What MOVIE(s) have you been....seeing? watching?

Re-watched the original Mad Max. People often forget that this first movie takes place before the collapse of civilization. I was disappointed the first time I saw this movie way back when, but it was a midnight showing and I was too sleepy to appreciate the deliberate slow burn pacing. Years later, I find much to appreciate. Toe Cutter has a large scene-stealing presence, but several of his henchmen are also memorable. Max's fellow cops also tend to pop on screen, especially his boss and the Goose. I find that each Mad Max movie represents a different genre, but this first movie stands somewhere on the border between horror movie and revenge fantasy. I still rate Mad Max as better than the Thunderdome farce, and maybe on par with the recently released Furiosa.

Mad Max wasn't really even a "pre-collapse" or "apocalypse" film at all, was it? I jut figured it was a rural "far from anywhere" type tale, more like Deliverance or, I dunno, Hell or High Water or The Last Stand, just folks out past the edges of civilization having to survive. Might have forgotten bits about the oil crisis or whatever trips Mad Max over to a blighted desert wasteland.

Personally I think they are neglecting the importance of The Car in the more recent films. It really should be more of a presence. A working car was your shelter, how you got food and water, a way to hunt or escape, most of your time was spent keeping it running.

I think that Mad Max is at the start of the apocalypse. The cities turned to gang chaos as they ran dry, since cities are like islands and need everything imported. But rural areas are different as they wouldn't have street gangs to start with or go through resources as fast, so were still business as usual. Then later, the situation that fucked the cities went from bad to nukes. It's been years since I watched the first though.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - I wasn't excited for this and yet I was glued to the screen for the entire movie, which is rare nowadays. Yes, Anya Taylor-Joy isn't in most of it; but she doesn't need to be. The movie covers Furiosa's whole life up to the start of Fury Road so the actress just isn't needed until later on in the characters' timeline. Like with Fury Road, it's all about servicing the story and the world-building with the characters just living there. Not as much action as FR but still a lot and is a great lead-in to that. Reminds me of how I felt watching Rogue One, which I'll always watch before watching the original Star Wars now.

FYI— Godzilla Minus One is now on Netflix.

I watched the new Netflix film, Beverly Hills Cop - Axel F. I'll start by saying if you have not seen the first film, definitely don't watch this, but by all means go watch the original. The new film leans on nostalgia a LOT, including using the bigger hits from the original soundtrack.

The biggest question I'm sure you have is, is this film worth your time? I don't think you can say a definitive yes or no to this question. The writing is dumb with a capital D. You will probably discern the entire plot within the first 10 minutes. But if you are bored and want to turn your brain off, you could do worse. Let's say this is a C-list movie that just happens to have A / B-list actors in it.

Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a cop who is also apparently a Navy sharpshooter because he pulls off some miraculous handgun work, as does Judge Reinhold's character. It's all very silly, but like I said, don't come to this for plot.

Finally saw Freejack (1992). I was still settling into a new area in 1992 and felt that I had better things to do than see movies in the theater at the time. Plus I was skeptical about Mick Jagger as an actor. Anyway, the movie is perfectly okay. Strong cast, including Mick Jagger who hits his marks and lines and brings great presence to his scenes. The story is fine, the effects are adequate, and the pacing is pretty good. The dystopia setting probably seemed far-fetched in 1992 (and was premature for 2009), but the rich take all premise is a realistic outcome if Project 2025 is implemented next year.

hotseatgames wrote: I watched the new Netflix film, Beverly Hills Cop - Axel F. I'll start by saying if you have not seen the first film, definitely don't watch this, but by all means go watch the original. The new film leans on nostalgia a LOT, including using the bigger hits from the original soundtrack.

The biggest question I'm sure you have is, is this film worth your time? I don't think you can say a definitive yes or no to this question. The writing is dumb with a capital D. You will probably discern the entire plot within the first 10 minutes. But if you are bored and want to turn your brain off, you could do worse. Let's say this is a C-list movie that just happens to have A / B-list actors in it.

Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a cop who is also apparently a Navy sharpshooter because he pulls off some miraculous handgun work, as does Judge Reinhold's character. It's all very silly, but like I said, don't come to this for plot.

I liked it quite a bit, though you are correct that it is a nostalgia fest, but in a great way. I liked that it at least FELT like they were shooting on real streets, in front of buildings on location, and driving real cars and maybe even a real helicopter aside from some obvious CGI stuff. The film was really about 10-15 years too late. The daughter could have been a niece if that was necessary for the timeline to work out, but a bunch of 60+ year olds running around waving guns is just never gonna work. Not sure how Netflix accounts these massive films (150 mill budget!!) a success but for a streamer this one felt like it coulda been in theaters.

Speaking of streamer films what coulda been in theaters, Horizon is a theatrical release that feels like a streamer. Costner chose an odd disjointed narrative style to weave his stories together and its filmed and framed in a tall aspect ratio that seems designed for TV rather than the wiiiiiiiddddeeeee panoramic sweeping style lots of classic Westerns are in. There is a surprising amount of locations, sets, and extras in this, so it definitely doesn't feel low budget, but the cinematography doesn't really feel BIG budget either, which is usually the opposite for Westerns, they cut corners on cast and sets (do you really need anything other than a lone cabin on the plains and a saloon?) but make up for it with the open skies and waves of grain.

If anything, it feels like playing Red Dead Redemption 2 after playing RDR1. If RDR felt like a serio leone western in theme and tone and location, RDR2 feels like Horizon, if that makes sense.

Still, the cast is great, Costner is deaged and playing the wrong character in this story (he shoulda been the Cav commander instead of Danny Huston IMHO) but maybe as it progresses he ages into his part. There are a few FANTASTIC but horrifying scenes. Ultimately it does feel like a part 1, but at least its only a few weeks till part 2. Hope there is a 3&4, not sure how the money for this is working out but I'm at least enjoying the ride.

And dammit, they are delaying Horizon Pt 2, which really sucks. Pt 1 feels very incomplete, but I guess they are praying for a decent streaming audience to boost any future theatrical release. Probably some decent gaps in the fall schedule due to last years writers strike but I really hope it doesn't just get dumped (or worse, totally scrapped as a tax write off like how DC buried Batgirl) as I'm quite interested in seeing it in a theater.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Once again, one these CG-heavy ape movies is far better than it ought to be. Long after Caesars death, a young ape goes on a hero's journey to rescue his clan from a wannabe caesar. Lots of urban decay porn here, which was one of my favorite things about Dawn too but now stuff has reached the entirely covered in green phase.

I watched The Beekeeper on Prime. This Jason Statham film follows the John Wick formula of "ex-assassin given thin motivation for killing spree", but does so in an amusing way, and I can promise you that you won't expect how insane it gets.

If you don't mind your action films dumb, this one is well worth your time.

Know what the secret sauce to Monkey Man is? The hero spends most of his time losing. He is thoroughly unprepared to take his revenge, making up transparent lies on the spot and constantly struggling to keep his composure, and absolutely fails when the opportunity arises.

Which, of course, makes his victory all the sweeter.

A bunch of bravura action sequences and all secondary actors show up for their roles. Really enjoyed the training sequence with the drummer. Not essential but very well crafted.

Watched the ridiculously titled Land of Bad on Netflix. Let's just get this out of the way... the title is dumb, and its explanation about 15 minutes into the film is even dumber. But what this movie really is, is Ghost Recon Wildlands, the film. I enjoyed it.

hotseatgames wrote: Watched the ridiculously titled Land of Bad on Netflix. Let's just get this out of the way... the title is dumb, and its explanation about 15 minutes into the film is even dumber. But what this movie really is, is Ghost Recon Wildlands, the film. I enjoyed it.

Yeah, 60 yo Russell Crowe as an active duty airman with a kid on the way???? I loved how hard core military it was one second, then RIDICULOUSLY bombastic the next with MASSIVE gasoline explosions covering the landscape after a single missile strike

While he still has the baby face, I could squint and see Liam Hemsworth as Geralt the Witcher, the guy has bulked up.