RF Cinema: The monthly community game movie discussion

[zophar53]

Hey friends, I'm sorry to go off topic but I feel it is my duty to share to those who bought the dvd four-pack that although Brainscan, The Craft, and Fright Night are all great movies, Monster High is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I'm actually kind of mad at myself for watching the whole thing (I just find it hard to "give up" on movies usually,  but I really wish I had in this case). Avoid at all costs.

The only other one in this collection I've seen is The Craft. It was THE emo/goth/witch movie when I was in high school haha. Sometimes they still have it playing at the goth club in my town. I'll have to check the other two out for sure.

It was really cool seeing this playing at the after party, and watching it with the crew. Def helped cement October as a memorable one for the site, and for me.

I was a little disappointed at the ending when I first saw it. But it was a pretty big head trip that took me more by surprise back then than it probably would now. If I were Michael I'd probably react the same way, like "W...T...F?" I mentioned this to Rich at the after party, but I love the final scene with the dog. Matter of fact, I just love that dog all around.

Thanks for making this a successful first month, everyone! Looking forward to the next one. I think I have the next couple of months planned, but keep the suggestions coming.

[zophar53]

[img width=300 height=450]https://i.imgur.com/xieDTLK.jpg[/img]

Hello all! It's time to reveal this month's game movie. I always wanted to get Mortal Kombat on the list, but since so many of us at RWX got to play MKII with John Perrish and Daniel Pesina recently, it felt fitting to get it in next.

I'm sure most of us here remember where we were the first time we saw this in the theater, depending on how old you were at the time. Personally, I was 15 and had been playing the heck out of Mortal Kombat II at my local Aladdin's Castle as often as I possibly could. The first game hadn't really caught my interest, but the second entry was so much more real, dark, and played so much better. The friends I made while playing it were busy compiling move list cheat sheets and selling them, even getting the manager of the place in on it. We turned the movie into an event. We all met up at the arcade a couple hours before to play the game, then carpooled to the nearby theater on opening day. I still remember the lot of us letting out huge cheers when the opening logo came on and that voice shouted "MORTAL KOMBAT!" before jumping into that song we all know and love.

It's been a long time since I got to talk about this movie with fellow MK lovers, so let's relive those moments. Share your stories of watching this. How do you feel after watching it again? If you've never seen it before, a) why the heck not? and b) what do you think watching it fresh now? This should be a fun one. I've posted below the IMDB link and trailer. It shouldn't be too hard to find a physical copy on Amazon or your local used media store. It's also available to stream from Amazon Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, and a few other places between $3-$14, depending on if you want SD or HD, rent or buy.

Mortal Kombat (1995) on IMDB
Trailer: https://youtu.be/JHIfHL5UgFs

[singlebanana]

 Nice pick!  I've actually never seen it...

[zophar53]

Nice pick!  I've actually never seen it...

Oh man. You are in for a treat, my friend

[GrayGhost81]

I watched Mortal Kombat with my wife this past weekend. I had never seen it before.

I was really taken aback by Christopher Lambert as "Lord Rayden." I was expecting an Asian person, for some strange reason.

Like Brainscan, I felt like I could appreciate it in a sense that I would have loved it if I had seen it at the time it came out.

It's definitely entertaining and fun to watch, but it has some really dated CGI and my wife and I both really started to get annoyed at the way the phrase "FLAWLESS VICTORY" was tossed around with no value attached to it; knowing the rules of the video game and the conditions of an actual flawless victory, very few of the victories in this film were actually flawless.

On the other hand, I loved the soundtrack and the use of voice samples from the game within the mix.

This was another cool choice, Zophar. Looking forward to hearing everyone else's thoughts and seeing what the next flick is!

[FatherJack]

Nice choice.

If this had been an 80s martial arts film then I would of loved it as a kid and would of wanted to see it ( No Retreat No Surrender or Gymkata anyone), but adult me in the 90s wasn't interested (drink, girls and work) and would of laughed at it if I had watched it. All these years later and I enjoyed it despite it's flaws because it's not to be taken seriously just good old fashioned entertainment. That tune at the start got me hooked.

[zophar53]

I didn't really have expectations for Rayden going in since I didn't know who he was at that age. Although I was disappointed he didn't wear that hat the whole time.

I definitely agree that leaning into the more gamey aspects of it (the "flawless victory" and "finish him" lines) were pretty lame. I didn't mind them when I first saw the movie, but as an adult they're more than a bit ridiculous. And yeah, the CG doesn't hold up well.

On the other hand, I think it's willingness to just be the game instead of a good regular movie is its biggest asset. So many game movies are terrible because they try to be something they're not. Watching a Mortal Kombat movie in the 90s as a kid, you don't want a "good" movie, you want to see the ninjas fight, you want to see Johnny Cage as a smartass movie star, and that's exactly what you get. I agree with FatherJack, it's because it doesn't take itself too seriously and just tries to bring the game to life that it manages to be one of the best game movies out there.

I will say, however, that the actor who played Shang Tsung kind of annoyed me with his performance, even as a kid. That character certainly didn't live up to the hype of what my mind thought he would be.

[zophar53]

[img width=300 height=450]https://i.imgur.com/NXiTasH.jpg[/img]

This month I decided to go with a community recommendation. GrayGhost81 suggested How to Make a Monster, from 2001. I've never seen this before, but the trailer makes it look hilariously awful. I found DVD copies on Amazon and Netflix, but I wasn't able to find it anywhere for streaming, so if anyone knows where it can be found in digital format, let us know. Otherwise we'll have to use those game hunting skills to track this one down at a used media store.

Looking forward to discussing this one with the group. And keep those suggestions coming if there's anything you'd like to watch!

How to Make a Monster on IMDB
Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/videoembed/vi212730137

[GrayGhost81]

I appreciate you taking my recommendation. I didn't realize this movie was actually so elusive.

I just grabbed a dvd off ebay for four bucks. There's a rip of the movie on youtube but the quality is potato in a dumpster fire. I even tried slapping on a eye-patch and hunting for the film in...less than legal ways...and I couldn't find it.

Sorry it's such a pain in the ass to acquire. On the other hand, it's a good excuse to hit up Goodwill and Savers this weekend. 

[zophar53]

Yeah I didn't realize it was so obscure either until I tried looking for it. Ebay is a good idea though; none of my local places had it, which surprised me. I'll go with the youtube version if I have to, but if I can get a cheap copy that'd be preferable.

[zophar53]

I found a used copy on Amazon for $2, and about $3 shipping.

[FatherJack]

Utter rubbish BUT a very enjoyable utter rubbish lol. I went in to this one knowing that it's not very good but this pushed my enjoyment levels up. One to switch off your brain and just enjoy it. 

[GrayGhost81]

I re-watched the movie with my wife last weekend.

Despite the ass pain of getting a hold of the movie, I was happy to be able to see it again, and now I'm glad to own it, to be completely honest.

I have a real soft spot for Clea DuVall, and although her character development here isn't exactly Shakespearean, I like that she takes a major turn at the end.

I think it was kind of funny how they pulled a "She's All That" with the character of Bug. Take a stud like Jason Marsden, give him glasses and unkempt hair and boom! What a dweeb, am I right?

Also, I hated the scene with Julie Strain nude in the mocap suit. It made me cringe so hard that I actually threw my back out.

The evil Pikachus in the game were hilarious.

Worth a watch for the practical (Stan Winston) effects alone. 

[zophar53]

Oh man this movie is bad hahaha. I had a hard time seeing even ironic merit in it until the halfway point. Once Sol dies the horror parts actually get pretty entertaining. But every scene that's not that is so terrible.

Clea DuVall is really cute though. I'm not really familiar with Jason Marsden, but he did play Bug pretty well. His first scene, during the interview, I thought was particularly amusing.

And yeah, I did not expect that level of nudity. At least not that they'd get that goofy with it.

Was there something at the end that explained why she came to be running the company and I just missed it? Only thing I can think of is she used the bonus money to buy it, but a million wouldn't have been enough for that. Course, with the "logic" of this movie I probably should just not even ask lol.

[zophar53]

So imagine my surprise when I go to put a comment here about the Jan movie, and discover I forgot to post about the new movie. Ack! I'm going to blame my forgetfullness on the post holiday blahs. Yeah, let's go with that. My apologies to anyone who missed my article a few weeks ago introducing the new movie. Here's the info. Fortunately, this one's pretty easy to find.

For the new year I thought it'd be fun to go with a new genre to kick off 2018. With that in mind, I've decided to go with a documentary titled Indie Game: The Movie. Released in 2012, it follows the development of three of the best and most popular independent games of the time, Braid, Super Meat Boy, and Fez. These games were effectively the kick in the pants the industry needed to convince big publishers to start paying attention to the little guys, eventually leading to the creation of things like Sony's Pub Fund. Now the indie scene is its own genre and some of the most creative, unique, or downright bizarre ideas come from small teams who are able to take risks that triple-A games can't.

[img width=300 height=450]https://i.imgur.com/SL0phIV.jpg[/img]

Below you'll find Indie Game's IMDB page and trailer. This one's available to stream on Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes, PSN, and the Microsoft Store. If memory serves I think you can even get it on Steam. In fact, you'll probably have an easier time finding it digitally than physically, unless you want to buy a DVD/Bluray copy from the Indie Game website.

Indie Game: The Movie (2012) on IMDB