Last week I was praising the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven. One thing I forgot to mention, is that there's quite a bit of CGI blood added to it. For better or worse (IMO, the latter).
Pink Flamingos (1972, dir. John Waters). I shut it off after about 10 minutes, but was strangely compelled to return to it the next evening. This is a fucked up movie, which is the point, I guess. A lot of bits were so out there that it was funny, which was maybe also the point. As someone who loves eggs, and eat them nearly every day, I felt a camaraderie with a certain character.
My son and I went to see Vampire Hunter D (1985, dir. Toyoo Ashida) at the local indie theatre yesterday. I don't care for anime, but it was his suggestion, and I ended up liking it quite a bit. It was a packed house surprisingly. The audience was laughing uproariously at certain bits (that weren't comedy. Anytime the young barely clade female character was on screen the crowd became animated, but fell completely silent otherwise. It was weird). I loved how much it was a "western", but also a classic vampire movie, through the lens of anime.
I'm with you on anime, but there are a few that are among my favorite movies. The obvious ones are Akira and Ghost in the Shell. But Jin Roh is a favorite of mine. They did a korean live action remake a few years ago that was not bad.
Final Destination Series Watch (dvd,dvd,dvd,dvd,dvd,theatrical)
After revisiting pt1 and 2 last weekend i just decided to watch the series.
Pt3: As a kid i would love it when the movie Rollercoaster came on tv. Having an amusement park be the setting for a terrorist was just a great idea. (in the end its more of a cat and mouse movie but the premise stands). So when i first saw pt3 in the theater i was giddy that they chose to do the prologue in the same setting. And for the most part it delivered. Enjoyed the revisit.
Pt4/5: welp here is where i think the franchise's wheels come off...figuratively and literally. Doing a Nascar prologue makes sense due to its popularity but the movie failed to follow its only rule of rube golbergian events. Its just a bunch of car parts (in meh cgi). i saw the move days ago and already have forgotten most of it. pt 5 is certainly better with a great opening and some fun kills (gymnast!) but it was another slap dash group that i didnt really care about at all.
Bloodlines: I kinda loved it! I think theres enough creativity in the plot (death holds a grudge for a long long time), interesting family dynamics, twists in deaths design, amazing prologue, and of course bananas level kills. Also it contains a through-line item that triggers most of the carnage that is brilliant. Also Tony Todds final on screen moments and, i believe, ad-libbed final words, are perfect. I know folks are divided on this one and this series but i think this flick is in the top 3 with pt 1 and 2.
Mashke unintentional double feature theme this week: "2025 origin story documentaries"
Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025 digital purchase)
I find my favorite docs are ones that feature as much historical footage as they can and the dialogue is supplied by those that were there (as opposed to 'talking head' interviews with fans or 'experts'). This doc nails that as its narrated by the band and has tons of footage. Its almost more of a collection of performances from early on thru the early days of the release of Led Zeppelin II. Nothing to deep or telling (its made by the band so rather than "Sex, Drugs, Rock&Roll" we get "Rock&Roll") and plays out like a wikipedia turned doc, but i enjoyed it a bunch!
Pee-Wee As Himself (2025 pt 1 Max....HBO Max?...HBO?..HBAX?)
I consider Pee Wees Big Adventure to be one of the 5 best comedies ever made (dont ask me to name the others..i know id forget something and be crestfallen later). It is brilliant, endlessly rewatchable, filled with laughs front to back, and never fails to crack me up. So i was pretty stoked to hear we were getting a feature length doc on Paul Rubens this year. Pt1 is outstanding. Its narrated by Paul himeself who was working with a documentary crew during a time where he was hiding that he was sick from them and everyone. Thats pretty special in that he gets to help tell his life story before he left us all too soon. Tons of wonderful footage, stories, emotions, personal reveals, and laughs from Paul along the way. Im about to fire up pt 2 after i finish this review with my favorite quote from Big Adventure.
"IS THIS SOMETHING YOU CAN SHARE WITH THE REST OF US AMAZING LARRY???" - P.W. Herman
I rewatched The Irishman (2019) this week. I think I've seen it 4 times now. I feel like I'm still just beginning to unpack how great it is. Plus I never knew I needed to see DeNiro and Pacino perform a scene in their jammies.
Last week I was praising the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven. One thing I forgot to mention, is that there's quite a bit of CGI blood added to it. For better or worse (IMO, the latter).
ReplyDeletePink Flamingos (1972, dir. John Waters). I shut it off after about 10 minutes, but was strangely compelled to return to it the next evening. This is a fucked up movie, which is the point, I guess. A lot of bits were so out there that it was funny, which was maybe also the point. As someone who loves eggs, and eat them nearly every day, I felt a camaraderie with a certain character.
My son and I went to see Vampire Hunter D (1985, dir. Toyoo Ashida) at the local indie theatre yesterday. I don't care for anime, but it was his suggestion, and I ended up liking it quite a bit. It was a packed house surprisingly. The audience was laughing uproariously at certain bits (that weren't comedy. Anytime the young barely clade female character was on screen the crowd became animated, but fell completely silent otherwise. It was weird). I loved how much it was a "western", but also a classic vampire movie, through the lens of anime.
I'm with you on anime, but there are a few that are among my favorite movies. The obvious ones are Akira and Ghost in the Shell. But Jin Roh is a favorite of mine. They did a korean live action remake a few years ago that was not bad.
DeleteThe Weekend Be Here!
ReplyDeleteFinal Destination Series Watch (dvd,dvd,dvd,dvd,dvd,theatrical)
After revisiting pt1 and 2 last weekend i just decided to watch the series.
Pt3: As a kid i would love it when the movie Rollercoaster came on tv. Having an amusement park be the setting for a terrorist was just a great idea. (in the end its more of a cat and mouse movie but the premise stands). So when i first saw pt3 in the theater i was giddy that they chose to do the prologue in the same setting. And for the most part it delivered. Enjoyed the revisit.
Pt4/5: welp here is where i think the franchise's wheels come off...figuratively and literally. Doing a Nascar prologue makes sense due to its popularity but the movie failed to follow its only rule of rube golbergian events. Its just a bunch of car parts (in meh cgi). i saw the move days ago and already have forgotten most of it. pt 5 is certainly better with a great opening and some fun kills (gymnast!) but it was another slap dash group that i didnt really care about at all.
Bloodlines: I kinda loved it! I think theres enough creativity in the plot (death holds a grudge for a long long time), interesting family dynamics, twists in deaths design, amazing prologue, and of course bananas level kills. Also it contains a through-line item that triggers most of the carnage that is brilliant. Also Tony Todds final on screen moments and, i believe, ad-libbed final words, are perfect. I know folks are divided on this one and this series but i think this flick is in the top 3 with pt 1 and 2.
Mashke unintentional double feature theme this week: "2025 origin story documentaries"
ReplyDeleteBecoming Led Zeppelin (2025 digital purchase)
I find my favorite docs are ones that feature as much historical footage as they can and the dialogue is supplied by those that were there (as opposed to 'talking head' interviews with fans or 'experts'). This doc nails that as its narrated by the band and has tons of footage. Its almost more of a collection of performances from early on thru the early days of the release of Led Zeppelin II. Nothing to deep or telling (its made by the band so rather than "Sex, Drugs, Rock&Roll" we get "Rock&Roll") and plays out like a wikipedia turned doc, but i enjoyed it a bunch!
Pee-Wee As Himself (2025 pt 1 Max....HBO Max?...HBO?..HBAX?)
I consider Pee Wees Big Adventure to be one of the 5 best comedies ever made (dont ask me to name the others..i know id forget something and be crestfallen later). It is brilliant, endlessly rewatchable, filled with laughs front to back, and never fails to crack me up. So i was pretty stoked to hear we were getting a feature length doc on Paul Rubens this year. Pt1 is outstanding. Its narrated by Paul himeself who was working with a documentary crew during a time where he was hiding that he was sick from them and everyone. Thats pretty special in that he gets to help tell his life story before he left us all too soon. Tons of wonderful footage, stories, emotions, personal reveals, and laughs from Paul along the way. Im about to fire up pt 2 after i finish this review with my favorite quote from Big Adventure.
"IS THIS SOMETHING YOU CAN SHARE WITH THE REST OF US AMAZING LARRY???" - P.W. Herman
I rewatched The Irishman (2019) this week. I think I've seen it 4 times now. I feel like I'm still just beginning to unpack how great it is. Plus I never knew I needed to see DeNiro and Pacino perform a scene in their jammies.
ReplyDelete