Watch This With Rick Ramos

Rick Ramos
  • 4.8 (90)
  • FILM REVIEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Comedian Rick Ramos sits down and talks current theatrical releases and offers suggestions for additional movie watching choices. A film fans dream come true, WatchThis is about the art, beauty, and possibilities of cinema. Each week Ramos discusses the greatest films ever made (including those that you may have missed) as well as the artists that have created these films. He also goes further in discussing how much these films mean to him and how much they will - hopefully - mean to you. Enjoy!

  1. FEB 9

    #587 - Modern Times (1936) Chaplin's Industrial Class Struggle - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times In 1936 Charlie Chaplin (arguably the most iconic figure of Silent Films) would produce his final (mostly) silent masterpiece, Modern Times. This week Mr. Chavez & I continue our look at Cinema that challenges the status quo, with a film that examines the de-humanizing drive of capitalism to push profit over people and the subsequent endurance of the individual to survive all of it . Modern Times is a beautifully realized film that was born out of the imagination of a filmmaker whose own background ensures the honesty of the narrative. Modern Times is both funny and heartbreaking, honest and thought-provoking. Chaplin's final masterpiece (in this reviewer's opinion) is as relevant today as it has ever been. It's time we take a look at a brutal statement delivered to us in a manner that slowly works its way into our psyche and forces us to see that today's struggles are anything but new. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Many, Many Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    55 min

  2. FEB 4

    #586 - Metropolis (1927): Silent German Sci-Fi - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Fritz Lang's Metropolis In 1927 Cinema was still in its relative infancy. The great German auteur, Fritz Lang would revolutionize the film industry with his first masterpiece, Metropolis. Nearly eleven years earlier D.W. Griffith had established the "grammar of cinema" with his epic masterpiece, The Birth of a Nation. The subsequent decade would showcase spectacles (Ben-Hur, Intolerance), comedies (The Gold Rush, The General), and dramatic classics (Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, The Last Laugh). Cinematic Science Fiction would be attempted as early as 1902 with Melie's A Voyage to the Moon, however it would take nearly a quarter of a century for Sci-Fi to reveal its technical brilliance and possibilities with Lang's masterpiece. While an incredibly innovative, beautiful, and groundbreaking film, Lang's narrative (from a treatment and screenplay by his wife and artistic partner, Thea von Harbou), continues - or is the beginning - of the lazy and apologetic "White Savior" cinematic trope that has continued from Lawrence of Arabia thru Dances with Wolves, and most recently, Avatar and Dune. This week Mr. Chavez & I go back to the argument that we have made before and will continue to make regarding this insulting and problemtic cinematic trope. Each generation seems to want to tell its own version of this story without recognizing the inherent hypocrisy of a society and culture victimized by the elite while simultaneously needing to be saved by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed messiah (in this case a billionaire suddenly aware of his "mediator destiny" and responsibility to his "brothers"). Yes, we recognize the technical and production brilliance of this film, while at the same time being unable to ignore (or excuse) the obvious and insulting simplicity of its narrative. It is possible to simultaneoulsy admire and take issue with a work of art. Take a listen and ask yourself if you agree. Let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    1h 2m

  3. JAN 27

    #585 - Manchurian Candidate (2004): Brainwashing Denzel Washington - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Remakes, Re-Imaginings, Expansions. In 2004 Director Jonathan Demme would explore the world of Politics, Espionage, and Cold War Brainwashing with a new and novel take on John Frankenheimer's 1962 Cold War Classic The Manchurian Candidate. Demme would expand and manipulate Richard Condon's source material (a best-selling novel from 1959),  replacing the Korean Conflict with an updated Persian Gulf - and a replacement of Soviet and Chinese Communist manipulation with International Global Corporations holding the strings. Demme's update would be both more timely, relevant, frightening, and - somehow - reveal the problems with both films (at least in the mind of one of your hosts). This week Mr. Chavez & I discuss this very important film, its predecessor and its relevance in the current global environment. We discuss great performances from Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, and - a criminally underused - Meryl Streep. Take a listen and decide for yourself if we are correct, misguided, missing the point, or if we don't go far enough with our assessments. We'd love to hear from you - gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    1h 6m

  4. JAN 20

    #584 - The Manchurian Candidate (1962): Cold War Politics and Mind Control - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate  On this week's episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos, Mr. Chavez & I sit down to discuss a classic of Cold War, Political Cinema, John Frankenheimer's groundbreaking 1962 The Manchurian Candidate. Based on the 1959 novel by Richard Condon, Frankenheimer's film would captivate audiences with a paranoid and chilling story of American soldiers brain-washed by Soviet and North Korean intelligence agencies to act as hypnotized robots. There are aspects of the film that are certainly far-fetched, however the core of the story is very real and a credible warning in its depiction of national and international struggles for power. As always, Mr. Chavez & I look at the film in the broader context of the world it depicts. There is a great deal to discuss here as well as the comparison/contrast that we will undertake when we discuss Jonathan Demme's 2004 re-interpreation in our next episode. It's a fun and exciting talk concerning one of our favorite topics. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    57 min

  5. JAN 13

    #583 - Tetsuo: The Iron Man - Body Horror Japan - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man 2026 finds us digging into the Beautiful, Strange, and Challenging filmography of auteurs unafraid of being misunderstood or the offensive nature of the stories and images they deliver. It would be difficult to find a film that challenges it audience more than Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 Cyber-Punk Classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man. There is no simple way to describe this film, except that it is an over-powering assault on the mind. What Tsukamoto achieves is unlike anything else you will find in popular cinema, but also cult cinema, midnight movies, or experimental films. A commentary on capitalism, workforce, the poor, middle, and upper classes, and - finally - the human spirit. This is an incredible film that magnifies the struggles of the human experience, doing so with a production design that leans into the limited budget available to its director. A Powerful Film, unlike anything else on celluloid, Tetsuo: The Iron Man is an incredible achievement that rewards its audience in the most beautifully realized way. Take a listen and let us know what you think - gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.    For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    45 min

  6. JAN 6

    #582 - Ran - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Akira Kurosawa's Ran  Happy New Year WatchThis Fans. Depending on Your Perspective, 2025 was a horrible year or the beginning of a grand awakening, returning America to its rightful place as Leader and Benefactor of the Unwashed Ignorant Masses. There are many ideas of what 2026 can and will be. We here at WatchThis W/RickRamos believe that Akira Kurosawa's 1985 masterpiece, Ran, is a film that offers powerful warnings on the dangers of conflict, paranoia, greed, but most importantly, pride. Adapted from Japanese history and Shakespeare's King Lear, Kurosawa explores the fragilty of government . . .  royalty . . . leadership, as pride disintegrates the perspective of leadership. One of the greatest films in the History of Cinema, Mr. Chavez & I are thrilled to be opening 2026 with Akira Kurosawa's Late Period Masterpiece. Take a listen and let us know what you think. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Our Continued Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    1h 22m

  7. 12/28/2025

    #581 - New Year's Noir - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Robert Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow & James Foley's After Dark My Sweet  This week Rick Ramos flies solo for a new episode of WatchThis W/RickRamos and the last new episode of 2025. After a heartfelt look at the past year, dreams, the job, and making sense of the art, we look at two Noirs that have been criminally overlooked: Robert Wise's 1959 Classic Odds Against Tomorrow and James Foley's After Dark My Sweet (1990). The episode is a deep dive into the power of Noir; how and why it continues to appeal to audiences and a continuing attempt to understand what "constitutes" Noir. One Man talking into the Darkness. Take a listen and let us know how you feel. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com. Our Continue Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos  - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    1h 3m

  8. 12/15/2025

    #580 - Black Dynamite - WatchThis W/RickRamos

    Scott Sanders's Black Dynamite  We're finishing out the month of December - two more weeks left in 2025 - and having a great time exploring the world of Cult Cinema and Midnight Movies. This week we take a look at one of the best comedies of the 21st Century . . . a film that should have been exactly the definition of Midnight/Cult Movie. In 2009 Director Scott Sanders and Writer/Star Michael Jai White would unlease Black Dynamite on the moviegoing public. A Spoof/Parody/Love Letter to the "Blaxploitation" films of the 1970s, Black Dynamite was sadly ignored by the majority of moviegoers, however would find an eager and dedicated audience remembering the power of Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Jim Kelly, Isaac Hayes, and the brilliance of Richard Roundtree and Jim Brown. Willie Dynamite, Three the Hard Way, Black Caesar, Truck Turner, Shaft, Foxy Brown, and Slaughter -  all cited and paid tribute to. Take a listen and let us know what you think of this trip through the History of Blaxploitation, the actors, directors, stories, and racism of the time. It's a fun talk . . . We hope you enjoy it. As always, we can be reached at gondoramos@yahoo.com - Many, Many Thanks.  For those of you who would like to donate to this undying labor of love, you can do so with a contribution at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/watchrickramos - Anything and Everything is appreciated, You Cheap Bastards.

    1h 26m
See All (103)

4.8
out of 5
90 Ratings

About

Comedian Rick Ramos sits down and talks current theatrical releases and offers suggestions for additional movie watching choices. A film fans dream come true, WatchThis is about the art, beauty, and possibilities of cinema. Each week Ramos discusses the greatest films ever made (including those that you may have missed) as well as the artists that have created these films. He also goes further in discussing how much these films mean to him and how much they will - hopefully - mean to you. Enjoy!

Information

You Might Also Like