The Sword and Laser discussion

My brother's short film, Dark Legacy, has mostly finished on the small film festival circuit so he's decided to release it into the wild on Youtube. It was low budget and mostly a personal project. Though since his career has been in the film industry, he's starting from a different level of knowledge and access.

It did better in the film festival circuit than he expected and he added that recognition to the opening. The one that surprised him the most was Best Short Film Director at the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPTM6...

Went to see Superman this morning. It’s good enough to get the job done. Like the recent Captain America movie it feels closer to a comic book than an event film. Most of the stuff in the trailer takes place in the first 20 minutes of the movie.

Watched the first 2 episodes of this season of Star Trek Strange New Worlds. The first was part 2 of the finale from last season and I didn't remember much from that so it took me a while to get into it. It turned out to be a good typical ST episode in the end.
The second episode was a comedy based around the Spock/Chapel romance. I really liked it as there were good call backs (call forwards?) to both TOS and TNG that I won't spoil here. Guest star Rhys Darby is particularly good.
Well worth watching if you're a long time Star Trek fan like me.

Started watching Mashle

I finished Murderbot. I’m glad it’s been renewed because there’s a lot of untapped goodness to be had.

Tiny house based on the Jupiter 2: https://youtu.be/AW5Zc_eqarA

I watched Andor Season 2 on Disney Plus. It was released starting on 04-22-25 in four three-episode batches, once per week. Each batch covered a year in the life of Cassian Andor leading to the events of the movie Rogue One. It was a great season and made rewatching the movie even better knowing everything that happened before. I would recommend watching the movie after the series.
I plan to watch Season Three of the Wheel of Time series on Amazon Prime next. This season is based mostly on Book Four of the series, The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan. It was released between 03-13-25 and 04-17-25. Early reviews were excellent. Book four was my favorite of the series, and I can’t wait to see it visualized on screen. Unfortunately, Amazon has cancelled the series, so this is the last season. There is so much that happens in the rest of the books, very disappointing.
Meanwhile, HBO MAX has adapted the first novella of the Dunk and Egg series. The story, The Hedge Knight, can be found in the collection A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin). The show named A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was supposed to premiere sometime in 2025. Now updated to the first quarter of 2026. That means no Game of Thrones content in 2025; that’s very disappointing.

My son and I saw The Fantastic Four on Friday. We both really enjoyed it. Lots of call backs to the old 60's cartoon. I really liked the set design which seems similar to the Loki series. I would have preferred Norrin Radd version of the Silver Surfer but the Shalla-Bal version was well done.
Overall I recommend it even if you're tired of comic book movies as this one feels a little different.

Phil wrote: "My son and I saw The Fantastic Four on Friday. We both really enjoyed it. Lots of call backs to the old 60's cartoon. I really liked the set design which seems similar to the Loki series. I would h..."

I saw the FF this morning. I liked it a lot. The ending was predictable but then they all are. (Mrs. Trike is *still* mad about Country Strong, 15 years later. 😆 (view spoiler)[During the very first scene of that movie I leaned over and whispered, “Too bad she kills herself at the end.” And she does. It was just so obvious I assumed she predicted it, too. Oops. (hide spoiler)])

For years I didn’t think they could do Galactus on the big screen without it looking utterly silly, but I’m glad to be proven wrong. I give it 4 out 5 stars.

I watched Thunderbolts* last night and I was blown away by how tight that story is. I didn’t see it in the theatre because I knew who Bob was supposed to be and I loathe that character in the comics. But damn if they didn’t redeem him in the film. 4-1/2 stars. Better than FF or Superman.

The asterisk ends up being “*The New Avengers” and while I appreciate the long game Marvel played, I suspect the movie would’ve made another few hundred million dollars if they’d actually used that in the marketing.

I was lucky enough to see it in the theater, Got a nice combo cup from it. Loved the movie.

Stephen wrote: "I was lucky enough to see it in the theater, Got a nice combo cup from it. Loved the movie."

The great thing about the first Guardians of the Galaxy is that they save the day by holding hands. In Thunderbolts they save the day by hugging it out and being there for someone when they’re beating themselves up.

People can say what they will about the MCU but those are about as wholesome as messages can get.

Watched the final episode of Resident Alien. I know a lot of people think the show fell off in quality after the first season but I think it was still worth watching. It finished well and tied up things nicely. It even brought a tear to my eye.

Watching Love, Death & Robots s4. Love the two cat stories, especially the adaptation of Siobhan Carroll's story For He Can Creep.

Also starting Foundation s3.

Little piles of joy and anticipation:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLfeeo...

I decided not to wait on Alien: Earth over on FX via Disney+/Hulu and I’ve now watched the first 3 episodes. (Episode 4 drops tonight.) It’s really good so far. I suspect that when Noah Hawley likes something he REALLY likes it, as evidenced by his previous shows Legion (X-Men) and Fargo, where he nailed the look and feel of the source material. He does the same here. The interior of Maginot looks exactly like the interior of the Nostromo, clearly built by the same company. The story is likewise interesting. I’m also beginning to suspect Timothy Olyphant is a secret geek, now appearing in the Alien universe after a bit role in The Mandalorian.

Also watched Ironheart. I loved the comic Ironheart, Vol. 1: Those With Courage and the show recreates her character while telling a completely different story. I was a little worried when it was clear the other lead was a character called The Hood in the comics, because that’s a small-time crook who essentially gets the evil version of Dr. Strange’s cloak, so mixing magic and demons with Iron Man-style tech can be a bad fit, but they integrated the Fantasy with the Sci-Fi quite well. It helps that the MCU has already done that, and there were plenty of callbacks to that stuff to remind people of both Strange and Stark. (view spoiler)[I particularly liked the foreshadowing about Riri’s ultimate choice, such as her standing in front of posters advertising a local production of Faust . Nice attention to detail. (hide spoiler)]

There’s a scruffy-looking character named Joe and the actor was really doing a great job in a minor role, and when he got a haircut I was like, “That dude looks familiar.” Turns out it’s the guy who played the young Han Solo in that terrible Star Wars movie. Just goes to show that the acting everyone dunked on wasn’t his fault, he just had bad direction. Anyway, solid 3-1/2 stars for Ironheart. Too bad there likely won’t be a second season, because they did leave a couple things open for further exploration.

Also watched the animated Eyes of Wakanda 4-episode show and it’s really great. Solid 4-1/2 stars. Each episode is about a different character in a different era being sent out on a mission to retrieve a stolen vibranium doodad, and it goes from a couple thousand years in the past with Achilles and the Trojan War to 500 years in the future with an alien invasion. One episode features an Iron Fist, which was fun.

Alien: Earth is really good.

I watched the 2009 4 episode miniseries of Jane Austen's Emma. It's like I now know the story for the first time, that I didn't get from the Anya Taylor-Joy movie. It's kind of a mystery story.

The adaption of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club just dropped on Netflix. Starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley. Might have to watch this tonight.

King & Conqueror on HBO has that nice gritty medieval feel. 2 Episodes in and good so far. Peacemaker S2 is better than the start of S1 2 episodes in. Not a huge fan, but the series is starting to grow on me. Alien: Earth gets stronger with each episode.

Working that pre-ANITLO movie watch, primarily Universal Monster flicks. Buuuuut the wife is addicted to bodycam arrest videos on Youtube. Not a big fan but the Sovereign Citizen ones can be funny. (I find the ones where people are drunk/high, scared and belligerent to be a lot less entertaining. No need to broadcast people at their most vulnerable.)

So I broke down and rented Superman over streaming for $15. At least I was with 2 other people. I've been wanting to go the theater but never got around to it. It had a freshness to it, what with skipping the origin story, and humor, but maybe some mean spiritedness too. The stuff with Guy Gardner reminded me of the humorous Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League International (my library has it) run in the comics, at least my impression of it without having actually read it. It doesn't look like I can stream Fantastic Four yet. Maybe I should just get off my butt and see it in the theater.

Saw Shinn Godzilla. I liked it.

Rewatched Pacific Rim last night. Still goofy fun.

After that I watched season 4 of Love, Death + Robots, which had a couple decent episodes.

Also rewatched Captain America: Civil War. That movie is so great.

A couple days ago I watched Kpop Demon Hunters and it really made me feel old, in the sense that I do not get the appeal at all.

Trike wrote: "A couple days ago I watched Kpop Demon Hunters and it really made me feel old, in the sense that I do not get the appeal at all."

For the next podcast, we need Tom to provide some remedial K-Pop instruction.

I finished season 2 of Andor, followed by Rogue One. It made Rogue One an even better movie.

Trike wrote: "Rewatched Pacific Rim last night. Still goofy fun.

After that I watched season 4 of Love, Death + Robots, which had a couple decent episodes.

Also rewatched Captain America: Civil War. That movie..."

Pacific Rim is a fun movie. I rewatch it as well.
I really liked this last "season" of Love Death and Robots. I love all the animation.

Has anyone watched Scavengers Reign? I liked this and was looking at more of the adult animation options on like Netflix. Does anyone have any recommendations.

Bit behind on Alien: Earth, as I just finished episode 2 last night. But I'm very much enjoying it. That episode also ended with one of my favorite lines of the series "Guard the omelet". This is just such a great line for the series, and tells me the writers both really get the lore of the series, but also realize they are making something new with this. To me this should be up there with other great lines from the series like "Game Over", and "Get away from her, you Bitch!"

I'm reading a lot more than I'm watching anything, but I watched the first part of season 2 of Wednesday in Iowa with older son's family during my visit and loved it. And I've been watching the latest season of Strange New Worlds with youngest. Younger son and his best friend came over yesterday for UT football's season opener against Ohio State. That was fun having them over.

I do keep re-watching K-Pop Demon Hunters and haven't yet gotten through "What It Sounds Like" without crying. I bought the soundtrack as well.

I am watching the Amazon prime videos: CITY THE ANIMATION Season 1 | Prime Video and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
2025 ‧ Anime ‧ 1 season.
Also "Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe" is a long-running, satirical science fiction audio drama series produced by the ZBS Foundation, created by Thomas Lopez. One can watch it on you tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHLOu...

Francis x wrote: "I am watching the Amazon prime videos: CITY THE ANIMATION Season 1 | Prime Video and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
2025 ‧ Anime ‧ 1 season.

Also "Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe" is a long-running, satiri..."
Ruby was air on public radio / America public radio or NPR.

Our friend is taking a film appreciation course, so we’re having viewing parties at our house. (School and I are like oil and water, and I can’t imagine going back in my 60s the way she has. For fun! Sounds like torture to me.)

So we watched La Strada by Federico Fellini last week, which was merely okay cinematically and unpleasant in many ways. 1-1/2 stars for me.

This week we watched Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa and we were like, “Two-and-half-hours for a film about a guy who builds a playground?” But holy spring rolly is that film great. When people call it a masterpiece, they aren’t wrong. It’s a super slow burn but the payoff is perfect. 5 stars, no question.

The protagonist is played by Takashi Shimura, who I didn’t initially recognize, but he’s one of Kurosawa’s regular players, and he’s been in so many good-to-great movies it’s hard to think of another actor with such an impressive resumé. Godzilla (and sequels), Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Mothra, Yojimbo, Throne of Blood, Kagemusha, Ghidrah, Hidden Fortress… plus a lot of stinkers. Dude was the Michael Caine of Japan.

I think I may be having more fun than you. I'm watching the Universal Monster Movies plus some Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes, in anticipation of a reread of A Night in the Lonesome October. No way I'll get to them all but I have already gotten through the basics plus some movies of the era not referenced in the book, for mood.

Bonus: A nearby theater is doing a revival of Young Frankenstein on Sept 28 and I'll see that after viewing all seven (!) Frankenstein movies of the era. Yes, even Abott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, because it has the mind-transference bit in it.

I'm blathering on about it on Discord in the Movies thread if you feel like dropping by.