Watch This With Rick Ramos

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#451 - William Friedkin's The Brink's Job - WatchThis W/RickRamos Aug 14, 2023

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Based 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's Job. Based on the true story of the biggest heist in history - up to that point - Friedkin's film is a wonderfully playful and comic look at the men who pulled off this ridiculous crime. Featuring an all-star cast led by Peter Falk and including Gena Rowlands, Peter Boyle, Allen Garifeld, Paul Sorvino, and Warren Oates, The Brink's Job is a fun little caper film that is far better than it has any right to be. Watch the movie, take a listen and let me know if you agree. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com.

If you've listened to us over the years, or if you're new to the podcast, and you'd like to support us you can click on the link below and donate to this long-running labor of love. Simply click on the link below and go to the Buy Me a Coffee website. Anything and Everything is Appreciated.

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#450 - One False Move - WatchThis W/RickRamos Aug 08, 2023

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Murder 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 care about, it's the people." Gene Siskel would name it the best film of 1992. It was a thrill to re-watch it and record my thoughts on this brililant first film. Take a listen and let me know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com.

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#449 - Johnny Handsome - WatchThis W/RickRamos Aug 04, 2023

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Taking 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 overwhelms this film and is a magical reminder of Hill at his artistic peak. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

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#448 - The Modern Western: Dead for a Dollar/Old Henry - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jul 31, 2023

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A 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 genre that I love so much.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

#447 - Harrison Ford & Peter Weir - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jul 25, 2023

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A 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 Witnessand 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 unfamiliar to him. What could easily be a routine and obvious storyline is allowed to find itself and evolve into more than your standard police procedural. Director Peter Weir (in his first American production after great success in Australia - Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli) delivers a gripping and emotionally powerful narrative. The following year would find Weir and Ford continuing their collaboration with The Mosquito Coast (from the novel by Paul Theroux with a screenplay from Paul Schrader). In a performance unlike anything else in his filmography, Ford portrays Allie Fox an inventor, father of four, and deeply dissapointed member of American society. Disgusted with the hypocrisy, laziness, and greed of America, Fox moves his family to the jungles of Panama in an egotistical effort to control his (and his family's) present and future. Take a listen to this solo episode. It's a fun time. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

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#446 - Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom/The Last Crusade/Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jul 17, 2023

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Indiana 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 the films in this series. Why should Ibrahim and I be any different? From the thrills and ridiculousness of so much of these films thru the politics, controversies, and tropes of the adventure genre (including racism, colonialism, and the White Saviour) we approach all of this with an awareness that acknowledges these facts while simulataneously loving and embracing the excitement of the action and the nobility of the Jones character. It's a fun conversation; we hope you enjoy it. Thanks for your continued love and support.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

#445 - Raiders of the Lost Ark - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jul 10, 2023

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Indiana 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 go back to the beginning . . . 1981s Raiders of the Lost Ark. There's a whole lot to unpack. Take a listen as we head down memory lane with an old friend.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Our Continued Thanks.

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

#444 - Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jul 03, 2023

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Yesterday 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 conclusion to one of the greatest heroes in all of cinema. Ibrahim & I discuss the film (all aspects and spoilers noted) as well as internet controversies (box-office and "wokeness") that are plaguing the film in it's first weekend in theaters. There's a great deal here to unwrap as we begin a three episode series that covers the entirety of the "Indiana" Jones story (minus the television show).

Questions Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. We appreciate your continued support.

https://bmc.link/watchrickramos

#443 - Altered States - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jun 26, 2023

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Hidden 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 limitations, Russell's film (from a screenplay by noted playwright and screenwriter, Paddy Chayefksy) touches on a number of interesting factors without being able to successfully depict them on screen. As always, it's an interesting conversation between the two of us, and one that we believe you will enjoy. There's quite a bit to unpack in this episode. We hope you'll join us. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

#442 - Jacob's Ladder - WatchThis W/RickRamos Jun 19, 2023

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The 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, Lyne's film is one that failed at the box office, found a new life on home video and (it can be argued) led towards a darker cinema of the 1990s led by directors such as David Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aaronofsky, and Christopher Nolan. Not an entirely successful film, but a film that was an early trumpeting of things to come. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, and Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos

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