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I watched A Tale of Two Sisters yesterday. While I have mixed feelings about the movie (leaning towards positive), the soundtrack is an absolute masterclass. Here is one excerpt from it.

 
No Time To Die (2021), let’s say a solid 7.5/10.

Finally watched this last night and I think I'd rate it around the same, at least I'd put squarely in the middle of Craig's Bond films. Not as great as Casino Royale or Skyfall, but head and shoulders above Quantum and Spectre. Thought the plot was convoluted and while the action scenes were decent they didn't all quite hit the mark, especially given the fantastic cold open. I also really liked Lashana Lynch, never felt they were going "woke" with her character. She was cool, capable and had a good back-and-forth with Bond without undermining him or being undermined herself. I'd still prefer they recast Bond but I'd be happy to see her stay in the series.
 
First episode of The Book of Boba Fett is much the same as The Mandalorian. It was fine... and that's pretty much all I have to say about it, which is disappointing. I wish I could rave and cheer about it, or even rant that I hated it, but it didn't stir any kind of emotion in me. I guess the fight against the four-armed monster was pretty cool, it looked like Goro crossed with the classic Kraken from Clash of the Titans. And Matt Berry was in it, which is a plus.
 
Don’t look up - It was funny and with a wonderful cast but it left me feeling pretty bleak about our prospects . Which is the point so well done I guess
 
My discovery of LaserDisc last summer led to a friend of mine sending me a player for Christmas, and now I’m going through and snapping up titles that aren’t expensive and slowly building up a collection. One recent purchase of mine is Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. I’ve heard a lot about this film, with many regarding it among the most disturbing ever made, yet also a must-see movie for cinephiles. Has anyone here ever given it a watch? If so, any thoughts?
 
I’m getting up early in the morning to feed our newborn daughter. I have been binge watching some old series including Jonathon Creek! I forgot how good that show was.
 
Nashville Predators vs Boston Bruins. 3-3 in the 3rd period. Whatta game! Let's go Bruins!
Bruins won in OT 4-3!
 
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Don’t look up - It was funny and with a wonderful cast but it left me feeling pretty bleak about our prospects . Which is the point so well done I guess

I despise heavy-handedness and this film is about as bad as it can get. Worst picture of 2021.

There are a million ways to get the same message across and also make an interesting film about the end of the world, comets and astronomy. This film is just about impossibly stupid people and the climate crisis. That's it. There's nothing more. Everything is 1-1 with something else.
 

Very interesting premise, great show so far.
This might be my favorite show right now. Ticking all the right boxes with setting up mysteries, and delivering the answers (they also have a 5 season plan already mapped out), great cast and music. Not too original but who cares.

Season 1 just finished, y'all should watch asap.
 
I despise heavy-handedness and this film is about as bad as it can get. Worst picture of 2021.

There are a million ways to get the same message across and also make an interesting film about the end of the world, comets and astronomy. This film is just about impossibly stupid people and the climate crisis. That's it. There's nothing more. Everything is 1-1 with something else.

I suppose the point is that the time for subtlety has passed.
 
Upon further viewing I removed the video I posted earlier, as I realized that past the first 10 minutes its utterly terrible and highly inaccurate. In case anyone watched it, here's a few notes for me to take the piss out of this garbage.

1. The whole painting the teeth black thing hadn't been practiced for centuries and was only among certain clans. (who were known to be a bit nasty to begin with) I don't know why western people still think this was so common.

2. The samurai weapons were not often placed near the front entrance of a home, as that would be stupid in the case of banditry. Naginata-ko (a shorter version of the weapon made for women, and the correct name) were often placed in the practice hall area (dojo) and in the inner sanctum of the household where the female was likely to be when a raid took place. Most male samurai armour and weapons were also kept in a special room together, also typically in the inner sanctum. These rooms could be placed near entrances, but almost never directly at them in the first room. When outside, female samurai often had places they could hang or place the naginata for quick access.

3. This documentary is terribly biased towards the Imperialist and western-sympathetic perspective. The area of Aizu in specific was known as kind and generous by standards of the time to the common populace, with strict laws for the samurai class to ensure balance. Especially in comparison to its peers. It was far from perfect or ideal, but it had the best quality of life for its time. It's why many fled there buring the Bakumatsu in the first place.

Unrest was growing in general due the arrival of foreigners and especially, the Americans. Who just like their modern equivalent, shoot first and ask questions later, and begun indiscriminately bombarding Edo and the surrounding areas with naval fire to force the government into unfair and exploititive trade agreements. Civilian casualties were the highest, and while the Shogun wanted to mount an immediate counterattack, the Emperor did not. Fearful the Emperor would invade with his new conquerors, the Shogun withheld and waited to see what would happen while trying to consolidate Aizu defenses.

4. Foreigners, especially military, were often documented as attacking and harassing locals, especially women. As well as getting wasted and causing trouble in general and property damage. Its amazing the Aizu waited as long as they did before retaliating against abuses. A very large number of Japanese women were abducted around this time and disappeared in the coastal districts. Given the new trade agreement the Americans forced on the Emperor when he yielded to their demands, the Japanese were forbidden to come anywhwere near foreign vessels in harbor, and had no jurisdiction to search them. Crikey, I wonder where they all went. Hubris.

This series of shitty events is what led to most of the unrest in the AIzu areas, as people were demanding the Shogun protect them and drive the foreigners out, since the Emperor would not. If I were alive then, I would've felt the same way.

Anyways, if you didn't see it, consider yourself fortunate. lol I'll have to find something in English thats actually accurate now.
 
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