Random Movie Thoughts Thread

[Totenkindly]

Never saw Total Recall? That's impressive.

I mean, it's got the typical hallmarks of an Arnold film as well as 80s/early 90s traits of the genre (I tend to like a bit deeper approach) but I still find it rather enjoyable, with the twists and the plot construction and nature of reality. Amusing at times. And with some nice cameos. I think Sharon stone has a lot of fun in this film.

I was kind of bummed at the remake, which takes more of the approach I like, but then becomes more boring, less daring, and has at least one big miscast.

 

[Jaguar]

I think that was my intro to Sharon Stone.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I think that was my intro to Sharon Stone.

Not the classic Alan Quatermain movies?

 

[Jaguar]

Thanks for all the movies, Sean. I enjoyed many of them. R.I.P.

 

[Jaguar]

.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Original Total Recall is perfection. A few things are dated about it but otherwise it’s great

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Connery had a really good but overlooked run of dramatic roles in the early to mid 70s before he settled back into mostly action hero roles in the 80s

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Connery had a really good but overlooked run of dramatic roles in the early to mid 70s before he settled back into mostly action hero roles in the 80s

There's a movie with him that I caught the end of that I really wanted to see the whole thing of. It was called The Hill and had something to do with a military prison in colonial Africa.

It's earlier than the period you're talking about, but it seemed very interesting.

 

[Totenkindly]

Did anyone here ever watch Ghost Dog with Forrest Whitaker?

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai Blu-ray Release Date November 17, 2020

Considering buying the Criterion release coming out, I just don't know whether I should find a stream of it first without purchasing sight unseen.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Did anyone here ever watch Ghost Dog with Forrest Whitaker?

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai Blu-ray Release Date November 17, 2020

Considering buying the Criterion release coming out, I just don't know whether I should find a stream of it first without purchasing sight unseen.

I want to. It inspired a dumb joke I did with my parents dog where I would put a blanket on it and declare it "Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai"

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Oh god, the Bowie biopic is going to suck so hard.

Let me guess, we'll get the same tired old narrative about what an innovator he was in music and fashion (I love him to death, but he was never much of an innovator so much as he was an early adopter), and it will probably focus heavily on the Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane years (yawn, there's tons of more interesting, more accurate documentaries on this period already available) and gloss over the most interesting periods of his career, like the Berlin years and Tin Machine. And aren't people who worked on the Mercury biopic involved? If so I'm guessing we'll get plenty of events chronologically out of order (playing "Fat Bottomed Girls" in concert years before it was written, to provide one example) and some bullshit "triumphant" ending that doesn't even mirror reality and will likely ignore the last decades of his life.

The guy they've casted looks nothing like him, so I'm assuming they cast him for his voice.

Honestly I think his life and career can't be summed up in a 2 hour fluff doc if you really want to know the complexities. It might work in a miniseries format, with the following structure:

Part 1: Early years (1947-late 60s). Would cover his early career as a struggling musician, songwriter, actor, mime. Could end with "Space Oddity" breaking the charts in the UK.
Part 2: 1970-1973 aka glam years
Part 3: 1974-1976 the soul phase, and one of the most fascinating periods IMO. This would cover his cocaine years, experiments with Blue eyed soul, and end with Bowie and Iggy Pop arriving in Europe to record The Idiot
Part 4: 1976-1979 "Berlin" years.
Part 5: 1980-1982 the period when Bowie was recording Scary Monsters, his retreat from the spotlight after Lennon's murder (he was planning a tour but cancelled it. They were close friends for a few years and Lennon's death really rattled Bowie). Also could feature his meeting and recording with Queen, and his meeting with Nile Rodgers and deciding to go pop star.
Part 6: 1983-1987 his self-described "Phil Collins" years.
Part 7: 1988-1992 Tin Machine/Sound + Vision tour, meeting Iman, etc
Part 8: 1993-1999
Part 9: 2000-2016

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

aaand I just watched the trailer. About what I expected. Looks like it's going to focus on how he "became Ziggy". So it's basically another Velvet Goldmine, portraying him as some latter day Oscar Wilde. Focusing on the best known and most talked about phase of his life, as if we don't already have tons of more interesting documentaries and books available for anyone who really wants to know about it.

It looks like one of those cheaply made VH1 biopics from the late 90s where they just exploit the most outrageous aspect of some star's legacy to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

At least his family and estate have voiced their disapproval and forbid use of his music.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

The fact that one of the movie posters shows a picture of the famous lightning bolt makeup says it all. That was actually for the character Aladdin Sane, from 1973, after Ziggy

They’ve made a film about his pre-fame years and how he “became” Ziggy. The lightning bolt and Aladdin Sane came later. Suggests to me that the execs who dreamed up this cash grab have little interest in the subject matter. Just use one of the best known images, meh, no one will care

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Get your ass to Mars.

I loved that crazy movie. Schwarzenegger was well cast here.

Oh, and it's definitely a dream. The whole Richter and Cohaggen scenes make no sense otherwise. Why did Richter want to "kill him before" if the Hauser thing was real? Richter and Cohagen seem to be working too closely together for me to buy the thing about Richter just being a wild card. This stuff doesn't make sense on the surface, but it sure fits with what the Rekall doctor said.

I guess some of the other Rekall lobotomy folks also did the Mars thing, and that's why the guy was trying to steer him away from it at the beginning. Must be something about Mars, I guess.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Get your ass to Mars.

I loved that crazy movie. Schwarzenegger was well cast here.

Oh, and it's definitely a dream. The whole Richter and Cohaggen scenes make no sense otherwise. Why did Richter want to "kill him before" if the Hauser thing was real? Richter and Cohagen seem to be working too closely together for me to buy the thing about Richter just being a wild card. This stuff doesn't make sense on the surface, but it sure fits with what the Rekall doctor said.

I guess some of the other Rekall lobotomy folks also did the Mars thing, and that's why the guy was trying to steer him away from it at the beginning. Must be something about Mars, I guess.

Come on cohaagen. You gawd wudd yoo want. Gib deez peepuhl air

 

[Totenkindly]

My bluray of "Amazon Women on the Moon" came today, which is such a big step up in quality from the DVD -- plus the bluray has some extras on it (like additional comedy routines and a few extra sketches) that didn't make it into the film. Watching some of them, I agree with the cuts -- these bits were not nearly as funny as some of the stuff that made it.

- Jackie Vernon's bit during the wake was cut, so he barely talks. As soon as he started talking at length, I was like, oh shit -- that's Frosty the ("HAPPY BIRTH-DAY!") Snowman!

- I still think the two double sketches ("Blacks w/o Soul" + "Don Simmons Album Commercial", and the "Critic's Corner - Harvey Pitnick's Life" and "Harvey Pitnick's Wake") are the two funniest bits... in part because the second sketch plays off the first for each.

- Lots of cameos in the film, anywhere from Rosanna Arquette and Carrie Fisher to Kelly Preston and Griffin Dunne.

- Only 2-3 of the sketches are "eh" (and unfortunately that's like the first two sketches or so in the film), most manage not to be sexual in nature (as opposed to "Movie 43"), and most are amusing if not downright funny. Even Carrie Fisher's bit is a b&w "after the credits" bit that acts as a really cheesy 40's "public service message" about the dangers of the big city versus growing up in Iowa.

- The main through-bit is "Amazon Women on the Moon" -- a really bad fake scifi film of the quality that MST 3000 would skewer, interrupted and cut through at various times due to problems with the TV channel supposedly showing it during what used to be "dead time" on the networks.... something kids today might not understand.

- I also really amused by Charles Begley Jr in the "Son of the Invisible Man" bit. It's indicative of most of the sketches not overstaying their welcome -- the idea is spooled out quickly, then they drop it before it gets really boring.

- Even the last bit about the "Ray" videotape is surreal and crazy (with a cameo by everyone's most hated comedian of the time period) -- the casting just seemed really good.

Anyway.... it's got some history for me too. I saw it after it came out on VHS, at a friend's house... and there's a bit in the final sketch that made me laugh so hard that my friends kept rewinding the tape right after that bit played... over... and over... and over... and I couldn't stop laughing... and I couldn't breathe because I forgot my inhaler that day.... and they kept rewinding it. I remember crawling out in the kitchen, simultaneously laughing and thinking I was just gonna die. (It was late at night, and his parents were in bed.)

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

My bluray of "Amazon Women on the Moon" came today, which is such a big step up in quality from the DVD -- plus the bluray has some extras on it (like additional comedy routines and a few extra sketches) that didn't make it into the film. Watching some of them, I agree with the cuts -- these bits were not nearly as funny as some of the stuff that made it.

- Jackie Vernon's bit during the wake was cut, so he barely talks. As soon as he started talking at length, I was like, oh shit -- that's Frosty the ("HAPPY BIRTH-DAY!") Snowman!

- I still think the two double sketches ("Blacks w/o Soul" + "Don Simmons Album Commercial", and the "Critic's Corner - Harvey Pitnick's Life" and "Harvey Pitnick's Wake") are the two funniest bits... in part because the second sketch plays off the first for each.

- Lots of cameos in the film, anywhere from Rosanna Arquette and Carrie Fisher to Kelly Preston and Griffin Dunne.

- Only 2-3 of the sketches are "eh" (and unfortunately that's like the first two sketches or so in the film), most manage not to be sexual in nature (as opposed to "Movie 43"), and most are amusing if not downright funny. Even Carrie Fisher's bit is a b&w "after the credits" bit that acts as a really cheesy 40's "public service message" about the dangers of the big city versus growing up in Iowa.

- The main through-bit is "Amazon Women on the Moon" -- a really bad fake scifi film of the quality that MST 3000 would skewer, interrupted and cut through at various times due to problems with the TV channel supposedly showing it during what used to be "dead time" on the networks.... something kids today might not understand.

- I also really amused by Charles Begley Jr in the "Son of the Invisible Man" bit. It's indicative of most of the sketches not overstaying their welcome -- the idea is spooled out quickly, then they drop it before it gets really boring.

- Even the last bit about the "Ray" videotape is surreal and crazy (with a cameo by everyone's most hated comedian of the time period) -- the casting just seemed really good.

Anyway.... it's got some history for me too. I saw it after it came out on VHS, at a friend's house... and there's a bit in the final sketch that made me laugh so hard that my friends kept rewinding the tape right after that bit played... over... and over... and over... and I couldn't stop laughing... and I couldn't breathe because I forgot my inhaler that day.... and they kept rewinding it. I remember crawling out in the kitchen, simultaneously laughing and thinking I was just gonna die. (It was late at night, and his parents were in bed.)

You know, I'm shocked I haven't heard of this. It's not a local thing like Svengoolie, either.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I'm doing it. I'm going to watch Cats tonight.

 

[Totenkindly]

I think HBO picked up Cats but I didn't have the nine lives to survive it.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

First Mad Max movie is my least favorite. It feels like a made for TV origins movie compared to the others. I even prefer Thunderdome