Watch This With Rick Ramos

10 Films to Get You Through These Hard Times - 

These are difficult times, no doubt. With so much doom and gloom it may be time to think about pulling ourselves away from so much of the world. This new episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos is designed to give you a li'l bit of help with that. This week I fly solo to give you 10 picks for films that I have seen any number of times, but which - simply - get better and better. Some may be to your liking. Some you may hate. But hopefully through the episode you will rediscover something that you don't remember too well or are unfamiliar with and will find a new classic for your collection.

We do what we can. Take a listen. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Thanks for the continued love and support. 

Direct download: 10Films.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:32am EDT

Zombie Class War: Yeon Sang-ho's Train to Busan

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim double down on our Pandemic Theme, combining pandemics with a Zombie Apocalypse showcased in South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho's Train to Busan. This is a film that has received widespread critical and box office success since its release in 2016. Incredibly well-made, with beautiful cinematography, and great acting, Train to Busan deserves the acclaim it has received. Take a listen and let us know if you agree with our assessments. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Thanks for the continued love and support. 

Direct download: TraintoBusan.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 4:11am EDT

The Troubling Nature of Memory - Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys & Chris Marker's La Jetée

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I are determined to continue with this labor of love. This week we continue our examination of Pandemics through an examination of Terry Gilliam's 1996 Classic 12 Monkeys and it's inspiration Chris Marker's La Jétte. Both of these films have stood the test of time and are more relevant today than ever before. With great performances by Bruce Willis as the time-traveling, James Cole, Madeline Stowe as his doctor, and Academy Award nominated Brad Pitt, this was a welcome hit for the ever-production troubled Terry Gilliam.

Chris Marker's film is world renowned, however too few people have seen it. We hope that with this episode you are inspired to seek it out. It truly is an amazing work. 

If you have any Questions, Comments, Complaints, or Suggestions please direct them to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. 

Direct download: 12Monkeys.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:38am EDT

The Emperor Paints - Akira Kurosawa's Dreams

With the world staring into an unforeseeable future, I'm going solo with this episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos. This week I change the format a bit so that we can look at individual films until we can figure out a way to bring Mr. Chavez back into The Fortress of Ultimate Darkness. This week I take a look at Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990), a film that - over time - has grown in it's relevance and beauty. After the triumph of KagemushaRan, the great director once again found himself unable to obtain funding. Seeking help from foreign investors (including Steven Spielberg), Kurosawa was finally able to realize this film that would capture the breadth and power of his nearly 80 years. Sit back and listen as I go into detail and what this film has meant to me as well as audiences across the world.

Thank you for your continued love and support. As always, Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks! 

 

Direct download: KurosawaDreams.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 1:51am EDT

Contagion & Outbreak: The Pandemic Films of Steven Soderbergh & Wolfgang Petersen

On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I sit down to discuss the ongoing CoronaVirus Pandemic and the films that have preceded it including Wolfgang Petersen's Outbreak (1995) and Steven Soderbergh's Contagion (2011). Two films with radically different approaches - one is an embarrassment of the big-budget action genre, the other a brutal and frightening look at the fragile nature of humanity - both our societal structure and our physical frailty. Take a listen as we discuss these two films and how they are mirroring the world we are living in.

Thanks for the continued love and support. Questions, Comments, Complaints, & Suggestions can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com. Thanks!

Direct download: Pandemic.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:45am EDT

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