Community Links & News: What Have You’ve Been Watching Lately?
Ahh yes, the incredible summer weather makes for a perfect day to … stay inside and watch a movie! 😉 On the blogging front, summer is usually a slower time for me. This is where you come in. I’m on the look out for something new to get into. Is there a movie or television show that you’ve recently enjoyed or can’t stop thinking about? How is True Detective season 2 coming along? Do you have a favorite movie of the summer so far?
Here are some things I’ve been watching lately. Of these, I’d easily recommend the first two movies to just about anyone.
• Inside Out: I skipped over Pixar’s last few movies but with all the positive reviews on Inside Out I wanted to check it out in the theatres. Glad to say I really enjoyed it! Pixar did a great job of pulling off the concept. My favorite emotion is Joy (Amy Poehler). I started out not caring much for Sadness (Phyllis Smith) but I liked how the script taught us to value her. Which Pixar movies do you think are unskippable?
• My Neighbor Totoro: After watching the fantastic Tale Of The Princess Kaguya I had a craving for more Studio Ghibli films that I missed out on and there are a lot of them. My Neighbor Totoro is considered a classic and it did not disappoint. I really liked how all the characters reacted to the mysterious events with wonder and curiosity rather than doubt or fear. My only wish is that I would have liked more scenes with Totoro. Which Studio Ghibli films do you want to watch next?
• Jurassic World: A great mix of adventure, comedy, action, horror and lots of dinosaurs. So much fun! This summer blockbuster paid homage and borrowed the formula from the original Jurassic Park. A little light on character development which I didn’t mind at all. Despite blowing up the box office, I don’t think this movie will be as fondly remembered as the original. Which Jurassic World character should be fed to the Indominus Rex?
• Sense8: For the question of the month on which movie should be turned into a television series I picked Cloud Atlas. Not because it was a good movie but I thought that if the Wachowski’s worked with a proven television screenwriter they could perhaps flesh out the many characters and multiple story lines better in a series format. Now the Wachowski’s are doing just that, collaborating with J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) on a new netflix series about 8 telepathically linked people from across the globe. I finished 8 episodes so far; the last 4 are an improvement over the weaker first 4.
• Orange Is The New Black Season 3: I’m watching one episode a week, currently at episode 4. I’m sure things will get more interesting as the season progresses. I like the flashback format that shows us what happened to these characters before ending up in prison. Some are literally crazy, some are self-destructive but most are pretty likable once we get to know them better.
• Louie Season 3: Season 2 was near brilliant. I don’t think Season 3 is as strong but it has its moments. One episode featured the late Robin Williams and it was kind of eerie seeing him in a scene attending a funeral.
What These Bloggers Have Been Watching
• I‘m a huge fan of first two Terminator movies and liked the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I’ll probably watch the latest film in the franchise in the coming weeks. Check out these two great reviews on Terminator Genisys from The Hypersonic55’s Realm of Reviews and Cinema Parrot Disco.
• Take a look at Flixchatter’s great review of Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. I’ve heard nothing but positive things about this movie. It’s on my watch list for this summer.
• The trailer for Ted 2 was pretty funny. Find out what what Fast Film Reviews thinks of this sequel.
• Reading Film Grimore’s great review of Genre Grandeur: Romeo + Juliet (1996) makes me want to rewatch this movie. For my contribution to MovieRob’s Genre Grandeur on High School/Teen Romance movies check out 10 Things I Like About Say Anything.
• Here’s a great post on 10 Game of Thrones Characters that have disappeared into thin air by Abbiosbiston.
• Can you think of an under appreciated actress? One of my picks would be Rooney Mara. Check out Grog’s Top Ten Underappreciated Actresses – Top Ten Tuesdays by Grog’s Movie Blogs
• Last but not least is an excellent review of Ryan Goslings’ Lost River from Digital Shortbread. Even though I know this movie isn’t going to be great, this review has me very curious about it.
So what have you’ve been watching lately?
That’s all for now, thanks for reading!
Posted on July 13, 2015, in Community Links & News, Movies, Preview and tagged Community Links & News, Inside Out, Jurassic World, Lost River, Me Earl And The Dying Girl, Movie Reviews, Movies, My Neighbor Totoro, Netflix, Orange Is The New Black, Sense8, Ted 2, Television, Terminator Genisys. Bookmark the permalink. 49 Comments.
Sidekick Reviews 
Thanks for the mention!
You’re very welcome! 😀
Hey Eddie, thank you kindly for the link! 🙂 I’ve been having a really weird summer so far in terms of consistency posting and keeping up with other blogs, i need more community posts like this to keep me in the loop! 🙂
I am getting really curious about Sense8, that concept seems cool and I’m eager to see how the Wachowski’s translate to TV
You’re very welcome and glad to keep you in the loop. 🙂 Yeah, I think I’ll be posting less frequently, at least in the summer time.
I think Sense8 is one those shows that takes several episodes to get going. It’s watchable but unremarkable. 🙂
I’ve tried to approach this season of True Detective with an open mind, knowing it was going to be really different, but it’s been mediocre at best. I don’t buy Vince Vaughan in his role and the overall story has lacked any compelling factor thus far.
I’ve been watching Humans on AMC. Creepy, lifelike robots. Pretty good so far. And, though a bit on the romantic side, have been watching Poldark on PBS. Great casting, and a plus that Aiden Turner is smoking hot, brooding dude. I’ve been a fan since Being Human on BBC America.
Wayward Pines has been enjoyable as well. Matt Damon is really good in this role.
I heard True Detective is more of a regular cop type show this season. Too bad to hear about Vince Vaughan, some fans were looking forward to him in a dramatic role after all those comedies.
Humans sounds like something I might like to check out. I’ve been curious about Being Human both the original and remake. I haven’t heard about Poldark or Wayward Pines before. I might take a look at WP, I checked and its actually filmed in my country.
I recently watched Jurassic Park and Inside Out. Loved them both!
Both of these movies are a lot of fun, I’m glad I watched them in the theaters. 😀
Thanks for the Terminator Genisys link! 🙂 And… Thanks for watching My Neighbor Totoro! I love that movie so much. What other Ghiblis are you interested in seeing? Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind & Totoro are my two favorites. 🙂
You’re very welcome for the link! I’m so glad I finally watched My Neighbor Totoro, I don’t know what took me so long haha. I was thinking about watching Kiki’s Delivery Service. Or Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind sounds like a great suggestion I might check out next. 😀
Can’t wait to see what you think of them! 🙂 Castle In The Sky & Princess Mononoke are also good. Heck – just watch them all! Lol
When I get around to them and if I’m not too lazy, I’ll probably do a movie roundup including Studio Ghilbi films. 🙂 Princess Mononoke is fantastic, I still have to see Castle in the Sky and so many others haha.
Thanks for the shout out! I am not a big Pixar fan but I would put Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc on my list.
You’re very welcome for the shout out! I actually haven’t seen either Finding Nemo or Monsters Inc, I’ll definitely catch up on them. Someone once told me that Finding Nemo put them to sleep so that’s probably why I haven’t gotten around to it yet haha.
Heeeeey dude, great to see what you’re getting up to these days, you remind me that I have a blog to manage myself haha. Thanks for the shout out man, it is very appreciated! 😀
Anyways, firstly Inside Out, still haven’t seen it, us UK people have to wait another bloody week before it shows up in cinemas, the wait is killing me! I also don’t blame you got skipping the last few Pixar films, not since Toy Story 3 has there been a great Pixar epic. Brave was only half good and Monsters University was fine. I’d say if you wanted to skip Pixar films just skip the Cars films.
As for My Neighbor Totoro I like, but I don’t love (oh blasphemy!). I thought it was fun and interesting but it’s not on my favourites list in Porco Rosso, Ponyo, Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke.
Oh yeah Jurassic World, I still need to see that for the third time. I like the film, it’s a lot of fun, I probably won’t be as in love with it in a few years because it wasn’t a perfect film, but it was a lot of fun though!
I’m curious to see Sense8, I liked the sound of the premise and it seems like people aren’t completely shitting on this so I guess the Wachowski’s are on the up and up. I still need to see OITNB, I feel like I’m behind.
As for what I’ve been watching, you’ll probably see it a blog post soon… Haha! 😛
Hello there! You’re very welcome for the well deserved shout out!
Oh man, that’s about a month long wait compared to the North American release date. A lot of people are saying Inside Out is Pixar’s return to great movies. Toy Story 3 was awesome, yeah those Cars films look mediocre at best.
Haha, no love for Torotoro eh. Good to hear you found it fun and interesting. I’ll have to check out Porco Rosso & Ponyo. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, I should rewatch those some time.
I’m surprised at how well JW is doing at the box office. Looks like there are many fans like you who are enjoying it multiple times in the theatres. 😀 I totally agree, I think it’s going to be one of those films that won’t really hold up that well over time.
One thing I’ll say about Sense8 is that it does jump around a lot between the characters. Once we get to know the characters a bit better, it’s not as jarring. I think you might like OITNB, a show that you can easily binge watch if that’s your thing.
Cool, looking forward to what you’ve been watching in your upcoming post! 😀
I just need to see Inside Out now, the wait is killing me and want to compare it to my previous favourites like The Incredibles, Up and the Toy Story trilogy. It’s not so much that I hate Totoro as much as I don’t LOVE it like everyone else does, much like Howl’s Moving Castle. They are great films, but they’re not my favourites. Well as long as Sense8 isn’t something that I’ll want to skip then i’ll give it a watch. Oh I love to binge TV these days so I’ll have a ball getting through this show if the hype is to be believed.
I totally understand what you mean about Totoro. Hmm, I don’t think I like Inside Out as much as any of those personal favorites you mentioned – those were fantastic films, but I think Inside Out is worth watching. Sense8 isn’t a show that I’d highly recommend but I think it’s worth trying a few episodes to see if it hooks you in. It’s more of a character drama that’s driven by the telepathy element. 🙂
Nice round-up! The trailers for Inside Out didn’t interest me too much at first, but it sounds like it’s worth checking out after all. And I still need to get around to watching Orange is the New Black.
I wasn’t sure about the concept and initial trailer for Inside Out at first, but having seen it I can say it’s worth checking out especially for fans of animated films and Pixar. OITNB has a great diverse cast of characters, I think you might enjoy it. Thanks!
Thanks for the link, Eddie! Hey, I think Cloud Atlas would make a good TV series, it just has so much going on for a 2-hr movie. Still, it was far more watchable than Jupiter Ascending, ugh. The more I think about Jurassic World the more I dislike it. In fact, I got into a conversation with a couple of people last night who absolutely disliked it and they shared some really good points about it.
You’re very welcome for the link! Yeah Cloud Atlas has so much going on in just a 2 hr movie. I avoided Jupiter Ascending, even before the reviews came out I knew it was going to be terrible. Jurassic World is a movie that I don’t think that much about haha, it’s actually a silly movie when I do but works as a fun popcorn flick for me. 🙂
This season’s OitNB is a little bit of a departure from the Piper-centric first two seasons. I liked it. I’m watching Sense8 again. I love that series. And I’m noticing a bunch of things I missed on the first viewing. I’m seeing connections I didn’t notice before. One that is so obvious I almost kicked myself for missing it.
My favorite new summer shows are Mr Robot. Which is a fantastic hacker adventure show. Hacking has never been done right. Mr Robot gets it right. And also Dark Matter, a deep space action-adventure-drama about a crew that wakes up with no memory of their pasts. A very interesting premise with some familiar character actors from some of my favorite shows.
I’m putting up a new What’s Good? post later today and one of the things I think is good is the new True Detective season two. I’m enjoying it. Love the cast. Love the setting. Love the story. And this past episode was explosive to say the least. We finally get to know the characters by episode four and these are four really well fleshed-out and flawed three-dimensional characters. I think it’s better than the first season.
Nice round-up. I have got to go see Inside Out. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow.
Yeah, I think Piper was the point of view character to get the viewer into the OitNB world in the first couple of seasons. I like that all the characters get a backstory, people who would be marginalized or wouldn’t get development in other shows.
I’m so far deep into Sense8 that I just have to know what’ll happen next and I’m really curious about the connections you mentioned. I might do a proper review of it when I’m done.
Dark Matter sounds like exactly something I’d be into checking out and it’s filmed in my country too! A friend also highly recommended Mr. Robot to me, I actually have the first episode cued up so I should be checking it out very soon!
I enjoyed the first season of True Detective, a little slow in places but really great stuff. I think you totally convinced me to give season 2 a watch.
Inside Out is worth seeing, hope you like it! The short intro film is cool too.
that’s what I heard. I heard the short film before the feature is really good too. If it’s not pouring to hard tomorrow I’m going to go see it.
I’m kind of embarrassed that I didn’t see this the first time I viewed Sense8 because it’s so obvious. They all (well 5 of the 8 that I’ve noticed) have a connection to the pharmaceutical industry in some way either illegally or legally. And it occurred to me when the DJ was being offered that new designer drug by the guy who INSISTED that she be there and take it in the first episode. A drug that (I’m only guessing) either gives them, enhances or possibly takes away their power (I really believe). We don’t know because her BF clocks him before she takes a hit. This is in the first episode so I’m not giving anything away but after watching a second time I realized how important that scene was. Also writing this I figured out the other 3. That the actor’s new beard’s family (probably) imports drugs. the cop I’m just going to assume had some kind of drug thing or bust and the hacker is taking hormone injections (that’s the flimsiest of the 8) So the connection that I missed was the drug connection. I don’t think I spoiled anything. We’ll talk when you finish the series.
I noticed the mention of the drug company a few times. But because it’s not at the forefront and so many other stuff is going on it’s something that I haven’t thought much about. That’s a good catch and not a spoiler at all. Now that you mention it, you’re right about the DJ being offered the drug. The pilot had a lot of information and characters to take in at once. I can see why you’ve gone back for a rewatch to catch the things you might have missed. I think the cop was abducted as a kid or something and that will tie into the bigger story somehow. I have four more eps to go.
Fun to see what you’ve been checking out this summer. I enjoyed Season 3 of Orange is the New Black a lot. It is such an interesting group of characters that I just enjoy seeing what they get up to.
Sense8 is a show I hope to get to at some point this summer. Sounds pretty cool. I’d second Mel’s Mr. Robot suggestion. That has been great so far.
I think you’ll be happy to hear about one show I started up this summer. Usually in the summer I will try to watch a popular show I never caught when it aired and I’m working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer this year! I am in Season 2 now. Probably won’t finish it for a long while, but it has been fun so far.
Nice to round up some stuff I’ve been watching lately. I don’t normally get around to blogging about most of the stuff I watch. 😀
Another thing I like about OitNB is the mix of humour and zippy dialogue. I think for Sense8 they actually film on location around globe and it’s a diverse cast. Great to hear another recommendation for Mr. Robot, I’ll definitely be checking it out soon.
Very cool that you’re watching Buffy this summer! Season 2 is a lot of fun and some memorable twists. It’s an improvement over Season 1 which I enjoyed too. I think BtvS did some things that were a head of it’s time, but I wonder how well it holds up after all this time. Enjoy!
My Neighbour Totoro is great, fell in love it many years ago and stands above all the other Gibli offerings for me personally! Really magical and doesn’t lose it’s ‘touch’ as you grow older!
Magical is a great way to describe My Neighbour Totoro. It’s a movie I can see myself rewatching down the road. I can totally see how it doesn’t lose it’s touch as we grow older. Great stuff!
Thank you so much for the link! 😀 So many great links to check out as well! I haven’t seen Inside Out yet but I really can’t wait to see it, sounds like a really special film.
You’re very welcome for the link! I’m so glad I didn’t skip Inside Out, I hope you really like it too! 😀
Everything. I’ve been watching everything 😀
Everything eh, well that explains everything 😉
Hi Eddie, I nominated your awesome blog for two awards (Dragon’s Loyalty & Versatile Blogger): https://meshthemoviefreak.wordpress.com/2015/07/23/2nd-blogiversary/
Cheers!
Much appreciated Mesh! Thanks!
Unfortunately I have no special Pixar movie…so far all are skip-able for me…sorry.
I LOVE TOTORO!!! you make me want to watch it again. Have you seen Princess mononoke? that was one epic movie
Haha, that’s okay not everyone are into Pixar movies (but really they are soooo good).;)
Totoro is awesome! Yes, I’ve seen Princess Mononoke, I must see it again, yes very epic!
I only have few favorite English speaking animations…and I don’t even remember whether they are pixar or not
Another thing I like about some of the Studio Ghilbi films is the supernatural and fantasy elements are really different from Pixar.
I’ve watched a bunch of things. I loved Inside Out so much. It is now my 3rd favorite Pixar movie. I’ve seen it twice and may even see it a third time tonight! I love Totoro. In some way it is a little like Winnie the Pooh. The sweet characters take care of little ones and they go on adventures. There’s a gentleness to both.
As far as unskippable Pixar I always say Up is my favorite and then about a 9 movie pile up for 2nd. But I’d say they have 4 that are average (people are way over the top on the Cars 2 hatred. It’s not that bad). The rest are must see! My order for Pixar however is Up, Toy Story, Inside Out, Incredibles, Wall-e, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Cars, Monsters University, A Bug’s Life, Cars 2, Brave. But I honestly like them all.
As far as other things have you ever seen Gravity Falls It’s a really good animated TV show and the premiere was awesome! I’ve also been enjoying Big Brother (I love reality tv games).
Movies so far this summer I’ve loved Avengers: Age of Ultron, When Marnie was There and Inside Out. I thought Ant-Man was really good and Jurassic World was Ok. Over all I think 2014 was much stronger than 2015 for summer movies.
Hello there! Pixar did a great job with Inside Out. I wasn’t sure about the concept going into the movie but it worked and was a lot of fun. That’s a good point about how the characters in Totoro took care of one another … a feel good, kind-hearted movie for sure.
The Incredibles is at the top of my Pixar list too. It doesn’t pull on the heart strings as much as others but it’s so much fun! I’d put Up, Toy Story and Toy Story 3 at the top of my list along with The Incredibles.
I’m following this season of Big Brother. I really like the casting, such a great mix of characters this summer.
Yeah, I feel 2014 was stronger than 2015’s summer movies. I remember last summer there was Winter Soldier, X-Men, Guardians, Dawn Of the Planet Of the Apes, … such a great line up. This summer’s #1 favorite for me was Mad Max. I still have to see Ant-Man, the reviews for it has been pretty good. Thanks for commenting! 😀
Sense8 I was skeptical about through the first few episodes, but it really won me over by the end of the season. A very ambitious show, but they pulled it off well.
Ratatouille is #1 for me in terms of Pixar movies.
I recently rewatched the first few episodes of Sense8 . It’s interesting going back to the initial episodes after getting to know the characters. Yeah, a very ambitious show indeed. Hope there’s a season 2 Sense 8.
I’ll have to watch Ratatouille some time, I’ve heard great things about it. Thanks for commenting!
Wow, I guess we know who’s keeping the movie industry afloat!
Great post! I have to admit that I’m not as in love with Inside Out. For me it didn’t strike the emotional chord of Up (which has to be my unmissable Pixar movie). I loved Jurassic World though. I really enjoyed the way it slipped in lots of references to the original and Chris Pratt really surprised me in the role. If I had to feed any of the characters to the Rex, it would have to be park owner Masrani (Irrfan Khan). The character was far too mild and so underwritten.
Thanks a lot for stopping by and commenting! I have a lot of Pixar movies to catch up on. Of the ones I’ve seen, Inside Out isn’t in my top 3 or 4 but I enjoyed it. Yeah, Chris Pratt was a good fit for that role. I also liked all the references to the original. Haha, nice choice for Rex food. 😀
Jurassic World is the best movie I’ve seen all summer. I went to see Tomorrowland as well but that sort of didn’t work for me. I wished I could have seen something else at the time. Marvel Avengers 2 was good as well. But definitely JW beat everyone at the box office.
Jurassic World was a lot fun. I’m surprised at how well it did at the box office, I believe it already surpassed the first Avengers movie in terms of world wide gross. I enjoyed Avengers 2 as well. The reviews for Tomorrowland weren’t that great so I plan to catch that when it’s out on video. I still need to see MI Rogue Nation, I heard that one is really good. 😀