Only two more weekends left until you-know-what begins. Let's make the most of them.😃
It's been years since l've rewatched Spike Jonez's BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999, A. PRIME), and a group watchalong on Discord last Wednesday night pretty much blew our collective minds. I'd completely forgotten the not-subtle LGBTQIA+ subtext, the excellent on-screen puppetry work, Cameron Diaz uglying herself, Orson Bean doing the Wilford Brimley "Coccoon" thing, or that Catherine Keener steals the film from everybody (even Malkovich, whose possessed-by-John-Cusack bedroom dance is one of many unforgettable highlights). It's Charlie Kaufman lunacy (Elijah the chimp has a flashback!) filtered through Spike Jonez's eye for lo-fi visual storytelling, the best of both worlds. And the disc still works on my HD-DVD player.😁
We had a close-to-100-degrees couple of days last week on the East Coast, so I escaped from my AC-less apartment to a double-bill of TOP GUN 4DX (1986, REGAL TIMES SQUARE) & TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2002, AMC IMAX). I love the 4DX experience when the material suits it, and the flying/dogfighting scenes in "Top Gun" were great. Even the love-making scene between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis had some subtle swaying seat movements that made me smile.😛🤫 "Maverick" was even better because a sold-out crowd (I was alone during my 4DX "TG" screening) really got into it, clapping when Glen Powell is introduced and cheering the timed run toward the bomb drop (exercise and the real deal). The long shot of the hypersonic plane from almost outer space looks particularly stunning on IMAX. Great beat-the-heat twofer.😎
Paramount has always swung for the fences with low-budget horror ("Smile 1 & 2," etc.), but PASSENGER (2026, THEATER) comes up short. The supernatural villain that attaches its spell to drivers of vehicles that stop on desolate roads in the middle of the night looks too much like a mute, decrepit Tall Man from "Phantasm." Jump scares can only squeeze so much fright when they're abused as frequently as here, and the lead couple is no match for Melissa Leo's memorable supporting role. '"Roman Holiday" in the woods' projection and 'parking lot' scenes notwithstanding, "Passenger" feels like assembly line product.😕
YOU, ME & TUSCANY ('26, THEATER) finds out-of-options, struggling twentysomething Anna (Halle Bailey, Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" remake) winging it in Italy to fulfill her long-repressed culinary desires. This being an upscale sitcom, Anna is embraced by a restaurant-owning Tuscany family who thinks she's engaged to the black sheep son (Lorenzo de Moor) when Anna has the hots for the good [adopted] son ("Bridgerton's" Regé-Jean Page). Hilarity ensues... sporadically. 'It's fine,' but it's as predictable as it is gorgeous to look at: very.🥸
If "Mercy" (remember that Chris Pratt film?) wasn't enough of a paranoid techno-thriller, here comes Timur Bekmambetov's latest low-budget ripoff of his own directorial effort. Did l mention Timur also produced Ice Cube's "War of the Worlds" remake?😳😱 In LIFE HACK ('26, THEATER) four UK teenage slackers who also happen to be excellent hackers, bored with pranks like giving identity thieves a dose of their own medicine, take it to the next level by targeting an Elon Musk-type crypto magnate's offline laptop. Shown through computer/cellphone/CCTV footage, this is the type of film where a heart-to-heart goodbye between crying besties is heard while we watch them play a first-person shooter game. Not a bad movie, just one made for people who prefer watching movies on their iPhones in portrait mode.🤢🤮
NEGLECTED ('26, THEATER) finds about-to-retire Detective Shaw (Josh Duhamel) racing against the clock to solve a series of puzzles/murders by a serial killer who has buried his teenage son alive. Feels like a "Law & Order: SVU" episode set in small-town America (filmed in Mississippi), especially the denouement uncovering the town's dark underbelly. Jeremy/Jason London as detectives was a neat casting touch. A rental at best.🧐🥺
I don't know. She still looks like a stunning woman in a crazy wig? But props to her for going there. A lot of actors (men and woman) don't stray too far from their "look".
Have not shared in awhile. Some things I watched over the past month:
Lots of Peter Weir. The Mosquito Coast was made just for me, a well crafted “American Aguirre” that tickled all my childhood fascination with exploration of distant lands. The Year of Living Dangerously was fantastic as well for many of the same reasons, except it was also fraught with the danger of being in a politically unstable country on the brink of civil war. I thought Witness was just about Amish people, which is was, but also was a crime thriller that was very good. Fearless (JP wrote an excellent review a decade ago) was kind of a strange but very moving drama (and maybe the best plane crash scene every put on film). I re-watched The Truman Show and it was much better than I remember.
Also watched Project Hail Mary which is now one of my favourites from this year. Send Help is probably my most favourite. Primate was a ok slasher starring a tail-less CGI monkey with a penchant for ripping peoples jaws off. The CGI chimp was well done however, and I wish I had liked it more. It just seemed a little rote and lacking surprises.
All The President’s Men was fantastic. Lots of typewriters and smoking indoors, and investigative journalism which has become nearly extinct in our world of 20 second dancing Tik-Taks being the main source of news for a wide swath of the population.
Finally, I re-watched Alive, which I had first seen years ago in a church. Presumably because there’s a lot of talk of God and faith. Ironically, they aren’t saved by God, but rather they decide to save themselves. The plane crash is pretty good, within the fx limitations of the time, and well staged. I re-watch this one every few years.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026): Well, within 15 minutes, the gang's back, quickly brought together in a room with barely a 'Hey, recognize her?'. I don't think they tried very hard, and why would they, they have brand recognition. Legacy-sequels are destroying movies, but at the same time the crowd don't go out to watch anything original.
The Recruit (2003): Apparently Collin Farrell likes to train to be a cop. It has a couple of stupid twists, a bit convoluted, but it's entertaining enough. It will never be a secret masterpiece though. Fun trivia, Gabriel Macht, who's in this movie, was the main character in the SWAT sequel (yeah, it's not that fun).
The Rundown (2003): Accidental 2003 double-bill. I got it for 2$ with The Recruit. It's a change of pace from the other one. Before Dwayne Johnson became a douchy brand. It's not the best, but there's some fun bits. Who doesn't love a good adventure through the jungle.
Normal (2026): Would you look at that, a 90 minutes movie. I enjoy most of Ben Weatley filmography, and he can do some decent shootouts (remember Free Fire?). Mixed with Bob Odenkirk newfound love for action, makes for a pretty entertaining movie. Great double-bill with The Last Stand.
Blue Thunder (1983): Of course I got the Arrow 4k, duh 😜. What can I say, movie's awesome and I could wait to hear what the director had to say 40 years later. It's such a simple movie (no CGI): Introduce the character for 30 minutes, introduce and test the chopper for an hour, chopper chase around the cory for the last 30 minutes. Let's not talk about the opening scene when they spy on a naked woman.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024): I don't love Guy Ritchie, but from time to time he will do something I enjoy. I also enjoy the mix of WW2 with spy sh*t. It's trying to be Inglourious Basterds, but Ritchie doesn't have the same flair for dialogues as Tarantino. And to blur the line even more, Til Schweiger is in both.
Trainwreck (2015): I'm not a fan of Amy Schumer (who is?), but I enjoy the movie. The cameos are fun and it's a decent romcom. Also, I think it's the first time we saw John Cena doing comedy, and he's great at it.
My main problem with "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" is the complete lack of tension for a so-called WWII action thriller. It goes through the motions of Nazi threats, but not once did it feel like the good guys were in real life-or-death danger. I like the movie fantasy idea that these are the real-life heroes that inspired Ian Fleming to create James Bond, but Guy Ritchie is more interested in the premise than its underwhelming execution. 😔🫤
I can live without "Blue Thunder 4K" because l've never liked the movie, as far back as when it was in HBO in crummy SD. Glad you saw "Normal," is it better than "Nobody 1/2" or somewhere in the middle? Bob Odenkirk should go back to comedies and lay off the gunplay/beatings for a while. 😁
I never even considered watching Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" because of that heinous title. But I'm 50/50 on Richie and he does surprise me sometimes with something better than I anticipated. He's just made so many these past few years, I can't keep up.
Blue Thunder is awesome. Trainwreak I kind of remember liking, but was inebriated and don't really remember at all. Bill Haber is a gem, but rarely in a leading role. I should revisit it properly.
The Rundown is a jungle movie? Sign me up! I just recently watched the Voyager episode with a young Dwayne in it. He looked great! And normal, like not an insane roid monster.
Most people going to movies in recent years have a Guy Ritchie allergy, if box office receipts are to be believed. 🤑😇 Seriously, only the "Sherlock" movies with RDJ and the "Aladdin" remake were giant hits. Everything else was either break-even ("The Gentlemen," "The Wrath") or a disappointment. 🫤😓
The studio's definitely don't have a Richie allergy. He's already made a move as I'm typing this, and another coming later this year. Aladdin, who I don't know a single person who saw or talked about, somehow made a billion dollars, and they're like, well Richie should make ALL the movies from now on.
Mind you, I do like him. But it's very 50/50. They're either something I liked a lot, or something I despised and regret having watched. I've never seen those Sherlock movies. My kids saw them with their mum and liked them.
I'm a Guy Ritchie fan, try to catch all his movies in theaters. But his latest, "In The Grey," was funded by Middle Eastern countries and shot in Spain. Hollywood studios are not rushing to finance/release his movies, only the streaming shows ("The Gentleman" TV adaptation and that Sherlock Jr. new one) he executive produces/directs episodes for. 🥺😕
I thought this was an interesting take on the zombie genre, though it probably hardly qualifies. With that said, it was much different than I was anticipating, in a refreshing way. It was also good to see Daisy Ridley, who gives a strong performance here.
Probably gonna go see Obsession later this morning.
Enjoy "Obsession." 😄😱🤓😭 "We Bury the Dead" felt a little too much like "The Walking Dead" (except for the very "Return of the Livind Dead"-ish contemporary opening), but Daisy Ridley acquits herself fine as an actor. "The Marsh King's Daughter" and "Young Woman and the Sea" are Daisy's best post-"SW" work, IMO. 🥸
Just got back from Obsession and I loved it! I also had the theater all to myself which is always great. I reminded me a lot of a particular Tales From the Crypt episode I remember watching even I was younger.
What was your favorite, non-spoilery scene in "Obsession"? I loved when Bear wakes up at 3am and Nikki is somewhere in the bedroom, but you can't see her... then your eyes adjust to the dark. 😳😱😭😁
Honestly, every scene with Nikki was awesome. From her weird blow-up in the restaurant to her strange ass monologue from her book at the party. And that car/rock scene was brutal!
Checking "Obsession's" main cast on IMDB, none of the main four have done anything noteworthy before. So hopefully Inde Navarrette gets a career boost this to the big time. 😘🤓
One More Week Till Junesploitation?! Looks like im gonna start making a list of what to watch! Woot!
Unintentional Double TV Feature: Series Finales
The Boys: From the online discourse i think the final season was pretty polarizing. Me? I had fun with it. I found the series overall to be initially really something fresh and weird and f'd up. Over time it had its highs, lows, and filler. The final season was fun enough albiet with some pretty hackneyed writing for the resolutions within. And, as always, i prefer a show not to linger too long and go out on its own terms and writing. Oh, and Homelander is absolutely one of the best villains of all time.
The Late Show w Stephen Colbert: I typically avoid commenting too much online/social media about the current horrible state of US politics. That being said, the circumstances surrounding this shows cancellation, regardless of ones political leanings, fly in the face of everything the US was founded upon. And that sucks. The finale, however, was as Stephen wanted: silly, full of fun celeb cameos, an opportunity to recognize his staff and band, incredible historical nod at the theater, following the shows structure, and musical. The final two music numbers were absolutely incredible and brought tears to my eyes.
Marty, Life is Short (2026)
Continuing the recent trend of celebrity biographies, this one looks at Martin Short. Id say its for the fans. Its a good look at his background, evolution of his humor, friends and life. He's universally loved within. It also touches on some pretty heavy personal loss during his life. I also found it bittersweet to get to see a bunch of interviews with the wonderful Catherine O'hara.
Last weekend, I attempted an F This Movie-style all-weekend-long movie marathon of my own, in hopes of breaking through some writers' block. The lineup was ALIEN 3 (1992), BATMAN RETURNS (1992), CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994), HARD BOILED (1992) on Saturday, and THE CRAFT (1996), HIGHLANDER (1986), and THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) on Sunday. Got a bad headache Saturday night, though, so I didn't enjoy it all as much as I'd hoped.
THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026) Pretty much what everyone else has said. There's some nice action, and I appreciate a SW movie with smaller stakes, but it really just a long-ish episode of the show.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999) A strange and deeply sad movie, but I must admit it is compelling.
STEAL (2026) Really enjoyed this! Huge suspense and all sorts of twists n' turns. Everything you'd want from a thriller.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997) I made a joke on BluSky about the villain's stealth sub from this movie, and a bunch of random submarine enthusiasts responded to tell me all about how actual stealth subs work.
Not a lot of movies lately but the Star Trek watching has continued.
We finished off Enterprise, which deserved more seasons. We continue to sing the theme song randomly.
Prodigy was a first time watch for me, and I really wasn't expecting much from a YA show that at least partly aired on Nickelodeon. We ended up getting really into it. There are certainly aspects of it that are YA, in particular some of the characters, and it takes several episodes to actually start feeling like Star Trek, but once it gets going it's surprisingly good. Not entirely surprised it didn't last too long though. A YA show with specific references to TOS, TNG, Voyager, and even stuff that ties into Picard in the final episode.
Speaking of Picard, we also finished up the first two seasons (Picard is a rewatch for me). Going through so much ST over the past year or two, there's a lot of stuff I disliked at the time (like some of the TNG movies, dropping out of Enterprise after the first few episodes) that I've grown to either appreciate as just being more ST to watch, or in the case of Enterprise just admitting I was wrong at the time. I'm not there with Season 2 of Picard yet. There are still things in there to like, but it is just an absolute mess.
I'm stuck in a Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, loop. I can't get out of it. I tried a couple of episodes of Enterprise, but then watched a single episode of TNG and got sucked right back in. Tried TOS for a handful of episodes, but then watched a single episode of DS9 and was right back in the loop.. I watched the first episode of Strange New Worlds but then just fell back into the loop.
I think I just need to move onto something else. Like maybe the Horatio Hornblower TV series. Or Sharpe. Or Band of Brothers.
For Star Trek, maybe give Lower Decks a shot. It's good, light-viewing. That said, I'm a fan of Sharpe (and Last Kingdom) so that gets my vote if you do end up moving on.
The Jazz Singer (1927): Calling this a talkie is a stretch, there's about 2 minutes of dialogues in it, the rest comes from the usual silent movie cards. Technically not the first talkie, but it was the first full length movie to feature synchronized sound. Technical achievement aside, the movie's good and I'm glad I finally sat down to watch it. I was lucky enough to find the Mediabook blu-ray at the used dvd store. That thing is full so full of extras, it makes Arrow feel barebone. Fair warning, there's blackface in it, which could explain why there's no 4k yet. Studios are usually good at rereleasing classics like this when a new format comes out.
The minstrel show had a strong influence on American musical theater for a long time, so it inevitably showed up in Hollywood musicals when sound came along. Al Jolson, the star of The Jazz Singer, was famous for his blackface performances. Many Hollywood musical stars of the 1930s and 1940s had blackface numbers in their films.
There were a couple of films that I started but did not finish this week. Probably will finish them by next week. I am not trying to push my mind too hard with movie-watching before Junesploitation commences.
I did go the The Gap Theatre last night for a screening of KICKBOXER (1989) and a midnight mystery film. Having watched Bloodsport last week, the parallels between the the films are not hard not to spot. The main difference is the location. The Thai locations are photographed beautifully, actually. I would say that the heavier dependence on awkward dialogue scenes does make Kickboxer drag more. JCVD still had some ways to go to become a decent actor. His spin kicks were impressive, though.
The midnight movie was a 1970 s-e-x-p-l-o-i-t-a-t-i-o-n flick called WILBUR AND THE BABY FACTORY. I had watched this years ago on a Something Weird release. The general plot is about a human breeding experiment whose purpose is never fully explained (creating perfect humans?), but it does provide ample opportunities to show soft-core bare flesh. This is such a 1960s film in every way, which is the main reason it is still somewhat watchable today. For a fifty-year-old print, it looked great.
got hold of a Bluray copy of Link (86) didn't know what to expect but quite enjoyed it. the scenery looked great! i was waiting for moments that might have left me feeling uncomfortable regarding the use of animals but nothing really stood out in any way. That boyfriend character could really move on that one leg!
Went to the theatre and caught Little Lorraine. a smaller Canadian flick that was pretty effective, though wasnt thrilled that they left in a moment when the interpol agent is apparently so unenthused by being in this small town that he just groans to himself when he's sitting on his bed: "Cape Breton"...
I have "Link" on Kino Lorber 4K, looks great despite being an SDR master. Elisabeth Shue walks out with her then-developing acting rep unblemished, but Terence Stamp looks a little embarrassed. 😅
Only two more weekends left until you-know-what begins. Let's make the most of them.😃
ReplyDeleteIt's been years since l've rewatched Spike Jonez's BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999, A. PRIME), and a group watchalong on Discord last Wednesday night pretty much blew our collective minds. I'd completely forgotten the not-subtle LGBTQIA+ subtext, the excellent on-screen puppetry work, Cameron Diaz uglying herself, Orson Bean doing the Wilford Brimley "Coccoon" thing, or that Catherine Keener steals the film from everybody (even Malkovich, whose possessed-by-John-Cusack bedroom dance is one of many unforgettable highlights). It's Charlie Kaufman lunacy (Elijah the chimp has a flashback!) filtered through Spike Jonez's eye for lo-fi visual storytelling, the best of both worlds. And the disc still works on my HD-DVD player.😁
We had a close-to-100-degrees couple of days last week on the East Coast, so I escaped from my AC-less apartment to a double-bill of TOP GUN 4DX (1986, REGAL TIMES SQUARE) & TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2002, AMC IMAX). I love the 4DX experience when the material suits it, and the flying/dogfighting scenes in "Top Gun" were great. Even the love-making scene between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis had some subtle swaying seat movements that made me smile.😛🤫 "Maverick" was even better because a sold-out crowd (I was alone during my 4DX "TG" screening) really got into it, clapping when Glen Powell is introduced and cheering the timed run toward the bomb drop (exercise and the real deal). The long shot of the hypersonic plane from almost outer space looks particularly stunning on IMAX. Great beat-the-heat twofer.😎
Paramount has always swung for the fences with low-budget horror ("Smile 1 & 2," etc.), but PASSENGER (2026, THEATER) comes up short. The supernatural villain that attaches its spell to drivers of vehicles that stop on desolate roads in the middle of the night looks too much like a mute, decrepit Tall Man from "Phantasm." Jump scares can only squeeze so much fright when they're abused as frequently as here, and the lead couple is no match for Melissa Leo's memorable supporting role. '"Roman Holiday" in the woods' projection and 'parking lot' scenes notwithstanding, "Passenger" feels like assembly line product.😕
YOU, ME & TUSCANY ('26, THEATER) finds out-of-options, struggling twentysomething Anna (Halle Bailey, Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" remake) winging it in Italy to fulfill her long-repressed culinary desires. This being an upscale sitcom, Anna is embraced by a restaurant-owning Tuscany family who thinks she's engaged to the black sheep son (Lorenzo de Moor) when Anna has the hots for the good [adopted] son ("Bridgerton's" Regé-Jean Page). Hilarity ensues... sporadically. 'It's fine,' but it's as predictable as it is gorgeous to look at: very.🥸
If "Mercy" (remember that Chris Pratt film?) wasn't enough of a paranoid techno-thriller, here comes Timur Bekmambetov's latest low-budget ripoff of his own directorial effort. Did l mention Timur also produced Ice Cube's "War of the Worlds" remake?😳😱 In LIFE HACK ('26, THEATER) four UK teenage slackers who also happen to be excellent hackers, bored with pranks like giving identity thieves a dose of their own medicine, take it to the next level by targeting an Elon Musk-type crypto magnate's offline laptop. Shown through computer/cellphone/CCTV footage, this is the type of film where a heart-to-heart goodbye between crying besties is heard while we watch them play a first-person shooter game. Not a bad movie, just one made for people who prefer watching movies on their iPhones in portrait mode.🤢🤮
NEGLECTED ('26, THEATER) finds about-to-retire Detective Shaw (Josh Duhamel) racing against the clock to solve a series of puzzles/murders by a serial killer who has buried his teenage son alive. Feels like a "Law & Order: SVU" episode set in small-town America (filmed in Mississippi), especially the denouement uncovering the town's dark underbelly. Jeremy/Jason London as detectives was a neat casting touch. A rental at best.🧐🥺
Cameron Diaz uglying herself? I don't believe you. (I have never seen that movie).
DeleteLook any online picture of Diaz in "BJM." YIKES!!! 🥴😵
DeleteI don't know. She still looks like a stunning woman in a crazy wig? But props to her for going there. A lot of actors (men and woman) don't stray too far from their "look".
DeleteHave not shared in awhile. Some things I watched over the past month:
ReplyDeleteLots of Peter Weir. The Mosquito Coast was made just for me, a well crafted “American Aguirre” that tickled all my childhood fascination with exploration of distant lands. The Year of Living Dangerously was fantastic as well for many of the same reasons, except it was also fraught with the danger of being in a politically unstable country on the brink of civil war. I thought Witness was just about Amish people, which is was, but also was a crime thriller that was very good. Fearless (JP wrote an excellent review a decade ago) was kind of a strange but very moving drama (and maybe the best plane crash scene every put on film). I re-watched The Truman Show and it was much better than I remember.
Also watched Project Hail Mary which is now one of my favourites from this year. Send Help is probably my most favourite. Primate was a ok slasher starring a tail-less CGI monkey with a penchant for ripping peoples jaws off. The CGI chimp was well done however, and I wish I had liked it more. It just seemed a little rote and lacking surprises.
All The President’s Men was fantastic. Lots of typewriters and smoking indoors, and investigative journalism which has become nearly extinct in our world of 20 second dancing Tik-Taks being the main source of news for a wide swath of the population.
Finally, I re-watched Alive, which I had first seen years ago in a church. Presumably because there’s a lot of talk of God and faith. Ironically, they aren’t saved by God, but rather they decide to save themselves. The plane crash is pretty good, within the fx limitations of the time, and well staged. I re-watch this one every few years.
"Primate" was more fun than l remembered, precisely because a (really well designed) CGI chimp tore the young pretty cast to bloody shreds. 😉😁
DeleteThe Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026): Well, within 15 minutes, the gang's back, quickly brought together in a room with barely a 'Hey, recognize her?'. I don't think they tried very hard, and why would they, they have brand recognition. Legacy-sequels are destroying movies, but at the same time the crowd don't go out to watch anything original.
ReplyDeleteThe Recruit (2003): Apparently Collin Farrell likes to train to be a cop. It has a couple of stupid twists, a bit convoluted, but it's entertaining enough. It will never be a secret masterpiece though. Fun trivia, Gabriel Macht, who's in this movie, was the main character in the SWAT sequel (yeah, it's not that fun).
The Rundown (2003): Accidental 2003 double-bill. I got it for 2$ with The Recruit. It's a change of pace from the other one. Before Dwayne Johnson became a douchy brand. It's not the best, but there's some fun bits. Who doesn't love a good adventure through the jungle.
Normal (2026): Would you look at that, a 90 minutes movie. I enjoy most of Ben Weatley filmography, and he can do some decent shootouts (remember Free Fire?). Mixed with Bob Odenkirk newfound love for action, makes for a pretty entertaining movie. Great double-bill with The Last Stand.
Blue Thunder (1983): Of course I got the Arrow 4k, duh 😜. What can I say, movie's awesome and I could wait to hear what the director had to say 40 years later. It's such a simple movie (no CGI): Introduce the character for 30 minutes, introduce and test the chopper for an hour, chopper chase around the cory for the last 30 minutes. Let's not talk about the opening scene when they spy on a naked woman.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024): I don't love Guy Ritchie, but from time to time he will do something I enjoy. I also enjoy the mix of WW2 with spy sh*t. It's trying to be Inglourious Basterds, but Ritchie doesn't have the same flair for dialogues as Tarantino. And to blur the line even more, Til Schweiger is in both.
Trainwreck (2015): I'm not a fan of Amy Schumer (who is?), but I enjoy the movie. The cameos are fun and it's a decent romcom. Also, I think it's the first time we saw John Cena doing comedy, and he's great at it.
OOOOOO i gotta get Blue Thunder 4k. That one was a huge childhood fav that i rewatched on vhs all the time. J.A.F.O. LOL.
DeleteMy main problem with "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" is the complete lack of tension for a so-called WWII action thriller. It goes through the motions of Nazi threats, but not once did it feel like the good guys were in real life-or-death danger. I like the movie fantasy idea that these are the real-life heroes that inspired Ian Fleming to create James Bond, but Guy Ritchie is more interested in the premise than its underwhelming execution. 😔🫤
DeleteI can live without "Blue Thunder 4K" because l've never liked the movie, as far back as when it was in HBO in crummy SD. Glad you saw "Normal," is it better than "Nobody 1/2" or somewhere in the middle? Bob Odenkirk should go back to comedies and lay off the gunplay/beatings for a while. 😁
I would put Normal between Nobody 1 and 2. I found the later very boring and forced.
DeleteUngentlemanly, i get what you're saying. It's the kind of movie I take at face value and just enjoy the action. Ritchie is not the best writer.
I never even considered watching Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" because of that heinous title. But I'm 50/50 on Richie and he does surprise me sometimes with something better than I anticipated. He's just made so many these past few years, I can't keep up.
DeleteBlue Thunder is awesome. Trainwreak I kind of remember liking, but was inebriated and don't really remember at all. Bill Haber is a gem, but rarely in a leading role. I should revisit it properly.
The Rundown is a jungle movie? Sign me up! I just recently watched the Voyager episode with a young Dwayne in it. He looked great! And normal, like not an insane roid monster.
I've come to accept that I just have a Guy Ritchie allergy.
DeleteMost people going to movies in recent years have a Guy Ritchie allergy, if box office receipts are to be believed. 🤑😇 Seriously, only the "Sherlock" movies with RDJ and the "Aladdin" remake were giant hits. Everything else was either break-even ("The Gentlemen," "The Wrath") or a disappointment. 🫤😓
DeleteThe studio's definitely don't have a Richie allergy. He's already made a move as I'm typing this, and another coming later this year. Aladdin, who I don't know a single person who saw or talked about, somehow made a billion dollars, and they're like, well Richie should make ALL the movies from now on.
DeleteMind you, I do like him. But it's very 50/50. They're either something I liked a lot, or something I despised and regret having watched. I've never seen those Sherlock movies. My kids saw them with their mum and liked them.
I'm a Guy Ritchie fan, try to catch all his movies in theaters. But his latest, "In The Grey," was funded by Middle Eastern countries and shot in Spain. Hollywood studios are not rushing to finance/release his movies, only the streaming shows ("The Gentleman" TV adaptation and that Sherlock Jr. new one) he executive produces/directs episodes for. 🥺😕
DeleteWe Bury the Dead (2025)
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting take on the zombie genre, though it probably hardly qualifies. With that said, it was much different than I was anticipating, in a refreshing way. It was also good to see Daisy Ridley, who gives a strong performance here.
Probably gonna go see Obsession later this morning.
Enjoy "Obsession." 😄😱🤓😭 "We Bury the Dead" felt a little too much like "The Walking Dead" (except for the very "Return of the Livind Dead"-ish contemporary opening), but Daisy Ridley acquits herself fine as an actor. "The Marsh King's Daughter" and "Young Woman and the Sea" are Daisy's best post-"SW" work, IMO. 🥸
DeleteJust got back from Obsession and I loved it! I also had the theater all to myself which is always great. I reminded me a lot of a particular Tales From the Crypt episode I remember watching even I was younger.
DeleteWhat was your favorite, non-spoilery scene in "Obsession"? I loved when Bear wakes up at 3am and Nikki is somewhere in the bedroom, but you can't see her... then your eyes adjust to the dark. 😳😱😭😁
DeleteHonestly, every scene with Nikki was awesome. From her weird blow-up in the restaurant to her strange ass monologue from her book at the party. And that car/rock scene was brutal!
DeleteChecking "Obsession's" main cast on IMDB, none of the main four have done anything noteworthy before. So hopefully Inde Navarrette gets a career boost this to the big time. 😘🤓
DeleteI sure hope so. She was incredible!
DeleteOne More Week Till Junesploitation?! Looks like im gonna start making a list of what to watch! Woot!
ReplyDeleteUnintentional Double TV Feature: Series Finales
The Boys: From the online discourse i think the final season was pretty polarizing. Me? I had fun with it. I found the series overall to be initially really something fresh and weird and f'd up. Over time it had its highs, lows, and filler. The final season was fun enough albiet with some pretty hackneyed writing for the resolutions within. And, as always, i prefer a show not to linger too long and go out on its own terms and writing. Oh, and Homelander is absolutely one of the best villains of all time.
The Late Show w Stephen Colbert: I typically avoid commenting too much online/social media about the current horrible state of US politics. That being said, the circumstances surrounding this shows cancellation, regardless of ones political leanings, fly in the face of everything the US was founded upon. And that sucks. The finale, however, was as Stephen wanted: silly, full of fun celeb cameos, an opportunity to recognize his staff and band, incredible historical nod at the theater, following the shows structure, and musical. The final two music numbers were absolutely incredible and brought tears to my eyes.
Marty, Life is Short (2026)
Continuing the recent trend of celebrity biographies, this one looks at Martin Short. Id say its for the fans. Its a good look at his background, evolution of his humor, friends and life. He's universally loved within. It also touches on some pretty heavy personal loss during his life. I also found it bittersweet to get to see a bunch of interviews with the wonderful Catherine O'hara.
Where is the Martin Short documentary streaming? 🤔
DeleteNetflix. Worth it for Short fans!
DeleteLast weekend, I attempted an F This Movie-style all-weekend-long movie marathon of my own, in hopes of breaking through some writers' block. The lineup was ALIEN 3 (1992), BATMAN RETURNS (1992), CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER (1994), HARD BOILED (1992) on Saturday, and THE CRAFT (1996), HIGHLANDER (1986), and THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) on Sunday. Got a bad headache Saturday night, though, so I didn't enjoy it all as much as I'd hoped.
ReplyDeleteTHE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (2026)
Pretty much what everyone else has said. There's some nice action, and I appreciate a SW movie with smaller stakes, but it really just a long-ish episode of the show.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999)
A strange and deeply sad movie, but I must admit it is compelling.
STEAL (2026)
Really enjoyed this! Huge suspense and all sorts of twists n' turns. Everything you'd want from a thriller.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997)
I made a joke on BluSky about the villain's stealth sub from this movie, and a bunch of random submarine enthusiasts responded to tell me all about how actual stealth subs work.
Do you know what your '30 Fays Of...' sub-category for Junesploitation! 2026 is, Mac? 🤓🥵
DeleteDAYS! '30 Days of...'
DeleteI have an idea, but I wonder if it'll be too out there. We'll see.
DeleteI could always read every Sarah J. Maas novel in June for 30 faes.
Not a lot of movies lately but the Star Trek watching has continued.
ReplyDeleteWe finished off Enterprise, which deserved more seasons. We continue to sing the theme song randomly.
Prodigy was a first time watch for me, and I really wasn't expecting much from a YA show that at least partly aired on Nickelodeon. We ended up getting really into it. There are certainly aspects of it that are YA, in particular some of the characters, and it takes several episodes to actually start feeling like Star Trek, but once it gets going it's surprisingly good. Not entirely surprised it didn't last too long though. A YA show with specific references to TOS, TNG, Voyager, and even stuff that ties into Picard in the final episode.
Speaking of Picard, we also finished up the first two seasons (Picard is a rewatch for me). Going through so much ST over the past year or two, there's a lot of stuff I disliked at the time (like some of the TNG movies, dropping out of Enterprise after the first few episodes) that I've grown to either appreciate as just being more ST to watch, or in the case of Enterprise just admitting I was wrong at the time. I'm not there with Season 2 of Picard yet. There are still things in there to like, but it is just an absolute mess.
I'm stuck in a Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, loop. I can't get out of it. I tried a couple of episodes of Enterprise, but then watched a single episode of TNG and got sucked right back in. Tried TOS for a handful of episodes, but then watched a single episode of DS9 and was right back in the loop.. I watched the first episode of Strange New Worlds but then just fell back into the loop.
DeleteI think I just need to move onto something else. Like maybe the Horatio Hornblower TV series. Or Sharpe. Or Band of Brothers.
For Star Trek, maybe give Lower Decks a shot. It's good, light-viewing. That said, I'm a fan of Sharpe (and Last Kingdom) so that gets my vote if you do end up moving on.
DeleteGo for Stargate SG1 and Atlantis 😁
DeleteThe Jazz Singer (1927): Calling this a talkie is a stretch, there's about 2 minutes of dialogues in it, the rest comes from the usual silent movie cards. Technically not the first talkie, but it was the first full length movie to feature synchronized sound. Technical achievement aside, the movie's good and I'm glad I finally sat down to watch it. I was lucky enough to find the Mediabook blu-ray at the used dvd store. That thing is full so full of extras, it makes Arrow feel barebone. Fair warning, there's blackface in it, which could explain why there's no 4k yet. Studios are usually good at rereleasing classics like this when a new format comes out.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's a REALLY old one. I'm open to everything, but haven't been able to connect to the couple of silent films that I've seen.
DeleteThe minstrel show had a strong influence on American musical theater for a long time, so it inevitably showed up in Hollywood musicals when sound came along. Al Jolson, the star of The Jazz Singer, was famous for his blackface performances. Many Hollywood musical stars of the 1930s and 1940s had blackface numbers in their films.
DeleteA disc full of interesting bonus features makes a mediocre-to-bad feature more tolerable, especially if the price is right (aka super low). 🤑
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of films that I started but did not finish this week. Probably will finish them by next week. I am not trying to push my mind too hard with movie-watching before Junesploitation commences.
ReplyDeleteI did go the The Gap Theatre last night for a screening of KICKBOXER (1989) and a midnight mystery film. Having watched Bloodsport last week, the parallels between the the films are not hard not to spot. The main difference is the location. The Thai locations are photographed beautifully, actually. I would say that the heavier dependence on awkward dialogue scenes does make Kickboxer drag more. JCVD still had some ways to go to become a decent actor. His spin kicks were impressive, though.
The midnight movie was a 1970 s-e-x-p-l-o-i-t-a-t-i-o-n flick called WILBUR AND THE BABY FACTORY. I had watched this years ago on a Something Weird release. The general plot is about a human breeding experiment whose purpose is never fully explained (creating perfect humans?), but it does provide ample opportunities to show soft-core bare flesh. This is such a 1960s film in every way, which is the main reason it is still somewhat watchable today. For a fifty-year-old print, it looked great.
got hold of a Bluray copy of Link (86) didn't know what to expect but quite enjoyed it. the scenery looked great! i was waiting for moments that might have left me feeling uncomfortable regarding the use of animals but nothing really stood out in any way. That boyfriend character could really move on that one leg!
ReplyDeleteWent to the theatre and caught Little Lorraine. a smaller Canadian flick that was pretty effective, though wasnt thrilled that they left in a moment when the interpol agent is apparently so unenthused by being in this small town that he just groans to himself when he's sitting on his bed: "Cape Breton"...
I have "Link" on Kino Lorber 4K, looks great despite being an SDR master. Elisabeth Shue walks out with her then-developing acting rep unblemished, but Terence Stamp looks a little embarrassed. 😅
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