Cruisin'

Amongst the not a lot I did over the past month, I did go on a cruise. From Brisbane, I went down to Tasmania and back. But first... I had to get to Brisbane.

Somehow, I was wearing a sign that said "Give me every security check". It was just as well I wasn't in a hurry (although I was very tired) as it took ages for them to decide to look through my bag and check that I wasn't carrying (unproscribed) drugs and the like... although at least I wasn't in the queue behind me waiting for the one guy to be free. Note: it doesn't help when you think of one set of arrival card questions when they actually ask you something different.

Due to travel fun, it's always advised to get in at least a day early, so I did, then spent another hour or so the day of getting from one side of Myrtletown to the other. There is no public transport, but there are shuttles, which would prove to be useful later.

On the boat itself, I got a Premium Balcony room which, as far as I can tell, involves more balcony space than normal balcony room, so that was nice that I could stretch out.

I would be nearly two weeks in that room, so the space was nice. I wouldn't say I need a balcony room everytime, but the big window letting in outside light was wonderful.

Our first port of call was Sydney, but I couldn't be bothered getting off.. which was just as well. For whatever reason, instead of getting into a port, the ship used a water shuttle to transport people to and from, and due to the number of personal craft in the harbour, there was only one shuttle running and it took people over an hour to get on shore. Not fun.

The next port was Eden, and we docked, so I could get a nice walk in. And see some nice sights.

But I wasn't here for those ports, but for... Tasmania!

[END]

Read more!

Saltburned

The trailer looks like this was going to be a crazy romp, so I'm excited!

20 minutes in: This is just boring.

40 minutes in: Met the family, they are all terrible people.

60 minutes in: Everyone is just terrible people.

80 minutes in: Is this one of them black comedies I don't get?

100 minutes in: Is there a revelation to come? I hope there's a revelation to come.

190 minutes in: What a waste of a movie.

So yeah, I didn't enjoy it much. I do have trouble with black comedies, but I can intellectually realise they are black comedies, and I couldn't process this as that. This is just one terrible person infiltrating themselves into the lives of others and making everyone miserable. This is not a movie I wanted to watch after all.

In terms of doing the script, great acting from all people, nothing to be said about them. Just complaints about how bad I found the script.

Hope my next movie choice is better.

[END]

Read more!

Roping Cursing 3

Netflix continues its roll and we get a third movie.

Never mind the rope. There is only one rope in this, and it's barely cursing. The Thai Demon is back, with the Gate of Ghosts being open, and it's hanging out at a hotel in which people are slowly dying. In that people are dying, but it happens over the course of the movie, not that people are slowly losing life, which all of us are doing. The characters from the second movie are back to sort of deal with this, but it's really about yet another father/son pair who are ritual masters, although the son isn't that interested until this movie happens to him. Plot happens and the demon gets an upper hand, but hey, dancing will save the day.

I have no idea how many of these ideas are actual cultural practices, but I feel like Cthulhu should be stealing these ideas for modules.

It's very much a third movie in that it is more of the same. There is sort of a climax, but these movies are the sort that can go on and on, so even if it was defeated, there are more around (I'm not sure if the end scene is it still being around or something else).

If there's a fourth, I'll probably watch it, but I'm not looking for it.

[END]

Read more!

Rope Cursive 2

Netflix decided this was a series to sink their money into, and lo, we got the sequel.

Remember how the first was about someone who dies by rope being angry? Never mind any of that, it's a Thai demon now! And it uses ropes to kill people, so I guess it's at least related? And speaking of related, we get characters with plots that happen to overlap because they are related, where a young woman is near-psychic who helps some streamers, and entirely incidentally her uncle is killed by the Thai Demon because... because, that's why. And so the demon infects her family, her and her aunt, but don't worry there's a drunk Taoist Master who can help, who happens to have the same master as a character from the previous movie who is here with his stupid nephew! Hooray for returning characters?

This seems like a mélange of characters and plot because... it is. The threads are connected because the writer decided they would be. While we do get a rope ritual, this is really a different movie with a rope connection tied in to make it part of the series (yes, I see what I did there).

Not bad characters involved, but the dangling thread from the last movie isn't followed up on, and this has a whole new dangling thread to end on!

Let's see where the third movie ends up.

[END]

Read more!

Zong xie

Did you know that if someone dies under extreme rage or grief... they can make the rope they use be a cursed item.

This is actually a Taiwanese film which does have a certain air of familiarity, but the actual rope itself is rather incidental. Ten years after a girl was bullied to death (because of a ten year promise), all of a sudden a curse is unleashed that inflicts death on those that bullied her. One incidental was her friend she fell out with at the time, and so the movie is about their connection and problems between them, in a wrapping of an evil curse movie.

It's not a bad movie, there is some good building of tension, which I like in a movie. But yeah, the actual curse it rather incidental. The resolution promises that the events aren't over, but then we get a twist at the end that is comes out of nowhere, but is rather standard for these types of movies.

Let's see what the sequel holds...

[END]

Read more!

Aquamanatte and the Climate Allegory

Just came out, but ... eh, wasn't that excited about seeing it. But it was on, and there weren't many people, and I had time, so...

Black Manta finds an Ancient Artifact (as one does) and immediately goes on a global killing spree (in that he is killing the globe, not that he is killing a lot of people... directly). However, he ends up crossing paths with Atlantis and so our "hero" is brought into the plot. Aquaman teams up with Orm to make the movie a buddy comedy as they track down Manta, and eventually there's a big fight and Aquaman's family is put in danger.

Oh, and Mera is also there.

Jason Mamoa is just there having fun, while Patrick Wilson is actually trying to act. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II should be doing a lot, but they really trim down any scene with him and give the spotlight to Randall Park instead. And even Dolph Lundgren gets more screen time than Amber Heard!

I won't say I was bored during the movie, but there was just often big fighting scenes with lots of colour and CGI and... I couldn't tell what was happening. And I didn't care. We all know it's going to come down to the main actors punching each other, so get to that and let us get to the personal conflict (as expressed through punching).

And so ends the DC:EU... and I have no idea what the next DC movie is.

[END]

Read more!

ThanksGiven

Yes, this is the Eli Roth trailer-turned-movie... can't recall if there is one left but can't be bothered to look it up.

What if Dawn of the Dead but not subtle about its message of consumerism? That's the opening of this movie, in which several stupid deaths happen in a Thanksgiving sale, and so one year later vengeance will be taken! I will immediately give that there are some intelligent moves and people don't start with the Stupid Brain, although there definitely are some SB moments. Unfortunately, the killer has standard teleportation powers, and the ability not to look like the person who is later revealed.

Not a lot of cast I recognise. Patrick Dempsey of course, and Gina Gershon briefly. Rick Hoffman is great in every scene he is in. The others, especially the younger actors, were fine, and I may or may not ever recognise them if they end up in anything else.

Overall it's decent if typically example of the genre.

[END]

Read more!