The 27th General Hall of Fame

Set in 1936, Raiders of the Lost Ark follows Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), an archaeologist and adventurer that goes around the world recovering ancient relics. But when he is recruited by the US Army to find the Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself caught between rival and arch-nemesis Belloq (Paul Freeman) and the Nazis that hired him.

This is yet another film I've seen dozens of times since I was a kid. I consider it to be the epitome of what an adventure film should be. From the iconic opening with the booby-trapped temple and the rolling ball in Peru to the underground hunt in Egypt, Spielberg creates numerous memorable setpieces that set the template for future adventure films. But he anchors them with a charismatic performance by Ford.

He is joined by an excellent ensemble with Karen Allen being a tough and spunky companion and John Rhys-Davies as his loyal Egyptian partner. Freeman is pretty good as Jones counterpart, and does well in portraying the contrast and similarities between the two, but I've always enjoyed the hell out of Ronald Lacey's performance as Toht, the evil Nazi agent that joins Belloq.

That is just an example of the great things the film has in its favor. Spielberg does right everything that he needs to do right, along with a talented cast and crew, which is why this film has stood the test of time. Numerous adventure films have come after, but in my opinion, none have managed to surpass it. Films like The Mummy or The Avengers are good, but this, this *is* history.

Grade:

__________________

Was on my lunch break and managed to finish Magical Girl and that was something. Started it last night, but after one hour, had to bail out because it was past midnight... but it certainly stuck with me that I had to make time to finish it as soon as possible. Good stuff.

Now I just have to do Demons and if anybody has a link for that one, that would be swell.

Sent!

It's on YouTube, btw, for anyone else who hasn't gotten to it.

__________________
IMDb
Letterboxd

Thanks!

I need for @edarsenal to update the first post for my peace of mind

Ok, just finished Demons, and after that one and Magical Girl, I feel like I should watch something like Requiem for a Dream or Irreversible

Seriously, though, I'm finished so tomorrow is review-writing time.

Three different stories that intertwine with each other in a rather natural way makes this film a pleasant watch. Coupled with a really good script and some beautiful cinematography, Magical Girl is a film that I never heard of before but was really glad I watched.

The film leaves a few things up to interpretation and it treats the audience with a respect that not many films possess. There is a sense of dread in many scenes, much like the film Uncut Gems. Great performances lift an already great film to a higher standard.

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

King's books always focus on characters. At the end of the day, he wants to tell a story about the characters. The so-called "horror" aspect always seems to come second. So how does a horror-less story from King fare? Pretty well actually. Dolores Claiborne is accused of killing her husband but doesn't go to jail. 20 some off years later, she is accused of killing another person and her daughter comes back home to cover the story.

Bates rocks, she's really good in this role. Despite having a good cast, and a recognized name in Stephen King, this film kind of flew under the radar and it's a shame because it deserves to be seen by more people. While the mystery itself isn't particularly interesting, the way the film reveals key elements is. I appreciated my time with this one.

I think I'm done. I'll sort them into a ranking tomorrow at work.

I've got all the watching done. The only things I need to do are the writing and the voting.

Great job all!!

For myself, I'll watch One Cut For the Dead tonight and I'll be done except for write-ups.

Depending on how it all comes down it should be this Sunday evening for reveals. I'll post a more accurate time frame as it draws closer.

__________________
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

I need a link with subs for Mad Love, I should have a Demon's write up tonight

Shura (1971)

Sometimes people make noms and you just wish they would have waited until a good print was out. Shura or Demon's tells the story of a samurai who hooks up with a Geisha and when his honor is ruined he goes crazy in a violent rage. If it sounds cliched and derivative of 200 other Samurai films you wouldn't be wrong.

Shura isn't a bad film, it's actually a stylized cheap little exploitation flick. The filmmaker uses shadows to cover up it's budgetary weaknesses which makes the film and viewer feel like they are watching a film in perpetual night. The tone of the film is great it's claustrophobic and tense and while it deals with very graphic subject matter it has a degree of restraint.

With that said this film is two plus hours and it drags on and on. Every death scene seems to feature an actor chewing up scenery and getting the most out of every minute the director gives them. One character gives a monologue after being stabbed but before being decapitated...it just gets silly at times. The bones of a great story are hear but the first hour could have been condensed to 15 minutes. Often times I was dozing off while watching as I felt like the writer wanted to get in every samurai cliche as possible into the story.

Jaws (1975)

Part of what I hate about Steven Spielberg is when I watch Jaws and note how good he once was and how far he's deteriorated in his later years. Jaws is a masterpiece, a perfectly balanced three act structure film that covers the denial, the hunt, and the trip into the sea. Each act is perfect and tonally different. The characters go through journey's nobody starts and ends at the same place in this film and it manages to get done in a quick manner.

Martin Brody is the Sheriff of a small fishing/vacation town. During his first year and first summer a girl ends up getting eaten by a shark. The townspeople don't want to believe that this is happening because it would economically devastate their community. A small boy is then eaten and Matt Hooper a local scientist shows up. After a series of other shark attacks the mayor decides to pony up the money for an expert Shark hunter Quint.

In the third act Quint, Brody, and Hooper go out and fight the shark. Part of what makes the final act so great is it's a passage of time. It's not one big action set piece but a series of rising incidents. One of the things I forgot is the scene where they are just watching the Shark swim near the boat knowing that their is nothing they can do.

I love this movie, I like how Hooper is written, he's obnoxious at times but not evil. I like how Quint is flawed, crazy but is always respectful towards Brody and antagonistic towards Hooper. Finally he comes to terms with Hooper at the end and decides to maybe try the technology, I love the humor in the film and the one liners. And I love how the film is cast so that nobody looks/acts like a movie star. It's all character actors and normal people...a number of best pictures could learn from that.

Sent!

Set in a small island in Maine, Dolores Claiborne follows the titular woman (Kathy Bates) after she is accused of murdering her wealthy yet elderly employer, Vera. The inquiry by obsessive Detective John Mackey (Christopher Plummer) brings Dolores' estranged daughter, Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) reluctantly back into the island, which in turn stirs up memories about the death of Dolores' husband and Selena's father 18 years ago.

This is a film I saw some time during the late 1990s, maybe even more than once, and that somehow stuck with me. Not only because of the intrigue of how the story unfolds its mystery, but also because of the dynamics between the "no shit taken" Dolores and the bitter and resentful Selena. Both elements remain probably the most interesting aspects of the film, although rewatching it made me more aware of its flaws.

My first issue is more of a "story" issue (i.e. Stephen King) and not necessarily the film's, but I don't think the whole "Did Dolores murder her employer" angle was either necessary or well executed. I understand it is a way to put us a bit against her and keep us guessing a bit, but I thought there was enough with the mother/daughter conflict and the flashbacks about the father to hold the film, and the flashbacks about the father. Also, as much as I love Plummer, the character of Mackey is not that well written. The final inquiry where he lashes at Dolores only to have Selena swoop in to the rescue wasn't very well written or handled.

Thankfully, Bates is an excellent actress and she puts so much into this character that you can, at the most, feel for her or at the very least, understand where she's coming from as a woman trapped by the circumstances. By contrasting who she was with who she is, we can understand the "real hell" that has come over her slowly. Jason Leigh does her best with an underwritten character, but despite that, her moments with Bates are pretty good, thanks to both actresses. I just wish we could've gotten more inside Selena's mind and her feelings since she's the most vulnerable character after all.

But the focus of the story is Dolores, a tragic character that slowly gets thrown into a figurative hell; from an abusive relationship to the subsequent harassments, suspicions, and humiliations from townspeople, she has seen hell coming at her slowly through the years, and has embraced her role as a "b-itch", perhaps to shield herself. The film is a solid example of two women choosing to finally face that hell, not to automatically fix their lives, but to start to walk away from it together.

Grade:

Two more reviews to go.

The tough part (watching the films) is over, thankfully!

A to the Men, Sir. A to the Men. LOOOVE the "hanger" scene; THANK YOU, @Siddon, for posting it or that slithering, "You're fire has gone out."