Recent Viewings, Part 2

[M.10rda]

BLINK TWICE (2024):
When I walked in on Madame watching what looked like deleted scenes from the Marilyn Manson porno loop-slash-snuff film from the end of LOST HIGHWAY, "Blink Twice" were not among the first words I expected out of her mouth in reply to the question "What the heck are you watching?" All I'd heard about this late summer release was that it had been discussed in relation to the running cultural joke IT ENDS WITH US and that it starred Channing Tatum, and neither detail had placed it on my personal watchlist. But there was Tatum, leering over a weeping female victim, so - life is full of surprises, huh? "Kyle MacLachlan is in this," added Madame. My head began to swim a little. Unprompted, she rebooted the stream and played it from the beginning, and I sat there.

Wow, this is an angry and surprisingly GUH-RISLY rape/revenge film that careens into Horror territory for the last 30 or so minutes. There's a respectable amount of bloody mayhem at the end and there is more onscreen abuse (of all manner) of women than I expect to see in an expensive film starring a lot of respectable, Name actors. Also it's directed and co-written not by Lars von Trier or Darren Aronofski but by Zoe Kravitz... who did, fwiw, appear in the similarly themed MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, so I guess that's a relevant credential of some kind. Kravitz appears to have designed the film around lead actress Naomi Ackie, who memorably played the crying housekeeper in GET OUT and gets to recreate that same repressed suffering here for 100 minutes. Tatum is the chief bad guy - uh, SPOILERS?  - and to his credit he does deliver the goods as a pathologically loathsome alpha maniac.

BLINK TWICE is stiff tea but my somewhat mild-mannered wife watched it (essentially) twice of her own volition in spite of proclaiming that it was "disturbing", thus that must speak to its, errr, broad appeal? I did have a fairly sizable issue w/ this film, but it was related to storytelling, not exploitation. The Rohypnol-like substance which empowers Tatum and company seems like it should function solely as a McGuffin, but eventually it takes over the entire narrative, in conjunction w/ an assortment of antidotes and other counteractive agents. By the end the film becomes a roulette of "Who's been dosed?", and both Tatum's final monologue and the final twist (which in and of itself one might debate the logic of) enshrines the drugs as thematically central to the entire proceedings. I suppose this entire element distinguishes BLINK TWICE from a glossy update on I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE but, I dunno, it all seemed like a rather labored means to vent justifiable spleen on s****y dudes.

Stylistically, though, Kravitz has it going on. The earlier allusion to Lynch is defensible. BLINK TWICE is only liminal realism to begin with and when it descends into nightmare terrain, it's ferocious and dizzying. Also starring Adria Arjona (in the "fun" role, sort of); Christian Slater, perfectly typecast; Haley Joel Osment, well-cast against type; Alia Shawkat, always welcome but underutilized as usual; Geena Davis, also underutilized but also probably very miscast; a bunch of people I didn't know; and Kyle MacLachlan, mostly staying above the fray in an intermittent cameo.

Hard to say I enjoyed it but I will be interested in Kravtiz' next project,
3.5/5

Mme.10rda, who pays much more attention to this stuff, tells me that Kravitz and Tatum were a couple during production and then broke up before the film's release. UHHHH....... yes. Yes, I too would have a hard time staying w/ Channing Tatum after this movie. 

[Rev. Powell]

PEDRO PARAMO (2024): A man travels to the (literal) Mexican ghost town of Comala searching for his father, Pedro Paramo, only to discover he is dead (along with everybody else). The film begins as an eerie ghost story interspersed with flashbacks from Pedro's life, but as it goes on the son's strange experiences in town vanish from the script--a disappointment if that is the part of the movie that interested you. From an acclaimed Mexican novel that had previously been adapted for TV, this is the directing debut of Rodrigo Prieto, the acclaimed Oscar-nominated cinematographer who's worked with Martin Scorsese and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Netflix snapped it up but didn't give it a theatrical release, meaning its ineligible for awards season. Boo Netflix. 3.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER (2024): Martin Scorsese looks back over the career of the mid-century British directing team ("Stairway to Heaven," "The Red Shoes," "Tales of Hoffman"), with a particular emphasis on how their movies influenced his own directorial decisions. Obviously aimed squarely at cinephiles, but it works better than expected: it's an authentic way for Scorsese to honor them, and he finds the an approach that is thorough and informative without being overly technical. 3.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Get Thrashed Around the World" (2024)
Pseudo-sequel to the well received 2007 documentary "Get Thrashed," comprised of unused interview footage shot for the first film that didn't make it into the final cut. In other words, it's 90 more minutes of various musicians talking about their favorite thrash bands from various countries, with no extra concert footage or anything special to liven things up. It's fun listening to the guys in Municipal Waste and Skeletonwitch wax nostalgic about Carnivore and Tankard at first, but after a while it gets monotonous. I watched this free on YouTube so I'm not gonna complain too much, but I think only the most devoted thrash metal freaks will sit through the entire thing.

"Gas Pump Girls" (1979)
(I know, this sounds like a porno, but it isn't...)
A Southern California gal volunteers to take over her uncle's run-down gas station while he's in the hospital. She hires a bunch of her hot friends to work the pumps in "uniforms" consisting of short shorts and tiny tee shirts. Naturally, this gets a lot of attention and increases their business, but it also causes conflicts with the management of the shiny new modern service station across the street. I guess wacky hi jinks are supposed to ensue, but this poorly written, terribly acted low budget T&A comedy has very few actual laughs. Nice eye candy, but not worth your time.

[lester1/2jr]

The Fighter (2021) - I watched this because it's about a North Korean refugee who comes to South Korea, something I've never seen a movie about. It's a girl boxer and she stinks at boxing, though. They seriously took half an hour to show her how to do a jab and the thing where you hide behind the gloves and then started filming. The North Korean aspect doesn't really come in to play that much either. Besides of that, it's an okay Korean drama with the appealing aspects it's known for: sensitive, innocent characters who project wholesome, emotionally mature sort of countenances.

3/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Green Machine: The Turtlemania Documentary" (2022)
This light, breezy, fun documentary (free on YouTube) examines the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze of the late 80s and early 90s. Vintage clips and interviews trace the TMNT's rise from humble black-and-white independent comic book characters to the stars of a zillion dollar multimedia franchise that included animated and live-action TV shows, feature films, toys, video games and thousands of other licensed products. A fun trip down memory lane.

[lester1/2jr]

Finding Joseph I: the HR from Bad Brains documentary (2016) - The Bad Brains pretty much invented what is now called "hardcore". They were the band that took punk rock and sped it way up, more or less. Their vocalist HR's manic energy and ability to fashion hooks out of seeming noise were the icing on the cake, but his erratic behavior sidelined what should have been a Nirvana-like (but before that) success story.

That's not an exaggeration. They were slated to be the opening act on U2's Joshua Tree tour and signed to Madonna's Maverick records. They opened for the Beastie Boys circa "Check your Head" and on and on, but they could not capitalize on it. At their lowest moment, an overtly schizophrenic HR basically stood in front of the mic and smiled while the band went through their catalog.

It's a sad tale, but eventually he got married and the wife made him take medication so he's getting better. The only way he can really make money is by performing so he'll be out there doing something, probably not hardcore music, though.

5/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Die Hard" (1988)
Bruce Willis takes on a troop of terrorists in an L.A. skyscraper on Christmas Eve. We've all seen it, we all love it, everyone knows it's one of the best damn action movies ever made. AND it's a Christmas movie. Nuff said.

[Rev. Powell]

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (2024): An overworked production assistant travels around Bucharest collecting interviews from injured individuals for a workplace safety video to be shot that very day, pausing to make satirical tik-toks with her misogynist alter-ego. An odd and experimental corporate satire which includes samples of footage from another movie (a 1981 Romanian drama sort of connected to a minor character), a long pause to observe dozens of gravestones, and many jokes and references that will probably go over non-Romanian heads, it nevertheless has a lot of life and insight into depicting the modern world as a low-key post-apocalyptic hellscape. 3.5/5

Special note for Trevor: Uwe Boll has a cameo as himself.

[Trevor]

MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER (2024): Martin Scorsese looks back over the career of the mid-century British directing team ("Stairway to Heaven," "The Red Shoes," "Tales of Hoffman"), with a particular emphasis on how their movies influenced his own directorial decisions. Obviously aimed squarely at cinephiles, but it works better than expected: it's an authentic way for Scorsese to honor them, and he finds the an approach that is thorough and informative without being overly technical. 3.5/5.

I remember being surprised that our film archive had a 35mm copy of 49TH PARALLEL (THE INVADERS) in it until one of my bosses told me about Glynis Johns being born in South Africa ☺️🇿🇦

[M.10rda]

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (2024): An overworked production assistant travels around Bucharest collecting interviews from injured individuals for a workplace safety video to be shot that very day, pausing to make satirical tik-toks with her misogynist alter-ego. An odd and experimental corporate satire which includes samples of footage from another movie (a 1981 Romanian drama sort of connected to a minor character), a long pause to observe dozens of gravestones, and many jokes and references that will probably go over non-Romanian heads, it nevertheless has a lot of life and insight into depicting the modern world as a low-key post-apocalyptic hellscape. 3.5/5

Special note for Trevor: Uwe Boll has a cameo as himself.

This is RadU Jude, right? He seems to be one of the new "It" European arthouse directors. I know he made BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN, which sounds at least eponymously like a must-see, yet I haven't seen it. Does he have any previous films besides these two that you would recommend?

[Rev. Powell]

DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD (2024): An overworked production assistant travels around Bucharest collecting interviews from injured individuals for a workplace safety video to be shot that very day, pausing to make satirical tik-toks with her misogynist alter-ego. An odd and experimental corporate satire which includes samples of footage from another movie (a 1981 Romanian drama sort of connected to a minor character), a long pause to observe dozens of gravestones, and many jokes and references that will probably go over non-Romanian heads, it nevertheless has a lot of life and insight into depicting the modern world as a low-key post-apocalyptic hellscape. 3.5/5

Special note for Trevor: Uwe Boll has a cameo as himself.

This is RadU Jude, right? He seems to be one of the new "It" European arthouse directors. I know he made BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN, which sounds at least eponymously like a must-see, yet I haven't seen it. Does he have any previous films besides these two that you would recommend?

Yeah, that's him. This is the only move I've seen of his so I can't recommend anything, sorry.

[lester1/2jr]

The Investigation: A Haunting in Sherwood (2019) - to paraphrase Mick Jagger: I know it's only found footage but I like it. Having a child's music box playing as an ironic scare signal might be the most overused cliche in all of horror. Going downstairs into the scary basement, hiding in an attic etc. I don't care. I'm here for it.

That said, a movie this cheap and off the cuff isn't going to do that much. It works, but it's not all that scary. I liked both the actors. The story was largely believable. Hopefully, the director will get a little more ambitious and thoughtful on their next outing.

3.99/5   

[indianasmith]

TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL (2010)
  I wanted to watch something fun tonight, so instead of taking a chance on Prime's unpredictable mixture of dreck and awesomeness, I thought "Why not go with a classic?"  And, once again, Tucker and Dale did not disappoint! One of the most fun horror/comedy films I have ever seen.   5/5

[RCMerchant]

Finding Joseph I: the HR from Bad Brains documentary (2016) - The Bad Brains pretty much invented what is now called "hardcore". They were the band that took punk rock and sped it way up, more or less. Their vocalist HR's manic energy and ability to fashion hooks out of seeming noise were the icing on the cake, but his erratic behavior sidelined what should have been a Nirvana-like (but before that) success story.

That's not an exaggeration. They were slated to be the opening act on U2's Joshua Tree tour and signed to Madonna's Maverick records. They opened for the Beastie Boys circa "Check your Head" and on and on, but they could not capitalize on it. At their lowest moment, an overtly schizophrenic HR basically stood in front of the mic and smiled while the band went through their catalog.

It's a sad tale, but eventually he got married and the wife made him take medication so he's getting better. The only way he can really make money is by performing so he'll be out there doing something, probably not hardcore music, though.

5/5

I saw that too. Great band. I got their ROIR cassette from my brother Mike on L.I. in 1984. I owned it for about 20 years until it got lost.