Winter/Spring 2022 Viewings

Viewing: 1st
Format: Blu-ray
Thoughts: I was eager to see this Sopranos prequel, even though I never really got into the tv series. But hey I'm a sucker for anything Italian gangster related. Sure enough, this movie was tailor made for fans of the show, and really doesn't work as a stand alone film. It reminded me of the Breaking Bad follow-up movie in that regard. While advertised as telling the story of a young Tony Soprano and his coming of age in the DiMeo crime family, we really only see him for the second half of the movie (portrayed by Michael Gandolfini). It's really about his uncle Dickie, and his relationships with his father, his father's young bride, his father's twin brother, and a former earner turned enemy. There's a whole subplot involving race riots in New Jersey that's more of a backdrop to the story. While it does have its moments (as is the case with all mob movies, the family events and music "needle-drops" are always satisfying), it's just too muddled and lacks are real cohesive center. As a stand alone mob flick it's just mediocre at best.

Viewing: 1st
Format: DVD
Thoughts: I would file this one under the more batshit crazy wu-xia flicks. It's low on quality but high on random decapitations! Even though this came out at a time when these movies peaked, this one's kind of a mess. It's rushed, the editing is choppy, the fight choreography is lacking, and there's way too much use of color filters. But despite all that it is still is an enjoyable watch, Siu Chung Mok makes for a solid hero and the oversized swords are a nice change up. It's also gleefully violent, with heads and limbs sliced and diced like a damn cooking show. Overall I would rate this pretty low on my list of wu-xia favorites, but it's still worth a look if you're into these type of films.

Viewing: 1st
Format: Streaming
Thoughts: Decided to give this one a try since I'm always on the lookout for new Brazilian flicks that pop up from time to time. Very impressed with this little film that has a lot to say about the class system in Brazil, without being too heavy handed and just focusing instead on telling a good story. Solid performances from newcomer Christian Medeiros and the seasoned and always likeable Rodrigo Santoro (even when he's playing such a vile character here). It's crazy to think slavery still exists today but this movie does a great job of presenting it in a fresh and exciting way. This harks back to the solid and consistent heyday of Brazploitation (is that a term? I may have just coined it) in the early 2000s. Highly recommended.

Viewing: 1st
Format: Blu-ray
Thoughts: I came across this at a Dollar Tree for $1.25, and even though I never watched it back when it was first released I decided to give it a shot because I've seen almost everything Damon has been in. I had avoided this because it was marketed by Miramax as a forbidden love story, and felt like a lot of the other chick flick movies they were releasing at the time. Surprisingly this turned out to be a pretty solid Western, and the love story is not the main focus (Penelope Cruz doesn't even show up until half way through). It's really a buddy film, with Damon and Henry Thomas as the two friends off on this odyssey south of the border to find work. This was Billy Bob Thornton's directorial follow-up to the sleeper hit Sling Blade and he really knocks it out the park once again.

Viewing: 1st
Format: DVD
Thoughts: Wow this movie was quite a spectacle, featuring a plethora of holy-crap-that's-dangerous stuntwork on display. Ong Bak put Thailand on the map in the martial arts world and this one takes that more into John Woo territory. There's a great deal of gun ballet to go along with the jump kicks and flips. Really in awe of the ambition and bravura here, the action is nonstop and really dials it up every chance it can get. It's not without it's flaws, it does feel a little amateurish at times and some of the more interesting characters get lost in the shuffle. But if you are a fan of practical stunts, Jackie Chan movies, and movies like The Raid, you are sure to enjoy it.

Viewing: 2nd (or 3rd)
Format: Blu-ray
Thoughts: Lost Highway is one of those movies that appealed heavily to teens of the 90s (myself included), and due to a lack of a proper DVD release for many years I had not revisited it until now. This is basically Lynch's attempt at film noir, and even though most of his films contain elements I think here he's taking more of a deep dive. And the result is a pretty amazing piece of art cinema. It's creepy, overly sexualized, and unpredictable. It's a nightmare as haunting as it is fascinating. The cast is great, most notably Patricia Arquette blazing the screen as the femme fatale in dual roles, Bill Pullman as the murderous husband and teen badboy Balthazar Getty as his alter ego, plus solid support from Robert Loggia, Robert Blake, and Gary Busey in smaller roles. All in all this is top-tier Lynch and despite some pacing issues here and there, when this movie fires off it's pretty damn electrifying.

Viewing: 1st
Format: DVD
Thoughts: The Pawnbroker is an interesting film from the new Hollywood era of the mid-to-late 60s. It's gritty New York filmmaking by Sidney Lumet and focuses on a character that's more of a tortured soul. It stars Rod Steiger in the titular role and he's absolutely amazing. Made me think of Taxi Driver and other vigilante-themed movies. Quality stuff!

Viewing: 2nd (or 3rd)
Format: Blu-ray
Thoughts: Mad Dog Morgan is one of the OGs of Ozploitation (along with Stone, Wake In Fright and a few others). It manages to combine the best of the modern Western with signature Ozploitation touches. For years I only had access to the shotty transfer of the Troma DVD, and so I was delighted to finally get a proper Blu-ray release from Indicator. What makes Mad Dog Morgan a classic is the combination of an unhinged performance by Dennis Hopper (one of his best IMO), and the way the movie jumps from scene to scene capturing his exploits in a rapid fire manner. The movie is constantly holding your attention and it's quite a ride along. Lots of great character actors from that era including David Gulpilil, Jack Thompson, Bill Hunter, and Frank Thring. It does have its flaws, some of the scenes don't work well like when he makes random stops at certain points, almost seems like they were running out of ideas. But aside from that it's an Irish accented, whiskey slugging, gun toting good time.

Viewing: 2nd (or 3rd)
Format: DVD
Thoughts: I revisited this movie after not seeing it since I was younger and I gotta say, it still holds up pretty well. Reason being is that it's a solid survival adventure flick that features a great mid-80s performance from Kevin Bacon. He's the survival guide instructor who walks the line between power-tripping jerk and tough to please coach. It's like is he really just pushing them to get the best out of them, or is he just an A-hole who can't take insubordination? It's a test of wills between him and the stubborn rich kid played by Sean Astin and the results are great tension and drama throughout. My only gripe with the film is that the ending seemed rushed and really fizzled out instead of ending on a high note. Still an enjoyable film despite the ending.

Viewing: 1st
Format: DVD
Thoughts: I had high hopes for this one as it was touted as a wacky wu-xia odyssey. Let's be real, I signed up for the Orca-fu scenes. Yes this movie does feature a killer whale coming to the aid of one of the heroes and brutally bitch slapping an enemy to the ground. All of which was hilarious and unexpected, but it's literally two scenes out of the entire movie. The rest is a bit of a mess, plotlines jumbled together with too many characters. It's like pick one and stick with it. For that reason I can't score this film very high on my list, despite the wacky whale scenes there are far better choices out there.

Viewing: 1st
Format: Blu-ray
Thoughts: I was looking forward to seeing this one based on the director's previous films (Bone Tomahawk and Brawl in Cell Block 99), both of which were intense and extremely violent cult level films. Here I think he's doing more of the buddy cop, police procedural which starts out as a slow burn for the first half. I won't give up much of the plot but once the showdown happens it reaches new heights, and from then on the movie is an intense and suspenseful standoff. I do have some issues with the film, the characters are very one-dimensional and not really sure what the point of Jennifer Carpenter's character was? But aside from that this movie goes hard and brings something to the buddy cop genre that feels refreshing and original despite being obviously influenced by dreary 70's cop movies.