Human Traffic (1999): We never got a proper blu-ray of this, and now we have a 4k, The UK cut no less. What a time to be alive. I'm more familiar with the US cut (sadly not available on this disc), as it was the only version available in North America on DVD. I love this movie, the cast is perfect, the jokes are funny. This movie lives and dies on its soundtrack. I don't even like electro and hip-hop that much, but the movie is making me love it. Watch out for the Spliff Politics scene. The disc is highly recommended, great sound and picture quality, full of extras, with menus like Arrow's, which means we get a small explanation of the bonus we're about to watch. Boomshanka!
28 Years Later (2025): I can't say I cared for this one. We rarely see post-apocalyptic events set outside the US, so that was new. They try to shake things up with some trippy quick cuts and jump cuts and some camera move, but they don't amount to anything in the end. They setup a sequel (in the weirdest way, which is good), and I don't know why we need one.
The Italian Job (2003): I think I saw the original once, a long time ago, but I don't remember much of it. On the other hand, I saw this one a bunch of time. I always have a ton of fun when I watch it. Charlize is awesome, Mark is cool, Edward is a rat. It could've been another Ocean's Eleven, it's clearly trying to cash in on its success, but as much as I like Ocean's Eleven, I feel Italian Job is less... pompous, like I would watch Logan Lucky before any Ocean movies. I really should watch the original though.
I've spent this week going through Chaplin's 12 short movies for Mutual and man, much as these aren't quite City Lights or The General yet, they really point the way back in 1916-1917. They're a ton of fun, with bits I'm so happy I've finally scene. In particular, One A.M. is a solo masterpiece as he comes home absolutely blotto and tries to get upstairs to bed. Which at one point involves mountain climbing equipment to get up the stairs; it's pretty teriffic.
There probably has never been a bigger movie star in the history of cinema than Charlie Chaplin. No language was needed to understand his films. There is a British documentary series from the 1980s called Unknown Chaplin that delves into that part of his career and his working methods.
I recently acquired French silent serials from the 1910s during Kino Lorber sales: Fantomas and Les Vampires. I have not explored the world of serials much before.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes (2025 HBOMaxBOcinemaxboxoffice)
Absolutely dug this 2 part, 5 hour, look into Billy Joel and his music. Especially enjoyed part 1 which chronicled his rise and the albums that contain the bulk of his biggest hits. The doc never digs too deep in any particular area and therefore plays like bullet points from wiki BUT does give some insights into relationships both personal and with the band, managerial choices, addictions, heritage, etc. Most of all its a great reminder at his incredible music output.
Continuing to go through the Star Trek rewatch and there was only so many episodes of Voyager we could watch in a row, so I broke it up a bit by getting to the last two movies we hadn't done yet: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (told the gf that if I had started the movies off with this one she wouldn't want to bother with the others), and Star Trek: Beyond (which has the least amount of ties to any of the main continuity so there was no natural place where it slotted in). It was interesting that it worked out that we watched the first Trek movie followed by the most recent, Section 31 aside.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1980)
I know this movie is slow paced, but it still surprises me how slow every time I watch it. The shuttle trip to the Enterprise is almost 6 minutes of Enterprise porn. By minute 2 we were laughing. By minute 4 it was no longer funny. I want to say I appreciate what this movie was trying to do, but it's about 10 minutes of plot stretched over 2 hours. It was a struggle for the gf to get through so I feel fairly validated for having skipped over it earlier.
Star Trek: Beyond (2016)
Probably my favorite of the three Kelvin movies. I appreciate that this movie and Star Trek (2009) find things for all the main cast to do, which has been a common problem with almost all the Star Trek movies (IV being the main exception I can think of). It's got a bit of a villain problem, but that's a fairly common Star Trek movie flaw as well. Good movie overall, but let down a bit by the Kelvin timeline ending up as a bit of a dead end once Paramount started cranking out shows back in the original timeline, and especially once Discovery and Strange New Worlds started recasting the TOS crew yet again.
Watched Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps in the last week or so but don't have anything notable to say about them. They're fine. Back to Voyager for a bit. Got a season and a half more to get through before 7 of 9 shows up.
Entering another month now, and I am still trying to diversify my watches as much as possible in the run-up to Scary Movie Month. I should be going to a theater tonight for a couple of obscure blaxploitation films.
GANGA KI SAUGAND (1977, dir. Sultan Ahmed) – After watching very polished Bollywood productions from the past 30 years, a film like this takes one back to a rougher style of Indian cinema. Set in a rural area controlled by a cruel landowner, this is the story a cowherder (played by the renowned Amitabh Bachchan) fighting against injustices to the detriment of his and his mother’s existence. Becoming a bandit, he swears revenge against the landowner’s wrongs done to him. Mixed into the action is a strange subplot about trusting divine forces to deliver justice in the world. This is a messy film all around, including a conclusion that is simultaneously bewildering and entertaining. But that ending is the only thing that raised the film above barely watchable, particularly from a Westerner’s viewpoint.
LITTLE DARLINGS (1980, dir. Ron Maxwell) – Getting to a summer theme with a film I have known about for a long time. Starting as a raunchy sex comedy typical of the period, Little Darlings morphs into something completely different. The bet between two adolescent girls striving to lose their virginity gets very somber by the conclusion. Besides the virginity bet, there is a lot of focus on the relationship dynamics between the characters. There are also a quite a few gender reversals to observe. Christy McNichol shines as Angel, showing a lot of the character’s emotions behind her eyes. A very young Matt Dillon and Cynthia Nixon are also featured in the cast.
RIO CONCHOS (1964, dir. Gordon Douglas) – I recorded this western off of the Fox movie channel (FXM) in my goal to watch as many of the films that get shown repeatedly on there. Though I had no expectations, Rio Conchos was still a pleasant surprise. The film is gritty and violent in ways that remind me of spaghetti westerns despite it getting released before those became popular in the U.S. Everything begins with one of the main characters, a bitter ex-Confederate named Lassiter, gunning down a group of Apaches in cold-blood. He reluctantly gets drawn into a search for stolen rifles in Mexico led by a couple of army officers (including a young Jim Brown) who do not trust him. Along for the trip is a mixed-race ruffian who had no qualms about killing. Each character to varying degrees has a ruthless streak. As is common for this time period, there is some Redface acting to deal with. There is some beautiful location shooting in Utah to admire as well.
HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE (1991) – Capitalizing on the success of the Godfather films, Francis Ford Coppola set out to shoot his dream project, Apocalypse Now, in the Philippines in 1976. Not for the last time, he put a lot of his own money in the production. His wife Eleanor filmed the ordeal that followed along with clandestinely recording conversations that reveal a director starting to crack under the pressure. Typhoons, actors with medical issues, and a script that continuously changed kept the production going over 200 days of shooting. The ambition of Coppola’s vision certain did not make him a humble man during filming.
Fascinating and worthy sequel to the iconic original 90's film that seems like it kinda came and went then disappeared. Remarkably matches the thrilling energy and profound sadness of T1. And the soundtrack is just as awesome! The final shot may be just an empty visual callback to the original, but I think it could potentially have incredibly messed-up implications that I cannot stop thinking about. I'm curious if anyone else has thoughts on that but don't want to spoil anything.
I don't really have any thoughts on the last shot, but I can maybe understand what you're getting at. To me, it was just another callback, which Renton in particular gets a lot of over the course of the movie. I think maybe it just reflects that there are some aspects of who we are that just never change.
I do like the movie a lot and probably even more than I like the original. I'm sure I've said it before here, but even though I can't relate to the extreme ways these characters misspent their youths, there is something at least relatable about being middle-aged and feeling like you there's some things you wish you'd done differently. The characters feel more grounded compared to their almost cartoonish nature at times in the original.
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPORER (2008) This is much better than the second movie, but still a little clunky.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) “I swear it will be done.”
K-POP DEMON HUNTERS (2025) Had to see what all the hype is about. Reminded me a lot of the two Spider-Verse movies.
DOLLS (1987) Stuart Gordon goodness!
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2025) Gave this another try. I like Mackie and Ford, and some of the action is thrilling. But the plot is kind of generic and going-through-the-motions. A mixed bag.
I liked Captain America. I thought it's a fine middle-of-the-run story. It's a fine 3/5, and sometimes this is what we need to get to the bigger ones. Apparently that's just me because the movie was not well received.
Human Traffic (1999): We never got a proper blu-ray of this, and now we have a 4k, The UK cut no less. What a time to be alive. I'm more familiar with the US cut (sadly not available on this disc), as it was the only version available in North America on DVD. I love this movie, the cast is perfect, the jokes are funny. This movie lives and dies on its soundtrack. I don't even like electro and hip-hop that much, but the movie is making me love it. Watch out for the Spliff Politics scene. The disc is highly recommended, great sound and picture quality, full of extras, with menus like Arrow's, which means we get a small explanation of the bonus we're about to watch. Boomshanka!
ReplyDelete28 Years Later (2025): I can't say I cared for this one. We rarely see post-apocalyptic events set outside the US, so that was new. They try to shake things up with some trippy quick cuts and jump cuts and some camera move, but they don't amount to anything in the end. They setup a sequel (in the weirdest way, which is good), and I don't know why we need one.
The Italian Job (2003): I think I saw the original once, a long time ago, but I don't remember much of it. On the other hand, I saw this one a bunch of time. I always have a ton of fun when I watch it. Charlize is awesome, Mark is cool, Edward is a rat. It could've been another Ocean's Eleven, it's clearly trying to cash in on its success, but as much as I like Ocean's Eleven, I feel Italian Job is less... pompous, like I would watch Logan Lucky before any Ocean movies. I really should watch the original though.
I've spent this week going through Chaplin's 12 short movies for Mutual and man, much as these aren't quite City Lights or The General yet, they really point the way back in 1916-1917. They're a ton of fun, with bits I'm so happy I've finally scene. In particular, One A.M. is a solo masterpiece as he comes home absolutely blotto and tries to get upstairs to bed. Which at one point involves mountain climbing equipment to get up the stairs; it's pretty teriffic.
ReplyDeleteThere probably has never been a bigger movie star in the history of cinema than Charlie Chaplin. No language was needed to understand his films. There is a British documentary series from the 1980s called Unknown Chaplin that delves into that part of his career and his working methods.
DeleteI recently acquired French silent serials from the 1910s during Kino Lorber sales: Fantomas and Les Vampires. I have not explored the world of serials much before.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes (2025 HBOMaxBOcinemaxboxoffice)
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely dug this 2 part, 5 hour, look into Billy Joel and his music. Especially enjoyed part 1 which chronicled his rise and the albums that contain the bulk of his biggest hits. The doc never digs too deep in any particular area and therefore plays like bullet points from wiki BUT does give some insights into relationships both personal and with the band, managerial choices, addictions, heritage, etc. Most of all its a great reminder at his incredible music output.
Continuing to go through the Star Trek rewatch and there was only so many episodes of Voyager we could watch in a row, so I broke it up a bit by getting to the last two movies we hadn't done yet: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (told the gf that if I had started the movies off with this one she wouldn't want to bother with the others), and Star Trek: Beyond (which has the least amount of ties to any of the main continuity so there was no natural place where it slotted in). It was interesting that it worked out that we watched the first Trek movie followed by the most recent, Section 31 aside.
ReplyDeleteStar Trek: The Motion Picture (1980)
I know this movie is slow paced, but it still surprises me how slow every time I watch it. The shuttle trip to the Enterprise is almost 6 minutes of Enterprise porn. By minute 2 we were laughing. By minute 4 it was no longer funny. I want to say I appreciate what this movie was trying to do, but it's about 10 minutes of plot stretched over 2 hours. It was a struggle for the gf to get through so I feel fairly validated for having skipped over it earlier.
Star Trek: Beyond (2016)
Probably my favorite of the three Kelvin movies. I appreciate that this movie and Star Trek (2009) find things for all the main cast to do, which has been a common problem with almost all the Star Trek movies (IV being the main exception I can think of). It's got a bit of a villain problem, but that's a fairly common Star Trek movie flaw as well. Good movie overall, but let down a bit by the Kelvin timeline ending up as a bit of a dead end once Paramount started cranking out shows back in the original timeline, and especially once Discovery and Strange New Worlds started recasting the TOS crew yet again.
Watched Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps in the last week or so but don't have anything notable to say about them. They're fine. Back to Voyager for a bit. Got a season and a half more to get through before 7 of 9 shows up.
Entering another month now, and I am still trying to diversify my watches as much as possible in the run-up to Scary Movie Month. I should be going to a theater tonight for a couple of obscure blaxploitation films.
ReplyDeleteGANGA KI SAUGAND (1977, dir. Sultan Ahmed) – After watching very polished Bollywood productions from the past 30 years, a film like this takes one back to a rougher style of Indian cinema. Set in a rural area controlled by a cruel landowner, this is the story a cowherder (played by the renowned Amitabh Bachchan) fighting against injustices to the detriment of his and his mother’s existence. Becoming a bandit, he swears revenge against the landowner’s wrongs done to him. Mixed into the action is a strange subplot about trusting divine forces to deliver justice in the world. This is a messy film all around, including a conclusion that is simultaneously bewildering and entertaining. But that ending is the only thing that raised the film above barely watchable, particularly from a Westerner’s viewpoint.
LITTLE DARLINGS (1980, dir. Ron Maxwell) – Getting to a summer theme with a film I have known about for a long time. Starting as a raunchy sex comedy typical of the period, Little Darlings morphs into something completely different. The bet between two adolescent girls striving to lose their virginity gets very somber by the conclusion. Besides the virginity bet, there is a lot of focus on the relationship dynamics between the characters. There are also a quite a few gender reversals to observe. Christy McNichol shines as Angel, showing a lot of the character’s emotions behind her eyes. A very young Matt Dillon and Cynthia Nixon are also featured in the cast.
RIO CONCHOS (1964, dir. Gordon Douglas) – I recorded this western off of the Fox movie channel (FXM) in my goal to watch as many of the films that get shown repeatedly on there. Though I had no expectations, Rio Conchos was still a pleasant surprise. The film is gritty and violent in ways that remind me of spaghetti westerns despite it getting released before those became popular in the U.S. Everything begins with one of the main characters, a bitter ex-Confederate named Lassiter, gunning down a group of Apaches in cold-blood. He reluctantly gets drawn into a search for stolen rifles in Mexico led by a couple of army officers (including a young Jim Brown) who do not trust him. Along for the trip is a mixed-race ruffian who had no qualms about killing. Each character to varying degrees has a ruthless streak. As is common for this time period, there is some Redface acting to deal with. There is some beautiful location shooting in Utah to admire as well.
HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE (1991) – Capitalizing on the success of the Godfather films, Francis Ford Coppola set out to shoot his dream project, Apocalypse Now, in the Philippines in 1976. Not for the last time, he put a lot of his own money in the production. His wife Eleanor filmed the ordeal that followed along with clandestinely recording conversations that reveal a director starting to crack under the pressure. Typhoons, actors with medical issues, and a script that continuously changed kept the production going over 200 days of shooting. The ambition of Coppola’s vision certain did not make him a humble man during filming.
T2 Trainspotting (2017, dir. Danny Boyle)
ReplyDeleteFascinating and worthy sequel to the iconic original 90's film that seems like it kinda came and went then disappeared. Remarkably matches the thrilling energy and profound sadness of T1. And the soundtrack is just as awesome! The final shot may be just an empty visual callback to the original, but I think it could potentially have incredibly messed-up implications that I cannot stop thinking about. I'm curious if anyone else has thoughts on that but don't want to spoil anything.
I don't really have any thoughts on the last shot, but I can maybe understand what you're getting at. To me, it was just another callback, which Renton in particular gets a lot of over the course of the movie. I think maybe it just reflects that there are some aspects of who we are that just never change.
DeleteI do like the movie a lot and probably even more than I like the original. I'm sure I've said it before here, but even though I can't relate to the extreme ways these characters misspent their youths, there is something at least relatable about being middle-aged and feeling like you there's some things you wish you'd done differently. The characters feel more grounded compared to their almost cartoonish nature at times in the original.
I don't remember the end of T2, but I remember the movie was a nice continuity of the first movie.
DeleteTHE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPORER (2008)
ReplyDeleteThis is much better than the second movie, but still a little clunky.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)
“I swear it will be done.”
K-POP DEMON HUNTERS (2025)
Had to see what all the hype is about. Reminded me a lot of the two Spider-Verse movies.
DOLLS (1987)
Stuart Gordon goodness!
CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2025)
Gave this another try. I like Mackie and Ford, and some of the action is thrilling. But the plot is kind of generic and going-through-the-motions. A mixed bag.
I liked Captain America. I thought it's a fine middle-of-the-run story. It's a fine 3/5, and sometimes this is what we need to get to the bigger ones. Apparently that's just me because the movie was not well received.
Delete