The Italian Job (1969): After watching the remake for the millionth time last week, I thought it was time to watch the original. I can't say I loved it. I'm so used to the remake that the silliness of this one threw me off I think. I'll have to rewatch it again.
Naked Gun (2025): Obviously not as good, or even as funny, as the 3 original movies, it's still a fun time. At least they don't fall into the trap of just doing callbacks and references while spending way too much time showing off their celebrity friends (I'm looking at you Happy Gilmore 2). Too bad the best jokes are in the trailer. I sound a bit negative, but the movie's good and I love Liam and Pamela together. Lookout for the Priscilla Presley cameo, blink and you'll miss it. I went to an early screening, so I watched the original movies right when I got home.
The Salute of the Jugger (a.k.a. The Bl**d of Heroes, 1989): I saw this movie a while ago and remembered enjoying it a lot. Being the impulsive dumb**s that I am, I obviously got the super-cool-very-not-cheap-awesome-collector-edition. It's a very cool movie and I don't regret paying that much for it. Kind of Rollerball meet Mad Max. The boxset even comes with a rulebook for the game played in the movie. Written and directed by the dude who wrote Blade Runner, Unforgiven and 12 Monkeys.
So i went in with low expectations. I was very pleased to see that this film isnt trying to be another IT or Terrifier (or Killjoy or so on). And, moreso, i was surprised at how much fun i had with it! Its more of a Scream-adjacent type flick. It sets up a by-the-numbers teen angst situation of a new girl in a small town effectively enough that i was interested in the story. Also it works a good amount of humor throughout. The 3rd act reveals are relatively predictable but still alot of fun. I feel like this would be a decent double feature with Eli Roths Thanksgiving.
The Prosecutor (2025 digital purchase)
Directed by and starring the absolutely amazing Donnie Yen. Its very much in the genre of modern Hong Kong police action flicks but also adds a fair amount of courtroom drama to the mix. Unfortunately i found the courtroom stuff, while well executed, to be a bit long winded and not particularly engaging. That being said, there is a BUNCH of great action setpieces and some fun gangster stuff within. Donnie continues to knock my socks off as an action star. He rocks.
My movie week was dominated by watching things soon to disappear off of the DVR. As I have mentioned before, the new system only allows recordings to stay on for a month. Caligula was a blu-ray rental that I gradually made my way through because of the length of the cut.
OUR MAN FLINT (1966) – A straight-faced James Bond parody with James Coburn as American secret agent Derek Flint. Flint knows everything: martials arts, fencing, creating handy gadgets, safecracking and the varieties of bouillabaisse in Marseille. His powers of seduction rival that of James Bond himself. Flint is brought in to thwart an evil plan that does not sound so bad in hindsight. I had a blast watching Our Man Flint because it nails the tone of the early James Bond films. The final set-piece would not feel out of place in a real Bond film, and several modeling agencies must have been hired to fill the screen with bathing-suit clad women.
CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT (2022) – Taking footage -around 90 hours of it- that was never used in the original cut, a team of filmmakers and technicians reconstructed the original script of the film as much as possible. There certainly is more focus on the narrative than spectacle or titillation, which creates a far more serious tone for the Ultimate Cut. The question of whether this is more in the spirit of the original vision for Caligula can be debated (so many cooks in that kitchen to begin with), but I could see that the Ultimate Cut is more consistent in tone. And a half-hour longer.
ICE (1970, dir. Robert Kramer) at the Gap Theatre – In an authoritarian United States waging a war on Mexico, left-wing activists in New York City begin an armed campaign against the governing system. Part propaganda film, part thriller, and part drama, ICE portrays a group of people wrestling with ideology and difficult personal dynamics. There is a lot to digest with this example of 1960s era political cinema. Besides the infighting within the organization, there is the problem of the power the ruling system can bring down on them. The general tendency of people to not want to stick their necks out in difficult times for fear of punishment also comes up. In the current political climate here in the U.S., Ice does have some relevance.
LADY IN CEMENT (1968, dir. Gordon Douglas) – 1940s private detective yarn meets the swinging ‘60s. Private eye Tony Rome (Frank Sinatra) goes treasure hunting in Floridian waters and finds a woman’s body floating on the sea floor. In cement. A convoluted tale of murder and deceit that gets perhaps too convoluted by the conclusion, Lady In Cement entertains with Ol’ Blue Eyes putting on the charm as he is drawn into the intrigue. The lovely Raquel Welch is the leading lady at the center of the mystery. The film does nothing new, but it does take advantage of the breakdown in Hollywood censorship to include some titillating content.
Spent the past few weeks watching the new 4K releases of the Sean Connery 007 films (no Never Say Never Again?!). It had been a long time since I'd seen them. They look awesome btw.
Dr. No: Clunkier than I remembered, but full of great moments and Connery is electric.
From Russia With Love: A bona-fide masterpiece, the high-water mark of the series. A perfect movie. The scenes between Connery and Robert Shaw are movie magic.
Goldfinger: The formula is fully established. This movie is so fun and the last time Connery seems 100% engaged.
Thunderball: I agree with the common assessment that the underwater stuff, while novel, is nap-inducing.
You Only Live Twice: The sets are mind-boggling. I'm sure they impressed audiences in 1967 but dare I say they're even more impressive in 2025 when nothing close to this will ever be built again.
Diamonds are Forever: I think this is the worst one in the entire series. Connery is sleepwalking. The villain, Bond-girl, and action set pieces are bad. The bizarre henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are the highlight of the movie and maybe the weirdest thing in the entire series?
It is understandable that Dr. No has its awkward moments. The formula had to start somewhere, but it is surprising how quickly the Broccoli-Saltzman team figured it out. Ursula Andress is nearly 90 years old now.
I agree with you on From Russia With Love. That was such a surprising watch when I saw it a few years ago.
The scale of the finale of You Only Live Twice is what stands out from that entry.
The theme song from Diamonds Are Forever is one my favorites from the series.
Have you watched any of the Bond spoofs from that era, Matt? Our Man Flint was a fun watch this week. The Matt Helm films with Dean Martin have their good moments, particularly The Silencers.
Hey! F This Movie People! Run, don’t walk, to your nearest theater and see Weapons this weekend. Don’t read anything about it. Don’t talk to anyone who has seen it. Just go. One of the best films of the year.
The Italian Job (1969): After watching the remake for the millionth time last week, I thought it was time to watch the original. I can't say I loved it. I'm so used to the remake that the silliness of this one threw me off I think. I'll have to rewatch it again.
ReplyDeleteNaked Gun (2025): Obviously not as good, or even as funny, as the 3 original movies, it's still a fun time. At least they don't fall into the trap of just doing callbacks and references while spending way too much time showing off their celebrity friends (I'm looking at you Happy Gilmore 2). Too bad the best jokes are in the trailer. I sound a bit negative, but the movie's good and I love Liam and Pamela together. Lookout for the Priscilla Presley cameo, blink and you'll miss it. I went to an early screening, so I watched the original movies right when I got home.
The Salute of the Jugger (a.k.a. The Bl**d of Heroes, 1989): I saw this movie a while ago and remembered enjoying it a lot. Being the impulsive dumb**s that I am, I obviously got the super-cool-very-not-cheap-awesome-collector-edition. It's a very cool movie and I don't regret paying that much for it. Kind of Rollerball meet Mad Max. The boxset even comes with a rulebook for the game played in the movie. Written and directed by the dude who wrote Blade Runner, Unforgiven and 12 Monkeys.
I'm trying to post something about Trouble With the Curve, but Blogger won't let me. I can't figure out what word is causing issue
DeleteAnyway, not a great movie, but it's about baseball so I like it
Clown in a Cornfield (2025 shudder)
ReplyDeleteSo i went in with low expectations. I was very pleased to see that this film isnt trying to be another IT or Terrifier (or Killjoy or so on). And, moreso, i was surprised at how much fun i had with it! Its more of a Scream-adjacent type flick. It sets up a by-the-numbers teen angst situation of a new girl in a small town effectively enough that i was interested in the story. Also it works a good amount of humor throughout. The 3rd act reveals are relatively predictable but still alot of fun. I feel like this would be a decent double feature with Eli Roths Thanksgiving.
The Prosecutor (2025 digital purchase)
Directed by and starring the absolutely amazing Donnie Yen. Its very much in the genre of modern Hong Kong police action flicks but also adds a fair amount of courtroom drama to the mix. Unfortunately i found the courtroom stuff, while well executed, to be a bit long winded and not particularly engaging. That being said, there is a BUNCH of great action setpieces and some fun gangster stuff within. Donnie continues to knock my socks off as an action star. He rocks.
My movie week was dominated by watching things soon to disappear off of the DVR. As I have mentioned before, the new system only allows recordings to stay on for a month. Caligula was a blu-ray rental that I gradually made my way through because of the length of the cut.
ReplyDeleteOUR MAN FLINT (1966) – A straight-faced James Bond parody with James Coburn as American secret agent Derek Flint. Flint knows everything: martials arts, fencing, creating handy gadgets, safecracking and the varieties of bouillabaisse in Marseille. His powers of seduction rival that of James Bond himself. Flint is brought in to thwart an evil plan that does not sound so bad in hindsight. I had a blast watching Our Man Flint because it nails the tone of the early James Bond films. The final set-piece would not feel out of place in a real Bond film, and several modeling agencies must have been hired to fill the screen with bathing-suit clad women.
CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT (2022) – Taking footage -around 90 hours of it- that was never used in the original cut, a team of filmmakers and technicians reconstructed the original script of the film as much as possible. There certainly is more focus on the narrative than spectacle or titillation, which creates a far more serious tone for the Ultimate Cut. The question of whether this is more in the spirit of the original vision for Caligula can be debated (so many cooks in that kitchen to begin with), but I could see that the Ultimate Cut is more consistent in tone. And a half-hour longer.
ICE (1970, dir. Robert Kramer) at the Gap Theatre – In an authoritarian United States waging a war on Mexico, left-wing activists in New York City begin an armed campaign against the governing system. Part propaganda film, part thriller, and part drama, ICE portrays a group of people wrestling with ideology and difficult personal dynamics. There is a lot to digest with this example of 1960s era political cinema. Besides the infighting within the organization, there is the problem of the power the ruling system can bring down on them. The general tendency of people to not want to stick their necks out in difficult times for fear of punishment also comes up. In the current political climate here in the U.S., Ice does have some relevance.
LADY IN CEMENT (1968, dir. Gordon Douglas) – 1940s private detective yarn meets the swinging ‘60s. Private eye Tony Rome (Frank Sinatra) goes treasure hunting in Floridian waters and finds a woman’s body floating on the sea floor. In cement. A convoluted tale of murder and deceit that gets perhaps too convoluted by the conclusion, Lady In Cement entertains with Ol’ Blue Eyes putting on the charm as he is drawn into the intrigue. The lovely Raquel Welch is the leading lady at the center of the mystery. The film does nothing new, but it does take advantage of the breakdown in Hollywood censorship to include some titillating content.
LADY OF BURLESQUE (1943, dir. William Wellman) РA burlesque troupe starting a run in New York finds itself the target of a killer strangling the ladies with their own g-strings. Part murder mystery and part backstage drama, this independent production starring Barbara Stanwyck gets as trashy as it could be for the 1940s. There is a lot of catty behavior among the women, and the risqu̩ humor burlesque was known for is on display probably as much as the censors would allow. Not surprisingly, there are no striptease sequences.
Spent the past few weeks watching the new 4K releases of the Sean Connery 007 films (no Never Say Never Again?!). It had been a long time since I'd seen them. They look awesome btw.
ReplyDeleteDr. No: Clunkier than I remembered, but full of great moments and Connery is electric.
From Russia With Love: A bona-fide masterpiece, the high-water mark of the series. A perfect movie. The scenes between Connery and Robert Shaw are movie magic.
Goldfinger: The formula is fully established. This movie is so fun and the last time Connery seems 100% engaged.
Thunderball: I agree with the common assessment that the underwater stuff, while novel, is nap-inducing.
You Only Live Twice: The sets are mind-boggling. I'm sure they impressed audiences in 1967 but dare I say they're even more impressive in 2025 when nothing close to this will ever be built again.
Diamonds are Forever: I think this is the worst one in the entire series. Connery is sleepwalking. The villain, Bond-girl, and action set pieces are bad. The bizarre henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are the highlight of the movie and maybe the weirdest thing in the entire series?
It is understandable that Dr. No has its awkward moments. The formula had to start somewhere, but it is surprising how quickly the Broccoli-Saltzman team figured it out. Ursula Andress is nearly 90 years old now.
DeleteI agree with you on From Russia With Love. That was such a surprising watch when I saw it a few years ago.
The scale of the finale of You Only Live Twice is what stands out from that entry.
The theme song from Diamonds Are Forever is one my favorites from the series.
Have you watched any of the Bond spoofs from that era, Matt? Our Man Flint was a fun watch this week. The Matt Helm films with Dean Martin have their good moments, particularly The Silencers.
Hey! F This Movie People! Run, don’t walk, to your nearest theater and see Weapons this weekend. Don’t read anything about it. Don’t talk to anyone who has seen it. Just go. One of the best films of the year.
ReplyDeleteThat is all.
I was planning to go see it maybe tuesday actually, when it's half price
Delete