Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I hit 76 yesterday afternoon. My son and grandson (11yo) are still here and rather than me and my grandson playing games yesterday we watched a few old classics. He gave them a "ringing" "They're OK" endorsement (and one was the original Frankenstein!). After Frankenstein was over he commented "I bet they've remade that one better." to which I replied "Nope. They've tried several times but none are quite as good." He was impressed with the vfx in The Invisible Man, especially after I commented they are "practical" (had to explain that one) and *not* CGI, but not so much the movie.

We've spent most of our time playing a "Legacy" board game - "Jurassic World: The Legacy of Isla Nublar" It's a 12 game coop campaign type game where you *permanently* changing things every game. That includes stickers on the board, main rule book, and/or cards, ripping up (or just removing from the game) cards, lots (and lots, and lots) of scratch-off rules/upgrades on cards and books (every game has a mini rule book with new items and set up for that particular game), and new dinosaur miniatures unlocked (they're in hidden boxes). After game 12 you have a customized version of the game you can continue to play but no longer customize/change. My grandson is a *huge* fan of the Jurassic Park/World movie series and after I told him "Once we finish the game you can take it home with you." he has been pushing for us to get all 12 games completed before they leave and they extended their stay by a day to allow for this to happen. He's not been told of the "You can continue to play the game once the campaign is completed" part and my son is wanting for us each to sign the board and then get it framed as a memento. He's also talking about painting the dino miniatures at some point.

So far it's been very draining but lots of fun! Today will be quite interesting and long as we have *four* games to complete to finish the campaign.

I'm trying to figure out if I should count them and just how to count them for the challenge as it is a SF movie based experience - much like attending a live event type thing. I'm open for opinions. So far, each game has taken 2 to 2 1/2 hours to complete.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Between school and work, I haven't been as motivated this month and only today hit 37. But quality over quantity, and I have enjoyed everything that I have watched or listened to.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I've been thinking about this tonight. On one hand, you're right, it's based on a movie franchise that qualifies for the challenge, Jurassic Park/World. On the other hand, it, in itself, is not a form of movie/show at all as it's a board game.

Going back to the rules for the challenge, I look at the radio section, "I'm treating audio harshly since this is primarily a movie/tv challenge." This pre-dates my hosting, so I'm just interpreting what I think it means: that the challenge really wants to focus on movies/tv shows rather than any other types of media. (Which makes sense since we are on a forum based on movies.) Books don't count, for instance.

That being said, I was thinking about adding an item for the checklist where someone could get credit for doing something outside the realm of movies/tv this year but decided against it. Something like: Read a sci-fi/fantasy book (or even read the book a sci-fi/fantasy movie is based on...like reading Jurassic Park or The Martian.)

Also, I could be remembering wrong, but I feel like I let someone count a concert of John Williams music before somehow. I would think a board game would be in the same general realm.

All this to say, I'm not against letting you use a wild card this year for the board game. I don't know that I would feel comfortable this late in the challenge updating the rules to allow it formally. I would be willing to change the rules for next year if enough people wanted it though...

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

That's exactly my thoughts on it and I'm not sure I'd even use it for a wild card.

One thing that stuck me about the game was it is *very* thematic right down to the new characters being introduced into the game's time line roughly when they'd be introduced into the movies with each session having things occur much like in the movie being mirrored. Basically the game takes you through all the movies (excluding the new one) with tasks and puzzles based on threats from the movies. As my grandson and son have watched them all (with my grandson knowing them pretty much by heart) they used that knowledge to select the characters they felt would be most important in a particular game session. It pretty much worked.

It *was* a fun experience though very draining as it was 24-28 hours of board gaming done over 7 days with the weekday games played after 5pm when my son got off work (he can work remotely so did that from my house while my grandson and I watched movies or played other games). That meant they took up the entire evening. We didn't keep close track but those weekday sessions ran at least 2 1/2 hours each and the 2 days we managed to play a couple back-to-back it removed a good 45 minutes of set-up/tear down. In hindsight we should have just left it set up the entire time as I have a dedicated board game table and my grandson and I could have easily have used the dining room or a card table for the other games we played.

We completed the game with a Saturday marathon (4 games total at ~8 hours) and earned a final score smack dab in the middle of the scoring range after which my grandson opened the last two "hidden" boxes to see what dinosaurs we didn't unlock during the game. When completed it *can* be played as a stand-alone game by playing the final scenario with all characters and dinosaurs available, choosing a random group of dinosaurs for the session. I doubt my grandson will do that and my son indicated he'll likely be purchasing a copy for my grandson and a good friend of his to play on their own. We all signed the board and dated it with my son intending to frame it which pretty much rules out that type of play.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

The latest Avatar movie, Way of the Water, dropped to a decent price and was included in last week's Target B2G1 sale so I caved and purchased a copy. I just finished watching it.

It's "OK" but, like the first, it's a fairly cliche and shallow SF/Fantasy story of invasion against a somewhat primitive tribal type culture. It's at least an hour too long with the bulk of the movie being "world building" stuff that has little bearing on the core invasion story. Things happen apparently for the sole reason to introduce new vfx/spectacle. It also suffers from what I call "CGI Disconnect" where mouth movements don't always quite line up with what's being said. "Creature" design and movement seems a bit better than with the first film though has occasional oddities. It also suffers from many shots obviously done to emphasize the theatrical 3D experience.

The new Navi aquatic race is a greenish blue color that has kind of fins on their arms are and able to breath underwater as well as on the land. They can also control certain aquatic species and use them for transportation. Those sea creatures somewhat play into the new plot as the RDA returns to colonize Pandora, focusing on Jake and his family for some reason. The family runs to the coast and assimilates themselves into the aquatic life. Of course, the RDA troops follow them and start mass killings in an effort to discover just where they are and destroy them.

It's fairly good spectacle but it's not very good SF/Fantasy and is far too long for the simplistic story it tells.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Well, I finally got around to watching the Star Wars sequel trilogy. They were kind of derivative with Rey=Luke, Kylo Ren=Vader, Starkiller=Death Star, etc. That said, I enjoyed them - nice blend of adventure, humor and Star Wars-y drama. Great looking movies, too. I guess it helps that - even though I grew up with the OT - I'm not especially invested in the whole Star Wars lore.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

During that Target sale I also picked up a copy of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. After reading some reviews I was rather hesitant with the purchase as I really like the original but, after watching, I'd say it's not bad at all. There are lots of call backs to the original with several of the cast returning. Keaton looks the worse for wear (and that may be intentional) in a story that works pretty well. The bit with the kid's choir singing "The Banana Boat Song" at a funeral was quite humorous as was a scene in the final act that uses new lyrics for "MacArthur Park." I enjoyed it far more than the Avatar sequel.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I missed the Target sale, but checked the price of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and picked it up at Amazon rather than wait for Black Friday. Figured I'd only save maybe another dollar or two at the rate prices are rising and I'd like to watch it this month. ($12.99 if anyone is curious.)

BobO'Link: I did make a reminder to myself to poll people next June about adding a checklist item about reading a book (or maybe even using another type of media) related to sci-fi/fantasy. I think your situation while not super frequent, does happen every once in a while and it might be nice for people to get even a little credit for doing something outside watching either a TV show or movie.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

A couple more first time viewings of movies purchased during that Target sale. This time it was Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. I'm happy to say both were worthy sequels.

There's more than a little bit of fan service in the latest Ghostbusters entry but it's fairly non-invasive and integrates well. I really enjoyed the overall story, in spite of it being pretty much the thematic same as Ghostbusters II. And I like it better than Ghostbusters II.

I also enjoyed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes quite a bit. It has a good and interesting story which furthers the rise of apes as rulers of the planet. It also ends in a manner which will easily allow for another sequel, one I'd happily watch. Unlike the original PoTA series, this one has managed to stay strong with each film while the original started strong and, IMHO, wore out its welcome by the end.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Ten days left to the Challenge and I'm wondering if I can squeeze in Wild Palms (1993). There are five episodes, the first is feature length and the other four clock in under 50 minutes. I'm guessing I probably watched the mini-series when it originally ran on ABC back in '93, but I don't remember ever watching the dvds. So it's been more than 30 years since a watch. Probably am due for a re-watch.

My next two fantasies, after Sakuya: Slayer of Demons (2000) are going to be its spiritual sequels, Miike's The Great Yokai War (2005) and The Great Yokai War: Guardians (2021). I'm thinking about The Andromeda Strain (1971) for the SF movie tomorrow, but I might go with K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces (2008), instead.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I'm back and watching a little, though far less than previous years. But I think 9 days in theme parks gave me plenty of sci-fi and fantasy experiences. Fun but tiring and I think I was ready for it to be over by the end. My spirit is willing but my body just can't do the opening to close theme park days like I could when I was younger. I talked more about the Universal parts in this thread.

The last time I was in Disney World was in February 2019. Oddly it was less crowded this July than then ... although you had to battle the oppressive humidity. Great to finally see Galaxy's Edge (Star Wars area in Hollywood park). Rise the the Resistance was an A+ ride and the area was huge and immersive (it was designed so you couldn't see anything else in the park while there). In the other parks, Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron were short but unique coaster experiences. Guardians was one of the smoothest coasters I've been on, and is like Space Mountain but leveled up.

For sc-fi watching, I was Cronenberg's The Shrouds last night. I can respect how personal the movie was to Cronenberg, although watching it felt a bit tedious. I know you shouldn't look for logic in a Cronenberg movie but the whole central concept of the GraveTech business seemed silly ... who would really want to pay a fortune to watch their loved ones decaying bodies? I thought there was going to be some kind of AI/computerized memory storage, but it was a camera in the coffin.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Welcome back! Glad you enjoyed your trip. I've only been to Universal once, a long time ago, but have been to Disney a few times. I spent a day in Orlando in March, actually, though I didn't go to the Parks this trip, just Disney Springs and the outlets. It's definitely tiring, especially if you're not used to the heat/humidity!

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I broke 100 yesterday evening and completed the checklist this morning with my first movie. I had to resort to my library for the "He's Dead, Jim" and "Watch a film starring 10 of these actors/actresses" sections. Most of the rest was from the unwatched pile. I'm determined to reduce that to zero titles before the end and should do it easily as there are only 7 titles left, 10 if you include alternate cuts of movies I've already watched this year. I'm not currently planning to watch any of those as I generally like to give a few weeks distance between such viewings. If I counted correctly I've currently pulled 28 titles from my library for checklist stuff *or* to watch with my 11yo grandson when he was at the house for a week. Everything else has been new BR upgrades of DVDs or all-new titles for the library. That's roughly 20 new titles and 54 upgrades.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Nice! I'm at 46 1/2 (In the middleish of Two Towers.) I'm on my way to finishing the checklist-just need 5 actors. I do plan on finishing it, though the movies to do so aren't ones I was originally planning on watching. I'm alternating checklist films with films I just want to watch. I've watched a few new movies I haven't seen at all and several discs where I haven't watched while in my collection and quite a few rewatches for the checklist (which tend to be old favorites anyway). I have 5 more that I want to watch out of that last pile (which does include 3 I haven't seen before). I think I'll get to all of them as other than tomorrow afternoon where I have to pick up someone, and the 31st where I have a dental appointment, I have no plans other than work on the challenge. August is a different story, but I'm looking forward to a quiet end of the month!

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

With Hulk Hogan's passing yesterday, this is just a reminder that Suburban Commando is eligible. I've not looked myself, but I'm sure it's availability to stream somewhere.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Well... I said I probably wouldn't watch different editions/cuts of films I've already watched this month but couldn't resist watching the AIP/English version of Mario Bava's Planet of the Vampires (1965). It's a long time favorite and with much of the cast actually speaking English during filming I find I enjoy that version more than the Italian. Doesn't hurt that it's obviously a major influence (aka O'Bannon stole huge chunks) on Alien. I kind of feel a need to watch that one before the end of the month... Since I'm almost out of "new" stuff it's likely to happen.

I should also rewatch It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) as it's another major influence on Alien.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

One of my favorite things is watching a film, and having an "aha" moment where I realize where an influence was from or from the other end-realizing that a film is paying homage to a different one. I like getting the reference.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Recent watches:

Old Guard 1 (as a refresher) and 2: First one was better
Superman 2025: I liked it
War of the Rohirrim: Wasn't sure what to expect from a LOTR anime but I thought it was good
Lazarus - HBO anime which I randomly started watching although I rarely watch anime (this post notwithstanding), but liked the start of this so will continue.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

While Blade Runner is a classic. After watching it earlier today, it was nice to stumble upon some sci fi comedy. Came across a marathon of The Thundermans on tv later on and watched a couple episodes.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Another film I purchased during that Target sale is the new 4K/BR release of The Abyss, in spite of never caring much for the film. I do own a copy of the earlier, poorly done, DVD so made the purchase to upgrade that copy in spite of never having been much of a fan of the work of James Cameron. The only film of his I own that gets any kind of semi-regular viewing is The Terminator. I do not like Aliens (though I like it better than either Avatar film or The Abyss). I find his writing to often be trite and full of cliches.

The Abyss is no exception with its rather generic underwater action/disaster plot incorporating some half-baked SF aliens for good measure. I've never been impressed by its "groundbreaking" vfx. It also suffers from a similar issue I have with Spielberg's Close Encounters - a completely illogical and poorly executed ending, though Cameron's has a more tacked on feeling than Spielberg's (at least with Spielberg the aliens were the point of the film while Cameron seems to have tossed them in just to have that ending). For me, the best part of the film is its use of Lowell George's "Willin'" (performed by Linda Ronstadt, who does a good rendition, instead of Little Feat) I prefer the other two films from 1989 that also used an "underwater disaster horror/sf" theme: Leviathan (which I watched a few days back) and Deep Star Six (which I plan to watch before the challenge's end).

I *will* say the new BR (I don't have a 4K setup) looks and sounds excellent and is far superior to the flat (non-anamorphic) DVD from years back.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Watched Jesus Showed me to the Highway (2019), a very loose, and perhaps more faithful than you might think, adaption of P. K. Dick's The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and certainly more outré than the other more mainstream Dick adaptions like Blade Runner (1982), A Scanner Darkly (2006), Minority Report (2002) or Total Recall (1990) (haven't watched the 2012 version, yet).

Also watched Kiff: Lore of the Ring Light (2025), a condensed (25 minutes) parody of the Lord of the Rings. You wouldn't think they'd do it justice in that amount of time, but they do well enough and then some. Some familiarity with the characters wouldn't hurt but isn't necessary.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I watched it yesterday on Tubi. It was so terrible. I loved it.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

In case anyone is interested, the discussion and list threads for the Animation Challenge have been posted. Just click on the link.

There is an overlap, the last day, and I have extended the challenge an extra day to get us through the holiday weekend.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

I just finished watching the last movie in my "unwatched" pile - Conan the Destroyer. I've selected a couple of movies to finish the evening (and likely will only watch one before nodding out). The next four days are going to be nothing but library movies pretty much chosen at random. Basically I'll go to the "media room,," open a tote, and pull a couple of movies on a whim for rewatching. Rinse and repeat until the challenge is over.

Re: The 18th Annual Sci-fi/Fantasy Challenge Discussion Thread
 

Has anyone been watching The Sandman (season 2) on Netflix)? The 2nd half of the season dropped last week and it serves as a series finale.

I was a huge fan of the graphic novels when they came out and this is probably about as good an adaptation as one could hope for. My biggest criticism is the pacing ... it manages to be both too slow and too abridged in different places. Although having to wrap up everything in the 2nd season is somewhat to blame (this really needed a good seasons or so). And if you grew up on the graphic novels it's jarring when they cast someone who looks nothing like did in the books ... Dream himself is spot-on though. Reading comments it sounds like non-readers don't like the ending, but the story of the series is extremely faithful to the books.