Friday, July 28, 2017

I Stream, You Stream Vol. 42

by Patrick Bromley
Maybe you're seeing The Emoji Movie this weekend. I don't know your life. If not, watch these instead.

The Void (2016, dir. Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski) I know this one, made by the Canadian collective known as Astron-6, has been polarizing among horror fans (imagine that!), but I still think it's very much worth seeing. The movie too often plays like an assemblage of influences -- including Hellraiser, The Beyond, Prince of Darkness, The ThingAssault on Precinct 13 and several others -- but it's executed with style and offers some impressive practical effects. Netflix is the perfect way to watch it, because it offers low investment and comparatively high reward. I don't expect you to love it, but I do hope you find stuff to like. (Watch on Netflix)
Top of the Food Chain (1999, dir. John Paizs) I first caught this over a decade ago on HBO, where it was playing under the title Invasion! That's the title of the DVD I own, too, because I immediately placed an order for this weird, silly sci-fi comedy after seeing it the first time. Campbell Scott and Tom Everett Scott (no relation) are both very funny in a movie that's sort of a throwback to '50s sci-fi but with a 1990s self-awareness. It's been years since I last saw it, but I was excited to see it pop up for streaming on Hulu. (Watch on Hulu)
Dream a Little Dream (1989, dir. Marc Rocco) This is one of those movies for which I can barely defend my affection except to say that I saw it a LOT as a kid. It played on cable and we recorded it off of TV and had it on a lot in our house. It's some Maximum Corey shit, with Feldog getting a full Michael Jackson dance number and Haimster allowed to ad lib his way through the entire thing. I'm still not sure I understand the whole movie, which deals with body swapping and mysticism in a way that's pretty nonsensical, but it also gives the '80s teen movie a much-needed jolt of weirdness, features a great soundtrack and the future Mrs. Patton Oswalt at her most gorgeous and appealing. I don't know how they talked Jason Robards into this movie, but that person earned his or her paycheck. (Watch on Amazon Prime)
Hickey & Boggs (1972, dir. Robert Culp) This one is hard for me, because Bill Cosby is a fucking monster. But I still watch Woody Allen movies and Roman Polanski movies, so it's unfair for me to pretend this super cool buddy cop film -- written by Walter Fucking Hill, no less -- doesn't exist. This movie is really good, and Cosby is really good in it, even if he would later reveal himself to be one of pop culture's greatest scumbags. I wish Robert Culp would have directed more movies. (Watch on Brown Sugar)

6 comments:

  1. So cool to see a John Paizs movie get a shout out! He did a lot of work with the Kids in the Hall, so fans of them or say, the less disgusting elements of Ren and Stimpy should check him out, especially his movie The Big Crimewave.

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    1. Oh, and I'm a big Hickey & Boggs fan, too. It's kind of similar to The Long Goodbye, which wouldn't come out til the year after.

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  2. I saw the emoji movie last week. Thank god i didn't pay for it

    It's worst than you think

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  3. I loved Dream a Little Dream when I was younger. Even then it barely held up, so I don't want to make the mistake of revisiting it (I tried with BMX Bandits, and immediately regretted it).

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    1. I watched BMX Bandits for the first time this year. Viewing it as a live-action cartoon rather than an attempt to make a respectable film, I had a lot of fun with it. The criminals would not look out of place in an actual cartoon. I thought the chase sequence was executed very well. It also does not hurt that Nicole Kidman is quite cute in her BMX outfit with the pink shirt. That soundtrack is horrific, though.

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  4. Dream A Little Dream was a childhood favorite. I thought it was a possible masterpiece. Hahaha!

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