Just to nitpick, this is an Amazon Prime video movie, and having seen it recently I agree that it is funny enough. Unless you meant to specifically mean the quality is Netflix and not Amazon level, though I would contend that it is simply a streaming level (or in ages past direct to video level) quality movie. I would have no desire to watch this in theaters though in all fairness I don’t think most comedies have are required theater viewing.
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Yeah, basically “Direct to Streaming” quality. A step or to above Direct to Video as they usually have A-list stars and directors churning out films like Red Notice with The Rock, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds basically playing the same character they play in every film.
I couldn’t think of the movie name last night. Lone Survivor featured a long Taliban ambush and fire-fight off the side of a steep mountain.
Marcus Luttrell is knocked unconscious and slides a long way down the mountain. The long slide gets him away from from the Taliban. It’s a true story from his Luttrell’s service in Afghanistan. He was awarded a Navy Cross.
The Covenant has a similar ambush and outcome except the hero isn’t alone.
Tiny nitpick – it’s Emma Stone.
I appreciate the cogent analysis. Can’t say whether I agree or not as I haven’t yet seen it, but it’s on my “want to watch” list based on its 93% rating on RT (and a really impressive 8.5 on IMDb). However if I end up disagreeing with the critics, it won’t be the first time.
Two from AMC.
One I’d seen a while back on Noir Alley, and it’s a nice little noir with a New Year’s, well not theme, but association – Repeat Performance. Nicely done with mostly fine performances, heh. The supernatural aspect was surprisingly downplayed, and the transition from the present to the past (the main character – Joan Leslie --wishes to repeat the year just ending) was nicely and subtlely done. It was Richard Basehart’s first film, and he did a fine job. Understated and touching. His little speech at the end of the movie was thankfully non-cloying though nicely moving. Louis Hayward had the most over-the-top performance but this was post-WWII where he’d had traumatic experiences that affected him the rest of his life. As my sister said he always had a bit of a “twinkle,” but that was gone gone gone. It would have added some depth to his performance because there a bunch of times where you’d think why didn’t Joan Leslie just leave him? Overall recommend. Not a big picture but a satisfying one. Nice small role by Natalie Schaefer (the erstwhile Mrs. Thurston Howell III) who provides a touch of comic relief. Beautiful 1940s fashion, too, if you care about such things (I do).
The Last of Sheila is a movie that I said was dated without that datedness spoiling the movie. It was of its time (1973), but it didn’t pull the story out of shape. Script by Stephen Sondheim and Anthony Perkins, and it’s a corker. Great performances. Joan Hackett (who died way too soon) was good, as was Dyan Cannon in a perfect role for her – she got nearly all the good lines! The mystery plays out nicely and as James Coburn says at the beginning you can solve it without going anywhere, though we do get to see two of his party games play out before the deaths begin. It is what the golden age of mystery writers used to call a “play fair.” You have all the clues, though the action moves fast enough that you don’t get to linger too long to really work out what all the clues are telling you. Also, recommended.
Evil Dead Rise
Recommended.
I underrated this movie the first time I saw it and I keep hearing from a lot of people how great it is so I re-watched it. Yeah, I think wasn’t fully focused or in the mood. It’s a really excellent movie and continued proof that Evil Dead has reached 5 movies without a bad one yet. I thin Sam Raimi maintains some level of control over the series and this helps a lot.
Very much recommended and would probably be in my top 15 of 2023 if I made a list that went that far.
Her actual name is Emily, Emma is a stage name due to SAG rules banning duplicate registered names. Basically another Emily Stone got it first and she had to substitute Emma.
I just watched the documentary King Crimson at 50, and I quite enjoyed it. But then, I like the band.
I’ll be watching Spinal Tap in about 3 minutes with (well, kinda. Chatting online), get this, someone who has never seen it!
I just watched the MCUs “The Punisher.”
Once you see him being all happy with his wife and kid, you know they are done for.
Okay, the whole subplot about the waitress, the fat cook, and the skinny pierced guy made no sense. I thought maybe they’d be his support, but no.
’
Then the mystery guitar guy and the bad guys find his hide out- how? Did he put an ad in the paper or something?
The the big llong involved plot the make the travolta bad guy kill his friend and his wife- cool, except- why? I mean he killed the bad guy right after he told him that. Telling him say a day earlier so he could stew in the despair would be fine, but nooooo.
Then Punisher blows up a bunch of cars- why? Did the owners of those cars do something to him? if so, they didn’t put it in the movie.
Man, what a hot mess.
This has happened before. There was an actor who wanted to use his real name, but his real name was James Stewart, which was already taken. So he became Stewart Granger.
And again!
The Screen Actors Guild prohibits any two members from working under the same stage name, and they already had a ‘Michael Fox’ on the books. My middle name is Andrew, but ‘Andrew Fox’ or ‘Andy Fox’ didn’t cut it for me. ‘Michael A. Fox’ was even worse, the word fox having recently come into use as a synonym for attractive. (Presumptuous?) It also sounded uncomfortably Canadian — Michael Eh? Fox — but maybe I was just being oversensitive. And then I remembered one of my favorite character actors, Michael J. Pollard, the guileless accomplice in Bonnie and Clyde. I stuck in the J, which sometimes I tell people stands for either Jenuine or Jenius, and resubmitted my forms.
Gotta love movie trivia! I’ll bet there are many others. I know the given names of a number of actors, and it’s pretty obvious why they changed them; Marion Michael Morrison? Frances Gumm?
I do like Charlton Heston’s explanation of his name. His given name was John Carter. But when his mother remarried after divorcing his father, his step father’s name was Heston. He was in high school and said he was embarrassed to keep explaining why his name and that of his “father” was different. So he used Heston. Charlton was a nod to his mom, who’s maiden name was Charlton.
See also Michael Keaton.
Ignorance fought. I had heard his inspiration was Bullwinkle J. Moose and Rocket J. Squirrel.
Streamed 2 movies last night.
Glass Onion. We have seen it several times. Still love it.
Then The Gray Man. Ryan Gosling. Don’t really like him, and the movie is wall to wall unbelievable chop socky fights that no one could endure. BUT…it was very well done. Well choreographed and actually exciting. Chris Evans had a ball as the sociopathic heavy.
No! My pick for worst movie of 2022. Either that or Fantastic Beasts 3.
My sister had never seen it, and she’s watching it right now (on the dvr).
Tim Conway had to change his (real) name from Tom to Tim, because there was already a Tom Conway – George Saunders’s brother. And George didn’t want them getting confused when they first both began acting, so, Tom lost the coin toss and changed his name.
Ok, I admit I’ve never watched Spinal Tap all the way through. It came out while I was in college, and I tried many times and again last year. There’s something about it that turns me off, maybe it’s the indifferent drug usage, maybe it’s the too-close similarities to some people I knew in college, or the desire to avoid that lifestyle. I loved The Ruttles though, so go figure.
I remember drug references, I don’t remember any drug usage…. I mean, other than alcohol and cigarettes.