What’s Been Watched This Month – July 2020

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Here’s what square eyed Mikey Wolfman been watching throughout July 2020.

It was another wack month of film article posts this month but I do have a few funny one’s coming this week. You see I’ve now committed myself. “So get on with it Wolfboy!“

The TV

I watched two episodes I hadn’t seen from the original series of The Twilight Zone. Both nice little recommendations from my brother Dan. Season 1 Episode 18 The Last Flight. “A World War I British fighter pilot lands at an American air force base in France 42 years in the future.” and Season 2 Episode 17 Twenty Two “While in the hospital recovering from overwork, Liz Powell keeps dreaming about going down to the hospital morgue.“. Both stories where fantastic and highly recommended. The latter might of, no doubt, given Final Destination (2000) an idea!

A BBC music documentary called Rodney P’s Jazz Funk. Where the UK rapper traces back the origins of the American jazz funk scene and it’s influence on British music culture leading to it’s very own scene. Was very excited to see this as I’m a big Brit Funk fan. Lots of great vintage footage and tales from the dance floor from legends of the scene. Have to say the only thing that disappointed me was it desperately needed a part two. Just as it got to the British Jazz Funk scene it was building up to it just finished! It seemed to leave out so much. Would of loved to have seen a contribution from Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick from Incognito as a talking head. Atmosfear could of been mentioned plus sure there must be tons of footage of Light Of The World, Beggar and Co, Second Image to name just a few. Oh my it was screaming out for another hour!

The Films

15 films this month and a total of 144 this year
859 since the start of the blog in January 2017.

Pushover (1954) – Wolfman Rating 7.5 – IMDB Rating 7.1
Doffus undercover cop Fred MacMurray falls in love with a gangsters girl played by super sexy Kim Novak who’s caught up in a bank robbery. Really wanted to do an article on this one! Maybe one day.

Moonrise (1948) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7.1
This was really good Southern drama with a real kick to it. Check my review here if you fancy reading more.

Keith Haring: Street Art Boy (2020) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 8
Went on a documentary kick this month. Watching them with my daughter. This shows the life of Pop Art and Graffiti artist Keith Haring. It features many interviews and incredible footage of New York City and many intimate moments caught of film. It’s really good.

Decision Before Dawn (1951) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7.2
As the US Army approaches Nazi Germany, they recruit German prisoners to spy behind German lines. This is a very different and challenging WW2 drama seen from a different angle. You can check what I thought here on my movie review.

Two Way Stretch (1960) – Wolfman Rating 7.5 – IMDB Rating 7
Seen this in my youth but not seen again since. So much fun to be had in this prison break comedy. Peter Sellers and Bernard Cribbins to name a few are in the cast along with menacing and hysterical Lionel Jeffries.

Too Many Crooks (1959) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 7
Been wanting to see this one for years. Oh my it so freaking funny. Laughed my way through the whole film. So many silly scenes. Such a brilliant cast. Terry Thomas, George Cole and the feisty Brenda de Banzie plus you got Sid James and Bernard Bresslaw along for the ride too. It bonkers silly and perfect fun. It would inspire the 1986 film Ruthless People.

A Matter of Life and Death (1946) – Wolfman Rating 10 – IMDB Rating 8.1
Film perfection from the Archers. Got to see it again and introduce it to my daughter Nyah. I’d reviewed this one before and my fever dream!

Logan (2017) – Wolfman Rating 8.5 – IMDB Rating 8.1
My son, Kofi’s birthday choice. We’d seen it at cinema. Think I may of enjoyed it even more this time round. First time round I gave it 8, this time I bumped it up a tad more. Hugh Jackman was superb as the aging Wolverine however it’s the wild psycho bonkers crazy Dafne Keen who manages to steal the show. I also just realised she played Lyra Belacqua in the recent adaptation of Philip Pullman’s book series His Dark Materials series. To be honest she was the best thing in that first season. I hope they up the game for part two.

Greyhound (2020) – Wolfman Rating 7.5 – IMDB Rating 7.1
Really well filmed and solid WW2 story of the an U.S. Navy commander battle with a fleet of German U-Boats. I liked this sea drama a lot but it didn’t have the kick of The Enemy Below (1957). Plus I struggle to get past old Tom Hanks face after his gurning at the Golden Globes roasting from Ricky Gervais. Hehe. But Greyhound is a short and punchy fast paced film, well worth a look but it badly lacks any real character development.

Fear City: New York vs the Mafia (2020) – Wolfman Rating 8 – IMDB Rating 7.2
This is a Netflix mini series but it’s not far off a doc film tbh just padded out to be three episodes. I really enjoyed this. Gangter gangs of NYC and the way federal agents tried to take them down. Super old footage, interviews and even the reconstruction scenes are well done. Only tiny gripe, the last episode is a little drawn out.

The Old Guard (2020) – Wolfman Rating 7 – IMDB Rating 6.7
I went in with zero expectations. Just wanted some mind numbing action on a Saturday night. It was so much better than I had thought. It’s a comic book and plays out like one. I’d fancy reading it to be honest. It takes some nice twists, most you see coming but that’s not a bad thing. There’s one scene though that has you go “OH my fuckin god!” You will know it when you see it. Charlize Theron does these action roles well.

Style Wars (1983) – Wolfman Rating 10 – IMDB Rating 8.1
Another me introducing a doc to my daughter film. Now this one! Oh my days! So much history. I hope to do an article some day soon as this documentary film blew our teenage minds. I record it on VHS when I was 13. It’s all we talked about at school. There’s no way they would of known at the time but this magical world from NYC would go on and inspire us youth over in the small south coast of Britain. Of course it would cross all over the country and Europe and the world. Everyone picked up a spray can and started to get up. Style Wars shaped our lives. The doc itself is beautifully crafted too. The way it is edited and cut together with the music and way it interviews the artists is to die for. We all still quote this film after all these years.

Safe (2012) – Wolfman Rating 7 – IMDB Rating 6.5
Jason Statham fast paced action Netflix thriller is a whole lot of fun as he takes on the Triads, the Russian Mob and dodgy NYC cops as he tries to protect the super cute kid Catherine Chan being used as a human calculator. It’s hard not to enjoy the mayhem and it’s a perfect stumble in from the pub, half cut, action entertainment.

Black Rain (1989) – Wolfman Rating 6.5 – IMDB Rating 6.7
I had a nostalgic look at my video store rental days with the Ridley Scott directed and Michael Douglas starring film Black Rain. Fancy a read? Here’s the link to my review.

The Big Sleep (1946) – Wolfman Rating 9 – IMDB Rating 7.9
Hang on this might rival Double Indemnity for flirting? Every girl that passes our Humphrey Bogart’s Philip Marlowe has something to say to him and he gives a little wise crack back. Yeah I know right! This really was my first time seeing this. The shame! Oh course you all know it’s blooming awesome. Lauren Bacall is just gorgeous once again. Her face is so unique. Lauren’s and Bogie’s chemistry is wonderful to see. What a great film. Hope to see it again one day soon

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Any goodies in there you have seen and liked? Thoughts, recommends etc always welcome if you fancy too.

Keep watching the screens. Thanks for having a look to see what’s been watched. All the best……… The howling one, Mikey