[What did you watch?]
[What did you watch?]
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
And now for what I actually did watch on Thursday and yesterday - I got through two LMN flicks, and a Marvel flick!:
THUR:
Trust Her If You Dare (LMN) - As I like Jennings Rice, I watched this.
But this time it kind of felt like Rice was miscast (I just didn't buy
her as a reformed "black sheep"/bad girl). And the "mystery" of this one
was pretty much ruined by the "Conservation of Characters" rule (IOW,
after a certain point, the "mystery bad guy" can only be one person, so
you know who it is before the "reveal")... However, I did appreciate
that the boyfriend turned out to be a "villain red herring" - most
Lifetime flicks would have played it straight with the boyfriend turning
out to be the killer/villain, but mercifully this one pulls the twist on that... Anyway, this was a mediocre thriller, held back by "Conservation
of Characters", and by me not buying Jennings Rice as a "reformed bad
girl" - next time, stick to having Rice play straight-up heroines who
are in over their heads! She's good at that!
FRI:
The Beach Read Murders (LMN) - For a quick stretch towards the end of
this flick, I thought they were actually going to try and execute the "triple twist"! FTR, I have never seen a Lifetime flick try a "triple twist"! - A few of them go for "double twist" endings, but none have
ever tried a "triple twist" IIRC!!... In the end, this one settled for a double twist. Christie Leverette (I really dislike her braided hairstyle here!) plays the author of a popular romance/thriller series. She takes
time off somewhere in Florida(?) to try to write her latest novel while
in the midst of a divorce. Once there in the seaside resort town, weird stuff starts happening. Soon enough, she realizes that she's being
stalked, and her stalker is following the plots of her novels. Is it the hunky PI (Rob Mayes) that her soon-to-be ex-husband hired? Is it the ex (Colton Tapp)? The ex's new girlfriend (Rachel Turner, formerly Rachel
Pusey Turner - I'm glad to see she is still working!)? Etc. There are actually a lot of suspects here. They hone in on particular suspect
early on but that would be the "single twist" answer!... Anyway, this
wasn't bad - I enjoyed it for what it was.
Thunderbolts* (Disney+) - While this wasn't bad, ultimately I was disappointed by it.
I expected this flick to be as amusing as "Black Widow", and it
wasn't, so that was strike #1. I also expected it to be much more action-oriented, but this flick has surprisingly few action sequences. Strike #2. Then they killed [spoilers!] off after a mere few seconds,
and that just pissed me off. Strike #3.
Ultimately, rather than being an "action picture", this is more of a brooding rumination on depression and bipolar disorder, or something.
(Hint: This is not what I want out of my Marvel flicks!)
There were some good parts in here - David Harbour is the one thing
here that consistently delivers, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
But this is definitely the latest piece of evidence that the MCU
people have lost their way - I think they've managed only 1 or 2
actually good flicks among the last 6-8 (at least). IOW, nearly
everything since "Endgame" has been poor, and I think *everything* with
the "new heroes" has been poor.
I'm wondering if they can turn this around...
What did you watch?
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
I'm going to do two follow-up posts here...
First, the week(+!)-long recap of stuff I have watched but didn't
mention before, because I've been so busy with work (and my video game!) this summer:
soaps: GH - thru Wed's ep. Ric Lansing isn't dead! Instead, Ava,
horrible Kristina and Alexis conspire to keep Ric captive, for a month!
(How will they pull this off?!) I'm wondering if Willow is "playing"
Drew (that would be so rich!), as she agrees to get back with Drew if he
can get her kids back (I think she intends to get her kids back, and
then renege on the deal!). Maxie (Zenon!) slips into a coma so they ship
her off-camera while the actress is on leave.
DOOL - thru Wed's ep. Yep, Rachel shot EJ, which EJ remembers. But
Rachel doesn't remember it, so Marlena, EJ and Kristin conspire to get Johnny off on the attempted murder charge while protecting Rachel, by
having Kristen confess to shooting EJ (even though she didn't do it!!)
Are they writing out Stacy Haiduk (at least for a while)?!...
Y&R and B&B - Pass.
Over the past two(+?) weeks before yesterday, I've watched 2 flicks, and several Lifetime movies - flicks first:
Cleaner (HBO Max) - This was barely OK - it was mostly mediocre. "Die
Hard" it ain't. I did appreciate the bait-and-switch on the main
villain. But the ultimate main villain's motivation was completely unbelievable which doesn't help when you're already dealing with a
mediocre actioner. Daisy Ridley is OK in this, but I doubt it's going to make her an "action star".
The Fix (Prime Video) - They want you to think this is a dystopian
sci-fi flick, but by the end you come to realize that it's actually a "superhero origin story" (pretty much ripping off Spider-Man,
basically). That's all well in good, but the flick was obviously filmed
for a $1.98! - in Cape Town, South Africa!! This movie is for you if you want to see Grace Van Dien in her skivvies a lot (no actual naked nudity tho!), but it turns out she really is super-skinny, so this is less
enticing than you might think. (Note: This was filmed in 2023, before
Grace Van Dien apparently quit the business(??) after being sexually harassed(?) - honestly, I don't know if that stuck or if Van Dien has
gone back to acting... but she's been very quiet over the last couple of years after appearing in "Stranger Things"...)
What did you watch?
I continue watching ST:TOS with lunch. Today was "The Changeling." This
is the one where they meet Nomad, and Kirk eventually defeats it by
arguing with it. It's amazing how many programmers of the future never >learned to sanitize input data.
It's a decent TOS episode, all things considered. It may have given
someone the idea for the first movie.
Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
I'm going to do two follow-up posts here...
First, the week(+!)-long recap of stuff I have watched but didn't
mention before, because I've been so busy with work (and my video game!)
this summer:
Over the past two(+?) weeks before yesterday, I've watched 2 flicks, and
several Lifetime movies - flicks first:
The Fix (Prime Video) - They want you to think this is a dystopian
sci-fi flick, but by the end you come to realize that it's actually a
"superhero origin story" (pretty much ripping off Spider-Man,
basically). That's all well in good, but the flick was obviously filmed
for a $1.98! - in Cape Town, South Africa!! This movie is for you if you
want to see Grace Van Dien in her skivvies a lot (no actual naked nudity
tho!), but it turns out she really is super-skinny, so this is less
enticing than you might think. (Note: This was filmed in 2023, before
Grace Van Dien apparently quit the business(??) after being sexually
harassed(?) - honestly, I don't know if that stuck or if Van Dien has
gone back to acting... but she's been very quiet over the last couple of
years after appearing in "Stranger Things"...)
Your IMDb listing for her has seven projects coming up, as well as two in 2025, and three in 2024.
Melissa Hollingsworth <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
It's a decent TOS episode, all things considered. It may have given >someone the idea for the first movie.
V-GER was NOMAD!
ahk@chinet.com deliver unto us this message:
Melissa Hollingsworth <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
It's a decent TOS episode, all things considered. It may have given >>>someone the idea for the first movie.
V-GER was NOMAD!
There's also "The Magicks of Megas-Tu," from the animated series. They
went to the center of the galaxy and met the Devil. It may have inspired
the fifth movie, when they went to the center of the galaxy and met God. >Wikipedia says TMoMT was originally supposed to have God as the
antagonist, but the network vetoed it.
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
I'm going to do two follow-up posts here...
First, the week(+!)-long recap of stuff I have watched but didn't
mention before, because I've been so busy with work (and my video game!) this summer:
ÿÿ DOOL - thru Wed's ep. Yep, Rachel shot EJ, which EJ remembers. But Rachel doesn't remember it, so Marlena, EJ and Kristin conspire to get
Johnny off on the attempted murder charge while protecting Rachel, by
having Kristen confess to shooting EJ (even though she didn't do it!!)
Are they writing out Stacy Haiduk (at least for a while)?!...
Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:snip
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
Thunderbolts* (Disney+) - While this wasn't bad, ultimately I was
disappointed by it.
I expected this flick to be as amusing as "Black Widow", and it
wasn't, so that was strike #1. I also expected it to be much more
action-oriented, but this flick has surprisingly few action sequences.
Strike #2. Then they killed [spoilers!] off after a mere few seconds,
and that just pissed me off. Strike #3.
It never really recovered from that.
Ultimately, rather than being an "action picture", this is more of a
brooding rumination on depression and bipolar disorder, or something.
(Hint: This is not what I want out of my Marvel flicks!)
There were some good parts in here - David Harbour is the one thing
here that consistently delivers, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
But this is definitely the latest piece of evidence that the MCU
people have lost their way - I think they've managed only 1 or 2
actually good flicks among the last 6-8 (at least). IOW, nearly
everything since "Endgame" has been poor, and I think *everything* with
the "new heroes" has been poor.
I'm wondering if they can turn this around...
I not only expect, but I hope everything with Pedro Pascal fails.
On 8/30/2025 1:32 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:snip
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
Thunderbolts* (Disney+) - While this wasn't bad, ultimately I was
disappointed by it.
I expected this flick to be as amusing as "Black Widow", and it
wasn't, so that was strike #1. I also expected it to be much more
action-oriented, but this flick has surprisingly few action sequences.
Strike #2. Then they killed [spoilers!] off after a mere few seconds,
and that just pissed me off. Strike #3.
It never really recovered from that.
Ultimately, rather than being an "action picture", this is more of a >>> brooding rumination on depression and bipolar disorder, or something.
(Hint: This is not what I want out of my Marvel flicks!)
There were some good parts in here - David Harbour is the one thing
here that consistently delivers, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
But this is definitely the latest piece of evidence that the MCU
people have lost their way - I think they've managed only 1 or 2
actually good flicks among the last 6-8 (at least). IOW, nearly
everything since "Endgame" has been poor, and I think *everything* with
the "new heroes" has been poor.
I apparently liked Thunderbolts* a lot more than you did. Then again, I >thought it was very funny and full of action. Or at least enough action.
I'm wondering if they can turn this around...
I not only expect, but I hope everything with Pedro Pascal fails.
Pedro Pascal isn't in Thunderbolts*. He's in Fantastic Four.
As far as "The Fantastic Four" goes, it was by far the best live action >Fantastic Four movie. Of course, that's a pretty low bar! LOL
On 8/30/2025 1:32 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:snip
On 8/30/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
[What did you watch?]
Thunderbolts* (Disney+) - While this wasn't bad, ultimately I was
disappointed by it.
I expected this flick to be as amusing as "Black Widow", and it
wasn't, so that was strike #1. I also expected it to be much more
action-oriented, but this flick has surprisingly few action sequences.
Strike #2. Then they killed [spoilers!] off after a mere few seconds,
and that just pissed me off. Strike #3.
It never really recovered from that.
Ultimately, rather than being an "action picture", this is more of a
brooding rumination on depression and bipolar disorder, or something.
(Hint: This is not what I want out of my Marvel flicks!)
There were some good parts in here - David Harbour is the one thing
here that consistently delivers, as does Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
But this is definitely the latest piece of evidence that the MCU
people have lost their way - I think they've managed only 1 or 2
actually good flicks among the last 6-8 (at least). IOW, nearly
everything since "Endgame" has been poor, and I think *everything* with
the "new heroes" has been poor.
I apparently liked Thunderbolts* a lot more than you did. Then again, I thought it was very funny and full of action. Or at least enough action.
I'm wondering if they can turn this around...
I not only expect, but I hope everything with Pedro Pascal fails.
Pedro Pascal isn't in Thunderbolts*. He's in Fantastic Four.
As far as "The Fantastic Four" goes, it was by far the best live action Fantastic Four movie. Of course, that's a pretty low bar! LOL
I watched The Mind of Evil, a Doctor Who episode featuring the Third
Doctor. The Master's up to no good again, but the Doctor gets it solved
in the end.
I also watched more ST:TOS. "Mirror, Mirror" is a fun look into a
parallel universe in which the Terran Empire dominates via ruthless
force. Evil Kirk is a little dim; he seems convinced his normal crew has >mutinied, despite how different everything looks. Maybe being evil is
hard on the mind.
This episode was really just for fun. It sure hit us hard, though; has
any Trek installment *not* interacted with this other universe?
In "The Apple," Kirk happily barges into a native civilization and
wrecks it. In this case he's mostly justified, since Vaal was trying to >destroy the Enterprise, but he's still awfully cavalier about it. After >killing the natives' protector god, he makes no apology. Instead, he
makes a self-important little speech about how they'll like this
*better* once they get used to it, while they stare at him like kids
who've had all their devices taken away and are being told to read
books.
Gene Roddenberry had a real thing for challenging gods. It's a very
Golden Age attitude.
Uhura was super-erotic, and Mirror Spock was a more fully-drawn
character who loved manipulating his dim captain.
It was badly written. If the ship hadn't been attacked, then gee, the
script could have concentrated on the morality of Kirk's interference.
But the ship was attacked and Vaal had to be destroyed.
In <1092aoq$3epgc$1@dont-email.me> "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> writes:
[snip]
Uhura was super-erotic, and Mirror Spock was a more fully-drawn
character who loved manipulating his dim captain.
"I push you away and you're supposed to come back.
"You didn't come back..."
(damn, I watched that six decades ago....)
What did everyone else watch?
This episode was really just for fun. It sure hit us hard, though; has
any Trek installment *not* interacted with this other universe?
Most of them.
Voyager did not
TNG did not
TAS did not
DS9 did and they were excellent
Verily, in article <1167059223.778380221.786650.anim8rfsk- cox.net@news.easynews.com>, did anim8rfsk@cox.net deliver unto us this message:
This episode was really just for fun. It sure hit us hard, though; has
any Trek installment *not* interacted with this other universe?
Most of them.
Voyager did not
TNG did not
TAS did not
DS9 did and they were excellent
TNG did so several times.
Trying to take it easy, while working in the evenings. But I have gotten >through some movies over the past few days:
I'll get to "The Stepdaughter 1/2" in a second, but after watching "The >Stepdaughter [1]" on Lifetime, I stumbled across a movie on LMN that I >hadn't seen before because it aired back in June when I was in Europe!:
Shattered Vows (LMN) (aka. "From Dangerous Height", and not to be
confused with the 1984 Valerie Bertinelli TV flick of the same name!) -
This stars Christine Leverette (who just starred in Friday's "The Beach
Read Murders").
I actually was surprised, as I enjoyed this. Leverette plays a
newlywed whose husband (Will Holland) pretty much dies on their wedding >night. Before he dies, he apparently shares a disturbing secret with the >bride, though they don't show us what that secret is. Anyway, everyone
is a suspect, including the bride! There's a whole subplot with Kabby >Borders, who is the husband's recovering addict ex-wife and mother of >Leverette's stepdaughter... Anyway, this was pretty twisty, so I thought
it was decent.
Then... Cassidey Fralin! Is! The Stepdaughter! (1! & 2!!)
The Stepdaughter (LMN) - A 2024 Tubi Original!!
Both this, and the sequel, I felt were poorly directed - with
something happening in a later scene pretty directly contradicting what >happened in an earlier scene.
So, I'm not sure this had much going for it, aside from star
Cassidey Fralin filling out a bikini great. (Which is actually somewhat >creepy as Fralin was a child actress who is only now on the cusp of >adulthood...)
Anyway, Fralin's "stepdaughter" character apparently shows up on the
doorstep of her father (Blue Kimble), a hip-seeming dude who has just >married a mom (Annie Ilonzeh) with two teen sons after knowing each
other for all of 5 seconds. (Her friends rightly warns her about this,
but it falls on deaf ears!) Fralin's "stepdaughter" shows up on their >doorstep after the death of her grandmother (did "the stepdaughter"
murder Granny?! there wouldn't be a movie if she hadn't!!).
Ilonzeh's character is decidedly less than thrilled. Which escalates
to much worse than that as the clearly EVOL!1! stepdaughter stars upping
her antics.
This goes mostly where you expect it to. There is one "twist" which
I anticipated since at least the halfway mark, so it didn't surprise me.
This does end with a decent showdown, though even the aftermath of
this confused me (I think because it wasn't clearly filmed).
The Stepdaughter 2 (LMN) - A 2024 Tubi Original sequel!!
I found this to be substantially worse than the original.
So, first, they cheat - they act like it's going to be like
"Halloween 2", and pick up exactly where the first one left off. But
within a scene, it's then "2 weeks later", and then a "year later".
Second, this one seemed to focus way more on Blue Kimble's father
character than on Cassidey Fralin's EVOL stepdaughter this time, and the >EVOL stepdaughter was the one thing I mostly liked about the first film.
And it couldn't decide how much of a "sequel" it wanted to be, with
Annie Ilonzeh reappearing in this film but not as the focus.
Interestingly, this one pretty clearly sets up for a third film with
its ending... Except, there has been no "The Stepdaughter 3", and it
doesn't seem like one is planned! Lame!!
Beyond that, there is no real sports Labor Day weekend, so there wasn't
much else to watch.
What did you watch?
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