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JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I decided to splurge a couple of months ago, and bought the combined set of The Lord of the Rings (Extended Edition) and The Hobbit (Extended Edition) on iTunes, just so that I’d be able to stream them in 4K on my iMac upstairs without disturbing my mother who often watches the evening news on the big tv downstairs. It was only 35 euros, so not hugely expensive.
I’m finally getting around to watching them now… starting with…
1
personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
@Jeroen said:
I decided to splurge a couple of months ago, and bought the combined set of The Lord of the Rings (Extended Edition) and The Hobbit (Extended Edition) on iTunes, just so that I’d be able to stream them in 4K on my iMac upstairs without disturbing my mother who often watches the evening news on the big tv downstairs. It was only 35 euros, so not hugely expensive.
I’m finally getting around to watching them now… starting with…
Do those versions include the commentaries or background stuff in the making of the movies? If you're really into the movies I found those really interesting to watch as well.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
They include the iTunes Extras package for each film, which has in it a bunch of ‘making of’ documentaries. It’s not quite everything that was in the Extended Edition dvd package I think, and I’m not sure about the commentaries.
My local movie theater has been showing the 2024 productions of the Met Opera. I’ve really gotten into it. The dramatics of the storytelling is like no other. So serious that it can almost seem campy that such topics are sung about. I’m coming to Opera late in life, but ohhhhh…what an art!
The last one I saw was Richard Strauss- Solame.
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts his first Met performances of Strauss’s white-hot one-act tragedy, which receives its first new production at the company in 20 years. Claus Guth, one of Europe’s leading opera directors, gives the biblical story—already filtered through the beautiful and strange imagination of Oscar Wilde’s play—a psychologically perceptive Victorian-era setting rich in symbolism and subtle shades of darkness and light. Headlining the new staging is soprano Elza van den Heever as the abused and unhinged heroine, who demands the head of Jochanaan, sung by celebrated baritone Peter Mattei. Tenor Gerhard Siegel is Salome’s lecherous stepfather, King Herod, with mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as his wife, Herodias, and tenor Piotr Buszewski as Narraboth
I'm a movie and arthouse enthusiast, so there are a lot I enjoy or consider my favorites. Some of the ones I most recently watched and consider to be masterpieces: Sorcerer, Tár, Afire, Aftersun, Shoplifters (rewatch).
A fairly positive experience from about a week ago: Superman (2025). I found it to be entertaining and it brought the character closer to me (I was never a fan of Superman for some reason), because it basically told a coming of age story with him going through some healthy dose of disillusionment and breaking with the drive to meet all kinds of external expectations. I really liked that aspect of it.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
edited July 2025
Yes, I’ve been seeing some snippets and comparisons in my YouTube feed of the new Superman film and I thought, hmm, that’s good and original and a bit genre-busting. I’m glad that James Gunn is doing some new things there, I enjoyed his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy of films. I’m happy that Superman (2025) seems to be doing well at the box office.
I’m also a bit of a movie fan, although I no longer watch as many as I used to. Movies I enjoyed recently were The Hobbit, Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron, Koyaanisqatsi… I have a soft spot for animated family films, I loved Finding Nemo and the Kung Fu Panda films.
Hm. All of those were either good or enjoyable for me. The ending of Koyaanisqatsi gives me the chills. About how calmly the person behind the camera follows what happens. How unphazed must he / she be by it all, because the camera is locked on like a hawk. Even if that's not the case, it is part of the story and a great ending for that haunting documentary.
But if we're talking about animation and Buddhism, are you familiar with the Kino no Tabi light novels or the anime series (I think two) adapting short stories from them? If not, please read / watch some when you feel like it and tell me what you think. These are very spiritual stories, they almost feel like neat little koans, the only thing that connects them (apart from the overarching theme of humans experiencing and contributing to great suffering, by whatever political system or society they establish) is this young, androgynous girl called Kino and her motorcycle she has conversations with. Together they travel a big and strange world not unlike Gulliver, following the rule not to stay anywhere more, than 3 days (in order not to get too attached). It is a dark, often depressive series, not really meant for children. But it's also a morally and intellectually challenging view at a protagonist who embodies much of the Buddhist ideals (while has guns, but for example uses them without the three poisons). Couldn't recommend a better work on the animation department for such themes and it's noteworthy that the two anime series only adapt a very small portion of the stories the light novels contain (I myself yet to read them beyond book 4).
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I had a look at Kino no Tabi following your recommendation, exploring some of the philosophical underpinnings. It’s interesting.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
Today’s diversion: Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979)
Thanks @Shoshin1 much quicker version with the same message of non-duality
One thing I noticed was the tree hugging woman. Was she hugging Ivy. Not a good idea from a gardening perspective. Fine hairs can enter the skin and act as an irritant 'splinter'
The reason Israel targets the high-rise buildings in Gaza is not for military gain but to demoralise Palestinians. By destroying homes and livelihoods in a single strike, whole families are displaced and communities are broken down. This is collective punishment, aimed at crushing the spirit of a people rather than achieving any real military objective.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
Most recent purchase on Apple TV Store…
2
personDon't believe everything you thinkThe liminal spaceVeteran
edited September 2025
@Jeroen said:
Most recent purchase on Apple TV Store…
I hadn't expected much from a movie about the making of the A bomb. But as I was watching it I was just really impressed with the quality and feel of the movie, it really deserved all the accolades it got.
I'm watching The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. I've heard her interviewed a few times over the past year and heard her story. It all happened at a time where I was pretty checked out of the news, I vaguely heard about it but didn't have an opinion more than it was more sensational tabloid stuff.
Its kind of driving me crazy watching it. I'm a pedant about cognitive biases, especially selection bias and seeing the way everyone from the police to the press to society is just in full effect engaging in motivated perception to railroad Amanda and her boyfriend is maddening.
The prosecutors/detectives just made up a story and did everything they could to fit square pegs into round holes and ignore all the round pegs. Then in court they were allowed to speculate on things they had no proof for.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I watched this at the recommendation of a friend, and found it very moving…
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
This was my pick for a family movie for tonight
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I was just watching this at a friends recommendation, you might get something from it.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
I watched this documentary this morning, I thought it was really impressive and thought provoking. It touches such distinct topics as inequality, debt, the developing world, banks, the rain forest, ecology, genetics, and ultimately living within limits.
1
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
Jane Goodall’s last recorded interview, she passed away on 1 October, 2025. What an inspiring and wonderful human being!
I've just started to watch a Palestinian film "Farha" on Netflix ...Arabic with English subtitles
Trailer
It's a powerful historical drama depicting the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced during the creation of Israel. The film follows 14-year-old Farha as she witnesses the destruction of her village, the loss of her family’s home, and the violence inflicted on her community. Based on true events, it highlights the human cost of displacement and the resilience of those affected, giving voice to a history often left out of mainstream narratives.
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2025
Some of the greatest shots of Mount Everest you will see… Andrezj Bargiel climbing to the summit, and then skiing down to the snow line, with drone footage piloted by his brother Bartek.
2
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
This looked kinda ok. I rate Ryan Reynolds as an actor, and the story was written by the same guy who wrote The Martian so expect the science to be on point.
20 or 50 years from now, Someone will be looking back on our best movies and commenting on "How great the movies were back then", as some do today for the the movies of the past. As usual, the commentators will forget that the movies tey are actually referring to are the top .0001%. Technology will be different. Some of the movies may be more interactive. Special effects may be sharper, but the quality of entertainment will be, as today, the same overall. The best will shine and last through the years. The worst will be terrible. And the range will be across the spectrum. The audiences will change and the movies will reflect that. But ageless quality will always stand out.
@person said:
I'm liking a scifi show on Amazon called The Peripheral
Very sadly it was cancelled after the first series
The first season consists of 8 episodes and received mixed reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of around 78%. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, but it was later canceled in August 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.
The series had a production budget of approximately $175 million, reflecting its high production values and ambition.
I tried the 7-day trial on MUBI so I watched Moving and The Lunchbox. They both were good. I mean Moving felt a bit drawn-out, but it was still a better child/family-centered drama than most films from Japan (my favorite is still Shoplifters, easily one of the best movies). The same guy who made Moving directed Typhoon Club, which is a bit of a sexploitation piece, but a more serious tale on adolescence. The Lunchbox was a similar experience: it's not that the movie was extraordinary, it's just that there are so few movies from India that you can enjoy, take seriously and meditate upon and so many that are just evil looking guys falling through walls of glass in slow motion between musical numbers. A notable exception would be the Apu Trilogy from the 1950s, maybe a few after, but The Lunchbox was very much okay, in a way it reminded me of Perfect Days, a more recent experience that stayed with me. And Moving had its own dream-like scenes, not unlike Aftersun, which shows barely anything out of the ordinary, yet is hauntingly beautiful and original in its message.
Enjoy is not how I would describe my reaction to this film but it was certainly thought provoking...
I imagine it has some good to great acting performances, but this seems like some freakin' spy thriller, some cat-and-mouse drama where everyone has to deliver an Oscar-worthy monologue, geez. It's hard to take it seriously from the trailer. And Judgment at Nuremberg from 1961 is one of the greatest movies about such a sensitive subject, I can't imagine it coming anywhere near that.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
Thanks, but it's not worth the risk of forgetting to cancel. Maybe with a better selection. On a more positive note: I just watched Black Narcissus, from 1947. Now that's a movie! Beautiful shots, complex, layered story... temptations vs spiritual, it was a good find.
0
JeroenNot all those who wander are lostNetherlandsVeteran
Comments
I decided to splurge a couple of months ago, and bought the combined set of The Lord of the Rings (Extended Edition) and The Hobbit (Extended Edition) on iTunes, just so that I’d be able to stream them in 4K on my iMac upstairs without disturbing my mother who often watches the evening news on the big tv downstairs. It was only 35 euros, so not hugely expensive.
I’m finally getting around to watching them now… starting with…
Do those versions include the commentaries or background stuff in the making of the movies? If you're really into the movies I found those really interesting to watch as well.
They include the iTunes Extras package for each film, which has in it a bunch of ‘making of’ documentaries. It’s not quite everything that was in the Extended Edition dvd package I think, and I’m not sure about the commentaries.
My local movie theater has been showing the 2024 productions of the Met Opera. I’ve really gotten into it. The dramatics of the storytelling is like no other. So serious that it can almost seem campy that such topics are sung about. I’m coming to Opera late in life, but ohhhhh…what an art!
The last one I saw was Richard Strauss- Solame.
Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts his first Met performances of Strauss’s white-hot one-act tragedy, which receives its first new production at the company in 20 years. Claus Guth, one of Europe’s leading opera directors, gives the biblical story—already filtered through the beautiful and strange imagination of Oscar Wilde’s play—a psychologically perceptive Victorian-era setting rich in symbolism and subtle shades of darkness and light. Headlining the new staging is soprano Elza van den Heever as the abused and unhinged heroine, who demands the head of Jochanaan, sung by celebrated baritone Peter Mattei. Tenor Gerhard Siegel is Salome’s lecherous stepfather, King Herod, with mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as his wife, Herodias, and tenor Piotr Buszewski as Narraboth
That sounds like it will be an interesting film. i'll keep an eye out.
Have you ever read Gore Vidal's book, "Kalki"?
oops
No.
Gonna watch David Attenborough Ocean Documentary. Hope to see some of my relatives and friends... ;-)
The Handmaid's tale
I'm a movie and arthouse enthusiast, so there are a lot I enjoy or consider my favorites. Some of the ones I most recently watched and consider to be masterpieces: Sorcerer, Tár, Afire, Aftersun, Shoplifters (rewatch).
A fairly positive experience from about a week ago: Superman (2025). I found it to be entertaining and it brought the character closer to me (I was never a fan of Superman for some reason), because it basically told a coming of age story with him going through some healthy dose of disillusionment and breaking with the drive to meet all kinds of external expectations. I really liked that aspect of it.
Yes, I’ve been seeing some snippets and comparisons in my YouTube feed of the new Superman film and I thought, hmm, that’s good and original and a bit genre-busting. I’m glad that James Gunn is doing some new things there, I enjoyed his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy of films. I’m happy that Superman (2025) seems to be doing well at the box office.
I’m also a bit of a movie fan, although I no longer watch as many as I used to. Movies I enjoyed recently were The Hobbit, Spirited Away, The Boy and the Heron, Koyaanisqatsi… I have a soft spot for animated family films, I loved Finding Nemo and the Kung Fu Panda films.
Hm. All of those were either good or enjoyable for me. The ending of Koyaanisqatsi gives me the chills. About how calmly the person behind the camera follows what happens. How unphazed must he / she be by it all, because the camera is locked on like a hawk. Even if that's not the case, it is part of the story and a great ending for that haunting documentary.
But if we're talking about animation and Buddhism, are you familiar with the Kino no Tabi light novels or the anime series (I think two) adapting short stories from them? If not, please read / watch some when you feel like it and tell me what you think. These are very spiritual stories, they almost feel like neat little koans, the only thing that connects them (apart from the overarching theme of humans experiencing and contributing to great suffering, by whatever political system or society they establish) is this young, androgynous girl called Kino and her motorcycle she has conversations with. Together they travel a big and strange world not unlike Gulliver, following the rule not to stay anywhere more, than 3 days (in order not to get too attached). It is a dark, often depressive series, not really meant for children. But it's also a morally and intellectually challenging view at a protagonist who embodies much of the Buddhist ideals (while has guns, but for example uses them without the three poisons). Couldn't recommend a better work on the animation department for such themes and it's noteworthy that the two anime series only adapt a very small portion of the stories the light novels contain (I myself yet to read them beyond book 4).
I had a look at Kino no Tabi following your recommendation, exploring some of the philosophical underpinnings. It’s interesting.
Today’s diversion: Meetings with Remarkable Men (1979)
Oneness - Journey of Awakening
Coincidentally... I am a movie
Nearest venues...
https://secretldn.com/free-art-exhibitions-london/
And now back to the film reviewing.
Alan Watts on Oneness Or the nut with the shell removed
Thanks @Shoshin1 much quicker version with the same message of non-duality
One thing I noticed was the tree hugging woman. Was she hugging Ivy. Not a good idea from a gardening perspective. Fine hairs can enter the skin and act as an irritant 'splinter'
Oh wait it is not yet a movie. Happening now.
Normal distraction are now returned to...
The reason Israel targets the high-rise buildings in Gaza is not for military gain but to demoralise Palestinians. By destroying homes and livelihoods in a single strike, whole families are displaced and communities are broken down. This is collective punishment, aimed at crushing the spirit of a people rather than achieving any real military objective.
Most recent purchase on Apple TV Store…
I hadn't expected much from a movie about the making of the A bomb. But as I was watching it I was just really impressed with the quality and feel of the movie, it really deserved all the accolades it got.
I'm watching The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. I've heard her interviewed a few times over the past year and heard her story. It all happened at a time where I was pretty checked out of the news, I vaguely heard about it but didn't have an opinion more than it was more sensational tabloid stuff.
Its kind of driving me crazy watching it. I'm a pedant about cognitive biases, especially selection bias and seeing the way everyone from the police to the press to society is just in full effect engaging in motivated perception to railroad Amanda and her boyfriend is maddening.
The prosecutors/detectives just made up a story and did everything they could to fit square pegs into round holes and ignore all the round pegs. Then in court they were allowed to speculate on things they had no proof for.
I watched this at the recommendation of a friend, and found it very moving…
This was my pick for a family movie for tonight
I was just watching this at a friends recommendation, you might get something from it.
I watched this documentary this morning, I thought it was really impressive and thought provoking. It touches such distinct topics as inequality, debt, the developing world, banks, the rain forest, ecology, genetics, and ultimately living within limits.
Jane Goodall’s last recorded interview, she passed away on 1 October, 2025. What an inspiring and wonderful human being!
I've just started to watch a Palestinian film "Farha" on Netflix ...Arabic with English subtitles
Trailer
It's a powerful historical drama depicting the 1948 Nakba, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly displaced during the creation of Israel. The film follows 14-year-old Farha as she witnesses the destruction of her village, the loss of her family’s home, and the violence inflicted on her community. Based on true events, it highlights the human cost of displacement and the resilience of those affected, giving voice to a history often left out of mainstream narratives.
Why Israel Tried Canceling Netflix Film Farha
Watched Xeno. I like SF. Even if not too good.
I think those watching documentaries are offering better choices...
multilayered, funded by kickstarter
Well I was spell-bound...
This, about the Tibetan Book of the Dead…
Oh those kiddie monks are naughty...
Just pray to any available Bodhi of a Pureland you do not end up with them...
https://buddhistuniversity.net/content/av/novice-monks-at-the-phukthar-monastery_kumar-saravana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land_Buddhism
Namu Amitabha
I was just snoozing this morning while listening and watching this… it was a good morning.
I'm liking a scifi show on Amazon called The Peripheral
I watched this this morning… my family isn’t dysfunctional, but I like to understand those that are.
Well - a five minute 'film'
But fun for some...
Yes, the Strandbeest ‘artworks’ are sometimes seen on the Dutch North Sea beaches. The man who makes them is Dutch, I believe.
As I prefer unwholesome movies. Probably better to watch something educational...
Well worth the watch.
A list of where to watch by country: https://missionjoy.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MissionJOY_Availability_240709.pdf
Some of the greatest shots of Mount Everest you will see… Andrezj Bargiel climbing to the summit, and then skiing down to the snow line, with drone footage piloted by his brother Bartek.
This looked kinda ok. I rate Ryan Reynolds as an actor, and the story was written by the same guy who wrote The Martian so expect the science to be on point.
20 or 50 years from now, Someone will be looking back on our best movies and commenting on "How great the movies were back then", as some do today for the the movies of the past. As usual, the commentators will forget that the movies tey are actually referring to are the top .0001%. Technology will be different. Some of the movies may be more interactive. Special effects may be sharper, but the quality of entertainment will be, as today, the same overall. The best will shine and last through the years. The worst will be terrible. And the range will be across the spectrum. The audiences will change and the movies will reflect that. But ageless quality will always stand out.
Very sadly it was cancelled after the first series
The first season consists of 8 episodes and received mixed reviews, with a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of around 78%. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, but it was later canceled in August 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes.
The series had a production budget of approximately $175 million, reflecting its high production values and ambition.
I tried the 7-day trial on MUBI so I watched Moving and The Lunchbox. They both were good. I mean Moving felt a bit drawn-out, but it was still a better child/family-centered drama than most films from Japan (my favorite is still Shoplifters, easily one of the best movies). The same guy who made Moving directed Typhoon Club, which is a bit of a sexploitation piece, but a more serious tale on adolescence. The Lunchbox was a similar experience: it's not that the movie was extraordinary, it's just that there are so few movies from India that you can enjoy, take seriously and meditate upon and so many that are just evil looking guys falling through walls of glass in slow motion between musical numbers. A notable exception would be the Apu Trilogy from the 1950s, maybe a few after, but The Lunchbox was very much okay, in a way it reminded me of Perfect Days, a more recent experience that stayed with me. And Moving had its own dream-like scenes, not unlike Aftersun, which shows barely anything out of the ordinary, yet is hauntingly beautiful and original in its message.
Yes I enjoyed that series of film
Enjoy is not how I would describe my reaction to this film but it was certainly thought provoking...
I imagine it has some good to great acting performances, but this seems like some freakin' spy thriller, some cat-and-mouse drama where everyone has to deliver an Oscar-worthy monologue, geez. It's hard to take it seriously from the trailer. And Judgment at Nuremberg from 1961 is one of the greatest movies about such a sensitive subject, I can't imagine it coming anywhere near that.
From the Like Stories of Old movie essay channel on YouTube you can get a 30-day trial…
Thanks, but it's not worth the risk of forgetting to cancel.
Maybe with a better selection. On a more positive note: I just watched Black Narcissus, from 1947. Now that's a movie! Beautiful shots, complex, layered story... temptations vs spiritual, it was a good find.
Yesterday evenings family movie…