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  1. benbess

    AMC A-List & other theater subscriptions

    Saw this 40-minute documentary in imax with A-list. Good stuff from the Webb space telescope. My rating: B+
  2. benbess

    Challengers (2024)

    Saw this today with AMC A-list. It certainly had a lot of drama, and lots and lots of sweaty people playing tennis for long periods of time. The stars are all good, but wasn't really my cup of tea. The director did one of those let's jump back and forth in time for the whole movie structures...
  3. benbess

    Civil War (2024)

    Asimov wrote that "Science fiction can be defined as that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology." I feel like any movie set in the future is science fiction to some degree....And Star Wars counts too lol.
  4. benbess

    Civil War (2024)

    Since Civil War is set in an imagined near future, maybe it's science fiction? But maybe because of lack of science Civil War isn't really science fiction? From 1979 there's the near-future movie The China Syndrome, which I do show in my class—right after Star Wars lol, since we go...
  5. benbess

    Civil War (2024)

    Yes, in terms of sound and picture quality, I thought the final battles in DC were intense. Worked well in Imax.
  6. benbess

    Civil War (2024)

    We'll agree to disagree Josh S.—but in a civil way lol! You had an issue with "spice" in Dune as an explanation for faster-than-light space travel, while for me, because it's all impossible, whether it's called warp drive, spice, or whatever, that was less of an issue. But for a near-future...
  7. benbess

    Civil War (2024)

    Since this is a movie about journalists, it's puzzling that we never see the main characters file story or photo for the entire length of the movie. Sammy (played by Stephen McKinley Henderson) is a famous reporter, but he never gets out his computer, or a pen and pad of paper, in order write...
  8. benbess

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

    My friend and I enjoyed it! Excellent sound and picture in the Cinemark XD theater we saw it in. Although based on a real story, much of this movie is "cartoony," and lots of bad guys die very quickly without even fighting back. I would have preferred a more reality-based approach, but still...
  9. benbess

    Dark of the Sun Blu Ray Review

    I finally bought and watched the blu-ray for this 1968 action epic "Dark of the Sun." Jack Cardiff (cinematographer for Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, The African Queen and many more) becomes the director here with mixed results. As we know, this was a time when what was allowed in terms of...
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    dark of the sun 2.jpeg

  11. benbess

    Hi! Somehow I'm just seeing this note now. Remind me of what TZOI is lol!? I'm already drawing a...

    Hi! Somehow I'm just seeing this note now. Remind me of what TZOI is lol!? I'm already drawing a blank. But I do appreciate your posts on all kinds of movie topics. Best wishes, Ben
  12. benbess

    Blu-ray Review Angel Face Blu-ray Review

    Saw this yesterday in the recent blu-ray, which is amazingly from the original camera negative, giving us A+ PQ. I've been a fan of Jean Simmons since I saw her in the 1946 version of Great Expectations as a kid, almost half a century ago. Also a fan of Robert Mitchum for almost as long. This...
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    angel face 4.jpeg

  14. angel face movie poster.jpeg

    angel face movie poster.jpeg

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    angel face 3.jpeg

  16. benbess

    Blu-ray Review All I Desire Blu-ray Review

    I've been a fan of Barbara Stanwyck since I was a teenager, and she made so many movies that I'm still discovering more. Since I'm also a fan of Douglas Sirk, I decided to pick this blu-ray up, especially after reading Matt Hough's review above: "...Barbara Stanwyck etches another of her...
  17. All I Desire blu-ray.jpeg

    All I Desire blu-ray.jpeg

  18. all I desire poster.jpeg

    all I desire poster.jpeg

  19. benbess

    Civil War (2024)

    After reading a couple of strong reviews of this movie my hopes were raised too high. Although the performances of the actors are all strong, I found the screenplay had some issues for me. My rating: B-
  20. benbess

    Neo-noir: All the colors of noir post 1970 on Blu-ray

    I recommend this neo-noir, the second season of which I just finished. And here's a story about the last episode, where the showrunners say, somewhat to my surprise, that a third season is possible...
  21. benbess

    Blu-ray Review Helen of Troy Blu-ray Review

    Excellent picture quality on the blu-ray for Helen of Troy helps highlight the spectacle found in this fairly epic if sometimes stagey movie. The score by Max Steiner is magnificent, and almost worth the price of admission all by itself. As Matt Hough writes in his perceptive review above...
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    helen of troy poster.jpeg

  23. benbess

    The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)- coming in May from WAC

    Since ancient world epics have a strange appeal for me, and I do like some Leone movies, I took a gamble on this during a recent sale. Thank goodness I paid not much more than a movie ticket for the blu-ray, because it's not a particularly good movie from my pov. The spectacle is there, but the...
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    poster.jpeg

  25. benbess

    Dune: Part Two (2024)

    https://deadline.com/2024/04/nuclear-war-movie-denis-villeneuve-legendary-dune-part-two-bestselling-book-1235876114/ "EXCLUSIVE: In a deal worth $500,000 against $1.5 million, Legendary Entertainment has optioned Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen‘s nonfiction book Nuclear War: A Scenario...
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    nuclear war.jpg

  27. benbess

    Hulu Shogun (2024)

    Since I don't have hulu, I'm hoping this will be available on blu-ray at some point.
  28. benbess

    Official HTF Western Appreciation Thread

    Finished this 8-episode series on Paramount+ based on a historical figure with an impressive career. Serious and classic epic Western TV. Strong performances throughout, including by star David Oyelowo, as well as Dennis Quaid, Lauren Banks, Donald Sutherland, and many others. My rating: A-...
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    bass reeves.jpeg

  30. benbess

    In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023)

    Liked it! But it's grim. In a way slightly reminded me of Unforgiven. My rating: A-
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