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TheBat gives us a look at her experience at OctoButt-Numb-A-Thon!!!
Hey folks, Harry here - this review comes from TheBat - a sweet young lady that brought her father along with her to attend. They traveled from Richmond, California to take part in an adventure as Father and Daughter. It is nice to see how much she enjoyed the line-up. Here ya go...
First of all. THANK YOU, Thank you Harry, Tim and others at Alamo. My Father and I had the times of our Lives. My Father even in ailing health stayed for the whole time. I will never forget the experience. The following is my reviews of the movies I saw. I noticed many women like me are writing in, but I thinks thats because the line-up was so great and diverse the mass appeal of these films will see no boundaries. If you use this call me The Bat. Thank You again. I am not a great writer so feel free to edit down.
Harry showed a short before the official start of BNAT. I think it was called “Chirpy”. This is a story about a canary that takes mushrooms and has sex with a horse. This was a really disgusting animated short but I will admit it was entertaining. The whole audience was cringing from this one. Thanks Harry for the messed up start.
Black Snake Moan – This is Craig Brewers follow-up to Hustle & Flow. It stars San Jackson and Christina Ricci. I don’t want to tell you too much about the plot, but it is about redemption and second chances. All of this with the backdrop of the Memphis blues. Sam Jackson sang the title song in the movie in one of the most iconic rmoments I have ever seen him in. I loved this movie and it was one of the best that night. I cannot recommend this film enough. This film gets an A.
One more note. Craig Brewer was there and I got the pleasure of sitting next to him. He mentioned he pulled Kim Richards out of retirement for this film. Kim Richards was the cute girl from Escape from Witch Mountain. He said that his first crush was her and I always wanted to be her when I was young. Very cool. Thanks for the wonderful anecdotes Mr. Brewer.
Dreamgirls – I really wanted to see this movie. Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey) the director was in attendance to discuss this film as well though he could not stay. This musical has a vibrant energy that pops on screen. Eddie Murphy was really good as people said but the person who steals the show was ex-American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson. If she is not nominated for an Oscar there is something wrong. Floored by this girl’s voice. Condon did a wonderful job translating the play to the big screen. Like the movie version of Rent, the only reason the film wasn’t perfect was from flaws in the original source material. See this all over at Oscar time like I predicted before. This was my father’s favorite movie from BNAT. A-
Once Upon a Girl - Harry introduced this film saying that there was only one print of this film and he tracked it down. This was an X rated animated porn. It was broken into three vignettes by a transvestite Mother Goose telling naughty stories in a court room. It was animated by Hanna Barbera’s animators on their own time. This first story was a naughty Jack and the Beanstalk. It was the best of the bunch. The movie was actually little boring and of course the animation sucked. My father took a nap during this one to block it out. I watched every single frame and it hurt. C-
Inherit the Wind (1960) – From an X rated court room to the best Court Room Drama ever made. Love this movie so much. I have seen it many times. It has not lost it’s potency after all these years and seems more relevant today with people trying to teach “Intelligent Design” in schools. Spencer Tracy and Gene Kelly are at the height of there careers and just explode on screen. If you have never seen this film RENT IT. I was amazed when Harry asked how many people in the Audience had not seen this film and it was almost two-thirds of the House. When Harry asked how many had seen it before in the theaters only three people raised their hands including my father. Thanks Harry for exposing this film to a whole new generation. A+
Rocky Balboa – Sometimes you just need closer. Many people felt that way when Rocky 5 was the bomb it was. While this movie does not covering new ground, I was very surprised how satisfied with this movie I was. It was a great end to a very successful franchise. The audience at BNAT had so much fun with film. We were yelling “Rocky’ and reacting to the only fight in the movie like it was live. Sly did an intro on DVD before this movie and basically said he was also exercising demons and this film is closer for him as well. If you are a fan of Rocky, I am actually am pleased to recommend this film. B
Fanboys – This film actually dropped out of BNAT, 9 days before the festival. The three young men who made the film still showed up and played us about 10 minutes. It did seem really funny and the audience could relate to these former BNATTERS. See it in August.
Knocked Up – This is the film that replaced Fanboys. Supposedly it is not going to be released until June. This is by director Judd Apatow and Producer Seth Rogan (follow-up to 40 Year Old Virgin). We saw the rough cut of the film. It was actually quite funny and it shows that Steve Carrell is not needed to make Seth Rogan good. In fact he carries this film quite nicely. This is a film about pregnancy for Guys and has some great laugh out loud moments. Seth Rogan was in attendance and a wonderful person to hear speak. This film just need a little tightening and will be a surprise hit this summer I predict. Keep an eye out for it. B+
Zwartboek (Black Book) – Paul Verhoven’s new film (Starship Troopers, Basic Instinct). I have a soft spot for Verhoven movies and was very please this was showed at BNAT. Technically this is a stunning film. You actually get the things you want from Verhoven like beautiful women naked, explosions and over dramatic scores. However unlike his other films this is most serious I think he has done. This is a story of a Jewish woman spy in the Gestapo for the Dutch resistance. It is in Dutch and German and a throw back to his earlier work. I did enjoy it, but feel the film falls into the trappings of his directorial style and does not quite have the depth it should. Not a great film but a decent one. B
The Informer (1935) – This is director John Ford’s (My Darling Clementine) movie about the IRA in1922 Ireland. It stars Victor McLaglen as a desperate drunk who makes a terrible mistake that causes suffering of people he cares about. Not a great film and its place in the line up (3 AM) made it hard to stay awake. I really like Mclaglen however. He was great in the Quiet Man another film about Ireland that Ford directed. That film I truly love with a passion. However I did not get the warm fuzzy feeling when I watch other John Ford films. B-
Raw Force – This vintage film from I think the early seventies had it all. Tits, drugs, kung-fu, thugs, Asian prostitutes, scary monks and zombie samurai all were part of this film. It was terrible but perfect to watch at 5 in the morning. I was highly entertained and found it funny how many of the women in the audience hated it. There was this one male fan in the front however who was little punch drunk and was laughing his butt off during most of the movie. This film was made with Korean money as well. Boy did there film industry improve vastly in the last few years. I am so grateful for that. I wonder if Chan Wook Park (director of Oldboy) has seen it. C
Smoking Aces – This movie was by far the biggest surprise of BNAT and my favorite experience. This movie kicks ass and takes names from frame one. A bunch of hitmen and good guys are all converging on a Lake Tahoe penthouse to either arrest or kill a mob informant. This has a stellar cast, Jeremy Piven (Entourage), Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys (yes the singer), Ryan Reynolds (the Notebook, Half Nelson), Ray Liotta (Goodfellows) and Jason Bateman (Teen Wolf 2) are just a few of the people that star in this film. The Audience was really jazzed after seeing this one and I am taking other people to see this in January when it comes out. I highly recommend this to people that like guns. A
300 – This was the last film of BNAT. This is the one that my father came to see. This film is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. 300 Spartan warriors decide to fight an army of one million Persians. Not historically accurate, but a very stylized version of the events. The director Zack Snyder (remake Dawn of the Dead) said that is a dream version as if told by a Spartan story teller. He also said about 100 FX shots were not finished. It did show. This is a very ambitious work. Gerald Butler (Phantom of the Opera) stars as King Leonides, and is a Rock Star the moment you see him. I have never seen a performance like this from him before and he carries the film to its inevitable conclusion. It is not a great film but does have some really cool and brutal battle sequences. I will probably see this again to see the finished project in 2007. The coolest part of this film is that in the gift bag there was an official T-shirt. I am very pleased about this and will wear it with pride. A great way to end a fabulous festival. B+
Friday
Pan's Labyrinth – This was a film I could not wait to see. Guillermo Del Toro’s (Hellboy) latest film and a semi-follow up to his amazing ghost story The Devil’s Backbone. It takes place during the end of the Spanish Civil war and the opening shot is of a young girl dying, very similar to the opening shot of Backbone. The similarities end there. This is by far his best film to date. It is a beautiful and tragic tale that needs to be seen to be believed. It better be nominated for foreign language Oscar. It deserves it, maybe even to win. I HIGHLY recommend this film for anyone, but warn you that it is graphic in some scenes. This director is not afraid to show the ugly truth to you. He never has and no one is safe in his films. Love Guillermo, love this movie. It was one of the best movies I saw in Austin. A
Monday
Children of Men – This is Alfonso Cuaron (Y Mama Tu Tambien, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) new film. A Dystopian futurist tale about the survival of humankind. A man Clive Owen (Closer) gets in involved in rescuing the only pregnant woman in London after a tragedy 18 years ago made all women go sterile. This is basically a chase movie. The exposition is some of the best I have ever seen in a movie. The director doesn’t really let you know the whole back story but hints at it through Billboards and newspaper articles through out this picture. This film has intense war sequences and it handheld camera work gives it a authentic documentary feel that enhances the sequence making you feel the bullets passing by. The world created feels like it is completely plausible and you are a participant. Cuaron has outdone himself. This is film making at its best with stellar performances from its amazing cast. By far the best film I saw and one of the best films of 2006. I highly recommend it for everyone. Warning, the war scenes are realistic and graphic. A+
-TheBat
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can I ask for a stop to these BNAT reports, not that I think they suck but because it sucks that I wasn't there, one of these days I'm going to make it to Austin and I'm going to go to BNAT and then I'm going to report...oh and...First?
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Does she mean "closure?" And I remember this from last year...the annoying, late, trickling-in BNAT reviews that just hammered over our heads again and again how much it sucks that we weren't there. And of course, it does.
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It is now law!
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I'm sticking up for it.
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R.I.P. Peter Boyle. He was an icon.
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R.I.P. Peter Boyle. He was an icon.
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Quote of the year.
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I couldn't agree with you more. Very little mention of this today. He will be missed.
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The Scopes trial is nothing like "Inherit the Wind". In fact, quite the opposite. It burns me up that this movie is still held up as an argument for teaching evolution. Check out http://tinyurl.com/yhw7eh.
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THAT doesn't bode well. i'm getting a definite disappointed vibe from what i've been hearing. Also Ryan Reynolds was great in Half Nelson. I mean just the transformation. He's still a slim white guy but the shape of his face, voice, and just overall demeanor was completely different than in films like Waiting, Blade 3, and Just Friends. You know like it almost doesn't seem like the same guy. Really impressive stuff.
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informative and yet personalized, I wish all reviewers were this coherent.
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It's not really to do with grammar YackBacker. To say it was related to spelling would be closure to the truth.
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it was fox in a chicken coop. "Sometimes you just need closer." Honestly, it took me like ten minutes to figure out that she meant closure. Oh Yackbacker, are you trying to get some ass? Word buddy. Word.
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Oh don't be such a "sayings cop"
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I'm serious. I always heard "fox" and thought that was it for years. And then I see "hyenas" and was wondering if I had it wrong my entire life.
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Sorry I butchered your sn.
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Don't worry about it. Yes I believe the saying uses "fox". However, I believe hyenas could take out the chickens as quickly as (perhaps quicker than) a fox, so I guess it still works. It's not worth splitting hares over.
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It's not about "grammar police." It's about how to fucking take the right fucking letters and arrange them properly into the right word, based on context. I've had it with the populism of the Internet excusing stuff like "I would *of* done that" or "congra*d*ulations" or (in this case) "closer." It's not a simple typo. I will always excuse an erroneous capital letter (curse the shift key) or "teh" instead of "the." I can also overlook common punctuation errors like putting periods outside quotes. Those are typos based on the immediacy of the form. But, jesus fucking christ - learn what word is appropriate for what you're trying to say.
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Thats the kind of dumb ass Harry picks to go to BNAT,Great review "Rainman"
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Dec 14, 2006 7:39:47 AM CST
Inherit the Wind is good shit! Any psuedo polticall ...
by kinghenryviii
knuckel-heads out there ....I read on some other talk back that some bashed the movie for it's political views, but take the movie for what it is - a verbally brillant movie. Each character chewing the scrpt - and that fact that it is an old movie with some pretty long, intriguing speeches / arguements, comb overs getting all Bill Murray "Kingpin" and bending out of shape, ricketty arthritic finger pointing / hand shaking .... it kept me interested and involved. I loved the way the 2 main characters went at each other. It makes me sad to know that this will eventually get remade, loaded with F bombs (even though on a previous talkback I spoke about Cambodian whores, gimps pimping carved wooden penises, etc.) and get totally screwed up. It's an older movie I can watch over and over, like Laurel and Hardy in March of the Wooden Soldiers" or North By Northwest or Caligola. Just kidding about the last one.
Inherit the Wind is a pretty good movie. I thought Wild Things (watched it again last night) was pretty good too. D. Richards should be selling bottle openers during the 3am-4am time slot on Home Shopping Network though .... The chic can't act. -
I'm off to spelling.com now.
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Word. Let's not forget "more then" instead of "more than", or "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less".
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Someone else who knows that it's "I couldn't care less." *sniff* These tears are tears of joy. My faith in a portion of humanity has been restored.
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Once again, another viewer who doesn't understand one of the greatest movies ever made. It's about the inclusion of opposing ideas and not about excluding religion.
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Though my talkback was a bit smart-assey (due to coffee and having to be at work at 6am) I think the movie was ahead of it's time. I really enjoyed the banter of ideas. bmsatter has it right, hence the reason I can watch multiple times and enjoy it on different levels each time. On another note, an under apprecited movie - The Quiet Man - with John Wayne. Clint and Any Which Way You Can owes everything to that. Not a fan of the colorized version though. I grew up with the black and white.
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You are an asshole, but you are right. I didn't proof read my post before I sent it. It was an embarrassing dumbass mistake. I feel a bit dut-to-da if you know what I'm saying. So I will take your gripes with a lot vasoline and get over it. It will edit next time.
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One of the best films of the year. People need to start talking about it.
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No, I am not an asshole - I am a man who is fed up (as is my wife) with the continual dumbing-down of the country. The Internet as the Grand Egalitarian Forum sucks and only reveals everything wrong with the education system. I'm not sure what "dut-to-da" is that you feel, but there is no need for *Vaseline.* God, Lewis Black was right. I'm having an aneurysm.
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That's true - and I always forget about that. That's something I'm bad about, but it's because I have had friends in Britain or Germany with whom I have communicated over several years. I picked up some bad habits from them. ;) j/k
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My comments were a bit harsh I was up really early and did not really mean it. I was trying to make a bad grammer joke. I was making a reference to a show on Comedy Central you must not watch. It was my first post and I got over excited. I am really a nice person and agree with you on the dumbing down of america I work for the National Archives
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That is how the Goverment does it. That is who I write for.
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Seriously. There are other movie review websites I read where the staff reviewers themselves sometimes type things that make no logical sense because they can't form sentences or something. It just drives me crazy. What Comedy Central show, btw? Again, sorry for venting and causing you to bear the brunt of it.
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Not a very good show but it was what I felt like when I realized my article was posted and I did not check it properly. Lets start over. The best film I saw was Children of Men. don't miss it!
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Hey Bat I think you covered things well, I'm sure I was the one sitting beside you. Glad to hear you has as much fun as I did.
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