The Ultimate Brokeback Forum

Author Topic: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.  (Read 428094 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 8175
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #615 on: February 11, 2019, 10:00:42 AM »
OK, so, here I ago again with another Michael Pare movie on DVD. (Actually, I watched two of them  ::) but I'm really only going to discuss one in any detail.)

Saturday evening I watched Solar Force (1994) aka Lunarcop, and I have no idea why the two titles. I've seen the movie described as a Mad Max rip-off, and even though I've never seen the Mad Max movies, I expect that's accurate because the plot features guys in leather on motorcycles riding around a post-apocalyptic Earth. (In this case the bikes never seem to need refueling. I don't know what the situation is with the Mad Max movies.)

You can call it a rip-off if you like, but, funny enough, this movie reminded me of The Magnificent Seven (itself a Kurosawa rip-off but still one of the greatest Westerns ever made). While there is only one hero, Joe Brody (Pare), he helps the residents of a farming village defend themselves against the outlaw bikers, just like the guys in The Magnificent Seven. And there is one scene that I really choose to call a salute or a homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark. One of the bad guys is going after Brody, swinging something over his head with which to clobber our hero; Brody whips out his gun and shoots him, just like Indiana Jones with the Arab with the sword. I got a big smile out of that one.

By 1994 Pare had really muscled up, and whoever did the costumes really knew how to show him off, because for about half the movie, the only shirt he's wearing is a black tank-top (for the other half he's in a leather jacket). Actually, in general I thought the costumes were pretty good. I thought the sets and the cinematography were pretty good, too.

This ain't Shakespeare, but it's not intended to be. It's just a fun action flick. And like in any good Western, at the end, the hero rides off into the sunset. Well, in this case, it's into the rain, and he's on a motorcycle instead of a horse.

A peculiarity (besides the two titles): The text on the box art (is that the correct term?) names the heroine Xena, but her name is actually Thora.

Incidentally, the other Pare movie I watched (Sunday night), has, as far as I know, gone by three--count 'em--three titles: Instant Justice, Madrid Connection, and Marine Issue, the last being the title by which I bought the DVD.

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #616 on: February 11, 2019, 11:36:37 AM »

Jeff, I bought recently, and watched last weekend, The Philadelphia Experiment. I hadn't seen it since it came out in theatres and VHS back in the 80's and it was actually better than I remembered. This time I enjoyed the pre-CGI special effects. In the film, the boys are catapulted into the present, which was 1984 then, and, of course, I accepted it as the present when I first saw it, but when I watched it again I thought of it as period and marveled at what we used to take for granted as being "the present" which seems so bizarre right now. I also always liked the actor Bobby Di Cicco, who had starring roles for about a seven year period in the late 70's early 80's with films like I Wanna Hold Your Hand, 1941, The Big Red One, Splash! (minor role) and this one.

Recently I discovered Bobby Di Cicco and Michael Pare also co-starred with one another in a 1991 film titled The Last Hour (aka Concrete War). I have not seen that one.

« Last Edit: February 11, 2019, 11:47:56 AM by Lyle (Mooska) »

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 8175
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #617 on: February 11, 2019, 12:15:22 PM »
Jeff, I bought recently, and watched last weekend, The Philadelphia Experiment. I hadn't seen it since it came out in theatres and VHS back in the 80's and it was actually better than I remembered. This time I enjoyed the pre-CGI special effects. In the film, the boys are catapulted into the present, which was 1984 then, and, of course, I accepted it as the present when I first saw it, but when I watched it again I thought of it as period and marveled at what we used to take for granted as being "the present" which seems so bizarre right now. I also always liked the actor Bobby Di Cicco, who had starring roles for about a seven year period in the late 70's early 80's with films like I Wanna Hold Your Hand, 1941, The Big Red One, Splash! (minor role) and this one.

Recently I discovered Bobby Di Cicco and Michael Pare also co-starred with one another in a 1991 film titled The Last Hour (aka Concrete War). I have not seen that one.

Hey, Lyle. I certainly enjoyed The Philadelphia Experiment a lot more than I expected when I finally watched it, and I have since watched it two more times. Did you notice that John Carpenter was executive producer (I think it was executive producer)?  Some of the things that are now "period" are amusing: Pare recognizes Ronald Reagan as an actor, and Nancy Allen tells him that Reagan is President. This is the movie where Michael Pare almost makes me cry; the scene is just after David has learned that his father became a successful auto racer but has died, and his line is "Good for you, Pop, good for you." Chokes me up a bit even to write it. It's his delivery and the look on his face that get me.

A lot of Pare's movies seem not easy to come by. I had to go all the way to Australia for Instant Justice, etc. I really want to get a copy of Into the Sun (Pare is a hotshot fighter pilot who gets stuck giving a "ride-along" to a conceited actor, played by Anthony Michael Hall). Apparently there never was an "official" release of his cop show, Houston Knights, on DVD (talk about silly premises: a Chicago detective is sent to Houston to get him away from the Mob, as if the Mob couldn't find him in Houston).

I've seen The Last Hour listed in his filmography. I also want to get a copy of World Gone Wild.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 8175
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #618 on: February 15, 2019, 07:42:35 AM »
Last night Turner Classics showed the film Lyle dislikes and I never miss, The Philadelphia Story.  ;D

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #619 on: February 15, 2019, 11:31:13 AM »
^^^

I never miss it, either!  :laugh:
___


--Bugsy

A friend and I revisited this film a couple days ago. The two leads, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, make the film work because of their romantic relationship, otherwise it would be hard to root for a hot-tempered gangster who treats people badly! The film probably works even better now since we know that she and Beatty actually formed a long lasting relationship afterwards.

Annette Bening, to my surprise, was not nominated for this role and she should have been. The film has great on location photography portraying Los Angeles in the 1940's, including scenes shot in and around Union Station.  The same friend and I who watched this had taken a tour of Union Station last December and we learned that around 1990 the station was having trouble surviving, what with less train ridership and other factors and that might have been why this film was able to shoot so many scenes there without disrupting activity. (Since then light rail projects and such have increased the stations ridership to record levels nowadays. It's a beautiful place.)

The film had ten Oscar nominations and deservedly won for the costume design and art direction! Another thing we learned from an introduction to the movie was that Beatty had been prepping this movie for years and they had a script they liked which was LOST and they had to recreate the script from different people's memories. Before computers and all that!

Offline morrobay

  • Quiet Storm
  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 20170
  • ...suspended above ordinary affairs...
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #620 on: February 20, 2019, 07:46:51 PM »
I saw this once when I was a kid and always wondered why TCM never showed it.  I think I even contacted them online to request a long time ago, and here it is.  Love the theme music...well, I did back then.


The High and the Mighty
TCMHD - 64 Wed, 2/20, 11:15 PM 2 hrs 45 min
1954, Adventure, Drama, Aviation
During a flight from the Hawaiian Islands to the mainland city of San Francisco, a plane suddenly loses an engine as well as the pilot, forcing the vulnerable co-pilot to quickly find a way land the aircraft safely to save lives.
Credits: John Wayne (Actor), Claire Trevor (Actor), Laraine Day (Actor), Robert Stack (Actor), Jan Sterling (Actor), Phil Harris (Actor)
Bye, Felicia

"What a maroon."  Bugs Bunny

"I try to be good...I only manage it in streaks."

Offline Jeff Wrangler

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 8175
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #621 on: February 21, 2019, 07:52:43 AM »
I saw this once when I was a kid and always wondered why TCM never showed it.  I think I even contacted them online to request a long time ago, and here it is.  Love the theme music...well, I did back then.


The High and the Mighty
TCMHD - 64 Wed, 2/20, 11:15 PM 2 hrs 45 min
1954, Adventure, Drama, Aviation
During a flight from the Hawaiian Islands to the mainland city of San Francisco, a plane suddenly loses an engine as well as the pilot, forcing the vulnerable co-pilot to quickly find a way land the aircraft safely to save lives.
Credits: John Wayne (Actor), Claire Trevor (Actor), Laraine Day (Actor), Robert Stack (Actor), Jan Sterling (Actor), Phil Harris (Actor)

I've heard of that one but have never seen it.

Once Claire Trevor was a big star. If you ever watch Stagecoach (IMO still one of the best Westerns ever made), she got top billing over John Wayne, who was no big deal until Stagecoach made him one.

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #622 on: February 23, 2019, 10:50:25 AM »

Although I'm not sure it's of interest to anyone, I always post what I think will win the Oscars each year!
So I'm doing it again!  Although it's a strange year with real upset possibilities. Who knows, when I go
to an Oscar party tomorrow I might even change a couple of these, who knows?  Heh!

Most years, there might be one, maybe two, controversies or the like influencing why something may or may not
win. This year you can come up with a dozen.  Like the #MeToo movement not wanting anything Bryan Singer
was involved with to win an award. (He's accused of molesting underage boys and he directed Bohemian Rhapsody.)
Many in Hollywood hate NetFlix because their movies are not theatrically released, except for a week or two--then
they're streamed online. Many many filmmakers hate that. NetFlix is behind Roma. How many votes does that mean?
Political views affect Vice and RBG. Political and racial views and "diversity issues" affect Green Book, Black Panther, Roma,
BlacKkKlansman and If Beale Street Could Talk. And that's just the tip of the iceberg this year.


BEST PICTURE
Green Book (WINNER)
(If Not: Roma)

BEST PICTURE IS LIKELY GOING TO BE ROMA OR GREEN BOOK. MOST OF THE PROGNOSTICATORS ARE FEELING ROMA WILL WIN.
I HATED ROMA SO I AM PICKING GREEN BOOK, which is my favorite of the nominees.

THE LAST 4 YEARS THE FILM THE PROGNOSTICATORS WERE SURE WOULD WIN BEST PICTURE, DIDN'T.
Boyhood, The Revenant, La La Land and 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri did not win. (It's worth noting
that BAFTA chose all of those as Best Picture.) Birdman, Spotlight, Moonlight and The Shape of Water won the
Oscar. I hope this trend continues because BAFTA chose Roma Best Film. I hope the Oscars do not.

BEST ACTOR
Rami Malek, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (WINNER)
(If not: Christian Bale, VICE)

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, THE WIFE (WINNER)
(If not: Olivia Colman, THE FAVOURITE)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali, GREEN BOOK (WINNER)
(If not: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (WINNER)
(If not: ?)

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuaron, ROMA (WINNER)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (WINNER)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara, THE FAVOURITE (WINNER)
(It's thought that if Green Book wins this one, which I'd like, it will be on it's
way to win Best Picture.)

SCREENPLAY ADAPTATION
Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee, BLACKkKLANSMAN (WINNER)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Roma, MEXICO (WINNER)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roma (WINNER)

ANIMATED SHORT
Bao (WINNER)

LIVE ACTION SHORT
Marguerite (WINNER)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Free Solo (WINNER)
(If not: RBG)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Black Sheep (WINNER)

ORIGINAL SONG
"Shallow”, A STAR IS BORN (WINNER)

ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludwig Goransson, BLACK PANTHER (WINNER)
(If not: Nicholas Britell, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK)

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avengers: Infinity War (WINNER)
(If not: First Man)

COSTUME DESIGN
The Favourite (WINNER)

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Vice (WINNER)

FILM EDITING
Vice (WINNER)

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Favourite (WINNER)

SOUND EDITING
First Man (WINNER)
(I've been having a hunch A Quiet Place might win this, but I didn't choose it.)

SOUND MIXING
Bohemian Rhapsody (WINNER)


HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN ANY OF THESE FILMS?  Not many of them have been discussed on this thread.


Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #623 on: February 23, 2019, 11:02:56 AM »
--Cold Pursuit

This is an English remake of the 2014 Norwegian film "Kraftidioten". This version is directed by the same director.
I read that this translates to: In Order of Disappearance.

This one stars Liam Neeson. Laura Dern has a small role, but rather non-descript. Anyone could have done it.

For about the last decade, the beginning of every year Liam Neeson has basically done a revenge action movie,
like Taken, for example.

This one started off like one of those routine action film plots.  But as it went along the unusual characters, plot and
dark humor started pervading the film until you weren't sure what you'd be seeing and I ended up really enjoying it.
For sure, the film won't be for everyone. It is quite violent. If one approaches that as cartoonish you'd be better served.
Among many humorous things in the film was one scene where a young boy says something that made me laugh more
than I have in a film in ages.

The basic plot of the film is that Liam Neeson's son is needlessly murdered and he sets off on a vigilante rampage to avenge
this situation, not knowing everything he's getting himself involved with. This film takes place in snowbound Colorado. (Liam's character
is a snowplow driver.)

The critics have warmed to it for the most part. It's a terrible generic title, IMO, though. If you're tired of the "same old thing"
you should check this one out.

Has anyone seen the Norwegian film: "Kraftidioten"? AKA: "In Order of Disappearance".


Offline janiebbmart

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 1678
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #624 on: February 24, 2019, 04:39:32 AM »

HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN ANY OF THESE FILMS?  Not many of them have been discussed on this thread.

Thank you Lyle. To answer your question, yes I have seen several; Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book, Vice, The Favourite plus Can You Ever Forgive Me and Beautiful Boy.

I don't get Netflix so haven't seen Roma. I absolutely hated The Favourite while recognising the quality of the performances. Like you I loved Green Book and also I really liked Can You Ever Forgive Me. I have no idea why Timothee Chalamet wasn't nominated for Beautiful Boy. It was a terrific performance but who can ever fathom the Oscars.

Offline killersmom

  • AUNTIE
  • Administrator
  • Obsessed
  • ******
  • Posts: 112501
  • It's me.
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #625 on: February 24, 2019, 07:18:56 AM »
Janie, I'm convinced the 'old' guard in Hollywood does not like great talent in someone so young.
"Life can only be understood backwards. Unfortunately, it must be lived forward."
... Kierkegaard

Offline janiebbmart

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 1678
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #626 on: February 24, 2019, 11:55:49 AM »
Linda you are absolutely right! It's like "Well it took us forever to get here so wait your turn".   ::)

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #627 on: February 24, 2019, 12:03:08 PM »

That doesn't seem to apply to the ladies, though.

Offline janiebbmart

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 1678
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #628 on: February 24, 2019, 12:20:13 PM »
Well there you go...it's just Tmmy envy!  ;)

Offline Lyle (Mooska)

  • Obsessed
  • *****
  • Posts: 26069
Re: What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.
« Reply #629 on: February 24, 2019, 12:29:47 PM »
In this case, I wonder if it was the movie. Sometimes voters just don't want to see a downer drug movie.
At the end of the year voters have got a pile of screeners, it's holiday time and who really wants to put
on Beautiful Boy or Ben is Back or downers like Boy Erased?  You keep putting them lower in the pile and
maybe watch them, or not. Possibly.  Although, he was nominated in many other award groups.