i guess existenz is croenenberg's updated take on the same idea, but i haven't watched that in forever and sort of remember not liking it (altho i watched it when i was a shitheaded young teen)

"God Bless America" I don't know what to think of it.

cabin in the woods was definite "goofy fun"

cabin in the woods was ok.

Finally finished the six movies of the film series Once Upon A Time In China.

1 - undeniably the best. Imo also has the best plot.

2 - Actor of Leung Fu was replaced and the other disciples(Porky, Kai, So) were not in the movie which was a bit downer but the plot is still good, also Donnie Yen. Clubfoot was also a nice addition.

3 - I hated the lion dance fighting.

4 - the worst imo. Laughable plot and the lion dance competition wasn't at all exciting.

5 - ok for the most part. I'm glad they got rid of those weak lion dance fights.

6 - average. no hardcore fights since they are basically killing off the americans.

Personally I like 2 the best. The first one is great of course, but I find it overlong. I like how much more stylish 2 is and the fight scenes in it are just so damn superb. Also it ends on the most unsubtle political note ever that every time I see it I smile. I've never liked 3 and I've never seen the two without Jet Li. As for Once Upon a Time in China and America... well, as a kid I loved it and thought the 7-Eleven joke was the height of hilarity. Nowadays the less said about it the better.

There's also The Master and Iron Monkey which according to the Chinese titles and the involvement of Tsui Hark, imply that they're also a part of the franchise. The Master is absolutely atrocious, but the idea is pretty insane recasting Wong Fei Hung in 90s San Francisco. Iron Monkey is held in pretty high esteem internationally, but I've never really quite warmed to it.

Yesterday I saw The Avengers. It was mostly good, and it accomplishes what it sets out to do. The action is wonderfully shot in that there's not a lot of cutting and shaky cam going on. But the dialogue is godawful in a lot of places, and so is some of the humour. Then again, I really really don't like Joss Whedon, so that might be part of it. Another glaring problem is the inconsistancy of the actors. For example, Chris Evans and Robert Downey have a lot of interaction with each other, but Chris Evans who is a competent actor but not THAT good, just pales in comparison. Still, it's fun and it's never really boring. It's also better than the last two things I saw at the movies, which were Hunger Games and Battleship so that's not saying much. It's basically getting universal praise as far as I can tell and most people I know like it a helluva lot according to Facebook so I guess that makes me some sort of hater. *shrugs*

melancholia: first von trier i've watched, but i fucking loved it

Chronicle. All the main characters seemed like bros despite all their home problems. And the 'amateur camera' style ended up just being really annoying and immersion breaking, like they came up with every excuse to have a character film what was going on and it really didn't make sense.

And yet I liked it a lot. I just hope they drop the stupid camera shit for the sequel.

Yeah, a sequel has been mentioned as planned. I don't know if its currently in the works though.