Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

20231229:
Like Godzilla: King of the Monsters, this movie lacks a good plot. However, the dialogue in this movie didn't feel as annoying, and the action was better. In particular, this movie did well to focus more on the big fights rather than on the human characters. With that being said, I loved the lighter sideplot involving the character Madison Russell (particularly due to the actress Millie Bobby Brown). Overall, I thought it was a much better movie.

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
Hehe. He sharpened the tree in one stroke with his hand. I feel even if someone is strong, that would hurt. Unless perhaps one's hand was super calloused
How did these creatures coexist in the past? I guess they specifcally said there can't be two alphas, and somehow both Godzilla and Kong are alpha-level monsters. I guess in the previous movie it was shown that Godzilla is definitely an alpha. But was this shown of Kong? [technically this movie is also a sequel to Kong: Skull Island (2017), so it is likely that Kong's strength was displayed in that movie]
"Did the monkey just talk?" Is Godzilla a monkey?
Hehe. Slams down $100
Hmm. Kind of cool, but I wonder if realistically the battle carrier would carry both their weight (Godzilla and Kong)
Hmm. I guess the unfair part is Kong fighting in water. He's already at a power disadvantage with Godzilla's beam.
That scene didn't make clear how the death charges saved Kong and why it would have disabled Godzilla
Well it's better than nothing. If they didn't cut their power, they would haven't have been able to fight off Godzilla. Otherwise they would have already been able to
Hmm. Lame. That winged monster was going to suffocate Kong, and the spacecraft had to fire... so much for being an alpha.
I like how they showed Kong's intelligence with the gravity inversion
"What is that? Robo-Godzilla?" "No, that's Mechagodzilla." [apparently within the Godzilla franchise, the robotic Godzilla is named "Mechagodzilla"]
Hehe. Kong takes a seat.
Hmm... he's been snooping around, but he seems to know too much about this technology for the purpose of explaining the plot.
Ooo. They just threatened the little girl... Kong won't be happy.
Psh. A signal was able to upload the data of the sample all the way through the Earth?
Hehe. Godzilla blew a hole through the Earth...
Justice? (they tried to escape, but Kong catches the vehicle and destroys it)
A statue of a "Kong"
"This would be a great DJ booth"
Epic. Kong just jams the butt of the axe down Godzilla's throat to stop the beam
Kong has some speed, but he can barely outpace the beam
Hehe. The near miss of the ship around the beam was slightly cheesy but cool enough
That's weird, the beam seemed like it followed the axe as Kong raised it
Tactical: Kong throws the beam to distract Godzilla.
Wow, even without his beam, Godzilla is so much stronger than Kong...
Hehe. Godzilla decides to scream back... I almost thought he would give up (but earlier the scientist said Kong wouldn't back down). Interesting that Godzilla backs off instead of dealing some sort of killing blow. I guess that shows Godzilla is civil... he's not bloodthirsty crazy
Smile. "That's not fair. I really wanted to hear the rest of that speech."
Hmm. Glad he's helping now. But what did this scientist do that was so critical on the mission that he had to come to begin with?
He must have been speaking with her for a long time to have learned so much vocabulary
Nice 2 v 1. But Kong should grab his axe.
Ah okay. He spots his axe. Here we go.
LOL. Hmm... I guess a mechanical malfunction to bypass the software security lock makes sense in this case. It would be the equivalent of cutting the chain off a bicycle lock. Well not the equivalent, but analogous.

---

Watched 20231229 (Netflix, Instant)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) Adam Wingard. 113 min

Relevant Links:
Godzilla vs. Kong (IMDb.com)
Godzilla vs. Kong (RottenTomatoes.com)
Godzilla vs. Kong (Wikipedia.org)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

20231225, 20231229:
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 93% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
1a: She's 15 and she told him she was 19. I wonder if he knows. [interestingly, the actress was about 20 at the time of the movie's release]
1a: Is that Molly Ringwald? [Not sure who it was, but Molly Ringwald is not in the film]
1a: "Are you really 19?"
1a: Wow. That was her first experience. Just like that.
1a: "It hurt so bad."
1a: hehe, he's Employee of the Month (sign in the back)
1a: I'm lookin at the cast on Wikipedia and Jeff Spicoli is played by Sean Penn. I didn't recognize him as he's so young here
1a: Hehe. Side One of Zeppelin IV.
1a: hehe 15-30 minutes (when it was like thirty seconds)
1a: paused at the 1 hour mark
1b: oh wow, I didn't think such a movie would have such a dramatic scene ("I'm pregnant")
1b: I wonder how much $150 back then would be now... ["As of June 2023, on average, abortion pills could cost between $500-800 and surgical abortions could cost between $600-3,000."]
1b: Would have been interesting if Spicoli aced the test
1b: hehe, everyone cheating off of him
1b: haha and other cheats
1b: "I want a relationship."
1b: Wow, quick thinking but borderline risky
1a=20231225,1b=20231229

---

Watched first two-thirds 20231225, remaining third 20231229 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231231)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Amy Heckerling. 90 min

Relevant Links:
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (IMDb.com)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (RottenTomatoes.com)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Wikipedia.org)

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002)

20240611 Comment: I don't really recall the movie, but I'm guessing it's somewhere right around 4.0.

---

Instant Comments:
hehe bad impression (Pooh eating honey as the reason for not opening the door)
hehe "bells bells bells" "no improvising rabbit"
flyswatter, umbrella, snow shoe...
oh, I forgot this story: lol didn't ask for a present (excepting that he asked for honey like three or so times)
"oh, just get him a pot of honey"
"say I like this guy's mathematicals"
[I fell asleep]
on lancer
"the brain boggles. what kind of place would that be?" "paradise"
haha. Eeyore takes on Pooh
"sweet but a little sappy if you ask me"

---

Watched 20231225 (Disney+)
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (2002) Gary Katona, Ed Wexler, Jamie Mitchell. 65 min

Relevant Links:
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (IMDb.com)
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year (RottenTomatoes.com)
A Very Merry Pooh Year (Wikipedia.org)

Suicide Squad (2016)

20231223:
Overall, a couple of good lines from Margot Robbie, but the plot was tough to swallow which made for an uncompelling movie. Not to mention that the entire movie is designed around a problem created by the solution. I think the movie would have been twice as good if the bad guys actually had motivation built up to be each other's family and not just cause their lives were threatened. Furthermore, they should actually have faced a real threat after some sort of practice run. With that being said, they are not a team built for combatting a Superman-level threat because none of the team except perhaps Diablo was close to that power level.

Rating: 2.0/5

---

Instant Comments:
Dr. Moone actress looks familiar [oh, I would know her most recently from Only Murders in the Building season 2, but technically I've also seen Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets]
this Joker looks weird. maybe the mouth
huh, the project of villains produces the enemy... seems like grounds for shutdown
hehe foreboding
hehe theyre watching her change
'so thats it, were some kind of Suicide Squad?"
"she seems nice"
hehe he tricked the other guy
hehe still scheming to out even with bomb in neck
I'm off my meds
hehe Harley begins walking out
huh he was able to crush it
I feel like they haven't worked together as a team in any respect to have any beliecable synergy
damn... can't believe she's still holding their lives after they just saved the world
they should have killed her first hehe
hehe she wanted an espresso machine and she got jt
Waller dealing with Bruce Wayne / Batman. he wants Justice League members...

---

Watched 20240303 (Netflix, Instant)
Suicide Squad (2016) David Ayer. 123 min

Relevant Links:
Suicide Squad (IMDb.com)
Suicide Squad (RottenTomatoes.com)
Suicide Squad (Wikipedia.org)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

20231220:
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 96% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
1a: Oh, it's the actress from Enola Holmes [Millie Bobby Brown]
1a: LOL. She reached out to it. She's crazy.
1a: Holy moly. Who's coming in and shooting?
1a: Hmm... not sure what I'm missing from the first movie. The father seems to know more than the other man regarding how to deal with Godzilla (e.g., let the shields down).
1a: Eh. This movie is kind of annoying. Mostly poor characters
1a: I guess while the story is bad, what would hopefully be exciting is the battle between Monster Zero and Godzilla.
1a: That fight was underwhelming.
1a: Ugh. Boring. It's one thing to have these beliefs and write an essay, it's another thing to spell it out in a movie... how boring (e.g., infection, Earth's natural protection, blah blah)
1b: Resume at the 54 minute mark
1b: Hmm... can't they just leave instead of doing this plane transfer.
1b: Two-mile radius doesn't seem so big. Seems like relative to their size, it would be like not having oxygen for a short second
1b: Wow. That head regeneration is cool looking
1b: I like this ancient dragons bit
1b: hehe a little humor "Ghidorah" "Gonorrhea"
1b: Makes sense from a story perspective (he said she added human vocals...); as a species we are a monster that collectively can compete with these other monsters; earlier Maddie called her mom a monster
1b: An epic fight going on in the background and they're looking for a single person...
1b: An aircraft can hardly outrun Monster Zero and she's gonna drive with this device inside a car?
Credits:
1b: "We'll take it"

---

Watched first half 20231220, second half 20231225 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231231)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) Michael Dougherty. 132 min

Relevant Links:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (IMDb.com)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (RottenTomatoes.com)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film) (Wikipedia.org)

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Reason for watching: recommended as the second movie to watch in DCEU (with respect to timeline)

---

20231217:
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
I have a feeling she would not win for some reason.
Ouch. she just fell from looking backwards. Why look backwards?
Huh. Why did she take the cameras out?
Wait, doesn't she fly? Why jump everywhere if she can fly?
Huh. She just broke a police car. Wouldn't the authorities be mad?
Kristen Wiig? [Oh it is]
This saleswoman looked familiar [the actress name si Raquel Merediz, in thsi movie credtited as "Eager Saleswoman (Clothes)"; she doesn't seem to have done anything I recognize]
Hmm. So he's in someone else's body?
Smile. He's all over the fanny pack as part of the look
Hehe. "I don't want to get on one, I want to fly it"
who does this plane belong to and how does it work without keys
Smile. "I don't know. It was just a coffee cup. And I lost it"
But how does invisibility stop radar?
Okay, so she's not able to fly yet. But maybe his words will inspire her to fly by the end of the movie.
Hmm. Is it that if someone wishes for something, then something bad can happen in return?
She got shot and she's bleeding.
I wonder how long it would take that plate to heat up from the friction.
Ah. So she's getting weak. So earlier when she tried to break the lock she was in fact having trouble.
"I wish for your greatness."
The reason civilizations went down as the wish spreads faster than they can be renounced.
She heals almost instantly after renouncing her wish.
Hmm. Very poorly choreographed, uninteresting fight
She should have just left and destroyed the dish.
Credits:
Asteria.
"Special Appearance by Lynda Carter in the role of 'Asteria'" [Lynda Carter played the role of Wonder Woman in live action tv series from 1976 to 1979.

---

Watched 20231217 (Netflix, Instant)
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Patty Jenkins. 151 min

Relevant Links:
Wonder Woman 1984 (IMDb.com)
Wonder Woman 1984 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Wikipedia.org)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

20231215:
Ben and I watched this movie today.

I was tempted to grab my phone and make notes but I decided to go from memory instead.

---

Comments:
Aa: I had heard/read a little on Chris Pratt but a non-accented or perhaps subtly accented Mario. on the one hand, sure don't force it an accent, but also... why not? in fact, they do this whole commercial bit alluding to it as kind of this comedic bit to explain that something. note that Mario and Luigi still come from a family of Italians, just that him and Luigi have less heavy accents. ok so I suppose it's not a huge deal.
Aa: lots of great music adaptations, sound effects...
Aa: oh lol that part where Mario is doing all sorts of crazy stuff, only to simply open the door for Luigi. at one point even sliding down a pole. tons of references and fan service like that. that scene, in particular, was done with a side-to-side platformer-like view. well executed
Aa: Toad was cool
Aa: I remember wondering why Pricess peach was the princess of the toadstools... as she's human but she actually explains that later on the movie
Aa: I didn't like Peach's appearance in the first part of the movie, especially her stiff hair. for some reason later in the movie her hair gains movement. perhaps this was intentional but weird to me. but again I was not initially liking the 3D model especially the head and hair.
Aa: note thay while her voice was different from Peach's voice clips in a Nintendo game, it was easier to get used to than Mario, plus it had a nice attitude to it.
Aa: they implemented shrooms and 1 hit.
Aa: oh (too tired to recall entire set of thoughts)
Ab: Not a fan of some of Bowser's designed personality. I find it unbelievable.
Ab: The duet scene between Bowser and Kamek doing the popular theme song is great
Ab: I got teary and full of emotion when it turned out that Luigi showed up to block the fire for Mario. I had assumed that the scene would have played out that Mario simply reached the star in time and would show up unscathed. The appearance of Luigi to help, and also share in the star was super awesome.
Ab: Initially when a kart was first used, I thought it was an interesting use of referencing Mario Kart. And then later when it was more incorporated, where each of Princess Peach, Mario, and Toad got to design their own karts, that was super cool. Again, practically everything in this movie is just cramming in reference after reference.
Aa=20231215 notes for 20231215, Ab=20231216 notes for 20231215

---

Watched 20231215 (Netflix)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6718170/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Super_Mario_Bros._Movie

Andor

Episode 1
1=20231214*
*20231230: Actually I don't seem to have any record of when I watched the first episode, but this date kind of made sense.

Episode 2
interesting thing is the Chief Inspector didn't want any of this
is this person the buyer?
hehe his flat followup speech
if you can't find it here it must not be worth finding
huh the initial part of the episode had me thinking the authorities were going to arrive by the end. but certain plot
elements got dragged out... so appropriate suspense
1=20231216

Episode 3
hehe. his distrust and reaction by making the call led to this moment. i guess he was under the influence and upset and jealous and emotions are difficult to handle. also makes for more interesting plot
dont you want to fight these bastasrds for real?
oh wow. shot dead for why... the guy was coming unarmed
"gets to you doesn't it" "That's what a reckoning sounds like"
hehe when it stops
hehe Luthen (caption) just says "kill him"
that's a fake.
this guy is gonna be in so much trouble... now more people are dead and stirred up politics
interesting way to bring an end to the episode: his coming and going juxtaposedn but lots of blanks missing such as him leaving his sister only to later be trying to find her
1=20231216

Episode 4
is the Scarif statement suppose to be meaningful reference? [according to the Wiki page, the planet was created for the film Rogue One; as such, those familiar with Rogue One would probably recognize the planet name]
yeah interesting. an object worth at least 50k expected to be returned, relative to a payment of 200k
is she retrieving the starpath unit for... like is she a spy? she seems high up but perhaps it is possible
huh, she's only been there a year.
hehe "can I eat my food"
oh, in credits Stellan Starsgard. ok, I was pretty sure he was the actor scientist in Thor (that is Stellan Starsgard, right?) [yes]
1=20231216

Episode 5
interesting the story is still following this character. wonder what will happen
Uncle Harlo...
hehe "it's too random to be random" (true randomness would typically result in some clustering) [interestingly, there was a whole situation where iPods on shuffle were random, but in doing so sometimes played songs which were close together and so didn't feel random enough to users...]
Cassian has been shown to read people well (earlier with left and right hands) so he probably figured out that he should (or probably was tricked into) revealing he was paid and that would help committment to the job by the others
1=20231216

Episode 6
hehe believe in something but no sleep, versus believe in nothing but sleep well
Says the boy can dress himself but he himself essentially can't dress himself
I think if they're behind schedule, they just make out with less than they expected. They shouldn't be too greedy (the lights were just turned off)
I feel like one soldier is going to try and be brave and swipe a gun leading to plenty of shooting...
Oh okay. They didn't seem to be after everything (Gorn tells them to wrap up)
Hmm... all that work and jeopardizing the mission by not providing numbers
Huh. What exactly were they navigating using the device... through the commets
Wow. Skeen talking about taking half and Cassian makes the choice (rightly so) to kill Skeen... very quick thinker (cause easily Skeen would betray Cassian and kill Cassian)
1=20240311

Episode 7
Huh... Cassian is considered a loose end... would he still have been a target if he hadn't left? did he leave exactly because he read this?
Wow. He returned home...
Hmm... She seems worried about something else (first thing in the morning)
She mentions Clem hanging
hehe... she was happy about the robbery which unknown to her Cassian was a part of... but he doesn't mention anything
hehe. Blevin humiliated
"Well played." "Thank you, Sir." "Watch your back"
1=20240311

Episode 8
Andy Serkis
Hehe. I was thinking he'd observe and optimize something or get it but neither of those happened; I guess he was just overwhelmed
Saw Gerrera
1=20240311

Episode 9
Hmm. Perceptive. Even if she says, they won't believe her. But if you could like after being tortured, that'd be ideal. Like pretend you're revealing information under distress
That's a great facial expression with a well-timed scream
Wow. What a twist. They're sisters (Mon and Vel)
Hmm... that logic is true. If someone escapes, they just cheaply replace. The cost of just bringing someone else in by fake charges is insignificant and not worth the cost of listening to the units which would be very costly
Hmm. I don't understand why the ISB officer doesn't want his help. He's very passionate about pursuing Andor
But contrary to what I thought earlier about cheap replacements, it would seem better for them to release inefficient old men like Ulaf and have them replaced... so why keep persons like Ulaf?
Ah. We learn what happeened on level 2. Quite the reveal though something that could have easily been fixed by shipping the man to a separate facility.
1=20240312

Episode 10:
Wow. Interesting price
That's brave for some these people to help other floors escape
Hehe. He took some of Cassian's words. But of course as Cassian said he is the best person to do it because he is in command on a day to day
Interesting... with being not so many guards... why are there so many guns.
Hehe. Can't swim.
That looks like a scary drop into the water. I guess I would jump for freedom but it would take a while to work up the courage
Wow. What an intense conversation (sacrifice)
huh. Is it gonna be left ambiguous wheter Kino survived?
1=20240312

Episode 11:
"How do you know I won't tell him?"
It's interesting, because when one plays Chess, making sacrifices such as losing a pawn feels trivial. but in real life, sacrificing a troop to maintain a position means real lives are lost
That's neat. Countermeasure on the tractor beam
He single-handedly took down two tie fighters. He made it look easy
And another two. It kind of reduces the epicness of the the fighter chases that happen throughout Star Wars and shooting down ships
1=20240312

Episode 12:
Huh. What is this Nurchi fellow playing at...
It's a good thing Cassian spotted Luthen
The guy is climbing up the ladder. There is a small probability that Nurchi gave incorrect information to ISB
Huh. Not sure if Cassian simply left in time or if wrong location was given
Interesting they just let Maarva's speech go on
Okay finally the guy came in to stop it
They should have beat up on the one guy that was behind the line
Hmm.. Should be trying to take their blasters
Just the right amount of sentiment. "He'll find us." "I'll find you." pause "Now go go!"
I'm guessing Cassian will be waiting for Luthen
It makes sense... The main reason Luthen would have killed Cassian is cause he was afraid Cassian would leak information... but Cassian is right there... why would Luthen still want to kill him
Post-Credits: it is shown that the parts they were making were part of the Death Star
1=20240312

---

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andor_(TV_series)

Bee and PuppyCat

20231214:
Today, between the sixth and seventh episode, I read about the show on Wikipedia. Apparently the first three episodes on Netflix are a retelling of the first season (the original first ten episodes are about six minutes each and can be found on YouTube).

---

20231230:
I finished the series today and I really hope there's a follow-up season. With that being said, there's been some closure and watching the series again would surely result in picking up on a lot of foreshadowing or details that simply were more speculation when one first encounters them. In particular, typically when details are first revealed, they are revealed in a way where the viewer doesn't know which information is to be trusted. However, after knowing the ending, one can go back and absorb the same information with a different light. Some of it may still be considered untrustworthy, but it's better than nothing. So yeah, I will definitely watch this series again.

---

Episode 1:
1: huh why did she get fired. did she take the fall?
1: multiple levels of cutness and weird (why didn't I get a uniform)
Judas
1: hahahaha use the sword like a sword. dont tell me what to do
1: wow this first episode was ... interesting in the span of 30 minutes. I would watch more but it's late and im tired.
1=20231209

Episode 2:
1: This episode introduced a new character with a mom who is asleep and also a weird black monster after them which they ignored instead of dealt with... strange but fun show
1=20231210

Episode 3:
1: hands comes back. apparently Bee is some kind of robot? but also PuppyCat seems to know?
1=20231211

Episode 4:
1: in this episode we learm that the Cat Cafe is a family operation. this confirms why Deckard looks like Cas
1=20231212

Episode 5:
A: Today I restarted the fifth episode cause I fell asleep through end of it.
A: the pregnancy is a strange side story
A: Bee apologizes for calling PuppyCat selfish. She's so sweet
1=20231212,A=20231214

Episode 6:
1: hwhe dumps the stuff in the toilet (her fridge as from other episode)
1: huh he identfies all this gadgetry as his
1=20231214

Episode 7:
1: This episode was more on the cute than strange side. a sweet ending (I thought perhaps there was going to be an unfortunate twist: that their entering this world and having the man win would somehow screw everything up)
1=20231214

Episode 8:
1: Huh. interesting dream/memory. I played it back to hear it again.
1: The song suggests PuppyCat is a space outlaw.
1: Huh. They're "Team Puppycat"
1: Wait a minute... does this baby with the hammer grow up to become Cardamom? Cardamom also uses a hammer and very good with tinkering.
1: it's the ring from the armchair
1=20231216
Episode 9:
1=20231218

Episode 10:
1: Hahahaha. There's a cake on a random kid's head.
1=20231218

Episode 11:
1: Paused on the code. It's Python. There's a method named `delete_widget`, a method named `cal_next_position`, and a class named `Ball` though the initialize function has two variables, neither of which is used, and one of the parameters in the first line is not defined (`ball_color`).
1: Hehe. She just paddles past her brothers.
1: PuppyCat reveals to Bee about being on the run
1=20231218

Episode 12:
1: Smile. "It's us." "I know"
1: Smile. Bee can tell it's a birthday cake
1: Smile. Cute. Their dodging the hooks.
1: Hehe. "Hey there's plenty of food in the toilet if you want something."
1: So what do they do if they want to use the toilet?
1: Haha! "I don't see how you sleep on this couch every single... (snore)"
1: Aww... "I hope I didn't pull the covers off of him. I do that when I'm cold and greedy."
1=20231230 AM

Episode 13:
1: Hehe. "Wow. No!!!"
1: Hehe. Strange ending (the fish dumps Wesley)
1=20231230 AM

Episode 14:
1: WTF. PuppyCat's poop completely cleaned the planet?
1: Hehe. Still reported
1=20231230 AM

Episode 15:
1: Hehe tryign to get rid of the blobs. That cat was being so sarcastic
1: Ah... Moully recognizes the source of the weird flowers as the wish crystals
1: Hehe. "I come here to get away from my dog."
1: Smile. Puppycat made a handpuppet Bee and she's wearing a little shirt with a bee on it.
1: Moully explains because the mom ate half and the puppy ate half, that neither truly got their wish.
1: "Why your left hand?" "Who cares."
1=20231230

Episode 16:
1: Hehe. This prince character is really friendly (wanting to help Deckard and just following him around)
1: Hehe coin purse
1: Huh. Weird. Why is Bee's stuff related to PuppyCat's stuff? We know PuppyCat's origins but not really Bee's origins
1: Huh. His mom sounds justa little bit like Bee.
1: Puppycat recognizes Bee's guts
1: Hehe. That's dark. People are falling off as the ship raises.
1: Oh! PuppyCat is catching them all!
1: Smile. "I'm tired of you assholes."
1: Ah. Her guts pop out as the personas in the image at the beginning of the episode (like Sailor Moon Bees).
1: Hahaha. The one brother is already tied in.
1: "Unhook me when we find your stupid dad."
1: Summary after first pass through entire season: so... in PuppyCat's flashback episode, it was Space Outlaw (PuppyCat), Violet (Cardamom's mother), and Bird (the genius baby who apparently is Bee's dad). For some reason, both Violet and Cardamom were supposed to be put to sleep, but Cardamom woke up. [On Violet's Wiki page, it is written that adult Bird was working to help fix the ship, during which time people began to inhabit what they thought was an island, and Violet became their landlord.]
1=20231230

Hulk (2003)

20231203:
Overall I liked this story of the hulk. There was more at stake. I didn't, however, like his grand size. In particular, how am I suppose to believe his underwear stretched that much. If he had stretchable pants why not buy a stretchable shirt?

Anyways, I can see how this type of Hulk doesn't align with the movie style for most modern day MCU. It's too much of a horror story (a mix between Frakenstein and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 99% match. I decided to give neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
1a: Too much reading
1a: Stan Lee and Kevin Feige are executive producers
1a: Weird, slow opening. (Everything before him in a bicycle helmet)
1a: Very strange how he becomes a scientist doing the same research as his father
1a: Stan Lee cameo
1a: Interesting all these transitions. (e.g., various views before the frog explodes)
1a: Wow. they were connected since a young age?
1a: Oh. His last name is something other than Banner (on the office doors)
1a: Hehe. The transitiosn after "In the meantime Bruce, you will be hearing from me."
1a: Oh. Nick Nolte. The father didn't seem to look like this earlier... [Young David Banner was played by Paul Kersey]
1a: Huh. What was he pocketing in his hand? [It is revealed in a few scenes]
1a: This Hulk looks so strange. And freakishly big. He's like two and a half times as tall as Betty. [The Wikipedia page says The Hulk is between 7 and 8 feet. A Quora said the Hulk in this film was 15 to 25 feet tall and became taller as he got more angry]
1a: This entire fight sequence fighting dog seems like something in a B movie horror.
1a: Paused at 1 hour 9 minute mark.
1b: wow. cool visuals hand changing but doesnt make sense. his hand taking on material property of what it touches
1b: hilarious. talbot wants to fire the missile, it bounces and blows him from behind and theres kind of a funny freeze frame
1b: cool moment learning to jump
1b: I guess the problem with this hulk story is no superheroness. it's rather a sad story where something happened to Bruce traumatic, and now he is a monster by no fault of his own, but has to go on the run
1b: is it a coincidence that the men were uninjured or intentional
1b: they made that moment with the plane and sf bridge intentional
1b: hehe "puny human"
1b: wait a minute... no no you're gonna get him killed if he turns back to a human
1b: lol, I assume their listening to this conversation and they're just gonna let it go on?
1b: very interesting threat and perhaps a testament to how much power hulk wields: "you think you can handle it? take it! take it all!"
1b: weird to place such a call one year later but sure, it establishes some closure while assuring the hulk is alive hehe the ending... you do not want to make me angry
1a=20231203, 1b=20231205

---

Watched first half 20231203, second half 20231205 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231231)
Hulk (2003) Ang Lee. 138 min

Relevant Links:
Hulk (IMDb.com)
Hulk (RottenTomatoes.com)
Hulk (film) (Wikipedia.org)

Dredd (2012)

20231202:
Netflix determined the movie for me as a 99% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
Seems not good to be doing drugs while on the job - at least drugs that would impair one's ability as opposed to enhance
Jeez. They just rammed someone...
Wow. Very messy...
Why isn't she wearing a helmet? Is it because she's just in training? Seems like everyone in this line of profession should have a helmet
I see. It was not until Dredd arrived on the scene and they explained the slo-mo burn... It increases the feel of the punishment... since the perception of time is in the mind... let's pretend it felt like falling for a day... While the initial thought is that it'd be fear all the way down... I could imagine it could have the opposite effect. Normally the time in such a fall would be so short that one would in theory only process the fear. But if the brain is capable of slowing down the perception, I would assume it's because the brain is thinking more quickly. And perhaps would think about many other things... However, it's sci-fi, so maybe this particular drug just isolates a particular aspect of time perception. In which case, it is plausible it only magnifies the same thoughts which one would normally have...
Ah. No helmet explained.
Hehe. "You don't look ready."
The doors that crushed the homeless person when too unbelievably fast. Various persons could have been passing under those doors.
I don't get it. So much work to kill the Judges when they can just kill Kay.
They just got locked down. I wonder why they couldn't have pressured Kay for information earlier. Information about MaMa.
Seems like overkill. I guess someone did say MaMa loves violence
Doesn't make sense to me... if that's what citizens get for not helping the Judges... they should better rebel
So lucky there's a skating ramp so high up.
Ah, okay. So I'm not the only one: "Sound like overkill to you?"
Well he has a psychic... why does he have to say anything?
Hehe. "We haven't even started" (he pees himself)
"Incendiary" Huh. Has this series already been turned into a game? [There was a game called Judge Dredd: Dredd vs Death released in 2003 (EU)/2005 (NA)]
Hmm. Not sure why this medical person wasn't prepared to help Dredd and yet here he left his protection to talk to other Judges...
Hmm. Will Dredd know?
Huh. Weird exchange of information. And this one guy chose to first react by saying something on his comm instead of taking out Dredd.
I wonder if these guns the Judges use have any protection. Will Dredd be able to take the gun of the guy who tried to attack him? [oh, after the gun ID scene that happens later I realized he doesn't have to take the gun, he can probably just take the ammo cartridge]
Hehe. "Funny. I was gonna ask you that. Bitch."
This Judge assumed Anderson would freeze upon seeing another Judge but that will likely be trumped by Anderson's psychic ability
Hmm. Out of ammo. So he wasn't able to swap the ammo cartridge.
Huh. Now he reloads... maybe before there wasn't time?
1=20231202

---

Watched 20231202 (Netflix, Instant)
Dredd (2012) Pete Travis. 95 min

Relevant Links:
Dredd (IMDb.com)
Dredd (RottenTomatoes.com)
Dredd (Wikipedia.org)

The Punisher (2004)

20231126:
Today I saw this movie. At first, prior to watching the movie, I thought i saw it before. However, I figured that I was thinking of Daredevil (2003).

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 99% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
Huh. Seems kind of sloppy.
Oh... undercover. But he mentions no one was supposed to die... so... what happened?
This doesn't look and feel like a movie from 2004. It looks and feels more like it's from the 90s.
Hmm... with John Travolta involved... (visits his son at the morgue) he'll probably find Frank and kill his family
While I thought "his family," as in wife and kid, as a kind of trade for his son. But "whole family" seems a bit much.
Why run to the Jeep. Why not just stay where they are?
I guess it makes for a cool chase scene... but I'm thinking 50/50 they make it out alive, since if they live... why would he become the Punisher? Where did he get shot that he's still alive?
"God's gonna sit this one out."
Where'd he get all these weapons?
"You're supposed to be dead." [I had trouble figuring out where I know this actor. His name is Eddie Jemison and I know him from Ocean's Eleven where he plays Livingston Dell.]
Hahahaha. Sears the steak and pokes him with a popsicle stick.
Hehe. He announces he's alive. Removes his element of surprised.
Hehe. "He already fucked my life up." I guess that's the bad thing about killing someone's entire family and then failing to kill the person. The person has nothing to lose. And in the rare case the person is skilled...
Uh. They should have fired as he was putting down the case. What would have been cooler is if as he was putting down the case, they tried to fire, and then he still drew his guns and shot them.
Interesting conversation between Joan and Castle. She spotted his whiskey bottle and tries to give him some advice about memories.
Hmm... what would the problem be if Howard Saint knew Glass was a homosexual?
Huh. While apparently Frank was only using the information about Glass being homosexual to frame him, it still isn't clear to me why it'd have been a problem if Saint knew, which is why Glass decided to come in the first place
I'm thinking. there's a gun hidden in the guitar.
Interesting confrontation. (Harry Heck)
Holy moly, the steel covers
Hehe. "You are one dumb son of a bitch. Bringing a knife to a gun fight."
How did they manage to find and kill Frank before and not now? Well... if Harry Heck was able to track Frank down... Not sure Why it's so hard to kill Frank at this point.
Why doesn't he ever check the peep hole.
Glad to see him make use of that bomb and door close. But funny to see how it didn't work out
Hehe. The gun from the tray.
Lucky break with the boiling water.
"I'm fine." "He's not." He falls down.
Oh man... I don't know if I can watch this... Glass is alluding to pulling out a piercing. Perhaps the one at the eye... yikes.
I watch with one hand covering the screen. The actual pull is done offscreen... but... I don't know... I think one hand covering the screen was the way to go
"If they knew they would have talked. They must not have known."
Hehe. Thought about retrieving the gun and opted for the cleaver of the paper cutter.
"Because you're one of us. You're family." (not quite a tearjerker, but kind of like a wince)
"What makes you different from them." "They have something to lose."
Hmm. While Frank is trying to frame Glass, why would Howard drive to Glass's house among the various possible actions to take?
Ridiculous. Glass is asking for an explanation and Saint is just too tunnel-minded to say anything.
Hmm... would it have been possible to hide between the rails? Perhaps she was immobilized from the fall, but she seemed to move her limbs just fine [The answer is "no." See this article: Is it possible to survive lying down between railroad traicks under a passing train?]
"50000 a piece and 50000 more to the man who kills him." That seems like good deal to just take 50000 and not do anything.
I was wondering about his use of a bow. [The main advantage, provided one is skilled with bows and don't need range, is that bows are quiet. And it seems he is skilled with the bow, and absolutely making use of how quiet it is in close quarters]
He got shot so many times. But luckily just in his vest!?!
Jeez. Knife up the jaw.
Hehe. Takes off the vest. But that has the Punisher logo.
"Made you kill your best friend. Made you kill your wife. And now I've killed you."
Well that's a way to die...
Ah... wow. Skull logo from the expoded cars. Seems... not actually possible from cars lined up in a grid... At least not the way it's shown. It should look more boxy.
"Which section?" "Obituaries."

---

Watched 20231126 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231130)
The Punisher (2004) Jonathan Hensleigh. 124 min

Relevant Links:
The Punisher (IMDb.com)
The Punisher (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Punisher (2004) (Wikipedia.org)

The Boxtrolls (2014)

Instant Comments:
"evil is afoot" interpreted by one as "evil is a foot" even as one of then other henchmen tries to explain
they just have their friends / community members be taken and just move on without any mourning
I fell asleep around when Fish was taken
I woke and Winnie is with the group. she's talking with Eggs about fathers. oh wait before that he was telling her the backstory of what actually happened
so clearly they escaped but where did they escape to?
hehe Eggs looking for Fish (a callback to Fish looking for Eggs)
Credits:
the one henchmen [Mr. Pickles] ponders about a philosophical thought [with Mr. Trout] which is a segue into us the viewers seeing the animator animate the scene.
and the two converse about free will and such and poke fun at how tedious it would be [https://youtu.be/3h7p0NckTKc]

---

Watched 20231124 (Netflix, Instant)
The Boxtroll (2014) Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi. 96 min

Relevant Links:
The Boxtrolls (IMDb.com)
The Boxtrolls (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Boxtrolls (Wikipedia.org)

Arrival (2016)

Instant Comments: "Gavisti. He says it means 'an argument.'" [...] "A desire for more cows." (Sanskrit word for war and its translation)
How does such an object just float? (well... sci-fi)
That's pretty cool (change in gravity)
I feel like the look of the aliens will be critical [ah! they don't do the full reveal]
"Am I fired?" "You're better than the last guy."
Their writing is both beautiful and scary when it first comes out
It becomes less scary when it starts swirling around
Kangaroo
Hehe. "It's not true. But it proves my point"
Well it's true. Without removing things that distinguishes her as a "Louise," why should the aliens think of it as anything but another human. Everybody in hazmat suits.
Yikes. Not a jump scare. But it was unexpectedly loud as opposed to a more gentle alien limb splatted onto the screen.
Um... okay... if your daughter asks "Are the monsters going to kill Daddy?" then even if the answer is yes, then just tell the kid "No."
That's beautiful. "It conveys meaning. It doesn't represent sound." I had a discussion once where the participants considered if it were possible to read thoughts, what that would be like. And while initially I went into the discussion thinking that our thoughts are conducted in a particular language, it was brought to my attention that likely thoughts exist indepedently of a language, but of course we need language to communicate our thoughts with one another. But, if there were such a thing as telepathy, then perhaps communication would be more direct. In other words, if there were a means to more directly communicate the raw thoughts, one wouldn't have to pass through a language. [the part that I missed is the other phrase about efficiency; it means that the heptapods communicate with sound, but then enhance supplement verbal communication with an entirely separate channel of written language; in contrast, human written language is dominantly similar to human verbal language (though I'm guessing linguists might be able to offer all the subtle differences)*]
Hmm. Doesn't make sense... if they were hostile... wouldn't they have already started attacking? Well it is possible that the ships planted have a strategic purpose for an attack... collecting data to check for the ability to inhabit the atmosphere and such. but if so... then why open the doors everyday to attempt communication with outsiders?
Oh interesting. There's a theory for this concept (Sapir-Whorf hypothesis). For me I think it's part of my world view: language affects how we think. While there is a theoretical basic thought that happens in the absence of language, the language(s) one learns encapsulate meaning on the world around us.
Wow. We get a much sharper image of the alien as she hallucinates
Hmm... the problem is that this is their interpretation of what the aliens wrote. ("offer weapon" as a response to a statement they believe corresponds to their question; that is, English question gets sloppily translated to alien question, alien response given and sloppily translated back to English response; but this begs the question, the aliens are seemingly "advance" in terms of space travel and yet they have no means of doing the translation on their side; given that encountering life on other planets is likely a very rare event... for this group to succeed... I don't know... doesn't really add up but we'll see where the movie goes with it)
Ridiculous. So they already identified that they suspect strategically the aliens want to get an ally. And so the thing to do would be to remain in open communications. And yet all the individual groups are disconnecting...
Holy moly. Do the heptapods know about the bomb?
Wha? She can write!?!
Huh. How did they not get hit by the explosion?
I feel as if the heptapods know that Louise didn't cause it
Hmm. Ian says "It can't be random." As he said this and he's zooming in... I'm thinking Louise had just asked them for something. Perhaps the alien was able to spit out its entire knowledge.
She remembers telling her daughter "Non-zero sum game." And earlier Ian mentioned "time" showing up in their message. Going out on a limb. I guess this foreshadows that Louise went back in time? Otherwise... there doesn't seem to be a utility in remembering that moment in that way. Ian already gave the answer. Though even if she didn't go back in time physically... perhaps mentally she did. Putting together the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and thinking the way the aliens write... it unlocks the ability to think beyond time. And actually, I think that's how the beginning of the movie is narrated... we'll see how this gets executed
Hehe. They're sending her a private elevator
Holy moly. Did she get sent directly inside? Their domain had seemed like an ocean that they swim in... will she be able to breathe?
Oh right. This is the firs time we see more than just their feet
It says "Louise has weapon." Which I take to mean... based on my puzzling thus far... that Louise has the ability to time travel. Either in the way we think of it or perhaps some derivative of time travel
Oh okay. Some plot twists... what we thought was Louise's past was actually a future? When she's talking to her daughter, it becomes clear, or likely, that the scientist daddy of hers is Ian
Okay, but aside from the ability to see the future, the alien said the technology unlocked... I don't remember
Ooo. Nice. I love palindromes. I wonder how many names are palindromes.
She tries to explain it to Colonel Weber. The movie definitely left these bedcrumbs and I was able to follow throughout the movie (see comments above). With that being said, I also have the luxury of pausing to write down my thoughts. It's possible that without pausing I wouldn't be able to process the clues
Huh. Okay. That's a neat little incorporation of time. (private number)
The aliens leave - almost like disappearing and then leaving a vacumm in their wake
Huh. "Based on the story 'Story of Your Life' written by Ted Chiang.
1=20231123

*I have often talked about the theoretical improvements on language, but never entertained the thought that the written language should differ from the spoken language. As a person who typically watches media with subtitles on, I like the redundancy. There is a common case where there is less redundancy and the subtitles offer a different point of view: dubbed animes. English subtitles for an anime are often the subtitles that correspond the the Japanese language. In watching the English dubbed with English subtitles, I will often encounter differences between what is being spoken and what is written. While it wasn't shown, due to the ability to write with the ink, it seems plausible that the heptapods are able to converse both verbally and with "subtitles" at the same time. But instead of the sounds and subtitles ever corresponding, it's just two separate "channels" (as the scene puts it) of communication. In some sense, it can be generalized as a single language split across two functions. Perhaps the closest analogy I can think of with humans is using not just our mouths to make sounds, but also our body to form expressions (body language). Though thinking about Zoom meetings, we don't just communicate with verbal speech and body language, but there's also a chat function which enables written language. Though our written language is the same as our spoken language, I would say we use it quite differently. I'm thinking about times where I find writing an email appropriate, and times where it's much better to hop on a call. But at this point I believe my mind is just rambling.

---

20240223 Comment:
I was adding screenshots and noticed I gave this film a 4.0 out of 5. However, I liked the overall story and the feeling of the movie several months later is positive enough to feel the need to bump up the rating, especially relative to other movies I've seen and rated recently. I'm going to give it a 4.6 out of 5.

---

Watched 20231123 (Netflix) (Last day to watch 20231130)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543164/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(film)

Storks (2016)

Instant Comments:
Power move.
Always be distant and weird.
"'Orphan' hurts my heart"

Huh. He kind of went through with it but I guess it doesn't count cause he mumbled?
Hehe. Good little bit ending with group hug.
Hehe. No game last night.
"You'll blink and I'll be in college"
HA He built a little quadcopter.
Whoa. The wolves formed a bridge.
HAHA! Wolf boat.
What!?! Submarine. [hehe they lift up for air]
HAHAHAHA. Wolf plane

Montage of their family building the stork welcome. I'm curious if by some wild circumstance, she is their older sister
Hmm. But these would be babies people asked for a long time ago...
How did that even structurally hold up...
Hehe. A million babies with the same birthday.
Major tearjerker when he plugs in the lights and a huge beam lights up the sky.
Smile. "I ordered a brother."
Hehe. When she reunited with her family, it was nice that they were welcoming, but the follow-up tearjerk was when Tulip called Junior in for the hug

---

Watched 20231120 (Netflix)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4624424/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storks_(film)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

20231112:
The art in this movie is amazing.

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld)

---

Instant Comments:
hmm I don't remember the ending of the first movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. she left but then she showed up in his class?
oh her peter parker was lizard
hehe references Spider-Man: No Way Home, which he says is Earth-199999
hehe "will you adopt me?"
smile. Banksy

Mugiel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew (Issa Rae)

she did just save a bunch of people...
I thought he meant canon like "cannon" but it's canon like... canonical? hehe
hehe "lying to them for a year" + "maybe in another universe"
very cool new art style (Miles Morales universe)
I see. this guys backstory is perhaps the reason why when they enter the holes it seems to go across other dimensions
Earth-13133 (LEGO Spider-Man)
hehe the message got messed up "I'm not proud"
15 years old... that's so young
she took it out of the package

Left to Right: Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya), Miles Morales, Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni) and Gwen Stacy

hehe she sees his notebook with all the drawings of her
hehe Hobie recommends to use the palm not just the fingers
canon event: Pav was supposed to lose his girlfriend. will Gwen get in trouble for this?
upside down elevator
hehe Donald Glover [Oh I forgot Donald Glover was in Spider-Man: Homecoming; apparently it is the same character]
"don't enlist til you know what war you're fighting" (hmm sounds like Miguel is more loke a He Who Remains; would he be the hidden antagonist?)
Mayday
boom tick Spider-Man's event

Margo Kess: Spider-Byte (Amandla Stenberg)

weren't suppose to but did... what does destiny mean...
this all goes back to bake two cakes
hehe Hobie is on Mile's side
hehe reminds him about the palms
hehe "just for the record I quit"
lol the Spider-Man pointing meme
"you didn't count to three"
hehe seemingly ridiculous. one Spider-Man able to outrun the others? ridiculous but entertaining.

Spider-Man pointing meme

"are you even Spider-Man?" "are you?" (I'm guessing he'll say he's Miles Morales)
oh right true. his universe already had a Spider-Man...
"I guess he did plan this out"
huh. she didn't hit yes
"we are supposed to be the good guys"
hehe. she missed a few classes in English just the same as miles missed a few classes in Spanish
lol. "who's Spider-Man?"
"do you push silk out your culito?"
hehe. good twist. wrong universe

May "Mayday" Parker

huh. while this universe doesn't have a Spider-man... wouldn't that break canon? (unless it somehow does have a Spider-Man) [well, technically Miles is its Spider-man, just he's living in another universe]
how does she know where to look for him?
hehe Miles Morales in this universe is the Prowler
"how to talk so kids will listen"
hehe Mayday
"don't tell mom"

Left to Right: Peni Parker (SP//dr), Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk), Peter B. Parker & his daughter Mayday, Gwen Stacy, Pavitr Prabhakar, Margo Kess (Spider-Byte), Peter Porker (Spider-Ham), and Peter Parker (Spider-Man Noir)

Stacy concludes her narration from the beginning of the movie
"to be continued"
"Miles Morales will return in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse"
Credits flash section by section instead of scrolling. I think that makes the credits shorter in duration, but also harder to read...
1=20231112

---

Watched 20231112 (Netflix, Instant)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson. 140 min

Relevant Links:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (IMDb.com)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (RottenTomatoes.com)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Wikipedia.org)

The Mule (2018)

20231110:
I watched this film today. I loved all the songs. I loved the sentiment of the film, and the themes. I enjoyed the cultural moments spread throughout the film (e.g., phones, bikers, race). The part that fell short of the movie being absolutely amazing for me was the story.

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 89% match. I decided to give the movie a thumbs up|thumbs down|neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments:
Hehe. You'd think I'm giving away free Viagra or something here."
Hehe. Work over his daughter's wedding
Internet.
I mean he may in fact be a bad father but... she is making an uproar
Hehe a gun
It seems he understands the situation but doesn't want the truck modified in any way.
"I'm not gonna look in anybody's bag."
Is that the actor that plays Casey in Loki? [Yes, Eugene Cordero]
Huh. New truck.
Hmm. Two big purchases in a row... arguably a red flag. Or a path towards a red flag.
Oh shit. Why did he look inside?
Wow. Quick thinking.
Hehe. Jimmy Stewart again
"I've been in combat before. I'm not intimidated by you, mocoso. Sonny." [Google translates "mocoso" to "brat"; an alternative is "punk"]
[Hmm I wonder how long it'll be before he notices Smile. They join in singing.
The main boss sees the benefit of the randomness (and I would agree that he should continue to act as himself). The top guy (Julio Gutierrez) does make a reasonable logical retort "We don't oblige the other drivers..." to which the boss simply says "You need to oblige me."
Oh no... manifest points to him...
Not that I would be involved in such business, but if I were in this guy's position, perhaps I would have had them make some agreement as to when they would stop having him snitch. If upon reaching the agreement they don't hold up their end of the bargain... well... I mean he's in a lose-lose situation, but at least one type of loss seems less risky.
Hmm. Are they gonna communicate to Earl that black trucks are bieng stopped?
Is he joking or serious... hehe. Call a cardiologist.
I didn't see that coming. His advice is to quit.
holy shit... he got shot...
so this demand for being more strict... I wonder how this will play out... I see one ending as Clint Eastwood's character Earl paying for whatever condition his wife has, perhaps enough money to pass onto his children, saving the life of Julio and somehow freeing him, but finally dying at the end of the movie. In his eyes, he has likely lived a full life. With that being said, I feel like the FBI winning would be an uninteresting end to the film. Having this thought reminds me of the movie Catch Me If You Can.
I feel like that just draws a lot of attention. If a cop pulls them over... what would happen?
Huh. "Julio, mijo."
Not sure any of this makes sense. He was apparently making record drops, and someone decided that rather than let him continue his own way, to force him to work on time (which evidence would suggest likely hasn't worked out)
Racial profiling... (so Earl would that have that advantage going for him)
So if Earl's lucky then he notices the commotion
Oh shit. Not sure if he runs into this guy by chance, but... this could go the route of he makes a deal to get out.... Originally though, I figure he just notices and figures out how to stay on top of it.
Hmm... Bates returns the thermos. I'm wondering if the bill... no not enough time... but... hmm. Maybe he never brought in a thermos to begin with and that's Bates' signal to the man...
Huh. If he tries to visit her, he could be killed. But he was talking about family... what will he do?
Oh wow. His choice for family... well he postponed the bust.
Smile. He ended up telling her the truth, and she didn't believe him.
Tearjerker line. "I think you're just a late bloomer."
Emotional delivery.
I'm curious, he's been gone for what seems like quite a while. How did they have so much trouble finding him?
Hehe. "More today than yesterday?" "But not as much as tomorrow." (Spiral Starecase)
Oh shit. Battered up. (I would guess he doesn't have it)
He just revved his engine? Hmm... Is he just trying to be a decoy?
I think even if he did have stuff in the truck, his wife saying those comforting words... I feel like he wouldn't mind dying. Well, he already accepted death against the cartel fellas
Ah interesting. The drug guys are listening in. [Oh, nvm. I played it back and they just briefly cut to the driver]
An ending which was... not predictable, but I'm curious if there were too many false signals. I'm inclined to believe a good story is both unpredictable, and yet foreshadows the ending.

---

Watched 20231110 (Netflix, Instant)
The Mule (2018) Clint Eastwood. 116 min

Relevant Links:
The Mule (IMDb.com)
The Mule (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Mule (Wikipedia.org)

Matilda (1996)

20231110:
Today I watched the first half of this movie with my son. Mara Wilson thus far does a great job in the role of Matilda.

---

Instant Comments:
1a: Danny DeVito narrating [apparently he's also the director]
1a: hehe the mom woke up but luckily for Matilda she's wearing a mask
1a: television explodes
1a: hehe detention
1a: "grow up quicker"
1a: "good lift" "excellent release"
1a: 4927
1a: yikes that cake is practically the same size as him
1a: hehe. Matilda knows they're cops already, she tells her father, and her father chooses to diasgree
1a: HA! "Why are all these women married?" ("Mrs." instead of "Ms."; I believe the answer would be the cadence is better with "Mrs.")
1a: Same speech as her father gave her ("I'm right and you're wrong, I'm big and you're small, and there's nothing you can do about it.")
1a: Pause after Miss Honey invites Matilda over to her place

1b: she must be talking about herself, but what about Trunchbull
1b: I guess the aunt killed the dad... but why?
1b: oh it is revealed that the aunt was Ms. Trunchbull
1b: lol she lifts the car and pivots it around
1b: huh why run upstairs?
1b: haha "wait til she leaves then we'll get your doll again" [...] "just kidding"
1b: hehe she kept her promise and didn't go inside
1b: she openly admits to breaking Miss Honey's arm before (though I guess that's not cruel to her standards who she threw a girl)
Credits:
1b: music by David Newman
1b: various twins played very young Matilda [one set for 9 months Matilda and one set for toddler Matilda], with two sets of twins for newborn Matilda [apparently uncredited is a set of twins for baby Matilda in the very opening scene]
1a=20231110,1b=20231118

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Watched first half 20231110, second half 20231118 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231130)
Matilda (1996) Danny DeVito. 102 min

Relevant Links:
Matilda (IMDb.com)
Matilda (RottenTomatoes.com)
Matilda (Wikipedia.org)

Dune (2021)

Instant Comments:
1a: Zendaya
1a: while he concentrates to use the voice, the movie moves around the room to various objects... I thought it was artistically pleasing way to create tension
1a: haha. "I see you put on some muscle" "I did?" "No"
1a: they pronounce it here like HAR-koe-nens but in the 1984 Dune it sounded more like har-CONE-nens
1a: that fight had the same feel as 1984 Dune just with better graphics and better explanation on slow blades.
1a: I like 1984 version of this scene more as Paul thinks about his training; here the scene cuts back and forth between him and his mother praying which is a bit jarring to me
1a: the Reverand Mother that just visited sounds much more aggressive here than the one in the 1984 Dune.
1a: these dragonfly-looking ships look cool
1a: this wormsign detection turned rescue is executed here in much clearer fashion than what I perceived in the 1984 version; but to be fair, the 1984 version has clued me into the various story components of Dune
1a: paused about halfway into movie, Paul tells his mom he knows she's pregnant

1b: [intense fight between Paul and Jamis; Paul didn't want to make the kill and repeatedly showed he had the skill to outmatch Jamis]
1a=20231104, 1b=20231105

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Watched first half 20231104, second half 20231105 (Netflix)
Dune (2021) Denis Villeneuve. 155 min

Relevant Links:
Dune (IMDb.com)
Dune (2021 film) (Wikipedia.org)

Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map (2014)

20231101:
This special is different from many comedy specials in that it combines bits and pieces from many shows being done across the world. There are also scenes related to the travel itself which intermingle with the snippets from the various shows. As such, the special at times seems more broken, but overall there were some good laughs and it was fun to learn various facts (and stereotypes) in the form of jokes.

---

Instant Comments:
Smile. Justin Bieber
IKEAll you (Achmed's catchphrase is "I kill you")
Smile. Biggest Alcoholics Anonymous meeting
Smile. "I was the very first guy to get into her chim-chim cheree"
Smile. Kinky shit (references "supercalifragilisticexpialadocious")
"Write what you know."
Chuckle. "Do you pick it up or pull it down."
Hehe. Interesting how she more or less treated Achmed as alive... or at least her reaction was to cross her arms at the verbal comment.
Smile. "I was like. We have that you dumbass."
Hahaha. "But Sir, I was at a puppet show."
Clever solution to the problem.
Jacque Merde.
Smile. "You don't know Jack Shit."
Hehe. "Je te tue."
"Silence. Je te tue."
Oh no. He let the name slip.

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Watched 20231101 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231115)
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map (2014) Rob Dipple. 83 min

Relevant Links:
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map (IMDb.com)
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map (RottenTomatoes.com)
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map (Wikipedia.org)

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Pride & Prejudice (2005)

20231030:
I just finished this movie, and I didn't take any instant comment notes. I loved the tension between Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) and Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley). There was a clear attraction between the two, but such a strange interaction in how their personalities resulted in strange first impressions and evolving relationship.

Elizabeth was very headstrong, and it was this essential trait that got her to the ending. Otherwise, she would have already been paired with Mr. Collins.

I remember trying to read this book in high school, but I recall it was too dense for me to complete.

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Watched 20231030 (Netflix)(Last day to watch 20231031)
Pride & Prejudice (2005) Joe Wright. 129 min

Relevant Links:
Pride & Prejudice (IMDb.com)

Haunted Mansion (2023)

20241013:
I started this movie last year with Ben but for some reason we didn't finish it. It's possible it was too scary for him. In any case, I've been completing various unfinished films recently, so I thought I go ahead and finish this one as well. While I don't entirely remember the first part of the movie, I vaguely recall plenty of fan service. While not an amazing film, it's not bad as a family-friendly Halloween movie - though perhaps its PG-13 rating is indicative that it could be too scary for younger children. I'll give it a 3.0 out of 5.

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Instant Comments:
1a: the bride
1a: hehe the armored night has the mother run
1a: "you'll be back"
1a: turning head doesnt turn
1a: mimics shutter
1a: hehe ghost followed him home (like in the ride)
1a: "re-worm, re-worm" (return when missing half a face)
1a: the classic floating candlelabra
1a: Danny Devito
1a: hmm... the psychic seemed fake but gabbie seems less rhan gueddong
1a: "theyre runnkng from something"
1a: gracey, 66, the dueler, bride, leota
1a: hehe the lamp was not the secret lever
1a: hahahaha. she did look asleep
1a: hehe narcoleptic they hypothesize
1a: hahaha pen and pad from CVS
1a: the graveyard keeper hland his dog
1a: the hiychhikers
1a: organ player
1a: hehe he tries to reason woth the bride (Im an ally")
1a: hehe three dollars
1a: oh yeah. the ride wants one more
1a: it's (expectedly) exactly like what he saw despite the sketcher not believing it, but what was funny is Danny's character request the drawing with skin
1a: the extending walls
1a: did the hitchhikers fet a ride?
1a: pause they communicate with captain to give information
1b: Resumed at the 1 hour 30 minute mark.
1b: The person fell and I wasn't looking but the sound gave me a little jump.
1b: I decided to take it back to around the 1 hour 25 minute mark to kind of transition from where I watched last time.
1b: "It's A Small World" and the guy says no singing along
1b: Huh. The tophat is what is important? not the skull?
1b: "There's always room for one more."
1b: Smile. "She knows" Good for him
1b: The ghost ballroom scene
1b: Hehe. The captain hijacks the boat
1b: the "Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize" plays
1a=20231029,1b=20241013

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Watched first three-fourths 20231029, remaining fourth 20241013 (Disney+)
Haunted Mansion (2023) Justin Simien. 123 min

Relevant Links:
Haunted Mansion (IMDb.com)
Haunted Mansion (RottenTomatoes.com)
Haunted Mansion (Wikipedia.org)

Starship Trooper (1997)

20231028:
I think it definitely helped to have learned partway in that the movie was a satire on facism. I guess perhaps the problem is it feels obvious if you know it, but the movie easily seems like just another sci-fi movie if you don't.

Netflix determined the movie for me as a 98% match. I decided to give the movie neither a thumbs up nor a thumbs down.

---

Instant Comments: 1a: How come people are bumping into this guy, but not into the person holding the camera?
1a: Neil Patrick Harris and Denise Richards
1a: 97% on the math finals
1a: Hehe. 35%.
1a: Signing up and becoming a pilot seems good versus... [infantry]
1a: "Games and Theory"
1a: Hehe. She didn't say it back.
1a: Weird... he had her say it. I feel like that is as good as meaningless.
1a: Caption: bone snaps
1a: She did rather well.
1a: Hmm. He's an idiot for not sticking with Diz who seems very capable.
1a: "The enemy cannot pus a button if you disable his hand."
1a: Very different reasons for joining.
1a: Three meters from object.
1a: Give him a squad? But that was Diz's call.
1b: Resume at around 40 minute mark (maximum score of 280)
1b: Hmm. I just noticed (and this is how it is in most sci-fi movies) but there always seems to be gravity inside ships
1b: Interesting... somehow the gravity field affects the water in the cup, but not any of the occupants. I think if the ship had a sci-fi way of producing artificial gravity, such an artificial gravity would uniformly override any external gravity or vice versa (external gravity would overpower the artificial gravity)
1b: I wonder if the asteroid collision is because of her rerouting.
1b: Wait. Why would you lead with mobile infantry. Why not like a bombing run first?
1b: I don't get what the mistake is... (She said "This isn't random or light. Someone made a mistake.") [Apparently earlier they were given the intel that the plasma jets shot would be light and random. But upon arrival, the captain observes that the plasma jets were neither random nor light."]
1b: Hmm. That big ship seems to maneuver too quickly for its size.
1b: Hehe. Why would he break the line of formation?
1b: He seems to have shot at the brainstem... but the creature is able to get one more strike in. [apparently the film is a satire on modern western fascism]
1b: "Frankly I think of the idea of a bug that thinks offensive."
1b: She notices that there's almost no wounded at all (most are KIA and very few WIA or MIA)
1b: Hehe. It's the teacher from their hometown
1b: Okay, here we go. "MI mops up" and here we see the bombers lay waste to the planet first... Why wasn't that the case before? Either it was and they didn't show it (which I think would be weird) or it wasn't and that was an intended strategy.
1b: An entire troop outnumbering the bugs and having trouble is very different from Carl claiming it's easy to take down by shooting the bugs in the brain stem
1b: they're left alive
1b: he asked why
1b: sucks his brain
1b: brain bug
1b: Ah... Rico asked Carl if Carl told Rico where to find Carmen and Carl says thats classified.
1b: hahaha censored
1b: captured bug just to do experiments
1a=20231028, 1b=20231029

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Watched first third 20231028, remaining two-thirds 20231029 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20231031)
Starship Trooper (1997) Paul Verhoeven. 129 min

Relevant Links:
Starship Trooper (IMDb.com)
Starship Trooper (RottenTomatoes.com)
Starship Trooper (Wikipedia.org)