Killbillies (Idila) (2015)
Runtime: 83 minutes
Directed by: Tomaz Gorkic
Starring: Nina Ivanisin, Lotos Sparovec, Nika Rozman, Sebastian Cavazza, Jurji Drevensek
From: Several Slovenian Companies
A Slovenian horror movie sounds wacky and yet it's true... unfortunately, this movie is less than idyll, which is the English translation of its original title. I talk about it below:
For Memorial Day yesterday, I thought about watching a movie appropriate for the day; then I realized that this wasn't a thing I had really done before so instead I watched something else and I'll say right now that I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day, as it is a great day to remember those who lost their lives while in the armed forces. Although, maybe I should have watched something that I thought could have been good...
I think this was another movie I stumbled upon while looking at Amazon Prime; that was where I watched this. I did not have high expectations considering its goofy title. At least that was not a translation of its original Slovenian title... yes, this is from Slovenia. As everyone confuses that and Slovakia, the latter is a former member of the USSR and thus is in that region (north of Hungary), Slovenia is bordered by Hungary, Italy, Croatia, and Austria and yeah, is now most famous for being the home country of Melania Trump. I've heard that this was the first horror movie from the country; unfortunately, this seems like every other horror movie you've seen, in the worst way. There's not a lot of originality and most of it seems old-hat and tired.
The plot is that two models are on a shoot in the woods (which at least are quite scenic) with the photographer and the makeup girl, when two deformed inbred hillbillies show up and what you expect to happen happens, including seeing women get abused. While the reason for the killings is not what you'd expect, otherwise this is so predictable and familiar and lacking in imagination, there's no real reason to see this; there's even a rather cynical ending, and there should have been more satire about the fashion industry and how shallow it is. One of the models being a twit who babbles on incessantly and is incredibly irritating is not enough on that end.
Admittedly, the movie does look nice, there is some gore, the cast is fine and I can't say this is poorly made; it's just lacking in imagination or more elements that will make it stand out from all the other movies in the redneckploitation genre. Really, you're better off watching something like Wrong Turn or Wrong Turn 2 (which I'll give good reviews to in the future) as those do this better and have more creativity. The novelty of a horror film from a country not known for its film scene on a worldwide stage is not a good enough reason to watch this, even if you can see it for free because it's on Prime.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope
Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope (Urufu Gai: Moero Okami-Otoko) (1975)
Runtime: 86 minutes
Directed by: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Koji Fujiyama, Haruki Jo, Kenji Kawai, Hiroshi Kondo
From: Toei
Here's an obscure film I have known about for awhile now and I am greatly excited I got to see a Sonny Chiba werewolf picture, even if it's not exactly what I expected. Find out why:
I do not remember when I first heard about this movie, except it was a few years ago on some website, and I was greatly amused to hear there was a Sonny Chiba werewolf motion picture. Trying to track it down was impossible; I now know that the movie never came out on home video even in its native Japan, and that's unfortunate. Thank goodness for Arrow Video, who just released this on Blu-ray under the title Wolf Guy; that release was delayed as it was originally going to come out last month. Purchasing this was a must, as it was not something I was expecting to get such a release. Thank heavens I was not let down by this movie.
I will be honest up front and say that this wasn't always what I expected; after all, Chiba does not actually turn into a werewolf. To steal a line from someone else here, SONNY CHIBA IS WOLVERINE is a more apt comparison (and one that will also be appealing to people), but naturally he isn't at full power unless it's the time of the full moon. He is a reporter who spots a mysterious death and he investigates. I won't say much more, except that he is the last of his kind, mysterious people are interested in his powers, there are psychic attacks... the movie has action, horror, mystery, and other things that blend together into its own beast... pun intended.
The movie is pretty weird; yeah, it's not weird in comparison to such Japanese cinema as Funky Forest (I've only seen a short clip from that and that is MUCH more surreal than Wolf Guy) but by most other standards this is still odd. Various genres are mixed together, there's a lot of bloodshed, a funky as hell 70's score, some psychedelic imagery, the typical Sonny Chiba martial arts, and the typical Sonny Chiba thing of multiple women falling in love with him on the spot. The film's only 86 minutes long so it's never boring.
If this movie sounds like something you'd enjoy and you always wanted to see Sonny Chiba use healing powers in an unforgettable way, I highly recommend this new release.
Runtime: 86 minutes
Directed by: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Starring: Sonny Chiba, Koji Fujiyama, Haruki Jo, Kenji Kawai, Hiroshi Kondo
From: Toei
Here's an obscure film I have known about for awhile now and I am greatly excited I got to see a Sonny Chiba werewolf picture, even if it's not exactly what I expected. Find out why:
I do not remember when I first heard about this movie, except it was a few years ago on some website, and I was greatly amused to hear there was a Sonny Chiba werewolf motion picture. Trying to track it down was impossible; I now know that the movie never came out on home video even in its native Japan, and that's unfortunate. Thank goodness for Arrow Video, who just released this on Blu-ray under the title Wolf Guy; that release was delayed as it was originally going to come out last month. Purchasing this was a must, as it was not something I was expecting to get such a release. Thank heavens I was not let down by this movie.
I will be honest up front and say that this wasn't always what I expected; after all, Chiba does not actually turn into a werewolf. To steal a line from someone else here, SONNY CHIBA IS WOLVERINE is a more apt comparison (and one that will also be appealing to people), but naturally he isn't at full power unless it's the time of the full moon. He is a reporter who spots a mysterious death and he investigates. I won't say much more, except that he is the last of his kind, mysterious people are interested in his powers, there are psychic attacks... the movie has action, horror, mystery, and other things that blend together into its own beast... pun intended.
The movie is pretty weird; yeah, it's not weird in comparison to such Japanese cinema as Funky Forest (I've only seen a short clip from that and that is MUCH more surreal than Wolf Guy) but by most other standards this is still odd. Various genres are mixed together, there's a lot of bloodshed, a funky as hell 70's score, some psychedelic imagery, the typical Sonny Chiba martial arts, and the typical Sonny Chiba thing of multiple women falling in love with him on the spot. The film's only 86 minutes long so it's never boring.
If this movie sounds like something you'd enjoy and you always wanted to see Sonny Chiba use healing powers in an unforgettable way, I highly recommend this new release.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Queen Of Spades: The Dark Rite
Queen of Spades: The Dark Rite (Pikovaya Dama. Chyornyy Obryad) (2015)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Directed by: Svyatoslav Podgayevskiy
Starring: Alina Babak, Valeriya Dmitrieva, Igor Khripunov, Evgenia Loza, Sergey Pokhodaev
From: Enjoy Movies/Ultrafilm
This is a random film I saw on Wednesday night; I saw no movie last night as I went to the big comic con in Orlando known as Megacon (which was a lot of fun, although it was exhausting) and tonight I'll be rewatching something I've seen and reviewed before so I'll be back Sunday night with a new review. For now, here's this random Russian horror flick which isn't exactly unique:
Here is another movie I stumbled upon on Amazon Prime; its main distinction is that it's a 2015 flick from Russia, thankfully subtitled. I wasn't sure what to expect from a modern Russian horror movie; at least from this example, it was “quite derivative of horror films from Hollywood, both classic and modern.”
After all, the plot is that some youths are together and they do a deal where they draw a door and some steps on a mirror and they say a phrase three times so the title character can show up... indeed, not very original. From there, those youths are haunted and they try to cover up all mirrors but that goes awry... I won't spoil anything but plenty of “homages” can be seen throughout, and you don't have to be a horror expert to spot most of them.
To the movie's credit, it does look and sound good, and I can't complain about the performance of the actors, and the characters are not intolerable. Unfortunately, most of it seems old hat as so many things are borrowed, including general themes. The big bad is a goofy CG creation and there are jumpscares. For many people who watch even a small amount of horror, it will come across as unoriginal. At least with what is mixed together the movie is alright, an average watch. It's not gory, like at all; that wasn't a big deal to me.
I was amused by some aspects of the movie. For example, one of the trademarks of Queen is that she... cuts off a small part of the victim's hair right before the kill. The backstory to the character explains it but it still is a little daffy. I won't reveal what these moments are but I just about guffawed a few times due to some bonkers moments that come out of nowhere, and I wondered a few times if a character really knew what they were talking about in their “expert” position or they were just pulling things out of their ass at the spur of the moment.
Hopefully there is modern Russian horror that has more of a Russian flavor rather than riffing on famous American horror... and if so, I'd like to see some of that in the future.
Runtime: 93 minutes
Directed by: Svyatoslav Podgayevskiy
Starring: Alina Babak, Valeriya Dmitrieva, Igor Khripunov, Evgenia Loza, Sergey Pokhodaev
From: Enjoy Movies/Ultrafilm
This is a random film I saw on Wednesday night; I saw no movie last night as I went to the big comic con in Orlando known as Megacon (which was a lot of fun, although it was exhausting) and tonight I'll be rewatching something I've seen and reviewed before so I'll be back Sunday night with a new review. For now, here's this random Russian horror flick which isn't exactly unique:
Here is another movie I stumbled upon on Amazon Prime; its main distinction is that it's a 2015 flick from Russia, thankfully subtitled. I wasn't sure what to expect from a modern Russian horror movie; at least from this example, it was “quite derivative of horror films from Hollywood, both classic and modern.”
After all, the plot is that some youths are together and they do a deal where they draw a door and some steps on a mirror and they say a phrase three times so the title character can show up... indeed, not very original. From there, those youths are haunted and they try to cover up all mirrors but that goes awry... I won't spoil anything but plenty of “homages” can be seen throughout, and you don't have to be a horror expert to spot most of them.
To the movie's credit, it does look and sound good, and I can't complain about the performance of the actors, and the characters are not intolerable. Unfortunately, most of it seems old hat as so many things are borrowed, including general themes. The big bad is a goofy CG creation and there are jumpscares. For many people who watch even a small amount of horror, it will come across as unoriginal. At least with what is mixed together the movie is alright, an average watch. It's not gory, like at all; that wasn't a big deal to me.
I was amused by some aspects of the movie. For example, one of the trademarks of Queen is that she... cuts off a small part of the victim's hair right before the kill. The backstory to the character explains it but it still is a little daffy. I won't reveal what these moments are but I just about guffawed a few times due to some bonkers moments that come out of nowhere, and I wondered a few times if a character really knew what they were talking about in their “expert” position or they were just pulling things out of their ass at the spur of the moment.
Hopefully there is modern Russian horror that has more of a Russian flavor rather than riffing on famous American horror... and if so, I'd like to see some of that in the future.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Cloak & Dagger
Cloak & Dagger (1984)
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Richard Franklin
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, Michael Murphy, Christina Nigra, John McIntire
From: Universal
Last night I saw this movie, one that I have watched before... including as a young child. Read all about it below:
Nostalgia may play a part in my rating, as I remember watching this movie on a broadcast TV channel one night way back in the mid to late 1980's, meaning I was still a little kid at the time. To think that another movie I remember watching on the same channel was f'ing D.C. Cab. No, I can't explain how you could make a broadcast TV version of that film, either.
Anyhow, of course a kid like me would enjoy an adventure where a 12 year old boy is in love with adventure games and playing spy... and he has to do it in real life when he is passed an Atari cartridge (yes, that definitely dates this) that secretly has plans from the United States military for a brand new fighter jet and various bad guys want it so they can sell those plans to foreign countries... as an adult, you are quite surprised at how this was a movie where the boy Davey and his younger pal Kim are both put in constant peril and are shot at, threatened bodily harm, see traumatizing things, do traumatizing things, etc. It never bothered me back then and it still doesn't now; I don't know about the kids of today, though...
As an adult I also notice how it is pretty sad that Davey is a child who just lost his mother and he is distant from his father because they can't relate to each other so because of the mental strain he is under he comes up with an imaginary friend that is the manifestation of his favorite Atari game character, the secret agent Jack Flack... and he imagines Flack as looking like his dad. Movies for kids were way different back then... at least the conflict between father and son has the expected nice resolution, and this was the closet we got to Dabney Coleman, Action Star. I was definitely amused to see “Bill” Forsythe as the stereotypical 1980's nerd who loved videogames, computers, and tabletop games... he had bad teeth, a beard, Coke bottle glasses... then again, that sounds like the description for some of today's nerds!
I can also appreciate at an adult how this was directed by the Australian director Richard Franklin, a man who was an admitted giant fanboy of Hitchcock, and it showed in movies like Road Games, Psycho II, and this... it's a Hichcockian mystery that happens to have kids as the leads. There are even some twists that The Master of Suspense would probably appreciate as they are right out of his playbook. Additionally, it was a nice nod how the sheriff from Psycho (John McIntire) is in this movie in a supporting role.
I understand those that don't feel as strongly about the movie; me remembering it from so many years ago does play a part in my opinion of it currently, along with general 80's nostalgia. But, the Hitchcockian elements is what made me entertained as an adult film fan.
Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Richard Franklin
Starring: Henry Thomas, Dabney Coleman, Michael Murphy, Christina Nigra, John McIntire
From: Universal
Last night I saw this movie, one that I have watched before... including as a young child. Read all about it below:
Nostalgia may play a part in my rating, as I remember watching this movie on a broadcast TV channel one night way back in the mid to late 1980's, meaning I was still a little kid at the time. To think that another movie I remember watching on the same channel was f'ing D.C. Cab. No, I can't explain how you could make a broadcast TV version of that film, either.
Anyhow, of course a kid like me would enjoy an adventure where a 12 year old boy is in love with adventure games and playing spy... and he has to do it in real life when he is passed an Atari cartridge (yes, that definitely dates this) that secretly has plans from the United States military for a brand new fighter jet and various bad guys want it so they can sell those plans to foreign countries... as an adult, you are quite surprised at how this was a movie where the boy Davey and his younger pal Kim are both put in constant peril and are shot at, threatened bodily harm, see traumatizing things, do traumatizing things, etc. It never bothered me back then and it still doesn't now; I don't know about the kids of today, though...
As an adult I also notice how it is pretty sad that Davey is a child who just lost his mother and he is distant from his father because they can't relate to each other so because of the mental strain he is under he comes up with an imaginary friend that is the manifestation of his favorite Atari game character, the secret agent Jack Flack... and he imagines Flack as looking like his dad. Movies for kids were way different back then... at least the conflict between father and son has the expected nice resolution, and this was the closet we got to Dabney Coleman, Action Star. I was definitely amused to see “Bill” Forsythe as the stereotypical 1980's nerd who loved videogames, computers, and tabletop games... he had bad teeth, a beard, Coke bottle glasses... then again, that sounds like the description for some of today's nerds!
I can also appreciate at an adult how this was directed by the Australian director Richard Franklin, a man who was an admitted giant fanboy of Hitchcock, and it showed in movies like Road Games, Psycho II, and this... it's a Hichcockian mystery that happens to have kids as the leads. There are even some twists that The Master of Suspense would probably appreciate as they are right out of his playbook. Additionally, it was a nice nod how the sheriff from Psycho (John McIntire) is in this movie in a supporting role.
I understand those that don't feel as strongly about the movie; me remembering it from so many years ago does play a part in my opinion of it currently, along with general 80's nostalgia. But, the Hitchcockian elements is what made me entertained as an adult film fan.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Footlight Parade
Footlight Parade (1933)
Runtime: 103 minutes
Directed by: Lloyd Bacon
Starring: James Cagney, the typical people you'd expect in a Busby Berkeley musical
From: Warner Brothers
Sunday night, I rewatched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a film I still think is pretty good. I wasn't planning on watching this last night but then the awful news about Manchester broke, and I thought it was best that I saw something like and pleasant, which it was. Hear all about this below:
Personally, I decided that due to the horrible world news of last night, I would see something that wasn't dark and/or full of death; instead I would watch something light and pleasant. This was a good choice, as if it could successfully entertain those in the Great Depression... heck, the people of the United States this year may find this to be a good antidote to what's going on currently in this country...
Anyhow, this film is about James Cagney as a producer of vaudeville who has to find a new line of work once “the talkies” become popular and vaudeville went away. Instead, he joins the field of making “prologues”; this was before the movie studios filmed them and had them play before the double feature started... it was on-stage musical numbers done at each auditorium. As it had to be done at many locations around the country, it was incredibly stressful for Cagney to come up with new ideas for musical numbers, especially considering there's a dirty rat that's a spy for the competition and is leaking ideas. A lot happens in this fast-paced film (including some romance) and it ends up that they are on a deadline to present 3 lavish numbers all in one night to earn a big contract... or else.
Like I said this is a movie that moves pretty fast and that includes plenty of rapid-fire witty dialogue. The film is never boring, that is a guarantee. As this was still Pre-Code, it means that you get to hear several risque lines of dialogue that they could never have said even 18 months later. Ironically, a character in the film is a censor who tries to make sure nothing in a routine is too raunchy. While there are some politically incorrect moments, I understand that was how Hollywood was so I did not get too outraged. The cast has some names you'd expect in a Busby Berkeley film (Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee) and it was nice seeing those talented performers but to me Cagney was the highlight as the lead, showing off his considerable charisma. You even get to see him sing and dance.
As always, I enjoyed seeing those lavish Berkeley musical numbers, expertly choreographed, incredibly lavish, and are pretty spectacular. It was a treat finding out that the final act was 3 of those routines all in a row. Thankfully this was incredibly charming and took my mind off of what's wrong with the world, at least for 103 minutes.
Runtime: 103 minutes
Directed by: Lloyd Bacon
Starring: James Cagney, the typical people you'd expect in a Busby Berkeley musical
From: Warner Brothers
Sunday night, I rewatched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a film I still think is pretty good. I wasn't planning on watching this last night but then the awful news about Manchester broke, and I thought it was best that I saw something like and pleasant, which it was. Hear all about this below:
Personally, I decided that due to the horrible world news of last night, I would see something that wasn't dark and/or full of death; instead I would watch something light and pleasant. This was a good choice, as if it could successfully entertain those in the Great Depression... heck, the people of the United States this year may find this to be a good antidote to what's going on currently in this country...
Anyhow, this film is about James Cagney as a producer of vaudeville who has to find a new line of work once “the talkies” become popular and vaudeville went away. Instead, he joins the field of making “prologues”; this was before the movie studios filmed them and had them play before the double feature started... it was on-stage musical numbers done at each auditorium. As it had to be done at many locations around the country, it was incredibly stressful for Cagney to come up with new ideas for musical numbers, especially considering there's a dirty rat that's a spy for the competition and is leaking ideas. A lot happens in this fast-paced film (including some romance) and it ends up that they are on a deadline to present 3 lavish numbers all in one night to earn a big contract... or else.
Like I said this is a movie that moves pretty fast and that includes plenty of rapid-fire witty dialogue. The film is never boring, that is a guarantee. As this was still Pre-Code, it means that you get to hear several risque lines of dialogue that they could never have said even 18 months later. Ironically, a character in the film is a censor who tries to make sure nothing in a routine is too raunchy. While there are some politically incorrect moments, I understand that was how Hollywood was so I did not get too outraged. The cast has some names you'd expect in a Busby Berkeley film (Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee) and it was nice seeing those talented performers but to me Cagney was the highlight as the lead, showing off his considerable charisma. You even get to see him sing and dance.
As always, I enjoyed seeing those lavish Berkeley musical numbers, expertly choreographed, incredibly lavish, and are pretty spectacular. It was a treat finding out that the final act was 3 of those routines all in a row. Thankfully this was incredibly charming and took my mind off of what's wrong with the world, at least for 103 minutes.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Beretta's Island
Beretta's Island (1993)
Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Michael Preece
Starring: Franco Columbu, Ken Kercheval, Elizabeth Kaitan, Van Quattro, Tammara Souza
From: Franco Columbu Productions Inc.
What an interesting story I have about this movie. I saw it because of someone on Letterboxd telling me to see it. Don't worry, it was a fun list that they're doing and participation is of course voluntary. I explain it below:
Runtime: 97 minutes
Directed by: Michael Preece
Starring: Franco Columbu, Ken Kercheval, Elizabeth Kaitan, Van Quattro, Tammara Souza
From: Franco Columbu Productions Inc.
What an interesting story I have about this movie. I saw it because of someone on Letterboxd telling me to see it. Don't worry, it was a fun list that they're doing and participation is of course voluntary. I explain it below:
If you want to know how I came across this obscure film when I did not even know of its existence until Friday night, site member Nathaxnne Walker recently created a list where anyone can give a number in a set of numbers and looking at one of those psychotronic video guides. I decided to participate, and what I got was this movie. Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult to track down, although yes I had to search for it using a trick of the trade and it wasn't an entirely 100% legal way of seeing it.
Star/co-writer/producer Franco Columbu is best known for being a bodybuilder who was in Pumping Iron and has been friends with Schwarzenegger for decades now. Movie-wise he is best known for being Future Terminator in The Terminator, which was a small role but at least it was memorable. The film has an opening crawl explaining that Franco wanted to make this movie because the problem of drugs recently reached his island home of Sardinia and he wanted to spotlight this. As noble of an intention as that is, the movie is pretty bad. It has unintentionally hilarious moments but isn't as ineptly amazing as Samurai Cop... I guess an average rating is appropriate.
The plot has Columbu (a former member of INTERPOL!) team up with a young female cop to take down a druglord who happens to live in Sardinia. The movies rushes to get you there... such things as “pacing” and “logic” and “plot progression” are things that this film can't quite master. At least it was interesting seeing that island and some of its customs. But yes you shouldn't go out of your way to see this unless you are a giant fan of terrible 90's action films. It's poorly made yet if you really want to watch this, you can laugh at such things as the early 90's wardrobe/soundtrack or how Columbu is only 5 foot 5 (i.e. 1.68 meters) and the movie does not try to disguise this fact via clever camera angles or other visual tricks. In addition, there are some people in the cast who you may recognize if you are a giant film fan. If you know Ken Kercheval, Robin from Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood (she's the lady cop, believe it or not), Gibbons the Cyberdyne security guard from T2, or a main player from the 5th Silent Night, Deadly Night (yes, the bizarre one which is some sort of parable about Pinocchio), you are probably a big movie nerd.
There is action, whether it's shootouts, fistfights, and what have you... none of it is done spectacularly, to say the very least. There is some nudity for those that enjoy such things... but there's sites like Pornhub so that isn't a big deal anymore.
What was the highlight for me was out literally out of nowhere, there's a scene where Franco appears shirtless with some wine, and he tries to romance his woman cop partner! He's quite a bit older than her to boot, so it's pretty comical. Him then making sexually suggestive remarks when they work out at a gym... not a progressive view on women he has. But as this is an old action picture, of course Franco ends up banging lady cop. Another highlight was the opening scene, where out of nowhere Arnold shows up. It's only a cameo that lasts for a few minutes and it's on YouTube. They work out and Arnold says that Franco's wine is made by him stomping on grapes.
In the future I'll try to watch at least once in a blue moon those random early 90's no-budget action films. I imagine I could one day stumble upon something as astounding as Samurai Cop that no one knows about because it's never gotten any notable publicity.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Alien: Covenant
Alien: Covenant (2017)
73% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 238 reviews)
Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir
From: 20th Century Fox
I saw this movie in its debut last night. I was hoping I'd love it more than Prometheus. I did, but it's not legendary like Alien or Aliens. I try to explain why in a non-spoiler manner below;
Last night I went and saw this movie debut in the United States. As I thought the sound and visuals were the best aspect of Prometheus, it made sense to check this out on a giant screen, which I did, and which was a great idea. I thought that Pro was only average overall due to major problems I had with the story and characters. Here, it does seem more like something in the Alien universe and it does elaborate upon Pro... that doesn't retroactively make Prometheus any better, mind you. At least those two movies were bridged together here. The story is not as ambitious as in Pro, but at least it's not as stupid... regrettably, there are still stupid things that characters do because it's in the script. I say “character stupidity” is a plague that has infected Hollywood for years now but that is another rant for another time.
By now I presume most know what the general plot is: a ship known as the Covenant ends up on a planet with David from Prometheus and things go wrong and a xenomorph shows up. Personally, I enjoyed the characters more here than in Pro, and that went a long way for me in enjoying this movie. Katherine Waterston did a swell job as Not Ellen Ripley and Danny McBride was definitely different than his Kenny Powers guise; like in Pro, Michael Fassbender was the best part of the movie and to our benefit, he plays both a returning David and a new android named Walter. It was especially intriguing seeing Fassbender and Fassbender interacting with each other, and what a relationship those two had. It led to a “that's what she said” sort of comment and whether or not it was supposed to elicit giggles from audiences, that's what happened at my screening.
I understand those who aren't fans of this movie; it may depend on what you thought of Prometheus. Personally, I enjoyed how the movie looked and sounded (even if it does the all-too-common thing of having long stretches being in dark, rainy weather), the characters were unfortunately dumb too often but I could usually rationalize it and overall I thought they were fine and not annoying... the story is not as bold as in Pro but it is still related to Pro and it was still interesting... although maybe some things shouldn't have been skimmed over so quickly. It is a possibility the movie won't work as well for me on future viewings but for now I will say this was enjoyable. That said, I wish Prometheus and this would have been smart movies about big concepts that had plenty of intense moments, whether involving xenomorphs or other things. Those could have been 5 star classics, and flicks worthy of comparison to the legendary Alien and Aliens.
Instead, they go into the pile of a franchise that (and I am not including the AvP travesties) has a lot of variety and thus how they are ranked among fans will be very different. As this will be another summer where I am not at the cineplex too often, I am glad this was not something I was disappointed by, although like I said it could have been amazing.
73% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 238 reviews)
Runtime: 122 minutes
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demian Bichir
From: 20th Century Fox
I saw this movie in its debut last night. I was hoping I'd love it more than Prometheus. I did, but it's not legendary like Alien or Aliens. I try to explain why in a non-spoiler manner below;
Last night I went and saw this movie debut in the United States. As I thought the sound and visuals were the best aspect of Prometheus, it made sense to check this out on a giant screen, which I did, and which was a great idea. I thought that Pro was only average overall due to major problems I had with the story and characters. Here, it does seem more like something in the Alien universe and it does elaborate upon Pro... that doesn't retroactively make Prometheus any better, mind you. At least those two movies were bridged together here. The story is not as ambitious as in Pro, but at least it's not as stupid... regrettably, there are still stupid things that characters do because it's in the script. I say “character stupidity” is a plague that has infected Hollywood for years now but that is another rant for another time.
By now I presume most know what the general plot is: a ship known as the Covenant ends up on a planet with David from Prometheus and things go wrong and a xenomorph shows up. Personally, I enjoyed the characters more here than in Pro, and that went a long way for me in enjoying this movie. Katherine Waterston did a swell job as Not Ellen Ripley and Danny McBride was definitely different than his Kenny Powers guise; like in Pro, Michael Fassbender was the best part of the movie and to our benefit, he plays both a returning David and a new android named Walter. It was especially intriguing seeing Fassbender and Fassbender interacting with each other, and what a relationship those two had. It led to a “that's what she said” sort of comment and whether or not it was supposed to elicit giggles from audiences, that's what happened at my screening.
I understand those who aren't fans of this movie; it may depend on what you thought of Prometheus. Personally, I enjoyed how the movie looked and sounded (even if it does the all-too-common thing of having long stretches being in dark, rainy weather), the characters were unfortunately dumb too often but I could usually rationalize it and overall I thought they were fine and not annoying... the story is not as bold as in Pro but it is still related to Pro and it was still interesting... although maybe some things shouldn't have been skimmed over so quickly. It is a possibility the movie won't work as well for me on future viewings but for now I will say this was enjoyable. That said, I wish Prometheus and this would have been smart movies about big concepts that had plenty of intense moments, whether involving xenomorphs or other things. Those could have been 5 star classics, and flicks worthy of comparison to the legendary Alien and Aliens.
Instead, they go into the pile of a franchise that (and I am not including the AvP travesties) has a lot of variety and thus how they are ranked among fans will be very different. As this will be another summer where I am not at the cineplex too often, I am glad this was not something I was disappointed by, although like I said it could have been amazing.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Alien: Resurrection
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Runtime: I saw the Director's Cut that was 116 minutes long
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Obviously, Sigourney; there's also the likes of Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Michael Wincott, and Dominique Pinon
From: 20th Century Fox
I literally had not seen this movie in almost 20 years. My memories of it were hazy, except that I was not a fan. I was reminded why I was not a fan, as it's not a good movie; it has a unique look and all, but that doesn't make it good. I explain all that below:
Truth be told, it's because tonight I plan on seeing Alien: Covenant theatrically in its United States debut that inspired me to watch this movie; as I don't consider the AvP travesties to be canon to either the Alien or Predator series, this was the last in the series I needed to see again so I can give it a proper review. Honestly, I had only seen this once before, and that had to be soon after it hit the home video market... on VHS. Yes, it's almost been 20 years. That probably says what I thought about it even then. I barely remembered it except for some of its cast, a big revelation involving Winona Ryder's character, basketball, and xenomorphs swimming in water. I sure as hell did not remember seeing a certain monstrosity in the final act, but I'll get to that later. For the record, I saw the 2003 Special Edition of this movie, which is around 7 minutes longer.
The general idea of bringing back Ripley by cloning her is pretty goofy and I am not sure how that would result in the alien still being inside her... the film has more and worse logic problems than that, to be honest. Basically, a bunch of people you mostly don't care a whole lot about have to fight off the aliens after-shock of shocks-s*** goes wrong. Regrettably, the cloned Ripley is different and is even part xenomorph. Maybe something interesting could have resulted from that, but more often than not Ripley just comes off as a real weirdo and not even that pleasant to be around.
I'll mention right away an opinion I know won't be popular: I've never found Joss Whedon to be any good. What work I've seen from him I have never enjoyed. No, I haven't seen any of his Marvel movies but there is the chance I'd find them to be overrated. I know that he disavows his script as shot for the movie but him doing an Alien movie just doesn't seem right anyhow. It was obvious the studio wanted this movie to not be “grimdark” like the third one was but this comes off as so goofy; such things as “character motivations” are typically thrown right out the door and instead we get plenty of nonsense and bad humor. It's a shame as there were some inspired moments, the cast was full of familiar faces I enjoy, and as the director and cinematographer are talented Europeans, the movie does have a unique look and style to it... which wasn't enough to make me like this. It does make me actually want to see the rest of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's work... I know, I know, don't come at me with pitchforks.
I wish I could have liked an Alien movie that was quite gory and had the likes of Weaver, Ryder, Perlman, Wincott, Hedaya, and Dourif, but I have to be real here. This was not as good as it could have been. And oh boy, a lot of the late 90's CGI you see here does not look good at all 20 years later. Then there's the big reveal of something in the final act... I don't blame the people who put that together; I think the idea wouldn't have worked in execution as it just looks goofy as hell and I found it pretty difficult to take seriously.
While this was a misfire, at least you can say that the first four movies in this franchise were led by amazing directors who have a lot of talent and yet are all quite different from one another. Looking at who did those AvP movies... no wonder that was one of the many reasons why they will never be considered canon by me. I am hoping I'll dig Covenant more than this or ProMEHtheus, but who knows for certain.
Runtime: I saw the Director's Cut that was 116 minutes long
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Obviously, Sigourney; there's also the likes of Winona Ryder, Ron Perlman, Michael Wincott, and Dominique Pinon
From: 20th Century Fox
I literally had not seen this movie in almost 20 years. My memories of it were hazy, except that I was not a fan. I was reminded why I was not a fan, as it's not a good movie; it has a unique look and all, but that doesn't make it good. I explain all that below:
Truth be told, it's because tonight I plan on seeing Alien: Covenant theatrically in its United States debut that inspired me to watch this movie; as I don't consider the AvP travesties to be canon to either the Alien or Predator series, this was the last in the series I needed to see again so I can give it a proper review. Honestly, I had only seen this once before, and that had to be soon after it hit the home video market... on VHS. Yes, it's almost been 20 years. That probably says what I thought about it even then. I barely remembered it except for some of its cast, a big revelation involving Winona Ryder's character, basketball, and xenomorphs swimming in water. I sure as hell did not remember seeing a certain monstrosity in the final act, but I'll get to that later. For the record, I saw the 2003 Special Edition of this movie, which is around 7 minutes longer.
The general idea of bringing back Ripley by cloning her is pretty goofy and I am not sure how that would result in the alien still being inside her... the film has more and worse logic problems than that, to be honest. Basically, a bunch of people you mostly don't care a whole lot about have to fight off the aliens after-shock of shocks-s*** goes wrong. Regrettably, the cloned Ripley is different and is even part xenomorph. Maybe something interesting could have resulted from that, but more often than not Ripley just comes off as a real weirdo and not even that pleasant to be around.
I'll mention right away an opinion I know won't be popular: I've never found Joss Whedon to be any good. What work I've seen from him I have never enjoyed. No, I haven't seen any of his Marvel movies but there is the chance I'd find them to be overrated. I know that he disavows his script as shot for the movie but him doing an Alien movie just doesn't seem right anyhow. It was obvious the studio wanted this movie to not be “grimdark” like the third one was but this comes off as so goofy; such things as “character motivations” are typically thrown right out the door and instead we get plenty of nonsense and bad humor. It's a shame as there were some inspired moments, the cast was full of familiar faces I enjoy, and as the director and cinematographer are talented Europeans, the movie does have a unique look and style to it... which wasn't enough to make me like this. It does make me actually want to see the rest of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's work... I know, I know, don't come at me with pitchforks.
I wish I could have liked an Alien movie that was quite gory and had the likes of Weaver, Ryder, Perlman, Wincott, Hedaya, and Dourif, but I have to be real here. This was not as good as it could have been. And oh boy, a lot of the late 90's CGI you see here does not look good at all 20 years later. Then there's the big reveal of something in the final act... I don't blame the people who put that together; I think the idea wouldn't have worked in execution as it just looks goofy as hell and I found it pretty difficult to take seriously.
While this was a misfire, at least you can say that the first four movies in this franchise were led by amazing directors who have a lot of talent and yet are all quite different from one another. Looking at who did those AvP movies... no wonder that was one of the many reasons why they will never be considered canon by me. I am hoping I'll dig Covenant more than this or ProMEHtheus, but who knows for certain.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Another Update
The past few days, when I've been watching movies, they have been revisits of things I have seen before. I can say that I still think Blood Simple is very good, and I rate the Director's Cut of Blackhat the same as I do the original, meaning it's something I do enjoy despite most people not caring for the movie.
I just finished watching something else that I've reviewed here before: Rapid Fire. I do appreciate the movie more now than I have before. RIP to Powers Boothe, indeed.
I just finished watching something else that I've reviewed here before: Rapid Fire. I do appreciate the movie more now than I have before. RIP to Powers Boothe, indeed.
Friday, May 12, 2017
Rodan
Rodan (Sora No Daikaiju Radon) (1956)
Runtime: I saw the American cut of the movie; that is only 72 minutes long
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Starring: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata, Akio Kobori, Yasuko Nakada
From: Toho
Last night I saw this movie on TCM; it wasn't great but I can't say it was bad either. I explain it in a rather brief fashion below:
Last night on Turner Classic Movies they showed a bunch of creature features; I am talking about such “classics” as The Black Scorpion and Empire of the Ants. I only watched this film, and regrettably it was the American dubbed version that took out a few scenes, had other editing take place and one of the voices you hear was from none other than George Takei. Hilariously, the host of TCM last night was DENNIS MILLER. Hearing him talk about kaiju films was as surreal as you'd imagine.
I knew already that the first half of this movie (only 72 minutes long in its American form) was actually about miners dealing with giant bugs and Rodan (actually, two of them) the pterodactyl doesn't show up until the second half, with them not flapping their wings and being clearly seen until the third act. That was an interesting way to kill time. I can't say the movie was boring or poorly made; the direction of Ishiro Honda and the musical score of Akira Ifukube (at least what you heard that wasn't replaced by stock music) were both nice. It's just that in this abbreviated form, I can only say the movie was average.
I will presume that the full movie as made by Toho was better. At least I am pretty sure that the opening to the original doesn't have a gigantic info dump explaining the plot and the ending did not have fawning narration. I say that from what I have seen, Rodan made more of an impression in both Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of Astro-Monster.
Runtime: I saw the American cut of the movie; that is only 72 minutes long
Directed by: Ishiro Honda
Starring: Kenji Sahara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata, Akio Kobori, Yasuko Nakada
From: Toho
Last night I saw this movie on TCM; it wasn't great but I can't say it was bad either. I explain it in a rather brief fashion below:
Last night on Turner Classic Movies they showed a bunch of creature features; I am talking about such “classics” as The Black Scorpion and Empire of the Ants. I only watched this film, and regrettably it was the American dubbed version that took out a few scenes, had other editing take place and one of the voices you hear was from none other than George Takei. Hilariously, the host of TCM last night was DENNIS MILLER. Hearing him talk about kaiju films was as surreal as you'd imagine.
I knew already that the first half of this movie (only 72 minutes long in its American form) was actually about miners dealing with giant bugs and Rodan (actually, two of them) the pterodactyl doesn't show up until the second half, with them not flapping their wings and being clearly seen until the third act. That was an interesting way to kill time. I can't say the movie was boring or poorly made; the direction of Ishiro Honda and the musical score of Akira Ifukube (at least what you heard that wasn't replaced by stock music) were both nice. It's just that in this abbreviated form, I can only say the movie was average.
I will presume that the full movie as made by Toho was better. At least I am pretty sure that the opening to the original doesn't have a gigantic info dump explaining the plot and the ending did not have fawning narration. I say that from what I have seen, Rodan made more of an impression in both Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster and Invasion of Astro-Monster.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Runtime: 118 minutes
Directed by: John Badham
Starring: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape
From: Paramount
Tuesday night I saw this movie; it was the first viewing for me in a real long time. This is more than just a “disco movie”, as you'll see below:
NOTE: I was originally going to see the Director's Cut of this movie on the big screen tonight (it's only the inclusion of three short scenes that makes it different) but for various reasons I won't get into, it fit my schedule better to see the original version of the movie on a DVD I have owned for years, so that is what I did.
I do know someone who went and saw the movie on this big screen this past Sunday and he mentioned that some people brought their kids. Oh... no. I got the impression they were not old enough to be teenagers. The film is rated R and for good reason. John Travolta as Tony Manero in the white disco suit and the opening where he's walking to the strains of Stayin' Alive are iconic now, and people now probably just assume it's a light disco movie, as disco is upbeat and cheerful. That is not the case here. This isn't something like Roller Boogie or Skatetown U.S.A. This is a serious drama filled with many curse words, sex, nudity, drug use, racism, homophobia, violence, and some shocking moments I won't spoil. This is NOT a movie that most children should see at that age.
This movie has Manero as a young man who is a great disco dancer and is beloved at the Odyssey 2001 discotheque, but otherwise he is a poor Italian kid who lives in an ethnic neighborhood in Brooklyn and he often has disagreements with his dysfunctional family, he hangs out with incredibly immature punks, he has an unsuccessful love life, and by day he works at the local paint store. The film makes it pretty plain, many of the characters you see are A-holes in some form or fashion. A few try to hide it but they're still A-holes. Even those that seem fine at first, you'll discover their true colors eventually; it may take more than one viewing to do so. There are layered characters, in other words.
Even Manero himself is not a very likable character, and he's the protagonist. That was before he does something pretty heinous late in the film. You're still interested in seeing if he can grow up and get away from his deadbeat friends and hopefully fix all his insecurities. It's a fascinating movie but not the cheeriest one to watch, even with the bright colorful disco scenes and one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. The cast as a whole does a nice job but it is Travolta who is aces; I know that now he is a punchline, someone to snicker at or at least give a side-eyed glance to, but between this and Blow Out, there is proof that at least in his youth, he really could act. He had a magnetic presence and despite all his faults, I am sure many people can still relate to Tony Manero, disillusioned and not knowing what he wants to do now that age-wise he is now an adult.
This is a movie worth seeing; it's far more than it's elements which are now a part of pop culture. To think that this was based on a magazine article entitled "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", which was purported true by author Nik Cohn but later revealed to be entirely made up.
Runtime: 118 minutes
Directed by: John Badham
Starring: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape
From: Paramount
Tuesday night I saw this movie; it was the first viewing for me in a real long time. This is more than just a “disco movie”, as you'll see below:
NOTE: I was originally going to see the Director's Cut of this movie on the big screen tonight (it's only the inclusion of three short scenes that makes it different) but for various reasons I won't get into, it fit my schedule better to see the original version of the movie on a DVD I have owned for years, so that is what I did.
I do know someone who went and saw the movie on this big screen this past Sunday and he mentioned that some people brought their kids. Oh... no. I got the impression they were not old enough to be teenagers. The film is rated R and for good reason. John Travolta as Tony Manero in the white disco suit and the opening where he's walking to the strains of Stayin' Alive are iconic now, and people now probably just assume it's a light disco movie, as disco is upbeat and cheerful. That is not the case here. This isn't something like Roller Boogie or Skatetown U.S.A. This is a serious drama filled with many curse words, sex, nudity, drug use, racism, homophobia, violence, and some shocking moments I won't spoil. This is NOT a movie that most children should see at that age.
This movie has Manero as a young man who is a great disco dancer and is beloved at the Odyssey 2001 discotheque, but otherwise he is a poor Italian kid who lives in an ethnic neighborhood in Brooklyn and he often has disagreements with his dysfunctional family, he hangs out with incredibly immature punks, he has an unsuccessful love life, and by day he works at the local paint store. The film makes it pretty plain, many of the characters you see are A-holes in some form or fashion. A few try to hide it but they're still A-holes. Even those that seem fine at first, you'll discover their true colors eventually; it may take more than one viewing to do so. There are layered characters, in other words.
Even Manero himself is not a very likable character, and he's the protagonist. That was before he does something pretty heinous late in the film. You're still interested in seeing if he can grow up and get away from his deadbeat friends and hopefully fix all his insecurities. It's a fascinating movie but not the cheeriest one to watch, even with the bright colorful disco scenes and one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. The cast as a whole does a nice job but it is Travolta who is aces; I know that now he is a punchline, someone to snicker at or at least give a side-eyed glance to, but between this and Blow Out, there is proof that at least in his youth, he really could act. He had a magnetic presence and despite all his faults, I am sure many people can still relate to Tony Manero, disillusioned and not knowing what he wants to do now that age-wise he is now an adult.
This is a movie worth seeing; it's far more than it's elements which are now a part of pop culture. To think that this was based on a magazine article entitled "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", which was purported true by author Nik Cohn but later revealed to be entirely made up.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Creature From The Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Runtime: 79 minutes
Directed by: Jack Arnold
Starring: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva
From: Universal
This is a movie I had only seen once before, and I was a kid then; that means it's been many years. I am glad this is something I still find to be enjoyable. Read why below:
This is another one of those movies that I've seen before but the first (and last) viewing was many years ago; in this case I was a kid. I figured it was about time I saw this creature feature again as it is pretty good.
The setting was Brazil-although it was filmed in Florida-and a ragtag group of people (with different backgrounds; there's the small crew of the small fishing ship, along with various scientists and as one of them is a woman, of course she's in a romantic relationship) are in the Amazon to find the rest of what they think is an old fossil of a “gill man”, only there is a gill man still alive and he doesn't like those intruders.
It's a B movie, but a pretty entertaining one. There's nice scenery, drama involving the people on this expedition not agreeing on how to handle various things, moments of suspense, and Julie Adams did make for a nice damsel in distress; I understand why Gill wanted to kidnap her. And the suit of the Creature still looks great today. That is why I say this is entertaining. Maybe one day I'll be able to see it in 3D, which is what it was shot for. For many years they've been wanting to do a remake (none other than John Carpenter was attached to it, way back when) and considering that Universal is starting a new series of monster movies with The Mummy, maybe it'll finally happen. I just don't know if it will be a fun watch like the original is.
Runtime: 79 minutes
Directed by: Jack Arnold
Starring: Richard Carlson, Julie Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva
From: Universal
This is a movie I had only seen once before, and I was a kid then; that means it's been many years. I am glad this is something I still find to be enjoyable. Read why below:
This is another one of those movies that I've seen before but the first (and last) viewing was many years ago; in this case I was a kid. I figured it was about time I saw this creature feature again as it is pretty good.
The setting was Brazil-although it was filmed in Florida-and a ragtag group of people (with different backgrounds; there's the small crew of the small fishing ship, along with various scientists and as one of them is a woman, of course she's in a romantic relationship) are in the Amazon to find the rest of what they think is an old fossil of a “gill man”, only there is a gill man still alive and he doesn't like those intruders.
It's a B movie, but a pretty entertaining one. There's nice scenery, drama involving the people on this expedition not agreeing on how to handle various things, moments of suspense, and Julie Adams did make for a nice damsel in distress; I understand why Gill wanted to kidnap her. And the suit of the Creature still looks great today. That is why I say this is entertaining. Maybe one day I'll be able to see it in 3D, which is what it was shot for. For many years they've been wanting to do a remake (none other than John Carpenter was attached to it, way back when) and considering that Universal is starting a new series of monster movies with The Mummy, maybe it'll finally happen. I just don't know if it will be a fun watch like the original is.
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Snake Eater III: His Law
Snake Eater III: His Law (1992)
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: George Erschbamer
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas, Minor Mustain, Tracey Cook, Holly Chester, Bam Bam Bigelow
From: Cinepix
Here's the third and final movie in this franchise (as I presume it'll never be rebooted... although you never know these days). Read below how it is indebted to the Death Wish franchise:
As I mentioned in my review of Snake Eater II, I watched that and this last night via the El Rey Network, which showed the movie fullscreen but at least it was unedited, and it harkened back memories of watching movies on VHS in my youth.
The plot: Snake is hired by a wealthy family to take out a gang of greasy bikers after they kidnapped a young woman and did gross things to her for months... when she escaped she was pretty much Carol Kersey from Death Wish II, except that aside from being almost catatonic, she also loved sex and acquired more than one venereal disease. Yeah, this is pretty sleazy, which makes it unsurprising that you also see several topless women throughout.
The movie is goofy trash but at least I can say it's average. There's intentional comedy, along with plenty of unintentional laughs. As a pro wrestling fan I enjoyed seeing the late Bam Bam Bigelow in a role. A massive human being like him who had flames tattooed on his bald skull, he was a good fit for playing a biker, even if his name was Goose. There's also barfights, an older gentleman who assists Snake & carries a Wildey Magnum pistol from Death Wish 3, and the main villain looks like modern-day Kid Rock in the midst of a bender. Heck, there's even more scenes than I expected of guys pissing outside.
What a wacky trio of movies the Snake Eater series was; to think that this one was somehow based on a novel (!); I presume it was only some basic plot elements that were borrowed. Although, I do now pine for the idea of an alternate universe where there were multiple Snake Eater books after 1992, when they made this last film in the series...
Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: George Erschbamer
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas, Minor Mustain, Tracey Cook, Holly Chester, Bam Bam Bigelow
From: Cinepix
Here's the third and final movie in this franchise (as I presume it'll never be rebooted... although you never know these days). Read below how it is indebted to the Death Wish franchise:
As I mentioned in my review of Snake Eater II, I watched that and this last night via the El Rey Network, which showed the movie fullscreen but at least it was unedited, and it harkened back memories of watching movies on VHS in my youth.
The plot: Snake is hired by a wealthy family to take out a gang of greasy bikers after they kidnapped a young woman and did gross things to her for months... when she escaped she was pretty much Carol Kersey from Death Wish II, except that aside from being almost catatonic, she also loved sex and acquired more than one venereal disease. Yeah, this is pretty sleazy, which makes it unsurprising that you also see several topless women throughout.
The movie is goofy trash but at least I can say it's average. There's intentional comedy, along with plenty of unintentional laughs. As a pro wrestling fan I enjoyed seeing the late Bam Bam Bigelow in a role. A massive human being like him who had flames tattooed on his bald skull, he was a good fit for playing a biker, even if his name was Goose. There's also barfights, an older gentleman who assists Snake & carries a Wildey Magnum pistol from Death Wish 3, and the main villain looks like modern-day Kid Rock in the midst of a bender. Heck, there's even more scenes than I expected of guys pissing outside.
What a wacky trio of movies the Snake Eater series was; to think that this one was somehow based on a novel (!); I presume it was only some basic plot elements that were borrowed. Although, I do now pine for the idea of an alternate universe where there were multiple Snake Eater books after 1992, when they made this last film in the series...
Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster
Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster (1989)
Runtime: 93 minutes
Directed by: George Erschbamer
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas, Larry B. Scott, Michelle Scarabelli, Harvey Atkin, Jack Blum
From: Cinepix
Last night I got to see this and the third movie on television, back to back. They aren't great movies by any means, but I don't regret seeing either. The review of The Drug Buster is below:
A few times in my life, I have watched the original Snake Eater, starring Lorenzo Lamas as the title character, part of an elite group of Marines... who surprisingly gets his ass kicked a lot. I discovered that also happened in the sequels. Anyhow, he did battle with Rob Zombie white trash who killed his parents and kidnapped his sister. Yet I had never seen either sequel until last night, when I watched them back to back on the El Rey Network. Both aren't bad... just average.
The plot of this: Snake ends up in a mental institution after being a loose cannon and killing some drug dealers who are killing people with their poorly made drugs. It's all pretty goofy and it's not exactly One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in its portrayal of “the loony bin”. After all, it's incredibly easy to sneak in and out of there and the joint has WHEELCHAIR JOUSTING on the roof. Yes, it's as dopey as it sounds. There's everything from Snake running into a prostitute and a Domino's Pizza delivery guy in the mental hospital's air shafts to a villain who is made to look like the bad guy in a Joe D'Amato horror picture.
Yet I can say that this is inoffensive nonsense, way too silly to be taken seriously. You still get bad comedy, people getting beat up, and a hilarious finale where the bad guys get their comeuppance in a ludicrous way. Plus, there's Ron Palillo playing an arsonist named Torchy (this is the sort of thing he did after Welcome Back, Kotter) and Larry B. Scott playing a character named SPEEDBOAT, a role less dignified than when he played flaming homosexual stereotype Lamar Latrelle. It's low-budget crap, but at least still watchable crap.
Runtime: 93 minutes
Directed by: George Erschbamer
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas, Larry B. Scott, Michelle Scarabelli, Harvey Atkin, Jack Blum
From: Cinepix
Last night I got to see this and the third movie on television, back to back. They aren't great movies by any means, but I don't regret seeing either. The review of The Drug Buster is below:
A few times in my life, I have watched the original Snake Eater, starring Lorenzo Lamas as the title character, part of an elite group of Marines... who surprisingly gets his ass kicked a lot. I discovered that also happened in the sequels. Anyhow, he did battle with Rob Zombie white trash who killed his parents and kidnapped his sister. Yet I had never seen either sequel until last night, when I watched them back to back on the El Rey Network. Both aren't bad... just average.
The plot of this: Snake ends up in a mental institution after being a loose cannon and killing some drug dealers who are killing people with their poorly made drugs. It's all pretty goofy and it's not exactly One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in its portrayal of “the loony bin”. After all, it's incredibly easy to sneak in and out of there and the joint has WHEELCHAIR JOUSTING on the roof. Yes, it's as dopey as it sounds. There's everything from Snake running into a prostitute and a Domino's Pizza delivery guy in the mental hospital's air shafts to a villain who is made to look like the bad guy in a Joe D'Amato horror picture.
Yet I can say that this is inoffensive nonsense, way too silly to be taken seriously. You still get bad comedy, people getting beat up, and a hilarious finale where the bad guys get their comeuppance in a ludicrous way. Plus, there's Ron Palillo playing an arsonist named Torchy (this is the sort of thing he did after Welcome Back, Kotter) and Larry B. Scott playing a character named SPEEDBOAT, a role less dignified than when he played flaming homosexual stereotype Lamar Latrelle. It's low-budget crap, but at least still watchable crap.
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Oh, you should know the details to this, too.
I don't love this movie like many do; I can still say it was at least fine and not something I regret seeing theatrically with a big crowd. Read why below:
I don't love this movie like many do; I can still say it was at least fine and not something I regret seeing theatrically with a big crowd. Read why below:
Thursday night I saw this movie; it was right after I got to see the original film (which I rated as 4 stars) on the big screen. Both screenings were in 3D... I'd talk about how that is a dying format but that'll have to be at another time. I'll just say that the 3D looked fine but I rarely see films that way anymore.
As for this movie specifically, it was just released in the United States on Thursday night so of course I'll try to remain as vague as possible so nothing gets spoiled. As I presume all the trailers mentioned this, part of the plot is Star-Lord finding his dad, who happens to be Kurt Russell (no relation). The plot to this is different from the first; I was glad it was not a retread. The story is more meandering but for what they were telling that was fine. The original story was expanded upon and you got to know the characters better.
Personally, I thought that what got the plot started was kind of dumb, and the humor (which there is a lot of) was more hit and miss for me. I imagine many will disagree (the crowd I was with seemed to be over the moon for the film) but some of the jokes were bad and/or there were gags that were way too long. Not to mention, some of the characters suddenly start acting like real A-holes, and I wasn't always sure as to why. It's a shame as otherwise this was fun for what it was.
For example, it seemed like all 255 million colors of the rainbow were used; to me that was a good thing as it was a beautiful movie to look at. The cast does a swell job and I enjoyed the new faces, including Russell and Sly Stallone. There were still moments that made me laugh and there were also pretty emotional scenes. Like with the original, the 70's music with a 60's song mixed in* was very rad to me. I was pleased that a particular character got to shine in this movie, as the actor is pretty awesome and the performance was high marks, as I'd expect.
I have no idea why the comics division of Marvel is creating those repugnant stories involving beloved characters, but I understand Marvel Studios is completely separate from them so I don't feel like I need to shower after seeing this film. The large crowd I was with seemed to love this, so I presume that most people who rate the original highly will feel the same once they see this and its FIVE short scenes throughout the end credits. At least I can say this was "fine" with its action beats, expansive color palette and various sources of merriment.
* Something that I have noticed as of late is a multitude of people here saying that the two movies are filled with “80's music.” I am not mad at the mistake, just saddened that more people don't know the music from the past. Me, when I think of artists like Fall Out Boy, Lil Yachty, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons, Lana Del Rey... I'd rather hold an Infinity Stone than endure that cacophonous noise.
Friday, May 5, 2017
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Oh, you should know all the details by now
Yesterday was the first time I saw this movie. I know, I know... thankfully it was something I enjoyed. I watched it in 3D in a double-bill with the new film, which I'll post the review to tomorrow night. Below, I talk about the original:
Would people believe it when I say that it wasn't until yesterday that I had first seen this motion picture? 'Tis true. I've mentioned in other reviews how superhero/comic book movies aren't really my thing... I'll expand upon that in re-reviews I'll do in the future but it does not matter if it's Marvel or DC, the few ones I've seen that have been made in this new renaissance (meaning: the past 10 years) did not knock my socks off and what I've heard about most of those in that cycle, I am glad I did not waste my time with them. Sorry, but they aren't for me, a person who never read comics as a kid and does not give a darn about most comic book characters.
Despite what looked like a colorful movie and it being filled with the type of songs that I love, I never sat down to see it until yesterday, when various locations showed it and the new one back to back... tomorrow I'll review Volume 2. I thought about watching the original in the past, but I never pulled out the magic arrow, so to speak. Honestly, when I first heard about the film and discovered it involved a talking bipedal raccoon and a giant bipedal sentient tree, I thought, “What the F is this stupid S?” It just sounded really dopey.
Well... as you can see by this rating, it was something I actually did enjoy quite a bit. As I am likely one of the last people on the site to see this motion picture, everyone knows the plot by now. I did find it a lot of fun to see this disparate characters come together via happenstance and in order to prevent the universe from being destroyed they have to work together and they soon realize they are all misfits who don't have any friends so they might as well become a wacky family... while not the most original of stories at least it was done in a very enjoyable way, with a nice lead cast and a cheerful tone.
I am glad that this was something I dug and I wasn't annoyed by either any of our heroes or how they interacted with each other. I did in fact enjoy how colorful the movie was, or how they used a bunch of great old songs in a memorable way. Yeah, the action wasn't always shot in the best way (something I understand is not a rare thing in the Marvel Universe) and even I know that in general, Marvel villains aren't always the best, and that was the case here... even with those demerits, I can say this was a motion picture I did not regret seeing and watching it on the big screen with a big crowd was an opportunity I am glad I had. This doesn't suddenly make me want to start watching more comic book flicks but a zany space opera with a great attitude and also some good supporting characters-Michael Rooker's Yondu being the highlight-was something quite appealing to me. I suppose I should be glad that I haven't seen most Marvel films and thus did not think the third act was derivative and unoriginal as I understand they typically are in that cinematic universe.
Yesterday was the first time I saw this movie. I know, I know... thankfully it was something I enjoyed. I watched it in 3D in a double-bill with the new film, which I'll post the review to tomorrow night. Below, I talk about the original:
Would people believe it when I say that it wasn't until yesterday that I had first seen this motion picture? 'Tis true. I've mentioned in other reviews how superhero/comic book movies aren't really my thing... I'll expand upon that in re-reviews I'll do in the future but it does not matter if it's Marvel or DC, the few ones I've seen that have been made in this new renaissance (meaning: the past 10 years) did not knock my socks off and what I've heard about most of those in that cycle, I am glad I did not waste my time with them. Sorry, but they aren't for me, a person who never read comics as a kid and does not give a darn about most comic book characters.
Despite what looked like a colorful movie and it being filled with the type of songs that I love, I never sat down to see it until yesterday, when various locations showed it and the new one back to back... tomorrow I'll review Volume 2. I thought about watching the original in the past, but I never pulled out the magic arrow, so to speak. Honestly, when I first heard about the film and discovered it involved a talking bipedal raccoon and a giant bipedal sentient tree, I thought, “What the F is this stupid S?” It just sounded really dopey.
Well... as you can see by this rating, it was something I actually did enjoy quite a bit. As I am likely one of the last people on the site to see this motion picture, everyone knows the plot by now. I did find it a lot of fun to see this disparate characters come together via happenstance and in order to prevent the universe from being destroyed they have to work together and they soon realize they are all misfits who don't have any friends so they might as well become a wacky family... while not the most original of stories at least it was done in a very enjoyable way, with a nice lead cast and a cheerful tone.
I am glad that this was something I dug and I wasn't annoyed by either any of our heroes or how they interacted with each other. I did in fact enjoy how colorful the movie was, or how they used a bunch of great old songs in a memorable way. Yeah, the action wasn't always shot in the best way (something I understand is not a rare thing in the Marvel Universe) and even I know that in general, Marvel villains aren't always the best, and that was the case here... even with those demerits, I can say this was a motion picture I did not regret seeing and watching it on the big screen with a big crowd was an opportunity I am glad I had. This doesn't suddenly make me want to start watching more comic book flicks but a zany space opera with a great attitude and also some good supporting characters-Michael Rooker's Yondu being the highlight-was something quite appealing to me. I suppose I should be glad that I haven't seen most Marvel films and thus did not think the third act was derivative and unoriginal as I understand they typically are in that cinematic universe.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
The Bye Bye Man
The Bye Bye Man (2017)
23% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 62 reviews)
Runtime: 100 minutes (I saw the unrated version)
Directed by: Stacy Title
Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Michael Trucco, Doug Jones
From: STX
Tuesday night I saw this poor movie; I am glad I did not see the theatrical version, which I understand is REAL bad. I explain why there is no real reason to see this below:
NOTE: I streamed the unrated version; as I understand this was originally shot with an R-rating in mind, I will presume this is closer to the filmmakers' true vision rather than what was released to the cineplex to much disdain and derision. That doesn't make this a good movie, though... just one that-and I never have seen the theatrical cut-is the preferred version if you must see this because you're a mark for Doug Jones, you like mind-altering horror, you preferred Cressida Bonas (people in the United States probably don't know it but she used to go out with Prince Harry; that relationship did not get as much press here as his current courtship with Meghan Markle, which I suppose is not a surprise given that Markle is an American) to who Harry is as present going out with.
A big problem with this film is that hardly any of the backstory is explained at all, and I don't know why. Not spoonfeeding everything to the audience is a good idea at all, but how about some intellection as to why Bye Bye does what he does? Instead, you have to seek out on your own the real life urban legend surrounding the character; of course there are several different variations I have come across, but in essence it's about a young Albino man who led a troubled existence and he ended up riding on a train from town to town, also appearing suddenly whenever his name is spoken or even thought of. He even created his own dog out of body parts of his victims, which is why that pooch looked so odd in the film. Terrible CG didn't help there either. So that explains some of Bye Bye's traits. As for the coins... I will venture a guess and say that the people who made this must love Harvey Dent.
Point is, I wish the urban legend would have been followed more closely rather than the nonsense we got here, which was three douchy college students renting an old house and via an incredibly contrived circumstance The Bye Bye Man is mentioned, meaning that he returns (come to think of it, that part is like Freddy Krueger; then again, this movie “borrows” from several different famous properties); the movie gives him various special powers, including... causing hallucinations, apparently giving someone an upper respiratory infection, and my favorite, causing erectile dysfunction. He does not do much, really, and you don't get to see much of Doug Jones or his hound, either. I can tell you that this movie is not scary at all, or even creepy.
This film is quite laughably bad, from the story to much of the acting to how logic is thrown out the window. I feel bad for both Carrie-Anne Moss and Faye Dunaway, but hopefully both were paid well for their small roles. At least this wasn't the biggest travesty I have seen in ages. The film beginning with the 60's garage rock song Psychotic Reaction was a pleasant surprise, even if it was a rather obvious sign of what the scene would be about. The ending is not preposterous nor does it come out of nowhere. At least this version had some gore and F-bombs and a tremendous shower curtain*, but there's really no need to ever see this drivel.
As I've said before, there are actual good horror movies out there from recent years that you can stream at places like Netflix or Amazon that are far more worth your time than this poppycock-one day I should compile a list to help people out-and those movies deserved a wide release more than this did.
* This shower curtain is only seen in one short scene near the beginning, but what an unexpected moment it was. It was a cartoon of a guy fishing in a lake, only he's naked from the waist down, and a yellow fish has “caught the worm”, but in the most vulgar sense! It was obvious this was not in the theatrical cut.
23% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 62 reviews)
Runtime: 100 minutes (I saw the unrated version)
Directed by: Stacy Title
Starring: Douglas Smith, Lucien Laviscount, Cressida Bonas, Michael Trucco, Doug Jones
From: STX
Tuesday night I saw this poor movie; I am glad I did not see the theatrical version, which I understand is REAL bad. I explain why there is no real reason to see this below:
NOTE: I streamed the unrated version; as I understand this was originally shot with an R-rating in mind, I will presume this is closer to the filmmakers' true vision rather than what was released to the cineplex to much disdain and derision. That doesn't make this a good movie, though... just one that-and I never have seen the theatrical cut-is the preferred version if you must see this because you're a mark for Doug Jones, you like mind-altering horror, you preferred Cressida Bonas (people in the United States probably don't know it but she used to go out with Prince Harry; that relationship did not get as much press here as his current courtship with Meghan Markle, which I suppose is not a surprise given that Markle is an American) to who Harry is as present going out with.
A big problem with this film is that hardly any of the backstory is explained at all, and I don't know why. Not spoonfeeding everything to the audience is a good idea at all, but how about some intellection as to why Bye Bye does what he does? Instead, you have to seek out on your own the real life urban legend surrounding the character; of course there are several different variations I have come across, but in essence it's about a young Albino man who led a troubled existence and he ended up riding on a train from town to town, also appearing suddenly whenever his name is spoken or even thought of. He even created his own dog out of body parts of his victims, which is why that pooch looked so odd in the film. Terrible CG didn't help there either. So that explains some of Bye Bye's traits. As for the coins... I will venture a guess and say that the people who made this must love Harvey Dent.
Point is, I wish the urban legend would have been followed more closely rather than the nonsense we got here, which was three douchy college students renting an old house and via an incredibly contrived circumstance The Bye Bye Man is mentioned, meaning that he returns (come to think of it, that part is like Freddy Krueger; then again, this movie “borrows” from several different famous properties); the movie gives him various special powers, including... causing hallucinations, apparently giving someone an upper respiratory infection, and my favorite, causing erectile dysfunction. He does not do much, really, and you don't get to see much of Doug Jones or his hound, either. I can tell you that this movie is not scary at all, or even creepy.
This film is quite laughably bad, from the story to much of the acting to how logic is thrown out the window. I feel bad for both Carrie-Anne Moss and Faye Dunaway, but hopefully both were paid well for their small roles. At least this wasn't the biggest travesty I have seen in ages. The film beginning with the 60's garage rock song Psychotic Reaction was a pleasant surprise, even if it was a rather obvious sign of what the scene would be about. The ending is not preposterous nor does it come out of nowhere. At least this version had some gore and F-bombs and a tremendous shower curtain*, but there's really no need to ever see this drivel.
As I've said before, there are actual good horror movies out there from recent years that you can stream at places like Netflix or Amazon that are far more worth your time than this poppycock-one day I should compile a list to help people out-and those movies deserved a wide release more than this did.
* This shower curtain is only seen in one short scene near the beginning, but what an unexpected moment it was. It was a cartoon of a guy fishing in a lake, only he's naked from the waist down, and a yellow fish has “caught the worm”, but in the most vulgar sense! It was obvious this was not in the theatrical cut.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss
Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (Nora-Neko Rokku: Onna Bancho) (1970)
Runtime: 80 minutes
Directed by: Yasuharu Hasebe
Starring: Akiko Wada, Meiko Kaji, Koji Wada, Tatsuda Fuji, Bunjaku Han
From: Nikkatsu
Runtime: 80 minutes
Directed by: Yasuharu Hasebe
Starring: Akiko Wada, Meiko Kaji, Koji Wada, Tatsuda Fuji, Bunjaku Han
From: Nikkatsu
This is a cult movie I saw Monday night. It was pretty entertaining, as I explained below:
For awhile now I have known of the series either known as Stray Cat Rock or Alleycat Rock; as those five movies are all on Amazon Prime, this was the time for me to take the plunge. Indeed, an early 70's series of movies about a female gang sounded quite groovy to me, and at least with this first movie in the series it was.
The plot involves the Alleycats, who dress like hippies but aren't all about peace and love; they are eager not only to get into knife fights with other women but they brawl with the men too. Uber-tough Ako (who typically rides on a motorcycle) hangs out with them. They get involved with some right-wing young punks-who are affiliated with the Yakuza-as one of their boyfriends wants to join the group. There's also a boxing match at Korakuen Hall-don't ask how I recognized it-that is to be fixed but you can probably guess how those plans turn out, and there's trouble.
This pulpy movie is pretty entertaining-even if uneven at times-as you see a bunch of cool characters do cool things, and there is still the novelty of seeing women beating up men. Plus, even back then the Shinjuku district was a hotspot so you get to see multiple scenes of the girls at nightclubs, listening to various bands perform. As Ako was played by singer Akiko Wada, no surprise that she sings songs too. This movie is simply pretty cool. Also, the way it's shot was hip for the time. Frequently you'll see the camera move about to and fro. For the most part that was fine; the opening credits could at times be like watching a Paul Greengrass or Olivier Megaton movie, but otherwise... there are also random moments like slow motion, split-screen, flashing colors, and what have you. I am glad this was as groovy as I expected.
I understand some of the sequels were even better. One day I'll watch those; at least now I know what the series is all about.
Monday, May 1, 2017
Bad Black
Bad Black (2017)
Runtime: 68 minutes
Directed by: Nabwana I.G.G.
Starring: Nalwanga Gloria, Alan Hofmanis, Bisaso Dauda, Bukenya Charles, Kiztio Robert
From: Ramon Film Productions
Last night was one of my favorite movie-going experiences of all time. I wish that more people would have been there, but I am glad my high expectations were satisfied, and then some. If you've seen anything from Who Killed Captain Alex?, it's those same people. Watching this was a blast, but there was a lot more to the night than just the film, as you'll see below:
Ever since I found out a few weeks ago that I had the chance to see this movie on the big screen, I was greatly looking forward to the opportunity. I presume many are familiar with the 2010 Ugandan movie Who Killed Captain Alex? If not, it was Uganda's first action movie and was done by what is known as Wakaliwood; it's located in Wakaliga, a small and poor neighborhood in Kampala, Uganda. I was able to see Captain Alex last year and I greatly enjoyed its insanity and the do it yourself special effects, which were charmingly simplistic. Anyhow, they've been making movies for years but most of them don't make the West. After all, they are all still done for the residents of Wakaliga. But this movie is now making the rounds across the world, and Orlando was only the second appearance in the United States, after Fantastic Fest. I don't know about Friday night's screening, but there weren't too many at last night's screening, and that is a crying shame.
In attendance was Alan Hofmanis and what a story he has; he is from New York and after he saw the trailer for Captain Alex on YouTube years ago he went to Uganda to see what it was all about, and he's stayed there ever since. He assists but everything is still run by the guy known as Nabwana I.G.G. He films multiple movies simultaneously and everything is edited on homemade computers; between that and how all the actors have to bring their own clothing and props... it's amazing how something done for a small group of locals has become a worldwide cult hit. I can say that it is OK for people to laugh at those films, as the locals laugh the loudest.
I don't want to give much away about the plot, as a lot of the plot was not knowing what to expect. For awhile now the opening scene has been on YouTube, where a guy known as “Ugandan Schwarzenegger” robs a bank so he can pay the bills for his sick wife. That ends up becoming part of the story but most of it follows a few different subplots. Basically, there is a character known as Bad Black, the universal theme of the rich vs. the poor is explored and Hofmanis is in the movie, as an American doctor. He has some moments with a young boy who has the name WESLEY SNIPES. That child is not the only entertaining child character you get to see.
It is clear that for those of you who love the old action movies-like I do-so do these filmmakers. You often hear names such as Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, and Willis. This includes the immortal line of dialogue, “Stallone should fight a crocodile”, and hell yeah to that idea. By the way, the doctor is not a White Man Savior character and instead is made fun of.
While they've made plenty of movies and thus it's technically more polished than Captain Alex, it still has the insanity and rough do it yourself vibe of that film. If someone wanted to they could nitpick it to death, but like I said it's done by the residents of a small community for themselves and their mates, so that'd be a real killjoy thing to do, and I won't be doing that. The special effects are as charmingly bad as ever. This film has action, melodrama, and much to my delight, VJ Emmie.
I now know this was born from what's been done for years there... they used to show Hollywood movies on TV screens and while a lot could be gleaned from the movie without understanding the language, the VJ would explain the plot... or rather, he guessed as best he could as they wouldn't know English either. Thus, in Captain Alex and all their other movies, Emmie makes various comments throughout, whether serious or joking. This and Captain Alex are both subtitled and Bad Black has plenty of English dialogue but Emmie is so entertaining I was glad he was around.
While not a gigantic crowd, at least they loved this movie as much as I did. After the movie Hofmanis talked about it and did a short Q&A. It made me even further admire how much of a grassroots thing it is and how many people contribute to make multiple movies at the same time. I also now know that it was by accident that covers of songs by ABBA and Seal appeared in Captain Alex; Nabwana enjoyed the tunes but did not know they were popular tunes. They are now more careful of such things. After the Q&A, everyone went to the lobby; there were various props, awesome hand-painted Wakaliwood posters and various merchandise. For only 10 bucks I purchased a DVD of Captain Alex (the only film they had available), some stickers/magnets and two stupendous hand-sewn patches. The first advertised Wakaliwood but the second said YOU SON OF A BITCH and yes a legendary moment from Predator was below. I was more than happy to give them some of my money.
The entire experience was 5 stars and among the best times I have ever had at the movies. I loved being able to see this on the big screen and if anyone has that opportunity, I give my highest recommendations to go. I am ecstatic that their recent Kickstarter was a giant success, as that should allow this small community to continue making films (action, horror, and otherwise; Nabwana wants to make a serious film about the Ugandan Civil War one day) for years to come, movies that are made for an insular world but can be enjoyed all around the world and be admired by all movie fans as these people love films as much as we do, and they try their best with what limited resources they have. It will be a treat watching motion pictures from them in the future.
Runtime: 68 minutes
Directed by: Nabwana I.G.G.
Starring: Nalwanga Gloria, Alan Hofmanis, Bisaso Dauda, Bukenya Charles, Kiztio Robert
From: Ramon Film Productions
Last night was one of my favorite movie-going experiences of all time. I wish that more people would have been there, but I am glad my high expectations were satisfied, and then some. If you've seen anything from Who Killed Captain Alex?, it's those same people. Watching this was a blast, but there was a lot more to the night than just the film, as you'll see below:
Ever since I found out a few weeks ago that I had the chance to see this movie on the big screen, I was greatly looking forward to the opportunity. I presume many are familiar with the 2010 Ugandan movie Who Killed Captain Alex? If not, it was Uganda's first action movie and was done by what is known as Wakaliwood; it's located in Wakaliga, a small and poor neighborhood in Kampala, Uganda. I was able to see Captain Alex last year and I greatly enjoyed its insanity and the do it yourself special effects, which were charmingly simplistic. Anyhow, they've been making movies for years but most of them don't make the West. After all, they are all still done for the residents of Wakaliga. But this movie is now making the rounds across the world, and Orlando was only the second appearance in the United States, after Fantastic Fest. I don't know about Friday night's screening, but there weren't too many at last night's screening, and that is a crying shame.
In attendance was Alan Hofmanis and what a story he has; he is from New York and after he saw the trailer for Captain Alex on YouTube years ago he went to Uganda to see what it was all about, and he's stayed there ever since. He assists but everything is still run by the guy known as Nabwana I.G.G. He films multiple movies simultaneously and everything is edited on homemade computers; between that and how all the actors have to bring their own clothing and props... it's amazing how something done for a small group of locals has become a worldwide cult hit. I can say that it is OK for people to laugh at those films, as the locals laugh the loudest.
I don't want to give much away about the plot, as a lot of the plot was not knowing what to expect. For awhile now the opening scene has been on YouTube, where a guy known as “Ugandan Schwarzenegger” robs a bank so he can pay the bills for his sick wife. That ends up becoming part of the story but most of it follows a few different subplots. Basically, there is a character known as Bad Black, the universal theme of the rich vs. the poor is explored and Hofmanis is in the movie, as an American doctor. He has some moments with a young boy who has the name WESLEY SNIPES. That child is not the only entertaining child character you get to see.
It is clear that for those of you who love the old action movies-like I do-so do these filmmakers. You often hear names such as Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Van Damme, and Willis. This includes the immortal line of dialogue, “Stallone should fight a crocodile”, and hell yeah to that idea. By the way, the doctor is not a White Man Savior character and instead is made fun of.
While they've made plenty of movies and thus it's technically more polished than Captain Alex, it still has the insanity and rough do it yourself vibe of that film. If someone wanted to they could nitpick it to death, but like I said it's done by the residents of a small community for themselves and their mates, so that'd be a real killjoy thing to do, and I won't be doing that. The special effects are as charmingly bad as ever. This film has action, melodrama, and much to my delight, VJ Emmie.
I now know this was born from what's been done for years there... they used to show Hollywood movies on TV screens and while a lot could be gleaned from the movie without understanding the language, the VJ would explain the plot... or rather, he guessed as best he could as they wouldn't know English either. Thus, in Captain Alex and all their other movies, Emmie makes various comments throughout, whether serious or joking. This and Captain Alex are both subtitled and Bad Black has plenty of English dialogue but Emmie is so entertaining I was glad he was around.
While not a gigantic crowd, at least they loved this movie as much as I did. After the movie Hofmanis talked about it and did a short Q&A. It made me even further admire how much of a grassroots thing it is and how many people contribute to make multiple movies at the same time. I also now know that it was by accident that covers of songs by ABBA and Seal appeared in Captain Alex; Nabwana enjoyed the tunes but did not know they were popular tunes. They are now more careful of such things. After the Q&A, everyone went to the lobby; there were various props, awesome hand-painted Wakaliwood posters and various merchandise. For only 10 bucks I purchased a DVD of Captain Alex (the only film they had available), some stickers/magnets and two stupendous hand-sewn patches. The first advertised Wakaliwood but the second said YOU SON OF A BITCH and yes a legendary moment from Predator was below. I was more than happy to give them some of my money.
The entire experience was 5 stars and among the best times I have ever had at the movies. I loved being able to see this on the big screen and if anyone has that opportunity, I give my highest recommendations to go. I am ecstatic that their recent Kickstarter was a giant success, as that should allow this small community to continue making films (action, horror, and otherwise; Nabwana wants to make a serious film about the Ugandan Civil War one day) for years to come, movies that are made for an insular world but can be enjoyed all around the world and be admired by all movie fans as these people love films as much as we do, and they try their best with what limited resources they have. It will be a treat watching motion pictures from them in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)