Watch This With Rick Ramos

Not a Comedian . . . Lenny Bruce On this week's episode, Ibrahim & I dive into the life of one of the great comics of The Modern Stand-Up Era - a man that it can be argued changed the format of stand-up comedy - Lenny Bruce (October 13, 1925 - August 03, 1966). Often times recognized as a Christ-like martyr "who died for the sins of all future comics" this description may be extreme, however Bruce...

The Roaring Silents -  The 1920s On this week's episode, Ibrahim & I sit down to continue our look at the cinema of each decade. This week we focus on the 1920s and the great films and directors whose films continue to enthrall us. Whether Chaplin's The Gold Rush (1925), Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), F.W. Murnau's Sunrise - A Song of Two Humans (1927)and The Last Laugh  (1924)...

The History of Rock N Roll Part XII - Troubled Harmony: Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our exploration into The History of Rock N Roll with a look at one of the seminal bands in the history of Southern California music . . . The Beach Boys. We take a look at the history with a focused look at band co-founder and principal songwriter Brian Wilson. Long heralded as a...

The History of Rock N Roll Part XI - Frank Zappa: Absolutely Free Ibrahim and I keep moving through the artists, recordings, songs, and magic that have defined The History of Rock N Roll. This week we take a look at censorship, independence, artistic integrity and their coming together in the work of Frank Zappa. A polarizing figure both artistically and politically, there has never truly been an...

Like a Thread Throughout the World: Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I are thrilled to discuss one of the truly great artists of the medium, Andrei Tarkovsky. In the short span of seven films, Tarkovsky expanded and re-defined the possibilities for Cinema. For this episode we look at a Tarkovsky masterpiece, 1975s Mirror ; a hazy and dream-like e...

The History of Rock N Roll Part X - Soundtrack of the Century: 20 Feet from Stardom / Standing in the Shadows of Motown / Muscle Shoals On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I continue our exploration of The World of Rock N Roll with a look at the foundation of any song . . . the bands and the background singers that give every song structure, power, and drive. This week we...

The Films that Defined Their Decades - The 1910s: A Southern Gentlemen Re-Writes History With a Lightning Bolt - D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I, begin a new series examining a film from each cinematic decade; A film that defines the era and changes the way we look at the movies. This week we take a look at D.W. Griffith's controve...

The History of Rock N Roll Part IX - English Blood Runs Hot: The Rolling Stones This week Ibrahim & I continue our examination of The History of Rock N Roll with a look at one of the greatest of Rock N Roll bands - Mick Jagger,  Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood, Brian Jones, Mick Taylor, and Bill Wyman . . . The Rollings Stones. This is a great episode, looking at Oliver Murray's The Qui...

Ghosts of the Pale & Shadowy Moon After the Rain: Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu Monogotari This week Mr. Chavez & I have the pleasure of discussing one of the great films of Cinema, Kenji Mizoguchi's 1953 Masterpiece, Ugetsu Monogotari . A beautiful, touching, and awe-inspiring film that stands as one of the great examples of World Cinema and easily sits among the great films of The Art of Motion Pictu...

What's the Worst That Could Happen? Ted Demme's Life ( 1999) Dropping a bonus episode . . . this week I go solo to discuss Ted Demme's 1999 comic tour de force, Life . Until My Name is Dolemite , nearly twenty years later, this was Eddie Murphy's last R-Rated Comedy.  Tackling 65-years of racism, imprisonment, scapegoating, and - ultimately - friendship, Demme's film captures the brilliance of Edd...

Hot Air & Fantasy: Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) Here's a movie that makes it exciting to be a movie lover . . . in the mid-1980's, filmmaker Terry Gilliam - after having won an unbeatable media and artistic war with Universal Pictures over the release of his bleak and dystopian picture, Brazil (1985) - would tackle a film that would nearly prove the end of him and almo...

Of Masks & Fantasies: Stanley  Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut The History of Cinema has known many great names. Few have had the success, respect, and influence of Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999). With a filmography of only twelve films (unless you include his hated Fear and Desire ), Kubrick stands tall among the great directors: Lang, Murnau, Hitchcock, Ford, etc. and continues to fascinate audiences. Thi...

A Heavy Metaphor: Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo On this week's episode, Ibrahim & I look at a controversial and divisive film, Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo ( 1982). Herzog has proven himself a true artist and poet of Cinema. The notorious and infamous actions of his filmmaking history are well known. Irresponsible filmmaking or the Dogged Determination of an artist unwilling to compromise? The ques...

The History of Rock N Roll  Part VIII - Echo Chamber: Phil Spector's Wall of Sound This week, Mr. Chavez & I continue our exploration of The History of Rock N Roll with a look at one of the most important production figures in the History of Modern Music - Phil Spector. Of course we look at the salacious and tabloid  driven end of Spector's life, but the two of us are far more interested in the re...

The History of Rock N Roll Part VII - Don't Let Me Down: Peter Jackson's Get Back On this week's episode, Mr. Chavez & I sit down to discuss Peter Jackson's Get Back, an eight-hour Disney+ documentary series chronicling the making of The Beatles Let It Be. There's a whole lot to take down in these viewings, but we look at it as important to understanding the History of Rock N Roll. Take a listen a...

"Always This Hard." - Luc Besson's Léon: The Professional This week, Mr. Chavez & I sit down to discuss a classic of the1990's, Luc Besson's 1994 Hit-Man Love Story, Léon: The Professional . A fascinating film that transcends it's reputation as an inappropriate male-fantasy, Besson's story of a young girl orphaned when her family is murdered by D.E.A. agents and taken in by slow-witted, but gentle...

Windows Never Lie: The Voyeuristic Eye of Alfred Hitchcock On this week's episode, Ibrahim & I sit down to discuss an Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece, Rear Window (1954). Surprisingly, this is a film that your learned host has somehow missed. After a rocky start, The Master of Suspense pulls Rick Ramos in once again. This is a masterpiece of suspense working within limited parameters. Far more than a...

"The Thing Ain't the Ring, It's the Play." - Raging Bull : Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro's Examination of a Dangerous, Violent, Damaged Man A blurb about Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980) is completely unnecessary. Regularly cited as the Best Film of the 1980's and One of the Greatest Films of All Time, Raging Bull is a powerful examination of a man who only understands pain . . . dispensing...

The Ghost of Dune : Jodorowsky's Unmade Masterpiece On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our look at Frank Herbert's Classic Sci-Fi Novel, Dune . There's no shortage of angles to come at this movie from. Last week we looked at Denis Villeneuve's new film playing in theaters and HBOMax right now. This week Mr. Chavez & I touch on David Lynch's failed early-80's effo...

Lawrence of Arrakis: Denis Villeneuve's Dune This week Ibrahim & I take a look at a film currently playing in theaters and HBO MAX, Denis Villeneuve's Dune. There's a hell of a lot going on here; some good, some not so good. Villeneuve's a true visionary who pushes expectations. But is that always enough? Neither Ibrahim nor I are exactly sure. There are problems with Frank Herbert's 1965 novel (a...

Night Phantom: Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre On this week's episode, Ibrahim & I close out The Halloween Season with a look at an exceptional re-imagining of a Horror Classic, Werner Herzog's 1979 masterpiece Nosferatu the Vampyre . Featuring great performances from Bruno Ganz, Isabelle Adjani, and a masterful Klaus Kinski, this is easily one of the great Dracula re-tellings. It's a thrill...

The Wolf Will Out: The Universal Werewolf On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I sit down to discuss the third of The Great Universal Movie Monsters, Lon Chaney Jr. in his signature role as Lawrence Talbot, The Wolf Man . This is an incredible five picture run - the only actor in the Universal Monster canon who played his signature character through the character's entire run...

A Slice of Death - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I continue our celebration of the Halloween season with a continuing exploration of Horror Cinema. This week we look at a truly nerve-wracking, disturbing, and horrific examination of serial killers, John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (shot in 1986 and released in 1989...

Groovy! - Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell Battle   an Army of Deadites On this week's episode, Ibrahim & I sit down to discuss A Classic Series of the Horror Genre, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead Trilogy : Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987), and Army of Darkness (1992). The End of the 1970's brought with it a new sense of Horror. A leading voice in that movement was Minnesota born director Sam R...

"It Was Bad, Mama. They Laughed at Me. Hold Me, Mama. Please Hold Me" .  . . The Lasting Legacy of Brian DePalma's Carrie On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Ibrahim & I swing back to a classic of the Horror Genre, Brian DePalma's 1976 masterpiece of Suspense, Revenge, and Terror, Carrie . With a "Who's Who" of 1970's first-time talent including: Nancy Allen, Amy Irving, William Katt,...