• Welcome to Talking Time's third iteration! If you would like to register for an account, or have already registered but have not yet been confirmed, please read the following:

    1. The CAPTCHA key's answer is "Percy"
    2. Once you've completed the registration process please email us from the email you used for registration at percyreghelper@gmail.com and include the username you used for registration

    Once you have completed these steps, Moderation Staff will be able to get your account approved.

Movie Time 2.0: TT mini reviews

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

I went with my friend to see LOTR Fellowship in the theater for its 25th anniversary.

I like but don't love LOTRs.

Fellowship is my favorite of the trilogy.

I like the intro to the trilogy; is nice and tight. The intro shows the rings of power being forged and Sauron crafting the one ring in secret. Then there is a brief battle sequence between Sauron, Elrond, and the father of Strider.

I like the horror element of the dark riders chasing after the hobbits. Gandalf and Strider are as cool as I remember them being.

The mines of moria sequence is great. The fight with the Balrog is the apex of the entire trilogy for me.

What doesn't work for me is Peter Jackson's editing. Jackson can shoot action and he can shoot drama (although I think he is stronger with action). What Jackson seems incapable of doing is trimming the fat from his movies. I understand that he is a huge Tolkien fan, but I think Fellowship and all his Middle Earth movies suffer from including most of the plot points from the book in some form.

The version of the movie I saw was 3.5 hours. I think there is a 2 to 2.5 hour edit of the film that would maintain momentum a bit better. Not every film maker is John Carpter making effient action movies, but I wish Jackson would attempt a tigher action movie.

Rating (Out of 5): 💍💍💍1/2
 
Voncaster said:
The version of the movie I saw was 3.5 hours. I think there is a 2 to 2.5 hour edit of the film that would maintain momentum a bit better.
Click to expand...
Well, there literally is. The Anniversary showings are the Extended Editions which, yes, include like an hour extra runtime compared to their original Theatrical releases. Apologies if you already know this.
 
I've always been in the Camp Theatrical Release rather than Camp Extended Editions when it comes to those movies, especially when it comes to Return of the King, which I'm not a huge fan of in either release.

Fellowship is certainly the best of them.
 
YangusKhan said:
Well, there literally is. The Anniversary showings are the Extended Editions which, yes, include like an hour extra runtime compared to their original Theatrical releases. Apologies if you already know this.
Click to expand...

Theatrical cut according to Google is still 3 hours. Yes I saw the 3.5 hour extended cut (Plus Jackson in his living room introducing). I think both cuts are too long.

I'm sure that their are Tolkien fans that love every minute of the extended editions. I'm a fan of the books as well, I just think if you want to make a strong movie, you have to find a way to trim the run time down.

In any case, Fellowship is as I remember it: good not great. The production design, influenced by phenomenal illustrator Alan Lee, still looks great. I'm sure Weta did stuff before this. But this trilogy really put them on the map as a competitor to ILM.

I had maybe a little higher feel the first time I saw it. I do remember watching the Rank and Bass 70s animated thing and it was, IMO, a complete mess. So I do remember the original release feeling like an event, and thinking it was pretty cool that Jackson hit the nail more squarely on the head for an adaption. But time has dulled my enthusiasm for the films.
 
4-So said:
I've always been in the Camp Theatrical Release rather than Camp Extended Editions when it comes to those movies, especially when it comes to Return of the King, which I'm not a huge fan of in either release.

Fellowship is certainly the best of them.
Click to expand...

I for sure think Fellowship is the strongest. I have not seen Two Towers and Return of the King in years.

I feel like all the battle sequences in those movies feel bloated. A trend that continues in the Hobbit, which is probably the worst offender for bloat.

In my head Helms Deep is like a 15-25 minute action set piece. Maybe I'm remember it incorrectly, but it feels long.
 
I always say that Star Wars shows you can tell even an epic story in (just over) two hours; anything more than two and a half is excessive.
 
I got together with a bunch of Tolkien nerds at least one time to watch all three extended editions back to back. It’s an all-day affair at that point, you have to pack in adequate supplies. But we were well prepared and had a good time.
 
Voncaster said:
Theatrical cut according to Google is still 3 hours. Yes I saw the 3.5 hour extended cut (Plus Jackson in his living room introducing). I think both cuts are too long.
Click to expand...
Well shoot, I really thought the Theatrical cut of Fellowship was like, 2.5 hours at most.
 
As in the books, the film takes a long time getting out of the shire. There is also like 30+ minutes after the fight with the Balrog. At that point, you have the climax of the film, and to me it feels like it should get wrapped up more quickly.

I just think there is ample room to cut the film down. You can have the Extended editions for the fans. I think you make the theatrical a little tighter.

Thats just my opinion. I'm sure there are people that love the 3 hour theatrical cut and wouldn't change a thing.
 
When we watched LOTR with the kids a few years ago we did one disc a night. The breaks come at pretty natural points in the story and it worked great.
 
Candyman A Farewell to the Flesh (1995)
Evil Comes when you call his Name

Candyman (1992) is one of my favorite horror movies. So I decided to the give the sequel a spin.

Farewell to the Flesh changes the setting from the projects in Chicago to poorer neighborhoods in New Orleans.

It follows a lot of the same beats as the original film. The Candyman legend is a alive and well in the community. People start to get murdered and its unclear if Candyman or residents are behind the murders. Tony Todd is back playing Candyman, but otherwise the cast is different. The main character is an art teacher who discovers she has a family tie to the Candyman.

I think if you didn't have knowledge of the Candyman (1992), that this would be a pretty good small scale horror movie. But when you compare it to Candyman (1992), it just doesn't measure up. Farewell to the Flesh is less artful, less poetic, and has less sex appeal.

There are aspects of the movie that I like. The New Orleans setting is fun, as it takes place in Mardi Gras. There are some fun colorful costumes in the background for Mardi Gras scenes. There is some good southern gothic scenery: graveyards and mansions. There is also a radio DJ that runs through the whole movie that is counting down time to Ash Wednesday. I like the DJ, the DJ reminds me of the radio DJ in the Warriors.

If you like Gabriel Knight Sins of the Fathers, I think you would have a decent time with this movie. Farewell to the Flesh gave me some Sins of the Fathers vibes.

Rating (Out of 5): 🐝🐝🐝1/2
 
LotR chat - I'm glad people are coming around. I have always un-enjoyed the Extended Editions and the fact they became the defacto versions from about 2006 - ...now? is why I've never rewatched the trilogy in that time. I own them. I honestly tried with FotR Extended. I watched TT extended with a group to ease the pain. I never even unsealed RotK. I guess it's worth stressing I saw each film 3 times in theaters.

Return to Silent Hill - How low does your movie scale go? Go to the that lower rating limit. Dig a hole in the ground until your shovel breaks. Then, claw at the bitter, unyielding dirt until your bleeding fingernails snap off one by one. This movie belongs that low. Probably deeper but you did your best.

EDIT: I want to stress RtSH is that bad BOTH as a movie, AND as a Silent Hill 2 adaptation. It separately, but equally, fails at both goals.
 
Tomm Guycot said:
Return to Silent Hill - How low does your movie scale go? Go to the that lower rating limit. Dig a hole in the ground until your shovel breaks. Then, claw at the bitter, unyielding dirt until your bleeding fingernails snap off one by one. This movie belongs that low. Probably deeper but you did your best.

EDIT: I want to stress RtSH is that bad BOTH as a movie, AND as a Silent Hill 2 adaptation. It separately, but equally, fails at both goals.
Click to expand...
I probably won't pay money to see it so I'll wait for streaming (if that...), but I read some spoilers and comments by Gans after a screening and a lot of the choices sound absolutely deranged. Like, SH2's story is pretty simple. How do you get the most important bits so wrong?
 
Lakupo said:
I probably won't pay money to see it so I'll wait for streaming (if that...), but I read some spoilers and comments by Gans after a screening and a lot of the choices sound absolutely deranged. Like, SH2's story is pretty simple. How do you get the most important bits so wrong?
Click to expand...
I feel like back when they were writing the first SH in 2004, Gans was really high and Roger Avery described the plot of SH2.

In 2023, Gans wrote 'Return' based on that vague recollection.
 
Tomm Guycot said:
I never even unsealed RotK. I guess it's worth stressing I saw each film 3 times in theaters.
Click to expand...
I purchased the Extended Edition Blu Ray box set from Amazon for Black Friday. I think it was $20 and at the time retailed for like $75.

Its still in its shrinkwrap on my movie shelf.

I would like to say that its the only shrinkwrap movie in my collection, but its not. The life of a paranoid physical media collector (I need X, in case it disappears from streaming services!).
 
*shrug* I love the Extended Editions and consider them the better adaptations. They're the only ones I've watched since they came out and I've never felt a desire to see the theatrical ones. Not all the things added are essential, but enough of them are that I consider the changes overall to be.
 
Voncaster said:
What doesn't work for me is Peter Jackson's editing. Jackson can shoot action and he can shoot drama (although I think he is stronger with action). What Jackson seems incapable of doing is trimming the fat from his movies. I understand that he is a huge Tolkien fan, but I think Fellowship and all his Middle Earth movies suffer from including most of the plot points from the book in some form.
Click to expand...
the fat is symbolic of the bounty of the Shire that is in danger from the predations of Sauron
 
Watched The Belko Experiment, which I *thought* was going to be a Surprise Murder Brawl Death Match kind of movie, but it was more of a psychodrama thriller with dozens of corporate office workers suddenly being informed that today they were being tasked to see who would be the last one left alive at the end of the day.

It was *good* at being a psychodrama about a murderous social experiment, mind but it really wasn’t the kind of movie I was signing up for.
 
Heart Eyes (2025)
Romance is Dead

The Heart Eyes Killer (HEK) is on the loose in Seattle killing couples in love on Valentines day.

This movie is a comedy that is playing up romantic comedy and horror tropes. I would say for the most part the comedy lands for me more than it does not. Heart Eyes kills with crossbow like a deranged cupid.

Heart Eyes feels like a good episode of Riverdale. Riverdale has the Trash Bag Killer (TBK) and Heart Eyes has the Heart Eyes Killer (HEK). Both are borrowing from the real life Torture Bind Kill (TBK) killer.

The attractive cast, the cool blue colored lighting and the pop culture references in Heart Eyes all feel like elements lifted from the CW.

I liked the movie, but I think it could be sharper and meaner. As is Heart Eyes is pretty good horror comedy but its not in the same league as the greats (Re Animator, Drag Me to Hell, Night of the Creeps, etc.).

If you and your significant other are horror or rom com fans, I think Heart Eyes would be a fine Valentines week watch.

Rating (Out of 5): ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 1/2
 
Last edited:
Did you know there was a direct to streaming Red Sonja movie released last year.

I didn’t, but I was in the mood for some schlock and there it was; so here we are.

Wasn’t bad! Felt like a very expensive episode of Xena, but with the goofiness turned down. Some really genuinely impressive makeup work on the ape-men characters.

Pop some corn and watch a bunch of people with wildly disparate accents swing swords around and vow vengeance.
 
Octopus Prime said:
Did you know there was a direct to streaming Red Sonja movie released last year.

I didn’t, but I was in the mood for some schlock and there it was; so here we are.

Wasn’t bad! Felt like a very expensive episode of Xena, but with the goofiness turned down. Some really genuinely impressive makeup work on the ape-men characters.

Pop some corn and watch a bunch of people with wildly disparate accents swing swords around and vow vengeance.
Click to expand...
I rather enjoyed this too. It was schlocky and silly but there was enough there to keep me interested.
 
Project Hail Mary was a surprisingly pleasant, feel good movie considering how the plot revolves around a frightened guy alone in deep space trying to stop massive climate collapse.

Of the movies adapted from Andy Weir books, I think The Martian works better, but danged if this wasn’t exactly the kind of sci-fi I like immersing myself in.
 
Octopus Prime said:
Project Hail Mary was a surprisingly pleasant, feel good movie considering how the plot revolves around a frightened guy alone in deep space trying to stop massive climate collapse.

Of the movies adapted from Andy Weir books, I think The Martian works better, but danged if this wasn’t exactly the kind of sci-fi I like immersing myself in.
Click to expand...
It was a pretty good time! Nothing mind blowing, but a solid popcorn spaceman flick. Only downside to the movie, was there was an old lady sitting next to me who fell asleep and snored periodically in my showing.

Fun fact I noticed while watching: Rocky's species comes from the IRL star system that planet Vulcan canonically inhabits.
 
Everyone at work has seen Hail Mary and loved it and I haven't yet since I'm still jetlagged and there's no way I'm staying awake through it right now. I'm very jealous, but it's made me more excited. They said there's a few points where it's clear the audience for the movie is different than the book which shifted the tone, but no one thought it was bad except one coworker who was somewhat distracted that they had to breakdown that "astro" and "phage" meant star-eating.
 
To be fair in that last bit he was explaining it to an alien rock-guy; have to assume he didn’t have a working knowledge of Latin grammar

The thing that threw me the most was that apparently English and Eridian have a 1:1 translation for everything; you’d think Rock Crab would… like… have different grammar at least
 
Apropos of nothing I decided to rewatch the completely generic thriller Hostage. Not much to say except this exchange broke me.

Tommy, do you like to play video games?

Yeah

What kind of games do you play?

I like Monster Jam, I play Bounty Hunter, I play Wubba Zorg...

Wubba Zorg, I know Wubba Zorg, That means you know who Agent Zero is, right?

Yeah.

What do you think Agent Zero would do right now?

Do you think he would say "never ever," Tommy?

No, he wouldn't say "never,"

Agent Zero would help Captain Wubba save Planet Xenon

Are you like Captain...
Are you like Captain Wubba?

And my house is Planet Xenon.

And Captain Wubba's gonna save Planet Xenon, Right?

Yeah, Tommy,
Captain Wubba's gonna save Planet Xenon,
Click to expand...
 
I saw Hail Mary at the first available showing today because coworkers continued to want to talk about it Friday and be sad I hadn't seen it yet. I've never had so many people be sad I hadn't seen a movie yet! I loved it. The stuff they cut all seems to be stuff that makes sense for the flow of a movie. I would love to see the 4 hour rough cut that apparently exists.

The scene [spoiler for maybe a quarter of the way through the book/movie] where he gives their eulogies despite not remembering them... beautifully done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top