I just had the weirdest dream and I'm not making it up, fact, I sent Rob G a message telling him Patrick was in LA and to get him in the show a few weeks back but then this happened Last night I dreamt Patrick was on the latest Shockwaves podcast and while chatting Xtro came up to which Elric, Bekah and Rob all agreed it was amazing, to which Patrick said "It was fine". To which Patrick got bullied by all three that he should give it another try, and because of respect for these guys he promised he would, then I woke up I know you will never believe me but I give you all my word this just happened, strangest dream ever
Just to be a completionist, I'll report on another Finnish horror. Nightmare - Painajainen Merellä (2012) might be the worst (ostensibly) horror movie I've ever seen. It's a spinoff of a hugely popular Finnish daytime soap (seriously), and tells the story of the soap's characters taking a cruise together and being stalked by an unknown killer. It's trying to be a soapy drama/comedy mixed with a slasher movie, but it's a slasher without any on-screen kills, a drama without dramatic weight and a comedy without laughs (well, any intentional laughs, some of the plot "twists" had me chuckling).
Public service announcement: Everyone drop what they are doing and see Hell or High Water immediately if not sooner. It's fantastic in a number of ways!
Some other stuff this week, finally saw Ghostbusters, which was fine, and visited the IMDb forums, which was a huge mistake. Still got a terrible taste in my mouth. The Last Stand was better than expected, Escape Plan worse. And Hausu is freakin' off the wall crazy. I don't know whether to love it or hate it. At least it needs revisits.
Got to Goldeneye in my James Bond marathon. Dalton was a blast, but now I just have to coast through until Craig.
In other viewing I watch Good Will Hunting and Rosemary's Baby. Liked both, but one of them had a hellish looking baby that creeped me out. Guess I'm not a Casey Affleck fan.
Also went to an Indiana Jones double feature of Raiders and ToD at AFI's silver theater. Both were a blast, but the audience didn't respond well to ToD. Maybe it was a function of being in the theater for four hours, but I seemed to be one of the only people having fun. Either way, they both look great on a big screen.
I found Kubo and the Two Strings to be the best fantasy film since... I don't even know when. It's beautiful, riveting and downright spectacular. By far one of my favorite movies of the year!
"Lake Nowhere" is a 50 minute faux "VHS" Horror throwback film that is available for rent on Amazon now for $2.99. It's well worth it in my opinion as it is one of the most authentic I have ever seen. I immediately bought the Blu Ray after watching it.
Here's my conundrum: The Blair Witch Project is one of my top 5 favorite horror movies of all time. While I am thrilled at the prospect of a sequel, especially one with the talent behind it, I am worried. The thing that makes the original so chilling is they never truly show or definitively explain anything. While I have never been one to use the "ruin my childhood" argument, if they expand on the mythology or show a Witch or monster, it could permanently degrade the power of the original. I'm discounting Book of Shadows from this argument as I remember it being so laughably terrible. I'm sure the new one will not be. Would love to get some F-Heads thoughts on this.
I had exactly the same thoughts about The Evil dead remake, and that turned out well, if it didn't then I can easily just pretend it never exists, a bit like I do with the Xtro sequels, nothing can taint the original if you don't let it
Taika Waititi's Eagle vs Shark is funny and endearing and I thought it presented a really interesting male-female dynamic (girl not trying to change boy).
I looove The Apartment (one of my favs). I know it's screwball as well but It Happened One Night. I have always had a soft spot for Not Suitable for Children, mainly because of Sarah Snook, and Muriel's Wedding, which is and isn't a romantic comedy (and because it is aussie goes kinda dark - but that could be the 15 year old me talking).
I second It Happened One Night. If I name some others classics, Roman Holiday is awesome, and Never Say Goodbye is a largely forgotten gem with Errol Flynn.
Watching the televised farewell concert of Canadian icon band The Tragically Hip and the lead singer (who's dying of brain cancer) just unzipped his metallic silver jacket to reveal a Jaws tshirt! Interesting choice but I obviously approve wholeheartedly!
Equity- Damn. I loved that, I could have watched that movie all day. I didn't realize how (HOW) sexist all the other movies of this kind that came before it were. Some reviewers say it was too heavy handed, but hello, sexism isn't subtle for those who suffer from it at every turn. Everyone should see it just for a different take on something we're so used to seeing in only one way. It was sharp, wise, and gotta say I loved the COSTUMING like I knew I would. I'm still not sure about the very last scene, that's usually not my kind of end scene.
Queen of Earth - I enjoyed watching this, but I know I'm not knowledgable enough to recognize the qualities that many felt made it a masterpiece. I could easily assign many meanings to it, but I admit I'm not sure what it's meant to be about.
Florence Foster Jenkins movie with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. Piano duet sex, and Alec Baldwin's girlfriend from 30 Rock. It's a movie about enabling. So I could relate.
The Midnight Swim - I loved it once I saw the end and could see the whole thing together in perspective. And that was, I thought, also the point of the movie. So, I loved it for that. It got me. But I did get pretty scared by a few birds in the middle, soooo...I fear I am very far away from my bravery goal to see The Witch. Like, I'll never get there. So sad.
What movies were between QOE and midnight swim on your list? Not like I'm stalkering your list or anything...I want more "sort of scary"/not really movies, you know? Por favor?
This evening I watched The October Man (1947), a British mystery starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood. Mills plays a survivor of a bus accident who is recently released from the hospital. When a woman is murdered, he becomes the main suspect. Greenwood is his love interest. Every time I hear her voice, I fall more in love with her. The film directed by Roy Ward Baker, and he's able to ratchet up the suspense throughout. As an added bonus, the film also features Kay Walsh who I know from This Happen Breed. All-in-all, an enjoyable film!
I actually had enough fun with the first one cause I just took it for what it was meant to be and enjoyed it enough. This one is almost insulting it's so bad.
I need to catch up on this week's movies (in particular Kubo and Hell or High Water). The only thing I watched this week worth mentioning is Psychomania (1973) a.k.a. The Death Wheelers, about a British biker gang who commit suicide to become immortal. I liked the premise and the movie was watchable enough, but it kinda fizzles at the end.
This week I've been having a mini-early-Eric Roberts fest. This guy is seriously the hardest working man in showbusiness. Although it will have probably increased by the time I'm done writing this, he's sitting at 441 imdb credits (73 are upcoming projects). That is a pornographic level of output, more than Walken and Sam Jackson combined. I watched the Pope of Greenwich Village, Star 80, Runaway Train & the Coca-Cola kid. Roberts is very good in all of them, but the real standout to me was his performance in Star 80 which is based on the real-life murder of up and coming actress/centerfold Doroty Stratten. In Star 80 he plays a small-time piece-of-shit pimp who is losing control of his wife/meal ticket to bigger time pieces of shit Hugh Hefner and Peter Bogdonavich (represented by a fictional character). It's a pretty dark tale, that is very faithful to the factual events, at least according to the pulitzer-winning article it was based on : "Death of a Playmate" (which is available online, and a compelling although unpleasant read for true crime buffs or those who like to chase down the real story after seeing a film). You can tell that James Woods was taking notes, for his turn as Lester Diamond in Casino. Bob Fosse uses the same docu-drama storytelling device that he used earlier in Lenny wth Dustin Hoffman. It's very effective and Roberts manages to create a small degree of sympathy (very small, I'm not a monster) for a character who will go on to do something horrific beyond redemption (not really a spoiler, for a true crime pic that pretty much reveals this in the first 10 minutes, and also I guess the title of the article it is based on...sorry). Star 80 is very compelling and recommended to those who can handle the dark stuff. And briefly, he's great in Pope of Greenwich Village, even though it has the ending of a Three Stooges short. He's also great in Runaway Train, although he's overshadowed by Jon Voight who is in beast-mode. Finally he's also pretty good in a McConaughey-inspiring performance as the Coca-Cola kid which has an off-the-rails third act (not in a good way). How did this guy capable of such great work get thrown so deep into movie jail? I know he had drug problems, but jeez Downey was once a dumpster fire and now he's one of the biggest names in Hollywood. I know Roberts has never quite matched Downey's talent level, but I'm pretty sure he's better than Sicilian Vampire or Amityville Death House (actual Eric Roberts projects)?
I like part 2 even better than the first one, but 3 is a shitshow. Parts 4 and 5 are a whole different animal (5 especially,) and part 6 really takes things back to basics. All 6 installments were written by the same person, which is pretty goddamn rare for a horror franchise (I can't think of another one like that besides Phantasm.) I think they're worth your while.
I really dig the production values in 2 even though its essentially a body count movie; and I'm one of those crazy people who prefers 3 over 2 but then again I find much unironic pleasure in some truly wretched flicks. Bride is silly fun, I haven't seen Seed, and Curse was a letdown (Its been nine years, Don. Pick an ending and stick with it).
Thanks to Mark Ahn's recommendation on the X-Men: Apocalypse podcast, I watched Meet the Patels this weekend, and really liked it. And, of course, the core lesson of the story is that men are emotional idiots. :P
Last night I watched the pilot for Jean Claude Van Johnson on Amazon. Super-conflicted, as it feels a little bit too winky and ironic, and I enjoy his movies in the spirit with which they were made. I can't help but feel like the show is the equivalent of what Rick Rolling was a few years ago. At the same time, it's great to see him getting a mainstream push. He's still doing really great work in most of his modern direct-to-DVD movies, so maybe this will raise his profile among lapsed JCVD fans and those just discovering him. Not sure I want the pilot to get picked up, though.
Just watched The Fury based on Patrick's recommendation, a movie that I likely would have never seen otherwise. I'm so glad I did, what a great movie. Its got all the things I love about late-70s thrillers, including the way-too-long slow-mo sequences. And it finally answers my long-standing question of "what would Dennis Franz look like without a moustache?" And, of course, one of the greatest endings I've ever seen.
Wrapped up my weekend by watching From Here to Eternity for the first time. Even for a movie involving Pearl Harbor that was a pretty depressing ending. Great movie and glad to get this one out of my pile of shame.
I'm also currently on day 4 of being a vegetarian after 37 years of eating meat and not being particularly fond of vegetables so that's been somewhat interesting adapting to (was a personal choice, not doing it for any sort of health reasons or anything).
I just had the weirdest dream and I'm not making it up, fact, I sent Rob G a message telling him Patrick was in LA and to get him in the show a few weeks back but then this happened
ReplyDeleteLast night I dreamt Patrick was on the latest Shockwaves podcast and while chatting Xtro came up to which Elric, Bekah and Rob all agreed it was amazing, to which Patrick said "It was fine". To which Patrick got bullied by all three that he should give it another try, and because of respect for these guys he promised he would, then I woke up
I know you will never believe me but I give you all my word this just happened, strangest dream ever
Maybe falling asleep to the podcast is not a good idea.
DeleteJust to be a completionist, I'll report on another Finnish horror. Nightmare - Painajainen Merellä (2012) might be the worst (ostensibly) horror movie I've ever seen. It's a spinoff of a hugely popular Finnish daytime soap (seriously), and tells the story of the soap's characters taking a cruise together and being stalked by an unknown killer. It's trying to be a soapy drama/comedy mixed with a slasher movie, but it's a slasher without any on-screen kills, a drama without dramatic weight and a comedy without laughs (well, any intentional laughs, some of the plot "twists" had me chuckling).
ReplyDeleteJust to let people (Chaybee) know, stay away.
Cheers, Mikko!!
DeletePublic service announcement: Everyone drop what they are doing and see Hell or High Water immediately if not sooner. It's fantastic in a number of ways!
ReplyDeleteI plan on it! What comic book ot existing IP is it based on?
Deletelol, fortunately none that I'm aware of.
DeleteWHAAAA?!? :)
DeleteShocking, I know. :)
DeleteYes! Just saw this and it was great. Such a solid mix of drama, action, and subtle humor.
DeleteSome other stuff this week, finally saw Ghostbusters, which was fine, and visited the IMDb forums, which was a huge mistake. Still got a terrible taste in my mouth. The Last Stand was better than expected, Escape Plan worse. And Hausu is freakin' off the wall crazy. I don't know whether to love it or hate it. At least it needs revisits.
ReplyDeleteGot to Goldeneye in my James Bond marathon. Dalton was a blast, but now I just have to coast through until Craig.
ReplyDeleteIn other viewing I watch Good Will Hunting and Rosemary's Baby. Liked both, but one of them had a hellish looking baby that creeped me out. Guess I'm not a Casey Affleck fan.
Also went to an Indiana Jones double feature of Raiders and ToD at AFI's silver theater. Both were a blast, but the audience didn't respond well to ToD. Maybe it was a function of being in the theater for four hours, but I seemed to be one of the only people having fun. Either way, they both look great on a big screen.
Ya burnt, Casey Affleck!
DeleteAwww. I find Casey Affleck cool and the better actor of the brothers.
DeleteWait, what? Are you in Silver Spring?!
DeleteAlso, it wasn't this weekend, but I also have seen Temple of Doom at the AFI Silver.
DeleteThe Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford (2007) is on my to-watch list.
DeleteCasey looks enough like his brother, I could see him stepping in if Ben decides he wants to do flashbacks to a younger Bruce Wayne.
DeleteI live an hour away from Silver Spring but I make the drive to AFI when I can. I don't hate Casey Affleck, but I just wasn't thrilled by him in GWH.
DeleteI found Kubo and the Two Strings to be the best fantasy film since... I don't even know when. It's beautiful, riveting and downright spectacular. By far one of my favorite movies of the year!
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I'm going to see it tomorrow with a friend, and I'm looking forward to it!
Delete"Lake Nowhere" is a 50 minute faux "VHS" Horror throwback film that is available for rent on Amazon now for $2.99. It's well worth it in my opinion as it is one of the most authentic I have ever seen. I immediately bought the Blu Ray after watching it.
ReplyDeleteHere's my conundrum: The Blair Witch Project is one of my top 5 favorite horror movies of all time. While I am thrilled at the prospect of a sequel, especially one with the talent behind it, I am worried. The thing that makes the original so chilling is they never truly show or definitively explain anything. While I have never been one to use the "ruin my childhood" argument, if they expand on the mythology or show a Witch or monster, it could permanently degrade the power of the original. I'm discounting Book of Shadows from this argument as I remember it being so laughably terrible. I'm sure the new one will not be. Would love to get some F-Heads thoughts on this.
ReplyDeleteI had exactly the same thoughts about The Evil dead remake, and that turned out well, if it didn't then I can easily just pretend it never exists, a bit like I do with the Xtro sequels, nothing can taint the original if you don't let it
DeleteI need romantic comedies recommendations. I am trying to branch out from action and horror and be more diverse in my movie watch.
ReplyDeleteTaika Waititi's Eagle vs Shark is funny and endearing and I thought it presented a really interesting male-female dynamic (girl not trying to change boy).
DeleteStart with some classics! His Girl Friday, The Philadelphia Story, and The Apartment are all essentials.
DeleteOr are those first two more Screwball Comedy?
DeleteAmélie.
DeleteI looove The Apartment (one of my favs). I know it's screwball as well but It Happened One Night. I have always had a soft spot for Not Suitable for Children, mainly because of Sarah Snook, and Muriel's Wedding, which is and isn't a romantic comedy (and because it is aussie goes kinda dark - but that could be the 15 year old me talking).
DeleteI am excited to watch all these movies.
DeleteI second It Happened One Night. If I name some others classics, Roman Holiday is awesome, and Never Say Goodbye is a largely forgotten gem with Errol Flynn.
DeleteI will second Amelie....also, Basket Case 3
DeleteAmelie forever.
DeleteWalking and Talking is lovely
and Primos is absolutely hysterical.
Watching the televised farewell concert of Canadian icon band The Tragically Hip and the lead singer (who's dying of brain cancer) just unzipped his metallic silver jacket to reveal a Jaws tshirt! Interesting choice but I obviously approve wholeheartedly!
ReplyDeleteShit, they played here last Thursday. Didn't know the guy was sick.
DeleteAny chance that Patrick and Riske's Favorite Movies of 1990 discussion from the F Breast Cancer! Podcast-a-Thon will be uploaded?
ReplyDeleteEquity- Damn. I loved that, I could have watched that movie all day. I didn't realize how (HOW) sexist all the other movies of this kind that came before it were. Some reviewers say it was too heavy handed, but hello, sexism isn't subtle for those who suffer from it at every turn. Everyone should see it just for a different take on something we're so used to seeing in only one way. It was sharp, wise, and gotta say I loved the COSTUMING like I knew I would. I'm still not sure about the very last scene, that's usually not my kind of end scene.
ReplyDeleteQueen of Earth - I enjoyed watching this, but I know I'm not knowledgable enough to recognize the qualities that many felt made it a masterpiece. I could easily assign many meanings to it, but I admit I'm not sure what it's meant to be about.
Florence Foster Jenkins movie with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. Piano duet sex, and Alec Baldwin's girlfriend from 30 Rock. It's a movie about enabling. So I could relate.
The Midnight Swim - I loved it once I saw the end and could see the whole thing together in perspective. And that was, I thought, also the point of the movie. So, I loved it for that. It got me. But I did get pretty scared by a few birds in the middle, soooo...I fear I am very far away from my bravery goal to see The Witch. Like, I'll never get there. So sad.
Queen of Earth is basically about a friendship ending. Love that film.
DeleteWhat movies were between QOE and midnight swim on your list? Not like I'm stalkering your list or anything...I want more "sort of scary"/not really movies, you know? Por favor?
DeleteThis evening I watched The October Man (1947), a British mystery starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood. Mills plays a survivor of a bus accident who is recently released from the hospital. When a woman is murdered, he becomes the main suspect. Greenwood is his love interest. Every time I hear her voice, I fall more in love with her. The film directed by Roy Ward Baker, and he's able to ratchet up the suspense throughout. As an added bonus, the film also features Kay Walsh who I know from This Happen Breed. All-in-all, an enjoyable film!
ReplyDeleteWanna check this one out, thanks!
DeleteHell or High Water is a perfect film. Indignation is really good too - great drama, heavy drama. This woulda been a huge hit in the early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteNow You See Me 2. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteYou saw it? I was utterly confused by how bad the first one was
DeleteI actually had enough fun with the first one cause I just took it for what it was meant to be and enjoyed it enough. This one is almost insulting it's so bad.
DeleteI think these are like intentionally bad movies.
DeleteThey are money makers...who doesn't like mystery, magic movies?! I do!
DeleteStraight theft.
DeleteI need to catch up on this week's movies (in particular Kubo and Hell or High Water). The only thing I watched this week worth mentioning is Psychomania (1973) a.k.a. The Death Wheelers, about a British biker gang who commit suicide to become immortal. I liked the premise and the movie was watchable enough, but it kinda fizzles at the end.
ReplyDeleteThis week I've been having a mini-early-Eric Roberts fest. This guy is seriously the hardest working man in showbusiness. Although it will have probably increased by the time I'm done writing this, he's sitting at 441 imdb credits (73 are upcoming projects). That is a pornographic level of output, more than Walken and Sam Jackson combined. I watched the Pope of Greenwich Village, Star 80, Runaway Train & the Coca-Cola kid. Roberts is very good in all of them, but the real standout to me was his performance in Star 80 which is based on the real-life murder of up and coming actress/centerfold Doroty Stratten. In Star 80 he plays a small-time piece-of-shit pimp who is losing control of his wife/meal ticket to bigger time pieces of shit Hugh Hefner and Peter Bogdonavich (represented by a fictional character). It's a pretty dark tale, that is very faithful to the factual events, at least according to the pulitzer-winning article it was based on : "Death of a Playmate" (which is available online, and a compelling although unpleasant read for true crime buffs or those who like to chase down the real story after seeing a film). You can tell that James Woods was taking notes, for his turn as Lester Diamond in Casino. Bob Fosse uses the same docu-drama storytelling device that he used earlier in Lenny wth Dustin Hoffman. It's very effective and Roberts manages to create a small degree of sympathy (very small, I'm not a monster) for a character who will go on to do something horrific beyond redemption (not really a spoiler, for a true crime pic that pretty much reveals this in the first 10 minutes, and also I guess the title of the article it is based on...sorry). Star 80 is very compelling and recommended to those who can handle the dark stuff. And briefly, he's great in Pope of Greenwich Village, even though it has the ending of a Three Stooges short. He's also great in Runaway Train, although he's overshadowed by Jon Voight who is in beast-mode. Finally he's also pretty good in a McConaughey-inspiring performance as the Coca-Cola kid which has an off-the-rails third act (not in a good way). How did this guy capable of such great work get thrown so deep into movie jail? I know he had drug problems, but jeez Downey was once a dumpster fire and now he's one of the biggest names in Hollywood. I know Roberts has never quite matched Downey's talent level, but I'm pretty sure he's better than Sicilian Vampire or Amityville Death House (actual Eric Roberts projects)?
ReplyDeleteI finally got around to The Lobster and loved it. It's weird with focus, something I always appreciate, and such an excellent deep cast as well.
ReplyDeleteSaw that this weekend as well. I Am a sucker for these kind of stylised movies. And loved it as well - but was oddly realived when it ended.
DeleteHaha agreed. The first WAS kinda fun "I'm at hthe movies!" The second is...not even a movie hardly.
ReplyDeleteJust saw Child's Play for the first time. It was surprisingly entertaining. Should I rent the sequels?
ReplyDeleteI like them all, they all have something in them to enjoy, Bride of Chucky I really like for its cheesy fun
DeleteI feel like they just get dumber and less entertaining as they go on. You're probably okay with just the first one (of which I am also a fan).
DeleteI like part 2 even better than the first one, but 3 is a shitshow. Parts 4 and 5 are a whole different animal (5 especially,) and part 6 really takes things back to basics. All 6 installments were written by the same person, which is pretty goddamn rare for a horror franchise (I can't think of another one like that besides Phantasm.) I think they're worth your while.
DeleteThanks, guys. I guess I'll check out at least 2, take it from there.
DeleteI really dig the production values in 2 even though its essentially a body count movie; and I'm one of those crazy people who prefers 3 over 2 but then again I find much unironic pleasure in some truly wretched flicks. Bride is silly fun, I haven't seen Seed, and Curse was a letdown (Its been nine years, Don. Pick an ending and stick with it).
DeleteWow, I just started rewatching Stuart Gordon's "Stuck" and Mr Lahey from Trailer park boys is in it as Taxi driver!
ReplyDeleteCarlos Rambaldi film next and it ain't ET, or Possession, time for Silver Bullet
ReplyDeleteThanks to Mark Ahn's recommendation on the X-Men: Apocalypse podcast, I watched Meet the Patels this weekend, and really liked it. And, of course, the core lesson of the story is that men are emotional idiots. :P
ReplyDeleteLast night I watched the pilot for Jean Claude Van Johnson on Amazon. Super-conflicted, as it feels a little bit too winky and ironic, and I enjoy his movies in the spirit with which they were made. I can't help but feel like the show is the equivalent of what Rick Rolling was a few years ago. At the same time, it's great to see him getting a mainstream push. He's still doing really great work in most of his modern direct-to-DVD movies, so maybe this will raise his profile among lapsed JCVD fans and those just discovering him. Not sure I want the pilot to get picked up, though.
ReplyDeleteJust watched The Fury based on Patrick's recommendation, a movie that I likely would have never seen otherwise. I'm so glad I did, what a great movie. Its got all the things I love about late-70s thrillers, including the way-too-long slow-mo sequences. And it finally answers my long-standing question of "what would Dennis Franz look like without a moustache?" And, of course, one of the greatest endings I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteWrapped up my weekend by watching From Here to Eternity for the first time. Even for a movie involving Pearl Harbor that was a pretty depressing ending. Great movie and glad to get this one out of my pile of shame.
ReplyDeleteI'm also currently on day 4 of being a vegetarian after 37 years of eating meat and not being particularly fond of vegetables so that's been somewhat interesting adapting to (was a personal choice, not doing it for any sort of health reasons or anything).