Watch This With Rick Ramos

You Got To Know When To Hold 'Em, Know When To Fold 'Em - Goodbye Los Angeles

(2000 - 2020)

This week I take a special trip down memory lane saying goodbye to the city I've called home for over 20 years. I talk about moving to Los Angeles in 2000 and the struggles to survive as a substitute teacher, valet, taxman, insurance salesman, private tutor, actor, Comedy Store doorman, and comedian. It's been rough and rocky traveling, but it was the best decision that I've ever made. Now that it has come to an end, it's important to look to the future and figure out how to play the next hand.

Thanks for all of your love and support. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks!

Direct download: GoodbyeLA.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Night Stalker: An Unexplored "Evil"

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I begin a study of serial killers, both non-fiction and fictional. This week we look at the Netflix 4-Episode Limited Series Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, profiling the home invasions, rapes, murders and fear that captivated Los Angeles during a 14-month terror spree. Featuring interviews with the lead investigators, Gil Carrillo & Frank Salerno, news-anchors of the time, and survivors and family members of the victims, the docu-series covers a great deal of the story. Take a listen as we discuss both our admiration and problems with the series. 

Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Our Thanks For Your Continued Love & Support. 

Direct download: NightStalker.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:05pm EDT

Love in the Hopelessness of Noir Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night (1947) & On Dangerous Ground (1952)

A solo episode focusing on the brilliance and beauty of Director Nicholas Ray. This week I go back to Noir, looking at Ray's They Live by Night & On Dangerous Ground. Great films coupled with thoughtful commentary. Take a listen. 

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

Direct download: NicholasRayNoir.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

"Everybody She Plays With Dies."

The Femmes Fatales of Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity and Paul Verhoeven's Basic Instinct

Femme Fatales on this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos. This week Ibrahim & I sit down to look at the femme fatale in cinema focusing on the very first - Barbara Stanwyck in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944) & Sharon Stone in Paul Verhoeven's Basic Instinct (1992). These are two very different films that showcase the femme fatale in all of its controversial existence. Take a listen as we discuss the history of Noir and the evolution of the femme fatale in this world.

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

 

Direct download: BadLadies.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:06pm EDT

Watching & Thinking: James Spader & The Dark Roads

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I take a look at two exceptional films starring James Spader - 1989's sex, lies, & videotape and 2002's Secretary. Two fascinating films that examine the difficult subject of voyeurism, BDSM, and sexual exploration. There's a great deal to say, so take a listen to this enlightening and often funny conversation between two film friends.

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

Direct download: Spader.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:18am EDT

The Violence of Love: Psychological & Physical Abuse in Adrian Lyne's  9 1/2 Weeks and Sam Taylor-Johnson's Fifty Shades of Grey

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our look at sex, love, relationships, and emotional struggle. This week's episode focuses on Adrian Lyne's 1986 9 1/2 Weeks as well as Sam Taylor-Johnson's Fifty Shades of Grey from 2015. Two films that beg for re-writes and re-imaginings. This is one of the few times when the films are lackluster, but the talk is still fun and grabs a hold of you. Take a listen and let us know what you think. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Continued Thanks. 

 

Direct download: BDSM.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:53pm EDT

Portraits of Passion & Pain - Bernardo Bertolucci's Last Tango in Paris & Nagisa Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue to discuss Romance, Passion, Infatuation, and Sex with a look at two of the most controversial films ever made, Bernardo Bertolucci's 1972 Marlon Brando & Maria Schneider exploration of sex, yearning, desire, and deep sadness, Last Tango in Paris. We pair this exceptional film with an even more brazen exploration of sexual relations, Nagisa Oshima's 1976 classic In the Realm of the Senses. This is a film that neither Ibrahim nor I had seen before. We are thrilled to be talking about it for this episode. The less written, the better.

Take a listen and hear a thoughtful discussion. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Thanks for the continued love and support. 

Direct download: Sex__Infatuation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:26pm EDT

In the Kingdom of Kitsch - Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I begin the month of February with our first in a series of Romance movies. We start with Philip Kaufman's adaptation of author Milan Kundera's classic novel of romance and political upheaval in 1960's Prague, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988). This is my first viewing and Ibrahim's third. There are always surprises with a new film. This week's episode helps us see those possibilities. With a cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, & Lena Olin, this was a great experience and we're thrilled to be talking it for all of you great listeners.

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

 

Direct download: UnbearableLightnessOfBeing.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am EDT

All Out of Bubblegum - John Carpenter Rings The Alarm - 1988's They Live 

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos Mr. Chavez & I sit down to talk one of the great B-Movie, Sci-Fi Classics, John Carpenter's They Live (1988). Science Fiction has traditionally been a genre that comments on the current state of society and culture. Carpenter's depiction of an alien invasion and the subsequent enslavement of the human race, is one of the greatest criticisms of 1980s Reagan Era Economics and the rise of Yuppie culture. With a surprisingly accomplished performance from Wrestling Icon "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as  John Nada - an "Everyman" of the Working Poor - and a great supporting performance from Keith David, this is an exceptional film that warned us of the dangers of the destruction of the Middle Class. Take a listen as we - once again - draw comparisons between art, culture, and the ugliness of politics. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks!

Direct download: TheyLiveFinal.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:17pm EDT

The Many Children of Akira Kurosawa: Sturges & Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven & Pixar's A Bug's Life

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue discussing Akira Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai) with a look at the numerous films this film has directly and indirectly influenced. From Marvel's The Avengers (from 2008 on) thru John Landis' Three Amigos (1986), Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables series (2010/2012/2014), and Robert Aldrich's The Dirty Dozen (1967). For this episode we focus on John Sturges' 1960 American remake The Magnificent Seven, starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, and Charles Bronson and Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven (2016) featuring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Ethan Hawke. Two good re-imaginings of a cinema classic, but the big discussion is devoted to the magic of computer animation and Pixar's 1998 overlooked classic, A Bug's Life. Sit back & Take a listen. We had a good time with this episode. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.

Direct download: SamuraiInfluencesFinal.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT