October Sky (1999): Sometimes you just need a feel-good movie, and this one was just perfect for what I needed. It has the perfect blend of drama, sweetness and fun. Yes, it's a bit cheezy at times, but I don't care, I always loved that movie. Coming from the guy who did Rocketeer and the first Captain America, it's kind of an odd movie in his filmography.
The Rock (1996): And sometimes you need some cool action flick. Say what you will, Michael Bay knew how to direct a good action scene back then.
Sinners (2025): Nothing I can say hasn't already been said (go read Rob's review), so I'll just tell you that it's a very good movie and you should watch it. Most likely in my top 10 of the year. I didn't expect to like it that much.
Death if a Unicorn (2025): so, the guy who said Husson Hawk is the worst movie he ever did... did this... I'm not saying it's a bad movie, but come on. Anyway, I was mostly bored by the end of it.
Eephus (2024): Rob and Adam are talking about a new baseball movie next week, so I had to watch it. It's now officially in my regular baseball movie rotation. It's excellent. Can't wait for the next Reserve Seating.
Redbelt (2008): The story of an honorable jiu-jitsu master (the always excellent Chiwetel Ejiofor) trying to exist in a non-honorable world plagued by business and greed. It's a sad movie, a lot of bad things happen to our man, but each one leads to something, thanks to great writing. One of the few movies written AND directed by David Mamet, who you'd expect to be a classic nerd, but is actually a jiu-jitsu martial artist (purple belt) and look like an MMA fighter in the BTS video. The ending is less than perfect, but Ejiofor is so good, you won't care.
F This Music Video?.....so ive recently been revisiting some early films of Robert Rodriguez. Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, etc. It had been a while and the revisits been great. Also makes me wish he'd return to some fun, stylized, action, horror, etc. Welp..jump to this week. One of my fav artists/bands*, Mammoth WVH, now Mammoth, dropped a music video titled The End. It is very much a throwback to when videos were cinematic, a-la Thriller, which it references. Early on its clearly an homage to Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn. Its an amazing song and incredible video. When the credits rolled i was beyond giddy. Trust me..if you like Dusk Till Dawn..you need to check this video out!!!
(*Mammoth WVH is unique. It is Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie Van Halens son. He creates all the music, plays all the instruments, but then tours with his band. He is trying to create his own rock sound and has a tough time escaping reference to his father. That being said, this new song is the first time i find that he's fully leaned into the finger/fret style that EVH is known for.)
Im a huge Stephen King fan and revisited this very short story not too long ago. As its so short, there's not alot of "meat" to adapt and therefore this movie feels pretty much its own thing with little connection other than a toy monkey that brings on death. As for the flick, i did like it, its humor, and the timeline story telling. However i felt it was kinda long and overall just fine. A few creative kills but i dont think ill revisit. Honestly wish i liked it moreso
Watched a lot of good stuff this week (Sinners is as good as everyone says) but I wanted to highlight my going out of my comfort zone because I watched FALL (2022). I have a hideous fear of heights and cannot imagine watching that in a theater because boy, does this movie nail thje terrifying feel of being trapped like that. I have a very odd love for small location, trapped people movies like this and SHALLOW and FROZEN and 47 METERS DOWN. When they're done well, like here, they can be hideously effective at getting you into the characters heads and just how fucked they might be.
(Of course, the grand poobah of all this is OPEN WATER.)
Some kid was begging me to put on a movie during lunch so I put on TITANIC (because history and Leo DiCaprio - girls still swooning over him). About 40 kids PACKED into my room to watch it all week. It felt like super old school fun. Most of the groups of kids don't know or wouldn't be caught dead by each other outside the room - it was really fun to see them squeeze onto couches and share tables. It was loud, kids eating lunch and laughing and arguing is loud. The movie was loud and amazing. It was dark and cold (with Christmas lights yay) and intimate. It was an experience worthy of a blockbuster movie like TITANIC.
Titanic is awesome! I didn't see it when it came out because it was a "chick flick" and I was a dumb teen. When I finally watched it I was blown away.
My kids have seen a bunch of good movies at school, Saving Private Ryan, the Shakespeare movie with Leo (I've never seen). My son's girlfriend is taking a cinema class and it's fun chatting about the stuff she's watching. Nosferatu ('20s), Space Odyssey ('60s), Jurassic ('90s). Hopefully the teacher shows then one of Lean epics, like Doctor Zhivago.
It was so fun! I've shown movies to groups before but it was just never this much fun. I think it had a lot do with TITANIC being big, loud, action packed, and pretty. It was so cute to watch them sit through and enjoy the love story. I know when I watch Titanic on my own now I just skip to the boat sinking.
Doctor Zhivago! Ah! I still have to see the whole thing! We need more action packed ones - yeah maybe Jurassic Park!
There already is a small stack of discs ready for next month. Most are movies that have been Junesploitation candidates for several Junes. Maybe a day will be found for them this year.
"next month". AHHHH! we are, indeed, less than a month away. WOOT!!!!!!!
(speaking of which...i recently rewatched the AMAZING documentary "Not Quite Hollywood: the wild untold story of Ozploitation!" It is filled to the brim with great Junesploitation fodder. Definitely will work in some Ozploit! )
That is a great documentary, Mashke. If you have not seen Razorback, that is an Ozploitation film I would recommend. Wake In Fright, though not completely exploitation, is also worth a watch. The early Brian Trenchard-Smith films, like Turkey Shoot, are fun.
I am definitely eager to find out what the categories of the 2025 Junesploitation edition will be. It likely will be different because of the focus on Roger Corman last year. It was great to have a chance to catch up with several of his own films and the many he produced. I still might have a day devoted to him, particularly those 1950s films. I always enjoy going back to the B-movies movies of that period.
For Saturday night, I had the choice of the Mahoning Drive-In with a weather forecast that was not favorable or going to see Sinners at the local indoor theater. My mood pushed me toward Sinners. I cannot admit to being completely won over by Sinners, but I admire the ambition behind the film. Those breaks in tone as the initial drama morphs into genre territory felt a little too self-aware. Strong performances undoubtedly kept me interested until the conclusion, though.
These were my other watches for the week.
MIRACLE MILE (1989, dir. Steve de Jarnatt) – Anthony Edwards is a musician who has just met the girl of his dreams, but then he answers a random phone call concerning the state of the world. Is, as the caller states, nuclear war about to break out? Alternating between romance and apocalyptic panic, Miracle Mile is full of unexpected twists and turns. I could not figure out what was coming next. The big question is: Would Miracle Mile hold up with a second viewing? I could not say, but I quite enjoyed the ride this first viewing took me on.
HOLLYWOOD HIGH (1976) – Hollywood High has no script, and most of the random scenes feel improvised. Four young ladies, who are barely shown in school, traipse around Los Angeles to get into bikinis or much less. The beach is by far their favorite place to go. There is also a memorably messy food fight scene with lots of spaghetti and sauce flying around. While other drive-in titillation may not aim higher than Hollywood High, a somewhat coherent story adds something to make the parade of flesh more entertaining.
DAVID AND BATHSHEBA (1951, dir. Henry King) – A good example of the studio craftsmanship of the period but lacking in excitement. Compared to other Biblical epics and sword and sandals films from this time period, the spectacle is toned down. Another issue is that Gregory Peck struggled to breathe life into the role of King David for most of the film, only really making the conclusion compelling.
SATAN'S TRIANGLE (1975) - As made-for-TV films go, this one is not bad. A Coast Guard helicopter reaches a boat that is adrift in the Bermuda Triangle with several bodies. There is one survivor (Kim Novak) who tries to understand what happened during the journey. Was it just in her imagination, or did an evil entity attack the boat and it's inhabitants?
I've never seen David and Bathsheba. I love those biblical epics. They poured so much money into making those films as big as possible. The new bible movies have it figured out...a mid budget 10 million movie that the evangelical's will flock to see. But they look like dreck. I assume. I haven't seen any of them but the trailers are horrid.
There is nothing like a real set or location to make a scene come to life. Most of the newer films biblical films (I have seen them sold in dollar stores) are probably all relying on CGI for that sense of scale.
David and Bathsheba is more modest in its production than most of these films. There are only a couple of big sets, and the crowd scenes are never large. The film also relies on the CGI of its day, matte paintings, to bring a feeling of scale. Since you like this style of filmmaking, you would probably get more out of the film than I did. The concluding sections are much stronger than the beginning.
Against all odds/reviews/expectations i went into this really hoping id have fun with it. After the prologue opening i was a smidge hopeful. Figured it would be super cheezy but fun. Alas, in the end, it appears to be yet another step by director Vaughn in a very wrong direction. There's alot of pieces within that might have made a silly fun meta action flick (perhaps w shades of Last Action Hero). But it all falls apart. For starters it is shot TERRIBLY. Its like this super bright movie with WAY to much CGI settings. I realize that more and more movies are relying less and less on physical locations but, if done well, its harder to tell. This just looks fake. And then everything feels forced..theres no real natural flow to the twisty turny story..a shame considering the cast is capable of much more. A shame as Vaughn does have creativity and visual ideas and quirky fun ideas...but he seems to be forgetting how to put all of that into a cohesive/creative flick. Hoping his next outing course corrects.
This week I finally received The Fall 4k Collector's Edition from Umbrella. It's an awesome box full of goodies and extra features. The movie is still awesome, the 4k looks very good, and I forgot how adorable and fun the little girl was. I'm slowly making my way through the extras, which there's a lot of.
Stoked that you like that movie so much. I remember it felt very unique. Like part whimsical childhood story, part love letter to movies, part Nat Geographic doc... I watched that little chubby cheek girl on REPEAT. That was before there was instagram with unlimited cute baby and animal videos to destress-out to.
I had a good week, lots of movies to watch...
ReplyDeleteOctober Sky (1999): Sometimes you just need a feel-good movie, and this one was just perfect for what I needed. It has the perfect blend of drama, sweetness and fun. Yes, it's a bit cheezy at times, but I don't care, I always loved that movie. Coming from the guy who did Rocketeer and the first Captain America, it's kind of an odd movie in his filmography.
The Rock (1996): And sometimes you need some cool action flick. Say what you will, Michael Bay knew how to direct a good action scene back then.
Sinners (2025): Nothing I can say hasn't already been said (go read Rob's review), so I'll just tell you that it's a very good movie and you should watch it. Most likely in my top 10 of the year. I didn't expect to like it that much.
Death if a Unicorn (2025): so, the guy who said Husson Hawk is the worst movie he ever did... did this... I'm not saying it's a bad movie, but come on. Anyway, I was mostly bored by the end of it.
Eephus (2024): Rob and Adam are talking about a new baseball movie next week, so I had to watch it. It's now officially in my regular baseball movie rotation. It's excellent. Can't wait for the next Reserve Seating.
Redbelt (2008): The story of an honorable jiu-jitsu master (the always excellent Chiwetel Ejiofor) trying to exist in a non-honorable world plagued by business and greed. It's a sad movie, a lot of bad things happen to our man, but each one leads to something, thanks to great writing. One of the few movies written AND directed by David Mamet, who you'd expect to be a classic nerd, but is actually a jiu-jitsu martial artist (purple belt) and look like an MMA fighter in the BTS video. The ending is less than perfect, but Ejiofor is so good, you won't care.
Bay still knows how to direct good action now! Ambulance (2022) is one of the best action movies of the '20s.
DeleteYou're right, i should've said 'knows', my bad. Heck, even the Transformers movies has some great action sequences.
DeleteHelllllllo all.
ReplyDeleteF This Music Video?.....so ive recently been revisiting some early films of Robert Rodriguez. Desperado, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, etc. It had been a while and the revisits been great. Also makes me wish he'd return to some fun, stylized, action, horror, etc. Welp..jump to this week. One of my fav artists/bands*, Mammoth WVH, now Mammoth, dropped a music video titled The End. It is very much a throwback to when videos were cinematic, a-la Thriller, which it references. Early on its clearly an homage to Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn. Its an amazing song and incredible video. When the credits rolled i was beyond giddy. Trust me..if you like Dusk Till Dawn..you need to check this video out!!!
(*Mammoth WVH is unique. It is Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie Van Halens son. He creates all the music, plays all the instruments, but then tours with his band. He is trying to create his own rock sound and has a tough time escaping reference to his father. That being said, this new song is the first time i find that he's fully leaned into the finger/fret style that EVH is known for.)
PS: Police Story 3/Supercop thumbnail? Im here for it!
DeleteWatched the Mammoth videoclip. Cool stuff, horror fans will like it i think. You forgot to mention a couple of fun cameos (one useless though).
DeleteThe Monkey (2025 digital rental)
ReplyDeleteIm a huge Stephen King fan and revisited this very short story not too long ago. As its so short, there's not alot of "meat" to adapt and therefore this movie feels pretty much its own thing with little connection other than a toy monkey that brings on death. As for the flick, i did like it, its humor, and the timeline story telling. However i felt it was kinda long and overall just fine. A few creative kills but i dont think ill revisit. Honestly wish i liked it moreso
Watched a lot of good stuff this week (Sinners is as good as everyone says) but I wanted to highlight my going out of my comfort zone because I watched FALL (2022). I have a hideous fear of heights and cannot imagine watching that in a theater because boy, does this movie nail thje terrifying feel of being trapped like that. I have a very odd love for small location, trapped people movies like this and SHALLOW and FROZEN and 47 METERS DOWN. When they're done well, like here, they can be hideously effective at getting you into the characters heads and just how fucked they might be.
ReplyDelete(Of course, the grand poobah of all this is OPEN WATER.)
Fall is very good. I also love Shallow (got the 4k) and 47 Meters Down.
DeleteDefinitely check out FROZEN (the ski lift chair one) as well then.
DeleteJust need to make sure i get the right movie 😁
DeleteSome kid was begging me to put on a movie during lunch so I put on TITANIC (because history and Leo DiCaprio - girls still swooning over him). About 40 kids PACKED into my room to watch it all week. It felt like super old school fun. Most of the groups of kids don't know or wouldn't be caught dead by each other outside the room - it was really fun to see them squeeze onto couches and share tables. It was loud, kids eating lunch and laughing and arguing is loud. The movie was loud and amazing. It was dark and cold (with Christmas lights yay) and intimate. It was an experience worthy of a blockbuster movie like TITANIC.
ReplyDeleteTitanic is awesome! I didn't see it when it came out because it was a "chick flick" and I was a dumb teen. When I finally watched it I was blown away.
DeleteMy kids have seen a bunch of good movies at school, Saving Private Ryan, the Shakespeare movie with Leo (I've never seen). My son's girlfriend is taking a cinema class and it's fun chatting about the stuff she's watching. Nosferatu ('20s), Space Odyssey ('60s), Jurassic ('90s). Hopefully the teacher shows then one of Lean epics, like Doctor Zhivago.
I LOVE this story. The power of film and opportunity to expose kids to something they may not have found. Well done Meredith!! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteIt was so fun! I've shown movies to groups before but it was just never this much fun. I think it had a lot do with TITANIC being big, loud, action packed, and pretty. It was so cute to watch them sit through and enjoy the love story. I know when I watch Titanic on my own now I just skip to the boat sinking.
DeleteDoctor Zhivago! Ah! I still have to see the whole thing! We need more action packed ones - yeah maybe Jurassic Park!
29 days until Junesploitation!!!
ReplyDeletePolice Story 3! I still haven't seen it. Maybe I'll watch it during Junesploitation. I can't wait.
DeleteOOOOO its SO good. smack dab in the middle of some of Chans greatest (IMO) films and action outings. Dig it!
DeleteThere already is a small stack of discs ready for next month. Most are movies that have been Junesploitation candidates for several Junes. Maybe a day will be found for them this year.
Delete"next month". AHHHH! we are, indeed, less than a month away. WOOT!!!!!!!
Delete(speaking of which...i recently rewatched the AMAZING documentary "Not Quite Hollywood: the wild untold story of Ozploitation!" It is filled to the brim with great Junesploitation fodder. Definitely will work in some Ozploit! )
That is a great documentary, Mashke. If you have not seen Razorback, that is an Ozploitation film I would recommend. Wake In Fright, though not completely exploitation, is also worth a watch. The early Brian Trenchard-Smith films, like Turkey Shoot, are fun.
DeleteI am definitely eager to find out what the categories of the 2025 Junesploitation edition will be. It likely will be different because of the focus on Roger Corman last year. It was great to have a chance to catch up with several of his own films and the many he produced. I still might have a day devoted to him, particularly those 1950s films. I always enjoy going back to the B-movies movies of that period.
Came here today to check on Junesploitation! Can hardly wait!
DeleteFor Saturday night, I had the choice of the Mahoning Drive-In with a weather forecast that was not favorable or going to see Sinners at the local indoor theater. My mood pushed me toward Sinners. I cannot admit to being completely won over by Sinners, but I admire the ambition behind the film. Those breaks in tone as the initial drama morphs into genre territory felt a little too self-aware. Strong performances undoubtedly kept me interested until the conclusion, though.
ReplyDeleteThese were my other watches for the week.
MIRACLE MILE (1989, dir. Steve de Jarnatt) – Anthony Edwards is a musician who has just met the girl of his dreams, but then he answers a random phone call concerning the state of the world. Is, as the caller states, nuclear war about to break out? Alternating between romance and apocalyptic panic, Miracle Mile is full of unexpected twists and turns. I could not figure out what was coming next. The big question is: Would Miracle Mile hold up with a second viewing? I could not say, but I quite enjoyed the ride this first viewing took me on.
HOLLYWOOD HIGH (1976) – Hollywood High has no script, and most of the random scenes feel improvised. Four young ladies, who are barely shown in school, traipse around Los Angeles to get into bikinis or much less. The beach is by far their favorite place to go. There is also a memorably messy food fight scene with lots of spaghetti and sauce flying around. While other drive-in titillation may not aim higher than Hollywood High, a somewhat coherent story adds something to make the parade of flesh more entertaining.
DAVID AND BATHSHEBA (1951, dir. Henry King) – A good example of the studio craftsmanship of the period but lacking in excitement. Compared to other Biblical epics and sword and sandals films from this time period, the spectacle is toned down. Another issue is that Gregory Peck struggled to breathe life into the role of King David for most of the film, only really making the conclusion compelling.
SATAN'S TRIANGLE (1975) - As made-for-TV films go, this one is not bad. A Coast Guard helicopter reaches a boat that is adrift in the Bermuda Triangle with several bodies. There is one survivor (Kim Novak) who tries to understand what happened during the journey. Was it just in her imagination, or did an evil entity attack the boat and it's inhabitants?
I've never seen David and Bathsheba. I love those biblical epics. They poured so much money into making those films as big as possible. The new bible movies have it figured out...a mid budget 10 million movie that the evangelical's will flock to see. But they look like dreck. I assume. I haven't seen any of them but the trailers are horrid.
DeleteThere is nothing like a real set or location to make a scene come to life. Most of the newer films biblical films (I have seen them sold in dollar stores) are probably all relying on CGI for that sense of scale.
DeleteDavid and Bathsheba is more modest in its production than most of these films. There are only a couple of big sets, and the crowd scenes are never large. The film also relies on the CGI of its day, matte paintings, to bring a feeling of scale. Since you like this style of filmmaking, you would probably get more out of the film than I did. The concluding sections are much stronger than the beginning.
Argylle (2024 apple+)
ReplyDeleteAgainst all odds/reviews/expectations i went into this really hoping id have fun with it. After the prologue opening i was a smidge hopeful. Figured it would be super cheezy but fun. Alas, in the end, it appears to be yet another step by director Vaughn in a very wrong direction. There's alot of pieces within that might have made a silly fun meta action flick (perhaps w shades of Last Action Hero). But it all falls apart. For starters it is shot TERRIBLY. Its like this super bright movie with WAY to much CGI settings. I realize that more and more movies are relying less and less on physical locations but, if done well, its harder to tell. This just looks fake. And then everything feels forced..theres no real natural flow to the twisty turny story..a shame considering the cast is capable of much more. A shame as Vaughn does have creativity and visual ideas and quirky fun ideas...but he seems to be forgetting how to put all of that into a cohesive/creative flick. Hoping his next outing course corrects.
CGI in Vaughn movies have always been wonky, but it's like he did it on purpose here. It was unwatchable
DeleteThis week I finally received The Fall 4k Collector's Edition from Umbrella. It's an awesome box full of goodies and extra features. The movie is still awesome, the 4k looks very good, and I forgot how adorable and fun the little girl was. I'm slowly making my way through the extras, which there's a lot of.
ReplyDeleteStoked that you like that movie so much. I remember it felt very unique. Like part whimsical childhood story, part love letter to movies, part Nat Geographic doc... I watched that little chubby cheek girl on REPEAT. That was before there was instagram with unlimited cute baby and animal videos to destress-out to.
Delete