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Striker
except for The Flashing Blade
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SMB Film Thread 2025
- Thread starter Fletch73
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Striker
Dune (2022)
Watched this pissed on the plane last night. Didn’t know what was going on for a good hour or so, but the characters became clearer and the story was interesting and I grew into it. Really enjoyed it tbh as I’d heard, the audio and visuals were top level. Looking forward to the second one on my flight home in a few weeks.
Watched this pissed on the plane last night. Didn’t know what was going on for a good hour or so, but the characters became clearer and the story was interesting and I grew into it. Really enjoyed it tbh as I’d heard, the audio and visuals were top level. Looking forward to the second one on my flight home in a few weeks.
zebediah
Striker
Obvious exceptions like Monkey yes
Kandahar - Another middle of the road film from "This is Sparta" guy, does just enough to keep you till then end, when the cavalry come and save the day, and everyone goes home happily ever after. 6/10
Monty Pigeon
Striker
Right thread this time. Three more inspired by reading Tarantino's book.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) 8/10
Great fun for film geeks, with a violent ending which - while morally questionable, given that it rewrites history - is hilariously over-the-top. I've also read Tarantino's novelisation, which has a different ending and has whole chapters devoted to film geekery.
Charley Varrick (1973) 8/10
Donald Sutherland was apparently ear-marked to star, but it ended up being Walter Matthau, who is terrific. Matthau robs a bank and accidentally gets away with millions in mafia money. Spends the rest of the film trying to stay a step ahead of them, aided by Andrew Robinson (who played the serial killer in Dirty Harry) as his sidekick.
Killer Force (aka The Diamond Mercenaries) (1976) 2/10
Filmed on location in Namibia. Great scenery, but production values of a TV film. Telly Savalas and Peter Fonda star, baddies include OJ Simpson, Christopher Lee and Ian Yule (The Wild Geese). Awful script, cack-handed action sequences.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) 8/10
Great fun for film geeks, with a violent ending which - while morally questionable, given that it rewrites history - is hilariously over-the-top. I've also read Tarantino's novelisation, which has a different ending and has whole chapters devoted to film geekery.
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Charley Varrick (1973) 8/10
Donald Sutherland was apparently ear-marked to star, but it ended up being Walter Matthau, who is terrific. Matthau robs a bank and accidentally gets away with millions in mafia money. Spends the rest of the film trying to stay a step ahead of them, aided by Andrew Robinson (who played the serial killer in Dirty Harry) as his sidekick.
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Killer Force (aka The Diamond Mercenaries) (1976) 2/10
Filmed on location in Namibia. Great scenery, but production values of a TV film. Telly Savalas and Peter Fonda star, baddies include OJ Simpson, Christopher Lee and Ian Yule (The Wild Geese). Awful script, cack-handed action sequences.
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Doogie Hauser
Midfield
Rolling Thunder (1977)
Interesting slow-burner, given plenty of room to breathe before the end scuffle. Devane is quietly good, and Haynes puts in a strong showing. Very 70s in its technical presentation, but a compact and succinct vigilante film whereby you are given time with the characters before the lust for vengeance kicks in. Good.
7.5/10
Hoodlum Empire (1952)
Brian Donlevy is holding Senate hearings, dragging a load of racketeers into the dock to be interrogated. Luther Adler is the head of the organisation, but he’s protected by his minions, including a fearsome Forrest Tucker and ‘seen it all before’ moll Claire Trevor. They’ve stitched up their former associated, John Russell, and he has to try and clear his name as the vultures circle.
This is a curious entry. It's full of flashbacks, whereby you learn how Russell was one of 'them' before the war, even dating Claire Trevor, but the comradeship of his experiences in France convinced him to go straight. He increasingly cannot escape from his past, though, and the criminals he used to fraternise with depend on this. It's part mob drama, part courtroom drama, part treatise on fresh starts and how the past continues to exert an influence.
It's preachy and clumsy, but very well-acted and I found it absorbing. The flashbacks are a tired narrative device even by the 50s, but they work really well here to add layers, texture and understanding. Russell is the focal point, despite being billed about fifth.
Good. Enjoyed it. 7.5/10
Killer Force sounds so terrible, I’m almost inspired to give it a go.
Interesting slow-burner, given plenty of room to breathe before the end scuffle. Devane is quietly good, and Haynes puts in a strong showing. Very 70s in its technical presentation, but a compact and succinct vigilante film whereby you are given time with the characters before the lust for vengeance kicks in. Good.
7.5/10
Hoodlum Empire (1952)
Brian Donlevy is holding Senate hearings, dragging a load of racketeers into the dock to be interrogated. Luther Adler is the head of the organisation, but he’s protected by his minions, including a fearsome Forrest Tucker and ‘seen it all before’ moll Claire Trevor. They’ve stitched up their former associated, John Russell, and he has to try and clear his name as the vultures circle.
This is a curious entry. It's full of flashbacks, whereby you learn how Russell was one of 'them' before the war, even dating Claire Trevor, but the comradeship of his experiences in France convinced him to go straight. He increasingly cannot escape from his past, though, and the criminals he used to fraternise with depend on this. It's part mob drama, part courtroom drama, part treatise on fresh starts and how the past continues to exert an influence.
It's preachy and clumsy, but very well-acted and I found it absorbing. The flashbacks are a tired narrative device even by the 50s, but they work really well here to add layers, texture and understanding. Russell is the focal point, despite being billed about fifth.
Good. Enjoyed it. 7.5/10
Nice. I like Andrew Robinson. I remember him as Garak in DS9.
Killer Force sounds so terrible, I’m almost inspired to give it a go.
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Batdad
Striker
Hoosiers (1986)
Available on Prime
Gene Hackman plays a basketball coach at a small town high school. Dennis Hopper in a supporting role.
This film gets 91% on RT, 7.4 on IMDB and was Oscar nominated.
I cannot for the life of me work out why it got such acclaim as it was extremely average. I'm nee film historian but the only thing I can think of is that it was the first of the genre (coach takes over struggling sports team and turns it around etc).
5/10
Available on Prime
Gene Hackman plays a basketball coach at a small town high school. Dennis Hopper in a supporting role.
This film gets 91% on RT, 7.4 on IMDB and was Oscar nominated.
I cannot for the life of me work out why it got such acclaim as it was extremely average. I'm nee film historian but the only thing I can think of is that it was the first of the genre (coach takes over struggling sports team and turns it around etc).
5/10
Fletch73
Midfield
I love this one. It makes a decent heist double-bill with my other favourite Matthau film - The Taking of Pelham 123.
Monty Pigeon
Striker
Or make it a triple, with Hopscotch. Not a heist movie as such, but basically Matthau rebooting the Charley Varrick persona as a CIA agent. That might just be my favourite Matthau film of all (though The Bad News Bears runs it close).
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Harry Gates
Winger
Gezundheit.
Secret Visage
Striker
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The lockdown.
Not normally my type as the martial arts type of films do nothing for me, but found this good.
7/10
Doogie Hauser
Midfield
The Hunt (2020)
An affluent collection of nerds and gits kidnap ignorant MAGA types and hunt them at a remote location. One of the hunted, Betty Gilpin, fights back.
Tonally weird. Part black comedy, part satire, part treatise on the tribal nature of political discourse. I found some sections amusing, some bits engrossing, and some sections terrible. It doesn’t seem particularly clear about its message. Shit happens, and the film explains why, but it doesn’t make any judgement. It just felt clumsy. Yet I did enjoy the more visceral moments, and Gilpin is very decent.
5/10
An affluent collection of nerds and gits kidnap ignorant MAGA types and hunt them at a remote location. One of the hunted, Betty Gilpin, fights back.
Tonally weird. Part black comedy, part satire, part treatise on the tribal nature of political discourse. I found some sections amusing, some bits engrossing, and some sections terrible. It doesn’t seem particularly clear about its message. Shit happens, and the film explains why, but it doesn’t make any judgement. It just felt clumsy. Yet I did enjoy the more visceral moments, and Gilpin is very decent.
5/10
Gilpin is class in it BUT…why does she drop her jaw like that in it? Makes her seem a bit special.
Doogie Hauser
Midfield
Yeah. It added to the weird tone. It was a bizarre collection of gurning that I just didn’t think was needed. I can’t really understand why/how she segued into the situation so seamlessly, either. There was no context and backstory apart from Afghanistan. Parts of the film were 6/7 out of 10 for me, but as a whole, it was uneven. Like I say, I did enjoy it for the most part.
It felt like Lindelof trying to outdo Cabin in the Woods to me. But too many odd things that weren’t needed. It also happened all rather quickly imo. Reminded me of Ready or Not in that regard. Just…slow…the…fuck…down!
ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK
Winger
Anyone watched Con Mum yet on Netflix? It's a documentary movie and another was The Twister Caught In The Storm.
Both had me thinking "Blimey!"
Both had me thinking "Blimey!"
Monty Pigeon
Striker
Just watched the first episode of The Studio. Not bad, and absolutely loaded with easter eggs for movie buffs. (The episode hinges on Scorsese pitching a film about the Jonestown massacre. Got me wondering the subject hasn't already made it to the big screen - didn't realise that there are two movies currently in production, one of which will star DiCaprio.)
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Watch The Sacrament. A Ti West film from 2013, whilst not a direct retelling there are parallels and it’s a decent low budget effort.
The monkey
Surpassingly boring.
Surpassingly boring.
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