Damn it... what is wrong with Hollywood!

This film had some good moments but definitely not a classic.

Dennis Hopper has a couple nice scenes iirc as a millionaire toy manufacturer.

One translation has it as:

“You're too sharp. That's your trouble. You're like a drawn sword. Sharp, naked without a sheath. You cut well. But good swords are kept in their sheaths.”

I always took her quote to mean a great swordsman keeps the peace through reputation and countenance.

She’s one of my favorite supporting characters in the film, along with the prisoner they take.

Because of minor illness, I watched a lot of videos lately like the action movies Black Widow(2021) and Man from Tomorrow (2021). They are both doing great business and people like them, but not my cup of tea. I can suspend belief up to a point. Seemed like a series of nonsensical, mindless action scenes, stunts, fights, and explosions that nobody could survive. What a path superhero movies have taken since the original Superman (1978). Reminded me of the physics' second law of thermodynamics which states that all entities gradually decline into disorder because of entropy.

Yeah but a bunch of Marvel movies are ****ing awesome so it’s hard to pick that one and generalize. Civil War, Infinity War, end game, guardians of the galaxy.

Suspension of disbelief is a writers responsibility... not a viewer, but it seems that some comics have invalidated that.

Yes those were better movies imo.

On the other far, far other end of the action spectrum I also watched Japanese Girls at the Harbor(1933) (Shuffle recommendation) and Late Spring(1949) (Criterion). Enjoyed both. The effects of westernization and American culture on traditional Japanese culture were evident in both, pre-WW2 and post-WW2 occupation. The Japanese Girls story was about a love triangle over several years but was more interesting for the silent film techniques that were used and the effects of westernization. I couldn't help to think about what would happen to the characters and the actors themselves living in Japan eight to twelve years later.

Film buffs consider Late Spring to be one of the greatest films of all time. Director Ozu uses pillow shots, low angle shots, static camera, perfect composition. Its like watching talking paintings. It is about a daughter who is devoted to her father. There is lot going on about human relationships in this film, too much to list here. The wonderful web is full of discussions about the film especially the vase pillow shot. What is it? A static 10 second black and white shot of a vase. After Noriko stares at a vase or, at least, after the viewers do, she goes from a smile to a tear. Why? Many answers. To me, she is suddenly saddened when she realized that her father’s life without his daughter could become joyless like the empty vase without pretty flowers.

:salute:

Making my way through Rotten Tomatoes’ “Best on Amazon Prime” list lately -

French Connection (1971) - fantastic film for the genre. Hackman really nails the good bad cop, and the tone and music are 10/10. Dont know how this one eluded me over the years

Master and Commander (2003) - best film I’ve seen in awhile. Too bad the film didn’t do well; I think the title didn’t help.

Lost City of Z (2016) - had read the book and was expecting a lot. It’s a good movie, if formulaic. Hunnam doesn’t stir up much emotion for me, but Pattinson does a great job as usual

The Night Eats the World (2018) - another great zombie movie that slipped through the cracks (for me). Loved it

Yeah I am sure they were planning on a franchise with that one given the voluminous source material. Too bad the first one didn’t do better, because I’d watch 30 of those movies.

I suppose there's chance for a TV series down the road, I absolutely love the books. The film was marketed terribly at the time, trying to bank off Crowe's Gladiator success. But what makes Master and Commander so good, is that it's *not* an epic. It's just a simple story revolving around the small, isolated world of a naval ship in the Age of Sail. I love that almost the entirety of the film is spent aboard the Surprise.

I've probably seen it a dozen times, never gets old. Has aged wonderfully.

I was pleasantly entertained by Guy Ritchies latest... I need that soundtrack asap.

I read somewhere once that they still had a shot at a sequel provided Weir also direct that one but that he doesn’t like directing something he’s already done.

I once heard Crowe in an interview saying that if he’d known the production particulars ahead of time he would have insisted they shoot two movies worth of material.

Weathering With You - same studio that did Your Name. Beautifully animated and touching, but not as smartly and intricately plotted as Your Name.

Wrath of Man (2021) (paid Prime) was entertaining and I agree that the film score made it much better than it deserved. It's about revenge killing spree by H (Statham). In this movie's world, armored cash trucks in present day Los Angeles are being attacked almost daily it seems. They are defended by macho men (plus one token macho woman) who all like to make constant mocking references to gayness for some unknown reason. I found myself chuckling at some of the serious tough guy dialogue. Ritchie uses flashbacks that can make it confusing to the viewer. It will help to know that there are two separate vicious criminal gangs unknown to each other who are robbing the trucks and killing people. In the movie's finale H, one large heavily armed gang, the armored truck defenders, and the LA swat team all converge in brutal massive shootout. If you can overlook some plot holes and if you like film scores, it can be fun to watch this escapist shoot' em up.

The Bonfire of the Vanities Fire is right. Grease fire, though. Well, maybe not that bad. Watchable but nothing special.

Disclaimer - I've never read the book.

Pretty great cast but maybe for some other movie. Tom Hanks just doesn't work in that role. I think maybe it might have been better if he and Bruce Willis switched roles. I'm not a fan of Melanie Griffith so that didn't work for me either. Look for some cameos from Kirsten Dunst, Wendall Pierce (Bunk on The Wire), and others.

My biggest gripe (as with And Justice For All) is that this seemed like much more serious subject matter but DePalma tried to humor it up. Didn't work at all. I think in the right hands this could be a great movie.

and the fed's are letting them battle each other... which lends some credibility. Let the painter paint/Scorched Earth.

I've watched it twice in a couples days, and can do without the gun play... but the Drama and Dialog are fun. and I like the fact that people/supporting characters actually die.

I was able to find a Hi-Res Flac of that OST out of Europe and added it to my collection... no vinyl or CD is available.

I thought that Wrath of Man was going along fine and then came to a screeching halt in the middle when it stopped to do all that exposition about the heisters. A bunch of guys sitting around explaining things by talking in cliches-- there had to be a better way. I don't know if it was on the director or editor or screenwriter, but it was a complete fumble. I was really annoyed.

Master and Commander is absolutely outstanding and it’s criminal that it never became a long-running franchise. I think it came out around the same time some other mega blockbuster got released and it just sort of got overlooked.

Elf

Lord of the Rings, hence the (incorrect) choice for epic-oriented advertising. I know that I personally thought it looked lame at the time, did not actually view it until many years later.

Gunpowder Milkshake is bizarre. It's so uniformly off that it must be purposeful. Either that or this was the only way the editor could save the film. The tone, the pace, the action scenes are so....weird. And slow. But not in a good way. There's one action scene that takes place in a bowling alley that looks like it was sped up some to make it look halfway decent and badass.

And the framing and composition is just so....flat.

Strange movie

Just like Jeffrey Donovan in Burn Notice. I thought Wrath of Man was pretty good. I also liked Burn Notice.

You guys are spelling it wrong. It's Wrath of Khan.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

I have some interest in seeing that... but it's difficult for me to sit thru gun play films consecutively... I am going to have to see something else between wrath of man and gunpowder milkshake... like a pretzel between beers.