Barbarian Queen

 

                                           It really started with a night of watching Mystery Science Theater 3000, me and my brother were just watching one episode where Mike Nelson and the Bots are watching Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell. And after watching that movie we decided to watch another B-movie called Barbarian Queen, which is weird. Although this was a bad but enjoyable movie that has hilarious dubbing moreover the filmmakers are a bunch of sleaze balls that everywhere you turn all the women are completely topless. Though I should add that the film was executive produced by Roger Corman, the king of insanely entertaining B-movies. Staring Lana Clarkson who years later was murdered by Phil Spector moreover appeared in an episode of another Roger Corman show one I talked about three years ago Black Scorpion for which was her final performance before she died.  I have now begun to rethink that all movies that come out every year are nothing but throw away films and slowly turn to the forgotten realm. 

                                           Barbarian woman (Lead by Lana Clarkson) go on a quest for revenge when pagans in black ruin wedding day. 

                                            I now began to rethink that all movies that come out every year are nothing but throw away films and slowly turn to the forgotten realm moreover just getting a buck or just something to profit. And I do remember a fair share of films I've seen in the movie theaters where a good portion of films that come out either in January through March or the mindless action films that come out in the summer blockbuster season there only made just to keep the lights running. Which is fair and understanding but how can these movies make money when they don't make profit in the theaters? And there's so many questions with the system of Hollywood that just doesn't make any sense and Barbarian Queen is a great example of that. In terms of the research, I found Roger Corman wanted to produce a sword and sorcery film to capitalize the success of Conan the Barbarian. Which yeah it makes sense but, if you experienced any of Corman's produced films I can't honestly say if he was going to take the film serious or does not care about the story mainly because the film by itself is an hour and ten minutes long, and I'm not lying when I say it, it's that long and even when it comes to the end it shows that they were just wanting to wrap it up like pronto. Furthermore, when it comes to Corman, where does the money go and how is he able to fund the money to keep the lights running, especially when it comes to his studio company? So, again there are so many questions that are just curious to me because if I was running a company studio, I want my films to be seen not just throw aways that no one will ever see again moreover years later appear on Tubi. But, then you have to realize that the things which makes Barbarian Queen entertaining is that the film is unintentionally funny like the dubbing for a great example, and if you don't know what dubbing is, it's basically if you don't have a boom mic in certain scenes where it's impossible to have a boom mic you go to the studio and dub you're lines and since the film was shot in Argentina I assume majority of the lines had to be dubbed which again that's an assumption so again the films is so forgotten that you can't even find answers on IMBD. The other thing is that the film has so much topless woman that the costumes weren't made to be strong clothing, and the thing is that the beginning of the film starts off with a plunder of woman that just seems wrong but yet I'm like of course this would happen moreover kind of funny because yet again this just so predictable that all the men in the movie are thinking with their balls, and the scene that also gives the movie two stars is that a male torturer is pillaging the queen that it looks like her vagjayjay is demolishing the guys dong and then pushes him into a vat of acid, it's just the little things that just makes it funny. Now, I'm not going to lie when I say this, through the course of the film I begin to hear music from Jesus Christ Superstar and while watching the film I began singing one of the songs from Superstar, which is crazy and funny at the same time. Anyway, this is a film that is not for recommendation but is also a conversation starter for how the system of Hollywood is somewhat in question in terms of how they're able to make a profit especially when it comes to B-Movies that become forgotten hidden treasures.

                                                          

Fletch

 

                                       The last time I watched a Chevy Chase movie was when I realized how much I hated the movie as well as its Christmas sequel. I mean I hated the movie so much that I had to watch Caddyshack that was a billion times better moreover what I thought was Chevy's best and only good performance. That is until I decided to watch another one of his films Fletch, and granted I didn't think much of it other than seeing a trailer to Confess, fletch starring Jon Hamm. Moreover, the original film was on Tubi, so a free movie is better than anything, but most importantly this was another attempt to expand my horizons in terms of finding movies I haven't seen. 

                                    A veritable chameleon, investigative reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher (Chevy Chase) might drive his editor up the wall, but he always produces great pieces for the newspaper. When the next story is about the drug trade taking place on the beach, fletch goes undercover as a homeless man. Unaware of Fletch's identity, a businessman offers Fletch $50,000 to kill him. Intrigued, fletch decides to unearth the full story behind the offer. 

                                     Now I'll say again this was one of those movies I had little expectancy in terms of how good the movie was, like my bar was so low. This was the first time I was surprised by a movie that Chevy Chase movie especially when this movie is a full-on mystery story not just a typical comedic film starring a comedic actor. Though sure the film itself has some comedic moments and Chase does a good job at that, but this was a first time that I see him show off more of a drama performance especially when it came to some of the most serious scenes where I was a little shocked at times. So, this was really the first time while watching this movie I was impressed by Chase's acting abilities when it came to both comedy and drama at the same time. I must admit while researching the movie this was the first time that I heard the character of Fletch is based on a book by Gregory Mcdonald, who wrote numerous mystery adventures revolving on Fletch and now having heard of this I now want to check out some of those books. And it isn't just Chevy Chase's performance that makes the movie great, but you also have some great supporting cast as well, such as Joe Don Baker playing a great bad guy and a great female lead in Dana Wheeler-Nicholson who plays the love interest to Chase's character. For a standalone movie this was a huge surprise for me in terms of how entertaining a good the movie was, and I put this in competition with both Caddyshack and Fletch as the best Chevy Chase movies alone. Although I should add Hot Tub Time Machine but to be fair that's more of a supporting role, so in all actuality Caddyshack and Fletch are both Chevy's best films combined and in all honesty that's really the truth sorry not sorry. Now, having really enjoyed from movie from start to finish, moreover hearing a sequel that has nothing to do with the books I think for now I'm pretty much am going to pass on Fletch, Lives and move over to Confess, Fletch for many reasons if it has nothing to do with the books than it's obviously not going to be great, but more importantly the first film was out of luck that this was or if going to be enjoyable for me but also one or two Chevy Chase's films are pretty much enough for me. So, if you're a big fan of Caddyshack or love Chevy Chase as a SNL alum then I would highly recommend watching Fletch.

    

Meg 2: The Trench

 

                                      

                                     In days of slumber from work I was tasked by my brother to take my nieces and nephew to a movie that they wanted to go and see. For which that movie I grudgingly did not want to go see, and that movie was Meg 2: The Trench. And really this was an uncle, nieces and nephew's night out moreover don't have a whole lot to say because my youngest nephew loves some of the weirdest movies that I never thought she'd ever like but she does. Now before I proceed with my review, I should point out that I haven't seen the first movie for many reasons well, the most obvious reason I don't really want to.

                                     Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) leads a research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.

                                     Now having experienced this time with my niece and nephew, I of coursed learned a lot of form this experience and more importantly will defiantly do this again. I mean sure I'm going to lose out when it comes to kids wanting to see movies like Meg 2, and yes I'll most certainly get some bonus points when it comes to the kids but in all honesty when they get older I'll be forcing them to pay for my food when I pick the movie I want to go see so, that will at least be some sweet petty childish revenge on them or will it? Okay, I'll joke aside in terms of movie itself all I can say is that this is the reason why Jaws is the godfather of all Shark movies as a genre that's completely by itself. Though true I haven't seen the first one but that's because I've seen a lot of previews to shark movies that I look at and think those are without a doubt a complete waste of my time, just one of those genres after the success of Jaws, Hollywood is like "well how can we top that, there must be a why right? Well, what if the dead shark had a baby and that's it that's the story, or what if he goes out on revenge, how about we combine a shark with an octopus, I mean that can work we're Californians we're brain dead". For which to be fair Hollywood producers are brain dead that's why they continue to produce so much crap. Even though I haven't seen the first movie, I can honestly say that the whole premise of this movie is just way too predictable especially when the antagonist in the movie is insanely dumb in wanting to control these huge Sharks it’s like how I hope they all die a horrible death for their insane stupidity. Here's the thing, when it comes to Jason Statham when it comes to his movies a hit at times, but then he also has hard misses, and the Meg movies are like Rick Vaughn's misses in Major League where there are hard misses. I mean when it comes to the Crank films those were so entertaining that I had to stop what I was doing and enjoy the ride but with the Trench, I felt so bored that I'd using a good portion of my bathroom breaks. I did find a disturbing truth that the Meg films we're based on books from the late 90's for which I was beyond surprised, moreover I want to check these books out and see what's the big difference between the movies and the books, for many reasons I can't believe the movies are the same as the books. Of course this movie was not my cup of tea furthermore have no interest in wanting to watch these movies again, but when it comes to my own nieces, nephews and their love of movies I have to watch what they like for many reasons it's there wants not mine and I have to respect that moreover that's an important lesson when being an uncle to three kids, and even though I don't look at this movie the way they do, I will always no questions asked be taking my them to a movie they want to go see even if the movie looks bad and they're driving me nuts because I love them to death.

          

                                       

                                         

Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers

 

                                            I don't much write out rare reviews when it comes to documentaries for many reasons I watch them for mostly typing movie reviews I have to get done, working out on my exercise bike, or sorting out and putting away my clothes, though there was something about the new Hulu documentary from Training Day director Antione Fuqua about the rise of Dr. Jerry Buss and his kids buying the LA Lakers for which started the dynasty of the 80's moreover spawned a certain TV show on HBO. Now, I wasn't expecting much out of this show because there was a lot of history I've learned through a ton of documentaries and books I've listen too, but really what made this show moving by the last episode was that it was more about a dysfunctional family running a NBA franchise and some of the stuff I've learned about the Buss family was defiantly moving and a sense that I don't have to worry about how dysfunctional my family is at times for which will get to that.

                                            The rise and unprecedented success of one of the most dominant and iconic franchises in professional sports is told only by the people who lived it.

                                             A side from the first act of the series there really wasn't much to say because I've already know a good portion of what happened in the 80's from again it was sex, drugs and basketball that's basically the best way to describe the Showtime Lakers of the 80's and that's all I know so there's really no need to talk about things I've already known, though in all honesty the business wise was interesting during the 80's because what Jerry Buss was able to accomplish in terms of making money plus promoting the Lakers was very interesting moreover genius in terms of what they were able to get away with especially when it was the eighties and that the economy was blooming at that time, the Buss's really did a good job by taking advantage of that. Then when we got to the ending of Showtime there were a lot of elements I didn't know but found it a little interesting but again that was just meh stories until we got to the Shaq and Kobe era than it got back to the interesting aspects of it moreover Shaq going over to Phil Jackson's house asking him to coach the Lakers and Jackson putting Shaq through a trial of respect that was pretty cool and as a kid growing up in middle school hearing that Phil Jackson was coaching the Lakers I thought was an act of betrayal towards me because I loved Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls along with Phil Jackson they were the greatest team ever and for him to go to the LA Lakers is like Mark McGwire going to the Yankees. But now at the age I'm at now moreover finishing the Last Dance, I really understand Jackson going to the Lakers moreover appreciate him as one of the greatest Basketball coaches of all time furthermore him going to the purple and gold was probably the best decision he's made because he got a new life coaching a team back to the Finals. I will say if there was one basketball player I wished I continue to follow was defiantly Kobe Bryant for many reasons the guy was an exceptional player and during Michael's run as the greatest to ever lived I was kind of resentful of people saying that Kobe is better than Jordan which again is bulls**t and I personally looked at Kobe and the Lakers as kind of enemies but again now into my old age I don't think it's necessarily fair because those guys are complete opposite moreover I had no idea that Jordan looked at Kobe as a younger brother or apprentice that would soon be the next big thing. I’m not going to lie, when I say that I had no idea that Shaq and Kobe had a huge beef against one another moreover hearing that these two wanted to be the main leader and a fight brewing for which broke these guys up, and like I said documentaries like these you learn something's you never knew really happened. Now, the sports history when it comes to the Lakers from 1990 to now is no doubt fascinating but also the business of the franchise between the kids is also fascinating but also moving because when I look at the Buss family and the kids it's like you're typical dysfunctional family where everyone resents one another moreover don't trust another in terms of business transactions and really it does feel like a succession story where you're obviously know that Jerry Buss's kids don't love one another and no doubt he wanted to have get together for which sucks and being the youngest of three yeah it does suck in a way but my mom and dad are more saints compared to his Jerry Buss and his wife. And through the course of the series yeah the kids stories does sound like a NBA version of Succession but once I got to like the last episode and get a twist that I never thought was coming from a mile away that's when I really started to seriously sit down and shut up because that's when you really get to see more that these kids begin to forgive one another especially Jeanie Buss doing what she had to do to own the team, and when Covid happens and you got nowhere to go both of these kids really come together and begin to accept the situations that happens and learn to forgive each other, moreover that really moved me because there are times where I'm annoyed with one of my siblings and now having seen this I really hope in the near future I can re-capture that time I've spent with my siblings instead of seeing the negative aspect of it. Having watched this series moreover thought that Antoine Fuqua did a really good job in bringing this documentary to life and when it comes to documentary style of filmmaking that's a not so simple thing to do, would I be following the Lakers after watching this series, and the answer is very simple HELL NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I mean no doubt I respect the Laker franchise as a whole just like other iconic franchise in the United States other than Soccer, but no way I would wear any sports team that would consist of anything LA or New York for it's just how it is once the St. Louis Rams left for LA I went back to the Dallas Cowboys now granted I should of went to the Chiefs because Patrick Mahomes is awesome but I already used up my free jump train card once you use that there's no going back, and it's the same with New York and Boston or any East Coast or West Coast teams it's nothing personal it's more of I would think if God put his foot down between each part of the United States, it would be both the east and west coast of the United States. Aside from this being a straightforward series about in NBA team from 1979 to now, it's the same history that I already knew moreover didn't think much of it but the family aspect of the final episode which moved me, is the reason why I'd recommend it. So, if you're a Lakers fan or a Basketball fan I would recommend it, that is if you’re obsessing over Winning Time then, I got nothing hell I had a joke for a moment, but it disappeared.

              

August Recommendation: Sound of Freedom

 

                              Hello everyone as the Governator would say, "I'M BACK". That's right I've been gone on a long three-week vacation doing absolutely nothing though watching movies and playing a little bit of Golf, Chevy Chase style. Throughout the course of my three weeks of hibernation I've decided to expand my horizon in a lot of interesting and surprisingly good films that really challenge my views in ways I couldn't imagine. One film for which I've considered my monthly recommendation for the month of August, is a movie that my parents watched and wanted me to watch as well. Sound of Freedom is a courageous story about one U.S. Agent who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Columbia. 

                              After rescuing a boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent (Jim Caviezel) learns the boy's sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journey's deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.

                               I’ve seen a lot of movies for a long time since 2010, more of them are films I enjoyed through the years moreover I'd also watch films that I kind of wanted to have a challenge from bad to good, from worst to one of the greatest films I've ever seen. But Sound of Freedom is considered an Action movie, I must admit it's really something new and different than I've ever seen especially when it comes to a small independent movie. The film itself is based on a true story based on Tim Ballard who started in operation titled Operation Underground Railroad for which taken care of the anti-sex trafficking, and the interesting factor is that Ballard recommended Jim Caviezel after watching the Count of Monte Cristo, for which damn I now have to re-watch that movie because that's another film I've haven't seen in quite a long time. Now getting back to never seeing a different kind of film, when I watched the film for the first time I really thought in my own mind that I would actually see some of these scumbags getting what they deserve moreover hell I was actually hoping they would maybe torture some of them for the their monstrous deeds I'm not going to lie and this film doesn't have that in a sense granted once some of these guys get captured they are showed what their lives are going to be like but in the darkest of things I was kind of hoping we at least have a scene where some of these scumbags go to prison and all of the inmates give death glare's at these new inmates because they know what there convicted of and know they're not going to last. And honestly that's kind of the thing I was going to expect in the movie, and yet we didn't get to see that for which yes it's a little disappointing but then I began to think about it a little bit and the thing was I had to talk to my Mom about it via texting her, and then it just accrued to me that, that's really how Hollywood in a sense kind of transformed my brain a little bit in terms of what I’m going to expect, a great example of that is Taken where Liam Neeson is torturing a sex trafficker or the first season of Big Sky on ABC where one of the protagonist shoots the evil police officer in the head but yet is question for their actions I mean it's one of those things where I expect in a movie like this. And yet I have to realize I need to turn my brain off of things I'm going to expect in movies like this and with Sound of Freedom expecting these cruel people getting what they deserve it's really about the story of man whose reached a breaking point in his job and wants to free these children from the worst acts of human kind, and Jim Caviezel's quest to save these children and bring them back to their dad, and that's the thing that makes Angel Studios such a great start up movie studio because their taking serious in terms of making great Christian media. Furthermore praise the good Lord when it comes to Angel Studios because when the films was completed back in 2018, producer Eduardo Verastegui made a distribution deal with the Latin American subsidiary of 20th Century Fox, though when the studio was bought by Disney the film was shelved until Verastegui and director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde bought the distribution rights back from the Studio and then when to Angel Studios who really saw potential in the movie, and great praises for Angel Studio's because their the one Christian company that actually gives a s**t about story telling the movie itself is an exceptionally great film from start to finish as well as a great suspense film because with the help of Jim Caviezel's performance he really does an exceptional job leading the audience through this dangerous mission of rescuing children from bad people on the planet and what these kids are going with in the movie is just horrifying to imagine. Another actor who gives a great performance is Bill Camp who plays a former cartel accountant turned helper for government officers because his monologue of why he decided to help troubled kids is just amazing moreover you feel for the guy and knowing that it takes a lot to forgive yourself from terrible deeds. From start to finish Sound of Freedom was known doubt a surprising hit of 2023, with great suspense and great acting from Jim Caviezel who let's not forget the man is the best movie Jesus (though Jonathan Roumie is the best TV Jesus), but deep down this is a movie that needs to be seen for many reasons the topic of sex trafficking is in important to discuss because it's everywhere and nobody is doing about it hell it's happening in small unexpected places like Central Nebraska and we don't even know it. So, I would highly recommend watching this film in your selected theaters or when it's released in Blu-Ray and watch the film and most importantly for those who've watched a ton of movies like me pretend you haven't seen a movie like Sound of Freedom.

          

                                                        

                                        

July Recommendation: Jaws

 

                                       The weekend of July 21st through July 22nd was without a doubt one of the best weekends of movie watching for me. First it was going to Oppenheimer in the theaters which was a blast from start to finish then on a Saturday I decided to take my Mom and my Dad to go see the one movie that made Steven Spielberg a house hold name, Jaws for which was being seen at the local IMAX in my hometown of Hastings, Nebraska and when I first heard that Jaws was being premiered I was like "Mom, Dad we're going to see Jaws" and no doubt it's been a while for them seeing the film moreover the same goes to me. Though here's the thing, I remember watching Jaws. I know how the movie begins and ends but I am not going to lie this was the first time ever that I was terrified by a mechanical shark. Though either way I had a movie worthy of a July Recommendation but that whole IMAX experience of Jaws was without a doubt worthy of a Recommendation in the month of July. 

                                       When a young woman is killed by a shark, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist’s revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled ship captain Quint (Robert Shaw) offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs. nature. 

                                       Now I'll say this again in case I haven't, I have been familiar with Jaws ever since I've been collecting movies and DVD's or Blu-Ray's. So, after watching the Indiana Jones Trilogy growing up, I wanted to experience more of George Lucas's films though more of Star Wars, but I also wanted to experience more of Steven Spielberg's films and that's were Jaws came in, during a teen growing up it was really all about George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, so I was watching a good portion of their films including Jaws. So, yes, I've seen Jaws. I’ve watched it a bunch of times and know how the story begins and how the shark dies, but granted it's been quite a long time since I've sat down and watched Jaws from start to finish. So, deep down I never knew what I was going to expect when watching Jaws at the IMAX, but there is a huge difference between watching the film at you're home screen and watching it at the IMAX theater, home TV you just love it for the acting and the suspense but the IMAX theater you begin to realize how scary the mechanical shark really is and it isn't just the shark but it was also the little details that I somewhat ignore when you watch it on home video, but then you really get to see how terrifying it was to see from the missing dog and even watching the kid get attack is just terrifying that the way they shot it just became scary for me. The fact that this film only cost nine million dollars to make is even more interesting, because the big bucks came with developing the shark and finding the town but also had to deal with finding the right cast and sure finding Richard Dreyfuss was easy because two years before he was in Lucas's small film American Graffiti but like legendary actors like Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw, and even Shaw wasn't sure of excepting the role because he didn't like the book but was persuade by his wife, which shows that listening to your wife is always a wise advice to have. Both Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss are both great actors in the movie and they both have such great chemistry one's the so called nerd and one whose the cop seeking advice from Dreyfuss's character who knows more but have's a better opinion, and again they both are great but Robert Shaw hands down steals the whole movie, I mean he does such a tremendous job playing a fisherman who knows he's an outsider but knows that he can catch the shark moreover is confident furthermore like a mad caption who will stop at nothing to kill the shark, and really what makes Shaw so great is his tremendous monologue of how he survived the demise of the U.S.S Indianapolis and the thing I found fascinating was that Shaw was a real life playwright at the time and he took what Carl Gottieb and Peter Brenchley's screenplay and make a memorable story that provides great horror and how soldiers survived the waters after being sunk by Japanese submarines, for which includes shark infested waters and the way he describes it is just terrifying and more importantly Spielberg is focusing on Shaw's face and he's painting an image of what happened through words. Even Dreyfuss in that scene admits that he wasn't even acting at that point he was just in awe of Shaw's acting in that one scene. The way Spielberg was able to film the third act of the film is just great film making at its finest because it's simply just three men in one boat with nothing but water and one shark which is a battle of wits between man and shark and who was going to crack, because when you watch it both of these men are getting on each other's nerves and it feels like it's going a to be a terrifying span of madness along with the isolation for which reminds me a lot about my time when I was stuck in my apartment three years ago, and especially when the shark finally reveals itself is just scary but pure genius as well especially when the shark tears up the boat then it gets even more suspenseful till the final showdown and how Spielberg was able to pull that off is just amazing. Without a doubt Jaws is the GOAT of all Shark films out there, and the fact that they more sequels is just obscured like you had great talents of directors coming out in the late seventies is just why of all things you needed to make more movies after Jaws, I mean Universal Studio's must of really been desperate in terms of money because sure some of the movies Universal released but I guess nothing compared to the original Jaws. Going to Jaws at the IMAX was defiantly the greatest call I've ever made moreover worthy of a July recommendation because it's been a long time since I've seen it and IMAX really makes a difference when it comes to being terrified on screen then on home television. So, if you haven't seen Jaws in a long time then I would highly recommend watching Jaws because you'll experience some of these little details that I can't describe but you defiantly will have a great experience reliving this 48-year-old horror treasure.

                                            

Oppenheimer

 

                                         Finally in the entire year of 2023, I got the chance and finally went to the right movie to watch, moreover spent my money in a GOOD way possible. Now, before you say anything or comment or whatever, no I did not go see Barbie so suck on that social media and Hollywood, and I got news for all of you, the women of the world moreover the feminist movement don't need me to go see that movie because after I came out, there was a whole group of women in Pink so, deep down Barbie will be just fine not taking my money. Although if there was one man, I would give all my money too in terms of going to the movie theater it’s without a doubt Christopher Nolan. For which leads us to Nolan's latest movie release Oppenheimer, and of course the movie tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer the man who created the ultimate weapon that ended WWII. Staring Cillian Murphy in what might hopefully be the role that finally gives him the Academy Award.

                                        During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Graves Jr. (Matt Damon) appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spent years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16th, 1945, as they witness the world's first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history. 

                                         Now I believe that if you've read my reviews or some of my taste in films, you should figure out by now that Christopher Nolan was and is one of my few favorite directors of all time, and I'm not going to deny that, hell the man brought back Batman to character he was when it comes to movies. But more importantly even when it comes to the Dark Knight Trilogy combined, he always comes out with something fresh and something new, he isn't like Steven Spielberg who became a sellout after remaking West Side Story though in all fairness the man did kind of lost his way. Though when it comes to Nolan he always comes up with something new and different concepts that I as a lover towards film I have to go and see and sure one out of his three science fiction films granted where a little on the, off center but you can't deny that when it comes to making movies, Nolan is always coming out with something new, I mean when it comes to finding out what his next project is, I'm always looking forward to seeing at the movie theaters. Now, when it comes to the movie alone, honestly, I had no idea what I was going to see especially when it comes to a biopic by Nolan and usually when it comes to biopic's there always simple, telling the life and story of this one person from birth to the man or woman's death. Although when it comes to Oppenheimer it's like something I've never seen, granted I never knew a whole lot about Oppenheimer other then he built the atomic bomb, but what I love about the film is that he really tells it thew first person of Oppenheimer's mind like were experiencing his life story through what he sees in life and the fact that I don't know a whole lot about the father of the atomic bomb even makes the movie better for me. On the other aspect of the film that even I hadn't thought of especially that the Manhattan Project was such a secretive project furthermore the most dangerous weapon ever created that no one would be trusted especially when you have a group of scientists who you may never know if they betray you and go to the enemy more importantly that Oppenheimer was creating a weapon that could have the possibility of ending mankind that's just a whole lot of worried but could also change the course of history. So, in all actuality the movie itself didn't feel like a typical biopic but more of a film that has both espionage and a lot political stabbing in the back, so this was more than your average biopic. Even Nolan wanted to tell this story though Oppenheimer's perspective as he wanted the narrative to be conveyed from his viewpoint and describe the "texture" of the film being "how the personal interacts with the historic and the geopolitical" with the intention of making it a cautionary tale. Moreover, the primary theme to the movie that Nolan wanted to tell is dealing with the consequences of Oppenheimer's actions and I personally believe that's in interesting thing to explore especially when we're telling the story of one of the most brilliant minds in American History. The other thing that he does so well was the direction as well and that's what makes great is that Nolan always collaborates with some great director of photographers, great example Wally Pfister with the Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception, and with his latest collaborator Hoyte van Hoytema whose another great cinematographer moreover this is his fourth collaboration with Nolan and thing I find fascinating with the Nolan/van Hoytema is that every scene looks like a painting and though the course of the movie I just could not take my eyes off of the screen because I'm seeing something beautiful and with such mesmerizing feel to it, that these guys do great work when it comes to these historic films. Another one that needs great recognition is music composer Ludwig Goransson who compose great iconic work when it comes to Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and really if Nolan can use a musical talent like Goransson and that he did with Tenet you know that the music is going to be spectacular. The cast is simply outstanding moreover hands down one of the best ensembles cast ever assembled on screen, both Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. are such great character actors that there's no way that they should both win Academy Awards in the acting category, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon are spectacular as always and the same goes to Florence Pugh who's mysterious and sexy in the movie. But really there's more actors that deserve recognition not just the main cast, and seeing whose in the film it's like Nolan's greatest hits of actors with a bit of surprises that I never expected, but before we get to that Tom Conti who plays Albert Einstein really does such a good job in the movie embodying Einstein in terms of body language and his presence that it's just great casting when it comes to bringing Einstein to life. Josh Hartnett who plays Oppenheimer's collaborators, who I was like "Holy Crap Josh Hartnett"? But there's also Jason Clarke who makes a small appearance as one of the judges who is accusing Murphy, Casey Affleck which I was a surprise to see at first but then there's also Kenneth Branagh who plays one of Murphy's mentors, but the biggest surprise I found out and should get some recognition is Commissioner Gordon himself Gary Oldman who plays Harry S. Truman for which I had no clue till I browse through the Wikipedia page though I did see a strange resemblance of Gary but didn't think much of it, but holy crap Oldman is like the master of disguise I mean it's like he can just make a surprise appearance in almost everything. If there was any minor complaint I can say about the film is probably the overpowering of the music over the dialogue and yes I can understand what's going on and what was said but then there were times I felt like the music was overpowering the dialogue for which was the same problem when it came to Dunkirk, furthermore I have no idea why or what's the problem I mean sure the film was shot in IMAX and maybe regular movie theaters aren't capable to IMAX films either way yes it's a bit of a problem though Nolan should get that fix with his next film. Without a doubt, one of the best films of 2023 and I would highly recommend going to the theaters and experiencing this cinematic masterpiece and hopefully a contender for best picture at the Oscar's. 

                  

                                            

White Men Can't Jump (2023)

 

                                   So, after watching the original White Men can't Jump for which lead to a complicated view in terms of how I felt about the movie. I decided to watch the remake of White Men can't Jump, for many reasons I screened the film early while looking after a client for my brother, though thinking it wasn't that bad even though I watched bits and pieces of it I decided to give this movie a chance. And as strange as everyone will say that this movie obviously suck, but I really didn't think this movie was bad at all, for many other reasons I look back on watching the original movie having some in depth views on what I liked about the movie and what I didn't like about the movie and with this movie alone there's probably one thing they did right about the movie and maybe somethings they got wrong with the movie but let's be honest the original film I had mixed feelings by the end of the movie.

                                    Like the original film, though it centers around two men from opposites sides of the ball both men whose career paths to a sharp left turn but then decide to play the game they love and to recover a dream each left behind.

                                    Now I'm not saying that the latest version of White Men can't Jump is better than the original, if you're a huge fan of the original I applaud you for liking it. I personally that the story of the 2023 version was way better than the original movie, because the original set things up when I watched the trailer both men are hustlers they decide to work together to get bigger money for a big tournament then they begin to hustle one another through the course of the movie well Wesley Snipes does, which doesn't make sense to me the first time because weren't you guys suppose raise the money for the entry fee? For which yeah the entire message was to not trust another hustler but at least do that by end of the movie for which hell I don't know in all honesty, then you got Woody Harrleson who doesn't learn a lesson then hustles his own money away to Snipes again which again I honestly don't know, especially when you have a girl like Rosie Perez who in that movie to me was a ten out of ten and Harrleson still doesn't learn from his mistakes for which again is fine because deep down the film alone is a definitive bro's before hoes type film, but it's just some of these elements in the story that Shelton portrays that reminds me of Bull Durham where the movie is great from act one to act two then act three is like meh. As, for the remake's story it's very simple, both men who've lost their ways in life and the two of them become friends till the very end and both of them learn there lesson's moreover, guys when you're dating a girl that's a ten out of ten make her happy from the first time you lay eye's on her till the very end because you're never going to find a woman as beautiful as ever. Now in terms of Basketball play the original movie still holds up then the remake although the basketball play in this remake wasn't all bad it was okay, but the original films play was no doubt up there because you believe that Snipes and Harrelson was great players, though I should say Sinqua Walls who plays the Snipes like character does look like a basketball player and plays well in the film. Now to be fair the casting wasn't all bad, though looking at some of the production notes of the film I've learned the casting they we're close to casting basketball star Blake Griffin and NFL player Ryan Kalil, though yeah I don't know if casting an football player to play a basketball player would be a great idea but the idea of casting some basketball stars in this movie, that should of been a good way to approach a remake like White Men can't Jump, like why don't cast some NBA stars in a movie like this? Hell, I would love to see James Harden's acting chop's I mean I loved his performance in a Madden commercial he did moreover there's a ton of white NBA stars in the league so you'll no doubt find some players as well, in which they didn't so it doesn't really matter. Again, comparing each of these films is like a flip of the coin, like are they the best Basketball films combined hell no. Though each of these movies have a much better aspect than the others, each movie is good in their own way. As for a recommendation, I mean go ahead if you're part of the younger generation but for me it's a decent film to watch like a dumb but harmless type film, when your tired from work and want to pop in a film but really, I don't think it, worthy for a definitive recommendation and yet neither is the original movie. Although it is on Hulu, so if you have a subscription to Hulu, it's free to watch so in all fairness that's a win, win. 

   

                                      

Tekken

 

                                    A bunch of friends and myself decided to watch a B-movie that I've heard of but never played the game to and yes, this movie is in fact based on a game. Though I do need to explain this much into detail, it was one of those conversations about what was the best fighting game and let's be honest I obliviously said that it was Mortal Kombat no contest, but the other guy says Tekken, and to make this long story short I blurted out that the franchise has a movie adaption for which the guy asks so many questions then proceeds to say that we need to watch it because he wants me and the rest of the guys to see him gripe about how bad the movie is. And to be honest I never played the Tekken games, nor much feel the need to play mainly because I've seen glimpses of it through trailers and it reminds me of Street Fighter now, which looks way to ridiculous sorry not sorry I'm not big into Japanese Anime, hell you're looking at a grown man who thought Pokemon was strange, growing up. Now I'll admit I know nothing of the Tekken franchise or the world but having watched this dumb but harmless movie I mostly dig the movie because it reminds me of Gladiator, Rocky and just a kiss of Hunger Games. For which we have all the time in the world to talk about right now.

                                  In the not-too-distant future, the world wars have destroyed everything, and continents are run by corporations, the mightiest of which is Tekken. Amid the ruin of the ruined society one warrior rises from the streets. 

                                  How I discovered this film is really a mystery of itself, in all truth I think I was first learning from Google movies that I can purchase some movies and shows furthermore started liking Google Phones more I found this movie and in all honesty I didn't expect much from it and realized that it wasn't all that bad as I predict, and this film has a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes for which I find to be insane because I've seen the absolute worst from Uwe Boll's films like Alone in the Dark and BloodRayne to Southland Tales and those were garbage compared to this movie. For which I found strange because I would think that this movie would have a wider release since the game series is so popular until I finally realized that this film was basically a direct-to-video for which basically says that it had a small release maybe two to three theaters and then just went to DVD, and then was just a lost movie. Why I kind of liked the movie or considered it a guilty pleasure is that it does no doubt remind me of movies like Gladiator and Rocky, also has a much better concept than Hunger Games, sadly the film just shot itself in the foot with bird shot pellets and you're hunting friends laughing at you for how stupid you are but complements you for not almost killing someone like Dick Cheney did when he had bird shot in his shotgun. What I like about the movie in truth is that it has the potential of being good and I've said that about other movies before, though this one has that potential of what I could of done better if I made this film, though I have no interest in resurrecting this film but let’s say that I did I would first make this film at least a good two hours max, this film was ninety minutes long and you didn't have any time to get to know the characters nor understand the post-apocalyptic world that is Tekken or if it is? And really this film had a thirty million dollar budget and from the way I see it, they used it a lot on the set design's for which I have no complaint especially when it comes to the arena where the fighting takes place but really you can use a lot of time to establish the characters and the chemistry not just throw them in and say this is the world enjoy and then just run off like you're in trouble. Hell, after watching the film again I'm starting to believe that the writers did some heavy-duty partying and realized they had a deadline for the day after they we're done partying and had to write it as fast as possible and just gave it to the producers and said that was it. The director of the movie Dwight Little had some experience in action genre with movies like Marked for Death with Steven Seagal and Rapid Fire staring Brandon Lee aka Bruce Lee's son, unfortunately when I look at the guys entire career he made a lot of those mainstream films like Halloween 4 and Free Willy 2 that were mostly forgotten, and really for a guy who studied at USC moreover had some experience in Action movies I would imagine that he can give this movie an upgrade but I guess was just cashing a check, which explains a lot because he didn't do anything in terms of establishing character development or understand the world of Tekken moreover yes, you can say that the writer was at fault to but he was also writer of Little's other work so I'm guessing he just read the rough draft and then said it's good I'm going to get this movie made. And again, this movie had a thirty-million-dollar budget so you can defiantly turn this movie into a 90's Mortal Kombat film with great fight sequences and mediocre acting and story. Although, they decided not to do that which makes no sense though let’s be honest the more you think about it the more you go insane so I'm just going to leave it at that. The set design of the whole film was really the best part of the whole movie because it does have that futuristic feel and has that look of what would the world be like if corporations took over the world and devised a gladiatorial tournament because let’s be honest Disney, Apple Microsoft, and Amazon are going to be that very corporations that will consume the world, and that's how the world will crumble. The film was shot in Shreveport, Louisiana which is a surprise to me because the entire movie didn't feel like it was in Louisiana for obvious reasons it looks like it was shot on a stage set. I'll say it again the movie had that potential of being a good unfortunately it just shot itself in the foot and to me that's what I kind of liked about the movie is that you can think to yourself as to what you can do better, now would I recommend everyone else to watch it absolutely not because deep down we all have our own guilty pleasures and this movie I would prefer not to have everyone watch, especially when you have the ladies in leather pants with a** cleavage like their pro wrestlers. As for the video game series of Tekken, I do have the first game downloaded on my PS3 so, I might give the game a try but for the rest I honestly can't because it's just like the new generation of Street Fighter where I can't really accept as awesome furthermore I can just stick to playing the first game after watching the movie whole in all fairness. Now that I've finally watched this film and reviewed it for all of you, I've decided to finally put this movie back in the dirtiest part of my closet.

                  

Movies I haven't seen in a While: Tommy Boy

 

                                        Weekend begins, haven't hung out with my brother in a while so, what better way to have a movie night with him in the kids. Although it was just one kid then left to go home, and the movie my brother picked out was a movie I haven't seen in quite a longtime titled Tommy Boy, starring the late Chris Farley and David Spade. Now, Tommy Boy was no doubt a movie I haven't seen in ages I was a little not sure if I was going to enjoy this movie as I remember growing up and sadly this fun to watch from start to finish, but just wasn't as good as I remember it really felt like you’re going to a family reunion and you just realize that you really don't like your cousins and want to get out of there fast but the problem is you're parents drove you to the reunion and they have the keys to the car. But all aside the movie was kind of a nice breath of fresh air that you can only watch once.

                                       After his beloved father dies, dimwitted Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) inherits a near-bankrupt automobile parts factory in Sandusky, Ohio. His brand-new stepmother, Beverly (Bo Derek), wants to cash out and close, but Tommy's sentimental attachment to his father's employees spurs him to make one last-ditch effort to find someone who will buy their products. With his father's tightly wound assistant, Richard (David Spade), in tow, Tommy hits the road to scare up some new clients.

                                       Most movies I do remember watching I have very bad memory of like To Kill a Mockingbird or Wild Hearts can't be Broken, and yet Tommy Boy I remember very well, as well as the partial nudity that occurred which yeah sure it's a guy thing but come one who doesn't remember your first time watching a movie that contains partial nude ladies? In truth, this movie wasn't all bad as I remember granted it's not as horrible than watching a Adam Sandler movie, it really has to do with the jokes that go with the film, like if you're a kid in the nineties watching this movie and you we're laughing your butt off of Chris Farley being a deranged maniac of course that was without a doubt the funniest thing because I've always loved watching the hidden camera skit on Saturday Night Live it's always funny just because of the man's reaction in hearing that his coffee was a lie, but him just being an obnoxiously dumb ass it's like I feel like I've seen that so many times moreover that whole story telling of the protagonist being dumb just doesn't seem funny anymore. Both Chris Farley and David Spade, really did an okay job when it comes to on screen chemistry like some of their jokes are on the small chuckle as of funny no doubt and then some of their joke to me are just little on the eh it's not on the funny side more like this joke really haven't aged in a long time. I even found Dan Aykroyd's performance in the movie, really on the lackluster side of it, hell I'm convinced that he just gave up on comedy and it doesn't add up because this movie came out in 95, furthermore after that he starred in Celtic Pride another one of those films that literally shot itself in the balls. I completely forgot that young Rob Lowe was in the movie, which was like a big surprised because I have no memory of seeing Lowe for the first time in the film. In fairness the only jokes I find hilarious is when both Lowe and Spade are mocking Farley in their few scenes when they're acting across Farley because it's literally the truth of Farley's character. I'll give this movie credit that it was simply a breath of fresh air to watch for the first time in ages, the movie alone yes, wasn't as good as I remember it all because the jokes just feel flat but deep down the movie wasn't all bad moreover it wasn't the worst thing I've seen because Adam Sandler still to this day continues to write comedies and yet refuses to become original as well as making new jokes, so there's that at least. The movie itself is a nice watch from start to finish have no complaints, if you’re a kid from the nineties who remember Chris Farley growing up, I would recommend watching it but for warn you that it's not going to be as good as you remember it, though I'd still watch it anyway in case your extremely tired from work.

         

Raw Justice

 

                                    When you're trying to find movies to watch and feel like you’re burnt out for some reason well, I guess to me this was when Tubi comes into play. Moreover, it's also when I found more movies Baywatch Star Pamela Anderson's filmography and more only was that she did a lot of movies besides Barb Wire where she shows off a lot of nudity before her scandalous sex tape came out in 95. And granted no doubt Pamela Anderson was the ultimate babe of the 90's no doubt about it but she's now reached the age where she comes out of a documentary of her being victimized and yet this woman has been on the cover of more over posing nude for Playboy fourteen times and a hundred times internationally as what I've been hearing in terms of research wise. Although this latest movie I decide to watch that she gracefully posed for two sex scenes is called Raw Justice/Good Cop Bad Cop, the movie has many names, but it also Stars actors David Keith aka Jack Parkman and Robert Hays aka Ted Striker.

                                    The mayor of a small town hires a bounty hunter (Jack Parkman) to find his daughter's killer, but it turns out to be a dangerous job.

                                    Now I'll say again yes, in the 90's Pamela Anderson was the ultimate blonde babe that every guy in the world would want to be with moreover wanted to look at 24/7, and now when she's coming out with documentaries telling that she never owned her body and society never took her seriously or God knows what, but here's the thing once you appear on Playboy four maybe five times and staring in a show wear you're wearing nothing but a swimsuit and bikini. You're basically painting a target on your own back, and everyone is going to want a piece of you moreover when you’re in shows like Baywatch no one is going to take you seriously and this woman was in a grand total of fourteen covers of playboy and I'm sorry that she had a traumatizing childhood but when you talk about never owning, you're own body, you're basically full of sh*t. Now that being said from the movie alone, yes, I was watching the movie just to show how full of sh*t Pamela was, but that all became a distraction because I was just at awed of how badly entertaining it was from the bad camera techniques to the typical cheap action sequences it was just OMG this is awesome but damn I feel bad for the two actors in the movie. Speaking of actors David Keith who was most famously known in Major League 2 as the villain to Charlie Sheen, is the actual star in the movie plays a renegade cop who when you first see him goes drag and chasing a bail jumper which is funny because how is he able to run high heel boots? While Robert Hays when he meets up with Keith's character he runs for dear life and they have a motor cross chase through a shopping mall where you can defiantly tell that the mall is closed or barely opened but yet shut down and it's so hilariously bad but just sad on so many levels because when you're an actor in a B-movie action film like this you'd just think to yourself good lord this sucks. But is still a breath of fresh air because sometimes watching comedies just doesn't do the job well and movies like this just kind of have that good laugh that makes you feel better on the inside. As a standalone movie all by itself it's just so bad but has that unintentional comedic value that you can't get enough of it, plus when you finish one of Pamela's documentaries on Netflix (which I've never watched honest to God) and then watch this you just must laugh on the inside because you finally realized how BS, Miss. Anderson is. Though as entertainingly bad it is you only must watch it once every other time you feel like watching entertaining B-movies.

    

                                      

June Recommendation: The Master of Ballantrae

 

                                       Originally, I was going to pick the Adventures of Robin Hood to be my June Recommendation of this year, but after watching this amazing film the Master of Ballantrae which starred Errol Flynn and was William Keighley's final film as a director. I just had to recommend this for the month of June. For many reasons this was another great swashbuckling film like the Adventures of Robin Hood, but also was the first film were Bob Anderson the famous real-life swordsman's first film as a Sword Master but was the leading towards success for him as well as a great career in futures to come. 

                                      Two Scottish brothers engage in a fierce sibling rivalry while battling pirates and British soldiers. 

                                       Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote The Master of Ballantrae written a lot of famous books, great examples are Treasure Island and the most famous tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which explored a tone of great things that involve the human or good side of us to the evil and horrible side of us all, and The Master of Ballantrae is another of one of those great tales of two brothers turn enemies and to be honest, it's a great story to tell but also great to watch especially when you have leading man Errol Flynn at the helm. The most shocking thing I found out that this film came out six years before Flynn died, for which I thought "wow" I had no clue, for many reasons I thought the man would live forever, although the other shocking thing was that he died at the age of 50 years old, furthermore thought like crap I wonder what happened, and I guess what I've learned was that he died of a heart attack moreover had a lot of pain in his body moreover didn't do a great job in taking care of his body for which is really sad in reading about it, moreover gets you to realize that you don't have a lot of time on this earth and hell I would imagine he'd live forever. And even though he didn't live long he still lives long in in his films and it's movies like The Master of Ballantrae is what makes him a living legend. Like, Robin Hood the film itself does hold up when it comes to action/adventure but deep down I kind of prefer this movie over Robin Hood when it comes to the Errol Flynn films I've seen so far, and the main reason why I like this other than the story line is that the sword fights seem much more better and much more realistic than Robin Hood granted that these films were separated fifteen years apart from each other but in truth this what make the swordsman teaching of Bob Anderson so legendary in fact Anderson to a leave from the British Royal Marines to participate in the movie, for which spawned a great long run of teaching Hollywood actors in movies. Now I know your all are going to be butt hurt or acted like your offended about what I'm going to say but what I'm telling you all is simply the truth, this generation of movies SUCK, summer movies are nothing but absolute garbage, I mean for f**k sake we literally just went through five years of nothing but superhero movies, remakes, and sequel's that necessarily didn't need to be made (Fast X) WITHOUT EVEN BLINKING! Corporations are the reason why movies are just trash, they just must sneak into the sets or the writing rooms and screw it up and that's why corporates need to stay away, moreover the producers now are what they are because they did something wrong just like Tom Cruise when he sold his soul to the Devil. So, for love of God people get on the same page and stop wasting your money on this year’s crappy films because take it from me people who go to all these new mindless action or live action Disney films are just giving their money to Satan. Now, that being said the Master of Ballantrae is an exceptionally great action adventure film that needs to be seen, with great action, great story telling and as always I love the brother sibling rivalry that goes with the movie moreover has entertaining by the final frame and I strongly suggest everyone to check movies like the Master of Ballantrae out and stop wasting your money on movies that Hollywood is coming out today. 

          

85 Year Anniversary of The Adventures of Robin Hood

 

                                    I was reminded while back that the classic swashbuckling film The Adventures of Robin Hood is 85 years old, and though I had to make a point at time to watch this earlier golden age of summer movies though there was so much I was doing I lost track of time, especially movies I was wanting to watch. And as luck would have it, we're still in the month of the summer Blockbuster movies seasons, so why not recommend a classic action genre that started the action-adventure genre. The Adventures of Robin Hood was one of the few films that set the standard for the golden age of action adventure, in fact it was one of these films alone that influenced George Lucas in creating the Star Wars Saga and the Indiana Jones Trilogy. The character of Robin Hood as always been kind of a folk lore in English literature moreover was a great way to use for movies back in the late thirties since it helped to get over the Great Depression and the beginning of World War II. So, let's get right down and talk about this 85-year-old classic.

                                    When King Richard the Lionheart is captured, his scheming brother Prince John (Claude Rains) plots to reach the throne, to the outrage of Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn), the bandit king of Sherwood Forrest. Rounding up his band of men and eventually winning the support of the lovely Maid Marion (Olivia de Havilland). 

                                    One of the first adaptations I've seen and moreover heard about the legend of Robin Hood was probably the Disney classic cartoon version of Robin Hood, which was a whole lot different than I remember when you compare the Errol Flynn version. Then when I got older and thanks to Turner Classic Movies I finally sat down and watched this great film, and to be truthful this is hands down one of the better adaptions to Robin Hood since Robin Hood: Men in Tights, though that's a spoof of the original but still is hilarious. And I still hold that as a fact because through the course of the years with Ridley Scott's version to 2018 film were they try to make him more like a Batman type character, and sure I can add the Kevin Costner one but it's been a long time since I watched that movie and I have no memory of it other than Costner not holding up on a English accent. But those movies I've listed alone still don't hold up as much as Michael Curtiz's adaptation, because this film has a strait forward story that gets right to the point and doesn't let up in terms of the action, romance and adventure that it provides. And sure, when you make a Robin Hood movie, you can probably make it realistic like Ridley Scott's version or make him a Batman type hero it just defeats the purpose of who he is, also when you change things about him it just doesn't seem fun at all. The film itself cost around two million dollars to make for which not is not much of course but at that time it was consider the most expensive film to date, moreover was almost the same amount as The Wizard of Oz but with another eight million more than Robin Hood, and really when you take a look at these kind of movies back in the mid-thirties it was really easy to make for many reasons California wasn't what it was today, moreover you can go to a nearby forest resort in Cali and film all of those scenes to make it look like it was set in Medieval England, and with the castile's scenes when it comes to interior shots all they really did was use a lot of Burbank Studio's in Warner Bros, to bring the Castle feel to life, for which yeah those are just standard things when it comes to filmmaking back in the late thirties but really you had to do that because the technology wasn't what it was until 1977 came around. One of the most interesting and the "really" fact, was that James Cagney was originally considered for the role of Robin Hood, Cagney in case you're not familiar with him he stared in a lot of those Gangster movies like Public Enemy moreover started in a lot of black and white films, furthermore I wouldn't consider Cagney for many reasons he just wouldn't fit the role of Robin Hood, since they we're shooting the whole film in color it was wise to cast Flynn as the dashing archer. Errol Flynn himself did a lot of his own stunts in the movie though there were some scenes in the movie where he didn't take part in like the famous scene where he's riding on the horse with his hands tied behind his back. Speaking of Stunts in the film, all the arrows in the film were shot by professional archer Howard Hill, moreover all those men that got shot by those arrows wore clothing padded with balsa wood on protective metal plates, those metal plates in fact prevented injury (though the impact was painful), and the arrows lodged in into the balsa wood to create the illusion of bodily penetration. There really nothing to say about Errol Flynn because let’s be honest movies like this were made for Flynn because the man was charming dashing and moreover looked like a great action star of the golden age of film, though one of those actors that deserve some recognition is Claude Rains who does such a great job playing a scheming, manipulative scumbag who will do everything to get what he wants, and if you don't believe me check out Casablanca because he does a great job playing that type of sleazy filth. The one interesting thing I found out was that there was two directors at the helm of Robin Hood, for which I didn't realize until I began researching a little bit about the movie, and although I didn't find much the only conclusion I found was that Curtiz and Flynn didn't like one another for the main reasons Flynn was married to Curtiz's wife and I guess that was the main reasons other than stunt works as well, but I think that was one of the main reasons for which is weird because Keighley was a great collaborator with Flynn and apparently the studio kicked Keighley to the curb and brought in Michael Curtiz but really yes Curtiz got the directing credit but Keighley was main reasons that this film worked. The movie itself is a breath of fresh air and was fantastic to watch from start to finish though I must admit this did reminded me of Robin Hood Men in Tights, because when they were preparing traps, I sang to myself "We're men in Tights" which is funny in fact I now need to watch that movie because that's another movie I haven't seen in a while. A great movie from start to finish and it needs to be seen because this was one of the few great films that reminds you of other great films like of course Star Wars and Indiana Jones but also Pirates of the Caribbean and the Princess Bride, and everyone needs to see this film to appreciate the fact that this was one of the few films that started off the Action/Adventure genre.

          

Father's Day Recommendation: Red

 

                                       

                                      Well, Father's Day is upon us a day where all the fathers out there can tell their nagging but loving wives to say, "hey this is my weekend and I say we're doing nothing", or not which is fine. And it's time to recommend a movie for all of the Dad's in the world, and this was another one of these movies that my Aunt's husband loved or mentioned that he liked and I've heard of Red in fact I watched it and thought it was great although it's been a while since I've seen the movie nor have a so called good memory on how great it was, and like most films I do in terms of review I had to in a strange sense experiment. So, I had my Dad sit down and watch the film and without a doubt he loved the film from start to finish, for which I should of known he would have a great time with Red in fact he always loved these action films, hell he was the same Dad that got me into any John Wayne films, Star Wars and Indiana Jones in fact he loved Harrison Ford. And the same goes with acting greats like Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman, so question after watching the movie this would be an excellent choice for Father's Day.

                                       After surviving an assault from a squad of hit men, retired CIA agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) reassembles his old team for an all-out war. Frank reunites with old Joe (Morgan Freeman), crazy Marvin (John Malkovich) and wily Victoria (Helen Mirren) to uncover a massive conspiracy that threatens their lives. Only their expert training will allow them to survive a near-impossible mission-breaking into CIA headquarters.

                                       I can't honestly remember when the last time I watched this entertaining movie, though probably a year after its release and granted it's been ages and that's clearly a guess because then they released a sequel in 2013 and that was basically it for the RED franchise. So, now having re-watched the film this was of course another one of those hidden gems that was both great and entertaining at the same time, and that's a lot to say because let's be honest in this era where everything is nothing but crap, Red was defiantly one of those films that was refreshing to watch every step of the way. What really makes this film great to watch is that it goes from point A to point B really quickly were you get to know Bruce Willis character and realize what he's capable of furthermore has to rescue Mary Louise Parker's character, also the action has a good flow through the course of the movie where it doesn't slow down or speed up, it's basically at even pace par with both comedy, drama and action molded into one. What makes the film great is that the film itself gives it a sort of understanding in terms of what it's like to be a Black Ops Agent on the job and after your life as an agent is over, and they really do a good job in a sense expressing how a retired agent tries to adapt to a civilian life and that it's somewhat of a boring persona, in fact I watched the movie again with a retired CIA agent's commentary who was also a consultant on the film Red, and even he loves the film all together because it does answer all the important questions of how most field or operatives transition in to civilian life moreover explains that it's somewhat boring not fun, basically telling the audience that it's not always great when you get out of the business. A side from the great list of actors that portray these characters, the other thing I have to give the best performances are Mary Louise Parker and Karl Urban, because both of them have the best character arc in the film where one of them is an up and coming agent who believes in the system but slowly begins to see that the agency system is not what it's supposed to be and it's moreover corrupt furthermore filled with shady people who have agenda's and Urban does that in the best way possible. Parker on the other hand does a great job playing this strange but yet funny woman who has no clue of this world Bruce Willis character lives in but is comfortable wanting to follow him moreover just funny and sexy at the same time which is what I like about her in this movie, and this film came out in 2010 so technically both Willis and Parker we're like ten years apart from each other in terms of age. Of course actors like Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman along with John Malkovich and Hellen Mirren are great in the movie but the one actor that needs to be deserved some praise is Richard Dreyfuss who plays an excellent antagonist in the movie just a great villain than what I've seen in his past work and the same goes to Brian Cox who is such a great character actor and does a fantastic job portraying a for Russian spy but also a great accent to go along with it for which proves that British/Scottish actors are such a true craftsmen in their art. Without a doubt, re-watching this film was like a breath of fresh air moreover was just so much fun seeing it from start to finish and whenever I hear Back in the Saddle by Aerosmith, I always think of Bruce Willis fighting Karl Urban, which is flat out awesome, also it's just a fun action film from start to finish and shows that Bruce Willis still got it. So, no question I would highly recommend watching this film with your dad because you will have a great time watching Bruce Willis kick a** and take names, though I don't think he can do that now, but I never claim to be wrong.