Ash Ketchum

My nephews gave me the DVD of AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007) some years ago, but I didn't watch it until Sunday night, for this challenge. Interesting film and quite watchable. For a long film (157 min.), I was unusually able to see it in practically one sitting (interrupted only by a dinner break). It's about Harlem drug dealer Frank Lucas, a rival of Harlem legend Nicky Barnes, and about the efforts of a clean cop, Richie Roberts, to bring him down in the period from, roughly 1968-75. The two leads are played by Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. However, I was curious as to how accurate the film was. I sought out the original article by Mark Jacobson that was the basis for the film's screenplay and I found it here:

http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/3649/

It tends to show only Frank Lucas' point-of-view and doesn't even mention Richie Roberts. The author makes no effort to corroborate Lucas' claims.

And here's a piece from MTV News that questions the film's accuracy, although not in much detail:
http://www.mtv.com/news/1574283/amer...-office-smash/

Here's a slightly better piece from "History vs. Hollywood," but it too often takes Lucas' word at face value:
http://www.historyvshollywood.com/re...angangster.php

I kind of wish the two leads had not been played by movie stars because it softens the two characters too much.

It does offer a vivid portrait of life in Harlem and New York in the 1960s & 70s, with side trips to the south and to southeast Asia.

shadokitty

You can always watch the S5 Premiere on Netflix, or I believe Hulu Plus.

I just turned off my first movie of the month, but not because I didn't enjoy it. I was watching Batman: The Dark Knight Returns off my Amazon Instant Video Library. I found it to be a rather good movie, showing a more hardened, aging Batman. I just didn't have it in me to watch a 5 1/2 hour movie.

BobO'Link

I rarely stream and don't pay for streaming only services but because of your suggestion I checked Amazon and found S5 is available for Free Prime streaming so I may give that a shot for that episode since I have a Prime account. The worst part will be that I have to do it at the computer and I hate to watch programs there. I have a work supplied Chromebook, which would be slightly better, but Amazon doesn't appear to support that device (it's not listed on the supported devices page).

Thanks!

shadokitty

I can understand not wanting to stream if you can only do so on your computer. I stream on my Roku, allowing me to watch stuff on my TV.

caligulathegod

I love streaming. I have Netflix, Roku, XBMC (Openelec) on a Raspberry Pi. It's like something I'd fantasized about as a kid.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

When I was a kid, I wished that one day I'd be able to watch Star Wars whenever I wanted. All I had to do was choose it on the TV.

These were the days before VHS was a thing. Plex has been the best option for helping me with this.

shadokitty

Since I bought my Roku, I stream more than putting discs in.

shadokitty

I just hit 200 with an episode of Mountain Monsters on Destination America. I'd never seen the show before, but it was so over the top, as to almost be a comedy. They were searching for Chupacabra in West Virginia, and ended up finding evidence for Bigfoot instead while they were trying to trap the Chupacabra. They were whooping and hollering when they caught what they thought was the Chupacabra, which of course was never shown.

sleepyhead55

I ended up watching a bunch of stuff today to hit my stated goal of 50 titles watched. The only movie I watched was the 1974 film The Internecine Project. I thought it was a pretty effective thriller starring James Coburn. There was a nice little twist ending as well.

I also watched a couple of episodes of Peaky Blinders on Netflix and will probably finish off season 1 since I find the series interesting.

shadokitty

While I would have been fine with stopping at 200, I just made 201 with a double credit movie that I was watching for the B Movie Challenge, a great Shaw film called The Delightful Forest, on the El Rey Network. After I finished, it occurred to me that it was eligible for this challenge too.

shadokitty

Thanks for a great challenge Trevor. I finished my challenge with an episode of Bill Dance Outdoors, at early this morning, ending my list at 202 watches. Most were TV shows, quite a few movies, and the occasional bonus feature.

davidh777

My final watch was pre-dawn, and I figured what better time for a vampire show? So I watched the sixth episode of season 5 of Buffy. The question now is whether to keep watching or wait till the MYO so I can get "credit."

Thanks for running the challenge, Trevor! I always like how this one incorporates action, adventure, crime, and mystery, making a lot of stuff eligible.

shadokitty

While my main focus will be the B Movie challenge, I plan to keep watching eligible stuff that strikes my fancy.

Ash Ketchum

I saw so many good westerns on YouTube for this challenge and all things I'd never seen before. And there are so many more like it on YouTube. It's like an alternate version of the Encore Western Channel.

Here are the ones I saw:

WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED (1953/Republic Pictures) with Joan Leslie, Audrey Totter, Brian Donlevy, Jim Davis. Badass dames battle each other in a Missouri/Arkansas border town during the Civil War while Jesse and Frank James, Cole Younger and Colonel Quantrill watch.

POWDER RIVER (1953/Fox) with Rory Calhoun, Cameron Mitchell. Streamlined remake of John Ford's MY DARLING CLEMENTINE with Calhoun and Mitchell playing thinly disguised versions of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

AMBUSH AT TOMAHAWK GAP (1953/Columbia) with John Hodiak, John Derek, David Brian. Outlaws new released from Yuma Prison converge on a ghost town to find their hidden loot before the Apaches attack--and the Apaches DO attack! Looks forward to Walter Hill's TRESPASS, which I also watched for this challenge.

RAILS INTO LARAMIE (1954/Universal) with John Payne, Dan Duryea, Lee Van Cleef. Payne is an army officer with special marshal status who's assigned to get the railroad crews working again after his old pal Duryea has set up a saloon and casino to separate the RR workers from their hard-earned wages. Van Cleef is Duryea's hired gun.

THE MAN FROM BITTER RIDGE (1955/Universal) w. Lex Barker, Stephen McNally. Sheep herders battle ranchers as a lawyer running for sheriff secretly masterminds a series of stage robberies.

There are tons more I'll watch for the B-Movie Challenge.

omike

As usual my eyes were bigger than the time I really had so I didn't get to everything I wanted to watch for this challenge. I did manage 71 items, 28 of which were movies. The films I liked best, in no particular order, were IP Man, Eye of the Tiger, The Invincible Brothers Maciste, Killers Five, and Brotherhood of Blades. I also discovered that Murder, She Wrote seems to be a pretty good TV show. I had always ignored it because it was a favorite of my mother when it was running for the first time and I mean really, how could it be any good?

Thanks to Trevor for keeping an eye on us and to all the participants. Someday, I'm going to have the time to watch and post all that I want to!

BobO'Link

Thanks again for the nudge to check Amazon for that episode! It worked just fine on the Chromebook.

I'd still rather watch on the TV rather than the laptop as I have to position things just right for the bifocals, the picture just isn't as good, and the screen is smaller than I'd like but it worked and I was able to watch the 2nd part of the S4 cliff-hanger. It was a very good episode.

As that worked out so well I streamed the movie Pharaoh's Curse (1957). It's one I'm interested in purchasing on disc but am a bit turned off that it's DVD-R only. That was nice as I could see the film (again after several decades) and know if I want a copy that bad. Well... that didn't work as I'm still on-the-fence but at least I've now seen it. I'll be doing the same thing for a few other films I'm unsure I'll like.

LJG765

Well, my challenge ended with a whimper. I had hoped to get to a few more movies but I just ran out of time. Darn real life! I did enjoy the ones I watched, mostly, and everything I did watch was a first time viewing, so I'm happy with that. Thanks for hosting the challenge, Trevor!

Ash Ketchum

List finalized.

coyoteblue

My list is finished.

shadokitty

My list is done.

LJG765

Mine list is done as well.