Re: The miscellaneous Blu-Ray/DVD thread

**Seamaster** Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:41 pm

Yes, I saw the trailer for Captain America 2, and I agree; it doesn't look bad.

When you describe Godzilla as you have, it is hard to be anything but excited. I'm looking forward to the film, but hesitant to watch the new trailer. One thing that really gets me is when a trailer gives away too much. For some films, I'm pretty selective about what trailers I will allow myself to see before seeing the film.

**Iago** Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:31 pm

That is why I loved the first trailer. It really gives nothing away, even creating a "WTF" moment with the HALO jump. I suspect that none of the trailers will be the "greatest hits" type that gives everything away. I think that the atmosphere in the trailers is going to sell it more than anything else -- it definitely gives off an anti-Transformers vibe. In a way, that was part of the problem with the marketing of Pacific Rim; the trailers were filled with cool stuff, yet did not give away everything. However, they failed to really capture the tone of the movie, and did not distinguish it from the likes of the Bay-iverse. Tonally, the first Godzilla trailer seems to be closer to that of Cloverfield, which is not a bad thing in this case. Combine that atmosphere with the brand-name recognition inherent in the name "Godzilla" (something that Pacific Rim lacked) and you may have something. I certainly hope so, anyway. Plus, the great news is that several classic titles are hitting Blu-Ray in the U.S., including King Kong vs. Godzilla and Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster.

**Seamaster** Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:35 am

Seajunior thought Pacific Rim was one of the best movies last year. I agree that it was a lot of fun.

I have seen advertisements for King Kong versus Godzilla. That one piqued my interest. I like the big ape. Is it any good?

**Iago** Mon Feb 17, 2014 12:43 pm

Yes, Pacific Rim definitively hit my "favorite ten movies of 2013" list. I freely admit that it has flaws -- enormous ones (so to speak) but I have seen very few films in the last couple of decades that brought a goofy grin to my face like that one did. It had a few moments that compared to the thrill that I used to get seeing the Lucasfilm logo at the beginning of a Star Wars movie, or the thrill when the Bond gun barrel started.

Incidentally, I finally watched the Ron Howard movie Rush this weekend and it definitely goes on that top ten list as well. The racing sequences were a mixed bag in that they did succeed in capturing the power and the energy of Formula 1, but they also were edited a bit incoherently in terms of screen direction. But the great thing about the film is how it captures the personality differences between Lauda and Hunt, and how it shows that each had his own strengths and weaknesses -- the movie does not give a "right" answer to the question of who was a "better" driver. Very much R-rated, so no watching it with SeaJunior, but check it out.

King Kong vs. Godzilla was a fun, fun movie, but it is most certainly not going to convert someone who does not love kaiju films. The original Godzilla was a serious, somber film; the sequel Godzilla Raids Again was a quickie that was rushed into production without the involvement of Ishiro Honda. However, that film introduced the element of Godzilla fighting another monsters, which would mark the rest of the series and spin-offs/rip-offs like Gamera. Honda came back for King Kong vs. Godzilla, and the resulting film, while very entertaining, started to take the movie in a lighter, sillier direction that would mark the rest of the series (which the occasional pivot back to the darker side for movies like Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla 2000 and All-Out Monsters Attack.) If you are not already a fan, the sillier elements will not make you a fan.

Speaking of darker and Gamera, by the way, if you really want to give the genre a chance then pick up the 1990s Gamera reboot trilogy. All three movies are available via Amazon in a three-for-one set for anywhere from $8-$15, which is an absolute steal even at the higher amount. All three movies were directed by Shusuke Kaneko, who would go on to direct All-Out Monsters Attack for Toho. The budgets for these films are smaller than for the Toho Godzilla films, yet the effects are better, and they get better as they go along. In fact, the movies get better as they go along. The first film is surprisingly good, the second is much better, and the third is one of the best kaiju films ever made. (interestingly, they are worth watching in order, especially for the third one to have emotional impact as it plays off events in the previous two films.) They are a bit violent for kaiju movies, especially ones starrring a giant turtle, but they should not be too much more violent than Pacific Rim and certainly no more violent than The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit!

**Seamaster** Tue Feb 25, 2014 11:45 pm

I've yet to see Rush. I also have Oblivion and Elysium in my pile to watch. Of course, I have no idea if either are any good.

I appreciate what you're saying about the ape and giant lizard. No, I probably would not be won over, but I would give it a chance if someone else really wanted to watch the movie. The reboot trilogy, on the other hand, has my interest. Do I have the right set?: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005ENCIWG/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1535015982&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B007I1TFNM&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_r=1RJVHAGZ1D82108WT8X3

**Iago** Fri Feb 28, 2014 4:54 am

That is indeed the one. Just keep what I said about it getting better as it goes along. As a non-kaiju fan, you may be less impressed with the first one that I was. But the second one is much stronger in just about every aspect, and as I do still consider the third to be the best-ever kaiju film. I was watching a clip of the final battle on youtube a few days ago, and it still holds up remarkably well. Unlike most CGI extravaganzas, they really sell the idea of mass in that one. (As an aside, that was one of my favorite things about Pacific Rim: it was one of the only films with CGI behemoths to succussfully give them a sense of mass, scale and weight.)

I loved Elysium, but your mileage may vary. It is a arguably a bit on-the-nose in its preaching -- so was District 9, for that matter -- but it was preaching to the choir with me. I was not impressed by Oblivion, but I will be curious to read your take on it.

I started season three of Game of Thrones last night and it looks like it is going to be a strong one. Have you watched the first season of Hannibal? I keep reading raves about it and am tempted to pick it up, as much as I have little interest in re-entering the Thomas Harris multiverse.

**Seamaster** Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:47 pm

Okay, thanks. I will place an order and let you know what I think.

I haven't seen Season 1 of Hannibal. Another series I'm curious about is Banshee. Heard anything there?

**Iago** Fri Feb 28, 2014 7:51 pm

I actually have not even heard of it at all. School me.

Scream Factory just announced Lord of Illusions, both the theatrical and director's cuts. They already have the "Cabal" cut of Nightbreed coming. They just keep announcing more and more great titles!

**Seamaster** Thu Mar 06, 2014 6:00 pm

I really don't know much about Banshee. All I was told is that it about an ex-con who is also a talented thief, that the story is set in a small town and that I should check it out. Otherwise, I'm clueless.

Scream Factory have been impressive with their releases these past couple of years.

**Iago** Sun Mar 09, 2014 2:00 pm

I keep hearing raves about True Detective as well. But Hannibal is available and often on sale, so I may have to take on for the team and give it a try.

You must, must, MUST get through season three of Game of Thrones so that we can discuss a few things about it. Some interesting character arcs are, well, arcing. Interestingly, more so than any other season of the show, it really feels like one story that is just divided into ten parts. Some episodes are better than others, but every time an episode ends you will want to start the next one. And not due to cliffhangers, either; the end of an episode simply feels like the end of a chapter, and you will want to immediately start the next "chapter." I think that I knocked the full season out in three days, and that was with having fairly limited time to devote to the show! But there are two episodes in particular that merit discussion.

**Seamaster** Fri Mar 14, 2014 2:52 pm

Oh, I watched Season 3. Where do you want to begin? Freeing slaves, becoming left-handed, weddings perhaps?

**Iago** Sun Mar 16, 2014 6:35 am

Well, for someone who said that he was dragging his feet about it you did indeed get going! But yes, I had in mind the amazing ending of episode 4 and the red wedding. I am really enjoying the character arc for Dany since the beginning of the show. She started as one of the weakest characters and is growing into one of the strongest. But the story really allows her to pay the price to gain that strength, and it allows her to make costly mistakes as well. As a result, you are never quite certain if an episode is going to give you a rousing payoff or frustration/heartbreak instead. Well, that episode went the rousing route! The interesting thing is how successfully they sow doubt about what her real intentions are. Of course she would never give away one of her dragons, but the look on her face whens she walks away. . . And there are so many seeds laid in that episode, such as the language thing, that you know are going to pay off eventually but are not quite sure how. Well, I cannot imagine how they could have paid it all off in a more satisfying fashion.

The really interesting thing is that of all the parties vying for the throne, she is the only one who really seems to have developed an ability to rule. And yet, all of this is also setting up a potentially fatal weakness: her self-righteous belief in, well, herself. She has finally gained her armies but could just as easily lose them again by getting sidetracked.

As for the wedding, well, that is indeed its own kettle of fish.

**Seamaster** Wed Mar 19, 2014 11:03 pm

Having never read any of the books, I wasn't expecting the wedding. I'm not sure what to make of Dany's arc. It's certainly interesting, but certainly makes we wonder what's going to happen when she arrives with her dragons. She seems too powerful for any of the others to fend off.

I do have more to say, and will do so when I have more time.

**Iago** Sat Mar 22, 2014 7:45 am

I have never read the books either, but Martin seems to love setting up characters who seem to be primary and then eliminating them just to mess with people. With the dragons and everything Dany is so clearly set up to be the prime character that I can only imagine he has some kind of terrible things in store for her.

Though not everything is his fault. If you watched the interactive version of the "Rains of Castamere," it gave options on how to watch the red wedding. If you watched the version with commentary by Martin and the showrunners, they explain that in the books Rob was pretty much "offscreen" for much of the second and third book up until that moment. The writers of the show gave him more scenes to give the viewers more connection wtih him to give the wedding more impact. They also changed the character of his wife -- in the books he marries someone different and little time is spent on a romantic bond with her. More importantly, the wife in the book is not present at the wedding and is not killed. So the whole start of the slaughter, including the symbolic gesture of ending his line by stabbing her unborn child was created by the showrunners. Martin said that given his reputation for sadistically eliminating characters, even he was shocked that they outdid him.

**Iago** Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:16 pm

Well, once again, Seamaster is MIAmaster, but in case he ever reappears I offer the following note that I watched the entire first season of Hannibal and I strongly recommend picking it up, though I have some reservations. Most of them fall into spoiler territory, but the one that I can share is that the series can be a bit off-putting if you watch it as a true prequel to Red Dragon/Manhunter. It is definitely its own beast, and many things happen that go way off canon from any of the films or books -- enough so that it really makes me curious where they are going to take it. Supposedly the intent is for the first three seasons to cover prequel events, the fourth season to cover Red Dragon, the fifth season to cover The Silence of the Lambs and the sixth to cover Hannibal. But so much happens in just the first season that precludes things that should happen later, that it makes me really wonder where they are going. But if you watch it as its own beast and stop trying to fit it into existing continuity, it is a very interesting series.

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