Perryapsis's recent activity
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkDoes anybody want to talk about: A Minecraft Movie (2025): ★★☆ I had heard bad things about this movie, but also that it had funny bits. It was on sale at a local store for "please someone just...Does anybody want to talk about:
A Minecraft Movie (2025): ★★☆
I had heard bad things about this movie, but also that it had funny bits. It was on sale at a local store for "please someone just buy this already so we can use the shelf space for something else," so I gave it a shot. I didn't think it was that bad. It's a silly comedy, not some deep and meaningful drama, but it isn't terrible. For all the hubbub about "chicken jockey," I'm surprised that the other jokes like "Steve's lava chicken" and "yearning for the mines" didn't become bigger memes as well.
My Cousin Vinny (1992): ★★☆
Are "legal comedies" a thing? I'd describe this movie's genre as a legal drama, but it's clearly presented as a comedy. Besides the titular character's sudden turn from bumbling buffoon to expert cross examiner, the plot is well-constructed and entertaining to follow. It was also interesting to read afterwards that a lot of the legal procedure in the movie is pretty close to reality, at least as far as movies go.
Iron Man (2008): ★★☆
And so begins my Marvel catch up plan. Thanks to everyone last week who helped recommend which movies to watch and which to skip! This movie was okay. It has the same issue as Marty Supreme where I struggle to sympathize with the main character because they're a jerk, but the premise and twists were entertaining but predictable.
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Comment on Youtube channel recommendations 2026 in ~tech
Perryapsis Link ParentHow is veritasium these days? Several years ago, he made a video explaining that he was going to make clickbaity lower-quality videos to sustain the channel. While I appreciate the challenges of...Veritasium
How is veritasium these days? Several years ago, he made a video explaining that he was going to make clickbaity lower-quality videos to sustain the channel. While I appreciate the challenges of YouTubing as a business, I did notice a significant drop in quality and unsubscribed. Has he turned it around in the time since?
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis Link ParentI'd prefer to actually watch the movies themselves if possible. I'm worried about spoilers if I venture into fan sites and YouTube, etc.I'd prefer to actually watch the movies themselves if possible. I'm worried about spoilers if I venture into fan sites and YouTube, etc.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkI'm interested in the new Avengers movie that comes out late this year, but I'm hopelessly behind on Marvel as a series and would like to "catch up" enough in time to see the next movie. Could...I'm interested in the new Avengers movie that comes out late this year, but I'm hopelessly behind on Marvel as a series and would like to "catch up" enough in time to see the next movie. Could someone please help me understand which movies I should watch?
IIRC, there are four movies in the Avengers: Subtitle sequence, of which I've only seen the one just called Avengers (2012). I'd need to see Age of Ultron (2015), Infinity War (2018), and Endgame (2019) to complete the main sequence. But I also know that there are like 20 other Marvel movies that tie into each other. Are there any others that are basically required viewing to follow the overarching plot besides the main sequence movies? Are there any that aren't required, but are obvious "while you're at it, definitely watch this one too" just because they're particularly good?
Sorry if this is easy to look up, but I'm worried about spoilers and figured I'd ask here first. Thanks!
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Comment on ‘Marty Supreme’ becomes A24’s highest-grossing film at domestic box office with $80 million in ~movies
Perryapsis Link ParentHow can you tell?I could clearly tell it was shot with a 180-degree shutter!
How can you tell?
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Comment on 2026 Oscar nomination predictions in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkI'm surprised not to see Warfare in the sound category. That's one movie that really benefits from fancy theater sound where the loud parts can be loud, the bass shakes the entire room, etc.I'm surprised not to see Warfare in the sound category. That's one movie that really benefits from fancy theater sound where the loud parts can be loud, the bass shakes the entire room, etc.
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Comment on ‘Marty Supreme’ becomes A24’s highest-grossing film at domestic box office with $80 million in ~movies
Perryapsis Link ParentDitto on your first point. I think I just don't tend to like movies where the protagonist is:Ditto on your first point. I think I just don't tend to like movies where the protagonist is:
[A] character who's kinda an asshole and makes a ton of [bad] decisions ... but still ... someone you're rooting for throughout.
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Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
Perryapsis (edited )Link ParentI think I tagged Paprika something like "I'm too much of an idiot to understand what's going on." I had heard that it was a super creative animated movie, but I think it was too creative for me to...I think I tagged Paprika something like "I'm too much of an idiot to understand what's going on." I had heard that it was a super creative animated movie, but I think it was too creative for me to the point where I was just confused. I have had a few movies like that. Without looking it up, I can't remember what the premise of the plot even was, and the movie just didn't leave much of an impression on me in general.
For Howl's Moving Castle, I think it was two things. First, it's the highest-rated Ghibli film on Letterboxd, even over Spirited Away (which was great) and Princess Mononoke (which I really need to get around to watching). But it's kinda like Paprika in that it didn't leave much of an impression on me, so maybe part of my low score was just missing on high expectations. I think my other issue with it is that I never understood how the magic worked, so I was playing catch-up trying to understand the plot of a kids' movie. It never feels good to have trouble understanding a kids' movie.
I don't remember a lot about The Godfather. I think it's another one where I had super-high expectations that weren't met. I remember it being too long so I had to run to the bathroom halfway through. I also tend not to like movies that cast "bad guys" in a positive light, so I didn't always like the portrayal of the mobsters. There's a line near the end like "Pay very close attention to which character does X action" that I really needed in order to follow the ending.
I think I first watched The Breakfast Club on a thrift store DVD and gave it another shot after finding it on blu-ray. Of course, had I known that Criterion was going to release a 4K version right in the middle of their fall sale, I probably would have just waited for that.
I didn't like Anora. Since you haven't seen it, I'll be try to be vague. I did like the comedic bits in the middle, but the dramatic bookends didn't work for me. I didn't like the characters, so I wasn't emotionally invested in the outcome. The story was predictable, so there wasn't a particularly interesting twist. And then the ending was "I see what they're trying is trying to do here, but meh." Also, I was put off by the sheer amount of explicit sexual material in the movie. The first 20 minutes or so in particular are very "uhhh, am I in the right theater?"
I don't remember what I wrote about these movies in the weekly threads, but the stuff above is what comes to mind now as I jog my memory.
EDIT: I forgot about your last question. I kinda feel like the Letterboxd scale and mine are basically two separate things. On Letterboxd, I try to give a rating anchored mostly on "how good is the movie?" with some leeway based on my personal experience. My three-star system is entirely on my gut feeling after the movie and basically breaks down as:
★ : Of all the stuff I could have watched, I wish I had picked something else.
★★ : Worth watching
★★★ : This belongs in the priority rewatch list
Sometimes I'll use a half-star when I can't decide which group to put a movie in, but three stars and two tweeners is "Why not just use a five-star scale at that point?" so I'm trying to avoid that moreso now than I have in the past.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis Link ParentI hadn't heard of Mr. Roberts. The blu-ray looks a bit expensive, so I might have to wait for a sale. Thanks for the recommendation! I have the same issue with Marty Supreme, and kinda with...I hadn't heard of Mr. Roberts. The blu-ray looks a bit expensive, so I might have to wait for a sale. Thanks for the recommendation!
I have the same issue with Marty Supreme, and kinda with certain types of movies in general. The protagonist is such a jerk that I wasn't rooting for him at the end, even though that's clearly the writer's intent to make the ending land.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkDoes anybody want to talk about: The Apartment (1960): ★★★ (rewatch) Ben-Hur (1959): ★★☆ The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024): ★★☆ (rewatch) You Can't Take It With You (1938): ★★★ Marty Supreme... -
Comment on Golden Globes 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’ wins Comedy, ‘Hamnet’ wins Drama in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkOne Battle After Another won best... comedy? I'm confused about how it's categorized; do the Golden Globes consider all satire to be comedy?One Battle After Another won best... comedy? I'm confused about how it's categorized; do the Golden Globes consider all satire to be comedy?
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Comment on How to practically liquidate lots of little things of moderate value in ~finance
Perryapsis Link ParentThe brick-and-mortar equivalent of this is called a consignment store, so maybe start by searching for ebay consignment [location].The brick-and-mortar equivalent of this is called a consignment store, so maybe start by searching for
ebay consignment [location]. -
Comment on What private companies are you happy doing business with? in ~talk
Perryapsis Link ParentHow does this work when employees quit, retire, or get fired? Are they required to sell their stock beforehand?They are 100% employee owned ... [E]mployees earn/accrue company stock over time.
How does this work when employees quit, retire, or get fired? Are they required to sell their stock beforehand?
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Comment on Toy Story's villain is a lie in ~movies
Perryapsis Link[meta] I have only seen the first two Toy Story movies, but would like to see the third and fourth eventually. Is this video just about the first movie, or does it have spoilers for the others?[meta]
I have only seen the first two Toy Story movies, but would like to see the third and fourth eventually. Is this video just about the first movie, or does it have spoilers for the others?
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Comment on The "why does this movie exist" scene in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkThe Great Dictator (1940) comes to mind. The entire movie is good, but the reason it exists is to give Charlie Chaplin an open mic for five minutes at the end.The Great Dictator (1940) comes to mind. The entire movie is good, but the reason it exists is to give Charlie Chaplin an open mic for five minutes at the end.
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Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
Perryapsis Link Parent*facepalm* I agree that you expect to see a selection bias toward higher ratings because each person will have a tendency to pick movies they're likely to enjoy. My concern is that 65% of my...There is an export your data feature
*facepalm*
I agree that you expect to see a selection bias toward higher ratings because each person will have a tendency to pick movies they're likely to enjoy. My concern is that 65% of my ratings fall into only 20% of the range. It may was well be a thumbs up or thumbs down system if I can't tell the difference between 1, 2, and 3, or between 4 and 5.
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Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
Perryapsis LinkSorry for the necrobump, but I wanted to wait until the year was actually over. I'm not usually articulate enough or enough of a film buff to make meaningful points about any of them, but I do...Sorry for the necrobump, but I wanted to wait until the year was actually over. I'm not usually articulate enough or enough of a film buff to make meaningful points about any of them, but I do enjoy talking about them in the weekly threads when others are smart enough to kick off the conversation.
First, my list comes out to 136 total viewings in 2025, including repeats. I started using Letterboxd in late 2024, which has made it much easier to look back at the year. Unfortunately Letterboxd doesn't seem to have an easy way to export your diary, so I still had to copy the list by hand into a spreadsheet for the purpose of this post. :P Diary tags helped me dig up stats like: 60 of these viewings were in the theater, 26 viewings were movies I had seen before, only 5 were DVDs, 2 (Wicked and Zootopia) just happened to be on TV before their sequels came out, so I kinda paid attention in between the commercials, and I tagged 6 as "I am too dumb to understand this movie."
In the list, a few movies are given 0 stars. That just means that I didn't enter a Letterboxd rating for some unknown reason despite logging the film.
Big list
# Movie Date Stars 1 Wicked (2024) 1/6 3 2 No Country for Old Men (2007) 1/9 0 3 The Avengers (2012) 1/10 4 4 Interstellar (2014) 1/15 5 5 Joker (2019) 1/16 1 6 The King’s Speech (2010) 1/17 4 7 Minority Report (2002) 1/19 3.5 8 Parasite (2019) 1/20 4.5 9 Heat (1995) 1/21 3.5 10 Nosferatu (2024) 1/23 2 11 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) 1/23 4 12 The Philadelphia Story (1940) 1/24 4.5 13 Spirited Away (2001) 1/25 5 14 There Will Be Blood (2007) 1/27 1.5 15 Once Upon A Time in the West (1968) 1/28 3.5 16 Roman Holiday (1953) 1/28 4 17 Dunkirk (2017) 1/29 4.5 18 Wall-E (2008) 2/2 4 19 Forrest Gump (1994) 2/2 3.5 20 Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) 2/3 4 21 Companion (2025) 2/4 3 22 Little Women (2019) 2/4 3 23 Django Unchained (2012) 2/6 4 24 Scarface (1932) 2/7 3 25 The Great Dictator (1940) 2/10 4 26 The Social Network (2010) 2/12 4.5 27 The Princess Bride (1987) 2/15 4 28 The Substance (2024) 2/19 0.5 29 The Trial (1962) 2/21 3 30 Twelve Angry Men (TV) (1954) 2/24 4 31 All About Eve (1950) 2/25 4.5 32 Just Mercy (2019) 2/26 4 33 Last Breath (2025) 3/1 4 34 Good Will Hunting (1997) 3/5 4 35 Anora (2024) 3/6 1.5 36 Top Gun Maverick (2022) 3/9 5 37 My Neighbor Totoro (1988) 3/12 4 38 Paprika (2006) 3/13 2.5 39 Top Gun (1986) 3/16 4 40 Black Bag (2025) 3/18 3.5 41 The Godfather (1972) 3/23 3 42 Grease (1978) 3/31 0 43 The Chosen Last Supper 1 (2025) 4/2 4.5 44 The Chosen Last Supper 2 (2025) 4/5 4.5 45 A Working Man (2025) 4/7 3.5 46 Warfare (2025) 4/10 4.5 47 The Chosen Last Supper 3 (2025) 4/11 4.5 48 Beetlejuice (1988) 4/14 3.5 49 Dune Part 2 (2024) 4/19 3.5 50 Titanic (1997) 4/21 0 51 Pride and Prejudice (2005) 4/24 0 52 Star Wars Episode 3 (2005) 4/26 4 53 Interstellar (2014) 4/27 5 54 Career Opportunities (1991) 4/28 2 55 The Breakfast Club (1985) 4/29 2.5 56 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) 5/5 4 57 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 5/7 3 58 Thunderbolts (2025) 5/9 3.5 59 The Wizard of Oz (1939) 5/11 0 60 Mission Impossible 2 (2000) 5/12 3 61 Mission Impossible 3 (2006) 5/13 4 62 Mission Impossible 4 Ghost Protocol (2011) 5/14 3.5 63 Mission Impossible 5 Rogue Nation (2015) 5/15 4 64 Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) 5/17 4 65 Mad Max Fury Road (2015) 5/18 3.5 66 Mission Impossible 6 Fallout (2018) 5/20 4 67 Mission Impossible 7 Dead Reckoning (2023) 5/21 3.5 68 Lilo and Stitch Remake (2025) 5/22 3 69 Mission Impossible 8 Final Reckoning (2025) 5/23 4 70 Ballerina (2025) 6/4 3.5 71 The Apartment (1960) 6/12 4.5 72 The Phoenician Scheme (2025) 6/14 2 73 Lady Bird (2017) 6/19 1.5 74 The Secret World of Arrietty (2010) 6/22 4 75 Modern Times (1936) 6/23 4.5 76 Clueless (1995) 6/29 3 77 This Is Spinal Tap (1984) 7/7 2 78 The Wild Robot (2024) 7/30 4.5 79 Formula One (2025) 8/1 4 80 Sunset Boulevard (1950) 8/3 4 81 Marty (1955) 8/5 3.5 82 Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 8/10 5 83 All That Breathes (2022) 8/12 3 84 The Naked Gun (2025) 8/13 3 85 Interstellar (2014) 8/16 5 86 Caddyshack (1980) 8/24 2.5 87 Ponyo (2008) 8/25 4 88 Ne Zha 2 (2025) 8/27 3 89 Jaws (1975) 8/29 3.5 90 Clue (1985) 9/3 3 91 The Breakfast Club (1985) 9/7 3.5 92 Toy Story (1995) 9/12 4 93 The Sound of Music (1965) 9/15 4.5 94 The Long Walk (2025) 9/19 2.5 95 Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 9/21 2.5 96 It Happened One Night (1934) 9/22 3.5 97 Charade (1963) 9/25 4 98 Spider Man (2002) 9/26 3.5 99 Spider Man 2 (2004) 9/27 3.5 100 The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) 9/28 3 101 Spider Man 3 (2007) 10/2 3.5 102 Juno (2007) 10/9 3 103 One Battle After Another (2025) 10/10 1.5 104 Cleopatra (1963) 10/15 2 105 Zootopia (2016) 10/16 3.5 106 Blazing Saddles (1974) 10/17 3 107 Spirited Away (2001) 10/19 4.5 108 City Lights (1931) 10/27 4 109 Back to the Future (1985) 10/30 4.5 110 The Lady Eve (1941) 11/2 3.5 111 Singin in the Rain (1952) 11/11 2.5 112 Sabrina (1954) 11/11 4.5 113 Flow (2024) 11/12 4 114 Twelve Angry Men (1957) 11/14 5 115 The Sound of Music (1965) 11/14 4.5 116 The Boy and the Heron (2023) 11/16 1 117 Wicked (2024) 11/19 3 118 Brief Encounter (1945) 11/21 4 119 Zootopia (2016) 11/23 3.5 120 Rental Family (2025) 11/26 3.5 121 The Circle (2017) 12/4 1.5 122 Zootopia 2 (2025) 12/7 3 123 The Asphalt Jungle (1950) 12/9 3 124 The Verdict (1982) 12/10 4 125 Ocean’s Eleven (2001) 12/12 4 126 Last Holiday (2006) 12/12 2.5 127 Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair (2006) 12/17 3.5 128 The Holdovers (2023) 12/20 3 129 The Housemaid (2025) 12/22 2.5 130 Hamnet (2025) 12/24 2 131 A Christmas Story (1983) 12/25 3 132 Brave (2012) 12/28 3 133 Dead Poets Society (1989) 12/28 3.5 134 A Separation (2011) 12/29 4 135 Grand Hotel (1932) 12/30 3 136 The Apartment (1960) 12/31 4.5 I saw 19 new releases in 2025, with a few notables in these categories:
Unpopular movies that I didn't think were that bad
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Last Breath
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A Working Man
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Mission Impossible 8 - Final Reckoning
Well-received movies that didn't land for me
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The Phoenician Scheme
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The Naked Gun
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One Battle After Another
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Hamnet
My highest-rated 2025 release was Warfare. Maybe that says something about me, but I also just liked the fly-on-the-wall-as-action-happens style. Standouts of old-but-new-to-me movies include Interstellar, Grave of the Fireflies, The Apartment, Parasite, Spirited Away, The Social Network, and Top Gun Maverick.
On the other side of the coin, a list of notable movies that didn't live up to their reputations (at least in my experience) include There Will Be Blood, The Substance, Lady Bird, The Boy and the Heron, and Anora (to be fair, I didn't see it until after it won Best Picture, so maybe I had unfair expectations).
The oldest movie I saw was City Lights (1931) by Charlie Chaplin. I also watched two more pre-code movies, Scarface and Grand Hotel (both 1932). I watched an additional 23 movies from the Hays code era.
One thing I'll try to do more this year is to use the whole scale. Almost two-thirds of my ratings this year were between three and four stars, so I'll try a bit harder to distinguish between 2 and 3-star movies, and maybe be a bit less stingy with 5-star ratings.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis Link ParentAnother couple things came to mind later. I wonder to what extent they are interesting and to what extent I just don't watch enough foreign films to be used to them. It was interesting to hear...Another couple things came to mind later. I wonder to what extent they are interesting and to what extent I just don't watch enough foreign films to be used to them.
It was interesting to hear them talk about money in the Iranian currency. The values IR 300,000 and IR 40,000,000 come up throughout the film, but I had absolutely no idea how much money that is. I think it actually helped me stay immersed instead of getting hung up on the amount too much.
It was also interesting that nobody ever had a lawyer at any point during the divorce or legal proceedings throughout the entire movie. I wonder if that's actually typical in Iran, or if it was a creative decision by the writers to give the characters more chances to interact.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
Perryapsis Link ParentAfter checking - yikes, I can't find the Region A blu-ray of The Salesman for under $70. I might have to wait for the price to drop (or a miracle find at a store). I avoid streaming services on...After checking - yikes, I can't find the Region A blu-ray of The Salesman for under $70. I might have to wait for the price to drop (or a miracle find at a store). I avoid streaming services on principle, but sometimes that means I miss a movie like this (even finding A Separation was tough).
It looks like Farhadi's About Elly and The Past are available at more reasonable prices. Would you recommend either of those?
The jokes are pretty memorable too, not just throwaways to get a laugh. I'm never going to forget how long it takes to cook grits.