The Movie I Just Watched Thread 2: Revengeance

I’ve been so apprehensive about attempting a Last Blood watch after I heard that he is just full on Jason in it.

Also the way it apparently paints Mexican people as predominantly made up of drug-running sadists sounds a bit iffy.

Anthropophagus (1980)

Joe Bob gave this 3.5 stars last night and I can't say I agree.

The kills are incredibly graphic and the deserted Greek village makes for a creepy setting but there's so much dead space in the movie where nothing happens and none of the characters stand out except for the killer and the blind girl.

I'll give it 2 stars for a pretty suspenseful ending but I don't think I'll be revisiting this episode any time soon.

Judas Booth wrote:

I rather liked that one.

Like I said: I was enjoying it right up to a certain glass of wine.

Just about everything after that just sank the movie for me. I didn't buy that an experienced spy would fall for a ruse that transparent. I didn't buy that an experienced, gifted spy would trade hundreds of lives, international safety, and their own career over one person. Not as presented in this film.

Tony Scott's SPY GAME tells a similar story to much better effect and willing suspension of disbelief.

Call Me Roy Again wrote:

I’ve been so apprehensive about attempting a Last Blood watch after I heard that he is just full on Jason in it.

Also the way it apparently paints Mexican people as predominantly made up of drug-running sadists sounds a bit iffy.

It's full-on trash.  I'm generally very "anything goes" in schlock, but even I think some of it is in rather poor taste.

Yet I can't claim I wasn't entertained!

THE 355(2022)

Simon Kinberg should be in director jail. Now that Ratner is gone, I think he must be the poster boy for the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Such a listless, rote film - everyone is coasting, with the exception of Lupita N'yongo. Chastain is a 'director's actress', she will give only as good as her director can get and will not elevate the material, and with Kinberg here she's a dull lead with worse hair. The only kudos I can really give is that they let OBVIOUS BAD GUY get away with some heinous stuff in the third act. Uninspired action, dull chases and Kinberg has no sense of location at all. Hard pass.

The trailer for THE 355 just screamed "deeply generic action flick." Sometimes even those can be fun but only if there are standout characters and lines...and from all reports, THE 355 has none of those.

Well I maintain the characters and their interactions were interesting, primarily due to how good the actresses are, but the film is a great deal less than the sum of it's parts. The plot is remarkably generic and cliched, and the bad guy is very understated. Also it employs the dreaded shakycam in an attempt to liven things up, which as far as I could tell was totally unnecessary. It's a 'what could have been' sort of film.

THE DIG (Netflix)

This has been on my list for a very very long time. It's one of those films you get around to 'one day', because it looks deliberate and slow. And it is, but it's actually an interesting story. Set just before WW2, Ralph Fiennes plays a gruff sort-of archaeologist, an amateur who calls himself an excavationist. Carey Mulligan calls him to her nearby stately home because there's these small hills in her field and she's always thought they could be man-made burial mounds. So he and a few helpers start digging, and what they find is a wonderful archaeological treasure. Along the way there's character growth, bonding, the British museum throwing it's weight around, all playing out under the impending doom of war. Definitely for when you're in the right sort of mood, and naturally once the film ends you can easily find yourself googling the story which leads to a great online museum virtual tour of the actual artefacts and an expansion of the characters.

I tried watching THE DIG. Twice. Could not make myself get past the 30 minute mark or so.

Yeah you've got to be in the right mellow mood. A glass of whisky helps. It's a film that gets better as it goes on, and you find you like these people and want them to succeed.

Casablanca (1942)

I should start by saying obviously this is a stone-cold classic, so while my review may focus somewhat on the negative aspects that fact should be taken as a given. It's the noir that launched a thousand spoofs, knock-offs and inspirations, and is responsible for a big chunk of my favorite video game of all time (Grim Fandango!) so it'll always have a special place in my heart for that alone. That said, while I think it's a very good old movie, I'm not sure it quite reaches the pinnacle of timelessness the way something like Citizen Kane does. If you like classic movies this is obviously for you, but certain elements of it do feel dated. For me, it's a movie that works best around the edges, wit the setting of Casablanca itself obviously but also the myriad interesting side characters that populate this world. Where I think the movie shows its age a bit is with the leads. Bogart, Bergman and Henreid are all good in their roles, but they feel like very classic Hollywood performances. Bogart I think works best of the three, but again it's during the quieter, less showy moments. The romance stuff with Bergman, setting aside the huge age difference, just feels corny by comparison, and the 7th or 8th "Here's looking at you kid" definitely elicited an eye roll for multiple reasons. Part of it is outside the movie's control, as Bogart generally and the Rick character specifically have been parodied into the ground, but suffice to say I think I agree with the movie that Rick and Louis make a much better pair than Rick and Isla. Again though, as someone who does like old movies this is basically just explaining why this is a 4 and not a 5 for me. It's place in history is well deserved.

Thanks to Evi for the recommendation, and if anyone else has movies to throw in the Lockdown Thread I'll be happy to give them a shot as we just got extended...again!

Casablanca is one for the ages. It remains, for the most part, surprisingly modern and accessible.

If I had one criticism, it's with the Paris flashback. It's corny and forced in a way the rest of the film isn't, and reveals that Bogart and Bergman had better chemistry as former lovers than as current ones.

Did the obligatory OT re-watch for Star Wars Day yesterday, and I was struck by how involved I got in that last act of ROTJ.  It's a testament to how truly great the great parts of that film are that they elevate it above the clunky parts.  The sheer kinetic glee of the space battle remains unequaled, and James Earl Jones has never been better than in that scene with Luke on the landing platform.

I don't think I can adequately describe the atmosphere in the theater opening weekend as Vader looked back and forth from Luke to the Emperor.  People literally shouting, "DO IT!  DO IT!"  You could feel everyone bracing for it.  And then when Vader grabbed the Emperor, the place just exploded.  WWE or AEW wish they could execute a face turn like that.

Can’t remember if I mentioned this or not (rough week)

Recently did a rewatch of Out of Sight and Gone Baby Gone.

OoS remains one of my favorite Soderberghs.

GBG still floors me as an actor turned directors first , a tough watch but damn is it peppered with actors getting to really act. I could watch Ed Harris with my hair on fire.

Three more off the Lockdown list!

Seven Samurai (1954)

This was probably my third or fourth time sitting down and watching this from beginning to end (I did cheat a little and FF through the intermission), and it remains incredibly impressive. Do I love it the same way I did back in college? Eh...probably not. I've seen a lot of movies between then and now and the undeniable impact in this film is clear in just how many have aped some element from it, either in terms of character, story, tone or visual, to varying degrees of success. The problem with such a successful source of inspiration is that at some point it becomes the variety that you crave, the odd twists on the established formula, and you can't really expect that from the movie that came up with said formula. Yet while it's true there are probably samurai movies I personally like more at this point (one of 'em is coming up shortly), I also thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this, not just in a historical sense but in terms of just watching a great movie made by a singular talent. The sheer scope of what Kurosawa touches on in this movie is astounding, from societal ills to personal struggles all wrapped around a core of action that I think still holds up perfectly. It's an action movie, a drama, a comedy, a romance, and if not all of those things work to the same degree (*cough* romance *cough*) it's astounding that they work together at all, the kind of thing that would sink most movies under the crushing weight of so many disparate tones and voices. It's not going to be a movie that works for everyone (even by samurai movie standards the alternate shouting/histrionics acting can be a lot), but it's one of the few examples of a movie that not only established many of the key elements of a genre, but can hold its own with decades upon decades of subsequent imitators.

13 Assassins (2010)

Unfortunately I can't comment on how this compares to the original, but watching it back to back with Seven Samurai it was interesting just how much it does (and doesn't) mirror that movie. There are some very obvious nods (Yûsuke Iseya's demon character is a pretty clear Mifune riff, right down to getting bonked on the head), and smaller moments, like characters doing that chest scratch thing. Of course there's also the whole conceit of a much smaller force taking on a larger one, though Miike takes it to ludicrous (in a good way) levels. Yet while Seven Samurai felt like a movie stuffed with ideas, 13 Assassins is a movie about fucking one very evil guy's shit up in a truly spectacular way. Most of the 13 assassins feel much more disposable, and while there's some token dialogue about the samurai life and societal roles etc. none of it feels particularly deep. Rather, this is a movie all about getting us to one glorious fight scene, and my gosh what a scene it is. I don't know that I'd say it's better than the big battle in Seven Samurai (bonus points for scale, negative points for some sketchy CG), but it is amazing in its own way, though not as much of a gore fest as I remembered. The movie definitely has grisly moments, but they're used sparingly enough and with purpose so that each one hits hard rather than just feeling like shock schlock. Which is kind of this movie in a nutshell: it's very much a pulpy genre film, but execute with a degree of class and skill that sets it apart. I love it!

A small note: This was the Japanese Cut, which I think is definitely the superior one even if I'm a little iffy on the goofy sex scene.

Where Eagles Dare (1968)

A solid WWII actioneer in which Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood manage to basically fuck up an entire Nazi army single-handedly, it's a movie whose plot really doesn't hold up to any kind of scrutiny (large parts of our heroes' plan seems to rely on Bill & Ted levels of precognition) but you don't care because it sets up a ton of fun action set pieces. The *MINOR SPOILERS* early reveal of Nazi double agents kept the slightly slower early sections fun, and while the movie doesn't really manage to maintain that level of tension all the way through, it makes up for it by just having Clint Eastwood go ham in the final third. Unfortunately while the bulk of the action is great, there are two elements that undercut it at times: First, the matting and rear-projection in this movie just looks absolutely terrible. It's hard to say definitively without some side-by-side examples but as someone who watches a decent amount of old movies it seemed bad even by the standards of the time. Which might explain the second problem: the movie's total willingness to show clear shots of stunt doubles. This is most evident in the first trip up the cable-car, which features some very impressive practical stunts by two strangers intercut with Eastwood and Burton in what appears to be the Phantom Zone. I get it, no home media at the time, but it seems like it's a problem that could easily have been solved with a slightly keener eye during editing, especially since the later cable car fight doesn't have the same issue. The other laughable scene is the river drop, in which four sopping wet stunt people (though to be fair, with heads bowed!) exit a river to triumphant music, before cutting to Richard Burton with, like, slightly damp hair and Clint Eastwood not even bothering with that. That said, the rest of the action is good enough to forgive the occasional technical wonkiness and if you're in the market for big dumb Nazi shooting fun (and who isn't?) this is an easy pick. And if you're looking for more of the same, check out Wolfenstein: The Old Blood because I know realize that's basically just this movie in video game form!

Thanks to Evi for the samurai recommendations and Judas Booth for realizing I'm a simple man with a simple taste...for Nazi blood!

Eastwood has joked that WHERE EAGLES DARE could have been called WHERE DOUBLES DARE. Essentially, any long shot utilized doubles, and yeah...in a lot of scenes, it's obvious. You kinda have to roll with it in the same way that you have to roll with the obvious doubles in FACE/OFF.

It's a great 'men on a mission' movie, though. Just a lot of fun and Burton and Eastwood pair up really nicely.

Glad you liked it!

Call Me Roy Again wrote:

Can’t remember if I mentioned this or not (rough week)

Recently did a rewatch of Out of Sight and Gone Baby Gone.

OoS remains one of my favorite Soderberghs.

GBG still floors me as an actor turned directors first , a tough watch but damn is it peppered with actors getting to really act. I could watch Ed Harris with my hair on fire.

Out of Sight generally stays in or hovers in my top 10 GOAT. It's so, so good; and it seems effortlessly so. J-LO has never looked or acted better. Clooney FINALLY broke away from his ER persona and the damn head-bobbing. And the supporting cast is fucking bonkers great.

It's a movie I rewatch every 12-18 months, just because there's nothing quite like it and nothing that is like it is anywhere near as good.

I need to revisit GBG. I've only seen it once, more than 12 years ago. The Town remains my personal favorite of Affleck's directorial efforts, though I concede it's probably not his best, objectively speaking.

JAMAICA INN (1939)

Not one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest hours.  In fact, its (accurate) reputation along those lines is what had kept me from finally seeing it... until now.  There are some colorful characters and a couple of directorial flourishes, but for the most part, this is anonymous (if decently-moody) stuff that feels fairly inert.  And when you compare it to the two films Hitchcock made the following year (REBECCA and FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT), the difference is striking.

Dock Fight wrote:

Call Me Roy Again wrote:

Can’t remember if I mentioned this or not (rough week)

Recently did a rewatch of Out of Sight and Gone Baby Gone.

OoS remains one of my favorite Soderberghs.

GBG still floors me as an actor turned directors first , a tough watch but damn is it peppered with actors getting to really act. I could watch Ed Harris with my hair on fire.

Out of Sight generally stays in or hovers in my top 10 GOAT. It's so, so good; and it seems effortlessly so. J-LO has never looked or acted better. Clooney FINALLY broke away from his ER persona and the damn head-bobbing. And the supporting cast is fucking bonkers great.

It's a movie I rewatch every 12-18 months, just because there's nothing quite like it and nothing that is like it is anywhere near as good.

I need to revisit GBG. I've only seen it once, more than 12 years ago. The Town remains my personal favorite of Affleck's directorial efforts, though I concede it's probably not his best, objectively speaking.

GBG is grim, but damn if it doesn’t showcase some of every actors best. Would be great to see Casey Affleck in more but as I understand it, he has had a rough go at it after those allegations.

THE OUTFIT (2022)

Enjoyable, not just because of its lead performance, but also because of some unexpected swerves in the plotting. Mark Rylance is excellent here as a guy you wouldn’t expect to get mixed up with a group of mobsters, and seeing the character deal with being increasingly out-of-his-element is entertaining.

There’s an old-fashioned and classy sort of approach to the filmmaking that is also appreciated; the movie embraces a period sensibility in terms of style, and doesn’t feel the need to try to over-modernize by getting distractingly and anachronistically flashy, which is appreciated (by this viewer, anyway).

Nifty, playful, jazzy-noir-esque score from Alexandre Desplat, too.

EXODUS (1960)

This popped up on Prime and I'd always been curious, so I finally gave it a look. You can really tell this was an adaptation of a novel, because it feels like a film of two parts, something a book can get away with a little more easily, I think. The first part, which details a group of Jewish Holocaust survivors trying to escape from Cyprus, has a lot more immediacy and urgency than the second part, which is more action-y and takes place once the cast has arrived in Palestine and take various sides in the coming Partition. Plus this is a three hour-plus movie, so by the time we get to the latter part of the film, a little bit of fatigue is settling in. It's never boring though, and it has a sense of bigness and importance that for some reason I find most big dramas from the 1960s have. It's not something I can put my finger on, but even a B- or C-tier film from that decade somehow still feels like an event to me. Of course, Paul Newman and Otto Premminger definitely have that heft to them.

I remember we got that shown to us in history class (on VHS) and honestly it didn't make much of an impact on a bunch of bored teenagers. I remember it being well made but that's about it.

Of course now that I'm an adult and well aware of Israel's very problematic history with Palestine I definitely can't view it with an objective viewpoint now.

Newman's final "One day we will all live in peace" speech comes across as particularly naive these days.

Some first time watches recently -

MOONSTRUCK, filling in a gaping Cage gap, is one bizarre film. Cher's fiancee goes away as his mother is dying, she hops into bed with his brother.... and faces no repurcussions!! The mother doesn't die, Cage takes the ring and proposes to Cher! I have no idea if we're supposed to be glad Cher can do whatever she wants.

DON'T BREATHE 2 is admirably mean-spirited, and succeeds in turning Lang into a "lesser of two evils" anti-hero character. Some very nice kills!

Finally, and I feel the alcohol could have helped here, VENOM CARNAGE was.... alright? The actual Carnage stuff is mostly awful, but Harrelson and Hardy are having a good time and seeing Reece Shearsmith pop up as a priest was a delight!

But I have NO idea how the credit scenes in this and NO WAY HOME are linked - not a Scooby.

Russell Faraday wrote:

Some first time watches recently -

MOONSTRUCK, filling in a gaping Cage gap, is one bizarre film. Cher's fiancee goes away as his mother is dying, she hops into bed with his brother.... and faces no repurcussions!! The mother doesn't die, Cage takes the ring and proposes to Cher! I have no idea if we're supposed to be glad Cher can do whatever she wants.

I don't think this is really the perspective the film takes, and I find it a bit distressing it's the approach you take to it!

Loretta clearly and plainly does not love Johnny: she accepts his proposal essentially because it'll make life better financially and presumably she'll be less lonely. She, like Ronny, has been hiding her heart away since her earlier great loss, and the film's about the way love doesn't come as a neat, tidy, and easily managed package into our lives.

Even if you're not on board for the film's themes and ideas, I'm hoping you're still able to enjoy the final scene (starting with Loretta and her mother in the kitchen, ending with the toast with the entire cast) as masterfully written and executed.