On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos Ibrahim & I take it a bit easy, walking down memory lane, and talking about the movie influences that have brought us to this place. From Tower Records and The Warehouse, to Scorsese and The Faces of Death Series, Ibrahim & I remember the great movie memories of our lives. A little bit of a lighter episode, but one that came together rather nicely. Take a listen and let us know what you think.  As always we appreciate your continued support. Questions, Suggestions, Comments, and Problems can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com

Yeah . . . On this episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos  I take a break from the seriousness of our previous episodes and have a little bit of fun with a classic, Hal Needham's classic 1977 Redneck Masterpiece, Smokey & The Bandit.  This is one of those films that I have to just come to terms with my love for . . . a hilarious and beautifully realized 70's era comedy that has stood the test of time.  With great throw-away comic performances from Burt Reynolds, Sally Fields, Jerry Reed, Mike Henry (as the criminally forgotten Junior Justice), Pat McCormack & Paul Williams, and - an unforgettably brilliant comic performance by the great Jackie Gleason as Sheriff Buford T. Justice, this is a film that deserves it's reputation as one of the great underrated comedies of the 1970's. 

It feels great to cool down and talk about a good time at the movies. As always, thanks for the continued support.  Questions, Comments, Suggestions, and Complaints should be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com.  

On this week's episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos Ibrahim and I come to the end of our examination of The Vietnam War.  You don't watch Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick's 1987 classic without recognizing it as two separate films.  That's the angle that we're approaching the film. Boot Camp and The Grunts' Experience in one of the few urban examinations of this very complex war.  With standout performances from Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, and in a career-definining role, former USMC Drill Sergeant, R. Lee Ermey. This is a great film that we are proud to close this series out with. Take a listen and let us know what you think.  As always, we can be reached for Praise, Comments, Suggestions, & Complaints to gondoramos@yahoo.com - Thanks for all of the support. 

The train keeps rolling down the bend . . . On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our descent into The Vietnam War.  This week we take a look at The War through the eyes of the displaced and victimized . . . the people of Vietnam and Cambodia.  Oliver Stone ends his Vietnam Trilogy with 1993's Heaven & Earth, the story of Le Ly Hayslip who survived the destruction of her village, death of many family members, and the decimation of her country to eventually find peace through her will and perseverance. We also take a look at Roland Joffe's 1984 examination of the expansion of the war into Cambodia and the genocide wrought by Pol Pot and The Khmer Rouge, The Killing Fields.  Through the story of Dith Pran's four year odyssey through "The Killing Fields" of the title, we get a rare examination of the war from a perspective that has been too often ignored.  With an Academy Award winning performance from Dr. Hang S. Ngor, The Killing Fields is a truly exceptional film.  We talk the film as well as Dr. Ngor's remarkable parallel experiences and his untimely 1996 murder by a Chinatown street gang.  We hope you enjoy and take a little something from this heartfelt episode.  Please direct questions, comments, suggestions, and complaints to gondoramos@yahoo.com - As always, thanks for the continued love & support. 

On this episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our descent into the rabbit hole of The Vietnam War. This week we take a look at the grunts' welcome home with an examination of Oliver Stone's 1989 biopic of paralyzed Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July.  We also take look at Michael Cimino's 1978 masterpiece, The Deer Hunter.  With these films we see two powerful and heart-wrenching examinations of a misunderstood and much maligned experience. The trip isn't over. Ibrahim & I are discovering more and more and we hope that you good listeners are taking a little bit from it. Questions, Comments, Suggestions, & Complaints should be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com - As always, thank you for the continued love & support.  

On this week's episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos Ibrahim & I continue our examination of the great Vietnam War films. This week we take a look at the "grunts' experience' in Vietname; We talk Oliver Stone's Platoon and Brian DePalma's Casualties of War.  The less written the better.  So take a listen and let us know what you think.  As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com.  So take a listen and continued thanks for your love and support.    

On this week's episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I begin a many episode (we have no idea how long this is going to take) examination of The Vietnam War. Where else to start off than - possibly - the greatest War Film ever made, Francis Ford Copolla's Apocalypse Now Redux - Copolla's 2001 Director's Cut of his 1979 Cannes Palme d'Or winner. Rarely do audiences have the opportunity to see behind the curtain . . . Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) tells the troubled history behind one of the greatest films ever made. Rivaling Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe's Lost in La Mancha (2002) as one of the most depressing and frustrating cinema documentaries ever made, Hearts of Darkness is a beautifully constructed, amazingly intimate examination of this troubled production. 

On this week's episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I sit down in The Fortress to discuss George Miller's Masterpiece series MAD MAX (1979) THE ROAD WARRIOR (1981), MAD MAX - BEYOND THUNDERDOME (1985), and - finally - MAD MAX - FURY ROAD (2015). Possibly the greatest cinematic series ever created (based on their being no weak films in the series), Miller's collaboration with Mel Gibson, Tom Hardy, and Charlize Theron has created one of the truly visionary experiences of the cinema.  So sit back, take a listen, and listen as two friends talk a series that has cut to the marrow of everything. As always, we thank you for your continued support.  Any questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints should be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com.  Many Thanks & Much Love.   

On this week's episode of WatchThis w/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our discussion on the Academy Award winning documentarian (THE FOG OF WAR: ELEVEN LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ROBERT S. McNAMARA - 2003) Errol Morris. This week we tackle his groundbreaking study of Randall Dale Adams, a man wrongly imprisoned for murdering a Dallas Police Officer during a routine traffic stop, THE THIN BLUE LINE (1987). We also look at his profile of British theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawkings, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (1992). Finally, we take a look at Morris' directorial debut, GATES OF HEAVEN (1978), a film that profiles a pet cemetery in Palo Alto, California and the inhabitants of this small town, their love for their pets and their (sometimes) strange and quirky ways.  It's a film that critic Roger Ebert called one of the greatest films ever made. This is an episode that goes rather long, so be prepared for that.  All in all, we had a great time recording it.  Thanks for listening and - as always - thank you for your continued support. Questions, Suggestions, Comments, and Complaints can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com 

Ohhhhh this is a heavy one . . . On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I take a look at documentary filmmaker, Errol Morris (who shot to fame with the 1988 documentary          THE THIN BLUE LINE, challenging the guilt of Texas Death Row inmate Randall Dale Adams). On this first of a two part episode we discuss the former private investigator's profiles of Vietnam War Era Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (THE FOG OF WAR: ELEVEN LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF ROBERT S. McNAMARA - 2003) and THE UNKOWN KNOWN.  2013's examination of Secretary of Defense during the George W. Bush Presidency, Donald Rumsfield.  Tying all of this together we discuss his 2008 expose of Abu Ghraib prison, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE.  Yeah, it's a long episode, but it's also an episode that challenged our beliefs and ideas regarding both of these men and war in general.  Thank You For Your Continued Support.  Questions, Comments, Problems, and Support can all be sent to gondoramos@yahoo.com