VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[FLips]

7 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

Now is definitely the time. Lin-Manuel Miranda has released a Warriors concept album which is almost guaranteed to be turned into something else. He's also trying to get the game rereleased. 

Warriors being turned into a musical sounds like it was made just to wind up the UKFF. I think it's quite a fun listen. Lauryn Hill is a highlight as Cyrus. 

Honestly don’t think I dare listen.

[Chest Rockwell]

That's my soundtrack for my commute tomorrow sorted.. 

[SaitoRyo]

Duel

What a fucking film this is. It's one I've always been meaning to watch, but never did for whatever reason. Glad I remedied that last night. 

Such a simple concept that is expertly executed. Tremendous direction, acting and pacing. Ranks up there with the best made-for-TV films I've ever seen, though I did watch the 90-minute theatrical cut that had some extra scenes thrown in to beef up the runtime. 

I think this Spielberg kid might have a future, you know...

[Chest Rockwell]

7 hours ago, Chest Rockwell said:

That's my soundtrack for my commute tomorrow sorted.. 

Bit of a derail for this thread but this album is exactly what if Hamilton was The Warriors. He uses a lot of the same little musical devices and patterns that makes it feel very familiar. 

It's obviously corny in the way that all musical theatre is but it's oddly compelling and I don't hate it. 

[Onyx2]

37 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

Bit of a derail for this thread but this album is exactly what if Hamilton was The Warriors. He uses a lot of the same little musical devices and patterns that makes it feel very familiar. 

It's obviously corny in the way that all musical theatre is but it's oddly compelling and I don't hate it. 

I've found myself randomly squeaking "CLEON!" the way she does. 

[LaGoosh]

21 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Sorry if you have mentioned seeing them in this thread but I've slept since then, but have you watched any of his more dramatic stuff? Like Uncut Gems or Punch-Drunk Love? Be interested to see what you made of them.

That's the weird thing about Sandler. For all the (probably deserved) criticism he gets for a career full of supposedly lazy comedy, I think those are far and away two of the very best films of the 21st century. 

I'm sure Uncut Gems is fantastic but I was so stressed and anxious watching it that it gave me a headache and I had to turn it off after 20 minutes.

[Devon Malcolm]

6 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

I'm sure Uncut Gems is fantastic but I was so stressed and anxious watching it that it gave me a headache and I had to turn it off after 20 minutes.

It doesn't get any less stressful!

[FLips]

Snatch

First time seeing this, though I feel like I already knew half the film from my wife quoting it over the years. It's really good!
Big characters, good laughs, and it combines all the stories into one in a way that works really well. The editing is certainly a choice though, I think they just about get away with it in this but I'm glad it's not a trend that took off. It was like watching an episode of Raw but with Star Wars transitions on every cut.

The Warriors

I think I rewatch this every year as it's one of my favourites. We have the Director's Cut with all the comic book transitions, which I don't mind personally but I can see why people wouldn't care for them. It's not really a movie that sits in any particular genre; there's not enough action to call it an action film, not much in the way of drama or thrills or comedy. It's just a little bit of everything while they make their way from A to Z. It drips with cool from start to finish though with a great soundtrack, memorable style and costumes, and having them be a cast of relative unknowns adds to it as you feel like you're watching The Warriors and not a group of big actors playing The Warriors.
It's not a perfect film, but it's unique and it's an easy 90 minutes.

Bonus! - Warriors (Lin-Manuel Miranda album)

This isn't usually the type of thing I listen to, though I have enjoyed the theatre when I've been to see things like Wicked and Legally Blonde.

I'll start with the negatives, and it's an obvious one I might get stick for, but I'm not a fan of the way they do the gender-swapping. It doesn't feel genuine given the original material to change them to a gang of women who do no wrong and change things like instead of Ajax attempting a rape it's now a police officer attempting to rape Ajax, or fights being instigated by them being women and just sticking up for themselves. At that point they're not the Warriors, they're just a group of innocent women.
Let me be clear, I'm not against the idea of a gender swapped Warriors, I think everyone plays their roles well, but it feels tacked on for easy #MeToo sympathy when they could have really done a bit more with the concept.

Spoilers for the Warriors concept album of all things, but I also don't like how they had Cleon survive. It doesn't make a difference either way I suppose as he's not a major character, but if you're going to change something like that then make it mean something. Don't just have them pop up in the last song and explain how they made it home as "oh I just did, it's fine don't worry about it".

Overally though I thought it was decent. Like any musical theatre some songs worked a lot better than others and I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't go see an actual production of it. It was nice to see James Remar and David Patrick Kelly show up for a couple of tracks too. Not something I'd listen to again, the same way I don't stick Defying Gravity on at home. Some stuff works in the theatre but is kinda cringe outside of it.

 

 

 

[Devon Malcolm]

@FLips Have you seen The Warriors without all the shitty inserts?

[FLips]

Just now, Devon Malcolm said:

@FLips Have you seen The Warriors without all the shitty inserts?

I believe so, possibly the very first time I saw it. Every time since has been the comic book version though.

[Devon Malcolm]

6 minutes ago, FLips said:

I believe so, possibly the very first time I saw it. Every time since has been the comic book version though.

Yeah, sadly Walter Hill himself has fought to get the original version more or less erased a la George Lucas with Star Wars. But it's just a far superior version, for me.

[Carbomb]

I got to see the non-Director's Cut version a couple of years ago - @Chris B and I went to see a double bill of The Warriors and The Wanderers at the Prince Charles Cinema. The Wanderers is a good little film, though nowhere near as good as The Warriors - it takes a bit longer to get going, doesn't feel quite as slick, and isn't really the same genre anyway; they just both happen to be about modern gangs in New York. One of the Wanderers is played by the big lad who played Grossberger in Stir Crazy. 

On the other hand, the original version of The Warriors in the cinema was tons of fun, and the soundtrack stood out more to me than it did when I watched it on DVD.

[LaGoosh]

I generally love Walter Hill but his Directors Cut of The Warriors and mission to destroy the original cut is so insane and terrible it makes me hate him. Totally fucks up a perfect film.

[HarmonicGenerator]

I have never seen The Warriors. I know I need to change this. Not least because @Onyx2 told me I couldn't listen to the album until I've seen the film.

Edited November 13, 2024 by HarmonicGenerator

[FLips]

I just got the original cut of the film for £2.50. I’ll let you all know how it goes.