Amazon Prime Instant Video Rec

[fomofo]

INCENDIES
This is an early film by Denis Villanueve.
The story focuses on twins who are coaxed to embark on a quest to search for their father and brother in Palestine.

Ooh, that looks very good. Definitely gonna check that out.

Watched Kill Zone recently after seeing your post here. Generally love Chinese action/cop/martial arts films, and thoroughly enjoyed the ride, but as is typical the ending was long and drawn out, and very melodramatic. The shot with the shoes in the surf ... priceless!

P.S. If you're into that stuff go back and watch the first couple Police Story films. Early Jackie Chan is hard to top!

[dookeyXXX]

Ooh, that looks very good. Definitely gonna check that out

If you end up digging Incendies, I highly recommend tracking down DV’s other early work: Maelstrom and Polytechnique

P.S. If you're into that stuff go back and watch the first couple Police Story films. Early Jackie Chan is hard to top!

I actually managed to see the first three Police Story films on the Big Screen back in the early 1990s.
This arthouse movie theater in Berkeley, The UC, used to program double-feature HK movies every Thursday night and I went religiously for close to two years!
I saw most of the seminal work from John Woo, Jet Li, Johnny To, Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Tsui Hark, and more.

Begin Rant
Sadly, Harvey Weinstein, that db, ruined it as he bought up all the rights to many of those films, re-edited, re-dubbed, and re-packaged them under his Dimension banner and then prohibited small arthouse and Chinese theaters from showing the original versions, thus leading to the demise of many small theaters around the nation, as well as the demise of Asian action film programming on the Big Screen.
End Rant

[The AD]

I'm not sure what this says about me, but I've been enjoying a series called "Travels by Narrowboat." I think it's also available on YouTube. Basically it's a recently divorced, middle-aged English guy who decides to buy a narrowboat and travel around the canals in the English Midlands solo. All it is is footage of him cruising the canals, so I'm not going to tell you it's exciting, but it's oddly fascinating, bucolic, and calming.

Here's his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CountryHouseGent

[Mike Pow]

That's a good watch

[bobz]

Watched recently on Prime:

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS - A Coen Brother (singular) movie, so I had to watch it despite poor reviews. To oversimplify the plot, two young women hit the road intending to lick some carpet but end up with a bag of dicks. And they're being chased by comically incompetent criminals. Eh, the movie had its moments, but mainly it tried way too hard to be an outrageously wacky cult film and just wasn't very good, or even all that funny.

BARBARIAN - If you like a good horror flick, check this one out while it's free on Prime. A young woman arrives at her AirBnb to find that someone else, a guy who's already there, also booked the house. Awkwardly and with no other options, she comes in anyway. That, and the douchebag owner of the house (played by Justin Long, the doctor from Idiocracy) wasn't aware that it was being rented out to anyone. The drama seems kind of normal for a while, and then, well, it's a horror movie. Probably best to avoid the trailer, BTW.

[Dantheman]

The Peripheral was some solid Sci Fi with an interesting take on time travel.

[PB]

The Peripheral was some solid Sci Fi with an interesting take on time travel.

Too bad the cancelled it

[Mike Pow]

Watched recently on Prime:

BARBARIAN - If you like a good horror flick, check this one out while it's free on Prime. A young woman arrives at her AirBnb to find that someone else, a guy who's already there, also booked the house. Awkwardly and with no other options, she comes in anyway. That, and the douchebag owner of the house (played by Justin Long, the doctor from Idiocracy) wasn't aware that it was being rented out to anyone. The drama seems kind of normal for a while, and then, well, it's a horror movie. Probably best to avoid the trailer, BTW.

Thought it was excellent all round

[Dantheman]

Too bad the cancelled it

Yeah, would have been cool to see where they took it. Might have to check out the books.

[Danno]

Count me in the "bummed they didn't renew The Peripheral" crowd.

[dookeyXXX]

MONKEY MAN
Dev (best known for Slumdog Millionaire) Patel’s debut feature is a pastiche of/homage to the late 1970s Shaw Brothers films, the 1980s output of Golden Harvest, 1980s Hollywood action films, and the John Wick series (the latter is even unsubtlely name dropped in the film). So, what you get is a rousing rock ‘em sock ‘em action film. Patel tosses in bits of social and political commentary about India’s caste system and rampant poverty, not to mention the unjust treatment of hijra people. He also includes a hint of Hindu mythology in the form of Hanuman, the simian deity. Sadly, much of these meditative, philosophical, and sociological aspects of the film are merely hinted at, glossed over as asides rather than core story elements. The result is that they ultimately fail to give the film the extra depth the writer/director obviously intended (though it did get me to do a post-screening deep dive into Indian politics, religion, and transgender equality, so maybe it served its function after all). Additionally, there are a few plot and continuity glitches along the way, involving a stray dog, and the obligatory martial arts training montage.
Yet when it comes to the look and feel of the film, Patel is on lock. There is an opening scene where a rich woman is pickpocketed and it is wonderfully kenetic. Having tabla maestro Zakir Hussein accompany the aforementioned training montage is damn near genius. Plus Patel’s neon saturation never feels forced or faux. And the action scenes are well choreographed and filmed. Additionally, the pacing is lightning quick and the score from Aussie musician Jed Kurzel is bracing and adds the right amount of energetic tension to the proceedings.
In the end Monkey Man jumps on your back, wraps its metaphorical tail around your neck and never lets up for its 121-minute run time.

[buttahflake]

Yeah, and anything with Sharlto Copley, I’m watching

[dookeyXXX]

Lottsa solid Horror fare on Prime right now:


BLISS
SUSPERIA (1977)
SUSPERIA (2018) - the remake is actually really cool
BARBARIAN
THE NEON DEMON
FROM BEYOND
WOLF CREEK
THE THING
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
THE VOID
TRIANGLE
SCOUT’s GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
DRAG ME TO HELL
DREAMSCAPE
BAD MOON
THE HUNT

[dookeyXXX]

LE CONVOYEUR
This is the original 2005 French film that Guy Ritchie based his 2021 film Wrath of Man on.

This film is way starker and more minimalist than Ritchie’s take. Definitely kinda arthouse. I dug it.
And, yeah, the changes Ritchie made were questionable…I still enjoyed his version, but the original is cooler.

[dookeyXXX]

••• Free via Mubi 7-day Trial
Totally worth the “hassle” of signing up!•••


THE SUBSTANCE
(Not linking the trailer because the less you know going in, the better.).

As with her 2017 film Revenge, writer/director Coralie Fargeat mines familiar territory here, but tweaks it just enough to make it fresh and invigorating.
Mucho gonzo grande performances from all involved, especially Dennis Quaid, only add to the overall gleeful insanity. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley ride the line between sex appeal, raunch, and objectification with vim and verve to spare and keep the social commentary and satire wry and dry.
Not only that, but the sound design alone is worth the price of admission; the gurgles, slurps, oozes, and other asundry noize are wonderfully gross. The score by Raffertie is pretty dense and brilliant, too.
Obvious nods to David Cronenberg (specifically The Fly), Stanley Kubrick, Frank Henenlotter (Brain Damage), Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), Larry Cohen (The Stuff) and the FX magic of Screaming Mad George (Society) are sprinkled generously about, as well.
There are a few glitches (where did Demi get all that food? How does she run so fast in the Third Act?) and the final act is tonally more goofy than the rest of the film—it goes into mondo Monty Python territory, albeit with copious amounts of grue and gore—but it’s forced on us with so much absurdist gusto that it kind of works.

[dookeyXXX]

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2023)
This is a glorious send-up/homage to Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Chuck Jones, but with just the right amount of goofy surrealism.

Highly recommended if you dig zany, absurdist slapstick.

Official Website:
https://www.hundredsofbeavers.com/

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h4P-26kHAw

[dookeyXXX]

BAD CITY
This is a gritty yakuza noir that has some fantastically taut fight sequences augmented by a snappy cast, especially Hitoshi Ozawa, who is a silver fox badass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c1J6Q8IfGI

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2023)
This is a glorious send-up/homage to Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Chuck Jones, but with just the right amount of goofy surrealism.

Highly recommended if you dig zany, absurdist slapstick.

Official Website:
https://www.hundredsofbeavers.com/

Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h4P-26kHAw

Watched this tonight - surreal, absurd, bizarre, hilarious, loved it.

[Woodsy]

Jimmy Carter Rock and Roll President is full of good tunes, throwbacks to the 70s & a ton of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, if that doesnt sell you well...
https://www.jimmycartermovie.com/watch-at-home/

[dookeyXXX]

There are some interesting films lurking ion MUBI, enough to warrant the minor hassle of signing up for the 7-day Free Triial.

INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE
This is a wonderfully superb absurdity from screenwriter/director Quentin Dupieux, who has become one of my favorite modern director. Mining thematic territory touching upon people’s fear of growing old and obsession with staying young, it is funny, melancholic, and, like all of his films, just plain surreal, but in a wry fully deadpan manner.

RIYL
The films of:
Charlie Kaufman
Spike Jonze
Alex van Warmerdam
The Daniels

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4R78LAd8Iw

[dookeyXXX]

EYE FOR AN EYE: THE BLIND SWORDSMAM
This is a well directed, superbly acted revenge eastern-western set during the Tang Dynasty period.
The cinematography is fantastic, the pacing just right, and the fight choreography mixes traditional/practical elements with swordplay and wire-fu to create a seamless ballet of brutality.
While it ticks off all the major tropes of the genre, it’s all delivered with panache and style.
It also pays homage nicely to the classic Zatoichi films from Japan.
Plus it’s better than 90% of the action and comic book films churned out by the big Hollywood studios.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImDx39hjBj0

[dookeyXXX]

DRIVE AWAY DOLLS

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS - A Coen Brother (singular) movie, so I had to watch it despite poor reviews. To oversimplify the plot, two young women hit the road intending to lick some carpet but end up with a bag of dicks. And they're being chased by comically incompetent criminals. Eh, the movie had its moments, but mainly it tried way too hard to be an outrageously wacky cult film and just wasn't very good, or even all that funny.

I finally got around to watching this last night.

For starters, none of the Coen Bros. solo films that they’ve made since “breaking up” have been anywhere near the caliber of their collaborations.

That said, I enjoyed this overly zany romp of a genre mash (noir, road movie, rom-com, and more).

I do agree with Bobz in that the film tries too hard and comes off overly earnest much of the time.
And they could have done without the high profile cameos; the two A-listers who briefly pop up don’t add anything to the mix and their inclusion seemed like a forced play.

The main reason I enjoyed this film can be boiled down to two words (or one name, if you prefer): MARGARET QUALLEY.
Holy ish does she carry the film and then some.
She is a firecracker, for sure.

So, it’s not the cult film it so desperately wishes it could have been, but it’s engaging and fun and Qualley absolutely ruled the screen; in short, it’s worth the 83 minutes just to watch her bubble and bounce across the screen.

[dookeyXXX]

BODIED
This flick makes 8 Mile come off like a Disney flick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apxOPzcyBts

[dookeyXXX]

DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY
This is a marvel of 1970s American cinema, back when they used real cars in car chases not CGI enhanced hoo-ha.
The story is no nonsense and the action pretty much non-stop.
I first saw it on late night television as a wee lad and it left an indelible impression on me.
Easily one of the greatest car chase movies ever.

Leave prime in 4 days, so fire it up pronto!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sujCL06VSXY

[mcski]

I first saw it as a wee lad in a first run theatre. It had quite the buzz w us 5th graders at the time. Might have been the first movie I saw w no happy ending. Was left completely stunned by the last scene. Also, Mary was hot AF. Highly recommend/endorse this one.