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Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
1993 | Comedy
Everything (0 more)
No sequel (0 more)
You have to be a real man to wear tights!
Cary Elwes stars a robin hood in this comical retelling of the legendary hero who after returning to England after fighting in the crusades and then being captured, enslaved only to escape from prison in Jerusalem and seim home to England (what a guy ;) ) to find that the evil Prince John (Richard Lewis) has confiscated his family estate and is following the script and ruining Nottingham. Robin enlists his family's loyal blind servant Blinkin (Mark Blankfield), Will Scarlett O'Hara (Matthew Porretta) and Little John (Eric Allan Kramer) to help rebel. Robin also hopes to woo the beautiful Maid Marian (Amy Yasbeck), but her chastity belt may prove a challenge (and her keeper)

Great jokes, Mel Brooks, hilarious performances, subtle nods and a robin hood who can speak with an England accent.

A classic spoof on the legend who had it coming.
  
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Benny Sadfie recommended Milestones (1975) in Movies (curated)

 
Milestones (1975)
Milestones (1975)
1975 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Anyway, the next one I have to say is Milestones, and that’s just because of the massive impact it had on me in general and by Robert Kramer and John Douglas. Basically, this movie put within me emotions and memories that I never had, and I was feeling them in the theater as if I had them. There’s a scene where John Douglas is playing – I think he’s playing the saxophone, and the other guy is doing some ceramics, and it’s just such a happy moment, and it’s so small. But in that moment, I’m just with them 100%, and then there’s a birth in the movie, and the birth, you’re feeling elated. Not because it’s a beautiful thing in the world, but because you’re feeling the kind of coming in of a new life as these parents. And there’s just something about the cinematography, the people, and the characters, and the colors of it all. It’s an amazing movie. And I remember watching it being like, “OK, you can do this to an audience.” That was mind-blowing."

Source
  
Jigsaw (2017)
Jigsaw (2017)
2017 | Crime, Horror
Tobin Bell (0 more)
Everything Else (0 more)
The Disappointment
Saw - The Start
Saw II - The Clock
Saw III - The Consquence's
Saw IV - The Games
Saw V - The Detective
Saw VI - The Legacy
Saw VII - The Finale

This one - The Disappointment

Let Me Explain- so it toke seven whole years for the studio to come up with a good enough story, so that it can be released to theaters. I mean thats good, isnt. Not in this case. Seven years for a overall disappointing movie, Seven whole years and what did come up with as the result/outcome, this movie. This movie was weird, it was strange, to me it didnt feel like a saw movie, i mean it had some of the elements of a saw movie, but overall to me it didnt seem like one. More of lets try our best to make a reboot of the saw franchise and see how that works out. It didnt work. Now have to wait until May of all months for the next instellment of the saw franchise.

The Plot: After a series of murders bearing all the markings of the Jigsaw killer, law enforcement officials find themselves chasing the ghost of a man who has been dead for over a decade, and they become embroiled in a new game that's only just begun. Is John Kramer back from the dead to remind the world to be grateful for the gift of life? Or is this a trap set by a killer with designs of his own?

The only good thing about this movie was the return of Tobin Bell as John Kramer/Jigsaw.

Hopefully Chris Rock of all people can save the Saw Franchise and Darren Lynn Bousman returns which is a plus. Well have to wait until May to find out.
  
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)
2021 | Horror, Thriller
It's the right amount of dark and gritty with a decent performance from Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson! (0 more)
Traps aren't all that imaginative, the social justice angle is all over the place and it is a little too far removed from the tried and proven SAW formula!10 (0 more)
Flawed but enjoyable!
It's been a little more than 10 years since the death of John Kramer aka The Jigsaw Killer! A new killer emerges from the shadows, with a very different agenda and is hellbent on continuing Jigsaw's legacy. Detective Zeke Banks is assigned to the case and finds himself thrust into a vast conspiracy involving the dark deeds of the corrupt system he once swore to protect!

In reality the killer is very uninspired, the traps are not as elegantly designed and there is very little of the SAW DNA present in the film. The main reasons to watch SPIRAL are Chris Rock and Sam Jackson!
  
Jigsaw (2017)
Jigsaw (2017)
2017 | Crime, Horror
275. Jigsaw. Yea, I'm just about a full year late on this one. I wanted to see it, just got put on the back burner and forgotten, sorry Tobin. So somewhere along the way I was lead to believe this was a prequel. Well, it wasn't. Not sure why they changed the name to Jigsaw and not just Saw VIII. Several of the chapters took place after the death of John Kramer. Is it because the previous one was "The Final Chapter"... Friday the 13th did two final chapters, lol. So really there wasn't anything new to this one. I mean the trailers give away the most of the movie, so... We are lead to believe Jigsaw has a new game going, even though he's been a corpse for a decade, cops are baffled, bodies are piling up, who the hell could it be??? And if you are a fan of the series, c'mon you got this, the last one ended with Jigsaw having a cult like following, the audience knows he is very much indeed dead, and its been a common theme, that John is really just a guy there to help you... Help him, help you!!! And he once in awhile takes someone under his wing... duh... Amanda, Hoffman, and of course Dr. Gordon (I was kinda dissappointed he didnt pop up in there) But all in all... Jigsaw was a pretty cool blood fest, and sequel... you may disagree... but this is mainly for me... Filmbufftim on FB
  
All That Jazz (1979)
All That Jazz (1979)
1979 | Drama, Musical, Sci-Fi
9
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Full Blown Fosse (and that's a good thing)
After THE FRENCH CONNECTION, JAWS, MARATHON MAN and SORCERER (and, if I'm honest, JAWS II), my brother and I thought Roy Scheider was just about the toughest son-of-a-gun on the planet, so when he asked if I wanted to check out the latest "Roy Scheider flick", I jumped at the chance.

Little did either of us know that it was the semi-autobiographical Bob Fosse gem ALL THAT JAZZ. Me, being a musical theater kid, was thrilled by this unexpected spectacle while my brother (who would rather sit through C-Span than watch a musical) calls it, to this day, his "favorite" musical (granted, not a long list).

I've rewatched this film various times over the years and still liked it, but I hadn't checked it out for over 20 years at this point, so it was with some trepidation that I popped my DVD in (yes, I own the DVD, not the Blu-Ray) and sat back to see how well it holds up.

And...I shouldn't have worried, for it holds up very, very well. Not only as a film, not only as a musical, not only as a look into the life and times (and style) of Bob Fosse, but also as a looking glass into the late 1970's.

Written and Directed by famed Director/Choreographer Bob Fosse (CABARET, CHICAGO), ALL THAT JAZZ tells the (much more than) semi-autobiographical story of famed Director/Choreographer Joe Gideon (Scheider) who is pushing himself hard to finish a film and mount a Broadway show relying on booze, drugs and philandering.

The performances are strong in this film with a bevy of "Fosse regulars" strutting their stuff. From Leland Palmer (in the obvious Gwen Verdon role) to Ann Reinking (in the Ann Reinking role) to Ben Vereen (as the variety show headliner from hell) they all bring strong Broadway credentials to the screen making the musical numbers a veritable showcase of Fosse movements.

A very young Jessica Lange (in an early role that would showcase her acting chops) is mesmerizing, haunting and very, very watchable as a mysterious women in Joe's life while a very young John Lithgow shows up (and chews the scenery very, very well) as a rival director.

The surprise to me, of course, was the strong performance of Scheider in the lead role. He was Oscar-nominated for his work (deservingly so) and when he finally steps into the big finale musical number, he shows that he can hold his own (surprisingly so). He is PERFECTLY cast as Joe Gideon and he never really approached this strong work again in his career.

But, make no mistake about it, this film showcases Bob Fosse's Directing and Choreography skills - and they are excellent. The style of the film - bouncing from real life to something more ethereal - is strong, and strongly Fosse, giving a clear idea of the life and time in which these events unfold. I stated earlier that this film is a "looking glass" into the late 1970's, and I meant it. It immediately brought me back to those times - both the good and bad of it.

The musical numbers are fascinating to watch with the dancing particularly stunning as the angles and forms that the dancers make with their bodies and arms and legs are a wonder to behold. There has never been anyone like Fosse (before or since) and it is GREAT to watch a showcase of his talents.

This film was nominated for 9 Oscars - winning 4 - but losing Picture, Director (Fosse) and Actor (Scheider) to KRAMER vs. KRAMER (Picture, Director - Robert Benton and Actor - Dustin Hoffman). Now, I haven't seen Kramer vs. Kramer in a long, long time (probably not since I saw it in the theaters in 1979), but I gotta think ALL THAT JAZZ is better in all those categories.

If you haven't seen this in awhile - or if you have NEVER seen it - check out ALL THAT JAZZ, you'll be glad you did.

Letter Grade: A

9 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Saw (2004) in Movies

Dec 17, 2019 (Updated Jan 8, 2020)  
Saw (2004)
Saw (2004)
2004 | Horror
The Start
Saw- this one started it all, this one started the franchise. This one is the best one out of all of them. This one has the best story, the best plot and the best twist ending to all of them. This one is more detective film than a tourture film, it still had tourture in it, but its more about the two main charcters trying to survivor and figure out where their are and the detective trying to find them. With introduction Jigsaw/John Kramer, doctor Gordon and Amanda Young.

The Plot: Photographer Adam Stanheight (Leigh Whannell) and oncologist Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) regain consciousness while chained to pipes at either end of a filthy bathroom. As the two men realize they've been trapped by a sadistic serial killer nicknamed "Jigsaw" and must complete his perverse puzzle to live, flashbacks relate the fates of his previous victims. Meanwhile, Dr. Gordon's wife (Monica Potter) and young daughter (Makenzie Vega) are forced to watch his torture via closed-circuit video.

After this one, the franchise became more of a tourture porn franchise, well it did become tourture porn in the sequels, with focus more on tourture and the traps rather than a story. The story is just sprinkled within inside the tourture porn and traps, you just have to find the story.

Like i said before this one is the best one out of all of them, the best story, the best plot and the best twist ending.

Want to play a game, do you punk? Well do you?
  
Jigsaw (2017)
Jigsaw (2017)
2017 | Crime, Horror
Contains spoilers, click to show
10 Years after the events in saw 7 (the Final chapter/Saw 3D) a new 'game' has started and a new group of police officers have to try to find out what is happening and who is responsible.
Jigsaw runs to almost the same formula as the previous films , there is a game in progress and the police have to stop it but as well as the game there is still enough of a story to make the film interesting. The biggest difference is that there isn't really the back story in the same way the other films had mainly because, with the exception of John Kramer (the original Jigsaw), we have all new characters. Instead Jigsaw focuses on finding out who the new Jigsaw is or even if it is a new Jigsaw or if John has some how come back from the dead. This is where the film is cleaver, it gives us a number of possible suspects and even makes it seem it may be John.
Jigsaw doesn't seem to be as gory as the previous films, yes you still have people in a game and yes at least some of them loose but there are no intestines littering the ground or close ups on people getting cut in half. Don't get me wrong there is still gore, closeups of the dead bodies and people loosing limbs but it doesn't quite have the same feel to it.
The story aspect to the film is good , as I said, it does leave you guessing to who the killer is although, if you pay attention there are clues. The film also plays with time a bit and, as in the other films, this is used to throw the viewer off track.
Jigsaw is a good entry in to the Saw franchise, as it has a ten year gap from Saw 7 it doesn't get bogged down with the original charters and doesn't get (too) bogged down with the past timeline which was getting a bit muddled (in my opinion) but it does manage to pull from what has gone before and use it further the story.
And that's it, the end of the Saw franchise. OK not quite, at the time of writing 'Spiral, Chapters from the book of Saw' is due out at the cinema (Corona willing) in a couple of weeks and it looks to bigger and better however I probably won't get to see it for a while so, for now, it's time to move onto something new.
  
Saw VI (2009)
Saw VI (2009)
2009 | Horror, Mystery
9
6.2 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
With Saw VI we get more of the same, more traps, more gore and more story which is exactly what you'd expect. Saw VI seems to fit into the overall story better than the previous film, the game fits into the over all story better, with the victims actually being connected to what is happening and the back story doesn't interfere with what has happened before, instead it adds to the overall mythos.
Where the last three films focused on the back story of three of the main characters; Amanda the Pig, John Kramer aka Jigsaw and Detective Hoffman, Saw VI focus on their relationship and the power struggle between Hoffman and Amanda and explains a bit more of Amanda's actions at the end of Saw III.
We get to find out what was in the box Johns wife received as part of her inheritance and we get the feeling that the franchise is beginning to come to it's conclusion .
There's not much more that can be said that hasn't already been said about the previous films, there's gore and violence which interweave the main story which follows on from the the previous film.
I do think Saw VI is one of the better films, the games are imaginative and linked to the main story, there is gore but not enough as to overwhelm the viewer and the story/timeline makes sense.
So, if you're a fan of the franchise then watch it. However if you're new to the whole thing then best start with an earlier film as we are quite far into the story.
  
Pitching Tents (2017)
Pitching Tents (2017)
2017 |
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
If you have ever taken the time to listen to our Podcast you will have figured out that I am a big fan of Kevin Smith, John Hughes, Cameron Crowe dialogue heavy story driven movies. Throw one of those coming of age end of summer type movies and ill eat them up like a bowl of Shreddies (Other cereals are available I just happen to be eating a bowl as I write this).

Pitching Tents is exactly this type of movie. Its 1984 its the end of the school year and Danny (Micheal Grant) has very little clue what he is going to do with his life past High School, before he has to really worry about any of that he is having one last weekend at Trout Camp with his buddies. However before his weekend can really begin he is cornered by over zealous guidance counselor Mr. Mulligan (Jim Norton) who has pretty much guaranteed Danny a place at a good college. Obviously though things are never that simple because Danny’s dad (Eric Allan Kramer) has gone to the liberty of securing him a job at the local factory.

 

Torn between his passion for Art and his desire to please his father, Danny has a tough life choice ahead of him. Of course that can wait because a weekend of smoking weed, contemplating life, trying to get laid lies ahead of Danny and his closest friends. You know standard Dazed and Confused territory.

You could argue that there is not really anything original here and you would right, we have seen these movies before and often done better. However I personally felt the Tug of War between Danny, his father and the Counselor is an interesting spin of the teen coming of age drama. Add to this the supporting cast of friends all hugely believable and relate-able with good turns from Disney alumni BooBoo Stewart (Descendants) as Todd and everyone’s favorite child star Jonathan Lipnicki (who is all growed up nowadays) as Scott. Then there is the final third of the movie in which Danny is to make his choice and the movie shows a level of maturity rarely seen in this type of Flick. Props to director Jacob Cooney on this count.

This is a recommend if these movies take your fancy, I know they are not for everyone but personally it ticked a lot of my boxes, and its always good to see what Lipnicki is doing these days. Oh then theres the soundtrack, typical 80s movie soundtrack, but hey who doesnt love that.