Movies #246-248

09/13/2008

248. Naked Killer (1992)
Off DVD
With a cover and title like this, it made it very hard to pass up on the cheap DVD rack. Thankfully the movie delivered on the expectations that I had as an over the top kill fest with a lot of male bashing. I can’t really explain this movie too in depth without ruining the charm of the movie, but it involves crazy female assassins who kill men by stabbing them in the penis. Must see film.

09/11/2008

246. Vitelloni, I (1953)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies
This movie follows a group of young Italians as they grow up, this movie is really good. Although it’s funny how people have aged over the years, all the actors here who I assume where in there early twenties when they shot the movie all look like they are in their thirties, but it’s not obvious like in Grease or anything like that, it’s just that even young people back in the day looked old. Highly Recommended Watch


247. Bride of the Monster (1955)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies
This is a product of Ed Wood, and it doesn’t disappoint on what you would expect from an Ed Wood film. The scene in the Burton film Ed Wood where Ed directs his actor to just thrash around on the limp octopus prop, that comes from this movie. Other wise this is good for a laugh if some one shows it to you but nothing makes this worth seeking out over some of the other Ed Wood fair.

Movies # 239-245

09/04/2008

245. The Promotion (2008)
Other Means
For some reason this movie didn't really get a theatrical release but this movie actually out to be a lot better than you would expect from a movie that practically has a straight to DVD release, I would even go as far to say I enjoyed this movie as much as I did Step-Brothers earlier this summer, but Step-Brothers takes the crown for zany antics this has more comedy based in reality. Overall I really do recommend this movie though, for you Will Ferrall detractors should check this movie out if you feel like you couldn't get into Step-Brothers.

09/03/2008

243. Town Without Pity (1961)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies
Kurt Douglas gives a great performance that creates the pillar of the film it that rotates around, there are good performances all around and Robert Blake has a good turn here as he always does playing the slightly demented character. I ended up enjoying this movie more than I expected to enjoy a court drama.


244. Elegy (2008)
Other Means
The trailers for the movie made it really seem like this was yet another movie starring Ben Kingsley that would be forgettable, but I think this maybe the second best movie this year that stars Ben Kingsley behind "The Wackness". Penelope Cruz of course is beautiful but see actually does bring some acting skills to this part also. Overall this is kind of the typical guy with a mid-life crisis but this offers a different take on it, with Dennis Hopper as Ben's buddy who he confers with, Hopper is really good here in the supporting role. This movie really surprised me with how watchable it really is.

09/02/2008

240. Smiley Face (2007)
Other Means
This is another in the legion of stoner comedies that have been released over the years and this doesn't meet any kind of stoner expectations as usual, so the story doesn't really go anywhere but Anna Farris is really cute and does what she can with the script. If you don't understand stoner culture then you'll probably find this movie annoying to no end. Only a mild recommendation for the stoner contingent.


241. Baby Mama (2008)
Other Means
Tina Fey and Amy Pohler's chemistry is really the only thing that saves this movie from being a totally unwatchable chick flick. The script really isn't as much as you would expect from a Tina Fey penned script, that's because Fey didn't write the script, some dude did. So a guy writes a movie about how two women bond over a surrogate pregnancy, riiiiiiight. Skip this one and just catch up on 30 Rock if you've never seen the show before.


242. The Formula (1980)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
This movie is arguably more relevant now than when it was released (it involves a formula to make synthetic gasoline with coal), but George Scott kind of slugs through this movie even though he always has a demanding on screen presence throughout. For a movie that has Marlon Brando on the poster, Brando barely has a supporting role in this film. This movie would have been a lot better if we really had seen a head to head grudge match between Brando and Scott, but they don't really have a lot of time on screen together so the movie kind of just goes on and just ends abruptly.

09/01/2008

239. The Fugitive Kind (1959)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen)
This movie follows Brando playing the typical Tennessee Williams down and out southern womanizer who tries to reform their old ways. But this is vintage Brando and he brings here like he did in Street Car Named Desire, this movie is incredibly watchable and I highly recommend this movie as it’s on the of the less discussed classics that features Brando in his prime.

Movies #234-238

08/31/2008

237. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
Other Means
I was expecting this to be so bad that it could be a guilty pleasure but this really upset me with just being terrible and extremely boring surprisingly. As for the claims being thrown around on Aint it Cool that this was going to match to be everything that Indiana Jones 4 wasn't, well that claim is redicolous because with all the problems that Indy 4 had I would gladly watch it again over this piece of crap. Maria Bello is written as a mentally disabled English person that talks like they have never been England.


238. Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin' with the Godmother (2008)
Other Means
I was a big fan of the first Cocaine Cowboys documentary but I was kind of confused when I heard there was a sequel and while this does definetly tie in with the first film, the first film is far superior this one and you wouldn't really be missing by skipping this is you already saw the first one.

08/28/2007

236. S.P.Y.S. (1974)
Off DVR, Shown on Fox Movie Channel (widescreen, uncut)
I was really surprised I had never heard of this movie with the pairing of Elliot Gould and Donald Sutherland in both their prime, while this is getting hammered on the IMDB rating, this really is a fun goofy spy caper that isn't meant to be taken seriously. If you come across this it's worth a watch.

08/27/2008

235. Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
Off DVR, Shown on Sundance (uncut)
This is the most comedic movie that I've ever seen from Bergman, this has a ton of witty banter that really came out of left field for me because I'm extremely familiar with the rest of Bergman's filmography, and witty banter usually isn't included. This is a must see for those people that could never really get into Bergman, and if your already a fan then of course you should see this also.

08/26/2008

234. King of the Hill (1993)
Off DVR, Shown on Sundance (widescreen, uncut)
This was an early Soderbergh movie where he had lost his vision from Sex, Lies, and Videotape and before he found it again with Out of Sight and then Traffic. This movie kind of goes stagnant in the middle and never really recovers, the only other things to note about the movie are some of the cameos, Adrian Brody has a substantial part and child Katherine Heigl also has a small part, but the smalles throw away role goes to Lauren Hill who is truly wasted as an elevator attendant.

Movies #229-233

08/24/2008

232. Death Defying Acts (2007)
Other Means
This is such a weak return to the screen for Catherine Zeta, watching this movie I felt like I wanted an entire movie with Guy Pearce as Houdini in a Houdini movie, not some movie with Catherine Zeta's character that happened to have Houdini in it. Here is a tip to watching this one, if Catherine Zeta or that annoying girl from Antonement (don't get me started on her, she sucks up the movie here like she did in Atonement) are on the screen, fast forward.


233. Pathology (2008)
Other Means
While the movie was trashy like I expected I also expected it to incredibly bad, and it only toes the line from being bad, so I guess this is a decent trash watch, but I'm not recommending it because I was expecting worse.

08/21/2008

231. Tom Dowd & the Language of Music (2003)
Off DVR, Shown on IFC (widescreen, uncut)
This documentary was pretty cool showing the career progression of Tom Dowd, a must see for anyone that is into music history and the evolution of the studio process.

08/20/2008

230. Does Your Soul Have a Cold? (2007)
Off DVR, Shown on IFC (widescreen, uncut)
This documentary was eye opening about Japan because on the last couple years has the word depressed meant anything, and the individual portraits were pretty well done also. Interesting watch if you catch it on IFC.

08/18/2008

229. Kekko Kamen Returns (2004)
Off DVD
This movie was campy but it didn't quite go the extra miles that I was expecting and came off really soft. By the way, the hero of the movie is a topless woman that runs around with only a mask on kicking ass for the disenfranchised.

Movies #223-228

08/16/2008

227. The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Other Means
For all the bad reviews that this movie had I was expecting it to suck really bad, and it does suck but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I’m mostly just offended that the first movie to join these giants of Chinese cinema Jet Li and Jackie Chan has a fucking cracker as the main character!!! WHY!! Woo-ping Yuen does the action scenes so at least it has that going for it, but a lot of the dialogue here is really forgettable also, a good rule of thumb is that if the white devil main character is on screen fast forward if you have the capability.


228. All Through the Night (1941)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies
This is a pretty standard Humphrey Bogart movie but Peter Lorre is here to help out also and he’s always a treat to watch. Bogart infiltrates a secret organization of Nazi’s in New York trying to take over the government. If you have to see all the Bogart movie then add this to the list, but there isn’t really anything done here that wasn’t done better in his other better known films.

08/15/2008

226. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Off Hulu.com (widescreen, uncut)
Since the remake of this is coming out in the next year or so I decided I couldn’t really pass up a free viewing in widescreen. Now the movie is a classic and I can only imagine how they will update this for the better or worse. But I really want to call attention to Hulu.com because when I watched this all I had to do was watch the Tropic Thunder extended trailer and then I got to see the rest of the movie uninterrupted which is pretty great (usually there are small commercials breaks a few times through the movie). This was uncut and tons of cursing throughout so the movie would have suffered viewing it on cable. Basically I can only high recommendations to Hulu if you see a movie that you wanted to catch on their site. (Hulu.com is official, free and not a pirate site)
Highly Recommended Watch

08/14/2008

225. The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1975)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
Jack Lemmon goes again over the man in a mid-life crisis field and has the writing of Neil Simon here to back him up. While this movie is good, I get really tired of hearing old married couples bicker back and forth and this movie has this in ample amount.

08/13/2008

224. Sleuth (1972)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
While the acting throughout this piece can never be faulted this is basically just a filmed stage play so it is rather dull to watch two people talk back and forth for over two hours. A must watch for all movie buffs to get to see Olivier and Caine go at each other.

08/12/2008

223. Tropic Thunder (2008)
In Theaters
This is by far the best movie that Ben Stiller has ever directed and even the eager Ben Stiller haters will be enjoy this one. Robert Downey Jr. though steals the show, and the part by Danny McBride further extends his track record of great parts, I think we be seeing a lot of him over the next year and a half. Go see this one with an audience also because a lively audience is the best way to see this one.

Movies #219-222

08/10/2008

222. Transsiberian (2008)
Other Means
I had some high expectations for this movie because of Brad Anderson’s previous movies, but the subject for this movie is a lot more normal than the subjects of his past movies, and while this is well written and acted, it just isn’t really that interesting.

08/06/2008

221. The Naked Street (1955)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (uncut)
Completely forgettable movie that has a really young Anne Bancroft here, and Anthony Quinn has the lead part but the script here gives him nothing to work with. Also fans of MST3K will notice the truly versatile Peter Graves waddles through this one also as an upstart newspaper reporter.

08/05/2008

220. Pineapple Express (2008)
In Theaters
Because of seeing the redband trailer for this movie so many times I had begun to think that I had unrealistic expectations for the movie. But this movie surpassed all those expectations that I had. If you want to go see this movie go see it now while you can see it with an audience.

08/04/2008

219. Get Carter (1971)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
Michael Caine puts his pimp hand down hard in this movie. Caine is out for revenge and on a rampage, this movie still stands up over time. Highly Recommended Watch

Movies #213-218

08/03/2008

217. State of Grace (1990)
Off DVR, Shown on IFC (widescreen, uncut)
This movie features the youngest John C. Reilly that I've ever seen on film, but Sean Penn is the main character and the film does handle well the gentrification of Hell's Kitchen I feel like the rest of the movie was done better in The Departed, but still this movie is worth watching if your in a gangster film mood and you've never sat through this one.


218. The Eagle Has Landed (1976)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
With this dynamite cast all in their prime and with John Sturges at the helm I had high hopes for this picture, but this could have easily had at least twenty minutes shaved off the running time. So the movie is about the Nazi plot to kidnap Winston Churchill, so why does Donald Sutherland who plays an Irishman in this have the majority of the screen time in the movie??? This movie just kind of lurches to the end and doesn't really produced anything more memorable than putting Michael Caine in a Nazi uniform.

08/01/2008

216. Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
This Michael Caine film has some great kitsch value but it's also a decent watch and with a crazed Texas billionaire trying to lead a revolution against communism that has some not so subtle references to the Nazi party, but this film really works even though the slightly ridiculous parts.

07/31/2008

213. Back Door to Hell (1964)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
While the rating for this one is low in IMDB, i really liked the understated nature of this film. Also Jack Nicholson has a starring part here from early in his career. This one is slow and has some really under developed native characters but was still better than I thought it was going to be.


214. Mysterious Island (1961)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
This movie only really gets interesting when Captain Nemo shows up about three-fourths of the way in the movie, even the Harryhausen creature work couldn't make this an interesting watch. On the other hand this brought to light again how much of an unexplored figure that Captain Nemo is, I'd love to see a movie where he is the main character.


215. Son of Godzilla (1967)
Off DVR, Shown on Turner Classic Movies (widescreen, uncut)
Besides the man in suit action here, which there really isn't that much of because baby suit man steals the spotlight, it's just stiff japanese scientists sitting around trying to control the weather. I was bored.