HP used to play a lot more shows where they stuck strictly to their old catalog. I suppose they really are a prime example of a band that has undergone such massive shifts over the years that it’s easy to see why someone might just stop listening altogether. Personally, I still find them tolerable, mostly because I don't feel the need to pigeonhole everything as either pure punk or not; I think mainstream music can actually be quite good sometimes.
As for bands that have lost my interest—take The Killers, for instance, after those first three albums, everything else felt like a slog; or Franz Ferdinand after their first two records. I never thought I'd say this, but even Dropkick Murphys are starting to lose their appeal to me. With Arctic Monkeys and Muse, I find myself struggling through every new album, trying my best not to let them become boring. There was once a time when Damir Urban seemed like a true artist, but now he feels more like someone just posing, though I can't be certain if it's him changing or if it's just me 😁. I followed Vatra all the way back from when they were playing tiny bars for fifty people and were actually listenable, but ever since they hit the big time, they've only gone downhill, much like how Coldplay felt to me after Viva La Vida.
In contrast, I guess Nightwish is an example of a band I've stayed with despite all the changes; it's hard to put my finger on why, but there seems to be some sort of magic there.
The movie was fine, I suppose, though it certainly had room for improvement. I feel like they could have leaned much harder into the humor; it’s there, but perhaps not as effectively as it could have been.
Richard Wilson4 said:I’m not even looking for spoilers here, just wondering—is this movie basically a shot-for-shot rip-off like people say about The Lion King, or is it actually its own thing?
The differences compared to the animation are actually more pronounced than they were with The Lion King, I suppose. I found the film to be quite good, which was a bit of a surprise since I went in expecting total garbage based on the trailer, but it turned out to be rather charming and fun.
I found the 2016 version of The Jungle Book to be quite excellent, and the new Aladdin was rather good, though I suppose Dumbo was a bit of a disappointment. Since The Lion King is being handled by the same director behind The Jungle Book—which, in my estimation, remains the best of these remakes so far—I imagine I might have high expectations. Mulan looks somewhat interesting at first glance. I guess I am actually looking forward to this. I had been worried that these remakes would turn out to be total trash or simply mediocre, potentially ruining my childhood memories of the originals, but so far they haven't; most of them look stunning and seem reasonably entertaining.
Honestly, I find myself wondering what actually goes on at these gatherings 😬? Like, what does everyone actually do, how many people typically show up, and what’s the general age range? It might seem a bit silly to ask, I suppose, but I am genuinely curious 😁.
I found it quite decent, I suppose. It might appeal to anyone who enjoyed Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, given how many parallels there seem to be. It follows a group of characters who, through a series of unfortunate events, find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, where everyone seems to be hiding something behind a false persona. There is this lingering sense that everything is just waiting to end in tragedy. The acting is solid enough, and the film possesses a certain visual charm and atmosphere; the tension does build steadily toward the end, which I found to be a plus. If I had to point out a flaw, it would probably be the introductory segment, which feels somewhat overlong and sluggish as it attempts to establish the characters' motives and secrets. While things eventually start to click into place, more impatient viewers might find themselves feeling a bit restless. Personally, I managed to stick with it, and I am glad I did, because the second half is significantly more gripping and fast-paced than the first, making the experience rather rewarding in the end.
I watched it, and while it isn't exactly a masterpiece, I suppose it isn't quite as bad as everyone seems to claim. It was actually somewhat entertaining for most of the runtime, though I feel there were plenty of areas where they could have done much better. They probably should have given it an R rating, honestly. There are a few violent death scenes that lack any actual blood or impact, which felt rather pointless to me. Then there are those tired clichés; some of them were already being discussed over in the "movie clichés" thread on this sub 😁. For instance, when the protagonist walks into a diner and the news playing on the TV happens to be about him—that’s exactly what you pointed out as a cliché on the forum 🤣. There are certain logical gaps too, but I guess those can be overlooked. All in all, it's watchable and moderately fun, even if it really could have been much stronger. I'd say maybe a 6/10.
I found the beginning rather tedious, though I suppose the final third manages to salvage the experience somewhat. The standout moment for me was probably when he puts on those VR goggles. After that, the character became a bit more endearing, which made the closing sequence at the estate quite enjoyable. It is a pity the first act drags so much; there are plenty of tired tropes that felt uninspired, even upon first viewing. Then again, a friend of mine who hasn't seen any of the previous films thought it was excellent, so perhaps it might land better with audiences who don't know what to expect. As far as the cast goes, Rowan Atkinson plays the lovable idiot role with his usual charm, and Emma Thompson is wonderful playing the Prime Minister. Olga Kurylenko remains lovely, though her role feels somewhat wasted, while the main villain is just plain revolting. All in all, it isn't anything particularly groundbreaking.
I'm just copying and pasting my old ad from Lonely Island over here, since I was getting some decent responses there, so I figured I'd post it here too, just in case anyone else feels like reaching out 🙂.
Since I’ve been feeling pretty much on the Lonely Island for quite a while now, I suppose it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and chat with someone who might be in a similar boat. I’d prefer to talk to a woman, though—not that I’m looking for a relationship or anything of the sort; I’m really not in a headspace where I feel particularly driven toward something serious right now, but I have found that I find it much easier to communicate and message women. I don't know if that makes much sense, but that's just how it feels, I guess. In short—I'm a guy from Chicago, late twenties, currently unemployed, though I should finally be seeing my degree soon, which will hopefully lead to a job. In my free time, I'm a regular at rock concerts, stand-up comedy shows, and pub quizzes, and occasionally the theater (I go to all of those quite often, so maybe one of the reasons I'm posting this is to find some company for those things, though I'd be happy if someone just wanted to chat online). Character-wise, I'm an introvert and I rarely seem to fit in anywhere, so I tend to avoid large crowds, which is perhaps why messaging here appeals to me. If anyone does reach out, we could just stick to texting if we find common ground. If you happen to be somewhere in the Chicago area, we could potentially meet up if that works for you, but it isn't a requirement. Primarily, I just want to talk to someone similar, given that I literally have no one to talk to (when I say I'm on the Lonely Island, I mean it), so we can figure it out.
So, that's pretty much it; feel free to send any questions to my inbox.
To be honest, I expected this to be absolute garbage, but I suppose it might actually pass for decent. The cast is solid—perhaps even the first time seeing Jack Black and Kevin Hart without them being incredibly grating. While the plot feels pretty cliché, there’s a certain charm to it. I imagine gamers will pick up on all those old-school video game stereotypes they clearly threw in on purpose; it could have been more ambitious, but overall, it’s alright enough.
This just smells like a massive budget wasted on a total trash movie. As much as I enjoy seeing giant monsters on the big screen, I might have to think twice before actually paying to see this one. It looks even worse than the last King Kong, which honestly wasn't much to begin with.
I found it rather entertaining, though I suppose it falls short of the first one; still, there’s a certain charm to it that makes it worth watching. It feels to me like expectations were perhaps set too high, which might explain why the backlash has been so disproportionate, even if it could have certainly been better. If the first film earns an 8/10, I’d probably place this one somewhere between a 6 and a 7.
I suppose this movie works quite well if you approach it with the right mindset. You really have to view it as nothing more than a lighthearted action comedy meant for mindless snacking; taking it seriously would be a mistake, as it simply isn't built for that level of scrutiny. It might actually be more enjoyable if you treated it strictly as a parody, and I find myself wondering if they should have leaned even harder into that direction, which likely would have made it much funnier given how little weight the plot carries anyway. All things considered, it’s decent enough—the cast is great, the premise is a bit silly though functional, and while the humor is hit-or-miss, there were certainly moments that gave me a genuine laugh. It’s perfectly fine for just unwinding and killing some time.
Betty Nelson71 said:I didn't even finish it; I just hopped on Wikipedia to see if he actually found that lost city, and nope.☕ After all that nonsense he dragged himself through, he just dies on the road and takes his son down with him. Just wonderful. The guy was basically just a surveyor mapping out Bolivia. It would be like me heading out to the Rocky Mountains right now to write some pretentious blog about local flora and fauna or forest spirits.🤣 I told myself after watching Pacific Rim that I wouldn't touch another movie featuring this actor, yet here I am, having watched both this mess and El Dorado, which was arguably even worse.🥱
I’ve sat through maybe six or seven of his films, and honestly, whenever someone brings him up, my first thought is usually, "Wait, where was he in that one again?" I suppose he’s just entirely forgettable, for whatever reason.😁
I wonder if anyone here has actually sat down with the book the movie was based on? I found the film somewhat intriguing, though it felt a bit sluggish at times. Still, I suppose it might be worth picking up the novel if it’s truly compelling and someone thinks they could recommend it.
Carl Young5 said:I can't even begin to express how much I envy anyone who was in high school back in the early 2000s... I was there from about 2008 to 2012, and I don't even have to mention what kind of "music" was basically the anthem for almost my entire class... If bands like LP had been mainstream during my time, high school might have actually been something of a dream..
I suppose it isn't really a matter of it being specifically the early 2000s. Even then, I imagine ninety percent of people were listening to that same generic stuff. In my own class, maybe two other people besides me actually listened to LP. But it’s true that back then, absolutely everyone knew who they were and they were everywhere. Everyone knew the singles from those first three albums regardless of their usual taste. Eventually, that massive hype started to fade, and while many people stopped following them, those first three records built such a loyal fanbase that they were essentially bulletproof, no matter what direction they took. They seemed to realize they could use that leverage to experiment with every new album, which I guess resulted in both delighting and frustrating a huge portion of their fans 😁.
Do you think LP can actually move forward without Chester Bennington, and would any of us even want that to happen?
I suppose I am somewhat looking forward to this one.
But, isn't George Clooney's character supposed to have died in the first film 🤔? I guess they just decided to bring him back from the dead for some reason .
It wasn't exactly a disaster for me, I suppose; nothing truly spectacular happened, though I did find myself somewhat entertained. It feels quite a departure from the first film, which, if I recall correctly, leaned more toward being a crime thriller with a bit of action, whereas this one felt much more like Jason Bourne. It’s also a different beast entirely compared to the book, which was decent enough, I guess. It probably could have been better, I suppose, but I don't really find myself regretting the time spent; it’s perfectly fine enough to watch while you're just sitting there with some popcorn.
I found him rather charming, I suppose. A bit eccentric, but entertaining enough, though he seems geared more toward a younger demographic. That said, he might convince some Harry Potter fans to give his work a fair shake; while he certainly isn't outperforming Harry Potter, there seem to be enough parallels that it might appeal to that specific crowd.