Movie Topic - The Rewatchables

I know it’s not really what you had in mind, cause I’m listing a whole franchise, but in the spirit of somethimg that I will just stop and watch anytime it is on. Also not really the height of cinematic masterpieces, but a cultural phenomenon all the same.

Some may think it is cheesey. The Rocky franchise. It gets me every time. Except Rocky V, the less said about that the better.

It came to me just now as I was watching Rocky Balboa on late the other night, and usually if I watch a movie that late, generally no matter how good it is, I will fall asleep.

Rocky I - IV & Creed I - II

Most Rewatchable Scene:
The fight with Ivan Drago. I also like the scene in II building up to when Duke says “Let it go”. Personally I think Frozen has a lot to answer for, ripping him off like that. The church scene with Mickey in II.

Best Quote:
Get up you son of a ■■■■■, cause Mickey loves ya. I must break you.

Best Performance:
Carl Weathers as Apollo. Steals the scene almost every time.

Best Supporting Actor:
Burgess Meredith, dunno why just felt like he wasn’t even acting, just being himself.

Overacting Award:
Hulk Hogan wrestling in III. I see the irony here. Maybe Mr T as well, be he was so quotable, I’ll let him off.

The Best Shot in the Film:
Training montage in III, all the way from when he gives up from sparring with Apollo, through the D&M with Adrian, then winning the running race.

Apex Mountain (The highlight of their career):
Stallone. Wrote the first film, ended up critically acclaimed. Two nominations for acting during the franchise. The circumstances around getting filming off the ground was interesting too. Budget film, ended up sleeper hit.

Who Won the Movie:
Bill Conti, very underrated. The music at various stages throughout was spot ■■■■■■■ on, iconic. Most people would recognise it, even outside the main theme song. Also note, he was NOT involved in Rocky V. Winning right there.

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True Romance

Director: Tony Scott

Writer: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, Gary Oldman

Modern Love against the odds (mirrors NBK in a lot of ways)

Most Rewatchable Scene

Hopper vs Walken. Crime boss Walken wants Hopper to give up the location of his son (Slater). I’ve posted this before as one of my favourite scenes of all time. Honestly, I’m not really a big fan of either actor, but here playing off against each other they’re amazing. I’m sure the writing and direction helps, but the way each of them say so much to each other without saying what they are…the non-verbal understanding that they have about what’s happening and what unavoidably is going to happen.

Or if you’re up for the full almost eleven minute scene…

Best Quote

Drexl Spivey:

No thanks? What does that mean? Means you ate before you came down here? All full. Is that it? Naw, I don’t think so. I think you’re too scared to be eatin’. Now, see we’re sittin’ down here, ready to negotiate, and you’ve already given up your ■■■■. I’m still a mystery to you. But I know exactly where your white ass is comin’ from. See, if I asked you if you wanted some dinner and you grabbed an egg roll and started to chow down, I’d say to myself, “This ■■■■■■■■■■■■’s carryin’ on like he ain’t got a care in the world. Who know? Maybe he don’t. Maybe this fool’s such a bad ■■■■■■■■■■■■, he don’t got to worry about nothin’, he just sit down, eat my Chinese, watch my TV.” See? You ain’t even sat down yet. On that TV there, since you been in the room, is a woman with her breasteses hangin’ out, and you ain’t even bothered to look. You just been clockin’ me. Now, I know I’m pretty, but I ain’t as pretty as a couple of ■■■■■■■.

Clarence Worley:

I’m not eatin’ ‘cause I’m not hungry. I’m not sittin’ ‘cause I’m not stayin’. I’m not lookin’ at the movie ‘cause I saw it seven years ago. It’s “The Mack” with Max Julien, Carol Speed, and Richard Pryor. I’m not scared of you. I just don’t like you. In that envelope is some payoff money. Alabama’s moving on to some greener pastures. We’re not negotiatin’. I don’t like to barter. I don’t like to dicker. I never have fun in Tijuana. That price is non-negotiable. What’s in that envelope is for my peace of mind. My peace of mind is worth that much. Not one penny more, not one penny more.

Best Performance

Could go to so many, but I’m rather fond of Brad Pitt as a complete stoner.

Overacting Award

Gary Oldman as a white rasta pimp.

The Best Shot in the Film

Not sure it’s that sort of film, but the final shootout with the room filling with feathers is pretty cool.

Apex Mountain (The highlight of their career)

Possibly Patricia Arquette

Who Won The Movie

Quentin Tarantino, in my opinion. This came between Dogs and Fiction, and even though he was only the writer, it proved that Dogs wasn’t a fluke.

Interesting Fact

Zimmer did the score.

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That scene is an all time classic. Totally agree on Oldman as well. I generally like him but he hammed it up in this and was the weak point of Leon: The Professional as well.

Arquette’s best is Boyhood in my opinion but she was excellent in this as well.

The script was actually Tarantino’s first. He and Rogery Avary (whom also cowrote Pulp Fiction) wrote it prior to Reservoir Dogs and used the money to fund their first films. Tarantino with Dogs and Avary with Killing Zoe. The success of Dogs attracted Tony Scott to directing this.

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I agree with you wholeheartedly. True Romance is a truly great movie. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve watched the Sicilians scene, and the credit for that has to be shared equally between Denis Hopper for his monologue and Quentin Tarantino for the writing. And Brad Pitt’s part, which is essentially just a bit part, is unforgettable.

I think the only point I’d disagree on is who won the movie. I’d give it to Tony Scott. He is a vastly underrated director and it’s a tragedy that he took his own life a few years ago. Mention the name Scott to a moviegoer and the automatic response will be to think of Ridley; but his brother Tony’s films are every bit as impressive. Top Gun, Days of Thunder, True Romance, Crimson Tide, The Fan, Man on Fire, Deja Vu (the opening scene, with the tourist boat blowing up, is unforgettable), The Taking of Pelham 123 (great remake of a great original), and my personal favourite, The Hunger, with David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve as vampires and the best lesbian seduction scene of all time between Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon.

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You missed Unstoppable and Enemy of the State.

His brother is obviously more celebrated but Tony will forever go down as one of the great action directors of all time.

You should listen to Tarantino speak of him. He is one of his heroes.

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Personally I didn’t think Unstoppable was one of his best.

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Yep, very underrated film.

Crimson Tide too.

A personal favourite.

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Estoy muy herido

I also watch German and French films.

love the idea of the format and will contribute at some stage. l doubt l will listen to the podcast, l am not so interested in them, nor in Tarantino. A few years ago l found a DVD in China of Eagles Over London; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064571/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

This is a WW 2 drama by an Italian director, Enzo G. Castellari.

Tarantino had found the film and arranged viewings for it, and got the director to attend a public forum, so far, so good. The film itself is a piece of rubbish, with plot holes the size of the MCG, and a woeful over acting performance by the limited Van Johnson. The highlight of the film is a scene of the evacuation of Dunkirk, with a massive crowd of extras. The scene is very impressive for the scope of the scene, but is let down by the use of only 3 American planes to signify the presence of the Luftwaffe. Tarantino gushes over the film and the director, mainly due to the Dunkirk scene, and then compares the film favourably to Battle of Britain, which he calls boring. What a load of wank.

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Unstoppable is good, but not a patch on Runaway Train, the English language directorial debut by Andre Konchalovskiy, based on an idea by Kurosawa.

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Yep, Runaway Train is probably the greatest train film of all time.

Jon Voight was very good.

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“Aldo, I want to trust you, but how can I”

“What choice you got, son”

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It’s wasn’t too bad, then it just went like the Terminator. That guy just wouldn’t fricken die. Then Spacey outed himself as a creep and I never went back to rewatch it.