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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 25, 2023 22:59:58 GMT -5
So, I spent Christmas eve watching a movie I'd been wanting to see ever since I first heard about it over a decade ago, Black Dynamite (2009): This is a spoof of Blaxploitation films, but a rather loving one (it's kind of an homage at the same time). If you watch the trailer, it pretty accurately sums up what the whole film is about. One thing I really liked is that it was shot on old film stock to make it look like it was made in the 1970s, and that a number of 'mistakes,' actually intentional, were left in the final edit (a reference to the fact that this often happened in actual low-budget Blaxploitation films back in the '70s). It's a mostly fun movie, although there were a few points where I thought the humor and intentional over-acting got a little too over the top and seemed forced. Nonetheless, I'm glad I watched this and probably will again. Sweet Christmas, everyone... It makes for a great double feature, with Undercover Brother, or a triple, with I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 26, 2023 2:58:31 GMT -5
It makes for a great double feature, with Undercover Brother, or a triple, with I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! Undercover Brother is another one I need to see all the way through (caught part of it on TV once a long time ago, but have never had the opportunity to catch the whole thing). I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is one I've watched several times back in the day - I'd love to rewatch it.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 26, 2023 3:34:08 GMT -5
If we're using the same definition of 'classic' for movies that we do for comics, then this one (released in 2011) belongs here: Chicken with Plums, or, in it's original French, Poulet aux prunes:
It's based on the graphic novel of the same title by Marjane Satrapi (of Persepolis fame), who also co-wrote the screenplay and co-directed it (with Vincent Paronnaud). It's set in Tehran in 1958, and tells the story of last days in the life of violinist Nasser-Ali Khan, who loses his will to live after his beloved instrument is broken beyond repair. As those days are documented, we learn about his life story. If you've read the graphic novel, you know this is a very melancholy story with some humorous touches thrown in (and some changes were made, most notably, there, rather than a violin, Nasser Ali is plays a tar - a type of Central Asian lute). Nonetheless, this is a very beautifully made film and the cast does a bang-up job. Recommended.
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 27, 2023 7:40:52 GMT -5
I watched the Atlas Shrugged trilogy recently, and I can't say it surprises me that it flopped so badly. Never having read the novel, I thought it started well enough (although it seemed more suited to a TV series than to feature films). The trilogy's description of a failing western society was disturbingly familiar: social programs that can't be funded anymore, politicians whose sole goal is to stay in power and whose incompetence makes things worse on a daily basis, a collapsing infrastructure, a population that feels more helpless and angry than ever, and rich tycoons who act like landed nobility. Not the world I expected in the XXI century when I was a kid!
That the point of view characters were dashing and principled entrepreneurs was rather unexpected and even refreshing; usually, in this kind of dystopian fantasy, the heroes are socially-minded crusaders. Here they are Libertarians who are out for number one, and unapologetically so. I can't say it makes them sympathetic, but at least it's something new.
The first two films follow the adventures of these rich and good-looking businesspeople who struggle against a corrupt and clueless bureaucracy, and they carry a totally unsubtle message: socialism is bad, and rich people are rich just because they're willing to work hard. Considering that the government depicted is indeed very, very incompetent and nasty, I could get behind the heroes' frustration, and even agree with them to some extent... but in the third film, the whole thing becomes farcical. Not only do the bumbling politicians turn into moustache-twirling vaudevillian villains, but the heroes themselves are revealed to be absolute monsters of selfishness. They push their free-market capitalism ethos so far that at some point I expected them to send each other a bill whenever anything happened!
Entering the rebels' airspace: one gold bar, as it's over private land Crashing a plane: five gold bars for the damaged airstrip. Rescue operation after the crash: two gold bars Removal of wreck: three gold bars Emergency medical care after crash: bill to be paid later (this one actually happened) Explaining what's going on: one gold bar, as information isn't free Cup of coffee: complimentary. You're welcome. Kissing: half a gold bar, as come on... all you need isn't love.
As a political manifesto (if this is what this trilogy was meant to be), Atlas Shrugged suffers from a bad case of shooting itself in the foot. It stars a smart and hard-working capitalist whose claim to fame and fortune rests on her hard work, but at the same time we meet her lazy and idiotic brother, whose life of privilege and comfort he owes solely to having been born in the right family. I doubt this accurate depiction of how not all rich people got their money the hard way was part of the message! Also, the way an inventor refuses to share his pollution-free, limitless power generator over a #$& patent issue is downright mean.
As a thriller, the trilogy works well enough for the first two parts; the way the state nationalizes what shouldn't be, gets rid of what it shouldn't, and generally makes a mess of things could have been taken from today's headlines. We can empathize with the main characters' struggle against bureaucratic incompetence, rejoice in their triumphs and share their anguish at being defeated. But the third act, as mentioned above, is altogether pretty bad.
I don't regret watching it if only to know what Atlas Shrugged was about, but wouldn't particularly recommend it. Two fair parts and a bad one don't make it the worst thing I saw this year, but it's not among the best either. Tübi's recommendations of old Vincent Price films were more successful!
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 27, 2023 9:21:50 GMT -5
It was a weird Christmas this year. Winter break at school didn't start until Christmas day, so there was so little time to get in the mood and do our annual holiday traditions. So Christmas just sort of snuck up on us.
One tradition that I didn't realize actually mattered that much to me was watching Santa Claus Conquers the Martians with Owen. It began as a joke a few years back, but we've done it ever since. So we finally threw it on last night while playing a board game, and BAM! It felt a whole lot more like Christmas.
Crazy.
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 28, 2023 10:32:29 GMT -5
It was a weird Christmas this year. Winter break at school didn't start until Christmas day, so there was so little time to get in the mood and do our annual holiday traditions. So Christmas just sort of snuck up on us. One tradition that I didn't realize actually mattered that much to me was watching Santa Claus Conquers the Martians with Owen. It began as a joke a few years back, but we've done it ever since. So we finally threw it on last night while playing a board game, and BAM! It felt a whole lot more like Christmas. Crazy. You were off on the 23rd and 24th though, right? Next thing you'll be telling me that you work for 15 bob a week.
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Post by tartanphantom on Dec 28, 2023 18:19:35 GMT -5
It was a weird Christmas this year. Winter break at school didn't start until Christmas day, so there was so little time to get in the mood and do our annual holiday traditions. So Christmas just sort of snuck up on us. One tradition that I didn't realize actually mattered that much to me was watching Santa Claus Conquers the Martians with Owen. It began as a joke a few years back, but we've done it ever since. So we finally threw it on last night while playing a board game, and BAM! It felt a whole lot more like Christmas. Crazy. You were off on the 23rd and 24th though, right? Next thing you'll be telling me that you work for 15 bob a week.
Hopefully, he invests his tuppence wisely in the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank instead of frivolously spending it to feed the birds.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 28, 2023 21:41:13 GMT -5
It was a weird Christmas this year. Winter break at school didn't start until Christmas day, so there was so little time to get in the mood and do our annual holiday traditions. So Christmas just sort of snuck up on us. One tradition that I didn't realize actually mattered that much to me was watching Santa Claus Conquers the Martians with Owen. It began as a joke a few years back, but we've done it ever since. So we finally threw it on last night while playing a board game, and BAM! It felt a whole lot more like Christmas. Crazy. You were off on the 23rd and 24th though, right? Next thing you'll be telling me that you work for 15 bob a week. I do feel ill-used when they dock me half a crown, for having the whole day off.
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 28, 2023 23:29:36 GMT -5
You were off on the 23rd and 24th though, right? Next thing you'll be telling me that you work for 15 bob a week. I do feel ill-used when they dock me half a crown, for having the whole day off. Even so, be there all the earlier the next morning.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 29, 2023 0:13:47 GMT -5
I do feel ill-used when they dock me half a crown, for having the whole day off. Even so, be there all the earlier the next morning. Thank you sir, it's more than generous.
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Roquefort Raider
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 29, 2023 7:55:59 GMT -5
I do feel ill-used when they dock me half a crown, for having the whole day off. Even so, be there all the earlier the next morning. Great Scott!
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Post by Calidore on Dec 29, 2023 12:08:18 GMT -5
You were off on the 23rd and 24th though, right? Next thing you'll be telling me that you work for 15 bob a week.
Hopefully, he invests his tuppence wisely in the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank instead of frivolously spending it to feed the birds.
Classic trivia: The elderly Mr. Dawes Sr. was also played by Dick van Dyke, who wanted the part so badly, he said he'd have done it for free.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 29, 2023 21:18:18 GMT -5
Hopefully, he invests his tuppence wisely in the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank instead of frivolously spending it to feed the birds.
Classic trivia: The elderly Mr. Dawes Sr. was also played by Dick van Dyke, who wanted the part so badly, he said he'd have done it for free. While his agent whispered "Shut uuuuppppppp....." to him.
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 31, 2023 4:03:30 GMT -5
So, I finally got around to watching Solomon Kane (2009) last night...
Roquefort Raider had some thoughts on it some years ago:
I didn't expect to enjoy Solomon Kane as much as I did. Just as with every movie yet made on Robert E. Howard's characters, it takes great liberties with the source material, and a true Kane fan would doubtless be extremely annoyed at how the hero's core motivation (his faith in the Christian god) is here replaced by a more generic desire for redemption. Still, it turns out to be a very decent B movie. The character might not be the Kane we know, but at least he shows some depth (thanks in part to James Purefoy's interpretation; I always like the man's work). This Solomon Kane starts as a headstrong boy who leaves home after a bad fight with his father, who meant him to join the clergy, and after he mistakenly believes to have caused the death of his brute of an elder brother. We assume that to make ends meet, the lad found work as a ship's boy; a sailor for all of his young adult's life, he later became a pirate (and apparently quite a ruthless one too). Still, as we can deduce from the film, his descent into mindless violence was the result of circumstances and not of a flaw in his character. Yes, he is scared unto the straight and narrow by a brush with the devil, but we can see how his turning his back on evil agrees with his natural proclivity. In one of the few rare moments where he lets his guard down, he confesses that violence is natural to him, that fighting is what he does best; but he clearly struggles to reconcile that trait with his innate nobility. He wants to do good, but as all he knows is how to kill people, he doesn't see how. The film is heavy on the supernatural elements, with a few nice visuals. The Transformer Balrog at the end was silly rather than scary, but a few magic mirrors were used to good effect. Max Von Sydow is in this one also. After playing a king in an unfaithful Conan movie, he plays an English lord in an unfaithful Solomon Kane one. The seventh seal was a long tome ago, wasn't it? Mostly I agree with this: it's a solid B-action movie with supernatural/horror elements, driven by a dual redemption/revenge arc. Purefoy is well-cast as the lead and really carries the whole thing (although, personally, I would have preferred more screen-time for the always deceptively alluring Alice Krige). But yes, this is not really Howard's Solomon Kane, and it makes the same cardinal mistake made by pretty much every Conan movie: telling an origin story, and delving into the character's deeper motivations, something Howard did not care about in the least. For f***'s sake people, just adapt his actual stories! By the way, for those who may be interested in catching this, I saw while looking for the trailer that the whole movie is also posted on YouTube...
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Post by berkley on Dec 31, 2023 4:25:51 GMT -5
So, I finally got around to watching Solomon Kane (2009) last night...
Roquefort Raider had some thoughts on it some years ago:
I didn't expect to enjoy Solomon Kane as much as I did. Just as with every movie yet made on Robert E. Howard's characters, it takes great liberties with the source material, and a true Kane fan would doubtless be extremely annoyed at how the hero's core motivation (his faith in the Christian god) is here replaced by a more generic desire for redemption. Still, it turns out to be a very decent B movie. The character might not be the Kane we know, but at least he shows some depth (thanks in part to James Purefoy's interpretation; I always like the man's work). This Solomon Kane starts as a headstrong boy who leaves home after a bad fight with his father, who meant him to join the clergy, and after he mistakenly believes to have caused the death of his brute of an elder brother. We assume that to make ends meet, the lad found work as a ship's boy; a sailor for all of his young adult's life, he later became a pirate (and apparently quite a ruthless one too). Still, as we can deduce from the film, his descent into mindless violence was the result of circumstances and not of a flaw in his character. Yes, he is scared unto the straight and narrow by a brush with the devil, but we can see how his turning his back on evil agrees with his natural proclivity. In one of the few rare moments where he lets his guard down, he confesses that violence is natural to him, that fighting is what he does best; but he clearly struggles to reconcile that trait with his innate nobility. He wants to do good, but as all he knows is how to kill people, he doesn't see how. The film is heavy on the supernatural elements, with a few nice visuals. The Transformer Balrog at the end was silly rather than scary, but a few magic mirrors were used to good effect. Max Von Sydow is in this one also. After playing a king in an unfaithful Conan movie, he plays an English lord in an unfaithful Solomon Kane one. The seventh seal was a long tome ago, wasn't it? Mostly I agree with this: it's a solid B-action movie with supernatural/horror elements, driven by a dual redemption/revenge arc. Purefoy is well-cast as the lead and really carries the whole thing (although, personally, I would have preferred more screen-time for the always deceptively alluring Alice Krige). But yes, this is not really Howard's Solomon Kane, and it makes the same cardinal mistake made by pretty much every Conan movie: telling an origin story, and delving into the character's deeper motivations, something Howard did not care about in the least. For f***'s sake people, just adapt his actual stories! By the way, for those who may be interested in catching this, I saw while looking for the trailer that the whole movie is also posted on YouTube...
I think I commented on this before, but I saw this movie on video not long after it came out and from memory I thought it was a bad Solomon Kane movie but a very enjoyable low budget genre movie. So I both agree and disagree that Purefoy was well cast: I agree in that his screen presnce and acting skills enabled him to give a fun performance in this low-ambition, modern-day B-movie, but I disagree in that he was totally wrong as a physical type for REH's tall, lanky, sinuous Solomon Kane. I can't remember now if they bothered with the solemn, even morose, and religious-fanatic personality, but I suspect not.
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