12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
#151
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Finished the last two films in the Invisible Man series. The first one was pretty farcical, Invisible Agent. It didn't know if it was a horror/mystery film or a comedy. Peter Lorre was in it very recognizably. It was, however, better than the next one, The Invisible Man's Revenge. This one made no sense. It was the worst of the five. Overall, it was watchable, but I doubt I'd ever want to watch it again where I would watch The Invisible Woman again.
Did you spot Keye Luke? (I tried switching to the "enhanced editor" to embed the image but it broke... badly... - and I can't get any editor to display the photo using the IMDB link so it's on his name)
I'd absolutely put Revenge at the bottom of the group. No true hero, sub-par visual effects, just another run-of-the-mill story with invisibility thrown in for box office appeal.
Last edited by BobO'Link; 07-22-19 at 10:58 AM.
#152
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
It's more comedy... but not all that good. I've always felt Lorre and Cedric Hardwicke are present mainly to add more box office draw. The movie *does* benefit from their presence. Otherwise it's a rather stock WWII story with the Invisible Man grafted on because that's what everyone was doing (the WWII connection bit that is) in those years.
Did you spot Keye Luke? (I tried switching to the "enhanced editor" to embed the image but it broke... badly... - and I can't get any editor to display the photo using the IMDB link so it's on his name)
I'd absolutely put Revenge at the bottom of the group. No true hero, sub-par visual effects, just another run-of-the-mill story with invisibility thrown in for box office appeal.
Did you spot Keye Luke? (I tried switching to the "enhanced editor" to embed the image but it broke... badly... - and I can't get any editor to display the photo using the IMDB link so it's on his name)
I'd absolutely put Revenge at the bottom of the group. No true hero, sub-par visual effects, just another run-of-the-mill story with invisibility thrown in for box office appeal.
#153
Senior Member
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Revisited Ghosts of Mars. The Indicator Blu Ray is nice and the film has some entertaining moments, but I have to ask the question, "was this just a paycheck film for Carpenter?". Sure felt that way. If the director's name was left off the credits i would be hard pressed to identify this as a Carpenter film.
#154
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Revisited Ghosts of Mars. The Indicator Blu Ray is nice and the film has some entertaining moments, but I have to ask the question, "was this just a paycheck film for Carpenter?". Sure felt that way. If the director's name was left off the credits i would be hard pressed to identify this as a Carpenter film.
#155
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Yes. I prefer to think of it as Carpenter's Rio Lobo (1970) to his El Dorado (1966) (Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)), though that may still be giving both movies and Carpenter too much credit.
#156
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
After Captain Marvel was cancelled due to ground conditions, I decided to use my tablet to watch some sci fi. I have Sling TV, so that helps. Yesterday on Starz, I caught Spider Man: Homecoming . It was passable, but I think I prefer Tobey Maguire. Just now I finished the remake of Flatliners , on Encore. It was decent, and almost on par witri, which in my mind would be high praise for a remake. the ot
#157
Senior Member
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Thoughts for next year's challenge:
Actors to Add:
Dwayne Johnson (16 titles)
Josh Hutcherson (10 titles)
Actors to Add:
Dwayne Johnson (16 titles)
Josh Hutcherson (10 titles)
#158
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Anyone else think of actors/directors/changes to add?
#159
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
300: Rise of an Empire (2014), Zach Snyder's followup to his 2006 300 feels like more of the same with a script and story in need of work. I liked 300 but felt it needed less of the slow-mo battle sequences. Well... they're back with a vengeance in the sort-of sequel. It's visually interesting, frequently looking like a comic come to life, but suffers from a story that's just a bit too much comic come to life. It was OK but not something I see myself revisiting as much as anything because I've never rewatched 300.
Tonight I finally opened and watched the "Director's Cut" of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A Spielberg SF outing from 1977 that I've always found to be a rather overblown, turgid, affair with a wholly unsatisfying ending. I didn't care for the movie when it came out and still do not. The "Director's Cut" does nothing to change my opinion of the movie. It's one of the "SF" movies Spielberg's done that has convinced me he needs to be kept away from the genre and stick to what he truly does best - biographical/historical drama and Indiana Jones movies. SF is not his forte.
Tonight I finally opened and watched the "Director's Cut" of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A Spielberg SF outing from 1977 that I've always found to be a rather overblown, turgid, affair with a wholly unsatisfying ending. I didn't care for the movie when it came out and still do not. The "Director's Cut" does nothing to change my opinion of the movie. It's one of the "SF" movies Spielberg's done that has convinced me he needs to be kept away from the genre and stick to what he truly does best - biographical/historical drama and Indiana Jones movies. SF is not his forte.
#160
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Was going through my movies, trying to figure out what to watch (still going back and forth between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Fellowship of the Ring) and saw my collection of Avengers movies. I'm thinking next year, we should add watch a "superhero movie" to the subgenre list. Yeas or nays?
#161
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Was going through my movies, trying to figure out what to watch (still going back and forth between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Fellowship of the Ring) and saw my collection of Avengers movies. I'm thinking next year, we should add watch a "superhero movie" to the subgenre list. Yeas or nays?
"Watch a superhero movie" - Sure - Probably should have been included long ago as those seem to be the summer "tent pole" movies these days. I know I have over a dozen just waiting for my attention (mostly BR upgrades but there're a few I've never seen before) and likely won't get to any of them this year (partly due to wanting to watch them with my grandson who's been quite busy this summer).
#162
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Tough choice... I have new BRs of the LOTR and Hobbit extended trilogies that keep calling my name... It's been very hard to devote the two full days needed for them this year.
"Watch a superhero movie" - Sure - Probably should have been included long ago as those seem to be the summer "tent pole" movies these days. I know I have over a dozen just waiting for my attention (mostly BR upgrades but there're a few I've never seen before) and likely won't get to any of them this year (partly due to wanting to watch them with my grandson who's been quite busy this summer).
"Watch a superhero movie" - Sure - Probably should have been included long ago as those seem to be the summer "tent pole" movies these days. I know I have over a dozen just waiting for my attention (mostly BR upgrades but there're a few I've never seen before) and likely won't get to any of them this year (partly due to wanting to watch them with my grandson who's been quite busy this summer).
There are so many and if you combine them with the superhero movies pre-Marvel, I think there are more than enough for people not to be stuck watching one or two films over and over.
#163
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
I went with Raiders. It was shorter than the extended version of Fellowship. Depending on time, I may try to fit in the next 3, but I do want to try to fit the LOTRs in too. Decisions, decisions!
There are so many and if you combine them with the superhero movies pre-Marvel, I think there are more than enough for people not to be stuck watching one or two films over and over.
There are so many and if you combine them with the superhero movies pre-Marvel, I think there are more than enough for people not to be stuck watching one or two films over and over.
#164
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Both Rutger Hauer and David Hedison have passed. I'll be pluging in Split Second (1992) and The Lost World (1960) tomorrow.
#165
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
I did a quick search on IMDB with "Feature Film - Science Fiction - Superhero (key word)" and came up with 387(!) titles. Wow! I'd have never guessed there were that many. I tend to think only of the "big" ones - Superman, Batman, Marvel Universe (and those only in the past ~15 years), and a handful of others. Until I did that search I was thinking there'd be 50 or so and felt that might be generous. Looking at that search's results it seems Marvel movies make up the majority of the top 50. That's just insane!
#166
Moderator
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
It's interesting, how I never realized there are some slight similarities between 'Field of Dreams' and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' - finally hooked up a new 4K player to my 4K TV and have gotten into a swing of rewatching and buying more in the format, saw the steelbook for 'Dreams' the other day at Best Buy and said, aw what the heck ... haven't seen this movie in years, and rewatching it made me appreciate it even more.
#167
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Yeah... I saw that too and wondered just how they, and some others, have "superhero" as a tag/keyword. That list also includes a number of movies that are supposedly being released in 2020. It'll need some tweaking to be useful next year but still returns a surprising number of truly qualifying titles.
#169
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
I’ll be able to have more time for the Challenge starting tomorrow night as I will be home. Might do some animated sci fi to get psyched for the animation challenge.
#170
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
I watched Logan last night with my grandson. We both felt it was kind of "meh" and generally like the previous Wolverine movies better. To us it felt like a bunch of action sequences strung together with a very loose script. A "road movie" without much road. What did we miss that others see to make this one rank higher than the other Wolverine efforts?
We both felt like there was a build-up movie we'd missed but looking it up find that was not the case. It needed one...
We both felt like there was a build-up movie we'd missed but looking it up find that was not the case. It needed one...
#171
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
I watched Logan last night with my grandson. We both felt it was kind of "meh" and generally like the previous Wolverine movies better. To us it felt like a bunch of action sequences strung together with a very loose script. A "road movie" without much road. What did we miss that others see to make this one rank higher than the other Wolverine efforts?
We both felt like there was a build-up movie we'd missed but looking it up find that was not the case. It needed one...
We both felt like there was a build-up movie we'd missed but looking it up find that was not the case. It needed one...
#172
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Head's up. The Boys starts streaming on Prime today. If you like your superheroes with a dash of gore and buckets of blood, check it out.
#173
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
November is so far my favorite first-time viewing movie of the month. Though I imagine it's not a movie many have heard of (let alone seen). The stark B&W cinematography is striking and really contributes to the atmosphere. 19th century Estonian folklore is such a foreign thing to me, and I love movies that expose me to something new. It's arty for sure, but the underlying story wasn't difficult to follow. And the movie was constantly filled with weird and surreal things (like werewolves, ghosts, deals with the devil, witches, talking snowmen, giant chickens, and a cow-stealing flying robot) that my interest never wavered. I also liked that the movie wasn't afraid to lighten up and have a laugh at things.
#174
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
November is so far my favorite first-time viewing movie of the month. Though I imagine it's not a movie many have heard of (let alone seen). The stark B&W cinematography is striking and really contributes to the atmosphere. 19th century Estonian folklore is such a foreign thing to me, and I love movies that expose me to something new. It's arty for sure, but the underlying story wasn't difficult to follow. And the movie was constantly filled with weird and surreal things (like werewolves, ghosts, deals with the devil, witches, talking snowmen, giant chickens, and a cow-stealing flying robot) that my interest never wavered. I also liked that the movie wasn't afraid to lighten up and have a laugh at things.
#175
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: 12th Annual Sci-Fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
Last night, I started watching Return of the King. Of the three LOTR movies, it's my favorite. I did have to split it into two viewings, but it didn't suffer for the break.
I also decided to watch Star Trek Into Darkness. It's been about 5 years since I watched it last and am enjoying it. I think it really gets a bad rap. I know that when it first was released, I thought of it as more of a homage than a remake.
The challenge is quickly coming to a close! Anyone running out of shows to watch? Or more likely, too many to watch? Don't forget the last day you do get double credit with the animation challenge!
I also decided to watch Star Trek Into Darkness. It's been about 5 years since I watched it last and am enjoying it. I think it really gets a bad rap. I know that when it first was released, I thought of it as more of a homage than a remake.
The challenge is quickly coming to a close! Anyone running out of shows to watch? Or more likely, too many to watch? Don't forget the last day you do get double credit with the animation challenge!