Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate it | {Insert Appropriate Seasonal Greeting Here}

[The Great Mighty Poo]

I like to post quotes from films. The one I remember from that one though probably wouldn't pass the censors ha ha (after the bumpy carriage ride).

Don't be saucy with me Bearnaise.

 

[Roo Returns]

View attachment 892189

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) - 7/10

Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills when his estranged daughter's life is threatened and reunites with his old pals on a corruption case. I had really low expectations for this straight-to-Netflix, 30-years-later sequel and am surprised by how much it exceeded them. It's a pure dose of nostalgia that takes the Top Gun: Maverick approach by not deviating much from the original formula. That includes familiar elements, like reckless car chases and a mansion shootout, and music from the original soundtracks. It's shameless recycling, but I couldn't help but smile while Axel was driving into other vehicles while "Neutron Dance" and "Shakedown" were playing. Moments like those really make it feel like a Beverly Hills Cop movie. Murphy's performance also helps. He gets back in character and gives a little of the fast talking Axel that we fell in love with. The only thing missing is his old laugh. John Ashton and Judge Reinhold return as Taggart and Rosewood and don't have a lot of screen time, but it was nice to see them back. Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot also return for a few scenes. Joining the cast are Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as other cops and Taylour Paige as the daughter that Axel tries to reconnect with. The pacing is good, with action every 20 minutes or so, and I liked how practical much of it looked, especially all of the real cars that were wrecked. I found the comedy hit or miss, with some funny scenes and a few cringey ones. Fortunately, it doesn't rely on comedy as much as on action and callbacks. The plot is unoriginal and predictable, but in an 80s way, such as how it's almost immediately obvious who the villain is going to be. In fact, despite a little modernity here and there, it felt a lot like an 80s action movie, which this child of the 80s appreciated. Is it an objectively good movie? No, probably not. Am I just rating it highly out of nostalgia? Absolutely. It was just fun to see these characters again and a surprise to get what actually felt like a Beverly Hills Cop movie after all of these years. As long as you keep your expectations low and don't mind that it's heavily reliant on nostalgia, it's worth checking out on Netflix, IMO.

Sounds "2024 good" which is not great or memorable and one step above ok. It's like when your favorite band releases a new album and you get 3-4 good workout or driving songs.

 

[Chili]

Yes he can sing, he sang a lot in an early movie of his called Top Secret, a funny and silly comedy movie that is worth seeing.

Omar got canned! Finally got around to checking out this film. Some quality satire and gags galore. I lost count of how many films etc. were parodied (The Blue Lagoon, The Great Escape, Operation Crossbow, homages to Elvis, Bonanza...). And Val Kilmer was good in his first film, he can sing. Fun stuff, thanks for the tip.

92 in the Shade. A grimy Florida noir about fishing boat rivals with a great cast (Warren Oates, Peter Fonda, Harry Dean Stanton, Margot Kidder, others). Quirky touches that make it seem like an Elmore Leonard story, though it isn't. These are all good things.

Just watched this one...different. Beautifully filmed. Burgess Meredith usually leaves an impression, can't imagine the Rocky films without him.

 

[The Macho King]

Haven't been on in awhile but watched Days of Being Wild and Happy Together from WKW.

This man doesn't miss. Both masterpieces.

Alright I have some time so I want to talk a bit about Happy Together.

This is maybe the only movie in this time period that I can think of that stars a gay couple that is not *about* them being gay. It's certainly an undercurrent in the movie - you can imagine they left HK in part because of the Chinese takeover of HK and the uncertainty that brought them, but there's no like... overwrought drama about it. They're gay men, and that's that. The story is about them as a couple and the struggles in that, but it's so understated.

God damn I loved this. Cheung is so f***ing toxic it's almost hilarious? Like I had some/many uncomfortable chuckles at some of the shit he pulled with Leung's character. And Leung is, as usual, fantastic and broken and toxic in his own way.

WKW has completely f***ing nailed that feeling of bittersweet. Just another movie that ends with you feeling kind of... unsatisfied but full. IDK how to phrase it. I loved it. 10/10.

My WKW rankings (I have some holes still):

1. Chungking Express
2. In the Mood for Love (totally interchangeable with 1 - love both)
3. Happy Together
4. Days of Being Wild
5. Fallen Angels
6. As Tears Go By

 

[shadow1]

Alright I have some time so I want to talk a bit about Happy Together.

This is maybe the only movie in this time period that I can think of that stars a gay couple that is not *about* them being gay. It's certainly an undercurrent in the movie - you can imagine they left HK in part because of the Chinese takeover of HK and the uncertainty that brought them, but there's no like... overwrought drama about it. They're gay men, and that's that. The story is about them as a couple and the struggles in that, but it's so understated.

God damn I loved this. Cheung is so f***ing toxic it's almost hilarious? Like I had some/many uncomfortable chuckles at some of the shit he pulled with Leung's character. And Leung is, as usual, fantastic and broken and toxic in his own way.

WKW has completely f***ing nailed that feeling of bittersweet. Just another movie that ends with you feeling kind of... unsatisfied but full. IDK how to phrase it. I loved it. 10/10.

My WKW rankings (I have some holes still):

1. Chungking Express
2. In the Mood for Love (totally interchangeable with 1 - love both)
3. Happy Together
4. Days of Being Wild
5. Fallen Angels
6. As Tears Go By

Every time I think of Happy Together, I think of how I loaned my copy to a former co-worker and his husband. This was after I was accused of loaning them Desperado (1995), which they hated, but I absolutely did not loan them considering to this day I myself haven't seen it. I still haven't gotten my copy of Happy Together back - 11 years and counting - so I assume my taste in movies was "redeemed".

 

[kihei]

Hamlet (1948), Hamlet (1990), Hamlet (1996) and Hamlet (2000). Actually viewing order ... 1996, 2000, 1990, 1948. I wanted to start with the Branagh one, which is a full adaptation of the play. I thought that would be good grounding before comparing and contrasting with some slimmer adaptations.

My preference order ... 1948, 1990, 1996, 2000 (though it's a bit of a coin flip between those last two. Biggest surprise to me was that I liked the 1990 (Franco Zeferelli/Mel Gibson) more than the Branagh.

The thoroughness of Branagh's is impressive and I think the chessboard/mirror palace set is striking. And, I admire the effort and am amused at its screenplay Oscar nomination (I hope Willie was honored). It's got several stunt-casty cameos though that were distracting every time. Branagh is definitely good, but he FEELS too old. The rest of the brits are pros pros and do the job well. The ending though true to the text -- how one of the characters is killed is laughably ridiculous. Genuine LOL from me. I don't think that's what he's going for.

The 2000 version stars Ethan Hawke. Though true to the dialogue, it's in a modern setting. I get that angle. You want to bring something new to a well-worn story. The downside is it really does play kinda corny (Denmark Corp?). It's an EXTREMELY 90s movie with Hawke's scruffy face and knit cap, his artsy filmmaker aspirations, the brand names, the tech that feels like it was immediately out-of-date which dates all the more. Bill Murray is a big miss as Polonius but the rest of the cast is pretty good. Hawke is in fully mopey 90s boy mode and you know what? I think it works. Plus he's the only Hamlet who actually feels age appropriate. It's also the leanest. (Alas poor Yorick, who does not seem to be known by anyone here).

I think why I favor the Gibson one over these two is simply a matter of tradition. As interesting as changing the setting and time is ... there was just something about seeing this shit go down in a dank castle, as the Bard intended, that really worked for me. I think Gibson is the worst of the four Hamlets I watched but ... he's pretty solid. Better than you might think. He ranks 4 only because I think the other three are just better. Not really faults for him. This one really steers toward incestuous vibes with his mom, more than the others. Good Ennio Morricone score. I don't know that this one is a standout at anything, but it just does everything pretty well.

I honestly did not expect to like the Olivier one the best. I certainly love old movies but my guess was that there would be a static staginess to it that would constrain it. After the much more open worlds of the previous three though, those shadowy sets and corridors suddenly felt like a positive to me. It was constrained, but suddenly that felt so thematically appropriate for the story at hand. It is the most stagey, but it is a stage play after all. And yet it's fully a film, not a filmed performance. It's spooky and foggy (and I feel like Joel Coen's recent The Tragedy of Macbeth owes more than a little debt to this one's style). While I liked and/or appreciated the other three adaptations, I genuinely loved this one. My only real reservation? Stop me if you heard this before but Olivier feels too old.

Superlatives!
Best Hamlet: Olivier (1948)
Best Claudius: Derek Jacobi (1996) in a coin flip over Alan Bates (1990)
Best Gertrude: Julie Christie (1996)
Best Ghost: Sam Shepherd (2000)
Best Polonius: Ian Holm (1990)
Best Ophelia: ehhhh ... not sure I loved any of them. Bit of a thankless role IMO.
Best 'To Be or Not to Be' speech: 1948, but 2000's decision to set it in a Blockbuster Video is silly and bold and dumb and I kinda love it.
Best play within a play: 1996. I bagged on the movies' stunt casting, but the one exception is Charlton Heston who is really an inspired choice here.

Time to watch Hamlet 2.

Four more to add to your list:

1) Richard Burton's 1964 Broadway Hamlet, in street clothes with ultra-minimal sets, directed by John Gielgud--available on YouTube

Burton gives a huge performance, playing to the back row of the third balcony and pulling out all the stops. This is more a Romantic interpretation than a Classical interpretation, but, man, what power he generates. Technically breathtaking, and, good lord, what a voice for Shakespeare.

2) David Tennant's 2009 Royal Shakespeare Company Hamlet, directed by Gregory Doran

Tennant is superb and Patrick Steward is a pleasure to watch as Claudius.

3) Christopher Plummer's 1964 television version of Hamlet, called Hamlet at Elsinore, directed by Philip Saville, with Robert Shaw, Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland (in a bit part) all in the cast--I think this is still on YouTube.

Plummer is among the most compelling Hamlets who I have seen, though the rest of the production is a little disappointing.

4) In Russian with a translation by Boris Pasternak, Hamlet (1964), directed by Grigori Kozintsev: Subtitles, but an utterly fascinating production that captures the atmosphere of the play visually better than almost all others.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are not going to single-out any Ophelia for praise, I think the award should go by default to Jean Simmons then.

An interesting Ophelia: Marianne Faithful in the 1969 Tony Richardson production that starred Nigel Williamson. Not a very successful staging, though.

The perfect actress who never got to play Ophelia (but later in her career was an excellent Gertrude): Claire Bloom. Oh, how I wish.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My five favourite Hamlets

Olivier--the gold standard
Gibson--I rate him a lot higher than you. I thought his performance was great, very physical, really getting at how his character is driven to madness
Tennant--just nails every scene and a great team player with other actors
Burton--BIG performance, with some startlingly risky choices
Branagh--really impressive, but he's a big show off, too. His scenes with Robin Williams: poor Robin Williams--felt sorry, almost humiliated, for the guy.

 

[kihei]

Alright I have some time so I want to talk a bit about Happy Together.

This is maybe the only movie in this time period that I can think of that stars a gay couple that is not *about* them being gay. It's certainly an undercurrent in the movie - you can imagine they left HK in part because of the Chinese takeover of HK and the uncertainty that brought them, but there's no like... overwrought drama about it. They're gay men, and that's that. The story is about them as a couple and the struggles in that, but it's so understated.

God damn I loved this. Cheung is so f***ing toxic it's almost hilarious? Like I had some/many uncomfortable chuckles at some of the shit he pulled with Leung's character. And Leung is, as usual, fantastic and broken and toxic in his own way.

WKW has completely f***ing nailed that feeling of bittersweet. Just another movie that ends with you feeling kind of... unsatisfied but full. IDK how to phrase it. I loved it. 10/10.

My WKW rankings (I have some holes still):

1. Chungking Express
2. In the Mood for Love (totally interchangeable with 1 - love both)
3. Happy Together
4. Days of Being Wild
5. Fallen Angels
6. As Tears Go By

This made me realize that I haven't revisited a WKW film in a long time, and I need to do so. Nobody but nobody does sensuality better than this guy. My ranking is very similar to yours at the top

1. Days of Being Wild
2. In the Mood for Love
3. Chungking Express (this first tier of three movies are virtually interchangeable)
4. 2046
5. Fallen Angels
6. Happy Together
7. Ashes of Time (Redux)
8. As Tears Go By (this second tier of five movies shifts around a lot, too)
9. The Grandmaster (disliked)
10. My Blueberry Nights (really disliked)

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Four more to add to your list:

1) Richard Burton's 1964 Broadway Hamlet, in street clothes with ultra-minimal sets, directed by John Gielgud--available on YouTube

Burton gives a huge performance, playing to the back row of the third balcony and pulling out all the stops. This is more a Romantic interpretation than a Classical interpretation, but, man, what power he generates. Technically breathtaking, and, good lord, what a voice for Shakespeare.

2) David Tennant's 2009 Royal Shakespeare Company Hamlet, directed by Gregory Doran

Tennant is superb and Patrick Steward is a pleasure to watch as Claudius.

3) Christopher Plummer's 1964 television version of Hamlet, called Hamlet at Elsinore, directed by Philip Saville, with Robert Shaw, Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland (in a bit part) all in the cast--I think this is still on YouTube.

Plummer is among the most compelling Hamlets who I have seen, though the rest of the production is a little disappointing.

4) In Russian with a translation by Boris Pasternak, Hamlet (1964): Subtitles, but an utterly fascinating production that captures the atmosphere of the play visually better than almost all others.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are not going to single-out any Ophelia for praise, I think the award should go by default to Jean Simmons then.

An interesting Ophelia: Marianne Faithful in the 1969 Tony Richardson production that starred Nigel Williamson. Not a very successful staging, though.

The perfect actress who never got to play Ophelia (but later in her career was an excellent Gertrude): Claire Bloom. Oh, how I wish.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My five favourite Hamlets

Olivier--the gold standard
Gibson--I rate him a lot higher than you. I thought his performance was great, very physical, really getting at how his character is driven to madness
Tennant--just nails every scene and a great team player with other actors
Burton--BIG performance, with some startlingly risky choices
Branagh--really impressive, but he's a big show off, too. His scenes with Robin Williams: poor Robin Williams--felt sorry, almost humiliated, for the guy.

I'll add these to Derek Jacobi and Andrew Scott versions that are out there. Didn't necessarily set out to consume the whole Hamlet canon but I'm like 40% there so may as well keep rolling...

If I picked an Ophelia it would have been Simmons.

 

[shadow1]

Bad Ass (2012) – 6/10

A Vietnam veteran’s life changes forever after defending someone on a bus.

Danny Trejo stars as Frank Vega, a man who has lived a pitiful existence since returning from the Vietnam War. A struggling hot dog vendor with few friends and little family, Vega’s life changes forever when he beats up a pair of skinheads on a bus after the two were threatening other passengers. Vega’s fight was caught on camera and uploaded online, going viral and propelling him to minor celebrity status, being dubbed “Bad Ass”. Soon enough his 15 minutes expires and life returns to normal. However, following the murder of a close friend, Vega pulls up his socks, tightens his fanny pack, and vows to solve the crime vigilante style…

Bad Ass was directed by Craig Moss, and written by Moss and Elliot Tishman. The film is loosely based on the viral 2010 AC Transit Bus fight. When trailers launched for Bad Ass, many people online thought they were spoof trailers, akin to the original 2007 trailer for Machete. Danny Trejo originally didn’t want to accept the role due to below rate pay, but his agent implored him to take it, seeing potential in the movie. How does it fare?

It’s good! I usually don’t go for these direct-to-video/streaming action movies featuring a “name” star (i.e. Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, etc.) who filmed all of their scenes in one or two days. One might assume that’s what Bad Ass is, as Danny Trejo has (literally) hundreds of movies that fit that description.

Bad Ass, though, is a legitimately well-made movie that just happens to have a small budget. Trejo gives a good performance as the sympathetic Vega, who has let life kick him in the teeth for far too long. The film plays up his age to comedic effect, which adds to its charm. Though Trejo’s character becomes a vigilante, Bad Ass is no Death Wish (1974). There’s a decent amount of violence, but most of the movie feels light and popcorn-y.

Bad Ass has a pretty good cast too. Personal favorite Patrick Fabian has a supporting role, as do Joyful Drake, Charles S. Dutton, Ron Perlman, and Richard Riehle. The plot surrounding solving the murder is serviceable, if not generic. It gets the job done in setting up the set pieces, but it’s pretty easy to figure out who the killer is.

The most impressive thing to me is how well Bad Ass conceals its budget. It never looks like a cheap movie… except when there are explosions, which look horrible. But because the movie doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s easy to let it slide. The movie also uses stock footage from Red Heat (1988) during a stunt sequence, which is pretty funny. Speaking of which, my biggest complaint is a scene involving two busses, with characters in opposing busses belting out decent one-liners directed at each other. But the filmmakers didn’t think to have them say those one liners into the two-way radios! What a missed opportunity, c’mon man!

Overall, Bad Ass is a fun movie with some heart beneath the surface. It’s a throwback to 80’s action movies, but felt fresh. I could not find any budget or earnings information for Bad Ass, which was released direct-to-video.

Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses (2013) – 6/10

A Vietnam War veteran teams up with an agoraphobic convenience store owner to solve a murder.

Danny Trejo returns as Frank Vega, who has now opened a community boxing center. The building is shared with Bernie Pope (Danny Glover), a former minor-league hockey player and convenience store owner who suffers from agoraphobia. After one of Vega’s disciples is murdered, the heartbroken “Bad Ass” teams up with Bernie to solve the crime, vigilante style…

Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses was written and directed by Craig Moss. It’s the sequel 2012’s Bad Ass (yeah, I couldn’t find even the smallest anecdote about this movie’s production). How does it fare?

It’s also good! Having watched Bad Ass 2, it’s hard to imagine the first movie didn’t have Danny Glover. He and Danny Trejo have great chemistry, forming a modern-day buddy-cop tandem. Except they're not cops… they’re really old people, who ride the bus, have to remember to take their medication, and wear fanny packs.

But they’re also Bad Asses, who can both handle dozens of young thugs due to their backgrounds in the military and ice hockey. Combining the geriatric jokes and fight scenes is a super fun mix that creates buttery good entertainment. The plot is probably less tight than the original Bad Ass (2012), but it’s off-set but the overall entertainment being higher due to Danny Glover’s addition. Patrick Fabian reprises his supporting role, and it was nice to see Jacqueline Obradors pop up in a role outside of the TV series Bosch (2013-2021). Loni Love also co-stars.

As was the case with the first movie, Bad Ass 2 looks good for its small budget, with the exception of explosions/fire effects, which look atrocious. Additionally, the movie hilariously uses stock footage again to fill in for a car chase scene, this time from the movie Narrow Margin (1990). It is extremely obvious because the sequence is shot on film, and keeps bouncing back and forth between the stock footage and close ups of Glover and Trejo shot in crisp digital. I don’t think this hurts the movie, though; I actually think it adds charm.

Overall, Bad Ass 2: Bad Asses is a good – possibly better – follow up to the original, and a fun way to kill 90 minutes. Bad Ass 2 had a budget of $5.5M, and was released direct-to-video.

Bad Asses on the Bayou (2015) – 6/10

Two elderly men take the law into their own hands after their friend is kidnapped.

Danny Trejo and Danny Glover return as Frank Vega and Bernie Pope, who travel to Louisiana for the wedding of their police officer friend Carmen (Loni Love). Carmen’s father Earl (John Amos) is wealthy, and is hosting the wedding on a family owned plantation. However, following the rehearsal dinner, Carmen is kidnapped and held at random. With local police proving to be incompetent, Vega and Pope once again take the law into their own hands to rescue Carmen…

Bad Asses on the Bayou, aka Bad Ass 3, was once again written and directed by Craig Moss. Also once again, I can’t find squat about this movie’s production. How does it fare?

It’s also good, this time on the bayou! When I saw the title of this movie and the poster – which looks like a paintball gun exploded - I figured this series was finally going to let me down. Well, I was wrong: it’s another fun Bad Ass entry. In fact, it’s the highest rated Bad Ass movie on Letterboxd (2.8/5)… but the lowest rated on IMDB (5.3/10), so make of that what you will.

At this point, the series formula is down pat. Two old geezers, equipped with fanny packs, baggy clothing, and prescription medicine kick some bad guy tail while bickering with each other and belting one liners. This time we’re in Louisiana, with our heroes battling confederate flag waiving country folk. There’s some situational humor that comes out of this, like when Frank and Bernie go looking for clues at an all-white club, but for the most part the movie is very similar to the earlier entries.

I don’t think that’s a bad thing in this case. No, the artistic quality isn’t high, but sometimes you just want to shut your brain off and watch Danny Trejo and Danny Glover kick some ass. I’m actually surprised at how good, and consistent, these three Bad Ass movies are. I had never even heard of them until recently, yet they’re probably the closest to a modern day Lethal Weapon-esque series out there. Not nearly as good as Lethal Weapon obviously – these are direct-to-video fare, after all – but serviceable and fun nonetheless. Speaking of consistency – Bad Ass 3 once again uses stock footage, this time from Air America (1990).

Overall, Bad Asses on the Bayou is another fun buddy action movie. To date, it’s the final Bad Ass movie, which is unfortunate because a fourth movie – Bad Asses in Bangkok – was teased before the end credits. I think this is a fun series to watch with a beer in hand on a lazy Saturday afternoon, so it would've been cool to have another entry, but I think the three that we got have some rewatchability. Bad Ass 3 had a budget of $5.3M, and was released directly-to-video.

 

[kihei]

I'll add these to Derek Jacobi and Andrew Scott versions that are out there. Didn't necessarily set out to consume the whole Hamlet canon but I'm like 40% there so may as well keep rolling...

If I picked an Ophelia it would have been Simmons.

Haven't seen the Andrew Scott Hamlet. The more I think about it, the more Scott seems a great choice, a troubled-psyche-lurking-just-beneath-the-surface kind of actor.

Would have loved to have seen Tom Hiddleston's Hamlet, a stage production directed by Branagh. Wish somebody taped it. Got great reviews.



I'd call that an intimate reading. Pity that it seems the rest of the production isn't available.

 

[PK Cronin]

Hardball (2001)

This is basically the Bad News Bears meets Dangerous Minds..
Keanu Reeves plays a degenerate gambler who is underwater.. so begrudgingly agrees to take a paying job, coaching little league in the 'hood. And teams up along the way with a school teacher, who is invested in the kids.

The setting is the old, defunct Candyman/Good Times projects in Chicago.
Nice uplifting story. But because of the White Savior, and ghetto, memes I doubt it would be made in 2024. This was kind of the end times of that cinematic genre (if I remember correctly).
I give it a 7 (out of 10). I'm a sucker for underdog stories. On Prime.

It's a movie I like way more than I should. Despite the shortcomings tears stream down my face like a baby every time I watch it.

 

[Bounces R Way]

The Producers(2005) - 7/10

This remake of a Broadway musical that was a remake of Mel Brooks 1968 musical comedy stars Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane as a meek accountant and a down on his luck Broadway producer. Usually not big on musicals but this one always makes me laugh. Some funny supporting characters with Uma Thurman playing a ditzy Swedish bombshell, Will Ferrell playing the obnoxious Nazi author of the play, and Gary Beach playing the flaming homosexual director were all great additions.

The story goes our two main characters hatch a scheme to over insure a Broadway production they need to flop to make money off of. They choose an open love letter to Hitler called Springtime for Hitler(video above recommended if you haven't seen it). Lane's character Max Bialystock finances the production by sleeping with older wealthy ladies and convinces the director he needs a real challenge to cement his legacy. The play against all odds turns out to be a rousing success, and more hilarity ensues.

Lots of cheap laughs definitely but the tone is fun and highly stylized. Basically all of the movie is stage acted and some actors seemed to do a little better with that style than others. Broderick I think struggled with the comedic timing demanded but Lane was brilliant. Great character work from him where every scene he seemed to be manically over the top emotionally. Just a good bit of silly movie making that I think does a fine job of paying homage to Mel Brooks' style and satire. Loses some steam at the end but otherwise a worthwhile watch/re-watch.

 

[Babe Ruth]

The Killer that Stalked New York (1950)

This was a strange, schizophrenic film noir.. half of the story was about a gem smuggling couple. And the other half, was NYC struggling to vaccinate their citizens against smallpox. And it really felt like a vaccine PSA.
The two plots were clumsily connected, but..
It had nice noir aesthetic, but was boring. On Prime.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Superlatives!
Best Hamlet: Olivier (1948)
Best Claudius: Derek Jacobi (1996) in a coin flip over Alan Bates (1990)
Best Gertrude: Julie Christie (1996)
Best Ghost: Sam Shepherd (2000)
Best Polonius: Ian Holm (1990)
Best Ophelia: ehhhh ... not sure I loved any of them. Bit of a thankless role IMO.
Best 'To Be or Not to Be' speech: 1948, but 2000's decision to set it in a Blockbuster Video is silly and bold and dumb and I kinda love it.
Best play within a play: 1996. I bagged on the movies' stunt casting, but the one exception is Charlton Heston who is really an inspired choice here.

Time to watch Hamlet 2.

Once you're done with the Coogs, we all need to know where Bradley Whitford and Adam Sandler land in the Hamlet rankings:

 

[NyQuil]

 

[CDJ]

put my review in the horror thread but Longlegs is a must watch for Nicolas Cage’s performance alone. If you get easily frightened or disturbed don’t do go see it but if you can tolerate that stuff and appreciate quality cinema it’s a must-watch

It’s gonna do very well commercially, can just tell with the energy in the theater. Almost completely sold out. A lot of markets were. One of the more effective viral marketing campaigns in recent years

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Seven Samurai (1954) - Directed by Akira Kurosawa 10/10
Went to a local theatre and saw this one for the first time remastered in 4k (edit: I've seen the film a few times before, but this was the first time it's been screened in 4k), with a free Sake tasting before the film. I believe I've reviewed this one before here, but I can't overstate how much I love this film, especially in 4k.

A classic "assemble a team of heroes" story of a small village of farmers who are being pillaged every year by a group of bandits for their harvest. The farmers, fearing that the last pillage here will wipe out their village decide to hire a group of samurai to defend them from the bandits once and for all. The villages assemble a rag-tag group of Samurai of various standing and experience, who in turn train the villagers to engage in combat with them to defend the village.

Peak Kurosawa epic filmmaking. Great character building, great acting, excellent score. Really enjoyed the 4k restoration, the only issue I had with it was that it makes the bald caps much more noticeable lol.

The one thing that always strikes me about this one is that it doesn't feel the need to have a particularly happy ending. While the villagers are happy they're free of the bandits, there was still quite a lot of damage done to them.

Spoiler: Ending

I actually like that The Samurai end up unhappy with the outcome, coming to the realization that despite winning the battle and saving the village, the victory actually belongs to the farmers and they lost a few of their own who they really came to bond with.

As a side note I absolutely love this local theatre that I've been going to. I've been there about 5 times now and every experience has been awesome. I've seen interactive screenings of The Room there 3 times, Saw Fistful of Dollars (with Spaghetti and Meatballs) and now Seven Samurai with Sake tasting. The activities for the various film themes makes it a lot of fun and adds a new layer of socializing and enjoying the film. Plus they serve a lot of rare international snack items and beer at the theatre as well!

I asked them about playing Neil Breen films, but apparently Neil is a big stickler for how his films are screened, so they can't play any of his lol.

 

[Osprey]

I wish that I had a theater like that near me. More people need to appreciate on the big screen such cinematic masterpieces as Seven Samurai and The Room.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I wish that I had a theater like that near me. More people need to appreciate on the big screen such cinematic masterpieces as Seven Samurai and The Room.

It's a great experience! Looking forward to going to more events like this in the future. The films I listed are certainly opposite ends of the spectrum, but each highly enjoyable in their own way.

 

[Unholy Diver]

A Quiet Place: Day One - 7/10

I hadn't seen any of the previous Quiet Place movies, and pretty much just went to this one because I had nothing better to do and wanted to get out of the oppressive heat. I was pleasantly surprised, it wasn't nearly as dumb as I expected it to be, of course it was a lot of jump scares, and very tame from a violence and gore perspective, with most stuff happening off screen, but overall it was worth my hour and 40 minutes or so. Might even check out the first couple of movies. One thing that I can say for certain is if aliens ever attack earth and kill things based on noises like in the movie that I would be dead within the first hour, how the hell did anyone survive so long without farting?

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Kill (2023). B+
B-movie material with A-level execution, Kill provides the answer to the age-old question "What if you took the bus scene from 'Nobody' and just made an entire movie out if it?" Bandits attempt to rob a New Delhi-bound train, but boy did they pick the wrong one, as they end up crossing paths with two army commandos who also happen to be on board. Close-quarters violence ensues.

Kill also answers the question "What if you took the Challengers score, but instead of playing it while attractive people bang each other, you play it while some guys kick the shit out of randos?" The results are equally exciting. If you can't manage to catch Kill while it's still in theaters, make sure you have a suitable sound system at home. The sound mixing/editing is suitably over-the-top, with every punch, crunch, and slash magnified for maximum impact and effect. Highly recommended for those among us who enjoy a solid action flick.

 

[blueandgoldguy]

A Quiet Place: Day One - 7/10

I hadn't seen any of the previous Quiet Place movies, and pretty much just went to this one because I had nothing better to do and wanted to get out of the oppressive heat. I was pleasantly surprised, it wasn't nearly as dumb as I expected it to be, of course it was a lot of jump scares, and very tame from a violence and gore perspective, with most stuff happening off screen, but overall it was worth my hour and 40 minutes or so. Might even check out the first couple of movies. One thing that I can say for certain is if aliens ever attack earth and kill things based on noises like in the movie that I would be dead within the first hour, how the hell did anyone survive so long without farting?

Uh oh. You just gave the Wayan brothers an idea for Scary Movie 6.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

A Quiet Place: Day One - 7/10

I hadn't seen any of the previous Quiet Place movies, and pretty much just went to this one because I had nothing better to do and wanted to get out of the oppressive heat. I was pleasantly surprised, it wasn't nearly as dumb as I expected it to be, of course it was a lot of jump scares, and very tame from a violence and gore perspective, with most stuff happening off screen, but overall it was worth my hour and 40 minutes or so. Might even check out the first couple of movies. One thing that I can say for certain is if aliens ever attack earth and kill things based on noises like in the movie that I would be dead within the first hour, how the hell did anyone survive so long without farting?

They simply adapted to only ripping silent but deadly’s.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Cuck (2019)

This was kind of a depressing, updated hybrid of Higher Learning & American History X.
A frustrated incel becomes steadily radicalized in to racist politics.. while simultaneously working in cuckold porn.

I feel like this movie had a lot of potential.. they did a good job depicting his growing frustration and the demographic transformation of LA.. but there were a lot of simplistic incel stereotypes.. and the (cuck) porn scenes were graphic.
And the conclusion of his frustrations were heavily signaled and disappointingly predictable.
I had really mixed feelings watchin' it. Guess I'd give it a 5. It evened out in to an average watch.

 

[Hippasus]

Che (2008) 475

I found this to be a very realistic movie and appreciated the special features and commentary very much. It was a little hard to follow the plot (subtitles, etc). Worth rewatching.

To the actual review. Possible spoiler alert? Undoubtedly, Che Guevara was a man who fit his time. He encapsulated both, the impasse of the Cold War as well as the idealistic aspirations of the countercultural movement of the 1960s. He was a man who tried to live his ideals against all odds through his steadfastness. Nevertheless, he was a physically weak man who needed support for his causes. I was struck by the presentation of the purity of his belief, a sort of no-nonsense approach to his ideals that was clearly perceived as a threat to the status quo in the "western world". He could have tapped into the resources of the Communist countries, but the logistics of this proved to be overwhelming, given that he and his troupes were designed for and thrived upon guerilla warfare. To me, Che Guevara represents purity and belief, materialism, as well as a philosophical sort of idealism. He was a man, as well as a symbol for what he stood for. A rare breed indeed. Clearly, he had to tap into a sort of charisma towards his prospective compatriots. The complexity of economics, anthropology, political science, and sociology were too much for his hand-in-front-of-one material being.

200: distasteful and pathetic
300: mediocre or subpar
400: average, but decent
500: very good
600: superb
700: transcendental