Topic: The Movie Thread

Happy to see Everything, Everywhere, All At Once had such a good night at the Academy Awards. Actually just rewatched it with my sister and brother-in-law tonight, who hadn't seen it yet.

They weren't very impressed, but they also loved that recent Ant-Man movie, which I thought was almost unwatchable tripe, so... shrug

Not that I pay much attention to any awards show, but it was good to not only have something thay I watched and enjoyed nominated, but to actually win some awards.

@JohnnyShoulder @Ralizah Brendan winning wasn't a shock but I'm disappointed that "The Banshees of Inisherin" got shut out - especially in the acting categories - even though I had "EEAAO" as my favourite for last year.

Caught the last hour & a half of the Oscars last night. Good for Everything, Everywhere, all at Once , I haven't seen it, but it's been very buzzy. Glad to see both Avatar: tWoW & Top Gun Maverick each pick up an award as well, in the technical categories anyways. Too bad All Quiet on the Western Front didn't win anything, as I thought that was quite good as well.

Anyhow, these are all the movies I watched this weekend.

City Hunter: Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba ( Blu-Ray )

The last of the original City Hunter movies/specials.

I don't think it's particularly worse than what came before (if you liked the earlier stuff, it's worth a watch), however I can't help but think something feels a bit off about this one, IMO.

Starting things off, the opening song has a grungy feel to it that doesn't gel at all with the series vibe (feels like it would be more at home in something like Death Note). Otherwise it has the same kinda more muted color palette as Goodbye My Sweetheart, but while that fit that film's tone, this one leaned much harder on the comedy side of things which felt at odds (and even then, I felt the comedy wasn't the series at it's strongest).

That said it's not bad by any means. It still looks absolutely wonderful like the last couple of films, and despite feeling off in spots it's still largely the same City Hunter we've come to love.

Female Yakuza Tale ( Blu-Ray )

This is absolutely wild.

Over the top with exploitative sex/nudity, violence (which often comes off as hilarious in this day & age, such as a scene where a guy flicks a bullet up another man's nose), it's absolutely not for everyone, but it's a fun time if you can get into it. Has a very grungy feel to it too.

It follows Ocho, a woman who is violated by the local Yakuza when they accidentally mistake her for one of their drug mules, and then she sets out for revenge. Can definitely tell it's the type of film that partially influenced the Kill Bill movies (though again, this is much more out there).

Project A-Ko 2 ( Blu-Ray )

If you liked the first one this is pretty much more of the same.

The aliens have refurbished their ship as an entertainment center but are plotting to take off with C-ko, the Earth Defense Forces, sour after their defeat in the first film, plan to steal the ship, with an ever bickering A-ko & B-ko caught in-between. It's a bit more truncated as a 50 minute OVA as opposed to the full length original, but that keeps it moving at a nice clip & it still manages to have it's fair share of both laughs & action.

Shogun's Samurai ( Blu-Ray )

Historical fiction film that centers around the sons of the second Tokugawa Shogun, and the conflict between them over who will inherit the position.

It's actually a really solid drama. A bit slow in spots, but it's interesting to follow, with some nice environmental & action shots. A handful of the action scenes come across as weirdly superhuman for how grounded the rest of the film feels (like a scene near the end where a guy cuts through some sort of after image of his opponent, where he really cut clean through a statue), but it's kinda weird in a way that's charming IMO.

Project A-Ko 3 ( Blu-Ray )

More A-Ko goodness. This time C-ko is feeling left out as A-ko & B-ko are squabbling over a guy instead of her, but unluckily for them he only has eyes for C-ko (who couldn't care less about him).

Looks great aesthetically, and it's full of fun vibes & gags, though it's a bit anticlimactic. I was wondering when the big action set piece was going to happen, and it never does. A-ko & B-ko finally get ready to throw down, the town's volunteer defense forces get ready to roll out (hilariously everyone from fast food employees, to teachers, & even the mayor have personalized Mecha), but the action has already been settled (off screen) by the time they mobilize. Of course, maybe playing with expectations was the gag in and of itself, but I can't deny I was a little disappointed. Still a very fun time overall though.

@RR529 "All Quiet" won Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, Best Score and Best Production Design.

@LN78 , yeah, I just read that a few minutes after posting, lol.

Good to see it come out with a few wins.