Actually, shapeshifting or shape-changing should probably be in the list of sub-genres, if they aren't already.

Must just be me, then! Prior to giving it much thought, I would never have thought that say, Bambi and Dumbo, were "fantasy" films... but now that I muse on it, I suppose there's nothing else they really could be.

How odd to think that there's a level of parity between Highlander and The Rescuers...

About to watch:

Teknolust is very odd. But surprisingly good, if mildly confusing. Tilda Swinton did a great job of playing four necessarily similar, but also fairly-different characters. I quite enjoyed it.

Millennium with Cheyl Ladd has a clever central conceit: the dead will not be missed, so future visitors could save them in their final minutes and no one would be any the wiser. Unless something complicates a rescue, in which case you have a plot and a film. Future Ladd's outfit (and hair) is a particular(ly 80s) highlight!

Thor, on a second viewing, really stands up there with some of the best films based on a comics character. I can't specifically comment on how good the translation is, because Thor is not one of 'my' characters. It seems faithful enough, but... Chris Hemsworth is excellent. Loki is, perhaps, underwhelming, but it seems as if it fits with the mythical character, if perhaps not with the feared Marvel villain. The rest of the supporting cast (Natalie Portman! Anthony Hopkins! Idris Elba!) do a great job. But it's all on Hemsworth, and he looks the part, acts the part, and has just the right amount of swagger and noise to hold it all together brilliantly. Plus, the funny moments and asides are really well done. Even Stan Lee's cameo made me chuckle this time around. I really enjoyed it the first time - but even so, this time it's gone up in my estimation considerably.

The DC Animated Wonder Woman is really well done - but I'm baffled at who it's being aimed at. It's very violent, with beheadings aplenty; it's got (very mild) swearing and slightly lewd jokes, etc. Wonder Woman is perhaps the biggest character not to have had a proper movie made. And this offering may go some way towards explaining why: it's going to be very difficult to make her relateable and likeable while retaining the strength of her character, and the feminism inherent in the Amazon myth. The contest (and Steve Trevor's plane crash) took up much of the runtime - rightly so - but that meant that the actual plot was a little brief and haphazard. Which will also probably be difficult to translate to film. And the whole 'honoring the country we're sending you to by using their flag as a model for your costume' sounds just as daft on screen as it did on the page. A very strong film, this.

However, it's easily eclipsed by Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, which is almost perfect as a story and a film. It has drama, humour and very good depictions of the characters of the JLA - particularly Batman. The Flash seemed a little Wally-y to me (I presume it's meant to be Barry Allen), and the merging of Morrison's Earth 2 with the Gardner Fox-penned original tales of the multiverse was well handled. There's no attempt to apologise for including analogues of fairly minor characters, and it's a great game for the fans to spot who and what is loitering in the background. If all the DCU films are as good as this - or even close - I'll be buying them all from now on. Even if some are free to stream at Amazon.

The Firefly pilot was great. Episode 2... not. Funnily enough, Wikipedia (and Amazon's air dates) says that #2 was specially created to serve as a new pilot because Fox didn't like the real one. It was almost painful - the dialogue is poor, the plot is thin, and it's redeemed only by Reynolds' action at the end of the episode towards the Big Villain's henchman. Which was hilarious.

7 Days goes from strength-to-strength. It may possibly be a little daring to only have two episodes under their belt before a) jumping right into a time loop and b) basically featuring a non-plot in order to allow a modicum of character development. Episode #4 is excellent. Parker's frustration and annoyance as the same tedious and pointless events unfold for the third time is very believable, and the annoying nature of the friend is either very well cast or very well acted (or both). The twist is hardly novel, but is certainly a clever paradox-baiting element: "Wish us luck". I only remember small bits of the episodes I've seen before - with this exception, for good reason. It's a great episode, with many small - and large - moments of humour. Plus a fairly heartfelt not-quite-closing speech and line - "I decided this one time to keep my mouth shut."

Wow, talking about racial undertones

Watched Cool World from 1992. Not much to say. I can see why it only has a 4.5 on imdb. Kim Basinger is about the only reason to watch it (she looks fantastic in real life AND cartoon). But even then I can't imagine ever watching it twice. Early appearance for Brad Pitt though.

Also finished Firefly today. As I think is the result for most people it left me wanting more! In fact, even though they are screening Serenity at the theater here in August, I don't think I can wait for it and will likely cave and watch the blu-ray in a day or two. I'll still go see it in August though. Someone want to talk me into waiting?

Meh, needs shirtless, oiled muscle guys to be good sword and sorcery. Mmm, Steve Reeves.

I don't either. Think Red Sonya when it comes to female swords and sorcery.

Hmmm... do I detect a bit of sour grapes there?

Couldn't help it... I was a bit excited with the find... After all it was only $3!

Of course, you could always get a copy from Amazon for ~$5 (depending on seller).

Was in the mood for some outer space westerns, so I decided on a classic from my childhood, Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs. That show still holds up remarkably well, and imo, much better than the one episode of Galaxy Rangers I once watched on Hulu.

Keeping track of unused lists, I believe the only one left is Trevor.

Wonder Woman was somewhat early in the DCU run, and they were actively branding it as a PG-13 series, so that's probably why they were trying to include the spicier elements. By all accounts, the WW movie was well reviewed but sold very poorly, which didn't help the prospects of a live-action movie.

Having watched Serenity many, many times, I say go ahead and watch it now, then go to the screening in August.

After being out of town and unable to watch much the past few days I took a couple of days off to help make up for the lack of viewing. I started back by picking up where I left off last year with the MC "Sci-Fi Invasion" set.

If you've never seen Star Knight, starring Klaus Kinski, Harvey Keitel, and Fernando Rey, you should. OK... maybe not unless you like bad SF/Fantasy films of this type. It's not a great movie and is really not all that "good". I want to say I found it quite amusing in a Monty Python sort of way but don't want to insult the Pythons. Many of the scenes felt like they were poorly lifted from MP&THG, especially those with the Green Knight. It's sad to say that the humor was so bad it kept my interest in spite of the lengthy sections of boring dialog. The romance between the princess and spaceman is more cheesy than anything Lucas has put to film. It really feels like they were shooting some type of rom/com/fantasy and tacked on the SF elements for good measure. Both Keitel and Kinski are woefully miscast although it *is* a bit humorous to see Keitel in a Medieval setting... at least for a few minutes. Kinski actually plays a decent guy in this one, against the type roles for which he is known, but his looks just don't fit the character. I got the impression they were there only for a paycheck and hoping no one would ever see the film. Being a Italian produced film all the dialog is dubbed (in that badly done after-the-fact manner - the type that sounds like actors reading the script in a sound booth) but the film looks to have been shot in English as the lip sync is "correct" much of the time. I don't know if this one ever received the MST3K treatment but it's a very good candidate.

I'll re-add my unused list later today when I get a chance (not that anyone seemed to notice I was missing... ). After a week or so to myself, I've finished reading all the Ian Fleming Bond books, so I'll probably start watching Challenge-y stuff tonight or tomorrow.

While looking through the list thread, I noticed that this is the year of Buck Rogers. I've been working my way through season one and am enjoying it in all its cheesiness! I love the aesthetics of 70s and 80s science fiction. Their conception of the future is always so much more colorful than modern sci-fi. Now, it seems that sci-fi writers and designers see us living in an Apple store.

I noticed you were missing, and always hoped you would return. I still felt bad you left.

That reminds me. I now have the Buck Rogers serial from 1939 and need to watch it.

Might just crack my box open as well.

I might just watch some on Netflix.

the 'Vegas in Space' episode is hysterical in the over the top garish costumes, I swear the whole look of the Casino scenes could have easily morphed into a Bob Guccione x-rated fiasco (think 'Caligula'... in space).

I put that on my Amazon wish list and hope someone decides to get it for me for my birthday

Thanks, but there's no need for you to feel bad. I enjoyed the time off. I was able to read several books I've wanted to read for a long time. Usually when I drop out of a challenge for a week or two, I don't accomplish anything.

I watched that one during the 2008 Challenge. Maybe I'll watch one of the many serials I have sitting around here unwatched...

Thanks for the reminder! I picked that one up a couple of years ago during the MYO Challenge where I'd chosen "Movie Serials" as my theme and didn't get to it that month. I still haven't watched it! Since it would come from my unopened pile *and* fulfill a checklist item or two I may finally watch it this month. I like to keep a TV series or two on deck for those times when I have a half hour or so and couldn't squeeze in a full movie. Serials are great for that and are tailor made for sporadic viewing.