Yet another small week of movies for me, but the weekend is looking good, stay tuned.
Anyway, I again watched a bunch of Stargate while doing a bit of overtime (gotta pay for those sweet 4k discs, and the pile keeps getting taller while I watch Stsrgate).
I did manage to finally order Creepshow 2 on 4k. I hesitated for a while because the reviews of the movie are not super good, but after reading Patrick's a couple of time, just to make sure I knew what I was getting into, I decided to take the jump. Also, I already own Creepshow 1 and Tales From the Darkside, I had to complete the collection. It's a fun enough movie. That's what's fun with anthologies, if one of the movies is not to your liking, chances are one of the others will be. And the super awesome Arrow release is full of extras, and a comic book based on an unproduced script. Fun times.
Also, I can't wait to ear everybody's review of Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair. I'm not a fan of the movies, but I know it's a popular one, and this edit has been requested forever
The Creepshow 2 segment The Raft is one of my all time favorite Stephen King adaptations. A simple simple concept that would suffer in long form but is perfect as an anthology short story. Dig it.
I know The Raft is a fan favorite, and it's very good in its simplicity, but my favorite was the first segment, because I just like seeing bullies getting their ass kicked. It's not perfect, strangely a bit long for a 15 minutes story, but I'll take an avenging spirit anytime
I can't wait to see Kill Bill: The Whole Thing. I never saw them when they first came out in theatres, but they're perhaps my favourite of Tarantino's work. It's playing in a ~70 seat theatre at the Cineplex. The indie theatre down the street is playing it also later in the month in 35mm. It's a smaller screen, but I just sit closer. My only issue is they have a team of people come in with the 35mm projector. I went to see Terminator 2 a few months ago, and while the projection was awesome, the sound was way way way too fucking loud. The person in charge of it must have been partially deaf.
It was the first thing my son said to me when the movie ended. And I talked a few weeks later with a work guy who had been to that screening as well, and it was the first thing he said. So, I'm cautious about going to a screening where they clearly can't avoid cracking the volume to uncomfortable levels.
I'm assuming it's the same people coming in with the 35mm showing. So I'm going to go to the Cineplex showing. Maybe I'll go to both, because the 35mm one is during Christmas holidays anyways.
About 20m into watching i was resigned to the fact that my experience would be similar to Tron: Legacy: 1) amazing updated visual look at the grid, 2) great synth soundtrack, 3) a nice peppering of nostalgia and callback, 4) relatively forgettable story/characters. And, in the end, i suppose thats all true. However i also found myself having fun with it for what it is. I think there's alot of great ideas....AI sentience, jumping in/out of our world and the grid, and representing the original Tron vs modern by different visitable operating systems. And to my surprise i thought Leto did a fine job (far more grounded performance than expected). Bridges cameo as Flynn+The Dude+Cyber Buddha was fun to see. Honestly i half expected him to say to leto "This Program Abides!". As one who considers the original film transformative personally and for cinema i guess i didnt think we'd ever get another one after Legacy and im glad we did. Worth watching for fans once streaming for free on D+.
(PS: also it bears noting that one major plot point involves synthetic humans wanting more life...a-la Blade Runner...which is relative ironic as Jared Leto stars in the blade runner sequel as the human overseeing the synths and in this Tron sequel as the synth looking for more time being human)
It seems strange (at least to me) that Tron movies are still being made. I know the original has developed a cult audience over the years, but is there enough of an audience to justify the budgets of the sequels?
Yea, i have ZERO idea how this got made. I know that Disney US finally put in the popular TRON ride a few years ago but besides that i kinda figured theres virtually no youth appeal to the IP. Oh well, one last ride on a lightcycle works for me. #EndOfLine
I felt like this film was made just for me. Everything about it just worked. It manages to tell a story that is both introspective and intimate while also exploring mankind's devastating impact on the natural world. It's tragic and beautiful, and right now it's my favorite movie is year.
I watched Geronimo: An American Legend (1993, Walter Hill). This movie is great! I was a little worried early on as it was a little slow and was leaning heavily into the "Noble Savage" trope (which it doesn't completely abandon), but then I was completely engrossed in it. Notably, there is some fantastic horse stunt work in this! Some were done by Jason Patric himself; he must have grown up with horses, because he's incredible.
I know it's not the most humane to have horses performing stunts where they crash out (not easy for the stunt riders either), especially considering a broken leg is basically a death sentence for them. But I admit I was excited and enthralled to see it done well. The sound design of all the horses was exceptionally well done as well, with the neighing, leather creaking, and hooves pounding the ground.
Every time I watch another Walter Hill movie, I'm reminded that he's probably one of my favourite directors. There's a lot more I want to say about this movie, but I'll leave it at that. I took a deep wiki dive into the history of of the Apache Wars, and I think the film portrayed it authentically, with some details changed for entertainment.
I can't believe I wrote so many words, and didn't mention Wes Studi, who is incredible in the movie. Steve Reevis who plays Chato I thought was very good too, playing an Apache who cooperates with the Americans, is conflicted by it, and you guessed it, ultimately betrayed by the Americans and sent to prison with all the other Apaches anyways.
LETHAL WEAPON (1987) Not without its flaws, but this remains some good ol' fashioned two-fisted men's pulp adventure stuff.
GHOST (1990) Forgot how good this movie is. Yes, it's all big sweeping romance, but don't forget it also works as a supernatural thriller.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) Where can I get one of those scary-looking fold-up wire hangers?
THE TERMINAL (2004) I dunno. On one hand, it's an amazing technical feat how they built the entire life-size terminal just for this movie, and Spielberg does his usual trick of elaborate camera moves where you don't realize how elaborate at first. On the other hand, Stanley Tucci goes overboard in making his villain character truly evil in a movie that doesn't require this movie villainy, and the movie can't decide if Hanks' character is a simpleton or a wunderkind. This is just Forrest Gump but without the weird s*x parts.
OCTOPUSSY (1983) Only the Bond franchise can give us a blockbuster action flick that features both clowns AND Faberge eggs.
After the Kong debacle Carl Denham is run out of NYC and returns to Skull Island to find Kong's son and some other prehistoric beasts. Then the island sinks. The end. For a 70 minute movie to not even GET to the island until minute 40 is borderline criminal. This odious sequel was rushed out THE SAME YEAR as King Kong to capitalize on its success. In some ways Hollywood hasn't changed...
Manon (1949): I'm a big fan of Henry George Clouzot (The Wages of Fear), so when the guy at the used dvd store presented me this Arrow release of the movie, I jumped on it. It's a story told in flashbacks, which is not my favorite thing, but I don't let it ruin a movie for me. The movie's good, but Clouzot made better movies before this.
Avalon (2001): I spent the big bucks to get this blu-ray. It never got a north American release, so I got the Japanese version. I can't read the menus, and the extras are most likely not english subbed, but the movie start automatically, so I'm good. My friends and I are big fans, having watched it a few times over the years, and yet I still don't understand it. But the movie is very cool, they used some of the Polish military vehicles, which make some of the action scenes pretty awesome, but there's not that many. The movie is very slow, pretty much like the other movies by the director, so don't expect a balls-to-the-walls action flick. Mamoru Oshii made this in response to The Matrix, which was heavily influenced by his Ghost in the Shell. Japanese director, shot in polish, with english text, it's a weird combination that works very well. With online shooter games being very popular right now, the movie seems to be ahead of its time. Every sci-fi nerd should watch this movie, but it might be hard to find legally. It looks like it's available to rent on amazon.
An attempt to get this through the Blogger censorship.
W-H-*-R-E (1991, dir. Ken Russell) – I remember the controversy around this film in the early 1990s. Ken Russell was certainly not afraid of controversy throughout his career, however. This stars his wife, Theresa Russell, as the lead character, an L.A. veteran of the world’s oldest profession who tells her story straight to the camera. With the constant breaking of the fourth wall, the film feels like a play shot on location. Much of the drama revolves around her relationship with a volatile p-i-m-p. The 1964 Japanese film The Shape of Night I liked better with this kind of story, but Theresa Russell gives her usual gusty performance to make the film worthwhile.
As the movie community wonders what the consequences of Netflix owning Warner Brothers might mean for the future, the movie-watching goes on.
FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 (1982, dir. Steven Miner) – I watched this on a whim, desiring to put something schlocky on the TV while doing a chore. A long time has passed since I last saw this all the way through. From the 3-D gimmick to the intentional comedy, Part 3 feels like a lot more like a B-movie than the first two. The acting gets very ridiculous, including the final girl. Definitely not my favorite film of the franchise but undeniably important for the direction the franchise took.
RED ROCK WEST (1993, dir. John Dahl) – A belated Noirvember watch, this is a terrific neo-noir starring Nicholas Cage. He portrays an honest but destitute man who stumbles into a Wyoming town and finds a lot of trouble. It seems like all the noir tropes are thrown into the twisty plot, and there is a surprising amount of humor as the action unfolds. Cage works very well with Dennis Hopper and Lara Flynn Boyle as everything goes wrong.
They could stop making movies right now, and I'd still have a century of movies to watch. But I do love seeing movies on the big screen, so that news is a little big worrisome.
I watched a bunch of Friday the 13th movies during SMM, but that is one I didn't revisit. I've watched it more times with the Fthismovie commentary than without. The Paramount mountain with the clouds going by is comforting. I know I'm about to watch a movie.
THE BOXER’S OMEN (1983, dir. Kuei Chih-hung) – Surreal, gross, outrageous… This Shaw Brothers production more than lives up to its reputation for strangeness. A Hong Kong boxer gets drawn into a supernatural battle between a Buddhist monk and black magicians in Thailand. Oh, there are also some kickboxing matches. The experience of watching The Boxer’s Omen is hard to describe.
Haha, I kept getting emails about you posting the same thing again and again. Glad it eventually worked out. I haven't had any difficulties recently, but I automatically "select all - copy" when posting and check whether it works. Force of habit at this point.
I had never heard of that Shaw Brothers movie. It's a very late one. Some of my favourites are the later ones. It's only available as a Arrow subscriber in Canada. I didn't even know Arrow had a subscription thing.
Still having issues Casual? 🤣 Luckily i get the notifications for this post and can read everything you wrote. I noted the movies you recommended from the set
Last weekend I devoted some time to the Black Friday sales, going though the difficult process of narrowing down what I would like to have with what I can afford. The main purchases were from the MVD sale, particularly the Blue Underground releases that were marked down a lot. I also put in a small purchase with Vinegar Syndrome primarily to get releases that are now nearly gone. Junesploitation was a major consideration for my choices.
I would likely have held off from purchasing from VS if the stock counts had not gotten low for a couple of items. There is a stack of VS releases that I have yet to watch. I threw in an older release that I have eyed for a some time, too.
Does Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’s wide theatrical release qualify it for Best of 25’ lists?
Also is anyone else just as perplexed by QT’s bashing of Paul Dano, Matthew Lillard and Owen Wilson? It’s seems overtly harsh and unnecessary the way he responded. He could’ve been more tactful or presented a calculated argument but he comes off as the boorish old director type he famously despised. I believe he had said he would retire if he reached that level of becoming a hack and if he keeps popping up on moderate quasi conservative podcasts talking bullshit maybe he should.
In preparation for top ten stuff I finally caught up with The Life of Chuck. It will in fact make an appearance on that list. The narration was fine. But most importantly, that last dance number is my favorite sequence in any movie this year. I loved it so much.
Yet another small week of movies for me, but the weekend is looking good, stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I again watched a bunch of Stargate while doing a bit of overtime (gotta pay for those sweet 4k discs, and the pile keeps getting taller while I watch Stsrgate).
I did manage to finally order Creepshow 2 on 4k. I hesitated for a while because the reviews of the movie are not super good, but after reading Patrick's a couple of time, just to make sure I knew what I was getting into, I decided to take the jump. Also, I already own Creepshow 1 and Tales From the Darkside, I had to complete the collection. It's a fun enough movie. That's what's fun with anthologies, if one of the movies is not to your liking, chances are one of the others will be. And the super awesome Arrow release is full of extras, and a comic book based on an unproduced script. Fun times.
Also, I can't wait to ear everybody's review of Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair. I'm not a fan of the movies, but I know it's a popular one, and this edit has been requested forever
DeleteThe Creepshow 2 segment The Raft is one of my all time favorite Stephen King adaptations. A simple simple concept that would suffer in long form but is perfect as an anthology short story. Dig it.
DeleteI know The Raft is a fan favorite, and it's very good in its simplicity, but my favorite was the first segment, because I just like seeing bullies getting their ass kicked. It's not perfect, strangely a bit long for a 15 minutes story, but I'll take an avenging spirit anytime
DeleteI can't wait to see Kill Bill: The Whole Thing. I never saw them when they first came out in theatres, but they're perhaps my favourite of Tarantino's work. It's playing in a ~70 seat theatre at the Cineplex. The indie theatre down the street is playing it also later in the month in 35mm. It's a smaller screen, but I just sit closer. My only issue is they have a team of people come in with the 35mm projector. I went to see Terminator 2 a few months ago, and while the projection was awesome, the sound was way way way too fucking loud. The person in charge of it must have been partially deaf.
DeleteIt was the first thing my son said to me when the movie ended. And I talked a few weeks later with a work guy who had been to that screening as well, and it was the first thing he said. So, I'm cautious about going to a screening where they clearly can't avoid cracking the volume to uncomfortable levels.
I'm assuming it's the same people coming in with the 35mm showing. So I'm going to go to the Cineplex showing. Maybe I'll go to both, because the 35mm one is during Christmas holidays anyways.
Tron: Ares (2025)
ReplyDeleteAbout 20m into watching i was resigned to the fact that my experience would be similar to Tron: Legacy: 1) amazing updated visual look at the grid, 2) great synth soundtrack, 3) a nice peppering of nostalgia and callback, 4) relatively forgettable story/characters. And, in the end, i suppose thats all true. However i also found myself having fun with it for what it is. I think there's alot of great ideas....AI sentience, jumping in/out of our world and the grid, and representing the original Tron vs modern by different visitable operating systems. And to my surprise i thought Leto did a fine job (far more grounded performance than expected). Bridges cameo as Flynn+The Dude+Cyber Buddha was fun to see. Honestly i half expected him to say to leto "This Program Abides!". As one who considers the original film transformative personally and for cinema i guess i didnt think we'd ever get another one after Legacy and im glad we did. Worth watching for fans once streaming for free on D+.
(PS: also it bears noting that one major plot point involves synthetic humans wanting more life...a-la Blade Runner...which is relative ironic as Jared Leto stars in the blade runner sequel as the human overseeing the synths and in this Tron sequel as the synth looking for more time being human)
DeleteIt seems strange (at least to me) that Tron movies are still being made. I know the original has developed a cult audience over the years, but is there enough of an audience to justify the budgets of the sequels?
DeleteApparently not, it didn't make a lot of money
DeleteYea, i have ZERO idea how this got made. I know that Disney US finally put in the popular TRON ride a few years ago but besides that i kinda figured theres virtually no youth appeal to the IP. Oh well, one last ride on a lightcycle works for me. #EndOfLine
DeleteTrain Dreams (2025)
ReplyDeleteI felt like this film was made just for me. Everything about it just worked. It manages to tell a story that is both introspective and intimate while also exploring mankind's devastating impact on the natural world. It's tragic and beautiful, and right now it's my favorite movie is year.
Briefly looking at the description, this looks like it was made for both of us. Thanks for the recommendation!
DeleteI heard good things about this movie. And the director made another well received movie in 2023, so i'll try to give it a viewing at some point
DeleteI watched Geronimo: An American Legend (1993, Walter Hill). This movie is great! I was a little worried early on as it was a little slow and was leaning heavily into the "Noble Savage" trope (which it doesn't completely abandon), but then I was completely engrossed in it. Notably, there is some fantastic horse stunt work in this! Some were done by Jason Patric himself; he must have grown up with horses, because he's incredible.
ReplyDeleteI know it's not the most humane to have horses performing stunts where they crash out (not easy for the stunt riders either), especially considering a broken leg is basically a death sentence for them. But I admit I was excited and enthralled to see it done well. The sound design of all the horses was exceptionally well done as well, with the neighing, leather creaking, and hooves pounding the ground.
Every time I watch another Walter Hill movie, I'm reminded that he's probably one of my favourite directors. There's a lot more I want to say about this movie, but I'll leave it at that. I took a deep wiki dive into the history of of the Apache Wars, and I think the film portrayed it authentically, with some details changed for entertainment.
I can't believe I wrote so many words, and didn't mention Wes Studi, who is incredible in the movie. Steve Reevis who plays Chato I thought was very good too, playing an Apache who cooperates with the Americans, is conflicted by it, and you guessed it, ultimately betrayed by the Americans and sent to prison with all the other Apaches anyways.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteLETHAL WEAPON (1987)
ReplyDeleteNot without its flaws, but this remains some good ol' fashioned two-fisted men's pulp adventure stuff.
GHOST (1990)
Forgot how good this movie is. Yes, it's all big sweeping romance, but don't forget it also works as a supernatural thriller.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
Where can I get one of those scary-looking fold-up wire hangers?
THE TERMINAL (2004)
I dunno. On one hand, it's an amazing technical feat how they built the entire life-size terminal just for this movie, and Spielberg does his usual trick of elaborate camera moves where you don't realize how elaborate at first. On the other hand, Stanley Tucci goes overboard in making his villain character truly evil in a movie that doesn't require this movie villainy, and the movie can't decide if Hanks' character is a simpleton or a wunderkind. This is just Forrest Gump but without the weird s*x parts.
OCTOPUSSY (1983)
Only the Bond franchise can give us a blockbuster action flick that features both clowns AND Faberge eggs.
Son of Kong (1933)
ReplyDeleteAfter the Kong debacle Carl Denham is run out of NYC and returns to Skull Island to find Kong's son and some other prehistoric beasts. Then the island sinks. The end. For a 70 minute movie to not even GET to the island until minute 40 is borderline criminal. This odious sequel was rushed out THE SAME YEAR as King Kong to capitalize on its success. In some ways Hollywood hasn't changed...
Manon (1949): I'm a big fan of Henry George Clouzot (The Wages of Fear), so when the guy at the used dvd store presented me this Arrow release of the movie, I jumped on it. It's a story told in flashbacks, which is not my favorite thing, but I don't let it ruin a movie for me. The movie's good, but Clouzot made better movies before this.
ReplyDeleteAvalon (2001): I spent the big bucks to get this blu-ray. It never got a north American release, so I got the Japanese version. I can't read the menus, and the extras are most likely not english subbed, but the movie start automatically, so I'm good. My friends and I are big fans, having watched it a few times over the years, and yet I still don't understand it. But the movie is very cool, they used some of the Polish military vehicles, which make some of the action scenes pretty awesome, but there's not that many. The movie is very slow, pretty much like the other movies by the director, so don't expect a balls-to-the-walls action flick. Mamoru Oshii made this in response to The Matrix, which was heavily influenced by his Ghost in the Shell. Japanese director, shot in polish, with english text, it's a weird combination that works very well. With online shooter games being very popular right now, the movie seems to be ahead of its time. Every sci-fi nerd should watch this movie, but it might be hard to find legally. It looks like it's available to rent on amazon.
I remember you talking fondly about Avalon before, but it wasn't available to rent. But now it is (in Canada). I'll check it out, thanks.
DeleteYou have a good memory, i didn't remember i talked about it before
DeleteAn attempt to get this through the Blogger censorship.
ReplyDeleteW-H-*-R-E (1991, dir. Ken Russell) – I remember the controversy around this film in the early 1990s. Ken Russell was certainly not afraid of controversy throughout his career, however. This stars his wife, Theresa Russell, as the lead character, an L.A. veteran of the world’s oldest profession who tells her story straight to the camera. With the constant breaking of the fourth wall, the film feels like a play shot on location. Much of the drama revolves around her relationship with a volatile p-i-m-p. The 1964 Japanese film The Shape of Night I liked better with this kind of story, but Theresa Russell gives her usual gusty performance to make the film worthwhile.
As the movie community wonders what the consequences of Netflix owning Warner Brothers might mean for the future, the movie-watching goes on.
ReplyDeleteFRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 (1982, dir. Steven Miner) – I watched this on a whim, desiring to put something schlocky on the TV while doing a chore. A long time has passed since I last saw this all the way through. From the 3-D gimmick to the intentional comedy, Part 3 feels like a lot more like a B-movie than the first two. The acting gets very ridiculous, including the final girl. Definitely not my favorite film of the franchise but undeniably important for the direction the franchise took.
RED ROCK WEST (1993, dir. John Dahl) – A belated Noirvember watch, this is a terrific neo-noir starring Nicholas Cage. He portrays an honest but destitute man who stumbles into a Wyoming town and finds a lot of trouble. It seems like all the noir tropes are thrown into the twisty plot, and there is a surprising amount of humor as the action unfolds. Cage works very well with Dennis Hopper and Lara Flynn Boyle as everything goes wrong.
They could stop making movies right now, and I'd still have a century of movies to watch. But I do love seeing movies on the big screen, so that news is a little big worrisome.
DeleteI watched a bunch of Friday the 13th movies during SMM, but that is one I didn't revisit. I've watched it more times with the Fthismovie commentary than without. The Paramount mountain with the clouds going by is comforting. I know I'm about to watch a movie.
(Hopefully this posing stays on here.)
ReplyDeleteTHE BOXER’S OMEN (1983, dir. Kuei Chih-hung) – Surreal, gross, outrageous… This Shaw Brothers production more than lives up to its reputation for strangeness. A Hong Kong boxer gets drawn into a supernatural battle between a Buddhist monk and black magicians in Thailand. Oh, there are also some kickboxing matches. The experience of watching The Boxer’s Omen is hard to describe.
Haha, I kept getting emails about you posting the same thing again and again. Glad it eventually worked out. I haven't had any difficulties recently, but I automatically "select all - copy" when posting and check whether it works. Force of habit at this point.
DeleteI had never heard of that Shaw Brothers movie. It's a very late one. Some of my favourites are the later ones. It's only available as a Arrow subscriber in Canada. I didn't even know Arrow had a subscription thing.
My Shawscope vol4 is on the way. I should get it monday or tuesday. Apparently this set is mostly horror
DeletePlot twist, the box is here
DeleteStill having issues Casual? 🤣 Luckily i get the notifications for this post and can read everything you wrote. I noted the movies you recommended from the set
DeleteBlogger was not very kind this weekend, Kunider.
Delete(Another reposting attempt.)
ReplyDeleteLast weekend I devoted some time to the Black Friday sales, going though the difficult process of narrowing down what I would like to have with what I can afford. The main purchases were from the MVD sale, particularly the Blue Underground releases that were marked down a lot. I also put in a small purchase with Vinegar Syndrome primarily to get releases that are now nearly gone. Junesploitation was a major consideration for my choices.
What have you gotten during the holiday sales?
Nothing, i bought too much crap before, so i had nothing left for the sale 🤣. That's too bad, there was a few things I wanted from VS
DeleteI would likely have held off from purchasing from VS if the stock counts had not gotten low for a couple of items. There is a stack of VS releases that I have yet to watch. I threw in an older release that I have eyed for a some time, too.
DeleteDoes Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’s wide theatrical release qualify it for Best of 25’ lists?
DeleteAlso is anyone else just as perplexed by QT’s bashing of Paul Dano, Matthew Lillard and Owen Wilson? It’s seems overtly harsh and unnecessary the way he responded. He could’ve been more tactful or presented a calculated argument but he comes off as the boorish old director type he famously despised. I believe he had said he would retire if he reached that level of becoming a hack and if he keeps popping up on moderate quasi conservative podcasts talking bullshit maybe he should.
He was very harsh and possibly unwarranted, but QT doesn't do calculated or tactful 😁
DeleteThat being said, I always thought Dano was miscast in TWBB, but he's a great actor that I loved in other movie.
As for Lillard, QT need to watch SLC Punks, he'll see Lillard can be great.
I haven't seen what he said about Wilson, but I'm sure he's wrong there too
In preparation for top ten stuff I finally caught up with The Life of Chuck. It will in fact make an appearance on that list. The narration was fine. But most importantly, that last dance number is my favorite sequence in any movie this year. I loved it so much.
ReplyDeleteWell, favorite sequence along with The House of Blue Leaves fight from Kill Bill, but I don’t know if I should count that.
Delete