Shacknews LoL

Watched a whole bunch of stuff this week.

The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy: I quite liked these, the second one probably more than the first. They take themselves serious, the stakes feel high, and the set pieces have the right balance of realism and excitement. The characters seem competent and Bourne’s victories therefore feel earned. The story is just enough to keep me interested with hints of a bigger picture. It felt a little dated, especially the first one that really had “Europe in the 90s” vibes especially because Franka Potente is in it from Lola Rennt fame.

The Lost City is nowhere near as good as the movies it aspires to (notably Romancing The Stone, but really 80s action/romance movies as a whole) but I was on a plane where air pressure is lower so my brain turned off and I accepted it for all its silliness. Sandra Bullock is very hot in this movie and Channing Tatum is fun when he is in his 21/22 Jump Street persona. It’s unfortunate that with all the star power they had available, and their willingness to play ball with a wacky script, they couldn’t produce more memorable one liners or running jokes. There’s one funny scene where the two leads kill a henchman and react to that like ‘normal’ people would. Overall this could only be watched if you are in need of something as light as possible.

And because the flight was 12 hours, I also watched Minions 2. I saw some of the Despicable Me films and I’ve always liked how positive they are, especially how Gru and the minions support and care for one another. Here a lot of the movie is about that, and there’s never truly any danger or problem and everyone just has a good time. This movie is a pretty typical Illumination movie and I’ve always treated them as ‘lesser than Pixar’ but they know exactly what they’re doing to make their entertainment feel universal and accessible, with a much higher gags per minute rate and more outright silliness.

Here are some pretty Midjourney wallpapers, prompted by Shane Sherman, and upscaled by me:
https://imgur.com/Z7KjtvV
https://imgur.com/RQJPqmG
https://imgur.com/aE5YaZ8
https://imgur.com/rrzwsnN

Went to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Saturday. Wife and I loved it.
I hope they make more.

That's a lot! I'll have to keep this really brief.

Mission Impossible 3 - Nice refresh after the goofiness of 2. PSH is a fantastic villain.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - Been too long since I've seen it, I don't remember much.
Raiders of the Lost Ark - Unimpeachable classic.
The Big Lebowski - Perfect nihilistic character study of a human tumbleweed
Tenebrae - haven't seen it
Pet Sematary (1989) - haven't seen it
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - Lots of fun, but also kinda mean/racist and I don't understand why Indy likes Willie.
Suspiria (2018) - haven't seen it
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - The Burj scene is great and I like how they have to improvise out of failure all the time, but this one also feels a bit low-energy to me.
John Wick 4 - Fantastic looking action, but too fucking long. I felt pummeled by it.
The Massive Weight of Unbearable Talent - Wasn't the weird meta thing I was expecting, but a really good buddy movie is hard to say no to. Pascal steals it.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child - haven't seen it
The Night Comes For Us - I don't remember a ton but this one went down a little easier for me than The Raid did.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2009, Swedish) - I liked this even though I can't recall a lot of the plot right now. But I recall liking the tone and the performances.
Backdraft - It's okay, I guess? I don't think I've seen it over 20 years.
Videodrome - haven't seen it
Top Gun: Maverick - Awesome cinematography and a surprisingly good story for Maverick. Also definitely Tom Cruise commenting on his own career.
Unbreakable - My personal favorite Shyamalan. I love the idea of taking a super-serious approach to what would normally be just the first act of a superhero origin story. Music is beautiful.
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade - A lot more jovial and sentimental than its predecessor, and really ended the trilogy quite beautifully.
Demons - haven't seen it
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - I really enjoy this one. Rebecca Ferguson is a welcome addition and I like the way the action is framed and edited.

My mom said she is done with Fox News. Ha ha ha ha ha.

I just renewed mine and my wife's online a couple weeks ago. Verified all our personal info (addresses, current passports, employment, etc.). $100 a pop, acceptance happened within like 3 business days, and our new cards were mailed to us. No renewal interview. It couldn't have been easier.

@RT_com's account has been withheld in Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Germany, Greece, Romania, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Austria, Luxembourg, Latvia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Cyprus, France, Spain, Belgium in response to a legal demand. https://Learn more.

Nice!

At least they showed a (bloodless) beheading in one of the gameplay vids.

That first one sounds like an authentic Chinese dish, 乾炒四季豆 or dry-fried string beans. It's one of my favorites!

I am learning towards the Sunburst, too.