Top 100 Club: smirnoff

[smirnoff]

I figured I better create this thread now or I might not get time.


List on Letterboxd

And if you need assistance deciding what to watch. 



Sept 2019 Reviews:
Bondo - Dark Horse
Bondo - A Late Quartet
1SO - Perfect Sense
1SO - A Late Quartet
colonel_mexico - Rambo First Blood
Sandy - A Late Quartet
Sandy - Demolition Man
PeacefulAnarchy - Perfect Sense
Teproc - Perfect Sense
BlueVoid - Hero
Sandy - Passengers

[1SO]

Your program suggested Perfect Sense, so that's my #1 pick.
#2 A Late Quartet
#3 Dark Horse

[smirnoff]

SUPER interested to hear your experience with Perfect Sense. It has some neat qualities but I'll keep my mouth shut for now since I don't know how much you already know about it.

A Late Quartet is a film out of nowhere seemingly. A director with almost no other credits, but somehow has a really strong cast, and produces something well polished. It's quite nice. If you get time for it I would be so interested to hear another reaction.

Dark Horse is short and damn nice story. Unbelievable really.

[Bondo]

Looks like Rambo, A Late Quartet and Dark Horse are my readily available options. Endless Summer II and Narc are the other two I haven't seen.

I've seen First Blood but not the second or third Rambo films, does that let me get into the newest Rambo without incident?

[Sandy]

I'll be watching,

Demolition Man (Finally! )
A Late Quartet (I spoke for it first! )
Passengers (Am I the last person to see this?)

[smirnoff]

I've seen First Blood but not the second or third Rambo films, does that let me get into the newest Rambo without incident?

Oh, my dude, that is actually ideal! The truth is First Blood part II and Rambo III lose the spirit of the story a bit amidst the spectacle. Better wiki'd than watched (if that). They advance very little in character while simply trying to outdo the action in First Blood, as if it's the action that made that film endure. It's the emotion. It's a raw and damaged person trying to find somewhere he can live in peace. And while that sort of backstory is cheaply hinted at in modern old man action movies (a la The Equalizer, Taken, etc), the Rambo series earns it. You're on board with that shit early days... you follow Rambo at his lowest and ugliest moments, not his most polished. Where in the Taken series does Liam Neeson break down in tears because of how much shit he's seen and how raw his trauma still is. How crippled is he from earning those "particular set of skills". It's just far too tidy a fantasy with all badassery and no consequence. A gun-owning couch potatoe's wet dream. Rambo is in another universe of real. He's such a damaged and epic character. His journey has been long and not always a good one in the films we've endured, but Stallone really puts his heart into the character in a way other roles are too shallow for. And quite frankly Stallone is a savage and brings a level of catharsis to Rambo's character that is as vicious as his life. This is a hard R Rambo with equal parts emotion and gibbage. For the Rambo saga, of all sagas, to get such a strong episode in it's later years is rare and wonderful. The execution is not just adequate, it's legitimately a high water mark for the genre and capitalizes on everything the series has developed. I'm not sure people can handle how good it is. But you have First Blood in the bag. You're ready.

[smirnoff]

I'll be watching,

Demolition Man (Finally! )

This film is powerfully charming. 90% of that is Sandra Bullock. You will absolutely be won over. You can take that to the bank all day.

A Late Quartet (I spoke for it first! )

Another taker for A Late Quartet. As a relatively recent fascination of mine I'm a bit nervous having it on my list, but I'm also far more enthused about it after 3 viewings than many of the perennials on the bottom half of that list. I deeply hope it strikes a chord and is not just some weird film I am alone in liking.

Passengers (Am I the last person to see this?)

I don't imagine that's anywhere near true. I wouldn't blame anyone for never giving it a second look though. The casting is going to make even a mild cynic wince. Generic sci-fi with two of the biggest stars... pass! It's dumb luck that I was bored enough to try it one night. Fortunately it's endured beyond just exceeding my low expectations.

You've picked winners though. I believe it will be a fine fine September for you.

[Bondo]

I'll be watching,

Demolition Man (Finally! )

This film is powerfully charming. 90% of that is Sandra Bullock. You will absolutely be won over. You can take that to the bank all day.

I too have this in my safe deposit box, I mean my top 100. 

[Dave the Necrobumper]

I've seen First Blood but not the second or third Rambo films, does that let me get into the newest Rambo without incident?

Oh, my dude, that is actually ideal! The truth is First Blood part II and Rambo III lose the spirit of the story a bit amidst the spectacle. Better wiki'd than watched (if that). They advance very little in character while simply trying to outdo the action in First Blood, as if it's the action that made that film endure. It's the emotion. It's a raw and damaged person trying to find somewhere he can live in peace. And while that sort of backstory is cheaply hinted at in modern old man action movies (a la The Equalizer, Taken, etc), the Rambo series earns it. You're on board with that shit early days... you follow Rambo at his lowest and ugliest moments, not his most polished. Where in the Taken series does Liam Neeson break down in tears because of how much shit he's seen and how raw his trauma still is. How crippled is he from earning those "particular set of skills". It's just far too tidy a fantasy with all badassery and no consequence. A gun-owning couch potatoe's wet dream. Rambo is in another universe of real. He's such a damaged and epic character. His journey has been long and not always a good one in the films we've endured, but Stallone really puts his heart into the character in a way other roles are too shallow for. And quite frankly Stallone is a savage and brings a level of catharsis to Rambo's character that is as vicious as his life. This is a hard R Rambo with equal parts emotion and gibbage. For the Rambo saga, of all sagas, to get such a strong episode in it's later years is rare and wonderful. The execution is not just adequate, it's legitimately a high water mark for the genre and capitalizes on everything the series has developed. I'm not sure people can handle how good it is. But you have First Blood in the bag. You're ready.

It is funny how you mention a hinted at backstory for The Equalizer. The original TV series with Edward Woodward had a sort of pre-coded backstory for the character because Woodward had played a British spy called David Callan for 4 seasons, I imagine most of the US audience would not have known about that.

[Teproc]

I'll trust in the almighty smirnoff algorithm and watch Perfect Sense as well. No idea what it is !