That’s one of Ruck’s better lines in Speed. His character sometimes relieved the tension of scenes. But Ruck has one terrifying scene in the film. Worse than seeing his dad’s 250 GT California Spyder wrecked.
Captain America: Brave New World
Mildly recommended.
No, not bad. Not great, either. Really just a continuation of the Falcon TV show and a sequel to the Ed Norton Incredible Hulk movie from 15 years ago.
Pretty fun in parts and I do like Anthony Mackie in the role of Captain America. I have heard this movie had a lot of issues, writing strike included, just to get finished. It kind of shows.
Not as bad as the absolute worst MCU movies(Black Widow, Eternals), but not as much fun as I wish it would be.
MOBY DICK, from 1956, starring Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab and Richard Basehart as Ishmael.
Henry V, the Branagh version. The first time I saw it I didn;t think Olivier could be equaled in the role, but this one did.
And ever time I see it I think of an episode of Star Trek, the Next Generation. At the opening of the episode Data is exploring the nature of being human. He’s acting the part of the king on the night before the battle of Agincourt, in Shakespeare’s Henry V. Afterwards he speaks to Capt. Picard, saying “I studied all the iconic depictions, Olivier, Branagh, Kulnark, Shapiro”
Love this movie. I’ve seen it so many times I have the dialog memorized.
Watched The Thin Man again. I love all those movies, but the first is the best because it got things started.
Not really a “film” but I did go to a cinematic screening of the recent National Theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest starring current Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa.
The word “flamboyant” is not strong enough to describe this show. There’s an opening scene involving Gatwa playing the piano that serves to warn you what the tone of the rest of the show will be.
Worth seeing if it’s showing near you and your panties are not easily twisted. I keep thinking Wilde would have loved it.
The Thin Man 1931 William Powell, Myrna Loy
It’s rare to find such a good film from that era. The transition from silent films was in full swing.
The Thin Man is a retired detective that married a wealthy socialite. Their circle of friends sometimes draws the Thin Man back into solving a case.
The movie holds up quite well today. There are several more Thin Man films. They vary in quality. I think the first one is the best.
TCM airs it occasionally. I purchased it on Amazon Prime several years ago.
Umm, no. The Thin Man, based on a Dashiell Hammet story of the same name, refers to the murder victim, whose skeletonized corpse is discovered in oversize clothing, disguising its identity (spoiled to protect those who haven’t seen the movie. It really is a fine film)
Huh, I’ve watched the Thin Man movies many times. I always thought the character Nick Charles was known as the Thin Man by the gangsters.
Learned something new today.
The distinction became blurry. The original “thin man” was the murder victim, as peccavi notes; but the title stuck to the Nick Charles character. “The Thin Man Goes Home” (1944) is about Nick Charles going to his home town.
And the original was 1934, not 1931.
Yeah. “Thin Man” gets a Frankenstein pass from me.
“The Thin Man” contains this memorable (and slyly suggestive) exchange:
Nick: I’m a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
Nora: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids.
Nick: It’s not true. He didn’t come anywhere near my tabloids.
If you are American I wouldn’t expect you to get more than one in ten of the gags, they would go over the head of most non-Brits. Sorry.
I would argue about Black Widow being one of the worst MCU films. It’s only rated 1% lower than Captain America. The Marvels, Thor II, Thor IV, Eternals and Ant Man 3 are generally considered the “worst”. And to be honest really only I only really didn’t like the Thors and The Marvels.
Black Widow IMHO only really suffered from telling her story after she had already died and left the MCU.
I am kind of excited for Thunderbolts* and Avengers Doomsday.
My wife came across on Facebook, a list of “best burglar/heist” movies. We could’ve seen Topkapi, or Heat, or The Great Train Robbery…but her pick was Absolute Power (1997) (Amazon Prime, $3.99)
Clint Eastwood as a burglar, who in the course of a major heist witnesses a much bigger crime. A taut little thriller and a nice way to spend a few hours. And I had absolutely no recollection of this film ever being in the theaters.
Directed by Eastwood, screenplay by William Goldman, and a stellar cast: Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, E.G. Marshall, Dennis Haysbert, and a very young Lara Linney.
(If you’re a Breaking Bad/BCS fan, look for a tiny role for Hector Salamanca)
I loved the Marvels and Thor 4. However, I concede that Ant Man 3 and the Eternals, and even Thor 2 are worse than Captain America 4.
It’s in my bottom 25% or so, let’s put it that way. It’s not as bad as Iron Man 2, either.
Duel, 1971. Dennis Weaver as a motorist driving across the desert, getting harassed for no apparent reason by a murderous truck driver whose face is never seen. Directed by Steven Spielberg early in his career and a nice example of what you might get if you have a talented young filmmaker and give him a budget that’s enough for him to do something that looks good as long as he’s not going to get too elaborate about what he wants to put on screen.
The Gorge on Apple TV+ with Miles Teller and Anya-Taylor-Joy.
The best part of the film was their long distance romance, but as a whole the movie was a bit if a messy genre mashup that didn’t quite fit together.
The Calendar Killer
Somewhat recommended.
This one streams on Prime, so if you have that and need a 90 minute movie, it is worth that. Various people wake up, tied up, with a sign that say “You or him. One of you must die.”
Our main characters, a woman in an abusive relationship and a call-center worker, try to figure out how to save our female lead’s life as she tries to run away from the Calendar Killer.
It was OK.