Saturday, January 20, 2018

Weekend Open Thread

It's the weekend.

51 comments:

  1. So Phantom Thread... really made me uneasy while watching it. It's a well made movie on every level but I did not enjoy spending 2+ hours with those characters. DDL's character is a shitty person who has never had to develop social skills because his talent means he can bluntly be an asshole. I can't say much about Vicky Krieps without spoilers but she ends up being just as, if not more unbearable. Never need to watch this again.

    Finished off the fifth and final Prophecy movie, Prophecy: Forsaken. Jason Scott Lee, you deserved better than the direction your career went.

    Patrick's appearance on the Just the Discs podcast reminded me to watch the Devil's Honey blu-ray I'd gotten a few months back and that was pretty cool.

    Had to resort to youtube for Tapeheads, an 80's movie with Cusack and Tim Robbins where they try to start a career making music videos. Between the mustache and slicked-back hair, Cusack has a bit of a Mike Patton look going on here. It's not an entirely successful movie but there's some funny bits to it. That kind of helped inspire me to start re-watching through a bunch of other music-related movies which I started tonight with That Thing You Do and Top Secret.

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    1. Top Secret is a masterpiece :)

      Thanks for the tip about Just Tue Discs Podcast. I didn’t know about this one

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  2. Dead Presidents (1995, Dirs: The Hughes Brothers)

    I watched this over and over while I was in high-school and I still can't help watching it at least once a year. Larenz Tate is incredible and I love the relationship between him and Keith David. It's a pity the film doesn't quite work on all levels, but as an updated version of old Warner Bros gangster/morality-tale flicks, it still packs a few punches.

    And upon my recent re-watch, it struck me just how goddamn sad it is. In high-school it was a cool crime movie, but now it breaks my heart.

    Also, what the hell happened to The Hughes Brothers?

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    1. There’s apparently a sequel in development for Dead Presidents. The Hughes Brothers are not doing it though

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  3. Only saw one movie this week, finally got myself to the theater to see the new version of the Finnish WW2 epic The Unknown Soldier. I'm sure it's nothing special on an international scale, but it's definitely the best looking and most well made Finnish film ever. Probably also my favorite of the three movies made from the same story, it downplays the heroism aspect that felt weird in especially the first one (but makes sense from a movie made only a decade after the events), and focuses more on the day-to-day grind.

    There isn't really a story arc to the movie, it's just about a bunch of men from different backgrounds and different ways of thinking thrown together in a bad situation. Of course it won't mean the same for non-Finns, but for me it was a powerful movie, and at three hours never once felt overlong (I believe there's an international version that's considerably shorter though, will be interested to see what's different).

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    1. you talked about that one a while ago. i think it sound very interesting. there's a dvd somewhere that i'm planning to get at some point

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    2. I mentioned the older ones earlier. The new one will probably come out sometime this year Internationally. Arrow is releasing it in the UK and I think it's also beesold to a US distributor, but that's all I know about it.

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    3. oh, by new version you meant remake?

      either way, they sound interesting

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    4. Yeah, there are three movie adaptations of the same book, one was done in the 50's, another in the 80's, and the new one came out last year. The 50's one is considered a classic and they show it on Finnish TV every year on Independence Day (Dec 6) and the new one was made to celebrate 100 years of independence.

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    5. Well then, 50s version it is

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  4. Den of Thieves was an acceptable January flick. As someone who's never loved Gerard Butler but seen all his movies, this is my favorite of his roles. O'Shea Jackson and Pablo Schreiber are the reasons to see this tho. It's a Mann ripoff and tries it's hand at drama more than similar January releases (think Triple 9) and it kinda works, mostly except some dumb moments at the end. But has some good second rate Mann shootouts.

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    1. I agree. I like that, despite not shouting or looking as manly as Schreiber and Butler (who are oozing testosterone and booze), O'Shea Jackson stands toe to toe with those guys and looks like he belongs. Between this and "Ingrid Goes West" I'm glad to see Jackson break from the stereotype of "Straight Outta Compton" and develop a screen presence. As for the movie itself it's a straight-up ripoff of "Heat" before it switches into being a ripoff of "The Usual Suspects." At almost 2 1/2 hours it's at least 30-40 minutes too long. Still, I really like Gerard Butler even when he's stuck doing crap ("Geostorm") and he's fun to hang around. But did we really need the subplot about his crumbling marriage and an FBI dick to exchange insults with? Butler is producing this crap, so I guess he's comfortable with handling older Russell Crowe's sloppy seconds.

      I'd suggest renting "Den of Thieves" or waiting for the inevitable cable run. It's good, but not theater money good. The scene with the prom date being intimated by the girls' dad, though? Too cool for school. :-)

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  5. I really enjoyed "Small Town Crime" with John Hawkes giving another stellar performance. I really think he's an underappreciated actor. "Too Late" was my favorite film of 2016 and nobody talked it about (except a few people on here :) ) The film is darkly funny and at times pretty brutal. I can't quite put my finger on what Small Town Crime reminded me of, so if anyone has seen it and has a comparison, please let me know.

    I watched "The Midnight Man" is really insulting haha. The film is about this game that has clearly defined, established rules and if you don't follow them, the midnight man will get you. Great, right? Well, turns out that the midnight man is allowed to cheat at the game....so...anything goes! haha, what a joke! I saw a film called "Don't Knock Twice" that had the same game so must be some urban legend or internet thing that I don't know about.

    Want to give a shout out to Patrick for continuing to bust his ass to run this site and give us incredible content. Keep it up, my man. It does not go unnoticed.

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    1. I really wanted to second your last thought. I never post but this website always makes my day better and I look forward to every new article and podcast. Patrick doesn't know me from Adam (not Riske) but I hope he knows how much all of his hard work is appreciated and valued.

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  6. Oh boy, I've been cramming prestige pictures!

    THE POST - I get the complaints about it, but I really really enjoyed it. I know it's preachy, but it's a damn good message so I didn't mind. But damn, talk about a movie that goes on 30 seconds too long!

    I, TONYA - Really hard watch for me because of how the lead character is treated by everyone. It was so depressing.

    THE SHAPE OF WATER - Shockingly, it lived up to my sky high expectations. I adore it. This movie is a miracle.

    PHANTOM THREAD - Beautifully made in every way, and I was on board for all of it, even the crazy stuff.

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  7. Phoenix (Dir: Danny Cannon, 1998).

    This was the first film I heard described as a neo-noir (fucking youth, am I right?) and I've been mildly obsessed with it since I was 17.

    It has an all-time glorious sweaty sleaze-ball cast (Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy "Ugh Jesus" Piven, Xander Berkley, Giancarlo Esposito to name a few).

    Angelica Huston completely knows what film she's in and she's rarely been more beautiful.

    Plus it has Tom Noonan as a lisping bad guy, and I'll pay top dollar for Noonan every goddamn day of the week.

    Oh, also Brittany Murphy and Kari Wuhrer are in it, so why not watch it?

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  8. I just started "Mom and Dad" and the opening credit sequence makes me want to puke. It's completely irrelevant to the film cause two minutes later there is "pop up texting" shit on the screen. Confused.

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    1. I’ll be watching this over the weekend. I’m really curious now

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    2. Curious of your thoughts. That film was definitely not for me.

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    3. i'm about halfway through the movie. it's definitely a crazy one. some confusing editing choices. Nicolas Cage is just starting his craziness. i don't think the opening is irrelevant, but i also don't think it was necessary. the "pop up texting" is a necessary evil in todays movies, but in this case is not done well. the director did Crank 1&2 and Gamer, so all that crazy stuff kinda fits, i guess.

      and there's a cameo from Grant Morisson, which is a nice surprise.

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  9. Watched The Howling 2 and Kong: Skull Island. Both were bad. Maybe Killing of a Sacred Deer tonight.

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  10. Just saw "The Shape of Water" and really liked it. Engaging all the way through, original, and there's a lot more stuff I want to pay attention to the next time I see it. I'd be willing to watch it again right now, in fact. The only drawback was that between this movie and "Back to the Future," my surname is not doing well cinematically ("did he ever have hair?" Mr. Strickland actually comes off as lovable compared to this guy).

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  11. I've started keeping a list of everything I'm watching.
    This week I re-watched Blood Diamond. Jennifer Connelly taking pictures of everything reminded me of how they ran that trope into the ground, with Brie Larson in Kong Skull, Island

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  12. all right guys, i need your help to find the title of a movie.

    i don't remember much, but i think it's from the 80s, or maybe the 90s.

    it's about a detective who infiltrate a high school by passing as a student. the one scene i remember is the main character having an argument with (i assume) another student, there's a crowd surrounding them, the principal kinda sneak behind the main character and surprise him, and the main character elbow the principal in the face as a reflex.

    i've been trying to remember what movie it is for years.

    help me

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    1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095875/

      https://youtu.be/JYDbgmZZkFw

      About 43:00min is what you’re looking for :)

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    2. holy crap, i think that's it

      couldn'd watch the video because i'm in canada, but looking at the movie poster, it looks like it.

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  13. Drove 2 hours to see Phantom Thread and it was worth every damn minute I got to spend with it. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it based on reading the plot synopsis or seeing a trailer or two, but it didn't take long for DDL to draw me in and get me invested with this one. It kept me guessing and that's always going to score points with me. There's enough humor and surprises to keep you entertained while PTA shows you frame after frame of beauty. It left me with a lot to think about, and I have a few different interpretations of what happened towards the end. It's crazy and odd, but a side of human beings that no doubt exist and we don't see very often. If 'Shape of Water' doesn't come to town next Friday, I'm gonna have to make another road trip. Just a great theater experience tonight, 20 screens, all different movies, a variety of beverages and foods to bring in with you, better parking. Yeah, the theater in my area sucks...

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    1. I saw it today and also loved it. I also don't have a problem with the ending. In a crazy demented way, it makes sense to me. It's a great, beautiful movie.

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  14. Felt like procrastinating and watched a bunch of movies over the past two nights:
    The Shining - Not so much a horror as an axe-ological thriller.
    Predestination - F! that movie!
    School of Rock - Pleasant enough, and well-suited to Jack Black's persona.
    Haywire - Fine, but somewhat underachieving given the talent involved.
    Supernova - A disappointing effort from Walter Hill.

    Earlier in the week I watched The Beast Within - The Making of 'Alien'. It felt like the success of Alien was not only a product of several talented contributors, but also extremely lucky given the amount of meddling: most notably the producers doing their own script rewrites; and O'Bannon pulling together a pre-production team (following Jodorowski's model from Dune) that seemed to parallel some of the efforts of Scott's team.

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    1. * Jodorowsky *
      So close! Should have spell checked that sucker.

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    2. If we knew what went on behind the scenes of most movies, we would probably be surprised that more movies did not turn out to be terrible.

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  15. It has been a different kind of week for me, in life and in movies. With work and other matters, I have been out of the house more than usual, which has given me a chance to visit the local flea market/used goods store. I picked up a pile of DVDs from there: DRIVE, some Van Damme and Steven Seagal flicks, PAN'S LABYRINTH, and a few others. All for a couple of dollars each.

    I have watched a couple of them so far.

    ACTION JACKSON (1988)- I saw this as a kid, but all that I remembered of it was the title. Carl Weathers plays the title character, a cop in Detroit sucked into the investigation of the deaths of union leaders. This is generic 1980s action at its most entertaining. You get the requisite fights, explosions, car chases, and the final showdown, with a little nudity thrown in. A heavy recommendation for a Junesploitation viewing. Featuring Weathers, Bill Duke, and Sonny Landham, there is a strong PREDATOR connection.

    HARD TO KILL (1990)- An amazingly entertaining martials arts action film. I am not a big fan of Steven Seagal, either as a person or an actor, but I have to admit that he shines in this. He actually has some charisma here. The film also gets the balance of story and action right.

    The only other film I saw is THE VIDEO DEAD from 1987. I found it very enjoyable. It is a very low-budget tale of zombies emerging from a television. Considering the resources available for the production, I was impressed by the look of the zombies and the special effects. The Video Dead is good for what it is.

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    1. Early career Segal (everything up to "Under Siege 2") is pure awesome, especially his first five flicks. BTW, could they have set-up the "blood bank" quip any more than they did? Jesus Christ, man, I got it the first 10,000 times they said it. :-P

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    2. I was tempted to include that "blood bank" quote here. Senator Trent certainly does like his "you can take that to the bank" line.

      Another film I picked up is Out For Justice. I probably saw that and Under Siege on VHS or television back in the day. I do not remember much of them, but I am curious to revisit the action films of this period. I grew up with these films.

      I took a brief look at JC Van Damme's DOUBLE IMPACT. What a ridiculous premise, but it does seem like a fun time.



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  16. Wish Upon. (2017) - I felt that to be part of the club I had to watch this. I've certainly had worse 90 minute experiences. I learned things like: "Tons" is an acceptable abridgment of wontons. What I didn't learn, however, is the mystery of the Ryan Phillippe character. I feel like the questions surrounding this bonkers character could fill an entire spinoff.

    Something Wild (1986) - Trying to catch up on some Demme (RIP) that I've missed. I found this delightful and quite different from many of the mid-to-late 80s rom-coms. Daniels, Griffith, and Liotta are all a ton of fun and give abundant energy.

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    1. "Hot Saxophone Dad" starring Ryan Phillippe, one please!

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    2. The Saxophone Bum: Origin of Sexy

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  17. on a movie related note, yesterday i went to diner at a friend's house and i got Francis Ford Coppola red wine. it was good red wine

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    1. Being from Wisconsin originally, I was always a beer-man and never understand the appeal of wine. Coppola's Red Claret is what finally broke me and now I much prefer a glass of wine to beer. Apparently Coppola is a man of many talents!

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  18. OMG I just found the 2018 movie I'm looking forward to the most:

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180583/

    It's sure to be terrible, but it stars about 20 Star Trek alumni, Gilbert Gottfried and a Captain Kirk marionette. Can't wait to see it!

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  19. My week in movies:

    Bright, dir. David Ayer (2017)

    So Netflix's biggest budgeted movie dropped just before Chr**tmas last year and I'd thought; "boy that seems like a fantasy take on Alien Nation!" Yes, it certainly shares the same theme's, racism etc. and makes a good double bill with that (underrated) 80's movie but it has enough of its own stuff going on to make it a rather fun ride! A sure step up for director David Ayer after the disasterpiece Suicide Squad (the only DC film I will critically crap on!) even if he has a tendency to repeat himself, one of the plot beats is taken from Training Day which of course he wrote and I think that once the plot and villain's show up the movie goes a tad off the rails... Thankfully a top-notch cast, Joel Edgerton is the real MVP here, an emphasis on practical effects (for the most part) and some great "crunchy" action scenes make this a great brain off slice of entertainment!

    Molly's Game, dir. Aaron Sorkin (2017)

    Whilst I know exactly diddly-squat about poker what I do like is both great writing and great acting and this delivers both in spades! The directorial debut from screenwriter and playwright Aaron Sorkin and whilst it show some of that first time director flash he largely allows his words, Molly Bloom's tale and some terrific actors to do the heavy lifting... Jessica Chastain is captivating as Molly making her tough, intelligent and still very human and Idris Elba brings is usual dignity to what could be a one note lawyer role. Poker may not be my thing in real life but there is something about it onscreen that keeps me watching plus I have to champion this as that rare thing these days; a film made for adults by adults.

    Warcraft, dir. Duncan Jones (2016)

    So as most people know I really don't dig too hard on the fantasy genre when it comes to TV and especially movies, however there are exceptions to the rule and based upon the director's credentials I knew I would at some point check out Warcraft... That director being Duncan Jones, son of one David Bowie (R.I.P) and director of Moon (a modern classic) and Source Code (very entertaining), sure I have never played the Warcraft game but as game-to-film adaptations go I had a whole heap of fun with this movie! Visually stunning and I really dug the fact that it throws you in at the deep end, avoids the usual opening narration/text crawl to fill you in on the world and (my word!) expects you to pay attention as the story is there... Yes it has some third act problems, it's quite telling that the original subtitle "The Beginning" was dropped, but this is good old fashioned FUN and I'll take it over Lord of the Rings etc. any day!

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    1. hey, somebody else other than me and my friend who liked Warcraft

      i also liked Bright

      about Molly's Game, it never was about poker.

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    2. To be fair now I've had more chance to think over Molly's Game it really has as much to do about poker as The Social Network has to do about Facebook, the best scene (even though the set up is a tad too contrived) has to be the Costner bench scene!

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  20. "Welcome to the human race."
    #Plissken4Prez2020

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  21. The Commuter - 3 out of 4 Riskes
    Phantom Thread - 3 out of 4 Riskes
    Den of Thieves - 3 out of 4 Riskes
    Proud Mary - 1.5 out of 4 Riskes

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