Movies 2: Electric Boogaloo

In response to your question, and obviously as the forum's biggest Star Trek fan, I say:

In response to The Shankinator:

So I've just got back from Star Trek Beyond. It was alright - better than Into Darkness but not as good as the original reboot. Someone somewhere else said that it felt like a really long episode of the series... and it did. If you're stuck for a film to watch (with The BFG, Bourne and Ghostbusters out now (and Finding Dory out on Friday), it seems like a long shot), I can give it a recommend.

JayMoyles wrote:

In response to your question, and obviously as the forum's biggest Star Trek fan, I say:

Turns out after seeing a story or something on the movie, the answer is yes

ZeroJones wrote:

Just back from seeing Zootropolis, the Disney film about a bunny cop in the big city. It's huge fun, with almost Pixar/Simpsons levels of sight gags. It's also a little bit dark, which I was not expecting! A big thumbs up.

I watched last night and I will also be giving it a

Fun Fact: Mayor Lionheart is voiced by JK Simmons, the same man that voiced Cave Johnson from the Portal games.
Fun Edit: He also voiced Kai, from Kung Fu Panda 3.

So, I saw Star Trek Beyond yesterday. I really enjoyed it! A fun romp, good action, good tension, excellent characterisation. There were lots of nice little touches which might have been cheesy, but I'm a sucker for nostalgia-tugging and it got to me.

Spoiler:

Just saw Finding Dory, I'm not a big fan of Nemo, but I thought this was a great film. Recommended!

A few days ago I watched 10 Cloverfield Lane, which was rather decent.

Spent a pleasant afternoon watching The Man From U.N.C.L.E., with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. I loved the repeats of the 60's TV series on BBC2 when I was a lad. It was fun and they did a great job of recreating the era but it felt a bit empty. Shame, really.

Also, in an alternate universe, Henry Cavill is James Bond.

I watched Suicide Squad. It was alright! It wasn't a masterpiece or anything but it was fun and action-packed, and it was a very loyal depiction of the comicbook characters, without mucking about trying to show us who Joker and Batman and Robin were all over again. It assumes basic knowledge and takes you on a ride.

Just got back in from Suicide Squad myself and I can only agree with what The Gotham Drunka has said. Out of Man Of Steel, Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad, SS is my favourite.

STB. Was a'right, riddled with plotholes and I couldn't follow much of the action but it was fun enough.

Zachary Quinto as Spock: thoughts?

I quite like him in the role. He seems to want to do it justice and you can't say fairer than that. I just wish they hadn't given him as much 'not what Spock would say' dialogue in STB: he works best for me when he's being strait-laced and uptight. Maybe this is a new Spock and I should just let go?

Just came back from suicide squad and I liked it as well. Though I still can't get over the Jokers grills

I really like Quinto's Spock. When Abrams was making him extra shouty it didn't really work, but when he's playing a cool-headed Spock with a little extra heart, I like it.

Must just be me then. I find his general delivery not straight and stoic enough.

Mixed feelings on Squad, I liked Deadshot a lot and I thought Harley was mostly good, but I really hated the Joker and felt it was kind of all over the place.

Also saw BFG, a decent retelling that went on a bit too long.

What Joker was good and it had to go in a different direction form Heaths Joker, which this was a done well.

I did like Deadshot even though it was Will Smith being Will Smith, Harley was okay I felt she seemed a bit forced at somepoints but hey still best DCU film.

There should be no different direction for the Joker, he should always be relatively the same, not some grilled up gangster that did look like he should have been in a 80's movie
Also..
I really liked Harley

I did like how the SS Joker sat between the 'realistic' Heath Ledger portrayal and the wilder antics of Jack Nicholson's. He also felt menacing enough, but there was still something a little bit off about him. D'you think we'll see more of him in the future?

He wasn't my favourite joker, but he was less of a diversion from the comics than Heath Ledger was. Joker is the clown prince of crime- he is a gangster. I enjoyed the Dark Knights agent of chaos, but this joker is more believable as a long - term archenemy of Batman. If Affleck gets round to his solo film, I expect he'll return.

I have an irrational dislike of Jared Leto, so I'm going into seeing Suicide Squad a little bit prejudiced.

Found me some Dory earlier. Whilst not quite as good as the original - in my humble, unsubtle and often wrong opinion, natch - it did make me cry, which is always a good sign. Not one of Pixar's strongest, maybe... but that's like saying "not one of EAD's strongest".

Late on the SS (ooh that's not a good abbreviation) bandwagon.  I enjoyed it!  Although I did go in with practically negative expectations.

It's a prime example of the fact that good characters aren't enough to make a good film on their own though.  Because I'd go and see a film starring pretty much any one of the main squad: Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Will Smith, not!Hulk, fat!Hugh Jackman, stereotypical Latino guy (although not Katana and not this version of the Joker either).  But their relationship was underdeveloped and hard to believe in places, the plot was bobbins, and the action scenes were mostly pretty dull.

Harley's very interesting. I'm torn between loving stuff (out-and-out craziness shifting seamlessly to almost childlike innocence) and rolling my eyes at other stuff (unnecessary hotpants, everyone pointing out how out-and-out crazy she is every time they address her). But I hate how her raison d'être is a man, and that's pretty hard/impossible to separate from her character. Were superheroes even a thing in the 1890s? On the whole I'd like to see more of her, preferably Joker-less.

One final thought: Cara Delevigne is a very striking lady who is not, in my opinion, a very good actress.  I can see her playing Manic Pixie Dream Girls okay, and not much else.

Poochy & Balladeer wrote:

One final thought: Cara Delevigne is a very striking lady who is not, in my opinion, a very good actress.  I can see her playing Manic Pixie Dream Girls okay, and not much else.

I don't know how much of it was due to the dialogue or her delivery of said dialogue, but I was cringing at some of the lines during her "your world is doomed, join me ha ha ha" speech. Just awful stuff.