Penn & Teller's Bullshit, Season Three - 2005
I LOVE this show! This season, the bad boys of magic go after the following subjects:
Circumcision
Family Values
Conspiracy Theories
Life Coaching
Holier Than Thou (Ghandi & Mother Theresa)
College
Big Brother
Hair
Gun Control
Ghostbusters
Endangered Species
Signs from Heaven
"The Best" - the second best episode, second only to the Bottled Water episode from Season 1
If you have thin skin, or deeply held (emotionally based) beliefs, DON'T WATCH THIS. But if you value brains over heart, if you think emotion is fine for spouses but not politics, you will enjoy this show. Oh, and the nudity and magic don't hurt either.
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Last Mimzy - 2007
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's a time travel/fantasy/kids movie/SF film. An interesting combo that is VERY well done. Special effects support the film, not form the basis of the film. I like the connection with Lewis Carroll. I wonder how many parents watching this with their kids catch the references. I love the fact that this is cool at 2 levels, one that the kids will like, and one for the SF/Philosophy lovers will dig.
And as in E.T. (which this movie has a passing likeness to) the government are the bad guys. Only now, under the Patriot Act, they can actually do all the shit they do in movies (as they actually say in The Last Mimzy).
And the closing song is by Roger Waters. I'm sitting there thinking "Gosh, this song sure sounds like The Wall. I bet Pink Floyd's gonna be pissed!" only to find out it WAS written by Floyd. Cool!
Commentary by director Bob Shaye. He reveals that the woman in beginning is the wife of Werner Herzog! Wow, talk about a winter/spring marriage!
This is a Infinifilm DVD, which I really like, as the way extra info is interspersed into the film is really nice. If it sounds like something you're interested in, you pop out of the movie to see it. If not, roll on. Just be sure to watch the film first. This brings to me this week's rant.
Commentators; stop with the "no spoilers" comments. No one watches a movie and listens to the commentary first. Anyone who does is an idiot, and deserves what he/she gets. You can safely assume we've seen the movie, and talk accordingly. Stop wasting time wondering if the listeners have seen the movie. WE HAVE!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - 2006
Wow. There are a couple of interesting castings here. Zelda Rubinstein (the little woman from Poltergeist) and Robert Englund (Freddy from the Nightmare on Elm Streets). And this is very clever idea, especially if you love the classic slashers (Halloween, Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th).
Nice gratuitous boobage (we learn from the commentary that it's stunt boobs!). Final 30 minutes are really smart. More clever than the initial Scream.
Commentary with actors Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Britain Spellings, and Ben Pace . Good friends talking about the movie-making experience. Some technical info, plenty of behind the scenes talk. We learn that there was two days of rehearsals, and that the script was rewritten to match the sets and lowered budget.
Other extras include the Casting of "Behind the Mask", Making of "Behind the Mask", deleted scenes (director is sorrier about their loss than I would be), and extended scenes (wise to shorten).
Better than I expected. Wow. Two good movies in a row. I better do something about that.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Jesse Franco's Count Dracula - 1970
There, most will agree that Jesse Franco's movies are not very mainstream (and most would say not very good). Still, since this is a Dark Sky release, I expect better. AND it has Christopher Lee and Klaus Kinski!. Plus Fred Williams (She Killed In Ecstasy), Soledad Miranda(Vampyros Lesbos), and Herbert Lom (Police Commisioner Charles Dreyfus in all the Pink Panther movies)as Van Helsing.
Interestingly enough, this movie was edited by Bruno Mattei (who would go on to direct many classic crappy movies like Rats - Notte di terrore and Women's Prison Massacre). And of course, there's the obligitory cameo by Jesse Franco himself. And I have to admit that Klaus Kinski makes a GREAT Renfeld.
It ain't a Hammer film, but it isn't as bad as you might expect. And there's no boobage, which is VERY odd for a Franco film. Other extras include "Beloved Count" which is subtitled (thanx, Jesse can be hard to understand sometimes). He only has like 3 teeth, after all. And while I'm on the subject, how can this guy still be alive? He smokes like 20 cigarettes an hour, obviously has terrible oral hygiene (see previous teeth comment), and probably didn't exactly live a clean life in the 70's. Anywho, this is a series of interviews with Christopher Lee, Jesse Franco, and Harry Tower. Pretty interesting.
There is an audio track that is Christopher Lee reading Bram Stoker's Dracula. An hour and a half long. Abridged, yet awesome! There's also an essay on the beautiful Soledad and her tragic death, for those who don't know the story.
This was a great DVD (picture and sound were beautiful!). The only shortcoming was no commentary. Chris Lee is too expensive, I guess.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Lukas' Child - 1993 aka Night of the Beast
Now then, here's the bad movie that everyone has been waiting for. Terrible transfer, or shot on VHS, one or the other. Since the audio is not in 5.1, I'm guessing both.
The dialogue is retarded, the acting is worse than a elementary school pageant. And who's idea was it to sacrifice people on a tanning bed? Lots of boobage, however. So that's something. Basically the only thing, really.
Cheap, cheap, & cheap.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Prison of the Psychotic Damned - 2006
Well, here we go. Nothing like starting off a film with an unattractive heroin addict. Nice rack, though, so that's something. And then, that whole scene doesn't seem to fit in to the rest of the movie. What did any of that have to do with ghostbusters going to a haunted railroad terminal turned into an insane asylum? And why would you build a railroad terminal with a 20 story tower? What purpose would that serve? And who would convert a railroad terminal into an insane asylum for all that? I guess those huge open spaces and few small rooms is what they wanted. But then, where did all these little rooms come from? What purpose did they serve when it was a train station? And where the F did that flashlight come from? Was there even a continuity person for this movie? Sorry, I'm over-analyzing a stupid movie.
Okay, and I'm getting sick of the subliminals. I've seen DIE and Torture for sure.
Once again, an entire cast of unpleasant folks, so I can't wait for them all to die. Why do so many of these movies seem to populate themselves with boorish, rotten people? Are they just reinforcing our desire to root for the killer? I don't know, but I sure am sick of it.
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