Hstrybuff1

The Getaway (1972, 1994)

Recently came across the 1994 remake and decided to do a "book + movies combo". Both the original (directed by Sam Peckenpah) and the remake (directed by New Zealander Roger Donaldson) incorporate many of the scenes from the Jim Thompson novel and imo are entertaining crime dramas representative of the decades in which the films were released.

I would have enjoyed the films more if they had incorporated a few other elements of the novel:
1) in the novel the main character, in his late-40s, seeks a way out of prison so that he can complete a final bank heist before making his way to the luxury El Rey enclave somewhere in Mexico where he and his devoted, much younger wife can live out their days without fear of extradition; in the films the character's release is brought about by authority figures who plan to profit from his skillset;
2) in the novel the main character is a well-liked individual who others are readily willing to step up to help; imo neither Steve McQueen (original) nor Alec Baldwin (remake) convey that;
3) both films end on a "happy note" with the couple crossing the border to Mexico; as Stephen King apparently once wrote, if someone has only seen the film then one has no idea of the existential hell that awaits the couple.

TheMovieman

The Return of the Street Fighter (1974) — Wasn't nearly as entertained by this sequel as I was the original. Sony Chiba did kick ass though but problem was, a good 15% of the movie was filled with either flashbacks or tangent scenes that had no bearing on the "plot", particularly the scenes showing us the weapons. All in all, not bad but not terribly memorable. 2.75/5

rogerrobert69

I never understood the cult/hype around this one either. It wasn't well-done nor were the characters interesting. At least not more than in the zillion action films around.

rogerrobert69

The Brothers Rico (1957)

Interesting (average plus) film noir with good acting. Nice the way the main character loses many things (which I won't spoil) throughoput the film before the ending. Worth a check.

rogerrobert69

Brain Candy (1996)

A few great scenes and jokes but a lot of characters and situations that fell flat. I prefer my own personal 'best of' their series. Still, enjoyable overall.

rogerrobert69

Edmond (2019)

Saw this at the cinema. Supposedly the big rage in France. Not bad but nothing to write home about. Story of Edmond Rostand, struggling french playwrite who must come up with a play in a few weeks to save his name. He'll come up with "Cyrano de Bergerac" which turned out to be the most popular french play ever. The film is totally improbable and lots is fictionalised to the extreme but it's a feel good story that goes by rapidly. It was nice to see the genesis of that classic. Entertaining but not sublime art.

rogerrobert69

Naked Prey (1965)

Total surprise. Had never heard of it and bought it for 1$ along with a bunch of other 'old' films a guy was getting rid of. Very raw filmaking. No fancy camera movements or angles, no complex editing, no music (almost) and barely ten lines of dialogue throughout. Simple story (hunting guide is being chased thru an unamed african country by tribe warriors who his party insulted by refusing to bribe the chief for letting them hunt in his territory) but very effetively told. Not a great peice of art like movies can be but an in your face story telling. Nice discovery.

rogerrobert69

Angel-A (2005)

Started out okay but went nowhere after a few scenes. Story of depressed guy who tries to commit suicide but ends up saving beautiful blond tall swedish girl (maybe another of Besson's flames whose career he tried launching) from killing herself. And lo and behold he gets back his zest for living, overcomes all his previous problems and they live happily ever after. Stupid.

rogerrobert69

Inframan (1975)

Awesomely cheesy and kitsch 70s japanese monster movie. A classic from my youth which I wanted to show my son. We had a blast!

rogerrobert69

Thomas est Amoureux (2000) «Thomas in Love»

Nice original belgian film where we never see the main character but only hear his voice and see his interactions with his computer. In a dystopian society, because he suffers from severe agoraphobia, Thomas lives at home and does all his interactions on a computer. He can't go out nor invite anyone in. We follow his life (including cyber-sex) on-screen and his reflections and changes in his personality. The end is a bit far fetched - although not the happy ending Hollywood would have tagged on - but it was nice to see something different. I had seen it and enjoyed it in the cinema when it came out and was curious to see if it held well and it does. Not for all tastes as there is not much action, just talk and characters coming and going on screen, but the quirky society and low key bizarre little things make it enjoyable.

rogerrobert69

Attila (2001)

Awful through and through. Bad acting, bad wigs and costumes, bad casting (Powers Boothe as a roman general! Give me a break) and over-romanticised mini-series. Felt like a cheezy italian peplum from the 60s.

rogerrobert69

It (2017)

Not scary one bit but well-made overall. Some of the kids were bad actors and Pennywise isn't as good as Tim Curry"s version but I was entertained enough, though not very interested. I'm curious to see Jessica Chastain in the second part...

rogerrobert69

Captain Marvel (2019)

Saw this at the cinema. Not as enthusiastic as others were in this thread. I thought Larson was non-acting and seemed arrogant rather than sympathetical. Maybe her character was written like that and maybe she is in the orignal comic books. But rest of film was okay walthough it really felt like they rushed it in order to introduce the character for the upcoming Avengers sequel. Not in my top five (nor ten) of MCU films.

rogerrobert69

Witness for the prosecution (1957)

Excellent (as always) Billy Wilder courtroom suspense with numerous twists up to the last shot. Well acted by Laughton who steals the show. But script is solid and gripping.

JeffTheAlpaca

Nothing really special about this movie





Surprised Benning did not get a Oscar for this and probably better than Portman in Black Swan that year.

Mia Wasikowska was really cute in that movie.

Norm de Plume

Also check out actor-director Cornel Wilde's Beach Red, which is just as good, but skip the campy No Blade of Grass. That's my suggestion.

TheMovieman

King of Thieves (2018) — Despite a great cast, this was a middle-of-the-road heist-drama based on real life events. Should have been a whole lot better. 2.75/5

rogerrobert69

Thanks for the suggestion. Will do. After watching The Naked Prey I went and read some articles about Wilde and being a sci-fi fan was attracted by No Blades of Grass. But with your comment I'll try and find Beach Red too. In what order I don't know!

JeffTheAlpaca

Kind of slow and I had a headache.

Wish Tim Robbins would do more movies and the first time I have seen Geena Davis in anything in ages.

rogerrobert69

Le cri du cormoran le soir au-dessus des jonques (1971)

Typical 70s french comedy by Michel Audiard (father of contemporary director Jacques) who wrote the dialogues for countless french classics from the 60s and 70s. Back then the french had one person dedicated to writing words (like Jacques Prévert or Pierre Bost) while someone else wrote the story. Michel only directed a few films but you get his trade mark wise cracks and absurd jokes and puns. The story is just a pretext for witty deadpan jokes between protagonists. Fun to watch such films once in a while (a bit like Tarantino dialogues but without the big narcissistic ego of the writer thinking he's sooooo clever) although they are very similar.

rogerrobert69

The Favourite (2019)

Saw this at the theater. Loved it. Yes it did drag on a bit at the end, but I thought it was written by Lanthmos considering he put his marks of quirkiness and absurd humour so well. Photography is also superb as are the three women. Clearly not for the straigh blockbuster-loving public like with all his films but so original compared to mainstream filmaking that it gives us hope as to the futur of film as art (as opposed to the entertainment industry! - and don't get me wrong I see and enjoy tons of Hollywood products every year but it's nice to get elevated sometimes too)

rogerrobert69

Rescue Dawn (2006)

Didn't enjoy this too much. Felt like a bit botched up for Herzog. The lack of budget shows but that's ok, the lack of convincing dialogues and performances is more annoying.
Based on the true story of american pilot who was shot down in Laos before the beginning of the Vietnam war (when US were bombing in secret strategic targets) and who escaped a pow camp. The first one to do so and one of the only ones to succeed.

rogerrobert69

The Five Obstructions (2003)

Documentary by Lars Von Trier where he challenges his idol, danish filmaker Jorgen Leth, to remake his short 1968 experimental film "The Perfect Human" five times but with different obstructions (conditions) each time. It started out interesting - if totally intellectual - but soon went into more of a therapeutic expose for narcissistic Von Trier. So much so that by the end, he takes up all the space and we barely hear Leth at all. Nice thing was bonus features had the original short so we can compare with the new versions. It was nice to see the creative process of the director as well, but overall feels very personal and self-centered.

TheMovieman

The Street Fighter's Last Revenge (1974) — A little better than The Return of the Street Fighter. While the actual fight choreography was great, it did at least have somewhat of a better story structure and it did have one brutal and, honestly, horrific death at the hands of our hero... 3.0/5

Norm de Plume

rogerrobert, you're a film-viewing machine!