@bratface said:

@DRDMovieMusings said:

As for this weekend, I've got tickets to see Barbie.

So, how was it? I haven't seen any reaction/review from you.

Just got back - it was brilliant! Will gather a few thoughts that might be worth sharing on the Barbie board soon :-)

Not too bad for an opening weekend:

Budget: $129 million

Worldwide Box Office (August 7, 2023): $145 million

@wonder2wonder said:

Not too bad for an opening weekend:

Budget: $129 million

Worldwide Box Office (August 7, 2023): $145 million

No surprise, it's designed for the big screen as well a brain-dead escape from reality. This kind of movie has its value as long as not every movie is at the same level or lower. There is entertainment, but there must also be art.

@bratface said:

More importantly, does Statham take off his shirt? 😉

Bad news: No. There's some muscly calf action if that floats your boat, but that's two films in a row where The Stath has got his top on. Maybe now that even Tom Cruise has decided to knock the "look at my chest" scenes on the head, Jason has decided to follow suit?

Anyway, the film was a lot of fun. Two of the cast have been written out (did the actors annoy the Chinese government?) though the little girl (now a teenager) is still played by the same actress. If you like these sorts of creature features, it's worth a look but it's not going to be a classic. Not sure why the CG is taking a kicking as, a few "cloudy" underwater shots aside, it's pretty good. The amphibian creatures are pretty darn good.

@NeoLosman said:

Saw it yesterday. The last 15 minutes were great fun. Everything prior to that barely had anything to do with Megs themselves, and all played like a low-rent Tom Clancy imitation. Does anyone else recall the Statham character having been a freelance spy in The Meg I?

Jonas Taylor was a deep sea diver for the US Marine in "The Meg (2018)". With his training he could easily become a spy. The movie is, as you've noticed:

** SPOILERS **

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛a two-in-one package, with most of it being an espionage action thriller where the hero fights mercenaries of an evil mining operation. At the end, after all the villains are killed, he has to fight sea creatures - icluding three Megs - to save the people on the beach. ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛

@NeoLosman said:

Does anyone else recall the Statham character having been a freelance spy in The Meg I?

I was trying to work out whether JS was trying to throw his hat into the ring as a potential Bond, or taking the mickey out of the idea.

@NeoLosman said:

@M.LeMarchand said:

@NeoLosman said:

Does anyone else recall the Statham character having been a freelance spy in The Meg I?

I was trying to work out whether JS was trying to throw his hat into the ring as a potential Bond, or taking the mickey out of the idea.

I believe Statham for Bond was mulled over during the early 2000s. Woulda been interesting to see a more working class and brutish 007, though it's a fire bet that the reaction from audiences would've been heavily divided

I'm all for Statham being Bond. It's a pity that the producers might go into a complete different direction.

@NeoLosman said:

Given where we're at historically(The West has been forced to flee both Afghanistan and Iraq with our tails between our legs), we could benefit from different types of spy flicks, similar to what happened during the late 60s and early 70s with movies like The Ipcress File and The Quiller Memorandum. Statham could be a candidate for this sort of anything-but-glamorous spy yarn

Whilst he isn't glamorous, that sort of movie needs a lead that can convince as someone who can solve problems in ways that don't involve punching or licking.

@bratface said:

More importantly, does Statham take off his shirt? 😉

@Bratface, I saw an article on the the 20 most bizarre things you can buy on AliExpress which contained something you might want to add to your Wishlist, and it's only $20 : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802160810434.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

@M.LeMarchand said:

@bratface said:

More importantly, does Statham take off his shirt? 😉

@Bratface, I saw an article on the the 20 most bizarre things you can buy on AliExpress which contained something you might want to add to your Wishlist, and it's only $20 : https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802160810434.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

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