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Movies Rate and Discuss the Last Movie You Saw v.16

Girlfight (USA, 2000)

American sports drama written and directed by Karyn Kusama (her directorial debut) and stars Michelle Rodriquez in her first major film role.

Diana Guzman (Rodriquez) is a troubled, violent, high-school student in a poor area of Brooklyn. It is unclear exactly why Diana is so angry but a dead mom, dysfunctional family, and general poverty provide some plausible explanations. It is not illogical that she would want to punch people sometimes.

Diana's brother, Tiny, trains at a local boxing gym as the insistence of their domineering father. Tiny wants to be an artist and is a terrible boxer but he is given little choice in the matter. Diana decides to try the sport but is initially rebuffed because she is a girl. Some persistence and her willingness to pay for lessons (with money stolen from her dad) eventually get her a spot.

Diana shows some natural talent as a boxer and starts to become more serious about her training.

This is a boxing film but really it is more of a coming of age drama. Diana needs to overcome the confines of gender coded sports (the film is not subtle that Diana has to beg to box while her brother has to beg not to fight) and during this journey she starts to come to terms with her own behaviour, her crappy relationship with her dad, and experiences her first love.

Some of the boxing stuff is nonsensical and the film would have been better if had stuck to Diana competing in women's boxing.

The coming of age story is sometimes clumsy but it is also dramatic and occasionally touching. Rodriguez is solid in the lead role. She had the right physicality for the role and she demonstrates raw screen presence. I don't recall her ever doing anything interesting in the rest of her career but presumably she cleaned up financially from the Fast series. Good for her. Apparently she spent a lot of that on booze. Not so good for her.

This was a very promising debut for Kusama. She has since mostly worked on series but she did direct 4 more films and three of them (Jennifer's Body, The Invitation, Destroyer) are really interesting. (Let's just pretend that Aeon Flux never happened).

As an aside, the film dramatically overuses the movie thing where the actor stares at the ground and then looks up at the camera. This must happen a half dozen times in this film and it is an overused trope that I hate.

Rating: 5.5/10

 
A Fistful of Dollars (Italy, 1964)

Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone, based loosely on Yojimbo. Clint Eastwood plays the anti-hero protagonist, The Man with No Name.

An unnamed drifter** (Eastwood) arrives in the small town of San Miguel, situated on the southern side of the US-Mexico border. The town is caught in an ongoing feud between two rival gangs; the Rojos and the Baxters.

Eastwood is unmatched with the pistol and his skills are quickly in high demand. He goes about selling his services to each of the rival gangs, while also stirring up the conflict to serve his own purposes.

Leone once said that Eastwood has two expressions as an actor, "with hat and without hat". While Eastwood is mostly expressionless in the film he has undeniable presence and provides a subtle performance in some scenes. When the friendly barkeep Silvanto (easily my favourite character) is being threatened by one of the Rojo henchman, Eastwood steps forward ever so slightly and his expression moves just enough for the henchman to know that he is looking death right in the face.

Leone is one of the great masters of cinema. Despite the low budget, the film looks incredible. I don't know anything about the technical aspects of film stock but it looks great. Leone's signature style of long shots and frequent close ups is already on full display. It is a beautifully made film. Leone also knows how to tell a story on film and he moves the plot along quickly and efficiently. The movie flies by. The tension is incredible.

The final shoot out is masterful.

This is rightfully considered a western classic.

** the character is referred to as "Joe" by a single character in one of the later scenes

Rating: 9/10


 
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The Beekeeper (2024)
4/10

Started strong, I liked the idea of going after scumbags who steal from elderly. But damn the movie just went totally downhill and jumped the shark. Plus the vast majority of people that Jason Statham kills arent even bad guys, its law enforcement. How is the audience supposed to cheer on the protagonist while he just slaughters innocent human being after innocent human being with legit bad guys sprinkled in. I mean even if you want to suspend belief and just accept that its a dumb action movie, it got to point that so many innocent people were dying I wasnt even pulling for statham anymore. Stupid movie, do not recommend.
 
Watched the new Netflix movie The Hit Man last night. Loosely based off a true story. A college professor does side work for the cops working wire taps in sting operations targeting people looking to hire a hit man. Of course, he ends up having to pose as a hit man for - reasons - and is good at it.

Won't give any more away although you can probably guess being a "rom-com".

Wasn't horrible but I was really hoping for a bit more from it. Definitely no Mr Right.

4.5ish or maybe a 5/10.
 
Watched the new Netflix movie The Hit Man last night. Loosely based off a true story. A college professor does side work for the cops working wire taps in sting operations targeting people looking to hire a hit man. Of course, he ends up having to pose as a hit man for - reasons - and is good at it.

Won't give any more away although you can probably guess being a "rom-com".

Wasn't horrible but I was really hoping for a bit more from it. Definitely no Mr Right.

4.5ish or maybe a 5/10.
I watched this a couple of days ago. I think I liked it more than you, I'd give it a 6 - 6.5/10. I didn't realize at first that it was directed by Richard Linklater but that made sense considering my favorite parts were the dialogue heavy scenes like his conversation with his ex wife or when he was teaching his class. Overall though, what a crazy story.
 
Shuffle (Japan, 1981)

Japanese 16mm short film (run time is about 30 minutes) by Gakuryu Ishii. It is based on a manga.

This film is about style and energy but there is a fairly straightforward revenge plot that is revealed in bits and pieces as the film progresses.

Hiroshi Kobayashi, a shaved head punk, is on the run from the police and on a mission of revenge against a local Yakuza. The entire film is one long, hyperkinetic chase scene punctuated only by a few flashbacks.

When I say, "on the run", I mean that this dude is RUNNING. This is all out sprinting and Kobayashi runs so hard he starts to hallucinate. At least I think it was Kobayashi, there is an outside chance that I was the one doing the hallucinating (If you buy this short film on dvd, it comes with a quart of M-150, a vial of cocaine, an inhaler, and a disposable cell phone pre-dialed to 911).

The film is shot in monochrome black and white with a (very) shaky cam. It is a trip. The middle section moves to washed out colour for a few minutes (this is the hallucination part) and that part is even trippier.

This is a hyperkinetic and visceral film. In some ways, the plot is mundane but you FEEL every bit of it. There is a scene where the punk and a cop are pointing guns at each other. We have seen a variation of this a hundred times before, but I was on the edge of my seat.

Great ending!

Special shout out to noted Japanese cyberpunk freak @HenryFlower for recommending this to me and providing a copy. I never would have come across it otherwise.

I had a great time with this one. Check it out.

Rating: 8/10

 
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I watched this a couple of days ago. I think I liked it more than you, I'd give it a 6 - 6.5/10. I didn't realize at first that it was directed by Richard Linklater but that made sense considering my favorite parts were the dialogue heavy scenes like his conversation with his ex wife or when he was teaching his class. Overall though, what a crazy story.
Arjona, sexiest femme fatale since Fiorentino. Refreshingly unpredictable black comedy, I was glued from start to finish, a very rare feat these days. 7.8
 
I watched this a couple of days ago. I think I liked it more than you, I'd give it a 6 - 6.5/10. I didn't realize at first that it was directed by Richard Linklater but that made sense considering my favorite parts were the dialogue heavy scenes like his conversation with his ex wife or when he was teaching his class. Overall though, what a crazy story.
I may have been a bit harsh on it, but I love Mr. Right and this seemed like it was the same type of story.
 
Django (Italy, 1966)

Sergio Corbucci spaghetti western starring Franco Nero.

The film opens with Django (Nero) walking through the mud while dragging a coffin. It is an exceptional opening shot. The title song is great too.

Django rescues a local prostitute, Maria, from being killed and returns her to a brothel in a local town.

The unnamed town, situated near the Mexico-USA order, is caught between a group of ex-Confederate soldiers led by Major Jackson and a band of Mexican revolutionaries under the command of General Hugo Rodriquez. Neither group is filled with upstanding citizens. I still feel sorry for them because most of the prostitutes at the brothel are rough.

Django has a long standing grudge against Jackson and plans to kill him while enriching himself.

Like most (anti)heroes in spaghetti westerns, Django is unmatched with a pistol but far from invulnerable.

Corbucci dials up the violence and the film becomes a bloody affair. For example, when a man is tortured by having his ear cut off, he is made to eat it before being shot. Even Tarantino did not go that far in Reservoir Dogs.

The opening shot is an all-timer and the last 20 minutes is astounding. The rest is hit or miss. Unlike Eastwood's character(s) in similar films, Django talks too much and ruins his mystique. The film also falls far short of Leone westerns in terms of sheer beauty.

Perhaps I am being too tough because I recently re-watched Fistful of Dollars. I know that Django is considered an all time classic but it did not hit that mark for me, despite an ending that I loved.

Rating: 6/10

 
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Bad Boys Ride or Die 7.5/10

Wow did this one surprised the heck out of me, a possible tired out franchise felt full of life. Martin Lawrence did the heavy lifting in this one and was at times too over the top but he brought it. Will Smith for plot sake was toned down. Great action, good use of supporting characters and the plot flowed nicely. Would've rated this higher as it was enjoyable but it didn't really bring anything new in a genre that tends to give us some new stuff lately.

We got some first person shooter camera work here out of nowhere, felt like Michael Bay went a little too crazy with camera views and it got a bit distracting. Also the main cast (the main 2 and their new team) has insane plot armor now and never felt in danger which brought the movie down at least 1 point for me.
 
This is an oldie ('59!!) but a goodie ! Must be coz I dig subs of any kind, my absolute fav being the Seaview in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea fame.
This particular flick says it all about the future......that is, TODAY !!! Well-made, good production, great love scenes and plenty of lovely chix to boot :):). The photography is stunning for that period but then again AAP was not new to FX of this kind way back when. The actors were not special, but they conveyed the intensity of the topic. Great movie overall.



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Django (Italy, 1966)

Sergio Corbucci spaghetti western starring Franco Nero.

The film opens with Django (Nero) walking through the mud while dragging a coffin. It is an exceptional opening shot. The title song is great too.

Django rescues a local prostitute, Maria, from being killed and returns her to a brothel in a local town.

The unnamed town, situated near the Mexico-USA order, is caught between a group of ex-Confederate soldiers led by Major Jackson and a band of Mexican revolutionaries under the command of General Hugo Rodriquez. Neither group is filled with upstanding citizens. I still feel sorry for them because most of the prostitutes at the brothel are rough.

Django has a long standing grudge against Jackson and plans to kill him while enriching himself.

Like most (anti)heroes in spaghetti westerns, Django is unmatched with a pistol but far from invulnerable.

Corbucci dials up the violence and the film becomes a bloody affair. For example, when a man is tortured by having his ear cut off, he is made to eat it before being shot. Even Tarantino did not go that far in Reservoir Dogs.

The opening shot is an all-timer and the last 20 minutes is astounding. The rest is hit or miss. Unlike Eastwood's character(s) in similar films, Django talks too much and ruins his mystique. The film also falls far short of Leone westerns in terms of sheer beauty.

Perhaps I am being too tough because I recently re-watched Fistful of Dollars. I know that Django is considered an all time classic but it did not hit that mark for me, despite an ending that I loved.

Rating: 6/10



Yeah I have it around a 6 too. despite a few memorable moments it's just decent overall. Like you said it doesn't have the cinematic punch of Leone's films. Only 90 minutes though which kinda saves it because the story isnt very interesting inbetween the big beats.
 
The Heavenly Kid (1985)

-

I enjoyed it for what it was. Basically a comedy/fantasy/coming of age movie and in a weird way kind of like a reverse 'Back to the Future.'

Lewis Smith and Jason Gedrick generally work well together in the film. It borders on a buddy comedy at times. And as the film goes on you get more indications as to why Smith was assigned to him.

Richard Mulligan is also very good as Rafferty, an angel or spirit who serves as Smith's guide throughout the movie. He kinda reminds me a bit of George Carlin's Rufus from Bill and Ted and I wonder if Rafferty was the inspiration of sorts for that character.

I did enjoy a good amount of the comedy. Some of the jokes are actually fairly smart and the film feels very self aware with what it is. It also has some very well done dramatic moments thrown in. And as to be expected there are also some of the typical 80's teen/highschool drama scenarios.

Overall I had fun with it. Plot moves along smoothly, and everything fits together nicely. It also has a good amount of surprises and a nice emotional touch and heart to it.

7/10 range.

It is on both Amazon with MGM+ and Tubi. But I recommend watching it on Tubi because MGM+ only has it in the 4:3 ratio.
 
If you have never seen Primer, you are in for a real treat.

I love time travel films and Primer is probably my favourite.

I hope that you like it.
I may need to give Primer another shot then . . . I started it but didn't finish it for some reason.
 
Under Paris--DNF
I turned this garbage off after about 20 minutes. Just stupid, preachy, silly. I should have known better.

X--7/10
This movie surprised me. I am not a fan of overly artsy horror, so I put this off. But this had more of a 70s slasher horror feel. Mia Goth is weird looking, but she has the goods. A nice turn by Brittany Snow and Jenna Ortega as well. A group of people rent a barn house in the sticks to shoot a Porno back in the days when porn wasn't like it is now. They didn't realize who they rented the place from. Fun ensues. Some real creepy scenes, some cover your eyes type of moments. Some nice T&A and nice kills.
 
Just left theatre where I saw “The Watchers”. It’s the directorial debut of m night shamalyans daughter. I’d give it a 5/10. Not terrible but nothing great. It moves at quick pace. I wrongly assumed based off the trailers that it would be more ambiguous in terms of who the watchers are and how the movie would wrap up with a twist of some sort. But that wasn’t the case, it clearly explains everything and leaves no room to sit back and ponder a deeper message or anything like that.
 
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