The Movie I Just Watched Thread 2: Revengeance

Very underrated. I recall some prominent critics giving it a thrashing back in '96. I just revisited it myself this weekend.

Yeah, it was poorly-reviewed, and I don't really get it!

CHIP ’N DALE: RESCUE RANGERS (2022)

This throws a lot of stuff at the wall... but enough of it sticks to make it a pretty entertaining time. It doesn’t come anywhere close to capturing the special magic of something like WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, but there is undeniable fun to be had in the wild parade of buddy-mystery hijinks, in-jokes, references, and cameos (much of which will surely go so far over the heads of kids that you have to respect it) that are delivered here. On a purely on a visual level, the mixture of various animation styles and formats keeps the picture pretty consistently engaging, even when some of the gags fall flat, and some of the character work is surprisingly sophisticated and charming for this sort of movie.

I'm definitely adding that one to the list for my bi-annual D+ sign-up and binge.

All those words taken together make it sound like you're about to attend some weird sex camp. Which hey, you do you (and yeah, C&D:RR sounds fun)

RRR on Netflix.

Just stop what you're doing and give this a try.

Oh damn. Thanks for the head's up.

Okay. You've convinced me. Added to My List, but our dance card is pretty full this weekend.

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK (1955)

A great “town with a secret" story, populated by a terrific rogues gallery of character actors and a wonderful central performance from Spencer Tracy. Seeing him share scenes with the likes of Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Ryan, and Walter Brennan is the primary pleasure of the film; all of these conversations are filled with tension, even (and particularly) when each party is leaving so much unsaid about their motives. And the town of Black Rock itself, which seems to be largely a real location, adds a lot of distinctive ambiance to the proceedings. The movie has much on its mind about prejudice, and it doesn’t supply much complexity or invention on that front, but in the moments where it’s working primarily as a thriller (which is often), it’s extremely effective.

TREKKIES (1997)

An endearing documentary that somehow pulls off a kind of amazing balancing act: present some of the absurdities and obsessiveness of fandom without ever crossing over the line into mean-spiritedness or condescension. On the contrary, this is a deeply affectionate and respectful look at those who have made STAR TREK a huge part of their lives, with all the quirk, weirdness, and love that entails.

CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978)

Overstuffed with storylines, and only one of them is even particularly decent. Despite the talented cast on hand, it is only Michael Caine and Maggie Smith who are able to elevate the proceedings. The movie is almost worth seeing just for their scenes (almost), and writer Neil Simon would have been better off if he’d found a way to expand that story to feature length.

Been catching up with a lot of TV, but enjoying reading everyone's write-ups!

THE NINTH CONFIGURATION (1980)

A remarkable blend of tones and styles -- part broad comedy, part thriller/mystery, part theological examination -- tied together by some of the most fabulous dialogue ever to be heard in a motion picture. The character interactions here, equally silly and cerebral, crackle with energy throughout, and it’s a pleasure to be in the company of these oddball and troubled characters. William Peter Blatty’s direction isn’t showy, as he knows to get out of his own way and let his writing carry things across the finish line. The performances are all perfectly-calibrated, and Stacy Keach and Scott Wilson deliver career-best work.

This belongs in the pantheon with Martin Scorsese’s SILENCE and Blatty’s previous work on THE EXORCIST as some of the greatest cinematic works to wrestle with the fundamental mysteries and questions of faith, and it culminates in a life-affirming final beat that is moving every time I see it.

INTERCEPTOR (on Netflix)

Don’t.

The Wolf Hour (Netflix)

Stars Naomi Watts and is set in 1977 New York. Watts is a writer who suffers from agoraphobia and is stuck in her apartment during a heatwave. It's labelled as a thriller, and early on the radio announces that there's a serial killer on the loose who preys on dark-haired women. Watts' sister shows up, and before leaving in a huff gives Watts a gun. And someone keeps pressing the downstairs buzzer ominously at night. So with these elements one can see how the film is likely to play out, the serial killer will stalk Watts, break in somehow and she'll have to fight them off. But no. The film takes a turn and instead becomes about Watts freeing herself of her creative funk and getting out of the apartment. The gun and the killer are never referenced again. And it's a bit like the fireworks factory because you spend so long waiting for the thing to happen that you get frustrated when it doesn't. It's a good film, but it's not a thriller.



The Lost City

Really fun adventure comedy with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum on the hunt for a mythical treasure. I kinda wish there hadn't been a bad guy in the film because then Sandra's character might have enjoyed the whole thing more. Brad Pitt's cameo was perfect.

Judas Booth wrote:

INTERCEPTOR (on Netflix)

Don’t.

I concur. When I'm too badly laughing at a 'control room' set to focus on anything else, I knew I was in for a bad time. I swear these Netflix productions have a budget of $50,000

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: There are at least four* QT movies I think are better, but this is the one I have watched the most; at least since summer of 2020. This is a fun cast of characters to hang out with. I don't 100 percent relate to Rick Dalton, but I can see where he is coming from. I wouldn't to give up living the good life in Hollywood. I'm happy for him when he nails his villainous scene in Lancer.

It looks like The Stones are fans of this flick too. Out of Time is in their set list for their current European tour.
https://youtu.be/5Uv2NL7_ip0

*Inglorious Basterds, Pulp Fiction and both Kill Bills.

WILD THINGS (1998)

It’s kind of ridiculous how much fun this sleazy, trashy little movie is.  With twists and revelations  that eventually reach absurdist heights, this is a film that constantly makes the viewer go, “Wait, what?!” in the best way.  

The sweltering Florida setting enhances the steamy, “erotic thriller” components, while the writing mixes and matches crime and mystery tropes in a very engaging fashion.  And the movie gets some big bonus points for featuring Bill Murray in one of his most underrated performances; in other movies, his presence might have been a questionable fit for ostensible neo-noir material, but he feels like he totally belongs among this craziness.

I don’t know that the case can be made that this a truly a “good” movie, but it is successfully entertaining in the way it intends to be.

Jack Irish: Bad Debts (2012)

The first of several DTV movies and an eventual series, it's Guy Pearce doing low-key Australian PI in a way that's totally inoffensive but not particularly compelling. The sort of thing you wouldn't mind watching with Mom & Dad, but didn't make me particularly interested in checking out the rest of the franchise.

Mars Attacks (1996)

I don't know if I saw this in theaters or as a rental but suffice to say it's been a while, and it's kind of easy to see why this one doesn't get thrown around much when discussing Burton's output. I was honestly kind of shocked by just how not funny the movie is. Not even in a jokes that miss way (though there are certainly those) but more that there are just long stretches of movie that seem entirely joke free, like they lifted the dead-pan acting from something like Airplane! but forgot you need to have gags to back it up. It feels like this should have been a send-up of Independence Day (which came out the same year!?) but way too much of it just feels like the Asylum version of that movie. Credit where credit is due, REALLY dated CG aside I thought basically everything involving the Martians worked, they're great asshole bad guys, but there just isn't enough of them to sustain things. This really needed the manic energy of something like a Gremlins 2 where the monsters are front and center, but I suspect in part for budgetary reasons we spend way too much time with the humans. That said, it certainly isn't embarrassingly bad in a, say, Alice in Wonderland way, just extremely forgettable and a disappointing missed opportunity.

I just bought 4K discs, one of them being the newly released remaster of BEVERLY HILLS COP II. A few things got to me watching the title sequence with “Shakedown” playing.

1. I like the typeface for the credits and how they flash with each new frame, no dissolves. 2. This is a super grainy film, deliciously so as any Super35 title in the 80s. Jeffrey Kimball still using those amber tinted lenses right after TOP GUN. 3. Why the fuck did Axel throw his slice of bread into the fish tank? They’re all gonna die from eating too much. What exactly is that supposed to say about Axel beyond “he’s wild and crazy!”

Anyway, resuming film.

Bound (1996)

Stylish noir from the Wachowski siblings, the lesbian angle certainly makes it stand out (with Gershon and Tilly definitely selling the attraction) but aside from that and a few stylistic flourishes this is pretty by-the-book stuff, right down to the stock criminal characters and hard-boiled dialogue. Which isn't a complaint because I tend to enjoy that kind of movie a great deal, but I think my reaction to this one has cooled slightly now that the novelty has worn off a bit on second viewing. Still extremely solid, and even more fun if you go into it fresh.

Did a D-Day double feature....

THE LONGEST DAY (1962)

For decades the gold standard when it came to portaying the landings (until Spielberg forever retired the category from competition), it's still impressive just for its sheer scale. The multiple sweeping shots over hundreds of extras swarming over the beach or through a French town with real explosions going off around them are classic old school Hollywood grandeur. Plus it's BIG STARS doing BIG THING, which only adds to that feeling. Sure, there's too much going on for any character to really get a chance to shine, so of course guys like Wayne and Mitchum and Fonda make the biggest impression thanks to their sheer star power, but it's still delightful to see smaller names (at the time) like Sean Connery getting little moments too.

IKE: COUNTDOWN TO D-DAY (2004)

I had no idea this even existed until I was browsing a list of best D-Day movies looking for something to watch after THE LONGEST DAY. But a film about the planning and decision-making leading up to D-Day? Hell yeah; for me, the logistics are almost as involving as the actual mission (which is why OPERATION MINCEMEAT was so damn watchable). A mustache-less Tom Selleck does a fine job as Eisenhower navigating the political and logistical roadblocks on the way to D-Day, and the other historical figures (particularly an also mustache-less Gerarld McRaney as Patton) get nicely sketched even if they don't get as much screen time.

The Missouri Breaks (1976)

Can't remember how this one popped up on the radar (forum recommendation maybe?) but I ended up enjoying it. Apparently this was a flop on release, and you can sort of see why. It's definitely meandering, and Marlon Brando's performance is undeniably weird, but ultimately I think Brando suffers a bit from the same problem as Johnny Depp in that his truly bad over-the-top performances make people have a knee-jerk dislike to anything that feels overly showy, while here I think he works fine as a sort of Joker-esque whackjob villain. Most surprising for me was Jack Nicholson, who gives a performance I can only describe as Garner-esque. He's just totally charming, with none of the slightly sinister energy that I usually associate with his roles, even his protagonist ones, and it was honestly kind of odd rooting for him unreservedly. Those looking for a more off-beat Western can definitely do worse.

Funnily enough, Nicholson had a lot more conventional roles before Kubrick immortalized Crazy Jack. It's amusing to watch him cast as a standard-issue Dashing Young Love Interest in Roger Corman's The Raven and think that that's the same guy.

Yeah, I was trying to think what I'd seen him in that predates this and I think it's just One Flew... and Easy Rider, both of which are characters that, while certainly likeable, definitely have some weirdo energy to them. I have to admit, I kind of liked nice guy Nicholson, he really was just uber-charming and I'm kind of curious to see some of those other roles.