Ghosts of Old Japan: Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I wrap up October with a look at a Japanese Horror Masterpiece - Kwaidan (1964). This Classic of Japanese Cinema is filled with some of the most beautiful images committed to film. A film bringing together four ghost stories of Japanese lore, Kwaidan has overwhelmed viewers with its beauty for nearly sixty years. It's a thrill for Ibrahim and I to finally come to this classic. It's our first viewing and we hope that you make it your next. Thanks for your continued love and support. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. 

Death in a Village:   Na Hong-jin's The Wailing

One of the great joys of doing this show is discovering the gems in the cinematic world. Sometimes you stumble on them in your search; occasionally a friend turns you onto something great. For this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I send a special thanks to Mr. Cornelius Burroughs for his gift of Na Hong-jin's The Wailing (2016). Mr. Burroughs sent this to me a few years back and only now have I had the chance to sit down and watch it . . . It was well worth the wait. A story of Korean Horror featuring Ghosts, Posession, Murder, and Paranoia, The Wailing is simply one of The Best Horror Films in recent decades. It's a thrill for us to discuss this gem of World Cinema. We hope you enjoy the film and our talk. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

Mother's Arms: Alejandro Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre

On this week's episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our descent into the terror of Horror Cinema as we celebrate moving closer and closer to All Hallow's Eve. For this week's selection we go against the norm and travel to Mexico for Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre (1989). A film that needs to be seen in order to be believed, Ibrahim & I are thrilled to discuss this Surreal Masterpiece. The less written the better so take a watch, follow it with a listen, and experience one of the great visionary expressions of Cinema. We think you'll have a good time. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be sent to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

Mirror Image: David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers 

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our descent into the Horror genre with a look at David Cronenberg's Underseen 1988 Masterpiece, Dead Ringers. With one of the great performances of the 1980s (In All of Cinema for that matter), Cronenberg gives audiences one of the most unsettling and disturbing pictures that can fit into the Horror genre. Take a listen as Mr. Chavez & I look back at this  overlooked masterpiece. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

My So-Called Decade: Defining the 90s - Part I

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I continue our look at the movies that define and represent each decade. This week we look at the 1990s and the names that made up this new independent and ground-breaking cinema. Each of us has a list of ten and a large number of honourable mentions. We're thrilled to sit down and discuss many of the films that made up our young adult lives and shaped much of our cultural and artistic understanding. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

My So-Called Decade: Defining the 90s - Part II

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I continue our look at the movies that define and represent each decade in our second half of this two-part  episode. This week we look at the 1990s and the names that made up this new independent and ground-breaking cinema. Each of us has a list of ten and a large number of honourable mentions. We're thrilled to sit down and discuss many of the films that made up our young adult lives and shaped much of our cultural and artistic understanding. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

"Heaven Help You . . . " Joe Dante's The Howling (1981)

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our dive into The World of Cinematic Horror with a look at the classic werewolf film, The Howling (1981). Joe Dante, Director of Gremlins, Innerspace, and The 'Burbs, created one of the most iconic films in the Horror genre. Featuring 80s Scream Queen, Dee Wallace Stone, The Howling is a film that plays beautifully with the genre. Take a listen as Mr. Chavez & I continue our exploration into Horror. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

Strange Fictions - John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our descent ito the World of Cinematic Horror. This week we take a look at One of the Greats - John Carpenter. After the financial and critical failure of The Thing (1982), Carpenter would find his career and project choices limited. He would regain some Hollywood stature with his adaptation of Stephen King's Christine (1983), Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and They LIve (1988), however the damage had been done and his career would never be the same. At this point we look at the later films of Mr. Carpenter. Although there are moments in most of these films, Carpenter would never return to the heights he once knew. In the Mouth of Madness (1994) is a noble failure, but a failing nonetheless. This week Ibrahim & I discuss why this is. Take a listen and let us know what you think. We hope you enjoy it. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com 

Where's the Fear - Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I sit down, settle in, and jump into the World of Horror Cinema. We're prepping two months worth of Horror because that's how long it's going to take us on this World Tour. This year we look stateside, but also look to Korea, Japan, and any other place that challenges their audiences not to turn away. This week we go back to the 1970s and the American Southwest with a look at Wes Craven's 1977 Cult Classic The Hills Have Eyes. There's a great deal to unwrap here . . . violence, rape, misogyny, torture porn, and all the storytelling elements that will manifest themselves in louder and stronger voices in the coming decades. This is a difficult film that needs the four decades space to look at it objectively. So that's the angle we're coming at it from. Cult classic or Overrated Schlock . . . we're thrilled to be talking about Craven's second film. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

Fame, Cocaine, and Coming of Age: Defining the 80s

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our exploration of the films that defined their decades. Naming "The Best Films of Their Decades" would be too easy (and boring) an endeavor. These are the films that Mr. Chavez & I see as The Good, The Bad, & The Very, Very Ugly of each decade. The 1980s is probably the most striking example of troubling, jingoistic, and mindless filmmaking. Yeah, there are some good films within each of our lists, but the decade is overrun by films that trouble us and are an ugly examination of Cinema and The Culture as a whole. Take a listen. We hope you agree, and if you don't, we hope the discussion triggers your own opinions. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks!