Change Your Image
"Manos!"
Reviews
Braindead (1992)
rich & creamy, just the way I like it!
Good flick. Needed a bit more blood, though.
It had style, without a doubt. The random bits of "tallscreen" (anamorphic widescreen squished to be narrow) in the beginning was odd. All in all, though, I found it thouroghly enjoyable.
A friend of mine thinks it could be remade as a silent movie. Ignore the dialogue the next time you watch it and you'll see what he was getting at.
Mr. B Natural (1957)
Tell me when the scary lady is gone, mommy!
This is without a doubt the single most frightening piece of film, short or otherwise, that I have ever seen! What about Blair Witch, you say? Or Scream? Or Texas Chainsaw Massacre? They have *nothing* on the all-engulfing terror that festers at the very heart of this thankfully brief atrocity of film.
I gave it a two. (well, Mr. B was kinda cute, after all...)
Lost Continent (1951)
Rock Climbing, Joel, Rock Climbing...
I saw this flick first on MST3k, but I have since seen it in its original splendor. Lemme tell ya, it really didn't change all that much. I mean, *sure*, it wasn't as funny without the shadows at the bottom of the screen, but the film really does make fun of itself.
Honestly, if I'd wanted to see a documentary about rock climbing (especially the climbing of the same styrofoam rock set shot from different angles) I'd turn on the discovery channel. This film is obviously one of those intended for the 50's drive-in couples that weren't there to watch the movie anyway.
Dead Weekend (1995)
remember that this
The people responsible for this masterpiece knew EXACTLY what they were doing! I can almost picture it: "What? No budget? Oh, well, let's have fun anyway!" It's as if the director used this flick as an opportunity to compile a resume' of styles (hence the random Homicide: Life on the Street camerawork in one scene), and the actors were just there for a good time. It's great.
Set in the "not-too distant future", martial law has been declared in The City in leu of a looming earthquake. However, the earthquake is merely a ruse, a story fed to the public so the TWF (True World Forces) can capture an alien spotted over the city some few days earlier. A TWF agent runs into the alien (a *hottie* who can change her apperance, while always remaining - of course - a hottie), and the two go off and, um, compare their respective physiologies (yeah, that's it). Other things happen, too, but who pays attention to plot nowadays?
The effects are poor, but it's the *little* things that really made this film. The chalk outlines. The phone book. The beautiful rooftop view of The City. The officer's club/strip joint/medicenter. These minute details were handled (fondled, even) with the utmost care, thus making this film the cinematic treasure it is. Don't be confused: this flick is BAD. But that's okay. It's as if the director & stars agreed to make as entertaining a film as they could with the $5.63 budget they had. I loved every minute of it!
Basquiat (1996)
truly beautiful
This film is one of the most beautifully told stories I have ever encountered. It is magical to experience.
The story is at once compelling (for it's truth) and tragic (from it's heart). The cast is superb; Bowie's Warhol is dead on, and Jeffrey Wright plays Basquiat to near perfection. The story is pretty much true to fact, with a few artistic liberties taken here or there for the film's sake. If you have any sort aesthetic taste, then you'll be able to appreciate this film for the work of beauty that it is. Otherwise, I suggest you go rent Problem Child 3 and not bother the rest of us with inane comments like, "I didn't like it cuz I think Andrew Warhol was a jerk."
Schnabel's decision to hide his own presence in Basquiat's world is pleasingly effective. Some viewers may catch a glimpse at the works of Milo and realize who Gary Oldman was *really* playing. Clever, that, I thought. Keeps the attention on Basquiat's story instead of on the director/writer/supporting character. I've got my theories as to who Courtney Love was supposed to be, too, but, well, I don't want to taint anyone else's viewing experience more than I should.
I can't believe there isn't a DVD of this film. For SHAME, Miramax pictures! Fie on thee!
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
truly a classic
Yes, this film is one of the all-time greatest black comedies. Yes, it was painfully realistic and scary enough that the only possible reaction is to laugh (in my case, guffaw while rolling around on the floor doubled over in pain from the stitches in my sides).
The one thing that all of the other reviewers failed to comment on is the (albeit brief) *romance* in the movie. This has without a doubt the most entertaining & fulfilling love scene ever caught on film. I'm talking about the opening credits. The aircraft "refueling". Yeah, that's right, we all know what that was really all about, don't we? Eh? Am I right?
What?
WHAT?!?
Dead Weekend (1995)
remember that this
The people responsible for this masterpiece knew EXACTLY what they were doing! I can almost picture it: "What? No budget? Oh, well, let's have fun anyway!" It's as if the director used this flick as an opportunity to compile a resume' of styles (hence the random Homicide: Life on the Street camerawork in one scene), and the actors were just there for a good time. It's great.
Set in the "not-too distant future", martial law has been declared in The City in leu of a looming earthquake. However, the earthquake is merely a ruse, a story fed to the public so the TWF (True World Forces) can capture an alien spotted over the city some few days earlier. A TWF agent runs into the alien (a *hottie* who can change her apperance, while always remaining - of course - a hottie), and the two go off and, um, compare their respective physiologies (yeah, that's it). Other things happen, too, but who pays attention to plot nowadays?
The effects are poor, but it's the *little* things that really made this film. The chalk outlines. The phone book. The beautiful rooftop view of The City. The officer's club/strip joint/medicenter. These minute details were handled (fondled, even) with the utmost care, thus making this film the cinematic treasure it is. Don't be confused: this flick is BAD. But that's okay. It's as if the director & stars agreed to make as entertaining a film as they could with the $5.63 budget they had. I loved every minute of it!