LorenzoL

I have been a little busy with real life and spending time with my new subscription of the Criterion Channel.

I was able to watch Nausicaa and Porco Rosso this morning. Both were first time viewing. I woke up early as I’m battling a cold so decided to get back to the challenge.
I loved both movies for different reasons. I feel like Miyazaki hit a homerun with Nausicaa. Strong female character, environmental theme, action and humour.

Porco Rosso might be my second favorite Miyazaki movie after Totoro. Love everything about this movie except the ambiguous ending.

LJG765

So, I started a movie yesterday and got twenty minutes into it. I ended up turning it off because I just couldn't focus on it. I wasn't enjoying it. It wasn't horrible, but even though the type of movie is one I enjoy (it was Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse and I do usually like superhero flicks), I just haven't been able to get into it. I tried motivating myself to turn it on today and finish it, but ended up reading a book and a half instead of watching anything. I would like to finish it as I hate to leave unfinished movies and it'd complete a list I'm working on over at icheckmovies.com. I probably will force myself to finish some time this week, but what do you guys do? Do you just give in and leave a movie unfinished? Force yourself to get through it? Skip around/ahead to "good" parts? I'm curious to see how others handle this!

wishbone

Which language did you watch it in? French dub with Jean Reno as Porco Rosso is très bon.

LorenzoL

I watched it with the Japanese language track. I was tempted to try the English track with Michael Keaton.

BobO'Link

If I'm just not getting into a movie I eject it and try later. I usually leave it sitting beside my set so I'll notice it every time I put something else into the player. I had Roger Corman's Forbidden World there for months before I finally put it back in and watched it from start to finish.

BobO'Link

This weekend I watched Mr. Peabody and Sherman, a movie I'd seen before but really didn't much care for. I greatly prefer the shorts in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle to this overblown movie. This repeat viewing didn't change my opinion any which means it'll only be watched again if one of the grandkids ask (likely the 8yo as she liked it the first time - her sister - 12yo - is a huge R&B fan and didn't care for it either).

After that was Minions, another I was kind of "meh" about the first time. I can't say it was that much better this time around although I did enjoy it and got a few chuckles. I prefer the main movies and feel these guys are better suited for shorts. In spite of that I didn't bother watching the "bonus disc" with 3 shorts included in the package. Maybe later...

After those I watched Zootopia, not really expecting to like it. However, it was quite enjoyable, although somewhat predictable and I was getting tired of the almost constant "inclusiveness" message by the end (while it was truly well done I felt it was borderline intrusive although kids aren't going to "get" this like an adult would). Visually it's excellent. I'd watch it again and likely will as my grandkids said "It's really good."

LorenzoL

I just stop watching and don’t return until next year challenge.

shadokitty

LJG765

Well, I'd likely never pick it up again and especially as this is a digital film, I doubt I'd have remembered to go back to it.

I was tempted to do this...but in the end, I decided to give it another 15 minutes and it finally got to the point where it was interesting and watchable for me. I did kind of zone out a lot of the first 15-20 minutes (30-40 including what I watched the other day) but once the action picked up and there was some real emotions from the other characters coming in, I...well, wouldn't say enjoyed it, but picked up interest in the film and was able to finish it. I'm not sure I see why so many people I know were raving about it, but it did pick up and am glad I finished it. It was a struggle to start it again, though!

BobO'Link

Ahhh.... totally different animal... I've done that with a few digital titles and only discover I'd never finished at random times when looking for something for a challenge.

I have several series I've been watching on Amazon but if I don't binge them I tend to forget they're there. I know for sure there are 2 I'm "watching" at the present time but haven't seen an episode in over a month. I have dozens of digital movies I've purchased with "Slow shipping credits" that I've never watched because I forget about them.

There are people who'll think this odd but I find streaming more of a hassle than just putting in a disc to watch, especially if it's a series I'm watching sporadically. Add the absolutely horrible menu systems and it's a major turn off for me.

LJG765

For me, streaming is a backup. I'm tired and lazy and don't want to get up and find a disc? I flip to Vudu/Prime and see what catches my eye. I'm traveling and have a yen to watch something? Pull up a digital movie. It's def. not a go to place for me. But, until Vudu killed their groups, the group I was in had tons of films I wanted to watch but would never buy/rent on my own so it's great for spur of the moment decisions. Luckily when they killed the program last month, you kept the films you already had access to, just no new ones will be added from the other group members. That still leaves me with quite a selection plus whatever I'll add in the future.

I totally agree about horrible menu systems! Vudu is impossible. Why is it so hard to put in a search field? If I'm trying to find a movie that I know the name of, I have to scroll through literally hundreds of movies to reach it if it starts with a "T" or 'Z"! Also, the things you CAN search for are less if you watch through Roku rather than their webpage online. Dumb dumb dumb!

Anyway, I received two of the 4 films I bought from DMR earlier this month. Bambi II and Walt Disney Short Films Collection. Watched the short films yesterday and they were fun to watch. I liked the short intros to all of them explaining how/why they were made, though wouldn't have minded more info. The set itself is bare bones, no extras other than the short intros (and by short, I mean 40-60 seconds each). There was plenty of space on the disc but nada. I figure I have most of the shorts on other discs except maybe one or two, but it is nice having them all in one spot. If you're not a Disney collector like I am, it'd be a good investment if you're looking for shorts as there are two Oscar winning ones on there plus more that were nominated, if I'm remembering correctly.

One of my favorite Goofy shorts, "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" is on there. Whenever I putz with all the cords behind my tv, I think about it! There's also a Tangled short along with a Frozen one. Mickey's "Get a Horse!" is there too, so definitely a wide selection to choose from.

Will likely pop Bambi II in, but thinking I should watch the original first since it's been a while...

shadokitty

BobO'Link

Bambi... I never saw it as a kid. About 15 years ago I was in Hastings while they were having a B1G1 sale and they happened to have a copy. I purchased it with something else (don't remember what) and watched it for the first time. I didn't care for it and haven't watched it since. Even though it's been on the shelf with the other Disney titles none of the grandkids have ever asked to watch it (thank you!).

LJG765

Yeah, Bambi the original is not one of my favorite Disney ones, but I do like some of the music ("April Showers") and well, it has a pretty iconic scene in it with his mom. It does tug on my heart strings when that occurs! Though the sequel does not have near the emotional gravitas as the original.

As much as I enjoy Disney animated films, the first 5-8 of them probably rank in my bottom 20. Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi, Snow White, Saludos Amigos, Fantasia... I appreciate all of them, but they aren't ones I go back to over and over and over again. Robin Hood, Sword in Stone, Little Mermaid...and a ton more, sure, but not the first ones. They seem a little darker, I think, or maybe just simply when I was a kid and getting addicted to films, these weren't the ones I saw or had access to. Though, Snow White is the first film I remember going to see in the theater in the early 80s.

I watched The Red Turtle tonight. I thought it was good, but sad in parts. A little predictable, even. Music was nice. Did not get tired of it and considering there is no talking/dialog, the music is all you hear along with vocalizations of what is going on on the screen. If you're a Studio Ghibli fan, you may want to watch, though the animation style is a lot plainer, toned down color wise than you'd be expecting.

BobO'Link

Of those early Disney efforts I pretty much like Snow White and will watch Pinocchio on occasion but don't care for the others. While I really like the music in Fantasia I've never been a fan of "music videos" or cartoons that are all singing/dancing affairs. I purchased Fantasia on VHS because I'd never seen it before and have watched it once. I liked the orchestrations so much, especially the orchestration of Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor, I purchased the soundtrack CD and listen to that rather than watch the movie.

My Disney animated favorites are Snow White, Cinderella, The Jungle Book, Sword in the Stone, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and The Black Cauldron.

shadokitty

coyoteblue

Found a Thunderbolt Fantasy teaser for either the next season or next movie; not sure which. Whichever it is will be on 10/25/2019.

coyoteblue

FYI the Dark Crystal (1982) prequel, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, started streaming on Netflix today.

Oops, I let my enthusiasm get ahead of me. Age of Resistance starts next Friday.

coyoteblue

I found more info about the Thunderbolt Fantasy teaser. It's for a prequel movie, Thunderbolt Fantasy: Seiyuu Genka ("Western Ballad"). I knew the guy with the lute looked familiar.

If the timing is anything like the spacing between Thunderbolt Fantasy: The Sword of Life and Death (2017) and the second season, it might be nearly year before we see season 3.

LJG765

I appreciate Fantasia but it's not in my top 10 Disney either. The Sorcerer Mickey bit is pretty iconic, but it definitely gets dark in places. I totally agree about Alice in Wonderland being up there! The Black Cauldron isn't one of my favorites either. Didn't get a chance to watch it until I was in my late teens, early 20s and at that point, I had read the full book series and it just didn't catch my interest that much because of all the changes.

You'll have to let us know that turned out! I don't have Netflix so I doubt I'll be watching it soon but it did catch my eye. I was always a Labyrinth fan, Dark Crystal was a distant second to me, though as I've gotten older, I appreciate it more. It'll be nice to see how they want to set up the movie with the prequel.

Got a few movies in from the library yesterday. Not sure where to start, tbh. The Breadwinner looks like it'll be a sad one, Boy & the World looks like it might be as well and Mirai, well, not sure about how this one will be. The cover totally looks like the one from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Just took a look and it looks like the same director made those two movies along with Summer Wars and Wolf Children. I enjoyed the 3 of them, so hopefully this one holds up too even if the cover could have been more original!

LJG765

Travis, in the Criterion thread, found these animated features that will be eligible for double credit: FEATURES
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
The Plague Dogs
The Triplets of Belleville

SHORTS
Asparagus
Begone Dull Care
Bluebeard
Coda
Edmond Was a Donkey
Hunger
Logorama
Madame Tutli-Putli
Monkey Love Experiments
Solar Walk
Yearbook
Yours Faithfully, Edna Welthorpe (Mrs)

Also, in the first post of the thread, we have more listed!

LorenzoL

Bambi was the very first movie that I watched in the theatres. No, it wasn't when it was first released but it was back in the early 80's. Plus it wasn't in North America either. They were playing Bambi and a movie called "Una Aventura llamada Menudo".

I have been all over the place recently but I started watching episodes of Cowboy Bebop since I left off in last year's challenge. I'm hoping to finish it off but I'm not sure. I'm also watching Fairy Tail but is just something that I have it in the background.

I just did my usual rewatch of My Neighbor Totoro but this time with the English track. I have to command Disney as the only thing that made me miss the original language was the songs. It was a solid effort by everyone involved in the English track.

BobO'Link

Cowboy Bebop is another of those I just couldn't get into. One of my buddies at the comic shop used to talk about it incessantly (I think when it was airing? Don't know...) so a couple of years ago when Amazon put it on LD for a pittance I ordered a copy. It arrived damaged so I watched it to see if the discs were OK before putting in a replacement request. Turns out to have been a good thing as I just didn't care for it at all. I think it's the strong anime' influence (I've tried several times and can't get into that genre at all). So instead of a replacement I did a return, getting a full refund. Oh well...

LJG765

I watched two new to me movies tonight. The first, Boy& the World, is a Brazilian made movie. Virtually no dialogue, though what is spoken is Portuguese backwards. It is animated with very bright colors and beautiful music. I don't know that I loved it but it is worth the watch. It's a boy who goes looking for his father who has left the family looking for work.

The second movie, I'd highly recommend. It's called The Breadwinner and it takes place in Afghanistan after the Taliban has taken control. The main character is a little girl whose father has been taken to jail. She has to figure out how to help her mother, sister and baby brother survive since no female can be outside the house with a male relative or husband. On the verge of starvation, she decides to dress as a boy so she can work, gather food and water for the family. She tells a story throughout the film to different people that pops up throughout the movie. Not a happy story, but very well done and if you have access to it even after the challenge ends, I recommend watching it. It does end on an up note though...

davidh777