NCIS is still going? Man, I can not stand those procedural shows. 
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Saw the 4K restoration of Princess Mononoke in IMAX. First time watching it and like some of Miyazaki’s other works, it’s something I respect more than I like. I do like it a lot, but unless something changes within me and I turn around, it’s not one of my favorites. Granted, I’m not deep into Ghibli. I did get themes of anti-colonialism, the curse that is hatred, and the divide of nature and humanity and how both can co-exist. I am just not fully into each important character. One storytelling bit that stood out to me was how in spite of Ashitaka being a pacifist, he involuntarily still kills people and does so when his arm acts up. Cool movie. Amazing animation and score.
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I may try to go on Friday. hows the restoration?
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The 4K restoration was beautiful. Fully scanned rather than upscaled.
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Are they screening both language versions?
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They’re screening both. I saw it subbed.
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Kinda surprised they are showing that version given Neil Gaiman wrote the English script.
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Regal did an event last year where they re-release Studio Ghibli movies and they are released in both languages. They tend to release anime movies in both sub and dub so I’m not surprised that Mononoke gets the same treatment. Even for as popular as Gaiman is.
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GKids has the distribution rights and they pretty much do a theatrical release for both versions for all their films.
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There we go that’s what I meant. Regal just has these screenings.
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My therapist was just recommending Studio Ghibli movies to me
The only one I saw was Kiki’s Delivery Service, long, long ago
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They are quite wonderful.
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I recommend giving Kiki a rewatch sometime; it’s very sweet. For other Ghibli films with a feel-good vibe, I also suggest checking out My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo. They’re movies to put a smile on your face.
That said, there is a wide variety of tones across the rest of the Ghibli library. Some are action-packed fantasy epics, others are quiet and somber real-life dramas. Not all of the stories land for me, but I respect the variety, and the animation is always top-notch.
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I would have to agree with BMO and Reset, Ghibli is Good! I think there is a lil something for everyone throughout their library. My favourite changes depending on what day you ask me, but it usually cycles between Kiki, Totoro and Spirited Away. Oh, I would truly recommend Whisper of the Heart, too! That might actually be my personal GOAT… oh bother, I can’t choose!
Incidentally, Kiki is on my arm! Next year it will be ten years since I got it done. 
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Rewatched Doctor Strange for the first time in a while tonight. Such a good film, they really nailed the character. Still wish Marvel/Disney has let Scott Derrikson go as full-on weird as he’d originally wanted to, though.
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My mother said that she knew she was old when there was a year where she felt all the famous people she knew were dying. 2025 really sucks for me in this regard.
RIP Val Kilmer
He was a real genius. Even if some of his older films seem like they were top secret, to me he was always a top gun. He brought heat to every role and always brought viewers through the doors. I hope his tombstone becomes a shrine.
stolen from here
The first movie I remember watching with him starring in was “Halbblut” (Thunderheart) 1992. I think I had a little bit of a crush on him at the time.
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This is the first I’m hearing if this. That’s really sad and quite a shock.
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I’ve watched a few things over the past couple months. Here’s a tiny rundown on my thoughts, based on my personal scale of LIKE IT, LOVE IT, or GOTTA HAVE IT (in ascending preference)!
- Mickey 17: Had a conversation with my brother while playing Fall Guys together that left me with a bigger appreciation for it (and especially Robert Pattinson). I thought Mark Ruffalo was really bad in this! I LIKE IT!
- The Monkey: This was fun and silly! Sort of a Zucker Bros by way of A24 prestige horror. Landed decently well with me. Theo James is such a good sport. I LIKE IT!
- Orb: On the Movements of the Earth: one of the rare shows where I loved every second of what was happening. This show is awesome, but I felt a very sudden drop in awesomeness during the finale: it all ends on a bit of a question mark (literally!), but it felt like a significant fizzle after a tremendous buildup. Still 23 episodes of television I think are totally wonderful. I LOVE IT!
- Game Changer season 7: The premiere dropped on Dropout’s streaming service and between close family this has been the biggest must-see TV of the season. The rare piece of media that I really pushed for my big brother to watch with his boyfriend because I knew they’d love it and now we are all devout fans. Each season gets better than the last. Ya just GOTTA HAVE IT!
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I did a Jurassic Park marathon recently. The first four I’ve seen before; the last two were first-time viewings.
Jurassic Park — The perfect “summer blockbuster” type of film. It’s just pure movie magic from start to finish. The dinos rule of course, but I’m also super impressed by the script, the dialogue, the pacing. There’s a fascinating sci-fi plot to mull over. Characters are interesting and likeable, and some even have arcs. The cinematography is peak Spielberg. Thrilling scenes continue to thrill to this day, and I still get scared during those final velociraptor sequences.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park — Eh… it’s almost kinda decent? There’s one very cool scene, with the T-Rexes and the giant vehicle and the cliff. But otherwise it’s a long, meandering film that forgets having a plot about halfway through. I need more than just people running from dinos for two hours.
Jurassic Park III — I remember this not being great, but it was still worse than I remembered. It’s just people running from bad CG dinos. I’m also annoyed that the film doesn’t end with a climactic military vs dinosaurs battle lol.
Jurassic World — I was SO hyped for this film back when it released, and then was completely disappointed when I saw it. It’s a bad rehash of the original, full of unlikeable characters and cringe-worthy dialogue. I think what bugs me the most about this one is that the general concept of Chris Pratt leading a team of velociraptors to take down a giant Frankenstein’d dino that’s wreaking havoc… is an awesome idea, and should have been the entire movie. Sadly it’s only a thing for like one minute here.
Credit where it’s due: I was hooting and hollering for the grand finale between the Indominus and the T-Rex (tag-teaming with a velociraptor).
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — I went into this expecting the worst, since I was let down by Jurassic World, and seemingly everyone online hates this follow-up. But here it is, a certified Reset Tears Hot Take: this movie kinda rules??? I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s no Jurassic Park, but for a campy horror thrill-fest I was entertained from start to finish. It’s stupid, yeah, but it’s finally something new for the franchise. I love how the second half basically turns into a Resident Evil movie, with a Nemesis dino in pursuit within a big 'ol creepy mansion.
Jurassic World: Dominion — Unfortunately… this one’s a dud. There’s like a hundred ingredients in this mess of a movie stew, which somehow ended up tasteless. There are decent bits of action here and there, but the plot did nothing for me, and neither did the return of the core Jurassic Park cast.
This summer there will be a new movie (Jurassic World: Rebirth). It’ll be directed by Gareth Edwards, who did the 2014 Godzilla film (Monsterverse). I personally was a fan of that one, so I’ll be curious to see if there will be any interesting overlap between that and the new Jurassic entry (in regards to tone, cinematography, etc).
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I’m rewatching the Star Trek franchise. I started with TOS. I’m up to episode 5 now. Next is The Animated Series (the only one I’ve never seen so I’m really excited for it), followed by the movies, TNG and then I’ll finish with DS9.
I may continue with Voyager, Enterprise and Picard after that. I don’t own them, however, so I’ll have to see.
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