ORRFForever
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- Oct 29, 2018
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6/10 for me, too. I liked the fact that it had some actual meat on the bone and that it was character-driven. Somebody put some thought into the movie, and it paid off.Sputnik (2020) - 6/10 (Liked it)
At a remote military facility, a young doctor treats a cosmonaut who returned to Earth with a parasite inside of him. This Russian sci-fi isn't really what I was expecting, which was an effects-driven horror film set largely in space. Instead, it's a minimal, slow moving, character-driven sci-fi set almost entirely on Earth that gets you thinking and is moody more than thrilling. In other words, it's more Arrival than Alien and is almost entirely about understanding the extraterrestrial creature, not fighting or running from it. It's very slow, as I mentioned, but I didn't find it boring because the premise is interesting and got me thinking. Still, it maybe could've been edited down a little in length (it's nearly 2 hours) and the plot is slightly predictable. Also, while it was interesting and kept my interest, it was never quite absorbing. Overall, I liked it, though. Because it's slow and in Russian, it's not going to be for everyone, but fans of smarter sci-fi may want to check it out.
Sputnik (2020):
An “Alien” creature has found its way to earth in the body of a cosmonaut in 1983's Soviet Union. But, unlike the Hollywood version that expels itself through the belly leaving its host dead, the Russian creature leaves the host's mouth when he's asleep and returns before he wakes – just like the "Ripley" alien, when it's out, it’s a lean, mean, killing machine with a taste for human blood.
A female psychiatrist battles for the creatures / cosmonaut’s survival against government forces that want to turn the alien into a weapon.
Sputnik is many things : a horror, a romance and a science fiction thriller. Unfortunately, it doesn’t excel in any area.
While I enjoyed Sputnik, there are huge plot holes and the movie is 30 minutes too long.
6/10
The spoken language is Russian.
'And how would you like that chicken salad sandwich'?
Five Easy Pieces (1970) Directed by Bob Rafelson. 6A
Though he had made eighteen low budget pictures before Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson seemed to burst on the scene all of a sudden with the release of that counter culture road movie. Easy Rider opened doors for him, but it was Five Easy Pieces that established his reputation as both leading man material and a very good actor. Like many of Nicholson’s best works, Five Easy Pieces is a character study. Nicholson play Bobby, not a happy guy. He works on an oil rig until he abruptly quits, tries to cope with a brainless partner with whom he feels trapped, and has ignored his family and his now dying father for years. Bobby comes from a family of musicians, and he himself is an accomplished pianist. But nothing he did ever came to much of anything. Getting laid occasionally by whomever is handy helps a little, but never enough. He’s amiable about it mostly, but the rage seeps through from time to time.
The ‘70s was a good decade for antiheroes and nobody brought as much depth, energy and spirit to these types of roles than did Nicholson. On screen, he exudes smarts, a sense of mischief and easy charm that appealed to both men and women, albeit for different reasons. His characters somehow manage to be likeable even when they are having temper tantrums. Unfortunately, Five Easy Pieces presents some overdrawn caricatures as foils, and all of them are women: a testy waitress, a neurotic lesbian couple headed to Alaska; an obnoxious intellectual; and the blonde bimbo who he is somehow stuck with (very well played by Karen Black). Flaws and all, though, Five Easy Pieces (refers to pieces of music…not, well, you know) is one on Nicholson’s signature performances.
Who said "road rage" is a 21st century problem?'And how would you like that chicken salad sandwich'?
How about the scene in Easy Rider?Who said "road rage" is a 21st century problem?
TBH, I never saw it. Or, if I saw it, i don't remember.How about the scene in Easy Rider?
I'd spoil the movie if I explained it. It's one of my favorite films.TBH, I never saw it. Or, if I saw it, i don't remember.
Something about the hippie + biker culture doesn't appeal to me.I'd spoil the movie if I explained it. It's one of my favorite films.
Guess I see it as a road trip/buddy movie with the classic title song. It was also Jack Nicholson's breakthrough role. I do get why it's not for everyone.Something about the hippie + biker culture doesn't appeal to me.
Hippie + Biker culture = Shower once a month - whether you need it or not.
That's not for me. How about a movie about a pair of yuppies who travel the country and stay in nice hotels? Oh wait... there are a LOT of bad movies like that.
Five Easy Pieces (1970) Directed by Bob Rafelson. 6A
Though he had made eighteen low budget pictures before Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson seemed to burst on the scene all of a sudden with the release of that counter culture road movie. Easy Rider opened doors for him, but it was Five Easy Pieces that established his reputation as both leading man material and a very good actor. Like many of Nicholson’s best works, Five Easy Pieces is a character study. Nicholson play Bobby, not a happy guy. He works on an oil rig until he abruptly quits, tries to cope with a brainless partner with whom he feels trapped, and has ignored his family and his now dying father for years. Bobby comes from a family of musicians, and he himself is an accomplished pianist. But nothing he did ever came to much of anything. Getting laid occasionally by whomever is handy helps a little, but never enough. He’s amiable about it mostly, but the rage seeps through from time to time.
The ‘70s was a good decade for antiheroes and nobody brought as much depth, energy and spirit to these types of roles than did Nicholson. On screen, he exudes smarts, a sense of mischief and easy charm that appealed to both men and women, albeit for different reasons. His characters somehow manage to be likeable even when they are having temper tantrums. Unfortunately, Five Easy Pieces presents some overdrawn caricatures as foils, and all of them are women: a testy waitress, a neurotic lesbian couple headed to Alaska; an obnoxious intellectual; and the blonde bimbo who he is somehow stuck with (very well played by Karen Black). Flaws and all, though, Five Easy Pieces (refers to pieces of music…not, well, you know) is one on Nicholson’s signature performances.
Guess I see it as a road trip/buddy movie with the classic title song. It was also Jack Nicholson's breakthrough role. I do get why it's not for everyone.
It's mainly the road trip angle that appealed to me, there's a lot of scenery in the movie. Enjoy that type of film...Thelma & Louise, Harry & Tonto, The Motor Cycle Diaries, On the Road(Jack Kerouac's book more then the movie), Nebraska, Planes Trains & Automobiles...find it's an interesting theme.I saw Easy Rider for the first time only a couple of years ago. I'm the opposite of a counter-culture type, so it wasn't for me, either. I recall Nicholson being the best thing about it. Maybe that was part of the problem for me: he was more interesting than the two stars, especially Peter Fonda, who has no charisma.
And some good ones:Something about the hippie + biker culture doesn't appeal to me.
Hippie + Biker culture = Shower once a month - whether you need it or not.
That's not for me. How about a movie about a pair of yuppies who travel the country and stay in nice hotels? Oh wait... there are a LOT of bad movies like that.
It's mainly the road trip angle that appealed to me, there's a lot of scenery in the movie. Enjoy that type of film...Thelma & Louise, Harry & Tonto, The Motor Cycle Diaries, On the Road(Jack Kerouac's book more then the movie) Nebraska, Planes Trains & Automobiles...find it's an interesting theme.
Movies were just starting to really 'push the envelope'. Seem to remember Midnight Cowboy was rated X at the time. Don't know if it would be an R rating now. The times they were a changing (as the song went).It's funny now thinking about it, but Easy Rider hit like a sledgehammer at the time. It seemed like the first movie that spoke directly to what was going on in America. Everybody I knew was bowled over by it. You have to remember that the counterculture in the '60s wasn't exactly a small group. It was big enough to help stop a war. The movie seemed utterly cathartic. Now it looks quaint. And many of those who thought it was some sort of breakthrough speaking directly to them are now among the same people who elected President Trump decades later. To paraphrase Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip it's been.
I can't remember any nudity. The most shocking scene I remember (my memory is NOT good) is the movie theater oral sex. Other than that, Midnight Cowboy would be tame if released today.Movies were just starting to really 'push the envelope'. Seem to remember Midnight Cowboy was rated X at the time. Don't know if it would be an R rating now. The times they were a changing (as the song went).
It's funny now thinking about it, but Easy Rider hit like a sledgehammer at the time. It seemed like the first movie that spoke directly to what was going on in America. Everybody I knew was bowled over by it. You have to remember that the counterculture in the '60s wasn't exactly a small group. It was big enough to help stop a war. The movie seemed utterly cathartic. Now it looks quaint. And many of those who thought it was some sort of breakthrough speaking directly to them are now among the same people who elected President Trump decades later. To paraphrase Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead, what a long, strange trip it's been.
My preferred read for that period would be Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test about author Ken Kesey (One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest; Sometimes a Great Notion) and his merry band of pranksters.I prefer Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Yeah, yeah, it's largely about the bitter aftermath but boy did Thompson seem to have his finger on the pulse. Beautifully stated as well.