Recently watched movies!

[XvGojira]

[Dr Kain]

Oh yeah, as a character, Darth Maul sucks ass. However, the fight choreography is still gorgeous to watch and makes the end of the movie worth sitting through.

The only bad parts in AotC are the scenes with Anakin and Padme. The rest of the stuff, especially with Obiwan, is fine.

I never said they weren't bad movies, they are entertaining ones though. Two completely different things. Plus, they are still far better than 80% of the science fiction crap that is out there.

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

Saw the new Ghost in the Shell movie. It was a really good ending to Arise (at least it is currently the ending), but it was a little too simplistic compared to what I expect out of Ghost in the Shell. Nevertheless, if you enjoyed Arise, you will enjoy this. 8/10 stars.

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

Well, you like what you like and I'm not gonna tell you that you're wrong, but if you don't understand WHY the Vader-Obi Wan fight in New Hope is better than the fight in Phantom Menace, then there's not much point in this discussion.

As for the Clone Wars movie, like I said, I didn't think it was TERRIBLE. It got a LOT of negative backlash on release, to the point that I never ever watched it or the series, but it wasn't THAT bad. It was better than either of the first two prequels.

[canofhumdingers]

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

Ugh. It's not about the fight. It's about what the fight represents. <sigh> whatever. I clearly have a fundamentally different view.

[canofhumdingers]

[XvGojira]

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

[jellydonut25]

So, I've been watching some of the Clone Wars TV show. It's actually not bad. It definitely does a better job at prequelling than any of the actual prequel movies. It makes Anakin a more likable, relatable character, makes Anakin and Obi Wan seem like actual friends, and expands the universe for the most part instead of just making it seem like EVERYTHING is ridiculously interconnected.

My favorite episodes are the ones where the bad guys win, but only because it happens so infrequently that I was starting to feel like this would be a whole show where nothing happens but good guys winning, leading me to wonder how this war could have lasted for more than a couple days, if the droid army just CONSTANTLY loses and looks stupid in the process...at least when Grievous gets a win, it's more understandable how this is an actual war with back and forth.
I also like the episodes that don't feature any of the very known characters, or only feature them in more limited capacity. I already know a lot about Obi Wan and Anakin and Padme and R2D2 and C3PO, give me more with these new characters and characters who aren't as big in the movies.

Overall, not bad for a cheap Cartoon Network show.

[canofhumdingers]

Yeah, I've been wading through the Clone Wars cartoon series myself (the CG one) and I agree. I don't LOVE it, but it's way more Star Wars than the last three Star Wars movies. And yes, they did a MUCH MUCH better job handling Anakin as a character. He's actually a genuine, believable hero that clearly exhibits traits where you think, "yeah, I can see how this guy could totally fall to the temptation of the dark side, despite his true heroism."

And while the show is sometimes guilty of the ridiculous, overpowered god-like Jedi syndrome that plagued the prequels, they often do a much better job making the Jedi seem more than human while still being subtle and more believable. One of my favorite episodes had a really awesome Original Trilogy feeling, mystical, awe inspiring kind of use of the force that was really cool.

The episode follows two clone troopers who get separated from a group. At one point, their group is set upon by a trap of these vicious alien animal things and they're pretty much doomed. Obi-wan is fighting along side them and then stops. He begins using the force in a kind of mind trick thing where he gets the animals to kind of corral themselves into a corner. The clones are just stymied and in pure awe of the power they're seeing but it's not this over-the-top superman kind of thing. It's mystical and subdued. It feels very much like something we'd expect of Yoda in ESB. Anyway, the clones shoot some rocks to trap the animals, but it's gonna trap Obi-wan too, so he uses his Jedi skills to run super fast across the backs of the snarling beasts to safety just before the rocks collapse. Again, a super human feat but done in a more subdued and believable way. Kind of the way you watch a top pro athlete and marvel at the skill and grace. It's something that obviously can be done, but at the same time you know you could never do it yourself.

And it was cool not just in how very OT-ish it felt in the use of the force. It was also really neat to see a good example of Obi-wan leading troops, fighting in the war, and doing awesome Jedi stuff that made him (and other Jedi) legendary. It was very much the kind of thing I imagined/expected as a kid when I daydreamed about what the clone wars must've been like.

As an aside, I really love that bit in one of the newer trailers for The Force Awakens about the "legends" and "stories" about the Jedi and what happened and Han saying, "they're all true..." Gives me goosebumps for whatever's to come!

[Dr Kain]

I couldn't get into the Clone Wars cartoon when it was airing. I wanted to see the damn clones, not just Jedi. The best episode I saw was the one with the clones on their own. I have been wanting to give the show another chance though, but the movie is like $80 on Amazon and it isn't on the Not-So Complete Collection. I know it is on Netflix, but you guys know my preferences at this point.

EDIT; The other problem I have with the series though is that there is no actual ending because it is supposed to lead into Ep III, but it doesn't even do a good job with that. The final episode should have been Grievous capturing Palpatine, not Yoda fighting the ghost of an old Sith lord. It was a cool episode, but not even remotely a finale.

[canofhumdingers]

Is the movie on Netflix? I just jumped right into the show. Never bothered with the movie and I don't think you really need to. The idea of Jabba having a kid and Jedi saving it sounded like something I could live without watching and be quite content...

[EricDent]

Rented via Redbox

Mr. Holmes: an interesting tale about an aging Holmes (as played by Ian McKellen) trying to remember details of his last case.
Apparently the stories were written by Dr. Watson in this version, and added the embellishments like the deerstalker hat & pipe.
Sir Ian is great as usual, and the kid who played Roger was quite good as well.

Inside Out: a really cute & fun animated movie about what might be happening in our brain.
It was a mix of fun & sad. As a person that moved often as a youth, I can kinda sympathize with the main girl Reilly (SP?).
Pretty sure I lost some of my "core memories" over the years, and I'm pretty sure my personality has changed as well.
Though I'm pretty sure some of "goof-ball island" is still there...
Definitely worth a watch!

[jellydonut25]

[MekaGojira3k]

I kind of loathe The Clone Wars movie, but the show itself is quite good. I had a hard time getting into it until, a few years later, I got the boxsets for season 1 and 2. And it really does serve as a better prequel than the actual prequels.

As for the Ep I and II discussion on the previous page. I used to like II more because - CLONE, CLONE WAR, JANGO FETT.....but it's somehow worse than Ep 1 for me now. It used to just be the Padme/Anakin stuff but now it's the fact that nothing makes sense in AotC. The whole mystery is stupid. Its resolution in Clone Wars is also stupid, but honestly they didn't have much sense to work with.

When I first watched Revenge of the Sith I thought the Anakin/Obi Wan fight was amazing. Hell, I still think parts of it are really cool (I love the moment when they're going through the narrow hallway jacking up the walls), but....it got crazy. Especially LAVA RIVER ADVENTURE FIGHT. Honestly it has dropped pretty steeply in my estimation. Hell, most of them have. The only thing that just seems to get better with my own age is Empire. The only person who got anything right during the prequels was John Williams.

[lhb412]

The Fifth Element

This is a great sci-fi adventure film, not necessarily because of the outrageous style and over-the-top performances (which divide audiences to this day) but because of the clarity of how the story is told. It's your classic pulp, sci-fi/fantasy adventure with vague mythology, MacGuffins, several alien races, and lots of different characters zipping in and out of the narrative to fight each other or find the MacGuffins or whatever - and this can all dissolve into a mess of a story, as proven by numerous other movies. Luc Besson, however, always keeps things moving, establishing characters quickly and clearly, gives exposition in scenes that are funny and character driven that don't feel like 'info dumps,' and constantly cuts between the various groups and characters in a way that clearly shows where everyone is and what everyone is doing at that particular moment in the story (these scenes are also funny, as he always creates jokes in the juxtapositions between the different scenes cutting to each other).

Also, even though there's a lot of CG, this was made made right when effects were still largely practical so you have a lot of miniatures and stuff.

[Dr Kain]

Fifth Element is the best Final Fantasy movie ever made.

[O.Supreme]