I'll Be Back Sunday Night

I have various things on my plate now so I haven't felt like watching any movies; I may go out to see something tomorrow night but either way I'll have a review then, barring anything catastrophic. 

Last Shift

Last Shift (2014)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Anthony DeBlasi

Starring: Juliana Harkavy, Joshua Mikel, J. LaRose, Natalie Victoria, Matt Doman

From: Skyra Entertainment

Here is a movie I have known about for awhile, and it happened to be set and filmed in a Florida town I had been in many times before. Read all the details about it from my Letterboxd review posted below: 

I have known of this movie since it came out last year. My biggest memory will forever be how due to its stylized logo, some people on a messageboard were literally confused as to whether it was Last Shift or Lost Shift, and I do understand the confusion. I heard mixed opinions about so I had no idea what to expect going in. There were comparisons to the awesome Assault on Precinct 13 (something I'll watch again soon so I can review it here) but those are really only due to the abandoned police station setting.

One reason for me to see this was that it was set and filmed in Sanford, Florida, a town only about an hour away from me; I had been through there or in there many times before, and in fact will be there tomorrow night to pick someone up from the medium-sized airport located in the city. The town is best known in America for the whole Trayvon Martin thing (those readers not in the United States who are not familiar with the case, I won't even get started on trying to explain that whole racial mess)... but I'll move on from that controversy and say they likely only filmed there because the city had an abandoned police station that could be used.

Why the setting? Well, the plot is that a lady cop who gets the pleasure of guarding a police station about to be abandoned (but has some biohazard materials that need to be cleared out by HAZMAT) and this is her first night on the force, and she's alone, and she experiences weird supernatural things... the only other thing I'll bring up is that a Manson-like family figures into the plot.

The story is on the ridiculous side, admittedly, and you certainly could nitpick various things. However, I tried to ignore those things. At first I wasn't sure about the movie; but, as it got going, I realized that I was enjoying what I was seeing. The one setting in one night thing is usually pretty intriguing to me. Much of the film you only see the lead on the character and if she would not have been interesting or the performance would have been bad, that would big a big problem. Thankfully the character of Officer Loren was always interesting, even if you don't know too much besides the basics about her and how her dad was a cop. Juliana Harkavy did a pretty good job in the role, especially considering it was typically only her on screen and the character had to go through a hellish experience.

Being vague, I will say that the ending which ties everything together, it was effective to me as I realized what the movie was all about and it not only explained some things but made the movie that much more disturbing. There are nice practical effects, creepy sights, an ever-increasing sense of dread, and overall while I know it is a movie which has gotten a mixed reception, to me it worked and I am glad I finally checked it out on Netflix Instant.

Purple Rain

Purple Rain (1984)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Albert Magnoli

Starring: The Purple One, Appolonia, Morris Day, and members of both The Revolution and The Time

From: Warner Bros.

I have watched this movie before, but the last viewing was long ago and unfortunately it was sad circumstances that prompted me seeing it last night. At least I got to see it on the big screen. Read all the details about it below in my Letterboxd review:

It did not take long after Prince passed away and entered the after world (a world of never-ending happiness, and you can always see the sun, day or night) for both AMC Theatres and Carmike Cinemas to play the movie in some of their locations for the upcoming week, two showings a day. I went to a location in Orlando to check it out; of course I had seen this before, but that was a long time ago and this was the perfect time to watch it again. The crowd there was larger than expected and I'll say more about them later; just know that it was among the best audience experience I have ever had.

I am sure everyone knows the plot of The Kid and his band The Revolution in Minneapolis and how he has to deal with a terrible life at home, a new girl, problems with his band, and a rivalry w/ Morris Day & The Time. I will say that it is easy to nitpick the plot or how it's told, but a big asset is that all of the songs on the soundtrack are great and all of the performances you see are incredible; Prince had boatloads of charisma whenever he appeared on screen, and when he performed he was pure sex. The crowd I saw this with, they loved the movie. They went wild for all of the performances and several times (especially during the risque Darling Nikki) I thought that some were about to throw their underwear at the screen! They laughed at the right moments and went “oooh!” during the harshest one-liners. It was a great experience, both the audience and seeing those artists on stage doing their thing. The opening 10 minutes of the movie where you see and hear both Let's Go Crazy and Jungle Love as the main characters get ready to hit the club and then they arrive there and interact with each other... it's an astounding 10 minutes. So is the final act concert.

As for the rest of the movie... I wish it wasn't so problematic. The Kid-to be honest-usually comes off as a real A-hole, and he's the protagonist. I understand it's made rather clear that his crappy family life at home (where dad usually yells and beats up his wife) is a big reason as to why he acts this way. It doesn't mean that it's enjoyable seeing this guy be a real ass and also act incredibly misogynistic towards both Appolonia and the two ladies in his band, Wendy & Lisa. If he really would have changed in the final act that would be something, but it can be argued that this does not fully happen and to me I question how much The Kid really does change. Then, there's the odd fact that even though Morris E. Day is ostensibly the heel, he actually comes across as a nicer guy... and he is something who not only had Jerome throw a woman into a dumpster but he said that horribly insensitive remark to Prince, although he immediately felt regretful about it. He doesn't act like a dick to his band like Prince does, he at least tries to help out Appolonia with her budding career, he does cool music also, is typically a funny A-hole, and even he and Jerome do their own wacky version of Abbott & Costello's Who's On First routine. It's odd, really.

Even with those issues, I can still give this a decent rating; the people I saw it with definitely helped in my enjoyment due to how invested in the picture they were. Anyhow, Prince was an incredibly talented musician... he was also incredibly eccentric, but throughout life I have learned that the most talented people are typically pretty odd compared to what is seen as “normal”. I know that since last Thursday his album sales have skyrocketed and whether digitally or on disc this movie has been one of the most purchased films on Amazon. A lot of people are clearly fans of his music, or at least his most famous albums. It was nice to see and hear him perform at his peak and as you have to sign up to the fail known as Tidal to most easily hear his streaming albums, it was nice to hear some great songs in that way, and it was nice to see again what is an amazing artifact of the 80's.

Superman III

Superman III (1983)

Runtime: 124 minutes

Directed by: Richard Lester

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Annette O'Toole, Robert Vaughn, Annie Ross

From: Warner Bros.

I explain below why I skipped both versions of II for now; I'll see them sometime in May. I will be back Tuesday night with what I imagine will be a lengthy review of an appropriate movie I saw on the big screen a few hours ago. For now, the review of this movie that has gotten recent cult love... for reasons unclear to me:

Note: Next month I will spend two nights in a row watching the two versions of Superman II out there; I haven't had the time or feeling to do that as of late. From memory I know that they aren't as great as the original Superman but they certainly are better than this motion picture.

In the past few years I have seen several people online rate this movie rather highly and even say it's their favorite Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent movie and no offense to those people but I'll never understand that. Now, I can't compare it to the Bryan Singer film or the all-time polarizing works known as the entries that Zach Snyder did, but while this isn't quite as wretched as The Quest For Peace, this still isn't good and what a downturn for the franchise. It's a shame that Richard Donner had those problems with Alexander and Ilya Salkind, which resulted in there being those two versions of II and now Richard Lester did all the directing and we got a lot of goofy comedy, much of it not that humorous... even Richard Pryor did not hit a home run here as Gus Gorman, and I can't blame it on the “problems” he had before this, as even after he lit himself on fire he had good standup comedy bits. Despite his personal issues and how he apparently did not always act that nice on set, I usually think of Pryor highly as he was a very funny dude, just not always on the silver screen, as this is an example of.

I am sure everyone's familiar with the plot where Clark Kent hangs out with Lana Lang in Smallville and Richard Pryor is a bumbling computer genius (and I do laugh at what Hollywood of the early 1980's thought computers were or what they could do) who becomes a henchman of a rich businessman A-hole played by Robert Vaughn... Superman developed some new convenient powers and yes, for a segment of the movie he became a dick, which started what I presume is a still popular Superman Is A Dick meme. Now, parts of the movie do work and the general idea is fine; but, I say that there was too much comedy which did not seem appropriate for this series-even if the Reeve movies were always light in tone-and I say that was the biggest downfall of why this did not work overall. The villain's ultimate scheme being highly illogical did not help matters either.

I do have to say that while it's nonsensical, Superman As A Dick was certainly memorable and Superman vs. Clark Kent was quite the battle, if goofy at times... I just wonder what happened to Clark Kent during that dick phase; did he suddenly vanish from working at the Daily Planet? I guess so. While it could have lasted longer and been explored more in-depth, at least it was interesting. While she barely appeared in the movie because Margot Kidder supposed Richard Donner instead of Richard Lester, Lana Lang is at least a canon character and the nicest part of the movie was the relationship between her and Kent. Really, I don't fault anyone in the cast but I do have to give kudos to both Reeve and Annette O'Toole as Lana; I wished for more with them, her kid Ricky and even the drunkard Brad rather than Pryor in a wacky suit with a giant foam cowboy hat on.

Now, let me mention a few random things:

* Giorgio Moroder contributed a few songs; I think his music is pretty cool so I was fine with that. I do have to say, however, that his version of a country song with Roger Miller (yes, the guy who sang King of the Road two decades prior) was as daffy as you'd expect a Giorgio Moroder country song to be.

* The opening slapstick number over the credits, it was entertaining and all, but why was it in a Superman movie?

* The ultimate fate of Vera was also memorable, and also a little disturbing.

* Gus Gorman and his penny shaving scam, besides being immortalized in Office Space, I am amused that people have actually tried it in real life.

Like I said, this wasn't as low as the Superman character got on the silver screen, but the newfound appreciation this has in some circles does mystify me.

The Beast Within

The Beast Within (1982)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Philippe Mora

Starring: Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, R.G. Armstrong, L.Q. Jones

From: United Artists

Here's a random movie I watched last night. It's average, but at least it's not bad, and it has a hilarious movie description on Amazon. Hear all about that in my Letterboxd review below:

This is another movie I have heard about and known for many years now but never had seen in full until last night. An impetus for finally checking it out on Amazon Instant Video was the description they had listed for the movie. It reads: “A teenager is experiencing growing pains of a most shocking sort in this exciting, tense and all-too-real story of human-into-monster transformation.” ALL TOO REAL? So it is realistic that a woman would be raped and impregnated by a bipedal beast in the rural South? Someone mutating from human being to something else is something that is stone cold fact?

That rape is how the movie starts off, and as Bibi Besch was knocked out when it happened she did not know it was a hairy bipedal beast so when the son was born it was treated as normal, and the kid was normal until he turned 17 and the fit hit the shan, as some like to say. Cronenbergian-like body horror happens and he transform; that scene where it happens is probably too lengthy and the effects have the early 80's limitations (usually the creatures we see are filmed in the dark, and I know that wasn't done by accident) but it certainly was memorable and creepy. What it turns into certainly is unique; the age of 17 is a big clue.

I can only rate it as average. It's mainly the story and how it seems like it's spinning its wheels at times until we get to the final act and things really get into a higher gear. That's not the only issue I had but it was the biggest one. It's a shame as it certainly had a capable cast (including Besch, Ronny Cox, L.Q. Jones, and R.G. Armstrong), the setting of a rural town in the South is pretty good when it comes to atmosphere and the musical score from Les Baxter is suitably creepy, not to mention quality stuff.

It is not a bad horror movie by any means and there are countless examples of that from the 1980's; but, to me it's not a classic by any means. At least I can say that this had a different and wacky plot and they went all-in on treating it seriously. I imagine the novel this was (real) loosely based on wasn't so odd.

Lethal Weapon 3

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

Runtime: I saw the 121 minute Director's Cut

Directed by: Richard Donner

Starring: Who you'd expect in these movies, plus the likes of Rene Russo and Stuart Wilson

From: Warner Bros. 

It was not the plan to be away from a few days. But, Tuesday night I saw Up in Smoke again, a movie I reviewed for 4/20 back in 2011. I unexpectly saw this Wednesday evening and last night I did not feel like watching anything. But, later tonight I'll see something and review it for tomorrow. Now, onto this, which I hadn't seen in a long time. It's definitely not the first two (classic) entries in the franchise. I explain why in my Letterboxd review below:

When I woke up on Wednesday I had in mind some movies to watch on TV; this was not one of them. Plans changed for several reasons I won't get into and I can always watch online what I hoped to check out playing on a television station. Earlier in the year I reviewed the first two Lethal Weapon movies and they were both great, as I had remembered them. This one, I knew it wasn't as good and yet I hadn't seen it in years either. Turns out, what I had remembered was correct.

After an opening that is kind of dopey if you think about it (although at least a building is actually blown up, which is pretty cool) Riggs and Murtaugh are briefly demoted, until they happened to stumble across another big case, and they happen to stumble upon a returning Leo Getz (once again, a little of him goes a long way) and they happen to... you get the point. The bad guy ends up being a dirty ex-cop who is greedy. This was explained outright in one scene and yet through no fault of the actor, the character comes off as cliché and bland. He's no Mr. Joshua, that is for sure. Gangbangers are a secondary villain and an interesting moment was when Murtaugh ends up killing a teenaged boy who was friends with his son, and his grief over that happening. Also, Murtaugh is about to retire in a few days, and amazing that is NOT a sign of his impending death.

I can only rate this as “fine” instead of “great” for a few reasons. Aside from the villain, there are various story things to complain about, and not all of the comedy works. Things are not as rock solid as in the first two movies; there are notable moments throughout but overall it's not as strong. Still, I will mention some of those notable things. Rene Russo was cool as an ass-kicking female who starts off not liking the leads but of course she and Riggs fall in love. There are still some amusing moments. And, there are some quality action scenes to see, from shootouts to car chases. It's just that it pales in comparison.

Although, you hear the phrase "son of a bitch" at least 50 times, so that's something I suppose.

Turbo Kid

TurboKid (2015)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Francois Simard/Anouk Whissell/Yoann-Karl Whissel

Starring: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Edwin Wright, Aaron Jeffrey

From: Way too many production companies to list

Last night I finally saw this movie, one that has had a lot of buzz even before it was released last year. I don't love it like most do but I didn't hate it either... I explain it in my Letterboxd review below:

This was another random watch for me on Netflix; what I mean was that as I looked through my (lengthy) queue, it was not the original plan to pick this out. But, I suddenly got the feeling that I should finally see this. After all, I had known of this movie even before it came out, and I saw glowing reviews here and elsewhere. So why was I now bowled over by this?

The plot is goofy on purpose: in the post-apocalyptic future of 1997, a random teen is inspired by a comic book character on a BMX bike so he engages in adventures and deals with an eyepatch-wearing Michael Ironside, who plays someone named Zeus.

My first problem with the movie: when it tries to be funny, more often than not it isn't and it just comes off as clashing with the rest of the picture. Characters slowly biking when it's supposed to be a “chase” wasn't amusing to me either. While the film is another one of those things that is in the “tries way too hard” category, when it comes to the comedy aspect... it can be painful. Then, there's the character of Apple... apparently that lead girl is popular with a lot of people; I have no idea why. “The character is supposed to be annoying” is not a satisfactory explanation to me; it's not the fault of the actress, it's that the character was annoying as piss and I hated her the entire time. I was far from bewitched by her charms. Then again, maybe it's just me getting tired of such things as lazy 80's homages, bad humor or movies that rely heavily on over the top graphic gore.

The thing is, a movie that I naturally compare it to (Hobo With A Shotgun, and not just because the director of that was an executive producer on this) I enjoyed more than this. I haven't logged in a review yet but I actually saw it on the big screen and despite it definitely being in the “tries way too hard” category I know I enjoyed it more than this. Once I see Hobo again I'll give it a review to see if I feel the same way.

Yet, I can still say that this was average. There were some inspired moments, Ironside was pretty great as the villain, there was a cool metal mask wearing dude named SKELETRON, and while it doesn't always fit what's on screen, the synthwave soundtrack from artists Le Matos was pretty rad. Oh, and the beginning of the movie and seeing what seemed like at least 15 different production company logos flash by, that made me laugh as even with all of the independent movies I've seen through the years, I've never encountered that many with one motion picture.

So yeah, I wish I loved it like many do; I honestly can only say it was middle of the road for me.

The Friends Of Eddie Coyle

TheFriends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Peter Yates

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats, Alex Rocco

From: Paramount

Here's a classic movie I have had on disc for a long while and yet foolishly I did not check it out until last night. I say that it is worthy of being watched by everyone, and I give the details in my Letterboxd review below, which I have formatted differently and I may do it that way from now on:

Sometimes I have the bad habit of purchasing a movie on disc then waiting years before actually watching it. This movie falls into that category, even though it was a Criterion release and I had heard strong recommendations for it from other people. Well, last night was finally the night where I pulled the trigger, and I should have my hand in a drawer than have it slammed shut for not seeing this much sooner when I had the opportunity to.

It is a downbeat yet still interesting movie about various low-level criminals in Boston. The titular Eddie Coyle (what an outstanding performance by Robert Mitchum as someone who is the opposite of a stylish badass and instead is a gruff old man who is a lowlife) is a gun-runner and is about to go to prison for getting busted w/ a truck of booze. There is a Federal Agent who could help him if he “turns rat” and gives information which would lead to those friends (they are only pals in the loosest sense) being arrested. These reprobates include bank robbers and another gun-runner... named Jackie Brown. It's obvious who is a big fan of this motion picture. There are no real “good guys” here as even the member of law enforcement is rather shady in how he acts... yet it's all very compelling.

This is not a glamorous movie at all. There's understated direction from the great Peter Yates as Mitchum's house is modest at best, he living with a wife and three young children. The characters hang out in blue-collar settings from a grocery store parking lot to outside a bowling alley, a diner, restaurants, bars... yet it's great to watch as the characters are interesting and you are wondering what will happen next and if Coyle will save his own skin by ratting out his compatriots. The rest of the cast acts admirably (including the likes of Peter Boyle, Richard Jordan, Steven Keats as Jackie Brown and Alex Rocco) but it's Old Bob who delivered the best performance. All of it is spellbinding to watch, especially several very tense sequences where things could go very wrong.

What a great crime drama this was. It's unsentimental and straight to the point while we follow these petty characters who perform petty crimes and wonder who will screw over who, and if Eddie can come out a winner. There's the bonus of a quality jazzy-funky score from Dave Grusin. Don't make the same mistake I made and delay watching this if you have the opportunity to.

Rich and Strange/Juno and the Paycock

Rich and Strange (1931)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Hitchcock

Starring: Henry Kendall, Joan Barry, Percy Marmont, Betty Amann, Elsie Randolph

From: British International Pictures

Juno and the Paycock (1930)

Runtime: 95 long minutes

Directed by: Hitchcock

Starring: Sara Allgood, Edward Chapman, Barry Fitzgerald, Maire O'Neill, Sidney Morgan

From: British International Pictures

I saw two real old Hitchcock movies that I had never checked out before. Neither compare to all his classics, but at least the former was alright. The latter, you really don't need to see. I write about both below via Letterboxd:

This is an early Hitchcock film which for some reason is difficult to find online. Thus, borrowing a cheap DVD set from the library was required to check this out. I heard that it lived up to the “strange” part of the title and well, the people who said this were not lying.

The plot revolves around a middle class couple who get some cash from a rich uncle ahead of an expected inheritance, so they travel by ship around the world and end up in “The Orient”. The husband gets sea-sick, they see the Folies Bergere and are shocked by it, their relationship becomes frosty, and a bunch of odd random things happen... from the wife getting her ass grabbed by a weird bearded man, to a random birth on the ship that is pointless when it comes to advancing the plot. Someone drowns and again it's pointless. There are Asian junks (that's a ship; get your mind out of the gutter), exotic costumes, some of the locations in the movie they actually filmed at (Marseilles and Egypt)... to say that things are scattershot is putting it mildly.

The movie doesn't have a lot of dialogue and there are actually intertitles which explain various thoughts and ideas. It's odd but I was fine with it. I wasn't fine with the uneven pacing-it starts and stops often, and there are some dull stretches-although I was at least entertained by the weirdness. The general plot and its resolution is cliché by now; maybe back then it wasn't so obvious. At least the movie is decently shot and edited... but the husband tosses his wife angrily on the bed while arguing-he also threatens to “strangle” her and well, that does not come across as good in these modern times. Then again, the husband usually comes across as a real heel... hell, he even says something racist. For shame.

At least I can say that this oddity is average and nothing more.

Now, onto Juno:

Luckily I had heard beforehand that this is probably Hitch's worst movie, so I was not surprised by this dull and boring slog of a motion picture. Yet it is still one that I don't recommend seeing unless you must see everything that Sir Alfred did.

It was based on an old Irish play and probably is best seen on stage. Here, it is a film with no score, a whole lot of talking (and everyone has Irish accents; some may have trouble with that but most of it was intelligible to me) and only the most basic of camera moves and edits. A poor family receives an inheritance and this corrupts them. The endgame is likely what you'd expect.

An obvious issue was that Hitchcock was given this movie as a studio assignment and he couldn't do much to make it cinematic. He told Truffant that he thought the play was “excellent” but as a movie he did not know how he could make it cinematic and well, with the limitations he wasn't able to. A lot of the movie is indoors in a single room, and that was as exciting as it sounds. Honestly, I was fighting to stay awake while watching this.

It does get 1 ½ stars from me as from what I do understand the play is pretty famous in Ireland and still performed there, so I am sure it is fine... as long as you are in a theatre watching it on stage. Plus, Sara Allgood is fine as the titular Juno, the matriarch of the family. The rest of the cast, they are a mixed bag. At least as I go through more of his early catalogue in the future, I know that.

Five Fingers Of Death

Five Fingers of Death (Tian Xia Di Yi Quan) (1972)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Walter Chung Chang-Hwa

Starring: Lo Lieh, Wang Ping, Chan Shen, Hsiung Chao

From: Shaw Brothers

Here's one of the most famous Shaw Brothers movies, and yet this was a first time watch for me. It's not my favorite from the studio yet it was definitely still enjoyable. I explain why in my Letterboxd review below: 

I figured it was about time I saw one of the most famous Shaw Brothers movies, one that is noteworthy in the United States as when Warner Brothers released a dubbed version in '73, it was something that along with the Kung Fu TV show and Enter the Dragon made kung fu a craze at the time; among other things, this is one of Tarantino's favorite films. When it showed up on the El Rey Network Thursday night, there was my opportunity.

The plot is rather sparse: a fighter is sent to train with a master not only to win a tournament but also to defend his town against a band of thugs that think they are the ones who run things in the city. But there's a lot more... things like starting at the bottom at a school before rising up in the ranks, a singer love interest, defending your master's honor, jealousy... and oh yeah, the Iron Fist technique, which is quite zany as it causes a person's fist to glow red and you hear the opening to the theme from the old Ironside show, which everyone now knows as “The Kill Bill siren” as this movie borrows that and Tarantino borrowed it from this movie.

Anyway, it has what you expect from the Shaw Brothers... nice sets and scenery, badass moments, quality fight scenes, bloody moments, detestable villains, and all the rest. With all this-and such things as eye gouging on display-it's no wonder that this caused a stir when released in America, as nothing quite like this had gotten a decent release in the United States before. There are other Shaw Brothers movies I rate higher, yet I am still glad this is something I finally watched.

The Flintstones

The Flintstones (1994)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Brian Levant

Starring: John Goodman, Elizabeth Perkins, Rick Moranis, Rosie O'Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan

From: Universal

Yes, I saw this movie for the first time in more than 20 years. Sure, I watched the cartoon and enjoyed it (as long as it's not the version with the horrible laugh track) but even back then I did not love the film and now, it's only a 2 star affair. Alas... I talk about it below in my Letterboxd review:

ou know, I had been watching too many great movies as of late...

Tuesday night I was wondering what I should watch; as typical I had too many choices so it was a difficult choice; I looked on Netflix to see if they had up anything new. Suddenly I noticed that they had this movie up; when it came out in '94 a parent took me and my two sisters to go see it. At the time I was mostly nonplussed by it... even at 13 years old, a plot about corporate embezzlement did not light my ass on fire... not to mention some of the harsh things that happen to the main characters. Maybe I saw it once on VHS after it came out but otherwise this is yet another movie I hadn't seen in at least 20 years.

Like I said, the plot is about corporate embezzlement involving Kyle MacLachlan and Halle Berry (playing someone named Sharon Stone; yes, that's the “joke”) and Fred is a dumbass so he all too easily gets wrapped up in their scheme and he ends up being the patsy. Somehow, it allegedly took THIRTY-TWO writers to come up with this script; at the time it sounds especially absurd. Now, what I have heard of modern movies, too many require too many rewrites and who knows how many are involved with that. As for the script... the visuals and look of the movie do match the cartoon rather well...

I can't fault the cast as the lead roles were filled by the appropriate actors who looked and acted the part. There are chuckles sprinkled throughout. Yet, the script and story aren't great (it's one of those deals where things would have been resolved much sooner if one person had told the other something important, and yet waited to do so because the script said so) so I can't give this more than a 2 star rating.

Superman

Superman (1978)

Runtime: I saw the version that was 151 minutes long

Directed by: Richard Donner

Starring: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty, Marlon Brando

From: Warner Bros.

Here's another movie I had seen before but never talked about here. I always enjoyed it from when I first saw it on VHS as a little kid. Thankfully I still enjoy it now. I got the Blu-ray set imported from the UK (but as far as I can tell identical to the one released in the States) with all the ones starring Reeve plus Superman Returns, which I've never seen but is the 21st century version of the character, meaning “he appears in movies that are incredibly polarizing”. I'll get to that eventually... but now, onto the original; you can read my lengthy review of it below, via Letterboxd: 

NOTE: The version I saw was the 2001 Expanded Edition that is 151 minutes long... and a famed longer version, which I'll talk about at the very end.

I have mentioned before in a few other reviews how I don't really watch superhero movies so that's why you rarely see reviews of them done by me. That goes for both Marvel and DC; I can explain why I have seen some of the ones I have but I won't do so except to say that some of the older ones I did see as a kid, from the 80's and 90's Batman (I'll get to those one day as I hadn't seen any of them in years) to all the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve. I figured it was about time I saw all of them again so I can review them here, as I hadn't seen any of those in at least a few years either.

While I am curious in a perverse way about the Zack Snyder movies w/ the character (plus, I have absolutely no idea how I would rate what has to be two of the most polarizing films of recent times), I know that the Jor-El portrayed there is different from the classic version in the comic books, which of course this was more aligned with. I know that some people of today may see this character as played by Reeve as “not cool” as Clark Kent is a dorky newspaper reporter and Superman may be seen as “a square” as he is unfailing in believing that everyone is good and he's all that is righteous and pure. Well, I can say from my childhood that I really enjoyed the first two and I managed to find things about 3 and 4 that I thought were fine (at the time; as an adult, it's not necessarily the same story, but when I see those movies in the future I'll give my thoughts there), and as an adult I still enjoy this old-fashioned filmmaking.

I will admit that as much as modern superhero films can have some nonsensical elements, this has things that I say are on the silly side at best; Lex Luthor's ultimate scheme is rather wacky and that deus ex machina ending raises more questions than answers; I'll just blame that on “things that you'd expect from a comic book” and say that overall I still enjoy this a whole lot. It's a standard origin story where the main players people expected at the time were present and thankfully the right people were cast for the roles.

I could not imagine people like Pacino, Stallone, Beatty or Caan in the lead, yet they were asked to. I don't even know what to make of the story of NEIL DIAMOND in the role; it almost sounds too ludicrous to believe yet it's true. An unknown at the time Christopher Reeve was perfect, as he was great as both the dorky Kent and the heroic Man of Steel. This Lois Lane was pretty cool, and she was played by a pretty cool Margot Kidder; thankfully she has been doing fine since “those few days” around this time 20 years ago where she had that infamous manic episode. The rest of the roles... like I said they were well cast and what a cast of famous faces it was.

The story, it's not too serious (and not just the moments where the dim-witted Otis is on screen) and it's always interesting and entertaining. The special effects are still nice now and they still work; yeah, you can believe that a man can fly. The miniatures and models give me nostalgic feelings for those old movies I saw as a kid. The score from the incomparable John Williams is still pretty grand. But despite it being about a nearly indestructible alien, he has many human moments, from vanity and jealousy to wishing he could save dying people and the pain of being bullied as a teen. Thus, he ends up being a character we could all relate to and that definitely helps in liking Kal-El. Overall, I was happy to see this again as this is a picture I can still rate highly. The sequels, I don't rate them this highly but sometime in the future I'll talk about them.

Soon after I saw the Expanded Edition, I watched something I had known of for years and I had acquired... nevermind how. It was the 188 minute “Salkind International Cut”, after the producers made a deal where they could make more money by releasing a version that long to be shown all across the world on television. Me, I was happy to see the additional footage and some cool things were present that weren't even in the Expanded Edition. It is still a thrilling watch... but overall I say that the “best” version to watch is still the Expanded Edition.

This Is Spinal Tap

This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Starring: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Tony Hendra, Rob Reiner

From: Spinal Tap Productions

I am not sure how it had been so long since last viewing this that this is the first time it has been on a site that I have been operating since August of 2009, but it's true. This indeed is a great motion picture. See all the details in my Letterboxd review below: 

Of course I had seen this classic mockumentary before but the last viewing was a long while ago and I figured it was time to review it for this site. I've always enjoyed this and seeing it again did not change my opinion.

I presume that many have seen this so I won't spend much time with the plot of a washed up English rock band that returns to the United States for a tour and it turns out to be a disaster with a lot of calamities and in-fighting. From what I heard, this rather accurately skewers the lifestyle and attitudes of rockstars... their pretentious and haughty attitudes and beliefs, their arrogance... and events from a girlfriend upsetting the chemistry of the band to technical issues and getting lost in old buildings while making the journey from the dressing room to the stage. It apparently is so accurate that it ruined some musicians (it was like an unflattering look in the mirror) and some bands thought the movie was about them.

Droll comedies like this aren't always for me as my sense of humor can be rather odd at times. Yet, it works here. As others have said it's not a laugh out loud thing but it's never not amusing and since it came out there are moments that have become famous beyond the movie, especially “it goes to 11”. Also, if you have a version of this with a commentary by the band in character, it's great and it should be listened to if you love this picture.

Finally, I have to say that it helps in something like this if the music is good, and it is. There are plenty of catchy tunes and it makes the experience seem more authentic. The characters being modeled after actual musicians helps... the most obvious one is that guitarist Nigel Tufnel is Jeff Beck, a guy with prodigious talent but he neveer became as famous as guys like Hendrix, Clapton or Eddie Van Halen. If you're one of those who haven't seen this yet and you love seeing clueless people get made fun of but not in a malicious way, this is your ticket.

Intolerance

Intolerance (1916)

Runtime: The version I saw was 178 minutes long

Directed by: D.W. Griffith

Starring: Vera Lewis, Ralph Lewis, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Constance Talmadge

From: Triangle Distributing Corporation

Yesterday I finally saw this classic film; I figured it was about time to do so, considering it's 100 years old and all. Well, thankfully it is something worth seeing. I talk about it below in my Letterboxd review:

NOTE: As there are several different versions of this movie out there, I need to clarify which one I saw: it was the cut known as the Killiam Shows Version, which when put out by Image Entertainment online for streaming or on DVD is 178 minutes long.

While it was not a hit at the time, this motion picture that is now 100 years old later went on to be influential in a variety of ways. It was ahead of its time, for sure, and it inspired a wide swath of filmmakers and to be honest, can still inspire filmmakers today. Thinking back on what life in 1916 must have been like, a three hour epic where several stories w/ similar themes are presented at the same time and it could be argued that this was the first blockbuster w/ a at the time huge budget... it's quite the achievement that paid off in critical and filmmaker respect, if not financially.

The four stories that are told are from the periods of Babylonian, Judean (involving Jesus Christ), French (1572 as it shows the real life St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre) and what was then Modern time of 1914. I won't mention the specifics of all four stories but they all share such similar themes as the titular idea of intolerance, bigotry, hypocrisy, social injustice and persecution. The four stories are told at the same time and there are frequent cuts between the tales... sort of like Cloud Atlas, except that unlike Cloud Atlas this wasn't bad pretentious nonsense. Anyhow, frequently you see Lillian Gish rocking a cradle, as it was important symbolism for the movie.

Once you see the stories come together and you realize the messages this movie presented, you fully understand what the movie is saying and you comprehend why many people say this is great, because it is. All the stories are impressive and interesting to watch (especially the spectacle of the Babylon stuff; it has action that likely would surprise you considering all the crazy things that happened in a movie a century old; the scope is rather large and a few thousand extras were used) but when it's put together the way it is, that is why it is so highly regarded. And wow what a finale. The movie did not need dialogue to be endlessly captivating, have moving dramatic moments or show a dazzling finale.

While I am not sure of Griffith as a human being due to Birth of a Nation, considering the filmmaking aspects of both movies, I should probably see more of his work. To think that he invented or innovated many different aspects of filmmaking that are still parts of its language today.

Phantom Lady

Phantom Lady (1944)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Robert Siodmak

Starring: Alan Curtis, Ella Raines, Franchot Tone, Aurora Miranda, Elisha Cook, Jr.

From: Universal

I returned to the world of film noir due to a messageboard suggestion and it was a good one... both the suggestion and the movie. I talk about it in my Letterboxd review below:

This was another messageboard recommendation; someone stated that this would be on TCM and they rated it highly. I figured it was time I saw another film noir so I went with this, and it was a swell recommendation.

The plot isn't too complex: a man's wife is murdered while he is out on the town. He (Scott Henderson) hangs out with a mysterious lady with a giant hat you'd expect to see a dame wear at the Kentucky Derby. They go to some places but the cops believe that the man murdered his wife and has no one seems to remember the titular phantom lady, he has no alibi so he is sentenced to death. His secretary “Kansas” (who has taken a fancy to him; she was played by the awesome and lovely Ella Raines) is not fine with his injustice so she wishes to exonerate him and she does so by meeting up with those people who claimed they saw Scott on that fateful night but not that woman.

Of course I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, except that it fits the genre like a glove. It has what you expect: tense moments, /light vs. shadows, moments of silence, the authorities not always getting it right, and as I have seen in a few movies already, scenes involving jazz; here, Elisha Cook Jr. is his usual skittish self as a jazz drummer. A big asset is Raines as Kansas. While she gets assistance from a sympathetic police detective, she is still great as she takes charge and goes to all the people responsible and asks why they lied.

While the complaints about the ending not quite fitting the rest of the picture is valid to me, I understand it was the Hays Code which required such a thing and I did not let it bother me too much. It's still a solid example of a film noir and like I said, that recommendation did not lead me astray.

Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry (2015)

55% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 76 reviews)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Ilya Naishuller

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Haley Bennett, Danila Kozlovsky, Andrei Dementiev, Tim Roth... in a glorified cameo

From: Bazelevs Production/Versus Pictures

I saw the debut of this film last night at a new movie theatre; it was another Epic Theatres location, but this one is in the Southeastern part of Orlando by the International Airport. It looks nice and all, but I won't be back there anytime soon. The way some of the staff treated me, the not customer friendly layout, a lot of the electronic things aside from the lights and projectors not working right... there are plenty of places I can go instead. The nice electric reclining chairs (no joke) they had there can't make up for those faults.

Anyhow, my opinion of this at times nauseating (and not because of its graphic violence) movie is below via Letterboxd:

NOTE: This is important that I start this review off with a message for everyone who wants to see this but hasn't yet: remember in the past how theatres had to put up notices that The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield could make you feel nauseous due to the camera shaking around? Well, I saw both on the big screen and had no issue with either. This film, as it's all first person the camera usually isn't steady so whenever there's any action... I thought I'd be OK with it but for much of the second act I was not feeling 100% and a few times I had to look away. Thankfully I felt better by the final act but this was something that needed to be said at the beginning of this review and yes, it did ultimately affect my rating of this.

Last night I had free time so I went and saw the debut of a film that I've known of for a long while; the first ever first person movie that's basically a first person shooter on the big screen is something that will stick in my head forever. I saw the trailer with the Queen song Can't Stop Me Now (which did appear in the movie, in a memorable way) and that was awesome so I was hoping I would enjoy this wacky concept of a man who becomes a cyborg and he's on the run as he tries to protect his lady (Haley Bennett, who was made to look as much as Jennifer Lawrence as possible) from a villain that acted and looked like he was straight from something like Dragonball or Bleach... and it all takes place in Russia.

As for the movie itself... from the trailer I had no idea how weird this would be. I mean, comparing this to Crank or Crank 2: High Voltage (at times the movie seems to do direct homages to those films), that over the top duo of motion pictures actually seem normal. The story is just so strange and out there and filled with over the top moments; to paraphrase a general quote I have seen elsewhere, I won't spoil anything because people probably wouldn't believe it and I couldn't try to explain what the plot is anyway, as how do you explain something you do not understand? Honestly, if it wasn't for some moments that could be argued as being rather misogynistic, I could say that this would have been written by me... if I was on bath salts! There is a lot of graphic violence, nudity, foul language, drug use, and other things that make it a hard R rated picture.

The performances are about what you'd expect from something like this. Sharlto Copley, what a role for him. One scene he was in just about left me gobsmacked, and I'll leave it at that. The score was rather, um, interesting. The popular songs you do hear, they were unexpected. To sum it all up, if you love over the top action movies and/or first person shooters-I've only dabbled a little bit in that gaming genre-then you'll probably love this... as long as you don't get motion sickness, that is.

The Howling

The Howling (1981)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Joe Dante

Starring: Dee Wallace, Patrick Macnee, Dennis Dugan, Christopher Stone, Belinda Balaski

From: AVCO Embassy Pictures

Would you believe this was a first time watch for me? It's true. I explain it all in my Letterboxd review below:

Would people believe that I had seen two Howling sequels before I had seen the original film? It's true. They were two of the most infamous movies in the entire genre, The Howling II (which is one star in terms of quality but five stars in terms of entertainment) and The Howling: New Moon Rising, which is a half star movie in terms of quality and probably negative stars in terms of entertainment. When I do those reviews anew later in the year I'll give a better take on how I feel about each one. I'll also see some of the sequels I hadn't seen before.

Anyhow, with this film (based upon a novel by Gary Brander that I have never read) I am sure that most are familiar with the plot of how Dee Wallace is a news reporter and she is traumatized after an incident with a serial killer so she and her husband go to a rural retreat but you know, werewolves... it can be said that there are meandering moments and some uneven bits. However, I can still say this is pretty good. The cast is nice and does well. Besides Wallace there's the likes of Patrick Macnee, John Carradine and in a small role Dick Miller; Carradine's wacky role was the most memorable to me.

There are moments of dark comedy for sure (and nice in-jokes such as props from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre appearing or how there are many character last names that are taken from the surnames of people that had directed werewolf movies before) but once the story is set up and you see the werewolves, it is effective as a horror film. I agree with others that say the aspect of a woman being traumatized by a menacing bad guy is terrifying too... it's just scary in a different way. Both Rob Bottin and Rick Baker did the special effects so it should go without saying that the transformation scenes are effective, and the costumes are nice too. The score from Pino Donaggio is pretty rad, especially the great end credits tune. And what a memorable-not to mention melancholy-ending.

I know from personal experience and hearsay, what a bizarre variety of sequels this one movie produced. At least the one that started it all is a horror movie still worth seeing 35 years after the fact.

Rewind This!

Rewind This! (2013)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Josh Johnson

Starring: This is a documentary

From: Several small companies

This was a documentary that brought back nostalgic feelings for the VHS era; it's not perfect but it's still enjoyable. I explain it all in my Letterboxd review below: 

Pretty much for the entirety of 2016 I have been an Amazon Prime member yet I haven't really taken advantage of the section of Amazon Instant Video where there are free Prime movies. Well, this is one of those and as I have known of this ever since it came out and it'll be gone from Prime in about a week and a half, I figured it was time to check it out. Of the other opinions I have heard about it, most liked it but I know someone on a messageboard who wasn't a fan because “the movie had hipster douchebags.” While there were some hipsters present and they aren't always my favorite people, I was able to tolerate or at least laugh at those goofballs who actually like pan and scan or got tattoos of cassette tapes.

The movie covers a lot in 90 minutes and there were things I wish were covered more or covered less; an odd detour was taken when they talked about how watching movies has become digital and why that's an issue. Yet, I can still say I enjoyed this as everything was covered from when VHS began to how it became popular (Basket Case and Media Home Entertainment was surprisingly a big reason why; Media Home Entertainment is a label I have fond memories of), its impact in Asia, how it allowed for a lot of low-budget nonsense to be released in the 80's-it's still crap that sometimes can be fun to watch-and the important aspect of how there are still plenty of motion pictures that never made it to disc and as not everything is on YouTube or the bowels of the Internet, people should still have a VCR. Oh, and both Betamax and pornography were discussed too, and porn did play a role in Betamax biting the dust despite superior picture quality.

I wouldn't have minded it being longer as like I said a lot was covered and many different people were interviewed... from Cassandra Peterson as herself and Frank Henenlotter (he was a highlight) to critics and some rather odd people; and I don't even know what to make of David “The Rock” Nelson and if he's a gimmick or he actually is that weird.

I am in my mid 30's so when I was a kid and even a young adult I spent plenty of time at videostores, wandering around and at times renting random things-I am glad that there was time devoted to awesome VHS cover art, albeit it was too short-and watching this brought back those golden memories. The digital movement is great and it is awesome how there's plenty of selection from famous and obscure to cult favorites and all-time classics on sites like Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, Redbox and Amazon Instant Video; yet, I am sad that videostores are a critically endangered species. I only joined Blockbuster when I had to, which was in the last few years it was a thing. Before that it was the mom and pop shops for me. While the picture quality was crappy and you had to deal with such things as tracking problems, I will always have positive thoughts of both VHS and videostores.

Round-Up Time In Texas

Round-Up Time in Texas (1937)

Runtime: 55 minutes

Directed by: Joseph Kane

Starring: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, Maxine Doyle, LeRoy Mason, The Cabin Kids (yes, an actual credit)

From: Republic

I have been wrapped up in other things the past few days so I hadn't the time to watch motion pictures; now, for about the next week or so the floodgates may be opened and I could be posting here a few times per day. I know that I'll be posting at least one new review for Wednesday proper. For now, read about a rather strange little Western via my Letterboxd review below: 

This was not planned but because of various reasons I haven't felt like or just haven't been able to watch any films these past few days. However, things should be back to normal now. What a better way to get back on track than to watch an obscure Gene Autry B-movie Western which was mentioned by a mutual earlier in the year and is most noted for being horrifyingly racist viewing it with 2016 eyes? I have to note that as kids, my parents loved watching all the Westerns that were on television at the time, including the TV shows that starred Autry and Roy Rogers. I don't know how much of the 30's and 40's serials starring those two that they saw, though. At least once in a blue moon I should try to watch one of those as they are not so hard to track down, they at least are around an hour long, they should be easy watches, and there may be some things that tickle me pink.

This movie, though, the whole racism thing is like a giant stain on the carpet that you can't get out. The plot is pretty absurd: Gene and his friend named FROG MILLHOUSE deliver a herd of horses to South Africa! Yes, they went from Texas to South Africa, and they immediately were able to round up the horses then be willing and able to go on a ship taking who knows how many weeks to get there. This is done because Gene's brother is there and he's diamond mining, which is one of the rare things they got right about that particular country. It's not all “deepest darkest Africa” or sets that look like leftovers from a ripoff of a Tarzan picture, but that's a good amount of what the filmmakers think the environment of South Africa is. People are after Gene's brother, but does anyone really care about the specifics of the plot? Note that you hear a few songs, and they are fine but they were time-killers-although the song making fun of Polish people was rather unexpected-there's a potential love interest, etc.

The real issue comes up halfway through with “the natives” (i.e. black people); many of the black people you see carry spears and shields, they speak in gibberish that is supposed to be their native tongue, they have their body painted, they engage in “human sacrifice”, there's chanting, they think that Frog is a “white God” because they are entertained by his harmonica playing... it's not just absurd, it's offensive. Oh, and there is also a BLACKFACE moment where Frog disguises himself in order to try and escape the natives and he swings on vines as if he's Tarzan, then there's a gorilla... Then again, women aren't treated much better; Gene tells the lead girl to “shut up” then drags her along on an adventure against her consent.

While I can be amused that grain alcohol manages to sneak its way into the plot and it actually became a plot point, this is still basically an average story that tries to add a few different elements to the genre but it's brought down by the gross stereotypes.

March Around The World, 2016

A few weeks ago I promised that I'd post here my list of the foreign movies I watched in March. You can look at that by clicking here.

You can look at all the lists I have made on Letterboxd by clicking here.

Pixote

Pixote (Pixote: A Lei Do Mais Fraco) (1981)

Runtime: 128 minutes

Directed by: Hector Babenco

Starring: Fernando Ramos da Silva, Jorge Juliao, Gilberto Moura, Edilson Lino, Zenildo Oliveria Santos

From: Embrafilme/HB Filmes

This is a movie I had watched once a long time ago; I finally saw it again last night and it is a picture I can give my highest recommendations to. This is the last foreign film I watch... for the month devoted to that, that is. I'll keep on seeing them at a decent frequency the other 11 months. I explain why in my Letterboxd review below:

This is the final movie I am doing in my March Around the World deal and not everything I watched was expected and I wish I could have gotten to more than 14 motion pictures, but things happened and I am still glad I saw what I did, even if some of the films weren't good. I picked this one as a mutual mentioned it on a list he created of movies that he thought deserved more attention, and this was one of them. I actually had seen this before, although it was more than a decade ago so I only remembered a few faint things about what happened; I just recalled it was great, and it is. I know that in the past I looked to see if I could stream it online as I wanted to see it again; not that long ago Amazon Instant Video added it, so I almost instantly watched the film again after all of those years.

While this is not the easiest thing to watch, I still say that this is excellent. The plot revolves around the dark, dark world of runaway children on the street of Brazil (Sao Paulo, to be specific) and we follow a few of them-including the title character-end up in a juvenile reformatory, which is a corrupt place. Even after they leave that hellhole, life is still pretty brutal for them. The gang includes the lead-who was only about 12 years old, and he does some shocking things-and a character who happened to be transgender; while I am not trans myself, the role seemed nuanced and mature instead of gross and exploitative. Unlike too many people today, her friends refer to her by the correct pronouns.

As this is an unfiltered look at that sort of lifestyle, that is why I say this is a rough watch. It's a tale with few heroes, that is for sure. Yet it is endlessly captivating as we follow these youths locked up and on the street, and both those places are not fit for those characters, even if they do things like lie, cheat, rob, stab... and worse. All of the youths are not trained actors but instead taken from the slums that this movie is set in, adding to authenticity, along with the documentary neo-realism style that it was filmed in. Besides the characters and the unforgettable story, it was filmed expertly by director Hector Babenco.

Real life makes the film even more heartbreaking. Lead Fernando Ramos da Silva is magnificent as Pixote and that's not an easy role in the least. He wasn't quite the criminal that he was here in real life but he was still from the streets and being famous wasn't easy for him. Well, at the age of 19 he was killed in an incident with police; regrettably it sounds like what happens too often in the United States, where the cops claim that they were being attacked but others claim that what they did was more akin to murder. I don't know what the case was here, but what happened to him was still pretty sad, and also what you might imagine have happened to the Pixote character.

I do agree that it is a movie which needs more attention as it likely is one of the best ever to come out of Brazil, and is just a great motion picture, even if it's the sort of thing you don't want to watch frequently. It certainly tells you how life can be down there, and amongst all the chaos going on down there I presume that the poor youths of the slums still have to lead such sad, sad lives. And that is no April Fools Day joke.