TODAY I WATCHED... (Movies, TV) 2019

Slave To The Grind. A documentary on grindcore.

The Mandalorian

Re-watched "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse" with my son last night.

Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster

This is where Godzilla becomes a defender of Earth although the film doesn't start that way as both Godzilla and Rodan emerge and start wreaking their usual havoc.  But the arrival of the titular "space monster", along with the corresponding discovery of a "prophetess" claiming to be from Venus and with the urging of Mothra, all three monsters unite to defend the planet and mankind against this new threat.  I watched the Criterion version which has new subtitles and is thankfully free of that stupid dubbing where the Infant Island fairies "translate" Mothra's discussion with Godzilla and Rodan.

Watching Death Wish II right now, my personal favorite death wish movie, and also the first time I saw Bush and bewbs that I wasn't related too lol

Death Wish III is next, might watch that one too.

The original Death Wish is easily the best.

Live PD

007 wrote:

The Mandalorian

Same here. Isn't it wonderful? The most therapeutic show I've seen in a long time.

Fat Freddy wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

From Dusk Till Dawn

I remember really digging this flick but watching it again it just seemed very disjointed.  It plays out like what it is: a collaboration between Quentin Tarrentino and Robert Rodriguez.  The first half is all Tarrentino and the second half is all Rodriguez and the only thing tying the two halves together are the main characters which I totally didn't buy this time around.  In the first half, the Gecco brothers (Tarrentino and George Clooney) are completely disgusting, ruthless scumbags who abduct Harvey Keitel and his family.  Then all of a sudden in the second half, Clooney becomes a hero and forms an alliance with Keitel to fight the vampires. 

I liked a lot of the FX and many of the vampire sequences are pretty cool, practical FX (thanks to KNB FX) but I just wasn't into it overall.  And now I'm not sure about the ending; what's with that panning away from the "Titty Twister" bar and showing what looks like an ancient Aztec or Incan temple from the back?  Is that implying that there are more vampires in the lower levels that are hidden from the front?  Whatever; we didn't need a sequel and thankfully as far as I know we didn't get one.

Using our pal Leatherface's scale I give this one 2 out of 5 chainsaws this time around (compared to probably 4 out of 5 the first time I saw it).

I haven't seen this one in a long time but if I watched it now, I wouldn't be surprised if I agreed with your assessment about it not aging well. I do have some fun memories attached to this one though (and no, they don't all have to do with Salma Hayek's snake dance, haha)...

The first time I saw this movie with my girlfriend (now my wife) during its theatrical run, she knew nothing about the film going in. For the first half-hour or so it plays like yet another Natural Born Killers or Pulp Fiction style crime/caper flick, which was not her thing at all, and I could see she was getting bored...

...till they got to the "Titty Twister" and the first stripper vamped out and tore somebody's head off...she literally jumped in her seat like "WHOA!" Haha. As the carnage increased in intensity (and silliness) she eventually leaned over to me and sez "What the f**k kind of movie IS this?"

...anyway, I kinda like that last shot; I always thought it was meant to indicate that this "titty bar" has been there for a looooong time, kidnapping unlucky travelers off that road for generations (note all the piles of junked vehicles that have been pushed over the cliff)...

There are two (direct to video) "From Dusk Til Dawn" sequels by the way... but if memory serves I've only ever seen "2" and it sucked, so I never bothered with the third.

Just to chime in I have to say FDtD is on a list somewhere of top movies that make me nauseous. The gore in that film, while probably dated now, completely TURNED my stomach inside out at first watch.

It's also Robert Rodriguez' best movie and terribly underrated.

My favorite Rodriguez movie is Planet Terror; it's also STILL the GORIEST movie I've ever seen.  Not necessarily the most graphic gore but I haven't seen anything before or since that throws more blood and guts at the screen.

Castle Rock season 2, episodes 4 & 5

"Records Collecting Dust II" (2015)

Sequel to the 2014 vinyl lovers' documentary features another assortment of East Coast indie/punk/hardcore musicians and music-biz types like Page Hamilton (Helmet), Tommy Victor (Prong), Paul Bearer (Sheer Terror) and Ian McKaye (Minor Threat) showing off their favorite records and talking about albums that were important in their lives. It's fun to listen to these guys go down memory lane and it's also interesting to note how many of these angry hardcore dudes first got into music through stuff like The Carpenters.

Planes Trains And Automobiles (1987)



Steve Martin and John Candy star as 2 businessmen trying to make it from New York to Chicago in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. After a snowstorm diverts their flight, they continuously encounter mounting mishaps along the way. This is a fun film and one we try to catch every year. Now that I own the movie, that won't be a problem.

Godzilla:King Of The Monsters (2019)



Mankind must deal with the reappearance of giant sized monsters when eco-terrorists begin releasing and controlling them. The plan backfires,however, when the most powerful among them , Ghidorah, takes control and land on wiping out all life on Earth, unless Godzilla and Mothra are able to stop it. Excellent monster action throughout.

"The Rock" (1996)


A rogue military force led by a crazed general (Ed Harris) takes over Alcatraz Island and points chemical-warfare weapons at San Francisco, demanding a huge ransom payment. The free world's only hope is an infiltration force of Marines, a dorky FBI chemical expert (Nicolas Cage) and an elderly federal prisoner (Sean Connery) who happens to be the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz. Bullets fly, stuff blows up, asses get kicked.

This slick action epic blew me away when I saw it during its theatrical run in the '90s. I've seen it quite a few times over the years since (though it's been a while) and it's aging pretty well. Most of Michael Bay's filmography is crapola, but not this one.

Castle Rock season 2, episodes 6 & 7

"From Russia With Love" (1963)

James Bond's second big screen adventure sends him to Istanbul, where he meets a lovely Russian clerk who wants to defect to the West. Neither of them realize at first that they've been duped by SPECTRE, who are using them both to get their hands on a top secret Soviet decoding device.
Like its predecessor, "Dr. No," this flick sticks mostly to standard spy-and-counterspy business, without the flashy gadgets or over-the-top villainy that would become trademarks of later installments. Its leading lady Daniela Bianchi may be one of the loveliest Bond Girls of 'em all and of course, Sean Connery is the epitome of ass kicking Sixties coolness, as usual.

Gunsmoke

Got caught up on Castle Rock

"Goldfinger" (1964)

James Bond meets the crazed billionaire Auric Goldfinger, who wants to control the world's gold supply by sabotaging Fort Knox.
The third 007 film was the biggest, most sprawling Bond adventure yet, and it pretty much set all the templates (an over-the-top villain with an elaborate plan, fanciful gadgets, big action set pieces, etc.) that the series would use for the next three decades. More than fifty years on, it is still one of the best Bonds of 'em all.

The Hustler

How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Barney Miller
Three's Company

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Ebirah: Horror From The Deep

Ugh, I thought maybe this film would seem better than it did when I saw it as a kid but nope, it's still a snoozefest. I remember hating this flick (aka "Godzilla vs The Sea Monster") because it takes over 60 minutes for Godzilla to even make an appearance. And Ebirah is the dumbest and most fragile-looking monster Godzilla had ever fought to this point. But worst is that the vast majority of this movie is completely devoid of kaiju and plays like the Three Stooges meet James Bond.

There are a few interesting notes in the writeup of this movie in the Criterion book. For one thing this is the first Showa Godzilla film without the usual director, composer and special FX guys used for the previous movies. Also some of Godzilla's weird behavior (like being smitten with the pretty island girl) is explained because originally this movie was supposed to be a King Kong vehicle.

Still, only a Godzilla completist needs to sit through this bore.

Smackdown

Better Watch Out (2016)

This was a movie I bought last year and didn't get around to finishing.  I should have left it that way.  This flick can't decide what it wants to be; is it a horror movie, a comedy, or some combination thereof?  Actually the answer depends on what particular scene you're watching. 

It starts off simply enough as a home-invasion-during-Christmas movie but about 20 minutes in it throws a curveball and then tries to ride that one-trick-pony for the next hour and it just gets downright boring and annoying; I wanted almost everyone in the film to die a horrible death.

OK, it's probably better than sitting through Silent Night Deadly Night 2 but only barely.  1.5 out of 5 tinsel-draped chainsaws.