Brilliant. Legit brilliant. Also an amazing bait-n-switch. I went in blind thinking it would be a fun new addition to the Japanese legacy of Godzilla films....i did NOT expect such a heavy WW2 drama focusing on loss, identity, the aftermath of a war, grief, shame, rebuilding, family, destiny, and more. You could easily pull out the Godzilla scenes and this flick would be oscar bait. legit. BUT lets not do that as the Godzilla stuff is reallllllllllllllllllly good. The scope and scale of destruction are some of the best in a long time. Throw in some shades of Jaws and Dunkirk and you get two movies for the price of one: WW2 Drama and Kaiju Kalamity (sic)!
Please Dont Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (2023 Peacock)
I think im kinda late to the party with these guys. Discovered them in the past few weeks and have been deep diving into their work. For those unaware, they are a trio of best buds who've recently risen to fame via video short sketches on SNL. As a life long lover of sketch comedy..especially 'fringe' sketch comedy..i think they are incredibly funny. If they are off your radar, check out some of their stuff on youtube (id suggest starting with their Road Trip short). Anyhoo they dropped their first movie on Peacock. I had a ton of fun with it. Its a silly, slapdash, throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks treasure hunting comedy. Not everything works but if you connect with the guys humor you'll have a really really fun time.
I'd like to see it too, but I have an incredibility busy week ahead of me, so I doubt I'll end up finding the time. Also, it's not playing at any of the Cineplex in Ottawa. Landmark is showing it, but it's way on the other side of the city, so that's just an extra hurdle.
GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) Believe the hype, people! It's just what everyone's been saying, a genuinely heartfelt human drama combined with awesome Godzilla action.
SCREAMERS (1995) Dan O'Bannon goodness!
NAPOLEON (2023) I'm torn on this one. The battle scenes are spectacular and worth the price of admission, but it's another of Juaquin's "look how weird I am" performances.
PREDATOR (1987) If it bleeds, etc.
SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO (2007) Takashi Miike combines the samurai movie with the cowboy movie (never mind the similarities) in his own style. It's a historic tale, but the weird visuals and garish costumes make it look more like an Albert Pyun post-apocalypse pic. Also, Tarantino is acting in this, and he is ACTING. This is a terrible movie, and you all have to see it right away.
Look, when Junespoloitation comes around and the category of the day is: "80s Cheeze combined with Martial Arts combined with Flashdance combined with the Exorcist", there's a ton of movies to choose from. That being said, this is a solid choice.
1980s Action, Lethal Ladies, Kung Fu, Cannon... Ninja III fits many categories. Looking at my Junesploitation spreadsheet, I seem to have watched it in 2020. It is one of the most memorable films made by Cannon for a reason.
I intended to get to more watches but, as usual, life intervenes. All of the films were connected with my Noirvember goals. They were also made by notable directors.
LURED (1947, dir. Douglas Sirk) – This is a charming thriller starring Lucille Ball as a down-on-her-luck American in London. After a friend disappears, she gets recruited by Scotland Yard to assist in a serial murder investigation. The motivation for this watch was Noirvember, but the noir aspects are not very prominent. The film has a bit of everything, creating some drastic tonal shifts. The comedy aspect is one the strongest. One of the highlights is Boris Karloff’s scene as a crazy fashion designer; it is a great piece of black comedy.
THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951, dir. Robert Wise) – When the voice-over about terrible deeds in the titular house commences, you know that you are in film noir territory. The narrator is certainly not the typical noir heroine, however. She is a Polish survivor of Nazi concentration camps who finds an opportunity to escape her difficult situation by assuming the identity of another woman with relations in the United States. Soon she finds her opportunity to be fraught with unexpected dangers. An enjoyable noir thriller with touches of gothic romance, it does not really do anything to standout from the pack.
ODD MAN OUT (1947, dir. Carol Reed) – Before The Third Man, Carol Reed made a film about a man being hunted in a city full of shadows. This time it is Belfast in Northern Ireland. Johnny McQueen, an escaped IRA leader, gets wounded in a robbery and wanders around the city. James Mason portrays the doomed man attempting to find any sanctuary. As Odd Man Out goes on, it becomes more about the quirky people he meets along that journey than his own fate. The black-and-white cinematography is just as atmospheric as in The Third Man.
Blogger can be tricky sometimes. Last weekend I had a problem logging into it with my preferred browser. I used another browser to post. Altering my profile a little seemed to help to access my account. If anybody else has that issue, try that out.
I did get access on Firefox working, though. I changed my profile by clicking on the link (my user name in this board). Maybe Blogger is treating the accounts that have not been changed for a while as obsolete or not being used anymore.
The Equalizer 1-2-3: Denzel's John Wick. by that i mean it's his own action/revenge film series. I'm usually not a fan of Antoine Fuqua, but he got me with these. the story takes time to develop. actually, most of the running time is dedicated to other things than the main story and bad guys. if you need good old action flick like they used to make them, this is it.
Oppenheimer (2023): after my disastrous viewing in theater (black crush on screen, girl playing with her hair the whole time right next to me), i was very eager to get the 4K disc and rediscover it. i was not disappointed, it's as good as i remembered it. obviously this kind of movie lives or die on the with the main character and Cillian Murphy delivers the performance of a lifetime.
Metropolis (2001): the movie has nothing to do with the old one, only some vague inspirations based on the poster. nevertheless, this is a very good anime that's almost a hard boiled detective story. there's a femme fatale, detectives, jazzy score, but in a sci-fi/steampunk setting. it's a favorite of mine and it has been way too long since i last watched it.
Happy December Gang!
ReplyDeleteGodzilla Minus One (2023 Theatrical)
Brilliant. Legit brilliant. Also an amazing bait-n-switch. I went in blind thinking it would be a fun new addition to the Japanese legacy of Godzilla films....i did NOT expect such a heavy WW2 drama focusing on loss, identity, the aftermath of a war, grief, shame, rebuilding, family, destiny, and more. You could easily pull out the Godzilla scenes and this flick would be oscar bait. legit. BUT lets not do that as the Godzilla stuff is reallllllllllllllllllly good. The scope and scale of destruction are some of the best in a long time. Throw in some shades of Jaws and Dunkirk and you get two movies for the price of one: WW2 Drama and Kaiju Kalamity (sic)!
Please Dont Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (2023 Peacock)
I think im kinda late to the party with these guys. Discovered them in the past few weeks and have been deep diving into their work. For those unaware, they are a trio of best buds who've recently risen to fame via video short sketches on SNL. As a life long lover of sketch comedy..especially 'fringe' sketch comedy..i think they are incredibly funny. If they are off your radar, check out some of their stuff on youtube (id suggest starting with their Road Trip short). Anyhoo they dropped their first movie on Peacock. I had a ton of fun with it. Its a silly, slapdash, throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks treasure hunting comedy. Not everything works but if you connect with the guys humor you'll have a really really fun time.
Peace .n. Gojira
Mash
Yeah, can't wait for godzilla. Trailer looked good
DeleteI'd like to see it too, but I have an incredibility busy week ahead of me, so I doubt I'll end up finding the time. Also, it's not playing at any of the Cineplex in Ottawa. Landmark is showing it, but it's way on the other side of the city, so that's just an extra hurdle.
DeleteGODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) Believe the hype, people! It's just what everyone's been saying, a genuinely heartfelt human drama combined with awesome Godzilla action.
ReplyDeleteSCREAMERS (1995) Dan O'Bannon goodness!
NAPOLEON (2023) I'm torn on this one. The battle scenes are spectacular and worth the price of admission, but it's another of Juaquin's "look how weird I am" performances.
PREDATOR (1987) If it bleeds, etc.
SUKIYAKI WESTERN DJANGO (2007) Takashi Miike combines the samurai movie with the cowboy movie (never mind the similarities) in his own style. It's a historic tale, but the weird visuals and garish costumes make it look more like an Albert Pyun post-apocalypse pic. Also, Tarantino is acting in this, and he is ACTING. This is a terrible movie, and you all have to see it right away.
dude...i love your review style...keep it up...thanks!
Delete
ReplyDeleteNinja III: The Domination (1984 blu)
Look, when Junespoloitation comes around and the category of the day is: "80s Cheeze combined with Martial Arts combined with Flashdance combined with the Exorcist", there's a ton of movies to choose from. That being said, this is a solid choice.
1980s Action, Lethal Ladies, Kung Fu, Cannon... Ninja III fits many categories. Looking at my Junesploitation spreadsheet, I seem to have watched it in 2020. It is one of the most memorable films made by Cannon for a reason.
DeleteI intended to get to more watches but, as usual, life intervenes. All of the films were connected with my Noirvember goals. They were also made by notable directors.
ReplyDeleteLURED (1947, dir. Douglas Sirk) – This is a charming thriller starring Lucille Ball as a down-on-her-luck American in London. After a friend disappears, she gets recruited by Scotland Yard to assist in a serial murder investigation. The motivation for this watch was Noirvember, but the noir aspects are not very prominent. The film has a bit of everything, creating some drastic tonal shifts. The comedy aspect is one the strongest. One of the highlights is Boris Karloff’s scene as a crazy fashion designer; it is a great piece of black comedy.
THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL (1951, dir. Robert Wise) – When the voice-over about terrible deeds in the titular house commences, you know that you are in film noir territory. The narrator is certainly not the typical noir heroine, however. She is a Polish survivor of Nazi concentration camps who finds an opportunity to escape her difficult situation by assuming the identity of another woman with relations in the United States. Soon she finds her opportunity to be fraught with unexpected dangers. An enjoyable noir thriller with touches of gothic romance, it does not really do anything to standout from the pack.
ODD MAN OUT (1947, dir. Carol Reed) – Before The Third Man, Carol Reed made a film about a man being hunted in a city full of shadows. This time it is Belfast in Northern Ireland. Johnny McQueen, an escaped IRA leader, gets wounded in a robbery and wanders around the city. James Mason portrays the doomed man attempting to find any sanctuary. As Odd Man Out goes on, it becomes more about the quirky people he meets along that journey than his own fate. The black-and-white cinematography is just as atmospheric as in The Third Man.
Blogger can be tricky sometimes. Last weekend I had a problem logging into it with my preferred browser. I used another browser to post. Altering my profile a little seemed to help to access my account. If anybody else has that issue, try that out.
ah ha! im not alone. blogger hasnt been working for me on firefox the last couple weeks but HAS been working on Edge.
DeleteFirefox was the culprit for me as well. I suspected that I might not be the only one having an issue.
DeleteI did get access on Firefox working, though. I changed my profile by clicking on the link (my user name in this board). Maybe Blogger is treating the accounts that have not been changed for a while as obsolete or not being used anymore.
DeleteThe Equalizer 1-2-3: Denzel's John Wick. by that i mean it's his own action/revenge film series. I'm usually not a fan of Antoine Fuqua, but he got me with these. the story takes time to develop. actually, most of the running time is dedicated to other things than the main story and bad guys. if you need good old action flick like they used to make them, this is it.
ReplyDeleteOppenheimer (2023): after my disastrous viewing in theater (black crush on screen, girl playing with her hair the whole time right next to me), i was very eager to get the 4K disc and rediscover it. i was not disappointed, it's as good as i remembered it. obviously this kind of movie lives or die on the with the main character and Cillian Murphy delivers the performance of a lifetime.
Metropolis (2001): the movie has nothing to do with the old one, only some vague inspirations based on the poster. nevertheless, this is a very good anime that's almost a hard boiled detective story. there's a femme fatale, detectives, jazzy score, but in a sci-fi/steampunk setting. it's a favorite of mine and it has been way too long since i last watched it.