Movies you have seen recently

[summer84]

I watched Streets of Fire about a month or two ago on a streaming site. Olivia Brown had a very small part in it with only one or two lines. Although I honestly wasn't hugely impressed with it overall, it was interesting. McCoy who was played by the actress Amy Madigan played the part really well and the music at the end was great, who also starred Mykelti Williamson. I was disappointed with the ending. I read there was supposed to be a sequel, however that somehow didn't turned into reality. 

Edited November 27, 2019 by summer84

[IA-SteveB]

I had to relive my breakdancing days with a dose of both Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo.  That sure brought back some memories of the time ... back when you didn't need violence to settle a gang war, just a dance-off.  Great movies.

[James]

11 hours ago, summer84 said:

I watched Streets of Fire about a month or two ago on a streaming site. Olivia Brown had a very small part in it with only one or two lines. Although I honestly wasn't hugely impressed with it overall, it was interesting. McCoy who was played by the actress Amy Madigan played the part really well and the music at the end was great, who also starred Mykelti Williamson. I was disappointed with the ending. I read there was supposed to be a sequel, however that somehow didn't turned into reality. 

I watched that (again) last month also, weird that I didn't notice Olivia Brown was in it until just last month. This movie was pre-Vice so it's a younger Olivia, but still great. 

I love that movie.

[summer84]

9 hours ago, James said:

I watched that (again) last month also, weird that I didn't notice Olivia Brown was in it until just last month. This movie was pre-Vice so it's a younger Olivia, but still great. 

I love that movie.

Yeah, she didn't have much time on screen. Olivia was seen at the beginning of the movie, when Cody arrives to his sisters diner and when his sister gets the news, that his brother is back in town after saving Ellen. I learned, that it's the same producers who created 48 hours, which also starred Olivia Brown in a small part, so I guess it's no surprise with that connection, she got cast in Streets of Fire. Also they had considered Tom Cruise for the lead role. 

[Sonny-Burnett]

Watching Road House, a cult favorite of mine from the late 80s. Starred Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch (from Death and the Lady), Ben Gazzara, Sam Elliot, and a few others. Swayze is a Philosophy grad turned Cooler with Elliot as his aging mentor, and Gazzara as the town heavy who squeezes businesses for cash. Fun for its action and music, as well as the climactic fight scene between Swayze's character and the enforcer played by Marshall Teague, who was a real life former Navy kickboxing champion.  He was interviewed on a TV tribute to Swayze a couple months ago and spoke highly about his friendship with Swayze and he provided some details about the fight scene, one of the most brutal I've seen on film. He explained that for realism they were actually kicking/punching each other hard and even broke bones.  Teague is a great guy and fan friendly as I learned when commenting on his FB page...he does respond to fans. 

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by Sonny-Burnett

[jpaul1]

On 6/3/2019 at 12:30 PM, Vicefan7777 said:

So I had to convince my wife to travel to Las Vegas to see the new Godzilla film.  I have been a fan of of this franchise since I was a child of the 1960s.  We both enjoyed the 2014 film so I just had to watch the sequel.  Let me tell you it was worth the 60 mile drive!!  We watched it on IMAX and she held my left hand throughout the film. She had several scares and tightened her grip.  She had just as much FUN as I did.  This movie is an all out wrestling match of giant beasts.  Actor Ken Watanabe just like the last movie had the best lines.  The real villain of this film surprised me. But it is the battles scenes that are truly fantastic. Hearing the original Godzilla theme music from 1954 brought happy chills up my spine.  Cheering on the King of the Monsters in the final battle scenes, I felt like I was rooting for Rocky Balboa.  I know this is not a film for everyone but I don't see how lifetime fans of the Godzilla universe cannot enjoy this film.  My wife and I give it 5 stars.  She now feels the Kong versus Godzilla film scheduled to be released next year that Kong doesn't have a chance of winning and she will be cheering on Kong. 

for me Mothra is the undisputed queen. no monster can rivalize with her

[Dadrian]

I’m watching the 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton on TNT tonight—the only “superhero” movie that is a film for me. I had this on VHS as a kid, and I tied our only TV/VCR up for a whole two hours and six minutes at least once a day for quite some time as a kid (much to my older siblings’ grief). It’s really a masterpiece. 
 

I can still quote most of it.  

[Tom]

Just watched „The Irishman“ this week. Good movie, quite long (3 hrs 30min) but exciting. Based on a true story that reveals what really happened to Jimmy Hoffa (Crockett mentioned a few times in the series that nobody knew what happened or that he ended up in concrete). 

The only big flaw for me is the ending that was stretched out to 20 minutes. That could have been compressed. Otherwise good movie with great pool of stars that all play together for first and most likely last time (DeNiro, Pacino, Pesci who was talked out of retirement, Keitel,....).

[ViceFanMan]

3 hours ago, Dadrian said:

I’m watching the 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton on TNT tonight—the only “superhero” movie that is a film for me. I had this on VHS as a kid, and I tied our only TV/VCR up for a whole two hours and six minutes at least once a day for quite some time as a kid (much to my older siblings’ grief). It’s really a masterpiece. 
 

I can still quote most of it.  

Could not have said it better...I saw it in the theater when first released, had it later on VHS as well (which I still have boxed up somewhere in my store room), and I totally agree—MASTERPIECE!!  The style of comic integrated into reality, the “dark” humor & shadows & creepiness of neo-noir, the intrigue of the characters, dialogue, acting, cinematography, action, suspense, yet drama & depth of the superb plot (it wasn’t just Batman beats up Joker and walks away)...it all culminated together to create one of the best superhero/Batman movies ever created!!

I haven’t seen it in years, I may have to get an updated copy (DVD or Blu-ray) soon...or I could dig out the old VHS as I do still have an old DVD/VHS combo machine hooked up on the old cone-butt TV in my basement family room—for old times sake. 

Edited December 1, 2019 by ViceFanMan

[BunMVO]

Can't be bothered to check if this has been posted about already, but has anyone seen Once upon a Time in Hollywood? I just watched it recently and I have to say I wasn't too impressed. Sure, it's a period piece, which I like, and has Leonardo DiCaprio, who I like (as an actor), and some great music. But it just didn't do it for me. It felt kind of pointless and when it ended I thought to myself, "is that it?" Good acting and cinematography too. And as usual with Quentin Tarantino who I don't like, there was excessive violence at the end. It's not like I am sensitive to violence at all. It's just that it was so unnecessary and was exaggerated to the level of sadism that I think he has some kind of sick thing for, aside from his other well-known perversion. Thoughts on this movie?

[summer84]

7 hours ago, Dadrian said:

I’m watching the 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton on TNT tonight—the only “superhero” movie that is a film for me. I had this on VHS as a kid, and I tied our only TV/VCR up for a whole two hours and six minutes at least once a day for quite some time as a kid (much to my older siblings’ grief). It’s really a masterpiece. 
 

I can still quote most of it.  

Great movie! Also used to watch it as a kid on VHS. Batman is my favorite superhero. He doesn't have the typical supernatural powers, that you would expect of a superhero, I like that he has his own human strength and skills/abilities to fight the bad guys with. So many other actors have played these characters by now, but personally Keaton will always be Batman to me, I thought he had the lines/features in his face just like the mask, he wore and the same with Jack Nicholson being perfect in the role as The Joker. 

The Batman Premiere 30 years ago. With DJ and Melanie attending. 

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by summer84

[RedDragon86]

Watched Dune recently. Its a fascinating film and even at times a great one. I would say this is a don’t miss film for sci-fi fans in particular. 

Edited December 1, 2019 by RedDragon86

[RedDragon86]

What is with all The Irishman praise? this film is awful, its too long the cgi is a mess.

Scorsese has done this to death, he was just trying to recapture Goodfellas and Casino and he failed miserably, to be honest I am sick and tired of it. I give it 1 cannoli out of 5.

Edited December 8, 2019 by RedDragon86

[Robbie C.]

Gotta say I was disappointed with the third John Wick movie. The first two were in my view pretty good, but the third one...not so much. Sword fights on motorcycles? It felt way too American Ninja for me (too much slap-slap-slap kung-fu fighting and not enough of the stylized combined fights that made the first two interesting). The plot line's starting to get a little fuzzy, too...which is understandable considering the movies flow in a straight line time-wise (each one starts at the point the other one ended). Hopefully they recapture some of the focus in the fourth, and then actually end the series with the fourth movie.

[mjcmmv]

Thanks for the warnings-guess I'll bypass The Irishman. 

[summer84]

I'll watch it to make my own opinion of it, but from the trailer it seems good. Meant to watch it tonight, but other priority. Maybe tomorrow. Definitely long. It's nice seeing these legendary actors together again at this age, even though I like De Niro the best. Kinda a repeat with Deniro always in these gangster movies. Watched an interview with him recently. I like, how he's always this silent type on the talkshow. Since he was a talkshow host on the Joker, they made a funny bit, where he switched seats with Colbert to try and be in his shoes and Colbert played/acted like De Niro did on his show. It's hard to get much words out of him, but I've seen few "private" interviews, where he talks more. Apparently as I recall they used digital de aging process to capture him in different stages in life. 

Edited December 8, 2019 by summer84

[Bren10]

On 12/8/2019 at 12:18 PM, RedDragon86 said:

What is with all The Irishman praise? this film is awful, its too long the cgi is a mess.

Scorsese has done this to death, he was just trying to recapture Goodfellas and Casino and he failed miserably, to be honest I am sick and tired of it. I give it 1 cannoli out of 5.

That's not what Scorcese was going for at all with this film. This actually has more in common with The Departed filmically than those other films. In Goodfellas and Casino the protagonists essentially end up unrepentant after we're shown the potential glitz and glamour of a criminal lifestyle. That's not what the Irishman is about in the least. This is a film about consequence, regret, and a harrowing choice a friend has to make in regards to another, which concerns loyalty. As well as ultimate loneliness in the face of impending death. Those other films have none of that, really. The film is long because this particular story neccessitates that and I personally never thought it dragged. Scorcese actually restrains himself here some and lets the film breathe, reminding me of his 70s work. But I also realize today's ADD audience will have a problem with this style. God forbid they have to put the cel phone down for more than 2hrs to actually watch something. Pesci does a great job imo and shows he doesn't have to be the crazy loose cannon to be effective. The CGI never bothered me because that's not what's important anyway. It only really stood out to me because Deniro had to have blue eyes. Overall this cast and crew showed me they can still go when called upon and leave most of today's acting talent in the dust. Comparing this to Scorcese's other gangster epics is like saying Unforgiven is just another Eastwood western like Joe Kidd, Fistful of Dollars, or Josey Wales. Not at all.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Bren10

[RedDragon86]

13 hours ago, Bren10 said:

That's not what Scorcese was going for at all with this film. This actually has more in common with The Departed filmically than those other films. In Goodfellas and Casino the protagonists essentially end up unrepentant after we're shown the potential glitz and glamour of a criminal lifestyle. That's not what the Irishman is about in the least. This is a film about consequence, regret, and a harrowing choice a friend has to make in regards to another, which concerns loyalty. As well as ultimate loneliness in the face of impending death. Those other films have none of that, really. The film is long because this particular story neccessitates that and I personally never thought it dragged. Scorcese actually restrains himself here some and lets the film breathe, reminding me of his 70s work. But I also realize today's ADD audience will have a problem with this style. God forbid they have to put the cel phone down for more than 2hrs to actually watch something. Pesci does a great job imo and shows he doesn't have to be the crazy loose cannon to be effective. The CGI never bothered me because that's not what's important anyway. It only really stood out to me because Deniro had to have blue eyes. Overall this cast and crew showed me they can still go when called upon and leave most of today's acting talent in the dust. Comparing this to Scorcese's other gangster epics is like saying Unforgiven is just another Eastwood western like Joe Kidd, Fistful of Dollars, or Josey Wales. Not at all.

Its actually the younger audience that is praising this film just because Marty directed it, all I hear on reddit, forums and youtube that is its a masterpiece by people clearly in their early 20's. Oh its Scorsese so it must be great, feels like a fad following. Now Mean Streets, that was a masterpiece.

The CGI was very distracting, there actually a scene with Pacino siting in his living room and he wasn't really there, with the other actors pretending to talk to him like he was there.

What I dislike about this film is its going over the same old ground.

Edited December 23, 2019 by RedDragon86

[Bren10]

You're entitled to your opinion but I argue this isn't the same old ground. Is this the gangster genre? Yes, of course, but it is from a very different angle and one Scorcese hasn't to this point explored. And Scorcese hasn't visited this genre in a while. The last half hour of this film I find pretty heart-rending, more so than a lot of Scorcese's stuff. But your mileage may vary. It is very much art imitates life in that here are these men in their twilight years reflecting upon what they've done. It also covers a pretty important event in American history. I agree Mean Streets is a great film by a young filmmaker who is announcing his arrival in the industry. I don't automatically think anything Scorcese attaches his name to is great, but he is a quality director who has earned the following he has, much like Mann who is one of my favorites. 

[BunMVO]

On 12/22/2019 at 7:20 PM, Bren10 said:

That's not what Scorcese was going for at all with this film. This actually has more in common with The Departed filmically than those other films. In Goodfellas and Casino the protagonists essentially end up unrepentant after we're shown the potential glitz and glamour of a criminal lifestyle. That's not what the Irishman is about in the least. This is a film about consequence, regret, and a harrowing choice a friend has to make in regards to another, which concerns loyalty. As well as ultimate loneliness in the face of impending death. Those other films have none of that, really. The film is long because this particular story neccessitates that and I personally never thought it dragged. Scorcese actually restrains himself here some and lets the film breathe, reminding me of his 70s work. But I also realize today's ADD audience will have a problem with this style. God forbid they have to put the cel phone down for more than 2hrs to actually watch something. Pesci does a great job imo and shows he doesn't have to be the crazy loose cannon to be effective. The CGI never bothered me because that's not what's important anyway. It only really stood out to me because Deniro had to have blue eyes. Overall this cast and crew showed me they can still go when called upon and leave most of today's acting talent in the dust. Comparing this to Scorcese's other gangster epics is like saying Unforgiven is just another Eastwood western like Joe Kidd, Fistful of Dollars, or Josey Wales. Not at all.

I just watched it last weekend and I would agree with everything you said. Although you can see many of the same elements of Scorsese's familiar formula (the period piece, rise to power, narrator, guys in suits talking in intimate restaurants, etc.), it was starkly different especially at the end. It was reflective and touched on the themes of friendship, remorse, loyalty, loneliness, and other meaningful things. Also notice how the music almost completely stops at the end and it forces you, almost uncomfortably, to reflect on Sheeran's actions and even your own regrets.

Don't get me wrong, I love the flashy, money- and power-driven stories like The Wolf of Wall Street, Goodfellas, Casino and other films in his reportoire. Just goes to show that Marty is capable of a thought-provoking story rather than a sensory-indulgent and visceral rags-to-riches film.

Add to that the fact that this is probably the last time we'll ever see these old Hollywood greats on the same screen, and you've got yourself a good film. I loved it.

"What kind of man makes a phone call like that?"

[Mr. Vigilante]

My wife and I recently watched The Irishman (over the course of 3 nights mind you).  I enjoyed it.  It definitely wasn't as fast-paced as Goodfellas/Casino, but was still enjoyable.  I actually want to watch it again to see if I missed anything, but I've gotta find 3+ hours to invest.  It was awesome to see Pesci back on screen and I thought he was great.  Would've loved to have seen more Harvey Keitel however.  If Ray Liotta and Christopher Walken had shown up it would've been The Expendables of gangster films.

[RedDragon86]

The Irishman is OK but for Scorsese's standards its not his best.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by RedDragon86

[BunMVO]

18 hours ago, RedDragon86 said:

The Irishman is one of the worst films ever made.

Yeah I stand by that.

 

You're entitled to your opinion, I respectfully disagree. I believe there are much, MUCH worse films out there. But The Irishman was bound to get all this criticism since it's not a thoughtless popcorn superhero flick like the ones that seem to be so popular these days.

[RedDragon86]

I can't stand the superhero movies now, To be honest the film industry has been going downhill for years with the exception of a great film here and there, namely "There will be Blood" No Country For Old Men" and "The Pianist" just to name a few examples. As for the superhero films there has only two that I have enjoyed and they were Batman 1989 and Superman the original. The thing is about the criticism of The Irishman its they other way around, it has been labeled as a masterpiece by many critics, a classic and it holds a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by RedDragon86

[BunMVO]

3 hours ago, RedDragon86 said:

I can't stand the superhero movies now, To be honest the film industry has been going downhill for years with the exception of a great film here and there, namely "There will be Blood" No Country For Old Men" and "The Pianist" just to name a few examples. As for the superhero films there has only two that I have enjoyed and they were Batman 1989 and Superman the original. The thing is about the criticism of The Irishman its they other way around, it has been labeled as a masterpiece by many critics, a classic and it holds a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It will no doubt end up winning Oscars too.

My dislike for the film in general was the writing, the dialogue is so poor. That fish scene was ridiculous. De Niro wasn't very good in it and Al Pacino was over the top more than ever, and there was a scene where he actually forgot his lines but for some reason Scorsese kept it in. Pesci was very good though. I don't know how much they spent on the CGI but it was bad, De Niro's eyes looked reptilian. 

Those are valid criticisms. I would not call it a "masterpiece" by any stretch of the imagination, but I did enjoy it and find it meaningful despite the downfalls. Maybe it's just nostalgia for the old Hollywood greats.