Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast – Episode 27: Burgeoning Romance, Demon Fish, and Decapitations
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Jay and Mark are joined by Justin Gott (mrjustingott) and Pete Conway (@peteconway46) of the The Rambling Ramblers Movie Podcast (@TRRMoviePodcast) to discuss “To the Top. Amen,” the 27th chapter on the Deep Blue Sea DVD. In this episode, they discuss demon fish, prayer scenes in movies, and decapitations. Enjoy!
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Shadow in the Cloud is a fun low-budget throwback creature feature that hopefully will build a large cult following.
Directed by Roseanne Liang, and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Shadow in the Cloud draws from Gremlin-lore during World War II to tell a story about a Flight Officer named Maude Garrett (Grace Moretz) having an incredibly rough ride inside a B-17 bomber named “The Fool’s Errand.” Not only does she have to transport a mysterious package, but she has to deal with a hostile male crew, and a murderous gremlin hell-bent on taking down the bomber that is also being attacked by Japanese planes (it’s a lot).
The 83-minute film (including an opening cartoon and the closing credits) flies by quickly, and features some truly memorable visuals, and gives us a badass new action hero who front kicks a gremlin into oblivion. Grace Moretz is excellent as Maude Garrett, an flight officer who flies non-armed transport planes across the pacific during the war. Her nightmarish experiences aboard the “The Fool’s Errand” are handled well, and contrary to what the action-packed movie trailer suggests, the first 30 minutes of the movie feature her wedged in a gun turret. This isn’t an issue, as Grace Moretz, puts the film on her shoulders (which are cramped inside the tiny gun turret), and gives an excellent performance that is equal parts badass and paranoid.
To give away more would be a disservice. Just know that there’s a moment in which Maude falls out of the bomber, and is blasted back inside by an exploding Japanese fighter plane (it’s wonderful). Grace Moretz has been kicking the crap out of people ever since 2010, when her Hit-Girl character In Kick-Ass shocked the world, Since then, after solid performances in Let Me In and Carrie, she’s emerged as a badass action hero who looks comfortable hanging on the outside of an airplane, AND kicking gremlins in their faces. Her final brawl with the gremlin is a thing of beauty as she unleashes a brutal barrage on the jerky creature who quickly realizes it messed with the wrong person.
It’s a shame that writer Max Landis has his name attached, as the allegations against him hurt the credibility of the film. However, it helps knowing that Liang rewrote the majority of the script, and the production distanced themselves from the oft-accused writer/director. Also, the IMDb scores and the Audience Score section of Rotten Tomatoes showcase a dispiriting amount of people complaining about the “man-hating” that is supposedly featured in the movie. These complaints are dumb, and not worthy of your time. Why? Shadow in the Cloud is a rollicking film that wants to tell a thrilling story. It doesn’t have an “anti-men” agenda, it has a “badass soldier fighting a gremlin” agenda.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode #337: First Reformed, Drano and Paul Schrader
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
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The MFF Podcast is back, and this week Jonny Numb (of the Last Knock Podcast) joined us to discuss the 2017 film First Reformed. Directed by Paul Schrader, and starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, First Reformed focuses on the downward spiral of a minster named Toller (Hawke), who is having a gnarly crisis of faith. In this episode, we discuss barb wire outfits, strategic doors, and drano. Enjoy!
Please follow Jonny Numb on Twitter – @jonnyNumb\
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
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Bad Movie Tuesday: Welcome to Sudden Death (2020), the remake/sequel to Van Damme’s Sudden Death (1995).
MY CALL:A soul-crushing defeat for fans of Michael Jai White and Van Damme. WHAT TO WATCH INSTEAD OF Welcome to Sudden Death: For truly awesome martial arts action, aim for Ong-Bak (2003), The Protector (2005), Undisputed 2 (2006), Blood and Bone (2009), The Raid: Redemption (2011), The Raid 2 (2014), Kill Zone 2 (2015) and The Night Comes for Us (2018); followed by Kill Zone (2005), Chocolate (2009), Skin Trade (2014), Triple Threat (2019), Boyka: Undisputed IV (2016) and Paradox (2017; aka Sha Po Lang 3).
Okay, action movie fans. This is more of a warning than true-to-form review. I am a big fan of Michael Jai White (MJW; Skin Trade, Blood and Bone, Triple Threat, Undisputed 2, Accident Man). And with that in mind, this movie was a soul-crushing experience…
If you’ve seen Undisputed 2 (2006) or Blood and Bone (2009), then you have a good sense of what Michael Jai White can do. Anyone who wants to say he’s getting old (born in 1967)—then check out Triple Threat (2019) or Skin Trade (2014). The man’s still got it! And if anyone has lost a step, it’s the filmmakers, not the on-screen talent. And that seems to be the problem with Welcome to Sudden Death big time.
Early combat sequences are briefly cut and clean, but the overall execution is woefully limited by MJW’s “bad guy” stunt men. After all, a martial arts movie fight is only as good as its worst fighter/stuntman and so, sadly, MJW’s skills in stunt choreography are completely lost in the inability of his costars and crew. And that limitation subsequently results in choppier editing and shorter shots (i.e., only 1-2 strikes per cut). So fans of more technically sound martial arts movies should turn away and save the heartache.
The general filmmaking is “proficient”… but poor, cinematically speaking. Every scene is boring and barely held together, often feeling like an episode of a sitcom when the characters are somewhere big, crowded and away from their regular set (like if a sitcom family went to a baseball game). The writing is likewise incredibly basic to such degree that you’d feel like “nobody speaks like this.” Everything in this movie is a tired cliché executed poorly. As far as action movies go, this is like a SyFy Channel movie-of-the-week.
The only saving grace is that I get to see MJW star in something again. But his abilities have been squandered and now I fear his chances of landing lead action roles will have only worsened.
Most of the fights are lame timewasters (by MJW standards), but the locker room fight was the one that was decent. It’s fun to watch. But again, if you’re a MJW fan, it’s incredibly weak compared to Undisputed 2 (2006) and Blood and Bone (2009) when it comes to combat photography, visible technique technical combinations, complexity and overall execution. Moreover, there are no eye-grabbing stunts.
On a technical level, the fights are better than Sudden Death (1995). However, in Sudden Death (1995) the action photography, scoring, editing and stunts all made for a more impactful and fun fight scene experience. You just can’t beat fighting a woman in a penguin mascot suit in the kitchen. Sure, MJW fights a tough female fighter. But like MJW, her skills are squandered by the poor action filmmakers behind and around the camera.
Not since Scott Adkins in Hard Target 2 (2016) has a Van Damme-less Van Damme sequel been so crassly yet delightfully cashed-in upon. And advertised and titled as a “sequel/remake” to Van Damme’s Sudden Death (1995), this takes place during a basketball game. Is there sudden death in basketball? Is there any mention of Van Damme’s heroic exploits in 1995? What’s the connection? This movie is not good. It’s bad. Very bad. Sorry, but first-time action director Dallas Jackson (Thriller) does a lame job. Clocking in at a brisk 80 minutes… it couldn’t have felt longer.
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Minari: One of the Best Films of 2020
Grade – A – Minari is an excellent film that hopefully will connect with a larger audience during awards season. I’d love to see it get a Best Picture nod at the Academy Awards.
Directed and written by Lee Isaac Chung, Minari is one of the best films released in 2020, and it totally deserves its 100% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. The semi-autobiographical film set in the 1980s, focuses on a family moving from San Francisco to Arkansas (it has great dirt), so they can own land, own a double-wide trailer, and achieve their own “American Dream.” In San Francisco, Jacob (Steven Yeun) and Monica (Han Ye-ri) worked as chicken sexers (they sort them by their gender), which provided a steady income, but wasn’t enough for them to save or improve their living situation or give their kids David (Alan S. Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho) a chance at going to a college without accruing maximum debt. So, they pack up, and move to Arkansas in hopes of starting a farm. After a rough start, Monica’s mother Soonja (an excellent Youn Yuh-jung) moves in, and things start to get super interesting as relationships strain and strengthen as the family gets used to living in the Arkansas country.
Problems arise as the thrifty Jacob refuses to pay money to dig a proper well, which forces him to dig speculative holes that leave him unable to lift his arms high enough to take off his shirt. Since these holes can’t be relied upon to keep water running, he starts watering his crops by illegally using city water in the late-hours of the night. Refreshingly, he’s never caught, and the drama comes from the marital strain between Jacob and Monica, who are at justifiable odds over the move. What’s nice is how their troubles feel relatable, and neither one is villainized as they struggle to connect in their new surroundings. Another welcome element is how Chung draws from his experiences living in Arkansas, and doesn’t villainize the locals who are occasionally ignorant, but never outright malicious towards the newest town residents.
The highlight of the film is the relationship between grandma Soonja and young David. David doesn’t like Soonja because she smells Korean (even though he’s never been there), and doesn’t act like a traditional grandma who should be coddling her grandson. Instead, she loves watching wrestling, drinking Mountain Dew, and planting minari crops alongside a local creek. Eventually, the two bond and form a nice duo that give us some of the best moments of 2020. One of the highlights revolves around Soonja warning David about throwing rocks at snakes while they’re working the minari crop by the stream. She tells him that it’s better to see the snakes, instead of being surprised by them, which is pretty great advice.
What follows is a lovely film that is patient, memorable and very likable. The performances by the cast are all around excellent, and the standouts are Youn Yuh-jung and Will Patton, who plays Paul, the local farm hand. It’s neat watching them break free from boring stereotypes (stock Grandma, strict christain), and provide welcome humanity to characters who are 100% unique and likable.
Minari is an excellent film, and I totally recommend you check it out whenever you get a chance.
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You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re celebrating 2020 cinema by handing out 16 Random Awards to movies such as Minari, Tenet, Get Duked!, Sh!thouse, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always. The Random Awards are an institution here at MFF, and we went big (and very random) for its 10th anniversary. In this episode, we discuss monster explosions, turtle expeditions, hungry henchmen, and out of control vans.
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast – Episode 26: Shark Communication, Floating Bread, and Stuffed Crust Pizza
You can listen to Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Tunein, Podcast Addict, Amazon, Google Podcasts, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts. Also, make sure to like our Facebook page!
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Jay and Mark are joined by Paige (@gaytaylorswift on Twitter) to discuss “Deep-Fried,” the 26th chapter on the Deep Blue Sea DVD. This might be the most infamous moment in the film, as Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) strips down (very gratuitously) so she can electrocute a shark that wants her, and her research destroyed. In this episode, they discuss shark communication, James Remar, Komodo, and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Enjoy!
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The 2020 MFF Random Awards: Celebrating the Randomness of 2020.
The Movies, Films and Flix random awards are back, and this time they’re celebrating the randomness of 2020 cinema. It was a weird year for movies, with the pandemic pushing many major releases back to 2021, but this year still saw the releases of some excellent films that will be featured below. This year’s Random Awards will celebrate movies like Minari, Fatman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Love and Monsters and Lovers Rock. Also, make sure to check out the mid-year Random Awards for more 2020 goodness.
The 2020 Random Awards
Best Hitman and Hamster Duo Award
Fatman is a wildly violent film involving a hitman hunting Santa Claus. That’s why I enjoy the relationship between Walton Goggins (The Hitman) and his pet hamster.
Best Moments Involving Lots of Questions Award
Never Rarely Sometimes Always features a harrowing scene that centers around dozens of questions being answered by Autumn (Sidney Flanigan), the main character of the film.
Best Runaway Van Award
Get Duked! is a wonderfully bonkers film that features juvenile delinquents battling masked murderers in the Scottish highlands. There is a recurring van gag that is most excellent.
Best Grandma Award
Minari is another excellent A24 film, and Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung) is my favorite character. She is an “anti-Grandma” who loves wrestling, mountain dew, and arguing with her grandson David. You’ll love her.
Best Usage of a Selfie Stick Award
I love zombie movies, and I especially love Korean zombie movies. #Alive features some truly suspenseful moments involving cell phone signals and selfie sticks. You’ll love it.
Best Married Couple Award
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane (AKA the parents of Superman) are excellent together in Let Him Go. I’d pay to watch them drive around in circles because their chemistry is so good.
Best Magical Raccoon Award
Gary the magical raccoon is the MVP of Godmothered. I’d love to have a magical raccoon who does minor house chores (watch out for power cables though).
Best Sequel Involving three Vanessa Hudgens Award
The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again features another very fun performance by Vanessa Hudgens. She puts in some work.
Best Grenade Being Used on a Monster Moment Award
Love and Monsters is one of my favorite 2020 films. I loved watching Joel (Dylan O’Brien) make his 80-mile trek for love, and I really enjoyed all the various monsters he encountered.
Best Party Award
Lovers Rock director Steve McQueen, and cinematographer Shabier Kirchner do an excellent job creating a vibrant and exhilarating house party.
Best Day Drinking Award
Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) do some excellent day drinking in Palm Springs. Being stuck in a time loop would be terrible, but day drinking without consequences for a few weeks would be nice.
Best Movie Written by an Extra from Deep Blue Sea Award
Aya Podel, boy #1 (AKA guy who has a shirt with sleeves) in Deep Blue Sea, wrote Scoob!
Best Thermos in a Halloween Movie Award
I really want Hubie’s thermos in Hubie Halloween. It’s a swiss army knife thermos that is home to a blender, grappling hook, telescope, and about 45 other things. Love it.
Best Slide Drumming Award
Sound of Metal is one of my favorite films of 2020, and I love the moment when Riz Ahmed and a young kid keep a beat on a metal slide. It’s nice.
Best Drunk Correction of a Director Award
Aubrey Plaza is so good in Black Bear, and you’ll love the moment when she drunkenly corrects a director.
Best Backwards Walking Award
On The Rocks is one of my favorite films of 2020, and I really enjoy the dynamic between Rashida Jones and Bill Murray.
Best 2020 Character Award
Crystal Creasy (Betty Gilpin) is a badass enigma in The Hunt. Gilpin turned in an excellent performance.
Best Alien Monster That Lives Inside of a Cosmonaut Award
I really enjoy Sputnik, and think it features the most interesting monster of 2020.
Movie I Wished Was Around When I Was In College Award
Shithouse is about a sensitive kid learning to live on his own during college. It’s a nice film that explores some neat territory.
Best 2020 Fanny Pack Award
I really enjoyed Wonder Woman 1984, and think it features the best fanny pack of 2020. Chris Pine was born to wear a fanny pack.
Best Candy Man Reference in a Movie About Body Swapping Award
I really enjoyed Freaky, and think the idea is super creative. Also, I like how it went out of its way to reference Candy Man. Makes me happy.
Best Protagonist Who Dresses Really Well Award
I love Tenet. It’s big, bold, brash and bonkers. Also, the protagonists wear some killer suits.
Best Usage of Lamorne Morris Award
Bloodshot is a blast. Watch it, and embrace the Morris. Make sure to listen our Bloodshot podcast episode too!
Best Photocopying Award
The Assistant is an excellent film, and it features some quality photocopying.
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After working magic together in 2013, with their film Captain Phillips, it was no surprise when it was announced that Tom Hanks and director Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy) were teaming up again for News of the World. It makes total sense that they would reunite, as Captain Phillips, was nominated for six Academy Awards and features one of Tom Hanks finest onscreen moments.
As expected, News of the World is another successful production for Hanks and Greengrass, and it makes me happy that Gold Derby is predicting that it will be nominated for Best Picture.
News of the World focuses on traveling newsreader Captain Kidd (Hanks), a former soldier who makes his money in post-Civil War Texas by reading the news of the world to the denizens of small towns. He reads his newspapers word-for-word to packed audiences who either can’t read, or have no time (or energy) to read the incredibly small font that the newspapers used to pack in as many words as possible. His nomadic existence is interrupted when he tasks himself to take a young girl named Johanna (Helena Zengel) to her aunt and uncle after her carriage is ambushed, and its driver is lynched by a group of racist Texans. The problem is, Johanna was taken from her family when she was little, by the Kiowa people, and now she only speaks their language, and has no plans of being returned to her German aunt and uncle who are living deep in the wilderness of Texas. What follows can best be described as an “Action Western Drama” that features gunfights, news reading, and deadly money.
As expected, Tom Hanks is excellent in the role, as he comes across as a likable man who can defeat bandits in gunfights, and become a father figure to a traumatized child whose parents AND adoptive parents were killed. After Saving Private Ryan, Road to Perdition, Cast Away, Forrest Gump, and Captain Phillips, Hanks has proven himself to be an excellent physical performer, who is as comfortable in gun fights and horse chases, as he is in moments involving him being super nice. Also, since it’s a Paul Greengrass film, he’s placed in highly stressful situations that require creative thinking, nerves of steel, and assistance from young kids who know what happens when you place coins in a shotgun barrel.
The cinematography by Dariusz Wolski (Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Prometheus, Dark City, The Crow, Crimson Tide) captures the beauty of the Texas expanse, while also letting us know that it’s a dangerous place full of dark corners, and murderous rogues. His cinematography during the hill-top gun fight is wonderful, as the battle for high-ground proves itself to have the utmost importance. Also, kudos to editor (Greengrass loves good editors) William Goldenberg (Argo, The Long Kiss Goodnight, National Treasure) for allowing the action scenes room to breathe, which allows Hanks to showcase his “Action Hanks” skills.
The major surprise of the film is the performance by Helena Zengel, who is tasked with acting alongside Hanks, and being a three-dimensional child who is slightly feral, and super industrious. I loved watching the evolution of her character, and the relationship she forms with Captain Kidd feels lived-in and real.
News of the World is a solid western thriller that features confident direction, nerve-wracking action and another excellent performance from Tom Hanks. Watch it!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 335: The Long Kiss Goodnight, Renny Harlin, and Ice Skating
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about the 1996 action film The Long Kiss Goodnight. Directed by Renny Harlin (Listen to Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast), and starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, this underappreciated film focuses on what happens when a badass assassin regains her memory (lots of people are killed). We’re big fans of Renny Harlin, and couldn’t wait to talk about this movie so we could promote the glorious action and witty Shane Black script. In this episode, we discuss ice skating, kitchen fights, and the excellence of Geena Davis. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
Movies, Films & Flix 