Saturday, December 3, 2022

Weekend Open Thread

11 comments:

  1. Why Popeye this week? Aside from being an awesome movie?

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  2. Yo buds! Groovy discussion last week around Letterbox! ive not pulled the trigger on that site but really need to as it'll be a great repository for flicks and thoughts and a way to share suggestions. i LOVE the idea of us letting each other know about letterbox listings!

    Deja Vu (2006 dvd)

    Continuing my deep-ish dive into Tony Scott. HOLY COW THIS FLICK IS AWESOME! Again T.S. just does an incredible job with presenting awesome characters for us to go along with. I went into this one blind to some of the more sci-fi stuff and that made it ALL the better. Im a huge fan of sci fi that is built around a set of limiting rules and the characters have to find a way to make that work. Love this flick.

    Domino (2005 dvd)

    One more T.S. Hrmmmm. I think this flick has style for days and maybe the building blocks of an ok movie but i didnt connect as much as id hoped. REALLY dug the casting but the execution/story felt a bit rushed and light.

    Life (2017 dvd)

    Revisited this super dooper fun little alien attacks b movie. Not much to see here other than another take on Alien or Quartermass but its got a DEEP bench of great actors and a fun idea for an alien.

    NOPE (2022 blu)

    Realllllllllllllllllllly liked it. Its about 30m to long but some pretty great ideas around animals and aliens. Strong performances. Great vfx. And a TV monkey you'll not soon forget. Check it out!

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    1. one more...

      Duel (1971 dvd)

      Showed it to my kid. Played great (duh!). Been a while since ive watched...a long while..and as someone who has always had a long commute as an adult i can say that this flick is, in all honestly, pretty much 90% a documentary on regular road rage.

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  3. Last night I decided it was finally time to watch the most successful movie of all time. Yes, I'm officially the last person to see Avatar. Back in 2009, I was really put off by the marketing and REALLY did not want to see Sam Worthington in anything after being bored to death by him in Terminator Salvation. I haven't avoided it over the years, it's just something I havent sought out before last night. Anyway, it's fine. Turns out I've soaked up a lot of it through cultural osmosis (not to mention the podcast.) I was surprised by how many of the shots are 100% digital. I also didn't care for many of the performances. In some cases (Stephen Lang) it's an actor hamstrung by Cameron's dialog. In other cases (Sam Worthington) it's because they cast Sam Worthington. However, Cameron's ability to stage and pace action and tension is second to absolutely none. This is probably my least favorite Cameron movie, but considering his filmography, that's not really a bad thing. Excited to finally find out what exactly is the way of water.

    Rewatched True Lies for the 20th time, nos that it's been given an HD release on Hulu. It still rules.

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  4. Southland Tales (2006)

    Still a masterpiece (not really, but i love it). Still waiting on Patrick to do a podcast about it. Maybe a Patreon special?

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    1. Southland Tales has been mentioned enough times here that I added it to my watch list.

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    2. If you ever get the Arrow release, make sure to watch the theatrical cut. The Cannes cut is not good

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  5. Whoaaa, I just read Aaron Taylor Johnson might be the next James Bond. So I've never liked James Bond. But I will watch HIM as James Bond. In every movie. In all the fine suiting. Thank you for this, movie gods.

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    1. interesting...i dont know much about him but i found him a delight and charming in Bullet Train so im down!

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    2. Yup yup. Delightful and charming. Great in serious roles, too, though. I'm happy because he's been around a WHILE and it looks like now he's getting the roles he (IMO) deserves. Same with Jeremy Strong, I was just thinking this week. Great actor - been around a WHILE. Nice to see them get recognized with more/better roles.

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  6. I finished Noirvember with a couple of worthwhile neo-noirs. Overall, I watched fourteen films for it. To cleanse my cinematic palate, I chose some arty films to finish the week.

    CUTTER’S WAY (1981) – A tale of a disillusioned drifter in life (Jeff Bridges) and a disgruntled Vietnam vet (John Heard). When Bridges witnesses the body of a young woman being dumped in an alley, a cascade of events and decisions unfolds. Deciphering the truth is not a straightforward matter. This must be one of the last gasps of the New Hollywood before the commercialism of 1980s Hollywood fully took over.

    BODY HEAT (1981, dir. Lawrence Kasdan) – William Hurt and Kathleen Turner make the film live up to its title. Hurt’s attorney gets drawn into the life of seductive Matty Walker, a rich wife seemingly looking for a little fun on the side. The situation quickly gets out of hand. Kasdan, who also wrote the script, channels the stylized film noir world in a modern way. Highly recommended.

    THE BLUE BIRD (1940, dir. Walter Lang) – 20th Century Fox’s response to the succuss of The Wizard of Oz is this film about an alpine girl who needs to be taught a lesson about appreciating her life. Though not lacking in movie magic (some dreamy Technicolor sequences), The Blue Bird does not come together. Shirley Temple, and her dimples, star in it. Interestingly, there is a graveyard sequence that is lit like a Mario Bava film.

    LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN (1979, dir. King Hu) – A scholar tasked with copying Buddhist scripture goes off into the countryside to complete his work. He has no idea what supernatural perils await him. This is a poetic Taiwanese production shot in South Korea by one of the great Chinese directors. At over 3 hours, it is the longest film I have watched this year. Patience is rewarded. A great looking Kino blu-ray, too.

    ARREBATO (1979, dir. Ivan Zulueta) – The title means “rapture” in Spanish. Drug addiction, toxic relationships, and an obsession with movie-making push this avant-garde film forward. Movies are literally absorbing people. More of a cinematic experience than a narrative film, Arrebato is a product of the Spanish cultural free-for-all that followed the end of dictatorship in the 1970s. I found it interesting.

    THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX (1942) – Somewhat entertaining nonsense from Universal Studios throws a lot of plot at you for a 66-minute run-time. Basically, a series of murders of high-profile acquitted defendants draws in a private investigator. The madcap mystery strangely ventures into horror territory toward the end. Features Lionel Atwill in a small role.

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