r/TubiTreasures

I remember when the trailer came out. I was die hard Alex Garland fan and hearing about the premise, and seeing a poster of soldiers in the torch of the statue of liberty had me intrigued. When the trailer came out, it felt like a shot of adrenaline, and I used my lunch break to watch it in a cold sweat. The trailer featured DC as a warzone, barely three years after the January 6 Insurrection. Garland was releasing a movie called “Civil War” in a politically polarized nation, in an Election YEAR!!! I had to see it. I saw it. I worked at a college and had a conversation with a student who brought up the film. He was disappointed in it because it didn’t give him the exposition and the hardcore action that he wanted. I argued that it also didn’t get me the exposition that I wanted, but it didn’t matter. And I think it’s Garland’s best movie. 

Right away if you want the reasons why the war started, what sides politically the factions are, you’re really not going to get that. If I vaguely remember, A24 (aside from hideous AI ads) also offered up advertising to determine what side of the war you’re on. And that feels deeply antithetical to the movie itself. Aside from tidbits of exposition and the idea that the President (Nick Offerman) became too tyrannical, we never learn the history behind the war and why everyone’s fighting each other. While the film is about polarization and America adapting to a civil war, the movie is mostly about journalism in the same way that the film “Eddington” is about social media. And just like “Eddington”, the movie doesn’t have you pick a side, it just lets you observe. Almost like a journalist 🤔

The film follows a group of journalists as they make their way to Washington DC to get to the President in the midst of a civil war. There’s Kirsten Dunst as Lee, Wagner Moura as Joel the thrillseeker, Cailee Spaney as newcomer Jessie, and the underrated Stephen McKinley Henderson as the old-timer Sammy. Jesse Plemmons also makes an uncredited cameo as a soldier asking a question which had me on edge in the trailer “ok, what kind of American are you?” His one scene will have you gasping for air. The journalists witness horrible acts of violence committed to everyone, and all the while they photograph them often with anxiety and often with intrigue (and sometimes to the tune of De La Soul). I also said the film is really about journalism, but it’s still about war. Throughout the film we see people like us fear for their lives, use the war as an excuse for violence, or ignore it and go on with their lives. The first half has this incredibly stressful moment where Jessie and Lee >!see men strung up in a gas station car wash, and one of the employees jokes about how they went to school together. It’s a stressful, funny, and disturbingly believable scene.!< In addition the film has some great needledrops from Skid Row, electric pioneers the Silver Apples, De La Soul, and in the final scene the early New York punk band Suicide. 

The ending is also one that has stuck with me. As the main characters >!make their way into DC to see the President, Lee dies in a moment which feels like an anticlimactic form of self-sacrifice. Lee pushes Jessie out of the way, and Jessie photographs Lee’s death as she’s gunned down. Joel asks the President for a quote, and all he says is “don’t let them kill me.” The President is then gunned down as Jessie photographs his death. It’s a moment which is both funny due to Nick Offerman’s straight delivery and Joel and Jessie’s casual attitude towards seeing a world leader die in front of them. I’ve always interpreted the ending as a “I succeeded but at what cost” moment for Jessie. She’s gotten the photograph she’s wanted, at the cost of her mentor. The final shot is the developed photo of the soldiers smiling over the president’s corpse, which superficially reminded me of a photo of Lynndie England in the Abu Ghraib prison acting casual while torturing prisoners.!< 

Overall the movie is a slow-burn, almost ambient action film which will leave you uneasy and changed like the main characters. You’ll be thinking about the distance between journalism and its subjects. And I’m happy it’s more than a straight-forward action film, it allows you to think over that distance. I understand my pick is unconventional and the film isn’t for everyone, but of all Alex Garland’s films, “Civil War” will always be my favorite given how hooked I was throughout and how much the movie has stayed with me since it was in theaters. Even then it was a hard tie between this and “Annihilation”, which is saying something given I thought the film was better than the book. “Men” also sticks with me but for different reasons, but I don’t know how to feel about that one. 

Trailer: https://youtu.be/TJMqft0yZeE?si=WWuVlUC8biZQU9Ko

The first DVD I ever bought now on Tubi.

Dr. Ira Kane (David Duchovny) and Dr. Henry Block (Orlando Jones) are two community college professors who discover a fallen meteor with microscopic alien forms that multiply, mutate, and evolve at a rapid pace. With the help of wannabe firefighter Wayne (Seann William Scott) and scientist Alison (Julianne Moore) they must find a way to stop the aliens when they evolve from single-celled organisms to giant monsters.

Starring David Duchovny in his first major movie role after leaving The X-Files. Originally written as a serious sci-fi thriller but when Ivan Reitman took over as director he decided to turn it into a comedy.

Meteor crash: https://youtu.be/DZfq30VdBqU?si=dmsZvfoi-22my1hO

There's always time for lubricant: https://youtu.be/-nkxnc1C6rc?si=JZz4R9-G9oQgCmFd

Alien bird in the mall: https://youtu.be/XoU3Vssx7aw?si=irXN5gXqI7CSCCbt Caw Caw tookie tookie.

Governor Dan Aykroyd: https://youtu.be/9-Kvo3-7OZo?si=EIRfC7W9h1Homdk-

Head and Shoulders product placement: https://youtu.be/INQQ7GgxRYc?si=njGzqDs85QljZMAo

There was also a short-lived Evolution cartoon: https://youtu.be/-SfeWLAqT6Y?si=srp8r40uM5JHGC4c

Watch The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/gXzyAprPo4b

Look Around You is a British comedy series that parodies 1970s and 1980s educational science programs, created by Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowicz, airing on BBC Two in two series (2002 and 2005). It features absurd, surreal humor hidden within the format of serious-looking science shows, with the first series focusing on lab experiments and the second on presenters showcasing inventions, all while maintaining running gags and a distinct retro aesthetic. 

Watch Look Around You on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/OQlRXzFwv4b

Trailer: https://youtu.be/It89i3W-v4s?si=KVcHyYjLkfpLVDXL

I don't care what anyone says. I like this movie. We need more steampunk sci-fi westerns with giant mechanized spiders.

Captain Jim West must team up with Inventor and Master of the Mechanical Stuff Artemis Gordon to stop Dr. Arliss Loveless, a Confederate scientist who lost his bottom half in the Civil War, from unleashing his giant mechanized spider, killing President Ulysses S. Grant, and taking over what is left of the United States.

Did you know that Will Smith turned down playing Neo in The Matrix to do Wild Wild West instead? https://youtu.be/kuTB6ySZkAs?si=usjDyVZ4c1vg-EPN

Made with a $170 million budget making it one of the most expensive movies ever made at the time. Made $222 million while in theatres but was panned by both critics and audiences. With a 16% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Wild Wild West won the Razzie award for Worst Picture, Will Smith and Kevin Kline won a Razzie for Worst On-Screen Couple, Barry Sonnenfeld won a Razzie for Worst Director, and Will Smith won a Razzie for Worst Original Song: https://youtu.be/\_zXKtfKnfT8?si=qyfMycNeTuhkbPPi

Kevin Smith's Superman Lives giant spider story Part 1: https://youtu.be/Wo2KB1dEDdk?si=zlPSXM2ptbxaEYnR

Part 2: https://youtu.be/53hMYw8LX60?si=TFj8X0oF9uXi9I8q

25 years later Nic Cage Superman would fight that giant spider in The Flash movie: https://youtu.be/qrB2oVbsTcA?si=YvPxW9kPTwNyUDg0

That is a man's head: https://youtu.be/yBo4Pl0gHwM?si=mSypapAKv28IsLz8

Arliss Loveless: https://youtu.be/zV3AZFuaJVQ?si=JYflVro195HUaQsz

Magnet collars: https://youtu.be/l07iVOiDRH0?si=GeeBNm3ZKSs6VBcJ

Salma Hayek: https://youtu.be/SrJEWL6QHzo?si=-pflEOrV7xHQOOze

Mecha Spider: https://youtu.be/NHRtlXDOqOU?si=ZMVpL6a3SIaTcu9u

Cartman sings the Wild Wild West theme song: https://youtu.be/ttK4e9fyuIM?si=nV02vpcs-sOTDvwh

Minor complaint, why? Why did you have to release this in 1972? You could have waited four years and the stars would’ve aligned!

The film is an adaptation of the musical of the same name as a loose retelling of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and it features several actors who were in the original musical, like “Boy Meets World” alumnus William Daniels as John Adams, Howard da Silva as Ben Franklin, Ken Howard as Thomas Jefferson, and who can forget Ron Holgate (he does his own horse riding) as Richard Henry here a Lee there a Lee and everywhere a Lee a Lee! 

At the time, the movie had a mixed reception. Throughout the film, the founding generation is mostly depicted as a bunch of well-educated but argumentative aristocrats who drink a lot. And that’s why I love it, because that’s kind of what they were. The founding generation was very well read and definitely thought a lot about what our country would look like, and at the same time they were constantly bickering and definitely more drunk. It’s a film which isn’t accurate with facts but accurate in depicting the turbulent discussions that took place. Whenever someone says, “the founding fathers so and so”, ask them “which founding father?” because the creation of America was born with intense disagreements and constant arguing. Some details the film gets wrong would be Franklin saying we can think of ourselves as Americans when most still thought of themselves as Englishmen, the length of time it took to get the declaration signed (it wasn’t to the sound of the bell), or even the character of John Adams being disliked by everyone despite the opposite being true. But there are other details such as John and Abigail’s conversations taken from letters or the fact that the windows had to be closed for fear of spies despite the heat, that was accurate. 

I think it’s kind of ironic that I just watched “The Patriot” and thought it wasn’t good because of its inaccuracies but I enjoyed “1776” despite it having more inaccuracies. I think that may be because “The Patriot” really thinks too highly of itself in trying to be this “more accurate” and “serious” depiction of Colonial America that has glaring flaws, whereas “1776” is inaccurate but is a more light-hearted take that doesn’t take itself too seriously. 

Happy fourth of July everyone. It’s been an interesting 250 years. Also check out Cynical Historian’s review of the film down below. 

Cynical Historian 1776

Hood romantic on tubi now

I love me some Cary Grant and I had never seen this one before, so I watched it yesterday.

It was a nice bit of 1930s fluff featuring Cary as a rich fella who feels out of sorts, and whose doctor suggests he get and and do some real work for a change. So Cary makes a bet that he can leave his posh life and make it on his own for a year. Along the way he learns a lot, falls in love, and finds out how much he likes helping people.

I hadn’t heard of this movie before and after seeing it, I know why. It isn’t bad but it’s nothing special and the kind of thing to put on if you like golden age Hollywood movies that you can half watch while doing other things.

Watch Fargo on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/5BhU8pqy83b

Intro: https://youtu.be/nsw0OnIcU1I?si=oQGVTjIRBlqNiRWQ

Were you too poor to afford a real Transformer? Did your grandma buy you a GoBot instead of a Transformer because she couldn't tell the difference between them?

The series follows the heroic Guardians led by fighter jet Leader 1, and the villainous Renegades from the planet Gobotron led by ruthless motorcycle Cy-Kill. Cy-Kill and the Renegades want to to conquer Gobotron, Earth, and eventually the galaxy while Leader 1 and his Guardians fight them to preserve peace.

The characters originally came from Japan's Machine Robo toys made by Bandai. In the US they were rebranded by Tonka and released in 1983 with a new name. Animated by Hanna Barbera with voice acting legends Frank Welker (voice of Cy-Kill) and Peter Cullen playing various GoBots while at the same time doing voices for episodes of Transformers. Comedy legend Phil Hartman did background character voices and other GoBots voices years before appearing on Saturday Night Live.

The GoBots toys debuted in US and Canada in 1983, several months before the Transformers toys hit shelves. The GoBots cartoon would premiere on TV one month after Transformers first episode.

Secret Galaxy: https://youtu.be/oO3Q4gVhLH8?si=NjpQrxFe0KRggHaC

Robot Chicken sketch 1: https://youtu.be/ZKkgzhIA2IQ?si=TW0BGHWJwIMu8\_vg

Robot Chicken sketch 2: https://youtu.be/zuo-qWpAtbk?si=WtEZOm7A9H7DaVC\_

Robot Chicken sketch 3: https://youtu.be/KDHWXups0as?si=g0nciZMLiIkhd2Be

Toy commercials: https://youtu.be/inXdX6UydUE?si=mauVwXNxzTkCnvuN

Watch The Hippopotamus on Tubi: https://link.tubi.tv/PSzP7DFXl4b

Trailer: https://youtu.be/IcA02w6rm44?si=IxOTw0oirkD53Beh

Brynn is a girl who lives alone in her childhood home, an outcast and shunned by the people of her town. One night she awakens to strange noises and finds that her home has been invaded by tall grey alien beings. As Brynn hides and fights back she discovers that most of the town is now under alien control which leads to one of the weirdest and best endings in sci-fi movie history.

Released exclusively on Hulu. Written and directed by Brian Duffield, who wrote Samara Weaving Netflix movie The Babysitter. Containing no dialogue because Brynn is lonely girl with nobody to talk to. Kaitlyn Dever carries the movie by herself with her physical performance and facial expressions.

FoundFlix explained: https://youtu.be/PAo4qf4o1\_g?si=2X7cd7qiqXYssnzG

FilmComics Explained: https://youtu.be/3ZcBqVgL-Cs?si=DrdnpcDHMPXYB0et

First contact: https://youtu.be/NsBCsTq6v6U?si=srRbkA7HakH88jrA

Chased by aliens: https://youtu.be/zN3xOpMGA90?si=19hsLFZ\_ksPrMIf6

Red light: https://youtu.be/xhPd8iQqXq0?si=5bIKjbbPZd3g4hKz

A Separatist farming family in 1630s New England start to experience tragedy, failures and misfortune. The blame forces of evil that dwell in the woods beyond their farm, forces that may or may not be real.

A dark and unsettling slow burn folk horror movie. The fear, despair, suspicion and paranoia increase with each scene. The family's fervor and isolation add to the tension.

Hey everyone, I decided I've had a solid streak of great movies, and wanted to dive in the mud of the worst ones. This was a quick list I cobbled together with some of the biggest and stinkiest ones I could find. Anything else you'd suggest?

Some big ones I've already seen are Love on a Leash (incredible), Cats (saw in theaters), The Room, Dragonball Evolution, Troll 1 & 2, Lawnmower Man, Tammy & the TRex, For Y'ur Height Only, and War of the Worlds.

The finest of 70s creature feature American (International Pictures) cheese, with a young Sam Elliott. You will understand why he grew the 'stache.

“Judgment Night” is an incredibly intense suspense film from 1993.

Four friends from Chicago’s northern suburbs head into the city for a boxing match.

They get lost on the way and witness a gangland execution.

The film then follows them as the gang tracks them through Chicago’s most abandoned/gang infested neighborhoods.

This movie is extremely stressful and intense, with a loaded cast.

The best part of this movie is Denis Leary’s performance as Fallon, the gang leader. The second best part is Peter Greene as Fallon’s second in command.

It’s totally unbelievable and ridiculous, but it’s a lot of fun. Very intense with a great soundtrack.

I don’t think this should have bombed the way it did, but I guess Emilio Estevez didn’t sell tickets the way he did in the 80’s by 93.

Please watch and enjoy.

Happy early 4th of July everyone. 

This is a movie I put off seeing for a while. I don’t like Mel Gibson, I don’t like mythologizing colonial America, and I thought putting the two together would keep me from enjoying the film. Being directed by Roland Emmerich of “Moonfall” and “Anonymous” didn’t help either. But I decided if there was a time to see it, it would be now. I’m pleased to say I liked it more than expected, but I have mixed feelings about it. 

The film itself is well made. A lot of the performances are good like from Gibson, Ledger, Richardson, Wilkinson, and Jason Isaacs is good if campy. The score from John Williams is great as usual. The film was even written by Robert Rodat who wrote “Saving Private Ryan”. The film was also a lot more violent than anticipated, coming close to capturing the brutality of the Revolution. And the costumes were very historically accurate, thanks to research at the Smithsonian. The cinematography by Caleb Deschanel is also beautiful, letting the full colors of 1770s shine. 

The film had two major controversies going for it. One was a controversy regarding Sony creating fake positive reviews from a fictional man called “David Manning” which would lead to a settlement where Sony reimbursed dissatisfied customers $5 for the movies they watched thanks to Manning. The other was with historical inaccuracies. The most well-known was a scene where red-coats burn people alive in a church, which never happened in the war and was inspired by the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre committed by the Nazis in WWII. The British did burn down churches, but never with civilians. Though personally I would argue that the portrayal of slavery in the film outweighs the portrayal of the British. 

If there’s a film I can compare it to, it would be “Gods and Generals”. That movie may take place in a different time in a different American war, but both movies suffer the same problem, their slave characters. In “Gods and Generals” the only slaves in the film are slaves who are super-ok with Stonewall Jackson (a man who thought slavery was ordained by God) and the confederacy as a whole. In “The Patriot” most of the black characters are already free men thanks to Gibson’s character. The producers decided to not have him own slaves, despite living in South Carolina which had so many slaves that it was the first state to have a black majority. Even Mel Gibson regretted not making him a slave owner, but somehow I feel like the way the movie would’ve handled the main character being a slave owner would’ve made things worse. And the main black character Occam, is a slave who after serving in the war for a year will be granted freedom. That never happened. There were slaves who fought in the Revolution, and I don’t doubt there were slaves who were freed by their masters after the war. But most slaves returned to their masters after the war and more slaves defected to the British since they were more likely to be guaranteed emancipation. It’s weird too when at the end we see Occam building a house and he’s optimistic about a country where everyone will be free, when the reality was many Black patriots like James Roberts would express regrets about his service (he wouldn’t be freed until the 1830s). Imagine you’re a slave during the war, and your options are either fight in your master’s place for a slave-owning country which may not survive, or you could defect to a country which has already outlawed slavery which may win the tide of war. I don’t want to make it seem like Britain was some great benefactor since they were probably more motivated to win the war than care about black people, but the film really doesn’t capture the nuances of being a slave during the revolution. Though “The Patriot” is better than “Gods and Generals”, it’s shorter and better made. 

Do I recommend it? Honestly instead you should go and read a non-fiction book about the revolution. I know we can’t always expect historical films to be accurate, and most people would say “of course it’s a movie.” But if someone watches the film and doesn’t read up on American history, I worry the film will color their impression of the past instead of real history, which is far more interesting and far more complicated. And maybe it’s because I’m a history nerd, but I often enjoy reading up on history more than watching it. 

Gods and Generals review

Two friends spend the summer after graduation in Nantucket and help a girl save her home from greedy land developers. That old 80s trope.

But this one is made by the people who made Better Off Dead. It's almost the definition of a spiritual sequel that isn't a sequel.

Including: douchey son of the developer, a dolphin with rabies, Bobcat Goldthwaite, a boat restoration montage, and the dangers of being buried in the sand.

Some fun IMDb trivia:

In an interview with the Times-Picayune in March of 2000, Ronald Tanet, who played Ted Watkins, shared his thoughts on the film. "Look, they paid me six grand to make an ass of myself in public and I usually do that for free."

In 1976, legendary director/huckster Donn Davison made a deal with small time New Orleans film distributor Jack Weis. Weis had released a voodoo-tinged, PG rated exploitation film that failed completely. Davison conceived the idea of the naked priestess Damballa. He auditioned a few local actresses and ended up hiring Maureen Ridley, who had absolutely no inhibitions or hesitation to performing totally nude. Once he saw how relaxed she was being naked in front of the crew and actors, he added a few other scenes to get her out of her clothes. He then edited that footage into the original film.