The Movies

[BigNaz42]

I've seen a few trusted reviewers make similar comments about Napoleon, obviously many historical liberties taken, but it's really about Josephine the strong empowered female rather then Napoleon. Can anyone confirm?

Yea. It's a sad concession in an otherwise mediocre effort from Ridley Scott.

[Subby]

Got through all the mission impossible series recently based on this threads recommendations. Not that impressed to be honest which I wasn't expecting, normally the recommendations in here are spot on.

I found each subsequent movie a rehashing of the first movie, as if 7 script ideas were given to 7 different teams and they all had a go at the idea of mission impossible. Not to say I didn't enjoy them, they were spectacular in their set pieces and enjoyable to watch, any movie where the aging star rides a motorbike off a mountain to base jump over a dozen times deserves to be watched.

The movies, especially as the series went on, were like a series of video game cutscene quick time events. I'm interested in the next iteration in 2025 as it's definitely better than the normal franchise slop that is served up.

[Subby]

All's I know is that Ridley Scott doesn't make bad movies.

There's a 4 hour Directors Cut that will be released on Apple TV. So it looks like this movie got the kingdom of heaven treatment.

Falling Down is now 30 years old and is only aging like fine wine. I read a youtube comment that said you should watch it every 5 years of your life.

If anyone's after a comedy movie, the Slammin Salmon is fantastic. Comedy movies are very hard to recommend but if Glengarry Glen Ross was a comedy, it would be this. It's a group of characters in a single setting over a single night and is well worth the investment if you can find it. Michael Clarke Duncan is in it, and is hilarious.

[Jenni]

Falling Down is now 30 years old and is only aging like fine wine. I read a youtube comment that said you should watch it every 5 years of your life.

I agree. My first reaction was "wtf is wrong with this guy, jesus dude, not everything has to be that intense." Now it's more like "yeah, that tracks."

[anticausal]

I agree. My first reaction was "wtf is wrong with this guy, jesus dude, not everything has to be that intense." Now it's more like "yeah, that tracks."

It made sense to me even when I was a teenager. But I grew up on the left coast, and went to minority white public schools that were infested with proud, self-professed communist faculty, and murals of Cesar Chavez on the walls. So my perspective was probably a little different.

Devon Stack has a really good video essay on that movie, by the way. I know I've been shilling him like crazy around here lately, but I'm on a re-watch kick, and his perspectives are so unique compared to the mainstream that even if you don't agree with everything he says, he'll almost always make you notice things you've never noticed before. I thought his observations on the portrayal of the Korean store owner were especially good.

[Subby]

The Menu (2022) is one I had no idea about and found brilliant. It's a lot funnier if you think of it as a long sequel to Red Dragon but for the first time in living memory I wasn't sure how the movie would end or what would happen next. Thoroughly recommend it.

[Jenni]

Devon Stack has a really good video essay on that movie, by the way. I know I've been shilling him like crazy around here lately, but I'm on a re-watch kick, and his perspectives are so unique compared to the mainstream that even if you don't agree with everything he says, he'll almost always make you notice things you've never noticed before. I thought his observations on the portrayal of the Korean store owner were especially good.

Thanks, man. That was genuinely interesting. You got me, I'm poking around on his page looking at other videos of his now.

[Chiaki Nitya]

It made sense to me even when I was a teenager. But I grew up on the left coast, and went to minority white public schools that were infested with proud, self-professed communist faculty, and murals of Cesar Chavez on the walls. So my perspective was probably a little different.

Devon Stack has a really good video essay on that movie, by the way. I know I've been shilling him like crazy around here lately, but I'm on a re-watch kick, and his perspectives are so unique compared to the mainstream that even if you don't agree with everything he says, he'll almost always make you notice things you've never noticed before. I thought his observations on the portrayal of the Korean store owner were especially good.

That was a really interesting piece of film criticism. I remember watching that movie when it came out. I was a teen (and coincidentally a minority at my school as well), and I remember liking the movie, but thinking something was just a little off about it.

I knew that I was supposed to identify with the Michael Douglas character, and that he was a tragic anti-hero, and I wasn't sophisticated enough to articulate the issues the way Devon has, but I knew something was weird.

I think I came away thinking that the Michael Douglas character didn't seem like a real person, but I couldn't articulate why.

[mpalios]

Three Musketeers is on Amazon now. I just watched it for the first time. When I first saw Oliver Reed it took me a minute to figure out he’s in Gladiator. Michael York’s assistant is Veruca Salts father in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

Reed was the only one of the musketeers that looked like he could do serious damage. Listening to the sword movie episode again, it makes sense now (he was prob drunk while filming, or something to that effect).

Didn’t know it was Faye Dunaway until post credit scenes. And Mark, Rachel Welch is in fact absolutely stunning. Funny in the movie too.

[Larry Zaks]

Mark, you'd appreciate the hysterical humor of Putney Swope (1969), a black guy who takes over a white Madison Avenue advertising agency. It has every stereotype about black white relations in reverse imaginable and could never be made today.

Here are some trailers

Putney Swope (1969) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube

Putney Swope - Brothers in the Black Room - YouTube

FAN-A-WAY Commercial from Putney Swope - YouTube

Lloyd Kagin as Billy Reilly In PUTNEY SWOPE - YouTube


Here is the entire movie.
Putney Swope (1969) - Dir.: Robert Downey, Sr. - 480p - YouTube

If you want to know more check this out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putney_Swope