Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Makes sense to me. :)

I was outside this morning, and I thought I'd sit on my porch with a cup of coffee, and listen to some C2C. The first half didn't count, as it was a health segment, but in the second half of the show, Michael Horn was on, talking about the prophecies of Billy Meijer, who supposedly was in contact with ETs.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Gracias everyone.

Since audio books do count, I highly recommend the LeVar Burton Reads podcast. He has read a few sci-fi/fantasy short stories one from Bradbury, one from Butler, and last week there was a cool story about a talking dog. They're all between 30-60 minutes each.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

It was decent. I was a bit disappointed in many events of the movie, but I did enjoy myself while watching it. The ending makes the next sequel look like it ought to be a different type of Jurassic movie.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I saw it a few days ago and had much the same reaction. I liked Jurassic World since we finally got to see the dinosaur amusement park completed (before all the screaming and killing). But Fallen Kingdom really didn't tell a story that needed to be told. MysterioMan007 is right in that the next one could be different (and hopefully worthwhile):

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I think we elected it president.

If you have Sorry to Bother You playing in your town, Go See It! It's a brilliant, savage AF takedown of corporate America and our obsessive need to find identity through buying and selling crap we don't need.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I’ve been working my way through the original Lion Force Voltron the past few days, off and on. Sci Fi cartoons are some of my favorite shows. Soon I’ll be up to the part when my favorite character, until Season 2 with Merla, joins. I’m referring to Lotor, as I am within a few episodes of the final Yurak episode.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

My weekend viewing plans got derailed. My son and his family have been in town, staying with us, this past week. They originally planned to leave this morning but he got in shortly after midnight from a one-day business trip he had to make and decided to stay another day and rest before the ~12 hr. drive home. I found that out this morning ~8 when I was thinking "Why hasn't he started to load the car?" That means I'll get little watched today and I had a full days worth of movies lined up. Oh well... I should get most of tomorrow.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

My local megaplex showed the trailer for this and I hoped that meant the theater would get the movie. Sadly that's not the case :( Sounds really good though. And while the trailer didn't make it clear, the movie is listed as science fiction.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Thanks, sequels tend never to be as good as the original, but I am hoping for an entertaining flick.

Finally made it home, and am now watching an old favorite, "Return of the Killer Tomatoes." So bad it's good! And really, how can you go wrong with John Astin and George Clooney? I'm also introducing it to my niece who seems to be enjoying it so far...

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I was looking for something for my Challenge this morning, so I decided on an episode of Coast To Coast AM , from July 1. I had already listened to the second guest of that episode for this Challenge, so I wanted to listen to the first guest, Dawson Church. He talked about how mind creates matter, and an example is how if you are sick and you will yourself well, you will be healed.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

If anyone has either HBO Go or HBO Now, I noticed that last night's movie premiere at 8:00 was Justice League. Haven''t watched it yet myself, so I don't know how the movie is, but might be an interesting view if you are looking for a superhero movie.

Along the same lines, I see Amazon Prime has the new Power Rangers movie. Been meaning to check that out, but kind of hard bringing myself to watch it, being a reboot of a show I loved.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

FTV if I am watching the Donner cut of Superman 2 if I have only seen the theatrical?

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Shadow kitty, Justice League is fantastic. I would definitely try and watch it this month.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Saturday night I started Flash Gordon (2007) - the single season (for a reason) Sci-Fi Channel series and by Sunday afternoon had watched the first 5 episodes (one was the 2-part pilot). I don't quite know what to make of this one. It has some cheesiness - but I don't think it's intentional. It's full of fairly bad dialog, not so good scripts, no-name actors, several of which are woefully miscast, who are mostly not up to the limited demands of the scripts, and a *constant* soundtrack which I find very distracting. That made me consider that this seems to be the norm for most "serious" series these days. There's no silence - ever. Often the music does not fit the screen action or just serves to accentuate how bad the dialog actually is as it's attempting to add gravitas to a poorly acted/written scene that wants to come off as serious but isn't. I'll watch it all simply because that's what I do but I doubt I'll ever revisit this series.

I also watched a few BR upgrades:

Lost in Space, the ill-advised movie based on the TV series. Every time I watch it I think maybe I'll like it better but don't.

Red Planet, a somewhat maligned film that I enjoy.

Galaxy Quest, perhaps the best SF parody film ever made. Pure magic and tons of fun. Were I not of the opinion it'd be a pale imitation I'd love to see a sequel.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

thanks for the recommendation

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I came to this one late and while I don't love it, I think it's a fun watch. It'd be hard to do the sequel without Alan Rickman!

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I didn't like Justice League, but we all have different opinions. :)

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I agree with yours, but I would give it a chance if you like the DC heroes.

Got through a Harry Potter marathon, which seemed to take forever, but now I miss those characters.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

OK... so... I also have Wonder Woman, which I've not seen. Should I watch it before or after Justice League. I know JL came 2nd and her movie sets up the character so I guess the real question is are there spoilers for the WW movie in JL?

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I don't recall any spoilers, but I'd watch WW first.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I like DC heroes, but generally do not care for most of the DC films after Tim Burton's Batman Returns (no - I do not like Nolan's Batman series - any of them). I actually enjoyed Batman vs. Superman, but have only seen the extended version. Mind you, it wasn't "great" but simply good enough that I'd consider a 2nd viewing. Something I can't say about most of the post Burton DC universe films.
The first time I saw The Sorcerer's Stone I laughed at the CGI and thought it was pretty silly. They grew on me over time and I now really enjoy the series. I still think the CGI on the earlier ones, especially the first, is not well done but have become far more forgiving.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I've been enjoying having my niece here this week. She's been watching films with me every night and it's nice to share them with her.

Today we went to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. I went into it knowing it's a summer blockbuster/dino movie and was not disappointed. It was very action packed. Full of explosions and dino attacks. I'd give it a 7 out of 10, will watch again. It did totally set up for a sequel which I'm sure will be out in a summer or two. As long as Chris Pratt is in it, I'm sure I'll go watch it too.

Going to spoilers here:



I do agree that this isn't going to be the next classic, but if you're looking for an action packed film with dinosaurs and exploding volcanoes, this is for you!

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I used to be a bigger DC fan than Marvel, but the movies over the years have converted me as I don't really read comics. Marvel has done a great job of setting up the characters and then expanding the universe while DC just threw a bunch of crap at you and waited to see what would stick...which seems to only be Wonder Woman at this point. I did, however, love the Nolan trilogy.

I had the same reaction after watching the Sorceror's Stone the first time. I actually pretty much hated everything about the movie, but I was convinced to give Chamber of Secrets a chance when it came out and ended up enjoying it, so I gave SS another chance. It's grown on me since then as well and the series as a whole is one of my favorites.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I hadn't read Sorcerer's Stone when it came out, and it felt clunky and way too careful to follow the book. Then the second one didn't have enough Hermione for me. But the third one might still be my favorite, and I really enjoy the series overall. I rewatch it every few years.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite, too. It had a little bit of everything in it.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I’m always a sucker for a good story.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Just saw A Quiet Place, it was really good. An intense ball of stress.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I watched Wonder Woman last night. IMHO it's the best DC movie in decades - since Burton's Batman Returns. While I have a few minor quibbles about the rewritten origin/history of the character it's not enough to matter all that much. I just wish they'd stop changing continuity and/or character origins/history for no good reason! It was such a good film that I'm somewhat excited to watch Justice League but all the "bad" press has me a bit worried...

DC vs. Marvel:

I, too, didn't read Marvel comics much and am far more a DC fan. After watching several of the X-Men films I grew to really enjoy the universe that Marvel's building and mostly look forward to any new chapter in the franchise. About the only ones I've not cared for at all are the Hulk films. But I'm also feeling a bit shop worn with all the superhero movies. For me, they've just about hit the saturation point where I'll no longer care unless it's a truly exceptional film. But, oddly enough, DC rules the small screen where I enjoy several of their current series. I have yet to see a series based on Marvel characters that I want to watch. I also wait a couple of years after a series starts and then sample a few episodes before purchasing those that are appealing on disc. No "live TV" on my set - it's not connected to cable or internet and gets disc only viewings.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

If anyone has an Xbox, this might be of interest. As part of the Anime month sale, this week, Xbox is giving away Season 1 of Naruto Shipuden for free. I believe every week will be a different anime season. Because last week Season 1 of Dragon Ball Super was given away for free.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Wonder Woman is the only DCEU movie that I've enjoyed.

It's bizarre about the TV side of things, because Agents of SHIELD and Daredevil's early stuff was pretty good, but Claok & Dagger, The Runaways, Luke Cage, etc. haven't been more than mediocre for me. On the DC side, Smallville was one of my favorites during its run. Arrow started off spectaular for the first couple of seasons and has become unwatchable to me now. I still like The Flash for the most part and Legends of Tomorrow has improved a great deal since it started, but Marvel's movies just blow away DC, although I agree we haven't had a good Hulk film.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Class of 1999 was wildly entertaining. Teacher Cyborgs vs High School Thugs. Stacey Keach and Pam Grier are at their cheesy best.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I just found out that Commander USA (Jim Hendricks) died March 17, 2018.

A lot of his shows are on YouTube so I'm gonna watch a few today.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I am going to go with yes. Also I know I am a few years late on the subject but man Theatrical > Donner Cut in a big way!

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I know it's not a good movie, but I just finished one of my favorite movies, Alien vs Predator. Call it kind of a guilty pleasure. I love the Alien movies, having the first four original ones on DVD. I also love the Predator movies, so when I first heard about a movie starring both, I was very happy.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Let's be honest, most sci-fi/fantasy movies are a guilty pleasure! Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of quality ones, but so many fall into that guilty pleasure realm...

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

And there's no accounting for taste. I'm incredibly hard on "new" (essentially anything made after Kubrick's 2001) SF/Fantasy films, often rating them several stars lower than what's on IMDB, but will typically rate the "B" movies from the 50s/60s higher-than-average.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

That's very true! I tend to like random movies and hate ones really beloved by everyone else. Heck, half the time I don't know when I'm going to like or hate something.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

B-Movies are some of my favorite movies. Especially when they are sci-fi or fantasy.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Last night I watched Colossal on a first time viewing. It was a blind buy based on good reviews and I was expecting a rip-roaring good time. Whatever those folks saw it wasn't in the movie I watched. I was expecting a comedy/sf/horror type film and got a rather bland film about nothing. It wasn't funny, scary, and had little sci-fi on display (mostly the "monster"). Was it supposed to be a waking dream? A projection of self? Maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind - I *had* just finished Blade Runner: The Final Cut, a film I love. I really can't quite put it into words other than I didn't like it and won't watch it again.

Re: 11th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

You went into Colossal with exactly the worst expectations. Though I don't think it's fair to say that it was a movie about nothing just because you didn't like it (or it didn't give you the kind of movie you were expecting). There's some good discussion of the movie in its own thread here. However, I clearly see how this isn't a movie for everyone (and for every person that loves there's at least one, if not more, that hate it).

Anyone else the Netflix movie Psychokinesis? It's my the director of Train to Busan. Very different kind of movie though, being a superhero comedy about a middle age schlub who gets powers after drinking water contaminated from a meteor. Nowhere near as good as Busan, and not particularly original, but I enjoyed it for some light weight entertainment.