Talk About Movies: Part 4
Somehow threads merged, so here's part 4 of our ongoing movie discussion.
i rewatched Fire in the Sky for the first time in years. I forgot how much I enjoyed this as a kid and how messed up it was that we watched this so many times in our house! Feel like it came out at just the right time. UFO sightings were still popular, X-Files was one of the most popular shows at the time. Robert Patrick was 2 years removed from his iconic performance in Termin
That abduction/experiment sequence is legit creepy af and still holds up well today.
😮
Anyway...
War Machine (2026)
Concerning a platoon of Ranger recruits/cadets on a training exercise running into an alien menace, there's nothing original about it premise wise and it borrows from aliens, Predator, Spielberg's War of the Worlds and even Southern Comfort, but it's quite fun and solidly enjoyable all the same.
Revisit:
Tango & Cash (1989)
Found this on youtube and it's as awesome as it's stupid and that's the Hill I'll die on. 
Also has a bevy of genre film actors, with Clint Howard, James Hong, Robert Z'Dar, Geoffrey Lewis, Michael J Pollard, Brion James (sporting a hilariously bad Cockney accent) and an even more gravel voiced than usual Jack Palance all making appearances.
Top Gun: Maverick finally made it onto my watch list almost half a decade later. I had avoided it mostly because I figured the cheese factor would be unbearable. But, the call backs and nostalgia were definitely kept under control and presented more as fun Easter eggs. Also, several new elements, like the notion that maybe we are seeing the end of an era and sooner than later, pilots will be replaced by drones was also done well.
I try to watch most of the pictures that get top Oscar nominations and I am glad I finally watched this one. As a sequel to a past summer blockbuster, this movie surprised me with it's subdued, poised approach to the story telling while still being a block buster in aerial dogfights.
i rewatched Fire in the Sky for the first time in years. I forgot how much I enjoyed this as a kid and how messed up it was that we watched this so many times in our house! Feel like it came out at just the right time. UFO sightings were still popular, X-Files was one of the most popular shows at the time. Robert Patrick was 2 years removed from his iconic performance in Termin
This was pretty much a full on horror movie, and a good one.
Top Gun: Maverick finally made it onto my watch list almost half a decade later. I had avoided it mostly because I figured the cheese factor would be unbearable. But, the call backs and nostalgia were definitely kept under control and presented more as fun Easter eggs. Also, several new elements, like the notion that maybe we are seeing the end of an era and sooner than late
I held off for a while but loved it when I saw it. Also features one of, if not, the most rewatchable scenes in any movie ever
Spoiler
Maverick: Maverick to Range Control. Entering Point Alpha, confirm Green Range.
Mission Controller: Maverick, Range Control. Green Range is confirmed. I don't see an event scheduled for you, sir.
Maverick: Well, I'm going anyway.
I loved Smoke Signals although I haven't seen it since its initial release. The traffic reports!
Written by Sherman Alexie who, it seems, has been cancelled.
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OOF I didn't know that. Looks like he has some allegations for sexual misconduct. =/ A friend sent me a clip revealing that Alexie is working on a sequel. If he does have a sequel in the works it'll be hard to support it.
In the clip he said Smoke Signals is the only Native American directed/written/co-produced film to receive national or international distribution. Really hope the folks working hard in Canada and the US get their shot at making "the next Smoke Signals" so to speak.
On a rewatch the subtitles indicate the characters keep saying, "Ain't it?" Much like the way British people say, "Innit?" I remember my dad telling me that Alexie got "Ain't it" from British Columbian Natives. We have our version where we say, "Ennit." Same usage as British folks, I imagine that's where the roots come from (From overhearing our European homies say Innit), but "Ennit" is pronounced more with a westcoast native accent. Some of the characters get very close to the "Ennit" pronounciation but it definitely sounds like an outsider saying it, unless that's how they pronounce it in their region. heh
Obsession is the first sub 1 million dollar budget film to gross over 100 million. It’s been sold out almost every showing this week at our theater. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time even though it is as much comedy as horror. Inde Navarrette delivers an incredibly creepy performance that you will never forget. She will be a star. 10/10 must see.
Cro, OT but speaking of Rez Ball, have you ever read Stephen Graham Jones’ The Only Good Indians ?
May have asked you this before, sorry.
Obsession is the first sub 1 million dollar budget film to gross over 100 million. It’s been sold out almost every showing this week at our theater. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time even though it is as much comedy as horror. Inde Navarrette delivers an incredibly creepy performance that you will never forget. She will be a star. 10/10 must see.
Meh, I saw The Seduction & Fatal Attraction.
Cro, OT but speaking of Rez Ball, have you ever read Stephen Graham Jones’ The Only Good Indians ?
May have asked you this before, sorry.
I haven’t read this. Reading the synopsis that sounds really good! I’ll add it to my list.
On the topic of Obsession, I can’t wait to see it. My wife loved it, said it’s one of her favourites of the year. I spent the last week or so watching Curry Barker (director) videos on YouTube. The guy is pure comedy. I’ve laughed at nearly every one of his videos. I’m excited for this YouTube era of filmmaking. Backrooms is out later this week, also from a YouTube creator
Obsession is the first sub 1 million dollar budget film to gross over 100 million. It’s been sold out almost every showing this week at our theater. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time even though it is as much comedy as horror. Inde Navarrette delivers an incredibly creepy performance that you will never forget. She will be a star. 10/10 must see.
Looks very good! Also in cinemas in Lima, Peru, so will check it out, thx!
Edit : that being said, Blair Witch had a budget of 200-750k and I fathom there are several others as well with under a mil/over 100 mil in theatre sales...
Edit2 : yeah there are a ton, most notables include : Mad Max, Rocky, Paranormal Activity etc.
Obsession is the first sub 1 million dollar budget film to gross over 100 million. It’s been sold out almost every showing this week at our theater. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time even though it is as much comedy as horror. Inde Navarrette delivers an incredibly creepy performance that you will never forget. She will be a star. 10/10 must see.
How was this done on a sub 1 million dollar budget - best bang for your buck I have seen. Also best horror film in the last 5 years at least - beats Weapons and Bring Her Back.
Obsession is the first sub 1 million dollar budget film to gross over 100 million. It’s been sold out almost every showing this week at our theater. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time even though it is as much comedy as horror. Inde Navarrette delivers an incredibly creepy performance that you will never forget. She will be a star. 10/10 must see.
How was thi
Black Phone?
Edit: I just read the plot of Obsession on wiki. Not for me at all at this point in my life, but I bet it’s actually pretty good.
Obsession is the first sub 1 million dollar budget film to gross over 100 million. It’s been sold out almost every showing this week at our theater. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time even though it is as much comedy as horror. Inde Navarrette delivers an incredibly creepy performance that you will never forget. She will be a star. 10/10 must see.
Check out Milk & Serial by the same director, its budget was an astounding $800 and it's actually quite good. The director uploaded it free on youtube and it's worth checking out.
I'm looking forward to catching Obsession
Finally watched Michael Clayton (2007) and goddamn thats a good movie.
Great performances all around and i really love that 2000-2010'ish thriller movie aesthetic
Movies watched in last two days:
Lumiere, Le Cinema!
Amazing look at little seen films by the Lumiere brothers. Lumiere sent cameramen all over the world to record people, cities, and scenes. The film is divided into various sections, each with a particular theme. The narrator explains how the films, each 50 seconds, do not merely record, but reflect how camera placement is important and shows how some of the films have plots. Amazing restorations, too. If you believe that Welles and Toland established deep focus, think again.
Next, Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone By. Andre Bonzel, the director of Man Bites Dog, uses home movies that were about to be thrown out by a relative, to examine his family's past to explore his own identity, especially his relationship to his father. More than that, he looks at his mother, grandfather, great-grandfather, and the great-grandfather's link to early cinema. This film meshes well with the Lumiere film. Most important, though, is the way that Bonzel explores the unreliability of memory.
Finally, Il Sorpasso. Released in 1962, it's a buddy film, but the buddies are two strangers who meet one morning and spend two days on their road trip. Vittorio Gassman plays a gregarious loudmouth, one of those guys who you would want to get away from as soon as possible. Jean-Louis Trintignat plays a shy, restrained law student. The contrast between the two is apparent immediately. One scene stands out for me. They stop along the way at the law student's relatives. Gassman charms and entertains the family. Trintignat barely speaks a word.
By the end of the film, Trintignat adopts some of Gassman's personality, coming out of his shell. That may not be a good thing.
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Just wondering about films made in the last ten years or so that have stuck with you. I know for me it's not that many although I have seen many great films. I liked One Battle After Another but could barely tell you the plot.
Sometimes I try to figure out what kind of movies stick with me and discern a common theme. But I'm not sure if there is one.
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Black Phone
Edit: I just read the plot of Obsession on wiki. Not for me at all at this point in my life, but I bet it's actually pretty good.
It is a lot better than Black Phone
Off the top of my head: The Nice Guys, Hell or High Water, La La Land, Logan, Palm Springs, The Worst Person in the World, Anora, Banshees of Inisherin, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Dune, Lords of Chaos, Mad Max Fury Road, Ex Machina, It Follows.
Just wondering about films made in the last ten years or so that have stuck with you. I know for me it's not that many although I have seen many great films. I liked One Battle After Another but could barely tell you the plot. Sometimes I try to figure out what kind of movies stick with me and discern a common theme. But I'm not sure if there is one. Sent from my Pixel 10a usin
The Wailing )2016)
The Covenant (2023)
The Gentlemen (2019)
Sinners (2025)
Sisu (2022)
The Northman
Weapons (2025)
Joe
Ex Machina
Doctor Sleep
Blade Runner 2054
I Am Mother
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Prey
Sinners (maybe cheating because I saw it above)
The submarine parts in MI Dead Reckoning
Marty Supreme (for how incredibly derivative it was)
Strong female performances & outdoor scenes tend to be a factor.
Seems like this is like a new golden age of horror movies. Just one non-cinephile's take on the state of things.
Just wondering about films made in the last ten years or so that have stuck with you. I know for me it's not that many although I have seen many great films. I liked One Battle After Another but could barely tell you the plot. Sometimes I try to figure out what kind of movies stick with me and discern a common theme. But I'm not sure if there is one. Sent from my Pixel 10a usin
Off the top of my head:
(Just outside of last 10 years) Mad Max Fury Road - It's one of the spectacle films that really stood out to me. The visuals rocked my world. When the Half Life War Boys get sucked into the fire tornado I cry every time. The combination of the scale of the shot, and their blind and loyal dedication to such a tyrant is weirdly beautiful to me. Seeking a beautiful death during war, something for their brothers to witness is a beautiful thing in this fictitious world.
Arrival - I love Denis Villeneuve films and this one may be my favorite. I love the structure of the storytelling, the way they play with time is kind of a mind **** and when things click, WOW WOW WOW. And the implications
Spoiler
The way Amy Adams' character is getting glimpses of the future, but the audience is led to believe those moments are from her past. The way the story presents her life prior to Arrival, it's as if she's mourning. We don't know what and we're slowly led to believe it's the loss of her daughter in the past. Then as she learns the alien language she can see into the future. And she sees memories of her unborn daughter, who becomes terminally ill and dies a tragic young death. Knowing all of this, she agrees to go down that path. Who wouldn't? It's beautiful and devastating. I'll never forget seeing it with a friend who has two children. He was speechless after the screening. I gave him a hug and he started crying then said he had to take a walk. I'll never forget that moment we shared.
The Iron Claw - This one stuck with me because it was one of the last films I saw theatrically. tldr mobility issues keep me from going to the movies, something I hope to fix soon! I love the performances in this one and the brotherhood feels authentic and deep. Sean Durkin made one of my favorite movies from the early 2010s with Martha Marcy May Marlene, so I was thrilled to see another movie directed by him.
Spoiler
The bit where Jeremy Allen White's character kills himself really stuck with me because the first thing he does is he realizes he no longer has a prosthetic leg. He immediately jumps up and down. Then he catches a boat to be with his brothers again. That interpretation of death and the afterlife rocked me. I was SOBBING and had a really hard time with that sequence. I count my lucky stars that I still have my brothers and both of my parents, but as we get older that reality will hit, it's just a matter of time. :(
Just wondering about films made in the last ten years or so that have stuck with you. I know for me it's not that many although I have seen many great films. I liked One Battle After Another but could barely tell you the plot. Sometimes I try to figure out what kind of movies stick with me and discern a common theme. But I'm not sure if there is one. Sent from my Pixel 10a usin
Mandy, Pearl, Sinners.
I'd also say Mad Max Fury Road, but that's from 2015
If we're including TV, Twin Peaks The Return, Mandalorian Season 1 and Watchmen. Oh and Cobra Kai
Pearl was excellent, good call. I found MaXXXine slightly disappointing compared to the other two.
