Hey folks, Harry here… Sorry for being this late with this. The show is a really huge distraction for me, but I love doing it, it’s just made it where usually every Monday night as I’m getting ready to settle down to write, I get a rough cut of the show, where I’m then asked to find and suggest clips – which usually results in me watching the rough cut about a dozen times, then seeking the various associations that my mind links to. But it takes hours to track that stuff down and I have to get it to my team asap, because they have to get it into the show, do sound, VFX and more. As a result, it just gets me behind the 8-ball. Then there’s been a wild bachelor party, more and more summer screenings… and non-stop work on the show, which everyone is overworked on, but damn if we don’t love doing it! As usual all the images and pics link to AMAZON – where you can learn more on the item in question and/or purchase it. If you do, the money goes to help make this column the best it can be. Now that I’m caught up – I’m gonna try to get ahead, but I gotta get the PROMETHEUS review up first. You’ve waited long enough, here ya go…
Tuesday, May 15th, 2012
Perhaps the best movie to be released theatrically this year, thus far, for my dollars is Joe Carnahan’s THE GREY. It isn’t the escapist joygasm that is THE AVENGERS, but it is a film of superheroics. There are few things that I can think of that would be more terrible than to survive a plane crash. To survive that plane crash in some manner of frozen tundra… fuck. Instantly my mind would turn to ALIVE – and eating the bodies of the dead crash victims. Unless… Scary fucking wolves wanted to eat me and them. In which case – yeah – we’d all pretty much be fucking dead. THE GREY is a man’s man’s movie. Liam Neeson is tremendous in the film. Frank Grillo is knocking on his door though. As I said in my full review, this film plays like the greatest survivalist flick made. At home, alone… air conditioning turned on a bit high, so you have to cuddle beneath a blanket… And yeah – it’s just perfect for that kind of film watching. The sound on the disc, I just love the mix on the film. Neeson reaffirms his badass stature with this – and Carnahan delivers a movie that slaps most other films and challenges them to pick up the glove and make something that just counts like this one. This is a tremendous film. Just outstanding.
CHRONICLE Blu Ray (Director’s Cut)
Just watched Josh Trank’s director’s cut version of CHRONICLE and I’m the sort of person that the second the movie was over – I wanted more. I love the three leads. I love the perspective from which the story is told – and the longer Director’s cut is a bit character indulgent – but personally I love all the extra minutes with Michael B. Jordan’s Steve. I love every extra prank and the additional scenes of menace and Yes, even love. Was any of it integral? Not really, but I enjoyed them all just the same. Personally, I would have preferred had there been at least 7 hours of extras on this movie. I kind of love it, but this is a good Blu Ray! I just have a very distinct feeling that this film’s popularity is only going to grow in time – I suspect that this won’t be the last version we’ll get on this movie.
I couldn’t stand this. Really unfortunate too, I like Katherine Heigl, but I just felt she was completely wrong for this. But that might be wrong too. It could be the script wasn’t there for me. Or that might be a source material jab. All I know, I should have been supremely interested in everything Heigl did in this film – and I couldn’t care about any of it. It just felt, limp.
BEING JOHN MALKOVICH Criterion Blu
Getting to review this film with Ebert was one of the great early joys and film discoveries. Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman… Everything about this film. From Cameron Diaz to John Cusack to Catherine Keener and all the John Malkovichs. The film is a pure joy. One of those movies that makes ya love movies and what a movie can or could be. Criterion has done a great job with this disc – here’s what you have in store for ya:
New high-definition digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
New selected-scene audio commentary featuring filmmaker Michel Gondry
New behind-the-scenes documentary by filmmaker Lance Bangs Conversation between John Malkovich and humorist John Hodgman
Director Spike Jonze discusses Being John Malkovich via photos from its production
Two films within the film: 7½ Floor Orientation and “American Arts & Culture” Presents John Horatio Malkovich, “Dance of Despair and Disillusionment”
An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering, a documentary by Bangs
Trailer and TV spots
PLUS: A booklet featuring a conversation between Jonze and pop-culture critic Perkus Tooth
This is that flick I described as having more exorcisms than in any previous exorcism movie. Now, it’s important to know that you won’t much care for anyone in this film. These are disposable characters at best, but there’s definitely some fun to be had with the Exorcisms. Especially the Exorcism in the Car. Worst Idea Ever. You do not want to activate Satan while driving. Transporting a possessed person is just a really truly rotten notion to ever have. Would have been better had it just been a film about the events, instead of being just an ok YOU ARE THERE flick. Watching with friends is a key.
You get the entire massive unedited epic from Bernardo Bertolucci, all 5 hours of it. Robert De Niro, Burt Lancaster, Gerard Depardieu and the amazing Sterling Hayden. HOWEVER – you should be aware – this is not a new print, in fact I’m not real sure what this is, but it isn’t the beautiful, masterful transfer that Bertolucci deserves. If you have the DVD – I’d skip this particular release, I’m not sure you’re getting an extra pixel from that. Actually, it is sharper than the existing DVD, but the print itself… needs to be shown more love. Now, 1900 is far far faaaar from Bertolucci’s best and many consider this film about 20th Century Italy to be a bit of a failure. But I’ll be damned if I can stop watching the film – even at its huge running time.
First thing that caught my attention was the name Ronald Neame – the cinematographer/writer/director who did each of those jobs, along with a host of others over his career. He directed POSEIDON ADVENTURE, the original, and that’s been a New Year’s Eve movie of mine for a better portion of my life. But when Quentin Tarantino showed us Neame’s GAMBIT all those years ago… HOLY SHIT, I went on a run of trying to see as many of his directing films as possible – and that isn’t very easy. Diving into his career from its different angles has been fun. BUT add to that, that THE ODESSA FILE is based a true secret post-ISRAEL creation… NAZI PLOT to destroy Israel… Well holy fuck. And it stars folks like Jon Voight as the undercover man that discovers the plot. But he’s dealing with Maximilian Schell, Maria Schell, Derek Jacobi and a pitch perfect rest of the cast that just make this taught thriller something to write to a ton of readers and say… WATCH THIS MOVIE! IT rocks. If you love films like TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR… This is your poison too. Check it out.
Directed by Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese… Yeah. Buy it. I love each of the three parts of this movie. Each director’s section is sort of a sonnet that I love. Each in their own particular style. It is a film to notice the direction – and it is a very fun showcase of styles and themes… and really how could a movie calling itself NEW YORK STORIES be anything else. The BluRay doesn’t have much of anything other than the movie and that’s enough for me, and how else will my Woody Allen, Coppola and Scorsese film collections be complete without it.
WALKING TALL: The Trilogy Blu Ray
This is one of those film trilogies that I absolutely owe Quentin Tarantino a big fucking “YOU RULE,” for introducing me to at a QT Fest. I’d never heard of Buford Pusser. I knew of Joe Don Baker and Bo Svenson – but I wasn’t aware of their cinematic blood brotherhood, until I saw this epic Redneck Bit of Paradise. Buford Pusser was a Tennessee sheriff that was mad as hell and not taking it anymore. He carried half of a redwood tree and beat the fuck of the lackeys and pieces of shit that worked for what essentially boils down to a Redneck Mafia. Buford’s story is a tale of woe and of personal badassery. The first film stars Joe Don Baker as the Bigger Than Life Sheriff. It also happens to be the film that tells Buford’s story – as he was still living it. When Bo Svenson replaced Joe Don Baker – one the plotline and circumstances of his casting worked so well within the Pusser story that while you’ll have trouble shaking Baker’s performance… I think I prefer Bo Svenson’s Buford. It’s just a manner to his portrayal I love, plus the directions that this story takes are just bizarre… but true. This BluRay is just amazing. This was one of those Drive-In movies that I just never expected to get the royal treatment and that’s exactly what SHOUT! did with this set. I would have loved had SHOUT! been able to get Tarantino and Svenson in to do commentaries, but Quentin is a busy guy – and my fantasies in regards to extras are rarely ever realized. Here we get a 30 minute doc that has both Joe Don and Bo talking about Pusser. Outstanding set of films.
Glenn Close has a history of playing really fascinatingly bizarre cross-dressing men that never seem to impress me as men. I’m thinking of HOOK, where she played the worst Pirate ever. That scene always has bugged the hell out of me. ALBERT NOBBS is like that bad scene from HOOK, but feature length. I just could never get past how uptight looking Close was for the entire film. The other performers – folks like Mia Wasikowska and Aaron Johnson are great, I just would rather watch a whole season of DOWNTON ABBEY than ever watch this film again. At least in DOWNTON ABBEY I love all the servants that have bizarre and outlandish secrets. Not a fan.
Spaghetti Western Double Feature: GRAND DUEL & KEOMA Blu ray
Before I see DJANGO UNCHAINED, I’m gonna watch a shit ton of Spaghetti Westerns. Every one that I have, just because I want to just use the excuse of the film to wallow in this particular genre. I’ve watched THE GRAND DUEL, mainly because I’m attracted to all films starring Lee Van Cleef… thank you John Carpenter and Sergio Leone for making me love him so much. I haven’t gotten a chance to watch Franco Nero in KEOMA yet, but I love Nero’s Django so much that the notion of watching him in this is a future watch that I’m looking forward to. This release isn’t great, but it looks damn good and it’s just $5.99 for both films. And I can tell you that THE GRAND DUEL is pretty awesome.
You know when you’re watching RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK or one of the other Indy movies when you thought, “It’d be so badass if Indiana Jones could do a leaping split kick!” Your friends have always thought your diet was mainly lead-based paint chips, but you know the truth, you’ve see THE ORDER and those monkeys are still swinging after Shia. Seriously though, this is a dreadful film… with CHARLTON HESTON… but I’ll be honest, I have a total weakness for the Muscles from Brussels. He was my mother’s last ridiculous boy obsession. We saw all the Van Damme films together because he did it for her – and those Van Damme films I loved. This later stuff though… not so much, but even the worst Van Damme flick, it’s great to watch with friends and bitch non-stop about the hilarity of the ineptitude. So I must have this – just waiting on the right friend to watch this Blu.
MAN ON A MISSION: RICHARD GARRIOTT’S ROAD TO THE STARS
I have to admit… I have a connection to this movie that will guarantee my life long affection for it. Part of Richard Garriott’s mission when the Gaming God traveled to the former Soviet Union and hitched a ride on a Russian Rocket that docked with the INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION for a few days of – FUCK EVERYTHING, I’M IN OUTER SPACE!!! …as I was saying, part of his mission involved storing the DNA information on a very crazy awesome list of folks, of whom I was one, on the ISS. So folks, my DNA is safely in orbit so that I can survive the apocalypse of 2012! Whew. Also, Garriott recorded me a Birthday Greeting from Space for BUTT-NUMB-A-THON – and a very dear friend scored the film. BUT I have to say when I went to see this film, I was expecting to not like it. The notion of buying one’s way into space generally makes me go into a jealousy fit because… man, I just don’t foresee myself getting to go into space. It is amongst my fondest dreams, but listening to Richard Garriott’s story – I suddenly realized that Richard’s father was a NASA Astronaut. That Richard grew up with this dream. When he founded his gaming empire it was out of aggravation that he wasn’t going to be an astronaut… but then, that career path lead him to his dream. The story of his Cosmonaut training – and I’ll be damned if the film just doesn’t capture that dream. That dream that one of us got up there. Garriott is an Austin badass and good on him for this. I’m a NASA and Space super freak. I would have celebrated this film had I had zero connections, mainly do the accomplishment of a lifelong dream in the most unlikeliest of manners. But my essence orbits Planet Earth – and that’s just fucking amazing. Watch this film and then realize your own dreams.
When I was living up on my family’s ranch in North Texas… One day, I found a cache of VHS porn. That was one of those days I’ll never forget, because very clearly… actually it wasn’t that clear, it was a dubby VHS, but it was 1080p to my young eyes, but amongst those sacred titles was this film, and flicks like BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR, INSATIABLE, DEVIL IN MISS JONES and the musical porn adaptation of ALICE IN WONDERLAND. I was the only kid that any of us knew that had porn. I shared with friends and we all became instantly terrified and anxious to enter the world of adult relations. DEBBIE DOES DALLAS isn’t nearly as awesome as a great many other porn flicks… But like everything from the 1970s, there’s a really bizarre innocence to the depravity that makes this film irresistibly fun to wank to. The premise alone is just disgusting – a group of High School cheerleaders are working to help Bambi Woods’ Debbie to become a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader – and they need to raise money, so they get jobs in the community and fuck their lascivious bosses and one another. The final and most infamous scene, where you finally see Bambi in the classic Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader uniform and the athletic goods store owner dressed in a football uniform with a raging boner, the scene and the iconography of that moment is burnt into my memory. This was in the period where getting this sort of thing was impossible. There was no internet. If you wanted porn, you had to raid your relative’s collections or beg an older questionable morals person for the good stuff. When you had to work up the courage to attempt to buy a magazine as the counter help winked at you knowing that if you’re old enough to attempt to buy it, you’re ready to watch it. Now, it’s so accessible. However, this is a classic. RESPECT this Porn, it paved the way for what we know now.
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
I love that every film started shooting with the idea that at the end of the shooting – Martin Riggs was meant to die at the end of the film… And they just can’t kill that stubborn half-crazed badass. I dearly love the LETHAL WEAPON series – yes, even LETHAL WEAPON 4 – which doesn’t technically completely earn that love, but the residual awesome of the first 3 – and the particular awesome of LETHAL WEAPON 2 almost casts this Criticism Shield over the whole of the series – simply because it really does kick that much ass. “DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY!!!” Indeed. This is sort of the no brainer. In fact, it makes you wonder why the fuck we haven’t gotten this set earlier… like they did in the UK. But it’s worth the wait. For me, as badass as Mel is – it’s the humanity of Murtaugh… Riggs’ conscience, the man that gave a shit when nobody else did. The scores, Donner’s direction and the continual casting decisions that drove this series forward. I did get tired of Joe Pesci’s character – but at the same time, I love love love how Riggs and Rog treat him as their own personal Stooge to pummel and abuse wantonly, even though there’s love there for him. And for those that just want to scream about LETHAL WEAPON 4… but that scene on the Pier… MAJOR LOVE. For everyone that bitches that Riggs lost his martial arts abilities… Well I’ve had a perspective on that, that I want to share. In the first film, Riggs is suicidal, a gun without a heart… he had a heart, she died. He’s just a Lethal Weapon. Over the course of the 4 film journey, his anger was reinforced in the 2nd. But then Rene Russo shows up in 3. She’s the sort of woman he could never have imagined. After the near death of 3, I hold that Riggs entered a new portion of his life. One where being the deadliest weapon on Earth was no longer important. He’s lost his edge. Like in ROCKY III, he no longer has the Eye of the Tiger. Most people do, it’s something that life does for you if you’re lucky, you become HAPPY. CONTENT. IN LOVE. Then along comes Jet Li… Let’s face it, Jet Li could kick Mel Gibson’s ass at any stage of Mel’s life. I love Mel, but let’s face it… Jet Li is like magic. At the time of LETHAL WEAPON 4, Jet Li… well I have no problem believing he could dismantle a pistol in a single move. That’s Jet Li. The thing that Rog gave Riggs was a purpose, a reason to fight, a reason to live. Riggs and Murtaugh would always win – because they have a reason to. Jesus I love these films – and the Blu Ray is outstanding.
My favorite TV show. I fucking love this show. When I watched Season 1, it felt like a hallucination. Loved it so much, that when Martin Freeman was cast as Bilbo Baggins – I was terrified it would mean the end of this brilliant series. Benedict Cumberbatch, holy fuck man. SO AWESOME. I’ve heard rumors that he may be up for DR STRANGE and if they put that white streak in his hair and that moustache and the Eye of Agamotto, the cloak and the costume and make me so damn happy! When news hit that Season 2 was coming – I was beside myself with anticipation. Luckily the BBC sent me screeners slightly ahead of release and oh god did I love this. In particular – Just how brilliant is THE REICHENBACH FALL? The adaptation is just riveting. I love HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, mainly because the adaptation oddly makes me think of V FOR VENDETTA by Alan Moore in a strange abstract kind of manner. I never want this to end. They’re just so awesome. So so so awesome. It is amazing how quickly Benedict Cumberbatch became one of favorite working actors today – but I’m dying to see his Smaug. I mean… can you imagine? So brilliant.
In a recent DVD column I wrote up a Blu Ray for the film THE ASPHYX, well THE WOMAN IN BLACK reminded me of that film in all the best ways – without an unfortunate title that became hysterical dialogue. HAMMER hit this one out of the park for me. The atmosphere isn’t necessarily realistic. It’s a bit surreal. Radcliffe plays his character as though he is resolved to go to the gallows. He’s not really living, since the death of his wife… he’s remained in shock. Going through the motions of raising a child, having a job… but he’s dead inside. Nothing touches him except the memory of his wife, who he feels could always be in the room with him. This is the age of reason, his reading of a newspaper account of Arthur Conan Doyle revealing charlatan after charlatan that was attempting to claim to be SPIRITUAL – gives him the confidence to discount his fears as irrational, even if he knows in his heart it is all true. THEN – he gets the creepiest fucking job ever. I mean seriously. The fucked up level of DON’T FUCKING DO IT, that he wanders into… well you know he’s fucked, Ron & Hermione don’t have his back this time. And Ginny apparently died. This is Gothic, not Hot Topic.
This isn’t the great telling of the Tuskegee Airmen, but this is the comic book telling. I’m not sure what people where expecting from George Lucas and crew on this film, but this was exactly the film I thought he’d make. A little silly, stunning aerial combat and thinly drawn heroic archetypal pilots. For me, this is a film to file with my ACES HIGH comics from E.C. Good fun. Great DVD, the behind the scenes on the making of this flick were very well done. Now if Kathleen Kennedy would secure the rights to WEIRD SCIENCE and do a series of movies off of them. Yes please.
The charisma of Tom Hardy, Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon is enough to keep this film entertaining and fun. This is the exact sort of movie meringue that McG can easily whip up that I can lightly enjoy and forget until it pops on Cable and all of a sudden I’m watching and smiling at this film again. But there’s no real value or weight to what’s going on and the constant deception and wasteful government spending to the service of Macho posing. So, want something light and silly and kind of maybe a bit sexy? This works enough to get the job done.
THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY Blu
Written by Hayao Miyazaki and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, this take on THE BORROWERS is just an absolute delight. In particular what the wonder of how Ghibli handles the animation of miniaturized water. It actually got Yoko cooing, “that’s soooooo cool,” and I have to admit that I geeked out over her geeking out over the animation of micro-fluidal movements. I love this film, THE BORROWERS and THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD. Absolutely wonderful for kids and adults alike.
LAPUTA – CASTLE IN THE SKY Blu
Inspired by Jonathan Swift’s GULLIVER’S TRAVELS – Miyazaki chose this to be his 3rd feature – and it’s a wonder. Seriously. The sense of motion and his films have the power of dreams. I watch a Miyazaki film and I will dream there that night – and wake up the next day feeling lighter, feeling better about the world and loving 2D animation more than I’ve ever loved CG – and I love many CG animated films – but the craft of this. I love it. The designed universe is exquisite. Sookie Stackhouse provides the voice for Sheeta, but the best thing about this set is the fact that you can watch in the original Japanese with subtitles – which is the way to watch, though the English dub isn’t BAD, it’s just unnecessary.
A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL Blu Ray
A fucking great spaghetti western. Klaus Kinski is great. El Chucho is that Gian Maria Volonte from FISTFUL OF DOLLARS – again, just fantastic here. A man that was born for the genre but actually didn’t do a ton of them, dammit. This is just a film that if you’ve ever loved a Spaghetti Western, that you must check out. Simply outstanding.
An utterly fantastic science fiction apocalypse flick that did not get nearly the attention it deserves. First off, it stars Ewan McGregor and Eva Green as a cook and as a CDC type of lady. When the plague that takes us all out begins in this film, the first sign is that everybody’s sense of taste goes away. Then it progresses. What does a cook do when his taste goes away along with everybody else’s? I found this film frightening, emotional and very powerful. DO NOT MISS.
Honestly, I feel this is the best looking of any of this particular subgenre of Japanese filmmaking has done in eons. Oddly, while being crazy over the top like usual, it actually makes a lot of sense and I like what is going on. Still funky as hell.
I like Lou Diamond Phillips in the same way I like Van Damme – except Lou made LA BAMBA which I love more than any of JCVD’s work. That movie gets me. But here, Lou Diamond Phillips works at an alternative energy facility that has deployed giant solar collectors in outer space that collect the energy from a massive solar flare – inadvertently it becomes the METAL TORNADO – which is a really fucking bad problem to have. Kinda like the zombie apocalypse that’s happening. This is total rot your teeth bad for you entertainment.
YES! Damn straight YES! Childhood personified.
This Italian Crime film kicks ass. The title is ridiculous, but once you meet Mama The Turk, you’ll get it. Massimo Dallamano knew what he was doing on this one. There’s only 500 copies in the world and each is hand numbered, so get one of the 499 other copies, I got mine.
Tuesday May 29th, 2012
I had not heard of this film. Thought I’d seen all the Nicholas Ray films, but somehow this had escaped me. Nicholas Ray is one of those truly tremendous underappreciated great directors of yesteryear – and RUN FOR COVER starring James Cagney and John Derek is just wonderful. Cagney is an ex con, we don’t know that – but when we meet him at the beginning of the film he’s looking for a new place to live. He comes across this young man while riding and they decide to keep each other company as they ride for the nearest town, where Derek lives. John Derek brags about his marksmanship then misses an eagle he was aiming for, then Cagney casually shoots it out of the sky. Some train guards panic and a series of events begin. This is one of those McCarthy Era films – where they took the politics out – and just played to the lynch mob conceit of the Old West. The film is just brilliant. Cagney and his relationship with Viveca Lindfors is so refreshing. In particular, I love how he courts her and her father. It’s just something missing from the modern era. That sense of proper etiquette. Love this movie, gorgeous Blu Ray transfer. If you love Cagney or Ray – this is a must.
THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES Blu Ray
Personally I prefer the Blu-Book format which is $7 more, but this Clamshell is a mere $10 – and you get the same content minus the book. It’s one of my all time favorite westerns, Chief Dan George has a lot to do with that, so does Clint… But the memory of seeing this at age 5 at the Village 2 screen theater in Austin – and the other screen was playing SONG OF THE SOUTH. Went with my mom & dad and about a dozen of their cinefriends. I can remember standing around outside after the film as I worked to keep up with their conversations about exactly why Josey Wales was so fucking awesome – and the Bill Gold artwork on the Posters was brought up often. This is the best $10 you can spend on a blu.
I would prefer an animatronic Lancelot Link figure that opened up and had every LL:SC episode ever shot on Blu Ray, but beggars can’t be choosers and this is what we got, 17 episodes for $16.39 – and I know what you’re thinking, I don’t see the value, I mean – Harry – you just said I could buy OUTLAW JOSEY WALES for $10, why would I get this? You see, they’re chimpanzees dressed as humans playing Cloak & Dagger style. It’s as sublimely brilliant as modern culture will have ever experienced.
This is a TRUE BLOOD household. It’s sexy as all hell. Bill & Eric and Sookie are just amazing. LC, he’s a bit of a bitch I feel. This season was the Season of the Witch – and she was just an awesome season device. The new season is about to hit – and that will comfort me , when I see the last GAME OF THRONES for this season tomorrow. Yoko is seriously addicted to this.
I thought this was a fun little caper movie. It’s nowhere near THE STING or GAMBIT or SNEAKERS area, but it is a diverting flick and I love Elizabeth Banks in the film. Definitely worth checking out – and it is only mainly ridiculous. Everything with Jaime Bell is hilarious to me – and any movie with Ed Harris is automatically given 3 stars.
Ralph Fiennes’ directorial debut is an ambitious effort and I can’t wait to see where he goes from here. In many ways he seemed to be borrowing from that Cronenberg starkness. I love how flexible Shakespeare is in talented hands. Great cast – and the film is a magnificent, though probably not a frequent watch.
Being a Texas boy, I’m pretty ignorant in the ways of Hockey. It’s one of those mystical Polar Bear sports that Northerners play… although Austin does have it’s own Hockey team, I’ve yet to attend, though I’m thinking about it. Just so I might be able to get into the next Hockey comedy. Nothing can top Paul Newman and the Hanson Brothers. All I can do is compare this to SLAPSHOT – and at the end of the day, I vastly prefer that film. Still this is an amusing film.
I like Amanda Seyfried, but I fucking was bored shitless by this movie – which I just could never believe a frame of. I just don’t believe the movie. It feels badly conceived and written. It feels like it wants to be R-rated but just didn’t commit to it. Limp and uninteresting.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Blu
Ignored by the Academy, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN has just continued to escalate in my estimation. Tilda Swinton is brilliant, and I totally understand why the film isn’t popular. The film doesn’t condemn, it is a victim to itself. Imagine if your kid became a Columbine-esque mass-student killer. This film takes a look at the life of a kid and his family life. The movie is chilling and brutal. Ezra Miller and Tilda Swinton are just brilliant. This is one of last year’s films where if you love tough and emotionally raw cinema, this is great. If you’re someone that never wants to have kids, this will reinforce that belief. Want to you’re your significant other out of reproducing, this may do the trick. The film is brutally honest and frank. It is also responsible for me not buying my nephew his Bow & Arrow set this Christmas.
SUMMER WITH MONIKA Criterion Blu
This is one of my favorite erotic works from Ingmar Bergman. One, Harriet Andersson is just amazing to watch in this film. This isn’t a juvenile film by any means, this is adult eroticism told with a steady and even hand by Bergman. If you loved WILD STRAWBERRIES give this a chance, you’ll love it.
SUMMER INTERLUDE Criterion Blu
An adult woman, dissatisfied with the direction her life has taken is haunted by terrific memories of a Summer Romance that has long since passed. Another brilliant film from Bergman. This is such a great film. Definitely check out what Criterion has done here. Two heady sexy films from the master.
STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS Blu
An absolutely fantastic film noir starring Kirk Douglas, Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and the lovely Lizabeth Scott. Directed by Lewis Milestone, who gave us ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT, one of the greatest war films of all time and Sinatra’s original OCEANS ELEVEN. Stanwyck is just awesome in this, she’s such a great powerful female lead. You quake under her commands – if you love this try to get your hands on THE CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA. Beautiful on Blu!
Jean Rollin’s REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE kind of reminds me of HOUSE OF THE DEVIL in terms of it being about innocence destroyed and cult like groups. The film is erotic, but atmospheric as all hell. These reform school girl runaways turned Vampire chow. JUST AWESOME. Middle film in a trilogy that ends with SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES. Rollin does great work folks. Gorgeous print.
THE RAPE OF THE VAMPIRE Blu Ray
Jean Rollin’s first film is filled with beautiful French women that the town believes to be vampires so they murder each one of them, then they all get resurrected and join the Queen of the Vampires. This is the beginning of the trilogy that continues in REQUIEM FOR A VAMPIRE. Great stuff to have on Blu, sexy, violent and hot.
John Cassavetes directs this film starring Bobby Darin and Stella Stevens. It’s all kinds of brilliant. Bobby plays a douchey self-involved hipster Jazz punk that thinks he’s better than everyone and lives to regret that. Stella Stevens is beautiful and tragic in this. Such a wonderful film. Emotional and yet it transports you absolutely to the era. If you love this, seek out Cassavetes’ TV series from the period before this called JOHNNY STACCATO. SO GREAT! Love having this on Blu.
Basically a Thin Man film, but instead of Myrna Loy – you get Ginger Rogers. Formula isn’t as solid, but the film is still a delight. For all you William Powell lovers – he’s fantastic here. Powell’s a newspaper man, Rogers is his dame that helps investigate a mystery who wants a ring on her finger. Good stuff, tons of fun.
Directed by Tod Browning and starring Lon Chaney – I’ve just ordered this because this is one of the Chaney’s that I haven’t seen, but thanks to growing up with Forry’s obsession with Lon Chaney, I’ve heard of it, seen photos. He plays a gangster known as The Blackbird, that disguises himself as a crippled brother that wanders about. Can’t wait to see this, so excited to discover it is out!
Well that’s it for May – this Tuesday, I’ll be back with JOHN CARTER Blu, ACT OF VALOR Blu, SAFE HOUSE, THE STING Blu, YELLOW SUBMARINE Blu, JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND, HONDO Blu, THE COLOR OF MONEY Blu, MACHINE GUN PREACHER, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT Blu, THE THREE STOOGES Ultimate Collection, U.S. MARSHALS, ERIN BROCKOVICH, THE GRAPES OF WRATH Blu, A PERFECT WORLD Blu, RANSOM Blu, BAD ASS, SCENT OF A WOMAN Blu, SEA OF LOVE Blu, COCKTAIL Blu, HOOSIERS Blu, BLOOD WORK Blu, FLAME OVER INDIA Blu, ANIMAL HOUSE Blu, ROME EXPRESS Blu, SPARTACUS Blu, THE AWAKENING, CASINO Blu and more!
