Jinnistan wrote:

Rock wrote:

I haven't watched the accompanying documentary yet, but in the series intro, the programmer said he wanted to show the wider range, not just focus on the positive or negative (I think in modern discussions people tend to heap the entirety of cinema into one or the other without any real nuance applied, so this was quite refreshing to hear).

Yes, this is exactly the kind of light I was hoping for.  I suppose it's a Criterion exclusive, but I'd like to check this out.  Are they planning a box set on this or anything?

The doc looks to be out of print, but I'd guess most of the titles are available on DVD/Blu-ray, other streaming services or possibly even YouTube (for the older titles that are likely in the public domain). Here are all the titles (with a couple of notes for the ones I think are more obscure):

Hollywood Chinese (the doc)
The Curse of Quon Gwon (an early silent film directed by a Chinese American woman, I believe it's only available in an incomplete form)
Broken Blossoms
The Letter
Daughter of the Dragon
The Cat's Paw (starring Harold Lloyd)
The Good Earth
Lost Horizon (directed by Frank Capra)
Charlie Chan in Honolulu (Sidney Toler's first film as Chan, with a prominent performance by Victor Sen Yung as his eldest son)
King of Chinatown (Anna May Wong in a non-stereotyped leading role)
China Sky (starring Anthony Quinn)
Sweet Smell of Success
China Doll (one of Frank Borzage's last movies)
The World of Suzie Wong
Flower Drum Song
Rider on a Dead Horse (a western with a prominent, non-stereotyped role by Lisa Lu)
7 Faces of Dr. Lao
The Sand Pebbles
Chan in Missing
Year of the Dragon
M. Butterfly
The Wedding Banquet
Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (Joan Chen's directorial debut)

Looks like Dim Sum might be on the Channel as well, just not as part of the series.

Tbh, I think this series is more extensive than most of the others they've had on there. Only the Blaxploitation one they did a few months ago had a comparable number of titles, from what I've seen.

Rock wrote:

Mad Dog Morgan

I also saw Mad Dog Morgan for the first time not too long ago.

"...his performance, which apparently was done under the influence of ill-advised amounts of rum (and I would wager other substances as well, although the IMDb trivia section does not confirm all that he ingested during filming)."

If I may share something I learned from Jinnistan about that:

"I like how the director explained that he had to coordinate his shoot schedule with Hopper's drug regimen, saving the close ups for his heroin/ludes days, and action scenes for the coke/meth days."

 

Predator 2

Let him be happy. He got to meet his hero, the Predator.

Rock wrote:

Real Men

This is a favorite of mine.  Not a "top 100 Comedy" favorite, but one I look fondly back on.  Absolutely due to going in with no expectations.  Rental.  "oh...this?"  But!  Not too bad or shabby.  I enjoyed it.  Silly premise.  I like how the film allows you to wonder whether or not Belushi is actually a CIA guy or a scam artist for at least half of the film.  I appreciated all of the absurdity thrown at us.

I wouldn't exactly agree with your assesment of Ritter, but then my understanding of his skills extends beyond Three's Company.  I've learned to accept and value his particular vibe, and I think he makes a wonderful staright man in this scenario.  Also, maybe for your interest, Ritter is pretty grand in the late Blake Edwards comedy Skin Deep, which is another film that advantages from low expectations.  It's a mid-grade sex comedy that also happens to have a number of inexplicably hilarious scenes, and Ritter is arguably at his best.  Both of these films are among my "not exacly guilty" but "not exactly recommendation" list of pleasurable 80s comedies.

All I can remember about Skin Deep is the condom scene, and that was quality.

Rock wrote:

I realize that I saw Ritter in They All Laughed. Looks like he's in a bunch of other Bogdanovich movies as well? Might dig further at some point.

Oh, Noises Off is really funny as well.

Rock wrote:

Year of the Dragon

Between this and Angel Heart, there's no better argument that Mickey Rourke was one of the greatest 80s actors.

Rock wrote:

I assume you've seen Body Heat, but he ran away with the movie in his couple of minutes of screen time.

He's great, but the problem here is that Willaim Hurt is one of the the few 80s actors who has a better shot at Best 80s Actor.  Although they have very different vibes, and I can't see either of them being better at any of their interchangeable roles.