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SMB Film Thread 2025

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‘The Many Saints of Newark’ (2021)

Prequel of The Sopranos.

Absolutely atrocious. Badly written, badly shot and with little discardable storyline. Apart from a couple of funnyish impersonations of some of the characters of the show - which reminded me of the Fawlty Towers stage show, it was a complete waste of two hours.

There’s a reason I hadn’t heard of this before now!
 
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Fetch Fletch said:
Just read an absolute abomination of an article on IGN about The Ten Commandments (the DeMille remake of his own film).

A masterpiece that’s been in my top 5 since I was a bairn, I’m most put out.
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“What makes an exploitation flick not just another movie is its overt appeal to a very specific audience; in this case, people of faith and “family” moviegoers looking for a moral and ethical play to confirm their own biases. And once the viewer is in the seat, a proper exploitation film delivers enough sordid, tantalizing material to keep them invested.”

Isn’t this just a description of every genre film ever? A film that appeals to a specific audience with specific tastes. Daft comment.
 
PhilY said:
‘The Many Saints of Newark’ (2021)

Prequel of The Sopranos.

Absolutely atrocious. Badly written, badly shot and with little discardable storyline. Apart from a couple of funnyish impersonations of some of the characters of the show - which reminded me of the Fawlty Towers stage show, it was a complete waste of two hours.

There’s a reason I hadn’t heard of this before now!
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I can't bring myself to watch it.
 
Last breath 2025.

I’m sure most have seen the documentary. True story about a bloke who gets stranded about 400ft down on the sea bed trying to fix an oil pipeline. Remarkable story really which carried the film along. Looks like there wasn’t a lot of money but overall I enjoyed it.

6/10
 
Subservience
Megan Fox is a android brought in to help a family at home.
You can probably guess what happens next.
Predictable sci fi with nothing new to say.
4/10
 
Fred Army said:
Subservience
Megan Fox is a android brought in to help a family at home.
You can probably guess what happens next.
Predictable sci fi with nothing new to say.
4/10
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Now I’m big fan of scifi and this type of the genre, but this one had me bored and managed last about thirty minutes before switching it off. It did sort of have a feel of Ex Machina (2014) which I did enjoy… but found this one a bit “meh”.
 
PhilY said:
I watched based on a recommendation from my dad.

I challenged him about this yesterday and he said “haha. Got you back for you telling me to watch Birdman!”

🤣
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I think if they wanted to go a Sopranos spin off it had to go back to before any of the main cast were born. Maybe an exception for Uncle Jun.
 
A trio of 50s efforts..

FBI Manhunt I’ll Get You (1952)

I was looking forward to this because the title amuses me. It was mediocre, at best. A typical yarn about nuclear secrets, with George Raft leading the hunt. He’s pretty poor in this effort, with a creaky, old-fashioned, unengaging style.

4/10

David Harding Counterspy (1950)

Willard Parker is sent to a munitions factory to root out any enemy agents selling secrets. He replaced his dead buddy and proceeds to try and woo his widow. Better than the previous film. But lacking in charm and engagement in some areas.

5/10

Double Jeopardy (1955)

Cheapie noir with a drunk blackmailing a rich bloke. Drunk’s wife is nobbing a used car salesman. Rick bloke’s daughter is engaged to a lawyer. The stars align and the problems mount. Vastly more entertaining than the previous two films, this is a modest and unremarkable effort, but I liked the pace, premise and performances.

7/10
 
Jackie Brown (1997) 9/10
Not seen this since it came out. I loved it then and still do. Excellent ensemble acting, neat use of timelines. Mind, I doubt Bridget Fonda would look as good in a bikini now.
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The Changeling (1980) 8/10
Slow-burning horror film starring George C Scott as a composer who moves into an old house in Seattle following the deaths of his wife and daughter. Guess what - the house is haunted, and it all points to a dark secret in the past of a high-ranking politician.
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The Dead Zone (1983) 8/10
Made for an excellent double bill with the above film. Christopher Walken as a schoolteacher in a coma for five years after a car crash. When he wakes, he has the power to read people's fate. As with The Changeling, there's a political sub-plot (this one involving Martin Sheen). Herbert Lom is great as the doctor overseeing Walken.
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Monty Pigeon said:
The Changeling (1980) 8/10
Slow-burning horror film starring George C Scott as a composer who moves into an old house in Seattle following the deaths of his wife and daughter. Guess what - the house is haunted, and it all points to a dark secret in the past of a high-ranking politician.
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All three are excellent, The Changeling, I'd have moved straight out and bought a bungalow.
 
Urban Legend (1998)

Due to Scream’s success in the mid 90’s we got many a slasher film in the years that followed. You know the story, young adults at school start disappearing, young adults make daft choice after daft choice. It comes complete with a rip off of the Randy character from Scream as well. A cast of well known young actors of the time including Alicia Witt, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid and Jared Leto. Ridiculously dumb.

4/10
 
Drexl said:
Urban Legend (1998)

Due to Scream’s success in the mid 90’s we got many a slasher film in the years that followed. You know the story, young adults at school start disappearing, young adults make daft choice after daft choice. It comes complete with a rip off of the Randy character from Scream as well. A cast of well known young actors of the time including Alicia Witt, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid and Jared Leto. Ridiculously dumb.

4/10
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Christ, I remember seeing that at Boldon.

What annoys me is that Alicia Witt has basically played the same part in every film she’s been in since. Absolutely ruined a film for me last year.
 
Fetch Fletch said:
Christ, I remember seeing that at Boldon.

What annoys me is that Alicia Witt has basically played the same part in every film she’s been in since. Absolutely ruined a film for me last year.
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Aye, I love a redhead but she's annoying,

Dune - awful but tiny
Sybil - awful and bratty
Law & Order C.I. - meh, but irritating meh.

Not seen her since.
 
Farewell My Lovely. 1944. Dir Edward Dmytryk. 7/10.
Released as Murder My Sweet in the USA.
The secondish version of Raymond Chandlers 1940 Phillip Marlowe novel of the same name played this time by Dick Powell. The first borrowed the plots basics for The Falcon Takes Over which was a crap private dick film series at the time. This version was the first actual Marlowe film and released just six months after Double Indemnity with both films being told first person in flashback thus helping establish a few Film Noir essentials.
Powell is no Bogart, Mitchum or even Gould but if you like this stuff it’s required viewing.

Angel Face. 1953. Dir Otto Preminger. 6/10.
Starring Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons. Mitch is a former racing driver whose career was interrupted by WW2 and is now driving an ambulance for a living while saving up to open a car repair workshop. Simmons is a beautiful young heiress. Will she manage to play him for a sap? Waddyathink? You may think you see the ending coming but…..
 
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