Was ready to write my reviews for the week Friday evening when l found out Chuck Norris passed away. 🥺😭 It shouldn't be too shocking when an 86 year old man dies, but it still felt sudden for Chuck to be gone from this mortal soil. So l watched the first flick l came across to on streaming in honor of Chuck Norris, who l humbly request to Patrick we dedicate a whole day to in our upcoming Junesploitation! 2026 calendar. ✊️🤓
LONE WOLF MCQUADE (1983, TUBI) is 75% contemporary American western vehicle for Chuck, but also 25% spaghetti western. Francesco De Massi's score liberally steals from Ennio Morricone and his own work (140+ Italian movies) to give "LWM's" music a personality absent from most of Norris' oeuvre. Playing an always sweaty/filthy Texas Ranger that doesn't play by the rules, Chuck eventually clashes with drug-dealing, weapons-selling, karate-practicing bad guy David Carradine. Not only did Carradine kill Chuck's partner (no emoting) and is sleeping with the same woman they both love ("Never Say Never Again's" Barbara Carrera), but toward the end he kidnaps Norris' teenage daughter and kills his dog (still no emoting). After the opening horse thieves ambush in the desert action is infrequent and sporadic, but some fun supporting characters (Kane Hodder as a goon, L.Q. Jones as Chuck's buddy, etc.) keep things lively. The last third of "LWM" goes crazy with the explosions and all the macho posturing between two American martial arts badasses you could ever want. 3.75 BEERS FUELING CHUCK'S POPEYE-LIKE OUTBURSTS (out of five).
RIP to Chuck! As an action loving kid of the 70s and 80s its hard to express what a big deal Chuck was. He predated alot of action stars, especially martial arts action stars, and was a massive gateway to global martial arts cinema.
Somehow id never seen this, considered one of his best!? Its a BLAST. Sort of a mix between western and modern strong-silent-bad-ass cop/vigilante flick. Also, as one who watches Kill Bill all the time, i always love finding an early David Carradine performance that ive not seen!
This isn't early Carradine (his work on TV's "Kung Fu" was), more like he and Chuck entering their post-youthful, middle-aged prime. The two don't face off 'till the end, but it's so worth the wait. 🙃🙂
I think we shouldn't have him on Juneploitation considering his racist views. I mean, fuck that guy. Oh, Obama, a black man, which means he's obliviously of darker skin, so couldn't possibly be American. He must be African. Fuck that guy. Let's NOT have this racist as as part of Juneploitation.
I can separate the artist from his/her personal views, but undersand other people can. But we shouldn't review any movie Harvey Weinstein produced? Any movie Kevin Spacey starred in? Any movie Roman Polanski or D.W. Griffith directed? I vehemently disagree with everything Chuck Norris stood for in real life. As a movie lover, though, l'd like to celebrate a day in June in which we remember his extensive body of fantastical, entertaining and often-so-bad-its-good movie work. Patrick will have the final say, and l hear he knows what he's doing. 😉🧐
Yo Paul....thanks for the info/perspective on Chuck. As much as i follow the incredibly depressing current state of politics i was unaware of his history or take on Obamas citizenship.
PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026, IMAX 70MM) is a major disappointment if you don't temper your expectations. I understand that contemporary filmmakers with clout want to do their own interpretation of a "2001: A Space Odyssey"-type, semi-grounded space epic. Too bad Phil Lord and Christopher Miller tried to adapt Andy Weir's source material to fit their comedic style instead of making their style fit the source material. Even "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies take themselves more seriously than "PHM," which constantly tramples its narrative momentum with either a joke or a string of comedic gags. The final flashback reveal of how Dr. Grace (Ryan Gosling, playing 180 degrees opposite his role in "First Man") ended up aboard a self-sustained spaceship light-years from Earth should be dramatic and devastating... but Lord/Miller couldn't help themselves. 🙄🫣 It looks gorgeous for a polished comedic sci-fi spectacle, but I'll be hanging at Kubrick's and Nolan's space operas and rarely (if ever) revisit Lord/Miller's space playground.
A major turnaround from last year's disappointing "Elio," Disney/Pixar's HOPPERS 3D ('26, THEATER) marries Pixar's knack for hearty spectacle with the manic, well-timed cartoony energy of a DreamWorks animated flick. The Major of Beavertown (Jon Hamm) wants to build a highway extension over the animal-friendly pond that environment advocate Mabel (Piper Cuda) swore her grandma she'd protect. Cue the magical technology that lets Mabel's human mind enter a beaver robot she uses to try to lure animals back into the pond. Things get wacky (sharks "fly," insects stage an animal kingdom revolt, Major Jerry's re-election is jeopardized, etc.) as the Pixar folks manage to fit a pro-environmental agenda into a heartwarming tale of human/animal friendship. King George in regular beaver form is the cutest CG creature ever! 🦫🥰 Came into "Hoppers 3D" a skeptic, came out a won-over believer. 😎👍
Caught Hayao Miyazaki's KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989, IMAX) during a week-long theatrical engagement on AMC IMAX screens. I actually watched "Kiki" right before "Project Hail Mary" on the same AMC theater (Lincoln 68th St., biggest IMAX screen in NYC), and the sense of wonder the former still has didn't do the latter any favors. There is a reason "Kiki" has been in my all-time favorites Top 10 since a theatrical rewatch in the latest aughts. Kiki's self-doubt and vulnerability make her relatable, but her kindness (helping the old ladies clean while baking the cake) and likability (enough to inspire a painter and make pregnant baker Osono offer Kiki her free room and a job) elevate her into my panteon of favorite movie characters. If only she knew how to make Jiji talk again... 😼😽😍
I was jonesing for some William Lustig commentary (don't ask! 🥶), so into the LG player went MANIAC COP 2 (1990) & MANIAC COP 3: BADGE OF SILENCE (1992, BOTH BLUE UNDERGROUND 4K UHD) with their respective commentary tracks. Love unpleasant war stories from the trenches of low-budget filmmaking by people like Lustig who aren't afraid to make themselves look bad, and these two "Maniac Cop" sequels are full of them. Still don't own OG "Maniac Cop" because, despite Lustig directing it, it feels like it's punching below the sequels' weight (yes, even "Badge of Silence").
Last but not least, Radio Silence's READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME ('26, THEATER) is the small consolation prize we get for this filmmaking team getting removed from the "Scream" franchise. It takes less than 20 minutes for Samara Weaving to put back on the blood-soaked wedding dress from the prequel, and by minute 30 Grace and younger sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) are running for their lives from a whole new bunch of 1% devil worshipping a-holes. David Cronenberg and Elijah Wood have choice supporting roles, but few of the new baddies (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nestor Carbonell) rise above cartoony. The sisters bickering gets old fast, but necessary for the high-stakes grand finale. It's okay-ish. 🤔
Hard disagree on Project Hail Mary; I thought it was great! Smart, witty, and engaging - everything the turgid, cloying and idiotic Interstellar wasn't. I'll take Ryan Gosling figuring out ways to communicate with an unknown entity over Astronaut Anne Hathaway muttering that "Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space" any day, thanks. :P
Amusingly, the core plot issue of both movies would be far better solved with genetic engineering than sending a rocket ship deep into the cosmos, but at least it's somewhat easier to believe that humanity would have a harder time inventing an anti-astrophage life form, with its utterly alien biology, than tweaking existing Earth crops for immunity to crop blights. (Which is also true of real life, of course. Genetic engineering just might be crucial to humanity's long-term health - it already gave us the COVID-19 vaccines, after all - but launching rocket ships to poke around the void of the inner solar system is, in the grand scheme of things, almost certainly completely pointless.)
Most people agree with you, Gaith. Biggest non-franchise box office opening in years and across-the-board positive teviews. I just couldn't buy the comedic tone "PHM" was selling for material that was too dour and dramatic to crack a joke at. Maybe on a rewatchch years down the road I'll get it... but not today. 😉🙂↔️
I had a small movie week because I once again did a ton of overtime (you'll understand why) and got busy with other stuff...
RIP Chuck Norris. I took it as an excuse to order Invasion USA from Vinegar Syndrome. Since they're not in the middle of a sale for once, I should get it this monday.
Dune (1984): Not that I need an excuse to watch this movie every other week, it is my favorite movie after all, but I often find reasons to do it. This time, I got the super-duper-cool-very-pricey-collector edition from Australian publisher Imprint. 4k obviously. It comes with a comic reprint of the adaptation of the movie (drawn by an artist that I like), a poster and other crap. The discs have tons of extras, which are different from the Arrow release (some of them are the same), and I would say better too. The picture quality is as good though. I invite you to find a YouTube video of an unboxing of the boxset, just to see the outside box, which is an extra in itself. It has sand literally floating on the cover. It's awesome.
Romeo + Juliet (1996): My friend invited me to the musical "& Juliet". It was a fun time, full of Backstreet Boys covers, which were big crowd pleasers. I could nitpick it to death, but what's the point, we had a good time. But it did make me want to rewatch Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, which is a movie I always liked. It's over the top, it's weird, the soundtrack is full of bangers and Harrold Perrineau is the coolest. I don't know if it's one of those that got re-evaluated over the years, but to me it was always a good movie.
Invasion USA is such a great flick!!!! Probably my fav Chuck from childhood. Its almost a superhero movie as its him vs an entire invading army. So many great setpieces. It walked so Red Dawn could run.
Unintentional Double Feature This Week: "Making Movies"
Clerk. (2021 prime)
As with many of us movie nerds, the discovery of Kevin Smith was a bit of a revelation. I was fortunate enough to catch Clerks on the art house circuit before it broke out and he immediately became one of my favs. Followed him in all his exploits since. That being said, as the years have gone on i have pulled back from all the podcasts and not connected very strongly to his films. I kinda assumed this doc would be a rehash of the stories i knew. Im pleased to say its actually quite good. It covers alot about Kevin and his flicks up to 2021 and is pretty fun!
The Kid Stays In the Picture (1994 Autobiography Robert Evans)
I regularly lament that the continuing shift from physical media (boutique labels aside) makes me saddest at the diminishing state of behind-the-scenes extras. Few things make me happier as a cine-file. BUT there are always different ways to learn more about cinema and one obvious route is books....
Holy shit this book is AMAZING! Obviously its been on my radar for years (as is some of its adaptations) but for whatever reason i never read it. Maybe because the focus seemed to be older hollywood than i gravitated to at the time? dunno. This book is a BLAST. It never really delves to deeply into any one movie, person, or subject but rather is short stories from the rise Robert Evans from well off kid to actor to movie studio exec and on up. Also and on down. As its an autobiography we are only presented the "facts" as he chooses to present but his interesting mix of hubris, cockiness, lothario-ness combined with bad decisions, missed investments, and self deprecation makes it feel pretty honest. And the stories are sooooooooooooooooo good. I loved this book one of my all time fav on the inner and outer workings of hollywood during an important period.
I just rewatched Coherence (2013) in memory of Nicholas Brendon (Buffy's Xander), who also passed away yesterday.
It's a fun little low-budget sci-fi mystery thriller or something, where a comet passing Earth is affecting a friend group's get-together in weird ways. It's a fun premise and there's some eerie stuff, but the story doesn't really have a satisfying ending. Still, worth your time (it's also just under 90 minutes, which is nice).
Continuing with last weeks discussion around movies/books focusing on the wonderful genre of "Man vs Technology" i revisited this fav. When i discovered it years ago i was pleased to find that it very very much predated War Games and honestly i felt dealt with the exact same premise (Computer control of US defenses) far better. Watching again now?......
This is absolutely THE fictional take on the global fear/risk of what AI is capable of from a dangerous perspective. The premise, as with all great sci-fi, is decades ahead of itself, and now in 2026 very very real. The US government realizes computers are faster at decision making and without prejudice so it turns over control of US defenses to a new computer system named Colossus. Theres a wonderful line where someone says "can it think for itself?" and the lead scientist Forbin states that no...its a result of the data it analyzes. Within minutes of go-live Colossus detects that Russia has built a copycat system, blackmails us with our own missiles to establish permanent contact between systems, and sets off on taking control of more than just our defenses. The entire movie is almost a stage play as most of it is just scientists at computers. But its also brilliant in that the computer is so well designed, it always is many moves ahead of those that realize they need to find a way to disable or disarm it. (In one awesome scene the computer forces the execution of two scientists that tried to trick it...as they are shot the computer states "the bodies will remain in my camera view for 24hrs". Ergo it assumed the assassinations were fake and requires visual proof.) And, again as with all great Sci-Fi, the computer has zero malicious intent but also zero care for countless lives as its carrying out its primary orders. Brilliant.
(One interesting note: theres a bit of online conspiracy around this movie as its not readily available anywhere any longer. Some believe its been 'scrubbed' based on the aniti-A.I. stance that it presents)
Did you hear that from a certain Giant Freaking Robot video on YouTube? Because a quick search shows it's currently rentable on Amazon and several other services. ;)
Gaith: LOL...that video was indeed one of the things i watched!! I also saw a different article where someone said Elon removed the movie from the web. LOL. Looks like i should have done better research...glad to hear its streaming and avail!
This week’s unintended theme for me was movies that are a mixed bag.
MORTAL ENGINES (2018) The impossibly-detailed effects really are impressive, and lead actress Hera Hilmar is a striking presence on screen. But there are too many other characters and too much plot twists n’ turns for what amounts to a basic Star Wars-y rebels vs. empire actioner.
300 (2006) When this movie soars, it really soars. But Zack Snyder’s dudebro-ism (not to mention Frank Miller’s) is a bit much.
MURDER BY DEATH (1976) This is a hilarious joke-a-minute parody with cast of all-time greats. Peter Sellers, though…
MEN IN BLACK II (2002). This is among the worst sorts of Hollywood sequels, that’s all “Here’s everything from the first movie, again!”
On the plus side, somebody on the YouTube machine posted all of David Lynch’s Masterclass, so I watched the whole thing. It’s nothing he hasn’t said in previous interviews, but nice to have it all in one spot. Also nice to spend time good ol’ Lynch.
OG "MIB" is so good it's tough to swallow the mediocrity of the far inferior sequels. I go 1, 3 (the retroactive ending is so good it actually improves the first movie), International (I like Liam Neeson!) and 2 (🤢🤮).
Murder By Death!!!! Now THAT is a movie lost in time. It was absolutely a childhood fav that my dad adored and we watched whenever it came on network TV. Havent seen it for decades. Need to revisit. My only memory is of an exchange between a butler and kitchen worker? something about one being deaf and one being blind? Need to revisit STAT. (PS: i feel like it would play well as a double feature with the equally silly Private Eyes).
Busy saturday watching movies, lots of newly acquired discs that needs to be watched, and I woke up very early to do some work...
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Still a masterpiece. On a side note, if you ever plan to get the 4k, make sure you buy the Arrow release. Every comments say the Kino release is bad. The annoying thing that it's a UK release (because US is done by Kino), so the 3rd disc, a regular blu-ray with all the extras, is Region B only (4k discs are always region free).
Rango: While I was at it, might as well watch this existential crisis cartoon western that pissed off all the parents and made no money because of it. How dare they make a cartoon for adults? To be fair, the marketing might have been off track.
Jurassic Park: Newly released standalone with the new Dolby Vision grading, it's a way better looking movie than the original HDR10 release from 2022. Previously only available in a boxset from summer 2025, which I didn't care about because I don't want the other movies. Still a masterpiece.
Then my friends came over and we watched a few more masterpieces...
Angel's Egg: I have no idea what's the story or what's the metaphor, but I still love it.
Escape From New York: Hey, it's Lee Van Cleef again. I have Escape From LA coming in tomorrow, I know it's not as good, but I remember liking it.
They Live: We were in the mood for badass Carpenter.
And I got a couple of Lego Spider Man sets, so tomorrow will be all Spidey movies and Legos
Did you buy "Angel's Egg" at the nearby café, or did your friends bring it over with them? 🫠 l own the KINO 4K of "Good...Bad... Ugly." It's not unpleasant to look at or horrible, but it was sourced from an older scan and clearly inferior to the far-superior Arrow transfers. KINO 4K is good enough for me, I'm saving my meager international funds for more worthy prey (like Arrow's deluxe 4K release of "Innerspace" 🤩).
Not much going on for movies this week, but Junesploitation has been on my mind. Only around two months left before it begins. I have been thinking about possible categories since the end of last year.
We discussed New York City! as a category on a prior weekend, so why not add Los Angeles!, perhaps the ultimate cinematic city.
South Korea!, one of the centers of genre filmmaking this century.
Private Eyes! From Humphrey Bogart to Bruce Willis, so many to choose from.
Disasters!
Actors to Spotlight:
Robert Forster Franco Nero Lance Hendrickson Linda Blair Donald Pleasance Michelle Yeoh
Chuck Norris was mentioned above as a possible category.
I have one: VANITY PROJECTS! We're talking beyond obvious picks like "The Room" and the Vin Diesel "xXx" movies. There are a metric ton of low-to-mid budget flicks (and quite a few Hollywood blockbusters) made by men/women who think they're God's gift to mankind. They star/write/direct/produce films in which they're the center of attention, show their bod (usually cheeks 🫣) and save the day. Some of these performers live up to their own hype, but most of them fall short of their own idealized version of themselves. The fun is suffering through the bad ones to land on the pot of gold some of this turn out to be.
Random examples: "Champagne and Bullets," anything Fred Williamson directed starring himself, the Donahue brothers (Sean and Patrick) stunt showcases, Mark Swetland's "Blood and Steel," etc.
Also, since F This Movie is a Chicago-based blog/podcast, throw CHICAGO PROUD! DAY. Not as many movies as New York or L.A., but the few there are usually come from heavy hitters (John Hughes, Andrew Davis, Brian De Palma, etc.). 🤓
I just read that Finnish actor Petri Poikolainen, the star of The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, one of my favorite movies of this decade, has passed away (as if there wasn't already enough sad news this week).
Poikolainen was blind and wheelchair-bound for the last 15 years of his life because of MS, and in the movie he plays a blind and wheelchair-bound man who makes a connection online and decides to take a road trip to meet his friend.
Ebert called movies "a machine that generates empathy", and this one is a prime example of that, it takes you inside the main character's head. It's a beautiful movie and I heartily recommend it to anyone and everyone (looks like it's on Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy, Plex and Tubi in the U.S.).
Damn. What a brutal weekend. 🥺 Chuck Norris, Mr. Poikolainen (sorry Mikko), Nicholas Brendon (TV's "Buffy") and also "Valentine"/"Urban Legend" director Jamie Blanks (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jamie-blanks-dead-urban-legend-valentine-director-1236543639/). 😢
Was ready to write my reviews for the week Friday evening when l found out Chuck Norris passed away. 🥺😭 It shouldn't be too shocking when an 86 year old man dies, but it still felt sudden for Chuck to be gone from this mortal soil. So l watched the first flick l came across to on streaming in honor of Chuck Norris, who l humbly request to Patrick we dedicate a whole day to in our upcoming Junesploitation! 2026 calendar. ✊️🤓
ReplyDeleteLONE WOLF MCQUADE (1983, TUBI) is 75% contemporary American western vehicle for Chuck, but also 25% spaghetti western. Francesco De Massi's score liberally steals from Ennio Morricone and his own work (140+ Italian movies) to give "LWM's" music a personality absent from most of Norris' oeuvre. Playing an always sweaty/filthy Texas Ranger that doesn't play by the rules, Chuck eventually clashes with drug-dealing, weapons-selling, karate-practicing bad guy David Carradine. Not only did Carradine kill Chuck's partner (no emoting) and is sleeping with the same woman they both love ("Never Say Never Again's" Barbara Carrera), but toward the end he kidnaps Norris' teenage daughter and kills his dog (still no emoting). After the opening horse thieves ambush in the desert action is infrequent and sporadic, but some fun supporting characters (Kane Hodder as a goon, L.Q. Jones as Chuck's buddy, etc.) keep things lively. The last third of "LWM" goes crazy with the explosions and all the macho posturing between two American martial arts badasses you could ever want. 3.75 BEERS FUELING CHUCK'S POPEYE-LIKE OUTBURSTS (out of five).
R.I.P. Chuck. 🫡😎
great minds think alike....
DeleteLone Wolf McQuade (1983, Plex)
RIP to Chuck! As an action loving kid of the 70s and 80s its hard to express what a big deal Chuck was. He predated alot of action stars, especially martial arts action stars, and was a massive gateway to global martial arts cinema.
Somehow id never seen this, considered one of his best!? Its a BLAST. Sort of a mix between western and modern strong-silent-bad-ass cop/vigilante flick. Also, as one who watches Kill Bill all the time, i always love finding an early David Carradine performance that ive not seen!
PS: a Chuck day for Junesploitation sounds like a hoot!
DeleteThis isn't early Carradine (his work on TV's "Kung Fu" was), more like he and Chuck entering their post-youthful, middle-aged prime. The two don't face off 'till the end, but it's so worth the wait. 🙃🙂
DeleteI think we shouldn't have him on Juneploitation considering his racist views. I mean, fuck that guy. Oh, Obama, a black man, which means he's obliviously of darker skin, so couldn't possibly be American. He must be African. Fuck that guy. Let's NOT have this racist as as part of Juneploitation.
DeleteI can separate the artist from his/her personal views, but undersand other people can. But we shouldn't review any movie Harvey Weinstein produced? Any movie Kevin Spacey starred in? Any movie Roman Polanski or D.W. Griffith directed? I vehemently disagree with everything Chuck Norris stood for in real life. As a movie lover, though, l'd like to celebrate a day in June in which we remember his extensive body of fantastical, entertaining and often-so-bad-its-good movie work. Patrick will have the final say, and l hear he knows what he's doing. 😉🧐
DeleteYo Paul....thanks for the info/perspective on Chuck. As much as i follow the incredibly depressing current state of politics i was unaware of his history or take on Obamas citizenship.
DeleteBack to our regularly scheduled reviews.
ReplyDeletePROJECT HAIL MARY (2026, IMAX 70MM) is a major disappointment if you don't temper your expectations. I understand that contemporary filmmakers with clout want to do their own interpretation of a "2001: A Space Odyssey"-type, semi-grounded space epic. Too bad Phil Lord and Christopher Miller tried to adapt Andy Weir's source material to fit their comedic style instead of making their style fit the source material. Even "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies take themselves more seriously than "PHM," which constantly tramples its narrative momentum with either a joke or a string of comedic gags. The final flashback reveal of how Dr. Grace (Ryan Gosling, playing 180 degrees opposite his role in "First Man") ended up aboard a self-sustained spaceship light-years from Earth should be dramatic and devastating... but Lord/Miller couldn't help themselves. 🙄🫣 It looks gorgeous for a polished comedic sci-fi spectacle, but I'll be hanging at Kubrick's and Nolan's space operas and rarely (if ever) revisit Lord/Miller's space playground.
A major turnaround from last year's disappointing "Elio," Disney/Pixar's HOPPERS 3D ('26, THEATER) marries Pixar's knack for hearty spectacle with the manic, well-timed cartoony energy of a DreamWorks animated flick. The Major of Beavertown (Jon Hamm) wants to build a highway extension over the animal-friendly pond that environment advocate Mabel (Piper Cuda) swore her grandma she'd protect. Cue the magical technology that lets Mabel's human mind enter a beaver robot she uses to try to lure animals back into the pond. Things get wacky (sharks "fly," insects stage an animal kingdom revolt, Major Jerry's re-election is jeopardized, etc.) as the Pixar folks manage to fit a pro-environmental agenda into a heartwarming tale of human/animal friendship. King George in regular beaver form is the cutest CG creature ever! 🦫🥰 Came into "Hoppers 3D" a skeptic, came out a won-over believer. 😎👍
Caught Hayao Miyazaki's KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE (1989, IMAX) during a week-long theatrical engagement on AMC IMAX screens. I actually watched "Kiki" right before "Project Hail Mary" on the same AMC theater (Lincoln 68th St., biggest IMAX screen in NYC), and the sense of wonder the former still has didn't do the latter any favors. There is a reason "Kiki" has been in my all-time favorites Top 10 since a theatrical rewatch in the latest aughts. Kiki's self-doubt and vulnerability make her relatable, but her kindness (helping the old ladies clean while baking the cake) and likability (enough to inspire a painter and make pregnant baker Osono offer Kiki her free room and a job) elevate her into my panteon of favorite movie characters. If only she knew how to make Jiji talk again... 😼😽😍
I was jonesing for some William Lustig commentary (don't ask! 🥶), so into the LG player went MANIAC COP 2 (1990) & MANIAC COP 3: BADGE OF SILENCE (1992, BOTH BLUE UNDERGROUND 4K UHD) with their respective commentary tracks. Love unpleasant war stories from the trenches of low-budget filmmaking by people like Lustig who aren't afraid to make themselves look bad, and these two "Maniac Cop" sequels are full of them. Still don't own OG "Maniac Cop" because, despite Lustig directing it, it feels like it's punching below the sequels' weight (yes, even "Badge of Silence").
Last but not least, Radio Silence's READY OR NOT 2: HERE I COME ('26, THEATER) is the small consolation prize we get for this filmmaking team getting removed from the "Scream" franchise. It takes less than 20 minutes for Samara Weaving to put back on the blood-soaked wedding dress from the prequel, and by minute 30 Grace and younger sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) are running for their lives from a whole new bunch of 1% devil worshipping a-holes. David Cronenberg and Elijah Wood have choice supporting roles, but few of the new baddies (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nestor Carbonell) rise above cartoony. The sisters bickering gets old fast, but necessary for the high-stakes grand finale. It's okay-ish. 🤔
I really want to see Kiki, but I think I missed my window
DeleteManiac Cop are on my 'to be acquired' list, but it didn't happen yet
"Kiki" is still in some theaters, but only regular ones. All premium format screens went to "Project Hail Mary" Thursday afternoon.
DeleteHard disagree on Project Hail Mary; I thought it was great! Smart, witty, and engaging - everything the turgid, cloying and idiotic Interstellar wasn't. I'll take Ryan Gosling figuring out ways to communicate with an unknown entity over Astronaut Anne Hathaway muttering that "Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space" any day, thanks. :P
DeleteAmusingly, the core plot issue of both movies would be far better solved with genetic engineering than sending a rocket ship deep into the cosmos, but at least it's somewhat easier to believe that humanity would have a harder time inventing an anti-astrophage life form, with its utterly alien biology, than tweaking existing Earth crops for immunity to crop blights. (Which is also true of real life, of course. Genetic engineering just might be crucial to humanity's long-term health - it already gave us the COVID-19 vaccines, after all - but launching rocket ships to poke around the void of the inner solar system is, in the grand scheme of things, almost certainly completely pointless.)
Most people agree with you, Gaith. Biggest non-franchise box office opening in years and across-the-board positive teviews. I just couldn't buy the comedic tone "PHM" was selling for material that was too dour and dramatic to crack a joke at. Maybe on a rewatchch years down the road I'll get it... but not today. 😉🙂↔️
DeleteI had a small movie week because I once again did a ton of overtime (you'll understand why) and got busy with other stuff...
ReplyDeleteRIP Chuck Norris. I took it as an excuse to order Invasion USA from Vinegar Syndrome. Since they're not in the middle of a sale for once, I should get it this monday.
Dune (1984): Not that I need an excuse to watch this movie every other week, it is my favorite movie after all, but I often find reasons to do it. This time, I got the super-duper-cool-very-pricey-collector edition from Australian publisher Imprint. 4k obviously. It comes with a comic reprint of the adaptation of the movie (drawn by an artist that I like), a poster and other crap. The discs have tons of extras, which are different from the Arrow release (some of them are the same), and I would say better too. The picture quality is as good though. I invite you to find a YouTube video of an unboxing of the boxset, just to see the outside box, which is an extra in itself. It has sand literally floating on the cover. It's awesome.
Romeo + Juliet (1996): My friend invited me to the musical "& Juliet". It was a fun time, full of Backstreet Boys covers, which were big crowd pleasers. I could nitpick it to death, but what's the point, we had a good time. But it did make me want to rewatch Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, which is a movie I always liked. It's over the top, it's weird, the soundtrack is full of bangers and Harrold Perrineau is the coolest. I don't know if it's one of those that got re-evaluated over the years, but to me it was always a good movie.
Yikes, l dislike both of those movies equally. 🥶 Glad you enjoyed them, though, and welcome to the 4K "Invasion USA"-owning club. 😃👍
DeleteInvasion USA is such a great flick!!!! Probably my fav Chuck from childhood. Its almost a superhero movie as its him vs an entire invading army. So many great setpieces. It walked so Red Dawn could run.
DeleteUnintentional Double Feature This Week: "Making Movies"
ReplyDeleteClerk. (2021 prime)
As with many of us movie nerds, the discovery of Kevin Smith was a bit of a revelation. I was fortunate enough to catch Clerks on the art house circuit before it broke out and he immediately became one of my favs. Followed him in all his exploits since. That being said, as the years have gone on i have pulled back from all the podcasts and not connected very strongly to his films. I kinda assumed this doc would be a rehash of the stories i knew. Im pleased to say its actually quite good. It covers alot about Kevin and his flicks up to 2021 and is pretty fun!
The Kid Stays In the Picture (1994 Autobiography Robert Evans)
I regularly lament that the continuing shift from physical media (boutique labels aside) makes me saddest at the diminishing state of behind-the-scenes extras. Few things make me happier as a cine-file. BUT there are always different ways to learn more about cinema and one obvious route is books....
Holy shit this book is AMAZING! Obviously its been on my radar for years (as is some of its adaptations) but for whatever reason i never read it. Maybe because the focus seemed to be older hollywood than i gravitated to at the time? dunno. This book is a BLAST. It never really delves to deeply into any one movie, person, or subject but rather is short stories from the rise Robert Evans from well off kid to actor to movie studio exec and on up. Also and on down. As its an autobiography we are only presented the "facts" as he chooses to present but his interesting mix of hubris, cockiness, lothario-ness combined with bad decisions, missed investments, and self deprecation makes it feel pretty honest. And the stories are sooooooooooooooooo good. I loved this book one of my all time fav on the inner and outer workings of hollywood during an important period.
I never read TKSitP, but I watched the documentary in 2002. It was great
DeleteI just rewatched Coherence (2013) in memory of Nicholas Brendon (Buffy's Xander), who also passed away yesterday.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun little low-budget sci-fi mystery thriller or something, where a comet passing Earth is affecting a friend group's get-together in weird ways. It's a fun premise and there's some eerie stuff, but the story doesn't really have a satisfying ending. Still, worth your time (it's also just under 90 minutes, which is nice).
Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970 dvd)
ReplyDeleteContinuing with last weeks discussion around movies/books focusing on the wonderful genre of "Man vs Technology" i revisited this fav. When i discovered it years ago i was pleased to find that it very very much predated War Games and honestly i felt dealt with the exact same premise (Computer control of US defenses) far better. Watching again now?......
This is absolutely THE fictional take on the global fear/risk of what AI is capable of from a dangerous perspective. The premise, as with all great sci-fi, is decades ahead of itself, and now in 2026 very very real. The US government realizes computers are faster at decision making and without prejudice so it turns over control of US defenses to a new computer system named Colossus. Theres a wonderful line where someone says "can it think for itself?" and the lead scientist Forbin states that no...its a result of the data it analyzes. Within minutes of go-live Colossus detects that Russia has built a copycat system, blackmails us with our own missiles to establish permanent contact between systems, and sets off on taking control of more than just our defenses. The entire movie is almost a stage play as most of it is just scientists at computers. But its also brilliant in that the computer is so well designed, it always is many moves ahead of those that realize they need to find a way to disable or disarm it. (In one awesome scene the computer forces the execution of two scientists that tried to trick it...as they are shot the computer states "the bodies will remain in my camera view for 24hrs". Ergo it assumed the assassinations were fake and requires visual proof.) And, again as with all great Sci-Fi, the computer has zero malicious intent but also zero care for countless lives as its carrying out its primary orders. Brilliant.
(One interesting note: theres a bit of online conspiracy around this movie as its not readily available anywhere any longer. Some believe its been 'scrubbed' based on the aniti-A.I. stance that it presents)
Guess what movie will arrive on bluray at my home tomorrow 😁
Delete"its not readily available anywhere any longer"
DeleteDid you hear that from a certain Giant Freaking Robot video on YouTube? Because a quick search shows it's currently rentable on Amazon and several other services. ;)
Kunider: woot! lemme know what you think!
DeleteGaith: LOL...that video was indeed one of the things i watched!! I also saw a different article where someone said Elon removed the movie from the web. LOL. Looks like i should have done better research...glad to hear its streaming and avail!
This week’s unintended theme for me was movies that are a mixed bag.
ReplyDeleteMORTAL ENGINES (2018)
The impossibly-detailed effects really are impressive, and lead actress Hera Hilmar is a striking presence on screen. But there are too many other characters and too much plot twists n’ turns for what amounts to a basic Star Wars-y rebels vs. empire actioner.
300 (2006)
When this movie soars, it really soars. But Zack Snyder’s dudebro-ism (not to mention Frank Miller’s) is a bit much.
MURDER BY DEATH (1976)
This is a hilarious joke-a-minute parody with cast of all-time greats. Peter Sellers, though…
MEN IN BLACK II (2002).
This is among the worst sorts of Hollywood sequels, that’s all “Here’s everything from the first movie, again!”
On the plus side, somebody on the YouTube machine posted all of David Lynch’s Masterclass, so I watched the whole thing. It’s nothing he hasn’t said in previous interviews, but nice to have it all in one spot. Also nice to spend time good ol’ Lynch.
Mortal Engine is great, but yeah, there's serious script issues.
DeleteI kinda like MiB2, but it's definitely not the best. Still better than the fourth movie
I'm open to an argument that MiB2 is the best one simply because it's the shortest; it's not my favorite franchise. Otherwise, I'd say ³ wins. :P
DeleteOG "MIB" is so good it's tough to swallow the mediocrity of the far inferior sequels. I go 1, 3 (the retroactive ending is so good it actually improves the first movie), International (I like Liam Neeson!) and 2 (🤢🤮).
DeleteMurder By Death!!!! Now THAT is a movie lost in time. It was absolutely a childhood fav that my dad adored and we watched whenever it came on network TV. Havent seen it for decades. Need to revisit. My only memory is of an exchange between a butler and kitchen worker? something about one being deaf and one being blind? Need to revisit STAT. (PS: i feel like it would play well as a double feature with the equally silly Private Eyes).
DeleteBusy saturday watching movies, lots of newly acquired discs that needs to be watched, and I woke up very early to do some work...
ReplyDeleteThe Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Still a masterpiece. On a side note, if you ever plan to get the 4k, make sure you buy the Arrow release. Every comments say the Kino release is bad. The annoying thing that it's a UK release (because US is done by Kino), so the 3rd disc, a regular blu-ray with all the extras, is Region B only (4k discs are always region free).
Rango: While I was at it, might as well watch this existential crisis cartoon western that pissed off all the parents and made no money because of it. How dare they make a cartoon for adults? To be fair, the marketing might have been off track.
Jurassic Park: Newly released standalone with the new Dolby Vision grading, it's a way better looking movie than the original HDR10 release from 2022. Previously only available in a boxset from summer 2025, which I didn't care about because I don't want the other movies. Still a masterpiece.
Then my friends came over and we watched a few more masterpieces...
Angel's Egg: I have no idea what's the story or what's the metaphor, but I still love it.
Escape From New York: Hey, it's Lee Van Cleef again. I have Escape From LA coming in tomorrow, I know it's not as good, but I remember liking it.
They Live: We were in the mood for badass Carpenter.
And I got a couple of Lego Spider Man sets, so tomorrow will be all Spidey movies and Legos
Did you buy "Angel's Egg" at the nearby café, or did your friends bring it over with them? 🫠 l own the KINO 4K of "Good...Bad... Ugly." It's not unpleasant to look at or horrible, but it was sourced from an older scan and clearly inferior to the far-superior Arrow transfers. KINO 4K is good enough for me, I'm saving my meager international funds for more worthy prey (like Arrow's deluxe 4K release of "Innerspace" 🤩).
DeleteGot Angel's Egg at the café
DeleteGood Bad Ugly Arrow didn't cost much more than Kino.
I'm so broke right now. Not worth rebuying a movie l already own and like in 4K. 🥺😓
DeleteNo, it's not worth it if you already have it. You'll be fine.
DeleteNot much going on for movies this week, but Junesploitation has been on my mind. Only around two months left before it begins. I have been thinking about possible categories since the end of last year.
ReplyDeleteWe discussed New York City! as a category on a prior weekend, so why not add Los Angeles!, perhaps the ultimate cinematic city.
South Korea!, one of the centers of genre filmmaking this century.
Private Eyes! From Humphrey Bogart to Bruce Willis, so many to choose from.
Disasters!
Actors to Spotlight:
Robert Forster
Franco Nero
Lance Hendrickson
Linda Blair
Donald Pleasance
Michelle Yeoh
Chuck Norris was mentioned above as a possible category.
Do you have any other ideas for June?
I have one: VANITY PROJECTS! We're talking beyond obvious picks like "The Room" and the Vin Diesel "xXx" movies. There are a metric ton of low-to-mid budget flicks (and quite a few Hollywood blockbusters) made by men/women who think they're God's gift to mankind. They star/write/direct/produce films in which they're the center of attention, show their bod (usually cheeks 🫣) and save the day. Some of these performers live up to their own hype, but most of them fall short of their own idealized version of themselves. The fun is suffering through the bad ones to land on the pot of gold some of this turn out to be.
DeleteRandom examples: "Champagne and Bullets," anything Fred Williamson directed starring himself, the Donahue brothers (Sean and Patrick) stunt showcases, Mark Swetland's "Blood and Steel," etc.
Also, since F This Movie is a Chicago-based blog/podcast, throw CHICAGO PROUD! DAY. Not as many movies as New York or L.A., but the few there are usually come from heavy hitters (John Hughes, Andrew Davis, Brian De Palma, etc.). 🤓
DeleteMaybe there should be an "In Memoriam!" day each June, where we watch movies from directors/actors who passed away since the previous June?
DeleteOr would that just be depressing?
Mikko, no more depressing than watching the news everyday (or the Oscars every year). 🫤🧐
DeleteI just read that Finnish actor Petri Poikolainen, the star of The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, one of my favorite movies of this decade, has passed away (as if there wasn't already enough sad news this week).
ReplyDeletePoikolainen was blind and wheelchair-bound for the last 15 years of his life because of MS, and in the movie he plays a blind and wheelchair-bound man who makes a connection online and decides to take a road trip to meet his friend.
Ebert called movies "a machine that generates empathy", and this one is a prime example of that, it takes you inside the main character's head. It's a beautiful movie and I heartily recommend it to anyone and everyone (looks like it's on Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy, Plex and Tubi in the U.S.).
Damn. What a brutal weekend. 🥺 Chuck Norris, Mr. Poikolainen (sorry Mikko), Nicholas Brendon (TV's "Buffy") and also "Valentine"/"Urban Legend" director Jamie Blanks (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jamie-blanks-dead-urban-legend-valentine-director-1236543639/). 😢
Delete