I’ll start: “Happy Death Day”
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is always a good mention.
It’s a fun and very accessible movie.
I may be biased, as an RPG nerd, but man, they hit all the notes so damn well. That was such a good movie.
Which is precisely the problem: I am not, and not only was I mildly bored, I also found the narrative to be just plain incoherent. It was obvious to me the story was driven by some Reference Guide on RPG stuff, and not on captivating an audience.
I guess it hit every nail on the head. That’s all it hit, actually.
Yeah, the entire story follows the major beats of a group of people playing DND. Everything that happens would be familiar to a player. Your party always gets captured and thrown in a prison from where you must escape. Dungeon Masters (the people running the game) will frequently introduce an overpowered “helper” NPC to move the party along in the right direction, but that character won’t engage in the fights. Parties will find several puzzles that the DM has spent hours creating, only for the party to use some magic or tool in a creative way to bypass the entire puzzle.
To someone expecting standard fantasy storytelling, it’s jarring and weird. The anachronistic language, the character decisions that don’t make sense, the magic artifacts that seem to just happen to be exactly what the party needs in the moment, it’s all stuff that would happen around a table in someone’s basement. It helps to think of each character as a regular person you know today playing a game where they make all the decisions for the character. Convenient contrivances or frustrating failures are the DM having fun with the story. Sometimes the dice rolls 20 and you do something miraculous, and sometimes you roll a 1, trip over a pebble and stab yourself in the face.
You don’t have to be a dnd player to enjoy the movie, but you do need to understand the lens through which you’re watching it. Otherwise, the tone and pacing seem really strange.
I sometimes like to pride myself on my ability to take a different viewpoint, but today it’s absolutely failing me, lol. I really thought this was a movie everyone could at least enjoy.
I guess it hit every nail on the head. That’s all it hit, actually.
That’s a fascinating statement. Could you elaborate a bit?
Not much to it outside of trying to convey “perfect by RPG standards, tropes and parameters (probably)”, but failed to “hit” me in any way.
Watching it, I was expecting to see something akin to a Franchise movie, where you may miss a bit or two if you’re not in on all the lore. But I was also expecting true entertainment with striking visuals, gripping storytelling, stuff like that
Imagine watching a spy movie. 20% in you have adversarial hierarchy, 30% in the car chase, 66% in the romantic pause, 80% in the unexpected traitor, 95% in the final hand-to-hand fight to avert the end of the universe or whatever… And it’s boring, but everybody around you is telling you it was so great because it’s got it all, the car chase the traitor the, the.
Doesn’t make a good movie.
On the contrary, the best part about it is that it’s not a compilation of references the audience is supposed to already know about. It’s just a fun adventure movie. The reason the RPG crowd sing it praises is that in addition, if you know how to read it, the actual plot is “girlfriend is curious about what we’re all doing every Tuesday evening”
I thought it might be a stupid movie to hate watch but I enjoyed it. The bread crumb trail quest line type of movie scratched the itch for me.
I never played d&d or any games of that style, and probably missed out on a bunch of the catered moments, but I still enjoyed it very much
Agreed. Also doesn’t hurt that I enjoyed Pine when he played Kirk
It’s very much worth watching the older dnd movies just to see how amazingly bad they were(i still like the first one they did but acknowledge how bad it is)
I just went and watched it for the first time because of this message. FANTASTIC movie! Excellent recommendation!
Good call! Wife and I watched that one on a whim, thinking it would be a good “bad” movie to watch while having a few drinks and were pleasantly surprised!
You probably need be at least familiar with RPG/fantasy tropes to fully enjoy it, but it definitely felt like it came from a place of love and self-awareness, rather than the cynical cash-grab I was expecting.
Pine as a character and narrator def carried a lot of the weight.
Absolutely loved that movie. It’s mixture of slapstick humor and melodrama are a perfect representation of actual D&D.
I don’t rewatch movies unless its been a few years and I really enjoyed.
Ive provably watched that movie 10x by now. Jarnathan would know what I’m saying if he were here.
And the 80s Dungeons and Dragons movie is… well, it has Tim Curry.
This movie took me completely by surprise by how good it was. I feel like you could tell everyone involved had experience playing TTRPGs, from the director, to the writer(s), all the way down to the catering crew!
Although the interviews with the cast are hilarious just because Hugh Grant doesn’t have a single clue about DnD but also couldn’t give a single fuck about it.
Should he need to? He’s an actor. He can pretend to know what he is doing.
No, of course not. But it’s funny how he openly admits to his ignorance. He still gives a great performance and was obviously very well liked by the rest of the cast.
One of the best movies of the year for me, and I was expecting hot garbage.
spoiler
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I loved the 5 questions.
Tremors
Looks like a B movie, cheesy horror flick.
It’s got a great cast with supurb acting. The script is easily one of the tightest ever written. Every line is important to the overall story. And it’s just fun to watch.
Omg, Tremors…I haven’t watched it in years. That was such a good movie.
The first sequel is so so, but the others that are all centered around Burt Gummer are plenty of silly fun too.
Came here to say exactly this. Only commented cause I can’t upvote twice.
There’s also Tremors 2: Aftershocks.
Plus there’s Tremors 3: Back to Perfection.
Followed by Tremors 4: The Legend Begins.
Then Tremors 5: Bloodlines.
Don’t forget Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell.
One might think Tremors: Shrieker Island, AKA Tremors 7: Island Furry (I spelled that wrong on purpose, it has nothing to do with furries) would be enough for Michael Gross to quit his acting career but how else was he going to pay for his ludicrous railroad memorabilia obsession and also the railroad he owns and the ‘safety first when crossing railroad tracks’ campaign?
So no, it didn’t end there. They kept the franchise going, choo! choo! with the imaginatively titled television series, Tremors: The Series.
If you skip the credits, you can watch all of it in less than 24 hours.
If you skip the credits, you can watch all of it in less than 24 hours.
LMAO, any Tremors fan around here?
No, but what else are you going to do stuck up power pylon.
I’m still waiting for a Tremors vs Critters vs Gremlins movie. We have the technology to make it but what would Hollywood do after such a masterpiece? It would be pointless to make movies after that, none could ever top it.
Clue
Movie based on a board game? Blegh
But it’s awesome. Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Lesley Ann Warren
It is then we’re reminded of the ability of good writers and performers to take even a low-potential idea and fucking kill it. With a pen. In the study.
Having John Landis write the story didn’t hurt.
I also expected a disaster. I wasn’t prepared for how entertaining it was!
Absolutely one of my favorite movies
This is top 3 of all time for me. There is so much happening in every scene you can watch it multiple times and still catch little jokes or sight gags each viewing.
No matter how many times I see it I can never figure out if it was 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 or 1 + 2 + 1 + 1.
It was 1+2+1+1 or 1+2+2+1
Unless Scarlett is right!
Tucker and Dave vs. Evil. Looks like another dumb Netflix original, but it was one of the best horror/comedies I’ve seen.
Speaking of the genre, big nods to another one - Little Evil.
It Follows - just read the premise of the film and tell me it doesn’t sound dumb… Then go watch it
Oh and Colossal!!! Ann Hathaway stars in this bizarre and very deep movie about a giant monster that can be controlled from a playground. Amazing movie. Trust me
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil! Amazing movie! I put it on one day just so I could check it off my list of new things out and, figured if I love the Evil Dead series (and also, as someone else mentioned in the thread, the Re-Animator) how awful could this be… it wasn’t. It was fantastic.
Enjoyed Little Evil too. So, I’m putting Colossal on my list right now!
I think Colossal will surprise you. It’s not exactly a horror comedy, but a very serious film wrapped in a ridiculous story
Similar vein: Slaxx. I’m not sure how vampire pants fits into things but boy does it start a conversation about using cheap labor for profit and the cost of life for that profit.
I think I wtched it follows, fully expecting to be awestruck and it just ended.
It Follows… Amazing
Colossal was weird, but i liked it. I could see where people would be thinking, what is this and why am I watching it, but it felt like real life to me. For a movie about monster avatars unwittingly being controlled from half a world away, anyway.
Originally, Pirates of the Caribbean. A movie made because of a Disney ride seemed like a stupid idea.
Johnny Depp fucking carries that franchise.
He nailed Jack sparrow so damn hard I can’t picture anyone else in that role. It sets the pace of the movie too.
He not only nailed it so hard no one else can play the role, he nailed it so hard he became synonymous with the role.
I remember people thinking he was crazy when he first stepped into the role and was swaying and shit.
The balls it took to fully immerse yourself like that. Paid off in spades.
The first step off the boat sets the pace.
The first one was my obsession when it came out in dvd
Wait…the movie is based on the ride, not the other way around?
They updated the ride after the movies, so… It’s kind of circular at this point.
Dude, way to make me feel old lol.
The first one was fairly clever in that they had probably 50 years of collective ideas and inspiration to work off of. It’s a story that needed to push no boundaries and hold to established tropes, with no expectations because it was a ride: perfect for Disney.
Now when Disney gets their hands on an established franchise full of expectations…
I just think of it as a live action Monkey Island.
Does that actually work? I have only played the 1st 20 minutes of Monkey Island lol
They have a lot of similarities.
According to wikipedia, Monkey Island was inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and Pirates of the Caribbean was rumored to be based on a cancelled script for a Monkey Island movie.
Battleship.
Yeah, the movie based off the board(?) game.
Feel free to fire up the torches and start handing out the pitchforks, because I’m not playing by the rules.
It doesn’t just look like it will suck, it looks like a ‘so bad it is bad’ type of movie, an overbudgeted ‘this is what is wrong with movies these days’ sort of unmitigated hot wet trash from a dumpster fire in the bad part of town.
It isn’t well written.
It isn’t well acted.
I honestly can’t even promise a good time.
These are the thoughts that went through my mind when I read about it before watching: “This is going to be awful and a waste of my time. These actor names kinda look familiar but I don’t know who any of these people are. Is Rihanna her first name or last name? Isn’t she just a singer. It better not have that stupid umbrella song. Wait, Liam Neeson is in this? Is he doing okay? Did he lose a bet? Does he need money? I bet that evil Jar’jar forced him to to do this. Wait, running time over 2 hours?! How is that even… the board never took more than like 15 minutes… except cheaters moving their… fuck me, I already need a drink.”
Go into the movie with that mindset. Be angry at it before it starts.
I actually liked Rhianna in that film
Edit: downvotes? Is my personal experience somehow incorrect?
It’s quite a bad movie, but it did inspire the creation of my podcast, so I don’t hate it.
I love that premise! I am very good at doing that, turning mundane events into epic movie scenes with no shortage of hyberbole. I have frequently said that adding dramatic music to anything a cat or dog is doing, instantly makes it funnier.
Me and a friend used to do movie reviews but we had the added stipulation that we haad to get drunk while watching the movie and do the review immediately afterwards. A fan requested we do Battleship, which is the sole reason I watched this movie (and probably why I did not hate it outright).
I actually thought adding the alien element probably saved it from being a boring movie about ship combat.
I enjoyed it with a mindset of “This is an unofficial Crysis 1 (PC Game) movie adaption without the power-suit”.
Cop Land.
I didn’t have Sly Stallone outacting Robert Deniro as a possibility, but then that movie happened.
Cop Land is amazing. Most people forget that Stallone has been nominated for three academy awards.
Doom 2005 wasn’t bad.
The FPS sequence made me go
You should check out the movie Hardcore Henry 😉
It was the best part of the entire movie.
It was short, but made sitting through the stupid names and extra chromosome shit worth it.
Oooohhhh, I watched that back then and totally forgot that that movie was even a thing. I think I need to rewatch it
WWF wrestler discovers magic sunglasses and yuppie aliens. It’s a John Carpenter film and has one of the longest fist fights.
Bunraku is one of those movies that has a stellar cast, but no one’s ever heard of it. It’s a revenge movie but it’s over-the-top cheesy and edgy, but in all the good ways. Seriously give it a chance. It’s not a good movie, but it is a fun one.
Oh man I had forgotten this one. It definitely fits the bill. Just so much fun to look at.
Disney’s “The Black Hole”. It came from a time just after Walt Disney had died and they were still figuring out their shit.
So they made an extremely dark SciFi flick with a cute robot that appeals to children which is such a weird combination, but I liked it a lot. I can’t even say why.
The U.S.S. Cygnus looks fucking badass, too. One of the best ship designs in a SciFi movie, change my mind.
Oh yeah that thing is a classic.
A space-ship that’s 60% glass, 20% stiffener bars and 20% normal space-ship stuff,
Perhaps that was transparent aluminum, and not glass.
Then throw an air traffic control tower on top.
Yeah I can only imagine the number of untraceable air leaks in that thing, especially as it ages and the DAP around the glass starts to crack
Smallest of crack in the glass? Flex-Seal
They were trying for their Star Wars.
Disney writer #1: Let’s make a Tower of Babel parable, but set it space!
Disney writer #2: Are we going to end the movie with the antagonist being sent to actual-factual Hell?
Disney writer #1: You fucking know it!
Hamlet 2
A delightful comedy about a bumbling highschool drama teacher writing and directing his magnum opus. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and subversive. The cast is excellent.
The Suicide Squad from 2021. The previous Suicide Squad movie was a disaster and you’re making ANOTHER ONE? That movie had no right to be as entertaining as it was.
Also The Batman. Comic book movie: check. Comic book character that has been done to death: check. Everything has to be grim and dark and realistic: check. When I say “everything has to be dark” I also mean the visuals: check. But it was fine, surprisingly.
James Gunn can make decent cape slop
Super is another good one he did
Super is hilarious. I like how Dwight is just running around hitting people with a wrench.
I thought Dude, Where’s My Car? was very entertaining - maybe not a cinematic masterpiece, but way better than the 9 out of 10 reviews I read that all said it was the worst movie they had ever seen. I’m not exaggerating - they didn’t just say it was bad, I remember nine of the ten literally called it “the worst movie I’ve ever seen.”
I used to love that movie, went to try and rewatch it recently and was hit with a blast of early 2000’s casual transphobia. Couldn’t keep watching after, it put a really sour taste in my mouth.
It’s amazing how much transphobia there was in that time.
And then?
No and then.
ink. looks cheap and weird but has a huge heart and vision.
