Watch This With Rick Ramos

Paradise Lost - Ridley Scott's Alien: Covenant This week brings us to the end of our look into the Alien franchise with a discussion of Ridley Scott's final journey into the world he introduced audiences to in 1979. 2017's Alien: Covenant did a great deal to explain the origin of the xenomorphs and the space jockey, however an equal number of questions arose. As we await the release of Alien: Romulus in the summer of 2024 it's our duty to look at Ridley Scott's conclusion and discuss this multi-layered and beautifully textured film. From the production design through the cinematography and performances, Alien: Covenant is a wonderful coda to Ridley Scott's direction in this series. Take a listen as we dig deep into this film, Scott's previous film - Prometheus - and our theories on the final film and the series as a whole. It's a good talk. Let us know what you think at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.  We continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our ban

F*cked Around and Found Out: Ridley Scott's Prometheus  It's rare that a director can tell a story, go on to fabulous critical and commercial success, and return to his origins, answering questions that have hovered around a franchise for decades, while doing so in an exciting and innovative way. Ridley Scott's Alien introduced one of the great Science Fiction/Horror creatures. In 2012 Scott would return to the world he created in 1979 with his prequel Prometheus. A film that confused and angered a great many audiences for taking an unexpected direction in storytelling, Scott's prequel would focus on the origin of the "Space Jockey" first seen in the original film. From that jumping point Scott would fashion an exciting and  action-packed narrative rare (for a major studio release) in the questions it would ask regarding human origins and purpose. Take a listen as Mr. Chavez and I go back and forth with our impressions of the film. It's a good talk that we're sure you'll enjoy. As always, we can be reached at

Nothing Left to Say: John-Pierre Jeunet's Alien Resurrection Closing in on the end of the month brings us to the end of the original Alien franchise. 1997s Alien Resurrection is a ridiculous mess of a film that is a final disappointing period to one of the greatest Horror/Sci-Fi franchises in the history of cinema. From a script by Joss Whedon and direction from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Alien Ressurrection badly fumbles the beauty, intensity, and  legacy of the first two films and the potential of what the third film should (and could) have been. There's a whole lot to get out in this discussion. We hope that you listen with an open mind and an understanding of our mutual disappointment in the final curtain call of Lieutenant First Class, Ellen Louise Ripley. She deserved better. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. We continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight ye

  Dragon, Mother, Queen: Not David Fincher’s Alien 3  Continuing our descent into the world created in 1979's Alien and continued with 1986's Aliens, this week Mr. Chavez & I find ourselves crash landing on Fiorina "Fury" 161 - a foundry and maximum-security planet prison. David Fincher (in his feature directorial debut) takes the helm for 1992's Alien 3. Arguably the most beautifully photographed and intricately detailed entry (production design wise) in the Alien series, Fincher's work in commercials and music videos greatly influenced the look of this film. There's a whole lot going on here and therein lies the problem. Alien 3 is a troubled result of studio interference, Fincher's in-experience as a first-time director, budgetary problems, and a lack of a finished and complete script. There are ideas that are not clearly realized, storylines that are problematically resolved, a theatrical cut and an "assembly cut" (note: not a "director's cut"), cut scenes, and re-shoots that hinder and deviate from F

Unfinished Business: James Cameron's Aliens  This week Ibrahim & I return to LV-426. 57 years later - but feeling more like seven - James Cameron takes over the reins for the masterpiece created by Sir Ridley Scott. 1979's Alien would change the Sci-Fi genre. An incredibly influential work of cinema, the film would influence any number of directors, with James Cameron springboarding off of the world created by Scott and moving the genre from Horror/Sci-Fi to Military/Sci-Fi. Analogous to the Vietnam War, Cameron's film is a brutal and unrelenting rollercoaster ride that -although not surpassing the original film - is nonetheless an incredible piece of practical filmmaking, utilizing miniature work, puppetry, animatronics, forced perspective, and rear projection. Thirty-eight years later Aliens continues to captivate, compel, frighten, and entertain. Mr. Chavez and I are thrilled to continue diving into this great Science Fiction series. Tell us what you think - We can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. 

Crew Expendable: Ridley Scott's Alien  Might as well not screw around and start 2024 with a bang . . . This month Mr. Chavez and I dive into the world of Ellen Ripley and the Xenomorphs. At this point it's been nearly 45 years since we were first introduced to the crew of the Nostromo: Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Yaphet Kotto, and - in her film debut - Sigourney Weaver. Scott (in his second feature) created a science fiction world unlike anything seen before and rarely equaled since. Taking a Horror staple (monster/haunted house) that could have easily been a cliché-ridden embarassment, Scott crafted a new vision that leaned heavily on the practical and portrayed a future that we could realistically expect. Take a listen as Mr. Chavez and I dive into this six film series (we will be ignoring the Alien vs. Predator embarrassments and any novelizations or comic books). As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. A New Year brings with it The

L.A. After Midnight: Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler Finishing December and starting 2024. (Sorry, we're a bit late getting this one out.) A continuation and closing out of Ibrahim Chavez's Los Angeles. We've talked James Ellroy, Charles Bukowski, Thom Andersen, and Paul Schrader's Los Angeles. This week we filter the darkest, most cynical, and bleakest impressions of Los Angeles through the tabloid and exploitative lens of television news in Dan Gilroy's 2014 Nightcrawler. Featuring a powerful and disturbing performance from Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler is one of the great films of the 2010s. Take a listen as Mr. Chavez and I re-visit this film, looking at the role of news reporting in today's world and the power of the image in captivating, intriguing, and frightening audiences. Take a listen and let us know what you think. We can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com.  As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight

Bukowski's Drunken Streets: Marco Ferreri's Tales of Ordinary Madness Continuing our exploration of The City of Angels, Mr. Chavez & I dive into the great Los Angeles novelist, short story writer, poet, and "Dirty Old Man" Henry Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994). Bukowski holds a special place in my heart and memories; Beginning with Notes of a Dirty Old Man and continuing through novels (Women, Ham on Rye), a screenplay (Barfly), and numerous poetry collections (War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984, Septuagenerian Stew: Stories and Poems, The Last Night of the Earth Poems), I have been a fan of Bukowski's work for the better part of three and a half decades. Bukowski's writings depict Los Angeles in a way that few wrtiers are able to match. This week we look at "Bukowski's Los Angeles" as depicted in Marco Ferreri's 1981 adaptation of the short story collection, Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness as Tales of Ordinary Madness featuring Ben Gazarra as Bukowski's alter ego

Down These Dark Streets: James Ellroy - Feast of Death Continuing our travels through Los Angeles, Mr. Chavez & I focus our discussion on the great LA Crime (Historical Crime) Novelist, James Ellroy. Famous for his LA Quartet - including The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz, as well as the autobiographical My Dark Places, Ellroy has written some of the most celebrated and polariizing Los Angeles based novels of the last century. His examination of the L.A. Police Department, criminals, murders, and (fictionalized) historical characters is unlike anything else in modern day fiction. It's a thrill to sit down and discuss this bold, brazen, and difficult writer. Take a listen and let us know what you think. We can still be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com  As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary contribution. We're not a

Another Lost Angel: Paul Schrader's Hardcore This week we continue our descent into Ibrahim Chavez's Los Angeles with a look at Taxi Driver screenwriter, Paul Schrader's blunt and brutal examination of the Los Angeles/San Diego/San Francisco sex trade of the late 1970s. Schrader's upbringing in a strict Calvinist environment would shape his social outlook and influence his abandonment of religion and drive towards sexual and cultural freedoms. Much like his screenplay for Taxi Driver, Schrader's Hardcore would take inspiration from John Ford's classic The Searchers, replacing the racism of that film with a difficult and controversial look at the world of pornography and the restrictive worlds that feed into it. Featuring George C. Scott in a powerful - at times sad and other times unlikable - performance of a man searching for his lost (runaway?) daughter, Season Hubley as a sex worker  he employs to lead him into this foreign world, and Peter Boyle as a smarmy, degenerate and exceptionally effective private

At Night and From a Distance: Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself We're starting the month of December (and ending 2023) with a dive into Los Angeles in a month of programming curated by our own Ibrahim Chavez. Our first episode of December is a look at film critic and teacher, Thom Andersen's "video essay" Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003). A legend in the world of documentary filmmaking, Andersen's film was seen sporadically in screenings set up by Andersen, showings at the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles (Hollywood), and filesharings through film lovers. In 2014 the film film was finally released on DVD through Cinema Guild and can also be seen (for free) on YouTube.  Examining the city of Los Angeles in three distinctive categories (Background/Character/Subject), Andersen's film is a love letter to the city and cinema itself. Questions are asked and Answers are forwarded. Take a listen and see if you agree with our thoughts on this wonderfully entertaining look at one of the world's great cities.

Beyond Laughter: Richard Pryor - Live in Concert & Live on the Sunset Strip  This week Mr. Chavez & I close out November with a look at - arguably - the greatest stand-up comic the craft has ever produced, Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, Sr. I have been an admirer of Mr. Pryor for nearly five decades now and am unable to remember a time when I was not aware and was not in total awe of him. On this episode, Ibrahim & I look at the legacy of this great artist as well as the brilliance in both his material, delivery, and stage presence. We look at his two greatest artistic achievements, 1979s Richard Pryor: Live in Concert  and 1982s Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip. There is a whole lot to break down and we give it our all. Take a listen and let us know what you think - gondoramos@yahoo.com As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary

Ransom: Akira Kurosawa's High & Low There are no shortage of names that define our undersrtanding and foster our enjoyment of Cinema. Scorsese, Fellini, Bergman, Leone, Eisenstein, Spielberg, Chaplin, Keaton, Lumet, Ford, Hawks . . . the list could run for pages (and fortunately for us it does). There is a name that cannot be left off . . . Best known for his Jidaigeki - Historical (Action) Dramas - including Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Rashomon, Throne of Blood, and The Hidden Fortress (to name a few), Kurosawa was a master at the modern drama, as well. Ikiru, The Bad Sleep Well, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog are a few of his modern explorations of Japanese life after the war. A masterpiece (rarely discussed and criminally underseen) is 1963's High & Low. Adapted from Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series of crime novels, High & Low is a beautiflly nuanced and brilliantly tension-guided police procedural. Re-teaming in their fifteenth (of sixteen) collaborations, Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune come together to te

When a Promise Meant Something: Sean Penn's The Pledge  November is the month of Rick Ramos and this week we continue - following Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Walter Hill's Hard Times - with a look at Sean Penn's 2001 The Pledge. Featuring an underrated (and I would argue tragically underseen) Jack Nicholson performance that sidesteps all of the Nicholson tropes that we have become used to, Nicholson portrays Jerry Black, a police detective on the eve of his retirement who leaves his retirement party to investigate a young girl's rape and murder. He is quickly sucked into the horror of the crime and finds himself obsessed with discovering the truth and bringing the killer to justice. Penn's film takes all of the labored and tired tropes that have become standard for the genre and manipulates them in ways that make for a fresh directorial take. Featuring an all-star cast (that never screams of stunt casting) including: Sam Shepard, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart, Patricia Clarkson, Michael O'K

Oil & Blood: Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon Take a listen as Mr. Chavez & I kick off the month of November with a series of films curated by your host and producer, Rick Ramos. We begin with a discussion of Martin Scorsese's newest film - currently in theaters - Killers of the Flower Moon, a beautifully realized adaptation of David Grann's 2017 non-fiction best seller, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.  Featuring exceptional performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, new comer Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, Tantoo Cardinal, Brendan Fraser, and a powerfully restrained Robert DeNiro, Killers of the Flower Moon is a beautifully told and powerfully moving dramatization of the Osage murders of the early 1920s. Scorsese has crafted a nuanced and gripping film that only time will allow the revelation of its complete impact. It was a pleasure to begin November with this film. Comments can be directed to gondoramos@yahoo.com.  As always, we continue t

1933 . . . Words Didn't Buy Much - Walter Hill's Hard Times  On this week's episode, Mr. Ramos celebrates his 49th birthday looking at the purpose and drive of WatchThis W/RickRamos, some of his favorite films, why he loves them as he does, and culminating with a look at one of his favorite films, Walter Hill's directorial debut, Hard Times (1975). Why this films is a longstanding favorite is a mystery, however it is one that our illustrious host works to understand. Featuring wonderful performances from Charles Bronson as Chaney, James Coburn as Speed, Strother Martin as Poe, and exceptional supporting performances from Jill Ireland, Nick Dimitri, Robert Tessier, and Michael McGuire Hard Times continues to hold onto Ramos's imagination and soul. This was a fun episode. Hopefully you'll enjoy the reminiscing. If you have something to contribute you can correspond with Rick Ramos at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks. As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listen

Your #1 Fan: Rob Reiner & Stephen King's Misery This week Mr. Chavez & I close out October and Halloween with one of the great Horror/Thrillers of the 1990s, Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's Misery. A tale of King's personal struggles with the writing medium, alcohol and drug abuse, and the perils of fame told through the life of the fictional author Paul Sheldon. With the creation of Annie Wilkes - a seemingly sweet, caring, and psychotic nurse, King gave life to an incredible character that embodied many of his personal demons. Realized through the performances of James Caan as King's alter ego, Paul Sheldon, and (a new discovery at the time) Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, King and Reiner created one of the more unsettling, disturbing, and beautifully tense thrillers in the history of the genre. With a wonderful supporting cast including Lauren Bacall, Frances Sternhagen, and - an exceptional - Richard Farnsworth, Misery, was a great film to re-visit. We are thrilled to end the month with thi

Never Sleep Again: The Horror of Freddy Krueger This week Ibrahim & i talk one of the iconic Horror figures of the late 20th Century, Wes Craven's pedophile, nightmare murderer Freddy Krueger. Through seven original films, a remake  (which we only touch on), and a Friday the13th crossover, Krueger has taken on a cryptic and overwhelming cult of popularity. Created by Craven and realized through the performance of Robert Englund, Krueger is a character that has captured the cinematic imagination and enjoyment of audiences throughout the world. With the original Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - directed by Wes Craven, followed by four quality diminishing sequels and a triumpant return to form with the Wes Craven directed Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994), the combined efforts of Craven, Englund, and actress Heather Langenkamp have created one of the great figures in Horror Cinema. Take a listen and let us know what you think - gondoramos@yahoo.com  As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listen

Full Moon Fever: John Landis's An American Werewolf in London Halloween is around the corner . . . this week Mr. Chavez & I continue our look into the Horror Genre with a screening and discussion of John Landis's 1981 Horror Classic, An American Werewolf in London. There's a whole lot going on in Landis's film (some good, some bad, some exteme), but the great gift - that it continues to deliver on - is the introduction of Special Effects and Make-Up Master, Rick Baker. On this week's episode we discuss what we feel Landis did right, what he did wrong, as well as the film's lasting impact on the entire make-up and special effects industry. Baker won a richly deserved Oscar (an award created specifically for his groundbreaking work) at the '81 Academy Awards. Take a listen and let us know what you think. It's a fun and interesting talk detailing the film, Landis's career, the history of Horror films, and the importance of the genre itself. Let us know what you think . . . gondoramos@yahoo.com.  As always, w

The Horror Double: Invasion of the Body Snatchers  This week Ibrahim & I look at a classic (a standard) of the Horror Genre - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 & 1978) and Body Snatchers (1993). Based on the 1954 Jack Finney Sci-Fi Novel, directors Don Siegel, Philip Kaufman, and Abel Ferrara have taken drastically different approaches to this material. Each film is a classic in their own rights. Take a listen and see if you agree with out assessments. As always we'd love to hear your comments and contributions at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many Thanks.  As always, we continue to look to you good and loyal listeners for support. If you have listened and enjoyed our bantering over these nearly eight years please feel free to support us with a monetary contribution. We're not asking for a whole lot. Whatever you can give is appreciated. Follow the link below to contribute.  Our Continued Thanks. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos