"The Midnight SKY" (boo) and good movies recommended by GLPers

yay, found it on Amazon prime, about to watch.

Did you like Cowboys and Aliens? Not artsy enough for you?

Saw it twice and loved it

It was strangely cast. It seemed like Daniel Craig was just doing it for the money. He actually is a talented actor. See The Jacket in which he plays one of the insane asylum patients. That is a highly unusual time travel film anyone would enjoy who visits GLP.
[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]

Daniel Craig's best film is Defiance (2008).

[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]
Defiance is a WW2 war refugee film made in 2008. It's an Edward Zwick film who is known for making epic spectacles and so he assembled a strong cast.

I really liked that Alexa Davalos got a chance to act and not just be an ornament. I'm sure this is why she was chosen to be the protagonist in The Man in the High Castle serialized drama based on her stage presecence alone.

The X Files had an episode about the Anazi indigenous as their disappearance is a great mystery. The Enterprise Star Trek series had a notable western episode with extraterrestrials. John Carter by Burroughs has a transported Cavalry officer to Mars. Last of the Samurai does the same thing by taking a Cavalry officer teach new recruits on Japan. Legends of the Fall has the same theme as a Cavalry officer resigns his commission in moral outrage at the injustice done with broken treaties.

Cowboys and Aliens might have worked, but it was horribly expensive, and with a weak script. It's a Saturday afternoon matinee sort of film one used to see decades ago.

[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]
The mystery of the Anasazi.

I saw it as a nod to those movies, but with tens of twists and I daresay,depth. Daniel Craig was so good he chewed up the tumbleweed. There were no stereotypes and many characters developed.

[link to www.history.com (secure)]
The Utes have legends about skinwalker and part of this comes up in the History channel series done on Skinwalker Ranch. One of the amazing things the scientists caught on video were bizarre lights that appeared for no apparent reason.

The Ute shaman believe part of that region is cursed by sky people. The series is worth being watching. The scientists found inexplicable anomalous readings there.

I read the book, or one of them. Definitely leave off realizing that portals may let in Bigfoot, demons, shapeshifters, et al;

p.s. Also read the last two books in the World Made By Hand series. Great author.

Last Edited by humbird on 01/09/2021 05:09 PM

The Irish call these portals "thin places" where reality is worn out and the "fey" or faerie would wander into our reality. This theme is in the Lord of the Rings as depicts by the elves departing.

Hellier, Kentucky is a likely thin place with all manner of weird magnetic anomalies, ghosts, bigfoot, demons, etc.

Yes supposedly the Native Americans shunned both Kentucky and West Virginia due to those hot spots

Some of you may remember ferfal, who posted lots of great survivalism in Argentina info here on GLP. He made a video ranting that Wonder Woman 1984 was the worst thing that happened in 2020. Boy did he hate it.Woke cluster. And now I won't watch it, Link:

[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]
Copycat (1995) is a fine serial killer film about an intelligent homicide detective and and an author/lecturer who team up to deal with a brilliant serial killer who uses many modus operandi of famous serial killers to gain national attention.

It is not woke whatsoever, yet as two very strong female characters, and treats a peripheral common instance of homosexuality in an offhand manner. This was a tried and true method that absolutely worked and turned a profit and made cinema... Not just film as entertainment.

There are no weak performances inn this film. Every aspect of it is strong from the cast and crew. There is zero preaching and no unrealistic scenes that violate the suspension of disbelief.

There are lots of older now forgotten films when something like this is vastly superior than what is commonly released today. Today they would spend 5 times as much and get something insipid and devoid of realism and would inspire no resonance. When this cinema feels genuine and you care about the characters.

It was actually a risky film as no one knew if musician Harry Connick It. could actually act. He does a superb job as an incarcerated serial killer. This was the highlight of McNamara's film career. Holly Hunter is fine here and Sygorney Weaver plays against type as an agorphobic who suffers with cripply PTSD.
8.0

Run Hide Fight (2020) is not as woke as you might think. It begins with deer hunting and the protagonist is not Belinda Badass, just a successful but notive deer hunter. Shockingly her dad is normal and not a weakling or a whackjob, but a proficient sniper. Jesus actually gets mentioned and Christianity is not treated as garbage, and even free will is discussed as why evil exist. Will wonders never cease?

This film is a shock as it points out terrible errors in school active shooter scenarios. It is not pushing gun control. It does not demonize the shooters. It is full of practical elements.

It strangely seizes upon an African American best friend who seems quite effeminate to such a degree that I presumed he was gay, only to then have the protagonist kiss him. That comes out of nowhere. That part of the script was peculiar and lasts for seconds and didn't work.

Even the revenge seems authentic at the end and does not go the leftist woke route.

See it if you can. It ain't perfect but is a diamond in the rough. It's so good that I would rewatch it which lately is unlikely in 90% of films. This is a pretty good realistic script. She is trapped several times and does not just overcome her foes but gets her ass kicked.

[link to m.youtube.com (secure)]
Run Hide Fight trailer (2021)

You should keep an eye on Isabel May. This young lady can act, has craft and natural talent, and has stage presence.

'Basic'

Serbian Film
Will easily become your new favorite film.
And or
Irreversible.
You’re welcome.

Seven Samurai is considered one of the ten best films of all time, and for good reason. It has consistently been rated a favorite since it came out in 1954 and spawned te Magnificent Seven and the sequel and the remake. [link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]

It's about flawed soldiers who though imperfect and fallen into poverty volunteer to do the right thing and defend a village just for meals and a roof over their head. Then realize that this puny sum of money is a lot to truly poor peasants.

And the peasants are not one dimensional, but have done awful things to survive. And I won't spoil it as when the samurai find out, they still help them...even if it means their deaths.

Similarly one would be a better person just by watching Red Beard which is about a samurai who is a traditional physician, who gets the chance to mentor a new young physician trained in western medicine, but has a terrible attitude about patients. Then realized how lucky he is to learn from someone who loves and respects his patients.

Likewise After the Rain has a mixed group of poor folks huddled up in an inn in 1600 Japan, waiting until the rains stop as it's making the river current too strong and impassable.

Among them is a rough samurai who is extremely talented but honest to a fault, therefore says stupid things which always ruins him from keeping his post. His sweet wife loves him regardless that he is a rogue who fights for money, and like all excellent wives, pull out a miracle out of nowhere just when it is most needed. You would be a blessed man to have such an understanding devoted wife.

The banquet is totally charming as he fights to make money simply to then buy expensive delicious food just to improve everyone's mood. It's so magnanimous and simultaneously foolish as that money could last the couple for weeks.

[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]
After the Rain (1999)

[link to en.m.wikipedia.org (secure)]
Red Beard (1966)

Both have won countless awards. Would you rather watch quality cinema and have subtitles, or what some piece of woke excrement that will make you furious?