Fool's Views (6/18 – 6/24)

Ah, true believers, we meet again.

If you’re a frequent frequenter of these vaunted volumes, then you know the name Jon Kitley and his stellar virtual haunt, KITLEY'S KRYPT. Not only is he a valued friend and fellow fiend, he’s also responsible for many a Foolish View (and trust me, some are more Foolish than others). About 2 1/2 years ago, Jon started up the Kryptic Army, its purpose being “to help point out some sub-genres or films that you might have missed out so far. And to have fun.”

Each month, Fearless Leader provides a certain theme and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find two horror flicks not previously viewed that fall under that month’s heading, watch them, then file a “debriefing” on the films in question. Some assignments have been more rewarding than others, but more often than not, it provides the push needed to finally get around to a myriad of selections that have been sitting on the proverbial “to watch” shelf. If you’ve not already enlisted, I encourage you to join up – the Kryptic Army Needs YOU. Visit http://www.kitleyskrypt.com/army.htm for more information.

This month's topic, in honor of the season of the summer blockbuster, is “Sequels, Prequels and Remakes.” As it so happens, I had a swath of franchise offerings that had been holding up in my Netflix queue for over a year now. And so, with a Fool’s courage and accompanying wisdom, into the pool of giant cockroaches and cornstalk n’ slash we dive…

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

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (6/4 – 6/17)

Hey troops,

Saddled as we were here at the Doc’s office with getting a certain show (Inherit the Wind) up on its feet these past couple weeks, there wasn’t much time for viddying (in fact, half of the flicks below were screened via laptop during the hefty hour-plus commute traveling to and from rehearsals). However, in addition to catching up on some recent fare – a mixed bag indeed – we also revisited two underviewed (some might say justifiably so) drive-in horror efforts as well as taking in another virgin viewing from the great Akira Kurosawa, who might end up becoming my director project for the year. Lots of his stuff I still need to see and even more I need to revisit.

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

Enjoy!

Fool's Views (5/28 – 6/3)

Back again, eh? You kids just never learn, do you?

Thanks to a trip to the multiplex and the generosities of the Chicago Public Library, we enjoyed that rarest of weeks, one populated with all first time views. The big screen fare was an interesting blend, with expectations likely weighting my enjoyment level of the quartet of features under surveillance – high for Avengers, low for Dark Shadows, for instance. On the home viewing front, it was a big week for both Japan and South Korea, with a civilian and horror offering from one and a superb thriller from the other, all three delivering the entertainment goods while making me long for a bottomless trough of dumplings and/or noodles. C’mon, you know you get the ramen munchies as well, don’t deny it…

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

Enjoy!