Content sees us as pockets to pick. There’s so much marketing in everything. If it’s on social media, it’s marketing. I wrote a whole piece about this, the amount of marketing that’s happening at fast food places - quick bit of marketing right there yuck yuck yuck! See, I proved my own point. Anyway, yes, it is awful. It is all about money. One of the reasons I like your stuff is you don’t write in those stupid one sentence paragraphs.
Nothing says “my audience are sheep” quite like that.
'Wick' sucks but 'The Raids' are terrific. I also enjoyed 'Elite Squad: The Enemy Within' (Brazil), 'RRR' (India), 'The Trip (Norway 2021), 'Why Don't You Just Die (Russia), and 'Mumon, The Land of Stealth (Japan). 'Nobody' may be the best of modern comedic action (that bus scene!).
Korea did the 'Train to Busan', 'The Villainess' (Korea) and 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird'.
China's 'The Eight Hundred' was a different kind of movie but waves of folk were dying.
Of course, 'Oldboy' (Korea), 'Saloum' (Congo), 'The Major' (Russia) and 'Captain Volkonogov Escaped' (Russia) had extra layers.
My heart is with stylish Asian action e.g. 'Hero', House of Flying Daggers', 'The Assassin', '13 Assassins', 'Red Cliff' and 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'.
I disagree about Wick sucking, the first film was fantastic. Each consecutive sequel got worse for me. The more “lore” they added the cheesier it became. Having said that, the first half hour of the third film, going from John’s fight in the library, to the scene with the horse and the knife throwing scene in the museum was fantastic. RRR was an absolute blast. “Why Don’t You Just Die” was a good one, but I think some of the director’s short films (included on the blu-ray) were even better. In general I avoid watching most modern Russian movies. They’re either blatant propaganda or just piss poor. I watched Balabanov’s 90s movies (Brother, War, etc) and Russia just ins’t capable or willing to make gritty and dark movies anymore.
I’ve seen most of the Korean movies you’ve mentioned.
I expected you to be the sole animal knowing most of which I speak of. So, for you, I will rewatch Wick this year. But may Christianity become true and you be sent to hell for your criminal opinion of Russian movies because the past 10 years gave us:
Loveless
Beanpole
Ayka
The Master and Margarita
Petrov's Flu
Closeness (Kabardino-Balkarian)
Unclenching the Fists (North Ossetia)
Doctor Lisa
Hardcore Henry
With Compartment Number 6 (Finland set Russia) and In the Forests of Siberia (France set Russia) as bonus.
As a Kabardian (Circassian) myself, I respect you having seen Closeness. But picking a select good few movies is like saying Hollywood movies are all Oscar-calibre for producing one or two genuine gems every once in a while. A broken clock is right twice a day, right? I prefer Soviet films and 90s Russian cinema to the modern output. I agree with most of the films you listed, they were good ones. I haven’t been able to watch Master and Margarita yet.
Fair point considering that Russian film success generally means a dumb comedy I'm not going to watch, and that a bunch of good directors left the country. Yes, there's a war on and I don't expect PTSD themes to get funding. On the other hand, Russia doesn't remotely have American output.
The Matrix and the John wick movies are the only martial arts movies I can watch. Maybe I've been too affected by MMA, but I can't not see the people in martial arts movies dancing. Absolutely zero fights in the MMA have ever looked like a Bruce Lee movie. Some people like that, but I think I prefer the hyper violent and more "real" fighting. I suppose ground and pound is too boring for Hollywood, but I certainly prefer to watch that sort of action movie.
There's very enlightening videos on YouTube of boxers in China challenging "kung fu" masters to fights. Every single time the boxer beat them senseless and exposed them for the charlatans they are. They might learn some nice tricks and can put on impressive displays, but when it comes to an actual fight, the boxers won every single time. China being China, the boxers were blacklisted for besmirching the good name of the traditional arts.
You’ve sold me on finally watching Raid II
Please do! Let me know what you think.
This post isn’t content. I hate that word, “content.” Good, well thought out review ya got here. Most excellent.
I also hate the word content, but I think content hates the audience more than we can ever hate it.
Content sees us as pockets to pick. There’s so much marketing in everything. If it’s on social media, it’s marketing. I wrote a whole piece about this, the amount of marketing that’s happening at fast food places - quick bit of marketing right there yuck yuck yuck! See, I proved my own point. Anyway, yes, it is awful. It is all about money. One of the reasons I like your stuff is you don’t write in those stupid one sentence paragraphs.
Nothing says “my audience are sheep” quite like that.
You actually can write.
Aliens is a great film. So is The Lost World.
I love Aliens, I was mainly referring to the rest of the franchise (even though depending on the day I have a soft spot for Alien 3).
You won’t find a bigger defender of the Lost World. I’ve written about it twice here on my Substack:
https://drlalmaty.substack.com/p/perfect-moments-in-imperfect-movies?r=44pd5a
https://drlalmaty.substack.com/p/traumatized-since-the-age-of-seven?r=44pd5a
I managed ten minutes of that movie. Tom Hardy playing a sub-Tom Hardy character, some really bad dialogue, stupid action, a fridge. Turned it off.
In the ten minutes you watched did you discern any semblance of a plot?
Nope. Just a string of tired cliches.
As far as the genre goes in 2025, 'Fight or Flight' and 'Novocaine' were better.
'Wick' sucks but 'The Raids' are terrific. I also enjoyed 'Elite Squad: The Enemy Within' (Brazil), 'RRR' (India), 'The Trip (Norway 2021), 'Why Don't You Just Die (Russia), and 'Mumon, The Land of Stealth (Japan). 'Nobody' may be the best of modern comedic action (that bus scene!).
Korea did the 'Train to Busan', 'The Villainess' (Korea) and 'The Good, the Bad, the Weird'.
China's 'The Eight Hundred' was a different kind of movie but waves of folk were dying.
Of course, 'Oldboy' (Korea), 'Saloum' (Congo), 'The Major' (Russia) and 'Captain Volkonogov Escaped' (Russia) had extra layers.
My heart is with stylish Asian action e.g. 'Hero', House of Flying Daggers', 'The Assassin', '13 Assassins', 'Red Cliff' and 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon'.
I disagree about Wick sucking, the first film was fantastic. Each consecutive sequel got worse for me. The more “lore” they added the cheesier it became. Having said that, the first half hour of the third film, going from John’s fight in the library, to the scene with the horse and the knife throwing scene in the museum was fantastic. RRR was an absolute blast. “Why Don’t You Just Die” was a good one, but I think some of the director’s short films (included on the blu-ray) were even better. In general I avoid watching most modern Russian movies. They’re either blatant propaganda or just piss poor. I watched Balabanov’s 90s movies (Brother, War, etc) and Russia just ins’t capable or willing to make gritty and dark movies anymore.
I’ve seen most of the Korean movies you’ve mentioned.
I expected you to be the sole animal knowing most of which I speak of. So, for you, I will rewatch Wick this year. But may Christianity become true and you be sent to hell for your criminal opinion of Russian movies because the past 10 years gave us:
Loveless
Beanpole
Ayka
The Master and Margarita
Petrov's Flu
Closeness (Kabardino-Balkarian)
Unclenching the Fists (North Ossetia)
Doctor Lisa
Hardcore Henry
With Compartment Number 6 (Finland set Russia) and In the Forests of Siberia (France set Russia) as bonus.
As a Kabardian (Circassian) myself, I respect you having seen Closeness. But picking a select good few movies is like saying Hollywood movies are all Oscar-calibre for producing one or two genuine gems every once in a while. A broken clock is right twice a day, right? I prefer Soviet films and 90s Russian cinema to the modern output. I agree with most of the films you listed, they were good ones. I haven’t been able to watch Master and Margarita yet.
Fair point considering that Russian film success generally means a dumb comedy I'm not going to watch, and that a bunch of good directors left the country. Yes, there's a war on and I don't expect PTSD themes to get funding. On the other hand, Russia doesn't remotely have American output.
Re Wick, 'Continental' was great.
Ok, rewatched 'Wick #1'. I up it from a 6 to a 7/10.
'Tom Hardy’s Accent Continues to Grow More Incomprehensible and Sometimes He Punches People' - the novel made even less sense.
Imagine reading a novel written in Tom Hardy’s cadence.
He's a great actor!
I love Tom and love that he's in the schlock clown era of his career.
The Revenant, The Bikeriders, Dunkirk.
The Matrix and the John wick movies are the only martial arts movies I can watch. Maybe I've been too affected by MMA, but I can't not see the people in martial arts movies dancing. Absolutely zero fights in the MMA have ever looked like a Bruce Lee movie. Some people like that, but I think I prefer the hyper violent and more "real" fighting. I suppose ground and pound is too boring for Hollywood, but I certainly prefer to watch that sort of action movie.
There's very enlightening videos on YouTube of boxers in China challenging "kung fu" masters to fights. Every single time the boxer beat them senseless and exposed them for the charlatans they are. They might learn some nice tricks and can put on impressive displays, but when it comes to an actual fight, the boxers won every single time. China being China, the boxers were blacklisted for besmirching the good name of the traditional arts.
I prefer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZtadif15WU
“Content” is what happens when art is gutted to be mass produceable.