20251227:
With movies expiring on Netflix, I asked ChatGPT to help prioritize. I was originally going to watch Collateral but then realized I already saw it. The next films reocmmended were Limitless, Ocean's 8, and then Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom. Although lower on the list, I was drawn to watching Aquaman & the Lost Kingdom.
The film had its moments, but something was lacking. I'm not sure what. I think at times the movie had good gravity (the world is ending) but dropped the ball at the end.
Rating: 3.6/5
Instant Comments:
Kicking ass? "Breaking heads"
"Papa kicked their butts"
"Papa kicked their asses and took their names"
"You're the real superhero."
"Sometimes not giving up is the most heroic thing you can do."
I don't know... I didn't like this bug helmet antagonist in the first movie, and for him to be a key antagonist in this second movie is unfortunate.
hmm Orichalchum sounds familiar [according to Wikipedia, it's mentioend in many ancient writings, but I would likely know it from its mention in a game, likely Terraria]
chuckle. says he drank the water
he says that with legit honesty, that he would turn himself in after as his honor to Atlantis
hehe. threatening to drown him with air
I mean I guess just to move the story along, but really why would you talk to your inner demon with the door open
chuckle. prejudices and half the world
hehe. essentially tricked his brother into eating a cockroach. though I'm inclined to think a jungle cockroach might not be too bad (wouldn't be unsanitary compared to cockroach in city)
chuckle. hands at side. "not used to running"
smile. the advice results in faster speed than Aquaman
"A true king builds bridges"
ha! "looks like my metaphor just saved your ass"
Loki. Azkaban.
I suddenly remembered that Amber Heard is Mera; it's the reason why her role was diminished in this film. But I thought it would have been better if they had just recast [certain information suggests they couldn't recast, but at best reduced her role]
wait. earlier he full on blasted without any care for this character. but she still reports to him?
definitely not gonna have child in there
chuckle. worthless again
why is it always in these kind of movies, the original people dealing with the problem simply sealed the problem, only for the protagonist in the movie to destroy the problem
that's pretty cool, but why didn't he block / catch this incoming trident the same as the other trident [anticlimatic]
chuckle. okay. crazy. "never."
Credits:
smile. midcredit scene. Orm spots a cockroach.
1=20251227
Watched 20251227 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) James Wan. 124 min
Relevant Links:
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (IMDb.com)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (RottenTomatoes.com)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Wikipedia.org)
A branch of my blog series for movies and other screen media (e.g., series, shorts, and comedy specials).
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Saturday, December 27, 2025
Friday, December 26, 2025
Blue Beetle (2023)
20251226:
I like George Lopez's acting in this film. I didn't like the antagonist (Victoria Kord), because the character lacked depth. The movie started differently than many other movies. In particular, the protagonist showed reluctance to getting powers and so that scene is the opposite of the common superhero experience. And while the learning to be a superhero scene is a common pattern across origin superhero movies, it's often pure enjoyment and builds connection between the viewer and the character. In this movie, however, there's an awkwardness that kills that connection.
Overall, the second half of the movie had redeeming qualities, with the family getting together, and some character development with Jenny Kord and some information about her father. But I think not enough to give the movie anything more than a 3.
Rating: 3.0/5
20251227 Comment:
I had actually already written some notes for a review:
Instant Comments:
he's standing there. I imagine the joke is he's the pool cleaner?
wow. this woman smiles even thoigh her tactics are cruel and a man died as direct result. truly evil
the grandma pulling them together had water partially move into my eyes
hehe the daughter asks how she knows how to hold the gun as such
hehe. the gramma puts the plan together
down with the imperialistas
really water flood when gramma says its okay to cry now
and more when she invites girl to join
midcredits
hmm... too bad theres no sequel right? [the film is the second-to-last in the DCEU, but apparently James Gunn is maybe keeping it; I think the soft reboot and doing it so soon would result in disengagement; like, do people really want to get invested into a new set of DC movies? whatever happened to standalone movies, not everything has to be a universe]
endcredits
the CH cartoon from earlier
Watched 20251226 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Blue Beetle (2023) Angel Manuel Soto. 127 min
Relevant Links:
Blue Beetle (IMDb.com)
Blue Beetle (RottenTomatoes.com)
Blue Beetle (Wikipedia.org)
I like George Lopez's acting in this film. I didn't like the antagonist (Victoria Kord), because the character lacked depth. The movie started differently than many other movies. In particular, the protagonist showed reluctance to getting powers and so that scene is the opposite of the common superhero experience. And while the learning to be a superhero scene is a common pattern across origin superhero movies, it's often pure enjoyment and builds connection between the viewer and the character. In this movie, however, there's an awkwardness that kills that connection.
Overall, the second half of the movie had redeeming qualities, with the family getting together, and some character development with Jenny Kord and some information about her father. But I think not enough to give the movie anything more than a 3.
Rating: 3.0/5
20251227 Comment:
I had actually already written some notes for a review:
- While the beginning was weak and unlikeable, the ending was decent. The romance was kind of weak. The themes on family were decent.
- The film was weaker in terms of superhero movies. They didn't sell the symbiosis well. It didn't feel good like Venom / Brock symbiosis. Or Moon Knight.
- George Lopez was probably best overall performance.
- I guess the villain being Victoria was not likeable. There are appealing villains in stories. She was not. In contrast, Voldemorte is a good villain. You dont root for him, but he has depth to him. This victoria person wants power but she's not even good at having power. She just seems to boss people around plainly with no depth.
Instant Comments:
he's standing there. I imagine the joke is he's the pool cleaner?
wow. this woman smiles even thoigh her tactics are cruel and a man died as direct result. truly evil
the grandma pulling them together had water partially move into my eyes
hehe the daughter asks how she knows how to hold the gun as such
hehe. the gramma puts the plan together
down with the imperialistas
really water flood when gramma says its okay to cry now
and more when she invites girl to join
midcredits
hmm... too bad theres no sequel right? [the film is the second-to-last in the DCEU, but apparently James Gunn is maybe keeping it; I think the soft reboot and doing it so soon would result in disengagement; like, do people really want to get invested into a new set of DC movies? whatever happened to standalone movies, not everything has to be a universe]
endcredits
the CH cartoon from earlier
Watched 20251226 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Blue Beetle (2023) Angel Manuel Soto. 127 min
Relevant Links:
Blue Beetle (IMDb.com)
Blue Beetle (RottenTomatoes.com)
Blue Beetle (Wikipedia.org)
Moana 2 (2024)
20251227:
Songs didn't land. Parts of the story worked, but I think the movie really needed the songs to hold the movie together, and the lack of punchy songs meant for a lackluster movie.
Rating: 2.8/5
Instant Comments:
1a: I'm not sure how I feel about this overly ambitius fix-it person. why do movies sometimes have the need tointroduce such a character (e.g., Jar Jar Binks)
1a: haha. Moana dances back
1a: this "can I go beyond" song doesn't hit the same as "How Far I'll Go"
1a: ok. when asking this engineer to join, she still seems crazy but a little more grounded than the one or two other times we saw her
1a: why does Loto keep cutting the rope?
1a: hehe nice song
1a: pause at the 38 minute mark
1b: resumed.
Credits:
1b: Tamatoa
1a=20251226, 1b=20251227
Watched first third 20251226, remainder 20251227 (Disney+)
Moana 2 (2024) David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller. 100 min
Relevant Links:
Moana 2 (IMDb.com)
Moana 2 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Moana 2 (Wikipedia.org)
Songs didn't land. Parts of the story worked, but I think the movie really needed the songs to hold the movie together, and the lack of punchy songs meant for a lackluster movie.
Rating: 2.8/5
Instant Comments:
1a: I'm not sure how I feel about this overly ambitius fix-it person. why do movies sometimes have the need tointroduce such a character (e.g., Jar Jar Binks)
1a: haha. Moana dances back
1a: this "can I go beyond" song doesn't hit the same as "How Far I'll Go"
1a: ok. when asking this engineer to join, she still seems crazy but a little more grounded than the one or two other times we saw her
1a: why does Loto keep cutting the rope?
1a: hehe nice song
1a: pause at the 38 minute mark
1b: resumed.
Credits:
1b: Tamatoa
1a=20251226, 1b=20251227
Watched first third 20251226, remainder 20251227 (Disney+)
Moana 2 (2024) David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller. 100 min
Relevant Links:
Moana 2 (IMDb.com)
Moana 2 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Moana 2 (Wikipedia.org)
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Despicable Me 4 (2024)
20251225:
The last day to watch was 20251227, so I made an effort to watch this movie. Overall, I liked the movie better than the third movie.
Rating: 4.2/5
Instant Comments:
haha. little car
huh. wouldn't Gru at this point be known as a good guy. would he really be invited
oh, they are all laughing so I guess they know
wow. what a reveal.
hehe. the one minion is holding pest control
hehe. the baby's faces at Gru not until contrasted with mom
I know that was obviously gonna be the joke (bad house despite all the other houses) but why
hehe. Blanche
chuckle. "you're the ones making it awkward"
hehe. hair loss
hehe. love how Gru admits to stealing the song; though it's revealed it was revenge for a pantsing
hehe older villains.
Dru is there in Gru's backyard
Watched 20251225 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251227)
Despicable Me 4 (2024) Patrick Delage, Chris Renaud. 94 min
Relevant Links:
Despicable Me 4 (IMDb.com)
Despicable Me 4 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Despicable Me 4 (Wikipedia.org)
The last day to watch was 20251227, so I made an effort to watch this movie. Overall, I liked the movie better than the third movie.
Rating: 4.2/5
Instant Comments:
haha. little car
huh. wouldn't Gru at this point be known as a good guy. would he really be invited
oh, they are all laughing so I guess they know
wow. what a reveal.
hehe. the one minion is holding pest control
hehe. the baby's faces at Gru not until contrasted with mom
I know that was obviously gonna be the joke (bad house despite all the other houses) but why
hehe. Blanche
chuckle. "you're the ones making it awkward"
hehe. hair loss
hehe. love how Gru admits to stealing the song; though it's revealed it was revenge for a pantsing
hehe older villains.
Dru is there in Gru's backyard
Watched 20251225 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251227)
Despicable Me 4 (2024) Patrick Delage, Chris Renaud. 94 min
Relevant Links:
Despicable Me 4 (IMDb.com)
Despicable Me 4 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Despicable Me 4 (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
20251224:
This movie is not leaving Netflix, but the sequel is leaving 20251227. In any case, I liked the main story, but there was just some extra side story which is kind of essential and yet not. Overall, it was a decent entry to the franchise.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
Hah! "I like it, but not a lot. I don't like it"
"twin brudah?"
ha. "And it's a hybrid"
the cheese is probably some marriage ceremony in this culture
hmm... so just as is the brother wants to be a villain to somehow provie his father something, whereas Gru just wants to steal the jewel to do a good thing and not be a villain. I'm trying to think of what the twist would be but I can't think of any (they are in the vents and Gru said he has Dru's back)
his wife will save them (they are falling)
smile. Dance Fight (I'm guessing it'll turn to a two-on-one Dance Fight)
HAHA! There's a billboard saying Onions.
hehe that end. but seems pretty lighthearted as the minions are joining him (in other words, I don't see a sequel being made out of it; more just like a joke ending)
Watched 20251224 (Netflix, Instant)
Despicable Me 3 (2017) Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon. 89 min
Relevant Links:
Despicable Me 3 (IMDb.com)
Despicable Me 3 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Despicable Me 3 (Wikipedia.org)
This movie is not leaving Netflix, but the sequel is leaving 20251227. In any case, I liked the main story, but there was just some extra side story which is kind of essential and yet not. Overall, it was a decent entry to the franchise.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
Hah! "I like it, but not a lot. I don't like it"
"twin brudah?"
ha. "And it's a hybrid"
the cheese is probably some marriage ceremony in this culture
hmm... so just as is the brother wants to be a villain to somehow provie his father something, whereas Gru just wants to steal the jewel to do a good thing and not be a villain. I'm trying to think of what the twist would be but I can't think of any (they are in the vents and Gru said he has Dru's back)
his wife will save them (they are falling)
smile. Dance Fight (I'm guessing it'll turn to a two-on-one Dance Fight)
HAHA! There's a billboard saying Onions.
hehe that end. but seems pretty lighthearted as the minions are joining him (in other words, I don't see a sequel being made out of it; more just like a joke ending)
Watched 20251224 (Netflix, Instant)
Despicable Me 3 (2017) Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon. 89 min
Relevant Links:
Despicable Me 3 (IMDb.com)
Despicable Me 3 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Despicable Me 3 (Wikipedia.org)
Modern Times (1936)
20251224:
What's interesting about this movie is it has sound, but most of the story is still told as if it were a silent film. Apparently this is a conscious choice by Charles Chaplin as talk movies had already started 10 years prior to the time of this film.
In any case, this film is good, but in a different way than how I think of other movies are good. It has a lot more history and meaning to it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I am able to register that enough to rate it as well as critics rate the film.
Rating: 4.4/5
Instant Comments:
1a: I can't believe this feature is so long (over an hour)
1a: so far not bad but you're supposed to do this while working?
1a: haha. eating the nuts is funny
1a: smile. going into the machine
1a: smile this women's buttons are exactly hexagons
1a: hehe. they're so tuned to work that when the assembly line turns on they return to it
1a: probalby Chaplin's character will use the salt (cocaine)
1a: hehe. who knew "salt" has such a kick to it
1a: paused at the 34 minute mark (he is given a letter to get work; he'd rather stay at the prison)
1a: in his defense, he did exactly as told
1a: hehe free meal to go back to jail
1a: pause at 42 minute mark to watch Despicable Me 3 (he decided to go with the girl/woman)
1b: resume.
1b: I wonder how she found and was able to take over this shack
1b: hahaha. That fall out the door is great
1b: puting the oilcan back under the press. doesn't seem like a good idea
1b: hehe saved the press but the cltohes and watch. hehe
1b: I thought hte champagne bottle was gonna be hooked onto the chandelier
1b: Oh. there goes the duck
1b: hehe he mouths "Where's the duck!?"
1b: interesting. so I was curious if there's any story being told during his dance and song. it's more symbolic in that this is the last movie of the Tramp character and the first time we hear Charlie Chaplin's voice, and yet it is gibberish and very in character of the Tramp
1b: aw. They basically found a good thing and they have to go, but it's still a hopeful ending.
1a=20251224 (before Despicable Me 3), 1b=20251224 (after Despicable Me 3)
Watched 20251224 (Amazon Prime)
Modern Times (1936) Charles Chaplin. 87 min
Relevant Links:
Modern Times (IMDb.com)
Modern Times (RottenTomatoes.com)
Modern Times (Wikipedia.org)
What's interesting about this movie is it has sound, but most of the story is still told as if it were a silent film. Apparently this is a conscious choice by Charles Chaplin as talk movies had already started 10 years prior to the time of this film.
In any case, this film is good, but in a different way than how I think of other movies are good. It has a lot more history and meaning to it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I am able to register that enough to rate it as well as critics rate the film.
Rating: 4.4/5
Instant Comments:
1a: I can't believe this feature is so long (over an hour)
1a: so far not bad but you're supposed to do this while working?
1a: haha. eating the nuts is funny
1a: smile. going into the machine
1a: smile this women's buttons are exactly hexagons
1a: hehe. they're so tuned to work that when the assembly line turns on they return to it
1a: probalby Chaplin's character will use the salt (cocaine)
1a: hehe. who knew "salt" has such a kick to it
1a: paused at the 34 minute mark (he is given a letter to get work; he'd rather stay at the prison)
1a: in his defense, he did exactly as told
1a: hehe free meal to go back to jail
1a: pause at 42 minute mark to watch Despicable Me 3 (he decided to go with the girl/woman)
1b: resume.
1b: I wonder how she found and was able to take over this shack
1b: hahaha. That fall out the door is great
1b: puting the oilcan back under the press. doesn't seem like a good idea
1b: hehe saved the press but the cltohes and watch. hehe
1b: I thought hte champagne bottle was gonna be hooked onto the chandelier
1b: Oh. there goes the duck
1b: hehe he mouths "Where's the duck!?"
1b: interesting. so I was curious if there's any story being told during his dance and song. it's more symbolic in that this is the last movie of the Tramp character and the first time we hear Charlie Chaplin's voice, and yet it is gibberish and very in character of the Tramp
1b: aw. They basically found a good thing and they have to go, but it's still a hopeful ending.
1a=20251224 (before Despicable Me 3), 1b=20251224 (after Despicable Me 3)
Watched 20251224 (Amazon Prime)
Modern Times (1936) Charles Chaplin. 87 min
Relevant Links:
Modern Times (IMDb.com)
Modern Times (RottenTomatoes.com)
Modern Times (Wikipedia.org)
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
20251223:
With all the fan service, this film isn't exactly appropriate for kids, but neither is it dark like the general direction of many animated DC movies. Officially the movie is part of the DC Animated Movie Universe. In any case, the movie goes for more comedy, and I was okay with it.
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
wow. smart. working at Superbabes as herself!
hehe. the sign.
hehe. that's very like Harley to keep a 10 pound weight in her bag
hehe. thought she was talking to someone on the phone and turns out she's just talking to herself
hehe. presumably Harley saw he had a hardon and Nightwing gives in saying "The things I do for Gotham"
if Batman gets Catwoman, why should Nightwing not get some romance with Harley
hahaha. Batman looking around at the evidence.
smile. "Like you never made out with a super-villain"
hmm... with her skills. she could just get a job with Batman as a new Robin
ha! she was after a guy from high school
chuckle. "Smells like... discipline."
this film is like fan service? (Harley has to sing to get the info from Shrubbie)
chuckle. Batman tapping to the song
ha! Nightwing dancing
hahaha. "That sounds like paper."
I love what it was leading to "what if I forget to water myself!?!" (because I could kind of see this is what she was leading to)
I'm guessing she is pretending to betray them
hmm. either that was really Swamp Thing or Poison Ivy pully a fast one. but I guess... why so cryptic? hmm
hehe. that end.
Watched 20251223 (Amazon Prime)
Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) Sam Liu. 74 min
Relevant Links:
Batman and Harley Quinn (IMDb.com)
Batman and Harley Quinn (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman and Harley Quinn (Wikipedia.org)
With all the fan service, this film isn't exactly appropriate for kids, but neither is it dark like the general direction of many animated DC movies. Officially the movie is part of the DC Animated Movie Universe. In any case, the movie goes for more comedy, and I was okay with it.
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
wow. smart. working at Superbabes as herself!
hehe. the sign.
hehe. that's very like Harley to keep a 10 pound weight in her bag
hehe. thought she was talking to someone on the phone and turns out she's just talking to herself
hehe. presumably Harley saw he had a hardon and Nightwing gives in saying "The things I do for Gotham"
if Batman gets Catwoman, why should Nightwing not get some romance with Harley
hahaha. Batman looking around at the evidence.
smile. "Like you never made out with a super-villain"
hmm... with her skills. she could just get a job with Batman as a new Robin
ha! she was after a guy from high school
chuckle. "Smells like... discipline."
this film is like fan service? (Harley has to sing to get the info from Shrubbie)
chuckle. Batman tapping to the song
ha! Nightwing dancing
hahaha. "That sounds like paper."
I love what it was leading to "what if I forget to water myself!?!" (because I could kind of see this is what she was leading to)
I'm guessing she is pretending to betray them
hmm. either that was really Swamp Thing or Poison Ivy pully a fast one. but I guess... why so cryptic? hmm
hehe. that end.
Watched 20251223 (Amazon Prime)
Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) Sam Liu. 74 min
Relevant Links:
Batman and Harley Quinn (IMDb.com)
Batman and Harley Quinn (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman and Harley Quinn (Wikipedia.org)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
20251223:
This movie is funny and I enjoyed watching it. It goes by kind of fast and you kind of have to suspend disbelief. I would say worth watching at least once.
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
haha! he closes the coor as he leaves
haha. (Justin washing truck)
chuckle. I'm laughing as he reaches for the doughnut before he even shocks himself
smile. pumps up his crotch
hahaha. "but that actually happened though"
ha. "W-H-I-T." "E"
It's interesting for her to act repulsed since IRL actress Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller are married
smile. "L" for love.
haha. "God damn you, Bernice!" hahaha
haha. hahaha. I don't know who would do these lines better than Ben Stiller
hehe dodge is repeated
haahahaha. hahaha. "Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine"
he says "Poopy flavored lollipop" but the caption said "Cock flavored lollipop."
oh wow. I had to look closely to recognize Jason Bateman
haha. Their coach is David Hasselhoff
smile. "You must be 'Daddy'"
the audio here is "les-???" but the caption says "muff-diver"
smile "I can't believe it." "It's just not believable, Cotton."
haha. $100,000 in the case is just a small stack
the caption says "[both moaning]" but nothing was shown related to that
hahaha. Chuck Norris
"Thank you, Chuck Norris."
huh. I thought he was gonna blind fold himself.
Oh there he goes
Ben Stiller in fat suit
Credits:
Ben Stiller comes back for end credits. He does a bit with his breasts to "Milkshakes" by Kelis
Watched 20251223 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20260101)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) Rawson Marshall Thurber. 92 min
Relevant Links:
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (IMDb.com)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (RottenTomatoes.com)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (Wikipedia.org)
This movie is funny and I enjoyed watching it. It goes by kind of fast and you kind of have to suspend disbelief. I would say worth watching at least once.
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
haha! he closes the coor as he leaves
haha. (Justin washing truck)
chuckle. I'm laughing as he reaches for the doughnut before he even shocks himself
smile. pumps up his crotch
hahaha. "but that actually happened though"
ha. "W-H-I-T." "E"
It's interesting for her to act repulsed since IRL actress Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller are married
smile. "L" for love.
haha. "God damn you, Bernice!" hahaha
haha. hahaha. I don't know who would do these lines better than Ben Stiller
hehe dodge is repeated
haahahaha. hahaha. "Is it necessary for me to drink my own urine"
he says "Poopy flavored lollipop" but the caption said "Cock flavored lollipop."
oh wow. I had to look closely to recognize Jason Bateman
haha. Their coach is David Hasselhoff
smile. "You must be 'Daddy'"
the audio here is "les-???" but the caption says "muff-diver"
smile "I can't believe it." "It's just not believable, Cotton."
haha. $100,000 in the case is just a small stack
the caption says "[both moaning]" but nothing was shown related to that
hahaha. Chuck Norris
"Thank you, Chuck Norris."
huh. I thought he was gonna blind fold himself.
Oh there he goes
Ben Stiller in fat suit
Credits:
Ben Stiller comes back for end credits. He does a bit with his breasts to "Milkshakes" by Kelis
Watched 20251223 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20260101)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) Rawson Marshall Thurber. 92 min
Relevant Links:
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (IMDb.com)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (RottenTomatoes.com)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (Wikipedia.org)
Sunday, December 21, 2025
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
20251221:
While not great like the first movie, this movie was still a solid watch.
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
hehe comment re Batman missing
smile on brand, what the fans want
chuckle racing stripes
hahahaha. weird right (punchline signalling)
the Bin of Storajj
the Sistar system
oh when Emmett is asking Rex to teach him, I finally get Armammegeddon ("Our mom a geddon" or maybe even "getting")
hehe she dyed her hair. naturally purple and blue
hehe Bruce Willis
the dino names were after various sci fi references
glitter
three wonder women
haha! chainsaw
smile Bruce Willis again
hahaha. stubble dots
haha. Radical Emmett Xtreme
hehe. reference time travel movie
haha. "You heard your father's super helpful contribution."
huh. "The End" pops up but Mia said something like "This is not the end." That surprised me. How did she know?
chuckle. carb line
hahahaha. (Rex and Emmett fighting is just bumping each other. Mia also laughs)
hehe Rex talks about imagination
ha! "heart attack"
"Back to the Futuring"
haha. (Mia laughed before I did; not sure if she understood though) the twist on Everything is Awesome album
Credits:
these are cool credits. very creative
the lyrics start singing about the credits
Watched 20251221 (Netflix, Instant)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) Mike Mitchell. 107 min
Relevant Links:
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (IMDb.com)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Wikipedia.org)
While not great like the first movie, this movie was still a solid watch.
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
hehe comment re Batman missing
smile on brand, what the fans want
chuckle racing stripes
hahahaha. weird right (punchline signalling)
the Bin of Storajj
the Sistar system
oh when Emmett is asking Rex to teach him, I finally get Armammegeddon ("Our mom a geddon" or maybe even "getting")
hehe she dyed her hair. naturally purple and blue
hehe Bruce Willis
the dino names were after various sci fi references
glitter
three wonder women
haha! chainsaw
smile Bruce Willis again
hahaha. stubble dots
haha. Radical Emmett Xtreme
hehe. reference time travel movie
haha. "You heard your father's super helpful contribution."
huh. "The End" pops up but Mia said something like "This is not the end." That surprised me. How did she know?
chuckle. carb line
hahahaha. (Rex and Emmett fighting is just bumping each other. Mia also laughs)
hehe Rex talks about imagination
ha! "heart attack"
"Back to the Futuring"
haha. (Mia laughed before I did; not sure if she understood though) the twist on Everything is Awesome album
Credits:
these are cool credits. very creative
the lyrics start singing about the credits
Watched 20251221 (Netflix, Instant)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) Mike Mitchell. 107 min
Relevant Links:
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (IMDb.com)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (Wikipedia.org)
Canvas (2020)
20251221:
This short felt kind of neutral to me. It lacked a certain impact that various shorts have been able to convey.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
None
Watched 20251221 (Netflix, Instant)
Canvas (2020) Frank E. Abney III. 9 min
Relevant Links:
Canvas (IMDb.com)
Canvas (RottenTomatoes.com)
Canvas (Wikipedia.org)
This short felt kind of neutral to me. It lacked a certain impact that various shorts have been able to convey.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
None
Watched 20251221 (Netflix, Instant)
Canvas (2020) Frank E. Abney III. 9 min
Relevant Links:
Canvas (IMDb.com)
Canvas (RottenTomatoes.com)
Canvas (Wikipedia.org)
Batman: Hush (2019)
20251221:
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
Dang that's a crazy fall
"Hush, Batman. Hush." (title come up)
Great thing about Catwoman. She doesn't look to explain herself. Just "Take care of your boss."
Hehe. A monotone "Purrfect."
Waller.
Batman reveals he knows about Suicide Squad
Ungrateful Waller. Asks Batman to stay out of her business.
Chuckle. "Don't tell me you and the boyscout have switched cities."
Hmm. Lex Luthor is a probationary member (of the Justice League)
I love that he keeps an extra breather in his utility belt
Wow. "I won't kill"
Hehe. "Looks like we do this the hard way."
Smile. "He made me do it."
Caption: "Catwoman moans softly"
Haha. Damian informs his father to use protection.
I wonder if they kissed (Selina and Bruce) that Selina would be able to identify the familiarity of the kiss to match Bruce to Batman.
Chuckle. "Sorry Rico"
"I want you to break your code, for something I actually did."
Dang. This Hush character really has information on Batman / Bruce (he had Harley attack Bruce because Bruce is Batman, and he framed Joker for the death of a friend of Bruce [Thomas], which appeared to nearly be an appropriate trigger except for a near save by Commissioner Gordon)
Wow. Is that a real passage?
Hehe. That's nice that she was upfront about having seen another person on and off. Smile. Nightwing eavesdropping.
Hehe. Riddler. It's like this whole movie is just a way to get as many characters into one movie as possible. Catwoman, Batwoman, Nightwing, Poison Ivy, Harvey Quinn, Joker, and Riddler, Superman, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Bane. Missing Mr. Freeze and some other villains.
Hehe. "So what now." "Oh I can think of a few things."
smile. Meow.
Love how the main training apparatus for Nightwing is probably this bar.
Penguin. Two Face. Mr. Freeze.
Chuckle. "We do have unclaimed coffee."
Scarecrow.
Oh wow. The reveal.
Clayface.
Smile. Joker "Dinner and a show. This place isn't all bad."
Dang. That'll end a relationship. ("screw this shit") Too bad. They seemed to have a good thing going on
"You're crazy. You're absolutely insane."
Watched 20251221 (Netflix, Instant)
Batman: Hush (2019) Justin Copeland. 81 min
Relevant Links:
Batman: Hush (IMDb.com)
Batman: Hush (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman: Hush (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
Dang that's a crazy fall
"Hush, Batman. Hush." (title come up)
Great thing about Catwoman. She doesn't look to explain herself. Just "Take care of your boss."
Hehe. A monotone "Purrfect."
Waller.
Batman reveals he knows about Suicide Squad
Ungrateful Waller. Asks Batman to stay out of her business.
Chuckle. "Don't tell me you and the boyscout have switched cities."
Hmm. Lex Luthor is a probationary member (of the Justice League)
I love that he keeps an extra breather in his utility belt
Wow. "I won't kill"
Hehe. "Looks like we do this the hard way."
Smile. "He made me do it."
Caption: "Catwoman moans softly"
Haha. Damian informs his father to use protection.
I wonder if they kissed (Selina and Bruce) that Selina would be able to identify the familiarity of the kiss to match Bruce to Batman.
Chuckle. "Sorry Rico"
"I want you to break your code, for something I actually did."
Dang. This Hush character really has information on Batman / Bruce (he had Harley attack Bruce because Bruce is Batman, and he framed Joker for the death of a friend of Bruce [Thomas], which appeared to nearly be an appropriate trigger except for a near save by Commissioner Gordon)
Wow. Is that a real passage?
Hehe. That's nice that she was upfront about having seen another person on and off. Smile. Nightwing eavesdropping.
Hehe. Riddler. It's like this whole movie is just a way to get as many characters into one movie as possible. Catwoman, Batwoman, Nightwing, Poison Ivy, Harvey Quinn, Joker, and Riddler, Superman, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Bane. Missing Mr. Freeze and some other villains.
Hehe. "So what now." "Oh I can think of a few things."
smile. Meow.
Love how the main training apparatus for Nightwing is probably this bar.
Penguin. Two Face. Mr. Freeze.
Chuckle. "We do have unclaimed coffee."
Scarecrow.
Oh wow. The reveal.
Clayface.
Smile. Joker "Dinner and a show. This place isn't all bad."
Dang. That'll end a relationship. ("screw this shit") Too bad. They seemed to have a good thing going on
"You're crazy. You're absolutely insane."
Watched 20251221 (Netflix, Instant)
Batman: Hush (2019) Justin Copeland. 81 min
Relevant Links:
Batman: Hush (IMDb.com)
Batman: Hush (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman: Hush (Wikipedia.org)
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Taxi Driver (1976)
20251220:
Starts slow but builds up to a strong end.
Rating: 5.0/5
Instant Comments:
so young [this movie was released two years after his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II] come and blood
hehe money just go into cigar box
haha. has to be a lie. this story with getting to backseat
interesting question. I'd take the hand with no fingers, use that hand to hold down the matchbox, say at the edge of a table, then use my thumb of the other hand to hold the match, and strike the match
clean up the scum. flush it down the toilet (he replies to the candidate)
interesting. I think he made a normal choice there (to not do anything. just let the cash drop)
he just left it there throughout the night, only to pick it up at the end of his shift
hehe. choice in movie.
interesting character. it wasn't clear from the beginning of the movie, but he's real desperate [well, I guess there were signs of it earlier on; I think the fact that many of Robert De Niro's roles are these tough guy roles, it clashes with this particular character which is not that]
"that must be what I want"
"because you got no choice anyway"
hmm... "if you're dumb enough to put a round in the chamber"
wtf. all of them?
smile. the posing with the holsters... it would be ridiculous to wear those two pieces on you
wtf. that's ridiculous. he broke his drawer for that?
geez. he's going crazy
six digits?
chuckle. "I was thinking of my telephone number"
smile. "You talking to me?"
damn. I didn't think he was going to go through with it
interesting how simple the shopkeeper handled it. no problem and I'll take care of it he said.
huh interesting. he put himself in this position to help her.
it's also interesting that outside earlier she looked old, but in this seen talking to him, she does look young.
wow. that's quite a twist. as loner and crazy as he was earlier, he shows some heart here.
her eating this bread with sugar in it reminds me of rice krispies with sugar
ah. that mohawk reveal
I don't exactly understand why he wants to kill Palantine
huh. I don't get it he ran; was this his plan or unplanned
wow. he looks so different Matthew doesn't notice him
dang. through the neck
oh right... I forgot this was a Scorsese movie (the customer fires on Bickle; Bickle fires back followed by... well)
oh wow. was ready to fire on himself.
wow. that finger gun motion before death is something
interesting overhead shot
oh wow. unexpected ending [letter revealing Bickle is alive and considered a hero]
Watched 20251220 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese. 114 min
Relevant Links:
Taxi Driver (IMDb.com)
Taxi Driver (RottenTomatoes.com)
Taxi Driver (Wikipedia.org)
Starts slow but builds up to a strong end.
Rating: 5.0/5
Instant Comments:
so young [this movie was released two years after his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II] come and blood
hehe money just go into cigar box
haha. has to be a lie. this story with getting to backseat
interesting question. I'd take the hand with no fingers, use that hand to hold down the matchbox, say at the edge of a table, then use my thumb of the other hand to hold the match, and strike the match
clean up the scum. flush it down the toilet (he replies to the candidate)
interesting. I think he made a normal choice there (to not do anything. just let the cash drop)
he just left it there throughout the night, only to pick it up at the end of his shift
hehe. choice in movie.
interesting character. it wasn't clear from the beginning of the movie, but he's real desperate [well, I guess there were signs of it earlier on; I think the fact that many of Robert De Niro's roles are these tough guy roles, it clashes with this particular character which is not that]
"that must be what I want"
"because you got no choice anyway"
hmm... "if you're dumb enough to put a round in the chamber"
wtf. all of them?
smile. the posing with the holsters... it would be ridiculous to wear those two pieces on you
wtf. that's ridiculous. he broke his drawer for that?
geez. he's going crazy
six digits?
chuckle. "I was thinking of my telephone number"
smile. "You talking to me?"
damn. I didn't think he was going to go through with it
interesting how simple the shopkeeper handled it. no problem and I'll take care of it he said.
huh interesting. he put himself in this position to help her.
it's also interesting that outside earlier she looked old, but in this seen talking to him, she does look young.
wow. that's quite a twist. as loner and crazy as he was earlier, he shows some heart here.
her eating this bread with sugar in it reminds me of rice krispies with sugar
ah. that mohawk reveal
I don't exactly understand why he wants to kill Palantine
huh. I don't get it he ran; was this his plan or unplanned
wow. he looks so different Matthew doesn't notice him
dang. through the neck
oh right... I forgot this was a Scorsese movie (the customer fires on Bickle; Bickle fires back followed by... well)
oh wow. was ready to fire on himself.
wow. that finger gun motion before death is something
interesting overhead shot
oh wow. unexpected ending [letter revealing Bickle is alive and considered a hero]
Watched 20251220 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Taxi Driver (1976) Martin Scorsese. 114 min
Relevant Links:
Taxi Driver (IMDb.com)
Taxi Driver (RottenTomatoes.com)
Taxi Driver (Wikipedia.org)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)
20251220:
Rating: 4.8/5
Instant Comments:
1a: what? this guy is dumb (arranges for Joker a spot on tv)
1a: wait what. is Superman stopping the train better than just lifting the guy out of danger?
1a: hmm. does Superman not think for himself? is he just the government's lapdog? ("you have to go back into retirement. you're upsetting too many people")
1a: "We are criminals, Clark. [...] The only difference is you have a boss."
1a: what a hypocrite. it's not like Clark went back to space
1a: thus far she's been listening to what he says, but when will she disobey (seems typical of a Robin to occasionally disobey). though I feel they made her seem quite young (being picked up from school, perhaps that's high school, but staying out at night, wouldn't that have to be college?); maybe she just seems young because she's small sized compared to Bruce [so her fictional character biography on Wikipedia says she's 13, and the reason she's able to be out at night is that "she appears to have rather ignorant and neglectful parents."]
1a: hehe. he's always telling her a condition and threatening to fire her
1a: hehe. for reals? everyone is being taken out and she tells two people to rush Batman? the one person's reaction is how a normal person should react
1a: wait... what... they shot each other (friendly fire)
1a: hehe. joker kills the doctor (and everyone in the room)
1a: meanwhile the new commissioner is wasting effort trying to catch Batman, wtf
1a: hehe. reconfigured the voice recognition
1b: resumed at the 27 minute mark
1b: hehe. throws three batarangs, one which goes into Joker's eye. Batman has reached the point that preservation has kind of gone out the window
1b: Joker recgonizes this anormality ("Are you out of your mind!?!")
1b: "I'm through playing games" Batman replies
1b: I'm surprised Joker isn't screaming in pain.
1b: of course of all people, the Joker lands a shot (a kind of plot armor; when it's convenient); and in reverse, of all the people Batman has beaten up so easily, what makes beating Joker harder?
1b: Batman makes a statement about how many people he's killed by letting Joker lived, Joker says he hasn't kept count, Batman says he has, Joker says he knows this... it's tense
1b: Man, in this position, I think an interesting kill here would be driving the batarang through the head. If Batman is saying he's finally going to kill the Joker and goes through with it, that'll be a crazy way
1b: Dang. The Joker finishes himself off.
1b: I forgot to mention earlier how he seemed to have purposely bumped the Commisioner on his way out of Kyle Escorts, and here he's sure to deliver her a blow again
1b: I see. they made him hesitate at even putting his finger into the gun trigger. which is interesting cause he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger of a grappling hook
1b: Huh. why would Superman be affected in this way? (the blast radiation made him weak)
1b: what? Superman pulls some kind of Earth absorption thing, perhaps like his sun cells 1b: Batman back on his feet already
1b: she realizes what Jim had said to her, "He's too big."
1b: What? Why would the president still see Batman as a nuisance. He's helping maintain order in his city
1b: "Figure I will"
1b: "You know what my orders are." "Your orders?"
1b: How is it that Batman has more brains than Superman?
1b: At least perhaps Superman has some decency. Batman's mouth area is open but Superman doesn't target it. Unless Superman is in on the plan
1b: Dang. Green Arrow can fire arrows with one arm?
1b: Wow. Pulled back with his teeth
1b: I want you to remember the one man who beat you.
1b: Oh wow. I couldn't bear to detonate my own home. What sacrifice.
1b: Hehe. That wink.
1a: 20251219, 1b=20251220
Watched 20251219 (Netflix, Instant)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013) Jay Oliva. 76 min
Relevant Links:
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (IMDb.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 4.8/5
Instant Comments:
1a: what? this guy is dumb (arranges for Joker a spot on tv)
1a: wait what. is Superman stopping the train better than just lifting the guy out of danger?
1a: hmm. does Superman not think for himself? is he just the government's lapdog? ("you have to go back into retirement. you're upsetting too many people")
1a: "We are criminals, Clark. [...] The only difference is you have a boss."
1a: what a hypocrite. it's not like Clark went back to space
1a: thus far she's been listening to what he says, but when will she disobey (seems typical of a Robin to occasionally disobey). though I feel they made her seem quite young (being picked up from school, perhaps that's high school, but staying out at night, wouldn't that have to be college?); maybe she just seems young because she's small sized compared to Bruce [so her fictional character biography on Wikipedia says she's 13, and the reason she's able to be out at night is that "she appears to have rather ignorant and neglectful parents."]
1a: hehe. he's always telling her a condition and threatening to fire her
1a: hehe. for reals? everyone is being taken out and she tells two people to rush Batman? the one person's reaction is how a normal person should react
1a: wait... what... they shot each other (friendly fire)
1a: hehe. joker kills the doctor (and everyone in the room)
1a: meanwhile the new commissioner is wasting effort trying to catch Batman, wtf
1a: hehe. reconfigured the voice recognition
1b: resumed at the 27 minute mark
1b: hehe. throws three batarangs, one which goes into Joker's eye. Batman has reached the point that preservation has kind of gone out the window
1b: Joker recgonizes this anormality ("Are you out of your mind!?!")
1b: "I'm through playing games" Batman replies
1b: I'm surprised Joker isn't screaming in pain.
1b: of course of all people, the Joker lands a shot (a kind of plot armor; when it's convenient); and in reverse, of all the people Batman has beaten up so easily, what makes beating Joker harder?
1b: Batman makes a statement about how many people he's killed by letting Joker lived, Joker says he hasn't kept count, Batman says he has, Joker says he knows this... it's tense
1b: Man, in this position, I think an interesting kill here would be driving the batarang through the head. If Batman is saying he's finally going to kill the Joker and goes through with it, that'll be a crazy way
1b: Dang. The Joker finishes himself off.
1b: I forgot to mention earlier how he seemed to have purposely bumped the Commisioner on his way out of Kyle Escorts, and here he's sure to deliver her a blow again
1b: I see. they made him hesitate at even putting his finger into the gun trigger. which is interesting cause he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger of a grappling hook
1b: Huh. why would Superman be affected in this way? (the blast radiation made him weak)
1b: what? Superman pulls some kind of Earth absorption thing, perhaps like his sun cells 1b: Batman back on his feet already
1b: she realizes what Jim had said to her, "He's too big."
1b: What? Why would the president still see Batman as a nuisance. He's helping maintain order in his city
1b: "Figure I will"
1b: "You know what my orders are." "Your orders?"
1b: How is it that Batman has more brains than Superman?
1b: At least perhaps Superman has some decency. Batman's mouth area is open but Superman doesn't target it. Unless Superman is in on the plan
1b: Dang. Green Arrow can fire arrows with one arm?
1b: Wow. Pulled back with his teeth
1b: I want you to remember the one man who beat you.
1b: Oh wow. I couldn't bear to detonate my own home. What sacrifice.
1b: Hehe. That wink.
1a: 20251219, 1b=20251220
Watched 20251219 (Netflix, Instant)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013) Jay Oliva. 76 min
Relevant Links:
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (IMDb.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (Wikipedia.org)
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012)
20251219:
Rating: 4.8/5
Instant Comments:
1a: hehe. smart one. "can't do it when they're into it"; with that being said, I guesss it's a reminder that it's not just that Bruce is good at martial arts but that he's rather big
1a: pause at the 14 minute mark
1b: resume
1b: dang. Batman can punch a hole through a car?
1b: hehe. takes the money
1b: he must be in real good shape at that age; though I guess at the beginning if he can survive a race car crash with no problem, he must be in shape
1b: love that reaction "yeah, we're in for a show kid" (interesting that the rookie doesn't know, perhaps he's from out of town?)
1b: "I never thought he was real"
1b: hehe "This is freaky. He never made noise before"
1b: what a dumb kid; screams loudly "everybody freeze"
1b: hehe. Gordon happily releases the guy
1b: wow. two-face thought both sides of his face are disfigured when its not.
1b: hehe. "I believe you"
1b: that gunshot. and Batman didn't flinch. did he expect it?
1b: chuckle. "kids today no respect"
1b: dang. this girl/woman has guts
1b: singlehandedly fighitng a war
1b: oh wow. rubber bullets.
1b: dang. packing a punch.
1b: not sure what the Robin wannabe will plan to do... at first I'm thinking enter the tank but access to that can't be easy
1b: hmm. eye gouge. not bad
1b: hehe "good girl, thankyou, now run along home" as she enters anyways
1b: dang. she's smart (reseats his arm and places it in a brace)
1b: chuckle. she's wearing a shirt that says "All this and brains too"; seems off brand for a newscaster
1b: uh... doesn't seem safe. He just has his arms chained...
1b: yeah okay. that just seemed plain dumb
1b: dang. she got the slang down
1b: how could a crazy like this leader who killed the mayor in cold blood just be in a normal cell
1b: ooo. "I came to say goodbye"
1b: how stupid would someone have to be to take that bait. your cell door just opens? come on.
1b: cut above the eyes and bleeds means obscured vision?
1b: what does that slang mean. "Batman don't shive, you see."
1a=20251218, 1b=20251219
Watched first 14 minutes 20251218, remaining 62 minutes 20251219 (Amazon Prime)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012) Jay Oliva. 76 min
Relevant Links:
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (IMDb.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 4.8/5
Instant Comments:
1a: hehe. smart one. "can't do it when they're into it"; with that being said, I guesss it's a reminder that it's not just that Bruce is good at martial arts but that he's rather big
1a: pause at the 14 minute mark
1b: resume
1b: dang. Batman can punch a hole through a car?
1b: hehe. takes the money
1b: he must be in real good shape at that age; though I guess at the beginning if he can survive a race car crash with no problem, he must be in shape
1b: love that reaction "yeah, we're in for a show kid" (interesting that the rookie doesn't know, perhaps he's from out of town?)
1b: "I never thought he was real"
1b: hehe "This is freaky. He never made noise before"
1b: what a dumb kid; screams loudly "everybody freeze"
1b: hehe. Gordon happily releases the guy
1b: wow. two-face thought both sides of his face are disfigured when its not.
1b: hehe. "I believe you"
1b: that gunshot. and Batman didn't flinch. did he expect it?
1b: chuckle. "kids today no respect"
1b: dang. this girl/woman has guts
1b: singlehandedly fighitng a war
1b: oh wow. rubber bullets.
1b: dang. packing a punch.
1b: not sure what the Robin wannabe will plan to do... at first I'm thinking enter the tank but access to that can't be easy
1b: hmm. eye gouge. not bad
1b: hehe "good girl, thankyou, now run along home" as she enters anyways
1b: dang. she's smart (reseats his arm and places it in a brace)
1b: chuckle. she's wearing a shirt that says "All this and brains too"; seems off brand for a newscaster
1b: uh... doesn't seem safe. He just has his arms chained...
1b: yeah okay. that just seemed plain dumb
1b: dang. she got the slang down
1b: how could a crazy like this leader who killed the mayor in cold blood just be in a normal cell
1b: ooo. "I came to say goodbye"
1b: how stupid would someone have to be to take that bait. your cell door just opens? come on.
1b: cut above the eyes and bleeds means obscured vision?
1b: what does that slang mean. "Batman don't shive, you see."
1a=20251218, 1b=20251219
Watched first 14 minutes 20251218, remaining 62 minutes 20251219 (Amazon Prime)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (2012) Jay Oliva. 76 min
Relevant Links:
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (IMDb.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (RottenTomatoes.com)
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (Wikipedia.org)
If Anything Happens I Love You (2020)
20251218:
I'm not one to follow the news and so the gravity of school shootings never really sunk into my mind as something to fear. But this short really sends the message of both grief and healing. I think it's also a reminder as a parent to not take the moments I do have with my kids and make the best of them.
Rating: 5.0/5
Instant Comments:
2: Water goes to my eyes when she sits down on the bed
2=20251218
Watched 20210914* (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant)
If Anything Happens I Love You (2020) Michael Govier, Will McCormack. 13 min
Relevant Links:
If Anything Happens I Love You (IMDb.com)
If Anything Happens I Love You (RottenTomatoes.com)
If Anything Happens I Love You (Wikipedia.org)
*I remember seeing this film at least once before, and my Netlfix Viewing History has an entry for this film on 20210914 (the Viewing History only ever keeps the last viewing of an item).
I'm not one to follow the news and so the gravity of school shootings never really sunk into my mind as something to fear. But this short really sends the message of both grief and healing. I think it's also a reminder as a parent to not take the moments I do have with my kids and make the best of them.
Rating: 5.0/5
Instant Comments:
2: Water goes to my eyes when she sits down on the bed
2=20251218
Watched 20210914* (Netflix, Instant)
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant)
If Anything Happens I Love You (2020) Michael Govier, Will McCormack. 13 min
Relevant Links:
If Anything Happens I Love You (IMDb.com)
If Anything Happens I Love You (RottenTomatoes.com)
If Anything Happens I Love You (Wikipedia.org)
*I remember seeing this film at least once before, and my Netlfix Viewing History has an entry for this film on 20210914 (the Viewing History only ever keeps the last viewing of an item).
Star Trek Beyond (2016)
20251218:
Underwhelming ending.
Rating: 4.4/5
Instant Comments:
smile. looked big, but was small
what exactly is a stardate and don't these ships travel at light speed meaning like... time would get warped
I felt like there would be a trap. What I don't understand is why they would help this person without any type of trust. not to say she was the cause of the trap but I wasn't clear on why they would take the mission.
hmm... there's kind of too much going on in this scene.
there's moral complexity there. she was protecting her crew, but how could she live with herself as a captain to endanger another crew?
hehe. I like this little exchange between Bones and Spock
U.S.S. Franklin. Is that the same ship Kirk's dad was flying? [oh wait, I think his dad's ship blew up as a way to protect the crew]
Lol. She fell for his fake. (she just kicked him, and well I meant to say I assume he's just faking. we'll have to see in a second)
hehe. "At least I won't have to die alone" followed by Spock beamed
hahaha. exactly what went through my mind "you gave your girlfriend a tracking device." [Spock responds "that was not my intention"]
despite the pep talk, I'm still not sure why she would help them
hmm. how does one go about controlling the clones?
obviously Kirk wouldn't leave her. I think he would go up a ramp and take this guy out by bike
ah. that's cool. it did involve a bike jump
lol. the speed at which they were going, not sure the pull up made sense, but okay
smile. all this lead up to old music disrupting advanced alien swarm hehe
chuckle. Sabotage by Beastie Boys
smile. "Is that classical music?"
hehe. pin onto the ship
why would Uhura walk around without a gun?
wait this thing that was eating Edison, does it just go away or do they have to retrieve it and contain it?
hehe. a picture of the original cast
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Star Trek Beyond (2016) Justin Lin. 122 min
Relevant Links:
Star Trek Beyond (IMDb.com)
Star Trek Beyond (RottenTomatoes.com)
Star Trek Beyond (Wikipedia.org)
Underwhelming ending.
Rating: 4.4/5
Instant Comments:
smile. looked big, but was small
what exactly is a stardate and don't these ships travel at light speed meaning like... time would get warped
I felt like there would be a trap. What I don't understand is why they would help this person without any type of trust. not to say she was the cause of the trap but I wasn't clear on why they would take the mission.
hmm... there's kind of too much going on in this scene.
there's moral complexity there. she was protecting her crew, but how could she live with herself as a captain to endanger another crew?
hehe. I like this little exchange between Bones and Spock
U.S.S. Franklin. Is that the same ship Kirk's dad was flying? [oh wait, I think his dad's ship blew up as a way to protect the crew]
Lol. She fell for his fake. (she just kicked him, and well I meant to say I assume he's just faking. we'll have to see in a second)
hehe. "At least I won't have to die alone" followed by Spock beamed
hahaha. exactly what went through my mind "you gave your girlfriend a tracking device." [Spock responds "that was not my intention"]
despite the pep talk, I'm still not sure why she would help them
hmm. how does one go about controlling the clones?
obviously Kirk wouldn't leave her. I think he would go up a ramp and take this guy out by bike
ah. that's cool. it did involve a bike jump
lol. the speed at which they were going, not sure the pull up made sense, but okay
smile. all this lead up to old music disrupting advanced alien swarm hehe
chuckle. Sabotage by Beastie Boys
smile. "Is that classical music?"
hehe. pin onto the ship
why would Uhura walk around without a gun?
wait this thing that was eating Edison, does it just go away or do they have to retrieve it and contain it?
hehe. a picture of the original cast
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
Star Trek Beyond (2016) Justin Lin. 122 min
Relevant Links:
Star Trek Beyond (IMDb.com)
Star Trek Beyond (RottenTomatoes.com)
Star Trek Beyond (Wikipedia.org)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (2022)
20251218:
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
Bill Burr
chuckle. he's not afraid to make such a bleak statement
his content is so brutal. ("got impatient with a woodchipper")
sickles
Michelle Wolf
smile. two girls one cup
Jimmy Carr
Hahaha. "You are." (great punchline)
Hahaha. "I didn't care about that either."
Haha. Teachable moment.
Hahahaha. Didn't see that punchline coming.
Steph Tolev
haha. like the ropes in the gym
Jeff Ross and Dave Attell
smile. Dave Matthews Band
chuckle. clam chowder
Ian Edwards
smile. loophole. love it
I wonder if he made that up on the fly... or if he had a Michael Jackson joke handy and worked a reference to Jimmy in
hahaha. pay for it on Hulu
smile. "I just want to see how long it really takes to get there."
hehe. he cracked his voice keeping a straight face as he continues his sex trafficking bit ("you feel me?")
chuckle. "And my sisters are not in sex trafficking shape"
smile. don't give up
I love how calm he delivers his jokes.
Joe Bartnick
chuckle. "We weren't white until the 40s"
oh wow. this show was after the Will Smith slapping Chris Rock incident; meaning that happened over three years ago
Jessica Kirson
I wonder how many people don't know she's joking
ha! "Look how dumb some of you are..."
wow. that was a powerful bit
Josh Adam Meyers
hahahaha. Amazon Prime energy.
Ronnie Chieng
smile. "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
smile. He comes back out with a knee slide
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (2022) Ryan Polito. 73 min
Relevant Links:
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (IMDb.com)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (RottenTomatoes.com)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 4.0/5
Instant Comments:
Bill Burr
chuckle. he's not afraid to make such a bleak statement
his content is so brutal. ("got impatient with a woodchipper")
sickles
Michelle Wolf
smile. two girls one cup
Jimmy Carr
Hahaha. "You are." (great punchline)
Hahaha. "I didn't care about that either."
Haha. Teachable moment.
Hahahaha. Didn't see that punchline coming.
Steph Tolev
haha. like the ropes in the gym
Jeff Ross and Dave Attell
smile. Dave Matthews Band
chuckle. clam chowder
Ian Edwards
smile. loophole. love it
I wonder if he made that up on the fly... or if he had a Michael Jackson joke handy and worked a reference to Jimmy in
hahaha. pay for it on Hulu
smile. "I just want to see how long it really takes to get there."
hehe. he cracked his voice keeping a straight face as he continues his sex trafficking bit ("you feel me?")
chuckle. "And my sisters are not in sex trafficking shape"
smile. don't give up
I love how calm he delivers his jokes.
Joe Bartnick
chuckle. "We weren't white until the 40s"
oh wow. this show was after the Will Smith slapping Chris Rock incident; meaning that happened over three years ago
Jessica Kirson
I wonder how many people don't know she's joking
ha! "Look how dumb some of you are..."
wow. that was a powerful bit
Josh Adam Meyers
hahahaha. Amazon Prime energy.
Ronnie Chieng
smile. "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
smile. He comes back out with a knee slide
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (2022) Ryan Polito. 73 min
Relevant Links:
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (IMDb.com)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (RottenTomatoes.com)
Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill (Wikipedia.org)
The Martian (2015)
20251218:
As far as sci-fi goes, I like Interstellar more, but this movie was solid.
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
how tense. it seems they were seconds away from all being dead/stranded, just to save one person.
man watching this... I mean... no one could train you for that... and... I wonder what goes through a person's mind if that were real... kind of fight or flight?
after he makes the log... it seems if he wants to survive, he has to spend some of those days healing (though 31 days of food is potentially the number for all the crew members?), and then somehow collecting more food
when he flushes. I wonder if saving his pee would help
ah there it is. he does the math on total rations
hehe botanist and poop
chuckle. he celebrates and it explodes
smile. he's getting into it
when he says "I know what I'm gonna do"; I feel like spelling something out for imagery is possible (it's what I would consider)
I don't get it. The press knows but the crew? Perhaps the crew is in some sort of isolation?
Oh okay. They're in a space station isolated from the media on Earth
That's a good message to the crew
chuckle. "In your face, Neil Armstrong" (the next best thing would be if he said "How do you like them apples?")
holy moly (explosion)
dang. good to keep tape on you. also good that those gloves don't seem so clunky
oh no. his crops
dang super risky... he sealed the outside that way, took off his helmet. I think if that rips then he's screwed, right?
hehe. he's so young here (Donald Glover)
interesting way to build tension. I feel its likely he'll live but how that will happen is unknown
hehe drill holes in the rover and hit it as hard as you can with a rock?
that brought the water to my eyes (Martinez has a kid for which he will not see for another two years)
wow. that payload catch was kind of tense
lol. so much time on his hands. he deduces he's a space pirate
how does the travel unit maintain oxygen?
being tired... I would be dead. I need to take so many naps on the way from SF to LA
smile. haha. the amount of stuff they have to remove
oh I didn't realize this actress... well I still don't remember where she's from; but when she says "the first one" it sounds familiar [her name is Mackenzie Davis, and I think from certain angles her face reminded me of Alexis Bledel]
well at least being tired, it's probably better he doesn't control the ship hehe
the fact that anything can be dismantled manually is amazing (their plan involves removing parts) (he's at the door not opening)
holy moly. seeing him execute the tarp down on top is funny to see
"To Whom It May Concern, take care of this rover, she saved my life."
What's interesting is how important it is to bring him back, and the resources it would take to do so. I guess no one would like the program if he were ditched for financial reasons.
hehe it's okay to pass out... see that's another good thing for remote control
I see there is drag in the system (I was wondering about how that would affect) but earlier I think the engineer said by the time drag was in play, it wouldn't matter
Holy moly. If he accidentally grab something he'd just go flying out to space.
Dang he just almost missed here.
Dang. he has a lot of confidence as he moves around outside from bar to bar.
holy fuck. he's ending up to execute Iron Man anyways.
damn. that was intense with all the cord being wound around. I was trying to think of the worst-case scenario. Like he just has to hold onto the cord?
chuckle. "don't me laugh I have broken ribs"
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
The Martian (2015) Ridley Scott. 144 min
Relevant Links:
The Martian (IMDb.com)
The Martian (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Martian (Wikipedia.org)
As far as sci-fi goes, I like Interstellar more, but this movie was solid.
Rating: 4.6/5
Instant Comments:
how tense. it seems they were seconds away from all being dead/stranded, just to save one person.
man watching this... I mean... no one could train you for that... and... I wonder what goes through a person's mind if that were real... kind of fight or flight?
after he makes the log... it seems if he wants to survive, he has to spend some of those days healing (though 31 days of food is potentially the number for all the crew members?), and then somehow collecting more food
when he flushes. I wonder if saving his pee would help
ah there it is. he does the math on total rations
hehe botanist and poop
chuckle. he celebrates and it explodes
smile. he's getting into it
when he says "I know what I'm gonna do"; I feel like spelling something out for imagery is possible (it's what I would consider)
I don't get it. The press knows but the crew? Perhaps the crew is in some sort of isolation?
Oh okay. They're in a space station isolated from the media on Earth
That's a good message to the crew
chuckle. "In your face, Neil Armstrong" (the next best thing would be if he said "How do you like them apples?")
holy moly (explosion)
dang. good to keep tape on you. also good that those gloves don't seem so clunky
oh no. his crops
dang super risky... he sealed the outside that way, took off his helmet. I think if that rips then he's screwed, right?
hehe. he's so young here (Donald Glover)
interesting way to build tension. I feel its likely he'll live but how that will happen is unknown
hehe drill holes in the rover and hit it as hard as you can with a rock?
that brought the water to my eyes (Martinez has a kid for which he will not see for another two years)
wow. that payload catch was kind of tense
lol. so much time on his hands. he deduces he's a space pirate
how does the travel unit maintain oxygen?
being tired... I would be dead. I need to take so many naps on the way from SF to LA
smile. haha. the amount of stuff they have to remove
oh I didn't realize this actress... well I still don't remember where she's from; but when she says "the first one" it sounds familiar [her name is Mackenzie Davis, and I think from certain angles her face reminded me of Alexis Bledel]
well at least being tired, it's probably better he doesn't control the ship hehe
the fact that anything can be dismantled manually is amazing (their plan involves removing parts) (he's at the door not opening)
holy moly. seeing him execute the tarp down on top is funny to see
"To Whom It May Concern, take care of this rover, she saved my life."
What's interesting is how important it is to bring him back, and the resources it would take to do so. I guess no one would like the program if he were ditched for financial reasons.
hehe it's okay to pass out... see that's another good thing for remote control
I see there is drag in the system (I was wondering about how that would affect) but earlier I think the engineer said by the time drag was in play, it wouldn't matter
Holy moly. If he accidentally grab something he'd just go flying out to space.
Dang he just almost missed here.
Dang. he has a lot of confidence as he moves around outside from bar to bar.
holy fuck. he's ending up to execute Iron Man anyways.
damn. that was intense with all the cord being wound around. I was trying to think of the worst-case scenario. Like he just has to hold onto the cord?
chuckle. "don't me laugh I have broken ribs"
Watched 20251218 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251231)
The Martian (2015) Ridley Scott. 144 min
Relevant Links:
The Martian (IMDb.com)
The Martian (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Martian (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
The Immigrant (1917)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
Rating: 4.0/5
20251218: (full viewing)
The other version I watched was about 20 minutes long, and today I watched one that was 24 minutes long. Note that IMDb.com lists the film at being 30 minutes long while Wikipedia lists it as being 22 minutes long.
Instant Comments:
1: Hmm. I wonder if its easier to be tilting the camera or be tilting the set. I imagine tilting the set due to be easier to animate sliding.
1: Smile. That fake shuffling, and then when the man cut the cards, he just restored the order
1: hehe, gun under the butt
1: ha! that transition from one bean at a time to a knifeful is comedic genius
1: hehe that's a good sequence (coin covering and picking up)
1: hehe refusing too many times
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
The Immigrant (1917) Charles Chaplin. 22 min
Relevant Links:
The Immigrant (IMDb.com)
The Immigrant (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Immigrant (1917 film) (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 4.0/5
20251218: (full viewing)
The other version I watched was about 20 minutes long, and today I watched one that was 24 minutes long. Note that IMDb.com lists the film at being 30 minutes long while Wikipedia lists it as being 22 minutes long.
Instant Comments:
1: Hmm. I wonder if its easier to be tilting the camera or be tilting the set. I imagine tilting the set due to be easier to animate sliding.
1: Smile. That fake shuffling, and then when the man cut the cards, he just restored the order
1: hehe, gun under the butt
1: ha! that transition from one bean at a time to a knifeful is comedic genius
1: hehe that's a good sequence (coin covering and picking up)
1: hehe refusing too many times
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
The Immigrant (1917) Charles Chaplin. 22 min
Relevant Links:
The Immigrant (IMDb.com)
The Immigrant (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Immigrant (1917 film) (Wikipedia.org)
The Rink (1916)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
Rating: 3.0/5
20251218: (full viewing)
The version I watched was about 18 minutes. Watching a full version (24 minutes runtime),* the first difference was the inclusion of exposition showing The Girl (Edna Purviance) and Her Father (James T. Kelley). Then there was a similar playspeed difference as I had noticed in The Pawnshop (the version I watched yesterday runs at about 25% faster).
I would say, simply with the extra exposition and some extra title cards, I would bump my rating up from 3.0 to 3.2.
Rating: 3.2/5
*IMDb.com lists the runtime at 30 minutes but Wikipedia lists 24 minutes. I'll go with 24 minutes.
Instant Comments:
1: I don't quite get it. There's a man [Mr. Stout (Eric Campbell)] and his wife [Mrs. Stout (Henry Bergman)] but the man seems to like this girl [The Girl (Edna Purviance)], while his wife and the girl's father [Her Father] seem to have a thing for each other; what in the world (they are all meeting at this party)
1: oh ok. perhaps they seem shocked at it
1: hehe enter Charlie
1: smile. they all tell him to keep quiet about what he knows
1: wow that leaning back move is impressive unless there's editing that has to happen for the illusion; but it looks plausible
1=20251217, 2=20251218
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube) (sepia)
The Rink (1916) Charles Chaplin. 24 min
Relevant Links:
The Rink (IMDb.com)
The Rink (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Rink (film) (Wikipedia.org)
Rating: 3.0/5
20251218: (full viewing)
The version I watched was about 18 minutes. Watching a full version (24 minutes runtime),* the first difference was the inclusion of exposition showing The Girl (Edna Purviance) and Her Father (James T. Kelley). Then there was a similar playspeed difference as I had noticed in The Pawnshop (the version I watched yesterday runs at about 25% faster).
I would say, simply with the extra exposition and some extra title cards, I would bump my rating up from 3.0 to 3.2.
Rating: 3.2/5
*IMDb.com lists the runtime at 30 minutes but Wikipedia lists 24 minutes. I'll go with 24 minutes.
Instant Comments:
1: I don't quite get it. There's a man [Mr. Stout (Eric Campbell)] and his wife [Mrs. Stout (Henry Bergman)] but the man seems to like this girl [The Girl (Edna Purviance)], while his wife and the girl's father [Her Father] seem to have a thing for each other; what in the world (they are all meeting at this party)
1: oh ok. perhaps they seem shocked at it
1: hehe enter Charlie
1: smile. they all tell him to keep quiet about what he knows
1: wow that leaning back move is impressive unless there's editing that has to happen for the illusion; but it looks plausible
1=20251217, 2=20251218
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube) (sepia)
The Rink (1916) Charles Chaplin. 24 min
Relevant Links:
The Rink (IMDb.com)
The Rink (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Rink (film) (Wikipedia.org)
The Pawnshop (1916)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
As he was fighting the guy in the ladder, I noticed the fast movement which ChatGPT had mentioned previously. So I explored that comment. I first started with my hypothesis on it. I thought perhaps the filmmakers needed to save frames so filmed at low frames per second (fps). Then when played back, the action would appear sped up, probably 1.5x. In its reply, ChatGPT revealed that in addition to variable projection speed, there was also variable recording speed (because cameras were also hand-cranked). It wasn't until synchronized sound that films were standardized to 24 fps. As such, a film shot at 16 fps and projected at 24 fps, would exactly be playing at 1.5x. Overall, silent films look fast for the following reasons:
- they were shot slower (~14-16 fps in the 1890s to 1900s, ~16-20 fps by the 1910s)
- projected inconsistently
- later standardized incorrectly
- modern viewers assume 24 fps is natural
Rating: 3.8/5
20251218: (full viewing)
The one I watched yesterday is about 19 minutes long. Watching the full version, there's some snippets or titles missing here and there, but also the other version runs at about 30% faster than the version I watched today (possibly between 26% to 29%). Note that while the version I watched today has color but no sound, so I used the sound from the other video to supplement. I played the other version at 0.75 in order to get close to the correct playspeed (a multiplier of 0.8 would likely have been closer).
While I noted the other viewing as an "incomplete viewing," it's actually close to the full runtime, with perhaps anywhere between 30 seconds and 1 minute missing from the full 25 minute runtime after adjusting for playspeed.
Instant Comments:
1: As he's cleaning, there are various sound effects. This reminds me of a YouTube short I saw where two guys were doing live piano and sound effects over an old cartoon.
1: Wow, this swinging ladder bit is quite the stunt
1: Oh wow. A fall. amazing.
2: oic, this old man is saying he has to sell his wife's ring or starve, but at the end of the bit reveals he has a bunch of money in his pockets. so really he's just trying to get more out of pawning off the ring
1: Smile. Breaking it to evaluate it... I'm just expecting a long lead up to "No this is not worth $2"
1: Smile. Puts the loop in but uses the other eye
1: oh wow. the parts moving around on the table
1: Smile. that ending.
1=20251217, 2=20251218
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251218 (YouTube) (color) (no sound)
The Pawnshop (1916) Charles Chaplin. 25 min
Relevant Links:
The Pawnshop (IMDb.com)
The Pawnshop (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Pawnshop (Wikipedia.org)
As he was fighting the guy in the ladder, I noticed the fast movement which ChatGPT had mentioned previously. So I explored that comment. I first started with my hypothesis on it. I thought perhaps the filmmakers needed to save frames so filmed at low frames per second (fps). Then when played back, the action would appear sped up, probably 1.5x. In its reply, ChatGPT revealed that in addition to variable projection speed, there was also variable recording speed (because cameras were also hand-cranked). It wasn't until synchronized sound that films were standardized to 24 fps. As such, a film shot at 16 fps and projected at 24 fps, would exactly be playing at 1.5x. Overall, silent films look fast for the following reasons:
- they were shot slower (~14-16 fps in the 1890s to 1900s, ~16-20 fps by the 1910s)
- projected inconsistently
- later standardized incorrectly
- modern viewers assume 24 fps is natural
Rating: 3.8/5
20251218: (full viewing)
The one I watched yesterday is about 19 minutes long. Watching the full version, there's some snippets or titles missing here and there, but also the other version runs at about 30% faster than the version I watched today (possibly between 26% to 29%). Note that while the version I watched today has color but no sound, so I used the sound from the other video to supplement. I played the other version at 0.75 in order to get close to the correct playspeed (a multiplier of 0.8 would likely have been closer).
While I noted the other viewing as an "incomplete viewing," it's actually close to the full runtime, with perhaps anywhere between 30 seconds and 1 minute missing from the full 25 minute runtime after adjusting for playspeed.
Instant Comments:
1: As he's cleaning, there are various sound effects. This reminds me of a YouTube short I saw where two guys were doing live piano and sound effects over an old cartoon.
1: Wow, this swinging ladder bit is quite the stunt
1: Oh wow. A fall. amazing.
2: oic, this old man is saying he has to sell his wife's ring or starve, but at the end of the bit reveals he has a bunch of money in his pockets. so really he's just trying to get more out of pawning off the ring
1: Smile. Breaking it to evaluate it... I'm just expecting a long lead up to "No this is not worth $2"
1: Smile. Puts the loop in but uses the other eye
1: oh wow. the parts moving around on the table
1: Smile. that ending.
1=20251217, 2=20251218
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251218 (YouTube) (color) (no sound)
The Pawnshop (1916) Charles Chaplin. 25 min
Relevant Links:
The Pawnshop (IMDb.com)
The Pawnshop (RottenTomatoes.com)
The Pawnshop (Wikipedia.org)
Shanghaied (1915)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
This film, as compared to the three previous films I saw, was really starting to advance with respect to story and humor. The slapstick was more integral to the story, and reminded me of various cartoons I saw growing up.
Rating: 3.4/5
20251217: (full viewing)
The version I watched was about 11 minutes long, so I went to search for a full clip that was the full 27 minute running time. The top such clip was a color version so I decided to watch it instead of the original black and white version.
Instant Comments:
2: I'm not sure if this crossed my mind the first time I watched but why is whoever in charge of the crane listening to Tramp's instructions?
2: The first version of this film did not have this kitchen/dish washing scene [in fact I think it went from about the 13m41s mark to the 21m37s mark]
2: in this scene outside, the horizon in the background can be scene rocking, which indicates the camera was rocking instead
2: but in the scene inside, there's an item hanging from the ceiling which is swinging, which suggests in that case the set is tilting instead (as well as the plates)
2: smile. he uses oil from the lamp for salad dressing
2: this version says "New restoration and special contents of this edition (C) Film Preservation Associates, Inc. 2014"
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube) (color)
Shanghaied (1915) Charles Chaplin. 27 min
Relevant Links:
Shanghaied (IMDb.com)
Shanghaied (RottenTomatoes.com)
Shanghaied (1915 film) (Wikipedia.org)
This film, as compared to the three previous films I saw, was really starting to advance with respect to story and humor. The slapstick was more integral to the story, and reminded me of various cartoons I saw growing up.
Rating: 3.4/5
20251217: (full viewing)
The version I watched was about 11 minutes long, so I went to search for a full clip that was the full 27 minute running time. The top such clip was a color version so I decided to watch it instead of the original black and white version.
Instant Comments:
2: I'm not sure if this crossed my mind the first time I watched but why is whoever in charge of the crane listening to Tramp's instructions?
2: The first version of this film did not have this kitchen/dish washing scene [in fact I think it went from about the 13m41s mark to the 21m37s mark]
2: in this scene outside, the horizon in the background can be scene rocking, which indicates the camera was rocking instead
2: but in the scene inside, there's an item hanging from the ceiling which is swinging, which suggests in that case the set is tilting instead (as well as the plates)
2: smile. he uses oil from the lamp for salad dressing
2: this version says "New restoration and special contents of this edition (C) Film Preservation Associates, Inc. 2014"
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube) (color)
Shanghaied (1915) Charles Chaplin. 27 min
Relevant Links:
Shanghaied (IMDb.com)
Shanghaied (RottenTomatoes.com)
Shanghaied (1915 film) (Wikipedia.org)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (1914)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
While watching this film, I wondered that if they could record the piano, and play that, why not the audio. Unless the idea is that the piano playing is actually live. However, if that's the case, they could have equally had a person or two reading out dialogue.
Asking ChatGPT, I was informed the following (paraphrased):
- film projection was hand cranked so the speed varied
- live actors reading dialogue was experimented with but failed for various reasons
- pianists can improvise and adjust along with the film
Another thought I had is if anyone ever thought to remaster the video digitally. I noticed while watching is the irregularities in the old film would show up. Perhaps this is a desired quality of seeing a film from this time.
Here ChatGPT had the following points (paraphrased):
- typically irregularities are a feature not a bug
- there's a difference between restoration and revision
- sometimes restorations go further than basics, but even the best restorations often leave some texture
- as an analogy, when we restore a Renaissance painting, we clean it but we don't repaint it to look like it was made yesterday
Rating: 3.0/5
20251217: (full viewing)
It occurred to me that the clips I was watching were not the full versions. So I went back to double check. For this film, the version I watched was closer to 6 minutes. The next version I watched was about 12 minutes long, but both Wikipedia and IMDb.com list the running time at 17 minutes. Double checking YouTube, I was unable to find any version which was 17 minutes long. Even a version on Archive.org had a runtime of 11 minutes 34 seconds. Enough versions suggest the runtime should be 12 minutes and not 17 minutes as listed by Wikipedia and IMDb.com. With that being said, I don't feel comfortable changing Wikipedia and IMDb.com.
Instant Comments:
None
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (1914) Mabel Normand. 12 min
Relevant Links:
Mabel's Strange Predicament (IMDb.com)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (RottenTomatoes.com)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (Wikipedia.org)
While watching this film, I wondered that if they could record the piano, and play that, why not the audio. Unless the idea is that the piano playing is actually live. However, if that's the case, they could have equally had a person or two reading out dialogue.
Asking ChatGPT, I was informed the following (paraphrased):
- film projection was hand cranked so the speed varied
- live actors reading dialogue was experimented with but failed for various reasons
- pianists can improvise and adjust along with the film
Another thought I had is if anyone ever thought to remaster the video digitally. I noticed while watching is the irregularities in the old film would show up. Perhaps this is a desired quality of seeing a film from this time.
Here ChatGPT had the following points (paraphrased):
- typically irregularities are a feature not a bug
- there's a difference between restoration and revision
- sometimes restorations go further than basics, but even the best restorations often leave some texture
- as an analogy, when we restore a Renaissance painting, we clean it but we don't repaint it to look like it was made yesterday
Rating: 3.0/5
20251217: (full viewing)
It occurred to me that the clips I was watching were not the full versions. So I went back to double check. For this film, the version I watched was closer to 6 minutes. The next version I watched was about 12 minutes long, but both Wikipedia and IMDb.com list the running time at 17 minutes. Double checking YouTube, I was unable to find any version which was 17 minutes long. Even a version on Archive.org had a runtime of 11 minutes 34 seconds. Enough versions suggest the runtime should be 12 minutes and not 17 minutes as listed by Wikipedia and IMDb.com. With that being said, I don't feel comfortable changing Wikipedia and IMDb.com.
Instant Comments:
None
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (1914) Mabel Normand. 12 min
Relevant Links:
Mabel's Strange Predicament (IMDb.com)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (RottenTomatoes.com)
Mabel's Strange Predicament (Wikipedia.org)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
So the YouTube video I was watching this from gave the short some context, saying that Henry Lehrman and Charles Chaplin were at a real racing event but with Charles Chaplin pretending to be a nuisance - which reminds me of modern day prank shows (e.g., The Jamie Kennedy Experiment).
Rating: 3.0/5
20251217: (full viewing)
The video I watched cut the film short, from the IMDb listed runtime of 11 minutes to just about 1.5 minutes. So I went to find the full film. The same YouTube channel that had the full clip of Making A Living also had Kid Auto Races at Venice but the video was only 6 minutes and 28 seconds long. This, however, comes close to the running time listed on Wikipedia (6 minutes, 22 seconds). However, after watching the full version, I feel there was nothing missed and I would leave the rating as it was.
20251218:
Watched an AI upscaling of the film. For the most part, the coloring was a little strong and some moments felt uncanny compared to the original, but otherwise amazing output. It makes me think that in 5 years time that any film could just be remade / upscaled via AI. Going out on a limb, one could probably even port content from one genre to another (e.g., an anime version of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings).
Instant Comments:
2: hehe. trying to stay in the shot. that's great.
2: I love how some people are enjoying the interaction. Not sure if they can tell it's scripted or what
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube) (AI upscale and colorization)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) Henry Lehrman. 7 min
Relevant Links:
Kid Auto Races at Venice (IMDb.com)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (RottenTomatoes.com)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (Wikipedia.org)
So the YouTube video I was watching this from gave the short some context, saying that Henry Lehrman and Charles Chaplin were at a real racing event but with Charles Chaplin pretending to be a nuisance - which reminds me of modern day prank shows (e.g., The Jamie Kennedy Experiment).
Rating: 3.0/5
20251217: (full viewing)
The video I watched cut the film short, from the IMDb listed runtime of 11 minutes to just about 1.5 minutes. So I went to find the full film. The same YouTube channel that had the full clip of Making A Living also had Kid Auto Races at Venice but the video was only 6 minutes and 28 seconds long. This, however, comes close to the running time listed on Wikipedia (6 minutes, 22 seconds). However, after watching the full version, I feel there was nothing missed and I would leave the rating as it was.
20251218:
Watched an AI upscaling of the film. For the most part, the coloring was a little strong and some moments felt uncanny compared to the original, but otherwise amazing output. It makes me think that in 5 years time that any film could just be remade / upscaled via AI. Going out on a limb, one could probably even port content from one genre to another (e.g., an anime version of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings).
Instant Comments:
2: hehe. trying to stay in the shot. that's great.
2: I love how some people are enjoying the interaction. Not sure if they can tell it's scripted or what
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube) (AI upscale and colorization)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) Henry Lehrman. 7 min
Relevant Links:
Kid Auto Races at Venice (IMDb.com)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (RottenTomatoes.com)
Kid Auto Races at Venice (Wikipedia.org)
Making a Living (1914)
20251217: (incomplete viewing)
I like how much of the story was portrayed without any dialogue, but at the same time, I didn't fully understand all the parts. I feel some scenes were just there randomly. After watching the short once, I read the summary on Wikipedia and then I watched the short again.
Rating: 2.0/5
20251217: (full viewing)
The short's runtime is 11 minutes, but the clip on YouTube was between 5 and 6 minutes long. As such, I went to find a full version. Watching the full version (which used a different choice of music and seemed to run a tad slower) made more sense. In particular, the first version I watched omitted the entire beginning where the swindler (Charles Chaplin) is asking for money from the reporter (Henry Lehrman). Moving the previous rating of 2.0 to 3.0.
Rating: 3.0/5
Instant Comments:
None
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Making a Living (1914) Henry Lehrman. 11 min
Relevant Links:
Making a Living (IMDb.com)
Making a Living (RottenTomatoes.com)
Making a Living (Wikipedia.org)
I like how much of the story was portrayed without any dialogue, but at the same time, I didn't fully understand all the parts. I feel some scenes were just there randomly. After watching the short once, I read the summary on Wikipedia and then I watched the short again.
Rating: 2.0/5
20251217: (full viewing)
The short's runtime is 11 minutes, but the clip on YouTube was between 5 and 6 minutes long. As such, I went to find a full version. Watching the full version (which used a different choice of music and seemed to run a tad slower) made more sense. In particular, the first version I watched omitted the entire beginning where the swindler (Charles Chaplin) is asking for money from the reporter (Henry Lehrman). Moving the previous rating of 2.0 to 3.0.
Rating: 3.0/5
Instant Comments:
None
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched an incomplete clip 20251217 (YouTube)
Watched 20251217 (YouTube)
Making a Living (1914) Henry Lehrman. 11 min
Relevant Links:
Making a Living (IMDb.com)
Making a Living (RottenTomatoes.com)
Making a Living (Wikipedia.org)
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
20251216:
I came in with low expectations, but the majority of the story was decent. I think the only part that didn't sit well with me was how powerful Quintessa seemed, but she was doing something at the end which was questionably the opposite of being powerful. I suppose as an aside, is an uncertaintly between the relationship between Merlin and the staff (what exactly does the staff do and why not just destroy it).
Overall, I think 3.8 out of 5 is reasonable for this movie.
[20251218]
Instant Comments:
haha. just drink and money
damn its all the fault of the kids
didn't take this talisman
oh wow. this talisman has legs
some crazy trick? Bee separates into pieces
various characters from the first three movies
wait. why is he a fugitive? I guess mainly because he's trying to save the Autobots?
haha. it's a female voice so he just pulled it out. brutal. but that's funny cause I
hmm. the movie really knows how to rattle my feelings. like I don't exactly get the mission. I thought the Decepticons were supposed to be hunting Yaeger. So the fact that the TRF got hit by the Dinobots... well... that seems like premature engagement that shouldn't have happened. and yet he takes it out on Lennox
crazy kid; doesn't match out smart they made her seem
what. they needed to get Yaeger alive but TRF with these drones are practically gonna kill him
I see so her father is no longer in her life... and earlier he implied the car was a transformer. oh and that's why he was at her museum. she'll probably be surprised when she encounters the transformer car for the first time (flashbacks)
hahaha. French accent
oh, this old man is not her father
smile. the photo of Sam Witwicky [rewinding back and pausing, below his name it says "LADIESMAN 217" which was his Ebay account name]
the one face looked like Mark Wahlberg. Amazon has a convenient feature to just hover and see the actors. Apparently Stanley Tucci was Merlin. I didn't recognize
smile. Cogman was providing the music
hahaha. Cogman doing opera voice [rewinding, it's the reason Viviane looks around]
hmm. how lucky that there is such a descendent; must be a lot of pressure to ensure such a thing. what if say Viviane never had kids
hehe. his tone switched quickly ("now!")
whoa, very cool. "my weapon will stop the time"
hahaha. the old women think it sounds like they're having sex
hehe "you don't have to kill people"
smile "snuggle with Agnes"
"Move bitch get out of my way"
I don't get it, I think this is the second time Bee has talked using his new voice. But I thought he ripped it out
what I dislike is moments involving the military. the story becomes unclear
I think it's because when the sub transforms (which maybe they don't know it's a transformer? I thought they did earlier. oh wait maybe taht was the military taht knew) that they are in the head of the transformer but still encased? that'd be my guess
hehe. the talisman slithering around and humorously down towards his groin as she's speaking to him
huh. the sub wasn't a transformer?
huh. actually this girl seems familiar [oh she is one of the three future Spider-Women in Madame Web]
this story doesn't make sense. Why would they fire on the transformer waking up. What threat is it causing
oic. okay. Lennox wants the staff.
hmm. what was going through Cade's mind to have her give it to him. I guess he evaluated that Prime could kill them
but still Lennox's role is confusing and even more confusing is the other guy, Santos; like there's a impending doom and they want to collect the staff for no purpose other than to collect the staff?
uh. okay. now that Megatron is here. where are the TRF? come on. This is lame
well I feel it wasn't Optimus's fault. because Quintessa corrputed him
hmm. why would it be that only a descendent of Merlin could wield the staff. (Quintessa drives the staff into the something)
hehe. "you're small and you're ugly, no one will see you coming"
hehe. "squeak you"
the dragon with Optimus arrive, but on that note, I thought the point of the staff was to command the knights
where is Quintessa during this. thre's not gonna be some epic battle between Quintessa and Optimus / Autobots?
Optimus rolls out rather clean, well except with some dust on him
Watched 20251216 (Netflix, Instant)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) Michael Bay. 154 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers: The Last Knight (IMDb.com)
Transformers: The Last Knight (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers: The Last Knight (Wikipedia.org)
I came in with low expectations, but the majority of the story was decent. I think the only part that didn't sit well with me was how powerful Quintessa seemed, but she was doing something at the end which was questionably the opposite of being powerful. I suppose as an aside, is an uncertaintly between the relationship between Merlin and the staff (what exactly does the staff do and why not just destroy it).
Overall, I think 3.8 out of 5 is reasonable for this movie.
[20251218]
Instant Comments:
haha. just drink and money
damn its all the fault of the kids
didn't take this talisman
oh wow. this talisman has legs
some crazy trick? Bee separates into pieces
various characters from the first three movies
wait. why is he a fugitive? I guess mainly because he's trying to save the Autobots?
haha. it's a female voice so he just pulled it out. brutal. but that's funny cause I
hmm. the movie really knows how to rattle my feelings. like I don't exactly get the mission. I thought the Decepticons were supposed to be hunting Yaeger. So the fact that the TRF got hit by the Dinobots... well... that seems like premature engagement that shouldn't have happened. and yet he takes it out on Lennox
crazy kid; doesn't match out smart they made her seem
what. they needed to get Yaeger alive but TRF with these drones are practically gonna kill him
I see so her father is no longer in her life... and earlier he implied the car was a transformer. oh and that's why he was at her museum. she'll probably be surprised when she encounters the transformer car for the first time (flashbacks)
hahaha. French accent
oh, this old man is not her father
smile. the photo of Sam Witwicky [rewinding back and pausing, below his name it says "LADIESMAN 217" which was his Ebay account name]
the one face looked like Mark Wahlberg. Amazon has a convenient feature to just hover and see the actors. Apparently Stanley Tucci was Merlin. I didn't recognize
smile. Cogman was providing the music
hahaha. Cogman doing opera voice [rewinding, it's the reason Viviane looks around]
hmm. how lucky that there is such a descendent; must be a lot of pressure to ensure such a thing. what if say Viviane never had kids
hehe. his tone switched quickly ("now!")
whoa, very cool. "my weapon will stop the time"
hahaha. the old women think it sounds like they're having sex
hehe "you don't have to kill people"
smile "snuggle with Agnes"
"Move bitch get out of my way"
I don't get it, I think this is the second time Bee has talked using his new voice. But I thought he ripped it out
what I dislike is moments involving the military. the story becomes unclear
I think it's because when the sub transforms (which maybe they don't know it's a transformer? I thought they did earlier. oh wait maybe taht was the military taht knew) that they are in the head of the transformer but still encased? that'd be my guess
hehe. the talisman slithering around and humorously down towards his groin as she's speaking to him
huh. the sub wasn't a transformer?
huh. actually this girl seems familiar [oh she is one of the three future Spider-Women in Madame Web]
this story doesn't make sense. Why would they fire on the transformer waking up. What threat is it causing
oic. okay. Lennox wants the staff.
hmm. what was going through Cade's mind to have her give it to him. I guess he evaluated that Prime could kill them
but still Lennox's role is confusing and even more confusing is the other guy, Santos; like there's a impending doom and they want to collect the staff for no purpose other than to collect the staff?
uh. okay. now that Megatron is here. where are the TRF? come on. This is lame
well I feel it wasn't Optimus's fault. because Quintessa corrputed him
hmm. why would it be that only a descendent of Merlin could wield the staff. (Quintessa drives the staff into the something)
hehe. "you're small and you're ugly, no one will see you coming"
hehe. "squeak you"
the dragon with Optimus arrive, but on that note, I thought the point of the staff was to command the knights
where is Quintessa during this. thre's not gonna be some epic battle between Quintessa and Optimus / Autobots?
Optimus rolls out rather clean, well except with some dust on him
Watched 20251216 (Netflix, Instant)
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) Michael Bay. 154 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers: The Last Knight (IMDb.com)
Transformers: The Last Knight (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers: The Last Knight (Wikipedia.org)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
20251216:
I liked the human characters in this movie more than the first three movies. But this movie lacked a good story.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
will there be any dinobots?
interesting statement "not their planet." like how early United States spread west across North America... and furthermore ungrateful like the Autobots helped the humans against the Decepticons
I feel like they won't find it, but question is, where is he hidden?
lol plot armor? how do you miss a big truck?
with helicopter following hard to lose them
damn. so he [Lucas] did call and squeal
oic. I was gonna ask how there is a ramp conveniently placed. but they must have practiced that.
whoa. Lucas got his karma
I don't get how that works. Like how does copying a new thing refresh the paint and such. I feel like if that's the case the original copy could just reset (Optimus scans the other truck and restores some pipes and such)
Seems super dangerous. Honing the transformer technology. Something that can turn into anything can just... rebel
hehehe. ex-girlfriend who was sexy but a bitch followed by "Is that her?"
hehe modeled after Optimus but looks like Megatron... interesting
that's a nice simple yet progressing emotional story telling ("No, that's an Autobot there.")
huh. I'm curious if this man doesn't know the Autobots were kiled
yikes. just destroyed some civilians?
it comes up in this scene the company owner is concered about the civilian lives
(they are picking up Optimus) like how foolish. if he has Lockdown take out Optimus, who would take out Lockdown should Lockdown want to take over Earth?
huh. but it seems Lockdown is good on his word and provides the "Seed." Still seems sketchy though.
hehe violence as a last resort
hehe "You saved me."
smile. he's not overly intent on correct her point of view; what a nice dad
I don't get it they're walking across the anchors. but the anchors should have a mechanism to retract. Like they could have just pulled the anchors away. Or like just pull away from the buildings. It's not like the anchors are attached to the ground. Though... actually why would a space ship need anchors. well I suppose in some zero gravity situations... anyways...
Budweiser.
haha. "Okay, sir. You beter have insurance."
Lol. Quick escape
Interesting, just about halfway into the movie.
Ah okay. Plot thickens
hehe "you must contain this" (what an idiot)
hmm I'm not sure I understand. I feel everything makes mistakes
damn the random elevator stranger helped
ha! he tried to kiss her
what? it's that easy to take down the ship?
I don't get it. why do they (the bad humans) want to kill them. hasn't the situation turned enough?
nice this one has a shoulder pad like Tyranosaurus. it is the dinobots
hehe. switches the cigar and fires it
Wait did I fall asleep. What happened to Megatron?
Damn. Nice of Optimus to save Cade
oic. His daughter didn't listen to him but equally it meant Bee didn't listen to Optimus. Earlier they had a dad and leader conversation
Kind of crazy that Cade is able to help in this fight against a powerful transformer such as Lockdown
I see. Megatron opts to not engage during this moving. ("We shall meet again Prime. For I am reborn")
wait, but I did miss... what happened to the Seed
oh, here it is. Optimus says he'll go hide it; but what is the purpose to hide it; what could it be used on
Watched 20251216 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251224)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) Michael Bay. 165 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers: Age of Extinction (IMDb.com)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (Wikipedia.org)
I liked the human characters in this movie more than the first three movies. But this movie lacked a good story.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
will there be any dinobots?
interesting statement "not their planet." like how early United States spread west across North America... and furthermore ungrateful like the Autobots helped the humans against the Decepticons
I feel like they won't find it, but question is, where is he hidden?
lol plot armor? how do you miss a big truck?
with helicopter following hard to lose them
damn. so he [Lucas] did call and squeal
oic. I was gonna ask how there is a ramp conveniently placed. but they must have practiced that.
whoa. Lucas got his karma
I don't get how that works. Like how does copying a new thing refresh the paint and such. I feel like if that's the case the original copy could just reset (Optimus scans the other truck and restores some pipes and such)
Seems super dangerous. Honing the transformer technology. Something that can turn into anything can just... rebel
hehehe. ex-girlfriend who was sexy but a bitch followed by "Is that her?"
hehe modeled after Optimus but looks like Megatron... interesting
that's a nice simple yet progressing emotional story telling ("No, that's an Autobot there.")
huh. I'm curious if this man doesn't know the Autobots were kiled
yikes. just destroyed some civilians?
it comes up in this scene the company owner is concered about the civilian lives
(they are picking up Optimus) like how foolish. if he has Lockdown take out Optimus, who would take out Lockdown should Lockdown want to take over Earth?
huh. but it seems Lockdown is good on his word and provides the "Seed." Still seems sketchy though.
hehe violence as a last resort
hehe "You saved me."
smile. he's not overly intent on correct her point of view; what a nice dad
I don't get it they're walking across the anchors. but the anchors should have a mechanism to retract. Like they could have just pulled the anchors away. Or like just pull away from the buildings. It's not like the anchors are attached to the ground. Though... actually why would a space ship need anchors. well I suppose in some zero gravity situations... anyways...
Budweiser.
haha. "Okay, sir. You beter have insurance."
Lol. Quick escape
Interesting, just about halfway into the movie.
Ah okay. Plot thickens
hehe "you must contain this" (what an idiot)
hmm I'm not sure I understand. I feel everything makes mistakes
damn the random elevator stranger helped
ha! he tried to kiss her
what? it's that easy to take down the ship?
I don't get it. why do they (the bad humans) want to kill them. hasn't the situation turned enough?
nice this one has a shoulder pad like Tyranosaurus. it is the dinobots
hehe. switches the cigar and fires it
Wait did I fall asleep. What happened to Megatron?
Damn. Nice of Optimus to save Cade
oic. His daughter didn't listen to him but equally it meant Bee didn't listen to Optimus. Earlier they had a dad and leader conversation
Kind of crazy that Cade is able to help in this fight against a powerful transformer such as Lockdown
I see. Megatron opts to not engage during this moving. ("We shall meet again Prime. For I am reborn")
wait, but I did miss... what happened to the Seed
oh, here it is. Optimus says he'll go hide it; but what is the purpose to hide it; what could it be used on
Watched 20251216 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251224)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014) Michael Bay. 165 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers: Age of Extinction (IMDb.com)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (Wikipedia.org)
Friday, December 5, 2025
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
20251205:
At the moment, many of the Transformer movies are expiring, but this one is not.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
hehe. what happened to Mikaela? [apparently IRL Megan Fox was fired for a comment she made about the director; I think (I'm 30 minutes into the film) it would have been better to have a different actress play the same character instead of write out the character and introduce a new love interest]
that seems mean. he kicked the robot
oh this little bot reminds me of the one crazy robot in Futurama
hehe, his Bumblebee substitute.
lol. love it. red cup on yellow floor -> "It's total anarchy around here."
hmm. It's interesting how keen he was to give Sam the job
Ah interesting. This guy was the one on the board that put in a word for Sam. huh. how nice. is there any ulterior motive?
hehe cup of red licorice on the yellow floor... but I'm guessing somehow it'll be okay... [nothing happened]
what a small world that this worker is at the same company as Sam
That's nice of her to say "he's a hero" but I feel it lacks gravity because the movie does not have enough time to develop her
this fight on the freeway is flashy but also kind of unrealistic in the sense that the enemy seems both powerful and yet weak.
but this scene where bumblebee ejects Sam and collects him back is cool
he just kicked the Decepticon into the building. what if there were people in that building?
damn. the earlier scene where he gives the matrix back to Optimus created trust
I think this series is already bad in how it represents women. the way it portrays this director just continues such a poor representation.
smile. living off the land
haha. not gonna get a third one unless you have a big
"it's like a bad sci-fi film"
(he is my greatest triumph) huh... I wonder if a double agent is possible here... that is Sentinel double crossing Megatron
Damn. "I'll kill you. You have my word."
If I were him, I would risk cutting off my hand. (he's talking to the director)
hehe. Sam was forced to get the truth and the truth is there is no plan [unless somehow Optimus knew and does have a plan; but I'm thinking... that's fine if it's up to Sam...]
ship explodes. that can't be right. now there must have been a secret plan. maybe the things that Sam said were understood by the director [someone wrote that there's a subtlety in what Sam said to Optimus; so maybe Optimus knew from that; whether the writers intended this, I would take this as the explanation]
I don't follow. If they're making humans slaves, why do they have to lay waste to the city like this?
they explained how they escaped but not yet why Prime didn't tell Sam anything. I mean I guess its reasonable to not need to tell Sam and assume communication is compromised, but... it just feels unsatisfying
wait, if the trailer came off, why does Optimus need to bring it around
oh okay, Optimus complains about losing his trailer. He says it contains his flight tech
I like this building scene with the tilting and such. It has action and suspense that's understandable.
why did they wait until now to launch the pillars. what were they waiting for?
I love this bomb (and the fact that Sam executed the kill)
The power of the little guys
hehe. in this movie: their eyes are the weakness
given that the transportation depended on defending the tower... I feel like the lack of participation by Sentinel earlier to diffuse the danger doesn't make sense.
Huh. Sentinel says he will retrigger the pillar. I thought the interrupted transportation would effectively like have truncated whatever they were trying to transport.
WTF is that under the car slide. The first parkour move over the car was cool but the under the car seemed... over the top and broke suspension of disbelief
Why are some transformers easier to take down than others?
Hehe. Smart. "Any minute now, you'll be nothing but Sentinel's bitch"
hehe. Megatron was sitting like he's out for the battle and now he fights like full power
hehe, the one was shooting and Bee just tackles it
wow. very different than other good guys. Optimus doesnt hesitate to just completely eliminate Megatron
similarly he takes out Sentinel without hesitation
Watched 20251205 (Netflix, Instant)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) Michael Bay. 154 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (IMDb.com)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Wikipedia.org)
At the moment, many of the Transformer movies are expiring, but this one is not.
Rating: 3.8/5
Instant Comments:
hehe. what happened to Mikaela? [apparently IRL Megan Fox was fired for a comment she made about the director; I think (I'm 30 minutes into the film) it would have been better to have a different actress play the same character instead of write out the character and introduce a new love interest]
that seems mean. he kicked the robot
oh this little bot reminds me of the one crazy robot in Futurama
hehe, his Bumblebee substitute.
lol. love it. red cup on yellow floor -> "It's total anarchy around here."
hmm. It's interesting how keen he was to give Sam the job
Ah interesting. This guy was the one on the board that put in a word for Sam. huh. how nice. is there any ulterior motive?
hehe cup of red licorice on the yellow floor... but I'm guessing somehow it'll be okay... [nothing happened]
what a small world that this worker is at the same company as Sam
That's nice of her to say "he's a hero" but I feel it lacks gravity because the movie does not have enough time to develop her
this fight on the freeway is flashy but also kind of unrealistic in the sense that the enemy seems both powerful and yet weak.
but this scene where bumblebee ejects Sam and collects him back is cool
he just kicked the Decepticon into the building. what if there were people in that building?
damn. the earlier scene where he gives the matrix back to Optimus created trust
I think this series is already bad in how it represents women. the way it portrays this director just continues such a poor representation.
smile. living off the land
haha. not gonna get a third one unless you have a big
"it's like a bad sci-fi film"
(he is my greatest triumph) huh... I wonder if a double agent is possible here... that is Sentinel double crossing Megatron
Damn. "I'll kill you. You have my word."
If I were him, I would risk cutting off my hand. (he's talking to the director)
hehe. Sam was forced to get the truth and the truth is there is no plan [unless somehow Optimus knew and does have a plan; but I'm thinking... that's fine if it's up to Sam...]
ship explodes. that can't be right. now there must have been a secret plan. maybe the things that Sam said were understood by the director [someone wrote that there's a subtlety in what Sam said to Optimus; so maybe Optimus knew from that; whether the writers intended this, I would take this as the explanation]
I don't follow. If they're making humans slaves, why do they have to lay waste to the city like this?
they explained how they escaped but not yet why Prime didn't tell Sam anything. I mean I guess its reasonable to not need to tell Sam and assume communication is compromised, but... it just feels unsatisfying
wait, if the trailer came off, why does Optimus need to bring it around
oh okay, Optimus complains about losing his trailer. He says it contains his flight tech
I like this building scene with the tilting and such. It has action and suspense that's understandable.
why did they wait until now to launch the pillars. what were they waiting for?
I love this bomb (and the fact that Sam executed the kill)
The power of the little guys
hehe. in this movie: their eyes are the weakness
given that the transportation depended on defending the tower... I feel like the lack of participation by Sentinel earlier to diffuse the danger doesn't make sense.
Huh. Sentinel says he will retrigger the pillar. I thought the interrupted transportation would effectively like have truncated whatever they were trying to transport.
WTF is that under the car slide. The first parkour move over the car was cool but the under the car seemed... over the top and broke suspension of disbelief
Why are some transformers easier to take down than others?
Hehe. Smart. "Any minute now, you'll be nothing but Sentinel's bitch"
hehe. Megatron was sitting like he's out for the battle and now he fights like full power
hehe, the one was shooting and Bee just tackles it
wow. very different than other good guys. Optimus doesnt hesitate to just completely eliminate Megatron
similarly he takes out Sentinel without hesitation
Watched 20251205 (Netflix, Instant)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) Michael Bay. 154 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (IMDb.com)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Wikipedia.org)
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Transformers (2007)
20251203:
I was going to rewatch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
, because my blog entry said I just kind of watched it. However, I first checked if I had seen the first movie, Transformers. Unfortunately, my blogging and movie record started in December 2009 - in fact Revenge of the Fallen is among the first entries to my blog. As such, with no record or memory of having seen the first movie, I decided to start with it, and will be trying to watch the entire series which is currently on Netflix (many titles are leaving 20251224).
Overall, I feel like characters are weak and superficial. At one point the Defense Secretary (Jon Voight) asks the signal expert, Maggie Madsen (Rachael Taylor), to be his advisor and she brings her friend, Glen Whitmann (Atnhony Anderson). At some point their utility comes in sending a message using morse code, but its lame because it ignores their original expertise. For example, Megan Fox's background actually came into play with her hot wiring the tow truck. With that being said, generally I felt the movie had more bad lines than I would care for and action that was hard to follow because often too much was going on.
Throughout the film, I also found it hard to adjust to the complex design of the Transformers in the film as compared to that of the original TV cartoon series. In particular, I feel there was a greater visual connection between the object form and non-object form.
Rating: 2.6/5
[20251203][20251206 Edit]
20251206 Comment:
After writing the post above, I found references to the movie in two of my posts (The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Tron: Legacy) implying that I did already watch the movie.
Instant Comments:
What was megan fox in before this movie and/or after this movie. [her wiki page says she debuted in 2001 and this film was her breakout role]
(at this chase sceen between police car and camaro) I'd say this movie so far is pretty cool
unbelievable... big transformer took a bunch of bullets earlier and she hacks the head off with simple toolshop saw? [20251206: after watching the first three movies, there is a lot of inconsistency and just based on what the story needs]
hehe nice copied another csr. wait so they all can just imitate? that small robot had become a phone
interesting how they all chose a form and they keep that form when they transform and somehow their transformations connected to their choice of transform
he's definitely gonna break on his own
a very long scene that I guess is supposed to be humorous to break tension? [seems needlessly long]
how weird. there's this scene he asks for her juvie record to dusappear. so then it cuts to a closeup of her. in this closeup she looks different from the scrne befkr. playing it back looks like maybe the closeup lacks makeup
(we see a frozen Megatron) why didn't they just leave Megatron in the north pole where it would be naturally frozen instead of expending energy to keep it frozen
Megatron waking from cryo. why would he announce himself? Wouldn't he just think about the last thing he was doing before he got frozen?
I missed commenting earlier in the movie. is marking real? how does it work? [Yes, the marking is done by laser, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_designator]
how weird. kissing on top of Bumblebee and in front of the other Autobots.
1=20251203
Watched once before.
Watched 20251203 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251224)
Transformers (2007) Michael Bay. 144 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers (IMDb.com)
Transformers (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers (Wikipedia.org)
I was going to rewatch Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
, because my blog entry said I just kind of watched it. However, I first checked if I had seen the first movie, Transformers. Unfortunately, my blogging and movie record started in December 2009 - in fact Revenge of the Fallen is among the first entries to my blog. As such, with no record or memory of having seen the first movie, I decided to start with it, and will be trying to watch the entire series which is currently on Netflix (many titles are leaving 20251224).
Overall, I feel like characters are weak and superficial. At one point the Defense Secretary (Jon Voight) asks the signal expert, Maggie Madsen (Rachael Taylor), to be his advisor and she brings her friend, Glen Whitmann (Atnhony Anderson). At some point their utility comes in sending a message using morse code, but its lame because it ignores their original expertise. For example, Megan Fox's background actually came into play with her hot wiring the tow truck. With that being said, generally I felt the movie had more bad lines than I would care for and action that was hard to follow because often too much was going on.
Throughout the film, I also found it hard to adjust to the complex design of the Transformers in the film as compared to that of the original TV cartoon series. In particular, I feel there was a greater visual connection between the object form and non-object form.
Rating: 2.6/5
[20251203][20251206 Edit]
20251206 Comment:
After writing the post above, I found references to the movie in two of my posts (The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Tron: Legacy) implying that I did already watch the movie.
Instant Comments:
What was megan fox in before this movie and/or after this movie. [her wiki page says she debuted in 2001 and this film was her breakout role]
(at this chase sceen between police car and camaro) I'd say this movie so far is pretty cool
unbelievable... big transformer took a bunch of bullets earlier and she hacks the head off with simple toolshop saw? [20251206: after watching the first three movies, there is a lot of inconsistency and just based on what the story needs]
hehe nice copied another csr. wait so they all can just imitate? that small robot had become a phone
interesting how they all chose a form and they keep that form when they transform and somehow their transformations connected to their choice of transform
he's definitely gonna break on his own
a very long scene that I guess is supposed to be humorous to break tension? [seems needlessly long]
how weird. there's this scene he asks for her juvie record to dusappear. so then it cuts to a closeup of her. in this closeup she looks different from the scrne befkr. playing it back looks like maybe the closeup lacks makeup
(we see a frozen Megatron) why didn't they just leave Megatron in the north pole where it would be naturally frozen instead of expending energy to keep it frozen
Megatron waking from cryo. why would he announce himself? Wouldn't he just think about the last thing he was doing before he got frozen?
I missed commenting earlier in the movie. is marking real? how does it work? [Yes, the marking is done by laser, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_designator]
how weird. kissing on top of Bumblebee and in front of the other Autobots.
1=20251203
Watched once before.
Watched 20251203 (Netflix, Instant) (Last day to watch 20251224)
Transformers (2007) Michael Bay. 144 min
Relevant Links:
Transformers (IMDb.com)
Transformers (RottenTomatoes.com)
Transformers (Wikipedia.org)