Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 2, 2024 1:19:42 GMT -5
Blue Steel
I was staring down the list of recommendations for this round of the film club and saw some pretty familiar movies. Ratatouille and Scott Pilgrim are films that I know I should probably watch at some point, they're popular and people enjoy them. Pixar for example is usually a sure fire hit but I've never felt the overwhelming desire to keep on top of their movies. I know these films exist, I know they have their fans but for whatever reason I've never felt the urge to delve into them. I can't speak as much for Scott Pilgrim but with a lot of Pixar you kind of know what you're getting. I know that I'll watch something, I'll enjoy it, I might laugh a couple times and then I'll go on with my life never really thinking about it again. It won't really challenge me or reconsider cinema in some meaningful way. I did however see a Kathryn Bigelow movie on the list and that's something that I thought might have the potential to push the envelope. Some of her movies have been quite excellent while others have been highly entertaining and as enjoyable and safe as a Pixar movie might be, I'm always happy to mix things up a little bit.
The movie opens with a close-up on the textures of a police service revolver in a pretty cool credits sequence. The police officer in question, Megan Turner, is a recent and inexperienced police academy grad who guns down a supermarket robber (Tom Sizemore who is in this movie for 2 minutes) on her first day on the beat. One of the witnesses, Eugene, steals the robber's gun and works his way into Megan's life. His obsession soon turns violent and Megan quickly finds herself in a battle of wits against this psychopathic flame.
Blue Steel started off pretty strong. I liked watching this green female cop navigate her department and her personal life and the setup with Eugene was interesting, I was guessing it would be kind of like a more extreme Fatal Attraction. I liked how it embraced those 80s/90s cop movie tropes ('The mayor's breathing down my neck') and embraced the grungy New York/big city aesthetic. That all started to fall apart around the second act when Eugene's mask came off and he seemed to be everything all at the same time. He's an obsessive stalker but then he becomes a serial killer, but he wants to torture Megan and play mind games but also wants to straight up kill her, and he does things to outsmart the police but he also just violently launches himself at her police be damned, he's a sharp stock trader but also has these psychotic episodes that aren't really explained nor do they really reveal anything you don't already know. There doesn't really seem to be any motivation to Eugene other than 'he's everything' which doesn't make him a very interesting character towards the end, and when we finally get to the overlong climax I just wanted him to die as quickly as possible. Speaking of tropes, the movie also leaned into 'shooting the perp in the arm to show he's not invincible but it's a movie so the person is fine even if they're shot in the arm three times like Eugene was.' So long as you aren't shot directly in the head or the heart, everything else is okay if you're in an 80s/90s action movie. Blue Steel has its moments and you can definitely sense that edge that Bigelow hones over her career but it's still very rough around the edges and even though it's a pretty straightforward cop movie it doesn't feel as though it entirely knows what it wants to say. Still, I'm always happy to get another Kathryn Bigelow movie under my belt, at least I know it will be interesting. Throw Clancy Brown into the mix and it will always be something worth watching.
B- so says Doomsday
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2024 2:48:22 GMT -5
I did however see a Kathryn Bigelow movie on the list and that's something that I thought might have the potential to push the envelope. Some of her movies have been quite excellent while others have been highly entertaining and as enjoyable and safe as a Pixar movie might be, I'm always happy to mix things up a little bit. When the Hurt Locker came out (which I enjoyed), I spent a month’s worth of Netflix DVD-By-Mail to watch her entire filmography. Other than Point Break (a classic), I hadn’t seen any of her movies. I loved Strange Days but wasn’t impressed by the rest. I recall that Blue Steel, in particular, was the one that I most heavily roasted. Didn’t Ron Silver deliver a super hammy and ridiculous performance? I haven’t rewatched any of these movies, so who knows if my opinion would change. All I can say is, Ratatouille and Scott Pilgrim are better movies. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 2, 2024 10:38:42 GMT -5
You mean a super hammy, yet weirdly captivating performance? Yes. |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 2, 2024 15:20:11 GMT -5
I did however see a Kathryn Bigelow movie on the list and that's something that I thought might have the potential to push the envelope. Some of her movies have been quite excellent while others have been highly entertaining and as enjoyable and safe as a Pixar movie might be, I'm always happy to mix things up a little bit. When the Hurt Locker came out (which I enjoyed), I spent a month’s worth of Netflix DVD-By-Mail to watch her entire filmography. Other than Point Break (a classic), I hadn’t seen any of her movies. I loved Strange Days but wasn’t impressed by the rest. I recall that Blue Steel, in particular, was the one that I most heavily roasted. Didn’t Ron Silver deliver a super hammy and ridiculous performance? I haven’t rewatched any of these movies, so who knows if my opinion would change. All I can say is, Ratatouille and Scott Pilgrim are better movies. I don't think I've seen a Bigelow movie that I've actively disliked. Detroit was a pretty tough watch but Strange Days, Zero Dark Thirty, Hurt Locker (which I liked but not as much as other people did) are all very solid. I'll have to see what other flicks of hers I haven't caught yet. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2024 16:30:21 GMT -5
I don't think I've seen a Bigelow movie that I've actively disliked. I'll have to see what other flicks of hers I haven't caught yet. The Loveless is a 1950’s-set biker movie starring Willem Dafoe, in I believe, his film debut. I don’t remember anything about it except that Willem Dafoe is trying to do his best Marlon Brando impersonation but comes across less believable than the Fonz. I think Dafoe realized he wasn’t really “leading man material” and went on to do more interesting roles. If you hate the Lost Boys, I guess there’s Near Dark. That seems to be the consensus. But it’s not really what I got out of it. It’s a modern day horror western with a bunch of actors famous for appearing in James Cameron movies. I think this movie fits into that Cameron orbit as opposed to, “hey — it’s the Goonies with vampires!” We'll leave that up to your new Star Wars show premiering on December 3rd. Point Break is of course a classic. If you haven’t seen Point Break then PhantomKnight failed you in this round. The Weight of Water is your run of the mil 90’s domestic thriller. Elizabeth Hurley shows her boobs. So there’s that, I guess. K-19: The Widowmaker. Harrison Ford openly mocked that movie during press for it. That man did Hollywood Homicide, so if he shit on K-19: The Widowmaker, that tells you everything. Like I said… not the most impressive filmography. Hurt Locker benefited from post-Bush and “hey — let’s shit on James Cameron.” I don’t think anyone today would call Hurt Locker the best movie of 2009. On Letterboxd, Inglorious Bastards has that title. Here’s the Top 10 on Letterboxd: 1. Inglorious Bastards 2. Fantastic Mr. Fox 3. 500 Days of Summer 4. Coraline 5. Up! 6. Avatar (Cameron got the last laugh) 7. Harry Potter: Half Blood Prince 8. Jennifer’s Body 9. Hangover 10. Zombieland Hurt Locker is #29 in the 2008 page. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 2, 2024 16:38:53 GMT -5
Point Break is...alright.
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 2, 2024 17:27:07 GMT -5
Paths of Glory (1957)For those who know me well, it's no secret that Stanley Kubrick is a director whom I admire more than love overall, though a few of his films have hit big for me: The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket. Well, I guess I can add a fourth to that esteemed list, because Paths of Glory kind of rules. Obviously, much can be said for the various themes and ideas that the film is working with here, from the anti-war stance to the overall felling of pointlessness to the main/broad of the story, and how Kubrick clearly channels his own frustrations into the film on that level, but just looked at on a story level...this is already a very compelling tale in its own right. In fact, I think the more straightforward aspects of this film are a big part of what gives it its strength. Getting back briefly to how Kubrick seems to be framing this thing through his own lens, emotionally, his decision to let the story and characters speak for themselves is wise, because it allows for the full effects of the story's implications and consequences speak for themselves in a dignified way that feels true to Kubrick's style while still being pretty emotionally involving in its own right. Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I found myself wrapped up in this story, and whether it was because this was one of Kubrick's very first films and he didn't yet have the clout to go all-out on his typical style or because he felt that this story was powerful enough to largely speak for itself, the approach here just works. On the other hand, though, maybe this IS a bit more indicative of classic Kubrick, because the clinical approach to the story does still feel very much in line with him. I can even detect glimmers of eventual touches for Dr. Strangelove, particularly in some of the court martial material, which enhance the film's central themes to saddening effect. Regardless, though, this is a very interesting early filmography entry for him, one where he still arguably does a lot with what he has. He also gets compelling performances from his cast: Kirk Douglas sines in a restrained way and the three actors playing the soldiers at the center of the court martial get more powerful emotionally as the film goes on. Of course, there's also the kind of cartoonish roles played by Adolphe Menjou and George Macready, but even then, I think the levels at which they play their roles are purposeful in regards to the bigger picture the film is painting. Bottom line, Paths of Glory is a great, searing piece of work that feels like a confident foot forward for Kubrick as a filmmaker and a strong addition to the war genre in general.
****/****
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2024 17:30:46 GMT -5
Point Break is...alright. , don’t listen to him. |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 2, 2024 22:34:25 GMT -5
Like I said… not the most impressive filmography. Elizabeth Hurley shows her boobs. Are you LISTENING to yourself?!??!?! |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 3, 2024 2:52:05 GMT -5
Like I said… not the most impressive filmography. Elizabeth Hurley shows her boobs. Are you LISTENING to yourself?!??!?! Clearly, PhantomKnight should have recommended the Weight of Water. He failed you this round. My point stands. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 3, 2024 11:13:21 GMT -5
Are you LISTENING to yourself?!??!?! Clearly, PhantomKnight should have recommended the Weight of Water. He failed you this round. My point stands. Recommend a movie I had no idea what it was until yesterday? Sure. |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 3, 2024 11:56:43 GMT -5
Clearly, PhantomKnight should have recommended the Weight of Water. He failed you this round. My point stands. Recommend a movie I had no idea what it was until yesterday? Sure. But it's now at the top of our Letterboxd watchlists. |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 3, 2024 15:16:51 GMT -5
Recommend a movie I had no idea what it was until yesterday? Sure. But it's now at the top of our Letterboxd watchlists.  |
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 3, 2024 15:28:41 GMT -5
But it's now at the top of our Letterboxd watchlists. Elizabeth Hurley shows her boobs. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 3, 2024 15:36:29 GMT -5
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 4, 2024 19:52:04 GMT -5
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut
To cross this one off the list, too:
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
How and why did I, someone who's never seen a single episode of South Park nor has ever had any interest to, end up watching the property's big theatrical release? Well, because it has surprisingly been recommended to me more frequently than one might expect recently, so here I am. Also, this is me kind of establishing a tradition, because back in 2007, I went to see The Simpsons Movie in theaters with friends despite me being in the same position with that show.
So, what do I think about South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut? Honestly, it's not as bad as I maybe feared and even better than anticipated...but I already feel pretty comfortable in saying that a little bit of South Park goes a long way. This movie is every bit as crude and crass as I figured it would be -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- but the key to this not being such a laborious sit is that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are legitimately smart and clever comedians that manage to layer this thing with enough commentary to bolster the vulgarity. I can honestly say that I laughed more at this movie than I thought I would. A decent number of jokes and gags land well, even if at the same time, just as many of them managed to get merely an amused chuckle out of me. The ratio of hits and misses feels firmly split down the middle for me: basically, everything rooted in the commentary and social skewering tended to land pretty well for me, while all of the more raunchy stuff -- namely all of the Devil and Saddam Hussein scenes -- didn't as much. That subplot in particular just came off as repetitive. And quite frankly, even at 81 minutes (less, when removing the end credits), this movie feels like it overstays its welcome a bit and even runs out of gas about halfway through. However, another check in this movie's Win Column is its musical aspects. This is no surprise for me, given how much I liked Parker and Stone's Book of Mormon, but the songs here really are quite good, funny and even catchy. Which makes me wish I liked this movie as a whole more. I did some basic research and found out that this movie's plot is basically an extended version of one from an episode of the show, and yeah...it feels like it. Which gets back to my point about South Park maybe being better served in the half-hour format than something approaching feature length. I can see the appeal of the property, but I don't really think it's suited to a film, necessarily.
**/****
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Post by Dracula on Nov 4, 2024 20:19:06 GMT -5
South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut
Also, this is me kind of establishing a tradition, because back in 2007, I went to see The Simpsons Movie in theaters with friends despite me being in the same position with that show.
Wait... what? How? |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 4, 2024 20:32:26 GMT -5
Also, this is me kind of establishing a tradition, because back in 2007, I went to see The Simpsons Movie in theaters with friends despite me being in the same position with that show.
Wait... what? How? Parents who wouldn't let me even if I wanted to, and by the time where I could if I wanted to, the urge had passed me by. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 4, 2024 22:08:13 GMT -5
Parents who wouldn't let me even if I wanted to, and by the time where I could if I wanted to, the urge had passed me by. List of TV shows that MovieBuff801 hasn't watched: The Simpsons South Park X-Men 97 Invincible |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 4, 2024 23:39:12 GMT -5
Parents who wouldn't let me even if I wanted to, and by the time where I could if I wanted to, the urge had passed me by. List of TV shows that MovieBuff801 hasn't watched: The Simpsons South Park X-Men 97 Invincible I'll get to 'em when I get to 'em. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 4, 2024 23:48:24 GMT -5
List of TV shows that MovieBuff801 hasn't watched: The Simpsons South Park X-Men 97 Invincible I'll get to 'em when I get to 'em. Donald Trump might get re-elected tomorrow. America might not exist in 6 months. You might end up living as an illegal immigrant in Canada and get bullied for not having watched Degrassi. You’re never watching these shows. But hey, at least we shared White Collar and blue sky era USA Network. |
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 5, 2024 8:02:53 GMT -5
List of TV shows that MovieBuff801 hasn't watched: The Simpsons South Park X-Men 97 Invincible I'll get to 'em when I get to 'em. I wouldn't say South Park is a priority. In addition to you not liking the movie, episodes tend to be very of the time and cultural landscape they were made in. Simpsons on the other hand is must-see. Brooke and I went through maybe the first ten seasons through the pandemic and had a blast, and she's someone who had never really watched before. |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 5, 2024 9:26:05 GMT -5
I'll get to 'em when I get to 'em. I wouldn't say South Park is a priority. In addition to you not liking the movie, episodes tend to be very of the time and cultural landscape they were made in. Simpsons on the other hand is must-see. Brooke and I went through maybe the first ten seasons through the pandemic and had a blast, and she's someone who had never really watched before. I mean, I ended up enjoying The Simpsons Movie a lot more than I did South Park, so I'd be inclined to give the show a shot. |
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Post by Dracula on Nov 5, 2024 9:32:47 GMT -5
I wouldn't say South Park is a priority. In addition to you not liking the movie, episodes tend to be very of the time and cultural landscape they were made in. Simpsons on the other hand is must-see. Brooke and I went through maybe the first ten seasons through the pandemic and had a blast, and she's someone who had never really watched before. I mean, I ended up enjoying The Simpsons Movie a lot more than I did South Park, so I'd be inclined to give the show a shot. The South Park movie is way closer to that show at it's best than The Simpsons Movie is to being that show at its best. |
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 5, 2024 9:41:08 GMT -5
I never watched the South Park movie either. I watched the first season of South Park when it first aired back when it was billed as 'the animated show that cursed' which was basically the entire hook. I think the movie came out two or three years after it premiered and I don't think it was quite the biting social satire that it is now. I never watched South Park consistently but on the rare occasion that I do catch it I almost always laugh quite a bit. PhantomKnight you should at least watch the Indiana Jones episode, if only because you're a movie fan and still hip deep in your Spielberg rewatch. |
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