Testy Area 51 (1 Viewer)

[Ruz-El]

So sorry for your loss Rick. Sadly it happens with the critters in our lives and is always a tough choice. I know having to put down my childhood cat Dickie was one of the roughest days of my life. Hope you are all doing better today.

 

[Ruz-El]

So what's everyone been up to? I still haven't seen Prometheus. I've failed as a human being. I did see Moonrise Kingdom and LOVED it. I think it may be my favourite Wes Anderson film. Beautifully crafted and a wonderful fairy tale type story. Really good stuff! 4/5 I'm still not excited at all for Spider-Man. Sorry, looks dumb. I'll see it of course.

I've also been watching The War, the Ken Burns documentary about world war 2. I think it's in real time, man, oh man is it long! I still have 3 parts to go. I'm being unfair to it of course since it really is quite good. Unlike Apocalypse which was a glorious assault with non-stop war footage horror, Ken Burns manages to tell a more human side of the story balancing stories fro home (America only) with the war footage (which is suitably horrific and "fun" to watch.) I think some complained that this was too America specific, it starts with Pearl Harbour, but it does a great job of balancing the war experience at home with what was happening over seas in a way that none other series I've seen has managed. Can't rate it yet since it could all go to shit in the final three parts but so far so good.

Also splurged and bought the Star Trek Original Series Blurays. Amazon.ca had a sale for the 3 season set that I couldn't refuse, so I DIDN'T! Now I have to get around to watching them. I'm torn! Do I watch the old school versions for the umpteenth time or the remastered ones??!?!? Should I leave them alone and watch Deadwood since I've had it for a year and not put a disc in? Will I ever finish that furshlunginger Edison and The Invention Of The Movies set? WILL I?!?!!? BWAAA HA HAAAA!

 

[Steve Christou]

mmm I'd love to get Star Trek on Blu-ray Russ but I think its still expensive over here. Let me check Amazon... £97... which isnt too bad for three seasons of classic Trek. The Next Generation first season is £50 on Blu, unlike classic Trek the first two seasons of Next Gen were amongst the worst in the entire Star Trek collection.

Dune and The Sting were my most recent blu-ray purchases. John Carter is out next week, not great but I liked it so I'll pick it up on monday.

Next films to see at the cinema is The Amazing Arachnid-Kid followed by Chiroptera-Man Rises.

 

[RickER]

Of course i have all 3 seasons of Trek on Blu! The new effects are mostly pretty good in HD. Some of them look a bit to much CGI for me. But that is the glory of those sets. You can watch either version.
I am also going to get season 1 of TNG when it comes out in 2 weeks.
Russ, season 1 of Space: 1999 looks pretty sweet on Blu too, and so does The Prisoner.
I have not seen Prometheus either. I even have a free ticket!
So who else beside Russ and i are in for The Universal Moster Collection on Blu?

 

[Walter Kittel]

Debating the Universal Monster Collection on Bd. I'm a lot more selective with my purchases these days so a lot of things that would be automatic 5 or 10 years ago are now in the 'maybe' category. I may pick up the first season of Star Trek: Next Generation on Bd because its Trek; but yes - the early seasons are the weakest. Maybe I won't purchase it - still on the fence.
Russell - I would recommend the re-mastered versions of ST:TOS if for no other reason than the novelty of the experience after having viewed the original episodes so many times. Watched The War on PBS and really enjoyed the series with its focus on other aspects of that time that were less well known. Glad to hear that you enjoyed Moonrise Kingdom. I may still try to see this theatrically.
- Walter.

 

[Ruz-El]

Steef: I watched the John Carter Blu last weekend and loved it. Picture was fantastic, I enjoyed the film much more without the stupid 3D glasses! Shame they wont be doing any sequels anytime soon. I might grab Dune eventually. I'm one of the rare people who never warmed to The Sting. I've watched it once and found it annoying. Or I'm confusing it with The Sting 2 .... hmmmm

Rickers, I've never seen Space:1999 so I'm a little leery of it. I have The Prisoner though, loved it. Great series looking great on Blu! I got the StarTrek 3 pack for $140 CDN, it seemed like a hell of a deal, I'm okay with it ha ha. I wont be getting the Next Gen stuff though, never grew to like that series. Only other Star Trek I'll buy is the Animated on blu.

Walter, if you liked the other Wes Anderson films I'm sure you'll like Moonrise Kingdom. I've heard it described as the most Wes Anderson-ey film he's done and it really is. I think it's a good thing, others might find it stiff, I can see it going both ways ha ha. Beautiful to look at, a nice story well acted, it was great!

that Monsters set, I own some of those titles in every variation on DVD that they've been released but I'll still be buying it. My only thought is whether to pre-order it or wait for a sale/price drop.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Russell, personally, I've always liked Space: 1999 and I have the Bd release. I don't think the show is for everyone though. If you like '70s (pre-Star Wars) science fiction then you might like the series. The show's plots tend to be metaphysical in nature (more so in season one). If you don't mind "soft" SF then you might like the series. If you liked Zardoz then I think you would like Space: 1999. Cue obligatory screen shot of Sean Connery in his red diaper.
- Walter.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Walter Kittel /t/81187/testy-area-51/28350#post_3943536
Cue obligatory screen shot of Sean Connery in his red diaper.
- Walter.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I probably shouldn't be messing with a classic...because:

 

[Ruz-El]

Well done!

 

[Elizabeth S]

Walter, if you liked the other Wes Anderson films I'm sure you'll like Moonrise Kingdom. I've heard it described as the most Wes Anderson-ey film he's done and it really is.  I think it's a good thing, others might find it stiff, I can see it going both ways ha ha. Beautiful to look at, a nice story well acted, it was great!

The reviews have been wonderful, but I've not yet seen a Wes Anderson film I liked. Probably a pass then.
I saw Ted today. It was nowhere near as raunchy as I expected and it turned out to be quite sweet and touching. The Giovani Ribisi subplot is a little odd but serves its purpose. Wahlberg and Kunis have a nice chemistry.
Probably seeing Magic Mike tomorrow or Monday. There's also a Japanese film called I Wish that I'd like to see.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I probably shouldn't be messing with a classic...

"Why would anyone cut out a man's tounge?"
"Perhaps the previous owner had nothing pleasant to say."
To heck with second-rate films. Today I drove the beater Miata up and back to Anderson reservoir, one of three reservoirs that supply drinking and irrigation water to the Boise area.

Somehow I've spent less on the beater Miata than I have on HT gear.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Speaking of which...

Dennis: My kid is looking to buy an HTiB. Which one did you get? An Onkyo, wasn't it?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I bought an Onkyo #HT-S680 HTIB from Onkyo's website, which gives great deals on "refurb" boxes. IIRC I paid $200 SHIPPED for a great system with 6 speakers, a powered sub, and a hefty receiver. The guy from UPS rolled up a box the size of a small refrigerator! That was 6 years ago so the model number won't help you much.
http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?class=Systems&m=HT-S680

 

[Walter Kittel]

Dennis, I have a 2008 MX-5 Miata Grand Touring edition that I LOVE to drive. Black with tan/red leather interior and a motorized hard top and a 6 speed automatic. (It is my main car and there is a fair amount of stop and go at times on my work commute so I wussed out and went with the automatic.) I haven't put any money into the car in terms of customization or improvements. (Kind of difficult to improve on perfection. )
Nothing finer than putting down the top on a clear sunny day.
- Walter.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Saw Magic Mike today. I liked it, though the plot is certainly predictable. I didn't care for Alex Pettyfer in the co-starring role -- he just didn't seem 19 and didn't have much charisma. Have to admit Tatum Channing wasn't as bad an actor in this role as I expected. Cody Horne (daughter of Warner Brothers President), however, wasn't very good. I thought the supporting dancers really needed more fleshing out as we barely find out a thing about them and some of them hardly have dialogue. Kind of disappointing "Moves Like Jagger", played so prominently in the TV ads, is actually not used in the film. The first time I heard that song, I thought "what the hell kind of song is this?!?!?" but with time, it's become one of those songs you just can't get out of your mind after you hear it. It's nice to see both "Ted" and "Magic Mike" doing so well this weekend.

 

[Elizabeth S]

Saw Koreeda Hirokazu's I Wish (Kiseki) today. As in his Nobody Knows, Koreeda's child actors feel like genuine children that his camera happens to capture. While not as bleak a film as that earlier work, there are some painful bumps along the way as the children encounter hurts and disappointment. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I can see it being one of my favorites seen this year.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Happy Independence Day!

This year, Sofia Vergara helps carry on an important Testy tradition on this great American holiday:

 

[Ruz-El]

Happy birthday yanks! Don't blow your fingers off with fireworks!

I'm off to see Prometheus finally. I'll report in later.

 

[Steve Christou]

Happy "Roland Emmerich's 1996 sci-fi blockbuster" day everyone!

Spider-man is breaking records already, biggest tuesday opening ever, but than again not many films open on a tuesday do they? I'll see Spidey rebooted some time next week and Batman Rises is rising up fast too, three huge comic book blockbusters in one year! And there's more next year! [gasps]

Magic Mike isn't really my thing (or should that be 'thong'?). Ted I'll catch on cable TV.

Still busy writing movie hubs, my latest epic is about Japans king of the monsters -

http://stevelensman.hubpages.com/hub/Godzilla-On-the-Screen