This Old Neon Forum

I watched my eighth film of the year, and another comedy special before that:

Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) — 2.0/10

Utter shite.

Neil Brennan: Blocks (2022) — 7.7/10

Brennan is an anxious man, and watching his specials is consequently somewhat anxiety-inducing. He has some funny bits.


2024 in Summary
01-18: 7.8/10 Neil Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) - home cinema
01-17: 2.0/10 Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) - home cinema
01-16: 7.7/10 Neil Brennan: Blocks (2022) - home cinema
01-15: 8.2/10 Watcher (2022) - home cinema
01-13: 8.2/10 The Green Mile (1999) - home cinema
01-12: 6.0/10 Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023) - home cinema
01-12: 9.0/10 Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - home cinema
01-11: 8.0/10 Pluto (2023) - home cinema
01-10: 5.0/10 I See You (2019) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 Society of the Snow (2023) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 They Cloned Tyrone (2023) - home cinema
01-02: 7.0/10 Amanda Knox (2016) - home cinema

2023 in summary // 2022 in summary // 2021 in summary // 2020 in summary // 2019 in summary

I watched my ninth film of the year, as well as another comedy special and a 3-episode Netflix docu-series:

Spirited Away (2001) — 9.0/10

I liked this slightly, slightly more than Howl's, just because I think the ending is better fleshed-out. Although I think there are a lot of little animation flourishes in Howl's that I prefer. Hmm... yeah, I'm going to call this a tie for now.

Neil Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) — 7.8/10

Slightly better than his subsequent special, but still steeped in Brennan anxiety.

American Nightmare (2024) — 6.1/10

Eh, it was fine. This isn't really my genre or area of interest, but I do find it funny how pretty much every crime documentary ends up being about how aggressively incompetent the cops are.


2024 in Summary
01-19: 9.0/10 Spirited Away (2001) - home cinema
01-19: 6.1/10 American Nightmare (2024) - home cinema
01-18: 7.8/10 Neil Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) - home cinema
01-17: 2.0/10 Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) - home cinema
01-16: 7.7/10 Neil Brennan: Blocks (2022) - home cinema
01-15: 8.2/10 Watcher (2022) - home cinema
01-13: 8.2/10 The Green Mile (1999) - home cinema
01-12: 6.0/10 Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023) - home cinema
01-12: 9.0/10 Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - home cinema
01-11: 8.0/10 Pluto (2023) - home cinema
01-10: 5.0/10 I See You (2019) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 Society of the Snow (2023) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 They Cloned Tyrone (2023) - home cinema
01-02: 7.0/10 Amanda Knox (2016) - home cinema

2023 in summary // 2022 in summary // 2021 in summary // 2020 in summary // 2019 in summary

I watched my tenth film of the year:

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) — 8.2/10

Kiki's was cute but it was dragged down by Phil Hartman's awful cat voice. I had to switch to sub halfway through, which was a dramatic improvement, but then ironically I got depressed that the cat can't talk anymore. RIP.


2024 in Summary
01-21: 8.2/10 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - home cinema
01-19: 9.0/10 Spirited Away (2001) - home cinema
01-19: 6.1/10 American Nightmare (2024) - home cinema
01-18: 7.8/10 Neil Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) - home cinema
01-17: 2.0/10 Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) - home cinema
01-16: 7.7/10 Neil Brennan: Blocks (2022) - home cinema
01-15: 8.2/10 Watcher (2022) - home cinema
01-13: 8.2/10 The Green Mile (1999) - home cinema
01-12: 6.0/10 Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023) - home cinema
01-12: 9.0/10 Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - home cinema
01-11: 8.0/10 Pluto (2023) - home cinema
01-10: 5.0/10 I See You (2019) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 Society of the Snow (2023) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 They Cloned Tyrone (2023) - home cinema
01-02: 7.0/10 Amanda Knox (2016) - home cinema

2023 in summary // 2022 in summary // 2021 in summary // 2020 in summary // 2019 in summary

I watched my eleventh film of the year and another comedy special:

Boss Level (2020) — 6.3/10

A thinly-conceived ultra-violent Groundhog Day with Frank Grillo unable to quite pull off the charisma required for a main protagonist. The layer of video game conceits is entirely unnecessary. Michelle Yeoh and Naomi Watts are both good in bit parts—what are they doing here?

Jim Jefferies: High & Dry (2023) — 7.9/10

Jefferies is usually a pretty funny dude. This special was filmed at the same venue where I saw Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in 2019! Pretty neat.


2024 in Summary
01-23: 7.9/10 Jim Jefferies: High & Dry (2023) - home cinema
01-22: 6.3/10 Boss Level (2020) - home cinema
01-21: 8.2/10 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - home cinema
01-19: 9.0/10 Spirited Away (2001) - home cinema
01-19: 6.1/10 American Nightmare (2024) - home cinema
01-18: 7.8/10 Neil Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) - home cinema
01-17: 2.0/10 Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) - home cinema
01-16: 7.7/10 Neil Brennan: Blocks (2022) - home cinema
01-15: 8.2/10 Watcher (2022) - home cinema
01-13: 8.2/10 The Green Mile (1999) - home cinema
01-12: 6.0/10 Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023) - home cinema
01-12: 9.0/10 Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - home cinema
01-11: 8.0/10 Pluto (2023) - home cinema
01-10: 5.0/10 I See You (2019) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 Society of the Snow (2023) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 They Cloned Tyrone (2023) - home cinema
01-02: 7.0/10 Amanda Knox (2016) - home cinema

2023 in summary // 2022 in summary // 2021 in summary // 2020 in summary // 2019 in summary

Fullmetal Alchemist Live Action movies - 8/10

I bought a DVD at a Dutch Comic Con last year and had problems watching it with my old DVD player. This was because of the DVD9 format (dual layer). In the end I installed a DVD Ripper program that I bought with a lifetime license and ripped the 3 movies on it. The movies are available on Netflix also and didn't get high praise, but I enjoyed them. Hence the 8/10.

I watched my twelfth and thirteenth films of the year:

The Mist (2007) — 7.0/10

This is about as OK as I remember it being. Mrs. K hadn't seen it before and had selected it as a brainless background horror movie, so I wanted to see her reaction to the divisive ending. She immediately checked out when you started seeing dramatic tentacles in the loading bay (it's gotten too silly), but she appreciated the ending.

The Banshees of Inishiren (2022) — 8.3/10

Good movie as a small drama, slightly more clunky as a political metaphor. Definitely deserved a bunch of acting nominations (and accolades). I've always liked Kerry Condon, ever since Rome. It's also one of those movies with a melancholy feel that some people don't think they're supposed to laugh at, but they are.


2024 in Summary
01-27: 8.3/10 The Banshees of Inishiren (2022) - home cinema
01-25: 7.0/10 The Mist (2007) - home cinema
01-23: 7.9/10 Jim Jefferies: High & Dry (2023) - home cinema
01-22: 6.3/10 Boss Level (2020) - home cinema
01-21: 8.2/10 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) - home cinema
01-19: 9.0/10 Spirited Away (2001) - home cinema
01-19: 6.1/10 American Nightmare (2024) - home cinema
01-18: 7.8/10 Neil Brennan: 3 Mics (2017) - home cinema
01-17: 2.0/10 Haunting of the Queen Mary (2023) - home cinema
01-16: 7.7/10 Neil Brennan: Blocks (2022) - home cinema
01-15: 8.2/10 Watcher (2022) - home cinema
01-13: 8.2/10 The Green Mile (1999) - home cinema
01-12: 6.0/10 Trevor Noah: Where Was I (2023) - home cinema
01-12: 9.0/10 Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - home cinema
01-11: 8.0/10 Pluto (2023) - home cinema
01-10: 5.0/10 I See You (2019) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 Society of the Snow (2023) - home cinema
01-05: 7.5/10 They Cloned Tyrone (2023) - home cinema
01-02: 7.0/10 Amanda Knox (2016) - home cinema

2023 in summary // 2022 in summary // 2021 in summary // 2020 in summary // 2019 in summary

Wonka - 7.5/10

Nice prequel to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (with Gene Wilder).

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 7.5/10

Good sequel to Aquaman, not great. Enjoyed watching it.

On SkyShowtime: Renfield - 7/10

Fun movie about Dracula's aid. It has a little blood and seperated limbs, but that's ok for an action comedy.

On HBO Max+: Babylon 5: The Road Home - 8/10

Love the original series, movies and spin offs. This is a good addition with the original voices in this scifi animation.

On Apple TV+: started watching Argylle as it appears to be free after all.
It's good so far, but I'm only halfway in.

Watched some movies recently:

On SkyShowTime:
Asteroid City - 6.5/10
A short, retro (around 1955) movie inside a movie with a narrator making it longer (1:45h).
The narrator tells about the making of a movie called Asteroid City, introduces the writer and some actors.
Between the narration you get the interaction of an actor with the writer, the actors with each other mixed with the actual movie.
Very confusing at times, but still an ok "movie".

Secret Headquarters - 7/10
A nice comedy about some guy getting super powers from an alien source.
Not really good, but still entertaining.

Dungeons & Dragons - Honor among Thieves - 7.5/10
A 2023 movie with a feeling that I've seen it before, even if that's impossible.
As I know nothing about the Dungeons & Dragons franchise other than some old cartoon series and the existance of RPG board games, I can't really tell if this is a good or bad DnD movie. It has some nice moments and I enjoyed watching it.

On HBO Max:
Metalocalypse - Army of the Doomstar - 8/10
After watching the 4 season series I started this movie as it's ending. WIthout watching some of the series this movie might not make any sense, but for me it was a great ending of the Metalocalypse series.

On Apple TV+:
Argylle - 8/10
Finished this movie that is about a writer of spynovels with a cat (the one in a backpack with plexyglass sphere).
Not exactly what I expected, but I didn't read what it was about in advance. Very good movie.

Napoleon - 7/10
Can't find that I've mentioned this movie before. It wasn't a great movie but I menaged to watch it completely ... Hopefully Franklin is a better movie.

I haven't been keeping up with this thread this year, but I had to pop in to mention this one:

I just finished watching 2023 Oscar nominee Perfect Days and it is fascinating. What a wonderful movie. It's about the routine day to day life of a Tokyo janitor. Through the many small interactions that happen during his days, we get to piece together a picture of his inner life. Highly recommended. I feel like a lot of people here would enjoy it. Vic, Kiwi, Share, Kanti.