• What Did You Watch? 2026-06-27 (Saturday)

    From The True Melissa@thetruemelissa@gmail.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 10:13:48 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload. It remains both goofy/quirky and thoughtful. This time, Nathan is sent out to meet some of the other
    uploads. Meanwhile, Nora (the "angel" assigned to monitor him, and the
    real love interest) has to get her star rating higher, or her evil boss
    won't approve an upload for her father. Nathan's living girlfriend is
    still officially his SO, and while she's shallow, she doesn't seem to be
    a bad person in this episode. She even goes to rent a sex suit so they
    can interact physically, though she bails in disgust when she realizes
    what else has gone on in those suits.

    We learn that Nathan has some holes in his memory, including a complete
    blank on the name of the app he co-developed. This app was going to make uploading free for everyone, and it's now suspected that Horizon
    arranged for his death. His still-living partner had better be careful.

    I also watched another Best Medicine, in which Martin once again ticks
    off the entire town. He has a talent for that.

    On Saturday, I watched two more Uploads. The first shows us a test of
    the first *download* -- someone previously uploaded is being placed into
    a cloned body. It goes poorly. We also see Nathan's funeral. Ingrid
    remains a borderline character; she's disgusted when one of Nathan's
    friends hits on her at the funeral, but she also threatens to delete
    Nathan when he complains that his own funeral is all about what *she*
    wanted. Nathan quickly agreed that she was right, he should be more
    grateful, and she should do whatever she wanted.

    The second developed events at Horizon Lakeview, but also focused more
    on Ingrid. She met a child who asked why her family is so mean to each
    other, and at first she defended her family, but then she threw them all
    out and began reconsidering her life. This is a particularly interesting development since the reporter has found evidence that Ingrid *may* have
    known about Nathan's murder. At this point, we're kind of assuming it
    was murder even though that's unproven.

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by
    many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    What did everyone else watch?
    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From shawn@nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:10:46 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload. It remains both goofy/quirky and >thoughtful. This time, Nathan is sent out to meet some of the other
    uploads. Meanwhile, Nora (the "angel" assigned to monitor him, and the
    real love interest) has to get her star rating higher, or her evil boss >won't approve an upload for her father. Nathan's living girlfriend is
    still officially his SO, and while she's shallow, she doesn't seem to be
    a bad person in this episode. She even goes to rent a sex suit so they
    can interact physically, though she bails in disgust when she realizes
    what else has gone on in those suits.

    We learn that Nathan has some holes in his memory, including a complete >blank on the name of the app he co-developed. This app was going to make >uploading free for everyone, and it's now suspected that Horizon
    arranged for his death. His still-living partner had better be careful.

    I also watched another Best Medicine, in which Martin once again ticks
    off the entire town. He has a talent for that.

    On Saturday, I watched two more Uploads. The first shows us a test of
    the first *download* -- someone previously uploaded is being placed into
    a cloned body. It goes poorly. We also see Nathan's funeral. Ingrid
    remains a borderline character; she's disgusted when one of Nathan's
    friends hits on her at the funeral, but she also threatens to delete
    Nathan when he complains that his own funeral is all about what *she* >wanted. Nathan quickly agreed that she was right, he should be more >grateful, and she should do whatever she wanted.

    The second developed events at Horizon Lakeview, but also focused more
    on Ingrid. She met a child who asked why her family is so mean to each >other, and at first she defended her family, but then she threw them all
    out and began reconsidering her life. This is a particularly interesting >development since the reporter has found evidence that Ingrid *may* have >known about Nathan's murder. At this point, we're kind of assuming it
    was murder even though that's unproven.

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by >many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    So they rush to the location of the next victim to disrupt the killer,
    much to their regret. As this killer decides to take revenge on the
    people that interrupted his assassination. He then proceeds to take
    out
    Alex's wife and the female partner of Alex and his other partner.
    Giving both detectives an extra incentive to go after the assassin.

    BTW I should add that the assassin is played by Matthew Fox. He
    clearly has been spending a lot of time in the gym before filming as
    he has the sort of cut physique that only hours of gym time can give.
    He plays the assassin as the cold sort that is also on the edge of
    destroying everything around him in a fit of rage. Which fits with his
    striking out at the detectives after they ruined his plan.

    It was a movie that wasn't on my list until I ran across a short over
    on Youtube from the movie showing the assassin pulling off a murder
    that require precise timing by everyone involved, victim and killer.

    What did you watch?
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 16:00:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by >many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    I assume there are no original scripts? Sounds familiar.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 16:25:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is
    almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really
    doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier
    movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in
    the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would
    play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    It always amuses me when Perry acts, as it prevents him from cranking
    out another half-dozen inexpensive movies he would produce.

    . . .
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Arthur Lipscomb@arthur@alum.calberkeley.org to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 09:18:31 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a
    commercial for this.


    It remains both goofy/quirky and
    thoughtful. This time, Nathan is sent out to meet some of the other
    uploads. Meanwhile, Nora (the "angel" assigned to monitor him, and the
    real love interest) has to get her star rating higher, or her evil boss
    won't approve an upload for her father. Nathan's living girlfriend is
    still officially his SO, and while she's shallow, she doesn't seem to be
    a bad person in this episode. She even goes to rent a sex suit so they
    can interact physically, though she bails in disgust when she realizes
    what else has gone on in those suits.

    We learn that Nathan has some holes in his memory, including a complete
    blank on the name of the app he co-developed. This app was going to make
    uploading free for everyone, and it's now suspected that Horizon
    arranged for his death. His still-living partner had better be careful.

    I also watched another Best Medicine, in which Martin once again ticks
    off the entire town. He has a talent for that.

    On Saturday, I watched two more Uploads. The first shows us a test of
    the first *download* -- someone previously uploaded is being placed into
    a cloned body. It goes poorly. We also see Nathan's funeral. Ingrid
    remains a borderline character; she's disgusted when one of Nathan's
    friends hits on her at the funeral, but she also threatens to delete
    Nathan when he complains that his own funeral is all about what *she*
    wanted. Nathan quickly agreed that she was right, he should be more
    grateful, and she should do whatever she wanted.

    The second developed events at Horizon Lakeview, but also focused more
    on Ingrid. She met a child who asked why her family is so mean to each
    other, and at first she defended her family, but then she threw them all
    out and began reconsidering her life. This is a particularly interesting
    development since the reporter has found evidence that Ingrid *may* have
    known about Nathan's murder. At this point, we're kind of assuming it
    was murder even though that's unproven.

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by
    many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    So they rush to the location of the next victim to disrupt the killer,
    much to their regret. As this killer decides to take revenge on the
    people that interrupted his assassination. He then proceeds to take
    out
    Alex's wife and the female partner of Alex and his other partner.
    Giving both detectives an extra incentive to go after the assassin.

    BTW I should add that the assassin is played by Matthew Fox. He
    clearly has been spending a lot of time in the gym before filming as
    he has the sort of cut physique that only hours of gym time can give.
    He plays the assassin as the cold sort that is also on the edge of
    destroying everything around him in a fit of rage. Which fits with his striking out at the detectives after they ruined his plan.

    It was a movie that wasn't on my list until I ran across a short over
    on Youtube from the movie showing the assassin pulling off a murder
    that require precise timing by everyone involved, victim and killer.


    That reminds me, I still need to start the second season of the Alex
    Cross TV series. I liked the first season, but it gets harder and
    harder to keep track of streaming shows. I often record movies
    available to stream, just so I'll have the reminder to watch sitting on
    my DVR. That and I don't have to worry about the streaming service
    randomly deleting it.


    What did you watch?


    This is a multi-day catch up. Over the last few days I watched:


    Undisputed (Showtime) 2002 movie starring Wesley Snipes as a prison
    heavy weight champ who is challenged by the world heavyweight champion
    played by Ving Rhames, after Rhames is sent to prison for raping a
    woman. Once there the two more or less want to be left alone, but a
    convicted mobster played by a scene stealing Peter Falk, arranges for
    the two to fight so the mob can make money on the bets. There are a
    couple of things that take you out of the movie. First, the idea that
    Wesley Snipes could ever go to prison is absurd. I mean, what could he possibly be convicted of? Tax Evasion? Not likely. And then there's
    the even more absurd notion that the world heavy weight champion could
    ever be convicted of rape and sent to prison. That sort of thing could
    just never happen in America. Those minor details aside, the movie was
    OK, I guess.
    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZR6e7_rNAyE


    Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (Showtime) 2006 sequel starring Michael
    Jai White as an American professional boxer who is down on his luck,
    trying to make a buck in Russia. White is framed for a crime he didn't
    commit and sent to a Russian prison. He's sent to prison so he can
    fight the local Russian prison champ played by Scott Adkins, and the
    promoters can make money betting on the fight. I'm pretty sure I saw
    this once before when it first came out. It was OK.


    Undisputed III: Redemption (Showtime) Scott Adkins returns as the now
    former prison champ in this 2010 sequel. Adkins was the villain in the
    last movie, but since he's back for another one, this time he gets to be
    the hero. Turns out there is an international boxing competition
    amongst prisons. With prison champs from all over the world coming to
    Russia to compete. That's believable, sure. Adkins is forced to team
    up with an American prisoner after they discover things aren't on the up
    and up and their lives are in danger. This was my first time watching
    this one. It was OK, I guess. Apparently, Adkins starred in a 4th one
    of these. I haven't checked if it's available to watch or not.


    The Evil Dead (4K disc) 1981 horror movie written and directed by Sam
    Raimi, and starring Bruce Campbell as a guy who goes to a Cabin in the
    Woods where he winds up having to fight the dead, who also happen to be
    evil.


    Evil Dead II (4K disc) 1987 sequel written and directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell as a guy who goes to a Cabin in the Woods where
    he winds up having to fight the dead, who also happen to be evil. This
    was better than the first.


    Army of Darkness (4K disc) 1992 sequel written and directed by Sam Raimi
    and starring Bruce Campbell as the same guy who went to a Cabin in the
    Woods and had to fight the dead, who also happened to be evil, but now
    he has been transported to the 1300s where he must fight an army of the
    dead, who also happen to be evil. I think I like this movie a bit more
    today than I did when it first came out. At the time of the original
    release, I was a little bummed that it wasn't as good as Evil Dead II,
    but with some time and perspective, and understanding that the movie is
    not even trying to be scary, the movie is good in its' own right.


    Evil Dead (4K disc) Fede |Ulvarez writes and directed this 2013 sequel or reboot depending on your point of view, that follows a cast of
    characters who find themselves in a Cabin in the Woods where they wind
    up having to fight the dead, who also happen to be evil. I watched the theatrical cut since that version had the director and cast commentary.
    And even that version was seriously hard core extreme. I was left
    wondering what they could have possibly removed from the unrated
    version. I could barely keep my eyes on the screen for this version.


    Evil Dead Rise (4K disc) 2023 sequel written and directed by Lee Cronin
    that follows a cast of characters who find themselves in an apartment
    complex where they wind up having to fight the dead, who also happen to
    be evil. I wasn't giving this one my full attention, but it was pretty
    good and didn't skimp of the graphic horror and blood-soaked violence.
    Unlike the other movies in the franchise, this one taking place at an apartment complex opens the door to more victims including children,
    because the dead who also happen to be evil, don't care how old you are.


    Undertone (HBOMax) 2025 horror movie written and direct by Ian Tuason
    about a woman who does a pod cast. The woman hears noises. The end.
    This was one of the most mind numbingly boring, poor excuse for a horror flick, I've ever sat through. When the credits rolled, I had to rewind
    back to double check, that was it. Nothing else happened?!? I want my
    money back! I don't care I didn't actually pay to watch it, they need
    to pay *me* to have sat through it! I should have known the second I
    saw "A24" show up on screen...

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The True Melissa@thetruemelissa@gmail.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 12:49:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Verily, in article <111ribh$3o19h$3@dont-email.me>, did arthur@alum.calberkeley.org deliver unto us this message:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    [quoted text muted]
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a commercial for this.


    Yeah, it's on Amazon Prime. No extra charge; you can watch it if you
    have Prime.

    It's really very good. I recommend it.
    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From shawn@nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 13:00:11 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 09:18:31 -0700, Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:

    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a >commercial for this.


    It remains both goofy/quirky and
    thoughtful. This time, Nathan is sent out to meet some of the other
    uploads. Meanwhile, Nora (the "angel" assigned to monitor him, and the
    real love interest) has to get her star rating higher, or her evil boss
    won't approve an upload for her father. Nathan's living girlfriend is
    still officially his SO, and while she's shallow, she doesn't seem to be >>> a bad person in this episode. She even goes to rent a sex suit so they
    can interact physically, though she bails in disgust when she realizes
    what else has gone on in those suits.

    We learn that Nathan has some holes in his memory, including a complete
    blank on the name of the app he co-developed. This app was going to make >>> uploading free for everyone, and it's now suspected that Horizon
    arranged for his death. His still-living partner had better be careful.

    I also watched another Best Medicine, in which Martin once again ticks
    off the entire town. He has a talent for that.

    On Saturday, I watched two more Uploads. The first shows us a test of
    the first *download* -- someone previously uploaded is being placed into >>> a cloned body. It goes poorly. We also see Nathan's funeral. Ingrid
    remains a borderline character; she's disgusted when one of Nathan's
    friends hits on her at the funeral, but she also threatens to delete
    Nathan when he complains that his own funeral is all about what *she*
    wanted. Nathan quickly agreed that she was right, he should be more
    grateful, and she should do whatever she wanted.

    The second developed events at Horizon Lakeview, but also focused more
    on Ingrid. She met a child who asked why her family is so mean to each
    other, and at first she defended her family, but then she threw them all >>> out and began reconsidering her life. This is a particularly interesting >>> development since the reporter has found evidence that Ingrid *may* have >>> known about Nathan's murder. At this point, we're kind of assuming it
    was murder even though that's unproven.

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by >>> many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    So they rush to the location of the next victim to disrupt the killer,
    much to their regret. As this killer decides to take revenge on the
    people that interrupted his assassination. He then proceeds to take
    out
    Alex's wife and the female partner of Alex and his other partner.
    Giving both detectives an extra incentive to go after the assassin.

    BTW I should add that the assassin is played by Matthew Fox. He
    clearly has been spending a lot of time in the gym before filming as
    he has the sort of cut physique that only hours of gym time can give.
    He plays the assassin as the cold sort that is also on the edge of
    destroying everything around him in a fit of rage. Which fits with his
    striking out at the detectives after they ruined his plan.

    It was a movie that wasn't on my list until I ran across a short over
    on Youtube from the movie showing the assassin pulling off a murder
    that require precise timing by everyone involved, victim and killer.


    That reminds me, I still need to start the second season of the Alex
    Cross TV series. I liked the first season, but it gets harder and
    harder to keep track of streaming shows. I often record movies
    available to stream, just so I'll have the reminder to watch sitting on
    my DVR. That and I don't have to worry about the streaming service
    randomly deleting it.

    I do the same for much the same reasons. Let me check..
    I have around 6 TB of shows to watch.. oh wait.. I forgot my 2TB of
    various anime and cartoons to watch. Then there is about 6TB of
    movies that I have to watch all organized by year going from 1922 to
    2026. Yeah, I've already got enough things that I thought were
    interesting enough to check out to last me a life time.

    Though I will admit sometime I just check it out and junk it. Did that
    the other day when I had two modern movies about the day time stood
    still. A remake of the classic with one being the Keanu Reeves movie
    and the other a cheap knock off. Watched the Keanu movie start to
    finish but junked the knock off after a couple of minutes.



    What did you watch?


    This is a multi-day catch up. Over the last few days I watched:


    Undisputed (Showtime) 2002 movie starring Wesley Snipes as a prison
    heavy weight champ who is challenged by the world heavyweight champion >played by Ving Rhames, after Rhames is sent to prison for raping a
    woman. Once there the two more or less want to be left alone, but a >convicted mobster played by a scene stealing Peter Falk, arranges for
    the two to fight so the mob can make money on the bets. There are a
    couple of things that take you out of the movie. First, the idea that >Wesley Snipes could ever go to prison is absurd. I mean, what could he >possibly be convicted of? Tax Evasion? Not likely. And then there's
    the even more absurd notion that the world heavy weight champion could
    ever be convicted of rape and sent to prison. That sort of thing could
    just never happen in America. Those minor details aside, the movie was
    OK, I guess.
    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZR6e7_rNAyE


    Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (Showtime) 2006 sequel starring Michael
    Jai White as an American professional boxer who is down on his luck,
    trying to make a buck in Russia. White is framed for a crime he didn't >commit and sent to a Russian prison. He's sent to prison so he can
    fight the local Russian prison champ played by Scott Adkins, and the >promoters can make money betting on the fight. I'm pretty sure I saw
    this once before when it first came out. It was OK.


    Undisputed III: Redemption (Showtime) Scott Adkins returns as the now
    former prison champ in this 2010 sequel. Adkins was the villain in the
    last movie, but since he's back for another one, this time he gets to be
    the hero. Turns out there is an international boxing competition
    amongst prisons. With prison champs from all over the world coming to >Russia to compete. That's believable, sure. Adkins is forced to team
    up with an American prisoner after they discover things aren't on the up
    and up and their lives are in danger. This was my first time watching
    this one. It was OK, I guess. Apparently, Adkins starred in a 4th one
    of these. I haven't checked if it's available to watch or not.


    The Evil Dead (4K disc) 1981 horror movie written and directed by Sam
    Raimi, and starring Bruce Campbell as a guy who goes to a Cabin in the
    Woods where he winds up having to fight the dead, who also happen to be >evil.

    The classic. Well worth the time to watch and rewatch.


    Evil Dead II (4K disc) 1987 sequel written and directed by Sam Raimi and >starring Bruce Campbell as a guy who goes to a Cabin in the Woods where
    he winds up having to fight the dead, who also happen to be evil. This
    was better than the first.


    Army of Darkness (4K disc) 1992 sequel written and directed by Sam Raimi
    and starring Bruce Campbell as the same guy who went to a Cabin in the
    Woods and had to fight the dead, who also happened to be evil, but now
    he has been transported to the 1300s where he must fight an army of the >dead, who also happen to be evil. I think I like this movie a bit more >today than I did when it first came out. At the time of the original >release, I was a little bummed that it wasn't as good as Evil Dead II,
    but with some time and perspective, and understanding that the movie is
    not even trying to be scary, the movie is good in its' own right.

    This is my boom stick!

    Classic lines.



    Never checked out any of the newer remakes.

    Evil Dead (4K disc) Fede |Ulvarez writes and directed this 2013 sequel or >reboot depending on your point of view, that follows a cast of
    characters who find themselves in a Cabin in the Woods where they wind
    up having to fight the dead, who also happen to be evil. I watched the >theatrical cut since that version had the director and cast commentary.
    And even that version was seriously hard core extreme. I was left
    wondering what they could have possibly removed from the unrated
    version. I could barely keep my eyes on the screen for this version.

    Seems like I may have been right not to check these out.


    Evil Dead Rise (4K disc) 2023 sequel written and directed by Lee Cronin
    that follows a cast of characters who find themselves in an apartment >complex where they wind up having to fight the dead, who also happen to
    be evil. I wasn't giving this one my full attention, but it was pretty
    good and didn't skimp of the graphic horror and blood-soaked violence. >Unlike the other movies in the franchise, this one taking place at an >apartment complex opens the door to more victims including children,
    because the dead who also happen to be evil, don't care how old you are.


    Undertone (HBOMax) 2025 horror movie written and direct by Ian Tuason
    about a woman who does a pod cast. The woman hears noises. The end.
    This was one of the most mind numbingly boring, poor excuse for a horror >flick, I've ever sat through. When the credits rolled, I had to rewind
    back to double check, that was it. Nothing else happened?!? I want my >money back! I don't care I didn't actually pay to watch it, they need
    to pay *me* to have sat through it! I should have known the second I
    saw "A24" show up on screen...
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From shawn@nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 13:03:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:25:08 -0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
    <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a >>drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    No reason why I should as there was nothing remarkable about him. He
    did a fine job but there was nothing special about the character where
    as I was struck by the work Mathew Fox had clearly put in to develop
    that physique. Which made Cross/Perry doing so well in their fight
    unlikely to say the least.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is >almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really >doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier >movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in
    the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would
    play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    It always amuses me when Perry acts, as it prevents him from cranking
    out another half-dozen inexpensive movies he would produce.

    . . .
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Arthur Lipscomb@arthur@alum.calberkeley.org to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 10:40:12 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/2026 10:03 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:25:08 -0000 (UTC), "Adam H. Kerman"
    <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    No reason why I should as there was nothing remarkable about him. He
    did a fine job but there was nothing special about the character where
    as I was struck by the work Mathew Fox had clearly put in to develop
    that physique. Which made Cross/Perry doing so well in their fight
    unlikely to say the least.


    It was a bit of a shock seeing how Fox looked in this movie compared to
    Party of Five and Lost.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is
    almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really
    doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier
    movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in
    the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would
    play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    It always amuses me when Perry acts, as it prevents him from cranking
    out another half-dozen inexpensive movies he would produce.

    . . .

    I know there are a handful of actors who are ridiculously rich and don't
    need the money, but Perry is a billionaire, with a "B." He really
    doesn't need the money! Like you said, he could have been generating
    even more money behind the camera than in front. But this sort of thing
    might help to keep his name out in the public and show he can do more
    than "Madea."

    I know he's done a lot of stuff since then, but the last time I saw him
    act in a movie he was playing Dr. Baxter Stockman in Teenage Mutant
    Ninja Turtles. And again I though, he doesn't need the money, so why?
    Then again I also saw him pop in one of the Star Trek movies. And if I
    was insanely rich and could just be in a Star Trek movie or Ninja
    Turtles movie, I would too.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:01:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    This is a two-day catchup.

    That should cut the mustard

    What did everyone else watch?

    Hey, thanks for asking!

    I watched THE THING.
    Then I watched THE THING.
    And to round out my viewing, I watched THE THING.
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:01:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a commercial for this.

    Yes and yes
    https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/upload
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From BTR1701@atropos@mac.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 18:03:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On Jun 28, 2026 at 7:13:48 AM PDT, "The True Melissa" <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE on the Apples. A gritty cop movie with a
    HEAT vibe. Stars Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn as two cops who get suspended for looking bad on the internet while legitimately arresting a scumbag.

    Gibson's wife (Laurie Holden) is disabled with MS and their daughter is being tormented by the local youts every time she leaves the house because their neighborhood is deteriorating with diversity and cultural enrichment. Gibson was feeling financial pressure to get them out of that situation before the suspension and now his back is against the wall.

    So Gibson enlists Vaughn, who is also doubting his ability to provide for his fianc|-, in a scheme to rip off a drug dealer with info from one of his CIs. But the supposed drug dealer turns out to be a member of an extremely violent heist crew that's hitting a bank to steal a shipment of gold bullion worth millions.

    DEXTER's Jennifer Carpenter makes a brief appearance as one of the bank employees and Don Johnson plays Gibson and Vaughn's boss at the PD.

    Overall, I give it a recommend. My only criticism is puzzlement over the inclusion of Carpenter and how the movie pauses the narrative to give her a whole backstory (she's a new mother who is returning to work for the first
    time since having the baby and is struggling to be away from her child) when it's not necessary. All that could have been cut out and the bank scenes with her character could have been played by any random actor and it would have
    made no difference to the film.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From BTR1701@atropos@mac.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 18:07:10 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On Jun 28, 2026 at 9:25:08 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in
    the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would
    play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    Yes! That would be a much better franchise fit for him than James Bond.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ian J. Ball@ijball@mac.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:32:42 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/26 9:18 AM, Arthur Lipscomb wrote:

    [snip]
    Undertone (HBOMax) 2025 horror movie written and direct by Ian Tuason
    about a woman who does a pod cast.-a The woman hears noises.-a The end.
    This was one of the most mind numbingly boring, poor excuse for a horror flick, I've ever sat through.-a When the credits rolled, I had to rewind back to double check, that was it.-a Nothing else happened?!?-a I want my money back!-a I don't care I didn't actually pay to watch it, they need
    to pay *me* to have sat through it!-a I should have known the second I
    saw "A24" show up on screen...

    I am about to review this in this thread. I liked it more than you did.
    But...



    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ian J. Ball@ijball@mac.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:38:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/26 9:18 AM, Arthur Lipscomb wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    So they rush to the location of the next victim to disrupt the killer,
    much to their regret. As this killer decides to take revenge on the
    people that interrupted his assassination. He then proceeds to take
    out
    Alex's wife and the female partner of Alex and his other partner.
    Giving both detectives an extra incentive to go after the assassin.

    BTW I should add that the assassin is played by Matthew Fox. He
    clearly has been spending a lot of time in the gym before filming as
    he has the sort of cut physique that only hours of gym time can give.
    He plays the assassin as the cold sort that is also on the edge of
    destroying everything around him in a fit of rage. Which fits with his
    striking out at the detectives after they ruined his plan.

    It was a movie that wasn't on my list until I ran across a short over
    on Youtube from the movie showing the assassin pulling off a murder
    that require precise timing by everyone involved, victim and killer.

    That reminds me, I still need to start the second season of the Alex
    Cross TV series.-a I liked the first season, but it gets harder and
    harder to keep track of streaming shows.-a I often record movies
    available to stream, just so I'll have the reminder to watch sitting on
    my DVR.-a That and I don't have to worry about the streaming service randomly deleting it.

    I had thought about getting Prime Video for a month this summer, but: 1)
    There was no Prime Day deal for it (at all!), 2) They make subscribing
    to Prime Video Ultra (the no-ads, 4k subscription version) very, very cumbersome - basically, you have to subscribe the regular Prime Video
    first and *then* upgrade to Ultra! Why can't I just get Ultra in 1-click?!

    Suffice it to say, this all put me off getting Prime Video, and then I
    decided there really wasn't anything I wanted to watch badly enough on
    Prime. Yeah, I like Cross, and there may be 1 or 2 of their YA TV series offerings I wanted to check out, but basically I kept coming back to the
    fact that I don't care about S5 of "The Boys"!

    I guess getting Prime Video again will have to wait for the next season
    of "Reacher"...


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ian J. Ball@ijball@mac.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:40:22 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/26 9:25 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in
    the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would
    play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    I liked this version very much (much more than the Freeman flicks), and
    wish very much they had done a follow-up with Perry. I guess that will
    never happen now... :(

    It always amuses me when Perry acts, as it prevents him from cranking
    out another half-dozen inexpensive movies he would produce.

    . . .


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ian J. Ball@ijball@mac.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 11:41:53 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/26 11:03 AM, BTR1701 wrote:

    On Jun 28, 2026 at 7:13:48 AM PDT, "The True Melissa" <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched DRAGGED ACROSS CONCRETE on the Apples. A gritty cop movie with a HEAT vibe. Stars Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn as two cops who get suspended for
    looking bad on the internet while legitimately arresting a scumbag.

    Gibson's wife (Laurie Holden) is disabled with MS and their daughter is being tormented by the local youts every time she leaves the house because their neighborhood is deteriorating with diversity and cultural enrichment. Gibson was feeling financial pressure to get them out of that situation before the suspension and now his back is against the wall.

    So Gibson enlists Vaughn, who is also doubting his ability to provide for his fianc|-, in a scheme to rip off a drug dealer with info from one of his CIs. But the supposed drug dealer turns out to be a member of an extremely violent heist crew that's hitting a bank to steal a shipment of gold bullion worth millions.

    DEXTER's Jennifer Carpenter makes a brief appearance as one of the bank employees and Don Johnson plays Gibson and Vaughn's boss at the PD.

    Overall, I give it a recommend. My only criticism is puzzlement over the inclusion of Carpenter and how the movie pauses the narrative to give her a whole backstory (she's a new mother who is returning to work for the first time since having the baby and is struggling to be away from her child) when it's not necessary. All that could have been cut out and the bank scenes with her character could have been played by any random actor and it would have made no difference to the film.

    I remember thinking this flick was decent, but well over-long! when I
    saw it a year or two back.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 18:45:47 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:
    Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:25:08 -0000 (UTC), Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote: >>shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single >>>killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a >>>drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    No reason why I should as there was nothing remarkable about him. He
    did a fine job but there was nothing special about the character where
    as I was struck by the work Mathew Fox had clearly put in to develop
    that physique. Which made Cross/Perry doing so well in their fight
    unlikely to say the least.

    "nothing remarkable" is the appropriate observation about his acting.

    To the extent there's anything entertaining, it was from Fox. You are
    right.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 18:58:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
    On Jun 28, 2026 at 9:25:08 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played
    the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is
    almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really
    doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier
    movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in
    the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would
    play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    Yes! That would be a much better franchise fit for him than James Bond.

    Write original material with him in mind. Like Freeman, I'd want to see
    him act with better material than Patterson.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From danny burstein@dannyb@panix.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 19:01:42 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    In <111rqsd$3q7et$3@dont-email.me> "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> writes:

    [snip]

    Write original material with him in mind. Like Freeman, I'd want to see
    him act with better material than Patterson.

    I'd love to see a film with Morgan Freeman and Morgan Fairchild
    acting together...
    --
    _____________________________________________________
    Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
    dannyb@panix.com
    [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From BTR1701@atropos@mac.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 19:34:23 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On Jun 28, 2026 at 11:58:21 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com>
    wrote:

    BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
    On Jun 28, 2026 at 9:25:08 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work >>>> a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a >>>> drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played >>> the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is >>> almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really >>> doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier >>> movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in >>> the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would >>> play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    Yes! That would be a much better franchise fit for him than James Bond.

    Write original material with him in mind. Like Freeman, I'd want to see
    him act with better material than Patterson.

    The problem is that the quality of output of Hollywood writers is so bad, that Patterson shines in comparison. Patterson is actually the better choice
    between the two.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ian J. Ball@ijball@mac.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 12:43:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/26 7:13 AM, The True Melissa wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    Aside from the last games of the group stage of the World Cup? I watched
    two movies, an ep of DOOL and GH, and the penultimate episode of season
    #3 of "The Gilded Age".

    Let's do the two shows first, and then the movies:

    DOOL - Thur's ep. It's clear now that somehow Holly has somehow been
    given the drug that killed the woman that Sarah and Brady are
    investigating - not sure yet if it's some kind of "accident", or if
    either NotDeadSophia or Sophia's horrible mom are secretly poisoning
    Holly (again!).
    GH - Thur's ep. Awful Dante and NuNuLulu track down Britt and Rocco - I
    love that Rocco is going to force them to take Britt with them!...
    Thanks to Drew's framing her with the new detective, Brook Lynn's plan
    to put Willow in (legal) jeopardy seems to be paying off.

    The Gilded Age - Ep. #3.7. Nathan Lane's character is shown to be a
    deluded idiot: he publishes a "tell-all" book on NYC's "high society"
    and is shocked when he is promptly banished from high society for it -
    What did he expect?!!... George's dead paramour leaves George a cottage
    (or estate?), and almost outs himself to his mother (Christine Baranski)
    when she's snotty about it (it definitely seemed like she either knew
    all along or figured it out after George's outburst). Marian dumps
    Larry, finally explaining why. The mean mother (Phylicia Rashad!) of
    Peggy's doctor suitor outs Peggy's past to him, so I'm guessing the
    doctor is going to demand to know the details. Bertha gets seeded the
    most important ball of the season thanks to Mrs. Astor's social
    challenges. And thanks to Larry, George's financial situation is
    righted, and he wins the railroad, but not before humiliating George's
    former right hand man, Clay, who is now out for blood (literally!).

    I then watched two movies I have been wanting to see for a while:

    Undertone (HBO Max) - The 2025 Canadian "horror" (this is maybe closest
    to being "psychological horror", not "mainline horror") film. As Arthur alluded to, when you see a movie is from A24, prepare for disappointment...
    First up, let me say that it's very clear why they've gone with "Undertone" writer/director Ian Tuason to do the next "Paranormal
    Activity" film - while "Undertone" is not a "found footage" flick like
    the Paranormal Activity films are, "Undertone" is... let's just say very "thematically adjacent" to the PA flicks!
    The other thing I will give props to is that this flick is very well filmed (though, like the first few "Paranormal Activity" films, it's
    purely a "bottle show", all filmed at a single location), and the
    editing (esp. the sound editing) are top notch - it's unusual to have a lower-budget horror film where everything is very clearly intelligible
    (many low-budget horror films have terrible sound pick up!), but in this
    film all the sound is very clear, and it's neither too loud nor too soft.
    The gist: A woman (Canadian actress Nina Kiri, who I am not familiar
    with) with a dying (comatose? - everything online seemed to know she was comatose, but I don't remember that ever being clearly stated in the
    film) mother (Mich|?le Duquet - Duquet and Kiri are the only non
    voice-actors in the cast!) is also a "podcaster" (so, you can see, she
    has already given up on life!!) of a "supernatural" themed podcast. But
    her and her long-distance partner (did not realize until the credits
    that it's the voice of Canadian actor Adam DiMarco!) get more than they bargained for when they get sent anonymous digital recordings for their
    next podcast topic!
    Arthur's not wrong - This is slow. (So was the first "Paranormal
    Activity" film, though it slowly built as this one does.)
    Anyway, I liked the first act quite a bit, and thought the second
    act of the film was OK.
    But things come apart in the third act. Whatever else you want to
    say about the first "Paranormal Activity", it at least gives you a
    clear, unambiguous (and fairly shocking) ending. But not so with
    "Undertone" - this film goes with a messy and very, very *not
    definitive* ending, leaving it to the viewer to figure out for
    themselves what just happened.
    In the case of this film, that was almost certainly the wrong call -
    they needed to have everything come to a clear point, like "Paranormal Activity" did. What Tuason leaves us instead with here is an
    unsatisfying ending that for most people will probably lessen what came
    before rather than elevating it.
    That's too bad, because with a more satisfying ending, this could
    have been quite good.
    But isn't this nearly always the way with A24 flicks?!

    Madame Web (Disney+) - I decided to "cleanse my palate" after
    "Undertone" with something completely different! And also to "celebrate"
    the utter box office bomb that is "Supergirl" (2026), with the previous superhero "box office bomb", "Madame Webb"!
    The good news? I thought Dakota Johnson was quite decent in this,
    and this wasn't the "worst acting in the world" (though, now that I
    think about it, when I read this kind of thing on Reddit, it's about
    Johnson's acting *generally*, not necessarily her acting in "Madame Web" specifically).
    And this flick was entertaining enough I guess.
    The bad news?... Well, I can see why people had lots of problems
    with this film.
    The first issue is that this film probably would have worked better
    if they hadn't loaded Johnson, as Cassandra Webb (see? the name is
    clever!! Prophet+Spider Property!!), down with the three younger
    supporting leads (Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced
    (aka. Isabela Moner - who, to the best of my recollection, is one of the
    few actresses who has appeared in both the MCU and the DCEU!)) - I
    thought Johnson's character was vaguely interesting with a decent
    backstory, but the three teens just distract and detract from that.
    Warning!
    Spoilers
    Be
    Below!
    The second issue is that this particular origin story is a huge
    ginormous downer. The three teens don't even get their powers by the end
    of the film. (So, this entire film is basically just "set up"?!?!!) But
    worse is what happens to Cassandra Webb - Her "reward" for saving the
    three sullen teens from the film's homicidal 'Big Bad' is... to be made
    blind and paralyzed?!!
    So, the film ends up a huge downer because Cassandra is basically
    punished for trying to be a hero.
    Yeah, no one is going to want to see a sequel to this! Not even me!!
    It's clear that both Marvel and DC (specifically, Sony, in this
    case) have to abandon the idea of basing superhero flicks around obscure superheros from their catalogues and expecting them to do well at the
    box office - no one is clamoring to see a "Madame Web" (or a
    "Supergirl") film. (Marvel and DC also need to dispense with the idea
    that superhero flicks are ever going to draw in female audiences, so
    they should probably forget about basing superhero flicks around any
    other female superhero aside from Wonder Woman.)
    Anyway, "Madame Web" wasn't nearly as terrible as I have been led to believe. But it is definitely flawed, and they should almost certainly
    have not based a film around this particular superhero character,
    especially with her "origin story" being such a downer.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 20:17:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
    On Jun 28, 2026 at 11:58:21 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> >wrote:

    BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
    On Jun 28, 2026 at 9:25:08 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work >>>>> a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along >>>>> with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single >>>>> killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a >>>>> drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played >>>> the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is >>>> almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really >>>> doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier >>>> movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in >>>> the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would >>>> play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    Yes! That would be a much better franchise fit for him than James Bond.

    Write original material with him in mind. Like Freeman, I'd want to see
    him act with better material than Patterson.

    The problem is that the quality of output of Hollywood writers is so bad, that >Patterson shines in comparison. Patterson is actually the better choice >between the two.


    Two non-Hollywood writers, David Simon ad Neil Cross, have done right by
    him.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 20:18:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
    On Jun 28, 2026 at 11:58:21 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> >wrote:

    BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
    On Jun 28, 2026 at 9:25:08 AM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work >>>>> a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along >>>>> with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single >>>>> killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a >>>>> drawing the killer left behind.

    You're not going to mention it's Tyler Perry? Morgan Freeman had played >>>> the character in movie adaptatios from two other novels.

    It's James Patterson novels, very light entertainment. Morgan Freeman is >>>> almlst always better than his material, as was the case here. He was
    older than the character as written in the novels, but Patterson really >>>> doesn't age the character. He's got to be recase every so often.

    This was adapted from a later novel without referencing the two earlier >>>> movies, sticking a lot of origin story and elements from later novels in >>>> the plot, with some original plot.

    I didn't care for it. The movie never found an audience, and Perry would >>>> play the character again. I just read that Idris Elba had been
    considerd.

    Yes! That would be a much better franchise fit for him than James Bond.

    Write original material with him in mind. Like Freeman, I'd want to see
    him act with better material than Patterson.

    The problem is that the quality of output of Hollywood writers is so bad, that >Patterson shines in comparison. Patterson is actually the better choice >between the two.


    Two non-Hollywood writers, David Simon ad Neil Cross, have done right by
    him.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Arthur Lipscomb@arthur@alum.calberkeley.org to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 13:55:23 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/2026 11:01 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    This is a two-day catchup.

    That should cut the mustard

    What did everyone else watch?

    Hey, thanks for asking!

    I watched THE THING.
    Then I watched THE THING.
    And to round out my viewing, I watched THE THING.





    I like The Thing. And I also like The Thing, although I wish they had
    kept the practical effects instead of replacing them with CGI. The
    Thing on the other hand, whenever I think of it, I'm reminded of the
    movie "Creature" referencing it as a "space carrot."
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From super70s@super70s@super70s.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 15:57:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    The Whale (2022) (Google TV/Live Filmrise movie channel) Finally saw
    Brendan Gleeson's Oscar-winning Best Actor performance as a literature professor obsessed with "Moby Dick" and eating himself to death in his apartment while dealing with a rebellious daughter, sympathetic
    caregiver and young religious fanatic visitor. Darren Aronofsky's work
    is always worth watching but frankly this isn't one of his best efforts
    (came in last in a Hollywood Reporter ranking of all 25 of his films).

    Ex Machina (Roku/in house movie channel) Prescient cautionary tale
    about AI robots (from way back in 2015!) with Oscar Isaac as a
    billionaire tech guru and his company prodigy who visits his secluded
    lair. Cool F/X in the female robot, who winds up coming out on top.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 20:00:20 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
    On 6/28/26 9:18 AM, Arthur Lipscomb wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    So they rush to the location of the next victim to disrupt the killer,
    much to their regret. As this killer decides to take revenge on the
    people that interrupted his assassination. He then proceeds to take
    out
    Alex's wife and the female partner of Alex and his other partner.
    Giving both detectives an extra incentive to go after the assassin.

    BTW I should add that the assassin is played by Matthew Fox. He
    clearly has been spending a lot of time in the gym before filming as
    he has the sort of cut physique that only hours of gym time can give.
    He plays the assassin as the cold sort that is also on the edge of
    destroying everything around him in a fit of rage. Which fits with his
    striking out at the detectives after they ruined his plan.

    It was a movie that wasn't on my list until I ran across a short over
    on Youtube from the movie showing the assassin pulling off a murder
    that require precise timing by everyone involved, victim and killer.

    That reminds me, I still need to start the second season of the Alex
    Cross TV series.-a I liked the first season, but it gets harder and
    harder to keep track of streaming shows.-a I often record movies
    available to stream, just so I'll have the reminder to watch sitting on
    my DVR.-a That and I don't have to worry about the streaming service
    randomly deleting it.

    I had thought about getting Prime Video for a month this summer, but: 1) There was no Prime Day deal for it (at all!), 2) They make subscribing
    to Prime Video Ultra (the no-ads, 4k subscription version) very, very cumbersome - basically, you have to subscribe the regular Prime Video
    first and *then* upgrade to Ultra! Why can't I just get Ultra in 1-click?!


    I have the same problem with the AMC plus plug-in. I have to find something
    I havenrCOt watched yet thatrCOs on AMC plus and when I go to it, it may offer me the upgrade to add free.

    Suffice it to say, this all put me off getting Prime Video, and then I decided there really wasn't anything I wanted to watch badly enough on Prime. Yeah, I like Cross, and there may be 1 or 2 of their YA TV series offerings I wanted to check out, but basically I kept coming back to the fact that I don't care about S5 of "The Boys"!

    I guess getting Prime Video again will have to wait for the next season
    of "Reacher"...



    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 20:00:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
    On 6/28/26 7:13 AM, The True Melissa wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    Aside from the last games of the group stage of the World Cup? I watched
    two movies, an ep of DOOL and GH, and the penultimate episode of season
    #3 of "The Gilded Age".

    Let's do the two shows first, and then the movies:

    DOOL - Thur's ep. It's clear now that somehow Holly has somehow been
    given the drug that killed the woman that Sarah and Brady are
    investigating - not sure yet if it's some kind of "accident", or if
    either NotDeadSophia or Sophia's horrible mom are secretly poisoning
    Holly (again!).
    GH - Thur's ep. Awful Dante and NuNuLulu track down Britt and Rocco - I
    love that Rocco is going to force them to take Britt with them!...
    Thanks to Drew's framing her with the new detective, Brook Lynn's plan
    to put Willow in (legal) jeopardy seems to be paying off.

    The Gilded Age - Ep. #3.7. Nathan Lane's character is shown to be a
    deluded idiot: he publishes a "tell-all" book on NYC's "high society"
    and is shocked when he is promptly banished from high society for it -
    What did he expect?!!... George's dead paramour leaves George a cottage
    (or estate?), and almost outs himself to his mother (Christine Baranski) when she's snotty about it (it definitely seemed like she either knew
    all along or figured it out after George's outburst). Marian dumps
    Larry, finally explaining why. The mean mother (Phylicia Rashad!) of
    Peggy's doctor suitor outs Peggy's past to him, so I'm guessing the
    doctor is going to demand to know the details. Bertha gets seeded the
    most important ball of the season thanks to Mrs. Astor's social
    challenges. And thanks to Larry, George's financial situation is
    righted, and he wins the railroad, but not before humiliating George's former right hand man, Clay, who is now out for blood (literally!).

    I then watched two movies I have been wanting to see for a while:

    Undertone (HBO Max) - The 2025 Canadian "horror" (this is maybe closest
    to being "psychological horror", not "mainline horror") film. As Arthur alluded to, when you see a movie is from A24, prepare for disappointment...
    First up, let me say that it's very clear why they've gone with "Undertone" writer/director Ian Tuason to do the next "Paranormal
    Activity" film - while "Undertone" is not a "found footage" flick like
    the Paranormal Activity films are, "Undertone" is... let's just say very "thematically adjacent" to the PA flicks!
    The other thing I will give props to is that this flick is very well filmed (though, like the first few "Paranormal Activity" films, it's
    purely a "bottle show", all filmed at a single location), and the
    editing (esp. the sound editing) are top notch - it's unusual to have a lower-budget horror film where everything is very clearly intelligible
    (many low-budget horror films have terrible sound pick up!), but in this film all the sound is very clear, and it's neither too loud nor too soft.
    The gist: A woman (Canadian actress Nina Kiri, who I am not familiar with) with a dying (comatose? - everything online seemed to know she was comatose, but I don't remember that ever being clearly stated in the
    film) mother (Mich|?le Duquet - Duquet and Kiri are the only non voice-actors in the cast!) is also a "podcaster" (so, you can see, she
    has already given up on life!!) of a "supernatural" themed podcast. But
    her and her long-distance partner (did not realize until the credits
    that it's the voice of Canadian actor Adam DiMarco!) get more than they bargained for when they get sent anonymous digital recordings for their
    next podcast topic!
    Arthur's not wrong - This is slow. (So was the first "Paranormal Activity" film, though it slowly built as this one does.)
    Anyway, I liked the first act quite a bit, and thought the second
    act of the film was OK.
    But things come apart in the third act. Whatever else you want to
    say about the first "Paranormal Activity", it at least gives you a
    clear, unambiguous (and fairly shocking) ending. But not so with
    "Undertone" - this film goes with a messy and very, very *not
    definitive* ending, leaving it to the viewer to figure out for
    themselves what just happened.
    In the case of this film, that was almost certainly the wrong call -
    they needed to have everything come to a clear point, like "Paranormal Activity" did. What Tuason leaves us instead with here is an
    unsatisfying ending that for most people will probably lessen what came before rather than elevating it.
    That's too bad, because with a more satisfying ending, this could
    have been quite good.
    But isn't this nearly always the way with A24 flicks?!

    Madame Web (Disney+) - I decided to "cleanse my palate" after
    "Undertone" with something completely different! And also to "celebrate"
    the utter box office bomb that is "Supergirl" (2026), with the previous superhero "box office bomb", "Madame Webb"!
    The good news? I thought Dakota Johnson was quite decent in this,
    and this wasn't the "worst acting in the world" (though, now that I
    think about it, when I read this kind of thing on Reddit, it's about Johnson's acting *generally*, not necessarily her acting in "Madame Web" specifically).
    And this flick was entertaining enough I guess.
    The bad news?... Well, I can see why people had lots of problems
    with this film.
    The first issue is that this film probably would have worked better
    if they hadn't loaded Johnson, as Cassandra Webb (see? the name is
    clever!! Prophet+Spider Property!!), down with the three younger
    supporting leads (Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced
    (aka. Isabela Moner - who, to the best of my recollection, is one of the
    few actresses who has appeared in both the MCU and the DCEU!)) - I
    thought Johnson's character was vaguely interesting with a decent
    backstory, but the three teens just distract and detract from that.
    Warning!
    Spoilers
    Be
    Below!
    The second issue is that this particular origin story is a huge
    ginormous downer. The three teens don't even get their powers by the end
    of the film. (So, this entire film is basically just "set up"?!?!!) But worse is what happens to Cassandra Webb - Her "reward" for saving the
    three sullen teens from the film's homicidal 'Big Bad' is... to be made blind and paralyzed?!!
    So, the film ends up a huge downer because Cassandra is basically punished for trying to be a hero.
    Yeah, no one is going to want to see a sequel to this! Not even me!!
    It's clear that both Marvel and DC (specifically, Sony, in this
    case) have to abandon the idea of basing superhero flicks around obscure superheros from their catalogues and expecting them to do well at the
    box office - no one is clamoring to see a "Madame Web" (or a
    "Supergirl") film. (Marvel and DC also need to dispense with the idea
    that superhero flicks are ever going to draw in female audiences, so
    they should probably forget about basing superhero flicks around any
    other female superhero aside from Wonder Woman.)
    Anyway, "Madame Web" wasn't nearly as terrible as I have been led to believe. But it is definitely flawed, and they should almost certainly
    have not based a film around this particular superhero character,
    especially with her "origin story" being such a downer.


    I didnrCOt mind it, but I wouldnrCOt have cared if I missed it and I feel the same about the comic book property, there seems to be no point whatsoever
    in any of this Mystic spider back history nonsense.
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 20:00:22 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 11:01 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    This is a two-day catchup.

    That should cut the mustard

    What did everyone else watch?

    Hey, thanks for asking!

    I watched THE THING.
    Then I watched THE THING.
    And to round out my viewing, I watched THE THING.





    I like The Thing. And I also like The Thing, although I wish they had
    kept the practical effects instead of replacing them with CGI. The
    Thing on the other hand, whenever I think of it, I'm reminded of the
    movie "Creature" referencing it as a "space carrot."


    ThererCOs a story about the 1982 film that childrCOs drinks a Molotov cocktail at the end and doesnrCOt notice which means herCOs the thing. I did some research and asked two of my friends that are experts and apparently this
    is just a weird fan conspiracy theory that carpenter has denied. Plus, Mac
    was about to take a swig out of the bottle himself when childrCOs showed up
    and surprised him.

    I would like to see the 2011 film in its original form but I donrCOt know
    that anybody ever has in which case I donrCOt know how theyrCOre complaining about it.

    I love the 1951 version. I donrCOt know how the hell they got that block of
    ice into the airplane! Trivia question: do you know the name of the
    airplane?
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ian J. Ball@ijball@mac.invalid to rec.arts.tv on Sun Jun 28 20:41:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/26 8:00 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:

    Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
    On 6/28/26 7:13 AM, The True Melissa wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    Aside from the last games of the group stage of the World Cup? I watched
    two movies, an ep of DOOL and GH, and the penultimate episode of season
    #3 of "The Gilded Age".

    [snip]
    Madame Web (Disney+) - I decided to "cleanse my palate" after
    "Undertone" with something completely different! And also to "celebrate"
    the utter box office bomb that is "Supergirl" (2026), with the previous
    superhero "box office bomb", "Madame Webb"!
    The good news? I thought Dakota Johnson was quite decent in this,
    and this wasn't the "worst acting in the world" (though, now that I
    think about it, when I read this kind of thing on Reddit, it's about
    Johnson's acting *generally*, not necessarily her acting in "Madame Web"
    specifically).
    And this flick was entertaining enough I guess.
    The bad news?... Well, I can see why people had lots of problems
    with this film.
    The first issue is that this film probably would have worked better
    if they hadn't loaded Johnson, as Cassandra Webb (see? the name is
    clever!! Prophet+Spider Property!!), down with the three younger
    supporting leads (Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced
    (aka. Isabela Moner - who, to the best of my recollection, is one of the
    few actresses who has appeared in both the MCU and the DCEU!)) - I
    thought Johnson's character was vaguely interesting with a decent
    backstory, but the three teens just distract and detract from that.
    Warning!
    Spoilers
    Be
    Below!
    The second issue is that this particular origin story is a huge
    ginormous downer. The three teens don't even get their powers by the end
    of the film. (So, this entire film is basically just "set up"?!?!!) But
    worse is what happens to Cassandra Webb - Her "reward" for saving the
    three sullen teens from the film's homicidal 'Big Bad' is... to be made
    blind and paralyzed?!!
    So, the film ends up a huge downer because Cassandra is basically
    punished for trying to be a hero.
    Yeah, no one is going to want to see a sequel to this! Not even me!!
    It's clear that both Marvel and DC (specifically, Sony, in this
    case) have to abandon the idea of basing superhero flicks around obscure
    superheros from their catalogues and expecting them to do well at the
    box office - no one is clamoring to see a "Madame Web" (or a
    "Supergirl") film. (Marvel and DC also need to dispense with the idea
    that superhero flicks are ever going to draw in female audiences, so
    they should probably forget about basing superhero flicks around any
    other female superhero aside from Wonder Woman.)
    Anyway, "Madame Web" wasn't nearly as terrible as I have been led to
    believe. But it is definitely flawed, and they should almost certainly
    have not based a film around this particular superhero character,
    especially with her "origin story" being such a downer.

    I didnrCOt mind it, but I wouldnrCOt have cared if I missed it

    I think I liked it a little more than that as, for one thing, it proved
    to me that Dakota Johnson isn't the worst actress in Hollywood like
    everyone has been saying!

    and I feel the
    same about the comic book property, there seems to be no point whatsoever
    in any of this Mystic spider back history nonsense.

    Yes, I feel that is a solid take. Luckily, the "Extended Spider-Man
    Universe" of films is very much dead now, so we will be spared any more
    of these (unless they try to do a Spider-Gwen flick or something...).

    I do think this film would have benefited from either, 1) *no* teen
    girls, or 2) a lot less of them.

    But this gets back to Marvel and Disney thinking they can just throw a
    bunch of female leads at a superhero movie (see, for example - or
    don't!: The Marvels) and women will show up in the theaters. I just
    doesn't work that way.


    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ubiquitous@weberm@polaris.net to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 04:30:42 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    thetruemelissa@gmail.com wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    I screwed up someone's YouTube algorithm by watching MXC and Hard Cut
    reviews.
    --
    Democrats and the liberal media hate President Trump more than they
    love this country.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ubiquitous@weberm@polaris.net to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 04:30:43 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    thetruemelissa@gmail.com wrote:
    arthur@alum.calberkeley.org did deliver unto us this message:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a
    commercial for this.

    Yeah, it's on Amazon Prime. No extra charge; you can watch it if you
    have Prime.

    Is that the show about people who get their mind erased for their job?
    --
    Democrats and the liberal media hate President Trump more than they
    love this country.

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The True Melissa@thetruemelissa@gmail.com to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 06:48:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Verily, in article <111tb5p$765j$3@dont-email.me>, did
    weberm@polaris.net deliver unto us this message:

    thetruemelissa@gmail.com wrote:
    arthur@alum.calberkeley.org did deliver unto us this message:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a
    commercial for this.

    Yeah, it's on Amazon Prime. No extra charge; you can watch it if you
    have Prime.

    Is that the show about people who get their mind erased for their job?

    It's about dying people being converted into digital life. They live in
    a virtual resort which is supposed to be like a heaven. It's all highly commercialized, though.
    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 10:28:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
    On 6/28/26 8:00 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:

    Ian J. Ball <ijball@mac.invalid> wrote:
    On 6/28/26 7:13 AM, The True Melissa wrote:

    What did everyone else watch?

    Aside from the last games of the group stage of the World Cup? I watched >>> two movies, an ep of DOOL and GH, and the penultimate episode of season
    #3 of "The Gilded Age".

    [snip]
    Madame Web (Disney+) - I decided to "cleanse my palate" after
    "Undertone" with something completely different! And also to "celebrate" >>> the utter box office bomb that is "Supergirl" (2026), with the previous
    superhero "box office bomb", "Madame Webb"!
    The good news? I thought Dakota Johnson was quite decent in this,
    and this wasn't the "worst acting in the world" (though, now that I
    think about it, when I read this kind of thing on Reddit, it's about
    Johnson's acting *generally*, not necessarily her acting in "Madame Web" >>> specifically).
    And this flick was entertaining enough I guess.
    The bad news?... Well, I can see why people had lots of problems
    with this film.
    The first issue is that this film probably would have worked better
    if they hadn't loaded Johnson, as Cassandra Webb (see? the name is
    clever!! Prophet+Spider Property!!), down with the three younger
    supporting leads (Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced
    (aka. Isabela Moner - who, to the best of my recollection, is one of the >>> few actresses who has appeared in both the MCU and the DCEU!)) - I
    thought Johnson's character was vaguely interesting with a decent
    backstory, but the three teens just distract and detract from that.
    Warning!
    Spoilers
    Be
    Below!
    The second issue is that this particular origin story is a huge
    ginormous downer. The three teens don't even get their powers by the end >>> of the film. (So, this entire film is basically just "set up"?!?!!) But
    worse is what happens to Cassandra Webb - Her "reward" for saving the
    three sullen teens from the film's homicidal 'Big Bad' is... to be made
    blind and paralyzed?!!
    So, the film ends up a huge downer because Cassandra is basically
    punished for trying to be a hero.
    Yeah, no one is going to want to see a sequel to this! Not even me!!
    It's clear that both Marvel and DC (specifically, Sony, in this
    case) have to abandon the idea of basing superhero flicks around obscure >>> superheros from their catalogues and expecting them to do well at the
    box office - no one is clamoring to see a "Madame Web" (or a
    "Supergirl") film. (Marvel and DC also need to dispense with the idea
    that superhero flicks are ever going to draw in female audiences, so
    they should probably forget about basing superhero flicks around any
    other female superhero aside from Wonder Woman.)
    Anyway, "Madame Web" wasn't nearly as terrible as I have been led to
    believe. But it is definitely flawed, and they should almost certainly
    have not based a film around this particular superhero character,
    especially with her "origin story" being such a downer.

    I didnrCOt mind it, but I wouldnrCOt have cared if I missed it

    I think I liked it a little more than that as, for one thing, it proved
    to me that Dakota Johnson isn't the worst actress in Hollywood like
    everyone has been saying!

    and I feel the
    same about the comic book property, there seems to be no point whatsoever
    in any of this Mystic spider back history nonsense.

    Yes, I feel that is a solid take. Luckily, the "Extended Spider-Man Universe" of films is very much dead now, so we will be spared any more
    of these (unless they try to do a Spider-Gwen flick or something...).

    I do think this film would have benefited from either, 1) *no* teen
    girls, or 2) a lot less of them.

    But this gets back to Marvel and Disney thinking they can just throw a
    bunch of female leads at a superhero movie (see, for example - or
    don't!: The Marvels) and women will show up in the theaters. I just
    doesn't work that way.

    I am amazed we havenrCOt done much with Mayday, Peter and Mary Jane spider daughter.
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 10:28:34 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
    thetruemelissa@gmail.com wrote:
    arthur@alum.calberkeley.org did deliver unto us this message:
    On 6/28/2026 8:10 AM, shawn wrote:
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload.

    Is the show called Upload? Is it on Amazon? I think maybe I saw a
    commercial for this.

    Yeah, it's on Amazon Prime. No extra charge; you can watch it if you
    have Prime.

    Is that the show about people who get their mind erased for their job?


    No, itrCOs about the digital afterlife.

    There are several show shows with the same title.
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Arthur Lipscomb@arthur@alum.calberkeley.org to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 11:38:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    On 6/28/2026 8:00 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
    Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 11:01 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    This is a two-day catchup.

    That should cut the mustard

    What did everyone else watch?

    Hey, thanks for asking!

    I watched THE THING.
    Then I watched THE THING.
    And to round out my viewing, I watched THE THING.





    I like The Thing. And I also like The Thing, although I wish they had
    kept the practical effects instead of replacing them with CGI. The
    Thing on the other hand, whenever I think of it, I'm reminded of the
    movie "Creature" referencing it as a "space carrot."


    ThererCOs a story about the 1982 film that childrCOs drinks a Molotov cocktail

    This took me a second. I was thinking there are no children in the 1982 version. ;-)

    at the end and doesnrCOt notice which means herCOs the thing. I did some research and asked two of my friends that are experts and apparently this
    is just a weird fan conspiracy theory that carpenter has denied. Plus, Mac was about to take a swig out of the bottle himself when childrCOs showed up and surprised him.

    I would like to see the 2011 film in its original form but I donrCOt know that anybody ever has in which case I donrCOt know how theyrCOre complaining about it.


    It was originally filmed using practical effects. The test screenings
    were with the original practical effects. Some complained the practical effects looked too 80s, so the suits replaced all the effects with CGI.
    And apparently, the studio also made they cut the character development
    scenes too. :-/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(2011_film)#Studio_mandated_reshoots


    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DgPO2kENVvQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAWfrfIbgMY



    I love the 1951 version. I donrCOt know how the hell they got that block of ice into the airplane! Trivia question: do you know the name of the
    airplane?


    Surely, you can't be serious asking a question like that. I have no idea.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From anim8rfsk@anim8rfsk@cox.net to rec.arts.tv on Mon Jun 29 14:26:44 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 8:00 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
    Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
    On 6/28/2026 11:01 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    This is a two-day catchup.

    That should cut the mustard

    What did everyone else watch?

    Hey, thanks for asking!

    I watched THE THING.
    Then I watched THE THING.
    And to round out my viewing, I watched THE THING.





    I like The Thing. And I also like The Thing, although I wish they had
    kept the practical effects instead of replacing them with CGI. The
    Thing on the other hand, whenever I think of it, I'm reminded of the
    movie "Creature" referencing it as a "space carrot."


    ThererCOs a story about the 1982 film that childrCOs drinks a Molotov cocktail


    AutoCorrect would not let me capitalize his name or drop the apostrophe

    This took me a second. I was thinking there are no children in the 1982 version. ;-)

    at the end and doesnrCOt notice which means herCOs the thing. I did some
    research and asked two of my friends that are experts and apparently this
    is just a weird fan conspiracy theory that carpenter has denied. Plus, Mac >> was about to take a swig out of the bottle himself when childrCOs showed up >> and surprised him.

    I would like to see the 2011 film in its original form but I donrCOt know
    that anybody ever has in which case I donrCOt know how theyrCOre complaining >> about it.


    It was originally filmed using practical effects. The test screenings
    were with the original practical effects. Some complained the practical effects looked too 80s, so the suits replaced all the effects with CGI.
    And apparently, the studio also made they cut the character development scenes too. :-/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(2011_film)#Studio_mandated_reshoots


    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DgPO2kENVvQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAWfrfIbgMY



    Thanks for the links!


    I love the 1951 version. I donrCOt know how the hell they got that block of >> ice into the airplane! Trivia question: do you know the name of the
    airplane?


    Surely, you can't be serious asking a question like that. I have no idea.


    Tropical Tilly! ThererCOs a shot of the plane where you can see the name written and a cartoon of Tilly herself right under the cockpit like a World
    War II bomber. :) and IrCOve asked you before not to call me Shirley.
    --
    The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From marika@marika5000@gmail.com to rec.arts.tv on Thu Jul 2 02:14:27 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload. It remains both goofy/quirky and thoughtful. This time, Nathan is sent out to meet some of the other
    uploads. Meanwhile, Nora (the "angel" assigned to monitor him, and the
    real love interest) has to get her star rating higher, or her evil boss won't approve an upload for her father. Nathan's living girlfriend is
    still officially his SO, and while she's shallow, she doesn't seem to be
    a bad person in this episode. She even goes to rent a sex suit so they
    can interact physically, though she bails in disgust when she realizes
    what else has gone on in those suits.

    We learn that Nathan has some holes in his memory, including a complete blank on the name of the app he co-developed. This app was going to make uploading free for everyone, and it's now suspected that Horizon
    arranged for his death. His still-living partner had better be careful.

    I also watched another Best Medicine, in which Martin once again ticks
    off the entire town. He has a talent for that.

    On Saturday, I watched two more Uploads. The first shows us a test of
    the first *download* -- someone previously uploaded is being placed into
    a cloned body. It goes poorly. We also see Nathan's funeral. Ingrid
    remains a borderline character; she's disgusted when one of Nathan's
    friends hits on her at the funeral, but she also threatens to delete
    Nathan when he complains that his own funeral is all about what *she* wanted. Nathan quickly agreed that she was right, he should be more grateful, and she should do whatever she wanted.

    The second developed events at Horizon Lakeview, but also focused more
    on Ingrid. She met a child who asked why her family is so mean to each other, and at first she defended her family, but then she threw them all
    out and began reconsidering her life. This is a particularly interesting development since the reporter has found evidence that Ingrid *may* have known about Nathan's murder. At this point, we're kind of assuming it
    was murder even though that's unproven.

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    What did everyone else watch?



    I decided to watch some Karl Urban.


    I finished The Loft, which was much better than the rating.
    And he was good in it, but the part wasnrCOt all that meaty

    Then i watched the last Reacher which was awful.
    I absolutely hate the character and the actor

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From marika@marika5000@gmail.com to rec.arts.tv on Thu Jul 2 02:15:35 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.tv

    shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:
    On Sun, 28 Jun 2026 10:13:48 -0400, The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    This is a two-day catchup.

    On Friday, I watched a second Upload. It remains both goofy/quirky and
    thoughtful. This time, Nathan is sent out to meet some of the other
    uploads. Meanwhile, Nora (the "angel" assigned to monitor him, and the
    real love interest) has to get her star rating higher, or her evil boss
    won't approve an upload for her father. Nathan's living girlfriend is
    still officially his SO, and while she's shallow, she doesn't seem to be
    a bad person in this episode. She even goes to rent a sex suit so they
    can interact physically, though she bails in disgust when she realizes
    what else has gone on in those suits.

    We learn that Nathan has some holes in his memory, including a complete
    blank on the name of the app he co-developed. This app was going to make
    uploading free for everyone, and it's now suspected that Horizon
    arranged for his death. His still-living partner had better be careful.

    I also watched another Best Medicine, in which Martin once again ticks
    off the entire town. He has a talent for that.

    On Saturday, I watched two more Uploads. The first shows us a test of
    the first *download* -- someone previously uploaded is being placed into
    a cloned body. It goes poorly. We also see Nathan's funeral. Ingrid
    remains a borderline character; she's disgusted when one of Nathan's
    friends hits on her at the funeral, but she also threatens to delete
    Nathan when he complains that his own funeral is all about what *she*
    wanted. Nathan quickly agreed that she was right, he should be more
    grateful, and she should do whatever she wanted.

    The second developed events at Horizon Lakeview, but also focused more
    on Ingrid. She met a child who asked why her family is so mean to each
    other, and at first she defended her family, but then she threw them all
    out and began reconsidering her life. This is a particularly interesting
    development since the reporter has found evidence that Ingrid *may* have
    known about Nathan's murder. At this point, we're kind of assuming it
    was murder even though that's unproven.

    I also took in another Best Medicine, in which another mysterious
    illness strikes, and meanwhile a wilderness survival instructor liked by
    many ladies has vanished in the wilderness. The scenes with the
    instructor and his students were too silly for me, but I'm still
    enjoying it overall.

    What did everyone else watch?

    I watched the movie, ALEX CROSS. Alex is a detective assigned to work
    a case of mass murder in fancy home. A young woman was killed along
    with a number of body guards. Alex figures out that it was a single
    killer that was after information stored inside a laptop. The
    detectives determine that the killer is likely working up the food
    chain of the company when detective Alex works out a clue hidden in a
    drawing the killer left behind.

    So they rush to the location of the next victim to disrupt the killer,
    much to their regret. As this killer decides to take revenge on the
    people that interrupted his assassination. He then proceeds to take
    out
    Alex's wife and the female partner of Alex and his other partner.
    Giving both detectives an extra incentive to go after the assassin.

    BTW I should add that the assassin is played by Matthew Fox. He
    clearly has been spending a lot of time in the gym before filming as
    he has the sort of cut physique that only hours of gym time can give.
    He plays the assassin as the cold sort that is also on the edge of
    destroying everything around him in a fit of rage. Which fits with his striking out at the detectives after they ruined his plan.

    It was a movie that wasn't on my list until I ran across a short over
    on Youtube from the movie showing the assassin pulling off a murder
    that require precise timing by everyone involved, victim and killer.

    What did you watch?


    Continuing on with Karl Urban,

    Now I am watching Star TrekBeyond, which is the third in the reboot with
    Chris Pine.
    So far it is the best of the three and McCoy has a much much larger role
    and Urban is so good in this one that i forget it is Urban.

    He was just copying deforrest kelly in the other two
    He finally made the character his own

    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2