COYOTE VS. ACME (2026, AMC PRIME) does something its lead protagonist, Wile E. Coyote, is incapable of in his cartoon world: it speaks for itself loud and clear (while making you laugh your head off). I knew of the Warner Bros. tax write-off controversy (visible on-screen only by the copyright being several years old and a credit thank you to 'all those that spoke out when it counted most'), but I didn't know what the actual movie's plot was about. Such a clever, simple premise (co-written by current Warner DCU boss James Gunn... oh, the irony pile-up! 🤔) that marries the old-time Looney Tunes gags with the present-day reality of our litigious society and profits-at-all-costs corporate greed. Will Forte's lawyer schtick is a little thin for our lead human protagonist, but the supporting cast (human or animated) and on-the-ball production crew pick up Kevin's slack. As JB mentioned in his review on Friday (read it), the biggest miracle "Cv.A" pulls off is making the one-dimensional Coyote (and even the Road Runner during a couple of scenes deep into the third act) compelling characters despite their lack of speech. Then again, when they're as well animated as every other Looney Tunes character in this piece, who needs words? 😢🤥 Worth seeing on the big screen to appreciate the production values of shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. 😁
As with Renny Harlin's "Deep Water" earlier this year, I let myself get too hyped by the impending release of Yeon Sang-ho's COLONY (SOUTH KOREA, '26, THEATER). I even watched trailers and stuff, because a new 'zombie' movie by the director of 2016's "Train To Busan" can't miss, right? Heck, some of the actors from "TTB" return in either similar or completely different roles. Well... let's just say if "Busan" is a 10 then "Colony" is either a 6 or 7, with moments/scenes that push it up to 8. While "TTB" had a giant heart and pathos that tugged at your emotions, "Colony" goes for an all-out sci-fi vibe with outrageous characters that make it feel like a good (not great) movie version of a latter "Resident Evil" videogame. It's a different beast altogether.
Mad scientist Seo Yeong Cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan, excellent as the Albert Wesker of this piece) creates a virus that spreads rapidly in a building with a high-tech mall ("Dawn of the Dead" callback!) that makes those infected create fungi that communicates to all infected what every single one of them can see/hear. A group of survivors can't leave the quarantined-sealed building unless they find and bring in Seo Yeong Cheol out with them, since he injected himself with the virus and that makes him the only human vaccine that can stop the spread. Like in "Busan," the human mistrust of one another results in bands of survivors with different agendas (revenge for the death of a loved one, etc.) on top of the threat of many infected that can work as a team (impersonating police, etc.) to wipe them out. While the end of "Colony" results in one of the best examples of a 'heroine's journey' I've seen in a while, you can't help but want much more than what the actual movie delivers. If "Train To Busan" is the George Romero equivalent to "Dawn of the Dead," "Colony" feels like a souped-up "Land of the Dead." It's good, just not OG "Dead" trilogy good. Like "Deep Water," maybe if I hadn't hyped myself I would have liked it more. 😕😔
THE CLOVERFIELD TRILOGY! CLOVERFIELD (2008, 4K UHD)
It's been a decade since I saw "10 Cloverfield Lane" in theaters, and I never bothered to check out the Netflix-exclusive follow-up a couple of years later. The original "Cloverfield," though? Seen that a bunch, and on hindsight, it's where the creative/marketing muscle of J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot in its prime was clicking on all cylinders. A 'kaiju' (back when that term had only started getting mainstream traction) of unknown origin is dropped in the middle of NYC, unleashing Godzilla-like levels of destruction and human devastation in its wake... but we only get to see any of it through the camera of Hud (T.J. Miller), a sad-sack loser attending a party full of self-centered Millennials and Gen-Z pretty people. Despite a PG-13 rating limiting the on-screen violence, the excellent sound/visual design (which stands out more in 4K than the shaky-cam visuals) and non-stop action after a 20-minute introduction (which will make half the audience care for these characters, while the other half will root for their eventual demise... all based on each viewers' particular demo) make for an entertaining under-80 min. fun flick. Matt Reeves (director)? Drew Goddard (writer)? I think these kids might have a future in movies. 😉😇
Just recently bought the 4K (cheap), which prompted the rewatch of the prequel and first-time viewing of the third. I remembered the basic plot from 10 years ago: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is trapped in the basement of survivalist John Goodman while the world outside may or may not be uninhabitable due to an invasion/attack of unknown origin. But I completely forgot about Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), or the small details like Michelle's boyfriend Ben (Bradley Cooper) calling after she leaves her engagement ring on their apartment, or that the only shower/toilet in Howard's shelter is in his bedroom (EEEUUU! 🤢🤮). A mostly humorless survivalist chamber drama is not what most people expected as the follow-up to "Cloverfield," which can be explained by this being a separate movie that was retrofitted into Bad Robot's franchise universe late in its production. While there is barely enough sci-fi meat in "10CL" to make it of a piece with the '08 movie, two out of three lead actors giving engaging performances throughout ain't too bad. So sorry you couldn't dodge that barrel, Emmett. ☹️🤗
No, I didn't subscribe to Netflix (perish the thought! 😵) to watch the third entry in the series. A friend is out of town for a few days, I'm watching his apartment and feeding his cat... and I can also use his Netflix account. Too bad his TV is only 43"... barbarian! 😅 Released by Netflix during a Super Bowl LII ad in 2018 announing its immediate streaming availability, "The Cloverfield Paradox" is an even less well-integrated retrofitted separate movie than "10 Cloverfield Lane" was. The name 'Cloverfield' is tacked onto the CG name of a spaceship conducting experiments in outer space, a giant monster shows up at the very end, and the premise (a particle accelerator experiment to try and save the world from an energy crisis results in a portal to a parallel universe affecting a crew of baffled astronauts/scientists) offers a convenient way to thin the herd in PG-13 horror-lite ways. Without the 'Cloverfield' name this would be another generic sci-fi movie ("Life," "Pandorum," "Slingshot," etc.) with decent special effects (an amputated arm writing by itself, a human fusing with the ship's electronics, etc.) and a disposable cast (no disrespect meant your way, David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl) streaming on... well, Netflix. If there ever is a new "Cloverfield" movie, the upside is that it can't possibly be any more generic than this streaming contractual obligation. Pass.
Yikes! 🥵🥶 Cooler heads prevailed, and that franchise made more money and has a better standing than the "Cloverfield" sequels ever did. 😁 In my mind "Cloverfield" is one cool found footage monster flick... nothing more, nothing less. 🙂
10 Cloverfield Lane has been the only one I've gone back to watch a few times. The first one was alright, but nothing memorable for me. The Netflix one wasn't nearly as bad as everything wailed about, but wasn't great either. I liked how it did the thing that should have happened numerous time transporting in Star Trek, where someone ends up half in the floor and half out.
Watching Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony" (see review above) made me ache for some George R. Romero goodness. You'd think the virus-infected 'fast' zombies' would make me seek out the "Dawn of the Dead '04" remake or the many "28 _____ Later" movies, but nope.
So I rewatched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968, DVD) and "Martin" with the group commentaries on. I miss hearing George Romero's voice, especially in his latter years when he came across as a gruff, lovable hippie grandparent type. 🥰 I had a chance to talk face-to-face with George for five brief minutes in NYC before he passed, and it was nice to put human warmth and a smile (not to mention a firm handshake) on that voice. 🥺😓 My DVD copy is a late 90's port of the Elite Laserdisc release of "NOTLD," and source of the commentary tracks that are still ported to officially licensed releases (most recently on the Criterion 4K of "NOTLD"). Even though he's a much bigger deal than his fellow commentators, George doesn't take over the commentary and lets the others (mostly John Russo) get into as much detail as they collectively remember. While "NOTLD" has problems (that catatonic Barbra!) and the lack of resources constantly show, it still works its charms until a gut-punch of an ending that still hurts to watch 58 years later. Poor Ben. 🥺😭
Same with MARTIN (1976, DVD), a Lionsgate release so early in the format's life and badly made you can't access the menu screens until after you reach the end of the first viewing of the flick. Had to skip chapters all the way to the end just to turn on the commentary track. If you've heard commentary tracks on "Dawn/Day of the Dead" you know Romero's knowledge of his films comes out better when prompted by the likes of Tom Savini (make-up boss), Michael Gornick (cinematographer), Richard Rubestein (producer), etc. to recount old war stories. While watching John Amplas fumble through the Pittsburgh suburbs, hurting others to prove to himself that he's a vampire (the home invasion of the lady who invited over her lover is genuinely tense and well-staged), hearing this crew of PA natives enjoying each other's company was as much fun as seeing Amplas-as-Martin's face at the very end. Only in a George A. Romero drama does the bloody ending of its protagonist opens many more questions than it answers. "Martin" remains criminally underrated as one of Romero's best works.
I have a bootleg DVD of Martin with that commentary. I watched the movie a few years ago, but I still have not listened to the commentary.
One of the interesting aspects of Martin is seeing Pittsburgh before the skyscrapers were constructed downtown. (Dahn-tahn as they say in Pittsburghese.)
Romero kept mentioning in the commentary that "Martin" captures the sad aftermath of the factories closing down and before the construction boom, with people sitting around in bars and doing nothing while waiting for the factories to re-open (which they never did). Like Patrick and his crew of Chicago-strong cohorts (even the ones that moved to California), George Romero's Pennsylvania crew make you sympathize and relate to a part of the world we've never been around or part of. 🙃🙂
I'll give Agnieszka Smoczynska's HOT SPOT (POLAND/GREECE, '26, THEATER), a Polish-made dystopian sci-fi flick that came and went through AMC theaters last week, two things: (a) it has personality and a sense of humor (something lacking in most futuristic movies that take themselves way too seriously), and (b) it emptied the theater when the credits started rolling faster than any other movie I've seen (90 secs. after credits started I was the only one left! 😇). In a futuristic world with water limits (hence the pic's desert/arid look) where AI allows for wordless communication between the chip-marked civilian population, private investigator Jan 623 (Andrzej Konopka sporting a buff blonde wig) is tasked with investigating a grizzly ritualistic murder among a group of detained political refugees. One of these refugees, Rana (Noomi Rapace, "Prometheus"), seems to possess the mental ability to defeat the sentient AI... and drag Jan's life with his wife Ayka (Reika Kirishima) and son Zen (George Aurimas) into a hypnotic-induced nightmare. It feels like a distant cousin to "Blade Runner" (car/screen techs look dated by design, the private dick unaware he's a pawn on a much bigger game, etc.), except with Europe's 'The Final Countdown' as background music to lighten-up the otherwise dreary mood. 'It's fine,' but edges too close for comfort to being utterly forgettable despite being occasionally funny. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄
Last but not least, rewatched THE ODYSSEY ('25, IMAX 70MM) before the contractual obligations to Fall theatrical releases force AMC to give-up this lucrative cash cow. My 4th time seeing Christopher Nolan's biggest movie ever, once in regular 70mm film and three times in a row in 70mm IMAX. I 😍 New York! 😎 It was an empty space all the way in the back, though, so I had to watch all 2 hrs. and 52 min. standing up. Couldn't seat on the floor or I would have cut out the bottom half of the full IMAX screen. Seeing the same epic movie four times in about a month's time, I'm so familiar with the rhythms and beats of "The Odyssey" by now I can 'disconnect' mentally from the slow parts (Tom Holland's Telemachus visit to Jon Bernthal's Menelaus) and 'engage' when the dramatic parts (like the final test with the suitors, which starts earlier when Odysseus goes undercover) start gearing-up for a rousing finale. And somehow watching Robert Pattinson's Antinous go from overconfident, cocky suitor to coward hiding behind others' swords, then get his comeuppance at the hands of Matt Damon's angry-as-f*** Odysseus (the single biggest reason why Nolan's creation of Elliot Page's Sinon character works so well as a cinematic improvement over the original text), keeps getting better and more fun on repeat watch. What a summer! ☺️
a few weeks ago, I binge-watched the Vincent Price first collection from Shout, that made me in the mood to watch more. Second collection is impossible to find, so I 'rebuilt' it with individual releases from Kino and other stuff I already had (I'm still missing a couple). I can see why it got sold out so quick, all the movies from this set are top shelf. The third boxset was easily available, so I obviously got it. Here's what I watched from all of this throughout the week...
The Raven: I've never read the original story, all I know is the Tim Burton stop-motion animated short (possibly the best thing he's ever done) and the Simpsons parody (possibly the best thing they've ever done). The slapstick comedy threw me off a little at the beginning, but I quickly bought into it. I had a ton of fun, the magician fight is obviously the main attraction. Oh, and there's a very young Jack Nicholson showing up.
Comedy of Terrors: Speaking of silly movie, they cranked the slapstickness to 11 on this one: The woman who sings really bad, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price beating each other up, Lorre being in love with the woman. And where's Boris Karloff during all of this? He's sleeping of course.
The Last Man on Earth: Enough of this levity, time to get dramatic. I mean, a plague ravaging humanity, that's hitting a bit close to home. The 'zombie-vampires' are almost like anti-vaxxers.
Master of the World: I had to get a dud at some point. Sorry, dud is a strong word, it's not that bad, there are some cool scenes. I guess I prefer my Vincent as a scientist, in a big dusty mansion, with a dead wife. But if it's any indication of the rest of the set, I understand why Vol.3 is still available.
Tower of London: In which Corman and Price do Shakespear. A script NOT written by Richard Matheson, how dare they?!
Diary of a Madman: This one was disturbing.
Cry of the Banshee: Man, we're far from the fun times of the first two I've watched on this list.
The Best Little Wh0rehouse in Texas: For some reasons, the Blu-ray was selling out fast on Amazon. I never saw it, so it was time to snag it. Damn that woman was charming, she had the most adorable laugh, and was an excellent actress. The movie's fantastic, of course, and I'm happy to finally have seen it. It's worth watching if only for the Charles Durning song and dance bit in the last act. Now, somebody release 9 to 5 pronto.
'For some reasons...' Yeah, when a celebrity dies their body of work resurfaces on stores, sales and the collective consciousness. Never seen "TBLWIT," but its playing at my local AMC theaters 'till Sep. 2. That's the nostalgia power of Dolly, RIP. 😔
"Cry of the Banshee" gives us sadistic Vincent Price, and that's always good for a laugh even if the movie has no levity whatsoever. 😬🙄 "Last Man in Earth" is cheesy but fun, making the most out of a great premise, cheap production values and a star (Price is always compelling) squeezing all the dramatic worth from Richard Matheson's words. 🤓🧐 Every other Price film you mentioned l haven't seen... l think? Maybe "The Raven," but l honestly don't remember any of it. What are the V.P. movies you want to but can't get access to, Kuni? 😉😅
Dr Phibes Rides Again was part of vol.2, but I didn't get it yet.
That complete the 3 boxset from Shout
Apart from that, I'll watch anything and everything with Price. I think I got the essentials. I'll have to do some research for the other 'essentials' not collected in those 3 sets.
My favorite under-the-radar Price is "From A Whisper To A Scream," a 1987 horror anthology in which V.P. plays Cryptkeeper-like host to four horror tales. It's on Amazon Prime right now, and Shout put it out on BD years ago (l have it). Might just dust off this sucker in time for Scary Movie Month in... a little over a month??!! 😳😮
Master of the World does have one of Charles Bronson's most atypical roles, but it is, as you rightly say, a dud of a film. It is missing "something" to make it work.
Comedy of Terrors is a lot of fun. I saw The Raven last year and enjoyed its goofiness. That magic duel scene is very creative. Cry of the Banshee has been in my watchlist for a long time. One of these years.
My most important concern with the new Bond movie series (l don't really care who plays 007) is that the filmmakers keep continuity with Money Penny, Q, M, etc. as represented in "Skyfall," which is where the Craig-era Bond movies' supporting cast took solid shape. Even if the actors are recast, l'd like the Q or Money Penny that the new Bond interacts with have the history that he/she worked with Craig-era 007, and that left a mark on their personal lives. Am l crazy thinking this is important, or are we game for a whole new round of personal re-introductions starting at zero? 🤨🫤
Personally, I'm not a Bond fan. I'll watch just about any MCU movie over pretty much any 007 flick any day, so factor that into the following if you like, but the only way I see myself getting hyped for the next movie is if it's a period piece, ideally introducing an early 20s Bond as a WW2 commando. IMO, however, the formula of setting the same old minor variations of Bond stories in the present day (and the present, and the present, and the present) is completely played out. Hell, the latter three Craig entries (i.e., most of them) were so drenched in nostalgia and analog tech and settings, you could practically feel them straining to be period pieces.
Gaith, have you seen Guy Ritchie's 2024 film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare"? It's not 007 per se, but it's the closest to the WWII Bond movie you wish you could have. ✊️🤠 Naturally the franchise proper will never not be set in contemporary times, unless the Amazon people completely trust Denis Villeneuve and he comes up with some intriguing storytelling hook that makes "Bond 26" deviate from the norm of the previous 25. 🤨🙄
I'm pretty sure I heard a rumour (which are always truthful) that it would be set in the '60s. I'll be happy to see whatever they do with it, as long as they don't start doing "required viewing" 10 hour mini-series between movies. Hopefully they've learned from Disney's (Marvel/Star Wars) mistakes. I've almost watched TMOUW a few times, but that title is doing some heavy work to dissuade me. I'm pretty hit or miss with Ritchie, but WW2 bond should be given a chance.
To clarify, Ritchie's movie isn't James Bond in WWII (unless you count the character of Ian Fleming in the narrative), it's more of a team of secret British agents trying to sabotage Germany's war machine. But it's the closest movie analogy l could come up with to what Gaith says he wants from a modern 007 movie... good luck with that. 😏
I have not actively used the Mubi streaming service for a while, so I prioritized a couple of watches from that this week.
TIME TO DIE (1966, dir. Arturo Ripstein) – A Mexican western written by two famous novelists, one of whom was Noble Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Juan is coming back to his hometown 18 years after killing a man in a duel. Julian, the son of the dead man, does not view the jail time served as justice. He wants to kill Juan and nobody can convince him that his father died in a fair fight. It is a cycle of violence that is presented in a clear but stiff style. The shaky hand-held camerawork can be distracting in certain scenes. Time To Die is, overall, a quality film that lacks a fun factor.
TAXI ZUM KLO (1980, dir. Frank Ripploh) – Translates as ‘Taxi To The Toilet’. Frank is a g-a-y schoolteacher living his best h-o-r-n-y life. In public toilets, parks, bars, or on the street, he is always on the prowl for his next “encounter”. When he meets the sweet Bernd one night, Frank’s promiscuous ways run up against up against a desire to have a genuine relationship. This is a somewhat autobiographical film from the director, who also plays the lead. TAXI succeeds in giving the viewer a vicarious sense of being there in 1970s West Berlin. The film also does not shy away from crossing the hard-core line several times.
SHE (1985, dir. Avi Nesher) – I was in the mood for a brainless movie one night and found this in my Prime queue. A perfect choice. Post-apocalypse, sword and sandal, sword and sorcery, horror, comedy, ‘80s babes… this truly has everything. Plus the most random and annoying soundtrack and whatever costumes the production could get its hands on. There are a warrior goddess (the striking Sandahl Bergman), a horde of N-a-z-I (?) raiders, and a man on a rescue mission in the nonsensical story. I did find a lot of entertainment value in this mess.
I will be going to the Gap Theatre tonight for my first theater experience since the very beginning of the month. August has been busy for me.
Just checked The Gap's online schedule... DUDE!!! 😳😮 "French Connection" and "Fear Is The Key" in 35mm? "Love in 3D" in both 35mm AND 3D? Casual, you've been holding back from us! 😉😁
That theater is a big reason why my physical media budget has shrunk the past two years. Going there and to the drive-ins has increased has increased my entertainment costs. It is well worth worth it, though.
The rest of the schedule at The Gap would make any repertory theater in NYC gush with envy. So many 35mm screenings! 😎👍 But personally as someone that goes to the movies 3-4 times a week (mostly new releases with some odd repertory here and there), l see quality physical media releases as a separate entertainment expense that complements my (subsidized by AMC A-List monthly subscription) theater-going budget. "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" in 70mm in a packed NYC theater at 9am was an experience. Reliving that anytime l want with the $35+ Lionsgate 4K release of "KB:TWBA" is a separate cost, but both experiences are informed by one another.
If you end up really liking a new-to-you movie you see at The Gap (which is to you what The Music Box in Chicago was to Patrick and JB, or Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema is for me), buying that on physical media should be an option to preserve and relive that cinematic experience. Few movies are actually worth seeing twice, let alone multiple times. If you do come across a film worth buying, don't deny yourself a physical media disc at home just because you've seen it theatrically. That's the starting point of a great relationship with a movie/actor/filmmaker, not the destination or end point. And of course, everybody's mileage may vary on what constitutes a worthy disc upgrade. I used to be '4K/1080p or nothing,' but recent 480p purchases have saved me tons of $$$ by realizing SD DVD can sometimes be good enough to own. 🤓😘
DIGGSTOWN (1992) A movie at odds with itself, trying to be both a con artist caper and an inspirational sports movie, only to end up as neither. I liked Bruce Dern as the trash-talkin' villain, though.
THE WICKER MAN (1973) This island seems like it'd be a nice place, if it wasn't for the cult and all.
PAPRIKA (2006) I've never quite managed to follow the plot of this one, but I do love all the visual razzle-dazzle.
BOUND (1996) Wachowski goodness!
FINAL DESTINATION 3 (2006) Is Mary Elizabeth Winstead an anime drawing come to life?
And last week, after directing one of the biggest movies of the year, Kane Parsons went back to his original YouTube channel and posted a new BACKROOMS video. We all knew this would be an ongoing franchise, but it's nice to see Parsons return to his roots.
'Is Mary Elizabeth Winstead an anime drawing come to life?' If you mean a movie Goddess in human form, then of course she is. 😍🥰
I've only seen "Bound" once when it came out. Does it hold up? Curious because it's the first and last "small" movie the Wachowskis made before "The Matrix" blew up and lifted them into blockbuster auteurs status. Usually filmmakers leave a string of small indie/studio work before 'transitioning' to the big leagues, but not these two. 🤔😼
I imagine being a part of the Wicker Man cult would be a good bit of fun. Reminder that I watched the first ~30 minutes of Bound about a year ago before bed, but never got around to finishing it (even though I was really loving it).
I rewatched Bandidas (2006) last night. No one is watching this to learn more about the Mexican Revolution. Cruz and Heyek in period clothing, guns, horses, trains, 87 minutes of smoke shows in period clothing. Steve Zahn is normally the best part of a movie, but he's up against some heavy-hitting period clothing this time.
Kunider mentioned 54 (1998) positively a few weeks ago, so I rewatched a movie I remembered liking, but everyone else hated. It was on Prime, but apparently there was a bootleg director's cut where he undid the studio-mandated changes. So I found that online and liked it a lot. It's fairly predictable, rise-and-fall stuff. I wish Mike Myers had done more non-comedic work, but it's understandable with Austin Powers exploding just before this was released and Shrek soon after.
The Missouri Breaks (1976) has Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando teaming up. Nicholson is playing it straight, and Brando is showing up in every scene in a different outfit and doing a new accent, and what the hell is he doing? But he is somehow completely captivating. Beautifully shot on location, it's quite an unusual western, bucking many of the well-worn story structures associated with the genre. It was critically panned at the time, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I've only seen "The Missouri Breaks" in Spanish on local TV when l was growing up. Wonder if rewatching it now with proper English voices by Nicholson and Brando would blow my mind... or bore me to sleep. 😅😴 Never seen "Bandidas" or "54," which should l choose if l could only watch one? 🤔🫣
Ah, so you didn't get to hear Brando doing a crazy new accent every time he appears on scene! It's really good. It's on Tubi and Prime here in Canada. Definitely Bandidas. 54 is fairly mediocre. I only mentioned it because Kunider had given it a high grade a few weeks ago and the atypical Myers performance. Bandidas is a fun western/action/comedy with 2 of the hottest women on the planet. AND Steve Zahn. STEVE ZAHN! (The woman are both great actors too, especially Cruz, but the script isn't aiming higher than a fun Sunday afternoon movie.)
Time to paaaaarty! 🥳🤩
ReplyDeleteCOYOTE VS. ACME (2026, AMC PRIME) does something its lead protagonist, Wile E. Coyote, is incapable of in his cartoon world: it speaks for itself loud and clear (while making you laugh your head off). I knew of the Warner Bros. tax write-off controversy (visible on-screen only by the copyright being several years old and a credit thank you to 'all those that spoke out when it counted most'), but I didn't know what the actual movie's plot was about. Such a clever, simple premise (co-written by current Warner DCU boss James Gunn... oh, the irony pile-up! 🤔) that marries the old-time Looney Tunes gags with the present-day reality of our litigious society and profits-at-all-costs corporate greed. Will Forte's lawyer schtick is a little thin for our lead human protagonist, but the supporting cast (human or animated) and on-the-ball production crew pick up Kevin's slack. As JB mentioned in his review on Friday (read it), the biggest miracle "Cv.A" pulls off is making the one-dimensional Coyote (and even the Road Runner during a couple of scenes deep into the third act) compelling characters despite their lack of speech. Then again, when they're as well animated as every other Looney Tunes character in this piece, who needs words? 😢🤥 Worth seeing on the big screen to appreciate the production values of shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. 😁
As with Renny Harlin's "Deep Water" earlier this year, I let myself get too hyped by the impending release of Yeon Sang-ho's COLONY (SOUTH KOREA, '26, THEATER). I even watched trailers and stuff, because a new 'zombie' movie by the director of 2016's "Train To Busan" can't miss, right? Heck, some of the actors from "TTB" return in either similar or completely different roles. Well... let's just say if "Busan" is a 10 then "Colony" is either a 6 or 7, with moments/scenes that push it up to 8. While "TTB" had a giant heart and pathos that tugged at your emotions, "Colony" goes for an all-out sci-fi vibe with outrageous characters that make it feel like a good (not great) movie version of a latter "Resident Evil" videogame. It's a different beast altogether.
ReplyDeleteMad scientist Seo Yeong Cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan, excellent as the Albert Wesker of this piece) creates a virus that spreads rapidly in a building with a high-tech mall ("Dawn of the Dead" callback!) that makes those infected create fungi that communicates to all infected what every single one of them can see/hear. A group of survivors can't leave the quarantined-sealed building unless they find and bring in Seo Yeong Cheol out with them, since he injected himself with the virus and that makes him the only human vaccine that can stop the spread. Like in "Busan," the human mistrust of one another results in bands of survivors with different agendas (revenge for the death of a loved one, etc.) on top of the threat of many infected that can work as a team (impersonating police, etc.) to wipe them out. While the end of "Colony" results in one of the best examples of a 'heroine's journey' I've seen in a while, you can't help but want much more than what the actual movie delivers. If "Train To Busan" is the George Romero equivalent to "Dawn of the Dead," "Colony" feels like a souped-up "Land of the Dead." It's good, just not OG "Dead" trilogy good. Like "Deep Water," maybe if I hadn't hyped myself I would have liked it more. 😕😔
THE CLOVERFIELD TRILOGY!
ReplyDeleteCLOVERFIELD (2008, 4K UHD)
It's been a decade since I saw "10 Cloverfield Lane" in theaters, and I never bothered to check out the Netflix-exclusive follow-up a couple of years later. The original "Cloverfield," though? Seen that a bunch, and on hindsight, it's where the creative/marketing muscle of J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot in its prime was clicking on all cylinders. A 'kaiju' (back when that term had only started getting mainstream traction) of unknown origin is dropped in the middle of NYC, unleashing Godzilla-like levels of destruction and human devastation in its wake... but we only get to see any of it through the camera of Hud (T.J. Miller), a sad-sack loser attending a party full of self-centered Millennials and Gen-Z pretty people. Despite a PG-13 rating limiting the on-screen violence, the excellent sound/visual design (which stands out more in 4K than the shaky-cam visuals) and non-stop action after a 20-minute introduction (which will make half the audience care for these characters, while the other half will root for their eventual demise... all based on each viewers' particular demo) make for an entertaining under-80 min. fun flick. Matt Reeves (director)? Drew Goddard (writer)? I think these kids might have a future in movies. 😉😇
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016, 4K UHD)
ReplyDeleteJust recently bought the 4K (cheap), which prompted the rewatch of the prequel and first-time viewing of the third. I remembered the basic plot from 10 years ago: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is trapped in the basement of survivalist John Goodman while the world outside may or may not be uninhabitable due to an invasion/attack of unknown origin. But I completely forgot about Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), or the small details like Michelle's boyfriend Ben (Bradley Cooper) calling after she leaves her engagement ring on their apartment, or that the only shower/toilet in Howard's shelter is in his bedroom (EEEUUU! 🤢🤮). A mostly humorless survivalist chamber drama is not what most people expected as the follow-up to "Cloverfield," which can be explained by this being a separate movie that was retrofitted into Bad Robot's franchise universe late in its production. While there is barely enough sci-fi meat in "10CL" to make it of a piece with the '08 movie, two out of three lead actors giving engaging performances throughout ain't too bad. So sorry you couldn't dodge that barrel, Emmett. ☹️🤗
THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX (2018, NETFLIX)
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't subscribe to Netflix (perish the thought! 😵) to watch the third entry in the series. A friend is out of town for a few days, I'm watching his apartment and feeding his cat... and I can also use his Netflix account. Too bad his TV is only 43"... barbarian! 😅 Released by Netflix during a Super Bowl LII ad in 2018 announing its immediate streaming availability, "The Cloverfield Paradox" is an even less well-integrated retrofitted separate movie than "10 Cloverfield Lane" was. The name 'Cloverfield' is tacked onto the CG name of a spaceship conducting experiments in outer space, a giant monster shows up at the very end, and the premise (a particle accelerator experiment to try and save the world from an energy crisis results in a portal to a parallel universe affecting a crew of baffled astronauts/scientists) offers a convenient way to thin the herd in PG-13 horror-lite ways. Without the 'Cloverfield' name this would be another generic sci-fi movie ("Life," "Pandorum," "Slingshot," etc.) with decent special effects (an amputated arm writing by itself, a human fusing with the ship's electronics, etc.) and a disposable cast (no disrespect meant your way, David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl) streaming on... well, Netflix. If there ever is a new "Cloverfield" movie, the upside is that it can't possibly be any more generic than this streaming contractual obligation. Pass.
We dodged a bullet. According to wikipedia, there was talk to have A Quiet Place part of the Cloverfield universe.
DeleteYikes! 🥵🥶 Cooler heads prevailed, and that franchise made more money and has a better standing than the "Cloverfield" sequels ever did. 😁 In my mind "Cloverfield" is one cool found footage monster flick... nothing more, nothing less. 🙂
Delete10 Cloverfield Lane has been the only one I've gone back to watch a few times. The first one was alright, but nothing memorable for me. The Netflix one wasn't nearly as bad as everything wailed about, but wasn't great either. I liked how it did the thing that should have happened numerous time transporting in Star Trek, where someone ends up half in the floor and half out.
DeleteWatching Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony" (see review above) made me ache for some George R. Romero goodness. You'd think the virus-infected 'fast' zombies' would make me seek out the "Dawn of the Dead '04" remake or the many "28 _____ Later" movies, but nope.
ReplyDeleteSo I rewatched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968, DVD) and "Martin" with the group commentaries on. I miss hearing George Romero's voice, especially in his latter years when he came across as a gruff, lovable hippie grandparent type. 🥰 I had a chance to talk face-to-face with George for five brief minutes in NYC before he passed, and it was nice to put human warmth and a smile (not to mention a firm handshake) on that voice. 🥺😓 My DVD copy is a late 90's port of the Elite Laserdisc release of "NOTLD," and source of the commentary tracks that are still ported to officially licensed releases (most recently on the Criterion 4K of "NOTLD"). Even though he's a much bigger deal than his fellow commentators, George doesn't take over the commentary and lets the others (mostly John Russo) get into as much detail as they collectively remember. While "NOTLD" has problems (that catatonic Barbra!) and the lack of resources constantly show, it still works its charms until a gut-punch of an ending that still hurts to watch 58 years later. Poor Ben. 🥺😭
Same with MARTIN (1976, DVD), a Lionsgate release so early in the format's life and badly made you can't access the menu screens until after you reach the end of the first viewing of the flick. Had to skip chapters all the way to the end just to turn on the commentary track. If you've heard commentary tracks on "Dawn/Day of the Dead" you know Romero's knowledge of his films comes out better when prompted by the likes of Tom Savini (make-up boss), Michael Gornick (cinematographer), Richard Rubestein (producer), etc. to recount old war stories. While watching John Amplas fumble through the Pittsburgh suburbs, hurting others to prove to himself that he's a vampire (the home invasion of the lady who invited over her lover is genuinely tense and well-staged), hearing this crew of PA natives enjoying each other's company was as much fun as seeing Amplas-as-Martin's face at the very end. Only in a George A. Romero drama does the bloody ending of its protagonist opens many more questions than it answers. "Martin" remains criminally underrated as one of Romero's best works.
ReplyDeleteI have a bootleg DVD of Martin with that commentary. I watched the movie a few years ago, but I still have not listened to the commentary.
DeleteOne of the interesting aspects of Martin is seeing Pittsburgh before the skyscrapers were constructed downtown. (Dahn-tahn as they say in Pittsburghese.)
Romero kept mentioning in the commentary that "Martin" captures the sad aftermath of the factories closing down and before the construction boom, with people sitting around in bars and doing nothing while waiting for the factories to re-open (which they never did). Like Patrick and his crew of Chicago-strong cohorts (even the ones that moved to California), George Romero's Pennsylvania crew make you sympathize and relate to a part of the world we've never been around or part of. 🙃🙂
DeleteWe need the director's cut of Martin!
DeleteI'll give Agnieszka Smoczynska's HOT SPOT (POLAND/GREECE, '26, THEATER), a Polish-made dystopian sci-fi flick that came and went through AMC theaters last week, two things: (a) it has personality and a sense of humor (something lacking in most futuristic movies that take themselves way too seriously), and (b) it emptied the theater when the credits started rolling faster than any other movie I've seen (90 secs. after credits started I was the only one left! 😇). In a futuristic world with water limits (hence the pic's desert/arid look) where AI allows for wordless communication between the chip-marked civilian population, private investigator Jan 623 (Andrzej Konopka sporting a buff blonde wig) is tasked with investigating a grizzly ritualistic murder among a group of detained political refugees. One of these refugees, Rana (Noomi Rapace, "Prometheus"), seems to possess the mental ability to defeat the sentient AI... and drag Jan's life with his wife Ayka (Reika Kirishima) and son Zen (George Aurimas) into a hypnotic-induced nightmare. It feels like a distant cousin to "Blade Runner" (car/screen techs look dated by design, the private dick unaware he's a pawn on a much bigger game, etc.), except with Europe's 'The Final Countdown' as background music to lighten-up the otherwise dreary mood. 'It's fine,' but edges too close for comfort to being utterly forgettable despite being occasionally funny. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄
ReplyDeleteLast but not least, rewatched THE ODYSSEY ('25, IMAX 70MM) before the contractual obligations to Fall theatrical releases force AMC to give-up this lucrative cash cow. My 4th time seeing Christopher Nolan's biggest movie ever, once in regular 70mm film and three times in a row in 70mm IMAX. I 😍 New York! 😎 It was an empty space all the way in the back, though, so I had to watch all 2 hrs. and 52 min. standing up. Couldn't seat on the floor or I would have cut out the bottom half of the full IMAX screen. Seeing the same epic movie four times in about a month's time, I'm so familiar with the rhythms and beats of "The Odyssey" by now I can 'disconnect' mentally from the slow parts (Tom Holland's Telemachus visit to Jon Bernthal's Menelaus) and 'engage' when the dramatic parts (like the final test with the suitors, which starts earlier when Odysseus goes undercover) start gearing-up for a rousing finale. And somehow watching Robert Pattinson's Antinous go from overconfident, cocky suitor to coward hiding behind others' swords, then get his comeuppance at the hands of Matt Damon's angry-as-f*** Odysseus (the single biggest reason why Nolan's creation of Elliot Page's Sinon character works so well as a cinematic improvement over the original text), keeps getting better and more fun on repeat watch. What a summer! ☺️
ReplyDeletea few weeks ago, I binge-watched the Vincent Price first collection from Shout, that made me in the mood to watch more. Second collection is impossible to find, so I 'rebuilt' it with individual releases from Kino and other stuff I already had (I'm still missing a couple). I can see why it got sold out so quick, all the movies from this set are top shelf. The third boxset was easily available, so I obviously got it. Here's what I watched from all of this throughout the week...
ReplyDeleteThe Raven: I've never read the original story, all I know is the Tim Burton stop-motion animated short (possibly the best thing he's ever done) and the Simpsons parody (possibly the best thing they've ever done). The slapstick comedy threw me off a little at the beginning, but I quickly bought into it. I had a ton of fun, the magician fight is obviously the main attraction. Oh, and there's a very young Jack Nicholson showing up.
Comedy of Terrors: Speaking of silly movie, they cranked the slapstickness to 11 on this one: The woman who sings really bad, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price beating each other up, Lorre being in love with the woman. And where's Boris Karloff during all of this? He's sleeping of course.
The Last Man on Earth: Enough of this levity, time to get dramatic. I mean, a plague ravaging humanity, that's hitting a bit close to home. The 'zombie-vampires' are almost like anti-vaxxers.
Master of the World: I had to get a dud at some point. Sorry, dud is a strong word, it's not that bad, there are some cool scenes. I guess I prefer my Vincent as a scientist, in a big dusty mansion, with a dead wife. But if it's any indication of the rest of the set, I understand why Vol.3 is still available.
Tower of London: In which Corman and Price do Shakespear. A script NOT written by Richard Matheson, how dare they?!
Diary of a Madman: This one was disturbing.
Cry of the Banshee: Man, we're far from the fun times of the first two I've watched on this list.
The Best Little Wh0rehouse in Texas: For some reasons, the Blu-ray was selling out fast on Amazon. I never saw it, so it was time to snag it. Damn that woman was charming, she had the most adorable laugh, and was an excellent actress. The movie's fantastic, of course, and I'm happy to finally have seen it. It's worth watching if only for the Charles Durning song and dance bit in the last act. Now, somebody release 9 to 5 pronto.
'For some reasons...' Yeah, when a celebrity dies their body of work resurfaces on stores, sales and the collective consciousness. Never seen "TBLWIT," but its playing at my local AMC theaters 'till Sep. 2. That's the nostalgia power of Dolly, RIP. 😔
Delete"Cry of the Banshee" gives us sadistic Vincent Price, and that's always good for a laugh even if the movie has no levity whatsoever. 😬🙄 "Last Man in Earth" is cheesy but fun, making the most out of a great premise, cheap production values and a star (Price is always compelling) squeezing all the dramatic worth from Richard Matheson's words. 🤓🧐 Every other Price film you mentioned l haven't seen... l think? Maybe "The Raven," but l honestly don't remember any of it. What are the V.P. movies you want to but can't get access to, Kuni? 😉😅
I have Tomb of Ligiea on the way
DeleteDr Phibes Rides Again was part of vol.2, but I didn't get it yet.
That complete the 3 boxset from Shout
Apart from that, I'll watch anything and everything with Price. I think I got the essentials. I'll have to do some research for the other 'essentials' not collected in those 3 sets.
My favorite under-the-radar Price is "From A Whisper To A Scream," a 1987 horror anthology in which V.P. plays Cryptkeeper-like host to four horror tales. It's on Amazon Prime right now, and Shout put it out on BD years ago (l have it). Might just dust off this sucker in time for Scary Movie Month in... a little over a month??!! 😳😮
DeleteNoted. I love anthologies.
DeleteMaster of the World does have one of Charles Bronson's most atypical roles, but it is, as you rightly say, a dud of a film. It is missing "something" to make it work.
DeleteComedy of Terrors is a lot of fun. I saw The Raven last year and enjoyed its goofiness. That magic duel scene is very creative. Cry of the Banshee has been in my watchlist for a long time. One of these years.
Skyfall (2012, dir. Sam Mendes)
ReplyDeleteRoger Deakins goes into god-mode. From a visual standpoint compared to most of today’s streaming content this looks like an experimental art film.
Also I forgot the first 15 minutes is Mad Max: Fury Road three years before that movie came out. Quite the re-watch.
My most important concern with the new Bond movie series (l don't really care who plays 007) is that the filmmakers keep continuity with Money Penny, Q, M, etc. as represented in "Skyfall," which is where the Craig-era Bond movies' supporting cast took solid shape. Even if the actors are recast, l'd like the Q or Money Penny that the new Bond interacts with have the history that he/she worked with Craig-era 007, and that left a mark on their personal lives. Am l crazy thinking this is important, or are we game for a whole new round of personal re-introductions starting at zero? 🤨🫤
DeletePersonally, I'm not a Bond fan. I'll watch just about any MCU movie over pretty much any 007 flick any day, so factor that into the following if you like, but the only way I see myself getting hyped for the next movie is if it's a period piece, ideally introducing an early 20s Bond as a WW2 commando. IMO, however, the formula of setting the same old minor variations of Bond stories in the present day (and the present, and the present, and the present) is completely played out. Hell, the latter three Craig entries (i.e., most of them) were so drenched in nostalgia and analog tech and settings, you could practically feel them straining to be period pieces.
DeleteGaith, have you seen Guy Ritchie's 2024 film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare"? It's not 007 per se, but it's the closest to the WWII Bond movie you wish you could have. ✊️🤠 Naturally the franchise proper will never not be set in contemporary times, unless the Amazon people completely trust Denis Villeneuve and he comes up with some intriguing storytelling hook that makes "Bond 26" deviate from the norm of the previous 25. 🤨🙄
DeleteI'm pretty sure I heard a rumour (which are always truthful) that it would be set in the '60s. I'll be happy to see whatever they do with it, as long as they don't start doing "required viewing" 10 hour mini-series between movies. Hopefully they've learned from Disney's (Marvel/Star Wars) mistakes.
DeleteI've almost watched TMOUW a few times, but that title is doing some heavy work to dissuade me. I'm pretty hit or miss with Ritchie, but WW2 bond should be given a chance.
To clarify, Ritchie's movie isn't James Bond in WWII (unless you count the character of Ian Fleming in the narrative), it's more of a team of secret British agents trying to sabotage Germany's war machine. But it's the closest movie analogy l could come up with to what Gaith says he wants from a modern 007 movie... good luck with that. 😏
DeleteI have not actively used the Mubi streaming service for a while, so I prioritized a couple of watches from that this week.
ReplyDeleteTIME TO DIE (1966, dir. Arturo Ripstein) – A Mexican western written by two famous novelists, one of whom was Noble Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Juan is coming back to his hometown 18 years after killing a man in a duel. Julian, the son of the dead man, does not view the jail time served as justice. He wants to kill Juan and nobody can convince him that his father died in a fair fight. It is a cycle of violence that is presented in a clear but stiff style. The shaky hand-held camerawork can be distracting in certain scenes. Time To Die is, overall, a quality film that lacks a fun factor.
TAXI ZUM KLO (1980, dir. Frank Ripploh) – Translates as ‘Taxi To The Toilet’. Frank is a g-a-y schoolteacher living his best h-o-r-n-y life. In public toilets, parks, bars, or on the street, he is always on the prowl for his next “encounter”. When he meets the sweet Bernd one night, Frank’s promiscuous ways run up against up against a desire to have a genuine relationship. This is a somewhat autobiographical film from the director, who also plays the lead. TAXI succeeds in giving the viewer a vicarious sense of being there in 1970s West Berlin. The film also does not shy away from crossing the hard-core line several times.
SHE (1985, dir. Avi Nesher) – I was in the mood for a brainless movie one night and found this in my Prime queue. A perfect choice. Post-apocalypse, sword and sandal, sword and sorcery, horror, comedy, ‘80s babes… this truly has everything. Plus the most random and annoying soundtrack and whatever costumes the production could get its hands on. There are a warrior goddess (the striking Sandahl Bergman), a horde of N-a-z-I (?) raiders, and a man on a rescue mission in the nonsensical story. I did find a lot of entertainment value in this mess.
I will be going to the Gap Theatre tonight for my first theater experience since the very beginning of the month. August has been busy for me.
What's playing at the Gap tonight? Review tomorrow? 😀 NEXT WEEK? 🥺😰
DeleteIt is obscure 1970s action and German soft-core tonight.
DeleteJust checked The Gap's online schedule... DUDE!!! 😳😮 "French Connection" and "Fear Is The Key" in 35mm? "Love in 3D" in both 35mm AND 3D? Casual, you've been holding back from us! 😉😁
DeleteThat theater is a big reason why my physical media budget has shrunk the past two years. Going there and to the drive-ins has increased has increased my entertainment costs. It is well worth worth it, though.
DeleteThe rest of the schedule at The Gap would make any repertory theater in NYC gush with envy. So many 35mm screenings! 😎👍 But personally as someone that goes to the movies 3-4 times a week (mostly new releases with some odd repertory here and there), l see quality physical media releases as a separate entertainment expense that complements my (subsidized by AMC A-List monthly subscription) theater-going budget. "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" in 70mm in a packed NYC theater at 9am was an experience. Reliving that anytime l want with the $35+ Lionsgate 4K release of "KB:TWBA" is a separate cost, but both experiences are informed by one another.
DeleteIf you end up really liking a new-to-you movie you see at The Gap (which is to you what The Music Box in Chicago was to Patrick and JB, or Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema is for me), buying that on physical media should be an option to preserve and relive that cinematic experience. Few movies are actually worth seeing twice, let alone multiple times. If you do come across a film worth buying, don't deny yourself a physical media disc at home just because you've seen it theatrically. That's the starting point of a great relationship with a movie/actor/filmmaker, not the destination or end point. And of course, everybody's mileage may vary on what constitutes a worthy disc upgrade. I used to be '4K/1080p or nothing,' but recent 480p purchases have saved me tons of $$$ by realizing SD DVD can sometimes be good enough to own. 🤓😘
"She" was a highlight of Junesploitation several years ago. From what I remember, it had a little bit of everything in it and was wildly entertaining.
DeleteDIGGSTOWN (1992)
ReplyDeleteA movie at odds with itself, trying to be both a con artist caper and an inspirational sports movie, only to end up as neither. I liked Bruce Dern as the trash-talkin' villain, though.
THE WICKER MAN (1973)
This island seems like it'd be a nice place, if it wasn't for the cult and all.
PAPRIKA (2006)
I've never quite managed to follow the plot of this one, but I do love all the visual razzle-dazzle.
BOUND (1996)
Wachowski goodness!
FINAL DESTINATION 3 (2006)
Is Mary Elizabeth Winstead an anime drawing come to life?
And last week, after directing one of the biggest movies of the year, Kane Parsons went back to his original YouTube channel and posted a new BACKROOMS video. We all knew this would be an ongoing franchise, but it's nice to see Parsons return to his roots.
'Is Mary Elizabeth Winstead an anime drawing come to life?'
DeleteIf you mean a movie Goddess in human form, then of course she is. 😍🥰
I've only seen "Bound" once when it came out. Does it hold up? Curious because it's the first and last "small" movie the Wachowskis made before "The Matrix" blew up and lifted them into blockbuster auteurs status. Usually filmmakers leave a string of small indie/studio work before 'transitioning' to the big leagues, but not these two. 🤔😼
She's the living embodiment if Ramona Flowers, so yes she is an anime drawing come to life.
DeleteB...B...But... Knives is so loyal and cute... 🥺😰😓 Anywho, 'Chau.' 😉
DeleteI imagine being a part of the Wicker Man cult would be a good bit of fun.
DeleteReminder that I watched the first ~30 minutes of Bound about a year ago before bed, but never got around to finishing it (even though I was really loving it).
I rewatched Bandidas (2006) last night. No one is watching this to learn more about the Mexican Revolution. Cruz and Heyek in period clothing, guns, horses, trains, 87 minutes of smoke shows in period clothing. Steve Zahn is normally the best part of a movie, but he's up against some heavy-hitting period clothing this time.
ReplyDeleteKunider mentioned 54 (1998) positively a few weeks ago, so I rewatched a movie I remembered liking, but everyone else hated. It was on Prime, but apparently there was a bootleg director's cut where he undid the studio-mandated changes. So I found that online and liked it a lot. It's fairly predictable, rise-and-fall stuff. I wish Mike Myers had done more non-comedic work, but it's understandable with Austin Powers exploding just before this was released and Shrek soon after.
The Missouri Breaks (1976) has Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando teaming up. Nicholson is playing it straight, and Brando is showing up in every scene in a different outfit and doing a new accent, and what the hell is he doing? But he is somehow completely captivating. Beautifully shot on location, it's quite an unusual western, bucking many of the well-worn story structures associated with the genre. It was critically panned at the time, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I've only seen "The Missouri Breaks" in Spanish on local TV when l was growing up. Wonder if rewatching it now with proper English voices by Nicholson and Brando would blow my mind... or bore me to sleep. 😅😴 Never seen "Bandidas" or "54," which should l choose if l could only watch one? 🤔🫣
DeleteAh, so you didn't get to hear Brando doing a crazy new accent every time he appears on scene! It's really good. It's on Tubi and Prime here in Canada.
DeleteDefinitely Bandidas. 54 is fairly mediocre. I only mentioned it because Kunider had given it a high grade a few weeks ago and the atypical Myers performance. Bandidas is a fun western/action/comedy with 2 of the hottest women on the planet. AND Steve Zahn. STEVE ZAHN! (The woman are both great actors too, especially Cruz, but the script isn't aiming higher than a fun Sunday afternoon movie.)