Last Movie You Watched

[Amulek]

6 hours ago, Tony uk said:

Once I have seen the last of the trilogy, I will most probably catch the present film 'Legends'. And at some point catch the TV series. As you mentioned the two other films with Hilary Swank and Jaden Smith. I think I will pass on those two, I have never been drawn to them.

Chronologically (in-universe), the last film takes place a few years after the events in Cobra Kai, but I doubt you'll miss anything if you don't watch them in order. The writers / directors who worked on the film had nothing to do with the TV series, and since the movie started shooting before the show ended, I doubt it's meant to be a strict continuation. 

 

[Pyreaux]

On 8/13/2025 at 8:52 AM, Tony uk said:

Once I have seen the last of the trilogy, I will most probably catch the present film 'Legends'. And at some point catch the TV series. As you mentioned the two other films with Hilary Swank and Jaden Smith. I think I will pass on those two, I have never been drawn to them.

Cobra Kai (2018)

Cobra Kai is more than a nostalgic throwback - it’s a surprisingly layered, character-driven drama that "flips the script" on the original Karate Kid saga. While the series tells both sides of the decades-old rivalry between Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, it's Johnny who unexpectedly steals the spotlight.

Johnny is a fascinating anti-hero. Rough around the edges, stuck in the ‘80s, and living in drunken, quiet obscurity after peaking in high school. He's ignorant at times, politically incorrect, and bluntly unaware the world has changed. But that’s part of his charm. His unintentional insensitivity is offset by a surprising vulnerability and a genuine desire to mentor Miguel, his young Hispanic neighbor.

In contrast, Daniel is successful, respectable, seemingly has it all, but he too is haunted by the past. Ironically, while Daniel appears to have moved on, he’s still just as reactive and ego-driven as Johnny. They’re opposites on paper, but deep down, they’re both very alike, which is probably why they don't get along. Surprisingly immature in ways that reveal just how much they still have to grow. Johnny’s early remarks toward Miguel are basically racist - a reflection of his outdated worldview rather than genuine malice. The next episode, its mirrored when Daniel stereotypes an Asian student by offering him sushi, assuming he’d appreciate it based on his ethnicity. These moments highlight how both characters are similarly flawed but capable of growth.

That said, the show mid-seasons, the focus tries to shift heavily to the teenage dramas. While the stories aren’t without value, many viewers are really tuning in for Johnny’s arc, bravado, hilarious ‘80s one-liners, and his painfully relatable journey from washed-up has-been to unlikely mentor. Any time the spotlight moves too far from Johnny, the momentum noticeably dips.

But despite those lulls, the series remains addictive. If you watch the first episode, odds are you'll keep watching. The storytelling is sharp, the characters are compelling, and the moral lines blur just enough to keep you guessing whose side you're on.

I think its a fan theory that the idea to do a show featuring a story from Johnny's point of view of Daniel being a jerk was inspired by this viral video. I'd recommend watching this, there is an episode where Johnny tells a brief story of Daniel this way.

Edited August 14, 2025 by Pyreaux

[bluebell]

My husband is out of town on a motorcycle adventure so the youngest kids and I splurged and rented Jurassic Park: Rebirth. Normally I don't touch the $20 rentals on prime with a ten foot pole but they both really wanted to see it so I gave in.  None of the sequels have been very good, because the first one was beyond reproach.  The first Chris Pratt/Dallas Howard was entertaining, but the story was still kind of dumb.  The rest got worse and worse as they went along.  For all of those reasons, I was not expecting much with this new offer.

But I was pleasantly surprised.  Still not as good as the original, the story wasn't as dumb or as focused on CGI stuff as the previous ones.  The characters are interesting and the acting is good.  You do basically know who's going to die and who isn't, but with the kind of movie it is, that's not surprising.  They have a certain tone and generally stick with it.  

The D-Rex was super creepy, which was a nice surprise at the end.  Less dinosaur and more monster.

[Tony uk]

I remember when the Jurassic Park movies first came out. People were able to see, on screen, these prehistoric animals in a more animated form. After the first set of movies, there did not seem much original about them, reboot, then rebooting the reboot. Not seen the more recent movie yet, but seems worth watching. 👍

[Amulek]

10 hours ago, Pyreaux said:

He's ignorant at times, politically incorrect, and bluntly unaware the world has changed. But that’s part of his charm. His unintentional insensitivity is offset by a surprising vulnerability and a genuine desire to mentor Miguel, his young Hispanic neighbor.

One of my favorite exchanges is when he's telling Miguel this (made up) motivational story about a Chinaman.

Miguel interrupts and says something along the lines of, "I really don't think you're supposed to call them that anymore."

To which, Johnny replies, "Sorry, Chinaperson." 🤣

 

[bluebell]

2 hours ago, Tony uk said:

I remember when the Jurassic Park movies first came out. People were able to see, on screen, these prehistoric animals in a more animated form. After the first set of movies, there did not seem much original about them, reboot, then rebooting the reboot. Not seen the more recent movie yet, but seems worth watching. 👍

I think part of the reason that the first movie was so good is because they stayed true to the source material (Michael Crichton's book Jurassic Park).  That is one of the best books ever written in that genre (in my opinion).  The movie had a good script and a really dedicated director who used every practical effect in the book to tell a complex and sci-fi based story.  Crichton actual wrote a sequel to Jurassic Park that was every bit as good as the first book (The Lost World), but the following movies didn't stick to his work or put in the time to develop the story.  They were just money grabs.  It still makes me mad to think of the opportunity they squandered.

The reboot is just run of the mill CGI and actors reacting to tennis balls, with not much story and a lot of pretend action on screen.  They kill off animals to try to get emotional reactions out of us because they know we don't care enough about the human characters to react if they died.  They ruined the franchise as far as I'm concerned.  This new movie takes us back to a deserted Island and has more character development, so they did try to do better.  But these new movies will never fill the shoes of their predecessor (IMHO).  CGI has cheapened the experience too much.

(Seriously though, if anyone reading this likes science based fiction that has a hint of 'fantasy' like bring dinosaurs back from the dead, read these two books.  They are so good.  And Jurassic Park the novel has enough storylines and action that is left out of the movie that you should read it even though you probably already know the basic outline of the story)

Edited August 14, 2025 by bluebell

[Tony uk]

I watched a movie on TV, and was impressed with the synopsis. A group of aliens in human form crash onto a planet, inhabited by dinosaurs. There are only two survivors of the alien/humanoids. A character played by Adam Driver, and a young female.  They have to journey across land to one of the ships that has crashed, to be able to escape from the planet before a huge meteor crashes into the planet.

 Early in the film the viewer realises the planet in question, is earth. The meteor that is heading towards the planet, is the one which wiped out the dinosaurs. The film is called 65, reference the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

I found the synopsis to help original. The film not to heavy going. It was a pleasant surprise of a film, in a world of reboots, and rebooted reboots.

[Tacenda]

On 8/18/2025 at 3:12 AM, Tony uk said:

I watched a movie on TV, and was impressed with the synopsis. A group of aliens in human form crash onto a planet, inhabited by dinosaurs. There are only two survivors of the alien/humanoids. A character played by Adam Driver, and a young female.  They have to journey across land to one of the ships that has crashed, to be able to escape from the planet before a huge meteor crashes into the planet.

 Early in the film the viewer realises the planet in question, is earth. The meteor that is heading towards the planet, is the one which wiped out the dinosaurs. The film is called 65, reference the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

I found the synopsis to help original. The film not to heavy going. It was a pleasant surprise of a film, in a world of reboots, and rebooted reboots.

My daughter in law recently said she'd watched an alien movie so it peaked my interest on what you watched on TV, if you don't mind sharing. I thought she watched something on Hulu or Netflix.

[Tony uk]

9 hours ago, Tacenda said:

My daughter in law recently said she'd watched an alien movie so it peaked my interest on what you watched on TV, if you don't mind sharing. I thought she watched something on Hulu or Netflix.

Hi Tacenda. The film, 65, was shown on the basic terrestrial TV (UK). Although I imagine that it can be found on netflix. 

The film, 65, caught my interest, because it did not follow the usual storyline for this type of movie. Usually, it is usually a human from the modern day that tends to be transported through time. In the case of this film, alien/humanoids are travelling through space in their ships and crash land on a planet, inhabited by dinosaurs, and about to be hit by a massive meteor. There are only two survivors. And they must go a short distance, Overland to the other crashed ship to be able to get off the planet, and avoid the oncoming meteor impact. Early in the film, the viewer is able to realise that the planet is Earth, and is set 65 million years ago, hence the title 65.

I was very impressed with the film. Well made, and well acted.

[bluebell]

16 hours ago, Tacenda said:

My daughter in law recently said she'd watched an alien movie so it peaked my interest on what you watched on TV, if you don't mind sharing. I thought she watched something on Hulu or Netflix.

FX just released a new Alien show (you can find it on Hulu) that is a series instead of a movie.  It's called Alien Earth.  Maybe that was the one that she was talking about.

[Tony uk]

1 minute ago, bluebell said:

FX just released a new Alien show (you can find it on Hulu) that is a series instead of a movie.  It's called Alien Earth.  Maybe that was the one that she was talking about.

I have seen this one advertised, it seems an interesting addition to the franchise 😊.

[bluebell]

17 minutes ago, Tony uk said:

I have seen this one advertised, it seems an interesting addition to the franchise 😊.

It does! I haven’t tried to watch it yet, but it’s on my list. I find with these kind of sci-fi horror shows that I have to be in the right kind of mood before I try to watch it.

Right now, I’ve been binge watching crime scene kitchen on Hulu. It’s a competition cooking show where you have a bunch of pairs of bakers and they go into a kitchen for two minutes to find the clues left behind and figure out what one of the judges baked. Then they have to make one of wherever it is they think it might’ve been. It’s pretty entertaining and also lighthearted.

[Tony uk]

54 minutes ago, bluebell said:

It does! I haven’t tried to watch it yet, but it’s on my list. I find with these kind of sci-fi horror shows that I have to be in the right kind of mood before I try to watch it.

Right now, I’ve been binge watching crime scene kitchen on Hulu. It’s a competition cooking show where you have a bunch of pairs of bakers and they go into a kitchen for two minutes to find the clues left behind and figure out what one of the judges baked. Then they have to make one of wherever it is they think it might’ve been. It’s pretty entertaining and also lighthearted.

I would like to watch that, I cook for myself. I am ok with very basic, could make use of shows like this to improve my cooking ability.

[Tacenda]

On 8/20/2025 at 8:53 AM, bluebell said:

FX just released a new Alien show (you can find it on Hulu) that is a series instead of a movie.  It's called Alien Earth.  Maybe that was the one that she was talking about.

That sounds familiar, pretty sure that's it. And I even said I'd maybe watch now I can! Thanks!

[Tacenda]

On 8/20/2025 at 1:49 AM, Tony uk said:

Hi Tacenda. The film, 65, was shown on the basic terrestrial TV (UK). Although I imagine that it can be found on netflix. 

The film, 65, caught my interest, because it did not follow the usual storyline for this type of movie. Usually, it is usually a human from the modern day that tends to be transported through time. In the case of this film, alien/humanoids are travelling through space in their ships and crash land on a planet, inhabited by dinosaurs, and about to be hit by a massive meteor. There are only two survivors. And they must go a short distance, Overland to the other crashed ship to be able to get off the planet, and avoid the oncoming meteor impact. Early in the film, the viewer is able to realise that the planet is Earth, and is set 65 million years ago, hence the title 65.

I was very impressed with the film. Well made, and well acted.

Thanks, I'll check on it! 

[bluebell]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

That sounds familiar, pretty sure that's it. And I even said I'd maybe watch now I can! Thanks!

I started it last night.  I'm only one episode in but it's not bad.  

[Amulek]

On 8/13/2025 at 3:11 PM, Amulek said:

Chronologically (in-universe), the last film takes place a few years after the events in Cobra Kai, but I doubt you'll miss anything if you don't watch them in order. The writers / directors who worked on the film had nothing to do with the TV series, and since the movie started shooting before the show ended, I doubt it's meant to be a strict continuation. 

Watched the latest movie over the weekend. It's not horrible, but it isn't great either; definitely not a must-see installment for the franchise. 

Honestly, I thought the best shot in the whole film was the outro to credits scene where Johnny makes an appearance and brings a final bit of comedic relief:

Daniel: Hey, Johnny, you gotta try this pizza from New York.
             It's the best I've ever had.

Johnny: Why would you ship pizza from New York?
               Everybody knows the best pizza's in Encino.

Daniel: No, there's no comparison. I'm telling ya.

Johnny: Wait, dude, that's it.

Daniel: What?

Johnny: Our new business idea.

Daniel: What are you talking about?

Johnny: We open our own pizza place. 
               We call it Miyagi-Dough.

Daniel: Uh, no, no, no, no, no.

Johnny: No, get it? Like Miyagi-Do,
              but dough, like pizza dough.

Daniel: Y-Yeah, yeah, I get it. 
             It's disrespectful.

Johnny: To pizza?

Daniel: To Mr. Miyagi.

Johnny: Mr. Miyagi didn't like pizza?

Daniel: Johnny, you know what?
             I'm gonna heat the pizza.

Johnny: Miyagi-Dough.
              Pepperoni's your best defense.

             Miyagi-Dough.
             Slice first, slice hard, no anchovies.

             This is a billion-dollar idea, LaRusso.

             Miyagi-Dough. 
             Olives on, olives off. 
             [...]        

🤣

[Calm]

1 hour ago, Amulek said:

Olives on, olives off. 

That last bit got me to chuckle, lol

[Tony uk]

I can imagine Mr Miyagi smiling 

[Amulek]

Over the weekend I took my son to catch the re-released / remastered 50th anniversary showing of Jaws in theaters. The showing was formatted with stellar 3D VFX which really helped to improve the immersive experience; it felt like watching a whole new movie. 

My son, who had yet to see the film, really enjoyed it as well. He was a little surprised at how graphic the final eating sequence was and wondered - if that was allowed back in the olden days, why couldn't they throw something like that in to any of the dinosaur movies that have come out in recent years. Good question. I too would be willing to exchange a few jump-scares for a few more people being eaten, but I'm okay with keeping things kid friendly enough to maintain PG-13 ratings.

 

[Tony uk]

1 hour ago, Amulek said:

Over the weekend I took my son to catch the re-released / remastered 50th anniversary showing of Jaws in theaters. The showing was formatted with stellar 3D VFX which really helped to improve the immersive experience; it felt like watching a whole new movie. 

My son, who had yet to see the film, really enjoyed it as well. He was a little surprised at how graphic the final eating sequence was and wondered - if that was allowed back in the olden days, why couldn't they throw something like that in to any of the dinosaur movies that have come out in recent years. Good question. I too would be willing to exchange a few jump-scares for a few more people being eaten, but I'm okay with keeping things kid friendly enough to maintain PG-13 ratings.

 

I remember the 1st time Jaws came to the movies, I was about 5 or 6 at the time. It was an original film of its time. And I feel, will always stand out as a classic of the cinema.

[Tacenda]

I'm watching, "Barefoot in the Park", in honor of Robert Redford, and I love it! The quality of film is amazing compared to nowadays. And the acting, comedy, etc. So good! 

[bluebell]

Deep Cover.  Funniest movie I've seen in a long time.  It's on Netflix I think.

It's rated R because of the language.  There is no sex or graphic violence, but there are parts that say the F word a lot.  Normally I would never recommend a movie like that but it has been years since I've seen a funny movie with such an original script that I can't help myself.

Here's the trailer:

 

[Calm]

3 hours ago, bluebell said:

Deep Cover.  Funniest movie I've seen in a long time.  It's on Netflix I think.

It's rated R because of the language.  There is no sex or graphic violence, but there are parts that say the F word a lot.  Normally I would never recommend a movie like that but it has been years since I've seen a funny movie with such an original script that I can't help myself.

Here's the trailer:

 

I watched part of it.  It was funny and very clever.  Unfortunately also anxiety provoking, lol.  So good chance I might not finish it.  I have never been able to watch movies like Ocean’s 11 and other con/sting operations.  Stuff always goes wrong before it goes right and waiting for that to happen is too nerve wracking (I can watch murder mysteries because the killing happens first and is then solved).

I did watch The Sting when it first came out.  Family went to see it.  Never saw it again though.  Great movie if looking for a Redford classic.

[bluebell]

5 minutes ago, Calm said:

I watched part of it.  It was funny and very clever.  Unfortunately also anxiety provoking, lol.  So good chance I might not finish it.  I have never been able to watch movies like Ocean’s 11 and other con/sting operations.  Stuff always goes wrong before it goes right and waiting for that to happen is too nerve wracking (I can watch murder mysteries because the killing happens first and is then solved).

I did watch The Sting when it first came out.  Family went to see it.  Never saw it again though.  Great movie if looking for a Redford classic.

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised by how it ends.