TheAlterBridgeNation.com

zazthespaz wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 10:43 am
SPOILERS for EP 1:

I don't see the entertainment value in A) watching a gambling addict's life fall apart so fast that he B) sells himself for physical abuse that then turns into C) a 5 minute slow-mo sequence of people getting shot who are supposedly just as desperate as the protagonist (After minute two of the first game and people getting shot, the point was made and then needlessly dragged out IMO). It seems like The Hunger Games with more gore but smaller victory. (One human life gets to go back to normal in Squid Games vs thousands getting a better life in The Hunger Games) It's just disturbing in my opinion, especially given how depressing and sad the past year and a half has been.

I have absolutely no desire to watch this show and this just solidifies why.

Love the harmonies on the chorus and bridge here. Deen Castronovo, heck of a drummer and a singer.

Micky wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 2:10 pm

zazthespaz wrote: ↑Tue Oct 05, 2021 10:43 am
SPOILERS for EP 1:

I don't see the entertainment value in A) watching a gambling addict's life fall apart so fast that he B) sells himself for physical abuse that then turns into C) a 5 minute slow-mo sequence of people getting shot who are supposedly just as desperate as the protagonist (After minute two of the first game and people getting shot, the point was made and then needlessly dragged out IMO). It seems like The Hunger Games with more gore but smaller victory. (One human life gets to go back to normal in Squid Games vs thousands getting a better life in The Hunger Games) It's just disturbing in my opinion, especially given how depressing and sad the past year and a half has been.

I have absolutely no desire to watch this show and this just solidifies why.

Same. My wife started watching it tonight and I could only ask why.

I just finished 5 seasons of Breaking Bad. My coworker and I can now have endless conversation about the fictional meth lord.

It was good! I’m glad Jessie lived but the poor guy’s quality of life is going to be subpar.

MaraCarr wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:42 pm I just finished 5 seasons of Breaking Bad. My coworker and I can now have endless conversation about the fictional meth lord.

It was good! I’m glad Jessie lived but the poor guy’s quality of life is going to be subpar.

Now you've gotta watch Better Call Saul and El Camino

Ok I was looking for a new series. I’ve definitely taken a liking to binge watching Netflix on my own time!

Joella and I just saw No Time To Die, the newest Bond flick! Being Craig’s last outing, I went into this a bit bittersweet. However I was blown away. A fantastic ending to the Craig Era of Bond and far more emotional than I expected!

I’m watching El Camino.

Been watching What We Do in the Shadows on Hulu/FX and it's absolutely hilarious. I saw people talking about it for months on Twitter and gave it a shot and I've been laughing out loud at every episode. It's a fake documentary comedy series about centuries-old vampires living in the United States and their day-to-day lives and they don't hold back making it. Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords is one of the creators along with Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit) so it's kind of an alt-comedy which is my style. I definitely recommend it if you don't mind a little vulgarity.

There's a spinoff I don't remember if I've mentioned or not called Wellington Paranormal about two cops in New Zealand investigating paranormal activity. Supposed to be a spoof of X-Files and it cracks me up too. The main characters are apparently from the What We Do in the Shadows movie which I've never seen, but I suggest watching it too.

started watching The Rookie on Disney+ recently

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:31 pm started watching The Rookie on Disney+ recently

You know that just because Nathan Fillion is in it doesn’t mean Stana Katic is, right?

zazthespaz wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:29 pm

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:31 pm started watching The Rookie on Disney+ recently

You know that just because Nathan Fillion is in it doesn’t mean Stana Katic is, right?

Yes I know.

Its just cuz in my friends group on Discord, one of them is a fan of characters that Nathan Fillion plays since the Firefly days and started watching stuff he's in more recently and another friend of mine in that group was a fan of Stana Katic so I watched Castle cuz both of those actors were in it. And I watched Absentia cause Stana was in it..now Im watching The Rookie cuz Nathan is in it

Dan Dando wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:00 pm

MaraCarr wrote: ↑Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:42 pm I just finished 5 seasons of Breaking Bad. My coworker and I can now have endless conversation about the fictional meth lord.

It was good! I’m glad Jessie lived but the poor guy’s quality of life is going to be subpar.

Now you've gotta watch Better Call Saul and El Camino

It's all good, man.

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:06 pm

zazthespaz wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 4:29 pm

SHEAKENBAKEN wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 3:31 pm started watching The Rookie on Disney+ recently

You know that just because Nathan Fillion is in it doesn’t mean Stana Katic is, right?

Yes I know.

Its just cuz in my friends group on Discord, one of them is a fan of characters that Nathan Fillion plays since the Firefly days and started watching stuff he's in more recently and another friend of mine in that group was a fan of Stana Katic so I watched Castle cuz both of those actors were in it. And I watched Absentia cause Stana was in it..now Im watching The Rookie cuz Nathan is in it

Yay for Firefly!

Stana...shudder.

Just finished Season 3 of YOU. Whoa. That show just gets more and more twisted. I almost feel bad for enjoying it so much.

So after watching No Time To Die, I decided that I was going to watch the Bond series from beginning to end (excluding the Casino Royale parody from the 60s as well as the 80's film Never Say Never Again since it is not official canon. However, I do enjoy both for what they are)

I'm watching them during the "era's" of each actor. So I'm just about to wrap up the Connery films (I'm including George Lazenby's film here as it was just a one off in a script initially intended for Connery) and they are quite varied in terms of quality, for sure.

I'll just give a warning here that as a classic film buff, I love older movies and tend to appreciate films for their time period as well as their quality. For example, a film like It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite films of all time as I think it was way ahead of its time but also tells a coherent story.

Dr. No (1962)

Being the first film in the franchise, I can see why audiences back then loved this movie, but it really didn't do much to wow me. Even though I appreciate and respect what it has done to cinema history, it's somewhat clunky and the tarantula scene just felt silly to me. Connery is still finding the character and the script didn't feel complete.

6/10

From Russia With Love (1963)

When I was a kid, a video game based on this movie with Sean Connery returning to voice Bond was released on the XBOX. I was ecstatic even though I had never seen the film. So my dad bought me the movie on DVD so the film is a bit nostalgic for me. While it has some problems, I think this movie is really good. It tells a great espionage story during the Cold War and has some exceptionally well done action scenes for the time.

8/10

Goldfinger (1964)

This is the Connery Bond film. One of the greatest villains in history, one of the most memorable henchman in history (Don't pick Oddjob, he's too powerful!) and Connery as peak Bond make this my favorite of the Connery films.

However, I am a bit uncomfortable with one scene in particular where Bond has a woman pinned down in a hay pile and proceeds to start kissing her even though she is resisting. I know that these films haven't particularly aged well with their representation of women, but something about this scene really bugs me

9/10

Thunderball (1965)

I think this is the film that suffers the most for me in terms of its age. While the story is quite good and the acting is great, the action scenes , in particular the underwater scenes really don't hold up to me. I find them boring. The action scenes really drag the film down for me. I also think the special effects are quite off putting, but I don't really hold them against the film. The opening scene looks great for the time, but it does nothing to really excite me as a viewer.

7/10

You Only Live Twice (1967)

This is the film I am most torn on. On one hand, it created some of the greatest "evil villain" tropes of all time. The action scenes are fun and the finale feels like the final Bond film aside from the cliffhanger ending. However, there is some seriously strange choices made in this film that really bug me. Spoiler alert for a 54 year old movie: In one scene, this group of Ninjas tells Bond he has to become "Japanese" in order to successfully infiltrate a building. Yet, when they "transform him", he's just Sean Connery with a different toupe. It's a really strange and awkward choice.

The story is also just kind of meh. Nothing crazy to it.

Speaking of Connery, you can tell he's done with the role at this point. He looks bored, uninterested and even his line delivery feels tired. From what I read online, he was outwardly angry on set that he was still playing the role and wished to be done. It's a shame because I think with a few tweaks on the script and him more energized, this could have been one of the best.

6/10

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Often considered the black sheep of the Bond franchise, OHMSS is a damn good movie. George Lazenby does the best he can with taking over from Connery and having no acting experience. It's amazing to me how good he is in the role. He did a documentary for Hulu that I HIGHLY recommend called "Becoming Bond" that tells his life story and all that. You really learn a lot from it and it certainly gives me a new perspective and appreciation for his portrayal.

The film is really well put together. From story, to action and even emotional scenes, it's a top to bottom classic film. There's some issues with the special effects, but if you can get past that, it's easily one of my top 5 favorite Bond films of all time. It's a shame that Lazenby didn't continue with the role, as I thought he did really well.

9/10

Diamonds are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery is back after a one movie break and the results are...mixed. Connery looks a bit out of shape here and his toupe is just horrible. He seems a bit more interested than he did in his last film, I just wish he had a better script. The movie is kind of all over the place with a "It's a sequel to the last film, but not really" mentality. The film is almost exclusively set in Las Vegas, which sounds great, but ultimately makes the film look a bit stale and tired by the end of it.

I think what hurts the film the most was that it's so strange to see Connery return for just ONE more film. If you skip this one, it doesn't really matter because it basically pretends the prior film doesn't happen and the next film is with a new actor and a new tone. There's no real reason for this one and I probably won't be in a rush to watch it again.

6.5/10

I have a bit of a longer venture coming to me with the Roger Moore era of Bond and truthfully, I'm not really looking forward to it, but hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised!

Awesome post, Micky! Hope you can get through everything and keep us updated.

Be sure to watch this unofficial Bond flick as well, Micky

Really enjoying watching this fellow's channel after discovering him via the Myles Kennedy interview. Lots of good content on there.

Micky wrote: ↑Thu Oct 21, 2021 12:45 pm I have a bit of a longer venture coming to me with the Roger Moore era of Bond and truthfully, I'm not really looking forward to it, but hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised!

Ooof. The Roger Moore stuff just gets a little silly for me. He sticks around too long as well, his age starts to become a little unbelievable.

The series starts to come back firing on all cylinders when Timothy Dalton is involved though. Those I'm sure you'll enjoy. The Brosnan run is better than it gets credit for too. I'll be interested to read your reviews of that.