I had a busy week, so i didn't watch much. But i did take the time to watch the extras on the Clerks 3 blu-ray. When i first saw the movie i liked it a little bit, but for some reasons i kept thinking about it. I obvioualy love Clerks, i like Clerks 2 despite its flaws. Obviously i loke the characters. They are my age so i felt i grew up with them, especially the video store part and talking movies all night long with friends. Soni revisited Clerks 3 a couple of times and grew to like it more and more. Rob mentioned his issues with the ending, which i kinda get, but never had issues with it. If you know Kevin Smith, you know you're most likely to get a feature-length making-of. And in said making-of he explains the choice of killing Dante at the end, which make sense to me. The original ending that was cut from the original movie made no sense. It didn't fit the vibe and just came out of left field. But in Clerks 3 it does not come out of nowhere, it's actually foreshadowed when Randal has its heart attack. Kevin Smith is a great dialogue writer, but not a great script writer. For some reasons he insists on writing weird and out of place stuff, like the donkey scene in Clerks 2, or that religious guy turning into a weird satanist in Clerks 3. On another note. I'm not always a fan of legacy sequels, but at least here he makes the callbacks part of the story.
Anyway, sorry for this stream of consciousness, i'm not a great writer, but i had to get it out
No apologies needed! That's what the weekend thread is for. I've always been a little mystified by Kevin Smith. There was about a decade where I didn't watch movies at all, and that was HIS decade. I know Patrick and Rob have talked about how important his movies were for them. But I've never gotten much from them, other than the occasional laugh.
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) SPOILERS -----------------I just have to say....Sean Connery definitely had to tell Moscow about the crew defecting. They definitely would have turned on him and gone back otherwise.
Might i suggest a little extra about this movie. Forget the sketch at the beginning, this video is interesting, about how to do dialogues between two sides who don't speak the same language
I rewatched this recently, and when you first see Connery, and his weathered face, I was "Damn, this guy is a movie star". One of the best submarine movies. Top 5 for sure.
I watched it :) Yeah that was a very good strategy, and something I love about HFRO. Had kind of a laugh, though, too, because as a sped teacher, this is the kind of thing I do all day. I'm good at this sh*it lol. Take something hard to understand or relate to and zoom in here, zoom out there, match it with this other thing, put the same color on all this, make a system of visuals that connect all the dots...sell that info like a movie director. I literally laughed watching and said I should get paid more.
I settled on BRIDGE OF SPIES for my class, although spy movies kind of take a lot of inferencing and memory and sit still be quiet skills, so I'm using clips. The scenes with the Berlin wall are GOLDEN. Plus the scene where he opens the penny. :)
I deleted my comments about THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD because I really don't want to give anything away. It was excellent, except I think it would have played differently for a less cynical audience and during a less cynical time.
I've had such a busy week, i almost forgot o saw Civil War on monday. It was great, but where was Iron Man? (sorry had to do it). Joking aside, it's a rough movie. Alex Garland doesn't pull his punches, nor should he. Contrary to what you'd think, the movie is not about the left and the right (it kinda is though), but mostly about two sides fighting for vague reasons that nobody seems to know exactly or even care anymore. It's mainly about war journalism. The war is just a setup for the story. It could've been anywhere. Heck we got a few of those movies based on real wars happening on other continents (even the Marvel one happens mostly in Europe), but by setting this fake one at home the feeling is different. Alex Garland have been writing classic movies for a long time. Then he started directing bangers after bangers (i have yet to see Men) and this one is just another one.
First and foremost: congratulations to Patrick and Heather on their SOLD OUT book signing event today!!!!! Hopefully y'all can share stories and pics from the event. Have a blast...you have created an amazing tribute to 80s horror that fans will cherish for a long long time.
Late Night With The Devil (2024 shudder)
Best new horror ive seen in a long long time. I really dont want to delve to much into it as its best to go in kinda blind...the premise is a 70s talk show host (played amazingly by David Dastmalchian) is hurting for ratings and has a special episode focusing on topics like mediums and possession. Things go bad. The movies premise is that we get to see the events by watching the entire tv episode and behind the scenes of it as it unfolded. Its a slow but very well written build throughout. Horror fans dont miss this one.
Ahnold Double Feature
The Terminator (1984 blu).
Perfect movie. Do i need to say more?
Last Action Hero (1993 blu)
So we've all heard stories about how when movies came out they flopped and years later people "got" them? (The Thing, Blade Runner, etc) Well i think this movie should be another...its so f@#$ing good. Its both a parody of and a great example of 90s action cinema. Its reallllly funny. It has one of the best and underrated-est bad guy actors ever (Charles Dance). It manages to pull off the annoying cliche of 'throw in a kid to the mix'. And its 3rd act set piece is a brilliant bit of meta writing mixing fiction and "reality". I love this movie.
Where's the best way to buy it? As so far as the biggest cut gets back to the authors? I use the library so much, and haven't bought a book in more than a decade. I can recommend my library to purchase it.
Thank you kindly for the link! That's actually pretty pricey but I'm sure well worth the purchase. I'm in a bit of a precarious situation as far as income goes this spring, so I'm going to hold off for now, but I already recommended it as an acquisition for the Ottawa library.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was a big part of my youth, and The Terminator was among the most watched of his films. I still have it memorized. One aspect of the film that I grew to appreciate as I got older is the dialogue. The asides from minor characters ("You're dead, Honey"; "Hey man, you've got a serious attitude problem"; "I ought to give you the tip, kid") can still make me laugh.
I got Ebert's The Great Movies from the library, and it's pretty great. I haven't been reading it front to back. Just picking out movies here and there. He has a chapter on The Wild Bunch, which I've still never seen! I watched all of Peckingpah's other movies, saving the best for last, but now i'm in a bit of a paralysis, and worried it won't meet up to expectations. I liked everything he's done (even The Osterman Weekend), so I should just watch it.
I definitely got back to movies this week. It is nice getting lost in cinematic worlds again. I was also going through my collection to set aside the films that are candidates for Junesploitation. So many have been potential choices for several years now that it seems like it is time to make them the priority. I guess, however, it does come down to what I will feel like watching when June comes around.
TIME OF ROSES (1969, dir. Risto Jarva) – A film that I stumbled onto on TUBI and had to finish. That this comes from Finland surprises me. Time of Roses bears the hallmarks of the experimental filmmaking of the 1960s while mixing political commentary and multiple genres. The story is set in the 2010s(?) in a Finland that is controlled by an oppressive political regime. Raimo is a television producer creating historical documentaries that are far from being “objective”, a description that he commonly uses to refer his work. Much of his programs focus on events happening in the late 1960s. Though a serious film overall, the plot of Raimo taking an interest in the life of an obscure nude model allows the film to go in some unusual directions that lighten the tone. The black-and-white cinematography suits the film perfectly.
THE MEN (1950, dir. Fred Zinneman) – Marlon Brando’s film debut is a drama about World War II veterans grappling with the reality of disabilities. As is the case with most of the characters, Brando is a paraplegic. Dealing with feelings of self-worth, societal prejudice and the challenges of physical therapy, the characters strive to find a life beyond the hospital where they live. It is an earnest story full of good actors, but the final result is more admirable than memorable.
SILIP: DAUGHTERS OF EVE (1985, dir. Elwood Perez) – Rented because it is a Mondo Macabro release, I was completely taken by surprise. Beginning with a brutal killing of a water buffalo, going into a soft-core melodrama about sexual repression, and then descending into a chaos of killing and degradation, I cannot say I have seen anything like this before. All of this sex and violence is beautifully shot to add to the experience. The commentary and extras illuminate the reasons why this period of Filipino cinema produced such an outrageous film. Sadly, so much of the cinematic history of the Philippines is now lost.
TEEN WITCH (1989) – Talk about an aggressively ‘80s movie. It was almost too much for me. When Louise, a sixteen-year-old girl, realizes that she is a witch, she sets about using her powers to become the most popular girl in high school. In spite of the fashion of the clothing, the scenes of her learning spells reminded me of a Harry Potter film. Mixed into the comedy and teen drama are random song and dance sequences that either had me cracking up (the “I Like Boys” locker room number) or baffled (the “rap” sequences). Zelda Rubinstein, who is best known as the medium in the Poltergeist movies, is delightful as the witch mentor. She ultimately made the Teen Witch experience pleasant.
All right, i had a weird morning. I went to the used dvd store to sell a few movies. This time it was mostly criterions, which are obviously worth a little more. I don't make as much money, but they often have good stuff to trade and it's less of a hassle than going on marketplace and the guy knows me, so he makes me deals. They often have Arrow, Criterion, boxset and 4k stuff. It's in downtown Montreal and basically the only store around that does this stuff.
So i get in, he checks my stuff, tell me how much i'm getting (for example, 100$ cash or 150$ trade). Then he starts bringing out piles and piles of super cool boxset he just bought. The only issue with them is they're Region B and he knows i can read them. But because of that, he sold them cheaper than theywould be if they were Region A. I basically came out with more stuff than i came in.
Here's the list:
- a couple of Criterion: Blast of Silence and The Ice Storm - Buffalo Bill and the Indians (i'm a fan of Robert Altman), from Indicator, region B - Nil by Mouth, directed by Gary Oldman. Never saw it, but i was curious. From BFI, region B - The Peanut Butter Solution, i grew up on the french dub of this film. I hope the original version lives up to myemory. Fun fact , i once worked for the company who distributed the movies from the production company, called La Fete. Too bad no good edition exist with the french dub. Severin, region A - Hellraiser Quartet of Torment, because why not. Arrow, region B - Shoah and 4 Films After Shoah, i never saw this, but the box is beyond awesome (weird word for this kind of movie, but you know what i mean). Eureka, region B - plus a couple of shitty 1$ movie and a Marvel 4k
I think that's the best haul i ever got in my life. Can't wait to dig into it
That is a great haul. Beyond the FYE store in the mall, which is miraculously still going, there are no stores to sell used physical media to around me. I have read that pawn shops can take discs, but I have never gone into those places to check it out.
Turner Classic Movies showed the entire version of Shoah this year. It took up the whole afternoon and early evening programming.
I recently found a couple of Criterion DVD releases at the local Salvation Army store. I picked them both up even though one (The Darjeeling Limited) I am not sure about liking. The other was the two-film set of The Killers, which I was interested in any case.
***SPOILERS FOR CLERKS 3***
ReplyDeleteI had a busy week, so i didn't watch much. But i did take the time to watch the extras on the Clerks 3 blu-ray. When i first saw the movie i liked it a little bit, but for some reasons i kept thinking about it. I obvioualy love Clerks, i like Clerks 2 despite its flaws. Obviously i loke the characters. They are my age so i felt i grew up with them, especially the video store part and talking movies all night long with friends. Soni revisited Clerks 3 a couple of times and grew to like it more and more. Rob mentioned his issues with the ending, which i kinda get, but never had issues with it. If you know Kevin Smith, you know you're most likely to get a feature-length making-of. And in said making-of he explains the choice of killing Dante at the end, which make sense to me. The original ending that was cut from the original movie made no sense. It didn't fit the vibe and just came out of left field. But in Clerks 3 it does not come out of nowhere, it's actually foreshadowed when Randal has its heart attack. Kevin Smith is a great dialogue writer, but not a great script writer. For some reasons he insists on writing weird and out of place stuff, like the donkey scene in Clerks 2, or that religious guy turning into a weird satanist in Clerks 3. On another note. I'm not always a fan of legacy sequels, but at least here he makes the callbacks part of the story.
Anyway, sorry for this stream of consciousness, i'm not a great writer, but i had to get it out
No apologies needed! That's what the weekend thread is for. I've always been a little mystified by Kevin Smith. There was about a decade where I didn't watch movies at all, and that was HIS decade. I know Patrick and Rob have talked about how important his movies were for them. But I've never gotten much from them, other than the occasional laugh.
DeleteHUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990)
ReplyDeleteSPOILERS -----------------I just have to say....Sean Connery definitely had to tell Moscow about the crew defecting. They definitely would have turned on him and gone back otherwise.
Might i suggest a little extra about this movie. Forget the sketch at the beginning, this video is interesting, about how to do dialogues between two sides who don't speak the same language
Deletehttps://youtu.be/2A2qBcjb6Ic?feature=shared
I rewatched this recently, and when you first see Connery, and his weathered face, I was "Damn, this guy is a movie star". One of the best submarine movies. Top 5 for sure.
DeleteI watched it :) Yeah that was a very good strategy, and something I love about HFRO. Had kind of a laugh, though, too, because as a sped teacher, this is the kind of thing I do all day. I'm good at this sh*it lol. Take something hard to understand or relate to and zoom in here, zoom out there, match it with this other thing, put the same color on all this, make a system of visuals that connect all the dots...sell that info like a movie director. I literally laughed watching and said I should get paid more.
DeleteI settled on BRIDGE OF SPIES for my class, although spy movies kind of take a lot of inferencing and memory and sit still be quiet skills, so I'm using clips. The scenes with the Berlin wall are GOLDEN. Plus the scene where he opens the penny. :)
Great choice. I haven't watch it in a while, but i will as soon as the bluray comes in
DeleteI'm curious to know what you thought of my other recommendations, if you watched any?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI deleted my comments about THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD because I really don't want to give anything away. It was excellent, except I think it would have played differently for a less cynical audience and during a less cynical time.
DeleteI've had such a busy week, i almost forgot o saw Civil War on monday. It was great, but where was Iron Man? (sorry had to do it). Joking aside, it's a rough movie. Alex Garland doesn't pull his punches, nor should he. Contrary to what you'd think, the movie is not about the left and the right (it kinda is though), but mostly about two sides fighting for vague reasons that nobody seems to know exactly or even care anymore. It's mainly about war journalism. The war is just a setup for the story. It could've been anywhere. Heck we got a few of those movies based on real wars happening on other continents (even the Marvel one happens mostly in Europe), but by setting this fake one at home the feeling is different. Alex Garland have been writing classic movies for a long time. Then he started directing bangers after bangers (i have yet to see Men) and this one is just another one.
ReplyDeletegreat review...cant wait to see this one....adore Garland!
DeleteFirst and foremost: congratulations to Patrick and Heather on their SOLD OUT book signing event today!!!!! Hopefully y'all can share stories and pics from the event. Have a blast...you have created an amazing tribute to 80s horror that fans will cherish for a long long time.
ReplyDeleteLate Night With The Devil (2024 shudder)
Best new horror ive seen in a long long time. I really dont want to delve to much into it as its best to go in kinda blind...the premise is a 70s talk show host (played amazingly by David Dastmalchian) is hurting for ratings and has a special episode focusing on topics like mediums and possession. Things go bad. The movies premise is that we get to see the events by watching the entire tv episode and behind the scenes of it as it unfolded. Its a slow but very well written build throughout. Horror fans dont miss this one.
Ahnold Double Feature
The Terminator (1984 blu).
Perfect movie. Do i need to say more?
Last Action Hero (1993 blu)
So we've all heard stories about how when movies came out they flopped and years later people "got" them? (The Thing, Blade Runner, etc) Well i think this movie should be another...its so f@#$ing good. Its both a parody of and a great example of 90s action cinema. Its reallllly funny. It has one of the best and underrated-est bad guy actors ever (Charles Dance). It manages to pull off the annoying cliche of 'throw in a kid to the mix'. And its 3rd act set piece is a brilliant bit of meta writing mixing fiction and "reality". I love this movie.
Where's the best way to buy it? As so far as the biggest cut gets back to the authors? I use the library so much, and haven't bought a book in more than a decade. I can recommend my library to purchase it.
DeleteThis is the only place to buy it i think
Deletehttps://aminkpublishing.com/in-search-of-darkness
Thank you kindly for the link! That's actually pretty pricey but I'm sure well worth the purchase. I'm in a bit of a precarious situation as far as income goes this spring, so I'm going to hold off for now, but I already recommended it as an acquisition for the Ottawa library.
DeleteArnold Schwarzenegger was a big part of my youth, and The Terminator was among the most watched of his films. I still have it memorized. One aspect of the film that I grew to appreciate as I got older is the dialogue. The asides from minor characters ("You're dead, Honey"; "Hey man, you've got a serious attitude problem"; "I ought to give you the tip, kid") can still make me laugh.
DeleteI got Ebert's The Great Movies from the library, and it's pretty great. I haven't been reading it front to back. Just picking out movies here and there. He has a chapter on The Wild Bunch, which I've still never seen! I watched all of Peckingpah's other movies, saving the best for last, but now i'm in a bit of a paralysis, and worried it won't meet up to expectations. I liked everything he's done (even The Osterman Weekend), so I should just watch it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely got back to movies this week. It is nice getting lost in cinematic worlds again. I was also going through my collection to set aside the films that are candidates for Junesploitation. So many have been potential choices for several years now that it seems like it is time to make them the priority. I guess, however, it does come down to what I will feel like watching when June comes around.
ReplyDeleteTIME OF ROSES (1969, dir. Risto Jarva) – A film that I stumbled onto on TUBI and had to finish. That this comes from Finland surprises me. Time of Roses bears the hallmarks of the experimental filmmaking of the 1960s while mixing political commentary and multiple genres. The story is set in the 2010s(?) in a Finland that is controlled by an oppressive political regime. Raimo is a television producer creating historical documentaries that are far from being “objective”, a description that he commonly uses to refer his work. Much of his programs focus on events happening in the late 1960s. Though a serious film overall, the plot of Raimo taking an interest in the life of an obscure nude model allows the film to go in some unusual directions that lighten the tone. The black-and-white cinematography suits the film perfectly.
THE MEN (1950, dir. Fred Zinneman) – Marlon Brando’s film debut is a drama about World War II veterans grappling with the reality of disabilities. As is the case with most of the characters, Brando is a paraplegic. Dealing with feelings of self-worth, societal prejudice and the challenges of physical therapy, the characters strive to find a life beyond the hospital where they live. It is an earnest story full of good actors, but the final result is more admirable than memorable.
SILIP: DAUGHTERS OF EVE (1985, dir. Elwood Perez) – Rented because it is a Mondo Macabro release, I was completely taken by surprise. Beginning with a brutal killing of a water buffalo, going into a soft-core melodrama about sexual repression, and then descending into a chaos of killing and degradation, I cannot say I have seen anything like this before. All of this sex and violence is beautifully shot to add to the experience. The commentary and extras illuminate the reasons why this period of Filipino cinema produced such an outrageous film. Sadly, so much of the cinematic history of the Philippines is now lost.
TEEN WITCH (1989) – Talk about an aggressively ‘80s movie. It was almost too much for me. When Louise, a sixteen-year-old girl, realizes that she is a witch, she sets about using her powers to become the most popular girl in high school. In spite of the fashion of the clothing, the scenes of her learning spells reminded me of a Harry Potter film. Mixed into the comedy and teen drama are random song and dance sequences that either had me cracking up (the “I Like Boys” locker room number) or baffled (the “rap” sequences). Zelda Rubinstein, who is best known as the medium in the Poltergeist movies, is delightful as the witch mentor. She ultimately made the Teen Witch experience pleasant.
ReplyDeleteAll right, i had a weird morning. I went to the used dvd store to sell a few movies. This time it was mostly criterions, which are obviously worth a little more. I don't make as much money, but they often have good stuff to trade and it's less of a hassle than going on marketplace and the guy knows me, so he makes me deals. They often have Arrow, Criterion, boxset and 4k stuff. It's in downtown Montreal and basically the only store around that does this stuff.
So i get in, he checks my stuff, tell me how much i'm getting (for example, 100$ cash or 150$ trade). Then he starts bringing out piles and piles of super cool boxset he just bought. The only issue with them is they're Region B and he knows i can read them. But because of that, he sold them cheaper than theywould be if they were Region A. I basically came out with more stuff than i came in.
Here's the list:
- a couple of Criterion: Blast of Silence and The Ice Storm
- Buffalo Bill and the Indians (i'm a fan of Robert Altman), from Indicator, region B
- Nil by Mouth, directed by Gary Oldman. Never saw it, but i was curious. From BFI, region B
- The Peanut Butter Solution, i grew up on the french dub of this film. I hope the original version lives up to myemory. Fun fact , i once worked for the company who distributed the movies from the production company, called La Fete. Too bad no good edition exist with the french dub. Severin, region A
- Hellraiser Quartet of Torment, because why not. Arrow, region B
- Shoah and 4 Films After Shoah, i never saw this, but the box is beyond awesome (weird word for this kind of movie, but you know what i mean). Eureka, region B
- plus a couple of shitty 1$ movie and a Marvel 4k
I think that's the best haul i ever got in my life. Can't wait to dig into it
SCORE!
DeleteThat is a great haul. Beyond the FYE store in the mall, which is miraculously still going, there are no stores to sell used physical media to around me. I have read that pawn shops can take discs, but I have never gone into those places to check it out.
DeleteTurner Classic Movies showed the entire version of Shoah this year. It took up the whole afternoon and early evening programming.
I recently found a couple of Criterion DVD releases at the local Salvation Army store. I picked them both up even though one (The Darjeeling Limited) I am not sure about liking. The other was the two-film set of The Killers, which I was interested in any case.