Copycat (1995)

Director: Jon Amiel

Writers: Ann Biderman, David Madsen

Composer: Christopher Young

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara, Harry Connick Jr., J.E. Freeman, Will Patton, John Rothman, Shannon O'Hurley

More info: IMDb

Tagline: One man is copying the most notorious killers in history one at a time. Together, two women must stop him from killing again. Or they're next.

Plot:  An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

When I saw this nearly twenty years ago I left the theater underwhelmed.  It's a gimmick serial killer movie with the conceit that Helen (Weaver) was home bound and she works with Monahan (Hunter) to catch a killer.  SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) was such a huge hit that it created a renaissance in the serial killer genre which meant a very few good films on the subject along with a lot of mediocre and shitty ones.  Rather than cook up a good story, many of them relied on a gimmick or an angle to set them apart.  This picture is OK at best.  Weaver feels like she's trying a bit too hard but then the film feels that way, too.  I get the impression that the filmmakers thought they had something special, and I guess at times they made some good moments, but it touches on so many genre cliches and drag the picture out to two plus hours that an hour or so in I was ready for this ride to stop.  The Warner Bros. DVD set (4 Film Favorites - Thriller with THE CRUSH, PACIFIC HEIGHTS and DIABOLIQUE) says this is widescreen but it's fullscreen.   The only extras you get include the trailer (fullscreen) and a commentary track with the director.  I saw PH and DIABOLIQUE when they first came out and I wasn't impressed with either so I'm just going to go ahead and get rid of this one at the next garage sale.  I waste enough time watching OK-at-best movies, I don't need to add more to the list. 

Bandolero! (1968)

Director: Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers: James Lee Barrett, Stanley Hough

Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

Starring: James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch, George Kennedy, Andrew Prine, Will Geer, Clint Ritchie, Denver Pyle, Tom Heaton, Rudy Diaz, Sean McClory, Harry Carey Jr., Don 'Red' Barry, Guy Raymond, Perry Lopez, Jock Mahoney, Dub Taylor, Big John Hamilton, Robert Adler, John Mitchum, Patrick Cranshaw, Roy Barcroft, Joe Gray, Wade Phillips

More info: IMDb

Tagline: There are "Westerns" and "Westerns". Every now and then comes a NEW kind of Western. This is "BANDOLERO!".

Plot: Mace Bishop masquerades as a hangman in order to save his outlaw brother from the gallows, runs to Mexico chased by the sheriff's posse and fights against Mexican bandits.

My rating: 7/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe.

Great location shooting, great cast, great score, good movie.   The first half hour is a lot of fun with Mace (Stewart) secretly planning something that you know is going to good, the almost hanging and then the bank robbery.  Then act 2 starts with the Sheriff (Kennedy) and his posse going after the bad guys (it's nice, btw, seeing Stewart and Martin as outlaws for a change) and Mace and Dee (Martin) talk about their relationship in their past and their future.  Meanwhile Maria (Welch) pulls a weird move where she starts to dig on Dee even though he's partly responsible for killing her husband hours/days before.  Hell, I'd probably fall for Dean Martin, too, and my dick don't swing that way.   The location shooting (in Arizona and Utah) is drop dead gorgeous.  The Mexican bandidos subplot feels a little forced as if they only exist to cause chaos at the film's climax to kill off nearly all of the folks we've been following.  It's even more obvious as they all run away as soon as they see their leader is dead despite easily out-numbering the gringos 5 to 1 and winning the fight.  I did like who the film makers chose to keep alive.  I certainly didn't see that coming.  There's a lot to dig in this film but as a whole it feels like a little more attention could have been paid to working in the Mexican bandits as something more than a lazy plot device and a little more attention paid to fleshing out the budding romance.  It's remarkable how a few days in movie life is all it takes to fall for someone.  Maybe it's being in an extraordinary circumstance and forced to deal with death.  Still, it's a fun flick and the cast goes a long way in making it so.  Geez I want to move back out West to live out my days.  Mmmmm.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006)

Director: Stephen Kijak

Composer: Scott Walker

Starring: Scott Walker, Damon Albarn, Dot Allison, Marc Almond, David Bates, Jean-Daniel Beauvallet, Ed Bicknell, David Bowie, Al Clark, Jarvis Cocker, Cathal Coughlan, Rob Ellis, Brian Eno, Gavin Friday, Brian Gascoigne, Alison Goldfrapp, COlin Greenwood, Johnny Greenwood, Richard Hawley, Sara Kestelman, Ute Lemper, Lulu, Dave MacRae, Johnny Marr, Angela Morley, Ed O'Brien, Peter Olliff, Evan Parker, Simon Raymonde, Philiop Sheppard, Sting, Peter Walsh, Hector Zazou

More info: IMDb

Tagline: The long-awaited film about the most influential and enigmatic figure in rock history.

Plot: Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is a rare glimpse into the creative world of the most enigmatic figure in rock history, and will trace the undeniable impact he has had on popular music through casual interviews with some of his biggest, highest profile fans. We explore his fascinating trajectory, from jobbing bass player on LA's Sunset Strip, to his domination of the British pop scene that began in the swinging summer of 1965, to his transformation into a composer of true genius; an uncompromising and serious musician working at the peak of his powers. At age 63, over the course of 2005, he went into the studio again, working on what could be his greatest artistic statement yet - and we were invited to document part of this process - a privilege no filmmaker has ever been granted.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again?  Maybe, but I'll definitely check out this guy's records.

For the first few minutes I thought that maybe this guy didn't exist and that I was watching a mocumentary but taken more seriously.  It didn't take long before I realized this guy is for real.   He's got an unusual singing style that's just wild.  At first I wasn't digging it but then it started growing on me and before I knew it I was really into this guy's music.  I was completely sold when it came to his solo output in the late 60s and even more so the more records he made.  Now I'm really hooked and I'm thrilled that I saw this film AND that Walker isn't so reclusive that he wouldn't have participated.  I can't stand it when artists refuse to discuss their work and career.  This guy is cool.  I want this cat's entire catalog. This picture has lots of interviews with people in the music industry as well as the bulk of the film with Walker.  Naturally his music is everywhere and it's wild.  Before this film I'd never heard of him. The Oscilloscope DVD has a few extras including extended interviews with 12 people including Walker (57 minutes), 2 extended bits from Walker's recording of his 2006 album (16 minutes), 9 minutes with the guy who has an AMAZING collection of Scott Walker (and the Walker Brothers) memorabilia (9 minutes) and trailers for 12 Oscilloscope pictures, including this one.

Monte Walsh (1970)

Director: William A. Fraker

Writers: Lukas Heller, David Zelag Goodman, Jack Schaefer

Composer: John Barry

Starring: Lee Marvin, Jeanne Moreau, Jack Palance, Mitchell Ryan, Jim Davis, G.D. Spradlin, John Hudkins, Raymond Guth, John McKee, Michael Conrad, Tom Heaton, Ted Gehring, Bo Hopkins, John McLiam, Richard Farnsworth, Roy Barcroft

More info: IMDb

Tagline:  Monte Walsh is what the West was all about.

Plot: An aging cowboy realizes that the West he knew and loved will soon be no more--and that there will be no room for him, either.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again?  Probably.

I'll watch just about any Western.  I'll definitely watch anything that Lee Marvin or Jack Palance are in, but the two of them together in a Western?  Done!  Holy carp this was good.  The performances are strong and it's great seeing Palance play a good guy for a change.  He's terrific.  He and Marvin have great chemistry together, to the point where you get a real sense that these two characters really are best friends and not play acting.  While it is fun and playful at times, it's also very sad.  It really hit me when Walsh (Marvin) steps just inside the doors of a saloon and there's no one in sight except for the barkeep cleaning the bar top.  Walsh, in a sense, has been abandoned.  The world around him is expanding and changing and it's leaving him behind.  It's a tragic picture that, probably better than any film I've seen, conveys the dying Old West in lieu of progress and change.  I love John Barry but his music in this picture is hit and miss.  The music doesn't fare as well when it's going for a happy mood but it's great when he's conveying the loneliness and sadness of Walsh's predicament.   Good flick.

Observe and Report (2009)

Director: Jody Hill

Writer:  Jody Hill

Composer:  Joseph Stephens

Starring: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Michael Pena, Anna Faris, Dan Bakkedahl, Jesse Plemons, John Yuan, Matt Yuan, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe, Randy Gambill, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt, Danny McBride

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Right now, the world needs a hero.

Plot:  Bi-polar mall security guard Ronnie Barnhardt is called into action to stop a flasher from turning shopper's paradise into his personal peep show. But when Barnhardt can't bring the culprit to justice, a surly police detective, is recruited to close the case.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

This picture had me as conflicted as Ronnie (Rogen).  It's definitely a comedy but it's also dipping into dark drama territory.  I enjoyed it and I especially liked the darker moments but then I would've preferred it go even darker or maybe just embrace the drama more than it did.  A good example is Ronnie's takedown in the mall near the end.  It takes a long time to finally stop Ronnie and he's like the Terminator all through it.   I guess it's possible that it would take a dozen cops to take him down but it's unlikely and it's only done that way because it's a movie and he's the main character.  At once it's sad, it's also being a little funny and not taking advantage of the true horror of the situation.  Yeah, I wanted it to go to that dark place and stay there.  They could've even just played it out like Ronnie would've imagined it and then play the same scene as Detective Harrison (who would've give us the real version) saw it.  The film does have some good laughs and Rogen largely gets the character right, even if he does often go too silly.  The supporting cast is good and it's a treat to see Ray Liotta in this.  I dug the picture but it felt like it should've gone farther than it did and go for that rare serious picture that has some humor but it's also got something to say and say it well. 

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Director: John Sturges

Writer: William Roberts

Composer: Elmer Bernstein

Starring: Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, Jorge Martinez de Hoyos, Vladimir Sokoloff, Rosenda Monteros, Rico Alaniz, Horst Buchholz, Robert J. Wilke, Val Avery, Whit Bissell, Bing Russell

More info: IMDb

Tagline:  Once You've Met Them...You'll Never Forget Them.

Plot:  An oppressed Mexican peasant village assembles seven gunfighters to help defend their homes.

My rating: 9/10

Will I watch it again?  Yup.

BRONSON'S AGE: 39
LEVEL OF BADASSICITY (10 being the highest): 9

Great flick.  Despite the sometimes cheesy things Chris (Brynner) does, almost all of which is from the beginning until the group sets off on their mission, it's a rock-solid action adventure Western that hits on everything you would expect.  Its got its fair share of cliches but they're far from eye-rollers and they work well for what it is.  It's exciting and funny and it's got an amazing cast, most of which get to shine a few times.  It's hard to believe that at the time Brynner was the biggest star of them all.  In just a few short years many of the rest would become household names.  Elmer Bernstein's score transcended the film and went on to represent the Western genre in the decades since.  This one is truly one of the all time great Westerns and Sturges did a hell of a job with this ensemble cast.  I've seen this one many times over the years but I've yet to see any of the three sequels.  I should do something about that.  The damn things have been sitting on my shelf for years.

Bronson is great and it's easy to see how he would become one of the top stars in the world a decade or so later.  At 39 he's one of the old cats in the film but you'd never know it.  There's a rumor (started right here) that Bronson was such a badass that it caused a tremendous amount of jealousy among the cast and crew.  Women begged daily for his essence.  The men, lead by McQueen and Brynner (not so much Brynner because he had a warehouse full of testosterone that no one else had access to), revolted and all charged Bronson after a long day of shooting.  Bronson cleaned their clocks and how.  Unfortunately a few women jumped into the mix and got served a few knuckle sandwiches themselves.  Bronson doesn't discriminate.  The next day everyone was in line, now knowing their place in Bronson's universe and the picture finished not only early, but under budget.  McQueen donated some of his salary to Bronson's charity, Bronson's Beauties. 

Wild Wild West (1999)

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Writers: Jim Thomas, John Thomas, S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman

Composer: Elmer Bernstein

Starring: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek, M. Emmet Walsh, Ted Levine, Frederique Van Der Wal, Musetta Vander, Sofia, Bai Ling, Garcelle Beauvais, Mike H. McGaughy, Jerry Wills, Rodney A. Grant, Buck Taylor, Ian Abercrombie

More info: IMDb

Tagline: It's a whole new west. July '99.

Plot: Jim West is a guns-a-blazing former Civil War hero. Artemus Gordon is an inventive U.S. Marshal who excels in disguise. When the United States is threatened by psychotic Confederate Arliss Loveless, President Ulysses Grant teams the duo up to bring him to justice. On a hazard-packed train journey from Washington D.C. to Utah, West and Gordon must combine their skills to best Loveless and his diabolical machines.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

Geez.  I can see why this is so hated.  It's not as bad as I thought it would be as it is entertaining but it's got so much dumb going on I can't believe it was made to begin with.  The story is ridiculous.  I've never seen the show but I do have the entire series that I picked up on the cheap and now I'm keen to start watching it as I'm sure it's not anywhere close to being as stupid as this picture is.  Having a big time star like Will Smith in your film is going to make it more of a Will Smith picture but here, he's half phoning it in.  It doesn't feel like he's giving it much effort and a lot of his line deliveries are lazy and unenthusiastic.  And if you're going to have a black man in the immediate post-Civil War South, which would get him just about nowhere in his investigation, just go along with the conceit that he's just another guy.  I would have rather race not enter into it than to let us believe he's getting away with it.  I loved Branagh in this but I didn't like his no-legs thing and his obsession with everything steampunk spiders.  WAYYYYY over the top but Branagh at least brought some energy and glee to this picture.  Kline is fun but, again, his character is written too over the top.  It's a silly movie with a lot of dumb, dumb, dumb choices with the worst offender being the story.  And for a family-ish Summer popcorn movie, it sure had a shitload of sexual innuendo and bare skin (I'm not complainin', just sayin').  I read that Robert Conrad, the star of the 60s show, loathed this film for its departure from the classic series, making it a mockery instead of an homage or anything close to being respectful to the show.  I'm definitely going to watch the series now, if for no other reason to see how much of an insult this film really is...and hopefully be thoroughly entertained at the same time.