Figured a refresher was due. Holy shit i forgot how amazing this movie is. Out of the gates it sets the perfect tone, humor, and sarcasm for a fresh new take on the genre. Its love story is INCREDIBLY sweet. Its origin story is powerful and poignant (during the torture/conditioning the villain says "the one thing that never survives in here is humor". brilliant writing). Most of all its incredibly fun. Perfect flick.
oh...also...its got no less than 3 jokes about Wolverine/Hugh which brings us to.....
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024 XD 3d)
NO spoilers. Is this movie a slapdash bit of fan fiction chock a block full of cameos and inside jokes. Yup. HOWEVER it is also: 1) the most ive laughed out loud at a movie in forever, 2) laden with cameos that i couldnt imagine going in but are done so with a reallllly cool idea behind characters that go far in IP vs others, 3) AMAZING chemistry between Pool n Wolverine, 4) great dissection of the beat to death multiverse trope, 5) a few scenes where id argue Hugh gives his BEST performances in all of his Wolverine run, 6) at least two times where i teared up, 7) Bananas level of jokes, inside bits, and meta humor, 8) The funniest time ive had in the theaters in forever (if pressed, id say since Endgame). User mileage will vary but if you like Deadpool and comic pop culture i strongly suggest: AVOID spoilers and see this theatrically.
(Note: this flick will not "save" MCU nor superhero movies...its a trick play that you can only do once....but i do comment the studios for letting it go full deadpool with so much IP).
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024 4k blu)
Guy Ritichies take on the WW2 "rag tag band of misfits on an impossible mission" genre. Its a fun time. Its tone is a bit..hrmmm...whats the word...cheeky? Such that there never really feels like that much peril as the crew is all these great looking, cocky scallywags having fun. It is loosely based on an actual spy mission from the war which upon researching further is fascinating. Its a breezy fun popcorn actioner.
Tigerland (2000): yes, the same guy who directed Batman Forever did this anti-war, dirty looking, mostly forgotten gem. It was also our first real contact with Collin Farrell, only his 6th credited movie on IMDB and I think his first real starring role, I don't know anything he did before this one. The movie is genuinely good, if a bit flawed, and is a must see.
Bad Boys Ride or Die (2024): Bad Boys 3 was fine; this one is a bit better, the directors clearly learned from doing BB3. I don't care for the 'continuity' between the two movies though, this is basically part 1 and 2 of a story, because everything is a tv series now. I miss the craziness of the original movies. But they did get Reba to cover the song Bad Boys, so that was fun. Despite everything, I still love Will Smith as an action movie star and this is proof he still got it.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019): This shouldn't be this fun. It's Dora the Explorer for christ sake, the one who talks to you like you're a dumbass and stares at you like she's a crazy person (they even address the talking-to-the-camera thing, which was pretty funny). Isabela Merced is clearly having fun. Michael Pena is still crazy. Don't get me wrong, it's not a hidden masterpiece. It's just a fun, light adventure movie for the whole family.
Anyone remember CITY OF GOD (2002)? It came out my first year of college and I thought it was amazing. Now, I wonder how it holds up. I also don't know if I can revisit it because the trailer is so violent. I'm not sure how I got through it then.
This weekend is one of my favorite events at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, Schlock-O-Rama. For the second straight year, pet sitting has me missing it, so last night I ended up putting together a night of exploitation watches for my own Schlock-O-Rama, all courtesy of what I could find on Roku. First up was a 1963 Mexican luchador flick starring El Santo. SANTO VS. THE STRANGLER is a mixed bag of wrestling matches, musical numbers, and a very random mystery plot involving the killing of female performers at a popular theater. Even watching it in Spanish without subtitles, I could figure out that nothing was really adding up to a meaningful film. The black-and-white cinematography, however, was nice to look at. The second feature is one that I am long familiar with. Russ Meyer’s FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL!, KILL! (1965) is just as much fun as the first time I saw it. Thinking about it in Junesploitation terms, it is both a great Car and Lethal Ladies film. Tura Satana is terrific as Varla, the leader of a trio of thrill-seeking go-go dancers who find trouble in the desert. The ridiculously arch dialogue is delivered in the perfectly arch style. Sure, the cheapness of the film on display with the close-ups of the women driving clearly taken from vehicles being shaken by the crew. That Russ Meyer style shines through it all; nobody edited a film like he did. To finish the triple feature, I found a film I had looked for during Junesploitation: the Roger Corman-produced NIGHT CALL NURSES (1972). The directorial debut of Jonathan Kaplan, the film revolves around three nurses working in a Los Angeles psychiatric unit. It is an episodic mess with no coherent plot and drastic tonal shifts. I can attest to it being very exploitative, opening with a young woman undressing on the roof of the hospital and leaping to her death (only implied, of course).
JAWS 3-D (1983, 3D BLU-RAY) CUSTOMS FRONTLINE (CHINA, 2024, THEATER) FLY ME TO THE MOON (2024, THEATRICAL) DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE 2D & 3D (2024, IMAX)
As a watch-along with online friends on Discord "Jaws 3-D"... still sucks. :-P From wasting fresh-from-his-Best-Actor-Oscar-win Louis Gossett Jr. to trying to pass SeaWorld as a worthy vacation alternative (then or now) to Dennis Quaid snorting his way through a troubled production, it's palpable how everyone involved in the making of this "Jaws" sequel didn't even want to be there. It's biggest sin, unlike the so-bad-it's-somewhat-entertaining "Jaws: The Revenge," it's how boring and shallow (get it?) it is. The titular baddie shows up almost too late to matter, and the threat level isn't palpable, scary or tension-inducing in the least. Even the dated 3D effects are nothing but more cheese atop young Lea Thompson... yummy. :-O Pass.
Herman Yau's "Customs Frontline" is a typical Chinese action flick (too much badly rendered CG in scenes where it isn't needed) about well-armed hi-tech robbers versus honorable Chinese police officers doing their duty to protect mainland China's integrity... with a rather unique dramatic twist to distract from odd set-pieces (a submarine retrieval mission that feels like "The Spy Who Loved Me" meets "The Fall Guy"). Turns out one of the two hero cops (Nicholas Tse) is hiding from his trusted disciple (Jacky Cheung) and everybody he works with a severe case of work-related depression. As good as the action set-pieces and shoot-outs are, the narrative constantly returns to Detective Chow battling his inner demons. Interesting dramatic wrinkle to an otherwise typical Chinese propaganda action pic.
Scarlett Johansson stretches her producing cred with the Greg Berlanti-directed "Fly Me To The Moon," a historical fiction star vehicle/romcom that tries to highlight the chemistry between Johansson (a savvy ad executive with a hidden past) and Channing Tatum (leader of the NASA astronaut program) and the off-the-grid drama of the U.S. government potentially faking the moon landing as a back-up to the genuine article to keep the Russians in their place. The leads have great chemistry but the narrative either keeps them apart or unable to reconcile. Woody Harrelson is clearly relishing playing a government fixer that runs things from behind the scenes, and Ray Romano quietly steals every scene he's in. If this was a 'What If...' leftover episode on Apple TV+'s "For All Mankind" TV show it'd go down easier. As is it's a well-intentioned misfire that made me want to watch "Apollo 13" or "First Man" instead. "Hidden Figures" it's not.
SPOILERS AHEAD, DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MOVIE: Speaking of Channing Tatum, his appearance on "Deadpool & Wolverine" highlights a key difference between Marvel and DC at how each treat their cinematic universe. DC is content to trot out a fake CG Nic Cage as Supes fighting a spider monster in "The Flash" hoping fans would notice/cheer. Writer/producer/star Ryan Reynolds, director Shawn Levy and their new MCU family get a discarded X-Men character long-rumored to have a spin-off vehicle in the works and fully develop that concept to great comedic effect. Bad luck for Channing (and the lady superheroes) that Wesley Snipes steals the trapped-in-The Void old Marvel superstars and crushes his Blade cameo extremely hard, because otherwise Gambit would stand out more. And while a storytelling failure (the supporting cast of the first two "Deadpool" flicks is literally shoehorned into forgettable scenes at the start and end, with their biggest contribution to the narrative being a picture Wade carries around to show people why he cares), "D&W" love affair with the old Fox Marvel movies of the past 25 years is potent nostalgia bait. That Hugh Jackman delivers top-tier acting in key moments while Reynolds' raunchiness drags the whole thing to success explains why I watched this twice in the same release day (IMAX 2D and 3D) and are pinning for one more viewing before opening weekend ends. I love this movie! :-)
For the rest of the week, I was occupied getting to watches on the MUBI streaming service that are going off of it next month.
STREETWALKER (1951, dir. Matilde Landeta) – The melodrama smacks you in the face in Streetwalker. It is the story of two sisters involved with the same man, a pimp named Rodolfo. One sister, Maria, is a streetwalker, going out every night to sell her body for Rodolfo. The other sister, Elena, married a rich man she has no love for and seeks solace in an affair. Rodolfo is ready to jump into that role and take her money. The director was one of the few women in the Mexican film industry, and she brings a jaded point of view to relationships. She frequently portrays the female characters as commodified objects, bought and sold by men for their own pleasure and purposes. The one source of solace for Maria and her fellow streetwalkers is their camaraderie, symbolized by their care for a dying friend.
THE SKELETON OF MRS. MORALES (1960, dir. Rogelio Gonzalez) – A meek taxidermist and his wife have lived in a marital hell for many years, but societal mores and religion have prevented them from divorcing. What happens when one of them can no longer deal with the situation? Murder! The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is a macabre Mexican black comedy with a lead performance that matches the whimsically serious tone of the film perfectly. The film takes satirical aim at many aspects of Mexican society. Very recommended.
BLACK TEST CAR (1962, dir. Yasuzo Masamura) – The competition between Japanese car companies Tiger and Yamato is heating up. In order to get an advantage in the marketplace, each side is increasingly turning to questionable tactics to gather information about each other. Bribery and extortion are not even off limits as Mr. Odono, a Tiger executive, desperately tries to keep his new sports car project from being compromised, realizing that the greatest threat comes from a spy inside his own company. Black Test Car plays almost like a yakuza story as his search for the traitor takes on greater and greater brutality. Greed and personal ambition can steamroll over even the most scrupulous of people.
HEAT AND DUST (1983, dir. James Ivory) – Does anybody remember the production team of Merchant/Ivory? They specialized in literary adaptions that were pretty to look at but often very formal in style. Heat and Dust is certainly in that vein. This watch was largely motivated to continue my exploration of India in cinema, this time from a more Western point of view. Two British women, one from the 1920s and the other from (then) modern times, have their lives upturned by contact with India. Their stories are intertwined to show the parallels and differences between their experiences. I loved these kinds of films when I was younger, but my patience for this style has waned over the years. I was, moreover, hoping to see something more about Indian culture than the film delves into. What was interesting about the 1920s storyline is the relationship between the British officials and their Indian subjects.
It is issues with the Russ Meyer estate keeping that one and the rest of his catalog unavailable in HD. When Meyer died, he left everything to his maid, who either is asking too much money for distribution rights or still insists on selling the movies through Meyer's company. As of now, only the old DVDs are available on the website. (At $40 for just DVD, too!) There is no news about any work being done to upgrade the films. The only official blu-ray release of FASTER PUSSYCAT is in a Russ Meyer UK box set that came out a while ago.
Rounding out my out-of-order watch of the Pool Trilogy this weekend. I think the greatest magic trick that Reynolds and the crew behind these movies ever pulled is how much heart and emotion they put into the flicks. Oh sure some will complain that its manufactured emotion for plots sake but i completely disagree. This flick leans pretty hard into that with the death of a main character and substantial dourness for a lot of the first two acts. But it really creates a space where we get to care for the characters and their story...i particularly liked the Cable parallel life experience with Wade's.
Im not going to get into comparing or ranking the flicks but i find them all IMMENSELY rewatchable, which is the highest ranking i give movies. I will, however, note that i think the action choreography in this flick and the action setpieces stands out in the series....makes sense as its got Leitch at the helm.
The Postman (1997): I watched Waterworld with my friends yesterday (i always loved the movie, but the flaws are becoming more and more apparent) and thought that it's been a while since I saw The Postman, a movie I always liked despite the supposedly weird premise. Since the movie came out, I played the videogame Fallout (now a tv series), which honestly feel the same. The movie is still fun, a lot lighter in tone than Waterworld, which it was often compared too back then (Postman was apparently dubbed Dirt World by the crew). The story is standard stuff, an evil overlord tries to control everything and everyone, end up getting his ass kicked by Kevin Costner. We've seen it a million time and it's always entertaining. I'd cut a few minutes here and there, but it's fine. We're due for an Arrow level release, hopefully in 4k.
Been absent for a while, and I even had to bail on the back-half of Junesploitation. Went back to college in my mid-forties and just finished up a degree a few weeks back. I also shut down my Twitter account because I couldn't justify staying on Elon's platform anymore. Really hope we have an alternative by next F This Movie Fest.
Anyhow, just saw D&W yesterday, and despite being a Marvel Phase 4 & 5 apologist, I actually wasn't that into this one. Granted, I've always had a general allergy to Ryan Reynolds although I thought the previous Deadpool movies were good (well 1 was good, 2 was ok). I just don't like a lot of the decisions this one made.
Morena Baccarin was one of the highlights of the original. I'm baffled by the decision to sideline her two movies in a row now, and for what? A Wolverine variant, whose character development all happens in exposition, that gets by entirely on the good will built-up by all the years Jackman has played other versions of the character. Some of the other cameos are fun, but unlike say, No Way Home, D&W doesn't actually have anything to say about these characters. It gets treated like a victory-lap/sendoff for a lot of the pre-MCU Marvel stuff, but it doesn't actually do anything to earn it because none of the cameos are written as actual characters and one gets played mostly as an out of character joke.
I can't help but notice that Ryan Reynolds wasn't credited as a writer on the first movie but is on this one and Deadpool 2 and it makes me wonder if it's his idea to shove the supporting cast to the side so we can devote screentime to things like a non-deformed Deadpool, also played by Reynolds of course.
The best thing about this film was Emma Corrin, and I'd love to see her return in whatever they end up doing with the X-Men in the future.
ITS CHIMICHANGA TIME BUBS!! SCNICT SNICT!!
ReplyDeleteDeadpool (Blu 2016)
Figured a refresher was due. Holy shit i forgot how amazing this movie is. Out of the gates it sets the perfect tone, humor, and sarcasm for a fresh new take on the genre. Its love story is INCREDIBLY sweet. Its origin story is powerful and poignant (during the torture/conditioning the villain says "the one thing that never survives in here is humor". brilliant writing). Most of all its incredibly fun. Perfect flick.
oh...also...its got no less than 3 jokes about Wolverine/Hugh which brings us to.....
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024 XD 3d)
NO spoilers. Is this movie a slapdash bit of fan fiction chock a block full of cameos and inside jokes. Yup. HOWEVER it is also: 1) the most ive laughed out loud at a movie in forever, 2) laden with cameos that i couldnt imagine going in but are done so with a reallllly cool idea behind characters that go far in IP vs others, 3) AMAZING chemistry between Pool n Wolverine, 4) great dissection of the beat to death multiverse trope, 5) a few scenes where id argue Hugh gives his BEST performances in all of his Wolverine run, 6) at least two times where i teared up, 7) Bananas level of jokes, inside bits, and meta humor, 8) The funniest time ive had in the theaters in forever (if pressed, id say since Endgame). User mileage will vary but if you like Deadpool and comic pop culture i strongly suggest: AVOID spoilers and see this theatrically.
(Note: this flick will not "save" MCU nor superhero movies...its a trick play that you can only do once....but i do comment the studios for letting it go full deadpool with so much IP).
(doah..typo....#8 above should have said "The FUNNEST time ive had in theaters in forever)
DeleteNo love or time for Deadpool 2? If anything the new movie is more closely tied to #2 (Peter, Cable's time machine) than the first, IMO. 🫣ðŸ¤
Deleteha! im LITERALLY starting Deadpool 2 right now...well played J.M.!!!!!!!
DeleteYou have 3 versions to watch for Deadpool 2. Theatrical, Director's Cut and Once Upon A Deadpool.
Delete@kunider....woot! Bring it on Bub!!!
DeleteThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024 4k blu)
ReplyDeleteGuy Ritichies take on the WW2 "rag tag band of misfits on an impossible mission" genre. Its a fun time. Its tone is a bit..hrmmm...whats the word...cheeky? Such that there never really feels like that much peril as the crew is all these great looking, cocky scallywags having fun. It is loosely based on an actual spy mission from the war which upon researching further is fascinating. Its a breezy fun popcorn actioner.
Tigerland (2000): yes, the same guy who directed Batman Forever did this anti-war, dirty looking, mostly forgotten gem. It was also our first real contact with Collin Farrell, only his 6th credited movie on IMDB and I think his first real starring role, I don't know anything he did before this one. The movie is genuinely good, if a bit flawed, and is a must see.
ReplyDeleteBad Boys Ride or Die (2024): Bad Boys 3 was fine; this one is a bit better, the directors clearly learned from doing BB3. I don't care for the 'continuity' between the two movies though, this is basically part 1 and 2 of a story, because everything is a tv series now. I miss the craziness of the original movies. But they did get Reba to cover the song Bad Boys, so that was fun. Despite everything, I still love Will Smith as an action movie star and this is proof he still got it.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019): This shouldn't be this fun. It's Dora the Explorer for christ sake, the one who talks to you like you're a dumbass and stares at you like she's a crazy person (they even address the talking-to-the-camera thing, which was pretty funny). Isabela Merced is clearly having fun. Michael Pena is still crazy. Don't get me wrong, it's not a hidden masterpiece. It's just a fun, light adventure movie for the whole family.
Anyone remember CITY OF GOD (2002)? It came out my first year of college and I thought it was amazing. Now, I wonder how it holds up. I also don't know if I can revisit it because the trailer is so violent. I'm not sure how I got through it then.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember all the details, but i do remember liking it, even if it was a hard watch. I'm sure it holds up
DeleteI very much need to revisit this one...dont remember it much but do remember how it found the movie lovers out there.
DeleteYeah. Hm. I want a movie about Brazil, made in Brazil. This is the only one that came to my mind. But I think I better find a different film.
DeleteThe Motorcycle Diaries, maybe?
DeleteMm...yup. That looks good! Thank you, Kunider!
DeleteOutstanding movie. A tough watch, for sure, but its emotional impact is palpable.
DeleteThough directed by a Frenchman, 1959's BLACK ORPHEUS was shot in Brazil with Brazilian actors. It is a retelling of the Greek myth.
DeleteThis weekend is one of my favorite events at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, Schlock-O-Rama. For the second straight year, pet sitting has me missing it, so last night I ended up putting together a night of exploitation watches for my own Schlock-O-Rama, all courtesy of what I could find on Roku. First up was a 1963 Mexican luchador flick starring El Santo. SANTO VS. THE STRANGLER is a mixed bag of wrestling matches, musical numbers, and a very random mystery plot involving the killing of female performers at a popular theater. Even watching it in Spanish without subtitles, I could figure out that nothing was really adding up to a meaningful film. The black-and-white cinematography, however, was nice to look at. The second feature is one that I am long familiar with. Russ Meyer’s FASTER PUSSYCAT, KILL!, KILL! (1965) is just as much fun as the first time I saw it. Thinking about it in Junesploitation terms, it is both a great Car and Lethal Ladies film. Tura Satana is terrific as Varla, the leader of a trio of thrill-seeking go-go dancers who find trouble in the desert. The ridiculously arch dialogue is delivered in the perfectly arch style. Sure, the cheapness of the film on display with the close-ups of the women driving clearly taken from vehicles being shaken by the crew. That Russ Meyer style shines through it all; nobody edited a film like he did. To finish the triple feature, I found a film I had looked for during Junesploitation: the Roger Corman-produced NIGHT CALL NURSES (1972). The directorial debut of Jonathan Kaplan, the film revolves around three nurses working in a Los Angeles psychiatric unit. It is an episodic mess with no coherent plot and drastic tonal shifts. I can attest to it being very exploitative, opening with a young woman undressing on the roof of the hospital and leaping to her death (only implied, of course).
ReplyDeleteThis sounds awesome!
DeleteIt was enjoyable, but the drive-in would have been more fun.
DeleteThanks, Casual :)
DeleteJAWS 3-D (1983, 3D BLU-RAY)
ReplyDeleteCUSTOMS FRONTLINE (CHINA, 2024, THEATER)
FLY ME TO THE MOON (2024, THEATRICAL)
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE 2D & 3D (2024, IMAX)
As a watch-along with online friends on Discord "Jaws 3-D"... still sucks. :-P From wasting fresh-from-his-Best-Actor-Oscar-win Louis Gossett Jr. to trying to pass SeaWorld as a worthy vacation alternative (then or now) to Dennis Quaid snorting his way through a troubled production, it's palpable how everyone involved in the making of this "Jaws" sequel didn't even want to be there. It's biggest sin, unlike the so-bad-it's-somewhat-entertaining "Jaws: The Revenge," it's how boring and shallow (get it?) it is. The titular baddie shows up almost too late to matter, and the threat level isn't palpable, scary or tension-inducing in the least. Even the dated 3D effects are nothing but more cheese atop young Lea Thompson... yummy. :-O Pass.
Herman Yau's "Customs Frontline" is a typical Chinese action flick (too much badly rendered CG in scenes where it isn't needed) about well-armed hi-tech robbers versus honorable Chinese police officers doing their duty to protect mainland China's integrity... with a rather unique dramatic twist to distract from odd set-pieces (a submarine retrieval mission that feels like "The Spy Who Loved Me" meets "The Fall Guy"). Turns out one of the two hero cops (Nicholas Tse) is hiding from his trusted disciple (Jacky Cheung) and everybody he works with a severe case of work-related depression. As good as the action set-pieces and shoot-outs are, the narrative constantly returns to Detective Chow battling his inner demons. Interesting dramatic wrinkle to an otherwise typical Chinese propaganda action pic.
Scarlett Johansson stretches her producing cred with the Greg Berlanti-directed "Fly Me To The Moon," a historical fiction star vehicle/romcom that tries to highlight the chemistry between Johansson (a savvy ad executive with a hidden past) and Channing Tatum (leader of the NASA astronaut program) and the off-the-grid drama of the U.S. government potentially faking the moon landing as a back-up to the genuine article to keep the Russians in their place. The leads have great chemistry but the narrative either keeps them apart or unable to reconcile. Woody Harrelson is clearly relishing playing a government fixer that runs things from behind the scenes, and Ray Romano quietly steals every scene he's in. If this was a 'What If...' leftover episode on Apple TV+'s "For All Mankind" TV show it'd go down easier. As is it's a well-intentioned misfire that made me want to watch "Apollo 13" or "First Man" instead. "Hidden Figures" it's not.
SPOILERS AHEAD, DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MOVIE: Speaking of Channing Tatum, his appearance on "Deadpool & Wolverine" highlights a key difference between Marvel and DC at how each treat their cinematic universe. DC is content to trot out a fake CG Nic Cage as Supes fighting a spider monster in "The Flash" hoping fans would notice/cheer. Writer/producer/star Ryan Reynolds, director Shawn Levy and their new MCU family get a discarded X-Men character long-rumored to have a spin-off vehicle in the works and fully develop that concept to great comedic effect. Bad luck for Channing (and the lady superheroes) that Wesley Snipes steals the trapped-in-The Void old Marvel superstars and crushes his Blade cameo extremely hard, because otherwise Gambit would stand out more. And while a storytelling failure (the supporting cast of the first two "Deadpool" flicks is literally shoehorned into forgettable scenes at the start and end, with their biggest contribution to the narrative being a picture Wade carries around to show people why he cares), "D&W" love affair with the old Fox Marvel movies of the past 25 years is potent nostalgia bait. That Hugh Jackman delivers top-tier acting in key moments while Reynolds' raunchiness drags the whole thing to success explains why I watched this twice in the same release day (IMAX 2D and 3D) and are pinning for one more viewing before opening weekend ends. I love this movie! :-)
For the rest of the week, I was occupied getting to watches on the MUBI streaming service that are going off of it next month.
ReplyDeleteSTREETWALKER (1951, dir. Matilde Landeta) – The melodrama smacks you in the face in Streetwalker. It is the story of two sisters involved with the same man, a pimp named Rodolfo. One sister, Maria, is a streetwalker, going out every night to sell her body for Rodolfo. The other sister, Elena, married a rich man she has no love for and seeks solace in an affair. Rodolfo is ready to jump into that role and take her money. The director was one of the few women in the Mexican film industry, and she brings a jaded point of view to relationships. She frequently portrays the female characters as commodified objects, bought and sold by men for their own pleasure and purposes. The one source of solace for Maria and her fellow streetwalkers is their camaraderie, symbolized by their care for a dying friend.
THE SKELETON OF MRS. MORALES (1960, dir. Rogelio Gonzalez) – A meek taxidermist and his wife have lived in a marital hell for many years, but societal mores and religion have prevented them from divorcing. What happens when one of them can no longer deal with the situation? Murder! The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales is a macabre Mexican black comedy with a lead performance that matches the whimsically serious tone of the film perfectly. The film takes satirical aim at many aspects of Mexican society. Very recommended.
BLACK TEST CAR (1962, dir. Yasuzo Masamura) – The competition between Japanese car companies Tiger and Yamato is heating up. In order to get an advantage in the marketplace, each side is increasingly turning to questionable tactics to gather information about each other. Bribery and extortion are not even off limits as Mr. Odono, a Tiger executive, desperately tries to keep his new sports car project from being compromised, realizing that the greatest threat comes from a spy inside his own company. Black Test Car plays almost like a yakuza story as his search for the traitor takes on greater and greater brutality. Greed and personal ambition can steamroll over even the most scrupulous of people.
HEAT AND DUST (1983, dir. James Ivory) – Does anybody remember the production team of Merchant/Ivory? They specialized in literary adaptions that were pretty to look at but often very formal in style. Heat and Dust is certainly in that vein. This watch was largely motivated to continue my exploration of India in cinema, this time from a more Western point of view. Two British women, one from the 1920s and the other from (then) modern times, have their lives upturned by contact with India. Their stories are intertwined to show the parallels and differences between their experiences. I loved these kinds of films when I was younger, but my patience for this style has waned over the years. I was, moreover, hoping to see something more about Indian culture than the film delves into. What was interesting about the 1920s storyline is the relationship between the British officials and their Indian subjects.
Where is my Faster Pussycat blu-ray? It's weird it never existed (or did in a limited release)
DeleteIt is issues with the Russ Meyer estate keeping that one and the rest of his catalog unavailable in HD. When Meyer died, he left everything to his maid, who either is asking too much money for distribution rights or still insists on selling the movies through Meyer's company. As of now, only the old DVDs are available on the website. (At $40 for just DVD, too!) There is no news about any work being done to upgrade the films. The only official blu-ray release of FASTER PUSSYCAT is in a Russ Meyer UK box set that came out a while ago.
DeleteAlways the same story, isn't it
DeleteDeadpool 2 (2018 Blu- extended edition)
ReplyDeleteRounding out my out-of-order watch of the Pool Trilogy this weekend. I think the greatest magic trick that Reynolds and the crew behind these movies ever pulled is how much heart and emotion they put into the flicks. Oh sure some will complain that its manufactured emotion for plots sake but i completely disagree. This flick leans pretty hard into that with the death of a main character and substantial dourness for a lot of the first two acts. But it really creates a space where we get to care for the characters and their story...i particularly liked the Cable parallel life experience with Wade's.
Im not going to get into comparing or ranking the flicks but i find them all IMMENSELY rewatchable, which is the highest ranking i give movies. I will, however, note that i think the action choreography in this flick and the action setpieces stands out in the series....makes sense as its got Leitch at the helm.
Peace .n. Maximum Fun
The Postman (1997): I watched Waterworld with my friends yesterday (i always loved the movie, but the flaws are becoming more and more apparent) and thought that it's been a while since I saw The Postman, a movie I always liked despite the supposedly weird premise. Since the movie came out, I played the videogame Fallout (now a tv series), which honestly feel the same. The movie is still fun, a lot lighter in tone than Waterworld, which it was often compared too back then (Postman was apparently dubbed Dirt World by the crew). The story is standard stuff, an evil overlord tries to control everything and everyone, end up getting his ass kicked by Kevin Costner. We've seen it a million time and it's always entertaining. I'd cut a few minutes here and there, but it's fine. We're due for an Arrow level release, hopefully in 4k.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBeen absent for a while, and I even had to bail on the back-half of Junesploitation. Went back to college in my mid-forties and just finished up a degree a few weeks back. I also shut down my Twitter account because I couldn't justify staying on Elon's platform anymore. Really hope we have an alternative by next F This Movie Fest.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, just saw D&W yesterday, and despite being a Marvel Phase 4 & 5 apologist, I actually wasn't that into this one. Granted, I've always had a general allergy to Ryan Reynolds although I thought the previous Deadpool movies were good (well 1 was good, 2 was ok). I just don't like a lot of the decisions this one made.
Morena Baccarin was one of the highlights of the original. I'm baffled by the decision to sideline her two movies in a row now, and for what? A Wolverine variant, whose character development all happens in exposition, that gets by entirely on the good will built-up by all the years Jackman has played other versions of the character. Some of the other cameos are fun, but unlike say, No Way Home, D&W doesn't actually have anything to say about these characters. It gets treated like a victory-lap/sendoff for a lot of the pre-MCU Marvel stuff, but it doesn't actually do anything to earn it because none of the cameos are written as actual characters and one gets played mostly as an out of character joke.
I can't help but notice that Ryan Reynolds wasn't credited as a writer on the first movie but is on this one and Deadpool 2 and it makes me wonder if it's his idea to shove the supporting cast to the side so we can devote screentime to things like a non-deformed Deadpool, also played by Reynolds of course.
The best thing about this film was Emma Corrin, and I'd love to see her return in whatever they end up doing with the X-Men in the future.
Congratulations, Ross. Sometimes movies take a back seat to life.
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