thor movies and I'm glad I was wrong. My favorite MC movies have to be Iron Man, Captain America (first avenger), Captain America Winter Soldier, Thor I, Thor Ragnarok, Thor II. The Avengers team up movies are their own thing for me and the first is by far my favorite followed by the last two. Since Endgame I only watch the Spider-man movies, couldn't care less about any other marvel property at this point.

 

[JudasMyGuide]

Since Endgame I only watch the Spider-man movies, couldn't care less about any other marvel property at this point.

I have watched the pre-Endgame films several times, went to see them in the theatre and so on. And I just can't really be bothered anymore. Endgame was a great pay-off, but I don't want to be forced to watch several TV shows to "get" films that are very obviously mediocre. I want to catch up with the new Daredevil series, because the original Netflix one was really excellent television and possibly the best comics-related work since 2012 at least, but that's about it (and Daredevil isn't considered part of the MCU as such, methinks).

Also, the biggest cancer in media today is the "marvelisation" of everything and I definitely don't want to return to the source for that. Retroactively, I don't even feel the need to return to the films I genuinely liked back then.

 

[Onhell]

I have watched the pre-Endgame films several times, went to see them in the theatre and so on. And I just can't really be bothered anymore. Endgame was a great pay-off, but I don't want to be forced to watch several TV shows to "get" films that are very obviously mediocre. I want to catch up with the new Daredevil series, because the original Netflix one was really excellent television and possibly the best comics-related work since 2012 at least, but that's about it (and Daredevil isn't considered part of the MCU as such, methinks).

Also, the biggest cancer in media today is the "marvelisation" of everything and I definitely don't want to return to the source for that. Retroactively, I don't even feel the need to return to the films I genuinely liked back then.

My thoughts exactly. The Daredevil hallway fight lives rent free in my head

 

[Onhell]

Watched "Adolescence" to see what the big fuss was about and because I love crime dramas. I have to say I wasn't impressed. It's a good show, but with the number of articles with clickbait headlines like "Teens are getting sucked into the manosphere! Here's what you need to know," or "After Watching Adolescence I had these 3 questions for my teen son," and blah, blah, blah.

1. If you had to watch a show to know what is going on with today's youth, you're a disconnected parent.
2. The idea that millenial parents/detectives don't know what emojis mean is laughable
3. HATED the ending:

Spoiler

I normally don't mind unresolved endings that leave it up to the viewers interpretation, but in this case, given the subject matter it felt like a cop out. Pleading guilty ISN'T an admission of guilt. Many people, especially those with court ordered attorneys are left with little choice and plea guilty even if innocent, because if they plea not guilty and are found guilty the consequences are much greater. Many times prosecutors will say, "If you plea guilty you'll do five years, can get out in 3 with good behavior, BUT if you plea not guilty and we find you guilty you'll do 12 years, no possibility of early release." Well fuck.... I did it your honor.
They claim to have evidence ( cctv videos of him coming and going in the vecinity of the victim, a friend confessing to it being his knife, BUT they don't have the actual murder weapon) I would have LOVED to have seen the trial.

4. Everything the boy alledgedly did is not necessarily related to the "manosphere" and mostly to do with him being an awkward, hormone fulled teen boy with not a fully developed brain. There are far more shocking true crime stories of teen killers well before the proliferation of the red pill horseshit.

This is not to say the red pill movement is problematic and is absorbing younger and younger men, but the show does a piss poor job in saying it was exclusively or in great part the fault of the red pill movement and not just overreacting to (cyber)bullying.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

I liked the movie “Companion” more than I expected.

Spoiler

It’s a different take on the recent rogue AI horror comedies. In this one, the android is the clever protagonist

Another 20+ year old chat thread. This forum has some kilometers on it.

In 2004, my fav movie was the “Dawn of the Dead” remake. “Kill Bill vol 2” was good as well.

 

[Azas]

The Quiet Earth, 1985.

 

[Onhell]

I liked the movie “Companion” more than I expected.

Spoiler

It’s a different take on the recent rogue AI horror comedies. In this one, the android is the clever protagonist

Another 20+ year old chat thread. This forum has some kilometers on it.

In 2004, my fav movie was the “Dawn of the Dead” remake. “Kill Bill vol 2” was good as well.

Most of us old farts have been on here for over 20 years. Recently you'll see several "waves," 10 or so still active members from 20+ years ago, another 10 from 10+ years ago and the rest from 5 or so years ago.

Recently re-watched HEAT in 4K, great experience. My friend and I might do another movie night tonight if there's time, tempted to watch A New Hope in 4K or The Thing in 4K.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

Most of us old farts have been on here for over 20 years. Recently you'll see several "waves," 10 or so still active members from 20+ years ago, another 10 from 10+ years ago and the rest from 5 or so years ago.

Recently re-watched HEAT in 4K, great experience. My friend and I might do another movie night tonight if there's time, tempted to watch A New Hope in 4K or The Thing in 4K.

Wow, and I see you are the one who started this thread 21 or so years ago.

Heat is an excellent film. On Bruce’s podcast Psycho Schizo Espresso, they had Andy McNab,, former SAS, who was the combat scene consultant on Heat.

Thanks to McNab, the fire and maneuver tactics used in the movie are said to be so textbook correct that real soldiers sometimes watch the film in training to get an example of how that tactic works.

 

[Onhell]

Thanks to McNab, the fire and maneuver tactics used in the movie are said to be so textbook correct that real soldiers sometimes watch the film in training to get an example of how that tactic works.

Yes! The friend I watched it with is an ex-marine and HUGE gun... um... enthusiast and LOVES little details like that. During the big firefight with the police, when Val Kilmer hunches down to reload and comes back up to keep shooting He yelled, "Fuck yes! Fucking LOVE that!" LOL

We did get to watch Star Wars: A New Hope in 4K and it was beautiful. Unfortunately it was the Special (now ONLY) edition, but still an amazing watch. It sucks though, that now thanks to the prequels and the Disney shows the "original" films are now full of holes. Every 5 minutes or so when I character would say something we would just chime in with a "Well, ACTUALLY, in Phantom Menace, blah, blah, blah," "Well, ACTUALLY, in the Obi-Wan show, blah, blah, blah." just for giggles, but it still made us a bit sad.

Wow, and I see you are the one who started this thread 21 or so years ago.

Yeah, most threads that old were started by either LooseCannon, Perun, Maverik, Forostar, myself or a few other members who have since left/stopped coming back. Welcome aboard, you'll find A LOT of interesting threads.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

Yes! The friend I watched it with is an ex-marine and HUGE gun... um... enthusiast and LOVES little details like that. During the big firefight with the police, when Val Kilmer hunches down to reload and comes back up to keep shooting He yelled, "Fuck yes! Fucking LOVE that!" LOL

We did get to watch Star Wars: A New Hope in 4K and it was beautiful. Unfortunately it was the Special (now ONLY) edition, but still an amazing watch. It sucks though, that now thanks to the prequels and the Disney shows the "original" films are now full of holes. Every 5 minutes or so when I character would say something we would just chime in with a "Well, ACTUALLY, in Phantom Menace, blah, blah, blah," "Well, ACTUALLY, in the Obi-Wan show, blah, blah, blah." just for giggles, but it still made us a bit sad.



Yeah, most threads that old were started by either LooseCannon, Perun, Maverik, Forostar, myself or a few other members who have since left/stopped coming back. Welcome aboard, you'll find A LOT of interesting threads.

Speaking of combat tactics in movies, the British Horror film “Dog Soldiers” (2002) is refreshing for a horror film because it shows a regular British infantry squad using actual combat tactics to fight the supernatural.

I say refreshing because most horror movies depict the military as either inept, part of the evil, or both (28 Days Later, for example).

Despite its low budget, Dog Soldiers stands out for balancing the conflict with competent soldiers rather than falling back on the usual horror genre tropes.

 

[Edington]

Speaking of combat tactics in movies, the British Horror film “Dog Soldiers” (2002) is refreshing for a horror film because it shows a regular British infantry squad using actual combat tactics to fight the supernatural.

I say refreshing because most horror movies depict the military as either inept, part of the evil, or both (28 Days Later, for example).

Despite its low budget, Dog Soldiers stands out for balancing the conflict with competent soldiers rather than falling back on the usual horror genre tropes.

Dog Soldiers is a top three film for me. Simple premise but with a few twists and turns, a great cast of characters you really grow to care about, great action with some good comedic beats (Spoon casually hammering the wolf's hand as it reaches through the letterbox is brilliant), and it's directed by Neil Marshall of The Descent and some excellent Game of Thrones episodes - which also features Liam Cunningham. And it has some absolutely cracking one-liners that just never get old.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

Dog Soldiers is a top three film for me. Simple premise but with a few twists and turns, a great cast of characters you really grow to care about, great action with some good comedic beats (Spoon casually hammering the wolf's hand as it reaches through the letterbox is brilliant), and it's directed by Neil Marshall of The Descent and some excellent Game of Thrones episodes - which also features Liam Cunningham. And it has some absolutely cracking one-liners that just never get old.

Yes! I mean the

Spoiler

tactical withdraw with covering fire in the forest

scene alone shows this isn’t your typical formula horror film.

Makes me wonder who their military technical advisor was (don’t see one credited).

 

[Perun]

I watched the 1930 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front last night. I read the book some 20 years ago, but I hadn't seen any of the films based on it.

It's been a long time since a film gave me nightmares. The truly unsettling thing about it is that it was made to a large degree by people who had been in the trenches themselves. It wasn't based on historical research or interviews, it was from personal memory.

Our bodies are earth, our thoughts are clay... this is going to echo in my head for a long time to come.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

I watched the 1930 adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front last night. I read the book some 20 years ago, but I hadn't seen any of the films based on it.

It's been a long time since a film gave me nightmares. The truly unsettling thing about it is that it was made to a large degree by people who had been in the trenches themselves. It wasn't based on historical research or interviews, it was from personal memory.

Our bodies are earth, our thoughts are clay... this is going to echo in my head for a long time to come.

The 1930 version is one I haven’t seen yet but now have it in my queue. I’ve seen the 1979 US made version and the 2022 German made one.

The 2022 version is the better of those two cinematographically, plus it’s in German. The 1979 version cuts fewer elements from the novel, though.

I read Remarque’s book also ages ago and what sticks with me the most is the chaos he describes toward the end.

Bit of a digression, but I watched the 1943 WW2 movie Sahara and wondered why the Germans Bogart encountered in N. Africa all wore WW1 era uniforms and carried G98s instead of K98ks. Then I realized “made in 1943” of course the filmmakers wouldn’t have had access to contemporary German kit at the time.

Right now, I’ve just started the 1954 original Japanese version of Godzilla. I’d been reading about post WW2 maritime nuclear testing (Operation Crossroads, etc), which piqued my interest in watching the original Godzilla.

 

[Perun]

Right now, I’ve just started the 1954 original Japanese version of Godzilla. I’d been reading about post WW2 maritime nuclear testing (Operation Crossroads, etc), which piqued my interest in watching the original Godzilla

Funny, I actually just watched it last weekend. Doesn't feel like a terribly good film overall, but it's certainly a masterpiece compared to the later 1960s Toho schlock. And it certainly is an interesting dive into post-warJapanese psyche.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

Funny, I actually just watched it last weekend. Doesn't feel like a terribly good film overall, but it's certainly a masterpiece compared to the later 1960s Toho schlock. And it certainly is an interesting dive into post-warJapanese psyche.

Yes, the post-war Japanese psyche element and overall filmmaking are what I’m watching it for. I’ve definitely no high expectation on its special effects.

The film draws, in part, from a real life event where the Japanese fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryū Maru was accidentally contaminated during the US Castle Bravo nuclear test earlier in 1954.

 

[Edington]

I have never watched All Quiet On The Western Front in full but I watched one of the battle scenes after hearing about the moment where a man's hands get left behind on barbed wire... yeah, if the rest of the film's like that I'm not surprised it gave you nightmares.

There's another part of that scene that got me, a seemingly endless series of back and forth shots between a machine gun firing and a pan along the trench as the soldiers get gunned down by it. It's one of those moments that borders on being so over the top that it becomes funny, like an 80s action movie, you can see Arnold wielding a machine gun and mowing down goons by the second as they simply charge towards him and into the path of his gunfire. It goes on for far too long and it seems obvious that it's such an ineffective way of fighting... then you remember that it's exactly what happened. That everyone knew they had no hope of actually getting past the machine guns and reaching the trench, but they had no choice. It's horrific.

 

[Perun]

That battle sequence is about the only really graphic part in the film. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly contributed to the nightmares, and I'm sure the hands on the barbed wire will stick with me forever, but it's really the entirety of the film and the way it depicts what the war does to the people in it that messes with me. I've read a lot of books on the topic, and I've been to Verdun, but being shown all this by people who were in it is a completely different thing.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

I have never watched All Quiet On The Western Front in full but I watched one of the battle scenes after hearing about the moment where a man's hands get left behind on barbed wire... yeah, if the rest of the film's like that I'm not surprised it gave you nightmares.

There's another part of that scene that got me, a seemingly endless series of back and forth shots between a machine gun firing and a pan along the trench as the soldiers get gunned down by it. It's one of those moments that borders on being so over the top that it becomes funny, like an 80s action movie, you can see Arnold wielding a machine gun and mowing down goons by the second as they simply charge towards him and into the path of his gunfire. It goes on for far too long and it seems obvious that it's such an ineffective way of fighting... then you remember that it's exactly what happened. That everyone knew they had no hope of actually getting past the machine guns and reaching the trench, but they had no choice. It's horrific.

WWI was so brutal because it was at the inflection point of modern, industrial warfare coupled with 19th century holdover military doctrine.

Don’t get me wrong, military doctrine evolved during, and as a result, of WWI. But, armies’ initial strategies were still based on outdated doctrines that had developed using older technology.

The early to mid 19th century volley fire and battling in formation doctrine was effective for its own time in part due to the slower firing and inaccurate muzzle loading weapons then used. Small arms combat then was often a test of nerves. Cannon were certainly disruptors but small arms combat was mostly “bang,” advance, reload, “bang” until one side broke and ran.

During the mid-19th century, the U.S. Civil war was a hybrid of trench warfare and formation fighting. It saw the advent of breach loading weapons (still not mass issued due to cost and low production), military rail and telegraph use (Union army), ironclads, early submarines, the gatling gun, etc. Yet the major battles were still mostly fought with cannons and muskets by soldiers fighting in formation.

In Europe, while there were some regional conflicts after 1865, they weren’t on the mass scale of say the 7 years war, the Napoleonic wars, or WWI. As such, by the 1900s, military doctrine hadn’t evolved to keep pace with weapons technology.

This led to old world frontal assault tactics misapplied to using and facing accurate, rapid fire (even aside from machine guns, bolt action rifles are “fast” compared to smooth bore muskets and far more accurate with longer range) small arms, that resulted in the horror and mass casualty rates seen in WWI.

 

[Sheriff_of_Huddersfield]

The 1954 original Japanese version of Godzilla wasn’t quite what I’d expected despite knowing it depicts post-war existential dread over nuclear weapons

Spoiler

Dialog heavy, with not so much focus on the monster. Many casualty and disaster scenes must have been modeled after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Contains moral discussion around the dangers of super weapons. The director used brevity and darkness to mask the rudimentary SFX technology. While it never looked “real” it wasn’t ridiculous. Was surprised to see Godzilla killed so unambiguously by the oxygen destroyer at the end.

A surprisingly melancholy, artistic, and thoughtful film given that Godzilla’s legacy trends toward science fiction action themes (and that one Blue Oyster Cult song).