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SMB Film Thread 2026


The Local Stigmatic 1990, a short duration film crime caper with Al Pacino. It's literally like a practice run for Pacino to try and get to grips with the Cockney accent 😊 😊
 
Is This Thing On? (2025)

A man in his late 40’s going through a separation/divorce wanders into a comedy club out of desperation and finds a purpose. Directed by Bradley Cooper (who also has a supporting role) and starring the always good Will Arnett and ever excellent Laura Dern, it’s an interesting and engaging take on a demographic that isn’t often put on screen.

I’d like to see Arnett get more leading roles off the back of this, he’s great.

7/10
 
The Year Of The Dragon. 1985. 3/10.

Directed by Michael Cimino and starring Mickey Rourke. I don’t think I’ll see a worse film this year. It’s dreadful. From its Deer Hunter ripoff music to its Brando piss take Mafia boss to its Apocalypse Now style Far Eastern jungle camp entrance to its Bladerunner style shooting of fleeing glamorous lassassins* to its borrowing of elements of numerous other hit films from back thenish it’s obvious why careers were ruined by it.
I remember my mate telling me how bad it was after he’d paid to see it at the time but I didn’t believe him. How on earth was this green lighted by a major studio?

* have I just invented that?
 
riffraff said:
The Year Of The Dragon. 1985. 3/10.

Directed by Michael Cimino and starring Mickey Rourke. I don’t think I’ll see a worse film this year. It’s dreadful. From its Deer Hunter ripoff music to its Brando piss take Mafia boss to its Apocalypse Now style Far Eastern jungle camp entrance to its Bladerunner style shooting of fleeing glamorous lassassins* to its borrowing of elements of numerous other hit films from back thenish it’s obvious why careers were ruined by it.
I remember my mate telling me how bad it was after he’d paid to see it at the time but I didn’t believe him. How on earth was this green lighted by a major studio?

* have I just invented that?
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Without googling, was this the one that pretty much tanked Cimino’s career? I can’t remember.
 
Drexl said:
Without googling, was this the one that pretty much tanked Cimino’s career? I can’t remember.
Click to expand...

Heaven's Gate tanked it, this didn't help. The problem with Year of the Dragon is less Cimino's direction and more Oliver Stone's script, which ruins a good idea due to him being full of cocaine and racism
 
Motor City Cobra said:
The reluctant fundamentalist

About a Pakistani lad who studies and gets a top job in New York, the the two towers happen and well……….

Riz Ahmed. Class as usual, brilliant that lad like. Liev Shreiber, Hudson and K Sutherland.

Really enjoyed , could have cut about 5/6 scene down to keep under 2 hours, but worth a watch, free on prime.
7/10
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Riz Ahmed was very good in a movie I saw recently called Relay. He played someone who helped whistleblowers escape retribution from corporations they informed on
High Entropy said:
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6/10

Was alright, got a point knocked off for the constant shitty jazz piano throughout.
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Sean Penn was utterly brilliant mind
 
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riffraff said:
The Year Of The Dragon. 1985. 3/10.

Directed by Michael Cimino and starring Mickey Rourke. I don’t think I’ll see a worse film this year. It’s dreadful. From its Deer Hunter ripoff music to its Brando piss take Mafia boss to its Apocalypse Now style Far Eastern jungle camp entrance to its Bladerunner style shooting of fleeing glamorous lassassins* to its borrowing of elements of numerous other hit films from back thenish it’s obvious why careers were ruined by it.
I remember my mate telling me how bad it was after he’d paid to see it at the time but I didn’t believe him. How on earth was this green lighted by a major studio?

* have I just invented that?
Click to expand...
Fair play for sticking with it 😊
 
Born to Kill (1947)

Lawrence Tierney and Claire Trevor get a kick out of each others’ nastiness. LT wants to get involved, but CT is engaged to a rich, mild-mannered gentleman. Things get complicated when murderer Tierney marries into her family via flattering and romancing her half-sister.

Robert Wise directs and it’s another decent noir entry from the two leads. There’s good support from the cast, but this is all about Tierney being an evil shit, and Trevor getting a kick out of the bad boys. They’re excellent.

7.5/10
 
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

I usually struggle with the blandness of Alex Garland's writing but that's coupled with absolute stupidity on this one. It's just f***ing awful.
O'Connell does his usual over-acting and yet again spectacularly fails to pull it off.
The direction is turd too, the work of a hack - there's not an ounce of flair in the whole thing.
It looks like some mediocre channel 4 mini series.
And then, as if all that wasn't already bad enough, there's all the rubbish Duran Duran music.

1/10
 
Send Help 7.5/10 - Good lead actors and fun comedy horror ish, a bit "The Roses" but replace the slapstick with a bit more gore and jump scares.
 
Predator Badlands (2025)

No real issues with this. I appreciate the fact that the people behind it are trying to do something different with the franchise. It’s good dumb monster fun and very comic booky.

7/10
 
Drexl said:
The Secret Agent (2025)

A very good Wagner Moura. A strange narrative. I’m not quite on board to the extent the critics have been. It felt a little unfocused at times.

7/10
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It's lack of structure threw me for the first third. I really enjoyed it by the end but there's no way it needed to be 2hr 40m.
 
One Battle After Another 7.8975/10

Quite enjoyable. Lots of good performances. Sean Penn's walk was fantastic. Reminded me of prime Freddie Star.
 
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