I had a very satisfying New Years movie experience watching Wicked in the theater. A friend dragged me into seeing Wicked instead of Kraven The Hunter. I knew nothing about Wicked except that it's the origin story of the wicked witch, and I'd heard a couple songs from it over the years. But I thought it was going to be a different story, I thought they were sister witches or something. And in the beginning scenes I was UNHAPPY. I was like I cannot believe this movie is so popular, the singing is stressing me out. I could be watching Aaron Taylor Johnson right now. But by the end I loved the story. It's a badass origin and sisterhood story. The musicalness was a little much for me. I was relieved when Cynthia Erivo sang the first pop song. And Ariana Grande was welcome comic relief through the rest of the "musicalness" of it. I grew up loving musicals but this one had some amazing songs (the popular ones) and then the rest were much. But I haven't had such a great 180 experience enjoying in a movie in a long time. And in a theater, too!
I wasn't planning on watching Wicked, but now I might. I'm not a big musical guy, but obviously loved a lot of them because they were ubiquitous. I love all the Disney animated stuff and they're nearly musicals. I love The Sound of Music and Mark Poppins. I loved when my parents (who weren't movie watchers at all) let me stay up late one night and we watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
I actually watched The Wizard of OZ a couple weeks ago. I hadn't seen it since being a child. I think Patrick mentioned it being his favourite movie on a episode? It's SO good. So good. I had forgotten how much stuff came from that movie. I was "oh, that's where that expression came from", or "oh, I remember that song". I had an absolute fantastic time with it. I like "half"-musicals, where there are lots of songs, but have trouble appreciating the ones that are all singing.
I felt Wicked required patience between the good parts. But they were really good. I have listened to the song "I'm Not That Girl" maybe 50 times since Wednesday.
I haven't seen the original OZ in a long time myself. Maybe will rewatch!
Last Stop in Yuma County (2024): I don't know where it stands in this year's top 10 lists around the internet (I'm betting Patrick will have it), but it certainly at the top of the 'most plot twists in a movie' list. And they're all surprising, like 'oh shit, they went there'. And as is tradition, Arrow announced a proper special edition (not 4k though) right when I bought this one (released by Well Go USA), which came in a whole month late because of the Canada Post strike.
The Six Triple Eight (2024): Good movie, worth the watch. The only thing I was thinking when I saw the hangars full of undelivered mail was how it must be like that in the Canada Post warehouses when they came back to work.
To Catch a Killer (2023): Interesting thriller that's not reinventing the wheel, but is well done, suspenseful and has good performances. And look at that, it was shot around where I live. I'm pretty sure there's ex-coworkers in the credits, but I didn't look.
Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (2001): Ok, so the CGI animation is a bit dated. Back then it was cutting edge, and today anybody could probably do better for a fraction of the price and time. It's still a solid sci-fi movie that I enjoy revisiting every once in a while. On top of it we get a pretty solid cast. The 4k looks surprisingly good for this type of old-CGI movie.
Red Rooms (2023): It did the festival run in 2023, but got a wider release in 2024, so it's popping up on some lists this year, specifically one of the guys on Pure Cinema Podcast. It's a very well-made movie with an interesting twist on the serial killer genre. It was made in my city, and they actually name my neighborhood for where the killer lived. Me and my friends all got a chuckle out of it.
Also, Vinegar Syndrome recently released Michael Mann's The Keep (1983), but if you tell Mann about it, he might deny its existence, I don't think it even got a DVD release. Look, it's far from a perfect movie, very far from it, almost the exact opposite, but I like to revisit it once in a while. Now I can enjoy it in 4k no less.
I’m a big fan of Last Stop in Yuma County. It’s definitely at least in my top 3 for the year probably. Red Rooms seems up my alley as I am into serial killer shit on screen. I just haven’t pulled the trigger on that one yet.
I loved Last Stop in Yuma County, but it feels like so long ago and I thought it was last year. I haven't made a list yet. I might have to rewatch it (oh poor me!).
Regular. There was no announcement beforehand on blu-ray.com, which is where i get most of my blu-ray news, so i found out about the release too late and everything was gone already. I really wanted that booklet. The 4k looks good though.
Vinegar Syndrome's Black Friday sale began on midnight on Friday, and by Saturday night 12,000 units of the limited edition were gone. It seemed like most of the Youtube physical media commentators were shocked by that, and some of them even missed out on getting it. Imprint has since announced its own 4k edition of The Keep.
Watched Sweethearts (2024) last night. I hadn't heard anything about it before, and apparently it has pretty lukewarm reviews, but we were looking for something light to watch and it popped up on the HBO Max carousel. I thought it was maybe the funniest new movie I've seen this year.
The premise is pretty standard teen comedy stuff. The movie centers on two high school best friends (one guy, one gal) who have just started college, and both are still long-distance dating their high school sweethearts (that's the name of the movie!). They both realize that their relationships aren't working out and are kind of a drag on their college experience, so they make a pact to execute a double break-up over the Thanksgiving break.
The movie's pacing is a little wonky. It takes a bit longer than you'd expect for the story to kick off, and sometimes it feels like it's dwelling too long or blowing too quickly by certain plot beats. But that stuff doesn't matter so much when the jokes are hitting, and for me, they really were. It's a young person's comedy for sure, full of sex jokes, but it's sharper than the average fare for its subgenre, with, you know, like, smart sex jokes--akin to a Superbad, a 10 Things I Hate About You, an Easy A.
The main characters both have a pretty dry sense of humor, with a bit of I'm-mostly-sane-but-look-at-all-these-wacky-people-around-us going on, but it's done in a way that doesn't make them seem too snarky or above it all so as to make them unlikable. In fact, that slippery slope is directly addressed for the female lead, with a backstory for her aloofness that feels genuine, interesting, and funny/sad. The shared sense of humor between the leads goes a long way toward making them seem like they're really best friends, something that can sometimes feel stated more than earned in movie friendships--particularly in mixed gender movie friendships.
There's a third friend involved in the story, and my first impression was that he was showing up a little late in the game, a little tacked-on, a little stop-the-movie-for-this-guy-to-crack-a-few-jokes (again, the movie gets a C- for plot pacing). But by the end of the movie, this character gets his own fleshed-out storyline that's funny and sweet, and kind of threatens to win the movie. I liked that the girlfriend/boyfriend "break-up-ees" are NOT portrayed as total villains, and while they're both a bit cartoonish, it works for comedic effect. The male lead's parents, played by Christine Taylor and Kevin Yamada, aren't given a lot of screen time, but they absolutely and hilariously nail "parents of a college kid returning home."
Sweethearts plays with rom-com tropes toward the end, heavily referencing When Harry Met Sally, but I thought it did so in a way that was reverent toward its reference, rather than snot-nosed, bratty, or dismissive.
Anyway, if you're looking for something light, or you're lamenting the modern dearth of film comedies, check out Sweethearts! Even if you don't think it was as funny as I did, it's free on HBO Max and it's only 98 minutes long!
FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966) First movie of 2025! A submarine movie with a sci-fi twist, I like how it quickly zips from one crisis/set piece to the next. It's another TRON, in that there's no other movie with visuals this unique.
ROBOCOP (1987) Paul Verhoeven goodness!
THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (2024) This one's great. Equal parts brutally honest and brutally funny, and it's filled with comic book references for us dork-a-dorks.
HOOK (1991) Most movie fans hate this one, but I actually think it's quite fun. That said, I still don't understand why the kids' food looks like paint.
COOL WORLD (1992) A confusion nonsense film, but I must admit there occasional scenes/moments where the visuals really pop. If only the entire movie could hit those highs.
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOUL (2025) This is a strange remake of M3GAN.
I like to start my New Year with a undersea movie, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Seas is a good one. Or Das Boot, or Run Silent, Run Deep. Or Finding Nemo.
This year I watched Duel, fantastic movie, so no regrets.
I've never seen Hook (was slightly older than "I watch everything because I'm a kid and don't have work") level when it came out. I'll watch it soon. I assume Blank Check will cover it 20 months from now. I'm really happy they're doing early Spielberg because there are a bunch of early movies that I haven't seen, but want to. Motivation.
I haven't seen Hook since I was a kid. It's on my list for a rewatch to try and decide if my adult self thinks it's as awful as its modern reputation, or if it's a fun kids' adventure flick like I thought it was 30 years ago. There's some Peter Pan kid/grown-up meta stuff going on there.
We also caught the new Wallace and Gromit this weekend. Those movies are like a nice, warm cup of tea (but funnier than tea).
I remember hearing about The People's Joker a while back, in the context of some kind of a legal battle over its release (It's DC IP! But it's a parody!). I'd since forgotten about it, and didn't realize it was available now. Thanks for the heads up to check it out!
With 2024 done, I went through my list of watches and put together a rough list of my top ten favorite first-time watches. Though it could be different on another day, the films likely would be same.
1. GODZILLA MINUS ZERO (2023) - It blends the human element and kaiju action wonderfully. Definitely among the most thrilling watches of the year.
2. DEVDAS (2002) - One of many Bollywood films I picked up at a local Salvation Army store, I was immediately taken in with the sumptuous visuals. It is a story of a man and woman whose love is thwarted by class differences. The cast, lead by Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai, is very easy on the eyes.
3. A SNAKE OF JUNE (2002) - Shinya Tsukamoto's enigmatic tale of sexual frigidity and black mail is difficult to describe or comprehend. Shot in black and white and then tinted blue, this had the most memorable atmosphere of any film I saw all year.
4. PEPPERMINT SODA (1977) - A family and school drama about a couple of sisters from a wealthy Parisian in the early 1960s (probably 1963-64). What really stood out to me was the attention to period detail and the not so polite world of adolescent girls. The film feels completely lived in.
5. THE GRIFTERS (1990) - A cold-blooded tale of con artists that was my favorite watch for Noirvember last year. The cast of Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, and Annette Benning worked so well together. The conclusion is not one that you will forget.
My other five films disappeared when I posted them (or did I not post them?) so I am just going to list them here. I split the list out of fear of this happening and am not in the mood to type everything again.
6. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (2015) - A beautiful film about the destruction of indigenous cultures.
7. BLACK TIGHT KILLERS (1966) - Crazy Japanese action film with a 1960s aesthetic.
8. CRUMB (1994) - You may not like comic artist Robert Crumb after watching this, but you will certainly know what he is about.
9. DR. CALIGARI (1989) - A colorful surrealist exercise inspired by the German silent film and adult cinema. Definitely not for all tastes.
10. THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994) - Linda Fiorentino shines in this neo-noir as perhaps the most ruthless femme fatale I have encountered in a film.
Runners-up: LE CERCLE ROUGE (1970), IREZUMI (1966), TIME OF ROSES (1969), THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963), THE SEVENTH CURSE (1986)
I've been meaning to watch Embrace of the Serpent for a while now. It's mostly the Spanish language which has been holding me back. I love subtitle movies but they take a certain level of extra concentration which I don't always have.
The only watch for the week had been in my Prime queue for forever and was going off the site with the new year. DIRTY O'NEIL, from 1974, is a patchwork film that incongruously blends sex comedy with a crime drama. It makes sense that there are three credited directors. James O'Neil is a cop in a small town (despite some scenes clearly being shot in L.A.) who is irresistible to the many attractive ladies he meets. At the same time, a group of violent criminals starts to target the town. As drive-in movies go, this was sufficiently entertaining.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (dir. Sidney Lumet 2007) This movie was so moving emotionally. Wow. Lumet was really a master of movie making. (duh).
Flipper (1963) I had so much fun watching this. Do I endorse using live captive animals for our entertainment, of course no. But the dolphins were great in this. I hate "live action" Disney or whatever, but having CGI animals instead of captive animals performing tricks is a societal advancement. That being said, I really loved this movie. It's like 50/50 nostalgia and just a really fun movie.
He's one of those directors that made incredible movies, but also made a boat load of middling movies (beautiful adult middling movies shot on film) don't know his work much at all. His filmography is massive.
I had a very satisfying New Years movie experience watching Wicked in the theater. A friend dragged me into seeing Wicked instead of Kraven The Hunter. I knew nothing about Wicked except that it's the origin story of the wicked witch, and I'd heard a couple songs from it over the years. But I thought it was going to be a different story, I thought they were sister witches or something. And in the beginning scenes I was UNHAPPY. I was like I cannot believe this movie is so popular, the singing is stressing me out. I could be watching Aaron Taylor Johnson right now. But by the end I loved the story. It's a badass origin and sisterhood story. The musicalness was a little much for me. I was relieved when Cynthia Erivo sang the first pop song. And Ariana Grande was welcome comic relief through the rest of the "musicalness" of it. I grew up loving musicals but this one had some amazing songs (the popular ones) and then the rest were much. But I haven't had such a great 180 experience enjoying in a movie in a long time. And in a theater, too!
ReplyDeleteOk, maybe you convinced me to watch it.
DeleteI wasn't planning on watching Wicked, but now I might. I'm not a big musical guy, but obviously loved a lot of them because they were ubiquitous. I love all the Disney animated stuff and they're nearly musicals. I love The Sound of Music and Mark Poppins. I loved when my parents (who weren't movie watchers at all) let me stay up late one night and we watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
DeleteI actually watched The Wizard of OZ a couple weeks ago. I hadn't seen it since being a child. I think Patrick mentioned it being his favourite movie on a episode? It's SO good. So good. I had forgotten how much stuff came from that movie. I was "oh, that's where that expression came from", or "oh, I remember that song". I had an absolute fantastic time with it. I like "half"-musicals, where there are lots of songs, but have trouble appreciating the ones that are all singing.
I felt Wicked required patience between the good parts. But they were really good. I have listened to the song "I'm Not That Girl" maybe 50 times since Wednesday.
DeleteI haven't seen the original OZ in a long time myself. Maybe will rewatch!
Last Stop in Yuma County (2024): I don't know where it stands in this year's top 10 lists around the internet (I'm betting Patrick will have it), but it certainly at the top of the 'most plot twists in a movie' list. And they're all surprising, like 'oh shit, they went there'. And as is tradition, Arrow announced a proper special edition (not 4k though) right when I bought this one (released by Well Go USA), which came in a whole month late because of the Canada Post strike.
ReplyDeleteThe Six Triple Eight (2024): Good movie, worth the watch. The only thing I was thinking when I saw the hangars full of undelivered mail was how it must be like that in the Canada Post warehouses when they came back to work.
To Catch a Killer (2023): Interesting thriller that's not reinventing the wheel, but is well done, suspenseful and has good performances. And look at that, it was shot around where I live. I'm pretty sure there's ex-coworkers in the credits, but I didn't look.
Final Fantasy - The Spirits Within (2001): Ok, so the CGI animation is a bit dated. Back then it was cutting edge, and today anybody could probably do better for a fraction of the price and time. It's still a solid sci-fi movie that I enjoy revisiting every once in a while. On top of it we get a pretty solid cast. The 4k looks surprisingly good for this type of old-CGI movie.
Red Rooms (2023): It did the festival run in 2023, but got a wider release in 2024, so it's popping up on some lists this year, specifically one of the guys on Pure Cinema Podcast. It's a very well-made movie with an interesting twist on the serial killer genre. It was made in my city, and they actually name my neighborhood for where the killer lived. Me and my friends all got a chuckle out of it.
Also, Vinegar Syndrome recently released Michael Mann's The Keep (1983), but if you tell Mann about it, he might deny its existence, I don't think it even got a DVD release. Look, it's far from a perfect movie, very far from it, almost the exact opposite, but I like to revisit it once in a while. Now I can enjoy it in 4k no less.
I’m a big fan of Last Stop in Yuma County. It’s definitely at least in my top 3 for the year probably. Red Rooms seems up my alley as I am into serial killer shit on screen. I just haven’t pulled the trigger on that one yet.
DeleteI loved Last Stop in Yuma County, but it feels like so long ago and I thought it was last year. I haven't made a list yet. I might have to rewatch it (oh poor me!).
DeleteI watched Last Stop in Yuma County after Patrick and J.B. mentioned it on the podcast a while back... and really dug it.
DeleteI've heard good things about Red Rooms from a few places now. Hoping to check it out soon.
Which version of The Keep did you get? It was crazy how fast the limited edition sold out.
DeleteRegular. There was no announcement beforehand on blu-ray.com, which is where i get most of my blu-ray news, so i found out about the release too late and everything was gone already. I really wanted that booklet. The 4k looks good though.
DeleteVinegar Syndrome's Black Friday sale began on midnight on Friday, and by Saturday night 12,000 units of the limited edition were gone. It seemed like most of the Youtube physical media commentators were shocked by that, and some of them even missed out on getting it. Imprint has since announced its own 4k edition of The Keep.
DeleteIt happen often that Imprint announce a release just after a North American release. There's no details yet.
DeleteWatched Sweethearts (2024) last night. I hadn't heard anything about it before, and apparently it has pretty lukewarm reviews, but we were looking for something light to watch and it popped up on the HBO Max carousel. I thought it was maybe the funniest new movie I've seen this year.
ReplyDeleteThe premise is pretty standard teen comedy stuff. The movie centers on two high school best friends (one guy, one gal) who have just started college, and both are still long-distance dating their high school sweethearts (that's the name of the movie!). They both realize that their relationships aren't working out and are kind of a drag on their college experience, so they make a pact to execute a double break-up over the Thanksgiving break.
The movie's pacing is a little wonky. It takes a bit longer than you'd expect for the story to kick off, and sometimes it feels like it's dwelling too long or blowing too quickly by certain plot beats. But that stuff doesn't matter so much when the jokes are hitting, and for me, they really were. It's a young person's comedy for sure, full of sex jokes, but it's sharper than the average fare for its subgenre, with, you know, like, smart sex jokes--akin to a Superbad, a 10 Things I Hate About You, an Easy A.
The main characters both have a pretty dry sense of humor, with a bit of I'm-mostly-sane-but-look-at-all-these-wacky-people-around-us going on, but it's done in a way that doesn't make them seem too snarky or above it all so as to make them unlikable. In fact, that slippery slope is directly addressed for the female lead, with a backstory for her aloofness that feels genuine, interesting, and funny/sad. The shared sense of humor between the leads goes a long way toward making them seem like they're really best friends, something that can sometimes feel stated more than earned in movie friendships--particularly in mixed gender movie friendships.
There's a third friend involved in the story, and my first impression was that he was showing up a little late in the game, a little tacked-on, a little stop-the-movie-for-this-guy-to-crack-a-few-jokes (again, the movie gets a C- for plot pacing). But by the end of the movie, this character gets his own fleshed-out storyline that's funny and sweet, and kind of threatens to win the movie. I liked that the girlfriend/boyfriend "break-up-ees" are NOT portrayed as total villains, and while they're both a bit cartoonish, it works for comedic effect. The male lead's parents, played by Christine Taylor and Kevin Yamada, aren't given a lot of screen time, but they absolutely and hilariously nail "parents of a college kid returning home."
Sweethearts plays with rom-com tropes toward the end, heavily referencing When Harry Met Sally, but I thought it did so in a way that was reverent toward its reference, rather than snot-nosed, bratty, or dismissive.
Anyway, if you're looking for something light, or you're lamenting the modern dearth of film comedies, check out Sweethearts! Even if you don't think it was as funny as I did, it's free on HBO Max and it's only 98 minutes long!
I very much enjoyed Sweethearts too
DeleteJust watched Hundreds of Beavers and I quickly have a new Funniest Movie of 2024.
DeleteFANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966)
ReplyDeleteFirst movie of 2025! A submarine movie with a sci-fi twist, I like how it quickly zips from one crisis/set piece to the next. It's another TRON, in that there's no other movie with visuals this unique.
ROBOCOP (1987)
Paul Verhoeven goodness!
THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (2024)
This one's great. Equal parts brutally honest and brutally funny, and it's filled with comic book references for us dork-a-dorks.
HOOK (1991)
Most movie fans hate this one, but I actually think it's quite fun. That said, I still don't understand why the kids' food looks like paint.
COOL WORLD (1992)
A confusion nonsense film, but I must admit there occasional scenes/moments where the visuals really pop. If only the entire movie could hit those highs.
WALLACE AND GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOUL (2025)
This is a strange remake of M3GAN.
I just received the Cool World blu-ray. A movie i always liked. I'm waiting to watch it to show it to some friends
DeleteI like to start my New Year with a undersea movie, and 20,000 Leagues Under The Seas is a good one. Or Das Boot, or Run Silent, Run Deep. Or Finding Nemo.
DeleteThis year I watched Duel, fantastic movie, so no regrets.
I've never seen Hook (was slightly older than "I watch everything because I'm a kid and don't have work") level when it came out. I'll watch it soon. I assume Blank Check will cover it 20 months from now. I'm really happy they're doing early Spielberg because there are a bunch of early movies that I haven't seen, but want to. Motivation.
I'll have to check out Fantastic Voyage.
I haven't seen Hook since I was a kid. It's on my list for a rewatch to try and decide if my adult self thinks it's as awful as its modern reputation, or if it's a fun kids' adventure flick like I thought it was 30 years ago. There's some Peter Pan kid/grown-up meta stuff going on there.
DeleteWe also caught the new Wallace and Gromit this weekend. Those movies are like a nice, warm cup of tea (but funnier than tea).
I remember hearing about The People's Joker a while back, in the context of some kind of a legal battle over its release (It's DC IP! But it's a parody!). I'd since forgotten about it, and didn't realize it was available now. Thanks for the heads up to check it out!
I recommend watching The Wrong Trousers before watching Vengeance Most Foul, it's kind of a sequel
DeleteThe Wrong Trousers was a Junesploitation watch for Robots day one year. An unconventional choice but it fit the category.
DeleteWith 2024 done, I went through my list of watches and put together a rough list of my top ten favorite first-time watches. Though it could be different on another day, the films likely would be same.
ReplyDelete1. GODZILLA MINUS ZERO (2023) - It blends the human element and kaiju action wonderfully. Definitely among the most thrilling watches of the year.
2. DEVDAS (2002) - One of many Bollywood films I picked up at a local Salvation Army store, I was immediately taken in with the sumptuous visuals. It is a story of a man and woman whose love is thwarted by class differences. The cast, lead by Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai, is very easy on the eyes.
3. A SNAKE OF JUNE (2002) - Shinya Tsukamoto's enigmatic tale of sexual frigidity and black mail is difficult to describe or comprehend. Shot in black and white and then tinted blue, this had the most memorable atmosphere of any film I saw all year.
4. PEPPERMINT SODA (1977) - A family and school drama about a couple of sisters from a wealthy Parisian in the early 1960s (probably 1963-64). What really stood out to me was the attention to period detail and the not so polite world of adolescent girls. The film feels completely lived in.
5. THE GRIFTERS (1990) - A cold-blooded tale of con artists that was my favorite watch for Noirvember last year. The cast of Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, and Annette Benning worked so well together. The conclusion is not one that you will forget.
"Parisian family"
DeleteAhem... 'Minus One' 😶😜
DeleteYou are correct, Kunider. It was a lot of typing.
DeleteI freaking loved Godzilla Minus One.
DeleteMy other five films disappeared when I posted them (or did I not post them?) so I am just going to list them here. I split the list out of fear of this happening and am not in the mood to type everything again.
ReplyDelete6. EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (2015) - A beautiful film about the destruction of indigenous cultures.
7. BLACK TIGHT KILLERS (1966) - Crazy Japanese action film with a 1960s aesthetic.
8. CRUMB (1994) - You may not like comic artist Robert Crumb after watching this, but you will certainly know what he is about.
9. DR. CALIGARI (1989) - A colorful surrealist exercise inspired by the German silent film and adult cinema. Definitely not for all tastes.
10. THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994) - Linda Fiorentino shines in this neo-noir as perhaps the most ruthless femme fatale I have encountered in a film.
Runners-up: LE CERCLE ROUGE (1970), IREZUMI (1966), TIME OF ROSES (1969), THE HAUNTED PALACE (1963), THE SEVENTH CURSE (1986)
I've been meaning to watch Embrace of the Serpent for a while now. It's mostly the Spanish language which has been holding me back. I love subtitle movies but they take a certain level of extra concentration which I don't always have.
DeleteThe only watch for the week had been in my Prime queue for forever and was going off the site with the new year. DIRTY O'NEIL, from 1974, is a patchwork film that incongruously blends sex comedy with a crime drama. It makes sense that there are three credited directors. James O'Neil is a cop in a small town (despite some scenes clearly being shot in L.A.) who is irresistible to the many attractive ladies he meets. At the same time, a group of violent criminals starts to target the town. As drive-in movies go, this was sufficiently entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBefore the Devil Knows You're Dead (dir. Sidney Lumet 2007)
ReplyDeleteThis movie was so moving emotionally. Wow. Lumet was really a master of movie making. (duh).
Flipper (1963) I had so much fun watching this. Do I endorse using live captive animals for our entertainment, of course no. But the dolphins were great in this. I hate "live action" Disney or whatever, but having CGI animals instead of captive animals performing tricks is a societal advancement. That being said, I really loved this movie. It's like 50/50 nostalgia and just a really fun movie.
I need to catch up on Lumet. I've seen the best known, but i have a few holes. I did see Before The Devil, and it was indeed very good
DeleteHe's one of those directors that made incredible movies, but also made a boat load of middling movies (beautiful adult middling movies shot on film) don't know his work much at all. His filmography is massive.
DeleteI definitely want.to want to watch more of his movies. Fail Safe is so good
DeleteI played a lot of the videogame Robocop Rogue City recently, so i decided it was time to rewatch the movie. Still awesome
ReplyDeleteI remember Robocop 2 being kinda good, but 3 was pure trash. I should revisit them at some point
Screw it, i ordered Robocop 2 4k 😎
Delete