#Movie Buff

[stairstothe7th]

Kitchen sex!?!?

Okay but with who....

First thing you see after you zoom in is how you die

How you dying 👀

[stairstothe7th]

I just watched sinister and omg it's gotta be one of the scariest things I've watched...... Well maybe I'm a baby but 😭 I needed to watch something to make me less scared so I'm watching the dead poets in NYC again 😭😭😭 on another not Ethan yet again looks soooo fine in this movie but when does he not 🤷‍♀️

I'm gonna say it Todd Anderson did end up becoming a writer in this universe......

[l0serr00]

Rest in peace Shelly Duvall

[mymelaninmatters]

in black women we trust @mymelaninmatters 💕

[moomoocowmaid]

My face when a straight person, with historically low media literacy and overall comprehension, who fell asleep MID movie and woke up at the end explains why they didn’t like Brokeback Mountain

[commanderdazzle]

Movie Buffs, I need your help!

I'm looking for a movie and it's driving me insane! I have only vague memories of it because it was a borrowed VHS tape, and it's kinda stressing me out that I can't find this! I thought I had a decent lead but I finally watched it yesterday and it wasn't right, but one of the suggestions I got from Reddit wasn't right either?!

Here's what I know;

It had to be from the early 80's up to the mid 90's, since I watched it on tape in 1998.

2. It was definitely live-action with little to no animation.

3. But it's not Labyrinth, Neverending Story, or The Princess Bride.

4. The main scenes I remember are: a woman in a white dress being pursued by men on horseback, the same woman running through a snowy landscape, and the same woman falling in a pond and being rescued. This is very important because I have a distinct vision of her dress flowing and swirling in the water.

5. There were Unicorns? Or maybe just white horses? Involved.

Someone suggested Legend with Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry, which was incredibly close but not quite right because Princess Lili never fell into a pond and had to be saved? Jack dove in for the ring but Lili never fell in, which is crucial to my memory.

Today I watched Ladyhawke with Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Phifer, which was incredibly sexy and powerful and had some elements that seemed familiar, but Legend was a lot closer but missed the most important scene in my mind.

Does anyone have any clue what I'm talking about?!

[abandonedbraininaskinsuit]

Why is Maurice (1987) such a devastating movie? (So many spoilers ahead)

First, it's a historical film because it's based off a book that's over a hundred years old. It's based off of the authors life being scared to be in love with a man in the early 1910's. Written in 1913-14, it was only able to be published a year after the author died, in 1971.

The film was made with so much passion. And you can see it in the production and acting. Hugh Grant and James Wilby both do such an amazing job acting as though they have this beautiful, passionate love that goes on for years. Only until Clive (Hugh Grant) decides that it's not worth it to hide their love, so they should break up and marry women. You can see in Clives body language that when he and Maurice start talking again, he's still not quite over Maurice (I have no doubt that Clive was possibly bi, but I'm not here to speculate). And Maurice never quite gets over Clive, so he sends himself to conversion therapy. This just makes him and his platonic time with Clive absolutely miserable. And then when Clive, in a moment of weakness, makes Maurice kiss his hand, they both make eachother suffer. They know in that moment that they want a romantic embrace that had comforted them so many years ago, but if they were to let that happen, they'd lose everything for it. So they suffer in silence as their love turns into a bitter sweet feeling.

In the same scene that the kiss on the hand happens, you can see that Maurice is writing a tragic letter. My belief is that this is possibly a suicide note from his depression of being forced to repress his homosexuality. This could also be from his broken heart. Maurice never truly gets over his broken heart until Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves) comes in his room and they sleep together. Maurice knows this is a bad idea, and tries to cut him off. But, Alec is desperately in love with him. This leads him to attempting to blackmail Maurice, but they both end up together.

When Maurice tells Clive that he's no longer in therapy and that he's in love with Alec, Clive laughs. But later you can see he's hurt by this, angered almost.

I honestly thought that Alec was the wrong choice for Maurice and that Clive and him would've been much happier together. But Clive always was seeking a woman to marry, and that would've also been the wrong choice. There's no right, no wrong choice. It's all happy and sad and everything in between. It makes me feel so much passion and sadness.

I'm genuinely sorry for anyone who read that entire rant.

(Edited)

[terriblepassions]

"Grey Gardens" 1975

[arshysky]

—Jojo Rabbit (2019)

[emjava-art]

A poster of The Holdovers i'm working on!

[stairstothe7th]

Just finished Brokeback Mountain bro I didn't think it made me cry WHAT IT'S SO SAD anyway I'm watching Beautiful Boy rn probably cry more than I night watch my favorite horror movie after the one and only DPS 😝

[l0serr00]

Rewatching a really good found footage horror movie tonight

I give it about 4/5 ⭐️ it has a bit of cringe scenes but still good in my opinion lmao

[vintage-tigre]

This movie stinks

[thecranberriesslut]

i just watched ’the dreamers’ my god, if you want a more disturbing european political version of challengers, it’s great.

altough im not saying they’re too similar, but the tension is to die for

[moomoocowmaid]

I CAN'T WAIT FOR LETTERBOXD TO ADD SHOWS TO THEIR CATALOGUE

IF ONLY THEY HAD DONE THIS FOREVER AGO; I AM MAKING A NOTE OF DATES IN PREPARATION FOR ACCURATE LOGGING

[invisiblekatanaartwork]

Artist's Blog #129 - Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon (1973)

If you consider yourself a fan of martial arts movies and you haven’t seen Enter the Dragon, every time you say you are a fan, you insult yourself. It’s like dissing Dr. Dre. Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon may be the biggest title in the genre. So, fans that haven’t seen this one need to be beaten with many stripes with a ratan pole by a Sholin master. Lee is the martial artist of martial artist and is the reason that we have martial arts movies in the West that we do today – thank you Bruce! Bela Lugosi was a creepy guy so, Dracula came naturally. Red Foxx was a grumpy, funny old drunk so, Fred Sanford came naturally. Look at the life of Bruce Lee – he lived the life he portrayed. He showed up, that’s all he had to do to make his films cinematic greatness.

Bruce Lee is known for his speed, dedication, blah blah blah, but there are some other iconic things he brought to the martial arts cinema. What does Bruce Lee like to drink? Wa-taa, of course. The iconic “wa-taa” and cat like scream noises as his attack collided with an opponent are other Bruce Lee staples. Facial expressions he would make and the way he would positions his hands in the surfer “hanging loose” posture are also well-known moves. Perhaps the best most inclusive of all of these is Enter the Dragon. I assure you that they are all used. No better scene shows the face though than when we double stomps on Ohara’s chest killing him. Lee then ends with another signature grimace face. You can watch this scene, if you’d like, here to get an idea of what I’m talking about.

As a young man I heard of Bruce Lee’s incredible speed. His dedication, discipline, and speed are the factors that gave him his edge in the martial arts world. There are many stories about him. For instance, he got angry because Robin was supposed to beat Kato in the 60s Batman television series. The fight ends in a stalemate at the insistence of Lee. You can read more here. Another was that he was so fast, cameras couldn’t capture him. Watch a video demonstrating this here. As kids, we would watch the fight with Ohara in Enter the Dragon on VHS in slow motion. You can see that Lee takes his rear hand, pulls Ohara’s front hand down, and strikes him in the face with his front hand. The thing is, in regular speed, you never see Lee’s rear hand move.

Bruce Lee’s films are standalone so, it’s hard to compare them to others. It’s like comparing Jimi Hendrix to other guitarists or Van Gogh to other artists. I think it’s always apples to oranges because Lee was so unique. His style was unique, his skill was unmatched, and his timing in history was perfect. There are many great guitarists, but none like Hendrix. Many artists are amazing, but there will never be another Van Gogh. In the world of Kung Fu movies, there are classics and many other great actors like Jet Li, Gordon Liu, and Jackie Chan to name a few. No matter how great these actors are or how skilled in real life, there will never be another Bruce Lee. So, when I talk about his films, I may compare them to others but, there really isn’t any comparison in my opinion.

The final boss in Enter the Dragon is a former Shaolin kung fu practitioner who runs a drug operation. You don’t realize it until the final fight but, he has a fake hand. As Bruce goes to face him, he begins to change his hand out with others. The final hand, three blades, gives Lee the iconic cuts that you typically see on film art. The ending fight includes 2 things that stood out. One is the only thing that I don’t really like about Enter the Dragon. This climactic fight scene is in a room full of mirrors but, it seems more like a room with mirror walls. I’ve been in a mirror maze, and this wasn’t the feel I got. This could have been improved in my opinion. Secondly, it has one of my most favorite lines of any film that I’ve ever seen.

I heard a story once and I think it’s the best “oh crap” moment story I’ve ever heard. A story that really makes someone think, “my life is about to be over” or “this is it.” Say it however you’d like but, we all know the idea – something just happened, and you know that you know something bad is about to happen. The story goes like this. Brad Pitt, who pretends to be a fighter, is sleeping with Robin Givens. Robin is the wife of Mike Tyson, yes, “Iron” Mike Tyson. Iron Mike is a heavyweight world champion boxer who’s mentally unstable and has been to prison. He’s from the street and there’s no pretending. Well, Mike catches Brad with his wife. I imagine that Brad had to change his underwear. I would have. You can read the tale yourself here.

Now, for the second thing that stood out in the final fight, wrap you dome around this. The only time I think I could imagine a worse “oh crap” moment, if movies were real, would be in Enter the Dragon. You’re waiting on Bruce Lee to walk in, and he does. You can tell, even though he always has the same temperament, that he’s super pissed. You’ve done a lot of evil, and he knows about it all. He doesn’t slowly remove nunchakus from his pants, take a wide stance and do some surfer symbols, no. Instead, he stops, looks you in your eyes, and calmly says, “You have offended my family, and you have offended the Shaolin Temple.” At this point, you know you are about to take one of the worst beatings in history…before you die.

To my knowledge, Bruce Lee did not study at Shaolin but, anyone with his heritage and appreciation of the martial arts has a respect for the temple. I do and have never studied any Chinese arts in any official capacity. There have been a few backyard lessons with folks who knew a little but, nothing serious. Enter the Dragon has a scene that takes place at a temple where Bruce Lee’s character is recruited for the mission on which the story is based. We see Bruce instructing a young man about kicking in a temple courtyard. To a serious martial artist, respect is one of the biggest lessons you learn. One that is often more important than any kicking or punching. To disrespect the Shaolin temple would be to disrespect the mother of all fighting arts, all instructors, all knowledge, and thus a very big deal.

Personally, I heil Bruce Lee as the greatest martial artists of recorded history. By recorded, I mean on film. Out of fairness, I must admit that MMA has diluted my opinion. Let me explain. The Gracie family showed the martial arts world a truth about fighting. It can be incredibly hard to stay on your feet in a fight. Most martial arts prior to the UFC, including Wing Chun and Jeet Keen Do, are stand up striking arts with very little ground fighting. Had Bruce Lee lived and gotten into the UFC, I’m not sure how well he would have done. If, and it’s a big if, someone with modern MMA training were to have taken him down, I think he would have been at a loss. I imagine, like most other martial artists, Bruce would have incorporated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu into his style early on.

There are two things to consider here. First, the infamous fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris which takes place in Return of the Dragon is rumored to have been a real sparring match and not a choreographed fight scene. You can watch the scene for yourself here on YouTube. Now, there is footage of Chuck Norris, another martial arts legend, sparring with Rickson Gracie which you can see here. Rickson makes quick work of Chuck once the fight goes to the mat. In defense of Chuck Norris, I don’t know how seriously he was attacking Rickson in this sparring match but, it’s interesting to see regardless. These videos help to illustrate the point I’m making – Bruce Lee was amazing but martial arts have well advanced beyond only kicking and punching.

Wisdom and Kung Fu seem to go hand-in-hand. Kwai Chang Kaine in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is likely to blame for most of this but, Bruce Lee is another known for saying philosophical, wise, and almost cryptic things. His most famous line was “Be like water”, which you can watch here. Right behind this, would have to be, “The art of fighting without fighting” which is taken from Enter the Dragon. Very simply put, this just means to outsmart your opponent. In the movie, he convinces an aggressive fellow to meet him on an island to fight. The challenger gets in the small boat which Lee allows to drift behind the main boat leaving him at the mercy of the rope connecting the boat. This is a famous scene and a great demonstration of Lee’s philosophy.  

I compare late Bruce Lee to the late Prince. Allow me to elaborate on this point. Both men were great at what they did. In fact, I would put both as the best or in the top 3 best in their respective fields. With greatness comes a certain level of necessity for control over your craft, I think. Prince is well known for having been a control freak over his music. Watch a video of a young Prince talking about this here. He wanted his music to be as great on record as it was in his mind. He was a perfectionist. Bruce Lee’s guitar was the nunchuck and his pen was his fist. In this way, he was no different than Prince. Here’s my point with this, Bruce Lee choreographed his own fight sequences in his films and, to my knowledge, wrote them all too.

Of course, there is kung fu and great action in Enter the Dragon but, there’s so much more. There are old helicopters, ancient ruins, Chinese mansions, and extravagant Asian parties too. Bruce Lee alone would have been fine in this movie but, having other good actors never hurts. Enter the Dragon features 3 other notable names. First, Jim Kelly, who in this film, is an afro sporting karate champion and all-around cool cat. The second is a fellow named John Saxon. John, in real life, is a black belt in karate and plays one in Enter the Dragon. The most notable supporting actor though is Bolo Yeung. We all know Bolo who has played the character Bolo in many martial arts films. Bloodsport would be his most popular film. You can read my blog on this Van Damme classic here.

Nothing bad can be said for anything Bruce Lee did. Weighing everything is awesome against everything is awesome is tricky. Mathematically it’s easy but, it’s not. I don’t think that Enter the Dragon was Bruce Lee’s best movie but, many do. It was the centerpiece for him but, not his best work. I intend to watch all his movies again then make a comparison but, I like Game of Death best. Read a fan ranking here. Most, it seems, tend to disagree with me. Regardless, no one can argue that Enter the Dragon is not a classic martial arts movie and perhaps the greatest ever made. What do you think? Leave a comment with your favorite Bruce Lee movie below. I'd love for you to read more blogs, check out my art, buy some and link up with me on social media. You can find all these links here. Peace.