Watch This With Rick Ramos
371 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 89 ratingsComedian Rick Ramos sits down and talks current theatrical releases and offers suggestions for additional movie watching choices. A film fans dream come true, WatchThis is about the art, beauty, and possibilities of cinema. Each week Ramos discusses the greatest films ever made (including those that you may have missed) as well as the artists that have created these films. He also goes further in discussing how much these films mean to him and how much they will - hopefully - mean to you. Enjoy!
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Episodes
#490 - Rocky/Rocky II - WatchThis W/RickRamos
April 23, 2024 07:35 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBAmerica's Underdog: John G. Avildsen's Rocky & Sylvester Stallone's Rocky II Jumping into the world of underdogs (last week's Popeye), Mr. Chavez & I look at one of the great American Cinematic creations - Rocky Balboa. The Balboa character's screenplay origin rivals that of the character's struggle in the film(s). From a real life adaptation of the 70s Muhammad Ali/Chuck Wepner bout, Stallone is legendary for having written Rocky and forcing studios to accept him as the lead in order to p...
#489 - Popeye - Watch This W/RickRamos
April 16, 2024 08:41 - 1 hour - 103 MBComic Strip Underdog: Robert Altman's Popeye This week we look to the fans with a special episode dedicated to WatchThis supporter, Jorge Saucedo. Mr. Saucedo asked that we take a look at the much-maligned 1980 Robert Altman comic strip adaptation, Popeye. This was a great time re-visiting a classic of my youth and, although Popeye is not Mr. Chavez's type of film - good guy hero, comic strip adaptation, musical - there is a great deal that he admired in this 80s Classic. Featuring Robin W...
#488 - Lawrence of Arabia - WatchThis W/RickRamos
April 10, 2024 06:21 - 2 hours - 139 MBWe'll Always Have Aqaba - David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia Few films are able to live up to the label of "epic". In 1962 David Lean created one of the great epic masterpieces of cinema, Lawrence of Arabia. Based on the life of British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and write, T.E. Lawrence, Lean's film chronicles Lawrence's involvement in the Arab Revolt (1916-1918), his life among his adopted tribal families and his struggles with loyalty to the Arab tribes, the dessert, and his t...
#487 - Dune Part 2 - WatchThis W/RickRamos
April 02, 2024 03:30 - 1 hour - 113 MBFrank Herbert's Burden: Denis Villeneuve's Dune Part 2 This week Mr. Chavez & I return to Planet Arrakis for the conclusion (a lie) of Frank Herbert's Sci-Fi Classic, Dune. We partly imagined that this would be more of our previous look at this film (Episode #353), however we were able to find more to complain about. Take a listen as we fortify our stance in the minority opinion regarding this "WhiteSaviour" epic. It's an interesting talk with a lot to unpack. As always we can be reached a...
#486 - Inland Empire - WatchThis W/RickRamos
March 26, 2024 03:58 - 1 hour - 96.4 MBWoman in Trouble; Audience Perplexed: David Lynch's Inland Empire Few filmmakers can live up to the title "auteur" . . . David Lynch almost requires the use of it. From daring soundtracks through troubling narratives and controversial story elements, fascinatingly over the top performances and strange journeys into the subconscious, Lynch has left audiences reeling with confusion and excitement for over forty years. On this week's episode Mr. Chavez and I take a look at his last theatrica...
#485 - Black Swan - WatchThis W/RickRamos
March 20, 2024 05:56 - 1 hour - 108 MBBroken Mirror: Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan Fun talk . . . This week Mr. Chavez and I continue to look at the films of Darren Aronofsky with this discussion of his 2010, Five Time Oscar Nominated (Including Best Picture and Director, and Winner for Best Actress - Natalie Portman) look at the world of Ballet. Aronofsky's film is a tense and often brutal look at the world of artistic perfection featuring a dynamic and fearless performance from Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers, a young balleri...
#484 - Requiem for a Dream - WatchThis W/RickRamos
March 14, 2024 00:00 - 1 hour - 85.2 MBSouls Dead, Eyes Dilated: Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream On this week's episode Mr. Chavez & I sit down for a re-watch of Darren Aronofsky's second feature, Requiem for a Dream, based on the 1978 novel by Hubert Selby Jr. Aronofsky's adaptation is a tragic and often times painful viewing of heroin addiction and the victims (Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans, and Jennifer Connelly) it leaves in its wake. Aronofsky and Selby contrast heroin addiction with the more "acceptable" and less recog...
#483 - Perfect Blue - WatchThis W/RickRamos
March 05, 2024 04:13 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBMima's Room: Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue This week we thank long time listener and Buy Me a Coffee supporter, Cornelius Burroughs with a viewing and discussion of Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue. Mr. Burroughs was kind enough to gift me a blu-ray copy of this Classic Japanese Anime many years ago . . . I have finally made the time to watch it and am eager for listeners to hear our admiring, problematic, and conflicted opinions of this film. This is a great discussion that has forced - at least ...
#482 - Gremlins & Gremlins 2: The New Batch - WatchThis W/RickRamos
February 27, 2024 09:03 - 1 hour - 86.1 MBFrom Cute & Cuddly to Killer: Joe Dante's Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our stroll through the 1980s with a look at a stange kind of Comedy/Puppetry/Action/Horror hybrid, Joe Dante's Gremlins (1984). Dante - a graduate of the Roger Corman School of Low-Budget Filmmaking - is one of the most criminally underappreciated directors of the 1980s and 1990s. The Howling, Explorers, The 'Burbs, Matinee, Innerspace, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action . . . J...
#481 - Alien & The Thing - WatchThis W/RickRamos
February 21, 2024 06:04 - 1 hour - 99.8 MBWhat's Out There: Ridley Scott's Alien and John Carpenter's The Thing This week we take a look at two of the greatest Science-Fiction/Horror films in the History of Cinema: Ridley Scott's Alien (1979) and John Carpenter's The Thing (1982) We've talked about both of these films throughout the history of the podcast, however on this go-around we take a slightly different approach, looking at the similarities between the films, the differences, the influences, and how each film has adhered to...
#480 - E.T. The Extra Terrestrial - WatchThis W/RickRamos
February 14, 2024 09:02 - 1 hour - 108 MBA Safe Alien for the Box Office: Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra Terrestrial This week Mr. Chavez & I shift our focus from the dangers of extra terrestrial life to the cute and cuddly alien that captivated audiences in 1982 - Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. At the time, the biggest box office hit in the history of cinema (a title it would hold until Spielberg's own Jurassic Park eleven years later), E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, is a film that has stayed in the public consci...
#479 - Alien: Covenant - WatchThis W/RickRamos
February 06, 2024 08:10 - 1 hour - 88.5 MBParadise Lost - Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant This week brings us to the end of our look into the Alien franchise with a discussion of Ridley Scott's final journey into the world he introduced audiences to in 1979. 2017's Alien: Covenant did a great deal to explain the origin of the xenomorphs and the space jockey, however an equal number of questions arose. As we await the release of Alien: Romulus in the summer of 2024 it's our duty to look at Ridley Scott's conclusion and discuss this ...
#478 - Prometheus - WatchThis W/RickRamos
January 31, 2024 08:34 - 1 hour - 105 MBF*cked Around and Found Out: Ridley Scott's Prometheus It's rare that a director can tell a story, go on to fabulous critical and commercial success, and return to his origins, answering questions that have hovered around a franchise for decades, while doing so in an exciting and innovative way. Ridley Scott's Alien introduced one of the great Science Fiction/Horror creatures. In 2012 Scott would return to the world he created in 1979 with his prequel Prometheus. A film that confused and ...
#477 - Alien Resurrection - WatchThis W/RickRamos
January 27, 2024 02:30 - 1 hour - 99.4 MBDead on Arrival: John-Pierre Jeunet's Alien Resurrection Closing in on the end of the month brings us to the end of the original Alien franchise. 1997s Alien Resurrection is a ridiculous mess of a film that is a final disappointing period to one of the greatest Horror/Sci-Fi franchises in the history of cinema. From a script by Joss Whedon and direction from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Alien Ressurrection badly fumbles the beauty, intensity, and legacy of the first two films and the potential of ...
#476 - Alien 3 - WatchThis W/RickRamos
January 18, 2024 19:56 - 1 hour - 106 MBDragon, Mother, Queen: Not David Fincher’s Alien 3 Continuing our descent into the world created in 1979's Alien and continued with 1986's Aliens, this week Mr. Chavez & I find ourselves crash landing on Fiorina "Fury" 161 - a foundry and maximum-security planet prison. David Fincher (in his feature directorial debut) takes the helm for 1992's Alien 3. Arguably the most beautifully photographed and intricately detailed entry (production design wise) in the Alien series, Fincher's work...
#475 - Aliens - WatchThis W/RickRamos
January 11, 2024 03:42 - 1 hour - 120 MBUnfinished Business: James Cameron's Aliens This week Ibrahim & I return to LV-426. 57 years later - but feeling more like seven - James Cameron takes over the reins for the masterpiece created by Sir Ridley Scott. 1979's Alien would change the Sci-Fi genre. An incredibly influential work of cinema, the film would influence any number of directors, with James Cameron springboarding off of the world created by Scott and moving the genre from Horror/Sci-Fi to Military/Sci-Fi. Analogous to t...
#474 - Alien - WatchThis W/RickRamos
January 04, 2024 06:00 - 2 hours - 140 MBCrew Expendable: Ridley Scott's Alien Might as well not screw around and start 2024 with a bang . . . This month Mr. Chavez and I dive into the world of Ellen Ripley and the Xenomorphs. At this point it's been nearly 45 years since we were first introduced to the crew of the Nostromo: Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Yaphet Kotto, and - in her film debut - Sigourney Weaver. Scott (in his second feature) created a science fiction world unlike anyt...
#473 - Nightcrawler - WatchThis W/RickRamos
January 01, 2024 23:29 - 1 hour - 105 MBL.A. After Midnight: Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler Finishing December and starting 2024. (Sorry, we're a bit late getting this one out.) A continuation and closing out of Ibrahim Chavez's Los Angeles. We've talked James Ellroy, Charles Bukowski, Thom Andersen, and Paul Schrader's Los Angeles. This week we filter the darkest, most cynical, and bleakest impressions of Los Angeles through the tabloid and exploitative lens of television news in Dan Gilroy's 2014 Nightcrawler. Featuring a powerful ...
#472 - Charles Bukowski: Tales of Ordinary Madness - WatchThis W/RickRamos
December 27, 2023 08:06 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBBukowski's Drunken Streets: Marco Ferreri's Tales of Ordinary Madness Continuing our exploration of The City of Angels, Mr. Chavez & I dive into the great Los Angeles novelist, short story writer, poet, and "Dirty Old Man" Henry Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994). Bukowski holds a special place in my heart and memories; Beginning with Notes of a Dirty Old Man and continuing through novels (Women, Ham on Rye), a screenplay (Barfly), and numerous poetry collections (War All the Time: Poems 1981-...
#471 - James Ellroy: Feast of Death - WatchThis W/RickRamos
December 19, 2023 01:02 - 1 hour - 106 MBDown These Dark Streets: James Ellroy - Feast of Death Continuing our travels through Los Angeles, Mr. Chavez & I focus our discussion on the great LA Crime (Historical Crime) Novelist, James Ellroy. Famous for his LA Quartet - including The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz, as well as the autobiographical My Dark Places, Ellroy has written some of the most celebrated and polariizing Los Angeles based novels of the last century. His examination of the L.A. P...
#470 - Hardcore - WatchThis W/RickRamos
December 11, 2023 07:37 - 1 hour - 216 MBAnother Lost Angel: Paul Schrader's Hardcore This week we continue our descent into Ibrahim Chavez's Los Angeles with a look at Taxi Driver screenwriter, Paul Schrader's blunt and brutal examination of the Los Angeles/San Diego/San Francisco sex trade of the late 1970s. Schrader's upbringing in a strict Calvinist environment would shape his social outlook and influence his abandonment of religion and drive towards sexual and cultural freedoms. Much like his screenplay for Taxi Driver, Schr...
#469 - Los Angeles Plays Itself - WatchThis W/RickRamos
December 05, 2023 09:11 - 1 hour - 135 MBAt Night and From a Distance: Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself We're starting the month of December (and ending 2023) with a dive into Los Angeles in a month of programming curated by our own Ibrahim Chavez. Our first episode of December is a look at film critic and teacher, Thom Andersen's "video essay" Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003). A legend in the world of documentary filmmaking, Andersen's film was seen sporadically in screenings set up by Andersen, showings at the American C...
#468 - Richard Pryor: Live in Concert & Live on the Sunset Strip - WatchThis W/RickRamos
November 28, 2023 08:46 - 2 hours - 142 MBBeyond Laughter: Richard Pryor - Live in Concert & Live on the Sunset Strip This week Mr. Chavez & I close out November with a look at - arguably - the greatest stand-up comic the craft has ever produced, Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, Sr. I have been an admirer of Mr. Pryor for nearly five decades now and am unable to remember a time when I was not aware and was not in total awe of him. On this episode, Ibrahim & I look at the legacy of this great artist as well as the brilliance ...
#468 - Richard Pryor: Live in Concert & Live on the Sunset Strip - WatachThis W/RickRamos
November 28, 2023 08:46 - 2 hours - 142 MBBeyond Laughter: Richard Pryor - Live in Concert & Live on the Sunset Strip This week Mr. Chavez & I close out November with a look at - arguably - the greatest stand-up comic the craft has ever produced, Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, Sr. I have been an admirer of Mr. Pryor for nearly five decades now and am unable to remember a time when I was not aware and was not in total awe of him. On this episode, Ibrahim & I look at the legacy of this great artist as well as the brilliance ...
#467 - High and Low - WatchThis W/RickRamos
November 21, 2023 07:04 - 1 hour - 95.9 MBRansom: Akira Kurosawa's High & Low There are no shortage of names that define our undersrtanding and foster our enjoyment of Cinema. Scorsese, Fellini, Bergman, Leone, Eisenstein, Spielberg, Chaplin, Keaton, Lumet, Ford, Hawks . . . the list could run for pages (and fortunately for us it does). There is a name that cannot be left off . . . Best known for his Jidaigeki - Historical (Action) Dramas - including Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Rashomon, Throne of Blood, and The Hidden Fortress (to na...
#466 - The Pledge - WatchThis W/RickRamos
November 14, 2023 09:31 - 1 hour - 89.6 MBWhen a Promise Meant Something: Sean Penn's The Pledge November is the month of Rick Ramos and this week we continue - following Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Walter Hill's Hard Times - with a look at Sean Penn's 2001 The Pledge. Featuring an underrated (and I would argue tragically underseen) Jack Nicholson performance that sidesteps all of the Nicholson tropes that we have become used to, Nicholson portrays Jerry Black, a police detective on the eve of his retirement ...
#465 - Killers of the Flower Moon - WatchThis W/RickRamos
November 08, 2023 07:20 - 1 hour - 106 MBOil & Blood: Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon Take a listen as Mr. Chavez & I kick off the month of November with a series of films curated by your host and producer, Rick Ramos. We begin with a discussion of Martin Scorsese's newest film - currently in theaters - Killers of the Flower Moon, a beautifully realized adaptation of David Grann's 2017 non-fiction best seller, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Featuring exceptional performances ...
#464 - Hard Times - WatchThis W/RickRamos
November 04, 2023 07:09 - 1 hour - 81.5 MB1933 . . . Words Didn't Buy Much - Walter Hill's Hard Times On this week's episode, Mr. Ramos celebrates his 49th birthday looking at the purpose and drive of WatchThis W/RickRamos, some of his favorite films, why he loves them as he does, and culminating with a look at one of his favorite films, Walter Hill's directorial debut, Hard Times (1975). Why this films is a longstanding favorite is a mystery, however it is one that our illustrious host works to understand. Featuring wonderful pe...
#463 - Misery - WatchThis W/RickRamos
November 04, 2023 07:08 - 1 hour - 103 MBYour #1 Fan: Rob Reiner & Stephen King's Misery This week Mr. Chavez & I close out October and Halloween with one of the great Horror/Thrillers of the 1990s, Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's Misery. A tale of King's personal struggles with the writing medium, alcohol and drug abuse, and the perils of fame told through the life of the fictional author Paul Sheldon. With the creation of Annie Wilkes - a seemingly sweet, caring, and psychotic nurse, King gave life to an incredible ch...
#462 - A Nightmare on Elm Street - WatchThis W/RickRamos
October 23, 2023 14:19 - 1 hour - 128 MBNever Sleep Again: The Horror of Freddy Krueger This week Ibrahim & i talk one of the iconic Horror figures of the late 20th Century, Wes Craven's pedophile, nightmare murderer Freddy Krueger. Through seven original films, a remake (which we only touch on), and a Friday the13th crossover, Krueger has taken on a cryptic and overwhelming cult of popularity. Created by Craven and realized through the performance of Robert Englund, Krueger is a character that has captured the cinematic imagin...
#461 - An American Werewolf in London - WatchThis W/RickRamos
October 17, 2023 08:49 - 1 hour - 91.1 MBFull Moon Fever: John Landis's An American Werewolf in London Halloween is around the corner . . . this week Mr. Chavez & I continue our look into the Horror Genre with a screening and discussion of John Landis's 1981 Horror Classic, An American Werewolf in London. There's a whole lot going on in Landis's film (some good, some bad, some exteme), but the great gift - that it continues to deliver on - is the introduction of Special Effects and Make-Up Master, Rick Baker. On this week's episo...
#460 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers - WatchThis W/RickRamos
October 09, 2023 18:19 - 1 hour - 90.7 MBThe Horror Double: Invasion of the Body Snatchers This week Ibrahim & I look at a classic (a standard) of the Horror Genre - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 & 1978) and Body Snatchers (1993). Based on the 1954 Jack Finney Sci-Fi Novel, directors Don Siegel, Philip Kaufman, and Abel Ferrara have taken drastically different approaches to this material. Each film is a classic in their own rights. Take a listen and see if you agree with out assessments. As always we'd love to hear your c...
#459 - Suspiria (1977) - WatchThis W/RickRamos
October 03, 2023 06:29 - 1 hour - 95.1 MBBloody Giallo - Dario Argento's Suspiria This week Ibrahim & I dive into the world of Italian Giallo Cinema with a look at Dario Argento's 1977 "masterpiece" Suspiria. Combining violence, sexploitation, the supernatural, and vibrant color, Argento's film is one that is considered one of the most influential films in the genre. For those familiar with the podcast it should come as no surprise that one of us dislikes this film and one of us wholeheartedly embraces it. Take a listen for a spi...
#458 - The Company of Wolves - WatchThis W/RickRamos
September 25, 2023 07:10 - 1 hour - 81.7 MBDark, Wild Woods: Neil Jordan's The Company of Wolves This week Mr. Chavez & I sink into the world of Fairy Tales and Warped Childrens' Stories to examine Director Neil Jordan's 1984 Horror/Fairy Tale The Company of Wolves. This is an intersting film with beautiful production design. One of us appreciates it more than the other and so the arguments begin. Take a listen as we discuss fairy tales as allegory, the storied history of werewolves in cinema and literature, as well as Neil Jordan'...
#457 - Horror Noire Part II - WatchThis W/RickRamos
September 19, 2023 05:20 - 1 hour - 94.8 MBBeyond Black Tropes: Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (Part II) A second episode uploaded and ready for your enjoyment, as Mr. Chavez and Mr. Ramos continue our look at The History of Black Horror Cinema through the Shudder Network and Xavier Burgin's Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019). Take a listen as we move out of the "Blaxploitation" era and into the modern era of Black Horror. It's a fun talk. Let us know what you think at [email protected] If you've listened...
#456 - Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror Part I - WatchThis W/RickRamos
September 18, 2023 06:48 - 1 hour - 91.6 MBFirst to Die: Black Noire: A History of Black Horror (Part I) The first of a two-part looking at The History of Black Horror Cinema. On this episode we discuss the Shudder Network Documentary Black Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019), focusing on the history, films, tropes, and achievements of African-American Horror Cinema. Including interviews with scholars, writers, directors, and actors, Xavier Burgin's 2019 documentary is an enjoyable and informative look at a sub-genre that rare...
#455 - Don't Look Now - WatchThis W/RickRamos
September 11, 2023 16:35 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBHorror Well-Cut: Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now This week Ibrahim & I continue our descent into Horror Cinema with a look at a British Classic, Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now (1973). Beautifully edited, masterfully directed, and sensitively acted (from stars Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland), Nicholas Roeg's film examines the struggle of a married couple as they attempt to continue living after the accidental drowning of their young daugter. Featuring a sex scene that has stirred contr...
#454 - Young Frankenstein - WatchThis W/RickRamos
September 05, 2023 03:21 - 1 hour - 106 MBA Mary Shelley Dick Joke: Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein There's absolutely no caption, intro, blurb, or description that can capture the magic and brilliance of Mel Brooks's masterpiece (arguably one of three), Young Frankenstein (1974). From a script by Brooks and star, Gene Wilder, two comic geniuses salute, honor, and show great love for the Classic Universal Horror films of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. With a brilliant supporting cast (possibly the greatest ever committed to film) inclu...
#453 - Killer Joe - WatchThis W/RickRamos
August 28, 2023 07:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBFamily Plot: William Friedkin's Film of Tracy Letts's Killer Joe This week Ibrahim & I remember the iconic filmmaker, William Friedkin. Friedkin was director of numerous classic films including: The French Connection (1971), The Exorcist (1973), Sorcerer (1977), and To LIve and Die in L.A. (1985). His career would see numerous hits and misses, however many would agree that it ended with one of the strongest (and easily the most polarizing) films of his career . . . the Tracy Letts scripte...
#452 - Oppenheimer - WatchThis W/RickRamos
August 27, 2023 07:07 - 1 hour - 99.6 MBThe Prometheus Warning: Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Take a listen as Mr. Chavez makes his triumphant return and we dive into Christopher Nolan's masterpiece bio-pic of J. Robert Oppenheimer - The Father of the Atomic Bomb. A fascinating film that the two of us are thrilled to have seen in 70MM IMAX and are even more thrilled to discuss. A great film and - hopefully - a great discussion. Take a listen. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo...
#451 - William Friedkin's The Brink's Job - WatchThis W/RickRamos
August 14, 2023 19:08 - 47 minutes - 54.2 MBBased On a True Story: William Friedkin's The Brink's Job This past week we said farewell to one of the greats of 70s & 80s Cinema, William Friedkin. Known for such classics as The French Connection, The Exorcist, and To Live and Die in L.A, Friedkin was a difficult and polarizing figure in the world of cinema. What cannot be argued was his briliance. For this week's episode I remember Mr. Friedkin with a rarely seen film that is far outside his better known filmography, 1978's The Brink'...
#450 - One False Move - WatchThis W/RickRamos
August 08, 2023 18:47 - 56 minutes - 65.1 MBMurder Comes Home - Carl Franklin's One False Move This week I take a look at Carl Franklin's 1992 directorial debut, the powerful and disturbing, One False Move. Featuring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thorton, Cynda Williams, Earl Billings, Jim Metzler, and Michael Beach, in a film the great film critic Roger Ebert called, "a powerful directing job. He (Franklin) starts with an extraordinary screenplay and then finds the right tones and moods for every scene, realizing it's not the plot we ca...
#449 - Johnny Handsome - WatchThis W/RickRamos
August 04, 2023 04:35 - 35 minutes - 40.5 MBTaking Chances . . . Bitter Stories Neo-Noir - Walter Hill's Johnny Handsome A solo episode for your enjoyment. This week I recommend a classic Walter Hill film showcasing the violence, grittiness, and power of action and neo-noir cinema. Featuring an all-star cast including Forrest Whitaker, Ellen Barkin, Lance Henriksen, Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Freeman (in a rare - questionably - villainous role), and a leading performance from a young and beautiful Mickey Rourke. Darkness overwhel...
#448 - The Modern Western: Dead for a Dollar/Old Henry - WatchThis W/RickRamos
July 31, 2023 06:06 - 1 hour - 68.8 MBA Continuing Story to Tell - The American Western: Dead for a Dollar & Old Henry Rick Ramos flies solo and talks Walter Hill's Dead for a Dollar (2022), featuring Christoph Waltz and Willem Defoe and Potsy Ponciroli's Old Henry (2021) starring Tim Blake Nelson, Steven Dorff, and Trace Adkins. One good film (if not somewhat disappointing) from one of our greatest action directors and one exceptional film from a director out of nowhere. Take a listen as I wax poetically on this Western genr...
#447 - Harrison Ford & Peter Weir - WatchThis W/RickRamos
July 25, 2023 21:30 - 1 hour - 78.1 MBA Humanistic Pairing: Harrison Ford & Peter Weir (Witness and The Mosquito Coast) Join me as we close out our Harrison Ford Tribute (tribute?) with a look at two exceptional Ford performances (one of which is his only Oscar nomination), 1985s Witness and 1986s The Mosquito Coast. In the first film a seemingly typical Ford character, Philadelphia Detective John Book finds himself protecting a young Amish boy (Lukas Haas) and his mother (Kelly McGillis) in an Amish community completely unf...
#446 - Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom/The Last Crusade/Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - WatchThis W/RickRamos
July 17, 2023 05:17 - 2 hours - 156 MBIndiana Jones: The Making of a Hero This week Ibrahim & I continue to look at the world of Indiana Jones, first profiled in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and continued with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny (2023). On this episode Mr. Chavez & I focus on the middle three films. There has been a great deal written and discussed about all of...
#445 - Raiders of the Lost Ark - WatchThis W/RickRamos
July 10, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 108 MBIndiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our look at one of the great cinematic heroes, The George Lucas/Steven Spielberg imagined, Harrison Ford realized Indiana Jones. For over forty years, five films (as well as novelizations, comic books, and a television show - which we will not be getting into) and countless adventures searching for historical, religious, and cultural artifacts, Jones has amazed and thrilled countless audiences. This week Ibrahim & I g...
#444 - Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny - WatchThis W/RickRamos
July 03, 2023 03:10 - 1 hour - 103 MBYesterday Belongs to Us: Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny This week Mr. Chavez & I welcome the return of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. better known as "Indiana" Jones. Fifteen years since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and 34 years since The Last Crusade, Jones (the 80 years old Harrison Ford) is back in - possibly - his greatest role. James Mangold (Walk the Line and Logan) takes over directing duties from Steven Spielberg and delivers a rousing, exciting, and emotionally satisfying conclus...
#443 - Altered States - WatchThis W/RickRamos
June 26, 2023 06:09 - 1 hour - 106 MBHidden in the Mind: Ken Russell's Altered States This week Mr. Chavez and I continue our exploration of mind-altering narratives with a look at Ken Russell's 1980 Hollywood debut, Altered States. While not a completely successful film, there are elements here that force the audience to look deeper into the subject of sensory deprivation, isolation tanks, hallucinogenic drugs and the controversial work of counterculture scientist, John C. Lilly. Perhaps a victim of 1980s cinematic limitat...
#442 - Jacob's Ladder - WatchThis W/RickRamos
June 19, 2023 06:34 - 1 hour - 89.9 MBThe Suffering in Between: Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder This week Ibrahim & I continue looking into the world of challenging and painful cinema. In 1990 Adrian Lyne directed Bruce Joel Rubin's screenplay (considered one of the great unfilmed screenplays for the ten years before the production) of Jacob's Ladder (Rubin would also write that year's Ghost). Filled with troubling imagery and an arguably confusing narrative that rewards its viewers with a dark, pained, and powerful story, Lyn...