Limitless(2015):
Light hearted cop show(the genius consultant + tard wrangler actual cop type) that's a sequel to the movie of the same name.
The premise is that there's a pill that lets you unlock 100% of your brain™ but the main character was a fuck up musician so he takes everything in a very light hearted and comical way.
The show's also pretty stylish with the editing, foe example in lieu of making a BADASS HACKER MONTAGE the main character's monologue goes "this is boring so here's a few vines of shit exploding/kittens being cute" and he tries to get creative with clay figurines and mini home made videos all to the humorous annoyance of a decent supporting cast(including that one black guy from CSI... New York? and the sister from Dexter).
Unfortunately it ended on a semi-cliffhanger in season 1(it's 20+ episodes so that's cool).
The Goes Wrong Show
British (taped) theater show where the whole gimmick is that every actor is playing the character of an incompetent stage actor who is then playing the role of a character of whatever play they're running. Lots of layered jokes and physical comedy with the actual theater props and improvisation.
Two seasons + two movies(peter pan goes wrong, a christmas carole goes wrong) plus a few appeareances here and there like on some US talk show or a magic comic relief, you can very safetly ignore those ones because they're absolute shit but the seasons/movies are (mostly, s02 episodes 05 and 06 seem to drag on with certain unfunny scenes forever) great.
The President's Analyst - A 1967 release written and directed by Theodore J. Flicker, who would later co-create the cop show sitcom Barney Miller. A wild farce starring James Coburn as Dr. Sidney Schaefer, who is recruited to the titular position. The stress of treating the US President gets to Schaefer, who soon finds himself on the run from various intelligence agencies who want any knowledge he may have gained from his sessions with The Man, including America's own "FBR" and "CEA" and the most sinister faction of all, TPC. The Phone Company whose head is played affably by Pat Harrington, Jr., best remembered as Schneider the apartment superintendent from the sitcom One Day at A Time. As a fugitive, dealing with the craziness of everyone he encounters starts to cause him to start losing it even more, with people like self-described "liberal" everyman Wynn Quantrill, played brilliantly by William Daniels, whom Schaefer encounters while hiding out in the New Jersey suburbs.
Nicholas Cage overacting to his finest and John Travolta being a terrible actor, but the screenplay makes up for it. It doesn’t matter if it’s cheesy, it’s finely aged cheese.
This honestly is one of the more underappreciated animated movies from 2011 which does a fine job showcasing Johnny Depp’s voice work skills. His ability to play an out of town lizard in a place filled with some of the more unique, insane and hilarious characters in a Western town like square fits perfectly for him.
I initially wanted to post this in the Western Animation thread, but this seems appropriate to share on here since I don’t see it mentioned as far as one of Depp’s sleeper hits. Plus, it helps that the director Gore Verbinski who guided Deep in Pirates of the Caribbean really sealed the deal as to how good this one really is.
a small town New Jersey sheriff has a bunch of corrupt New York police living in his town, he idolises them but they treat him like a dick. its got a big name cast, Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Robert Deniro, Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick.
Stallone plays the sheriff who's a likeable charecter.
it's not a big action film but its interesting to Sylvester Stallone hold his own acting alongside Deniro and Keitel
In my honest opinion. War movies should be depressing showing the hellishness of war rather than a hero's action movie. This is why I put Schindler's List, Men Behind The Sun, The Pianist, Johnny Got His Gun and Das Boot as the best examples of war movies even if some were to have it's half truths. Imo, every side of World War II has done it's war crimes.
The best war movie in my opinion has to be the 1985 Soviet Film Come and See. It's an extremely disturbing film about a kid who wants to fight the Nazi's. But as he encounters more and more war crimes being committed by the Nazi's he becomes so horrendously disturbed by it. The child actor putting on such a face did a fantastic job portraying how disturbed he really is.
I watched Once upon a Time in America (1984) by Sergio Leone two days ago.
For the first time, because i actually mixed this one up with A Bronx Tale until i watched it now. Had A Bronx Tale filed under "was alright, watched better gangster films", got recommended a YT video were i falsely assumed the thumbnail showed De Niro in A Bronx Tale and while watching the intro of said video i realized that these are two completely different films. Sorry for the online-recipe preamble.
Once upon is a masterpiece, pure and simple. From the gorgeous cinematography to the excellent set pieces that sometimes looked more painted than real, to the cast (never seen William Forsythe this young before and easily the best role James Wood ever had) and the story. I'm only gonna spoil mildly here but don't read if you haven't watched it yet: How Leone tied the movie up with Woods' character still being alive and why De Niro's character ratted his friends out blew me the fuck away. Also pretty fucking ballsy move to let your protagonist rape not only one but two women over the films run time, the second rape being so graphic and intense that i assume people watching it back then reacted to it much like someone would react to the rape scene in Gaspar Noe's "Irréversible" in the present day. I also found the backdrop of what i assume was a pillow factory for one of the shoot out scenes fantastic, same as the childhood scenes in the beginning in the orthodox quarter with the thousands of extras. Again, the cinematography is the absolute height of camera work and it makes me sad that Leone hasn't set more of his films in a big city, he certainly has had a hand for making it look unique with his direction.
Much like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly an easy 10/10 for me, Leone is one of the best directors to have ever lived and this film proves it once again. My only real point of critique is Morricone's (whose "Ecstasy of Gold" for TGTBATU is one of the best pieces of film music ever made) score, due to the pan flutes. Indios in the 90's ruined that shit for me and i found the scenes were Forsythe's character is playing his flute both parts dreadful and unintentionally funny.
Nicholas Cage overacting to his finest and John Travolta being a terrible actor, but the screenplay makes up for it. It doesn’t matter if it’s cheesy, it’s finely aged cheese.
I watch everything Cage is in, even dogshit like Mom and Dad. Face/Off and ConAir i rewatched uncountable times and Leaving Las Vegas is one of the best movies i've watched, ever, and also one of my favourites. Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant film has the best crazy Cage. Cage's best recent film i've watched was Pig from 2021, one of these films that makes it clear what a fantastic and nuanced actor Cage is. Really surprised by how good it was and how much i ended up liking it, highly recommend a watch. Face/ Off might be a bad John Woo-directed film (like pretty much all of his Hollywood endeavours, though this one is certainly his best of the lot) but it is a great film nonetheless.
a small town New Jersey sheriff has a bunch of corrupt New York police living in his town, he idolises them but they treat him like a dick. its got a big name cast, Sylvester Stallone, Ray Liotta, Robert Deniro, Harvey Keitel, Robert Patrick.
Stallone plays the sheriff who's a likeable charecter.
it's not a big action film but its interesting to Sylvester Stallone hold his own acting alongside Deniro and Keitel
Another excellent and, in my opinion, highly overlooked 90's movie, i don't know if that's true though, i think i remember it did fairly well in the box office and on video. Outstanding cast, top-tier crime film. I second the recommendation on this one, too.
Has been high on my list since forever but i couldn't muster the will to watch it yet, i'm nearing the point again where my film backlog is shrinking and maybe this week it's finally the time to watch this one. I think i even have it downloaded already.
Casualties of war, my favourite Vietnam war film .Ennio Morricone soundtrack kills it. you'll feel sad afterwards and it shows Michael J Fox wasn't just a dumb teen actor. I wish he starred in more serious roles.
Casualties of war, my favourite Vietnam war film .Ennio Morricone soundtrack kills it. you'll feel sad afterwards and it shows Michael J Fox wasn't just a dumb teen actor. I wish he starred in more serious roles.
Interesting, a De Palma film i never even heard about before. Just checked the german title and it doesn't ring a bell either. I have to watch this. One of my favourite Vietnam war films is Dead Presidents, even if the Vietnam war isn't the main focus of it. Maybe in a sense it actually is now that i think about it, it's one of these films i rewatched a million times in my teens but i know i would view it much differently if i'd rewatch it as an adult. It's the second movie by the Hughes brothers, who directed Menace 2 Society before it, which is my favourite black gangster/gangbanger film of all time. I love the style of filmmaking they employ, Menace has a distinct but nonetheless excellent community college theater kid feel to it (i really don't know how to better describe it), from the cinematography to the casting and acting. There's some shots in it that make me think it was originally planned as a play or that it is at least heavily influenced by how a play is set up for an audience. One of the first movies i can remember that has a continous shot with no cuts sequence, even if it's short.
Interesting, a De Palma film i never even heard about before. Just checked the german title and it doesn't ring a bell either. I have to watch this. One of my favourite Vietnam war films is Dead Presidents, even if the Vietnam war isn't the main focus of it. Maybe in a sense it actually is now that i think about it, it's one of these films i rewatched a million times in my teens but i know i would view it much differently if i'd rewatch it as an adult. It's the second movie by the Hughes brothers, who directed Menace 2 Society before it, which is my favourite black gangster/gangbanger film of all time. I love the style of filmmaking they employ, Menace has a distinct but nonetheless excellent community college theater kid feel to it (i really don't know how to better describe it), from the cinematography to the casting and acting. There's some shots in it that make me think it was originally planned as a play or that it is at least heavily influenced by how a play is set up for an audience. One of the first movies i can remember that has a continous shot with no cuts sequence, even if it's short.
Funny you mentioned it, I'm gonna watch it, the whole films on youtube. I binged the sopranos and watched a podcast with Michael Imperioli. They were talking about his character in the vietnam segment getting a big prosthetic slong put in his mouth lol
Funny you mentioned it, I'm gonna watch it, the whole films on youtube. I binged the sopranos and watched a podcast with Michael Imperioli. They were talking about his character in the vietnam segment getting a big prosthetic slong put in his mouth lol
I know you are joking but it sort of does, showing the horrors of what it was like being in-country and all that. That is a real thing that was done in wars as a psychological warfare tactic, the Algerian War of Independence is where the practice first gained its infamy IIRC. Hughes bros. already had some real grim (and very well made) practical effects in Menace but that scene dials it up a notch.
Jackpot (2024) is a direct to video movie I expected I would have immensely hated. It stars Awkwafina, a frankly unattractive woman with a horrible hoarse voice. With John Cena who stars exclusively in slop. And directed by Paul Feig the guy who gave us Lady Ghostbusters.
But I didn’t hate it, it was a passable dumb action movie with an amusing “The Running Man” style premise and action sequences that were fun to watch. It was honestly funny and it was missing the wokeness I would expect from such a production.
Is it a great movie? Hell no I’d say a 6 out of 10 maybe even a 7. But the 2020s is such a horrible decade in film that even seeing a new comedy that is decent is nice to see. If you just want some slop that isn’t up it’s own ass well there’s worse ways to waste your time.
Longlegs
Absolute shite.
I know that Oz can make good movies. I liked I am the Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, but I thought that Blackcoats Daughter was akin the pulling teeth. Longlegs leans into the later rather than the former. I like a slow burn horror, I really do, but this is all setup with zero payoff. It does nothing but waste the viewers time on trite bullshit and pretends that its some kind of tension building.
There is no tension, just scenes, and scenes, and scenes.
Yes, compared to most modern horror this is well made, I will fully admit that this is an incredibly well shot movie, but it just builds to nothing.
Liem Neeson is one of my favorite actors so im gonna highlight some of the movies ive seen.
Taken: The movie that started his action movie stardom phase. Liem plays Brian Mills, a retired government glowie divorced from his wife who is concerned about his daughters trip to France. She naively hangs out with a dumbass friend and they both get kidnapped by serb sex traffickers. Leading to quite possibly one of the greatest phone conversations in movie cinema.
It is a fantastic revenge rescue flick and surprisingly topical especially now that France has a shit ton more rapists in it. It is perfectly paced, the drama and pathos is well executed and holy crap is it satisfying to see liem kill and maim the bad guys.
The thing that's really cool about liem's action movie style is that he is usually portrayed as something of a glass cannon. He cant take that many hits and is uniquely vulnerable due to his age. So in most films like this he fights like a dirty fucker, nut shots, throat punches, abusing the environment, shooting guys while pretending to be dead. Anything and everything is on the table and I appreciate how he's a sort of a realistic old action star. Also when on a phone any movie suddenly gets elevated times 10.
Taken 2: Not as good as the original but still pretty solid. The fathers of the sex traffickers want revenge and manage to track down mills and family to Istanbul. There's a really cool scene were Mills manages to triangulate his location by counting in a car blindfolded and the explosion of a grenade. There's also a really stupid ass scene were he gets the bright idea to ram a U.S embassy gate in full view of armed troops shooting at him but otherwise its solid and has a good ending
Taken 3: This may be one of the worst films Liem's ever done. It's the only movie were I had my expectations be so low and be met so exactly. it's Poorly edited, has a shit villain (the fucking ex husband of his wife), wife dies right before she was gonna get back with Brian, and the most cartoonish and unexplained moments of liem somehow surviving shit that should kill him dead. I had a good time making fun of it in an empty theater at least.
{I have not seen the prequel TV series but I appreciate they got an actor that looks like a decent liem impersonator}
A walk among the tombstones: a dam fine neo noir thriller. Two utterly monstrous serial killers are kidnapping women affiliated with drug dealers and it's up to retired cop/ private eye Matthew Scudder to find them.
This is a period film set in 1999 right during the Y2K craze which was cool. Also based on a book series were the author confirmed liem was his pet pick. I dug the intensity of this, it doesn't hold back on the grit and gore and really sells how depraved and fucked up the killers are. ( One of which is played by David Harbour
from stranger things, he plays a great psycho) There's some really good editing, build up and tension. I'm fond of how... alone liem starts out in this. Sure he's a badass but he doesn't really have much of a life till the case. Then he gets a kid sidekick and surprisingly this is the rare movie that actually manages to pull off the dynamic believably without being annoying.
Unknown: Dr Martin Harris gets in a car crash in Berlin and wakes up to find someone else assuming his identity with his wife denying his existence and assassins trying to kill him.
This is a movie with an excellent first half and a somewhat disappointing second. Not because of any bad performances but mostly because the main villain played by the great Frank Langella Gets killed off wayyyy too early and anticlimactic. So your left with a situation that should already be resolved but otherwise Liem really sells the anguish and anger of a man that's had everything stolen from him and wants answers. The twist is genuinely good. Also one of the Assassins kinda looks like Kelso so that was funny.
The gray: the most terrifying movie I've ever seen liem in. There's no monsters and no major twists. Just a couple of decent people in a really horrific situation trying to survive nature. Go in raw and you won't be disappointed.
Non-stop
U.S Marshal bill marks is on a plane and is being threatened via text to give 150 million dollars to an unknown passenger or they will kill someone every hour. Film has an excellent premise and good drama. Starts out brilliant and pretty shocking with how far it escalates. Appreciated that Liem is not a squeaky clean guy in this and has a bad record.
I do feel like the last act gets a bit weaker
the villain is kinda lame
but other wise worth a watch.
The commuter
Ex cop gets on a train and a phone caller attempts to coerce and threaten him into murdering a witness onboard. Things get insane and dangerous as said callers requests are repeatedly refused and other people are used to finish the job.
This is basically an amped up second stab at non-stop (same director) only liems on a train. The mystery/drama is bigger, train is more interesting, payoff is better and the villains are great. The fights are fantastic ( liem gets into a one take gun/ax fight that was kino) and there's plenty of scenes of him getting on the phone with the villain and telling em to fuck off. I was on the edge trying to figure out how the hell he'd get out of this.
Under suspicion
Oh this was a good one. This is a period piece set in 1950s Britain were Liem is playing Tony Aarion, an ex cop who's under suspicion of murdering his wife and has to work with his ex partner to clear his name. This is a dark ass thrilling neo noir movie and I really loved the set design and composition. I cannot give up the goose, but the ending blew me away and left me really theorizing.
I think the asshole cop in the bushes had a lot more to do with the murder and wasn't entirely a red Herring.... and I like to pretend this ties into liem's appearance on Miami vice
Also has an opening scene of Liem running naked with his balls swinging in the wind.
Marlow: in 1939 Phillip Marlow is hired to solve a missing persons case that spirals when it turns out the lies are more numerous then the truth.
This was a very comfy mystery movie that again has great casting and sets. Liem is kinda old for the role but he still sells it and brings the charm. The pace is breakneck and doesn't hold your hand but it gets better the longer It goes. If there's a negative to be had its that the dialogue feels very bookish and old fashioned (I had to put on subtitles) but it's definitely part of the charm. I was surprised it was an adaptation of a modern addition to the mythos as opposed to an original story by the author. Colm Meaney shows up as Marlow's cop boss for a decent chunk of time so that was fun.
Pilgrims progress: This was the first movie Liem ever did and I kinda loved it. It's an adaption of a aligoratical Christian story where this pilgrim leaves his family and everything he knows to bascialy find god and salvation while meeting various people along the way. Liem plays almost every good person the pilgram meets up to Jesus Christ on the cross while another dude basically plays the devil. It's a pretty fun if slow paced old school production.
