The Mighty Quinn

 

I liked this.

There is a lot here- There are three blind men-three blind mice ala Dr No. We see Quinn in a Hawaiian shirt-ala Tom Selleck. Magnum P.I wrapped up presumably during filming

The colour scheme and location is fantastic 

I first became aware of this motion picture during one of my first jobs. The BBC had recently showed it, and people were talking about it

Denzel Washington plays Xavier Quinn Chief of Police on a small Caribbean Island- I think it is supposed to be Jamaica- but the island feels smaller. It also has a Governor. The great game is being played by West and East in the background

One world is passing, You can hear the RP spoken in Dr NO by Norman Beaton. Quinn notes that Beaton's Chalk was once the poultry inspector. James Fox plays a luxury Hotel owner -there has been a murder

This is island that needs tourist dollars

The prime suspect is Quinn's best friend

It has a lot to recommend- an interesting McGuffin a 10000 dollar bill. A bumbling tourist who turns out to be a CIA killer- Who has a friend called Pater, that sounds like Palter

Why it has not been remade I don't know

The Death of Stalin

 

This is a teens comic book movie. It is a French graphic novel -worked on by Schiender and Armando Iannucci

By the way Schneider should have been the Mule in Foundation. 

So I have seen a lot of this on YouTube I know the story somewhat. 

It has an eclectic cast Buscemi, and Trabor, and Michael Palin. Oh and Paul Whitehouse as well

I think a Yorkshireman playing Zhukov makes sense. Trabor as Jewish is fine. Ukraine as New Jersey I am a bit skeptical about

The location shoots are beautiful

I liked it, it's fine. I also note that the sexual violence in the Purges has been underplayed probably 

Hooper

 

I enjoyed this- I think I have seen glimpses of it on occasional Saturdays. I think it was a favorite of the schedulers 

Lots of Action 

It is Burt and Sally's follow up to the Bandit movies. Burt plays older here, but less philosophical than he does in Bandit. Hooper is a smarter, older and wiser Bandit

As the James Bond Franchise dies, it is interesting to note that the movie with in a movie here is a James Bond movie. We see Burt in a white tuxedo

James Best who we will see later in The Dukes of Hazard guest stars

My God the product placement for Cours is intense here

There is a quote about faggots getting married, and a busty stripper seen just out of shot. Which probably would not make the cut today

The Dr who treats hooper smokes

Jan Michael Vincent makes an agreeable debut. 

50 K is enough for Hooper to buy his ranch and move on from performing stunts

There is a lot of love to the stunts performed on old Westerns, there is a nod to the Sword and Sandal epics

John Wick

 

I thought I would cross this off my list. I am pleased I made the effort

It is fine. I can see why people enjoy it. It is a decent action film. Like the brand of wood varnish it does exactly what it says on the tin. I can see John Wick having influenced the Punisher, and a lot of stuff made since this

This is a 2013 production, my first year in Peru

I had a beagle too

Kudos to Alfie Allen, for being willing to play unlikeable characters- he is making this while playing Theon in GOT

It gets to the point economically- and has John Wick built up by the other characters- most noticeably the ``Oh'' scene

Lots of faces from the Wire. Which is never a bad thing. The casting is well chosen

I note the bad guys in NYC are lily white Russians

 

The Departed

 I was late to this one. I have been meaning to view this film for a while. If for no other reason than to silence my sibling

I think it is too long. This is in part what put me off watching it, I also think we were robbed of a better ending.  I learn from wiki this is a remake of Internal Affairs. Fine I was expecting something different

I don't think Hollywood has a feel for the Irish mob, they hint at Costello's IRA links but never make it explict. Why is he an FBI format? Who is he giving up?

Again I think that the source is not as sweet as it could be

I did not realise the shrink was Vera Farmiga

That said the first hour and a half is great cinema. You are the hands of genius with this cast. Nicolson, Di Caprio, Baldwin, and Martin Sheen 

Nicolson can do perverse so well. I think the film is better when it is life in South Boston, rather than the final cat and mouse game 

I still don't belive Mat Damon as a tough guy

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

 Oh I liked this

It was great to see Bruce Dern, and for one last time Luke Perry

Always nice to see Timothy Olyiphant - I am not entirely sold on Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen

I have since learned that Bruce Dern, should have been Burt Reynolds. Which I am sad I missed

There is a lot of love for the stuntman trade

Margot Robbie just radiates  

I am not sure a revenge dream about killing the Tate murderers counts as playing it straight. I felt the Tarrantino-isms which I found jarring in Django unchained- were more restrained here. We have day dream sequences of Leo acting in the Great Escape

It is a treasure trove of 60s pop culture references, FBI, Mannix, Green Hornet, 

It may be even counter act the bad press Pitbulls get- 

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

I did find much to enjoy in this motion picture. I now do however understand why the film is not well regarded.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Little_Whorehouse_in_Texas_(film)

Burt is the local law, Dolly is Mona the Madam. Dom is the preacher- nicely swapped here to a TV 

The Chicken Ranch is a real place and it has laid  a Parson's Egg. This film has nudity, we see lots of boobs and bums during the raid of the Chicken Ranch.

Dolly shows off her assetts

 So I imagine that stopped a lot of the prospective audience from seeing it. Apparently they could not use the full name in Promos

I think there is a decent romantic comedy about the relationship between Burt and Dolly - hidden here. The scenes with the two just talking under the stars, are well done. Burt calling Dolly a whore stings. Dolly reaching for a gun, during the raid on the house. If this had been Smokey 3 I think this would have been better

The songs are not bad. I liked them, but they are jarring.  It is interesting to hear the governor of Texas describe himself as progressive though

The Dolly brings the house down with I will always love you

The Cannonball Run 2

 I can see why these films have been forgotten in a way that Airplane, and Duck Soup have not been

It is not bad, but it is off it's time.

Jackie Chan does stunts. We get Ratpack jokes. Oh and lots of drinking while in charge of motorised vehicles 

That said I still enjoyed it. Ricardo Montleban, Doug McClure, Catherine Bach- Daisy Duke to you. Richard Kiel. Who I recently saw in Simon and Simon 

My brother reminded me that Daisy Duke is the same age as my uncle. Which killed the mood

It is the last Rat Pack movie- Frank Sinatra makes a Cameo, where he is compared to American Royalty  and the last of the Reynolds and Dom Deluise films. Smokey and the Bandit 2. Cannoball Run, and Cannoball 2. Best Little Whorehouse ...

I liked the Thorn Birds joke- Which Dean Martin makes while trying to pick up a girl in bar. He is dressed as a priest

I never realised how Short Sammy Davis Jnr was- he really is tiny 

Did Tony Danza age noticeably in this before they made Who's the Boss

Ray Brooks

 The voice of Mr Benn, The voice of King Rollo

I actually saw Mr Brooks in real life , when he was working on the filming of the now forgotten BBC series Big Deal. I recently rewatched an episode with my brother. A scene was filmed in my local park-one of my friends rode her bike as Ray used a phone box

(20 April 1939 – 9 August 2025)

Father, Dementia Sufferer, Actor

Happy Gilmore 2

 

I liked this

It was pretty stupid, in a good way. 

Christopher Macdonald throwing coffee in the villains face, .I laughed out loud at that scene. There is some great low humor here. Dick jokes and mooning.

There are references to Love Island- which works

I think there is a scene which is supposed to show the differences between Xers and Millennials when Sandler joins a group of three at the golf course

Oh and the car crash is great

John Daly plays himself and is great

I had forgotten Julie Bowen was in Happy Gilmore. 

I wonder if casting Rory McIIroy and others was worth it, 

The competition in the last third of the film. I think weakens the film. I think the producers could have just had VR or something. We are introduced to some characters and they don't do much. 

Haley Joel Osment appears- he is playing comic villains these days