Sweet & Condensed: Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Scorecard, Keep, Remake, Lose , No screams in space, new pod drop.
We don't know if the box office is back, but writers sure as hell are. Right after the writer's strike last year, we felt like Pablo Escobar in that meme, standing around waiting for new projects to be announced. Lately, we literally can't keep up with all the shows and movies being announced. But we are trying (this helps us rationalize refreshing Twitter every 10 minutes).
Here’s what we have for you this week:
Concession Stand Scorecard: Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Temp These Takes: We get to keep, remake, and lose these movie franchises
Watchlist Worthy: This installment into a classic franchise looks insane 😳
New Pod Drop: Eric & Josh finished One Day & chop it up on the Living A Stream pod
This week’s movie - “Bad Boys: Ride or Die”
Letterboxd Description:
MIAMI’S FINEST ARE NOW ITS MOST WANTED.
After their late former Captain is framed, Lowrey and Burnett try to clear his name, only to end up on the run themselves.
Best Watched With
Anyone who loves the franchise (shoutout Danny), McSteamy swooners, and people who don't mind the word "fuck" or crass humor.
End credit thoughts
We weren't sure if you needed to see the previous movies in order to enjoy this one, so we watched Bad Boys For Life (2020), and we are glad we did. This movie picks up right where BBFL left off and calls back to the other movies throughout.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence bring performances that are all gas, no brakes. From the opening credits Lawrence delivers outlandish comedy that never stops, even when South Beach is exploding all around him.
We see a new side of Mike (Will Smith) but he comes through with the ass-kicking bad boy we've come to love. The supporting cast was great every minute they were on screen and understood the mission. The standout was the career tribute from District 1–Alexander Ludwig might be a sight for sore eyes and his comedic timing had us in stitches.
Directors, Fallah and El Arbi, take bold risks in with camera work and editing. We liked seeing them be true to the franchise/genre but try to push them both forward.
We went into this thinking it would be good but wait-till-streaming good. We hit a U-turn and now we’re going 48 in a 30mph zone heading fast towards a big screen recommendation. Go see this on the big screen.
Movie Franchises - Keep, Remake, Lose.
The crew weighs in on what movie franchises are perfect, which deserve a remake, and which we’d be better off without.
Kelly
KEEP: The Scream Franchise. Untouchable. Is it cheesy horror? Is it overdone? Are there too many? Yes to all the above. BUT is it a classic familiar outline that you know what to expect and yet don’t at the same time? Also yes.
REMAKE: My remake is IT 2. The first one was actually perfect, 5 stars, chefs kiss. I feel like the 2nd one didn’t have a chance. The adult actors didn’t compare to the young actors. The chemistry wasn’t ✨chemistrying✨get new actors and try again.
LOSE: Finally, my slaughter, murder, execute is Star…Treck? Wars? I don’t know…both might as well see themselves out. 👁️👄👁️
Eric
KEEP: The Christian Bale Dark Knight Trilogy. Three perfect movies back to back to back. Plot holes? Kick rocks. Stiff fight scenes? Argue with a wall. Leave me and the other Bale heads alone.
REMAKE: Star Wars. All of em aside from the classic trilogy. Well maybe we can keep Phantom Menace because DAMN Darth Maul is a killer villain. Also, I think Jake Lloyd did a great job with lil Anakin. REMAKE THE REST.
ASS: Saw 4 through Saw 112 (? Can’t keep track). Saw 1, 2, and 3 are perfect horror movies. Gory, lots of fun, a great twist, and a good wholesome message for viewers to take away and apply to their lives. The rest of this franchise can get tossed into the depths of Davy Jones Locker.
Josh
KEEP: Dark Knight Trilogy. Put this franchise in the Louvre. A franchise I want to keep that isn't done yet and I'm willing to gamble on is James Cameron's Avatar. Make 100 of them and I will watch 100 of them.
REMAKE: Twilight. I want the originals to exist still, they will always hold a sparkling place in my non-beating vampiric heart, but I would love to see someone have another go at it. Throw all the current super stars in it—Chalamet, Zendaya, Pugh, Elordi, Holland, Robbie, Keoghan, Butler, Taylor-Joy, Galitzine—and see what happens.
TOSS: My first thought was the DC Extended Universe. All of them might not be tragic messes but sacrifice must be made to rid this world of Justice League, Superman vs Batman and Suicide Squad. But then I remembered The Conjuring Universe exists and that can be tossed into Dante's Inferno and disappear into the bowels of the earth.
New Mexico Drew
KEEP: Men In Black - The original trilogy. MIB International (2019) was proof that the first three were perfect and should have never been touched. Prime Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones can't be matched (they tried to get Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth to fill their shoes, and even they couldn't do it). They have the perfect amount of action, suspense heart and story. Leave MIB the hell alone.
REMAKE:The first Tremors (1990) is perfect. I almost feel bad for suggesting it be remade. But, a homicidal worm creature that hunts by sensing vibrations? There is gold in that material and as much as I loved the awful second and third movies* (#badmoviesgoodtimes), we've got nothing but potential here.
LOSE: Hostel. There is no reason these movies should exist.
*I didn’t know there are a fourth, fifth and sixth movie in this series. Good lord.
What’s your take? Hit Reply or leave a comment below and let us know!
Alien: Romulus (2024) directed by Fede Álvarez
I will be honest. This was not initially on my watchlist. I wanted nothing to do with this franchise. Not because I thought it was bad, but because it looks horrifying and I would rather not spend my time feeling feelings that are not pleasant, like terror.
In April I watched Alien (1979) in theaters, an experience I thought people born in 1991 would never have the opportunity to experience. BUT yet, there I was, ticket in hand, ready to finally be introduced to the beginning of arguably one of the best Sci-Fi/Thriller/Horror franchises, and the first one still stands the test of time.
Cailee Spaeny is having one hell of a run with Priscilla (2023), Civil War (2024), and now Alien: Romulus (2024). To my surprise, I enjoyed Alien (1979) and it got me excited to add Romulus to my watchlist—it will be our scorecard movie the week it releases.
-jp:)
Letterboxd Description:
While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.
Other movies directed by Fede Álvarez:
Evil Dead (2013)
Don’t Breathe (2016)
One Day: Episodes 5-14 #025
🎧 Listen to this podcast at Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch the video of this podcast on Spotify
In this episode, Eric and Josh discuss One Day, a limited TV series on Netflix.
They use the Jimmy V 1993 ESPY Speech – Did it hold them in thought, make them laugh, and move their emotions to tears — while interweaving the movie's narratives with their life narratives.
The description on Netflix for One Day reads: “A ‘flawless rom-com you’ll fall for, hard,’ this ‘highly bingeable’ love story features two ‘extraordinary’ lead performances, rave the Guardian.”
Three Milk Media Podcasts:
🎙️ Living A Stream: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
🎙️ The Medium Project: Apple Podcasts and Spotify
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Whoa hot takes left and right from those Harrisons.