R.I.P. Henry Silva and Jean-Luc Godard. They are not the only notable cinema deaths of the past couple weeks, unfortunately.
Mahoning Drive-In: VICE SQUAD (1982, dir. Gary Sherman) – Wings Hauser’s remarkably vicious performance anchors what is a strong film in every way. The hunt for the pimp Ramrod (Hauser) through the streets of sleazy 1980s Los Angeles by the titular vice squad is a veritable thrill ride. Sometimes the methods of the police are as questionable as those of Ramrod. Definitely one of the great exploitation films.
THE GRASSHOPPER (1970) – A lovely Jacqueline Bisset portrays a young woman (Christine) who shuns convention. In a path that leads to becoming a Vegas showgirl, an interracial marriage, and falling into prostitution, Christine attempts to find contentment in life. Although the ending gets downbeat, Bisset carries the film in a surprisingly mature way. Ultimately, it is more for fans of the era than general film fans.
A Fun Fact: The Grasshopper is one of the first films produced by Garry Marshall. His sister Penny even has a bit part.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019, dir. ?) – This was the first re-visit since I watched it in an empty theater back in 2019. There are parts of it I am still not sure I like, but there is a lot in ONCE… that does work. The number of little pieces in the story is impressive. The chemistry between Rick and Cliff is undoubtedly my favorite aspect. The details of the re-creation of 1969 Hollywood come through more with this viewing. A lot of thought went into that. My main issues are with the portrayal of Sharon Tate (nothing against Margot Robbie) and the conclusion. I understand that the point of the film is to rewrite a dark chapter in Hollywood history, but I am still taken out of the film a little too much by the ending.
A perfect movie. Everytime. All the time. ENDLESSLY rewatchable.
As for 3D..this surprised me. Im a HUGE fan of 3d but upon careful introspection i feel like it was used perfectly in the 80s and really really wasted in the 90s and beyond. Yes its recently been used to provide nice realistic depth of field but not to any huge effect. That was until i saw Jaws in 3D. I dont know how or why they decided to convert this but it was, bar none, the best use of 3d ive seen in decades. LOVED it.
Clerks III (fathom events week release)
Mixed bag victory lap retelling alot of stories that Kevin has told numerous times across podcasts and stage appearances. Lots of tacked on melodrama. In the end i question so much of the writing and decisions but i enjoyed it for what it was and found it a pleasant, albiet SLIGHT, course correct from Jay and Bob Reboot.
Not a lot of movies for me, since I was in full preparation mode for my upcoming road trip, and also had to read the term papers of my students from the last semester. The only thing I've watched was "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy", which is another important piece of evidence against black repression in the United States. I liked the documentary, I didn't like at all what happened to the Scottsboro boys...
Tomorrow I will take the train to Amsterdam. I'm quite nervous at this point, and I already miss my friends a lot. The weather turned "bad" the last couple of days, which got me in the strong mood for Scary Movie Month (or Horroctober), and fall in general. The time between September and the end of December is my favorite time, with Horror movies, Football, fall colors, stormy and rainy days, late warm rays of sunlight, and then the cold time around Christmas (if it is cold), with all the pomp that comes with it. I love the summer, I like the winter, Spring is nice, too, but fall... sigh. Yes, the weather is suitable for my mood, but I'm sure the adventurous fun will take over tomorrow (I dearly hope so).
Watched Speak No Evil and that is extremely NOT my shit. I was hoping it had some cards in its deck other than what it was showing me from the start but nope.
THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING (2022). Really liked this one. A mind-blowing experience. I don't know how George Miller does it. He's operating on some other level.
MIMIC (1997). This is a glimpse into what Del Toro could have been if he'd stayed on the path of a Hollywood day-player rather than follow his own interests. (I guess Hellboy is also big Hollywood, but I suspect he had more creative control there.) MIMIC is a decent monster B-movie, but a weird orphan in Del Toro's filmography.
I watched DUCKTALES THE MOVIE: TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP (1990) for my blog. You can go there to see what I thought.
For no reason whatsoever, I went through the STAR WARS prequels this week. What can I possibly say at this point? They're the prequels. You've all seen them.
And then there's CLERKS III (2022). I've been mulling this one over in my head quite a bit. The rehashing of the original movie was amusing at first, but then felt like filler after a while. And yet, I enjoyed being back in this crazy world, and I'll admit I laughed quite a few times. Put me in the "I enjoyed it even while recognizing it's not perfect" club.
I am making sure that I get out to the Mahoning Drive-In before the 2022 season ends. I was there last night for an evening of Dario Argento films. The chill in the air was a reminder that winter is not far away now.
It was a good line-up: SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, and OPERA on 35mm. I prefer to spread out my watches of Suspiria for about five years, and that period was almost up. The greatness of that film lies in the beautiful imagery and use of music. The script has always seemed inconsequential outside of being an adequate narrative structure to attach the visuals to. Unfortunately, Inferno has a much weaker story than Suspiria and suffers for it. It is a shame because some of the sequences in Inferno impress me more than those in Suspiria. Opera has been a divisive film since I first watched it, and the same issues came up with this viewing. The ending is the main problem: the final sequence feels clumsy and tacked on. Others around me did not agree when I brought it up.
Good weekend to everyone.
ReplyDeleteR.I.P. Henry Silva and Jean-Luc Godard. They are not the only notable cinema deaths of the past couple weeks, unfortunately.
Mahoning Drive-In: VICE SQUAD (1982, dir. Gary Sherman) – Wings Hauser’s remarkably vicious performance anchors what is a strong film in every way. The hunt for the pimp Ramrod (Hauser) through the streets of sleazy 1980s Los Angeles by the titular vice squad is a veritable thrill ride. Sometimes the methods of the police are as questionable as those of Ramrod. Definitely one of the great exploitation films.
THE GRASSHOPPER (1970) – A lovely Jacqueline Bisset portrays a young woman (Christine) who shuns convention. In a path that leads to becoming a Vegas showgirl, an interracial marriage, and falling into prostitution, Christine attempts to find contentment in life. Although the ending gets downbeat, Bisset carries the film in a surprisingly mature way. Ultimately, it is more for fans of the era than general film fans.
A Fun Fact: The Grasshopper is one of the first films produced by Garry Marshall. His sister Penny even has a bit part.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019, dir. ?) – This was the first re-visit since I watched it in an empty theater back in 2019. There are parts of it I am still not sure I like, but there is a lot in ONCE… that does work. The number of little pieces in the story is impressive. The chemistry between Rick and Cliff is undoubtedly my favorite aspect. The details of the re-creation of 1969 Hollywood come through more with this viewing. A lot of thought went into that. My main issues are with the portrayal of Sharon Tate (nothing against Margot Robbie) and the conclusion. I understand that the point of the film is to rewrite a dark chapter in Hollywood history, but I am still taken out of the film a little too much by the ending.
Couldn't think of the director of Onxe Upon A Time? 🤣😜
DeleteGreat reviews! Vice Squad sounds like a perfect Junesploitation pick!
DeleteI don't think anybody has ever heard of him. ;-)
DeleteAn excellent Junesploitation pick indeed: 80's Action, Cops, Free days.
DeleteYo Yo Yo Fellow F This Folks!
ReplyDeleteJaws (limited release 3D)
A perfect movie. Everytime. All the time. ENDLESSLY rewatchable.
As for 3D..this surprised me. Im a HUGE fan of 3d but upon careful introspection i feel like it was used perfectly in the 80s and really really wasted in the 90s and beyond. Yes its recently been used to provide nice realistic depth of field but not to any huge effect. That was until i saw Jaws in 3D. I dont know how or why they decided to convert this but it was, bar none, the best use of 3d ive seen in decades. LOVED it.
Clerks III (fathom events week release)
Mixed bag victory lap retelling alot of stories that Kevin has told numerous times across podcasts and stage appearances. Lots of tacked on melodrama. In the end i question so much of the writing and decisions but i enjoyed it for what it was and found it a pleasant, albiet SLIGHT, course correct from Jay and Bob Reboot.
Not a lot of movies for me, since I was in full preparation mode for my upcoming road trip, and also had to read the term papers of my students from the last semester.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I've watched was "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy", which is another important piece of evidence against black repression in the United States. I liked the documentary, I didn't like at all what happened to the Scottsboro boys...
Tomorrow I will take the train to Amsterdam. I'm quite nervous at this point, and I already miss my friends a lot. The weather turned "bad" the last couple of days, which got me in the strong mood for Scary Movie Month (or Horroctober), and fall in general. The time between September and the end of December is my favorite time, with Horror movies, Football, fall colors, stormy and rainy days, late warm rays of sunlight, and then the cold time around Christmas (if it is cold), with all the pomp that comes with it. I love the summer, I like the winter, Spring is nice, too, but fall... sigh. Yes, the weather is suitable for my mood, but I'm sure the adventurous fun will take over tomorrow (I dearly hope so).
Watched Speak No Evil and that is extremely NOT my shit. I was hoping it had some cards in its deck other than what it was showing me from the start but nope.
ReplyDeleteTHREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING (2022). Really liked this one. A mind-blowing experience. I don't know how George Miller does it. He's operating on some other level.
ReplyDeleteMIMIC (1997). This is a glimpse into what Del Toro could have been if he'd stayed on the path of a Hollywood day-player rather than follow his own interests. (I guess Hellboy is also big Hollywood, but I suspect he had more creative control there.) MIMIC is a decent monster B-movie, but a weird orphan in Del Toro's filmography.
I watched DUCKTALES THE MOVIE: TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP (1990) for my blog. You can go there to see what I thought.
For no reason whatsoever, I went through the STAR WARS prequels this week. What can I possibly say at this point? They're the prequels. You've all seen them.
And then there's CLERKS III (2022). I've been mulling this one over in my head quite a bit. The rehashing of the original movie was amusing at first, but then felt like filler after a while. And yet, I enjoyed being back in this crazy world, and I'll admit I laughed quite a few times. Put me in the "I enjoyed it even while recognizing it's not perfect" club.
What's your blog?
DeleteSorry. I thought everybody knew. It's simply just macmcentire.com. Check out the My Books tab while you're there.
DeleteI am making sure that I get out to the Mahoning Drive-In before the 2022 season ends. I was there last night for an evening of Dario Argento films. The chill in the air was a reminder that winter is not far away now.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good line-up: SUSPIRIA, INFERNO, and OPERA on 35mm. I prefer to spread out my watches of Suspiria for about five years, and that period was almost up. The greatness of that film lies in the beautiful imagery and use of music. The script has always seemed inconsequential outside of being an adequate narrative structure to attach the visuals to. Unfortunately, Inferno has a much weaker story than Suspiria and suffers for it. It is a shame because some of the sequences in Inferno impress me more than those in Suspiria. Opera has been a divisive film since I first watched it, and the same issues came up with this viewing. The ending is the main problem: the final sequence feels clumsy and tacked on. Others around me did not agree when I brought it up.
I was there Friday!
DeleteIt is a great place, Rob. I go to a lot of the Exhumed shows there.
DeleteI liked Confess, Fletch. It wasn't great, but good. And a better mystery than knives out #1. 5 stars.
ReplyDeleteNice. I kind of liked Knives Out #1. But I'd like to see a better mystery in the same vein so this is cool, thanks.
Delete