Wednesday 30 June 2021

Woo Long Talks - Episode 90: Movies and TV Talk!

The following presentation is Emotionally14 Endorsed. We didn't make it ourselves, but the people that did are fantastic and we think that you'll like it!


Back like we never left! On this week's catch up show, we discuss everything we have been enjoying on the big and small screen; from Saw franchise reboot 'Spiral' to 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train'. We also run the rule over some new Netflix release like Kevin Hart's new dramedy 'Fatherhood' and the return of 'Black Summer' and look forward to a summer or big movies and TV shows and slowly returning to normal geeky life after lockdown.

PS: Please accept our apologies for the sketchy audio at times, my internet was having an off night!

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Black, British and Nerdy! This is the home of our podcast, where we talk Movies, Comics, TV, Gaming and more. New podcast available every two weeks. Check us out!

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Rob's Movie Night Roundup - L (Lost Girls, Logan)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J K

L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

LOST GIRLS
Director: Liz Garbus
Stars: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, Gabriel Byrne

Synopsis via IMDB: When Mari Gilbert's daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered sex workers.

As a quick aside, irrelevant to the film, can I make a request of the people who run movie sites please?

Get over yourselves. If you didn't create a movie poster, protecting it like it's your art is just a dick move. I went through numerous websites looking for one copy, and a number of the sites I visited have some sort of mechanism in place to stop you downloading an image version. Netflix get to do that; they made the film, and all associated artwork and promtional material. Some jumped-up chump with a website *about* Netflix just looks like a tit. And don't get me started on people who watermark in the same situation. Ugh.

Right, to the film then.

With a few exceptions, I generally don't have a lot of time for the whole "average member of society manages to spectacularly outshine a whole department whose job it is to literally do the thing for a living" trope. It's often overblown to the point of ludicrous.

A wrinkle affecting my interpretation of Lost Girls, then, is the assertion that it is based on true events. Of course, the phrase "based on true events" is subject to a fair bit of interpretation, and the filmmmakers here seem to have taken a few creative decisions that either veer from the historical events or ignore them completely (though that could also easily be a choice of the writer of the book on which this film is based). Indeed, when doing a bit of cursory research, I found that one person of interest in the case was nowhere to be found in the film even by name. Whether that person appears in the book or not, I have no idea. I haven't read the book.

Indeed, were this movie to be the entire unvarnished truth, it'd be horrendously sad really. Every lead not uncovered by the protagonist is by pure happenstance or accident, and only the single mum struggling to make ends meet is the one who can save the day etc. To frame it as such makes a lot of sense given the subject matter, especially given the fact that both the film and the book on which the film is apparently largely based are centered around the mother of a specific lost girl.

There's nothing fundamentally wrong with this film on a technical level; it looks excellent and is well-directed, and the performances throughout are solid. It's just...fine. It's not as frustrating as something like Kidnap, and significantly easier to follow than something like Killers Anonymous, to use recent examples. It's a serviceable film that does a decent job of adding the Hollywood touches to a sad course of events.

In short, Lost Girls might be worth a watch for a few decent performances if you enjoy movies based on true events, and certainly seems more interesting and twisty-turny than the real story, but ultimately is unlikely to amaze you beyond all measure.


LOGAN
Director: James Mangold
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen

Synopsis via IMDB: In a future where mutants are nearly extinct, an elderly and weary Logan leads a quiet life. But when Laura, a mutant child pursued by scientists, comes to him for help, he must get her to safety.

I hadn't seen Logan before this. I cannot explain why. Perhaps I just wasn't doing many cinema trips at the time.

How in fuck's name was this only a 15? This film is *brutal* in places, and how are kids who were born in 1996 going to appreciate just how significant it is to watch Sir Patrick Stewart say "Fuck"? Are the BBFC just phoning it in, or as a culture have we just become so desensitised to this stuff that it's gradually getting more and more permissible to include this stuff at the lower age ratings?

A bit of both, most likely. Ever since the 12A rating made it clear that some stuff is apparently fine if you're 6 as long as your parents are in the room (which jars a bit, given the embarassment factor some 11 year olds might feel at some gross-out or sexual innuendo stuff that might find its way into a 12A), it's felt to me like we've made our way that way gradually. But I digress.

My surprise at the seemingly low age rating notwithstanding, this movie was really enjoyable. The tone it sets is dystopian throughout, and it does a really good job of conveying a bleak world for mutants despite life seemingly going on elsewhere. It's probably quite a tough thing to achieve that. I especially loved how they handled the Xavier elements of the plot, just giving you enough information to piece together what happened without being too blatant about it all.

As I mentioned at the top of this bit, this movie is *brutal* in a way that fits the character of Logan/Wolverine really well; the action is high-octane at the right times, well-paced during the slower parts, and there's an appropriate amount of gore and guts for the subject matter.

Performance-wise, Jackman is obviously top-notch, because he always is when it comes to Wolverine, and he is given a little additional challenge on the performance front by the very nature of the story which he accomplishes really well. Equally importantly, the cast around him is all really well-chosen and does their bit expertly. The special effects are superhero-style, but not so absurdly over the top as to appear completely incredible even for a comic movie. There *appears* to be pretty minimal use of CG, which is usually a sign that it's done well if it's there.

It's a great movie, I really liked it. And that ending? Wow.


What a mixed bag L was. At this point I could be delivering a random aside about Netflix's Death Note adaptation, but I digress. From a movie to fill the time, albeit a well-executed one, to a really enjoyable romp and different take on the comic book format, this one feels like a decent round of movies.imdb

Did you enjoy the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.


Friday 25 June 2021

Bring on the Bad Guys - Episode 25: Marvel Crisis Protocol Expansions Unboxing and Review

Brad and Ian have received a huge delivery from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, contains lots of new releases for Marvel: Crisis Protocol. They unbox, rate and review Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Cable, Domino, Amazing Spider-Man, Black Cat, Lizard, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio and Carnage!

Follow the show on Instagram @bringonthebadguys and Facebook @BringBadGuys


Thursday 24 June 2021

The Nerd Room Episode #275. THE SUICIDE SQUAD TRAILER, KEATON RETURNS, LOKI

The following presentation is Emotionally14 Endorsed. We didn't make it ourselves, but the people that did are fantastic and we think that you'll like it!


Join Tim and Carlos to breakdown all the latest in Nerd, including; the new The Suicide Squad trailer, Keaton’s return to DC Film, Episode #2 of Loki, and much more!


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Be sure to check out more from the Star Wars Commonwealth and follow Talk Star Wars, Tumbling Saber, Generation X-Wing, Rogue Squadron Podcast, San Diego Sabers Radio Podcast, and Sandcrawler Podcast!


The Nerd Room

A Star Wars, Marvel, & DC Podcast
A weekly podcast bringing you the latest Star Wars, Marvel, and DC news and reviews!

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Tuesday 22 June 2021

TUMBLINGSABER PODCAST - THE SLIDING SCALES OF LOGIC

The following presentation is Emotionally14 Endorsed. We didn't make it ourselves, but the people that did are fantastic and we think that you'll like it!


In this week's episode we discuss more reveals from Hasbro's Vintage Collection and Black series lines. Yes....that means more dreaded exclusives. We also look at Liam Neeson's latest statement about his participation in the Obi-Wan series, and Michael Waldron beginning work on his Star Wars movie with Kevin Feige. We also spend some time discussing the latest episode of the The Bad Batch called "Reunion", which saw the return of a fan favorite bounty hunter!

We're glad to be in your ears and would love to hear from you! Send an email with your thoughts and questions to tumblingsaber@gmail.com, or find us in our closed TumblingSaber Facebook group. We'd love to see you there.

If Twitter is your thing, you can find me, Cory, and Carlos there as well!

Thanks for listening to the podcast! See you next week!


TumblingSaber Podcast
A Star Wars Podcast

Fandom rises, and a podcast to meet it! TumblingSaber is a Star Wars podcast by fans, for fans! We talk films, TV, comics, novels, toys, and much more!

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Monday 21 June 2021

Fire When Ready - Episode 54 - Star Wars: Armada Gameplay - Nadiri Starhawk Review

Brad, Ian and Dave test out the new Nadiri Starhawk ship for the New Republic, by pitting it against an Imperial Remnant fleet under the command of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @firewhenreadyuk

If you like the look of this game, or even if you're just in the market for a few new bits for your existing set, why not check out our Amazon Affiliate store to do so?




Thursday 17 June 2021

THE NERD ROOM: JURASSIC WORLD RETROSPECTIVE, LOKI, THE FLASH

The following presentation is Emotionally14 Endorsed. We didn't make it ourselves, but the people that did are fantastic and we think that you'll like it!


Join Tim and Carlos as they continue their retrospective look at the Jurassic franchise with Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom, and the upcoming Dominion! They also touch on Loki and another Flash reveal!


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Be sure to check out more from the Star Wars Commonwealth and follow Talk Star Wars, Tumbling Saber, Generation X-Wing, Rogue Squadron Podcast, San Diego Sabers Radio Podcast, and Sandcrawler Podcast!


The Nerd Room

A Star Wars, Marvel, & DC Podcast
A weekly podcast bringing you the latest Star Wars, Marvel, and DC news and reviews!

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Rob's Movie Night Roundup - K (Kidnap, Killers Anonymous)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J

K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

KIDNAP
Director: Luis Prieto
Stars: Halle Berry, Sage Correa, Chris McGinn

Synopsis via IMDB: A mother stops at nothing to recover her kidnapped son.

Do you remember when Taken came out, and you *believed* in Liam Neeson as a credible action hero? I certainly do; I thought that film was incredible, and though the sequels ebbed at some of that goodwill I still feel that the original film is outstanding. There are a number of things that the film did to make this happen, but in summary it was earned. Neeson's character had the background and you saw it in action before the main set piece kicked off. This movie feels like one of those films that tried to reproduce the same results with a different actor, but ignoring all those things and hoping you won't care.

Halle Berry plays a waitress and single mother, dealing with overwork and what we're led to presume is a messy divorce/custody battle/both. She goes to a park, loses her kid and goes on a chase to recover him, trying to get help along the way from law enforcement and passing traffic. Without going too deep into spoiler territory, that is the film as a whole. If you're thinking at this point that you can telegraph the overall direction of this film, you're probably not only right but it's worse than you think.

I'll say something nice about this film that should hopefully offset the overall sentiment that this is not worth the time to catch up on if you're doing your own alphabet. The performances are solid, and lots of it is well shot. There's one scene in particular, which is hard to say too much about (but involves Berry going to get help from a car behind her) which was straight-up *excellent* in its execution.

Overall, however, this film annoyed me. There's nothing wrong with the central premise but to revisit the Taken example, Bryan Mills is an ex-Green Beret and CIA operative using his highly-developed skills. Halle Berry's character has none of these things, and yet still manages to go above and beyond everyone around her (and maybe even Bryan Mills from Taken) to the point of sheer ridiculousness.

What's more, even if you accept that panic is a factor in some of the character's decision-making, a lot of the decisions made are irrational even then. The driving sequences are quite prolonged to the point of nearly feeling overlong as well; when you consider that the film clocks in at 95 minutes for the theatrical release, which was cut down to 82 for the physical media, that makes me think the reviews touched on this and it was corrected. Kudos, if so. It could be that the physical media release is a tighter film, so if you really must see one version that's probably the one to watch.


KILLERS ANONYMOUS
Director: Martin Owen
Stars: Tommy Flanagan, Rhyon Nicole Brown, MyAnna Buring

Synopsis via IMDB: A support group of killers is held regularly. The participants sit in a circle of trust and share their transgressions.

I'll say something nice about this film to kick us off; this film is beautifully executed. The colour palette is really lovely, with a certain vibrant neon feel underscoring everything.

It's a shame, then, that the film is so thoroughly confusing as to make that so largely irrelevant. I watched it a few days ago and still don't feel quite sure that I understood the basic plot fully. It's just a film that I watched, and not a fantastic one. I really struggle to say anything else about it.

It doesn't help that if you watch this on Amazon Prime, as we did, there are no subtitles to speak of. I can't say for sure that it would've helped, as the main problem seems to be the film jumping in at a specific point in time with little to no context of what came before, but it would've been nice to have the option to say for sure.

There's nothing inherently wrong with any of the performances from the cast. Gary Oldman is in the poster, but not one of the main cast credited on IMDB, which kind of reflects his role as a relatively important but not especially present character.

Jessica Alba is in it too, so if you like her that's a plus. I think she's cool and all, but that's about the limit. Usually I can point to a standout performance, but for this film everyone is just...fine. They do their jobs capably. That feels back-handed to write, but I don't intend it to be. This film has a capable and efficient cast, but I really think the writing and overall storytelling lets it down immensely.


With so many decent movies forming part of the Movie Night Roundup this year, there will always be a couple of films that end up ranking lower on the overall list. I mean, there are going to be 52 movies to rank, even informally. I think it's fair to say that the movies from K are going to form part of the latter half, if not the bottom few. These movies might really hit home for some, but for me they were just middling at best to irritating at worst.

Did you enjoy the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.


Tuesday 15 June 2021

TumblingSaber Podcast - PALPATINE’S CLOSED CIRCUIT

The following presentation is Emotionally14 Endorsed. We didn't make it ourselves, but the people that did are fantastic and we think that you'll like it!


In this episode of the podcast we delve into "Decommissioned", the 5th episode from The Bad Batch. This episode gives us another shadowy reveal, and a big helping of action as things are slowly moving forward to the main crux of the story. We also discuss a new would-you-rather and our patented brand of nonsense that seems to permeate each and every show.

We're glad to be in your ears and would love to hear from you! Send an email with your thoughts and questions to tumblingsaber@gmail.com, or find us in our closed TumblingSaber Facebook group. We'd love to see you there.

If Twitter is your thing, you can find me, Marie, and Nathan there as well!

If Twitter is your thing, you can find me, Cory, and Carlos there as well!

Thanks for listening to the podcast! See you next week!


TumblingSaber Podcast
A Star Wars Podcast

Fandom rises, and a podcast to meet it! TumblingSaber is a Star Wars podcast by fans, for fans! We talk films, TV, comics, novels, toys, and much more!

iTunes

Patreon

Stitcher

Youtube

Spotify