Last film you saw, vol. 6

[Space Cop]

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

"Some things, you can't control."

[Parrylakks]

Oh, snap! I just looked it up out of curiosity, and that Kenshin prequel/sequel is actually happening. Well, not happening, it's done. It was due out this year, but was pushed to next due to the pandemic, but still, it's way further along than I thought, lol. And surprise surprise, it seems they ARE doing exactly what I mentioned, telling the Reflection story with the Trust & Betrayal story in flashback. And it's going to be two films, like the Kyoto arc was (movies 2 & 3). That's stellar! I'm actually super excited about that now.

[Space Cop]

Slow West (2015)

"All I'm saying is there's more to life than just surviving.
-Yeah. There's dying."

Feel conflicted on this one. 90%+ it was an excellent revisionist western with sometimes very poetic dialogue; but a couple bits (one slap-in-the-face bit of symbolism in particular) were annoyingly heavy handed.

[Rifftrax:] Feeders (1996/2019)

"There's no way this movie wasn't made on a dare."

[Parrylakks]

Absolutely brutal anime, yet packed with emotion.

After enjoying the movies so much during my first ever rewatch of them recently, I've decided to go back and rewatch all the Kenshin anime stuff, too. It's been a really long time since I've done so -- easily over a decade -- so it should be fun.

[Space Cop]

Mississippi Grind (2015)

"The journey is the destination."

A down-on-his-luck compulsive gambler meets a drifter he takes to be his lucky charm and convinces him to stake him on a road trip to earn a major poker buy in. Liked it.


Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

"What did you do to the droid?
-What did you do to the Falcon?
The Falcon is in a lot better shape than he is.
-BB-8 is not on fire.
What's left of him isn't on fire."

From word of mouth, I was expecting this to be the worst of the sequels, but my family and I felt pretty much the same indifference (actually I might've been more annoyed by the middle one--forget the title and much of the plot now) as with all the sequels and spin-offs. I won't swear it, but this is my intended break off point. I don't even care enough to see new Star Wars for free (or one mail Netflix slot as the case would be).

[Mister Ed]

Originally Posted by Space Cop

From word of mouth, I was expecting this to be the worst of the sequels, but my family and I felt pretty much the same indifference (actually I might've been more annoyed by the middle one--forget the title and much of the plot now) as with all the sequels and spin-offs. I won't swear it, but this is my intended break off point. I don't even care enough to see new Star Wars for free (or one mail Netflix slot as the case would be).

For what it's worth, my family all enjoyed The Mandalorian. If you ever end up with access to Disney+, I'd recommend at least taking a look at it.

[Space Cop]

Barely Lethal (2015)

"You may have all these people fooled, but you and I both know you are sketchier than a 2 AM waffle house."

PG-13 flick about a young lady from a group that trains assassins deciding to leave and go to a regular high school. Not great, but worth the watch to me (especially since it's about to expire on Instant Netflix).

Major Dundee (1965)

"If I ever do get out of here, the war won't last forever.
-It will for you, Major."

Working on the few Peckinpah flicks I haven't seen. Watched and liked the extended version here.

Originally Posted by Mister Ed

For what it's worth, my family all enjoyed The Mandalorian. If you ever end up with access to Disney+, I'd recommend at least taking a look at it.

I hear similar things and believe it, but I doubt I'll get Disney+ between the money and hearing about how they've censored stuff. Even if I did, it would be for the movies. I don't want to watch any more shows than I already do and have become more and more strongly convinced that Star Wars was only a movie trilogy.

[Mister Ed]

Originally Posted by Space Cop

I hear similar things and believe it, but I doubt I'll get Disney+ between the money and hearing about how they've censored stuff. Even if I did, it would be for the movies. I don't want to watch any more shows than I already do and have become more and more strongly convinced that Star Wars was only a movie trilogy.

I can understand that stance. I kind of think it is a shame that they have so thoroughly squandered your good will to this point that nothing else they do is likely to seem attractive, since I think there are other good stories to be told in the Star Wars universe, but I can appreciate many people just no longer having the desire to explore that possibility.

[Space Cop]

The End of the Tour (2015)

"Well, I think being shy basically means being self-absorbed to the extent that it makes it difficult to be around other people."

Rurouni Kenshin: Origins (2016)

"There is no one who is not worth saving."

Originally Posted by Parrylakks

Easily the best live action adaptation of an anime/manga to date.
Plus it's just a generally fantastic samurai film, to boot.

I liked it and added the other two in Netflix queue. I could see it being a manga (they had those characters with memorable traits), but it was a decent, if over-the-top, samurai flick.

Originally Posted by Mister Ed

I can understand that stance. I kind of think it is a shame that they have so thoroughly squandered your good will to this point that nothing else they do is likely to seem attractive, since I think there are other good stories to be told in the Star Wars universe, but I can appreciate many people just no longer having the desire to explore that possibility.

Yeah, there actually was a time when I wouldn't have believed that I'd ever be anything but excited for new Star Wars. There was also a time (probably a few years) when I even claimed I was more of a Star Wars fan than a Trekkie. Of course, that franchise has disappointed both of us too, but (for me, at least), not yet to where I give up all hope. The difference, I think, is that I primarily think of Trek as an ongoing universe while I think of SW as story that had an ending.

[Agent Purple]

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

"What could be more improbable than God? But I believe in Him."

Young women in the countryside are suddenly dying of old age, and the local doctor calls in the only man for the job: an army buddy who now hunts and destroys the undead.

I saw Dark Corners Reviews cover this and finally remembered to check it out with my dad. He literally fell asleep several times but didn't hate it. I thought it was fairly good (too bad its box office haul was awful). Maybe the script could have used a little polishing but it was far from bad.

And hey, the final duel was actually really good!

We watched the original trailer afterwards and god, I'm glad that Hammer restored/remastered the hell out of the visuals because they look a million times better.

[Space Cop]

Nighthawks (1981)

"There is no security."

Stallone and Billy Dee Williams star as NYC undercover cops assigned to a task force to hunt down an international terrorist (Rutger Hauer). Wasn't positive I had seen this (but I had) and it was expiring on Instant Netflix.


The Night Stalker (1972)

"So think about it and try to tell yourself wherever you may be in the quiet of your home, in the safety of your bed, try to tell yourself, It couldn't happen here."

My pick for dinner and movie with the family (my mother wanted to see this again when she heard I got the blu-ray). The TV movie from Dan Curtis (creator of Dark Shadows) that spawned (after one more TV movie sequel) the Kolchak TV series.

[Agent Purple]

Damn, I remember watching reruns of the series on Sci-Fi Channel growing up. Was actually a decent show and a solid precursor to The X-Files.

[Space Cop]

[Rifftrax:] Uninvited (1987/2016)

"Just shut up about that. Right now, we've gotta kill that cat.
-Well, I've got my new catchphrase."

A low-budget horror flick about a mutated killer cat, which seems to change size and lives in another regular cat. Good choice for riffing.

Caddyshack (1980)

"You take drugs, Danny?
-Everyday.
Good."

One of my favorite comedies of all time turned 40 today.

Originally Posted by Agent Purple

Damn, I remember watching reruns of the series on Sci-Fi Channel growing up. Was actually a decent show and a solid precursor to The X-Files.

I'm pretty sure Chris Carter has outright called Kolchak a major influence on the making of X-Files. This time, I was thinking the first movie was also an influence on the remake of Fright Night since both are about a vampire in Vegas and include a scene of the good guy having to hide and watch the vamp feed off a woman in his own house.

[Trey Strain]

For any heterosexual male, Captain Kronos is worth watching just for the presence of Caroline Munro, who was an eyeful.

The Night Stalker was written by Richard Matheson, who was a first-rate scribe. The vampire was played by Barry Atwater, who isn't well known but was always a great villain.

[Space Cop]

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

"You know who else I like that didn't get much play? Velma from Scooby-Doo. She was cool. She was a hip, hip lady."

I feel like I've seen some of this before, but not sure. It's from the same year I graduated HS, so a lot of the references are right from my generation. Okay. I like a lot of the side stories like the band that has its first gig, breaks up, reunites, and is dispersed by the cops all during the course of one party (which is the majority of the movie's time).

Now You See Me 2

"A magician's greatest strength is an empty fist."

Fine and worth a watch for me, but more of the same. Kind of like the sequels to the Ocean's 11 remake--it's impressive in its convoluted plot, but you get the idea in the first.

[Trey Strain]

Re The Night Stalker: Darren McGavin was great as Kolchak, but Burt Reynolds couldn't stand him. Burt's first regular role was in a show called Riverboat, where he said that McGavin was such as ass that he quit after one season. Burt then took the role of Quint Asper on Gunsmoke. He said he was amazed by the differences between the two work environments, because James Arness treated everyone with respect.

[Space Cop]

Enter the Dragon (1973)

"Wanna bet?"

R.I.P. John Saxon.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

"You know you're very impudent."

R.I.P. Olivia DeHavilland.

[Parrylakks]

Contained samurai fair with the always great Toshiro Mifune.

Playing through Ghost of Tsushima on Kurosawa mode made me want to watch his films, as I knew it would. I already had my criterion DVDs pulled out and ready to go, but I didn't expect to start with this one. I guess I just felt that I don't watch this or Sanjuro often enough, so I wanted to watch them first in case I burn out, as is prone to happen.

[Space Cop]

Frozen II (2019)

"Did you know gorillas burp when they're happy?"

Clip [Klip] (2012)

"I keep having this feeling it never really happened."

Not for everyone. Just follows a young Serbian teen who gets a cellphone with a camera and falls into a life of sex and drugs. Controversial (in the vein of say Kids and Diary of a Nymphomaniac) because the actors were really underage and there are graphic scenes (though mostly brief). It turns out they were done with body doubles or prosthetics. The lead is not very relatable (she starts of selfish and standoffish and gets worse) except for brief moments that reveal some motivations. Not a comfortable watch, but interesting.

[Parrylakks]

Great old subterfuge flick with samurai.

I especially like the final duel, with its tense immobility before a flash of blades results in an exaggerated splash of blood. It's almost a cliche product in the anime and less serious samurai fare made in the decades since, but it's delivered here with sincerity, rendering it a shocking display of gore in a film otherwise devoid thereof.

[Space Cop]

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

"I had the worst thought: I've got to spend the rest of my life with myself."

Has a lot of the tropes you'd expect for quirky-girl-coming-of-age movies, but fun.

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2016)

"What the hell? I go out of my way to compliment you and your mind is on the woman?"

Originally Posted by Parrylakks

A great follow up, even though the adaptation begins showing some flaws.

Man, I was not expecting a cliff hanger. Now I have to wait a couple entries on my Netflix queue to get the conclusion. Some aspects of this I liked more than the first (like the new sword stuff and the addition of the ninja), but I see what you mean and around the end of act one I was nodding off (though that probably was more due to being tired and having come off of watching an hour of a show also in subtitles).

[Parrylakks]

Iconic in the truest sense of the word.

A simple concept with great characters that has been immitated time and again, but never done quite so well. It's still my favorite Kurosawa film, and the one I watch most often despite its epic run time.

[Space Cop]

Coyote Ugly (2000)

"You collect comic books? That's so cute.
-It's not cute; it's very rugged and manly."

20th anniversary.

The Editor (2014)

"Sure, he has wooden fingers, but who doesn't at times."

Not sure how I feel about this yet. It was kind of fun, but so goofy. I watched it with a horror fan, but he wasn't familiar with giallo, which is what this is really a spoof of.

Originally Posted by Parrylakks

[Seven Samurai] . . . A simple concept with great characters that has been immitated time and again, but never done quite so well. It's still my favorite Kurosawa film, and the one I watch most often despite its epic run time.

Yeah, I haven't seen everything Kurosawa did, but I think I've seen all the samurai stuff and while I'd be tempted to pick something more original if asked my favorite, there's really a reason it stands out.

[Parrylakks]

Decent political drama set in 16th century Japan.

A bit too surrealist, and far too lingering at times, but still an interesting film. There's not a lot of action despite the subject matter, and even when there is some it's generally just beyond our view. Ultimately still worth a watch, but not one to justify itself often.

[Space Cop]

Glad you posted, so I don't have to cram more movies into old posts.

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

"Joe will be the foster parent until such time as you adopt the child. Which you can do as soon as Joe takes possession of it.
-And he's reliable?
I'm bonded, Miss."

Shared this Coen Brothers movie that I really like with my folks.

Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)

"It's a pity we can't send Jet Jaguar to go and get Godzilla!"

Decided to make this my first dive into my new Criterion BD collection of Showa-era Godzilla movies.