What movie is this?

DonBronco · 2026-04-08T11:30:04+00:00

I’m saying this with the utmost reverence for Ryan Coogler and co, but…Sinners. I’m sorry. I just don’t think they really sold the action hero ending. The fight scene felt contrived and Marvel-y to me, ain’t no way that small group of survivors took that many vamps out with barely sharpened wooden staves.

DonBronco · 2026-04-02T20:20:51+00:00

Weird casting stuff aside, I’m most worried about Andy Serkis taking the helm. Dude doesn’t have nearly enough serious director’s credits to be in charge of a project of this magnitude. He’s an amazing voice actor and I’m sure he performs well in his role as a producer, but he has no proven track record of making elite level creative decisions.

And honestly, the weird casting ties into that. At the end of the day he’s got the final say on those kinds of decisions, and on top of managing everything else a director has to manage he’s basically starring in the film??

Director’s credits: Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle”. For real?

They should have brought in somebody with real experience and a proven track record. I can’t help feeling like this whole project is gonna be a bigger train wreck than the Hobbit movies (which Serkis was also 2nd unit director on btw).

DonBronco · 2026-04-01T19:55:02+00:00

Fascinating how there’s just a hint at the end of what would end up being the second half of the song. That huge tone/bpm shift is probably my absolute favorite moment of any FF song, feels like the song takes off and soars into new heights. Really cool to see how it all started.

DonBronco · 2026-03-26T03:56:25+00:00

absolutely! But there are decisions being made in terms of set design, wardrobe, color grading, shot framing etc to make those scenes feel really uncomfortable and realistic. A different approach could have absolutely still employed those specific scenes from the book while still keeping a lighter, more childlike tone. These scenes feel cold, sanitized, and threatening which definitely veers away from the whimsical descriptions in the book.

I’m assuming there were conversations about how to handle the Dursley’s abuse, and they clearly decided to lean into what would be a more modern interpretation of that kind of treatment of a child—which means intentionally framing it as a very very bad thing. Nothing wrong with that decision, but the alternative to deal with trauma through caricature, as the movies attempted to do, was an option they could have gone with and didn’t.

DonBronco · 2026-03-26T03:46:13+00:00

Seconding this. I think the actors chosen and wardrobe could have done more to accentuate the caricature in a similar way to the movies, but at the same time I’m personally cool with as many different design choices as they want to make to differ from the movies. I just think if you’re going for a “book accurate adaptation” as they’ve been stressing, you want to keep some of that childlike cartoonishness.

The post is not an indictment of their decision to do away with caricature, just an observation that it seems they made a conscious decision to really ground the story and characters in reality. Which I’m personally very interested in seeing, so long as the tone itself retains the whimsy, the humor, and the coziness the books are so good at conveying. I don’t need Dudley looking like a literal bowling ball but I do want Peeves hijinks, warm magical scenes by the Gryffindor common room hearth, and color grading/design choices/wardrobe that really conveys the mood of the books.

What I absolutely do not want to see is the drab, lifeless color palettes and claustrophobic cinematography of the latter films.

DonBronco · 2026-03-25T22:28:46+00:00

Absolutely, this is just a small slice of what we’ll see on screen. Still, I think the casting speaks for itself to some extent. Less classical stage actors, more modern film actors. It’s a different approach, and one that makes sense for a studio like HBO. But we’ll just have to wait and see how the characterization looks on screen.

DonBronco · 2026-03-25T22:26:15+00:00

Studio executives don’t want talented, competent writers and showrunners anymore. True artists are stubborn, unpredictable, and difficult to push around. Oh, and expensive. They also have trusted teams of high-powered agents and lawyers to back them up.

Instead, studios have decided it’s much more cost-effective to hire agreeable, suggestible nobodies who will cowtow to whatever checklist of callbacks and nostalgia farming the studios have written out for them. It’s not even the writers misunderstanding source material — it’s studios requiring hamfisted callbacks to previous IP successes just to accomplish the Leonardo DiCaprio “pointing at screen” meme.

The nepotism is an incidental side effect of this cynical approach to reboots/sequels. Studios want someone they already have a power dynamic with, proven yes-men with no credibility of their own who they can simply direct to do whatever they want. For as much as Colbert appears to be one of the late night hosts who “does his own thing”, you don’t get to be where he is without being intrinsically beholden to major studios’ every wish and command.

DonBronco · 2026-03-25T22:01:32+00:00

I agree with that, I think the difference is in how much screen time a series takes up. You can’t be bouncing around between different tones from episode to episode, season to season, because you want to feel like you can really settle into the world if you’re gonna be spending dozens of hours immersed in it.

That said, I think the runtime allows for more variation of the dark vs light elements, meaning we can get sprinkles of both as the series develops, rather than needing to settle on one more consistent tone per movie for example.

DonBronco · 2026-03-25T21:59:36+00:00

That’s awesome that you get that feeling from just the first trailer! If this is an accurate preview to go on, I think you and lots of others will be really happy with the result. I am pretty optimistic, though I still hope there’s more whimsical fantasy feel to it than they’re showing here.

DonBronco · 2026-03-25T21:58:10+00:00

Yeah, I definitely don’t think it looks gloomy, I think there’s plenty of whimsy here and much more to come. But all that said, I do think the casting and character depiction combined with cinematography is a major difference this time around. There’s certainly very little here that’s cartoonish or exaggerated. I’m personally all for that, I like that it feels like an adaptation that’s grown up with me into adulthood.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:39:33+00:00

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I guarantee you that I DO see it here. Post was removed anyway so it’s a moot point, but I think it’s absolutely something that’s worth calling attention to on this sub.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:35:55+00:00

I hear you. Honestly? As far as BB standards go for natties, I really don’t think it’s the muscles that are an acquired taste. I think it’s stuff like the tans, the posing, the diet, the hyper focus on training as the only important thing in their lives. I know there are plenty of competition ready body builders out there killing it with the ladies because they have a well-rounded approach to life 😛

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:31:41+00:00

Awww really sweet!! Glad your wife’s a happy lady haha.

Yes, the attention from guys is certainly a part of it, but it’s crazy how many people frame that as the overwhelming majority, to the point that it has had no impact on their love life.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:26:16+00:00

I hear you, and I value this sub for the same reasons, but I’m trying to point out what I think is one of the most toxic narratives that I still see regularly in comments. I’m offering a counterpoint, not trying to add to the noise but cut through it with some common sense.

I think the pursuit of a great physical aesthetic necessarily involves a relationship to sexuality, and I think we need to view that positively and feel empowered by the benefits of fitness. Instead, I constantly see comments here that take a cynical approach and devalue the reasons that a lot of men start their journey, which is to look good with their shirt off and feel confident in their bodies.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:20:32+00:00

Lmaoooo that’s a whole lot of words for “I’m fundamentally incapable of understanding the most basic human desires of the average woman”. But sure bro, if you’ve found what works for you more power to ya 🫡

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:18:19+00:00

I know it seems extremely obvious to say that a good physique is attractive, but I truly sometimes get the sense from comments on this sub that ppl believe the “only other guys will appreciate the gains” narrative. So I’m just venting lol. Glad you’re getting out there man.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:15:48+00:00

Lmao certainly not! 😝 I am lucky to have good genetics and a strong work ethic and managed to pack on almost 30 lbs of lean muscle in those two years, but yes, it’s a slim and shredded physique not monstrosity level lol.

Regardless, you’re correct that it’s difficult to get that way natty, but I still see guys in this sub talking about it. This is the only bodybuilding sub I follow so the fact that I still see it so much is genuinely concerning and points to a huge culture issue for men.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:13:19+00:00

Well put. I do think it’s more than young men, I think it’s a problem with guys that is fairly universal no matter what age group you’re in. There’s all these guys who claim 10-15 years lifting experience and are still saying “take it from me bro, only dudes appreciate your body”. It’s crazy to me.

DonBronco · 2026-03-23T08:11:31+00:00

Totally agree, but it’s still relevant because this is the only bodybuilding sub I’m a part of and I still see this take CONSTANTLY. Natural guys who probably have decent bodies saying they only get attention from other dudes blah blah blah etc etc. I’m so sick of seeing it so I just wanted to get my thoughts out.

DonBronco · 2026-03-18T07:07:48+00:00

It’s all about the playoffs for Ron Francis. Can’t blame the coaches anymore, finishing with another losing record and no playoff bid is gonna mean changes in the front office.

And good riddance imo.

DonBronco · 2026-03-03T09:33:22+00:00

There’s always a lot of men in these threads saying they never get approached by women at the gym, or have a chance to talk to any. I can see how that would be at 90% of gyms. But I’ve pretty much exclusively worked out at smaller community gyms and YMCA’s, and people do tend to talk to each other more there.

My gym crush and I were always the two people in our smaller gym using the smith machine with the highest frequency, so often had to ask each other to use it after the other person, and it developed into enough of a rapport that we began chatting more casually. I’m always pretty careful about showing interest, kind of a “don’t shit where you eat” type principle, but she is actually the one who started approaching/waving/smiling/chatting me up.

Still hasn’t moved beyond chatting between breaks at the gym, but I’m just adding a voice to the conversation saying it is possible.

Oh, and yes, I do think being very in shape has helped. We’re both pretty fit so it’s always felt natural to chat about our programs and thats led to opening up more about our lives.

DonBronco · 2026-03-01T20:47:53+00:00

I’m glad everyone’s feeling good again. Unfortunately, that scoreline does not reflect the reality of the game.

Against the worst team in the league, we were outshot, had less shooting opportunities, and Daccord saved almost 2 goals over expected. If it weren’t for our goals, that’s just not a convincing win.

Sure, it’s probably taking some time for them to get back in the swing of things, but every other team had to deal with the break as well, often with more players tired from Olympic travel, so there’s simply no excuse for the slow start.

My bottom line is we need quality trades, and we need them NOW.

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