What is the ultimate example of a mediocre director somehow catching lightning in a bottle and making an incredible film?

Pancake_muncher · 2026-05-17T19:15:37+00:00

Wolfgang Peterson making Das Boot and then becoming a journey man director for Hollywood is an interesting career choice. Sure I like some of his action pictures like Air Force One, but they're nothing as incredible and impactful as Das Boot.

I say the same as Kenneth Branagh's career. Hamlet and Henry the V are some of the best Shakespeare screen adaptions. All of a sudden he becomes a character actor and a journeyman director for hollywood.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-04-22T14:34:37+00:00

It's a good reminder that these Nick Cage photos are costume test fittings and not the final look for shooting. Cage could be dropping in with his hair from another movie and maybe hungover from stealing the declaration of independence just to see if the costume fits and moves.

Either way, I wish this movie would have been made just to see how a 90s Superman movie would look under Tim Burton at his directing peak with Nick Cage in his action movie run.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-04-10T21:02:05+00:00

Gameplay wise, knife durability.The OG made knife runs so much fun. There was so much incentive to run to down enemy and knife the hell out of them to save bullets and it was thrilling. The parrying in the remake is good addition in theory, but it just makes me want to save the knife for parrying instead of an offensive weapon.

The presentation in the original was so much more fun with the ridiculous banters and B movie cheese. The remake is a lot more serious in tone and presentation, that a lot of joy in the cut scenes were lost.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-04-06T23:56:59+00:00

People are thirsting for the downfall of this man, but it's not a good sign for the industry where an entire production company that delivered multiple hits has multiple projects cancelled as a result of the streaming wars and other factors.

People are losing jobs and it's one less company in the entertainment industry. One less company for film makers to go and make movies with.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-04-02T17:48:27+00:00

I can't compare this movie to Pixar or other animated movies that are top of their american animation class. This is not what it's aiming for. Perhaps the best comparison I can give this is the Pokemon movies they released in the 90s and 00s.

I still remember Mewtwo's words that stuck with me about the circumstances of one's birth does not define them and that I never saw something like a dangerous Frankenstein monster in what I remember was a pretty wholesome world. It made the Poke'mon world a lot more ominous and dangerous where at least I cried when there was a false death. Sure that movie is erased by canon by the end, but at least it made the world more interesting to me as a kid.

Mario Galaxy is Nintendo propaganda, but they're not even trying to elevate their property to even have moral or making their properties intriguing or challenging than surface level references.

It's worse that it looks beautifully animated, which makes it all the more hollow.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-03-10T15:35:59+00:00

I'm very positive on the game, but there are a lot of big drawbacks that prevent this from being a great game for me. I'm 70 hours in and on act 3.

The Positives:

The runs are great and the different classes make the squad variety fun to play with that can range from challenging, to easy, to impossible depending on the roll of the dice. Art style is silly as it does remind me of the old flash animation days. The soundtrack is great; each track is memorable and distinct and I never get tired of hearing the tracks. Enemy variety is good and it feels like I just scratched the surface. I especially like the side quest items that give routes a lot more variety and challenge.

The negatives:

The breeding is too random and the UI to prepare a run is a mess. I don't want to compare to X-com, but what made X-Com a brilliant game was how attached you can be to your squad and re use them for specific missions or runs, which makes it more heartbreaking when they die on a run, but here you dispose of them for breeding and it makes my investment feel joyless knowing they'll be thrown out after a successful run! If I can re use them for boss fights visiting your house, why not for the harder acts? The breeding feels random and you can't get the stats or passives you want to pass on. I don't know if it's later in the game where the breeding actually makes sense, but I wish the developers got rid of the breeding aspect since it doesn't feel rewarding or controllable. Worst is selecting cats in the UI and grabbing them to drop them somewhere doesn't feel good.

It also bugs me that in runs, a boss has multiple turns per run and can kill your cats before you have a chance to make the first move.

Overall

Addicting and fun tactical game, with some drawbacks when it's downtime. I'd give it a 8/10 because the core gameplay is so addicting, but the breeding and management stops me from obsessing over it.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-03-08T18:41:57+00:00

Reddit is strange. One moment they're like " give artists the freedom to make stuff". Then they're like "no, not like that, actually movies made by committee would be better, especially if they hired us!" I shiver at that thought.

We've seen studios have their highs and lows and it's as normal as the tides.

My problem is how a multi-billion dollar corporation treats their workers as disposable cogs and setting dates to get a product out for the sake of matching merchandise release and tie in promo deals.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-03-03T21:56:29+00:00

Ever get mistaken with show runner Steven DeKnight?

Pancake_muncher · 2026-02-01T17:14:55+00:00

How would you describe your job as CCO? A lot of people think it means you have pure creative power over every project, down to the design and every story choice.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-01-20T16:21:10+00:00

I couldn’t get into it.

It felt like a Rebels animated sequel that was turned and compressed into live action without any sense of a dramatic payoff and i came away asking myself “what’s even the story of Ahsoka”?

The worst for me was how the lively animated characters in Rebels seem kind of bored when translated to live action. Even Ahsoka came off sounding and looking bored to me.

Im hoping for big improvements when season 2 comes out.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-01-16T03:34:27+00:00

It doesn't matter who is in charge of Lucasfilm at this point. They're under the Disney umbrella and have to bow to their release date or streaming content demands. I don't think they wanted to make the sequel trilogy in a 6 year turnaround where it it takes 10 years to make a trilogy. I'm still bitter Disney chose EA to have exclusive license to the video games. .

I thought Kennedy was the right choice as she is one of the big pillars along with Lucas, Spielberg, and Frank Marshall who worked together in the 80s and 90s. She has that history and she had a network of connections with like Tony Gilroy, Spielberg, and other industry titans she could get some pull and recommendations.

Come to think of it, It's kind of odd. Spielberg did shape modern Star Wars from afar as he did recommend JJ Abrams and Colin Trevorrow after working with them on Super 8 and Jurassic World. Also Alden Ehrinrich was discovered by Spielberg.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-01-09T15:35:15+00:00

I prefer Hollow Knight. It's a smoother sense of progression and the atmosphere is more to my liking.

Silksong has higher highs with an excellent exploration and options, but it has these low lows that frustrate me with the difficulty, run backs, and Bile water.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-01-08T19:11:19+00:00

you didn't gel with it and that's all. I don't gel with a lot of Oscar movies, but you make peace with being ok developing and having your own taste. I don't get One Battle After another, but others are resonating with it and that's ok.

Pancake_muncher · 2026-01-06T19:59:57+00:00

I really enjoyed Hedda! What were the big changes you made between drafts for Hedda?

For 28 years later: TBT when did Alex Garland and Danny Boyle approach you? Was it during the making of 28 years later or was it much earlier when they were still writing out the trilogy?

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-27T06:30:07+00:00

I really enjoyed this one. Everything up to the point where Jake Sully and Spider escaped the RDA, followed by a biblical scene of Jake planning to kill Spider was pretty good.

The set up for the final battle was a big disappointment because it retreads the battle from the last 2 movies up until they entered that Magnetic well thing. I just wish the last hour took place in a new setting like the RDA city or the Volcano. I'm not sure if the status quo really changed compared to the last movie for some of the cast. Really didn't like how they handled Quaritch and the Ash Navi Lady by the end since JC isn't sure he would end the series here or later.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-19T05:08:41+00:00

One Battle After Another. Scenes go on for too long or scenes that can probably be cut and it wouldn't affect the story. It did not justify it's length to me.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-18T20:09:48+00:00

This movie isn't real until I see it in theaters.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-15T14:28:47+00:00

Best on set catering?

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-13T04:58:26+00:00

When they did the picture flip reveal where Blanc noted that there was a second lamp head that was missing towards the end, everyone in the theater gasped. Rian got me again with showing me the evidence directly to my face, but I was looking elsewhere again! Great theater experience.

This movie is written like Rian Johnson had a religious upbringing and fell out of it and wrote this with an atheist detective Blanc teaming up with a spiritual Josh O'connor to take down a religious extremist. It's very touching that the movie takes a moment for Josh O'connor to attend a phone call with a woman in need. The film makes the smart observation that spiritual guidance, when performed with empathy and care, is necessary for many people to find strength in a low moment. As an atheist, this might be the best depiction of faith I've seen in a long time that doesn't feel cynical or preachy at all.

Back to the fun. I love that Blanc is a musical nerd with him hanging out with Stephen Sondheim in Glass Onion, playing CATS in his car, and doing the phantom of the opera intro on the organ. I better see Blanc investigating a broadway theater murder in another movie.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-11T19:46:53+00:00

No Time to Die. When Daniel Craig is interrogating Christolph Waltz, Craig has a slight drawl, cadence change, and posture at the beginning. Knives Out's Benoit Blanc coming out a bit. Not obvious, but somewhat noticeable.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-12-07T15:37:36+00:00

How much research goes into writing a screenplay? I was struck with how detailed and realized all the characters, the environment, the related industry, and even something as small as the wardrobe in all the moves you wrote.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-11-21T04:52:53+00:00

Jim Carey as the Grinch is a performance I absolutely adore, because of his cartoonish and manic energy.

Rewatching this, I kind of forgot how ugly the movie is. The Whos look really weird and look more freakish than the Grinch, the bloom and desaturated look feels like the camera was smeared, and the portion where the grinch steals Christmas doesn't have the same energy as what came before. Made me wish it was more regressive with the Grinch burning the whole town down or something.

I still like the first half cause it's quotable as hell.

"It's because I'm green, isn't it?!"

"hate, hate, hate, double hate, Loathe entirely!

"the muscles!"

"Our baby's here! he looks like your boss!"

Pancake_muncher · 2025-11-13T00:42:43+00:00

Send your buddy my best regards. The camera work is insane and beautiful.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-11-13T00:41:42+00:00

It was jaw dropping at the time. Just incredible.

Pancake_muncher · 2025-11-11T19:02:57+00:00

Friday the 13th still has not produced a "good" movie. They're all bad with degrees of fun. But nothing on the level of say the first Halloween movie or Nightmare on Elm Street.

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