The Imagineering Movie Discussion Thread

NateD1226

Well-Known Member
I have to wait until Friday but I’ve got it in DBox so it should be a thrilling time
Have you done DBox before? If you have, how do you like it? I’m always curious about it and kinda want to try it, but I’m scared the motion might overpower the movie lol.
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Have you done DBox before? If you have, how do you like it? I’m always curious about it and kinda want to try it, but I’m scared the motion might overpower the movie lol.
I think it’s great for certain movies and really improves the experience, but for others I could see it really being just a gimmic.

I’ve seen The Batman, Fast X, Dune, Top Gun: Maverick, and No Way Home in D-Box and I think most of them (besides Dune) were improved by the moving seats aspect. It’s definitely a novelty and I wouldn’t do it for everything, but for a fun punchy action movie or a disaster movie, I think it’s worth doing at least once
 

AceAstro

Well-Known Member
I’ll be honest that movie was so much better than I expected. The IMAX hype is for sure real but I was never a huge fan of Twister so wasn’t sure how to feel about this one but absolutely loved it.

I need to go see it again in D-Box asap 🤣
 

NateD1226

Well-Known Member
Twisters was EXCELLENT! Everything about it worked so well for me. The acting was top notch and the visuals were absolutely stunning. I definitely want to see it again down the line because this might be one of my favorites of the year so far!
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I don’t normally talk TV because I have a hard time committing to a series even if I enjoy it. That said, there’s one ongoing show I’ve been watching since season 1’s premiere that just wrapped up yesterday and that’s The Boys.

Season 4 started off a bit weak compared to the other seasons and the political satirical RW was definitely less subtle than it had been in the past (not that the show ever tried to hide the fact it was a politically progressive and satirized the rise of fascism in the right, the empty virtue signaling of democrats and the evils and corruption of capitalism, this season just did it a bit more obviously. As a very left-leaning progressive myself, I’ve always loved the show for that as well as for the debauchery and fun it always gives us.

Having just finished the finale, I thoroughly enjoyed it and of the four season finales thus far, it’s definitely my favorite as it feels huge and important and the last few minutes set up the final season brilliantly and I’m crushed I’ll have to wait a few more years to get it.

If you haven’t tried The Boys yet and you’re cool with extreme violence, gore, and “adult content” then I think it’s a must watch. Another great season in the books with one more left that seems like it’ll be massive and diabolical
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
I also had a blast with Twisters. My only gripe with it is that the supporting cast is so likeable that it feels like they get pushed to the side in the second act and the stopover at the main character's childhood home goes on a little too long. Other than that it genuinely feels like a 90s action movie throwback in the best way.
 

Disney Dad 3000

Well-Known Member
Finally catching up from trip to CA last week, and finally got a chance to see Inside Out 2, in the El Capitain theater no less which was fun.

It was really weird for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the first film. It hit a lot of right notes and was just a good, good film IMO and I didn't think needed a sequel. Of course, then they announced one a while back, and everyone pretty much knew how this was going to go, Riley's older, more emotions, etc. Regardless of that, the film still got me. You could see where this was going as the film moved along, but I didn't care. I just enjoyed myself. Sure it had some similarities to the first but that was fine. Good highs, somber lows, a good message for my kid, any of us honestly. Really appreciated how they continued to build out Sadness as a lead character and how they played Joy and Anxiety off of each other and where their journeys went.

As much as I liked it, amazed it's doing this well. Part of me wishes it wasn't because Inside Out 3 is all but greenlit if not already and I don't think it needs it. I prefer some originality in the parks but can only hope Disney springboards this success into actually getting use out of the WOL pavilion with Baymax perhaps.
 

NateD1226

Well-Known Member
Well, I saw Deadpool & Wolverine last night! I'd give it a solid 7/10. It's not amazing, but it isn't necessarily bad. There is a lot to enjoy, and the sold-out crowd made the experience a lot more fun. Yet, it was super messy, and I was not a fan of Logan's storyline. After rewatching all the X-Men flicks this past week, I was hoping it would be a big celebration of the Fox movies, and it is. Well, sorta but not really.

My biggest issue is that it becomes the thing it is making fun of, aka bloated and messy MCU flicks. Like I said, however, there is still a lot to love. Hugh Jackman was definitely a treat, and he looked fing amazing. Plus, my little pop-loving heart was so happy with the heavy use of Madonna's "Like A Prayer." I have spoiler thoughts, but I think I'll save that for down the line because I am still kinda processing it all.
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well it's a new month and with a new month comes a ranking nobody but me cares about! July was interesting because I left my "new" job and went back to my old one, but somehow I ended up being busier? Crazy. Add onto that so many of the new releases I really wanted to see (cough Oddity and Didi cough) weren't in any theaters anywhere near me and we had just a pretty quiet month. I still managed 10 new releases though, so let's go through em!

#10- Space Cadet
Space Cadet.jpg

[Watched on Prime Video]

This movie absolutely sucked! A combination of extreme cringe comedy mixed with millennial TikTok cringe stuffed this Legally Blonde ripoff far past any sense of enjoyment. Emma Roberts has never been a particularly good actor, but here she is completely insufferable and I regret spending any time with this slop. Even my girlfriend (the reason I watched this who is a movie normie and never "hates" any movie) told me this thing was a waste of time. Don't watch it.

#09- The Real Bros of Simi Valley: The Movie
The Real Bros of Simi Valley the Movie.jpg

[Watched on The Roku Channel]

I've not seen the Facebook series (something I didn't think I'd ever say in the year of our lord 2024) but you don't need to for this dumb trashy reality tv series parody. Unfortunately, I don't like trashy reality tv enough to make this bearable as it too is stuffed with cringe comedy and it's just too much. I don't really like reality tv parodies (I'm not even a big Trailer Park Boys guy) so this did nothing for me. I'm sure it hit with somebody, the Letterboxd reviews trend very positive, but it just wasn't my thing.

I also watched it before the Cody Ko stuff came out, but he is in it for anyone avoiding that.

#08- Despicable Me 4
Despicable Me 4.jpg

[Watched in theaters]

It's time to let this franchise die. In typical Illumination fashion, they made a totally and completely movie with all the things it needs like a plot and scenes and also credits but unfortunately, they forgot to make it good or entertaining. Instead of doing anything interesting with Gru being a double agent or the girls growing up or Gru having a baby son, they just did a series of Family Guy cutaway gags and stitched them together into a movie that iPad kids will probably love, but for everyone else, I can't see this being a fondly remembered movie.

#07- The Imaginary
The Imaginary.jpg

[Watched on Netflix]

What is up with 2024 and imaginary friend movies, this is the third one we've gotten already. Either way, I think The Imaginary is probably better than Imaginary and IF, but not really by much. It's a cute enough little movie that harkens to Studio Ghibli films that many of these execs worked on and so the animation is really solid. Mr. Bunting, the villain of the story, is genuinely intimidating at parts, and did I mention the animation is good? But really, this slows waaaaay down in the second act and becomes just another imaginary friend movie so while it's decent and beautiful, it's nothing really to write home about.

#06- Cirque du Soleil: Without a Net
Cirque du Soleil- Without a Net.jpg

[Watched on Prime Video]

My obligatory monthly documentary but this time it's not about animals! I enjoy Cirque du Soleil quite a bit, it's one of those cultural things we never talk about much but is really impressive and interesting to watch and so a doc about them was something I was definitely intrigued by. This isn't really about the Cirque as much as it is a "recovering from the pandemic" movie (which makes sense as it premiered back in 2022) so that was pretty disappointing, but it was still a solid enough doc looking at the human spirit and overcoming obstacles and for that it can get sixth place.

#05- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Beverly Hills Cop- Axel F.jpg

[Watched on Netflix]

2024 has had a shocking amount of decent legacy sequels (another coming up soon), so when Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F came out, I didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be a pretty decent legacy sequel! Eddie Murphy doesn't exactly feel like Axel Foley of old and I hate one aspect of his character A LOT in this movie, but the action is fun and the mystery is too, so I'd say it's worth a watch if you like cop detective action films from the 80s and 90s.

#04- MaXXXine
MaXXXine.jpg

[Watched in theaters]

I'm not the biggest fan of X or Pearl, so I went into MaXXXine with more tempered expectations and I think that worked in its favor with me. I really loved the sleezy and grimy feel of this movie, I loved the pulp and camp in it too with the practical effects and the neon pink blood. Where this movie fell down a bit for me was the final act where it became too much of an action movie and the fact it really didn't have any horror or slasher elements to it. Of the three films, it's the only one I don't think I'd call a true "horror" film. I know @TheOriginalTiki will read that and laugh because he knows what my #1 is already and feels the same about that, but you know.

#03- Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine.jpg

[Watched in theaters]

Deadpool to me is a character made for the 2010s and spilling out beyond that is maybe a bit much. That said, I did laugh a lot at his first foray into the MCU and I enjoyed his teamup with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. I, like everyone else, found Logan to be the perfect sendoff to that character, but I think they did enough to justify why he was here and that worked for me. Really, this movie feels like an event film in the same way Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Endgame, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ended up being where it's big hype in the theater full of people, but the feeling doesn't hit the same on rewatch. It's fun and funny and fine, but it's definitely not what's going to "Save the MCU".

#02- Twisters
Twisters.jpg

[Watched in theaters]

I f***ing LOVED Twisters, like to the point in any other month it likely would've been my #1 movie. It was an absolute blast from start to finish with some of the most fun disaster action I've seen in a very long time. It's dumb, yes, but it's a blast and I highly recommend watching it. I caught it in D-Box and while that's now gone to make room for Deadpool & Wolverine, I think it should've stayed in that format because it's perfect for it!

#01- Longlegs
Longlegs.jpg

[Watched in theaters]

I might be in the minority here, but I adored Longlegs. I found it to be terrifying in an atmospheric sense with a performance from Nic Cage that I found incredibly frightening. It's not the scariest movie of the year in terms of jump scares or imagery, but the atmosphere is what does it for me. I rocked with the supernatural stuff and while I do wish the ending was less expository, I can hand wave it away because I liked what it did. Overall, if you didn't like Longlegs, you're wrong!

So now we're into August. I already have my first showing tonight with Trap because a friend of mine wanted to see it badly. For what else is coming out that I'm really looking forward to, we do have Cuckoo, but number one is easily Alien Romulus which I hope brings Alien right back to horror!​
 

NateD1226

Well-Known Member
Alien Romulus is going to be very divisive but holy sh*t I loved it
I'm going to see it in a couple of hours. I rewatched the first Alien last night, and it made me very hyped to see this new one. I am little worried about the solely teenage/young adult characters, but I trust Fede Alvarez so I am excited!
 

AceAstro

Well-Known Member
Alien Romulus is going to be very divisive but holy sh*t I loved it
Gotta start off with the Rook/ Ian Holm decision. I don’t know if they had approval ahead of time or something but either way it was a mistake. I think it was a bad faith move to bring him back like that and then it didn’t even look good. If it was a perfect Deep fake and they had estate approval sure I guess but instead it looks genuinely awful and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Not to mention, a giant plot twist of Alien was that Ash was an android but they’re actually mass produced? Romulus is 20 years after Alien, and they already progressed past the Ash android style so it was mass produced at the start and somehow the entire Nostromo crew didn’t know? Bringing back Lance Henriksen de-aged, or even David/ Walter/ or another Andy, or anyone else would’ve had the same effect and not looked how it did.

Outside of that whole thing, I genuinely loved the movie. The sound design was unreal, the moments of silence were just perfect, and the jumpscares got me good. Andy was far and away the best part of this movie, and his 3 different performances in one single movie was just an unreal job by him.

I’m very curious where they go with the franchise next but I’d unironically love an Alien: Remus where we get the in between 20 years from them getting the original Alien to forced evacuation.
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
Some recent watches on my end.

Trap - Personally this might be my least favorite of all of M. Night's thrillers. It's definitely better than After Earth and The Last Airbender, but the actual "thrill" elements here are so weak. Tons of plot holes and logic leaps. A genuinely awful third act. Perhaps THE single most blatant nepotism I've ever seen in a mainstream movie. Hartnett was definitely the stand out and I very much look forward to a potential career comeback for him, but everything else was a mess.

Cuckoo - Genuinely loved it. It feels wildly original and as bonkers as the title suggests. Hunter Schaefer is an instantly iconic new entry in the scream queen pantheon and I adored her development throughout the story. Dan Stevens continues to own this year with a truly unsettling and at times hilarious performance. The remote setting sealed the deal for me. Probably my number one horror movie of the year.

Didi - Genuinely an all time great coming of age movie. As tired as the genre is, Didi absolutely breathed new life into it. I love how utterly imperfect the title character is, and how he just seems to mess things up more and more as the movie goes on. The sheer amount of L's this character takes really sets the story apart. The 2008 setting felt like a damn time capsule of my high school years. Probably the best depiction of 2000s era internet ever put to screen. I'm going to be rooting HARD for Joan Chen to get into the Oscars, and you better believe she'll be in the Golden Tikis

Finally, I thought Romulus was a big mixed bag. I loved the Andy character but everyone else was pretty much a blank slate. The practical effects and set design were incredible, but I wish so much of it wasn't wasted on member berries. The Ian Holmes CGI drags this movie down significantly. You could easily have the same basic idea for the character and just have it be another Andy and the themes of the movie would be all the better for it. The acid blood anti gravity sequence was an all timer, but everything else just seemed to be going through the motions. I appreciate the ambition of the final set piece but pacing wise it felt like the movie had already wrapped up so it was kind of an awkward second climax.

I'd love to see Feddi do an Alien movie that isn't so up it's own butt with nostalgia because the actual direction really was top tier.
 

PerGron

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I finally caught Tuesday and I really wish I loved it more. The concept had me hooked and as someone who works very closely with a macaw, I was excited to see some macaw stuff in action too. I was really into the first half hour or so and the last 10 minutes brought it back around for me, but woooow was the middle chunk really really rough.

Honestly it should’ve ended up being a short film and forgone the feature length stuff and I feel it would’ve been stronger. What I will say is I will be fighting for it as “most disappointing” at the Golden Tikis…

Pic of me and my Death herself
IMG_7657.jpeg
 

Mr. Sullivan

Well-Known Member
Went to go see Borderlands tonight because I have Regal Unlimited and I wanted to see if it was really that bad.

It's really that bad. Genuinely one of the worst movies I've seen in a theater. Not even like fun bad it's just bad bad. Depressingly bad. I don't know how it even got made then released bad.
 

Mr. Sullivan

Well-Known Member
Don't want the spoiler visible so I'm changing the text
What's most interesting about the appearance of Ian Holm is that I think it might actually look better if it actually was all deep fake, but apparently is was actually largely done with an animatronic and them some digital work to make it look more like him.

I don't love it...but I accept it, and here's why.

His family really wanted this. They spoke about how much he felt abandoned by Hollywood and how much it depressed him in his later life and they felt if he were around today he would've leapt at the opportunity to be in this movie. It seems to have brought the family a lot of closure that they needed, and seems that it has allowed them feel as if they're getting to honor his memory in a way they're proud of.

And at the end of the day, how his family feels about it matters more than how I feel about it.
 

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
Were eating well with the Indies this month! Excited to catch each of "Blink Twice", "Strange Darling", "Between the Temples", and "Good One" over the next several days. On the otherhand I'll GLADLY be skipping The Crow and frankly think it's kind of gross that Hollywood keeps trying to make that franchise a thing after the Brandon Lee incident.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom