What movies have you seen recently?

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  • Fresh Tendrils
    Strike Hard and Fade Away
    • Jul 2002
    • 36131

    #5761
    Re: What movies have you seen recently?

    Originally posted by Quint75
    I have tons of classic foreign movies, along with some current ones as well. I have been slowly upgrading from DVD to Blu Ray. It's getting expensive!

    Speaking of current flicks, have you seen 13 Assassins? It's like Seven Samurai on steroids.
    Its on my to buy list. Have you seen any of Takashi Mike's other films? I'm always tempted to buy Western Django but always second guess myself.



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    • goh
      Banned
      • Aug 2003
      • 20755

      #5762
      Re: What movies have you seen recently?

      Originally posted by Fresh Tendrils
      Its on my to buy list. Have you seen any of Takashi Mike's other films? I'm always tempted to buy Western Django but always second guess myself.
      Ichi the Killer is pretty awesome (the special edition comes in a blood bag!) and Audition is alright.

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      • Quint75
        MVP
        • Jul 2002
        • 3304

        #5763
        Originally posted by Fresh Tendrils
        Its on my to buy list. Have you seen any of Takashi Mike's other films? I'm always tempted to buy Western Django but always second guess myself.
        I own Audition and liked it quite a bit. But I think that's the only other one I have seen. I guess I should check out Ichi to see what all the fuss is about. And Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai is supposed to be very good and is right up my alley. I will be checking that out ASAP.
        NCAA: Michigan Wolverines
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        • SPTO
          binging
          • Feb 2003
          • 68046

          #5764
          Re: What movies have you seen recently?

          Western Union (1941)

          Plot Summary:

          While escaping from a bank heist, the outlaw Vance Shaw helps Edward Creighton, the chief-engineer of the Western Union that is surveying the Wild West and had had an accident with a horse. In 1861, Vance recuperates and is hired to work for the Western Union with the team that is installing the poles and cable from Omaha to Salt Lake City. Vance and the engineer from Harvard Richard Blake flirt with the gorgeous Edward's sister Sue Creighton. However, his past haunts him when the outlaw Jack Slade steals the Western Union cattle disguised as Indians
          This was a pretty interesting western directed by no less than Fritz Lang who was famous for thrillers and noirish films. He did a great job at this and I wish he did more westerns. The movie stars Randolph Scott (Vance) Robert Young (Blake) and Dean Jagger (Creighton). The movie starts off weirdly with a sorta family western feel to it but once we get to the actual plot it gets serious.

          The movie has a bit of a comedic flavor to it in the first half what with Vance and Blake trying to woo Creighton's sister to like them with the running joke of one or the other going to see her and sweet talk her only to see his rival already there which forces them to have to leave the room together. There's other funny bits as Blake is a tenderfoot and the roughnecks have him riding a wild horse which he finally tames.

          The theme of the film is change as Shaw wants to redeem himself from a criminal past, Blake wants to prove that he can be a "man" in the western mold and Creighton wants to modernize the nation with the building of the Western Union lines. The main plot of Shaw's gang causing problems was done pretty well and the revelation that Jack Slade (the gang leader) was
          Spoiler
          explains some of Shaw's behavior in being cautious in how to deal with the situation which makes the others believe he's working with them.

          My only complaint is that at times the script undermined the film as it didn't know whether to be a comedy or a serious flick. If they had stuck to one genre I think the movie would've fared better for me. As it is I give Western Union......

          2 1/2 out of 4 stars.
          Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

          "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

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          • Quint75
            MVP
            • Jul 2002
            • 3304

            #5765
            I love that some of the people here watch more than just modern, popular fare. Nothing wrong with that stuff, but there are tons of movie treasures out there that you will miss out on if you don't expand your horizons a bit.
            NCAA: Michigan Wolverines
            MLB: St. Louis Cardinals
            NHL: St. Louis Blues
            NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers
            EPL: Liverpool Reds

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            • cardinals57
              Pro
              • Mar 2011
              • 792

              #5766
              Originally posted by Quint75
              I love that some of the people here watch more than just modern, popular fare. Nothing wrong with that stuff, but there are tons of movie treasures out there that you will miss out on if you don't expand your horizons a bit.
              Nothing like a good ole' classic movie

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              • LionsFanNJ
                All Star
                • Apr 2006
                • 9464

                #5767
                Just saw the Ides of March last night. Another movie solidifying my like of Ryan Goslings acting. Also for a political movie, which I don't usually watch it was pretty good film.

                Haywire: this movie gets a bad rap from the general public, but I loved how Soderberg (sp?) shot the fight scenes on a statioary camera to really see the action. Thought Gina Carano did a well enough job of what's asked of her (though who's dumb idea was it to overdub her voice....with her voice. Huh?) And the good supporting cast helped as well. Enjoyed it well enough that it may make my collection of movies I'll rewatch and own, which is low.
                HELLO BROOKYLN.
                All Black Everything

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                • GAMEC0CK2002
                  Stayin Alive
                  • Aug 2002
                  • 10384

                  #5768
                  Re: What movies have you seen recently?

                  TMNT 1. Forgot how much I liked this movie. Been years since I watched this.

                  Comment

                  • SPTO
                    binging
                    • Feb 2003
                    • 68046

                    #5769
                    Re: What movies have you seen recently?

                    Originally posted by GAMEC0CK2002
                    TMNT 1. Forgot how much I liked this movie. Been years since I watched this.
                    I remember seeing that movie in the theatres. It was a great flick it's too bad the 2nd and 3rd movies got a bit campy/cheesy.
                    Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                    "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

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                    • dickey1331
                      Everyday is Faceurary!
                      • Sep 2009
                      • 14285

                      #5770
                      Act of Valor. Great movie. I loved it and I'll admit I cried at the end.


                      Do you really care where I sent this from?
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                      I own a band check it out

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                      • Beantown
                        #DoYourJob
                        • Feb 2005
                        • 31523

                        #5771
                        Originally posted by SPTO
                        I remember seeing that movie in the theatres. It was a great flick it's too bad the 2nd and 3rd movies got a bit campy/cheesy.
                        The second one is still awesome. Third not so much.

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                        • PhilliesFan13
                          Banned
                          • May 2009
                          • 15651

                          #5772
                          Re: What movies have you seen recently?

                          Camp Nowhere was just on. Hadn't seen it in years. Always liked that movie.

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                          • Quint75
                            MVP
                            • Jul 2002
                            • 3304

                            #5773
                            Finally saw Shaolin Soccer. Very enjoyable, though I prefer Stephen Chow's next film, Kung Fu Hustle, over it.
                            NCAA: Michigan Wolverines
                            MLB: St. Louis Cardinals
                            NHL: St. Louis Blues
                            NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers
                            EPL: Liverpool Reds

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                            • MachineGunLotto
                              Pro
                              • Jan 2012
                              • 482

                              #5774
                              Re: What movies have you seen recently?

                              Most recent?

                              I saw Think like a man and Freelancers, yesterday.

                              Newest Movie?

                              I saw Expendables 2 the day after it came out.

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                              • SPTO
                                binging
                                • Feb 2003
                                • 68046

                                #5775
                                Re: What movies have you seen recently?

                                Well before I dip my toes back into the warped insanity of the Matt Helm franchise I went and watched an obscure '70s noir/crime flick starring Bill Cosby and Robert Culp which was directed by the latter called Hickey & Boggs (1972). This was also an early scripting effort by Walter Hill who is today best known for directing westerns and male dominated action flicks.

                                Here's a spoilerish plot synopsis (i'll put spoiler tags in case anyone wants to watch this flick)

                                Spoiler


                                This was not your typical early '70s cop/action type flick in fact it has more in common with movies like The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) (awesome movie btw) which were pretty dark, brooding and ultimately depressing movies that wouldn't get made today. The gist of the story is that two broken down (physically and emotionally) PIs Hickey (Cosby) and Boggs (Culp) get a case that looks to be an easy pay day as all they have to do is find a woman for some lawyer. It turns out to be much much more as the woman is actually a key part of a money payoff scheme with a bunch of illegal fences as she was part of a bank job years ago. The script is unfortunately not the greatest and can leave the viewer baffled and confused about everything but to boil it down a criminal organization is out to get all the money for themselves even if means killing the girl and everyone else while the cops are on Hickey and Boggs' case for not being totally forthcoming with evidence and such when dead bodies start piling up.

                                Like I said the script can be confusing and convoluted but what really makes this movie shine is the work of Cosby and Culp. Their characters are guys who are just plain tired and have troubled lives to say the least as Hickey has an estranged wife and daughter who he tries to keep in touch with but only on his own terms but he's trying his best to make it work while Boggs has some crazy thing with some woman who's a stripper, his house can't be sold on the market and he's basically a lowlife as one scene sees him paying off a hooker after a night of sex. These are not perfect men, they can't shoot straight, aren't in peak physical condition and they don't give a damn how they might look or smell as one scene shows both men clearly sporting sweat stains on their shirts. Hickey seems to only own two suits throughout the whole movie and Boggs only wears one while they both drive old beaten up cars that are on their last legs.

                                The movie is set in the LA area and it's not the LA that movie goers in the early '70s would be used to as it's portrayed as a grimy place with the citizenry looking worn and haggard and there's just no glamor at all to it. The dreary mood is enhanced by the sweltering heat and the smog that you can cut a knife through.

                                The acting by Culp and Cosby is just fantastic especially for the latter who's essentially playing against type. There's an event in the movie that breaks him down to the point that he just has no will to pursue the case anymore and life just has no meaning to him. Cosby does so much without saying a word in those scenes shortly after said event where you see the anguish, despair, regret and disgust in his face and you know this is a man completely torn asunder. Culp is pretty good in his role and fits it pretty well. His directing however, left a lot to be desired from a storytelling standpoint. I don't know if the script could've been saved by a better director/editor but it's a bit muddled and you're sometimes straining to understand fully what's going on. That being said, in terms of mood and atmosphere Culp nails it completely. I think he had potentially but this was the only film he ever directed.

                                The movie would never be made today as the characters are nowhere near perfect, the antagonists are pretty much losers who are down on their luck and there isn't a satisfactory conclusion but it all came together pretty well as a modern noir piece. in that light I give this movie a 3 out of 4 stars. It would've gotten 4 stars if the story was more coherent.
                                Member of the Official OS Bills Backers Club

                                "Baseball is the most important thing that doesn't matter at all" - Robert B. Parker

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