Last Movie You Watched Part II, Electric Bugaloo

[Wildling]

Just making sure cuz I think there's a few movies out there called "The Hunt" LOL

At first I thought it was going to be scarier, but I dug the satire. I don't know if you remember the mild controversy when the film was originally announced, but I guess there had been some recent mass shooting and Trump was asked if he thought his words and that of some of his supporters was encouraging such actions. He tried to deflect and I'm paraphrasing but said something like, "Well what about those video games?! And there's Hollywood movie where they tell people to kill conservatives!" I think movie did end up getting delayed by a few months.

Apparently the decision to delay the movie had more to do with the shootings, even if the issue of the country being awash with guns and shootings is not something you solve with moving B movies around the calendar. But I assume it made enough sense to the studio at the time, at least compared to the media circus about Joker.

It would have been really dumb to make the decision just off Trump's comments, since the delay pushed the movie right in front of the start of the pandemic theater closures, and at that point Trump was probably too busy mishandling the pandemic response to care about The Hunt anymore. And if he really brought up videogames? Even dumber, conservatives have been scapegoating videogames for decades. And they cycle through outrages and culture wars all the time. They took on Barbie last, which is now the biggest movie of the year and will remain that way.

[ed2962]

Rear Window ( 1954 ) directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr. Classic about a journalist with a broken leg who can't leave his apartment. He spends his days spying on his neighbors in the next building. It's all good until he and his girlfriend slowly convince themselves that a man has killed his wife, but they can't convince they police and it seems like the man will probably get away with it. Raymond Burr is scary at the end!

[Kirby101]

It might be the most perfect Hitchcock film. All filmed on one large set where the camera keeps the audience riveted. And of course, Grace Kelly.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

"Newton" (2017)

An Indian film about a naive government officer overseeing an election in hostile territory.

It's marketed as a comedy but it's more of an understated one.

[Jim Kelly]

Rear Window ( 1954 ) directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Raymond Burr. Classic about a journalist with a broken leg who can't leave his apartment. He spends his days spying on his neighbors in the next building. It's all good until he and his girlfriend slowly convince themselves that a man has killed his wife, but they can't convince they police and it seems like the man will probably get away with it. Raymond Burr is scary at the end!

I finished my complete Hitchcock rewatch last month (every feature film he made--except one that no longer exists)--although I'm still working on ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (next up season 6). I came to the conclusion that REAR WINDOW was nearly his most perfect movie. If you think of every movie as a laboratory experiment, where Hitch was trying out new methods and perfecting them--then REAR WINDOW is the best use of all he learned. In ROPE he learned a lot about filming in a single location and how to move those huge cameras through a scene, which he used in every movie after that. I feel like Alfred's big problem was filming in an evironment where he couldn't control all the elements. In REAR WINDOW, he had his own built set he could go to every day, where everything was under his control. He was able to do everything that he had mapped out in his mind and get it just how he wanted it to be.

In most Hitchcock movies there's always some naff bits that break the illusion, if only for a second. But in REAR WINDOW, there's only one--the falling out of the window scene, which might look how it does intentionally--another one of his experiments (which he would later use for VERTIGO). It's wonky when viewed with modern eyes. Other than that, the movie is perfection.

I would say my top three are REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and NORTH BY NORTHWEST. In which order I would put them changes from day to day.

[ed2962]

I finished my complete Hitchcock rewatch last month (every feature film he made--except one that no longer exists)--although I'm still working on ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (next up season 6). I came to the conclusion that REAR WINDOW was nearly his most perfect movie. If you think of every movie as a laboratory experiment, where Hitch was trying out new methods and perfecting them--then REAR WINDOW is the best use of all he learned. In ROPE he learned a lot about filming in a single location and how to move those huge cameras through a scene, which he used in every movie after that. I feel like Alfred's big problem was filming in an evironment where he couldn't control all the elements. In REAR WINDOW, he had his own built set he could go to every day, where everything was under his control. He was able to do everything that he had mapped out in his mind and get it just how he wanted it to be.

In most Hitchcock movies there's always some naff bits that break the illusion, if only for a second. But in REAR WINDOW, there's only one--the falling out of the window scene, which might look how it does intentionally--another one of his experiments (which he would later use for VERTIGO). It's wonky when viewed with modern eyes. Other than that, the movie is perfection.

I would say my top three are REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and NORTH BY NORTHWEST. In which order I would put them changes from day to day.

You know...I don't think I've watched North By Northwest start to finish ever. I've seen the climax and of course the famous airplane scene. I have no idea why I haven't made myself sit down and watch it yet...

[ed2962]

American Pop (1981) animated film directed by Ralph Bakshi. Maybe two and half stars? Not a great film, but a very interesting experiment. It tells the story of several generations of one family ( really just the dudes, fathers/sons ) and how their story coincides with various styles of American popular music throughout the years. So it goes from the beginning of the 20th century to about the late 70's. The movie is mostly done in rotoscope and combines other art styles and pretty interesting to look at. My problem is I didn't really feel much for the majority of the characters until 2/3 of the way through. And then that empathy left when that particular segment was over.

[Scott Taylor]

Constantine (2005) - I still really enjoy this film. And its mostly Reeves. He did the cynicism well, the exorcist/warlock part extremely well, and the chain-smoking reluctant hero well. He's missing alot of the deviousness, the accent, the more well rounded magic abilities and of course his hair is the wrong color. There are better portrayals of the character out there but overall he carries this movie. And of course Tilda Swinton and Peter Stormare are a complete treat in their respective roles.

I would say my top three are REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and NORTH BY NORTHWEST. In which order I would put them changes from day to day.

Same. North by Northwest probably gets top spot more often from me than the others because its pretty upbeat and action-filled for a Hitchcock film. The other two are long, slow burns that I need to be in the mood for watching.

[Kirby101]

My favorite Hitchcock movie is The Birds. It is just an exercise in terror without any horror trappings. It has the visceral impact of Jaws. And some great Albert Whitlock matte paintings.

[Deathstroke]

I saw two movies today while at my local comic shop.

First up was Babylon 5: The Road Home - I didn't hate it. I'm happy for new B5 content but the way it ended left me either totally confused or I missed something. I mean why did the story end somewhere other than back where it began?

Next was The Covenant or Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (I've seen it listed both ways) - I think it is based on a true story of an Afghan interpreter who carries a wounded US soldier through the taliban infested countryside in Afghanistan when he's injured. But when the government promised visas for the man and his family to get out of the country after being marked for death fail to come through, the soldier is determined to fulfill the promise on his own. Pretty exciting action and chase scenes in the movie and Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim were uniformly excellent in their lead roles. I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this one.

[AnakinFlair]

Just got the 4k version of Sleepy Hollow. A thought I had upon finishing it, something I had never thought of before:

At the beginning of the movie, Crane is instructed to bring the person behind the murders back to New York to face justice. But in the end, he doesn't. And considering he started the movie as a man of science, and ended the movie having faced a demon raised from hell, I would have loved a scene of him giving a report to the court back in New York.

One other interesting thing- I was able to get my hands on the limited edition steelbook. In a first that I can remember, the steelbook includes a hardbound version of the story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' by Washington Irving attached to the steelbook. It's an interesting package.

[AnakinFlair]

Constantine (2005) - I still really enjoy this film. And its mostly Reeves. He did the cynicism well, the exorcist/warlock part extremely well, and the chain-smoking reluctant hero well. He's missing alot of the deviousness, the accent, the more well rounded magic abilities and of course his hair is the wrong color. There are better portrayals of the character out there but overall he carries this movie. And of course Tilda Swinton and Peter Stormare are a complete treat in their respective roles.



Same. North by Northwest probably gets top spot more often from me than the others because its pretty upbeat and action-filled for a Hitchcock film. The other two are long, slow burns that I need to be in the mood for watching.

Well really, after Bram Stoker's Dracula, do you really WANT Keanu to try a British accent?

[Kirby101]

Wrath of Becky, sequel to Becky, which I also recently watched. Over the top fun carnage from a "little girl".

[ed2962]

Boxcar Bertha (1972) directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Barbara Bach and David Carradine. An early film by Scorsese set in the 30's about a woman who rides the trains hobo style and falls for a rebellious union organizer. They along with a couple of other guys end up going on a crime spree. It was produced by Roger Corman and clearly meant to cash in on the success of Bonnie and Clyde" and various other B-movie outlaws on the run flick. As such, it's a lot better than it probably had to be. It touches on issues related to union/labor wars, the depression, police brutality and race relations w/o being too heavy handed. For the most part it's alight hearted drama ( until the end ). I really enjoyed it.

[Captain Craig]

I saw two movies today while at my local comic shop.

First up was Babylon 5: The Road Home - I didn't hate it. I'm happy for new B5 content but the way it ended left me either totally confused or I missed something. I mean why did the story end somewhere other than back where it began?

Next was The Covenant or Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (I've seen it listed both ways) - I think it is based on a true story of an Afghan interpreter who carries a wounded US soldier through the taliban infested countryside in Afghanistan when he's injured. But when the government promised visas for the man and his family to get out of the country after being marked for death fail to come through, the soldier is determined to fulfill the promise on his own. Pretty exciting action and chase scenes in the movie and Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim were uniformly excellent in their lead roles. I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this one.

Do you work there? The shop have a lounge area or something where customers hang & chat?
3+ hours is some serious time.