Rififi (1955) Out of prison after a five-year stretch, jewel thief Tony turns down a quick job his friend Jo offers him, until he discovers that his old girlfriend Mado has become the lover of local gangster Pierre Grutter during Tony’s absence. Expanding a minor smash-and-grab into a full-scale jewel heist, Tony and his crew appear to get away clean, but their actions after the job is completed threaten the lives of everyone involved.
Widely considered to be the first modern heist film and I'll be damned if it isn't one of the best. The actual heist is one of the most brilliantly conceived and shot stretches in movie history. Criterion Channel
The Lovebirds (2020) A couple experiences a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. As their journey to clear their names takes them from one extreme – and hilarious – circumstance to the next, they must figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night.
You know how annoying it is when a movie puts all the funny parts in the trailer and the movie feels stale by the time you see it? Well, The Lovebirds takes a different approach. They apparently decided to put all the funny parts in the trailer but then took them out when they released the movie and then replaced them with much less funny scenes. Netflix
The Lovebirds (2020) A couple experiences a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. As their journey to clear their names takes them from one extreme – and hilarious – circumstance to the next, they must figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night.
You know how annoying it is when a movie puts all the funny parts in the trailer and the movie feels stale by the time you see it? Well, The Lovebirds takes a different approach. They apparently decided to put all the funny parts in the trailer but then took them out when they released the movie and then replaced them with much less funny scenes. Netflix
That sucks I love both Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae and thought the trailer was actually pretty funny. Oh well.
I enjoyed the hell out The Lovebirds. I didn’t watch any of the trailers though, and laughed pretty much throughout. Issa and Kumail had really fun chemistry.
Wendy and Lucy (2008) Wendy, a near-penniless drifter, is traveling to Alaska in search of work, and her only companion is her dog, Lucy. Already perilously close to losing everything, Wendy hits a bigger bump in the road when her old car breaks down and she is arrested for shoplifting dog food. When she posts bail and returns to retrieve Lucy, she finds that the dog is gone, prompting a frantic search for her pet.
Michelle Williams is so damn good. Everyone is always looking for the next starlet and asking who the next great actress is and I say she's been here for 20 years. Amazon Prime & Criterion Channel
An electric cast and a visionary director combine for a true classic that doubles as Alfred Hitchcock’s first hang-out movie.
Really strong script, really strong lead performances, and picturesque filming locations really make this feel like the proto-Ocean’s Eleven (The Clooney remake). And my god Grace Kelly.
An electric cast and a visionary director combine for a true classic that doubles as Alfred Hitchcock’s first hang-out movie.
Really strong script, really strong lead performances, and picturesque filming locations really make this feel like the proto-Ocean’s Eleven (The Clooney remake). And my god Grace Kelly.
I caught The Way Back. It definitely is about what you would expect by watching the trailers. Pretty paint-by-numbers redemption story, albeit a very good one. I glommed on more to the last quarter as the sports aspect took a bit of a backseat. Well worth a look, but not one you would need to rent for $20 or whatever I paid for it.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
Watched it via wife’s request. And Margot Robbies in it..
Charlize Theron is amazing. She might be the best actress of my generation. She perfectly mimics Meghan Kelly to the point you almost think it’s really her. Her ability to transform herself in roles is second to none.
The Italian Job (1969) Charlie’s got a ‘job’ to do. Having just left prison he finds one his of friends has attempted a high risk job in Torino, Italy, right under the nose of the mafia. Charlie’s friend doesn’t get very far, so Charlie takes over the ‘job’. Using three Mini Coopers, a couple of Jaguars and a bus, he hopes to bring Torino to a standstill, steal a fortune in gold and escape in the chaos.
This is such a fun film. They take the heist/caper genre and infuse it with comedy. This version includes all the cool caper tricks without taking itself over seriously like the 2003 remake. Criterion Channel/Amazon Prime
I caught The Way Back. It definitely is about what you would expect by watching the trailers. Pretty paint-by-numbers redemption story, albeit a very good one. I glommed on more to the last quarter as the sports aspect took a bit of a backseat. Well worth a look, but not one you would need to rent for $20 or whatever I paid for it.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
I'd be curious to hear what you thought of Dr. Sleep once you get around to it. I thought it was far better than it has any right to be. Ewan Mcgregor absolutely kills it and Rebecca Furguson is absolutely terrifying.
We Own The Night (2007) A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.
Exciting family, crime drama. Mark Wahlberg is way out of his acting depth going up against the likes of Phoenix and Robert Duval but then again when isn't he? I guess maybe the stuffed animal in Ted. Eva Mendes is throwing 100 in this movie. Starz
How The West Was Won (1962) The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family. This is a movie that would never get made today. For one, it's a western. It's an epic western at that and the cast alone would cost way too much money. Getting three directors to agree on a cohesive vision seems an impossible task in this day and age.
The movie itself is a fascinating visual experience. Shot in cinerama the film was made to be projected on a very large curved screen using three projectors. It took nearly 50 years and the advancement of technology for this movie to be transferred in it's ultra-wide aspect ration.
It's a beautiful movie and should be experienced for its grandeur and ambition if for nothing else.
I caught The Way Back. It definitely is about what you would expect by watching the trailers. Pretty paint-by-numbers redemption story, albeit a very good one. I glommed on more to the last quarter as the sports aspect took a bit of a backseat. Well worth a look, but not one you would need to rent for $20 or whatever I paid for it.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
I'd be curious to hear what you thought of Dr. Sleep once you get around to it. I thought it was far better than it has any right to be. Ewan Mcgregor absolutely kills it and Rebecca Furguson is absolutely terrifying.
Yeah, I have heard it is great. I was advised to watch the Director's Cut; have you seen both?
I caught The Way Back. It definitely is about what you would expect by watching the trailers. Pretty paint-by-numbers redemption story, albeit a very good one. I glommed on more to the last quarter as the sports aspect took a bit of a backseat. Well worth a look, but not one you would need to rent for $20 or whatever I paid for it.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
I'd be curious to hear what you thought of Dr. Sleep once you get around to it. I thought it was far better than it has any right to be. Ewan Mcgregor absolutely kills it and Rebecca Furguson is absolutely terrifying.
Yeah, I have heard it is great. I was advised to watch the Director's Cut; have you seen both?
Left the room just short of the halfway point. Been a long time since I’ve done that. Terrible movie. My bf stuck it out and said it went from bad to worse. The biggest fault is with the direction. But just as damning to a movie is when you give zero shits about any character.
Left the room just short of the halfway point. Been a long time since I’ve done that. Terrible movie. My bf stuck it out and said it went from bad to worse. The biggest fault is with the direction. But just as damning to a movie is when you give zero shits about any character.
Probably my 4th favorite film of last year behind only OUATIH, JoJo and Parasite.
Left the room just short of the halfway point. Been a long time since I’ve done that. Terrible movie. My bf stuck it out and said it went from bad to worse. The biggest fault is with the direction. But just as damning to a movie is when you give zero shits about any character.
Wow. Yeah, I’m with fidoz on this one. It moved around my Top 10 quite a bit but ultimately landed right at 10 on my Letterboxd, almost entirely because of the direction and Sandler’s performance. The Safdie Brothers have this crazy knack for creating perpetual tension that really sets my nerves on fire and I love it.
Kurosawa’s blatant and open mockery of masculinity would have garnered him so many internet trolls if he made this movie in 2020. He’s no doubt cuck’ing it up here in 1950 with a movie that starts off as an intriguing mystery and then just hilariously devolves into farcical satire and every single bit of it was great.
Ghostwatch (1992) Horror pseudo-documentary that was presented as live television when it aired on BBC Halloween night 1992. Poltergeist story loosely based on the Enfield poltergeist claims (see The Conjuring 2). The cast is made up of actual BBC on-air talent giving it a strong sense of reality.
Maybe it’s because I work in TV, but I absolutely love the BBC programme framing device, even featuring a phone bank taking calls “live” from viewers reporting strange occurrences while watching the show.
Apparently it also caused some Orson Welles War of the Worlds style panic to viewers who thought it was a real broadcast.
8/10
For fans of The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity
Newspaper magnate, Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
I've been saving this one for a while but when I saw it pop of on HBO Max, I pounced. I don't know what I could say that hasn't been said over the past 79 years. Just a brilliant film. A lean two hours of epic proportions. Every scene counts. HBO Max
Citizen Kane is one of those movies that is spoofed so frequently in the zeitgeist, that you might think it is only about the ending. If you actually watch it, every scene can be dissected and appreciated for how masterfully done it is.
I caught The Way Back. It definitely is about what you would expect by watching the trailers. Pretty paint-by-numbers redemption story, albeit a very good one. I glommed on more to the last quarter as the sports aspect took a bit of a backseat. Well worth a look, but not one you would need to rent for $20 or whatever I paid for it.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
I'd be curious to hear what you thought of Dr. Sleep once you get around to it. I thought it was far better than it has any right to be. Ewan Mcgregor absolutely kills it and Rebecca Furguson is absolutely terrifying.
Yeah, I have heard it is great. I was advised to watch the Director's Cut; have you seen both?
Yes I have seen both and I do recommend the directors cut. I was pissed when I bought the 4k Blu Ray and only the theatrical version is in 4k. The directors cut was only added to the Blu Ray.
I caught The Way Back. It definitely is about what you would expect by watching the trailers. Pretty paint-by-numbers redemption story, albeit a very good one. I glommed on more to the last quarter as the sports aspect took a bit of a backseat. Well worth a look, but not one you would need to rent for $20 or whatever I paid for it.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
I'd be curious to hear what you thought of Dr. Sleep once you get around to it. I thought it was far better than it has any right to be. Ewan Mcgregor absolutely kills it and Rebecca Furguson is absolutely terrifying.
Yeah, I have heard it is great. I was advised to watch the Director's Cut; have you seen both?
Yes I have seen both and I do recommend the directors cut. I was pissed when I bought the 4k Blu Ray and only the theatrical version is in 4k. The directors cut was only added to the Blu Ray.
Yeah, I checked the other day and was annoyed it wasn't in 4K as well. I am sure it will look great regardless with the upscaling that most 4K players have. But movies that are native 4K always do seem to have an extra amount of crispness to them.
Rebel Without A Cause (1955) After moving to a new town, troublemaking teen Jim Stark is supposed to have a clean slate, although being the new kid in town brings its own problems. While searching for some stability, Stark forms a bond with a disturbed classmate, Plato, and falls for local girl Judy. However, Judy is the girlfriend of neighborhood tough, Buzz. When Buzz violently confronts Jim and challenges him to a drag race, the new kid’s real troubles begin. This movie belongs in the HOF for both Movies That Happen In One Day and Worst First Day Of School Ever. James Dean is a bit of an over actor but the movie definitely captures a time in America. Also Kudos to Thurston Howell III for being a solid dad. HBO Max
Hunt For The Wilder People (2016) Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive. Taika Waititi is just a delightful filmmaker. He brings a joy and wonderment the film industry misses way too much. He even made me like that kid from Deadpool 2 that I couldn't stand. Hoopla
Comments
Widely considered to be the first modern heist film and I'll be damned if it isn't one of the best. The actual heist is one of the most brilliantly conceived and shot stretches in movie history.
Criterion Channel
You know how annoying it is when a movie puts all the funny parts in the trailer and the movie feels stale by the time you see it? Well, The Lovebirds takes a different approach. They apparently decided to put all the funny parts in the trailer but then took them out when they released the movie and then replaced them with much less funny scenes.
Netflix
Michelle Williams is so damn good. Everyone is always looking for the next starlet and asking who the next great actress is and I say she's been here for 20 years.
Amazon Prime & Criterion Channel
An electric cast and a visionary director combine for a true classic that doubles as Alfred Hitchcock’s first hang-out movie.
The Shining : Today marked the 40th anniversary of the release of the The Shining, so I rewatched it for the millionth time. It is also timely because it is the ultimate quarantine movie. I have it in 4K and it looks and sounds about as amazing a 40-year-old movie can be. Don't underestimate the sound on this thing. I watched it with a new surround sound system and it made all the difference in the world. My plan is to tackle Dr. Sleep tomorrow.
Charlize Theron is amazing. She might be the best actress of my generation. She perfectly mimics Meghan Kelly to the point you almost think it’s really her. Her ability to transform herself in roles is second to none.
This is such a fun film. They take the heist/caper genre and infuse it with comedy. This version includes all the cool caper tricks without taking itself over seriously like the 2003 remake.
Criterion Channel/Amazon Prime
Exciting family, crime drama. Mark Wahlberg is way out of his acting depth going up against the likes of Phoenix and Robert Duval but then again when isn't he? I guess maybe the stuffed animal in Ted. Eva Mendes is throwing 100 in this movie.
Starz
This is a movie that would never get made today. For one, it's a western. It's an epic western at that and the cast alone would cost way too much money. Getting three directors to agree on a cohesive vision seems an impossible task in this day and age.
HBO Max
Uncut Gems
Left the room just short of the halfway point. Been a long time since I’ve done that. Terrible movie. My bf stuck it out and said it went from bad to worse. The biggest fault is with the direction. But just as damning to a movie is when you give zero shits about any character.
Kurosawa’s blatant and open mockery of masculinity would have garnered him so many internet trolls if he made this movie in 2020. He’s no doubt cuck’ing it up here in 1950 with a movie that starts off as an intriguing mystery and then just hilariously devolves into farcical satire and every single bit of it was great.
HBO Max
Horror pseudo-documentary that was presented as live television when it aired on BBC Halloween night 1992. Poltergeist story loosely based on the Enfield poltergeist claims (see The Conjuring 2). The cast is made up of actual BBC on-air talent giving it a strong sense of reality.
8/10
IT’S TERRIFIC!
Newspaper magnate, Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.
HBO Max
When you go in knowing all the cinematic innovations it made it's even more impressive.
I would also recommend the film RKO 281 about the filming of Citizen Kane.
This movie belongs in the HOF for both Movies That Happen In One Day and Worst First Day Of School Ever. James Dean is a bit of an over actor but the movie definitely captures a time in America. Also Kudos to Thurston Howell III for being a solid dad.
HBO Max
Taika Waititi is just a delightful filmmaker. He brings a joy and wonderment the film industry misses way too much. He even made me like that kid from Deadpool 2 that I couldn't stand.
Hoopla