Hey kids,
So, wow, even with the shift to the abbreviated (if no less challenging) seventeen-syllable format, finding the time to sit down and watch a flick or two has been quite the challenge over the last few weeks. However, I persevere. The horror, oddly enough, has been getting short shrift, which is what prompted my comment not too long ago which began with, “You know, I barely recognize my own life sometimes…”
However, thanks to Kitley’s Kryptic Army assignment, I managed to sneak in a pair from the godfathers of gore, a decent sampling of offbeat 70s fare, as well as an Oscar winner and Oscar winner-to-be (go ahead, bet against the Pixar – I dare ya).
As always feel free to throw in your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.
Enjoy!
HORROR:
Curse of the Demon (1957) (3rd viewing) d. Tourneur, Jacques
Andrews gets the runes
Love or hate the puppet beast
Absolute classic
Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) (2nd viewing) d. Fulci, Lucio
Florinda Balkin
Stunning cemetery scene
One of Fulci’s best
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009) (1st viewing) d. Farrands, Daniel
Hardly objective
Appeals directly to fans
Of which I am one.
Something Weird (1967) (1st viewing) d. Lewis, Herschell Gordon
Goofy witchy fun
Relatively gore free stuff
From the godfather
CIVILIAN:
Apocalypto (2006) (2nd viewing) d. Gibson, Mel
Thrill packed jungle epic
Youngblood and Trujillo should
Have been stars by now
Blind Side, The (2009) (1st viewing) d. Hancock, John Lee
True story lesson:
Rich folks can make difference
Sentimental? Yes.
In-Laws, The (1979) (2nd viewing) d. Hiller, Arthur
Arkin’s last hurrah
As 70s leading man
Serpentine ha ha!
Toy Story 3 (2010) (1st viewing) d. Unkrich, Lee
The whole gang is back
Who knew how much we missed them?
Best movie of the year
99 and 44/100% Dead (1974) (1st viewing) d. Frankenheimer, John
Field day for Harris
Joyously uneven romp
Great Mancini score
Black Gestapo, The (1975) (1st viewing) d. Frost, Lee
Black militants rise
Absolute power corrupts
Violent, bizarre
Witch Hunt (2008) (1st viewing) d. Hardy, Jr., Don/Nachman, Dana
Wrongfully accused
“Child molesting” parents
Doc raises questions
2010 Totals to date: 183 films, 132 1st time views, 111 horrors, 15 cinema
TV:
Twilight Zone – 18 episodes (93 total for 2010)
True Blood – 1 episode
Monty Python’s Flying Circus – 1 episode (27 total for 2010)
Kinda jealous... I love me some Italian fare, and HGL... and, believe it or not, I've seen NONE of the things you listed.
ReplyDeleteI do have "His Name Was Jason", and you're spot on. It's pretty shitty as far as documentaries go, and really didn't have anything new for fans, or any deep insight. But as F13 is my favorite series, it was oddly enjoyable even without any real meat.
Props for mentioning
ReplyDeleteTHE IN-LAWS. What could be next?
FREEBIE AND THE BEAN?
I saw quite a few things during the same time frame, so I'll just list the genre highlights and cult filmmakers:
ReplyDeleteMotel Hell (Kevin Connor, 1980)
Elvis* (John Carpenter, 1979)
Escape from New York (John Carpenter, 1981)
The Thing (John Carpenter, 1982)
Big Trouble in Little China (John Carpenter, 1986)
Escape from L.A. (John Carpenter, 1996)
The War of the Worlds* (Byron Haskin, 1953)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers* (Fred F. Sears, 1956)
The Tenant (Roman Polanski, 1976)
Pirates* (Roman Polanski, 1986)
Lifeforce* (Tobe Hooper, 1985)
Frantic* (Roman Polanski, 1988)
Grizzy Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)
The Fury of the Wolfman* (José María Zabalza, 1970)
I also saw Frankenheimer's The Iceman Cometh, which he made right before 99 and 44/100% Dead. When describing that film, uneven isn't even the half of it.
Gavin - Well, if I'm recommending flicks to watch, I'd go with DUCKLING and DEMON horror-wise, and IN-LAWS, TOY STORY 3 and APOCALYPTO on the civilian side. As I mentioned over on Facebook, HNWJ is lazy filmmaking, but it's a decent comfort-food time waster.
ReplyDeleteTom - You know, I've never seen FREEBIE AND THE BEAN. I always get it mixed up with TENSPEED AND BROWNSHOE, which I've also never seen. Maybe that's the next double feature!
ReplyDeleteCraig - Nice Carpenter fest there, my man! I've yet to see ESCAPE FROM L.A., but I know I gotta at some point. I'd love to see ELVIS again, saw it on TV back in the day, remember thinking that our buddy Kurt (aka THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD) was pretty darn good. For your Polanski triple feature, I still need to see PIRATES - again, put off by bad reviews when it first came around. I remember thinking FRANTIC was just *okay* when I saw it about 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteIs that the ICEMAN with Jason Robards? I've been meaning to see that for a while now. Love that play, never seen a full production of it, stage or film.
Actually, this production of The Iceman Cometh (which was done for the American Film Theatre) stars Lee Marvin, and he's just incredible. Robards was in the version done on live television in 1960.
ReplyDeleteAs for Elvis, it finally came to DVD thanks to Shout! Factory, so my hat's off to them for getting it out. I'd been planning my Carpenter/Russell fest for a long time and that was the last piece of the puzzle.
Pirates, on the other hand, was one I had to rent on VHS, but at least I had that option. Now the only Polanksi film I have left to see to complete the set is Oliver Twist, which I skipped in theaters because it just didn't seem necessary.
Oh, I forgot to comment on the other films you watched. The immortal Night of the Demon is always worth a look, The In-Laws is hysterically funny, and Toy Story 3 was a pure delight. And I guess I'll eventually have to get around to Don't Torture a Duckling, even if I thought Lizard in a Woman's Skin was something of a letdown.