Topic: The Movie Thread

@KALofKRYPTON The cowl does seem a bit low tech to me with the stitching lines being visible.

Someone posted an edited black and white version. Personally, I think that one looks better.

@WanderingBullet I meant more in terms of materials for the suit.

We'll see I suppose.

@KALofKRYPTON Yup, looking forward to see what the rest of the suit looks like.

One of the best younger actors around in a really unique take of the Year One suit whilst staying true to source material and he has the perfect jawline, all wrapped up in a noir coat of paint?

This is going to be wonderful

Just watched The Garden of Words again. I hadn’t seen it since I was an angsty 15 year old and honestly, I think I’ve grown out of it. It’s certainly not Shinkai’s best work and the script just feels a bit off, especially towards the end. It’s such a shame because I used to really love it but the feelings of alienation and angst are a bit hard to swallow now I’m older.

Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't besmirch the medium of cinema. It may not exactly elevate it either, but it provides a solid 90-odd minutes of family entertainment. I smiled throughout, grinned quite a bit and chuckled a handful of times; appropriate mid-range reactions for a mid-level popcorn flick.

But maybe that's enough. Aside from the campy fun of the Street Fighter movie and three safe Tomb Raider adventures, videogame movie adaptations are often dismissed as garbage. When viewed under the shadow of such a legacy, Sonic is an unmitigated triumph. There are no shark-jumping moments that you'll desperately try to forget. The jokes all land, the CGI never breaks your immersion, and it has a coherent beginning, middle and end (with two small teases for what's rapidly looking like a planned trilogy). There's even quite a bit of content for the grown-ups, with some references and supporting characters sailing over the heads of the single-digit audience members. For a franchise which continues to trade on 90s nostalgia, it's nice to see it acknowledge the kids from that era.

Sonic himself was on-point throughout. If you're not a fan of the Blue Blur's trademark attitude (talkative, snarky, very much in need of some Ritalin) then he isn't gonna suddenly win you over, but he's authentic through and through, with just a teensy bit of cute Hollywood softening to help sell the plot's central bromance. More of a risk is Robotnik. It reminded me of how Jack Nicholson's Joker is kinda just Jack Nicholson; for all his interview talk about the psychology of genius, Jim Carrey is playing Jim Carrey for most of his scenes. It's classic 90s Jim Carrey so it kinda fits (although he does betray a darker, more serious edge in brief and infrequent moments) and overall, he's an eccentric delight to watch as he chews the scenery with gusto. But I didn't recognise any prior incarnation of Eggman; this is an entirely new approach.

James Marsden's character has a surprising amount riding on the plot; he isn't exactly given weight, but he does have depth, something I didn't expect from "the real-world anchor" role. His performance is low-key but believable and charming enough, which is kinda what portraying a small-town cop dreaming big calls for. There are some slightly-forgettable and derivative others hanging around, existing to give context and credibility to the forward motion of the script, but at least they're not offensively intrusive. Nothing slows the (fittingly) brisk pace, not even a handful of time-stopping action sequences seemingly on-loan from the recent X-Men outings.

I had a good time, maybe even a very good time, but then I'm a fan of such things. Those who haven't played every major Sonic the Hedgehog game, or who want more than "yeah, it was alright" from their movies, would do well to keep their expectations in check. Go see it for a reason. Go because you like Sonic, or because you wanna see 90s Jim Carrey again, or because you're looking after younger relatives for an afternoon.

Otherwise, maybe wait for its inevitable Netflix debut. You'll have plenty of time to catch yourself up with its stage-setting before the story continues.

When I went to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker before Christmas, I went at the same time of day (to the very same screen, in fact) and practically had a private showing. Sonic was comparably packed; almost 75% of the seats were filled. The demographic was about a 50/50 split, with young adults and big kids like me balancing out the family groups. Arriving on the first day of the UK half-term holiday, I have a feeling the mediocre critical response isn't gonna keep folks away, at least not during its initial week of release. The brand is stronger than ever before (judging from the myriad of licenced t-shirts, hats and sneakers on display) so I wouldn't be surprised if that translated into a healthy box office.

Tagging @Th3solution as promised, as well as known fans @mookysam @Fullbringlchigo @Gremio108 @DerMeister @Thrillho and curious passer-by @themcnoisy (your kids might enjoy this one, buddy). Also tagging @Arugula to say that, if you wanna know what Sonic's feet look like without shoes on... well, that might be your specific reason for going to see it. Whatever works!

@RogerRoger Works for me!

Though I think I'll have to be the one trying to convince my 12 year old Billie Eilish fan daughter to go see it!

@KALofKRYPTON Drat, knew I'd forgotten somebody, apologies... that's what happens when you have twenty-eight tagging notifications to (temporarily) come back to!

At least your daughter will be clamouring to see Bond in a couple months, then.

@RogerRoger Excellent stuff, cheers for the tag. About what I was expecting really. I'm planning on taking the kids to watch it at some point next week, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to it. Equal parts dread though.

@RogerRoger Ha! Don't worry about it!

If only that were true!

@RogerRoger well i aint seeing it until next week but it sounds like it's going to please a life long fan like me and that's great, thanks

@DonJorginho Getting a bit carried away aren't we?! 😂

@RogerRoger thanks bro. If I ever get the chance it will be top of the charts.

@JohnnyShoulder Perhaps 😂 I am just happy this is all happening

Well, well, well! Sonic is looking like it's going to do very well financially(£55m domestic opening); and also yet another entry in the entertainment media seemingly taking against a film with all their worth only for ticket buying fans to go completely the other way.

I'm yet to read (not that I've gone looking particularly) a positive review from the usual critic reviews, not even anything in the vein of 'OK for what it is' - just lots of negative talk about the redesign as fanservice (and that somehow being a bad move).

It's quite interesting to see what should be an OK kids film that didn't actually get much press after the redesign getting a critical mauling but still doing really well, while Birds of Prey has had the run of the woke press for weeks but is tanking.
It is apparently a decent film for the most part - but the coverage is almost all extremely politicised with a woke bent seemingly designed to put off men.

So is the Sonic movie out in theaters already?

@Arugula Really!? Had no clue, just shows how much I pay attention to these things. I wanted to see it due to Jim Carrey.

@RogerRoger Thanks for the review, bud. It’s well done, as always. I’m not a Sonic fan, but I do like Jim Carey in small portions. Your report is just about what I thought I was likely to experience with the movie based on the surprisingly decent trailer. Maybe I’ll watch it eventually. (Good to have your presence back in these here parts, by the way. If even only for a brief interlude)

@RogerRoger Honestly, Carrey is my biggest concern about the film. His brand of humor is fine when it suits the material (like The Mask), but his acting and general look are so weirdly different from what one traditionally thinks of as Eggman (yes, let's pick a wire-thin man to play EGGman) that I feel like he'll feel out of place overall.

Stripes (Blu-Ray) - 80's comedey that see's a 20 something slacker played by Bill Murray convince his best friend to join him in signing up for the US Army ('cause hey, it's not like his current life is taking him anywhere), bumbling through boot camp, and saving the day after nearly starting a war with the Soviets.

It's a fun enough time. Some scenes seem misplaced (like when they find themselves air dropped into Central America, which doesn't really fit where they put it, or anywhere, but they wanted to use it anyway), but it otherwise works. Seems to have less frentic energy than comedies that come out nowadays, and quite a bit more nudity (which seems rare these days, even in adult comedies oddly).