Damn, sorry to miss that. If I'm writing up a more substantial mini reviews of a few movies, I write it up elsewhere and then copy paste here. I've been burned a few times before.
I have also have this problem with Blogger, J.M. What I always do is copy the text of my posts just in case that happens. They always show up on Blogger just after you post them, so you can do the copying then as well. If the post does not show up after refreshing the page, you can always paste the text into a document and try copying and pasting again. Sometimes it just a matter of changing a few words to get it to be accepted. I have noticed that certain words with sexual connotations automatically get a post rejected.
I also open up the FThisMovie website on another tab just to ensure that the post sticks. That way, if the post gets deleted, you will have the initial posting to copy from.
I had a pretty great week with movies (after I got over the disappointment of the Depeche Mode gig I waited 10 months for getting cancelled due to a storm). Caught up with John Wick: Chapter 4 and absolutely loved it, it might be my favorite of the franchise. The last hour had me alternately grinning from ear to ear and laughing out loud, the staircase sequence in particular had me in stitches. Then I saw Oppenheimer on the biggest screen in town (not IMAX but it'll do), and the three hours just flew by. Excellent stuff.
I also saw Orson Welles' F for Fake for the first time, and I'm still dizzy from it. A weird meta-documentary about making a fake documentary about fakes, it's definitely an experience. And I checked out The French Connection (R.I.P. William Friedkin) and enjoyed the hell out of it, even though I've seen probably hundreds of movies inspired by it, so it didn't hit me like it must've hit people 50 years ago. The train chase is an exciting sequence, but my favorite scene was them methodically stripping a car.
Today I started watching Park Chan-wook's I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (catching up on Blank Check's Park series), but after half an hour I'm considering just bailing out. Feels like the movie's saying "Look at all these mentally ill people, isn't it funny how weird and quirky they are?" and it's rubbing me the wrong way.
I rewatched John Wick 1-3 in the lead up to Chapter 4, but ended up missing it in the theatre and still haven't gotten around to it. The couple times I came close to throwing it on, it was the long run time that was the deal breaker.
John Wick 4, that night club scene, and that top view shootout are the high points for me. Everybody love the stairs scene at the end, but by that time it was already 2 hours since the movie started and i just wanted to get out. As incredible as it is to say, i was bored of watching people get shot in the head.
F For Fake is one of Welles' most ground-breaking films, playing around the concept of truth beautifully. Sadly, like so many of his films, it did not make an impact at the time.
Are subtitles used for most American films shown in Finnish theaters?
Casual, yes films are subtitled here, only animated kids' films are dubbed (and even those are often shown in two different versions, subbed and dubbed).
I am looking forward to it! I think I just got a little burnt out on Wick by watching the first three in a row (coupled with being very busy). I suspect when I watch it I'm going to regret not making the time to see it on the big screen.
The Osterman Weekend (1983, dir. Sam Peckinpah) I actually watched this before Junesploitation, and thought it was better than it’s reputation. Nice spy thriller. I’m not sure which version I watched, as the original theatrical release was one where Peckinpah had been kicked out of the editing process. The only movie of his left to see is The Wild Bunch! I had originally planned to watch it in June.
White Hunter Black Heart (1990, dir. Clint Eastwood) is loosely based on John Huston going to Africa to film The African Queen. Eastwood is playing the movie director. I really enjoyed this and I think it’s trying to comment something about Eastwood’s own place/role in Hollywood. It gets a lot better after an uneven beginning.
Robinson Crusoe (1954, dir. Luis Buñuel) I LOVED this movie. It was just like in the book I loved as a kid. The master/servant dynamic between Crusoe and Friday are very much a product of it’s time. I’m not familiar with Buñuel, but apparently he was a Spanish-Mexican director of some renown, and usually made weird surrealist movies. This was his first English language American production, and was the “black sheep” of his filmography, being a straight forward recounting of the tale.
The New World (2005, dir. Terrence Malick). I put this on not knowing it was a Malick movie, but pretty quickly was looking up who made it, because it was so unusual and unique feeling. I was blown away by how gorgeous the whole movie was. It felt very much like a vibe as much as a story. I’m not familiar at all with Malick, other than seeing The Thin Red line as an older teenager and not liking it. I should watch more of his movies as I really enjoyed this one.
Inspired by Mac watching Cleopatra last week, and Anthony’s “Cult Movies Podcast” covering it, I watched Land of the Pharaohs (1955, dir. Howard Hawks) which I really liked. Just the huge sets, incredible amount of extras and loud bombastic music was enthralling. There was one bit where the camera did a slow 180 degree pan and there were extras (building a pyramid) as far as the eye could see the whole time. Apparently some scenes had nearly 10,000 extras in the shot. Anthony and his guests on the podcast had quite the opposite experience as I did, and none of them cared for it at all.
I want to watch Cleopatra, because I have a soft spot for those epic historical movies, but it’s just so damn long. I watched the first hour a year or 2 ago, but never finished it.
Sorry, Robinson Crusoe was a joint Mexican-American production. The movie won Buñuel best picture and director for the Ariel Awards (seems to be the Mexican equivalent of the Academy awards), and the lead actor was nominated for best actor with the Academy as well. It's on Tubi.
Thanks for the recommendations! With Malick, I think I will start by seeking out his first films. It's so strange that he took 20 years off from directing. Most of his recent films have been with Emmanuel Lubezki as a DP, so it's no surprise that they are good looking.
Wow. I just spent two hours re-writing my reviews from scratch... and Blogger rejected them again! :'( Guys, I always keep back-ups of my written reviews (it's common sense). The problem is that Blogger REMEMBERS the review I've written and posted, so I can't repost the text I saved because the computer remembers what I wrote and won't let me re-post it. As I said, TWICE TODAY I've written lengthy reviews that Blogger is nuking despite both being completely different texts. I'm sorry, but I can't go through this nightmare every weekend wasting my time when I have work to do and a YouTube channel to fill (ES para TO2). I'm stepping away until October Scary Movie Month or until Patrick can assure us that this technical bullshit has been resolved. Sucks, because I like writing/posting reviews here... but I can't waste my time with this Blogger crap anymore! See you in October. :-(
I had e-mail notifications turned on, so I DID get to read your reviews! It sends an e-mail with the text, even if it doesn't stick here. I was considering watching Cruising as my next Friedkin.
You sure watch a lot of new movies! It explains how you have such a comprehensive "best of" list at the end of the year.
Thanks Paul. ✌️😁 So glad someone besides me got to read what l wrote, means a lot to me. 🥺😢 And l have AMC A-Plus, so gotta maximize my bang-for-buck value by going to theaters... a lot.
For the record, my reviews were for William Friedkin's Sorcerer (excellent) and Crusing (misguided), the Sherry Cola double feature Joy Ride (meh) and Shortcomings (hilarious), Last Voyage of the Demeter (worth seeing in the big screen) and the Casey Affleck drama Dreamin' Wild (so good Casey should get a Best Actor nom). 😉🙃
Tonight i watched a couple of good movies with my friends
Portrait of a Lady in Fire (2019). It's a beautiful romance with minimal characters and gorgeously shot. Can't wait for a 4K release
Citizen Kane (1941). I mean, what else is there to say about this one. You love it or you hate it, but it's still an important movie in the history of cinema
I also got the weirdest collection of movies ever. Sony Pictures Classics 30th Anniversary 4K collection. The movies are not all that weird, but all of them together make for an eclectic box set. Some of them only available in 4k in that box. I didn't watch any of the movies yet, but i will soon. The movies are: Orlando / The Celluloid Closet / The City of Lost Children / Run Lola Run / SLC Punk / Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / The Devil’s Backbone / Volver / Synecdoche, New York / Still Alice / Call Me By Your Name
"Kane" and "Lady on Fire" look awesome in 4K, good picks. 🤠👍And Sony better break up that 4K box set, because some l definitely want ("Synecdoche," "Orlando," etc.) while others l could care less for (minor Del Toro/Almadovar flicks). 🤑🤔
I just realised Columbia released a couple of the same type of 4k boxset. A bunch of movies without any theme. The main issue, those movies are only available in that set, and the first one is out of print and sell for a thousand dollars on ebay. This is annoying and i wish they'd stop doing that
I think I've only seen a movie multiple times in the theatre twice, and Volver happens to be one of them (other is Fury Road). I had seen it with my GF, and enjoyed it. And was visiting another friend the week after, and his GF insisted we go see it over some action movie that I can't remember. My memories of Volver is liking it, and that Penélope Cruz is the most beautiful woman on earth. I did not regret seeing it a 2nd time.
In just over an hour, I'll be wrapping up my 4th Annual 24 Hour Movie Marathon. This year's lineup:
Sat 8/12 8:05am The Secret Life of Pets (2016) 9:27am Muppet Treasure Island (1996) 11:04am The Pirate (1948) 12:50pm Project A (1983) 2:33pm Dark of the Sun (1968) 4:20pm Gator (1976) 7:03pm Fight Club (1999) 9:25pm Face/Off (1997) 11:45pm Deliverance (1972)
Sun 8/13 1:35am Three Amigos (1986) 3:15am South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) 4:33am Snakes on a Plane (2006) 6:33am Rogue Hostage (2021)
Other than a dinner break/dog walk, it's pretty much been nothing but put the next one in as soon as the credits roll. I am very tired.
That's a lot of movies! I watched Dark of the Sun earlier this year and really loved it. Who doesn't love a movie about riding a train into the jungle on a mission.
DUDE...that is an AMAZING marathon. Outstanding curation!!! Chan's fall in Project A is one of my all time fav stunts. Interested in your thoughts on Gator as im gonna visit some older Burt flicks and i dont think ive seen that one yet (was gonna start with: Hooper, Stick, and Sharkeys Machine).
I actually wrote a diary of the whole thing that answers some of these questions: https://featurepresentationvideo.substack.com/p/my-4th-annual-24-hour-movie-marathon I'm still very tired!
So...cant believe im saying this...but i had a LOT of fun with this! Like many i consider Fast 5 the highpoint of the series. The quality was fine for a movie or two after but then it started to devolve into boring CGI one-upsmanship. And i suppose X follows the same trajectory. HOWEVER it fully knows 5 was the best and builds a sort of direct sequel to it. The weaknesses are still there (Brian's absence is insurmountable, no real danger/loss, same dumb scripts and banter) but this time out things feel more fun to me. The absolute #1 reason is Mamoa's bad guy. OMG he's over the top, cheezy, silly, weird, nuts, and an all around great baddie. His energy infuses some life into a franchise that certainly needs to wrap itself up. I loved his performance so much that i find myself absolutely excited for 11 but also hopeful that they bow out at that point.
I watched a couple of things during the week on Netflix. Growing up a big Schwarzenegger fan, I really looked forward to ARNOLD. His life is one of those that is stranger than fiction, and he is surprisingly frank about certain aspects of his life. I really enjoyed this and, surprisingly, found the final episode the most interesting. The political career seems like an odd decision from the outside, but it makes perfect sense within the context of his life. I think it was the most difficult challenge he ever took on.
The other Netflix watch was BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY. I cannot say that I am a K-Pop fan, and this is partially a commercial for the the group, yet there was something about the honest portrayal of life as an aspiring pop idol that intrigued me. The discussions about being a young person away from home in the training academies are honestly scary. It certainly is a vulnerable existence for a teenager. The fame aspect does have its frightening side, too.
I got around to watching some more luchador films on the Mexican cinema channels. LAS LUCHADORAS VS. EL ROBOT ASESINO (The Female Wrestlers vs. The Killer Robot) from 1969 is nonsensical fun. It is a mix of wrestling with a stupid mad scientist plot that, at least, is a step up from The Batwoman. SANTO VS. THE RIDERS OF TERROR (1971) turned out to be a pretty dull western. It was a chore to finish. Maybe I was expecting it to be more of a typical Santo movie.
The discs of Masaki Kobayashi's THE HUMAN CONDITION (1959) film series finally got some attention. I am a big admirer of his work. The story revolves around Kaji, a man with a conscience who has to face the harsh realities of living in imperialist Japan during World War II. Parts one and two concern his work as a manager at an iron ore mine in occupied Manchuria. Kaji's vision of treating the Chinese laborers as people clashes with the attitudes of almost everybody Japanese employee at the company. Trouble is bound to come. This is terrific epic movie-making from Kobayashi.
I wrapped up the week by getting into the Black Emanuelle box set from Severin. The first entry in the series, 1975's BLACK EMANUELLE, has the intrepid reporter and sexual adventurer going to Kenya. Italian exploitation cinema is certainly not known for its cultural sensitivities, and story Emanuelle is supposed to be covering there is never made clear. Although director Bitto Albertini does not take the film to the sleazy heights of Joe D'Amato's entries, it does end in a very uncomfortable way.
What a weird movie. I love it. There's a guy who has to eat the equivalent of 15 cheeseburger 9 times a day. Then there's a town entirely run by lawyers. And there's more
My entire post disappeared! Seven reviews, two hours of work... gone! WTF is wrong with this freaking Blogger @^$% shit??!! :'(
ReplyDeleteDamn, sorry to miss that. If I'm writing up a more substantial mini reviews of a few movies, I write it up elsewhere and then copy paste here. I've been burned a few times before.
DeleteIt's weird, i know some people have issues with Blogger, but i never had any problems. Sorry to miss your text, it's always interesting
DeleteI have also have this problem with Blogger, J.M. What I always do is copy the text of my posts just in case that happens. They always show up on Blogger just after you post them, so you can do the copying then as well. If the post does not show up after refreshing the page, you can always paste the text into a document and try copying and pasting again. Sometimes it just a matter of changing a few words to get it to be accepted. I have noticed that certain words with sexual connotations automatically get a post rejected.
DeleteI also open up the FThisMovie website on another tab just to ensure that the post sticks. That way, if the post gets deleted, you will have the initial posting to copy from.
DeleteYeah, in June I couldn't get one of my reviews posted until I spelled the word pr0stitute with a 0 in place of the o. Blogger is a prude!
DeleteHey gang! Hope everyone's having a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteI had a pretty great week with movies (after I got over the disappointment of the Depeche Mode gig I waited 10 months for getting cancelled due to a storm). Caught up with John Wick: Chapter 4 and absolutely loved it, it might be my favorite of the franchise. The last hour had me alternately grinning from ear to ear and laughing out loud, the staircase sequence in particular had me in stitches. Then I saw Oppenheimer on the biggest screen in town (not IMAX but it'll do), and the three hours just flew by. Excellent stuff.
I also saw Orson Welles' F for Fake for the first time, and I'm still dizzy from it. A weird meta-documentary about making a fake documentary about fakes, it's definitely an experience. And I checked out The French Connection (R.I.P. William Friedkin) and enjoyed the hell out of it, even though I've seen probably hundreds of movies inspired by it, so it didn't hit me like it must've hit people 50 years ago. The train chase is an exciting sequence, but my favorite scene was them methodically stripping a car.
Today I started watching Park Chan-wook's I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (catching up on Blank Check's Park series), but after half an hour I'm considering just bailing out. Feels like the movie's saying "Look at all these mentally ill people, isn't it funny how weird and quirky they are?" and it's rubbing me the wrong way.
I rewatched John Wick 1-3 in the lead up to Chapter 4, but ended up missing it in the theatre and still haven't gotten around to it. The couple times I came close to throwing it on, it was the long run time that was the deal breaker.
DeleteYo Paul...no questions 4 is loooong but as its a collection of setpieces its easy to approach in a few viewing sessions. its reallllly good.
DeleteJohn Wick 4, that night club scene, and that top view shootout are the high points for me. Everybody love the stairs scene at the end, but by that time it was already 2 hours since the movie started and i just wanted to get out. As incredible as it is to say, i was bored of watching people get shot in the head.
DeleteF For Fake is one of Welles' most ground-breaking films, playing around the concept of truth beautifully. Sadly, like so many of his films, it did not make an impact at the time.
DeleteAre subtitles used for most American films shown in Finnish theaters?
Casual, yes films are subtitled here, only animated kids' films are dubbed (and even those are often shown in two different versions, subbed and dubbed).
DeleteI am looking forward to it! I think I just got a little burnt out on Wick by watching the first three in a row (coupled with being very busy). I suspect when I watch it I'm going to regret not making the time to see it on the big screen.
DeleteI hope everyone had a good week of movie love!
ReplyDeleteThe Osterman Weekend (1983, dir. Sam Peckinpah) I actually watched this before Junesploitation, and thought it was better than it’s reputation. Nice spy thriller. I’m not sure which version I watched, as the original theatrical release was one where Peckinpah had been kicked out of the editing process. The only movie of his left to see is The Wild Bunch! I had originally planned to watch it in June.
White Hunter Black Heart (1990, dir. Clint Eastwood) is loosely based on John Huston going to Africa to film The African Queen. Eastwood is playing the movie director. I really enjoyed this and I think it’s trying to comment something about Eastwood’s own place/role in Hollywood. It gets a lot better after an uneven beginning.
Robinson Crusoe (1954, dir. Luis Buñuel) I LOVED this movie. It was just like in the book I loved as a kid. The master/servant dynamic between Crusoe and Friday are very much a product of it’s time. I’m not familiar with Buñuel, but apparently he was a Spanish-Mexican director of some renown, and usually made weird surrealist movies. This was his first English language American production, and was the “black sheep” of his filmography, being a straight forward recounting of the tale.
The New World (2005, dir. Terrence Malick). I put this on not knowing it was a Malick movie, but pretty quickly was looking up who made it, because it was so unusual and unique feeling. I was blown away by how gorgeous the whole movie was. It felt very much like a vibe as much as a story. I’m not familiar at all with Malick, other than seeing The Thin Red line as an older teenager and not liking it. I should watch more of his movies as I really enjoyed this one.
Inspired by Mac watching Cleopatra last week, and Anthony’s “Cult Movies Podcast” covering it, I watched Land of the Pharaohs (1955, dir. Howard Hawks) which I really liked. Just the huge sets, incredible amount of extras and loud bombastic music was enthralling. There was one bit where the camera did a slow 180 degree pan and there were extras (building a pyramid) as far as the eye could see the whole time. Apparently some scenes had nearly 10,000 extras in the shot. Anthony and his guests on the podcast had quite the opposite experience as I did, and none of them cared for it at all.
I want to watch Cleopatra, because I have a soft spot for those epic historical movies, but it’s just so damn long. I watched the first hour a year or 2 ago, but never finished it.
Sorry, Robinson Crusoe was a joint Mexican-American production. The movie won Buñuel best picture and director for the Ariel Awards (seems to be the Mexican equivalent of the Academy awards), and the lead actor was nominated for best actor with the Academy as well. It's on Tubi.
DeleteThanks for the recommendations! With Malick, I think I will start by seeking out his first films. It's so strange that he took 20 years off from directing. Most of his recent films have been with Emmanuel Lubezki as a DP, so it's no surprise that they are good looking.
DeleteWow. I just spent two hours re-writing my reviews from scratch... and Blogger rejected them again! :'( Guys, I always keep back-ups of my written reviews (it's common sense). The problem is that Blogger REMEMBERS the review I've written and posted, so I can't repost the text I saved because the computer remembers what I wrote and won't let me re-post it. As I said, TWICE TODAY I've written lengthy reviews that Blogger is nuking despite both being completely different texts. I'm sorry, but I can't go through this nightmare every weekend wasting my time when I have work to do and a YouTube channel to fill (ES para TO2). I'm stepping away until October Scary Movie Month or until Patrick can assure us that this technical bullshit has been resolved. Sucks, because I like writing/posting reviews here... but I can't waste my time with this Blogger crap anymore! See you in October. :-(
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that dude.
DeleteI get it.
DeleteI had e-mail notifications turned on, so I DID get to read your reviews! It sends an e-mail with the text, even if it doesn't stick here. I was considering watching Cruising as my next Friedkin.
DeleteYou sure watch a lot of new movies! It explains how you have such a comprehensive "best of" list at the end of the year.
Thanks Paul. ✌️😁 So glad someone besides me got to read what l wrote, means a lot to me. 🥺😢 And l have AMC A-Plus, so gotta maximize my bang-for-buck value by going to theaters... a lot.
DeleteFor the record, my reviews were for William Friedkin's Sorcerer (excellent) and Crusing (misguided), the Sherry Cola double feature Joy Ride (meh) and Shortcomings (hilarious), Last Voyage of the Demeter (worth seeing in the big screen) and the Casey Affleck drama Dreamin' Wild (so good Casey should get a Best Actor nom). 😉🙃
Tonight i watched a couple of good movies with my friends
ReplyDeletePortrait of a Lady in Fire (2019). It's a beautiful romance with minimal characters and gorgeously shot. Can't wait for a 4K release
Citizen Kane (1941). I mean, what else is there to say about this one. You love it or you hate it, but it's still an important movie in the history of cinema
I also got the weirdest collection of movies ever. Sony Pictures Classics 30th Anniversary 4K collection. The movies are not all that weird, but all of them together make for an eclectic box set. Some of them only available in 4k in that box. I didn't watch any of the movies yet, but i will soon. The movies are:
Orlando / The Celluloid Closet / The City of Lost Children / Run Lola Run / SLC Punk / Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / The Devil’s Backbone / Volver / Synecdoche, New York / Still Alice / Call Me By Your Name
"Kane" and "Lady on Fire" look awesome in 4K, good picks. 🤠👍And Sony better break up that 4K box set, because some l definitely want ("Synecdoche," "Orlando," etc.) while others l could care less for (minor Del Toro/Almadovar flicks). 🤑🤔
DeleteI just realised Columbia released a couple of the same type of 4k boxset. A bunch of movies without any theme. The main issue, those movies are only available in that set, and the first one is out of print and sell for a thousand dollars on ebay. This is annoying and i wish they'd stop doing that
DeleteI think I've only seen a movie multiple times in the theatre twice, and Volver happens to be one of them (other is Fury Road). I had seen it with my GF, and enjoyed it. And was visiting another friend the week after, and his GF insisted we go see it over some action movie that I can't remember. My memories of Volver is liking it, and that Penélope Cruz is the most beautiful woman on earth. I did not regret seeing it a 2nd time.
DeleteIn just over an hour, I'll be wrapping up my 4th Annual 24 Hour Movie Marathon. This year's lineup:
ReplyDeleteSat 8/12
8:05am The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
9:27am Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
11:04am The Pirate (1948)
12:50pm Project A (1983)
2:33pm Dark of the Sun (1968)
4:20pm Gator (1976)
7:03pm Fight Club (1999)
9:25pm Face/Off (1997)
11:45pm Deliverance (1972)
Sun 8/13
1:35am Three Amigos (1986)
3:15am South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
4:33am Snakes on a Plane (2006)
6:33am Rogue Hostage (2021)
Other than a dinner break/dog walk, it's pretty much been nothing but put the next one in as soon as the credits roll. I am very tired.
That's a lot of movies! I watched Dark of the Sun earlier this year and really loved it. Who doesn't love a movie about riding a train into the jungle on a mission.
DeleteThat's a nice day.
DeleteInteresting mix of movies. What kind of criteria went into creating the list?
DeleteDUDE...that is an AMAZING marathon. Outstanding curation!!! Chan's fall in Project A is one of my all time fav stunts. Interested in your thoughts on Gator as im gonna visit some older Burt flicks and i dont think ive seen that one yet (was gonna start with: Hooper, Stick, and Sharkeys Machine).
DeleteGreat picks, I'm jeaIous. What a great Iine-up. :-D
DeleteHey guys, thanks for all the comments.
DeleteI actually wrote a diary of the whole thing that answers some of these questions: https://featurepresentationvideo.substack.com/p/my-4th-annual-24-hour-movie-marathon
I'm still very tired!
Which was Fritos? :)
Deleteyo friends!
ReplyDeleteFast X (2023 Blu)
So...cant believe im saying this...but i had a LOT of fun with this! Like many i consider Fast 5 the highpoint of the series. The quality was fine for a movie or two after but then it started to devolve into boring CGI one-upsmanship. And i suppose X follows the same trajectory. HOWEVER it fully knows 5 was the best and builds a sort of direct sequel to it. The weaknesses are still there (Brian's absence is insurmountable, no real danger/loss, same dumb scripts and banter) but this time out things feel more fun to me. The absolute #1 reason is Mamoa's bad guy. OMG he's over the top, cheezy, silly, weird, nuts, and an all around great baddie. His energy infuses some life into a franchise that certainly needs to wrap itself up. I loved his performance so much that i find myself absolutely excited for 11 but also hopeful that they bow out at that point.
I watched a couple of things during the week on Netflix. Growing up a big Schwarzenegger fan, I really looked forward to ARNOLD. His life is one of those that is stranger than fiction, and he is surprisingly frank about certain aspects of his life. I really enjoyed this and, surprisingly, found the final episode the most interesting. The political career seems like an odd decision from the outside, but it makes perfect sense within the context of his life. I think it was the most difficult challenge he ever took on.
ReplyDeleteThe other Netflix watch was BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY. I cannot say that I am a K-Pop fan, and this is partially a commercial for the the group, yet there was something about the honest portrayal of life as an aspiring pop idol that intrigued me. The discussions about being a young person away from home in the training academies are honestly scary. It certainly is a vulnerable existence for a teenager. The fame aspect does have its frightening side, too.
I got around to watching some more luchador films on the Mexican cinema channels. LAS LUCHADORAS VS. EL ROBOT ASESINO (The Female Wrestlers vs. The Killer Robot) from 1969 is nonsensical fun. It is a mix of wrestling with a stupid mad scientist plot that, at least, is a step up from The Batwoman. SANTO VS. THE RIDERS OF TERROR (1971) turned out to be a pretty dull western. It was a chore to finish. Maybe I was expecting it to be more of a typical Santo movie.
The discs of Masaki Kobayashi's THE HUMAN CONDITION (1959) film series finally got some attention. I am a big admirer of his work. The story revolves around Kaji, a man with a conscience who has to face the harsh realities of living in imperialist Japan during World War II. Parts one and two concern his work as a manager at an iron ore mine in occupied Manchuria. Kaji's vision of treating the Chinese laborers as people clashes with the attitudes of almost everybody Japanese employee at the company. Trouble is bound to come. This is terrific epic movie-making from Kobayashi.
I'm definitely going to check out the Arnold documentary. I've heard nothing but good about it.
DeleteI wrapped up the week by getting into the Black Emanuelle box set from Severin. The first entry in the series, 1975's BLACK EMANUELLE, has the intrepid reporter and sexual adventurer going to Kenya. Italian exploitation cinema is certainly not known for its cultural sensitivities, and story Emanuelle is supposed to be covering there is never made clear. Although director Bitto Albertini does not take the film to the sleazy heights of Joe D'Amato's entries, it does end in a very uncomfortable way.
ReplyDeleteInterstate 60: Episodes of the Road (2003)
ReplyDeleteWhat a weird movie. I love it. There's a guy who has to eat the equivalent of 15 cheeseburger 9 times a day. Then there's a town entirely run by lawyers. And there's more