What movies are we watching: B-Movie Blitz

[Banzai]

Vanishing Point, 1971.  Picked up the Blu-ray, which has the uncut European version.  The real difference is he picks up a hitchhiker on his last night running, played by Charlotte Rampling, who is fantastic as always.  It is a small beat, a metaphysical beat in a film scattered with them, but the producers didn't think Americans would get it, so they cut it.  (The producers had no faith in the movie at all, showing is just a few times before sending it to the UK where it took off.)   This is an odd, existential, strangely spiritual movie about an extended car chase, and it is a sloppy mess in several places.  But any film with Charlotte Rampling as an angel of death cannot be a bad one, and I loved this movie as a kid way before seeing that scene.

[rebs]

Just watched Collateral.  Not bad for a Tom Cruise flick. 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Watched John Carter.

I agree with the previous assessments, it was a pretty decent film that was doomed by a lack of advertising.

Though the Mighty Whitey aspect is pretty dated. A hazard of using material from that time period,  I guess.

[Banzai]

Little Big Man.  Saw this a bunch of times on tv when I was a kid so I picked up the Blu-ray.  It holds up very well for a 70's anti-western.

[Luciora]

I'm very glad the wartime allegiances were only background and didn't have any more impact than setting.  I definitely agree on the dated setting being a risk.

Watched John Carter.

I agree with the previous assessments, it was a pretty decent film that was doomed by a lack of advertising.

Though the Mighty Whitey aspect is pretty dated. A hazard of using material from that time period,  I guess.

[grimlock1]

Watched Venom last night and was pleasantly surprised. Also, the symbiote's lines were gold.

[Top Sergeant]

Tora! Tora! Tora!

[rebs]

Just saw John Wick III: Parabellum tonight.  Lots of fighting, and even a nod to The Matrix toward the end.  A surprisingly fun watch.  I recommend it highly.

[rebs]

Watching The Golden Child right now.  Eddie Murphy at his best.

"Give me the kn kn kn kn knife"

[(SMD)MadCow]

Caught 'The Predator' on a movie channel, action was good, plot has more holes than swiss cheese, just turn off your brain and watch the pretty effects.

[Banzai]

Caught 'The Predator' on a movie channel, action was good, plot has more holes than swiss cheese, just turn off your brain and watch the pretty effects.

That film just annoyed me - so much wasted potential.  I would love to have seen the original version before they re-shot the last third.

[(SMD)MadCow]

That film just annoyed me - so much wasted potential.  I would love to have seen the original version before they re-shot the last third.

Maybe, but even in the first act, why is the Predator immediately hunting people instead of delivering the thing. And why is the thing a battle suit instead of some advanced environmentaltech to help out with the global warming?

[Cache]

Maybe, but even in the first act, why is the Predator immediately hunting people instead of delivering the thing. And why is the thing a battle suit instead of some advanced environmentaltech to help out with the global warming?

1) The reshoots changed so much of the story that the beginning no longer made sense, which was a pretty big oversight. But... violence is entertaining.
2) The tech they received was to handle a problem of a more immediate nature. I don't believe there was anything stating the Predator race had that kind of environmental technology. They seemed quite focused on weaponry and genetics.

[rebs]

Just watched Romeo Must Die again.  An entertaining movie, even if the kung fu magical realism gets to be too much at times.  It's no Kung Fu Hustle, but still a bit much.

[rebs]

Watching Hollywood Homicide right now.  Didn't know much going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Harrison Ford playing a senior detective assisting his younger partner in investigating the murder of a rap group. 

[garhkal]

I always laugh at that film.  I just can't see Harnett being a cop..

[Elmoth]

Elysium. Starting now.

EDIT: Pseh. I thought it would be better. Guess I didn't fully buy the rich-poor physicial divide as depicted there since I work in logistics.

[Banzai]

Brightburn.  Really disappointing movie.   t had a lot of promise, and the trailers looked creepy good.  I was hoping for a deconstruction of the superhero film a la Moore's Miracleman stories, but ended up with "what if Superman at twelve was a serial killer, and everyone in Smallville was both stupid and naive to a superhuman level?"  Even as a slasher film it is less than mediocre.   

Go watch Chronicle to see it done better.

[rebs]

Watching Bait right now. Been on something of a Jamie Foxx kick as of late.  It's about authorities using a low-level criminal as, yep you guessed it, bait after placing a micro-bug on him. All this in the hopes of netting a bigger fish responsible for $42 million gold heist.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Watched Venom.

It was okay, but I think Eddie needed to be a more morally ambiguous character if they wanted to really sell him as an antihero.

As it stands he's more of a hero except for occasional bouts of eating people.

[garhkal]

Watching Bait right now. Been on something of a Jamie Foxx kick as of late.  It's about authorities using a low-level criminal as, yep you guessed it, bait after placing a micro-bug on him. All this in the hopes of netting a bigger fish responsible for $42 million gold heist.

I always liked that one, same with Bad company, with Chris rock and Anthony hopkins.

[grimlock1]

That film just annoyed me - so much wasted potential.  I would love to have seen the original version before they re-shot the last third.

Shane Black grumbled about the studio telling him to punch up the funny. The sequence with humans trying to use some captured Pred weaponry was something I have expected from Mel Brooks movie.

Watched Venom.

It was okay, but I think Eddie needed to be a more morally ambiguous character if they wanted to really sell him as an antihero.

As it stands he's more of a hero except for occasional bouts of eating people.

Yeah, but the voice over established that he only eats bad people.
The trailers were selling more suspense/psychological thriller than the movie delivered.

[Dubble_g]

Nice Guys

Sporadically hilarious, but tonally all over the map. Buddy comedy, slapstick, touching feelgood family drama, back to farce, black comedy. A real rollercoaster. Ryan Gosling is great, perfect as a bumbling PI, Russell Crowe looking like he got real comfortable, Kim Basinger in a cameo. Solid 5/7 movie.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Ended up seeing Ralf Breaks The Internet.  It was entertaining, but I think Disney dropped the ball.  Really felt like they didn't actually have enough material for a full-length movie and instead took the scripts from multiple shorts and edited them together to make something that was feature-length.

[Luciora]

It felt like originally the sequel was supposed to deal with online gaming and the perils thereof, not a story about how to game microtransactions and "oh look at our little in joke that we somehow turned into a plot point".  On the other hand, I ended up liking vanellope more, and hating Ralph, whereas, in the first movie I absolutely detested her and cheered for Ralph.

It was a letdown for me.

Ended up seeing Ralf Breaks The Internet.  It was entertaining, but I think Disney dropped the ball.  Really felt like they didn't actually have enough material for a full-length movie and instead took the scripts from multiple shorts and edited them together to make something that was feature-length.

[Kidd]

Moral of the first movie: friends need to stick together

Moral of the second movie: friends need to let go

excuse me, what the ******?

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Moral of the first movie: friends need to stick together

Moral of the second movie: friends need to let go

excuse me, what the ******?

And then there's the whole "don't ever leave your own game and try to get into a new game, that's literally the most evil thing you can possibly do" vs "it's okay, you've grown up and we'll just make you a character in this other game and despite being the main character in your game, no one will even notice you're gone.  It certainly risk won't risk having your original game unplugged or anything."

[rebs]

Saw the new Shaft movie last night.  A father-and-son story that even brings in original Shaft actor Richard Roundtree as grandpa Shaft.  Over-all entertaining and worth a few bucks to see. 

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Captain Marvel

Still love it.

[garhkal]

Elsewhere, someone mentioned they're re-releasing end game in some theaters with EXTRA material in..  I wonder if that's true, how much LONGER that film will be..