I had a busy week, so i didn't watch much. One thing of note though, i have to talk about it.
Ghostbusters Frozen Empire (2024): don't bother. It's bad and boring. I'm so sick of legacy sequels. I actually think it has a good story and a decent villain, but the writing is so bad and none of the actors are convincing (except maybe Dan Aykroyd who seem to have fun). There are so many characters with nothing to do, or just plain bad, all of it bogged down by the goddam nostalgia wink (it was cute in Afterlife, for the sake of the reboot). Oh, and then they kinda realise 'oh yeah, we're supposed to have a bad guy and kill it'. And the whole final battle happens INSIDE the firehouse. Boring!
Extremely disappointing. I was all in for the setup and premise of this revenge action flick. Its following a formula that can work very well: 1) present a "normal" citizen, 2) place them in a tough situation and/or loss, 3) find out they are a super lethal killing machine and enjoy the carnage. Its pretty much a genre at this point and i think NOBODY is a great example of it working reallly well. Regrettably this movie fails in a few places: 1) the cinematography is HORRID. dark and muddy looking. 2) the action setpieces dont really have anything unique or creative. 3) poorly written villians..huge underuse of Jeremy Irons. I cut these kind of movies alot of slack and they can often be "watch then forget"...this movie was a case of "forget WHILE watching". skip it.
TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN (2024) I'm a big fan of the novel (I even have an autographed copy -- ooh, so fancy) and I thought this was a solid adaptation. Pretty refreshing to see a new movie whose genre is just "drama."
THE GREAT WALL (2016) Interesting movie. There's not much in terms of story or character, but it's certainly colorful and pretty to look at.
RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) Finished my rewatch of the OT. Who wouldn't want to party in Jabba's palace?
THE CONTESTANT (2024) Curiosity got to me, so I watched this. Yes, it's a totally f***-ed up true-life story. But fortunately, the movie ends at a good place.
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989) Two words: Fan dance!
I had a strong saturday here, everybody left me alone so i watched a few things 😁
Small Soldiers (1998): anybody remember this? It's Joe Dante after all. I haven't seen it in a while, and back then i didn't noticed the great cast, mostly voicing the toys, but also a bunch of the smaller human roles. It's a weird little movie and i like it. And we get a young Kirsten Dunst doing the classic girl-next-door-dating-a-douche. Actually, it's the exact same role as Spider-Man.
Evolution (2001): another movie that should get more recognition. It's so fun.
Fury (2014): reading Mashke review of The Beekeeper made me want to watch this, because let's face it, it's David Ayer's best movie. And tank-based movies are awesome.
Late Night with the Devil (20243): first thing, horror movie makers understand the job, you do a 90 minutes movie, no need to be longer. I read great reviews on this one. It's also very cool to see David Dastmalchian in the main role, we don't get that often enough. The movie is technically found footage, but don't hold it against the filmmakers. It's well worth the watch.
I am consciously trying to avoid the kind of films that are the staple of my Junesploitation experience. With plenty of foreign-language films and dramas in my watch list, there is not a lack of options to choose from. Sometimes I am in the mood for genre and exploitation films, but I know the time for those is coming up shortly.
A RIVER CALLED TITAS (1973, dir. Ritwik Ghatak) – Recorded off of Turner Classic Movies, TITAS is a sprawling narrative about a Bengali village in the early 20th century. Ghatak was a serious filmmaker and as far from Bollywood escapism as an Indian director can be. There is still a lot of music in the film, however. A wide range of themes are tackled: poverty, greed, parenthood, and the harsh vagaries of life. All of that going on at once does lead to some meandering storytelling. Although watching a film like this is challenging enough, it is more difficult to process it as a cultural outsider. On a visual level, it is always engaging, blending documentary style shots with lyrical imagery.
THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (1969, dir. Sergei Parajanov) – A film inspired by the life of 18th-century Armenian poet and priest Sayat Nova, this is pure cinematic art. Beautiful tableaux-style images are used to allude to events in Nova’s life rather than a chronological biographical framework, an approach that got Parajanov in big trouble with Soviet censors. The decoration of the sets, the poses and movements of the actors, the music, and the general soundscape create a hypnotic experience. COLOR is not my first Parajanov film (The Legend of Suram Fortress), and it confirms a very distinct cinematic vision.
RUMBLE FISH (1983, dir. Francis Ford Coppola) – A tale of a teenager in Tulsa, Oklahoma, trying to emulate his older brother. Matt Dillon is the younger brother to Mickey Rourke, a former gang leader who seems to have lost his way in in life. There are a bunch of other big names who were just beginning their films careers involved with this, which is the primary reason why I was disappointed with Rumble Fish. Rather than creating a vibrant story that the cast was more than capable of bringing to life, Coppola seemed more focused on the visuals and camerawork. I will admit that the black-and-white cinematography is lovely.
I am seeing in the news that Roger Corman passed away a couple of days ago. He was one of the real giants of cinema in my eyes, directing and producing so many films I love and helping to launch multiple noteworthy careers. Just look at a list of the directors (Bogdanovich, Dante, Scorsese, Demme, etc.) who made their first feature films through Corman's companies. He seemed a likeable man but by many accounts could be tough to work under, especially when production deadlines were near.
Even if a spot has not been made for him this year, it would only be fitting to have a Roger Corman day this June.
WHAT!? i had no idea. Thanks A Casual Listener for posting!! Roger Corman is one of the most important individuals in the history of modern cinema. Director, Producer, Studio Head, Independent Film Ambassador, and launcher of countless careers. Also in interviews he was always sweet, intelligent, a great storyteller, and a wealth of knowledge/history. For those interested who have Shudder, i HIGHLY suggest watching the recent Corman two parter for the Last Drive In. Joe Bob unabashedly adores Roger and has a wonderful interview with him between the film segments. RIP to one of the best and a cinema hero. Absolutely will be queuing up multiple Corman flix for Junesploitation!
Roger Corman always was a good interview. It is a shame that no more of those will be happening. He was recently featured in a Criterion Closet video. Though he looked frail, it was clear that his mind was still very sharp.
I was talking with a friend a while ago and i was saying how i should cut my blu-ray spendings and try to save money for other stuff. His almost immediate response was 'hey, did you know A24 has a store that sells a bunch of exclusive?'. Cut to 2 weeks later and i'm now the proud owner of Pi (1998) on 4k. Which as far as i can tell is the only way to get it, on 4k anyway, also in North America. You try to search for that title, it's impossible. I had a regular blu-ray from Australia i think, but it never got a proper release in NA.
I always liked that movie and i jumped on the opportunity to get a proper release and i was curious to see how a 16mm movie would look in 4k. Let me tell you, it looks fantastic. The disc contains a couple of small extras that were probably on the old dvd. There was also the option to get the making-of book of the movie, but i didn't get it and now i regret it
The temptation to acquire more is always there. I fight it all the time.
PI is one of those films I have had the intention to see for a while. There was a lot of buzz around it when it first came out. I believe the director has had a decent career since then.
I have seen not seen most of his work. Requiem for a Dream is the one that one that seems his most highly regarded, and is one that I have watched. What did you think of Mother!? I found it interesting as a studio film. It is rare that such artistically challenging films get the kind of budget Mother! had.
I had a busy week, so i didn't watch much. One thing of note though, i have to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteGhostbusters Frozen Empire (2024): don't bother. It's bad and boring. I'm so sick of legacy sequels. I actually think it has a good story and a decent villain, but the writing is so bad and none of the actors are convincing (except maybe Dan Aykroyd who seem to have fun). There are so many characters with nothing to do, or just plain bad, all of it bogged down by the goddam nostalgia wink (it was cute in Afterlife, for the sake of the reboot). Oh, and then they kinda realise 'oh yeah, we're supposed to have a bad guy and kill it'. And the whole final battle happens INSIDE the firehouse. Boring!
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024): Guy Ritchie's Inglourious Basterds, but more british. It's good. Go read Rob's fantastic review of it
Deletewoot! always pulling for Guy Ritchie...looking forward to catching this when it hits streaming (or maybe a blind blu purchase).
DeleteI don't think you'll be disappointed by a blind buy. Especially if you like Ritchie doing Tarantino
Deletesold! thanks friend.
Deletehowdy y'all!!
ReplyDeleteThe Beekeeper (blu 2024)
Extremely disappointing. I was all in for the setup and premise of this revenge action flick. Its following a formula that can work very well: 1) present a "normal" citizen, 2) place them in a tough situation and/or loss, 3) find out they are a super lethal killing machine and enjoy the carnage. Its pretty much a genre at this point and i think NOBODY is a great example of it working reallly well. Regrettably this movie fails in a few places: 1) the cinematography is HORRID. dark and muddy looking. 2) the action setpieces dont really have anything unique or creative. 3) poorly written villians..huge underuse of Jeremy Irons. I cut these kind of movies alot of slack and they can often be "watch then forget"...this movie was a case of "forget WHILE watching". skip it.
When you can't pull a decent revenge movie, there's something wrong. We know David Ayer is able to do much better than this
Deletemy man...totally agree!
DeleteTURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN (2024) I'm a big fan of the novel (I even have an autographed copy -- ooh, so fancy) and I thought this was a solid adaptation. Pretty refreshing to see a new movie whose genre is just "drama."
ReplyDeleteTHE GREAT WALL (2016) Interesting movie. There's not much in terms of story or character, but it's certainly colorful and pretty to look at.
RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983) Finished my rewatch of the OT. Who wouldn't want to party in Jabba's palace?
THE CONTESTANT (2024) Curiosity got to me, so I watched this. Yes, it's a totally f***-ed up true-life story. But fortunately, the movie ends at a good place.
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989) Two words: Fan dance!
I had a strong saturday here, everybody left me alone so i watched a few things 😁
ReplyDeleteSmall Soldiers (1998): anybody remember this? It's Joe Dante after all. I haven't seen it in a while, and back then i didn't noticed the great cast, mostly voicing the toys, but also a bunch of the smaller human roles. It's a weird little movie and i like it. And we get a young Kirsten Dunst doing the classic girl-next-door-dating-a-douche. Actually, it's the exact same role as Spider-Man.
Evolution (2001): another movie that should get more recognition. It's so fun.
Fury (2014): reading Mashke review of The Beekeeper made me want to watch this, because let's face it, it's David Ayer's best movie. And tank-based movies are awesome.
Late Night with the Devil (20243): first thing, horror movie makers understand the job, you do a 90 minutes movie, no need to be longer. I read great reviews on this one. It's also very cool to see David Dastmalchian in the main role, we don't get that often enough. The movie is technically found footage, but don't hold it against the filmmakers. It's well worth the watch.
I am consciously trying to avoid the kind of films that are the staple of my Junesploitation experience. With plenty of foreign-language films and dramas in my watch list, there is not a lack of options to choose from. Sometimes I am in the mood for genre and exploitation films, but I know the time for those is coming up shortly.
ReplyDeleteA RIVER CALLED TITAS (1973, dir. Ritwik Ghatak) – Recorded off of Turner Classic Movies, TITAS is a sprawling narrative about a Bengali village in the early 20th century. Ghatak was a serious filmmaker and as far from Bollywood escapism as an Indian director can be. There is still a lot of music in the film, however. A wide range of themes are tackled: poverty, greed, parenthood, and the harsh vagaries of life. All of that going on at once does lead to some meandering storytelling. Although watching a film like this is challenging enough, it is more difficult to process it as a cultural outsider. On a visual level, it is always engaging, blending documentary style shots with lyrical imagery.
THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES (1969, dir. Sergei Parajanov) – A film inspired by the life of 18th-century Armenian poet and priest Sayat Nova, this is pure cinematic art. Beautiful tableaux-style images are used to allude to events in Nova’s life rather than a chronological biographical framework, an approach that got Parajanov in big trouble with Soviet censors. The decoration of the sets, the poses and movements of the actors, the music, and the general soundscape create a hypnotic experience. COLOR is not my first Parajanov film (The Legend of Suram Fortress), and it confirms a very distinct cinematic vision.
RUMBLE FISH (1983, dir. Francis Ford Coppola) – A tale of a teenager in Tulsa, Oklahoma, trying to emulate his older brother. Matt Dillon is the younger brother to Mickey Rourke, a former gang leader who seems to have lost his way in in life. There are a bunch of other big names who were just beginning their films careers involved with this, which is the primary reason why I was disappointed with Rumble Fish. Rather than creating a vibrant story that the cast was more than capable of bringing to life, Coppola seemed more focused on the visuals and camerawork. I will admit that the black-and-white cinematography is lovely.
Pomegranate has been on my radar since Criterion released it. I should deal with it now that i read your thing
DeleteI am seeing in the news that Roger Corman passed away a couple of days ago. He was one of the real giants of cinema in my eyes, directing and producing so many films I love and helping to launch multiple noteworthy careers. Just look at a list of the directors (Bogdanovich, Dante, Scorsese, Demme, etc.) who made their first feature films through Corman's companies. He seemed a likeable man but by many accounts could be tough to work under, especially when production deadlines were near.
ReplyDeleteEven if a spot has not been made for him this year, it would only be fitting to have a Roger Corman day this June.
Well, didn't know that, how did i miss it?Thanks for telling us
DeleteI think it was just announced this evening. All of the articles seem to have been published an hour or two ago.
DeleteWHAT!? i had no idea. Thanks A Casual Listener for posting!! Roger Corman is one of the most important individuals in the history of modern cinema. Director, Producer, Studio Head, Independent Film Ambassador, and launcher of countless careers. Also in interviews he was always sweet, intelligent, a great storyteller, and a wealth of knowledge/history. For those interested who have Shudder, i HIGHLY suggest watching the recent Corman two parter for the Last Drive In. Joe Bob unabashedly adores Roger and has a wonderful interview with him between the film segments. RIP to one of the best and a cinema hero. Absolutely will be queuing up multiple Corman flix for Junesploitation!
DeleteRoger Corman always was a good interview. It is a shame that no more of those will be happening. He was recently featured in a Criterion Closet video. Though he looked frail, it was clear that his mind was still very sharp.
DeleteI was talking with a friend a while ago and i was saying how i should cut my blu-ray spendings and try to save money for other stuff. His almost immediate response was 'hey, did you know A24 has a store that sells a bunch of exclusive?'. Cut to 2 weeks later and i'm now the proud owner of Pi (1998) on 4k. Which as far as i can tell is the only way to get it, on 4k anyway, also in North America. You try to search for that title, it's impossible. I had a regular blu-ray from Australia i think, but it never got a proper release in NA.
ReplyDeleteI always liked that movie and i jumped on the opportunity to get a proper release and i was curious to see how a 16mm movie would look in 4k. Let me tell you, it looks fantastic. The disc contains a couple of small extras that were probably on the old dvd. There was also the option to get the making-of book of the movie, but i didn't get it and now i regret it
The temptation to acquire more is always there. I fight it all the time.
DeletePI is one of those films I have had the intention to see for a while. There was a lot of buzz around it when it first came out. I believe the director has had a decent career since then.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDarren Aronovsky had a tremendous career. A lot of hit or miss, but the hits always hit hard for me
DeleteI have seen not seen most of his work. Requiem for a Dream is the one that one that seems his most highly regarded, and is one that I have watched. What did you think of Mother!? I found it interesting as a studio film. It is rare that such artistically challenging films get the kind of budget Mother! had.
DeleteRequiem is very good, but one i can't rewatch too often. Mother was very good, i should rewatch it.
DeleteI'm one of those freaks who liked Noah and The Fountain. I didn't care for The Wrestler and have no interest in The Whale
MARY POPPINS (1964).
ReplyDeleteI do not understand Mary Poppins at all. Is it actually a British humor thing, I wonder? I also never got Nanny McPhee.