I loved the series' black humor and suspense, but I liked less the sloow family drama moments.
Also, S5 and its conclusion wasn't certainly my favourite part.. it could have well ended at S4.
Anyway, I still quite enjoyed BB, overall.

I liked "The Hunger Games" more than "Battle Royale" too, even if the other is basically the original.
I was so disappointed about the crappy actors, events and twists.. it felt like a B movie.
About THG, however, I fed up immediately with the unnecessary fragmented sequels..

.
Starship Troopers.. agh.. great monsters and effects (for the time) wasted for that piece of crap movie (sorry).
That is one of the few old movies that really needs a proper serious remake.

I don't think that this movie is meant to be taken too literally. Battle Royale is another one of those movies that have something of a cult following, but for all the wrong reasons (the dark & edgy subject matter of high school students killing each other, the gore). I'll try to explain...

Does your copy by any chance feature the making of? If it does, first thing you notice is that the director Kinji Fukasaku is not at all the kind of guy you would expect directing a film like Battle Royale. He's basically a soft-spoken old geezer. So, why would a guy like that, who is mostly known for his yakuza films, be interested in bringing some bestselling novel about teens being forced to kill each other to the big screen? Here's the thing: During the latter stages of WW2 the director was about the same age the students portrayed in the film. There is a moment in the Making Of where he tells the young cast about his gruesome wartime experiences (something about having to remove his friends' body parts after an air raid on the factory they were ordered to work in). These experiences have instilled in him a strong anti-authoritarian streak, which also explains why he devoted most of his films to social outcasts, like his yakuza characters.

The film is essentially about Fukasaku exorcising his wartime trauma. The novel the movie is based on is set in an alternate history, where Japan won the second world war (something that's not explicitly said during the film), the same government that caused Fukasaku so much pain. It's easy see why this subject matter appealed to him.

Personally, I really appreaciate this film. It has a sincerity about it that you won't find in too many films these days.

Speaking of Fukasaku, everybody should check out his criminally underseen "Under the flag of the rising sun", which makes a nice companion piece to Battle Royale and is one of the absolute best anti-war films ever made.

I absolutely loved the first Batoru Rowaiaru (I'm just saying it like that because it's funnier), hated the second one.

Agreed, the second one is complete rubbish. Well-intentioned rubbish, mind you - again with the anti-authoritarianism: they tried to deliver some topical message on 9/11 by making you sympathise with the terrorists - but rubbish nevertheless. Nothing in this film clicks, the performances are dreadful (Protip: if a film has Riki Takeuchi in it, it is bound to suck), everything is a bloated, melodramatic mess. Kinji Fukasaku died early during the production and his son Kenta had to finish the film. I'd like to give this film a break for being made under the most adverse conditions, but ultimately, it's best to just ignore the sequel.

I just listened to <title of the song>

The Resurrection of Jake the Snake

Docu-drama about Jake's rise from alcoholism and drug addiction with help from Diamond Dallas Page. The film could have used some more specific chronological information, and the constant self-help quips got a little annoying, but overall it was a really good film. Even people who aren't into sports or wrestling could still connect with it at the human level. Nice to see a positive documentary once in a while.

Resurrection of Jake The Snake Documentary Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oktJaXHmdRQ

Central Intelligence is way better and more hilarious than anticipated. Definitely worth a watch. :D

I've just watched Deadpool.

Excellent movie! It was a welcome change of pace for your typical superhero movie. I don't want to say too much about it so that I don't spoil anything. If you haven't seen it yet then go watch it. If you've already seen it, watch it again.

Verdict: 8.5/10

I just watched it as well. Apart from the fact that I think Leonardo did act extremely well in it, I agree with pretty much everything you say. The 2h36m the movie takes could easily have been edited down to 1h36m and been a better movie for it. If I may compare it to another movie of similar length and setting, Dances With Wolves, though even longer (3h1m) had enough plot to fill the time it took. The Revenant does not.

I agree with you about Dances With Wolves. Kevin Costner's films are very long but are worth every minute watching them. Besides Dances With Wolves, my favorite of his films is Waterworld.

I've just watched "10 Cloverfield Lane". I liked it a lot, that you never quite knew if he was messing with her mind or if he was telling the truth. A good psychological thriller.

L'écume des jours or Mood Indigo by Michel Gondry is like someone took Monty Python animations, added lots of "random, because reasons" and made it into a romantic comedy/drama. It never fails to be amusing or interesting, but there's not much of a story, just different weird scenes patched together. In a way it's like an action movie, just enjoy the ride and don't think too much about whether anything makes sense.