Amityville Horror II: The Possession- I was inspired to watch this film when I discovered this description of it on Sound on Sight "It has all the subtlety and grace of a jackhammer hitting a gas line and exploding into a fireball of sex, gore, incest, asshole fathers, holy-roller mothers, snarky demons, and homicidal kids. And this is meant in the most endearing way possible". This film certainly fits that description well and far surpassed my high expectations. Literally every horror movie and haunted house cliche is on display during the first half of the film. The asshole father is portrayed by Burt Young, Rocky's friend Paulie, in a role he was born to play. The incest scene is one of the truly strangest and unnecessary scenes in any horror movie ever. Unfortunately the absolutely hilarious over the top haunted house first half transitions into the less funny Exorcism second half. Amityville 2 does nothing to further the demonic possession subgenre, and is literally just a rehash of The Exorcist with a more campy tone. While the second half is rather disappointing, the awesome over the top cheesiness of the second half more than makes up for it. I would give this film an 8/10
On a different note, why is it always the Catholic church that is called upon to perform an exorcism? Have they even tried other options? I mean what if the demon within the child gets its strength from tainted pork, wouldn't a Rabbi be a better choice? And you can't convince me that a few hours with a Snake Handler Pentecostal priest wouldn't straighten out an unruly demon more efficiently than some holy water and rosaries. Nah but it has to be the Catholic church because no other group of people is dumb enough to believe in foolishness like demonic possession.
The entire film is available on Youtube, however it's too big to put the whole thing on this blog so here's part 1. If you're into cheesy horror I would advise you to at least check out the first half.
Brother From Another Planet- The title of this film pretty much sums up the entire plot. It is about an alien slave, who besides his 3 toed feet and detachable eye just happens to look exactly like a black human, that crash lands on Ellis Island. The alien eventually ends up in Harlem and as the saying goes "hilarity ensues". The alien is mute so most of the humor of the film is based around his inability to talk and his incomprehension of black culture. The funniest parts of the film are when the white alien bounty hunters go to Harlem to try to recapture the black alien. While the film contains some genuinely funny scenes, it becomes repetitive towards the end. The film is overly long and also suffers from a completely unnecessary and extremely heavy handed anti-drug message. Nevertheless it was an above average movie and worth a watch it you can find it. 6/10
Scream, Blacula, Scream- Unable to decide between watching a horror film or a blaxplointation film, I decided to compromise and try to find a combination of the two. I was disappointed that I was unable to find the most famous example of this combination, Blacula. However Netflix had this sequel to it. I will admit that I have never seen the 30's version of Dracula with Bella Legosi, so I don't know if this is an attempt to adapt that story into black culture, but I highly doubt it is. The plot is very simple, and stupid, the leader of a voodoo cult dies and the group selects a female member as the next leader instead of an ambitious male member. Feeling scorned the male member resurrects Blacula to take revenge on the group, but Blacula instead tries to use the voodoo group to cure his undead curse. This film is easily the least scary vampire film I have ever seen, and unfortunately isn't even bad enough to be funny. Worse yet it includes none of the features that make blaxploitation films great, mainly no hatred for the white man, no cool black lingo and no over the top fight scenes. If you want to watch a blaxplointation film stick to the original and still greatest Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. If you want horror you'll find scarier stuff in childrens cartoons. 3/10
As I have previously mentioned I am a huge fan of the Italian horror genre called Giallo. One of my favorite film websites, Sound on Sight, recently published a list of the greatest Giallo films of all time. Here's a better description of Giallo than I can supply, "the genre is comprised of equal parts early pulp thrillers, mystery novels, with a willingness to gleefully explore onscreen sex and violence in provocative, innovative ways. Giallos are strikingly different from American crime films: they value style and plot over characterization, and tend towards unapologetic displays of violence, sexual content, and taboo exploration. The genre is known for stylistic excess, characterized by unnatural yet intriguing lighting techniques, convoluted plots, red herrings, extended murder sequences, excessive bloodletting, stylish camerawork and unusual musical arrangements." My favorites are Tenebre #12 and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage #5, but it is still a quality and informative list. Clearly the author prefers Dario Argento films, and I couldn't agree more. The top ten are below, but I encourage you to follow the link to the website. http://www.soundonsight.org/greatest-horror-movies-ever-made-part-6-best-italian-giallo-films/
10. Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (Gastaldi)
9. Don't Torture a Duckling (Fulci)
8. Blood and Black Lace (Bava)
7. Bay of Blood (Bava)
6. Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Bava)
5. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (Argento)
4. The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Bava)
3. Opera (Argento)
2. Suspiria (Argento)
1. Deep Red (Argento)
Because Halloween isn't just about candy or staring at sorority chicks dressed like sluts, it's also about the scares. Thus I bring you some suggestions of frightening movies to put you in the Halloween spirit.
House of the Devil- I absolutely loved this film and have no idea why it took me so long to find it. Once I watched it my obsession with horror films was reignited. It is a throwback to the horror movies of the 70s/80s and includes many filming techniques from that era including zooming in on characters, freeze frames and metal music in the credits. While the plot is just a run of the mill haunted house/babysitter story, the director takes a while to build up to the climax creating suspense and a very creepy atmosphere. When the climax does come it is well worth the wait. Apparently the cast includes many b horror movie stars from the past. Honestly, who doesn't like watching pretty girls dance around and shoot pool? Available on Netflix Streaming
The Evil Dead- While the first sequel might be my favorite movie of all time, it is actually more horror than comedy, and I would suggest the straight horror original as the perfect mood setter for All Hallows Eve. Shot on a minuscule budget by a bunch of undergraduates from MSU, the Evil Dead is the quintessential cabin in the woods film. Truly one of the scariest films I've ever seen, this film helped launch the A-list career of director Sam Raimi, 21 years old at time of filming, the B-list career of cult actor Bruce "The Chin"Campbell, and was the first film in the greatest trilogy in movie history. Stephen King, who knows a thing or two about horror, was such a fan of this film that he lobbied his producer friend Dino De Laurentiis to produce the sequel.
The Halloween Series- Seems kind of obvious huh... While the original is a horror classic, feel free to watch it, I am actually more of a fan of the later and campier installments.
Note: I would not suggest Halloween 2, it has none of the suspense of original and is just gross our kills, or Halloween 3 Season of the Witch, absolute garbage. Halloween 4/5- These films are similar to the original in theme, with Michael Myers niece Jamie Lloyd replacing his sister Laurie Strode as the object of his "affection". Both films have a fairly similar tone and the same cast. I have fond memories of watching these films with my old roommates every October Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers- In 1995 a young Paul Rudd starred in two films, Clueless and this film, and I think he's very happy the former is what he's best remembered for. Honestly this is just the normal Michael Myers kills people plot, but worth a viewing if only to see Mr. Rudd. Halloween H2O- After 20 years of searching, Michael Myers finally tracks down his hermaphrodite sister, with Jamie Lee Curtis returning to the role that made her famous. Easily the best film in the series besides the original, it is a lot less campy and a lot more scary than the other Halloween films on this list. Includes one of LL Cool J's first acting roles, and a young Josh Hartnett. Halloween Resurrection- This film begins with Michael Myers finally killing his sister and then transitions into a full on camp-fest. Made when the internet was first becoming popular, this film tried and failed to adapt the franchise to generation Y. Includes a hilarious performance by Busta Rhymes. Available on Netflix Streaming
Friday the 13th part IV: Jason Lives- This is the best film in the FT13 series for the sole reason that the opening credits include a ridiculous song by Alice Cooper. I'm not really sure what the plot of this film is, and it doesn't really matter. As with all slasher movies it's all about the kills and this film no doubt includes some inventive ways to murder teenagers.
Bonus: Maybe it will motivate you to get shitfaced at 11am and start dancing around on couches and humping the air like it did to a certain old roommate of mine, wish I still had video of that...
A Nightmare on Elm Street- While I am normally prefer the sequels to horror franchises, that is not the case with this series. I originally watched one of the sequels of this Freddy Krueger series and hated, thought the whole premise was stupid and thought Freddy wasn't scary or funny. Several years later I finally saw the original and was very surprised to find that it was actually a very good film. Freddy is actually a villain in it, not a comedy sideshow, and the kills are very cool.
Bonus: Johnny Depp's first movie role includes a very memorable death scene
Night of the Living Dead-The one that started it all, the grandfather of the zombie film, set the stage for the early 2000s zombie film revolution. Without this film there would be no Walking Dead, no discussions of fast vs slow zombies, and certainly no Zombie Apocalypse preppers. The first film to show the now famous slow walking brain eating zombies, this low budget black and white film from the late 60s takes its premise seriously and is unrelenting in its depiction of violence from beginning to end. While I might be a bigger fan of the next film in the series, Dawn of the Dead, NotLD has less social commentary and more true horror. "They're coming to get you Barbara!!"
Fright Night- Maybe the most 80's film of all time, at least horror wise. The premise of this film is that a vampire moves next door to a nerd who recruits a tv vampire hunter for help, and there's some sort of love plot too. The remake with Colin Farrell takes this idea seriously and not surprisingly it get bad reviews. The original is pure 80's cheese, and is a Halloween classic.
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 3,4, and 5- Some of the greatest episodes from one of the greatest tv show's of all time. Includes parodies of many popular Horror/Halloween classics including The Twilight Zone, King Kong, NotLD/RorLD, Dracula and of course The Shining
Sorry loyal readers but movie dude z is busy with classes and won't have time to write about movies for the next couple of days. To hold you over I bring you this paragraph from rottentomatoes weekly catch up column discussing the awesome new charlie brown movie. Not are the Peanuts gang unfunny and annoyingly religious, but now they will be in awful looking CGI!!!
This Week's Top Story
GOOD GRIEF, IT'S A CGI PEANUTS MOVIE, CHARLIE BROWN!
Hollywood has been procuring and securing film rights to so many intellectual properties for so long that when a deal is made for one of the few remaining treasures, it's especially surprising. Such was the shock this week when 20th Century Fox revealed that the pieces are already in place for a CGI animated feature film based on the late Charles Schulz's comic stripPeanuts. This deal is already far enough along that Peanuts has a director, a script, and a scheduled release date on November 25, 2015. That date will mark the 65th anniversary of the comic strip, and the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Peanuts will be produced by the Blue Sky Studios team under the direction of Steve Martino, who previously gave us (as codirector) Horton Hears a Who! and Ice Age: Continental Drift. The Peanuts script was written by Charles Schulz's son Craig Schulz, his grandson Bryan Schulz, and Bryan's screenwriting partner Cornelius Uliano, with all three also producing. What's as yet unknown is exactly what the Peanuts feature film will be about, except in the very broad strokes that Peanuts was always about. The lead character of Peanuts is sad sack grade schooler Charlie Brown, and his peripheral cast includes his pet beagle Snoopy (who entertains a dream life as the Red Baron fighter pilot), his sister Sally, the bossy girl Lucy and her brother Linus, Schroeder the musician, the messy Pig Pen, Woodstock the bird, and gal pals Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Still reading this paragraph? Here is an image of the Peanuts gang as if they had been created by Alan Moore.
Yes, Yes I know I've already done a top 10 list, but who cares lists are fun and require very little thinking, so enjoy!!
1. Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn: Many people mistakenly believe that the best thing Dino De Laurentiis ever helped produce was a big boobed, giant foreheaded granddaughter who cooks on the food network. In reality Big Dino was a producer of this horror comedy classic which just so happens to be the Greatest Film of All Time. With a larger budget than the original, which was acquired mainly because Stephen King was a huge fan of the first, this film is essentially a remake of the original with a much larger focus on comedy. The camera angels and direction of this film are some of the most creative ever done. The star, Bruce Campbell, has since become a B movie legend and has acquired one of the biggest cult followings of any actor ever; after watching this film you will know why. Evil Dead II is an acting tour de force for by Bruce. In one scene he actually fights his own demon infested hand, and loses, before he ultimately recovers and chops it off with a chainsaw. It is embarrassing to admit, but I like this film so much that I own not one but 2 books by Bruce Campbell, an autobiography and a very silly novel. One of the biggest nerd films ever made, but I am by no means ashamed to say that it is my favorite film.
Here is the 47 greatest seconds ever caught on film aka the Greatest Scene of All Time:
Note: I was dead serious when I said I wanted this scene playing on a TV on my Tombstone
2. Blade Runner: With a plot based off of a Phillip K. Dick novel and visuals inspired by the film Metropolis its no surprise that Blade Runner is such a beautifully shot and extremely intelligent science fiction film. The film has had a troubled past due to studio interference that included crappy studio executive editing and a pointless and abysmal voiceover. Make sure you watch the "Final Cut" version of the film which is how director Ridley Scott originally planned the film to be. Without a doubt this is my favorite Harrison Ford role and film. Harrison Ford plays a "Blade Runner", or a detective that is tasked with finding and destroying human replicants who attempt to integrate themselves into human society. Ford is not your average invincible action movie star and is almost always seen without the upper hand in fights. Nevertheless he is a very competent detective and gets the job done. Is Deckard a replicant? The film wisely never says and allows the view to decide for themselves. This film tackles some very big questions and has some of the most phenomenal visuals of any film in the 80's. Probably my favorite science fiction film of all time. My proudest moment of my undergraduate studies was being able to watch this film on a big screen in my Digital Media Theory class
Here is the famous speech by Rutger Hauer, of Hobo with a Shotgun fame, about what it means to be human:
3. Blue Velvet: While the plot sounds pretty straight forward, boy discovers clue from a crime and decides to investigate himself in the process hooking up with the detectives daughter, but when has anything David Lynch has ever taken a straight forward approach to film making Here are just a couple examples of what David Lynch added to place a simple story into the DL universe: a severed ear, a lobotomy, a woman forcing her stalker to have sex with her, lipstick wearing Roy Orbison fans (see video) and of course the famous scene which wikipedia describes what happens as follows "[Dennis Hopper] inflicts his bizarre sexual proclivities — which include inhaling an unidentified gas, dry humping, and sadomasochism." Either you really like the cinematic worlds David Lynch creates, full of colorful often creepy characters, or you prefer Disney fluff and drinking Kool-Aid
"Heineken... FUCK THAT SHIT, Pabst Blue Ribbon!!!!"
Here's a typical David Lynch scene:
4. Brazil: While not exactly a direct adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, Brazil was certainly inspired by the book, and is definitely my favorite portrayal of a dystopian society in film. The story follows a low level bureaucrat who tries to reverse a mistake by the state and eventually begins to question the over reaching power of the state and falls in love. The end of this film is absolutely great. Robert De Niro, in probably my favorite role of his, plays a "renegade air conditioning specialist who once worked for the government but left due to his dislike of paperwork" and is of course treated like a terrorist, sort of sounds like the US today huh. The film includes many common Terry Gilliam trademarks such as crazy visuals, dream sequences and ridiculous characters. TG had to start a public campaign against the movie studio in order to get the film released how he wanted it, and I'm glad to say he won Warning: Once you watch this film you will be unable to get the theme music out of your head for many days 5. This Is Spinal Tap: Simply the funniest movie ever made, period. It's too bad that Rob Reiner is now more focused on eating his weight in onion rings ever day and taking away peoples right to smoke cigarettes than he is on making good films. Filmed as a fake rockumentary or "Mockumentary" if you will, this film follows a washed up English rock band on their cursed tour of the US. The songs are absolutely hilarious, and bonus the actors actually play all their own instruments. Infinitely quotable, I find the best parts of this film are when the actors are improvising their lines talking to the camera and speaking complete nonsense with a British accent. On a scale of 1-10 this comedy goes to 11
It's not often that the end credits of a film are worth watching, but this might be the funniest clip from the film:
Marty DiBergi: You play to a predominantly white audience, do you feel your music is racist in any way? David St. Hubbins: We say, "Love your brother." We don't say it really, but... Nigel Tufnel: We don't literally say it. David St. Hubbins: No, we don't say it. Nigel Tufnel: We don't really, literally mean it. David St. Hubbins: No, we don't believe it either, but... Nigel Tufnel: But we're not racists. David St. Hubbins: But that message should be clear, anyway. Nigel Tufnel: We're anything but racists. 6. The Thing: While I haven't seen the original, The Thing from Another Planet 1951, I think it's pretty safe to assume that this is one of the rare occasions where the remake is a million times better. John Carpenter had a great decade in the 80's with such classics as Escape from New York, Prince of Darkness and They Live, however this is clearly his masterpiece. The special effects are really the star of the show here and are truly some of the best ever filmed, proving that CGI is not necessary to create a great sci fi film. The fantastic cast includes Kurt Russel staring as a J&B drinking reluctant hero, Mr. Diabetes himself Wilford Brimley as a scientist that goes batshit crazy, bonus: Keith fucking David! How this film was a flop I will never understand, truly one of the best Sci Fi's of all time. It's a shame that Hollywood no longer lets John Carpenter make movies
Here is a great clip from Carpenter's They Live:
And here is a very important Public Service announcement from Wilford:
7. Platoon: While I never fought in Vietnam, I have heard that this is the most realistic depiction of the life of the common soldier during the war, and I have to say its easy to believe. The film feels so real because it is based on the real life experience of director Oliver Stone as a volunteer during the war. It follows Charlie Sheen, playing Oliver Stone, as he decides which sergeant in his platoon will win his soul the beer drinking, pro-war, jingoist psychopath Sgt. Barnes or pro-peace, weed smoking Sgt. Elias. Platoon is a great anti-war film and according to the Naked Gun, one heck of a funny film. 8. Tenebre/Opera: Anyone who follows my twitter, @Chronsauce, knows that I am a major fan of the Italian horror subgenre Giallo. These films all follow a similar plot in which the main character witnesses a murder and then takes it upon himself to personally investigate a serial murderer. They are known for having long chase scenes and being very graphic, however their predictability, cheesy acting and metal soundtrack keep them from ever becoming too scary. Dario Argento is the master of the Giallo film, and these two are without a doubt his best of the 80's; actually Opera was Argento's last quality film before he started a 25 year funk he has yet to get out of. Both have almost the exact same plot, one involves a writer and the other an opera singer; but as I mentioned the plot is meaningless, its all about the creative death scenes.
This picture should give you some idea of what these films are like:
9. The Seventh Continent: I figure I have to include at least one foreign film in the top 10 or else I'll lose all credibility (As if I had any to begin with). Seventh Continent is the story of a couple with one daughter who tell everyone that they are moving to Australia, the continent from the title, when in actuality they are planning on killing themselves. Once all their affairs are in order they eat an extravagant final meal and begin systemically destroying all their possessions They break everything in their house showing zero emotions until a very disturbing scene in which the father destroys his daughters fish tank and she begins to scream and cry. Certainly one of the stranger films I have ever seen, it is nonetheless one of the best of the 80s. Cannot wait to see director Michael Haneke's most recent film Love which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year 10. The Princess Bride: While this certainly isn't the most masculine choice for this spot, I contend that it is the correct choice because while it may be a love story it is also one heck of a funny film. The film may be based off of common Disney type fairy tales but is full of many extra elements that elevate it far above normal Disney fair. Honestly who hasn't repeated the line, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die" a million times? Really just me... oh whatever. Billy Crystal and Carol Kane as an old supposed to be Jewish couple are quite funny, and it has Andre the Fucking Giant in it!!!
Useless Information: This is the favorite movie of a certain middle school band teacher, who shall remain nameless, who once told me I was a Cancer
Here's a great clip that my professor played on my first class of Undergrad:
Other Noteworthy films from the 80's:
A Fish Called Wanda/Fletch: Two of the funniest films not just of the 80's but of all time. Wanda is about the aftermath of a robbery and was written by and stars Monty Python alum John Cleese. Kevin Kline became one of the few actors to ever win an Oscar for a performance in a comedy, and don't call him stupid. Fletch stars Chevy Chase as a reporter investigating crime on the beach. Fletch is perfect for Chevy's quick wit and is full of great one liners. It's impossible to turn Fletch off once you've watched more than a minute of it
Altered States/Predator/The Terimator: 3 truly 80's films. High concept Sci-Fis that simply did not have the budgets to create credible special effects, yet they're still awesomely campy nonetheless
Barfly: The movie was written by Charles Bukowski for christ's sake!!
Cannibal Holocaust: The star of this film is most famous for being in Debbie Does Dallas, and the director was put on trial for murder because the police actually thought they filmed the main actors being killed. Probably the most disturbing film ever made. Yet it would not be nearly so disturbing if it wasn't so well made as to actually convince the viewer that the movie might be real. It became so popular that it started the "found footage" genre, which unfortunately has produced zero other films near the quality of CH
Crimes and Misdemeanors: An examination of how someone justifies murder, and how they deal with and eventually overcome their guilt. My favorite Woody film of the 80's
Dead Ringers/Videodrome: In the 80's David Cronenberg took his body horror subgenre to its ultimate frightening peak with these two films. The first film stars Jeremy Irons, in one of the best performances of all time, in the duel role of two highly regarded twin gynecologists that slowly become drug addicted and go insane; the special instruments they create for their job are absolutely horrifying. The second film stars James Woods and is a "techno surrealist" portrayal of a television show that causes hallucinations and eventually cancer, "Long Live the New Flesh"
Fitzcarraldo: Brian Fitzgerald is the ultimate movie dreamer. The character is so determined to bring the Opera to the jungle that he attempts to move a giant ship over a mountain in order to make money as a rubber baron to finance the opera house. Klaus Kinski is perfect for playing the obsessive/mad character of Fitzgerald because everything I've read says Klaus was flipping nuts.The story of how this film was made is almost as interesting as the film itself and is covered in the documentary Burden of Dreams. Not only did director Werner Herzog actually threaten to kill Kinski with a loaded gun on set, but they actually moved a giant ship over a mountain using the primitive methods shown in the film. Also, it's impossible to think about this film and not imagine how different it may have been if Mick Jagger didn't drop out after many shooting delays
Phenomena: Another film by Dario Argento, only this ones a lot less scary than his others. The final 5 minutes of this film are simply the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life, absolutely hilarious
The Vanishing: Not just one of the best foreign horror films of all time, The Vanishing is without a doubt one of the best and most original horror films ever. The main character is simply one of the most purely evil villains ever put on film
Withnail and I: One of the biggest cult films of all time. Story of two unemployed and alcoholic actors who take a vacation which, of course, leads to many misadventures. People have actually died in the drinking game associated with this movie in which you are supposed to go drink for drink with Withnail
Overrated Films of the 80's:
A Christmas Story: I hate this film
Airplane!: I did not place this film in this section because I think it is a bad or unfunny film, in fact I like it a lot! I placed it here because I am more of a fan of the Zucker Brothers other slapstick classic The Naked Gun: From the File of the Police Squad! I think that Naked Gun is a more polished and consistently funny film that is unfortunately overshadowed by Airplane!
ET: My parents never got divorced so unlike Steven Spielberg I didn't long for an alien friend to fill the void. Maybe if your parents did divorce and you have the same frame of mind as Spielberg then you think this is a good film, I don't know. For me this was boring garbage
Field of Dreams: When I was younger and we used to have family night 7 times out of 10 we would watch this film, and I never understood why. It has a memorable quote, a true Michigan man in JEJ and is sort of about baseball, so I should like it right? Unfortunately I've always found it rather boring and more of a chickflick than a sports film
Galipoli: Supposed to be an inspirational story of when Australia came together during WWI and finally became a unified nation. Unfortunately it is incomprehensible Australian gibberish
Raiders of the Lost Ark: A combination of Too High expectations and a hatred of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are why this film is in this section. Call me crazy but I am just not a huge fan of Indiana Jones. Not a bad film by any means, I just think it's not quite as good as its reputation would suggest. A hard drinking Karen Allen is a very nice addition tho
The Color of Money: While I love me some Billiards, and Scorsese has some occasional cool visuals, I simply can't take any film with Tom Cruise, when he doesn't have a ponytail, in it seriously. The only reason this film exists was to give Paul Newman the Oscar he should have won for The Hustler or The Verdict
Tootsie: I didn't like it when Robin Williams went in drag, I didn't like it when Jack Lemmon and Tony "my daughter has a penis" Curtis went in drag, in what is mistakenly called the funniest film ever, and I certainly did not like this film where Dustin Hoffman goes in drag. If you want a quality film where men dress up as women I have two words for you... White Chicks
Films From the 80's that I have not seen yet, and yes there are A LOT of them:
I recently discovered this random dudes series of youtube videos of his least favorite war films of all time. I don't agree with some of his picks, Inglourious Basterds is certainly not a realistic war film but it's high quality entertainment and I still have a hard on for Enemy at the Gates, but this dude is pretty hilarious when tearing apart such classics as Pearl Harbor and Windtalkers. If you have time to waste I suggest you check it out
Here are some reviews of some films I have watched recently:
Twelve Monkeys: Inspired by this hee-larious blog I read, I decided to finally watch this highly acclaimed sci fi film from 1995. Either you like director Terry Gilliam's crazy visuals and over the top acting performances, or you're a soulless film industry suit. While twelve monkeys certainly isn't equal to TG's Sci Fi masterpiece Brazil, it is certainly more intelligent and more original than your average time travel film. I very much enjoyed how Bruce Willis' character wasn't your typical unstoppable action film star, and is almost portrayed as a parody of most action heroes. He is shown to be overconfident in his abilities with a smart alec attitude, per usual action hero, yet is actually quite inept at fighting. This portrayal was quite refreshing, and is similar to the main characters in Big Trouble in Little China and the Long Goodbye. Bruce Willis certainly is an actor with very little range, but he was the right choice for this role. Brad Pitt does his typical overacting, which actually seems to work here.
As for the plot of the film, I found it to be much more intelligent/original than most sci fi fare. The film established some kind of basic rules for time travel and seemed to follow them for the most part. I especially liked the dynamic dream sequences. The futuristic scenes seem to realistically convey a world that has not technologically advanced since the mid 90's, although some of TG's common visuals may seem slightly unrealistic. I thought the Red Herring was well executed and fairly unexpected, there was a little unnecessary foreshadowing but not much. The bum who can communicate to Bruce Willis through his thoughts was extremely unnecessary and very annoying. While it didn't big issues like 2001, it is definitely an entertaining sci fi popcorn flick.
Best Quote: "And what we say is the truth is what everybody accepts. Right, Owen? I mean, psychiatry: it's the latest religion. We decide what's right and wrong. We decide who's crazy or not. I'm in trouble here. I'm losing my faith"
I was happy to see that a smart-ish film like Twelve Monkeys won the Saturn award for best Science Fiction film of 95. However under closer inspection I saw past winners of the award included Men In Black, Armageddon and the absolutely dreadful A.I. Apparently winning a Saturn award is easier than (Insert Kardashian promiscuity joke here).
Here is a quote that I found on the interwebs, which I will proudly not cite the source of, which I believe does a decent job summarizing the film, "In its frantic mix of chaos, carnage and zoo animals, 12 Monkeys is Jumanji for adults." Verdict:8/10 For everyone's enjoyment, except Craig's, follow the link to a clip from the movie of Brad Pitt acting his face off http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ce8_1241414316 Here's the Trailer for those too lazy to youtube it:
The Master: The Master is simply too smart/complex of a film and would require more film theory knowledge and vocabulary than your humble blogger possesses, thus for more in depth analysis/criticism I suggest you check out moviedudez's sister website soundonsight.org. (Note: SoS denies any association with this shitty blog) What I can tell you is that this film is made by a master, Paul Thomas Anderson, it is very smart and very well made, but seems to be missing a purpose. I understand it is showing the experience of a troubled veteran with PTSD, and how there is no easy cure, but it definitely left you feeling very unsatisfied when it was over. That being said, I believe it was the right choice to focus the story on the WWII veteran who discovers the Scientology like cult instead of the cult founder himself. The performance by Joaquim Phoenix is great and should garner at least an Academy Award nomination. PSH is solid as always. I was surprised/excited to see my old high school classmate Cara Roggencamp in a bit part. The film may get some attention around Academy Award time, but I am certain it will not win best picture. Also, if you are hoping to see a film that simply rips apart the stupid cult that is Scientology, this unfortunately is not the film for you. PTA screened the film for his buddy and cult member Tom Cruise who only had problems with one scene, wherein the Master's son suggests that his dad is just making everything up. If you want to hate on Scientologists stick with the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet". Verdict: 7.5/10 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul: If you are gonna watch just one film about a mid 60's fat German widow marrying a late 30's strong Moroccan I suggest you watch this one. I mostly watched this film because I was embarrassed that I had never seen a Fassbinder film before, and supposedly this is one of his best. While it was a well made film, I certainly cannot recommend it to the type of people that would actually read this blog. Verdict: 7.5/10 Breathless: While I'm embarrassed to admit this is only the second French New Wave film I have seen, the exceptional The 400 Blows being the first. This 1960 film by Jean-Luc Godard is very highly acclaimed, and with good reason, it is a very well made film. The plot is not as important as the style; with jump cuts being revolutionary at the time. Breathless is worthy of its reputation as a classic, couldn't agree more with this quote, “a pop artifact and a daring work of art and even at 50, still cool, still new, still – after all this time! – a bulletin from the future of movies." Verdict: 8/10
