I am annoyed that I could not find a previous thread on this franchise. I'm sure I posted on both the original anime and the live-action travesty but several key word searches produced nothing. I'm sure it's Merc in Ret.



This new take on it is a bit of a mess. It assumes you know a lot about the franchise. If you don't, and I've only scratched the surface of this because it's a long running one (7 feature length films, 3 series, several manga and direct-2-vid series and more), it's hard to follow. Major Motoko is a tad sassier and there's a lot of getting inside each other's minds in this one. It's colorful and imaginative, but not as visionary as the first one. I'm still sorting it. 

Only the first ep is available now. I'll probably watch a few more as they come.

Y’all know my luv for raspy female singers. I might still have her vinyl album.

A child is kidnapped. A single parent who was formerly a top agent must reactivate for the rescue. Ultravi ensues. The plot to The Furious, Agent Kim Reactivated and Wildcat. Only the twist is it’s the mom reactivated.
I enjoy Kate Beckinsale’s IG but her actioner tend to fall flat. My Dublin dinner date Lewis Tan is her bf, and it’s the age stereotype reversed as Kate is in her 50s and Lewis is in his 30s. They play Yojimbo between 3 rival gangs ruling over England’s east end. It’s mostly a lot of firefights. There’s some fistacuffs and Lewis pulls a few long one shot scenes but the choreo is beneath his skills. It’s like he’s making bigger, slower moves so the stunt people can keep up. Almost all of Kate’s fights have her tousled hair hiding her stunt double. Kate still looks great and her voice is this is huskier than usual. Alice Krige (Borg Queen) plays one of the better mob bosses. Like The Furious, there’s a main deaf character - the kidnapped daughter.

This moves predictably from action scene to action scene with some odd comic relief from Kate’s damaged bruv. But everything just misses the mark by that much. 

This is #1 on Amazon UK according to Lewis. The humor is decidedly British but the comic timing is off. There was one nice fight in some kind of tool shop and I’ll give props for the nail in use, but that’s it.

Not D00M recommended.

(05-05-2026, 08:37 AM)Greg Wrote: The Odyssey. Trailer 2. Coming July 17, 2026

I've been avoiding this one for awhile, but it got so many good reviews I thought I should give it a shot.

It's every thing you think it will be. Kind of the Top Gun:Maverick on the race track. Pitt plays the aging racer brought back to Formula 1 to help a rookie driver be all that he can be. It's got that Bull Durham vibe, too, as the Rookie isn't all that keen to learn what the old pro can teach him. There are bumps in the road. Literally. Naturally, Brad has a deeper side, looking for that mystic perfect race he chases. Javier Bardem plays it pretty straight as the Team Owner who needs one win on the circuit to keep control of the team. But the way his drivers are fighting it will never happen. But guess what? Sorry, no spoilers. It's a well done formulaic picture with lots of glitz but nothing super special.

And as an aside, how does the sport of F1 make any money? I see these huge teams in these futuristic buildings paying for these very expensive cars and I don't see where the revenue comes from. Is it all TV revenue? Is it something else. Is it like Football where the Americans don't get how popular the sport is around the world? Inquiring minds want to know.

The 1st is slow. Teenage drama. A girl is being bullied by some other girls. The bullied file’s dad is widower, a quiet banker. But in e2, it’s revealed that the bullying girl is the daughter of a major gangster and the widower is a retired double agent, a traitor in the north. By e3, where I’m at now, everyone’s after him. Other underground agents are reactivated. The north sends an assassin. And the daughter is kidnapped. It’s up to agent Kim to walk the road of vengeance.

Once this gets going, it’s fun. There’s something about Kim’s professional set of special skills that makes for a good watch as villains underestimate him. The fight choreo is basic, one action, one shot, and plenty of firefights (even tho no one owns guns in s. Korea). I’m a sucker for father/daughter tales which makes this satisfying.

There are a few more eps available, the. Fresh ones roll out every week.

I’m down. Not quiteD00M recommended because I’m not sure where this is all going… I may endorse it later

(03-11-2026, 11:17 PM)Drunk Monk Wrote: Per Aspera Ad Astra

(05-17-2026, 11:41 PM)Drunk Monk Wrote: Blast

We don’t have a 4th of July thread here? How unpatriotic.

Odd way to spend the 4th. 
It’s at the Marriott on Great America parkway near the stadium called Levi’s again, so there’s a big fifa standee. 
So many nerds. No cosplay hawtties (yet). A few bad cross dressers.

Already interviews the light saber group & a knife maker. Waiting for the martial arts dude - a swordplay recreationist, the type the maestro & I disdain.

Came a little too early because my parking will cost a lot if I stay past 4 hours. Might leave & comeback.