We’re not really into network series, not a lot of cable series (though we like some of the British mystery programs) and there’s really nothing on TV that’s “must see” for us. So lately, we’ve been doing “Movie Night” - when it’s not DH’s work night, we take turns picking films that the others may not have seen - sort of a family film festival.
A few nights ago, DS’s pick was “Sorcerer”, the 1977 remake of the French film “The Wages of Fear.” (based on a book) The plot involves the transport of two truck-loads of nitroglycerin through the jungle to the site of an oil field explosion. Some of the scenes are real nail-biters. One of those very good films that probably doesn’t make the viewing queue for a lot of people but makes for an entertaining evening.
I’ve heard of that movie, but never saw it. What’s it streaming on?
And for your next movie: the original RoboCop. (That abomination of a remake never happened. It was a mass bad dream.)
DS had it in his DVD collection; I don’t know that it’s streaming anywhere. But it’s worth looking for. It was director William Friedkin’s follow-up to “The Exorcist” and star Roy Scheider’s follow-up to “Marathon Man”, which was one of DH’s last picks.
So I’m reviving this because we’ve been keeping up our movie nights and because someone told me the Oscars are coming up and I couldn’t tell you the name of one nominee on a bet. Our only movie night rules are: no excessive violence, nothing that plays all the time on cable and nothing that is heavily invested in CGI. So Doctor Strangelove is okay - Dr. Strange is not.
Some of our picks have been: Miller’s Crossing, The Player, Quiz Show, Diggstown, True Believer, Happy Accidents, Parasite (way overrated), The Perez Family (underrated.)
Actually RoboCop (plus II and II) cycled through TMC last month and I caught it. I think Peter Weller’s performance made the film - not sure many actors could have elevated it above an okay sci-fi actioner the way he did,
My wife and I enjoyed “The Dig” w/ Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan - on Netflix
I’ll check it out. Sometimes it’s hard to get through everything Netflix is offering to find the ones worth watching. I like Fiennes a lot - saw his Hamlet on Broadway ages ago, and thought he was just hilarious in the Coen Brothers film, “Hail, Caesar!”
