What are you watching?

Dune 2

Maybe I am missing something, but I have seen both of the recent films and I feel like a big part of the story was left out.  I felt nothing for the hero.  The villain was gross, but not someone that struck fear into me.  I kept waiting for these to be amazing but felt they were just kind of "blah".  I had to fight sleep at the theater today and was helped by those loud low blasts signaling an action scene coming.

kerrick wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Damsel (2024) a Netflix film.  Both the wife and I enjoyed this.  If you like dragons and swords and castle type fantasy films you will probably like this one.  Millie Bobby Brown did a great job as the reluctant heroine.  This is the way you make a movie with a strong female protagonist.  Instead of turning Spiderman or Jack Sparrow into a female and rebooting the franchise with a woke agenda.  As a matter of fact I didn't see a lot of modern political agenda nonsense in the film at all.  Certainly worth watching IMO.

Here's a different take on that flick.  [MAJOR spoilers!]
https://notthebee.com/takes/netflixs-damsel-is-the-feminist-epitome-of-the-alliance-between-eve-and-the-serpent-lets-unpack-it

I haven't seen the movie but the author makes some convincing points here.

I haven't seen this yet, either, but it seems to me like the writer of that review was reading way more into this than they should have.  Sure, every story is based on another anymore.  But, to go that far and conclude that the movie was intentionally trying to sway women to follow their own desires and make their allegiance to Satan is a bit far fetched.  Besides, Hollywood doesn't need to make films like that to recruit.  We already know that everyone is dead in their trespasses and sins if they do not follow Jesus.  The enemy already has them and they don't know it.  I doubt a fairy tale movie is going to be what pushes them into full blown Satanism, but I have been wrong before.

No, wait, I don't remember pledging myself to magic or Satan after the Harry Potter films, either.  I remember when religious folks were up in arms over that and they just were not the recruitment films or novels that Focus On The Family and others were making them out to be.

alldatndensum wrote:

kerrick wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Damsel (2024) a Netflix film.  Both the wife and I enjoyed this.  If you like dragons and swords and castle type fantasy films you will probably like this one.  Millie Bobby Brown did a great job as the reluctant heroine.  This is the way you make a movie with a strong female protagonist.  Instead of turning Spiderman or Jack Sparrow into a female and rebooting the franchise with a woke agenda.  As a matter of fact I didn't see a lot of modern political agenda nonsense in the film at all.  Certainly worth watching IMO.

Here's a different take on that flick.  [MAJOR spoilers!]
https://notthebee.com/takes/netflixs-damsel-is-the-feminist-epitome-of-the-alliance-between-eve-and-the-serpent-lets-unpack-it

I haven't seen the movie but the author makes some convincing points here.

I haven't seen this yet, either, but it seems to me like the writer of that review was reading way more into this than they should have.  Sure, every story is based on another anymore.  But, to go that far and conclude that the movie was intentionally trying to sway women to follow their own desires and make their allegiance to Satan is a bit far fetched.  Besides, Hollywood doesn't need to make films like that to recruit.  We already know that everyone is dead in their trespasses and sins if they do not follow Jesus.  The enemy already has them and they don't know it.  I doubt a fairy tale movie is going to be what pushes them into full blown Satanism, but I have been wrong before.

No, wait, I don't remember pledging myself to magic or Satan after the Harry Potter films, either.  I remember when religious folks were up in arms over that and they just were not the recruitment films or novels that Focus On The Family and others were making them out to be.

I don't disagree that the author is probably assigning some deeper meanings that weren't originally intended... but likewise I think you may be reading too much into the article.    I didn't read the article as suggesting that the movie is "intentionally trying to sway women to follow their own desires and make their allegiance to Satan."  But rather that it's very clearly glorifying unbiblical ideals and using biblical imagery to do so.  And while a movie isolated on its own isn't likely to sway anyone much, the repeated barrage of a given ideal through movies, social media, etc. certainly can - as I think any of us can attest to.  This appears to be just another [rather large, apparently] drop in the ever-growing bucket of the liberal agenda in Hollywood.  And while Hollywood doesn't need to recruit... that certainly doesn't stop them from trying!

Hardkore wrote:

Fundy wrote:

Post credit scene?

I had assumed there was one. I left when the credits started. After I got home I looked it up on wiki and it mentioned something that I didn’t see at the end.

Above Arrakis, the Great Houses refuse to accept Paul's ascendancy, so Paul orders the Fremen to attack the orbiting fleet in response. As Stilgar leads the Fremen onto captured Sardaukar ships, Jessica and Alia reflect that this is the beginning of Muad'Dib's holy war. A heartbroken Chani refuses to bow to Paul and departs on a sandworm.

That was definitely in the actual movie before the credits.

Dune Pt 2
Bandits (a fun rom com in a way based on the true life bank robbers)

topshot rhit wrote:

Hardkore wrote:

Fundy wrote:

Post credit scene?

I had assumed there was one. I left when the credits started. After I got home I looked it up on wiki and it mentioned something that I didn’t see at the end.

Above Arrakis, the Great Houses refuse to accept Paul's ascendancy, so Paul orders the Fremen to attack the orbiting fleet in response. As Stilgar leads the Fremen onto captured Sardaukar ships, Jessica and Alia reflect that this is the beginning of Muad'Dib's holy war. A heartbroken Chani refuses to bow to Paul and departs on a sandworm.

That was definitely in the actual movie before the credits.

Dune Pt 2
Bandits (a fun rom com in a way based on the true life bank robbers)

Maybe I needed the open caption option with on screen subtitles. Somehow I missed it.

Hardkore wrote:

topshot rhit wrote:

That was definitely in the actual movie before the credits.

Maybe I needed the open caption option with on screen subtitles. Somehow I missed it.

It was right after the fight that he nearly lost and the emperor bowed in submission to kiss his ring.

topshot rhit wrote:

Hardkore wrote:

topshot rhit wrote:

That was definitely in the actual movie before the credits.

Maybe I needed the open caption option with on screen subtitles. Somehow I missed it.

It was right after the fight that he nearly lost and the emperor bowed in submission to kiss his ring.

OK, that I remember and Chani looking mad and leaving by herself. I don’t recall her riding a worm. I’ll wait til it is out on video to see then ending again and be able to use subtitles.

Forever Young 
Mel Gibson, Elijah Wood, Jamie Lee Curtis

kerrick wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

kerrick wrote:

Staybrite wrote:

Damsel (2024) a Netflix film.  Both the wife and I enjoyed this.  If you like dragons and swords and castle type fantasy films you will probably like this one.  Millie Bobby Brown did a great job as the reluctant heroine.  This is the way you make a movie with a strong female protagonist.  Instead of turning Spiderman or Jack Sparrow into a female and rebooting the franchise with a woke agenda.  As a matter of fact I didn't see a lot of modern political agenda nonsense in the film at all.  Certainly worth watching IMO.

Here's a different take on that flick.  [MAJOR spoilers!]
https://notthebee.com/takes/netflixs-damsel-is-the-feminist-epitome-of-the-alliance-between-eve-and-the-serpent-lets-unpack-it

I haven't seen the movie but the author makes some convincing points here.

I haven't seen this yet, either, but it seems to me like the writer of that review was reading way more into this than they should have.  Sure, every story is based on another anymore.  But, to go that far and conclude that the movie was intentionally trying to sway women to follow their own desires and make their allegiance to Satan is a bit far fetched.  Besides, Hollywood doesn't need to make films like that to recruit.  We already know that everyone is dead in their trespasses and sins if they do not follow Jesus.  The enemy already has them and they don't know it.  I doubt a fairy tale movie is going to be what pushes them into full blown Satanism, but I have been wrong before.

No, wait, I don't remember pledging myself to magic or Satan after the Harry Potter films, either.  I remember when religious folks were up in arms over that and they just were not the recruitment films or novels that Focus On The Family and others were making them out to be.

I don't disagree that the author is probably assigning some deeper meanings that weren't originally intended... but likewise I think you may be reading too much into the article.    I didn't read the article as suggesting that the movie is "intentionally trying to sway women to follow their own desires and make their allegiance to Satan."  But rather that it's very clearly glorifying unbiblical ideals and using biblical imagery to do so.  And while a movie isolated on its own isn't likely to sway anyone much, the repeated barrage of a given ideal through movies, social media, etc. certainly can - as I think any of us can attest to.  This appears to be just another [rather large, apparently] drop in the ever-growing bucket of the liberal agenda in Hollywood.  And while Hollywood doesn't need to recruit... that certainly doesn't stop them from trying!

I read the article, and I watched the movie.  I think the author of the article did some serious verbal and mental gymnastics to shoe-horn the movie into a their pre-supposed idea of the tale (possibly even while ignoring the writer/director's authorial intent).
One item the article writer accentuated seems utterly false to me.  The author portrayed the kingdom with the dragon as "The Patriarchy" which seemed completely false to me.  Sure the death of the dragon babies was by the hand of a king, but by the time the movies current events happen that king is long dead and the current kingdom is obviously ruled by a queen (who's current husband stands in the background and keeps his mouth shut).  The movie clearly pits a female damsel, an "evil" queen, and female dragon against each other in a battle for survival... no patriarchy left anymore.
Again, it's just a fantasy movie.  I couldn't possibly see the dragon as a "Satan" figure even if I tried.  I'm sorry, there is too much real evil to avoid, to try to see the devil behind every bush.  There is no nudity in the movie and I'm pretty certain no profanity as well.  I wouldn't show the film to a toddler (because it is rather violent and at times rather scary), but this is probably one of the tamest modern films I've seen in the last 5-10 years (unless I'm just clueless).

^Right on Gary.  I wasn't aware that the main bad guys were women too; that definitely pokes a major hole in the "patriarchy" angle from the author!  It's a nice change of pace to have a movie that's relatively clean with regards to content, even if I still disagree with the modern feminist message.

I'll admit, having little kids with especially malleable hearts and minds has me extra sensitive to stuff like that.  I think back to when I was a kid and in every children's movie, the kids were always smarter/wiser than their oblivious parents.  Even if that was done by the filmmakers innocently because it makes for a better plot device, the repeated message eventually got to me and I can think of a few instances where it affected my behavior negatively.  I wonder how much all the '90s sitcoms helped normalize the hookup culture?  And nowadays, the nuclear family is generally looked down upon in mainstream culture/media; I can't imagine it hasn't had its affect.

But all that to say, praise God for the solid foundation of His Rock we have to stand on and His mercy and grace as we all navigate these strange times!

kerrick wrote:

^Right on Gary.  I wasn't aware that the main bad guys were women too; that definitely pokes a major hole in the "patriarchy" angle from the author!  It's a nice change of pace to have a movie that's relatively clean with regards to content, even if I still disagree with the modern feminist message.

I'll admit, having little kids with especially malleable hearts and minds has me extra sensitive to stuff like that.  I think back to when I was a kid and in every children's movie, the kids were always smarter/wiser than their oblivious parents.  Even if that was done by the filmmakers innocently because it makes for a better plot device, the repeated message eventually got to me and I can think of a few instances where it affected my behavior negatively.  I wonder how much all the '90s sitcoms helped normalize the hookup culture?  And nowadays, the nuclear family is generally looked down upon in mainstream culture/media; I can't imagine it hasn't had its affect.

But all that to say, praise God for the solid foundation of His Rock we have to stand on and His mercy and grace as we all navigate these strange times!

I'm with you there about guarding the hearts and minds of your little ones.  As a matter of fact when our youngest was about 6 (oldest 11 or 12) we got rid of cable television altogether (streaming wasn't really a thing yet).  All our kids could watch was anything we had on VHS or DVD.  I would get DVD's for them from the library and try to review them first or even watch them with them to make sure they weren't excessive or just downright evil.  My only regret is that we didn't do it when they were younger.

^Good man!  We don't even own a TV anymore, and our kids have had very limited exposure with TV in general.  But boy would parenting be so much easier if we had a TV to plop the kids in front of from time to time hahahaha.

kerrick wrote:

^Good man!  We don't even own a TV anymore, and our kids have had very limited exposure with TV in general.  But boy would parenting be so much easier if we had a TV to plop the kids in front of from time to time hahahaha.

We also had an older video game console with some games that I could play with the kids like Mario Cart and Yoshi's Story.  If they were good that day they could get 45 minutes of video play.  Still didn't keep my middle child away from drugs (and other troubles), but the other two still have faith in our Lord and want to be good parents.  My daughter even home-schools her 4 children.  So apparently we did some things right as parents. 
You just have to do your best and pray that God will keep them from too much harm.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2

Finally got to see it as it finally showed up at the library.

One episode I think has become my favorite Star Trek episode- Subspace Rhapsody .
They actually went ahead and made a musical episode.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmqm8h_E1_2AxzhGSJ-vl4yXjNId6LU79&si=xxXhynEfzs-S3FVz

Field of Dreams

Kung Fu Panda 4
(not very good!)

The Holiday.

Someone Like You


This is the new movie from Karen Kingsbury.  For a Christian movie, the story isn't preachy.  It is a good drama.  If you have adoption in your family, it will hit you kind of hard, too.  Well, it did me.

If you are looking for a Christian movie with the big alter call moment at the end, this isn't it.  If you want a good story that shows Christians in a positive light with a few scriptures sprinkled within, then this will be right up your alley.

Total Eclipse of the Haute

topshot rhit wrote:

Total Eclipse of the Haute

 Took me a few seconds to get that one. 

Ordinary Angels

The Hunt for Red October
Patriot Games ( has one of the best cliffhangers ever)
Clear and Present Danger

The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum

Force 10 from Navarone

The Bourne movies are top notch, love em

Hardkore wrote:

The Hunt for Red October
Patriot Games ( has one of the best cliffhangers ever)
Clear and Present Danger

The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum

Force 10 from Navarone

Someone is on a Jack Ryan and Kevin Bourne kick!
Are you going to watch The Guns of Navarone next?

Staybrite wrote:

Hardkore wrote:

The Hunt for Red October
Patriot Games ( has one of the best cliffhangers ever)
Clear and Present Danger

The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum

Force 10 from Navarone

Someone is on a Jack Ryan and Kevin Bourne kick!
Are you going to watch The Guns of Navarone next?

I did that last night.

BTW, the name is Jason Bourne.