Watched this tonight. I don't think he was supposed to be imposing. He was supposed to be some crazy-ass nutjob that matches Dalton's intensity, just in a different way. There were some campy aspects of the movie, or cliches, if you will. The main bad guy is so cookie-cutter it's hilarious, even down to his back-story/current dad-issue situation.Road House (2024 version. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
Jake Gyllenhal takes over the role of Patrick Swayze in the remake of the 1989 original. Jake plays a MMA fighter who takes a job as bouncer at a bar in the Florida Keys to help rid them of the bad element that frequents the bar. Meanwhile a bad guy is trying to take over the bar. MMA fighter Conor McGregor plays the main heavy who is eventually brought in to take on Jake.
I liked this movie but it certainly doesn't have the campy draw that the original had. The fight scenes were well staged. I give the movie a B+. I think a weak link of the movie was McGregor. He didn't seem that lethal or imposing as a bad guy.
It IS a bit darker than the original, as for the characters. The one-off "funny" lines were indeed funny, I did get a kick out of those.
Honestly, this is a borderline "buy" from me, not just a watch.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Hell of an actor with some absolutely amazing roles.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Decided I needed something to pick my spirits up after the loss so I watched Steve! a 2-part documentary on the life and career of Steve Martin. Brought back many memories of watching him on SNL with my brother, or listening to his records or going to his movies with friends. Not a year goes by that one of us doesn't find a reason to quote, "He hates these cans!" or, "Where's your other hand?" or "If she's like a dog, we do it on the paper" or any of dozens of others. Fun watch.
Expats on Prime
6 one hour episodes
First four episodes are slow, hard to stay with. They try to get you involved and engaged with the characters but the first four episodes could have been done in one 90 minute movie.
My wife got tangled in it so I ended up sitting through the entire thing. Nicole Kidman and her family are living in an apartment in Hong Kong. The neighbors are involved, A couple that can’t have kids and husband is having an affair. Others that are meaningless. One entire episode of three people, a grown up daughter and mother exposing their lives to a stranger while stuck in an elevator. One character is a local who Nicole meets and starts using her as a nanny. She is completely irresponsible and the worst thing happens and the rest of the series is filled with meaningless dialogue as they stumble around, trying to make things right, the police show up and I hoped it would end but it ended up extending the slow dragging dialogue of nothing flipping between the different characters. 4 bad episodes and two good ones when a typhoon hits.
One Day on Netflix
Must have been a TV show in Britain. Half hour episodes. Romantic series about two friends who meet at their high school grad party and stay friends through their lives. Takes you through their lives in 80s, 90s, 2000s. 14 episodes and I got very involved in it.
I’m well aware that Director Cuts or Extended versions of films often add scenes or change things, but last night I watched the extended version of Salt starting Angelina Jolie (I didn’t know it was a different version). Good grief, it’s an entirely different film!! I’m watching and honestly started to think am I losing my mind? Not just extra scenes but a total rewrite of some major points in the theatrical version.
1) her husband is killed in a totally different way, drowned vs shot
2) After being forced to witness his death she doesn’t go hard ass and kill all the Russians on the ship! Nor does she kill Orlov.
3) After killing the CIA/mole (Liev) she has a weeping self examining scene about spider webs and love🤢
4) Then she tries to commit suicide.
5) It does not end with her vowing in the helicopter to track down find the other sleeper agents and jumping into the river. It ends with her dressed as a nun, back at the Russian training school, finally killing Orlov and blowing up the school.
I mean holy crap, not the same film at all. I’m still trying to process the weirdness. Needless to say, I did NOT like this extended version at all.
What have I got? I got no snacks and I got no respect.
Travis-age 6
I should check that out. It's why I love "Red Cliff" (international version) so much. COMPLETELY different than the US version. On a lesser note, "Tombstone" director's cut fills in a couple blanks with Doc's girl, Earp's wife, and the 2 Cowboys that turned against the gang.
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (Prime):
During the war in Afghanistan, a local interpreter risks his own life to carry an injured sergeant across miles of grueling terrain.
Solid movie. You can tell that the sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) and the interpreter don't like each other, overall, but they do respect each other by the end of the movie. The movie is a bit critical of the US government, but not over-the-top. It does peel back a layer of what is "official" and what is not, most likely how things really work in the field.
I enjoyed it, it did get a little weird at times (and that is Guy's style), and I would recommend it. It's not about the conflict itself, it's about 2 soldiers making a bond.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I just watched Replicas, a 2018 movie with Keanu Reeves. I enjoyed it. I watched it on cable, (where it’s harder to find movies I haven’t seen/want to watch since everything is on a streaming platform these days…) but I digress.
I will only post a plagiarized synopsis I copied online so I don’t give any spoilers. I can’t analyze movies like Rube, I just watch them. 😉
”William Foster is a brilliant neuroscientist who loses his wife, son and two daughters in a tragic car accident. Utilising cutting-edge technology, William comes up with a daring and unprecedented plan to download their memories and clone their bodies. As the experiment begins to spiral out of control, Foster soon finds himself at odds with his dubious boss, a reluctant accomplice, a police task force and the physical laws of science.”
Wrath Of Man (Prime):
A cold and mysterious character working at a cash truck company responsible for moving a lot of money around LA has ulterior motives.
Jason Statham stars, so you should know where this is going. However, it's presented like a Shakespearean play with the movie divided into "acts" for a lack of a better word (well, Guy Ritchie directed it, and he does odd things, so, you know...). It borrows from a lot of cliches, but it's not totally mindless. Good popcorn movie.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Mine:
After a failed assassination attempt, a United States Marine finds himself stranded in the desert, exposed to the elements...and his foot is on a live mine.
Sounds pretty basic, right? Oh, hell no. It shows the viewer of what this soldier is going through, and it's not pretty. Very psychological, quite a bit out there. The movie does its best to put you in the soldier's mindset, and that's the hook. You have to be hard-pressed to not feel something as you're watching this one.
Highly recommend.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I recently streamed Ricky Stanicky on Prime, starring Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino, William H. Macy, and most importantly John Cena. I didn't think that I was going to be able to get into it very much. But I ended up laughing pretty hard for most of the movie. When it was over I saw Peter Farrelly in the credits. That explains a lot. I don't think that I've seen a Farrelly Brothers movie in years. Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, Something About Mary. This movie was along those lines, if you remember how they went. Have the Farrelly Brothers even had any recent movies? Where did they go?
I recently streamed Ricky Stanicky on Prime, starring Zac Efron, Jermaine Fowler, Andrew Santino, William H. Macy, and most importantly John Cena. I didn't think that I was going to be able to get into it very much. But I ended up laughing pretty hard for most of the movie. When it was over I saw Peter Farrelly in the credits. That explains a lot. I don't think that I've seen a Farrelly Brothers movie in years. Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, Something About Mary. This movie was along those lines, if you remember how they went. Have the Farrelly Brothers even had any recent movies? Where did they go?
Peter Farrelly won an Oscar as both a producer and screenwriter for Green Book. He also directed it.
Peter Farrelly won an Oscar as both a producer and screenwriter for Green Book. He also directed it.
Interesting. That isn't even a comedy. I'm going to have to watch it.
It's good.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
The Antisocial Network: From Memes To Mayhem:
A group of lonely teenagers formed an online community and bonded over their isolation, but their collective beliefs warped reality.
The arc is about 2Chan to 4Chan to 8Chan to Anonymous to QAnon. Really weird evolution of what started out as fun and games, and how it became to be what it is now. One of the opening lines to this is "You can fix code. You can't fix people." Yeah, let's look in the mirror, this is who we (as a people) are generally are.
Demetri Deconstructed:
The new Demetri Martin stand-up special.
Kind of an art-house approach in production, which he's sort of done in the past at times. Quirky as ever "All horses have mullets...makes sense, being country-folk and all..." he delivers, although this particular presentation does distract from the jokes at times. Still worth a watch if you like that Steven Wright/Mitch Hedberg style of humor...
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I watched "The Holdovers" last night (Peacock). I can best describe it as a cross between Sideways and Scent of a Woman, as weird as that sounds. Recommend.
The Adventurers (Prime):
The world's top thieves join forces to pull off the heist of a lifetime. But when they find themselves pursued across Europe by a legendary French detective, they'll have to take their game to the next level.
Jean Reno (many movies, but Leon: The Professional and Ronin are the ones that stick out in my mind) and Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, which is the original "The Departed", House Of Flying Daggers, The Warlords) star. Ok, I'm checking this one out. Eh, standard crime caper with double crosses and double double crosses. It was entertaining enough, worth a watch, but you really have to like this type of movie, where you try to figure out the twists and turns before they happen.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
The Wall (no, not THAT one) (Prime):
Two American Soldiers are trapped by a lethal sniper, with only an unsteady wall between them.
Basically a 3 man-show. And you don't ever see the sniper, not really a spoiler alert, because it would be a lesser movie if you did see him.
The sniper is GOOD, and not just at shooting. Very psychological, total mind-f* at what he does. No soundtrack or score, just dialogue. In the middle of the f*ing desert. Excellent writing and execution of the script.
Scoop:
How the BBC obtained the bombshell interview with Prince Andrew about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Solid movie, have liked anything I've seen Gillian Anderson do, and she's the tough woman yet again. 😉 Overall, it had a big-time "Frost/Nixon" feel to it (another great movie). They just replaced the characters, and that's not being lazy, because both were true stories.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
The Bricklayer:
An ex-CIA agent is reactivated when an extortionist targets the agency
CIA agents, conspiracies, and grudges, oh my!
Entertaining, but you probably have seen this movie before. It's a'ight.
Stolen:
A young woman's struggle to defend her indigenous heritage in a world where xenophobia is on the rise, climate change is threatening reindeer herding, and young people choose suicide in the face of collective desperation.
That pretty much sums it up. It's set in Sweden with the Sami people, but honestly, it's a plug and play with any country's indigenous people. Again, this movie is a'ight.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer
New standup special on Netflix, just dropped today.
It's...Jimmy Carr. If you know you know. I love the humor, some others, notsomuch.
Trailer: NSFW.
I thought one of the best jokes was:
"I have a half-brother...wait, sorry, 'transgender.'"
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Whiplash (rewatch):
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Wanted to see if I could appreciate it as much as the first time I saw it. I know there are band geeks on here, and this is a movie they REALLY should watch. They would appreciate the music talk more than I would, lots of technicalities. That being said, JK Simmons is a top-notch A-hole, and that is being polite. And he's damn good at playing that role. Fully enjoyed it on the re-watch, and for ANY music fan, yeah, it's a must-see.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Troll (2022, Norwegian movie):
Deep in the Dovre mountain, something gigantic wakes up after a thousand years in captivity. The creature destroys everything in its path and quickly approaches Oslo.
Pretty much a Norwegian version of King Kong. However, it was still worth the watch, the effects were pretty good, and despite the cliches, told a good story.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
We also watched Troll and thought it was entertaining. Not going to rank among the greats but a fun popcorn flick.
Rust Creek:
An overachieving college student gets lost on her way to a job interview. A wrong turn leaves her stranded deep in the Kentucky forest.
College student in the backwoods of Hick Area, yeah. It does have enough quirks (not quite twists) in the story to keep you reeled in, but meh. Good time-killer, nothing more.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Run Lola Run is being re-released in theaters in June. I hope it will be available here.
Troll (2022, Norwegian movie):
Deep in the Dovre mountain, something gigantic wakes up after a thousand years in captivity. The creature destroys everything in its path and quickly approaches Oslo.
Pretty much a Norwegian version of King Kong. However, it was still worth the watch, the effects were pretty good, and despite the cliches, told a good story.
Sounds like my favorite episode of Metalocalypse... haha. I might have to check it out.
I hope it’s the original sub-titled version. The dubbed one was changed and not for the better.Run Lola Run is being re-released in theaters in June. I hope it will be available here.
If you’ve never seen this film RUN to see it…😉
What have I got? I got no snacks and I got no respect.
Travis-age 6