What Did You Watch Today?

[NixcoBox12]

I watched Amphibia season 1 episode 6b "Girl Time" last night, was a fun episode!

 

[JayZz]

The Bad Vegan.

Good so far, currently on part 3 or 4, can't remember.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Today, I saw Cast Away on Sky's Now platform.

 

[MegaJack]

I watched an episode of Hey Arnold, season 4 just now, "Back to School".

This episode of Hey Arnold hits hard because I never got my GCE O Level (only finishing at N Level in secondary four). I tried to acquire it when I was older a few years ago, but I realized that 1) the education has become much more complicated and challenging than the one from my time, and 2) I just felt too old to absorb the material well, with my attention span not being at its best. I'm currently 32, so I was in around my late 20s, maybe 29 when I tried for that O Level. I got so intimidated by that first day in class that I quit.

So yeah, this episode hit pretty close to home, but at least Phil got a happy ending here. I think it helped that he had people who encouraged him and would help him out with his schoolwork like Arnold. Wish my return to school could've been as ideal.

My self-pitying gripes aside, this was a very solid episode with very relatable themes. I like the realistic insertion of the Great Depression to explain Phil's lack of education and the realistic desire to complete your education. It's this kind of grounded storytelling that makes Hey Arnold so compelling and relatable.

I also like that Phil shares the same fear I had when I went back to school, that fear of failure and incompetency. Man, that fear can really cripple you, so I'm glad they have it as part of the episode.

 

[Gatomon41]

Watched Nobody (2021) on Freevee. Rating: 4/5

A seemingly normal everyman with no respect is much more than anyone expected.

Despite my synopsis sounding very generic, it does no justice to this film. It's a great action piece driven by Bon Odenkirk as our main character. He sells the image of being an Everyman while hiding something far more underneath. This is not Better Call Saul's Slippy Jimmy. The so-called "nobody" is what every man wishes he could be.

A great comedy with many great moments. Go see it if you haven't.

Spoiler: Continuing thoughts, SPOILERS

So anyone who seen a Trailer for this film probably guessed that the main character is a one-man army. Yet this is not John Wick, despite having a similar aura.

Hutch Mansell isn't getting revenge because he has nothing to lash out. He's a hunter, too long locked behind a facade of normalcy that it's starting to grate at him. Mansell relishes the thought of combat, hopes for it, trying To become the who He really is.

In sort, Hutch is doing this because he's having a midlife crisis, and chance gives him a reason to unleash.

Nobody Is outright a black comedy (reflecting the director's previous work on Hardcore Henry), with plenty of violent humor that allows this film to contrast with the somber action films. Most of the comedy comes from Odenkirk and the villain Yulian, to which Odenkirk is well suited for.

Speaking of the bad guy, it's kind of refreshing seeing a mob figure getting tired of his job. The only time we do see Yulian look genuinely happy is when he's singing at his nightclub. It's a stressful job working for the Russian Mob, but he performs his duties to both his clients and family. Unlike Hutch, Yulian doesn't find exaltation in his violence.

Neat to see Michael Ironside play a blue-collar guy, with a large body. Considering the roles he's takes (we've all seen him before), Ironsides generally is a lean, serious, and badass. He's either some military guy, henchman, and occasionally a mastermind himself. So just doing a Brief role as this rotund, generally affable fatheir-in-law was a treat.

Oh yeah, Doc Brown being in this was a pleasant surprise. Especially since this is probably Christopher Lloyd's most awesome performance.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Started watching Danny Phantom on Paramount+. Man, that's a great show.

 

[DeanBurrito25]

I watched the first two episodes of "Blue Eye Samurai" leading up to my holiday travels. My goodness, what a precedent this has set for adult animation! The fight cinematography is as top notch as it is brutal, and the hybrid animation combines CG and hand drawn stylings organically and gorgeously in a way I wish Disney's Wish did.

Full disclosure, watching this show on an airplane full of families and children is not the best idea. I remembered what show I was watching too late and kept minimizing the browser window due to all of the

Spoiler

full frontal nudity.

 

[Majin_Megabyte]

Since I got it for Christmas. I have started watching Dekaranger. Which I'm really enjoying it so far. And it's a great companion piece to Power Rangers SPD.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I saw the first season of Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix recently by watching the first half yesterday and the second half yesterday as well as American Dad! on ITVX.

 

[ToonsJazzLover]

Craig Before the Creek on CN and the Ghost and Molly McGee last two episodes on Disney Channel

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Watched episodes of Pimp My Ride today on the show's Pluto TV channel.

 

[Shiloh Otter]

As far as live action goes lately, I pretty much stick to live sports. Phoenix Suns games mostly, but I've watched some college football and basketball too.

Then during the auto racing months, I devote a lot of time to F1 and IndyCar. Not too much longer until they start again.

 

[Pooky]

Stay Tuned (1992) on Amazon Prime

Had quite fond memories of catching bits of this on TV in the 90s, but not sure if I'd ever seen it all the way through before.

This is from that period between Ghostbusters and the rise of Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and the new wave of comedy superstars where big budgets were being given to quirky high concept comedies in the hope that they would turn out to be at least as big as Beetlejuice (Tim Burton was apparently offered this, which checks). It's also very of its time with its satirical targets of "there sure are a lot of TV channels these days, huh?" and "maybe people should watch a little less TV?". That's all part of its charm for me, and to an extent I can even go with its now rather hackneyed concept of parody ("instead of Saturday Night Live its Saturday Night Dead, because they're zombies ya see"). Less charming to me is the post-Home Alone brattyness of the kids, and the middle of the movie really drags, so despite having an 88 minute run time (those were the days!) it's not the easiest sit. Thankfully it recovers for an energetic last act that's a lot of fun. Most of the special effects hold up pretty well too.

There's also a very well done traditionally animated sequence, where the protagonists turn into mice, directed by Chuck Jones. Its not one of his finest moments, but it's funnier than most of his Tom & Jerry shorts and most of his work from his later years.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

On Thursday, I saw the Netflix live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and I'll be posting my thoughts on the show's talkback thread soon.

 

[Pooky]

Waterworld: The Ulysses Cut
From the two-disc Region 2 Arrow Blu-Ray release. I believe not strictly a Director's Cut as I don't think Kevin Reynolds was ever officially involved, this incorporates I believe all the previously released footage from the film (from the theatrical version, extended TV versions etc.) into one near 3 hour cut restored to 1080p from original film sources

I don't really feel like going into a big review. At this point, you probably have at least some idea what you think of it, or if you're interested in ever finding out what you think of it. It's very much a product of its time in ways good (a fun swashbuckling tone, a lavish practical production of the kind you can't imagine being mounted now) and bad (some tasteless moments, some somewhat justifiable for characterisation, others less so). I had a lot of fun. It's the first time I've seen it in around 20 years, and that was I believe on a Fullscreen DVD, it certainly would have been on a CRT of otherwise old fashioned TV. It's certainly a film that benefits from all the modern accoutrements (although I haven't yet gone to 4K, if I ever will).

The Blu-Ray also has a 1 hour 40 retrospective documentary featuring several of the key creative personnel and crew members. It could have benefited from some actor input; I knew Kevin Costner would almost certainly be a no, but I hoped Jeanne Tripplehorn or Tina Majorino might show up, but they apparently decided to skip actors all together. Despite that shortcoming, a very thorough, interesting and engaging documentary.

If you're a fan of the film I certainly recommend this Blu-Ray (there are also editions with further discs, but they're things like the TV edit, a 4K disc etc.). If you just find an interesting little chapter in 90s pop culture, I would also recommend picking it up cheap (I would say renting it, but in 2024 that might not be very feasible).