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I liked it. Didn't love it, but it was pretty ok.
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Hard Eight (1997)
(Less) Obscure casino movie part 2, and I liked it just as much as Yonkers Joe. It's probably a little more approachable with recognizable actors (including a quick Philip Seymore Hoffman cameo), as well as plot elements that are more conventional. Some may find the first hour or so unremarkable and/or bland, but then it ratchets up for the final act in typical Samuel Jackson fashion.
(Less) Obscure casino movie part 2, and I liked it just as much as Yonkers Joe. It's probably a little more approachable with recognizable actors (including a quick Philip Seymore Hoffman cameo), as well as plot elements that are more conventional. Some may find the first hour or so unremarkable and/or bland, but then it ratchets up for the final act in typical Samuel Jackson fashion.
I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
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I liked it. Didn't love it, but it was pretty ok.
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Greenland (2020)
It's been awhile since I've watched a disaster film, and this movie turned out to be a good one.
Disaster films are tricky because they end up tending to be either unbelievable, or too schmaltzy. This one stays fairly close to what people imagine a cataclysmic comet impact might look like. And although they have the family of three dip into the emotional goo a few times, they pull up before the viewer gets sick of it.
As with most disaster films there's not much to the plot, so they must portray plenty of tension, thrills, and dread. A skyscraper foreman, John Garrity (Gerald Butler), comes home early one day to soon find out that there are mentions of a comet coming near Earth, but that it'll likely miss. Later of course the comet --which now is in several pieces-- is calculated to hit earth after all.
To the dismay of his friends and neighbors, John, his wife (Morena Baccarin), and son (Roger Floyd) have been among the chosen for relocation to a shelter in Greenland, because of John's skills. What happens between that time and to the point they make the perilous quest to Greenland makes up the entire narrative. The boy has insulin dependent diabetes, so that adds to the drama.
To the credit of excellent production design, special effects, and first rate photography the film really holds one's interest throughout. The man and wife do have good chemistry despite a slow start.
If you're a fan of good PG-13 action/thriller pictures, this one is for you. Available on Amazon, HBO (I think), and various streaming services. Doc's rating: 7/10
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I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
Sell me your children!
You got my cheese-wiz, boy?
EDIT: It's also pretty d@mn f@ckin quotable!!!
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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
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
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Sound of Metal (2020)
Every year a film comes along that everyone loves and I just can't stand it. For me this Sound of Metal the story of a Punk drummer who loses his hearing...moves into a community and decides to make the next steps of his life. I hated this film, a number of people are going to love it but here is a piece of art that ignores it's dramatic points to pander to political ideology.
I don't want to get into spoilers and Riz Ahmed is very good in this but if the central drama of the story is his loss of hearing well we don't get any suspense...it just happens. I felt ripped off because to me watching the fear and confusion gives us the viewer a sense of pathos for the lead and that's just taken away from us. Then you ask yourself is this a love story...Olivia Cooke is great in this...until she leaves the film for 80% of the runtime.
The great technical work and phenomenal performance from Riz left me leaving the film feeling like I watched a great vanity project and an empty film.
Every year a film comes along that everyone loves and I just can't stand it. For me this Sound of Metal the story of a Punk drummer who loses his hearing...moves into a community and decides to make the next steps of his life. I hated this film, a number of people are going to love it but here is a piece of art that ignores it's dramatic points to pander to political ideology.
I don't want to get into spoilers and Riz Ahmed is very good in this but if the central drama of the story is his loss of hearing well we don't get any suspense...it just happens. I felt ripped off because to me watching the fear and confusion gives us the viewer a sense of pathos for the lead and that's just taken away from us. Then you ask yourself is this a love story...Olivia Cooke is great in this...until she leaves the film for 80% of the runtime.
The great technical work and phenomenal performance from Riz left me leaving the film feeling like I watched a great vanity project and an empty film.
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I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
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Virtuosity -
A merely okay '90s techno-thriller with Russell Crowe as a proto-Agent Smith let loose in the real world and Denzel Washington as his ex-cop, ex-con pursuer. It has some saving graces: Crowe, in one of his first Hollywood roles, is very good and very scary as Sid 6.7. I don't know if he ever came up in discussions about who should play the Joker, but having finally seen this, I'd love to see his take on the character. I also like the computer graphics for their trippiness and for how they serve as a time capsule for what their height was in the mid-'90s. With that said, and with the exception of Sid's rampage through L.A., it's a pretty by-the-numbers action movie. There's a hostage crisis, a fight on top of a skyscraper, a ticking time bomb scenario and every other trope that's been done several times before and since. From Strange Days to The Matrix, the '90s gave us a lot of techno-thrillers that helped us process our then new digitized realities and many of them still hold up today. The technological advancements in this one, however, are more gimmick than anything else.
A merely okay '90s techno-thriller with Russell Crowe as a proto-Agent Smith let loose in the real world and Denzel Washington as his ex-cop, ex-con pursuer. It has some saving graces: Crowe, in one of his first Hollywood roles, is very good and very scary as Sid 6.7. I don't know if he ever came up in discussions about who should play the Joker, but having finally seen this, I'd love to see his take on the character. I also like the computer graphics for their trippiness and for how they serve as a time capsule for what their height was in the mid-'90s. With that said, and with the exception of Sid's rampage through L.A., it's a pretty by-the-numbers action movie. There's a hostage crisis, a fight on top of a skyscraper, a ticking time bomb scenario and every other trope that's been done several times before and since. From Strange Days to The Matrix, the '90s gave us a lot of techno-thrillers that helped us process our then new digitized realities and many of them still hold up today. The technological advancements in this one, however, are more gimmick than anything else.
Last edited by Torgo; 04-23-21 at 09:58 AM.
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I've never actually seen The Blues Brothers, but I'm still pretty aware of it from cultural osmosis, whether it be the car chase, "Illinois Nazis", or a character in Mr. Mercedes remembering watching it when he was younger, and not finding it particular funny (then again, he was the book's resident psycho/killer, so maybe that was a hint that he had a messed-up sense of humor, even at that age). Looking at its RT page, it looks like it has a 73% fresh tomatometer, but a 7.6 average rating, which means it's kind of divisive, but the people who like it really like it, so maybe I should check it out to see why.
One of the defining films that helped develop my taste in comedy and music.
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Also notable for the only time Dan Aykroyd was cool. (I love the guy, but let's face it, lameness is part of his brand.)
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It’s certainly got an off-kilter sensibility but if you like absurd comedy delivered dead-pan, blues, soul, musical numbers and/or car chases, it’s something to seek out.
One of the defining films that helped develop my taste in comedy and music.
One of the defining films that helped develop my taste in comedy and music.
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Not really crazy about musical numbers, soul, or blues, but I like car chases and absurd deadpan comedy in the Airplane vein, so that might be enough.
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I’ll make a musical fan out of you yet. This is but phase one.
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I've actually been watching more Musicals in recent years than I usually do, whether it be Cabaret in my research for the old New Hollywood project (which I will return to finish someday, I promise), or The Sound Of Music for research in my entry on Musicals in the genre deconstruction thread (which also featured Cabaret, heh), so I wouldn't mind delving a little deeper into the genre from this point.
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Blade Runner -
Ready Player One -
some cyberpunk double feature
Ready Player One -
some cyberpunk double feature
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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
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I showed my sister and brother-in-law THE BLUES BROTHERS for their first time seeing it. It was my first time in 4K.
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
It’s odd how seeing something you’re intimately familiar with through a new format and with people wholly unfamiliar with it can dramatically transform the experience. I’d become numb to the eccentricities, quirks and indulgence of the film but man, it is one eccentric, quirky and indulgent film, in all the best ways.
I always considered it among the most technically well crafted comedies but seeing it in UHD really hammered home what a great craftsman Landis could be when he wasn’t heinously destroying lives.
I’ve previously said that Blues Brothers is like Ackroyd and Landis decided to make the most movie a movie could be. I stand by it. It’s got better musical numbers than most musicals, better car chases than most action films, is funnier than most comedies and even includes perfectly executed prison drama and horror movie mini-sequences within it all.
It also has that prescience of a couple white guys, deferential to black art, trying to save the underprivileged by having to fight against the police, neo-Nazis and rednecks. Timeless Americana.
It was already a favorite. But it cemented itself in my top 5 favorite comedies (if I even actually have such a thing).
Viy, 1967
A young seminary student named Khoma (Leonid Kuravlyov) has a strange encounter with a witch--an old woman who enchants him and drags him across the countryside before he is able to get the upper hand. But when he beats her, she transforms into a young woman. Khoma is soon told that a dying woman has requested that he pray for her soul. The dying woman--the daughter of a wealthy man--turns out to be the witch, and Khoma is in for some rough nights as he alone stays in the chapel with her (supposedly dead) body.
This is one of those horror titles that is infamous for its imagery, and I bet most horror fans know the image of the woman in the white dress with the floral headdress.
The film itself very much follows the pace and plot of a folk tale. There might not be a ton of character development, but at its core the film is following Khoma's trials over the three nights. The suspense derives from what each night will hold.
I felt that the imagery really lived up to the hype. The whole film is wonderfully colorful and kinetic. As each night goes by, the images/visuals become more complex. The final night in particular has some really excellent creature design.
I can see how someone might be a little underwhelmed by this one, especially if they were expecting more of a story and especially if they had different expectations for the visuals/effects, but I was pretty charmed by it. It is also only like 75 minutes long, so it doesn't overstay its welcome.
I really enjoyed Viy and I'm glad I finally checked it out.