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Movies You've Seen Recently |OT| June 2016
- Thread starter Divius
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Fancy Clown
Member
The Killing is such a punchy movie, I love it. Clocking in at a lean 84 minutes, Kubrick wastes no time on throwing us into the action, with a great cast of noir types and amazing rapid-fire hardboiled dialogue. ("You like money. You've got a great big dollar sign there where most women have a heart"). Kubrick's technique is sufficiently improved from his last film, and it boasts some impressively lit scenes and lots of long takes and tracking shots that add to the tension. HIs trademark black humor is on full display here as well, and it would make for a great noir double feature with the equally bleak (and amazing, if not more so) but more straight-faced counterpart Rififi. My only complaint really is that there are really unnecessary voice over narrations over the scenes that I'm sure were mandated by the studio because they thought people would be too confused by the nonlinear editing.
The Last Detail. Missed the beginning of this but I'm calling it a watch anyway. Had to travel for work so I haven't been able to watch anything but can't sleep for shit and caught this. Nicholson as some asshole sailor with anger issues, yes please. Not entirely sure what the story was but fun to see this crew romp around drinking, fighting, and generally giving a young Randy Quaid a good time before delivering him to Navy prison for whatever I missed in the beginning.
Saw about 1/3s of The Conjuring 2 with my mother and sister until I had to complain to the theater because a group of 5 guys behind wouldn't shut the fuck up, were like this was the funniest comedy ever and were vaping.
After I complained, we moved down a shit ton of rows but we could still hear them and my mother was so bothered that we just ended up leaving.
My worst theater experience ever.
After I complained, we moved down a shit ton of rows but we could still hear them and my mother was so bothered that we just ended up leaving.
My worst theater experience ever.
Targets
I watched this on Saturday afternoon, which in hindsight was very eerie timing. There are essentially two movies here: one is a very meta-story about Boris Karloff and Peter Bogdanovich playing versions of themselves, and the phasing out of the 'old guard' of horror movie stars and replacing them with newer, gruesome horror films; the other is about a 1950s Americana-esque young man in a similarly cliched looking family who suddenly decides to start killing people for no reason. Watching Tim O'Kelly coolly pick people off with a sniper rifle is chilling on its own, but unfortunately still all too real today.
I think the main complaint levied at this movie is that the two sides of the movie don't mesh together well at all, and while I kind of agree on a narrative level (though they do come together), I think the thematic juxtaposition between two really works. All in all, this is a hell of a debut by Bogdanovich and imo the second best thing that Roger Corman attached his name to (the first being his own The Intruder, which everyone should watch!).
4/5
Rio Bravo
This was a lot of "when are they going to get to the fireworks factory?" for me. The movie was strangely anticlimactic, but I generally liked the banter between the men and Dean Martin in particular was fun to watch. Angie Dickinson was kind of adorable even if the romance angle was strange and bordering on obsessive.
3.5/5
He was being sentenced to jail for 8 years for stealing $40. Nicholson and, uh, whoever the other guy was are assigned to escort him to the prison. Excellent film.
I watched this on Saturday afternoon, which in hindsight was very eerie timing. There are essentially two movies here: one is a very meta-story about Boris Karloff and Peter Bogdanovich playing versions of themselves, and the phasing out of the 'old guard' of horror movie stars and replacing them with newer, gruesome horror films; the other is about a 1950s Americana-esque young man in a similarly cliched looking family who suddenly decides to start killing people for no reason. Watching Tim O'Kelly coolly pick people off with a sniper rifle is chilling on its own, but unfortunately still all too real today.
I think the main complaint levied at this movie is that the two sides of the movie don't mesh together well at all, and while I kind of agree on a narrative level (though they do come together), I think the thematic juxtaposition between two really works. All in all, this is a hell of a debut by Bogdanovich and imo the second best thing that Roger Corman attached his name to (the first being his own The Intruder, which everyone should watch!).
4/5
Rio Bravo
This was a lot of "when are they going to get to the fireworks factory?" for me. The movie was strangely anticlimactic, but I generally liked the banter between the men and Dean Martin in particular was fun to watch. Angie Dickinson was kind of adorable even if the romance angle was strange and bordering on obsessive.
3.5/5
He was being sentenced to jail for 8 years for stealing $40. Nicholson and, uh, whoever the other guy was are assigned to escort him to the prison. Excellent film.
Had similar experience with Paranormal Activity. Though I admit, I did laugh during The Conjuring (1).
Saw Popstar last night and I enjoyed it.
Fallout-NL
Member
Good to see I wasn't the only one who made that connection.
Discotheque
Banned
I think nichols listed that as one of his major inspirations going in. That and early Spielberg.
I am a sucker for those amblin movies so I didn't mind the big sci fi ending at all really. And it was surprising how he went with the cynical realism by not letting the adults have a clean ending and having to pay for opposing the government. Spielberg would have let the father go home happy (not that there's anything wrong with that approach either)
It's the directors weakest film. But in a pretty damn strong filmography I don't find that too insulting. Shannon is great. Prolly a 7 if I had to rate it. I'm pretty forgiving tbh (some posters would laugh at that statement though I imagine)
Fallout-NL
Member
Yeah, it was messy, but there was stuff there to like, certainly. Excellent soundtrack, great, great fucking title card, cool atmosphere, great visuals... Just, yeah. Rough script I guess? Towards the end at least.
Still interested to see what else Nichols and Shannon can do.
Still interested to see what else Nichols and Shannon can do.
Sheriff_Battlesnake
Banned
Ant-Man! It was completely and totally just alright. Even Paul Rudd's suffocating charm wasn't enough to shine through. The movie had the oddest pacing and the leads had no chemistry. Yet somehow on the absurdity of the whole thing and the really well choreographed fight scenes the movies managed to be a perfectly enjoyable watch. It was the most okay movie I've seen in years.
Rudd is my #1 comic actor. This definitely underutilized his humor.
Rudd is my #1 comic actor. This definitely underutilized his humor.
Fallout-NL
Member
What surprised me most about Ant-Man is the use of The Cure's Plainsong.
Body Double: 4/10. Absolute trash. I mean in a good way, but also mostly in a bad way. Melanie Griffith might be the worst actress to have ever lived. Loved the synth perv musical cue.
Kansas City: 6/10. Some lesser Altman. Not bad, just inconsequential. Felt like an extended television episode.
House of Games: 7/10. I'd seen a couple of Mamet's later films, interesting to see he never really knew how to get believable performances right from the beginning. Obviously super interesting subject matter, though I think she should have been wise when they were playing high stakes 5 card draw poker, which is a children's game. Maybe the real long con was getting me to watch this 30 years later.
Kansas City: 6/10. Some lesser Altman. Not bad, just inconsequential. Felt like an extended television episode.
House of Games: 7/10. I'd seen a couple of Mamet's later films, interesting to see he never really knew how to get believable performances right from the beginning. Obviously super interesting subject matter, though I think she should have been wise when they were playing high stakes 5 card draw poker, which is a children's game. Maybe the real long con was getting me to watch this 30 years later.
Now You See Me 2 is as unnecessary as it seemed when it was first announced. Is it a complete rehash of the original? No, but its just as forgettable as the original with a ludicrously dumb twist to match it. The star-studded cast is full of people who obviously dont want to be there, with the exception of the fun new additions of Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe, who really relish the ridiculousness. Well, the bit about the star-studded cast isnt really true because the film features an absolutely insane Woody Harrelson performance full of glorious ham and plot points taken from cheesy action blockbusters of the past.
Theres a really well-executed, fun setpiece in the middle that makes one think this could be an enjoyable summer blockbuster and an improvement on the original. Unfortunately, this ten minute sequence is the only exemplary part of the film; the rest of which is satisfied with being entertaining on the lowest level. Now You See Me 2 is an alright two hours, but, much like the first film, is far too content with just being a movie that would air on TNT on a Saturday afternoon, where youd catch maybe a half hour of it before switching the channel.
Theres a really well-executed, fun setpiece in the middle that makes one think this could be an enjoyable summer blockbuster and an improvement on the original. Unfortunately, this ten minute sequence is the only exemplary part of the film; the rest of which is satisfied with being entertaining on the lowest level. Now You See Me 2 is an alright two hours, but, much like the first film, is far too content with just being a movie that would air on TNT on a Saturday afternoon, where youd catch maybe a half hour of it before switching the channel.
Net_Wrecker
Member
I see where you guys are coming from regarding Midnight Special, but I loved it. Up there with The Nice Guys as my favorite of 2016 so far (haven't been able to see enough, admittedly, but I don't suspect either of them will drop out of my top 5 for the year).
Heading to my first film festival in Edinburgh this weekend (arguably the best available in the UK) and greatly looking forward to it.
Seeing a diverse range of films and particularly looking forward to 'The White King' based on a dystopian Bulgarian novel! Will be a World premiere so will be happy to say I have watched a film that is molten hot off the press...
Anyone else going from these parts?
Also seeing 'Maggies Plan' amongst others, starring Gerwig and Hawke for some psuedo Before Sun~esque action I hope. It is up for the audience award so will be intrigued to participate in that.
Seeing a diverse range of films and particularly looking forward to 'The White King' based on a dystopian Bulgarian novel! Will be a World premiere so will be happy to say I have watched a film that is molten hot off the press...
Anyone else going from these parts?
Also seeing 'Maggies Plan' amongst others, starring Gerwig and Hawke for some psuedo Before Sun~esque action I hope. It is up for the audience award so will be intrigued to participate in that.
Boxcar Bertha
A cheap, fairly trashy Bonnie and Clyde knock-off starring a very cute Barbara Hershey. Pretty rough around the edges without a lot of the charm or edge of similar exploitation films... except for the ending, which is so crazy and impressively pulled off that it partly saves the movie. But only partly.
2.5/5
A cheap, fairly trashy Bonnie and Clyde knock-off starring a very cute Barbara Hershey. Pretty rough around the edges without a lot of the charm or edge of similar exploitation films... except for the ending, which is so crazy and impressively pulled off that it partly saves the movie. But only partly.
2.5/5
Oh hey, I forgot about this thread for a minute!
Housebound: A rather fun little spin on the haunted house genre, as can only be told with a New Zealand sensibility.
Blancanieves: Lovely adaptation of Snow White that offers up some beautiful imagery, one hell of a score from Alfonso de Villalonga, and a delightfully bitchy turn from Maribel Verdu as the evil stepmother.
The Keeping Room: A brutal but effective thriller that does well with the realism, particularly with making guns look and feel scary, no matter who is shooting them. Director Daniel Barber also is able to draw a lot of uneasy tension throughout, as if anything can go wrong at any second and be a lot worse than you can imagine. Less effective are the monologues that break up the action, and while they're not the victims of bad writing, it's hard not to hear the bluntness of what they're aiming to convey and their frequency can slow the momentum when it sometimes needs to surge instead. Certainly, it's through no fault of the core actresses, who all do highly admirable work with what they're given and the strong physicality that they have to display throughout, and even Sam Worthington makes for an effectively sinister and sadistic villain. If it's not a great film, it is not from a lack of trying and has a lot of strong qualities to make me interested in seeing what comes next for the filmmakers.
A Hijacking: A terrific companion piece to Captain Phillips from the same year (well, in my country at least), the film does the impossible by putting the focus on the actual negotiation process between the pirates and the company CEO and feels just as tense and surprising as a more visceral film could be.
Starry Eyes: Initially rather promising, from a solid lead performance by Alex Essoe to some nice nightmare sequences that smartly make it really difficult to discern to offering up an intensely unflattering portrayal of millennial aimlessness, but the film makes the mistake of tipping its hat too early as to where things are headed (and is keen to keep it there thanks to the ridiculous overacting on the part of the antagonistic portion of the cast) and it eventually devolves into an unfocused, gory mess. Surprisingly great makeup for the budget, though!
Zombeavers: This film is never going to pass for high art, and there's a good chance that even low art is too classy a descriptor, but there's a crass yet genuine wit to it that keeps up the laughs for its brief run time and it has a lot of fun defeating your expectations as to who will make it to the end. The decision to go mostly practical for the titular animals also pays off, with lots of chewy, gooey gore to go around and some truly outrageous makeup effects for the big turn that you will both see coming from a mile away and can't really prepare yourself for when it does happen. Make sure to stay through the credits for some more laughs and a sequel tease so inspired in its stupidity that I might write to people in order to make sure it happens.
Housebound: A rather fun little spin on the haunted house genre, as can only be told with a New Zealand sensibility.
Blancanieves: Lovely adaptation of Snow White that offers up some beautiful imagery, one hell of a score from Alfonso de Villalonga, and a delightfully bitchy turn from Maribel Verdu as the evil stepmother.
The Keeping Room: A brutal but effective thriller that does well with the realism, particularly with making guns look and feel scary, no matter who is shooting them. Director Daniel Barber also is able to draw a lot of uneasy tension throughout, as if anything can go wrong at any second and be a lot worse than you can imagine. Less effective are the monologues that break up the action, and while they're not the victims of bad writing, it's hard not to hear the bluntness of what they're aiming to convey and their frequency can slow the momentum when it sometimes needs to surge instead. Certainly, it's through no fault of the core actresses, who all do highly admirable work with what they're given and the strong physicality that they have to display throughout, and even Sam Worthington makes for an effectively sinister and sadistic villain. If it's not a great film, it is not from a lack of trying and has a lot of strong qualities to make me interested in seeing what comes next for the filmmakers.
A Hijacking: A terrific companion piece to Captain Phillips from the same year (well, in my country at least), the film does the impossible by putting the focus on the actual negotiation process between the pirates and the company CEO and feels just as tense and surprising as a more visceral film could be.
Starry Eyes: Initially rather promising, from a solid lead performance by Alex Essoe to some nice nightmare sequences that smartly make it really difficult to discern to offering up an intensely unflattering portrayal of millennial aimlessness, but the film makes the mistake of tipping its hat too early as to where things are headed (and is keen to keep it there thanks to the ridiculous overacting on the part of the antagonistic portion of the cast) and it eventually devolves into an unfocused, gory mess. Surprisingly great makeup for the budget, though!
Zombeavers: This film is never going to pass for high art, and there's a good chance that even low art is too classy a descriptor, but there's a crass yet genuine wit to it that keeps up the laughs for its brief run time and it has a lot of fun defeating your expectations as to who will make it to the end. The decision to go mostly practical for the titular animals also pays off, with lots of chewy, gooey gore to go around and some truly outrageous makeup effects for the big turn that you will both see coming from a mile away and can't really prepare yourself for when it does happen. Make sure to stay through the credits for some more laughs and a sequel tease so inspired in its stupidity that I might write to people in order to make sure it happens.
User 479360
Banned
I watched three movies on the airplanes I was on.
Joy: A weird movie at first, but it got better as it went along. Alright overall.
How to be Single: It was relatively interesting and entertaining. Kind of an is what it is type of comedy. Nothing special, but not overtly bad.
Larry Crowne: A decent feel good movie. I like the leads and loved that Rami Malek was in it.
I was planning to watch The Big Short on the way home, but the second plane had a different set of movies on it. I started watching Midnight Special after finishing Larry Crowne, but was simply too tired and went to sleep instead. I've been wanting to see that movie.
I should have picked those movies first, but wasn't in the mood at first.
Joy: A weird movie at first, but it got better as it went along. Alright overall.
How to be Single: It was relatively interesting and entertaining. Kind of an is what it is type of comedy. Nothing special, but not overtly bad.
Larry Crowne: A decent feel good movie. I like the leads and loved that Rami Malek was in it.
I was planning to watch The Big Short on the way home, but the second plane had a different set of movies on it. I started watching Midnight Special after finishing Larry Crowne, but was simply too tired and went to sleep instead. I've been wanting to see that movie.
I should have picked those movies first, but wasn't in the mood at first.
Discotheque
Banned
they're both top 5 movies of the year for me.
right now I got it as:
Everybody Wants Some
Nice Guys
Hail Caesar
The Witch
Midnight Special
and then outside of the top 5 is zootopia, warcraft (...yeah I didn't expect to like this one bit but I surprisingly enjoyed it), deadpool and civil war in whatever order.
eddievanclaylen
Member
Saw Conjuring 2 last night. Really scary! This movie actually got me a few times and that never happens
Yeah, same here.
The Titan Find aka Creature. We're talking some serious low budget shit here. So bad it's almost, not quite good? Take some Star Wars sounds, a bit of alien story, a dash of the Thing, and cook for a half hour too long and you've got this turd. It is entertaining to some degree but otherwise just some old 80's shit best left forgotten.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Their doing a retrospective on the films of Ted Kotcheff in LA, and there was a great interview him about the making of First Blood.
two of my favorite bits:
Filmmaker: The book First Blood had been knocking around Hollywood for quite a while before you turned it into a movie. How did you first become aware of it?
Ted Kotcheff: The head of Warner Brothers, Bob Shapiro, was an ex-agent of mine he used to be the head of William Morris in England when I lived there. He sent me this book by a Canadian writer, David Morrell, and said I should read it. There had already been a couple of attempts at scripts, but I didnt read any of them; they had all been rejected by Warners anyway, so it would have been a waste of time. I read the book and loved it, so they hired me to do the script. I worked very intensely with a writer named Michael Kozoll for three months and we delivered what I thought was a pretty good script. I submitted it to Warner Brothers and one week went by, two weeks went by three weeks went by. I thought, This cannot be good. Finally Bob Shapiro said, Come to my office. He told me the board at Warners had decided they didnt want to make the film, because Vietnam was one of the worst military disasters in centuries and everybody hated the war. He said, The right wing thinks the veterans are a bunch of losers and the left wing thinks theyre baby killers. Weve got Ronald Reagan as president now and old-fashioned patriotism is back in. This is not a patriotic film. I said, Jesus, Bob, couldnt you have thought about this three months ago before I busted my ass to deliver a script? He apologized, and I just thought it was another film that was going to go down the toilet.
--
Kotcheff: I always conceived of Rambos story as a suicide mission. America doesnt want him, and he decides that he doesnt want them he knows when he comes to that bridge at the beginning of the film that things will probably turn out badly. In the original ending, Rambo says to his colonel You made me. Now you should kill me. The colonel has his gun out and thinks about putting Rambo out of his misery, but he cant do it. Rambo reaches up and blows himself away, commits hari-kari. Well, we shot the scene and Sylvester gave a spectacular performance. Everyone was thrilled with it except Sylvester. He took me aside and said, Ted, weve put Rambo through so much the audience has suffered with him through all of this, and now were going to kill him? They are going to hate this, Im telling you. I thought about it for a minute and came up with an extended tracking shot we could do we would end the scene before the colonel takes the gun out, then follow Rambo and the colonel outside the police station as they walk down the steps in front of this town Rambo has almost destroyed.
I was getting it set up and the producers rushed over to me: Kotcheff, what the fuck are you doing? I said, Im shooting an alternate ending. An alternate ending? We agreed on the ending. Its a suicide mission. Youre over budget and over schedule, you dont have the money to do two endings. I said, I dont take shit from producers. Get off my set. Im going to get the shot. Its only going to take me two hours. I told them, Ive got a hunch when we find an American distributor, theyre going to want this ending. Theyre going to want Rambo to survive. Sure enough, we got the shot, finished the film, and took it with the original ending to Orion for distribution. And Mike Medavoy, who ran it, said, I love this film, but I hate the ending. Andy Vajna was so angry he leapt across the desk and tried to punch Mike Medavoy in the face.
We went to a suburban theatre in Las Vegas to test the film, and I knew it was going to be a success the audience was so involved. Then Rambo commits hari-kari. You could have heard a pin drop. A voice in the silence says If the director of this film is here, we should string him up from the nearest lamp post for doing this to Rambo. I turned to my wife and said, Lets get the hell out of here, and ran out of the theatre. The cards came back and all five hundred of them were practically identical everyone thought it was a great action movie with a horrible ending. You could see consternation growing on the faces of the producers as they read card after card.
two of my favorite bits:
Filmmaker: The book First Blood had been knocking around Hollywood for quite a while before you turned it into a movie. How did you first become aware of it?
Ted Kotcheff: The head of Warner Brothers, Bob Shapiro, was an ex-agent of mine he used to be the head of William Morris in England when I lived there. He sent me this book by a Canadian writer, David Morrell, and said I should read it. There had already been a couple of attempts at scripts, but I didnt read any of them; they had all been rejected by Warners anyway, so it would have been a waste of time. I read the book and loved it, so they hired me to do the script. I worked very intensely with a writer named Michael Kozoll for three months and we delivered what I thought was a pretty good script. I submitted it to Warner Brothers and one week went by, two weeks went by three weeks went by. I thought, This cannot be good. Finally Bob Shapiro said, Come to my office. He told me the board at Warners had decided they didnt want to make the film, because Vietnam was one of the worst military disasters in centuries and everybody hated the war. He said, The right wing thinks the veterans are a bunch of losers and the left wing thinks theyre baby killers. Weve got Ronald Reagan as president now and old-fashioned patriotism is back in. This is not a patriotic film. I said, Jesus, Bob, couldnt you have thought about this three months ago before I busted my ass to deliver a script? He apologized, and I just thought it was another film that was going to go down the toilet.
--
Kotcheff: I always conceived of Rambos story as a suicide mission. America doesnt want him, and he decides that he doesnt want them he knows when he comes to that bridge at the beginning of the film that things will probably turn out badly. In the original ending, Rambo says to his colonel You made me. Now you should kill me. The colonel has his gun out and thinks about putting Rambo out of his misery, but he cant do it. Rambo reaches up and blows himself away, commits hari-kari. Well, we shot the scene and Sylvester gave a spectacular performance. Everyone was thrilled with it except Sylvester. He took me aside and said, Ted, weve put Rambo through so much the audience has suffered with him through all of this, and now were going to kill him? They are going to hate this, Im telling you. I thought about it for a minute and came up with an extended tracking shot we could do we would end the scene before the colonel takes the gun out, then follow Rambo and the colonel outside the police station as they walk down the steps in front of this town Rambo has almost destroyed.
I was getting it set up and the producers rushed over to me: Kotcheff, what the fuck are you doing? I said, Im shooting an alternate ending. An alternate ending? We agreed on the ending. Its a suicide mission. Youre over budget and over schedule, you dont have the money to do two endings. I said, I dont take shit from producers. Get off my set. Im going to get the shot. Its only going to take me two hours. I told them, Ive got a hunch when we find an American distributor, theyre going to want this ending. Theyre going to want Rambo to survive. Sure enough, we got the shot, finished the film, and took it with the original ending to Orion for distribution. And Mike Medavoy, who ran it, said, I love this film, but I hate the ending. Andy Vajna was so angry he leapt across the desk and tried to punch Mike Medavoy in the face.
We went to a suburban theatre in Las Vegas to test the film, and I knew it was going to be a success the audience was so involved. Then Rambo commits hari-kari. You could have heard a pin drop. A voice in the silence says If the director of this film is here, we should string him up from the nearest lamp post for doing this to Rambo. I turned to my wife and said, Lets get the hell out of here, and ran out of the theatre. The cards came back and all five hundred of them were practically identical everyone thought it was a great action movie with a horrible ending. You could see consternation growing on the faces of the producers as they read card after card.
Discotheque
Banned
I didn't know about that ending. Maybe it would have been for the best though. Turning him into GI Joe for the sequels was a really weird move considering the whole tone and message of the first
Actually nah bringing him in was a fine ending too. The sequels shouldn't have happened tho
Actually nah bringing him in was a fine ending too. The sequels shouldn't have happened tho
They actually put the footage from that ending into the fourth film as a part of a nightmare sequence that Rambo has early on. It was a nice little gesture.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
I like the original ending of him coming in, after all the violence and the catharsis of the final monologue. Like yea he's going to jail, but maybe now we can find some peace, and maybe we can all be a bit kinder to each other cuz we don't know everybody's situation.
They just shouldn't been any fuckin' sequels that turn him a pop culture icon of Reagan America patriotism. Like First Blood Part 2 is basically Rambo going back to Vietnam and actually winning this time, its so cartoonish and violent and over the top. There's nothing of the tough but emotionally vulnerable Rambo left, the one's who sick of violence and clearly suffers from PTSD.
Its kinda like Rocky in that regard. The first one is great, and then there are some questionable, increasingly cartoonish 80s sequels.
edit: OMG the part about Kirk Douglas getting the movie to play Colonel Trautmann
Filmmaker: The other key performance in the film is Richard Crenna as the colonel, but wasn’t Kirk Douglas originally cast in that part?
Kotcheff: Kirk Douglas was doing a play with Burt Lancaster up in San Francisco about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn later in life. I sent him the script for First Blood and he liked it a lot. I watched the play and we had dinner together and he went on and on about how terrific the script was. I thought, “Great!” Sylvester was all for it because Kirk Douglas’ film Champion was a great source of inspiration for him when he was playing Rocky. Kirk came to British Columbia the third week of shooting and we put him up in this lovely lakeside cottage, and immediately he began quarreling with the lines. He had a very disagreeable habit of talking about himself in the third person, and he’d say “Kirk doesn’t say these lines. Kirk doesn’t like these lines.” Or he’d want somebody else’s line and I would say, “That’s a feeling the sheriff would have, not you.” He’d say, “Doesn’t matter. It’s a great line. The sheriff doesn’t say it. Kirk Douglas says it. Kirk Douglas should have this line.” Also, any suggestions he made were like something out of a 1940s B-war film, this kind of bad military talk…now, Sylvester and I agreed that Kirk Douglas was a big star and would help our film, so we did everything we could to try to please him. We would shoot in the freezing cold all day and then work late into the night rewriting his scenes. But he was never happy with any of our changes, and I kept thinking, “Why the hell did he accept this part?” Finally, I went to Andy and Mario and said, “Boys, I know you want this guy. But he’s going to wreck our film, not only artistically but monetarily, because he’s going to slow production down. I’m telling you, he’s going to put two weeks on the schedule arguing about the lines.” So I went to see Kirk and his wife in the cottage and said, “Kirk, here’s the situation. I gave you a script and you accepted it and told me you loved it. We’re shooting the script that you loved. If you wish to act in that script, I’d love to have you, but if you don’t, you may leave.” He said, “Kirk’s leaving.” [laughs]
They just shouldn't been any fuckin' sequels that turn him a pop culture icon of Reagan America patriotism. Like First Blood Part 2 is basically Rambo going back to Vietnam and actually winning this time, its so cartoonish and violent and over the top. There's nothing of the tough but emotionally vulnerable Rambo left, the one's who sick of violence and clearly suffers from PTSD.
Its kinda like Rocky in that regard. The first one is great, and then there are some questionable, increasingly cartoonish 80s sequels.
edit: OMG the part about Kirk Douglas getting the movie to play Colonel Trautmann
Filmmaker: The other key performance in the film is Richard Crenna as the colonel, but wasn’t Kirk Douglas originally cast in that part?
Kotcheff: Kirk Douglas was doing a play with Burt Lancaster up in San Francisco about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn later in life. I sent him the script for First Blood and he liked it a lot. I watched the play and we had dinner together and he went on and on about how terrific the script was. I thought, “Great!” Sylvester was all for it because Kirk Douglas’ film Champion was a great source of inspiration for him when he was playing Rocky. Kirk came to British Columbia the third week of shooting and we put him up in this lovely lakeside cottage, and immediately he began quarreling with the lines. He had a very disagreeable habit of talking about himself in the third person, and he’d say “Kirk doesn’t say these lines. Kirk doesn’t like these lines.” Or he’d want somebody else’s line and I would say, “That’s a feeling the sheriff would have, not you.” He’d say, “Doesn’t matter. It’s a great line. The sheriff doesn’t say it. Kirk Douglas says it. Kirk Douglas should have this line.” Also, any suggestions he made were like something out of a 1940s B-war film, this kind of bad military talk…now, Sylvester and I agreed that Kirk Douglas was a big star and would help our film, so we did everything we could to try to please him. We would shoot in the freezing cold all day and then work late into the night rewriting his scenes. But he was never happy with any of our changes, and I kept thinking, “Why the hell did he accept this part?” Finally, I went to Andy and Mario and said, “Boys, I know you want this guy. But he’s going to wreck our film, not only artistically but monetarily, because he’s going to slow production down. I’m telling you, he’s going to put two weeks on the schedule arguing about the lines.” So I went to see Kirk and his wife in the cottage and said, “Kirk, here’s the situation. I gave you a script and you accepted it and told me you loved it. We’re shooting the script that you loved. If you wish to act in that script, I’d love to have you, but if you don’t, you may leave.” He said, “Kirk’s leaving.” [laughs]
You know, I did always notice how much Crenna resembled Douglas, but I think Douglas would have had too much of a personality. I can't imagine Douglas delivering Trautmann's long warning about what Rambo can do to Teasle's search parties without being too fierce in his delivery. I could just see him spitting all over Brian Dennehy.
EDIT: Oh god, they offered Rambo to Al Pacino, who turned it down because he wanted him to be more of a madman. Jesus, Al, the 70s were barely over and you were already prepping yourself for future parody.
EDIT: Oh god, they offered Rambo to Al Pacino, who turned it down because he wanted him to be more of a madman. Jesus, Al, the 70s were barely over and you were already prepping yourself for future parody.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
The film was so far into production that they actually had advertisements promoting Kirk Douglas in it
Amazing, cuz I cant imagine anyone but Richard Crenna in that role now
Amazing, cuz I cant imagine anyone but Richard Crenna in that role now
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
coincidently I've been going through the same trivia (on imdb) as I've decided to go through the Rambo and Rocky franchises, but reading them in context is even better.
It is very obvious, though, while watching First Blood that the first scene and the last scene were complete afterthoughts (script + production wise) to a movie that never refers to it at any point. It's a wrapper created by the test audience around an otherwise kind of boring movie (imo), with the wrapper making it worth it. So thank god for test audiences on that one.
The sequel though... oh man. I'm now watching Hot Shots Part Deux to deal with how over the top ridiculous that got. I'd never seen Rambo 1 to 3, so it was kind of shocking to me to see the editing in Rambo 2: Rambo in a chopper with greenscreen 1 second CUT explosion! 1 second CUT shot of helicopter flying 1 second CUT gun firing CUT stock footage of chopper CUT Rambo in chopper CUT CUT CUT CUT AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH
That was so bad. Effective filmmaking, sure, but goddammit did it almost fry my brain from trying to figure out what I was even looking at. And that shit goes on for like fifteen minutes too. There was even a small shot where Rambo stops and looks down at a chicken and the moment I saw it I though: "oh god he's going fire that chicken at someone, isn't he", which is where that joke comes from in Hot Shots. It's a downright comical shot, and the movie as a whole really needed to get parodied. Crenna resuming his part for this parody also tells you a lot how he felt about the sequels too.
(and so many missed jokes by my past self)
To be entirely fair to its makers though, the nearly lost the entire production at one point and the fact that they were able to save it in a still comprehensible manner can be called impressive.
It is very obvious, though, while watching First Blood that the first scene and the last scene were complete afterthoughts (script + production wise) to a movie that never refers to it at any point. It's a wrapper created by the test audience around an otherwise kind of boring movie (imo), with the wrapper making it worth it. So thank god for test audiences on that one.
The sequel though... oh man. I'm now watching Hot Shots Part Deux to deal with how over the top ridiculous that got. I'd never seen Rambo 1 to 3, so it was kind of shocking to me to see the editing in Rambo 2: Rambo in a chopper with greenscreen 1 second CUT explosion! 1 second CUT shot of helicopter flying 1 second CUT gun firing CUT stock footage of chopper CUT Rambo in chopper CUT CUT CUT CUT AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH
That was so bad. Effective filmmaking, sure, but goddammit did it almost fry my brain from trying to figure out what I was even looking at. And that shit goes on for like fifteen minutes too. There was even a small shot where Rambo stops and looks down at a chicken and the moment I saw it I though: "oh god he's going fire that chicken at someone, isn't he", which is where that joke comes from in Hot Shots. It's a downright comical shot, and the movie as a whole really needed to get parodied. Crenna resuming his part for this parody also tells you a lot how he felt about the sequels too.
(and so many missed jokes by my past self)To be entirely fair to its makers though, the nearly lost the entire production at one point and the fact that they were able to save it in a still comprehensible manner can be called impressive.
Fancy Clown
Member
Rewatched Jaws again. Every time I see it it's almost like seeing it the first time again. I get totally sucked in to the movie, it really sinks its teeth in you. Legitimately a perfect movie.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
The best movie, imo
also, how have you not watched the Sweet Smell of Success yet?????
also, how have you not watched the Sweet Smell of Success yet?????
Fancy Clown
Member
I donno man, it's just one of those movies that managed to slip under my radar. I hadn't even heard of it until I read a post about it on here a few months ago.
Hail, Caesar!: A fun little collection of homages to 50s studio pictures, in virtually every genre imaginable, a great little gallery of cameos (I see you, Clancy Brown and Christopher Lambert!) and a lot of little glimpses into Hollywood tabloid culture as some scramble to find the next big story and others attempt to put out fires before the sparks hit the ground. But is there a satisfactory story to tie it all together? That's a bit of a tough question, as there is certainly a lot of incident that happens throughout, but seemingly little connective tissue beyond the setting that can make the film seem more like a great little collection of scenes that comes and it goes as it pleases. I think that issue starts at not being sure whose cards we should be putting our chips on: while Eddie Mannix is the very first thing we see in the film and seems to have the most emotional stakes involved with how his story plays out, one has to feel that the advertising played a part in shifting expectations into what is actually two other side stories, those being Baird Whitlock's kidnapping and subsequent reprogramming and Hobie Doyle's sudden thrust into the spotlight of Hollywood prestige on what was largely a whim, only to wind up embroiled in the kidnapping plot after some convenient plot crow-barring. The trailers certainly played up the zany kidnapping and mystery aspects, and while they're there, they seem more like byproducts of some other things that Eddie has to deal with while he works out his own personal issues alongside the business-related ones. The religious overtones (they hardly qualify as undertones here) throws a big curveball at all the laughs, too, as there's a sense that Eddie is trying to figure out if he's undergoing an existential crisis or a crisis of faith. Heady stuff for what looks like and was sold as a zippy ode to Hollywood yesteryear, but while I don't think that the Coens were 100% successful with integrating that element into the rest of the proceedings, I appreciated that there was at least one meaty character to latch onto and gave you something to chew on and to hopefully swallow before the next zinger hits and threatens to have you spit it all out. The Coens have thrived on delivering not quite what you expected on virtually every film they've done, and while I can understand people who wanted something a lot more fanciful and maybe a little less masturbatory (which, I'll admit, can run a bit long as some of those homages go from bell to bell) out of this film, to go along with all the great production design and great cast that's game for anything that they throw at them, I am glad that they opted to do something a bit more substantial than that.
True Savior
Member
Midnight Special - Jeff Nichols
American peeps, you guys should really start paying the respect Nichols deserve. This mofo is really special. Yeah, Midnight Special might be his least strong directorial effort, even so, it's such an alluring journey. You can sense the burden each character carries. All his movies are like this. There's an enormous baggage that all this characters bear. They exist beyond the story that is being told. You just happen to catch a glimpse of an event. In this case a simpler one. Shotgun Stories is effective in implying a past and relationships through small subtle situations and dialogues.
You can infer so much from the state stroper who accepts unconditionally to help this special boy after so many years apart from the kid's father. The community cult that perforates all of them The outcasted one who resents not being there. The mundane one who has been given the mission of his life. The father who saw his kid being taken away from him and kept living there. The mother who was expelled and detached from her offspring. All deeply affected by an higher structure they can't comprehend.
Another strong Wingo soundtrack.
American peeps, you guys should really start paying the respect Nichols deserve. This mofo is really special. Yeah, Midnight Special might be his least strong directorial effort, even so, it's such an alluring journey. You can sense the burden each character carries. All his movies are like this. There's an enormous baggage that all this characters bear. They exist beyond the story that is being told. You just happen to catch a glimpse of an event. In this case a simpler one. Shotgun Stories is effective in implying a past and relationships through small subtle situations and dialogues.
You can infer so much from the state stroper who accepts unconditionally to help this special boy after so many years apart from the kid's father. The community cult that perforates all of them The outcasted one who resents not being there. The mundane one who has been given the mission of his life. The father who saw his kid being taken away from him and kept living there. The mother who was expelled and detached from her offspring. All deeply affected by an higher structure they can't comprehend.
Another strong Wingo soundtrack.
Thin Red Line. Finally watched this again. First time I saw this I thought it sucked balls compared to something like Full Metal Jacket. So while my opinion has greatly improved I still find it lacking. The biggest complaint is how slow it is. It doesn't need to be some Michael Bay type of affair but a little more pep would go a long way. I'm still not sure I "get" this movie completely but I can say it was a good movie after all. The sense of 1940 whatever was very high. Authentic is a good word. The massive cast was kind of a treat but in some ways bloated with major stars having small bits. The bluray looks incredible. So rating this is tough. On the one hand it was very well made but on the other a bit boring. So in all fairness 3/5 is the best I can do.
Went to the movie theater today to see...
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a masterful popcorn film from Steven Spielberg. There's not a single flaw in this movie, and it's constantly thrilling. Indiana Jones is the ideal hero, and Harrison Ford plays him to perfection. Karen Allen as Marion is excellent too, and the two have great rapport. From the opening sequence to the truck chase, the action never ceases to be excellent, and the score by John Williams might be his best ever. There's not much to say about Raiders of the Lost Ark that hasn't already been said, but it's still the pinnacle of blockbuster filmmaking.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a masterful popcorn film from Steven Spielberg. There's not a single flaw in this movie, and it's constantly thrilling. Indiana Jones is the ideal hero, and Harrison Ford plays him to perfection. Karen Allen as Marion is excellent too, and the two have great rapport. From the opening sequence to the truck chase, the action never ceases to be excellent, and the score by John Williams might be his best ever. There's not much to say about Raiders of the Lost Ark that hasn't already been said, but it's still the pinnacle of blockbuster filmmaking.
Death Race 2000
I was not prepared for how weird this was. Kind of like a mashup of A Clockwork Orange and Speed Racer, but even that undersells how ridiculous and nonsensical and just fucking bizarre this movie is. David Carradine dressed in leather from head to toe, Sylvester Stallone is playing a parody of himself before anyone even knew who Sylvester Stallone was (Rocky came out just the next year, what a goddamn turnaround his career took), and various no-name actors either chewing scenery hard or giving some ass line readings. I'll give it credit for the cars, the practical effects, and the idea of the whole thing even if it makes basically no sense. There's an audience for this kind of movie, but I am not it.
1.5/5
I was not prepared for how weird this was. Kind of like a mashup of A Clockwork Orange and Speed Racer, but even that undersells how ridiculous and nonsensical and just fucking bizarre this movie is. David Carradine dressed in leather from head to toe, Sylvester Stallone is playing a parody of himself before anyone even knew who Sylvester Stallone was (Rocky came out just the next year, what a goddamn turnaround his career took), and various no-name actors either chewing scenery hard or giving some ass line readings. I'll give it credit for the cars, the practical effects, and the idea of the whole thing even if it makes basically no sense. There's an audience for this kind of movie, but I am not it.
1.5/5
Discotheque
Banned
Man forget full Metal Jacket. I'd honestly take thin red line over all of Kubricks filmography, which is a tough one to beat for sure.
Also God damn. This Anton Yelchin news is terribly sad. Gotta watch green room again asap.
If Nichols' Love ends up great he could have two top 10 movies this year. Incredible output from the guy so far.
Also God damn. This Anton Yelchin news is terribly sad. Gotta watch green room again asap.
If Nichols' Love ends up great he could have two top 10 movies this year. Incredible output from the guy so far.
Net_Wrecker
Member
I'd put Strangelove over The Thin Red Line.
TTRL is fantastic though. lordxar, have you seen any other Malick movies? I don't know how you can watch TTRL twice and still not "get" it unless you haven't gone through his other movies.
TTRL is fantastic though. lordxar, have you seen any other Malick movies? I don't know how you can watch TTRL twice and still not "get" it unless you haven't gone through his other movies.
Verhoeven's Flesh+Blood lived up to its title. Tons of violence, and there's a whole bunch of boobs in there. Production was on point, story was all over the place. Definitely a fun watch.
Warcraft was a mess. I feel like I 'didn't get it' or, maybe, it was just a bad movie because that is the one thing I did get out of it.
Warcraft was a mess. I feel like I 'didn't get it' or, maybe, it was just a bad movie because that is the one thing I did get out of it.
Nope that is the only one I've watched. Saw it a couple decades ago and hated it. Rewatched it based on recommendations here. I have more of his movies in queue to watch so once I get those maybe things will be better. I did like a lot of things about it so maybe another watch some day might be warranted.
Discotheque
Banned
Thin Red Line is probably his most straight forward movie since Badlands. You don't like that then New World etc. will be a massive suck for you dude. By all means though check out New World. Best pocahontas movie.
Fancy Clown
Member
I was actually surprised by how not-slow I found Thin Red Line. Like at least 2/3rds of it is pure tension. Probably my favorite Malick of the three Ive seen. Loved all of them tho, I'm looking forward to picking up New World in July.
And yeah, the Yelchin news super bummed me out. He was very young and talented, it's really sad.
And yeah, the Yelchin news super bummed me out. He was very young and talented, it's really sad.
Net_Wrecker
Member
This is true you might not LIKE them even after you're more familiar, but at least you'll "get" them a bit more in regards to pacing, narrative style, etc, which could be a barrier you need to break through before really enjoying them.
Fancy Clown
Member
I found Days of Heaven to be a good gateway Malick film since its a little more straightforward and focused than some of his later films and also a lot more digestible since it's a lean 90 minutes so I found it wasn't too overwhelming. But good on you for diving in with Thin Red Line, it's heavy stuff.
Watched House this evening. Well...that was certainly something. I guess I have to admire a filmmaker so deficated to using every single camera, editing, and special effect trick in the book. Not exactly my cup of tea but it was fun.
Watched House this evening. Well...that was certainly something. I guess I have to admire a filmmaker so deficated to using every single camera, editing, and special effect trick in the book. Not exactly my cup of tea but it was fun.
Odd Thomas: It's deeply sad that it took the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin for me to finally get around to this, especially as it's further proof of what a talent we've lost in him. Although it has the makings of Yet Another YA Adaptation, this story is far more funny and vibrant than most, thanks to its fast pacing and whiplash-inducing dialogue that snaps at supersonic speeds. And yet it never feels like its going too fast, thanks to Yelchin's easygoing yet very sensitive performance as the title character, who anchors the entire film as he plays off of everyone and everything in an enjoyably effortless manner, especially opposite Addison Timlin as the love of his life. Being a Stephen Sommers film, you can always expect two things: a whole lot of special effects, and a whole lot of flashy directorial choices to augment those special effects, and he certainly brings both in the ways you expect him to. While he's never been the most subtle director, he's always had a very earnest interest in material like this before, and the benefit he gets from this particular story over those involving mummies or real American heroes is how well it manages the surprisingly touching emotional core inside of it, which allows Sommers to mine both the humor and the pathos in equally effective doses. That being said, I'm not surprised this wound up being a YA franchise non-starter in theaters: if not for the tricky tone that it has to wrangle or the relatively low production values, then certainly for the late-film revelations of the antagonist's plot that gets into remarkably shocking territory that will hit way too close to home for some, despite the relatively PG-13 approach it takes that minimizes the violence that could have been displayed. Through it all, Sommers finds a terrific leading man in Yelchin to make sure the whole thing works, and if it takes Yelchin's death for more people to turn this into the cult hit it so deserves to be, then there will be one good thing that comes out of that tragedy.
Independence Day isn't a good movie by the typical definition. It's pretty generic, all things considered, and it planted the seeds for the future of blah blockbusters. However, it's still really fun and always entertaining. Smith, Pullman, and Goldblum anchor the movie well, and the spectacle on display still impresses today. Arnold's score is also excellent. Overall, it's a movie that shouldn't be as good as it is. Independence Day may have glaring flaws, but that's just fine when it's a film as epic and enthralling as this one.
Also purchased MoviePass today, so that should be fun once the card arrives
Also purchased MoviePass today, so that should be fun once the card arrives
Hatchet for the Honeymoon. Take all your favorite crazies, Norman Bates, Dexter, Patrick Bateman, mix em all together and throw in a haunting for funsies. Now you've got this Bava film. Pretty unique story per his usual. Even after all the ways we've seen a story like this unfold somehow it feels fresh. Fucking loony tunes but fresh.
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