Last Movie You Watched.

Erica Ambler wrote:

Liman's productions always seem to be teetering on the precipice. I can see why the financiers wanted someone else.

Whilst I still very much enjoyed Supremacy, I think there was already a loss in terms of the original films relentless tempo as well as the reality that a cipher like Bourne becomes less and not more interesting the more that is revealed about his past.

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Blunt Instrument wrote:

Mission Impossible : Fallout - Cruise's willingness to put himself right in the middle of jaw-droppingly dangerous stunts that most major stars wouldn't go near definitely gives this particular action-thriller franchise an edge on others. Thumpingly good escapist entertainment.    

This. Saw it last night and didn't want it to end. Though I'm sure Tom's insurance company did.

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The rise and fall of Bourne (quality-wise if not financially) is a prime example of why Bond's masters needn't empty their bowels every time a new spy series comes along. Sure, borrow the best elements of the prevailing cinematic trends, but don't ape them at the expense of what's kept 007 afloat for six decades.

Escape From New York - it's many years since I last saw this slice of dystopian sci-fi from John Carpenter, with Kurt Russell at his most gruffly anti-heroic (a persona he'd send up in Carpenter's Big Trouble In Little China, just 5 years after this) and support from the likes of Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes and Harry Dean Stanton. And Adrienne Barbeau and her fine rack, sadly kept under wraps in this (but that wasn't the case with other parts she played) -



Wyrmwood : Road Of The Dead - this Aussie action-horror is basically Mad Max with zombies. Looks much better than it has any right to on its budget, and has an energy and a few original touches (and some humour) that make it well worth a go.

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The kind of heroes Kurt Russell played for Carpenter (and Darwin Joston before him) were based on two separate sources, IIRC. One of them was an old friend of Carpenter's who actually talked and acted that way. I can't remember what the second source of inspiration was.

Haven't seen Escape From LA, but I did read somewhere about the shoddiness of the CGI in the surfing sequence. Still, its budget was $50 million against DAD's 145 (and DAD was released 6 years later, during which you'd assume that the technology involved had improved).

Brannigan (1975)

London set John Wayne cop film with plenty of good action and humor. Wayne despite being in his late sixties still kicked serious rear here particularly a big brawl in a pub, a really good car chase and the final battle with a hitman in a Jaguar plus never missing a moment for a good quip on top of that. Pretty solid cast though overall particularly John Vernon (every film deserved a scene with John Vernon) and an early performance by Tony Robertson (Baldrick from Blackadder) as a courier who winds up getting swimming lessons from Wayne. It's not a grand film but it sure was a lot of fun.

The Wife

Brilliant performances from Jonathan Pryce and Glenn Close (and her real life daughter) and some nice cinematography elevate this film to something I can enjoy. I just wish it focused more on their relationship instead of making such an overt political statement that appears to dominate much of current cinema.

And where the hell did they pluck the effeminate musical theatre actor from? Very hard to believe he was suppose to be playing a young Jonathan Pryce.

I can understand the hype this film is receiving because of the terrific central performances and they really are frontrunners for Oscar nominations. Glenn Close at least. I feel they will overlook Pryce, unfortunately.

Strangways&Quarrel wrote:

Brannigan (1975)

London set John Wayne cop film with plenty of good action and humor. Wayne despite being in his late sixties still kicked serious rear here particularly a big brawl in a pub, a really good car chase and the final battle with a hitman in a Jaguar plus never missing a moment for a good quip on top of that. Pretty solid cast though overall particularly John Vernon (every film deserved a scene with John Vernon) and an early performance by Tony Robertson (Baldrick from Blackadder) as a courier who winds up getting swimming lessons from Wayne. It's not a grand film but it sure was a lot of fun.

Sounds like it's worth a watch, if not necessarily a Patek.

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The Duke in the land of dukes makes about as much sense as a tequila distillery in Turkmenistan, but, as you say, that has to be a big part of the allure.

This probably doesn't justify its own thread so I'll just post this here:

Shane Black wants to make a sequel to "The Nice Guys" but it probably won't happen because it underperformed at the box office. A shame because I thought it was great fun. The industry has more or less annihilated films like that (made for grown-ups and in the 50-60 million dollar budget range). We are moving towards a situation in which mainstream cinema will be 100% comic book movies and young adult novel adaptations (as opposed to the 80% of screens such content currently occupies).

It'd be criminal if The Nice Guys never got a sequel. Great fun as you say and the buddy detective pairing of Gosling and Crowe worked marvelously plus there is limitless potential for a sequel. Hate to sound so judgemental and fuddy duddy but given your average adult nowadays is more likely to have a comic book or Harry Potter novel on their shelf/tablet rather than a good detective novel or two it seems unlikely we're going to see that many movies like The Nice Guys in the future. It was a very good movie that resembled a movie of a bygone era, kind of like Chinatown by way of Shane Black scripted Lethal Weapon.

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Those comics are a bit different though than the ones I was thinking of, I have several issues of the Tomb Raider comics from 2003/2004 sitting by my computer so I'm not particularly bashing comics themselves. I'm saying it's most likely the current trend of superhero type films will continue to play out for more decades because that is the current audience and movies like The Nice Guys is at the least bigger chance today than it would have been even ten or twenty years ago.

Also, you can never have too many Bettie Page books. I've got the Olivia De Berardinis book of her Bettie Page art so I guess that could also count as comics.

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I was pretty underwhelmed by THE NICE GUYS, mainly because of expectations Shane had already set by his previous written and/or directed works in the past. THE LAST BOY SCOUT and KISS KISS BANG BANG left me in stitches. THE NICE GUYS felt tame in comparison.

Makeshift Python wrote:

I was pretty underwhelmed by THE NICE GUYS, mainly because of expectations Shane had already set by his previous written and/or directed works in the past. THE LAST BOY SCOUT and KISS KISS BANG BANG left me in stitches. THE NICE GUYS felt tame in comparison.

It wasn't as good as "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang". But it still had its moments.

CRUISING (1980)

Pretty dull. More interesting as a time capsule for New York pre-Giuliani.

Woman On Top

If it wasn't for Penelope Cruz, the film would be unwatchable. She's completely intoxicating.

She's a hot Latin dish alright, but I actually prefer the late, luscious Elizabeth Pena. Maybe not quite the classic beauty Cruz is, but bloody sexy she is.

I'll have to check out her work. I admit I may have only seen her years ago in Rush Hour and maybe Free Willy 2.