Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Fool's Views (6/24 – 6/30)


And now a word from our sponsor...

A metaphor for something, I'm sure...


Hey kids,

Yes, it’s true. It’s mid-August and these are films that I saw back in June. You see, what had happened was....

No, no excuses. Just changes and life and adjustments and distractions and priorities and so on. As some of you might have noticed, I’ve also gotten quite a bit gabbier over the past year, at least about certain films. Once the master of the capsule review, now it seems I can’t stop yakking once I get started. And having spilled that much virtual ink, I then feel obliged to track down a few images to break up the wordy beast. Final result? It takes longer to write a review, and consequently, I don’t have as much time to watch movies (which was half the reason why I was writing capsule reviews in the first place!). Add in the ongoing time-management issues of rehearsals and performances and other artistic endeavors (such as a certain booky wook that will soon be seeing the light of day – stay tuned) and what you get is what you see.

The happy/sad news is people keep telling me that they really enjoy reading these longer reviews with all the pretty pictures, especially since most aren’t reading them until after they see the films in question anyway. (I can relate to this, being the spoiler-shy purist ninny that I am.) So, if it’s a post-show chat we’re looking for, might as well ramble on and that’s probably the direction we’re going to continue to head. As a result, there are going to be some films that get the “star treatment” and some for whom the time-honored Fool’s Views Haikus™ are going to have to suffice. Obviously, if you want to hear more about a certain flick, drop me a line and I’ll be happy to jaw on a bit about it.

What I don’t want is this nasty ongoing habit of finding myself weeks and months behind schedule in terms of a weekly Fool’s Views report. So, we’re going to get a little more rigorous about posting in a timely fashion, and then expanding our coverage as time and enthusiasm allows. How’s that sound, true believers?

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!



HORROR:


Baba Yaga (aka Kiss Me Kill Me) (1973) (2nd viewing) d. Farina, Corrado (Italy)

Sassy shutterbug
Meets possessive lezzy witch
Holey floor, Batman






Earth Dies Screaming, The (1964) (1st viewing) d. Fisher, Terence (UK)

Where is everyone?
Robots, boiled brains, white eyes
Solid Brit sci-fi






Gorilla at Large (1954) (1st viewing) d. Jones, Harmon (USA)

Hot Anne, skinny Cam
Two times Lee, Ray, George B.
Star studded ape flick






Purge, The (2013) (1st viewing) d. DeMonaco, James (USA)

Fine invasion flick
Enjoyable high concept
Just don’t think too hard






This is the End (2013) (1st viewing) d. Goldberg, Evan / Rogen, Seth (USA)

Stars playing themselves
Decent laughs if sometimes strained
Worth your Redbox buck






Venom (1981) (1st viewing) d. Haggard, Piers (UK)

Poisonous snake loose
Great scenery chewing cast
Silly serpent-cam






World War Z (2013) (1st viewing) d. Forster, Marc (USA)

Megabucks zom flick
Not the book, but not half bad
Missed seeing red stuff

**CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW**





KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY:



Manson Family, The (2003) (2nd viewing) d. VanBebber, Jim (USA)
In the Belly of the Beast (2001) (1st viewing) d. Chisholm, Alex (Canada)
VanBebber Family, The (2005) (1st viewing) d. Gregory, David (USA)

Helter Skelter time
One great feature, two fine docs
Worth the Blu-ray bucks

**CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW**




CIVILIAN:


Gymkata (1985) (1st viewing) d. Clouse, Robert (USA)

Kurt is no badass
Which just makes it funnier
Pommel that horse, boy






Man of Steel (2013) (1st viewing) d. Snyder, Zack (USA)

Big Bam Boom Blah Blah
Huge yawntastic action scenes
Waste of money, time






Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) (1st viewing) d. Abrams, J.J. (USA)

Thin spineless cartoon
Zippity doo dumb effects
Just watch Wrath of Khan



2013 Totals to date: 171 films, 160 1st time views, 91 horror, 53 cinema

No comments:

Post a Comment