Topic: Movie thread.

It's time for my Cinema Nihongo Thursday update (yeah, I know I'm a few days late)! Cinema Nihongo gets spooky in October, so this week I watched Ring of Curse (Netflix/Japanese language film)!

Set in a high school, a bullied girl decides to get revenge on her bullies when she discovers how to kill with words. Hiding her curse in rough drafts of the school play, emails, & more, she kills off her bullies one by one. Later revealed that her hatred goes far beyond the school grounds, it's up to a fellow classmate to find out how to stop the curse for good.

Horror isn't my preferred genre, but I figured I'd try some Japanese ones out since Netflix has 3 of them (they had 5, but lost the rights to the two Ju-On movies as soon as October hit, terrible timing). This particular movie was low budget, but a decent watch. It's nothing mind blowing, but I'd say it's at least worth a try, especially around this time of year.

I watched Quest for Fire (Netflix).

I ran across this on Netflix & remembered it being mentioned on an episode of I Love the 80's I saw years ago, so I decided what the heck.

It centers on a group of cavemen who are sent out into the world to find fire, after their tribe's is extinguished in an attack. While there is no intelligible dialog, it's actually quite easy to follow, as they struggle to survive against the threats of the world like saber toothed cats (how they got those fake teeth on those lions I'll never know), bears, a cannibalistic rival tribe, and more. It's not bad, but not great either. More of a curiosity than anything (definitely not for young audiences, either).

I'm watching the movie right now called Blade Trinty

It's Cinema Nihongo Thursday! This week I watched Gun Woman (Netflix/Japanese language film).

It centers around a former prostitute who is being molded into an expert assassin in order to kill the morbidly eccentric son of a Yakuza bigwig. Interestingly enough, there's just as much English spoken as Japanese, since it's set in the western US.

It's low budget, but surprisingly not terrible. Now, it's not great, and the raw brutality will definitely turn some off (I had to look away on more than one occasion), but it managed to hold my attention to the end.

Earlier today I watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 (DVD).

A fun popcorn flick, it was perfect for a Saturday afternoon. I especially liked the car chase down the slopes, which was energetic & over the top in all the right ways.

As a disclaimer, I'm not someone who grew up with the series in it's heyday, so I have no nostalgic connection to the characters. Because of that, I have no clue how accurately the film portrayed the world, so I can't judge it on that.

Watched Saints & Soldiers (Netflix).

A WWII film about a small group of allied soldiers stuck behind enemy lines in German occupied France, and they have to find their way back to allied controled territory.

It's nothing revolutionary, but it has a great cast, and like all the other Saints & Soldiers films (which are all on Netflix), it is a very solid WWII film, and who doesn't like a good WWII film every once in awhile?

The Martian was very good. one of my favorite films

The Martian is AMAZING! Please go and see it if it interests you.

@Mario90125:

a 79? To be quite honest, that is way way...more than i expected. I thought it would be like one of those crappy kids movies amid one trying to appeal to nostalgia

It's Cinema Nihongo Thursday! This week I watched Like Father, Like Son (Netflix/Japanese language film).

Two families (one living in the big city with a stern salaryman father, the other who have a fun loving father & live in the suburbs running a small family owned electronic repair shop) realize that their sons were switched at birth, and have to make the tough decision on whether or not to keep the child they've been raising, or to take in their blood related children.

It's not the kind of movie within my normal comfort zone, but I'm glad I branched out. Though it focuses more on the family with the salaryman father, it really makes you feel for both sides, and you're never really quite sure how it'll end up, or even how you personally want it to end.

Tonight I watched American Pie (Netflix).

Definitely ADULT ONLY, but I actually liked it well enough, even though raunchy comedies aren't something I often watch. I've seen the newest entry in the series before, but this the first time I've watched the original.

I saw Crimson Peak the other night, I love Del Toro films as it's always a feast for the eyes and I really liked the old skool gothic/horror thriller vibe, I think it's because I've gotten bored of the state of modern thriller-horror so this came off as refreshing.

I saw Donnie Darko (2001), what a crazy film. It's about a troubled teenager who has visions of a man with a bunny suit, who tells him to do things, like flooding a school. The storyline is very complex (and insane).

I'd say it's less complex and more just made up it as goes along, I remeber listening to the director talk about it on a podcast and he hasn't got a clue about it.

If you think that's complicated watch the AWFUL sequel.

You should probably watch the original with John Wayne, as I imagine it's much, much better (haven't seen the new one, but the original is a certified classic).

TBH, I'm not much into John Wayne films (or westerns in general) due to over saturation (it seemed like that's all my dad ever watched when I was a kid), but for some reason the original True Grit is the only exception to that.

I saw Jurassic World recently and thought it was decent.

On another note, just watched the Star Wars trailer and I am hyped for the movie.

It's Cinema Nihongo Thursday! This week I watched Sadako (Netflix/Japanese language film).

Horror film where a teacher & a police detective are investigating into mysterious suicides sweeping the area (mostly teens, students of the teacher) that are rumored to be linked to a cursed viral video. It's never truly terrifying, rather mostly tense & moody, with some jump scares sprinkled in throughout, with some special effects that border on campy (I'm leaning towards intentional). A decent watch for this time of year.

I had the extra time tonight, so I watched Alexander (Netflix).

A 3 hour long epic about the life of Alexander the Great, it had a grand sense of scale, with an adventure that stretched from around Greece all the way to India, and battles that are larger than life.

I liked it, but it felt long in the tooth at times, and never quite felt like it had that "it" factor that makes a timeless film.

I got tickets to see both The Shining and Shaun of The Dead this Holiday weekend, finally I get to see two of my favorite flicks in theaters!