#lamb dvd review | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

landlordrecords · 2 years ago

Text

(My) Film 2022

As posted previously, the last year & a half I have been massively catching up with films (which I far too often neglect), just really trying to get to the point where I’ve seen a much vaster array of the sort of thing I like than I had previously (usually, it’s dox straight to the top of the list - not all of those might be covered below - and TV stuff, often with the missus, plus a smattering of art house & stoopid comedies & action films, plus an increasing line in so-bad-they’re-good ones). As I’ve been sending micro-reviews to a couple of fellow fans on email (Messrs Taylor & Stokoe), & I saw a couple of facebook pals had been listing out their entire year’s viewing (Messrs Fisher & Fishead), I thought it’d be easy enough to copy & paste over my own...not quite their numbers here, but still 185, which is an insane uptick from the few dozen I probably often do! I haven’t bothered with release dates, but have said where they are originals etc. I barely ever re-watch films, so they’re all first viewings unless I’ve said otherwise. With the streaming era, I’ve also started & quickly stopped gawd knows how many others, life isn’t long enough - I never thought I’d see so many title sequences!

The plan is that this period will stop soon, & I will move on to do a similar job on books, but I still probably have something like 100 DVDs, rips & videos here that I’ve never got round to, plus a similar-sized list of ones I want to see but can’t find cheap/free, so...

1. Police Academy, and...

2. Naked Gun (both of which had me laughing like a drain)

3. Casablanca (third time, I think, with the missus this time, still boss)

4. Requiem For A Dream (v good if maybe slightly dated now, seemed to freak out the missus & Kate Hobs good & proper)

5. Prisoners (almost forgotten this now - pretty pro, enjoyed it at the time)

6. Gone Baby Gone (same, similar topic)

7. OG Robocop (another classic I'd never seen - boss)

8. The Ipcress File (pretty darn good)

9. When A Stranger Calls (knew too much about it before I saw it, but v good stuff)

10. Away (Timothy Spall, in Blackpool - really liked this, partly cos of the location)

11. The Brood (very good)

12. The Killing of A Sacred Deer (very good)

13. 9th Gate (a bit silly in places, but I really liked this, good interesting subject matter)

14-19. Started watching all the Batmans since 89, cos I'd never seen any of em...89 one seriously dated now...Batman Returns poss my least fave, all that Danny DeVito stuff...Batman Forever (poss liked this slightly more than other people do, I'm down for the camp), Batman & Robin (the one I was keen to see, on my 'so bad it's good' tip, maybe not quite as excitingly bad as I wanted, but still impressively so)...Batman Begins & The Dark Knight (pretty darn good, although I'm not sure they QUITE deserve the absurd adulation)...stalled there cos missus wants to watch the rest with me...

20. Once Upon A Time In America (classic)

21. Prevenge (not bad)

22. Scum (classic)

23. Secretary (had not QUITE seen all of it before, v good)

24. Kimi (not bad)

25. Paterson (I enjoyed this, although it's a bit inconsequential)

26-27. Hannibal & Red Dragon (I kinda watched these cos I could - one I had seen before - they were alright, not as good as Silence of the Lambs)

28. The new West Side Story (completely pointless but a treat, love the original & all versions of the music)

29-30. Bad Karma & Drillbit (didn't know about this guy before, GREAT!)

31. Life Is Cheap (locally-made, not really distributed properly, John Waters-esque horror)

32. The Violators (I thought this was pretty good)

33. OG Funny Games (classic if uncomfortable)

34. Jaws (classic, can't believe I'd never seen it before)

35. Muriel's Wedding (had seen this before. A fave with the missus. Good soother while I had Covid, as was...)

36-37. Meet the Parents & Meet the Fockers (for the second or third time, I discovered recently that the first is a remake, & I tried to watch the original, but it was too amateurish even for me)

38. Mope (I really enjoyed this)

39. Metal Lords (I think metal fans have been disparaging about this, but I kinda enjoyed it)

40. Punch-Drunk Love (really good)

41-65. Bond season: see Landlord Records, Bond, ALL Bond I'm sure you pretty much have to... (tumblr.com)

66. Mark Cousins Story of Film new bit (the whole "looking but not looking, seeing yet not seeing"-type stuff wears a bit thin, but he does know his oats)

67. Baby Driver (good stuff)

68. Dogtooth (very good, prob better than Sacred Deer for me)

69. Spring Breakers (atmospheric nonsense from Korine, I kinda liked it)

70. Dune (one of the last Lynch ones I hadn't seen - a Lynch fan has to see it, but as incomprehensible - or at least an as overly encyclopaedic translation of the novel - as people always say)

71-72ish. Some Kenneth Anger shorts (top)

73. Some Like It Hot (classic)

74. Taken (enjoyed it for what it was, & also left the whole thing on later in the year on telly, so seen twice this year, must be OK!)

75. Lost Highway (not his best but interesting - thought I’d seen this before but think I’d confused it with something else...edging towards a Lynch retrospective, although I’ve already seen a bunch of them more than once, once I’ve gathered them all together)

76. Faster Pussycat Kill Kill (enjoyable, some ace shots & dialogue - it's a bit ploddy though in places, which is what I find most taxing about a lot of low budget stuff )

77. Ed Wood season (had seen Plan 9 before): Bride of the Monster (dull)

78. Night of the Ghouls (bit better, I thought)

79. Glen Or Glenda (the most wacked-out, although I wasn't super-sold)

80. Jail Bait (enjoyed this most as a straight-up film - I believe the plot came from elsewhere, otherwise you might say it was quite a good one)

81ish. some short Wood bits...

82. Necromania (quite enjoyed this one, one of the - not very arousing - pornos).

83. Non-Wood: Starcrash (ace, loved it)

84. The Big Heat (total classic, if anyone ever again says a film needs to be over an hour & a half long, they're lying)

85. Chopping Mall (enjoyed it - this is the start of my latest 'so bad they're good' season)

86. Dead Heat (LOVED this)

87. Mortal Kombat 2 (enjoyed it, although wouldn't expect anyone else to)

88. Crocodile 2 (good fun)

89. The Happening (a bit misunderstood I think, but still rather silly), pause in 'so bad...' section...

90. Sir Henry At Rawlinson End (a real treat)

91. Bohemian Rhapsody (pretty good)

92. Black Devil Doll From Hell (one of the rare 'so bad they're good' ones where it goes past funny into creating a really odd, unsettling atmosphere - really liked it)

93. Psycho Cop (good fun)

94. Divine Enforcer (loved it)

95. Twisted Pair (not Breen's best tbf...), 'so bad...' section ends.

96. The Trouble With Being Born (v interesting, unsettling stuff)

97. Elegy To The Visitor From The Revolution (the only Diaz one I've managed to get through, cos it's shorter, pretty decent)

98. Parasite (very good)

99. Ricotta (more for Kate than me, I can't really get into Italian new wave stuff, shock horror... s'OK)

100. OG Mad Max (awesome, couldn't believe I'd never seen it...started the second one as well, but either the print wasn’t very good or they chose a very different colour scheme, & I couldn’t get into it half as much)

101. Man Vs Bee (daft, but I did enjoy it)

102. The Magnificent Ambersons (really good)

103. Welcome Home Brother Charles (more 'so bad...' stuff - bonkers)

104. For Y'ur Height Only ('so bad...' - as good as people say, great watch)

105. Malcolm X (solid)

106. Ben & Arthur (one of the 'so bad...' ones I had to restart a coupla times before getting through it, but glad I did in the end, pretty deranged)

107. Sherlock Jr (classic)

108. His Girl Friday (shamefully had to try this twice, but excellent once it gets going)

109. Top Hat (v good)

110. Bringing Up Baby (v good)

111. The Lady Eve (v good)

112. Notorious (Hitchcock - another I had to try again with, incredibly, again very good once it gets going)

113. High Noon (ace)

114. All the President's Men (really good, rated it)

115. The Raid (Indonesian actioner - really good, I thought)

116. OG Last House On the Left (for some reason I thought this was of about the same production standard as I Spit On Yr Grave, but much better, good unsettling stuff)

117. Peeping Tom (classic)

118. Aliens (maybe saw this 30 years ago, rip-snorting)

119. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (great stuff)

120. Dr Strangelove (probably not quite as funny as at the time, but classic anyway)

121. Topaz (not the best Hitchcock, but I enjoyed it)

122. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (very good)

123. Another Year (recentish Mike Leigh - v good)

124. Magnolia (amazingly well done, but didn't touch me quite like it seems to other people)

125. Baise Moi (pretty brutal. Too shoddily done to really sit THAT well with me, but worth a watch)

126. The Bad Seed (50s one Su wanted to watch - a bit overlong for the subject, & seriously dated, but decent)

127. Terminator 2 (barring the long dull bit in the middle - it being some sort of special edition poss not helping - pretty rip-snorting, better than the first)

128. A Nightmare On Elm Street (being a jessie for horror movies, I actually had to turn this off after the first murder when I was still at school & it came on telly! Finally dared to get back to it - STILL pretty creepy in places, particularly that first murder. Very good)

129. Good To Go/Short Fuse (finally located it on Youtube - title change hadn't helped - Art Garfunkel (?!) stars in a mid-80s flick about the Washington DC go-go scene - nowhere near as bad as its rep)

130. BFI season: Dawson City (more about the town than the silent film finds really, which I wasn't expecting, but still some amazing footage & photos. Visually sumptuous)

131. Cabinet of Dr Caligari (didn't get that much more from watching it in full than clips & stills, as it is the sets that are really the star, but still v good)

132. The General (Keaton - tremendous, well worth its rep)

133. Drunken Angel (Kurosawa - not sure why this one isn't talked about more, really good I thought - love the grumpy doctor character)

134. Late Spring (Ozu - I had started this before - really good)

135. Tokyo Story (Ozu - same - I think the reason it is seen as the best of them only really comes down to the last half hour, but it is certainly superlative either way)

136. Seven Samurai (or Seventy Minutes Too Long Samurai - the last hour is boss though - I believe until relatively recently it was mainly available in the west in a significantly shorter cut, & I suspect that was the right cut & responsible for its rep, the build-up is way too long. Classic of course though)

137. A Man Escaped (really really good)

138. Wild Strawberries (really good)

139. Les Mistons (Truffaut - OK, whatever)

140. Rabid (enjoyed, but the step up to The Brood is significant)

141. Berberian Sound Studio (very good, especially enjoyed the knowledgeable experimental music angle)

142. Hitchcock...The Lodger (really good, glad I found a version with a decent soundtrack at last)

143. Downhill (another early Hitch - not at all bad stuff, nicely restored by the BFI)

144. Suspicion (same as everyone says - great but cop-out ending)

145. Documentary on comix artist Mike Diana

146. More Hitchcock... Under Capricorn (I had to sort of half-watch this, it was so long & periody - not really my sort of thing - but I did kinda like it)

147. The Trouble with Harry (once you get used to the style, pretty darn good)

148. Marnie (largely excellent)

149. Frenzy (one of the best of the late Hitch ones)

150. Family Plot (also very entertaining)

151. La Jetee (OK, over-rated)

152-154. Dekalog 1-3 (again, a little over-rated I think, but still great)

155. American Pie 2 (total fluff of course, but I enjoyed it)

156. 3 Identical Strangers (decent doc)

157. My Friend Dahmer (basic but enjoyable)

158-9. Encounters At the End of the World (Herzog Antartica doc - really good, & also, didn't get through all the extras, but amazeballs half hour one of extra underwater footage, with Henry Kaiser doing his noodly guitar all through it, which I almost enjoyed more than the main picture)

160. Amazing Grace (Aretha Franklin gospel concert lost footage - pretty powerful stuff)

161. Analyse This (I'd seen this before & forgot, but enjoyable again the second time, not a classic but good fun)

162. OG Predator (don't know why I'd put this one off - really good, tense stuff)

163. The Passion of Joan of Arc (20s) (maybe not QUITE as good as they say - & slightly too much emphasis put on the close-ups, there's good, more dynamic stuff at the end as well - but still powerful)

164. Ocean's 11 (remake) (another one I don't know why I left til now - greatly enjoyable)

165. Den of Thieves (another heist one - not at all bad)

166-167ish. Aardman stuff (I think the only actual feature I watched was Chicken Run, just watched what I could find free out of the 'classics') (all pretty enjoyable, although I didn't realise they also made so much garbage children's stuff)

168. The House (v silly Will Ferrell thing)

169. Man with A Movie Camera (poss more admirable than incredible at this point, but still a v good watch)

170. Killer Legends (standard doc about urban legends from the Cropsey guy)

171. The Fire Within (another Herzog volcanos doc, some pretty immense footage, stumbled across as part of Storyville on the Beeb)

172-173. The Ride Along movies (more stuff for lunched-out vegetating, entertaining enough)

174. Grey Gardens (doc) (again, maybe not quite as incredible as I'd been led to believe, but enjoyable nutters, & nice to find a half-decent print at last)

175. Click & Collect (v silly BBC xmas thingie)

176. Sad Vacation (Sid & Nancy doc, v similar to another I'd seen - unless it was the same one again, which would be really bad, but I don't think so, a lot of the same interviewees though)

177. Fascism On A Thread (interesting doc on Nazisploitation films)

178-179. Die Hard 2 & 3 (2nd one I poss enjoyed even more than the first, 3rd a little separated from the original concept but still highly enjoyable)

180. Mascots (very good recentish Spinal Tap bloke one)

181. He Walked By Night (really solid police procedural film noir)

182. OG Jurassic Park (rather dated now, but the much-reffed set pieces really terrific)

183. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (the best of the Aardman, I think - really splendid)

184. First Blood (another I can’t believe it took me this long to get to - ace)

185. CopLand (not at all bad, ace cast)

1 note · View note

brokehorrorfan · 5 years ago

Text

Blu-ray Review: Slaughter of the Innocents

Slaughter of the Innocents was released in 1993; one of several horror-tinged serial killer thrillers that arrived in the wake of The Silence of the Lambs. Writer-director James Glickenhaus (The Exterminator) went so far as to cast one of Lambs' supporting cast members in the lead role; Scott Glenn stars as FBI Special Agent Stephen Broderick. When his 12-year-old son, Jesse (Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus), discovers new evidence in a serial killer's case file - on the eve of the convicted killer's execution, no less - Broderick leads the reopened investigation to capture the real perpetrator before he strikes again.

While half of the film is a standard police procedural, the other half is dedicated to Jesse, who helps solve the case. Able to outsmart the FBI and the killer alike, Jesse is a cyber genius. Broderick consults with his whiz-kid not only about technology but case details as well. Although unlikely Glickenhaus' intention, one might assume the character is on the autism spectrum today. While that is no laughing matter, the child’s excessive intelligence leads to some unintentionally humorous moments, exacerbated by the plot's reliance on futuristic yet dated technology.

The mystery angle played up in the first act - which includes a neo-Nazi red herring - is deflated as the killer is revealed to the viewer relatively early on. Zitto Kazann (Waterworld) is suitably creepy in his limited screen time as Mordecai Booth, whose killing and abduction of children and animals is motivated by the Bible. The plot culminates with a memorable climax, although it's undermined by a schmaltzy epilogue. Crisp cinematography by Mark Irwin's (Scream, The Fly), an effective score by Joe Renzetti (Child's Play, Poltergeist III), and realistic makeup effects by Gabriel Bartalos (Leprechaun, Frankenhooker) elevate the project.

This is a rare starring role for Glenn, who seems better suited as a character actor. Although decent enough, he overplays his hand at times. Cameron-Glickenhaus is the son of the director but reportedly had to audition like any other actor. His delivery isn't always natural, yet he's able to handle mouthfuls of deductive jargon. The cast also includes Darlanne Fluegel (Lock Up), Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), Armin Shimerma (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and Tim Colceri (Full Metal Jacket) in supporting roles, as well as a young Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight) in a bit part.

Long out-of-print on DVD, Slaughter of the Innocents has been restored in high-definition for Synapse Films' new Blu-ray. Along with a crisp presentation of the film, it includes special features new and old. An audio commentary by Glickenhaus - originally recorded for the LaserDisc release but absent from the DVD - is included; the even-keeled filmmaker explains what's accurate when it comes to FBI procedures and executions versus where he took artistic liberties, and he provides insight into choices regarding camera positioning and movement.

The disc features new interviews with Bartalos, who tells how he drew inspiration from butcher shops to achieve the film's realistic gore, and Irwin, who discusses shooting on location in Ohio and Utah, including the big finale. Other extras include deleted and alternate scenes; a vintage electronic press kit with cast and crew input; archival interviews with Glickenhaus, Cameron-Glickenhaus, and Glenn (portions of which appear in the EPK); a brief interview with Glickenhaus and his son at the 1993 Dylan Dog Horror Fest in Italy; Cameron-Glickenhaus' screen test footage; and trailers and TV spots.

Like the majority of imitators hoping the capitalize on the success of The Silence of the Lambs, Slaughter of the Innocents lacks the rich source material, the A-list cast, and the high-concept script paired with smart direction to take a psychological hold over the viewer. Instead, Glickenhaus delivers a B-movie take on the serial killer craze with just enough pulpy absurdism to make it worthwhile.

Slaughter of the Innocents is available now on Blu-ray via Synapse Films.

#slaughter of the innocents #scott glenn #kevin sorbo #armin shimerman #synapse films #aaron eckhart #james glickenhaus #review #dvd #article #gift #darlanne fluegel #tim colceri #the silence of the lambs #silence of the lambs

3 notes · View notes

harrietvane · 2 years ago

Note

Hey, Sus: excuse me, but how come I've NEVER HEARD OF ROUGH MAGIC BEFORE???? Like, WHAAT??? your description on that gifset has got my jaw on the floor, OBVIOUSLY i must find this film immediately!!!

Angie, my lamb, my heart, my little pastry, I am DELIGHTED to throw Rough Magic, (1995, dir. Clare Peploe) at you.

What is this 'noir pastiche road-movie with magical realism and magical magic', you ask? Besides GENIUS?? Well, firstly, it is not a Good Movie. I mean that's a given. Sitting on 25% review score on Rottem Tomatoes so like let's be reasonable about this. But also I am frequently obsessed with movies that can't climb over that quarter line, so this is not new territory for me, lol.

OK, so: it's a mid-90's little caper film based on a James Hadley Chase pulp novel from 1944. This guy is sort of the British Louis L'amour but he wrote about American gangsters. Shrug emoji I guess. After WW2, settled down in France, and using a slang phrasebook and a map, churned out over 90 smash hit, all plot, no lore, american gangster pulp pagerturner novels. One of which was 'Ms Shumway Waves a Wand', which I have not read. But someone did, and this movie happened. It's an incredibly odd mix of genres, some of which just don't gel and it's awkward, and some of which are so great they rewire my brain.

The late great Roger Ebert said Clare Peploe "deserves credit for the uncompromising way in which she stage manages a head-on collision between [the 2 genres] in Rough Magic, an oddly enchanting fantasy that almost works" - that sort of sums it up, a head-on collision but it ALMOST works. But also it has so much bizarre, fun, aimed-directly-at-me stuff.

Everyone in this movie is basically some kind of con artist. No one is playing straight with anyone, ever. Always a treat. The protagonist witnesses a crime in Act 1, goes on the run by heading for the Mexico/Guatemalan border to a) skip town, and b) keep a promise about finding a holy woman there who can help her with her own magic. Everyone else follows. Hijinks ensue.

Bridget Fonda: Myra, a cynical magician's assistant in LA, big Lauren Bacall vibes. Fast-talking. Excellently dressed. Unruffled. On the run. Cranky. Probably/definitely an actual witch. Big heart but she'd never admit it, and removes it (literally) to prove the fact. Lays a giant robin's egg at one point.

Russel Crowe: a down-on his-luck PI. If you saw La Confidential and though 'hmm Russel Crowe looks nice in 40's gear, he should always wear that', then congratulations, he's wearing that, but he's a PRE-FAME BABY. Has PTSD but would never admit it. Dies and is resurrected at one point.

Jim Broadbent: possibly an anthropologist, possibly a snake-oil salesman, mostly he's just drunk. Believes in magic, wants to prove it. Idealist but would never admit it.

Also featuring: Myra's nuclear-obsessed fiance, his secretary Toby Ziegler, unsubtitled spanish dialogue, a man turned into a sausage, everyone refusing to admit Feelings, hallucinogenic drugs in gourds, floating make-outs, top hats. 'Comedy, love, and a bit with a dog'. The dialogue is EXTREMELY mannered, in that 'everyone talks like roger rabbit pretending to be a gangster' sort of way, which Bridget Fonda admits she struggled with making it sound natural, but I think it works. That Big Sleep kind of quick back-and-forth can seem a bit off when the picture is in colour and you're otherwise aware it's 1995, but honestly it's no LESS mannered than the Whedon-speak that's overtaken contemporary american films, which is an equally specific/mannered dialogue form tbh. The costumes are beautiful. The cars are beautiful. The photography is beautiful. There's a double in the casting re: the holy woman and a cantina owner they meet along the way that is never explained. It's just that kind of party.

If you have not been able to obtain it: it used to float around in t*rrenting, but those golden days are probably over. I recently got a hard copy DVD from an online retailer. I think Amzn will sell you a digital one.

Or I have an .avi file if you ask nice :-P

#zombeesknees #replies #hit me up - how do the youths prefer to share files these days idk

43 notes · View notes

crowdvscritic · 3 years ago

Text

round up // JULY 21

‘Tis the season to beat the heat at the always-cold theatres and next to fans set at turbo speed. While my movie watching slowed a bit with the launch of the Summer Olympics on July 23rd, I’ve still got plenty of popcorn-ready and artsy recommendations for you. A few themes in the new-to-me pop culture I’m recommending this month:

Casts oozing with embarrassing levels of talent (sometimes overqualified for the movies they’re in)

Pop culture that is responding or reinterpreting past pop culture

Stories that get weEeEeird

Keep on-a-scrollin’ to see which is which!

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Double Feature – ‘90s Rom-Coms feat. Lots of Lies: Mystery Date (1991) + The Pallbearer (1996)

In Mystery Date (Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 6/10), Ethan Hawke and Teri Polo get set up on a blind date that gets so bizarre and crime-y I’m not sure how this didn’t come out in the ‘80s. In The Pallbearer (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10), David Schwimmer and Gwyneth Paltrow try to combine The Graduate with Four Weddings and a Funeral in a story about lost twentysomethings. If you don’t like rom-coms in which circumstances depend on lots of lies and misunderstandings, these won’t be your jam, but if you’re like me and don’t mind these somewhat-cliché devices, you’ll be hooked by likeable casts and plenty of rom and com.

2. The Tomorrow War (2021)

I thought of no fewer movies than this list while watching: Alien, Aliens, Angel Has Fallen, Cloverfield, Interstellar, Kong: Skull Island, Prometheus, A Quiet Place: Part II, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith, The Silence of the Lambs, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and World War Z. And you know what? I like all those movies! (Okay, maybe I just have a healthy respect/fear of The Silence of the Lambs.) The Tomorrow War may not be original, but it borrows some of the best tropes and beats from the sci-fi and action genres, so much so I wish I could’ve seen Chris Pratt and Co. fight those gross monsters on a big screen. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6/10

3. Dream a Little Dream (1989)

My July pick for the Dumb Rom-Com I Nevertheless Enjoyed! I CANNOT explain the mechanics of this body switch comedy to you—nor can the back of the DVD case above—but, boy, what an ‘80s MOOD. I did not know I needed to see a choreographed dance routine starring Jason Robards and Corey Feldman, but I DID. All I know is some movies are made for me and that I’m now a card-carrying member of the Two Coreys fan club. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

4. Black Widow (2021)

The braids! The Pugh! Black Widow worked for me both as an exciting action adventure and as a respite from the Marvel adventures dependent on a long memory of the franchise. (Well, mostly—keep reading for a second MCU rec much more dependent on the gobs of previous releases.) Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

5. Liar Liar (1997)

Guys, Jim Carrey is hilarious. That’s it—that’s the review. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

youtube

6. Sob Rock by John Mayer (2021)

It’s very possible I’ve already listened to this record more than all other John Mayer records. It doesn’t surpass the capital-G Greatness of Continuum, but it’s a little bit of old school Mayer, a little bit ‘80s soft rock/pop, and I’ve had it on repeat most of the two weeks since it’s been out. Featuring the boppiest bop that ever bopped, at least one lyrical gem in every track, and an ad campaign focused on Walkmans, this record skirts the line between Crowd faves and Critic-worthy musicianship.

7. Double Feature – ‘00s Ben Affleck Political Thrillers: The Sum of All Fears (2002) + State of Play (2009)

In The Sum of All Fears (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), Ben Affleck is Jack Ryan caught up in yet another international incident. In State of Play (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10), he’s a hotshot Congressman caught up in a scandal. Both are full of plot twists and unexpected turns, and in both, Affleck is accompanied by actors you’re always happy to see, like Jason Bateman, James Cromwell, Russell Crowe, Jeff Daniels, Viola Davis, Morgan Freeman, Philip Baker Hall, David Harbour, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Wright—yes, I swear all of those people are in just those two movies.

8. Loki (2021-)

Unlike Black Widow, you can’t go into Loki with no MCU experience. The show finds clever ways to nudge us with reminders (and did better at it than Falcon and the Winter Soldier), but be forewarned that at some point, you’re just going to have to let go and accept wherever this timeline-hopper is taking you. An ever-charismatic cast keeps us grounded (Owen Wilson, Jonathan Majors, and an alligator almost steal the show from Tom Hiddleston in some eps), but while Falcon lasted an episode or two too long, Loki could’ve used a few more to flesh out its complicated plot and develop its characters. Thankfully, the jokes matter almost as much as the sci-fi, so you can still have fun even if you have no idea what’s going on.

9. Double Feature – Bruce Willis: Die Hard With a Vengeance (1995) + The Whole Nine Yards (2000)

Before Bruce Willis began starring in many random direct-to-DVD movies I only ever hear about in my Redbox emails, he was a Movie Star smirking his way up the box office charts. In the third Die Hard (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), he teams up with Samuel L. Jackson to decipher the riddles of a terrorist madman (Jeremy Irons), and it’s a thrill ride. In The Whole Nine Yards (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), he’s hitman that screws up dentist Matthew Perry’s boring life in Canada, and—aside from one frustrating scene of let’s-objectify-women-style nudity—it’s hilarious.

10. This Is the End (2013)

On paper, this is not a movie for me. An irreverent stoner comedy about a bunch of bros partying it up before the end of the world? None of things are for Taylors. But with a little help of a TV edit to pare down the raunchy and crude bits, I laughed my way through and spent the next several days thinking through its exploration of what makes a good person. While little of the plot is accurate to Christian Gospel and theology, some of its big ideas are consistent enough with the themes of the book of Revelation I found myself thinking about it again in church this morning. (Would love to know if Seth Rogen ever expected that.) Plus, I love a good self-aware celebrity spoof—can’t tell you how many times I’ve just laughed remembering the line, “It’s me, Jonah Hill, from Moneyball”—and an homage to horror classics. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10

July Critic Picks

1. Summer of Soul (…or, When the Television Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Even director Questlove didn’t know about the Harlem Cultural Festival, but now he’s compiled the footage so we can all enjoy one of the coolest music fest lineups ever, including The 5th Dimension, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and Stevie Wonder, who made my friend’s baby dance more than once in the womb. See it on the big screen for top-notch audio. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Robin Williams takes on the bureaucracy, disillusionment, and malaise of the Vietnam War with comedy. Williams was a one-of-a-kind talent, and here it’s on display at a level on par with Aladdin. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

3. Against the Rules Season 2 (2020-21)

Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball, adapted into a film starring Jonah Hill), is interested in how we talk about fairness. This season he looks at how coaches impact fairness in areas like college admissions, credit cards, and youth sports.

4. Bugsy Malone (1976)

A gangster musical starring only children? It’s a little like someone just picked ideas out of a hat, but somehow it works. You can hear why in the Bugsy Malone episode Kyla and I released this month on SO IT’S A SHOW?, plus how this weird artifact of a film connects with Gilmore Girls.

5. The Queen (2006)

Before The Crown, Peter Morgan wrote The Queen, focusing on Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) in the days following the death of Princess Diana. It’s a complex and compassionate drama, both for the Queen and for Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen, who has snuck up on me to become a favorite character actor). Maybe I’ve got a problem, but I’ll never tire of the analysis of this famous family. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

6. The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972)

This month at ZekeFilm, we took a closer look at Revisionist Westerns we’ve missed. I fell hard for Roy Bean, and I think you will, too, if for no other reason than you might like a story starring Jacqueline Bisset, Ava Gardner, John Huston, Paul Newman, and Anthony Perkins. Oh, and a bear! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

youtube

7. New Trailer Round Up

Naked Singularity (Aug. 6) – John Boyega in a crime thriller!

Queenpins (Aug. 10) – A crime comedy about extreme coupon-ing!

Dune (Oct. 1) – I’ve been cooler on the anticipation for this film, but this new look has me cautiously intrigued thanks to the Bardem + Bautista + Brolin + Chalamet + Ferguson + Isaac + Momoa + Zendaya of it all.

The Last Duel (Oct. 15) – Affleck! Damon! Driver!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Nov. 11) - I’m not sure why we need this, but I’m down for the Paul Rudd + Finn Wolfhard combo

King Richard (Nov. 19) - Will Smith as Venus and Serena’s father!

Encanto (Nov. 24) – Disney and Lin-Manuel Miranda making more magic together!

House of Gucci (Nov. 24) - Gaga! Pacino! Driver!

Also in July…

Kyla and I took a look at the classic supernatural soap Dark Shadows and why Sookie might be obsessed with it on Gilmore Girls.

I revisited a so-bad-it’s-good masterpiece that’s a surrealist dream even Fellini couldn’t have cooked up. Yes, for ZekeFilm I wrote about the Vanilla Ice movie, Cool as Ice, which is now a part of my Blu-ray collection.

Photo credits: Against the Rules. All others IMDb.com.

11 notes · View notes

iwishiwasavampire · 4 years ago

Text

andrew is a twilight fan and introduces the series to neil when midnight sun came out CHANGE MY MIND - part I

andrew, either during juvie or while living with nicky, has read every twilight book

I KNOW THIS BOI RELATES TO EDWARD CULLEN

so during quarantine when midnight sun came out he actually buys it, when the book arrives he’s about tell neil that he bought it just for the lols then he realizes:

neil doesn’t even know what twilight is and he wonders: what would be neils reaction to a supernatural mormon romance book for teens even be? he has to find out for scientific reasons

so at night when neil and him normally cuddle to watch true crime shows or nicky’s latest netflix recommendation, andrew pull out the book and agrees very easily when neil suggest he read it out loud

and

neil who didn’t experienced the twilight crazy hate train (or read a young adult/romance book in his life) is actually very engrossed by the story

they get so into it that andrew only stops reading when he realizes the sun is rising and they’ve been reading for like 6 hours nonstop

andrew’s monosyllabic ass talked so much he voice is now rough and cracking

they are halfway into the book but stop for the day so andrew can rest his voice and both of them can sleep

the next day (night actually) neil asks to do the reading and they agree to read only until midnight, just so it doesn’t mess their morning routine

at this point andrew, who was twilight fan since book 1, is struggling to keep his cool while he listens to neil saying edwards iconic lines SUCH:

“I said it would be better if we weren’t friends, not that I didn’t want to be.”

“He called you pretty,” he finally continued, his frown deepening. “That’s practically an insult, the way you look right now. You’re much more than beautiful.”

“If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I’m not ashamed of it.”

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…”

look into my eyes and tell me his goth ass didn’t lose his shit when those lines were coming out of neil’s mouth

they finish the book and neils review is something like: “not bad but i think seeing this from bella point on view would be so much better”

now

LISTEN

andrew doesn’t want a twilight crazy boyfriend he really doesn’t, but what could he say to that?

so against his better judgment he tell neil that midnight sun is actually a different version of a book that already exists called twilight and that it actually has a bunch of sequels and even movies based on the original book series

and sweet sweet neil forces andrew to order every single book and dvd stephenie meyer has to offer:

so andrew and mr. “ i can’t not finish the series, andrew! i can only give a truthful review if i know the entire story” spends every night for a month either reading the original series out loud to each other or watching the movies

they download the movies soundtracks and listen to it when they drive to the grocery store, cook dinner, play with the cats, etc

at some point neil makes a casual mention about the series to nicky during a phone call

AND NICKY LOSES IT

i wanna write neil’s thoughts on the movies but that for another time

#all for the game #aftg #all for the game headcanon #andreil #neil josten #andrew minyard #twilight #midnight sun #andrew is an edward cullen stan #sofia tries to write #the foxhole court

59 notes · View notes

celmation-gibson · 5 years ago

Photo

The First Drawing to post for this New Decade, and it's the Best of the Movies that I've seen in the Cinemas, and one I've heard of for a while. So here are some Favorite Characters of mine that were fun to Draw, along with the Reviews for the Films.

Missing Link - My First movie to see in the Cinemas of this Year, and it's another Laika Classic, and despite being a Box Office flop, It did receive some very Good Reviews from Critics, and even my Foodtown Boss' Grandchildren saw the Film on a Thursday(?) and they Loved it, so I figured I give this film a watch, and I was amazed at the Final result, An Amazing sight to see that some Folks out there don't know what their Missing. It was directed by Chris Butler, who was co-Director of Laika's other projects 'ParaNorman', and it had an Amazing cast such as Mr. Zach Galifianakis (Felix of 'Bob's Burgers' & Lego Joker of 'the Lego Batman Movie'), Zoe Saldana(Avatar, Gaurdians of the Galaxy), & Hugh Jackman (Van Helsing & Wolverine of the live-Action 'X-Men' films). And once again, the Folks of Laika really did some good Work & Commitment in Making this Film, especially when I loved the Film's settings & Landscaping, and the Action Sequences are Phenomenal, especially in those Action sequences when the Ship rotates with the People in it when it was Struck with the Storm's Big Wave, and How Suspenseful it was when the Characters are dangled into Ice blocks or big icicles, and how shocking on how the Villains' defeat of Lord Piggot-Dunceby, his neurotic right-hand man Mr. Collick, and Bounty Hunter Willard Stenk were killed in Cold Blood, cuz I knew that that Ice Bridge in the Film was gonna Break in a Sequence. Plus there were some Cute Humor in the Film as well, especially after when Mr. Link/Susan Roared at a Dog during a Bar Fight, and after a Moment of Silence, the Dog just attacked on of his Men and the Bar Fight continues (that's when most kids in the Auditorium laughed at that part), and how Susan literally thrown some Objects over the Wall. And I'm always fascinated with Cryptozoology creatures such as Bigfoot, Abominable Snowmen, & the Loch Ness Monster, even when they make me think about that 1970's film entitled 'the Mysterious Monsters'. And even if the film was Distributed by United Artists (a Subsidiary of MGM I suppose), it's kinda Weird now now that it was released on DVD and Blu-Ray from 20th Century Fox, even after Disney's Conquest, but can we still call ML a Non-Disney film, even if some MGM films are being released by FOX under a Contract?

Godzilla: King of the Monsters - Well me and my dad certainly love Giant Monster movies when we were Young, and I certainly remember renting every Godzilla movie on VHS back when Blockbuster was still around, and we certainly enjoyed that one 2014 'Godzilla' movie, unlike the 1998 Matthew Broderick one, so we decided to give this new kaiju movie 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' a viewing pleasure, not to be confused with the 1956 Americanized 'Gojira' movie starring Raymond Burr. And i gotta say that it was an Epic Thrill-ride of our Lives, even the monsters we were familiar with were Amazing, Godzilla being all greatly Huge and Buffed-up as always in the USA, Rodan looking a-little Sinister lookin', Mothra playing out like the original 'Mothra' movie, starting off as a larva hatching from her Egg, then Evolving into a beautiful Butterfly-like Moth, then King Ghidorah was so Menacing in this one, and being like Lizzie in 'Rampage', he was such a "Pain-in-the-Ass" character, even once being Nicknamed 'Monster Zero', either that Nickname was also used in Japan, or used for one of Ghidorah's old film appearances in the US, that was double-billed with 'War of the Gargantuas'. I even like how they referenced some stuff from Warner Bros. & Legendary Films' 'Kong: Skull Island', as that films along with the 2014 Godzilla, and this Film are all in the same Universe, Monsterverse that is. And how surprising that there are other Kaijus in this Movie that I'm not even certainly familiar about, like that one Arachnid-like featured titan, or the Giant Ape Body/Mammoth Trunk beast, or another Muto(?), and I am wondering if the Demolished Boston at the end of the movie is gonna be the new 'Monster Island'. The human characters were good, I mostly like every member on the character Dr. Mark Russell's team, they seem likable, and the Cast was great, even after looking at the film's Poster befor we went inside the theater, I saw the familiar name of Thomas Middleditch, the same man who did voices in 'Captain Underpants' & 'Bob's Burgers', doing a Live-action role, and while writing this review, I've discovered some other actress who starred in this film include Sally Hawkins, who starred in the previous 2014 Godzilla movie, and also in Guillermo del Toro's 'the Shape of Water, and the woman playing the daughter in this film, also played in 'Stranger Things' as Eleven. And also I love on how the film as a Newer Version of Godzilla's approach-like film that was used in the old films, and even the end Credits have Cover version of Blue Oyester Cult's classic hit 'Godzilla'. And one of the Film's story plot is Fascinating, like how this Earth was once ruled by Giant Titans, until us small Humans have taken over while most of those Titans went Extinct and hiding in the Earth's Spirit.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 - Well, Illumination has done it again, as it Amuses me once before with 'the Grinch', 'Despicable Me 2', 'the Secret Life of Pets', & 'Sing', they have released a Sequel to my Favorite Secret Life of Pets movie that I saw in theaters back in 2016, and now have it on DVD. And when I heard that the Original voice for Max got replaced with a Guy I know of who has a Great Career in Animation, I was like "Whuuut?", but even after reading what Happened to that one Guy, i figured I'd give this Movie a Watch, since I'll like Patton even more. And I gotta say, this Sequel does have some Cute and Lovable moments in the Film, and those Subplots in the Film are Wonderful, leading up to a Story on how to save a White Tiger cub from a Wicked Ringmaster (voiced by Funny voice man, Mr. Nick Kroll(Sausage Party, Sing, Captain Underpants). And Snowball is more luvable in this one as he is in the first Film (Kevin Hart is so Wonderful!), even teaming up with a Cute/Funny character such as Daisy, a Shih Tzu voiced by Tiffany Haddish (who just did a guest voice role in 'Bob's Burgers'). Also with a Cute story on how Max & Duke's owner fall in Love with a Fun Gentleman and have a Kid together, and I love how the Dogs raised the Boy up, by helping him to Crawl & walk, and have Good Animal Instincts, which makes me think that what if my Sister & her Husband had a Pet Puppy that could be a good a Good Companion to my Little Layla niece. And some of the Parts in the Film have Good humor in it, like did I just heard a Cow say "Rat Turd" in front of an auditorium full of Young children? Plus Mr. Harrison Ford(Han Solo in 'Star Wars' & Indiana Jones) was great as a character named Rooster, who tries to Man/Brave up Max and a few characters, after Max has devoted his Life to Little Liam, which led to the Funny Collar on his head. And I'd figured there was something Familiar about that Young Lamb Cotton's voice in the Movie, as he is voiced by Mr. Sean Giambrone, the voice of Jeff in 'Clarence' & Shermy in the 'Adventure Time' series Finale.

Abominable - Well, Dreamworks has done it again, a new film from a Creative Team was made and about to be released soon, and when I saw the Previews of it for the First time, I thought I wasn't too interested in it, especially with the humorous Blueberry gag parts. But after a while, and see that if it looked cuter as Dreamworks' previous film 'Home(2015)', I thought I give it a go, and hopefully it look way better than that one Weird-Looking film in 1995 called 'to catch a Yeti' starring Meatloaf. But for the 'Abominable' film, since the Movie was getting Good Feedback from Reviewers and Viewers, I was Lucky to watch the Film for myself. The Characters were Cute and Funny, almost like the ones from 'Home', especially with Ethnic Protagonists. And the settings and Designs of Asia in the Open Fields, Forests, and Cities are really nice, wishing I could visit and/or live there. And the Great story is like an E.T. Extra Terrestrial thing, expect that the Heroes goes with the Creatures on an Adventure of a lifetime to bring back the Creature to his Beloved Family that they Tried to protect from any threats what's-so-ever. And there are some Amazing plot Twist among the Villainous Characters, like just when you thought the villain was actually an elderly Man who has been hunting Mythical creatures for rewards, but it turns out that the True Villain was actually a Nerdy Woman who thought was a seemingly-gentle Scientist just doing what's right for the World, who almost Barely looks like a geeky version of Kari McKeen of Disney/Pixar's 'the Incredibles', and when she let down her Hair, she may look like a Devious version of Merida of Disney/Pixar's 'Brave'. The Effects in the Movie is Super Nice & Super Awesome, especially in the Yeti's Humming effects, some Action Sequences, and that one moment when the Heroine's Father's Violin broke, the Yeti fixes it by using his own Hair for the String replacements, and I know from that Moment, with Yi's Musical skills and the Yeti's Powers combined, and when the Hearts are Full, and the Heavens are listening, Magic is bound to happen. And for the one other part when the Heroes are Gazing into the Stars, they say that the Stars could be our Ancestors watching over us, and that if we don't see any Stars in the Sky, there will be always there for us, almost like even if for some Folks lost their Love ones, they will always be there, even if we can't see them. But I'm glad i enjoyed the Movie, and I know that some Tween kid group enjoyed it as well, laughing at some Funny Parts in which i enjoyed, sometimes with the Woofing Snakes, "WOOF, there it is, WOOF, there it is".

the Addams Family - Well, a another Fantastic new Animated feature has been made, and it's based off of what I remember from my Childhood, cuz I do remember watching the early 1990's Live-Action movies of the Creepy Family starrring Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci, before I knew who some of the Actors were, and I remember the Animated Hanna-Barbera Kooky series on Cartoon Network a while back, even making a Spooky Guest appearance in 'the New Scooby-Doo Movies', but I haven't watched much of their old Ookie Live-action series, and the Family I'm talking about is 'the Addams Family'. And I've read a while back that an Animated CGI feature is gonna be released soon, and I knew back there that that would be interesting for me to see, so I've waited several months for the to be released in Cinemas, and I finally got a chance to do so. It was a Fun and Entertaining movie, and surprising it was made Directed and made by the same team who did the 2016 R-rated Animated film 'Sausage Party' starring Seth Rogan & Kristen Wiig, and the Character designs for the Film were to be based off the old design from the Original Addams Family comics in the old days, and with modern help from Mr. Craig Kellman(Hotel Transylvania, Madagascar). And the voice cast is amazing, we got Mr. Nick Kroll(Captain Underpants) voicing Uncle Fester, Chloe Grace Moretz(Kick-Ass) as Wednesday Addams, Finn Wilfhard(IT, "Beep, Beep, Richie") as Pugsley Addams, Charlize Theron(Kubo and the Two Strings) as Morticia Addams, Bette Midler(Hocus Pocus) as Grandmama, Snoop Dogg as Cousin Itt, Elsie Fisher(Despicable Me) as Parker Needler, even the film's co-director Mr. Conrad Vernon as Lurch ("YYYOOOOOOUUUUUUU RRRAAAAANNNGGGG?!", LOL!!!), a priest that presides over Gomez and Mortica's wedding, the spirit that haunted the abandoned asylum that Gomez and Morticia move into (who often threatened them to get out, much to the family's delight, which i find those Parts to be entirely Hilarious, even in the Theater's Booming Stereo), and Dr. Flambe, a Devil-like relative of the Addams family with fire-like abilities. And the Film's Story is very cute, even with the Film's Opening Scenes on the Origin story of the Addams Family and their "Creative Differences" with other Societies, and it gives me some Good comparisons with Sony's 'Hotel Transylvania' as Creepy Creatures who have lived through the Centuries and Years soon get into Modern times and how other people dealt with Beings like the Monsters of HT and the Addams Family and their Clan. And it would be nice if my Parents were watching the Film with me in the Theaters, cuz during the Film's Ending, me and the people in the Auditorium got a chance to sing-along with the Film's Theme Song, and everyone was Snapping their Fingers to the tune. So If you wanna celebrate Halloween in a Great and Wonderful way, I think that this film is for you, and for all you Goth, Emo, and Young-at-Heart Artists out their who would love a Creepy Treat, and just can't wait to get it on DVD. Klaus - To come clear, I've heard about this movie, and I've even seen some Pencil Tests of it way back then, but I've actually never seen the whole thing, or catch it in a Selected Theater, but I really did see the Film's Trailer. And I would say for a 2D, Hand-Drawn, Frame-by-Frame, Animated feature, these people tried to Improve something for the Classic Animation with their Coloring and Shading type Technique, and even though It's a wonderful Improvement, I wouldn't expect some folks to use this kind of thing more often for Future Celmated Features. As for the Voice cast, I already know who Mr. J.K. Simmons is, but I was surprised to read that the voice man for Mr. Jesper Johansson, is also the guy who played the Villianous Gideon Graves of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' movie.

And sorry if I didn't catch 'IT: Chapter 2' like I did with the first one, But I'm hoping o see some more clips of it online. And I Never had interest in seeing the 2019 'Child's Play', though I still like Ms. Aubrey Plaza & Mr. Mark Hamill. And I had no interest in seeing 'the Angry Birds Movie 2' since I'm never a Big Fan of Thurop Van Orman's creativity. And lastly, I didn't felt like seeing the 'Spies in Disguise' movie ever since Disney's Horrible Conquest of the whole 20th Century Fox media.

#2019 #movies #best of #the addams family #wednesday addams #mothra #godzilla king of the monsters #klaus #susan link #the missing link #everest #abominable #the secret life of pets 2 #snowball #daisy #my artwork #drawing

42 notes · View notes

chaotic---calm · 4 years ago

Text

The Bride With White Hair Review (and recap and reaction) (First-Time Viewing!)

Lien Ni-Chang – Brigitte Lin

Cho Yi-Hang – Leslie Cheung

Male Chi Wu Shuang – Francis Ng

Female Chi Wu Shuang – Elaine Lui

Ho Lu Hua – Kit Yin Lam

Hsin Cheng – King-Kei Cheng

Released in 1993. Directed by Ronny Yu.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHMi6fTOuic

**General note: I’ve seen variation in the character names used between different media. For full disclosure, I’m using the ones my DVD gave me, so apologies if they’re not strictly-speaking the most accurate. I cannot speak or read Chinese, so I just have to go with what I have. **

Time for another review! :D

As the title says, this was my first time ever watching this movie. I’d heard of the movie before, but only recently did I stumble across it again. After watching the trailer linked above, I knew I had to watch it. And one eBay purchase later, it’s mine! :D This movie was certainly…interesting, to say the least. Definitely not a bad movie, but it was weird, and yet, I ended up really loving it!

Right off the bat, I was getting good vibes for the movie from the music playing over the opening credits. Overall the music in this film was very compelling, atmospheric and moody. After the opening credits, we see an envoy of people approaching a person standing vigil over a special rose that only blooms once every 20 years.

The man guarding the rose is Cho Yi-Hang. When they ask for the rose, he asks what year it is, and he discovers that he’s been guarding the rose for 10 years. He tells them to leave, and when they persist about the rose and try to steal it, he kills them all.

"This rose is not for you.”

Cho acts as the narrator of the film as he tells his tale, and he reveals that he’s been guarding this flower these past 10 years while waiting for the woman he loves, and he wonders if she even knows.

Next we are taken back in time (to a beautifully shot scene, btw) to when Yi-Hang was a child and first began learning his fighting skills from his master. We’re told that his master tirelessly lectured him about right vs. wrong and how good and evil can never mix, which naturally is the main theme for the movie. What is right and wrong? What is good and evil?

“The sword protects the body, even from falling petals.”

At this point, the movie takes it’s time to develop Yi-Hang as a character. It’s evident from the beginning that he is a kind soul who tries to help others, even going so far as to rescue a lamb(?) (according the to subtitles; it honestly looks like a goat to me) from it’s owners to prevent it being slaughtered. As he tries to save the lamb, though, he’s pursued by wolves, one of only two things he fears (the other being lightning/thunder). Before the wolves can kill him, though, they are called off by a young girl playing the flute.

Honestly, such a sweet scene.

After passing out from exhaustion, he is found and cared for by a soldier who is not strict like his master (and I try not to let the alarm bells go off in my head at the sight of a grown man plying an ~9-year-old with alcohol), and from this man, Yi-Hang learns probably two of the most important life lessons he’ll ever hear: “Fear not the criticisms of others, as long as you are at peace with yourself” and “What kind of life would it be if you always have to look to others for approval? You’re better off dead.”

It’s apparent how much these two ideals have shaped the man Yi-Hang grows up to be as we see him having to answer for his crime of killing a man, only to find that he’d defended a family from him, saving the mother from being raped and the children from being murdered.

I love how when the family he protected comes to his defense, one of the kids even runs straight to him to hug him. It’s such an endearing touch and really emphasizes how good and well-liked Yi-Hang is.

We also need to take a moment to appreciate how hot Yi-Hang is. Look at that smile!!

When confronted about roughing up other young men from the other various clans (there are 8 big clans in total), he lists off their various faults as well: not paying after visiting a brothel, trying to steal someone’s farm, and using fighting prowess to harass scholarly folk. He’s interrupted by his leaders, but it’s already clear, Yi-Hang is a man of principle and conviction and will do the right thing regardless of what others expect of him. He’s sentenced to three days of contemplation with no water to pay for his crimes, and he shrugs it off like it’s nothing.

Another important character to look at now is Ho Lu Hua. She’s the daughter of one of the leaders, and she clearly has a crush on Yi-Hang, which he definitely didn’t reciprocate when they were children and, in my opinion, still doesn’t as a young man. Still, she persists, finding him where he’s meditating and giving him a jade pendant of her father’s and a quick kiss on the cheek before trying to leave. He catches her and…he tells her to cover for him while he goes to pee. :p The next time we see him he’s sleeping in a tree above a campfire, so I’ll just assume he ditched her to bear his punishment for him.

Quite a bit of the movie’s tension falls around these too, both because of her unrequited love but also because her father wants to break tradition and have her succeed as the new Chief after the current one, but the current Chief favors Yi-Hang and wants him in that role.

Our next critical moment is a scene of foreign beggars from Manchuria stealing food from the main group’s military, but before they can distribute much of it, the military men ride down on them, slaughtering everyone they find, with heavy implications that worst fates await any woman they encounter. The scene is rough to watch, and worst is watching a pregnant woman who has gone into labor and her husband desperately trying to escape the melee.

Pictured: S T R E S S

And now, we finally get a proper introduction to the title character of the movie, though at this point, her hair isn’t white yet.

For now, we only know of her as “the witch” or “the wolf girl” as she was evidently raised by wolves. This woman is a badass fighter who uses her hair and a whip as her weapons and who immediately just cuts a dude in half like it’s nothing! She cuts through them all like a knife through butter, including another man who declares he’ll cut her into nine pieces. Her response: doing so to him instead.

“Exactly nine pieces,” she says after destroying him.

Meanwhile, the pregnant woman and her husband have escaped, but she isn’t looking good, and the situation is critical. They find a campfire where Yi-Hang is sleeping in a tree, and beg him for help delivering the baby, a prospect he is not prepared for.

“You want me to deliver your baby?!?”

Luckily for him, the witch appears and takes control of the situation, delivering the baby while he supports the mother. Unfortunately, the trauma of the night has been too much and the mother dies, leaving her husband grief stricken….and Yi-Hang and the witch quietly having an intense moment at the same time.

Nothing like falling in love over a corpse!

All jokes aside, this scene is a great example of what I ended up liking most about the presentation of this film. Very often (and I have more gif examples to follow), the filmmakers choose to zoom in close on faces, especially on the eyes, which creates a more intimate setting and forces the acting to come through expression and gaze alone. In some ways it’s minimalistic, but in other ways, it allows the characters to express volumes more than they otherwise might be able to because we express so much of our thoughts and feelings through our eyes, if only people paid close enough attention. “The windows to the soul” indeed.

So moving along, despite his newfound infatuation, Yi-Hang is still considerate of the husband, comforting him that he still has hope because he has a son to care for now, and he gives the man the jade pendant that Lu Hua gifted him so that he’ll have the means to start a new life. At this moment, the witch flees, and Yi-Hang pursues. He finds her bathing in a pool in a cave and watches her in awe. I really shouldn’t like this scene (because spying on someone in the bath is a creeper move if ever there was one), but somehow the movie manages to make it endearing. And when she inevitably discovers him, she aggressively confronts him, and he just flirts his way through the whole moment.

The witch: “Anyone who sees me must be blinded.”

Yi-Hang: “Well, I’ve seen your whole body; must I die a horrible death?”

She receives a message to return home, leaving him behind. It turns out, our girl if from a cult in Manchuria, and their leader gets quite the introduction:

“Lord of the Supreme Cult, blessed by slaughter and bloodshed.”

The leaders are actually conjoined twins, both known by the name Chi Wu Shuang. And they are very fucking creepy. Not because they are conjoined twins (though I must say, what an odd/unique/interesting/different/? choice), but because they are dripping with madness. These folks are legit crazy, and it is unnerving. On top of all that, the male twin clearly has an obsessive attraction to the witch and is hella creepy towards her, and the female twin mocks him for his lack of romantic prowess.

They give the witch her next targets, one of which is Yi-Hang, which clearly shocks and dismays her, and shortly we also see a scene where Yi-Hang is reluctant to continue in this conflict, partially because of his infatuation with the witch. This is the point where I struggled with the movie. Maybe it’s because I’m aro, or maybe it’s because while I am an emotional person I’m also very logically minded when making important decisions, but swift head-over-heels falling in love like this is rarely convincing to me, at least, not in serious situations like war that lead to suddenly deciding to withdraw support from the people you have lived with your whole life with and should have the most instinctive loyalty for. I dunno. It’s fine, and as we’ll discuss later, the relationship eventually does become believable to me, but here I really had to struggle not to roll my eyes.

Anyway, Lu Hua confronts Yi-Hang about the jade pendant, demanding to know where it is. When he can’t produce it, she reveals that she has it and wants to know why he gave it away. He tells her that he felt the man needed it more, and she coldly informs him that she killed that man (and presumably the baby, though we’re never told his fate), and she makes it clear she no longer entertains feelings for him. It’s a rough scene, and Yi-Hang is understandably upset to hear that the man he helped has been murdered, especially after so petty a thing.

Tension in their clan continues rising as a leader for the force taking action against the cult must be decided, and once again it’s between Yi-Hang and Lu Hua. Yi-Hang doesn’t want the position whereas Lu Hua and her father do want her in it, but the Chief refuses to listen to either side and forces his way, insisting that Lu Hua be second-in-command.

A recipe for disaster if ever I saw one.

More intense focus on the eyes, and I am HERE for it!

Yi-Hang and his master discuss the situation later, and he tells his master he doesn’t want to be the leader because he’s afraid he’ll be forced to act against his convictions.

“I can’t believe being kind-hearted is a fault.”

His master scoffs and points out that their country is in danger from the cult and it is their duty to protect it at all costs, and he says that Yi-Hang has no other choice, that he can’t just kindly ask their enemies to spare them and their home. Yi-Hang says that he could leave and become a recluse, but it’s clear from the next scene that he doesn’t. Instead, he visits with his soldier friend, now a general, who looked out for him when he was a child. That man reiterates the same message as his master, saying, “Our duty as military men is to protect the land.” He also has some prisoners killed as a precaution in case they’re particularly dangerous, which doesn’t sit well with Yi-Hang.

Poor boy is facing a moral crisis.

I appreciate what the movie is doing here, and Leslie Cheung’s acting is excellent for portraying a kind person weary of the violent world he lives in; however, as is often the case, it feels like the themes are being dealt with too simplistically. Yes, being kind to other people is important and remorseless slaughter of people certainly should be avoided as possible. I’m sure most of us wish we could so easily be as altruistic a person as Yi-Hang is, but the pragmatism inside of me also can’t help but be frustrated with his stance here too. It is also a fact that threats have to be dealt with, and unfortunately war and killing is sometimes necessary to ensure the protection of your home and your people. It’s a difficult situation where everyone and no one is right at the same time, and to paint it as a “the hero is right and the others are all just mindlessly callous/cruel/evil” is a deceptively simple view that doesn’t work in the real world. But this is a movie, so let’s push all that aside and root for Yi-Hang!

After getting drunk and arguing with the people he’s supposed to be working with, including Lu Hua, their camp is attached by the cult members, including the witch. Yi-Hang and the witch engage each other in combat, and it is AWESOME! The cinematography of this moment is gorgeous and dramatic and intense.

Look at it!

Yi-Hang convinces the witch not to kill him, appealing to her to remember him.

Talking with the eyes again.

When she hesitates, Lu Hua shoots her in the back with a poison dart. Yi-Hang springs to the rescue, spiriting her away and back to the cave pond where they met earlier.

We next get a very intimate (and my favorite) scene of Yi-Hang calming the witch and treating her wound by pulling the needle from her back and sucking the poison free before they both collapse in exhaustion.

I can’t get over the attention to detail in the last gif that he takes care to cover her shoulder again when he’s finished, preserving her modesty because he is a truly good, considerate person!

And finally, finally, our leads get to actually spend time together, giving me a chance to get more on board with their romance and their feelings for each other. The witch reveals that she has no name, other than knowing that her family name is Lien. Yi-Hang is upset by this and insists that everyone should have a name, and he asks if he can give her one. She agrees, and he settles on “Ni-Chang” upon remembering her from his childhood (the young girl who saved him from the wolves). She is thrilled, and I must say I am too. I love the intimacy, connection, and openness of giving/receiving names in stories like this.

An important moment between these two is when Ni-Chang tells Yi-Hang that people always mistrust her, and she implores him to never treat her that way, that she needs him to trust her always. He immediately agrees, vowing that he will never let her down.

Me: *sensing the impending downfall*

They two decide they are going to run away together, and while Yi-Hang is asleep, Ni-Chang leaves him a note to wait for her, and she leaves to formally separate herself from the cult. Wu Shuang are livid, especially the male twin, who obsessed after her so much. Ni-Chang calmly asks what she must do to leave the cult, and the female twin says she knows what her brother wants.

Pictured: Me

The next scene is unspeakably creepy.

Thankfully, the female twin realizes that Ni-Chang is in love with someone else and uses the moment to mock her brother even more (they really are hateful as hell to each other), and the scene is stopped before it gets unforgivably horrific. Angry that she has fallen in love with someone else, they choose another punishment for Ni-Chang to endure in order to leave.

Stripped to her underclothes and forced into a walk of shame across a spikey, burning path (all after nearly being raped), and this woman can still silence a jeering crowd with naught but a single glare.

She’s being beaten as she goes and is not allowed to defend herself, and still she finds the resolves to continue

At this point, I’m muttering to myself that I’ll never forgive Yi-Hang if he fucks this up after she went through all of this for him....

Meanwhile, Yi-Hang is found by his people, and they are livid when he insists that he’s going to leave. They convince him that he owes his master an explanation before he leaves, and I lament to the heavens. Why, why, why don’t they just disappear into the night?! Why formally get permission to leave? Fuck honor! Just get out of there!

Naturally, he and the others arrive just in time to see a figure in white fleeing in the background and find that the master and several other people have been murdered. Yi-Hang’s friend Hsin Chen is barely alive, only lasting long enough to pin the blame on Ni-Chang.

Ni-Chang then arrives looking for Yi-Hang, wanting to take him and run away. But he resists and asks her if she killed everyone. She doesn’t directly answer, saying only that their dead don’t matter to her, that they should just run. Yi-Hang apparently takes this as a confession (*coughs* dumbass *coughs*), and he asks, “Why did you do it?”

Nooooo! Bitch, she asked only one thing of you: not to mistrust her!

And then it all goes downhill from here. Ni-Chang, shattered by the fact that Yi-Hang is doubting her and believes that after their declaration for each other she would come back and kill his people fractures her psyche, and her hair turns stark white as she goes mad with rage.

“Why didn’t you believe me?”

Augh, the anguish of this question, reflected perfectly in their eyes!

An epic battle ensues, and Ni-Chang kills everyone, including Lu Hua, except for Yi-Hang, who is only knocked out.

Damn. Hell hath no fury indeed.

When Yi-Hang wakes up, Ni-Chang is waiting for him, sword at his throat. He softly calls her name, and it’s clear he regrets his mistake, but she says only “She is dead,” before running away.

“Ni-Chang?”

“She is dead.”

He then sees a vision of his master who gives him the guilt trip of his life, except it isn’t his master, it’s Wu Shuang! It turns out they were the figure in white he saw fleeting through the room when he arrived to find the master and everyone else slaughtered.

The twins fight dirty, hitting him with a truckload of guilt first by forcing him to hallucinate his master and then Lu Hua, battering him left and right with their kung fu and magic. He’s no match for them and finds himself about to get his dick chopped off (no lie), when suddenly Ni-Chang swoops back in to rescue him!

Me: Yaaasssssss!!!!!!!

Even though I was struggling to be fully invested with their romance earlier, I cannot tell you how overjoyed I was to see her here. I was very strongly hoping that she would come back to save him despite how he let her down.

The final battle is great, and it features two of my favorite tropes: 1) a battle couple and 2) teamwork where the allies constantly look out for each other and protect one another. Ni-Chang and Yi-Hang work together beautifully, each fighting their best against the twins and always stepping in to either protect the other or pull the twins’ attention to them to spare the other a moment to recover.

Finally, while the twins are distracted with Ni-Chang (the female twin demanding that the male twin kill her, and him hesitating because he’s gross, but it saves Ni-Chang’s life so I’ll allow it), Yi-Hang manages to sneak up behind them, killing them by sundering their body where they are connected. Their death is quite interesting. They’ve obviously been unhappy throughout the movie about being stuck with each other and are consistently hateful to each other, especially the sister to the brother. Her dying breath is to berate him for being her downfall, whereas his is to marvel at how comfortable lying flat on his back is, seeming to find peace instead of regret in his death.

The ending of the movie caught me off guard, because Ni-Chang leaves immediately after the fight, and there is no reconciliation or reunion between he rand Yi-Hang.

We end with narrator Yi-Hang reminding us of the rose (I’d forgotten all about it at this point) and how he’s guarding it until it next blooms so that he can try to use it’s magical properties to save Ni-Chang from the madness he caused.

Final thoughts

First off, I have to gush about how much I love Ni-Chang and how her character was treated throughout. I love strong women who are capable fighters, but only when that holds true consistently. Quite often in movies, we are introduced to a woman who first arrives as a competent, badass fighter that is quite capable of taking care of herself. But then by the third act of the movie, because suddenly now a man has to be the hero, she is nerfed into being a damsel in distress, losing all of her battle prowess. Instead, Ni-Chang remains a fighter to the end, crucial to their victory, even riding to Yi-Hang’s rescue more frequently than he does for her. Representation like this fills me with joy. Also, she’s a fully fleshed out, realized woman. She’s a fighter, but she’s also soft, and emotional, and a lover. She’s not just stuck in a one-note stereotype.

I really enjoyed this movie overall. I think the relationship feels a little on the shallow side, but it is also only a 90-minute movie, not a long television series with more time to devote to building a relationship from scratch. I do feel like the actors had good chemistry with each other, and the soundtrack and cinematography held me enraptured the whole way through. I tend to like bittersweet endings, but I really did feel gutted at the end of this one to see them still tragically separated rather than able to stay together. I mentioned before in my review that I was eventually able to believe in their relationship later on; seeing them in the cave after Yi-Hang saved Ni-Chang from the poison helped, but it was actually the moment when she came back to rescue him that I fully believed that theirs was a relationship that was true and could last, so I was thrown off to see it still crumble even after they worked together to defeat their enemy.

When I bought this movie, I knew there was a sequel, but since I didn’t know if I’d like this one, I didn’t buy it right away. Given my feels at the moment, though, I absolutely must see the sequel and what happens for these two characters next. I’ve avoided all spoilers except to watch the trailer for the movie and carefully glance at the reviews. They range from some people insisting it’s an awful movie, to some saying it’s a fine sequel, to even a few saying that it’s better than the first, so I’m excited to find out what I think! I’ll be reviewing it as soon as I can get a copy purchased and delivered my way!

#Asian movie review #The Bride With White Hair #Brigitte Lin #Leslie Cheung #Francis Ng #Elaine Lui #Ronny Yu #movie review #first-time reaction

2 notes · View notes

chicagoindiecritics · 5 years ago

Text

New from Every Movie Has a Lesson by Don Shanahan: EDITORIAL: Movies and the 9/11 effect

(Image: pathtoparadise.com)

EIGHTH EDITION: UPDATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2019– In an update to my annual editorial (after the original post on the 10th anniversary in 2011), I’ve got new movie inclusions in several sections, including the most recent section of faded and relaxed sensitivity in films. I plan to make this an annual post and study for at least until the 20th anniversary in 2021. (All poster images are courtesy of IMPAwards.com)

Never forget. There’s no doubt that every American over the age of 25 won’t soon forget where they were 18 years ago at 8:46AM on September 11, 2001. The world and our American lifestyle changed forever that day in more ways that we can measure. I know movies and cinema are trivial pieces of entertainment compared to the more important things in life, but movies have always been two-hour vacations and therapy sessions from life, even in the face of immense tragedy. Sometimes, we need movies to inspire us and help us remember the good in things, while still being entertained. In seventeen years, they too have changed.

I’m here for an editorial research piece on the anniversary of 9/11 to showcase a few movies, both serious and not-so-serious, that speak to that day whether as a tribute, remembrance, or example of how life has changed since that fateful day. Enjoy!

MOVIES THAT WERE OPENING THAT FRIDAY EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO

Call this a time capsule, but these were the notable movies that opened Friday, September 7, 2001 and Friday, September 14, 2001, the two Fridays surrounding 9/11. Such a different time, huh? Needless to say, few people were in the mood for a movie in those first weeks and the fall 2001 box office took quite a hit until the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone showed up in November 2001, followed by Ocean’s Eleven and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that December.

The Musketeer (September 7th)

Soul Survivors (September 7th)

Rock Star (September 7th)

Hardball (September 14th)

The Glass House (September 14th)

All were box office bombs at the time. The Musketeer garnered a good bit of overseas earnings and Hardball got some of the best reviews of Keanu Reeves’s post-Matrix career and grew to be a DVD hit. Still, talk about bad timing.

EXAMPLES OF 2001-2002 MOVIES CHANGED BECAUSE OF 9/11

youtube

Spider-Man— Many of you may remember seeing this teaser for the big comic book blockbuster before it was pulled post-9/11. (New remastered video in 2019)

youtube

Donnie Darko— Suggested by Feelin’ Film Facebook Discussion Group contributor Josh Powers. Released months before 9/11, few remember how much this film was somewhat buried and forced to become an underground cult favorite due to a pivotal moment involving a horrific plane crash.

Lilo and Stitch— See a side-by-side video clip of differences in Imgur. The trivia notes behind it are explained on IMDb.

Collateral Damage— The Arnold Schwarzenegger terrorism movie had its release date bumped and terrorist overtones mellowed down. (trailer)

City by the Sea— The production on this Robert DeNiro/James Franco thriller was moved from New York to Los Angeles in July 2001, dodging the terrorism attacks that would have threatened their home Tribeca studios. (trailer)

Sidewalks of New York–– Edward Burns intermingled love story movie was bumped to November and had to have its posters changed. See right here on the left for an example. (trailer)

Men in Black II— The original scripted ending of the movie was scripted to have the World Trade Center towers open up to release a barrage of UFOs. (trailer)

Serendipity and Zoolander— Both movies had shots of the WTC digitally removed from the skylines of their finished films before they hit theaters that fall.

The Time Machine— Had its December 2001 release bumped to March because of a potentially sensitive scene of meteor shower over New York (which it cut). (trailer)

Big Trouble— It too had its nuclear bomb-centered plot cause a release delay well into 2002. The delay didn’t help this already awful movie. (trailer)

MOVIES ABOUT 9/11 ITSELF

September 11 (2002)– International directors from around the world, including Ken Loach, Mira Nair, and future Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, made a two-hour anthology of short films showing creative expressions of other cultures and their reactions to the tragedy.

United 93 (2006)– Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum director Paul Greengrass took an unknown cast and directed a harrowing real-time account of the flight that fought back. Hard to watch, but undeniably powerful without exploiting the tragedy. (trailer)

World Trade Center (2006)– Conspiracy specialist Oliver Stone turns off the urge to dig into his usual musings and delivers an incredibly humble, respectful, and understated (words that hardly ever describe an Oliver Stone movie) true story of the last two men (Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena) rescued alive at Ground Zero. Worth every moment to see and a great tribute to the first responders and their families. (trailer)

9/11 (2017)– I think we all knew a day would come where some hack film was going to come around and exploit the tragedy that is the 2001 terrorist attacks. That award goes to Charlie Sheen, Whoopi Goldberg, and director Martin Guigui’s straight-to-VOD trash heap. Sheen, a noted conspiracy theorist on 9/11, took it upon himself to make a glamour project stepping on history. Do not waste your time with this film.

MOVIES WITH PROMINENT 9/11 CONNECTIONS

The Guys (2002)– One of the first reactionary films to 9/11 came from Focus Features in 2002 and starred Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver. Based on Anne Nelson’s heartfelt play, LaPaglia plays a fire captain who lost eight men on 9/11 and Weaver plays the editor who helps him write eulogies for the fallen. The film is only available on disc from Amazon. (trailer)

WTC View (2005)– Gallows humor bubbles to the surface in this off-kilter indie romance from Brian Sloan about a SoHo man who placed an ad to find a new roommate and September 10th and now lives through a more difficult and trying landscape. (trailer)

Reign Over Me (2007)– In a rare dramatic turn, Adam Sandler plays a fictional wayward man who lost his wife and daughters on 9/11 and tailspins through life fiver years later when an old college friend (Don Cheadle) tries to help keep him from being committed to a psychiatric care. (trailer)

Remember Me (2010)– Billed as a coming-of-age film starring Twilight star Robert Pattinson, it features a fictitious family affected by the tragedy, including the fall of the WTC. Most critics found the 9/11 connections exploitative and offensive. (trailer)

youtube

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)– Speaking of exploitative, the Tom Hanks/Sandra Bullock Oscar nominee from this past year definitely rubbed more than a few audiences the wrong way in using 9/11 as a backdrop to a fictional family tragedy. Critics (including this one) clamored that if you’re going to bring 9/11 to the big screen, use a real story. (trailer) (my full review)

September Morning (2017)– Independent writer/director Ryan Frost crafted a small drama about five college freshman staying up all night after 9/11 weighing the impact it will have on their present and future. The film won a youth jury award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. (trailer)

MOVIES ABOUT THE WAR ON TERROR

In the decade since September 11, 2011, our largest response as a nation to the terrorism of that day has been a pair of wars overseas in the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan. The “war on terror” has quickly grown into a ripe orchard for possible movie storylines.

Home of the Brave (2006)–Rocky producer Irwin Winkler earns the credit for the first mainstream Hollywood movie depicting the Iraqi War and the initial soldiers returning home to re-acclimate to society. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and Jessica Biel. (trailer)

The Hurt Locker (2008)– Of course, the best-of-the-best is the 2009 Best Picture winner from Kathryn Bigelow starring Jeremy Renner as a driven, yet dark Iraqi bomb specialist. Its quality needs no introduction. (trailer)

Grace is Gone (2007)– In the Audience Award winner of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, typical gender roles are reversed when John Cusack plays a homefront father (in my opinion, the best he’s ever acted) who has to find the best way to tell his two daughters that their soldier mother was killed in Iraq. This movie is “guy-cry” level brilliant. (trailer)

Rendition (2007)– Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, and Meryl Streep get together for a movie calling out the wrongs of detainment, interrogation, and torture. (trailer)

The Kingdom (2007)– Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman investigate a bombing and throw down in the streets of Riyadh. (trailer)

Lions for Lambs (2007)– Robert Redford delivers a three point-of-view discourse on U.S. war affairs before home and abroad with the help of Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep. (trailer)

In the Valley of Elah (2007)– Crash director Paul Haggis leads Tommy Lee Jones (in an amazing Oscar-nominated performance) and Susan Sarandon as parents investigating with a local detective (Charlize Theron) the disappearance of their AWOL son returning home from Iraq. (trailer)

Body of Lies (2008)– Ridley Scott’s fictional take on the CIA’s involvement in preventing Jordanian terrorism starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. (trailer)

Stop-Loss (2008)– Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play three young Texas schoolmates who are finally home from overseas but are forced back via the stop-loss clause. (trailer)

The Messenger (2009)– Woody Harrelson was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a U.S. Army Casualty Notification Team officer mentoring recent veteran (Ben Foster) on the uniquely difficult job of informing families the bad news. (trailer)

Taking Chance (2009)– Along the same bringing-bad-news-home lines is this gem of a HBO film starring Kevin Bacon (like Cusack earlier, in arguably his best performance as an actor) as a desk officer who never saw combat but takes on the duty of escorting a young fallen soldier’s body back to his old hometown. Even though this wasn’t in theaters, it is outstanding and worth your time on DVD. (trailer)

Brothers (2009)– Jake Gyllenhaal takes care of his older brother’s wife (Natalie Portman) while he (Tobey Maguire) is declared MIA in Afghanistan, from director Jim Sheridan. (trailer)

Dear John and The Lucky One (2010 and 2012)– These two adaptations of Nicholas Sparks romance novels briefly touches on the War on Terror through Channing Tatum and Zac Efron’s lead characters’ return home to romance. (trailer and trailer)

Green Zone (2010)–Director Paul Greengrass followed United 93 with his Bourne series star Matt Damon in this taut and marginally-dramatized account of the early unsuccessful searches and the possible cover-up of Baghdad’s supposed stores of weapons of mass destruction. (trailer)

Restrepo (2010)– The highly acclaimed National Geographic documentary film follows a one-year look at the real men of the platoon embattled in the deadliest fortified valley of Afghanistan. (trailer)

Act of Valor (2012)– Disney pumped up the military with this fictional anti-terrorism film using active duty Navy SEALs. Coming out after the death of Osama bin Laden, this was a welcome and well-promoted hero picture and recruitment reel. (trailer)

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)– The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow made a film about the SEAL Team 6 men and their story of taking down Osama bin Laden. The film was my #1 movie on my “10 Best” list for 2012. (trailer) (my full review)

Lone Survivor (2013)– Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) directed an outstanding and patriotic film based on the Afghanistan saga of Marcus Luttrell starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster, and Emile Hirsch that echoes another true-life story from the ongoing War on Terror. Very good movie! (trailer) (my full review)

A Most Wanted Man (2014)– Spy novelist John LeCarre’s multi-layered 2008 novel about the world of inter-agency espionage happening in Hamburg, Germany, the same city where the 9/11 conspirators hatched their plans, is an excellent and different post-9/11 film with an international flair and flavor. It will also be remembered as one of the last performances of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was phenomenal in the film. (trailer) (my full review)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)– This modern reboot or update of the famed Tom Clancy character, now played by Chris Pine, roots his pre-spy origins in the aftermath of 9/11 and the War on Terror that followed. (trailer)

American Sniper (2014)– Clint Eastwood’s Best Picture nominee war drama about the real-life story of the late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (played by Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper) went on to become the highest grossing film of 2014 (north of $350 million). Kyle’s journey from the heartland to the front lines was spurred by a sense of duty and patriotism that started from the attacks of 9/11. This is, by far, the most high profile movie to date to feature the War on Terror directly correlating 9/11. (trailer) (my full review)

Good Kill (2015)– On the smaller side, but just as solid with warfare and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is this under-seen film which had a limited theatrical release during the summer of 2015. Andrew Niccol (Lord of War, Gattaca, The Truman Show) shifted his focus to the War on Terror by showcasing a Las Vegas base of drone pilots dealing with the ramification of their actions and the war being waged on their screens and with their joystick controls. (trailer) (my full review)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)– Director Michael Bay’s slanted look at the September 11, 2012 embassy attacks that have become a political firebrand since certainly qualifies to make this list. (trailer) (my full review)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)– Tina Fey shed her comedic image for a heavyish war drama loosely based the true story of Afghanistan/Pakistan television journalist Kim Barker. (trailer)

Snowden (2016)– Renowned politicized filmmaker Oliver Stone brought his brush of dramatic license to the story of whistleblowing former spy Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The paranoia of the post-9/11 digital age was the mission field for Snowden and many other young men and women who sought the security and counterterrorism industries. (trailer) (full review)

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016)– A company of soldiers who lost their commanding officer in Iraq are making a victory tour of press dates and public appearances when the reflections of the title character (newcomer Joe Alwyn) fill the day. Ang Lee’s film felt ten years too late and was not well received. (trailer) (my full review)

Thank You For Your Service (2015) and Thank You For Your Service (2017)– This popular conversation sentence was the title of two different works. In 2015, Tom Donahue’s documentary opened eyes to the shoddy mental health governance for modern veterans and made waves that changed actual policies. The 2017 feature film borrows inspiration from David Finkel’s 2013 nonfiction bestseller dealing with the PTSD topic of returning Iraqi tour soldiers adjusting to civilian life. Miles Teller is the headliner and is joined by Haley Bennett, Beulah Koale, Joe Cole, and Amy Schumer. (trailer) (trailer)

Megan Leavey (2017)– 2017 was a busy year for War on Terror-connected films with five new entries. Taglined “based on the true story about a Marine’s best friend,” Megan Leavey stars Kate Mara as the soldier leader of a bomb-searching pooch on deployment in Iraq. Touching film! (trailer)

The Wall (2017)– Nocturnal Animals Golden Globe nominee Aaron Taylor-Johnson and emerging WWE movie star John Cena play two soldiers pinned down by an Iraqi sniper in a single-setting thriller from action specialist Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow). (trailer)

War Machine (2017)– Enough time has passed now in 2017 where the War on Terror has reached a point of being a target of satire. Animal Kingdom and The Rover director David Michod puts a witty spin on things creating a fictionalized account of U.S. General Stanley McChrystal with Brad Pitt in the lead. Netflix is the exclusive carrier of this one. (trailer)

Last Flag Flying (2017)– The last and best of the 2017 bunch is Richard Linklater’s dramedy about three old Vietnam veterans (Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne) who come together when one of their sons is killed in Iraq and coming home for burial. The excellent acting trio and Linklater’s writing (adapted from Darryl Ponicsan’s novel, a spiritual sequel to his The Last Detail) deliver touching brevity and sharp commentary on the echoes of war across generations. (trailer) (my full review)

A Private War (2018)— Documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman made his feature film debut with a biopic on British photojournalist Marie Colvin, who made her stops through the hellfire of Iraq and Afghanistan in her storied career. Rosamund Pike was snubbed for an Oscar nomination that year. (trailer) (my full review)

Vice (2018)— Speaking of biopics, writer/director Adam McKay brought his machete for satire to the life of former Vice President Dick Cheney. The film dove deep into the manipulated machinations from Cheney that engineered the War on Terror during the Bush administration. While not as good as The Big Short, Vice did earn eight Oscar nominations (winning one for makeup), including Best Picture and Best Actor for Christian Bale in the leading role. (trailer) (my full review)

Official Secrets (2019)— When invading Iraq was on the table to push the war to the ground, the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Tony Blair were lockstep next to the U.S. on seeking United Nations approval. The true story of whistleblower Katharine Gun unearthed secrets that led to questioning the war’s legality before it even began. This is a nice step-up for Keira Knightley. (trailer) (my full review)

The Report (2019)— Not yet widely released in 2019 after huge buzz at the Sundance Film Festival, frequent Steven Soderbergh screenwriting collaborator Scott Z. Burns made his directorial debut with this searing docudrama of the use of torture by American agencies during the War on Terror. Check out the film’s trailer:

youtube

MOVIES ABOUT THE CHANGES IN AMERICAN LIFE (BOTH SERIOUS AND NOT-SO-SERIOUS)

25th Hour (2002)– New Yorker Spike Lee was quick to not shy away from the post-9/11 pulse of New York City following Edward Norton’s character’s last night of debauchery and unfinished business before going to prison. Filled with scathing social commentary and visual reminders of 9/11 and Ground Zero, its amazing opening credits sequence alone set the tone as only Spike can. (trailer)

youtube

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)– Documentary maverick Michael Moore’s slam at the handling of 9/11 and the war on terror became one of the most successful box office documentaries of all-time. (trailer)

Sorry, Haters (2005)– Robin Wright played a professional woman who receives conversation and unexpected interaction with an Arab New York cab driver in this IFC production. (foreign trailer)

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)– By contrast, in a small snippet and computer graphic on melting glaciers in this Oscar-winning documentary, Al Gore lets us know that half of Greenland or Antarctica’s melted ice would put New York, including Ground Zero, underwater within the next 50 years. (trailer)

The Terminal (2004)– Airports are now covered in bureaucratic red tape. Heaven forbids, you’re not from America. (trailer)

Anger Management (2003)– Showed us that you can get kicked off a plane now for just about anything. (trailer)

Soul Plane (2004)– Then again, come on, guys. Air travel can still be cool, even with the new security rules. (trailer)

Snakes on a Plane (2006)– OK, maybe not so much… (trailer)

Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)– You’ve got to hate racial profiling as much as you equally love a good parody. (trailer)

Iron Man (2008)– Marvel’s steely hero had his Vietnam origin story conveniently and modernly flopped for an Afghanistan-connected one. (trailer)

Bridesmaids (2011)– Now, that’s how an Air Marshall gets down! (trailer)

Source Code (2011)– Our fear of catastrophes on planes can easily be translated to trains as well. (trailer) (my full review)

The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013)– For a serious look at the warped view of Muslim citizens post-9/11, take a look at Mira Nair’s dramatic thriller about a young Pakistani man (newcomer Riz Ahmed) who is successful on Wall Street but viewed differently through profiling after 9/11. (trailer)

The Fifth Estate (2013)– The film story of the WikiLeaks of Julian Assange carry a loose connection to the changed post-9/11 landscape of security and more. (trailer)

Boyhood (2014)– Richard Linklater’s huge biographical opus was filmed over the course of 12 years with the same cast growing up and aging to tell their family story. The film starts in 2002, where the incidents of 2001 are fresh on the minds of the characters and discussed openly during the first year sequence of the journey. Later on, political mentions of Bush, Obama, and the War on Terror make it into a reflective conversation as well. (trailer) (my full review)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor (2018)– A key moment in the extraordinary Fred Rogers documentary chronicled when a retired Rogers was brought back for a special televised message to young viewers about reacting to the 9/11 tragedy that played on-screen for so many viewers. It’s a touching historical moment. (trailer) (my full review)

youtube

MEMORABLE PAST IMAGES OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN MOVIES

Sometimes, all it takes is the camera making a fleeting, yet memorable, glance at those beautiful and now-gone skyscrapers to immediately remind us of a different time. The WTC towers have been shown in innumerable establishing shots. We’ll highlight some great ones. Beginning with the closing credits to New Yorker Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film Gangs of New York, here’s a great montage of cinematic views of the WTC from various pre-2001 movies.

youtube

Superman (1978)– Even a passing fly-by over “Metropolis” feels different.

youtube

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)– Tell me this clip didn’t just go from cute to eerie to sad. Wonderful then, but different now.

youtube

Godspell (1973)— Submitted by friend-of-the-page and larger-fan-of-musicals-than-me Josh Powers, enjoy this dance number from the summery musical filmed and completed before the skyscraper’s ribbon-cutting.

King Kong (1976)– While it may not match the iconic 1933 image of the original ape towering on top of the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center plays a big role in the 1976 remake starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. (trailer)

Independence Day (1996), Deep Impact (1998), Armageddon (1998), and The Day After Tomorrow (2004)– These all constitute the prominent disaster movies that leave New York (and, in three cases, the WTC) in destructive shambles.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Godzilla (1998), Cloverfield (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), and Watchmen (2009). Kind of not so entertaining for few seconds anymore, huh? See for yourself. Here’s a montage of NYC movie destruction:

youtube

MOVIES THAT FEEL DIFFERENT IN THE POST-9/11 WORLD

I don’t know about you but a lot of movies just don’t resonate or feel the same as they did before September 11th. We’ve changed and the perception has changed. For some movies, their message and impact is only made stronger (in good ways and bad) since 9/11. In other cases, what was entertaining then doesn’t feel so right anymore.

Airplane! (1980)– Farce or not (and still funny to this day), we could never get away with anything that happens on an airplane from that movie now. (trailer)

Passenger 57 (1992)–Let alone this movie… (trailer)

Executive Decision (1996)– …and this movie… (trailer)

Turbulence (1997)– …and this movie… (trailer)

Pushing Tin (1999)– …and probably this movie too… (trailer)

True Lies (1994)– Slammed even then for its depiction of Arab terrorists, it likely has picked up a little more egg on its face. Adding to its burial, the movie hasn’t been released on any physical media format since 1999, which includes zero Blu-ray editions in its history (factoid from Josh Powers). Do you think 20th Century Fox wants that movie to go away or what? (trailer)

The Siege (1998)– This frightening martial law thriller with Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, and Bruce Willis makes True Lies look like G.I. Joe starring Ken from the Barbie dolls toy line. Scary and eerily prophetic in its over-the-top terrorism and bombing scenarios. (trailer)

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)– Though fictional with Pittsburgh standing in as Gotham City, the New York imagery and parallels occurring during its terrorist takeover led by Tom Hardy’s Bane have eerie 9/11-inspired ramifications. (trailer) (my full review)

Syriana (2005)– George Clooney won an Oscar, but the touchy subjects of torture, terrorism, and the oil industry evoke a little dose of fear. (trailer)

Munich (2005)– The Black September assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Mossad’s reaction was probably the last time before 9/11 that terrorism made worldwide live media headlines. (trailer)

Arlington Road (1999)– While this resonates more as a comparison to Oklahoma City-style domestic terrorism, the Jeff Bridges/Tim Robbins underappreciated thriller is no less scary now than then. (trailer)

Fight Club (1999)– Watching Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt/Edward Norton) destroy New York’s credit district is another example of domestic terrorism and destruction that rings a little louder post-9/11.

The Sum of All Fears (2002)– Many people found the Super Bowl bomb plot far too soon to see those images just a year removed from 9/11. (trailer)

V for Vendetta (2006)– Urban terrorism in London via a Guy Fawkes fan resonates a little different for a public scare on our side of the Atlantic. (trailer)

Courage Under Fire (1995)– Our first trip to Iraq foreshadows a lot of the equal futility, bravery, and loss experienced in our second trip… (trailer)

Jarhead (2005)– …especially when told from the true account of a disillusioned soldier who was there. (trailer)

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)– The same foreshadowing can be made out of our 1980’s Cold War involvement on the side of Afghanistan versus the Soviet Union as outlined by a gem of a Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman film. To think that we could have stuck around and cleaned the place up before they became our enemy. (trailer)

Rambo III (1988)– Speaking of an American fighting on the anti-communism side of the Afghans! (trailer)

Air Force One (1997)– Not that George W. Bush or Barack Obama ever channeled Harrison Ford here, but don’t you now root a little harder for a take charge President… (trailer)

The Patriot (2000)– … or a flag-carrying American hero from 230+ years ago… (trailer)

Pearl Harbor (2001)– …or the last great American tragedy that galvanized a nation and sent us to war. (trailer)

MOVIES SINCE 2001 THAT RENEW THE AMERICAN SPIRIT

These examples (as well as the aforementioned World Trade Center) will get your patriotic heartstrings going and boost your down spirit.

The Last Castle (2001)– Opening just over a month after the tragedy, the military and flag-waving patriotism of Robert Redford’s underrated drama undeniably stirs you. (trailer)

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)– Leave it to Gene Hackman and Owen Wilson (of all people) to win macho patriotic points for loosely re-enacting the famous pilot Scott O’Grady Bosnian prisoner escape story. (trailer)

Black Hawk Down (2001)– Released during the 2001-2002 awards season, Ridley Scott’s powerful depiction of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu showed the uncompromising courage of U.S. Army Ranger and Delta Force soldiers at a time when our current soldiers were likely preparing for going overseas to similar urban warfare. (trailer)

We Were Soldiers (2002)– Mel Gibson may be embroiled in unpopular headlines now, but his 2002 action-drama from his Braveheart writer about America’s first official military action in Vietnam is as powerful and it is impressive. Like Black Hawk Down, it added to the heroic mystique of the American soldier, even if it was set in the past. If you don’t cry watching those wives deliver those first casualty letters, there’s something wrong with you. (trailer)

Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004)– New York’s #1 resident superhero always fights for a way for the citizen of the city to stand up together. I suppose you can throw in the pair from the reboot (The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2) for some of the same reasons. (trailer)

Gangs of New York (2002)– Martin Scorsese is a quintessential New Yorker and his mid-1800’s history piece (while definitely violent) was a love letter to the city’s great history. (trailer)

Elf (2003)– Will Ferrell put the Big Apple back in the Christmas cheer. (trailer)

Ladder 49 (2004)– Though it wasn’t set in New York, you can’t help but think of the 343 NYFD men and women that lost their lives on September 11th and ardent first-responders when you watch Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta as macho Baltimore firemen. (trailer)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)– America loves a good underdog story and Clint Eastwood gave the public a heck of a good one that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. (trailer)

Miracle (2004)– What better way to boost American spirit than to relive our greatest Olympic triumph. (trailer)

National Treasure (2004)– How about a history lesson to make you feel good about our great country? Why not? (trailer)

Hitch (2005)– Will Smith brought popular romance back to the City That Never Sleeps. (trailer) He would capture hearts for a different reason the next year with The Pursuit of Happyness. (trailer)

We Are Marshall (2006)– Another real-life airplane tragedy sets the stage for an amazing story of athletic and community rebirth. One of the most underrated football movies out there. (trailer)

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)– Why not give NY’s best bad-ass cop a chance to save the nation’s capital? (trailer)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)– Last but not least, you can’t get more patriotic and underdog than this skinny guy from Brooklyn transformed into a red-white-and-blue super soldier. He followed it up this past summer saving New York in The Avengers. (trailer and trailer) (full review and my full review)

American Sniper (2014)– The tremendous reception Clint Eastwood’s film had to become the highest grossing movie of the year made Chris Kyle a household name and heavily amplified a previously dormant red-blooded (and “red state-d”) surge of patriotism and soldier appreciation. (trailer) (my full review)

Sully (2016)– Both the incredible true story of Flight 1549 from 2009 and Clint Eastwood’s respectful retelling featuring Tom Hanks as Capt. Chelsea “Sully” Sullenberger remind audiences of the strength of New York City. There’s a great line in the movie where someone is trying to thank Sullenberger and says that it’s been a long time since the city has had good news about anything like the “Miracle on the Hudson,” especially about a plane. (trailer) (my full review)

Patriots Day (2016) and Stronger (2018)– The way the city of Boston rallied from another terrorist attack on American soil during its marathon has key inspirational value. It’s too bad the film was the Mark Wahlberg show rather than a well-rounded ensemble approach. (trailer) (my full Patriots Day review) (trailer) (my full Stronger review)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018)– Much like the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield web-slinger movies that came before, Tom Holland’s take on Peter Parker is a born-and-raised New York kid that supports and protects his neighborhood and city from dangers foreign and domestic. His protection, joined by fellow New Yorker Doctor Strange, expands with the united effort with The Avengers when Thanos shows up in Avengers: Infinity War. One part down on that with one to go in the summer of 2019. (trailer) (my full Spider-Man: Homecoming review) (trailer) (my Avengers: Infinity War review)

Only the Brave (2017)– Just as with Ladder 49 thirteen years before it, you can’t beat the sympathy generated by the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of firefighters. Forest fires aren’t terrorists, but the feels are all there. (trailer)

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)– Four years after American Sniper, Clint Eastwood dipped his filmmaking brush in the hero worship paint again to tell another true story. The wrinkle of this one is that Eastwood called upon the actual heroes that thwarted the 2015 Thayls train attack to star in their own movie recreation. Results were mixed, but the Eastwood prestige is there. (trailer) (my full review)

THE UP-AND-DOWN PULSE OF CONTINUED SENSITIVITY AND/OR CENSORSHIP TO 9/11 SIMILARITIES

For 2014 and going forward, this is a new section I’m adding to this study. Now that enough time has passed since 2001, I’m beginning to notice that movies are starting to go back to some of the images and themes of violence, destruction, and terrorism that were hands off for so many years after 9/11. Like all history, even 9/11 will fade. What we were offended by after the horrific incidents have returned, in some cases, to be more tolerated and even acceptable and celebrated again. Sure enough, there are plenty who vividly remember 2001’s events and images and are quick to point out when something is in possible poor taste. That shaky barometer has led to some allusions and reminders to 9/11 and some flat-out censorship changes and corrections. Some get flak and slaps on the wrist while some don’t. Here are some examples in recent years.

Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down (2013)– Both competing White House takeover films from 2013, one from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and one from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day) had a bit of split audience reaction to their violent and terrorist content. Some rooted and cheered as if it was the 80’s again and America is always going to win. Others were not so keen or ready to see the White House become a target and battleground, even if it was just a movie. Between the two, Olympus Has Fallen, the R-rated and more severe one of the two, was the bigger hit. In a way, no one batted an eye. (trailer and trailer) (my full Olympus Has Fallen review)

Man of Steel (2013)– Despite being one of the most all-American heroes around, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel gave Superman a very serious tone that, in a way, can’t be included on the category before this one of movies that renew the American spirit. Also, many people were not very pleased with the immense city-wide destruction scenes of Metropolis during the film’s climax. Even though Chicago was the filming location of a fictitious comic book city, there were staunch critics who had a problem with huge office buildings and skyscrapers in very 9/11-esque rubble. Its 2016 sequel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice mildly addressed that a city can’t be destroyed without consequences, even on Superman’s watch in a colorful comic book setting. (my full review)

youtube

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)– Much like Man of Steel, the third Michael Bay Transformers movie features a great deal of city-wide destruction (again, in Chicago) that rubbed a few people the wrong way. (trailer) (my full review)

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)– Throw in the terrorist label for the villain and his bombings and the big San Francisco starship wreck during this film’s ending action that was clearly a larger scale to a passenger jet taking out buildings. (trailer) (my full review)

Godzilla (2014)– Add the King of the Monsters to the list of more city destruction that raised an eyebrow for some. (trailer) (my full review)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)– Outside of this string of modern and accepted examples of urban attacks and destruction, is the minor amount of hot water the makers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got it for a promotional poster that had an exploding skyscraper that cut too close to 9/11 similarities. The study pulled the poster and had to apologize. Censorship and sensitivity won that argument and mistake. (trailer)

The Walk (2015)– A very big test to peoples’ memories of the World Trade Center will be coming in the Fall of 2015 with Robert Zemeckis’s film The Walk, the true story of the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s quest to tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 (previously featured in the Academy Award nominated 2008 documentary Man on Wire). Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the film will prominently display, thanks to Zemeckis’s stunning use of CGI, a tremendous amount of imagery of the two lost skyscrapers. Even though it’s a period piece to a non-turbulent time, no film since 2001 has attempted to show this much of those building. Public reaction was mixed and the film was not a box office hit. (trailer) (full review)

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)– I guess it’s OK for patriotic mass city destruction again. London gets it worse than New York, though. (trailer) (full review)

Ghostbusters (2016)– Well, New York was safe for at least a month anyway between Independence Day: Resurgence‘s release and the new reboot (which conveniently made sure its city destruction in Times Square and other places be easy to erase). Not far behind was the fictional Suicide Squad and its over-the-city halo of supposed death. (trailer) (my full review)

youtube

Rampage (2018)– Larger in size than the old World Trade Centers used to be, Chicago’s Willis Tower, the former Sears Tower and tallest building in the world, was the targeted collapsed skyscraper spectacle of choice in the Brad Payton/Dwayne Johnson live-action video game adaptation. Monsters aren’t terrorists, but the imagery hits close as the Willis Tower was one of many skyscrapers across the country evacuated on 9/11 out of fear of becoming another target. See the collapse clip above. (my full review)

I hope everyone enjoyed this little (OK, large) retrospective about the impact of 9/11 in movies for the last 18 years and counting. Take some time this coming weekend to appreciate the freedoms we have the people fighting to keep them for us. Support your troops and first responders and, again, NEVER FORGET!

LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED

Permalink

from REVIEW BLOG – Every Movie Has a Lesson https://ift.tt/308CXWR via IFTTT

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2HZJexS via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress #CIFCC #film critics #movies #film #Chicago

3 notes · View notes

idontfindyouthatinteresting · 6 years ago

Photo

As you may have seen, shows are getting cancelled and renewed left right and centre and still Hannibal is missing from the table. I think we need to be louder, more upfront about what we want and we need participation to get it...

PLEASE CONSIDER A SIGNAL BOOST! PLEASE TAKE PART!

So, I am proposing a Summer of Love, basically an Ode to Hannibal!

There are lots of things going on, please take part in what you can and posting about your taking part with #Hannibal and #SaveHannibal in some of what’s below:

FANNIBAL GIFT EXCHANGE - SUMMER 2018 (#FGES2018)

This one you should already know about, Fannibals exchanging gifts, culminating in a mass posting about them on the 29th of August 2018, The Wrath of the Lamb’s birthday. (Sign ups are closed I’m afraid!)

#SAVEHANNIBAL THUNDERCLAP

A thunderclap is a pre-organised social media mass posting service. Basically you sign up and the app posts a specific post for you at a specific time, on a specific day. Mass posting out of nowhere on a specific subject is the best way to get you noticed on social media. Unfortunately, the site will no longer let you put hashtags in your post. But please use #SaveHannibal when talking about the project or SIGNAL BOOSTING the link! We’ll need 500 signs up MINIMUM, and it’s a big ask, I could have gone lower but I think we can get 500 easy. If we don’t get 500, the Thunderclap doesn’t happen.

All you need to do is sign up and sit back. The THUNDER reigns down at 7:00pm (EDT) on the 29th of August 2018, The Wrath of the Lamb’s birthday. (Are you sensing a theme?) JOIN THE THUNDER HERE!

SIGNAL BOOST GIVE AWAY

Although tumblr is fab for certain things, twitter is the powerhouse in terms of getting noticed! Retweeting THIS TWEET will enter you into a prize draw for a It’s Beautiful #SaveHannibal flag (1mx0.5m) (T&C’s apply, see twitter for details.)

#HANNIBALSUMMEROFLOVE - Review Party

So, every show gets a bad review, and so I thought, rather than question it, lets just post our own reviews. So between now and the 29th of August 2018, I’ll be posting an in depth review of every episode of Hannibal.

You don’t have to do individual episodes if you don’t want too, they can be seasonal reviews or a review of the show as a whole, a review of the DVD’s/BluRays etc.

Please use the hashtag when posting, please feel free to have some fun with the format, and the best will get a little pack of free badges sent to them. You can post on twitter or tumblr! Please feel free to tag me, and use #HannibalSummerOfLove so I can find them!

FANNIBAL APPRECIATION DAY 2018

Every year since the first airing of the Wrath of the Lamb, on the 23rd of August we’ve celebrated Fannibals! Use this day to send individual fannibals some love, it’s a day to celebrate US! This year personalise your thanks, feel free to post across twitter or tumblr!

#FANNIBALSCHATNETFLIX - 1000 Chat Challenge!

WE POSE A CHALLENGE FOR YOU! We’d like to chat with netflix over 1000 times before the Wrath of the Lamb anniversary, have a bit of a chat, request Hannibal, take a cheeky photo/screenshot, POST WITH THE TAG! And we’ll tally them up and see if we can break the 1000 wall!

#SAVEHANNIBAL MAILING CAMPAIGN

Send Netflix, Hulu and Amazon a little #SaveHannibal business card, sometimes a physical representation of what we’re about works wonders! See the post for full information of exactly how to do this, but feel free to add your own spin on it!

SIGN THE PETITION

There’s a petition that has been running since the show was cancelled 3 years ago, and it needs a TON more signatures! Please sign and signal boost! Lets get it to 100k!

CHECK OUT MY #SAVEHANNIBAL PAGE FOR THIS STUFF AND MORE YOU CAN DO! I will also make individual posts for the events, and links to these bite size posts will be on the page.

Any Q’s?

#Hannibal #Hannigram #Bryan Fuller #Mads Mikkelsen #Hugh Dancy #mine #info #SaveHannibal #SaveHannibal Campaign

387 notes · View notes

flashfuckingflesh · 2 years ago

Text

Two Out-Of-Town Girls. A Town Full of Depravity. One EVIL Massacree! "Even Lambs Have Teeth" reviewed! (DVD / Syndicado)

Two Out-Of-Town Girls. A Town Full of Depravity. One EVIL Massacree! “Even Lambs Have Teeth” reviewed! (DVD / Syndicado)

It’s True. “Even Lambs Have Teeth!” Now On DVD. Katie and her best friend Sloane volunteer to work on a countryside organic farm for a month in order to have one fabulous shopping spree weekend in New York City. Taking Katie’s Uncle’s precautions semi-seriously, the two young women play it fast and loose while waiting for the bus that heads straight to the farm as they agree to hitch a ride…

View On WordPress

1 note · View note

allyear-lff · 3 years ago

Text

LFF2021: The list of films

I guess one has to start from the beginning, so to understand this blog read my mission statement and then feel free to peruse my reviews of the films, all listed below, I will link to my musings from here as I progress and I hope to refine them as I revisit them during the next year and beyond.

7 Days

8 Bar – The Evolution of Grime (BBC iPlayer as September 2023)

Abuela, La

Afterlight, The (only one film copy exists: https://theafterlight.xyz )

Ahed’s Knee

Ali & Ava

All About My Sisters ( available in ovid.tv in the US).

All Is Vanity (BFI PLayer)

All My Friends Hate Me (on UK cinemas from June 10th, 2022).

All These Sons (Prime Video, Roku,Plex).

Alleys, The (released 2022, cheapest Apple+, and others, Spain: Netflix).

Anachronic Chronicle: Voyages Inside/Out Asia ( https://app.curate-it.co.uk/watch/6709844389675f00260c13ed )

Ape Star, The (Rakuten Spain)

As in Heaven

Azor

Babi Yar. Context

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (BFI player, Google Play)

Banquet, A (Prime Video).

Bantú Mama

Becoming Cousteau

Belfast

Belle

Benedetta

Benediction

Bergman Island

Between Two Worlds

Boiling Point

Box, The (released 11 November 2022 in MUBI).

Brother’s Keeper (DVD spotted eBay).

Buco, Il

Bull (Chilli, Prime Video, Rakuten)

Burn It Down!

C'mon c'mon (surprise film)

Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest (Google Play & several streaming services)

Citizen Ashe

Clara Sola

Compartment No. 6 (Curzon Home)

Cop Movie, A

Cop Secret

Costa Brava Lebanon

Cow

Crossing, The

Dance, The

DASHCAM (Google Play, Apple TV)

Divide, The

Drive My Car

ear for eye

Earwig

Encounter

Enfants Terribles, Les

Europa (short, restored from 1931)

Eye Cut (short)

Faya Dayi

Feast, The

First Wave, The (Disney)

Flee

Freda

French Dispatch, The

Good Boss, The

Gravedigger’s Wife, The

Great Freedom

Hand of God, The

Harder They Fall, The

Hero, A

Hinterland

History Ni Ha

Hit the Road (Curzon Home Cinema)

Hole in the Fence, The

Holgut

Humidity Alert

I Know Where I’m Going!

Inexorable

Invisible Demons

Juju Stories (Amazon Video Spain)

King Richard

Lago Gatún

Lamb

Landscapes of Resistance (TrueStory)

Language Lessons

Last Night in Soho

Leave No Traces (BFI Player)

Lingui, the Sacred Bonds

Little Palestine (Diary of a Siege)

Lost Daughter, The

Luzzu

Martin and the Magical Forest

Marx Can Wait (confirmed in MUBI on May 2023)

Mass

Medium, The (Shudder Amazon Channel?)

Memoria

Memory Box

Mif, La

Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (Sky)

Money Has Four Legs

Mothering Sunday

Mothers of the Revolution (Amazon, Google/YouTube, Apple)

Mr Bachmann and His Class (Dec. 2022 Curzon Home)

Munich – The Edge of War

Naked (re-release, BFI player, DVD).

Nascondino (TrueStory)

Natural Light

Neptune Frost

Neutral Ground, The (Freevee, Amazon,Google/YouTube,Apple).

Nitram

Nudo Mixteco

Odd-Job Men, The (Rakuten Spain)

Oliver!

Omar Amiralay: Sorrow, Time, Silence

Our Men

Outlaws, The

Outsiders The Complete Novel, The (Google Play)

Paris, 13th District

Passing (Netflix)

Pedro

Petite Maman

Petrov’s Flu

Phantom of the Open, The

Playground

Power of the Dog, The

Prayers for the Stolen

Quant

Queen of Glory (BFI Player,Google Play)

Real Charlie Chaplin, The

Red Rocket

Rehana

Ride the Wave (Google Play)

Ripples of Life

River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces, A

Robin Robin (Netflix)

Ron’s Gone Wrong

Sambizanga (MUBI?)

Sea Ahead, The

Sediments

See for Me (Most platforms)

She Will

Shepherd (Prime Video)

Small Body (Google play)

Souvenir: Part II, The

Spencer

Storms of Jeremy Thomas, The (Most streaming platforms)

Story of Film: A New Generation, The (Most streaming platforms)

Sundown

Taking, The

Tale of Love and Desire, A (Most French streaming platforms, BFI player in early 2023, MUBI)

Titane

Tragedy of Macbeth, The

True Things

Tsugua Diaries, The

Two Friends

Users

Velvet Underground, The

Welcome to Spain (Bienvenidos a España)

What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (German-Georgian)

What We Shared

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

When a Farm Goes Aflame

White Building (MUBI)

Wild Indian (Prime Video)

Wolf Suit, The

Wood and Water (Mubi)

Worst Person in the World, The

#lff #lff 2021

1 note · View note

papermoonloveslucy · 4 years ago

Text

LIZ GOES TO NIGHT SCHOOL

November 18, 1950

“Liz Goes to Night School” (aka “Balancing the Checkbook”) is episode #106 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on November 18, 1950.

This was the eleventh episode of the third season of MY FAVORITE HUSBAND. There were 31 new episodes, with the season ending on March 31, 1951.

Synopsis ~ Liz's arithmetic skills are so bad, George sends her to night school where she somehow winds up in a math contest.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on “Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz, a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) does not appear in this episode.

GUEST CAST

Frank Nelson (Ed Trout, President of the West Newton Board of Education) was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” and “Fibber McGee & Molly”. Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs. His trademark was playing clerks and other working stiffs, suddenly turning to Benny with a drawn out “Yeeeeeeeeees?” Nelson appeared in 11 episodes of “I Love Lucy”, including three as quiz master Freddy Fillmore, and two as Ralph Ramsey, plus appearance on “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” - making him the only actor to play two different recurring roles on “I Love Lucy.” Nelson returned to the role of the frazzled Train Conductor for an episode of “The Lucy Show” in 1963. This marked his final appearance on a Lucille Ball sitcom.

Although Nelson is playing a School Board President, he gets to slip into the role of contest moderator, not unlike game show hosts Smiley Stembottom and Freddy Fillmore.

Shimen Ruskin (Richard Hill from West Newton Night School) was born as Shimen Druskin in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1907. He spent 18 years in the Yiddish theater before moving on to Hollywood and roles in 60 films, radio shows, and television projects. He made his screen debut in Having Wonderful Time (1938) which also featured Lucille Ball. In 1942, he played a waiter in Lucille Ball’s The Big Street. Like Ball, he was named as a communist during the ‘red scare’ of the 1950s. He died in 1976 at age 79.

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers, it’s afternoon at the Sheridan Falls National Bank and George Cooper has just received an urgent summons to the office of the president of the bank.”

Mr. Atterbury asks George why Liz’s accounts are in such disarray. Two tellers stayed up all night trying in vain to reconcile her accounts.

MR. ATTERBURY: “Look at this check: It’s dated the nineteenth of Octopus. And it’s payable to the the Shimian Fills Gas Cornfed. GEORGE: “That’s the Sheridan Falls Gas Company” MR. ATTERBURY: “Look at that signature: Mrs. Garage Cowpen!”

Mr. Atterbury is quite sure Liz is overdrawn because of a note she’s written on the back of one of her checks:

MR. ATTERBURY (reading): “Dear Mr. Teller: If I don’t have enough money to cover this, please be a lamb and hold this check until next month.”

At the beginning of “Job Switching” (ILL S2;E1) in 1952, an angry Ricky Ricardo reads aloud the note Lucy’s written on the back of her bounced check to the beauty parlor: “Dear Teller, be a lamb and don’t put this through until next month.”

Given an ultimatum by Mr. Atterbury, George barrels home to confront Liz, who immediately dissolves into tears. George reviews Liz’s household accounts. Her addition skills are obviously lacking and her method of accounting is convoluted. Dinner is served an hour early so Katie can go to night school for beginning sewing. George gets an idea to send Liz to night school as well - for arithmetic.

On a 1962 episode of “The Lucy Show”, Lucy convinces Viv to join her in taking night school courses in chemistry and succeeds in blowing up the lab!

The following evening, George is eager for them to do something together, but Liz has to do homework! She convinces George to help her with her math problems. Liz tries to bring logic to simple addition based on the number of apples ‘Mary’ and ‘Susan’ have and it frustrates banker George.

On another night, Mr. Atterbury visits George while Liz is at night school. He says he is judging a math competition between Sheridan Falls Night School and West Newton Night Night School. He uses the Cooper phone to find out the name of the math champion that will represent Sheridan Falls and is shocked to hear it is Liz Cooper! Liz comes home and the men want to know how on earth she was selected to compete! She says it was because of George’s help with her homework that she was selected!

George decides that they will make an excuse and tell them that Liz cannot be there. Mr. Atterbury wants to say she has a broken leg but Liz is naturally reluctant. In lieu of a broken leg, Mr. Atterbury and George decide to teach Liz arithmetic even if it takes all night!

At the contest, Liz is very sleepy from pulling an all-nighter. Mr. Atterbury introduces the judges and contestants: Ed Trout (Frank Nelson), head of the West Newton Board of Education; West Newton contestant Mr. Richard Hill (Shimen Ruskin); and Mrs. George Cooper of Sheridan Falls.

The first question goes to Mr. Hill, who recites the Pythagorean theorem perfectly.

In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem is a fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle. It states that the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides.

In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) is endowed with brains by the Wizard and suddenly spouts the Pythagorean theorem - except he gets it wrong! The theorem applies to right triangles, not isosceles triangles . Also the theorem is that the squares of two legs equals the square of the hypotenuse! The Scarecrow probably should enroll in the Emerald City Night School!

Liz’s geometry question is a lot simpler - in fact, it is not a geometry problem at all.

MR. ATTERBURY: “If you had three geometry problems and I gave you two more geometry problems, how many would you have?” LIZ: “Five?”

Liz gets it right but is having trouble staying awake.

Staying awake will be a source of comedy for Lucille Ball for the rest of her career. Lucy Ricardo was groggy from too much Dramamine in “The Passports” (ILL S5;E11) and was later exhausted from her commuter lifestyle in “Lucy Wants a Career” (LDCH S2;E4); Lucy Carmichael can’t keep her head up during a classical concert in “Lucy the Music Lover” (TLS S1;E8); and in a 1971 episode of “Here’s Lucy,” Lucy Carter has severe jet lag and has trouble staying awake on an English chat show with David Frost.

Yawning, Liz inadvertently admits that Mr. Atterbury is her husband’s boss. Ed Trout is outraged, replacing him with an impartial judge - himself!

Liz is asked how many sides an octagon has. From the audience Mr. Atterbury and George drop hints by talking about what they ATE (8)! Asking what they are shouting FOR, Liz drowsily guesses four (4).

Mr. Hill is asked a square root question which he gets wrong. Liz is asked the same question. In the audience Mr. Atterbury quickly figures out the answer: 32, which is also Liz’s age. He shouts out: “Act your age Liz!” But a sluggish Liz guesses 22! Mr. Atterbury’s constant shout-outs frustrate Ed Trout.

ED TROUT (summing up): “Mr. Hill has missed one, Mrs. Cooper has missed one, and Mr. Atterbury hasn’t missed any!”

The final question is a complex series of math problems. Hill gets it wrong. Trout asks Liz, who is snoring.

ED TROUT: “I’d like your answer and no help from the audience, please. I’d like your own number.” LIZ: “Oh. 5-1-3-4-0.” TROUT: “That’s right!” GEORGE: “I gave up when he asked for your own number!” LIZ: “Own number? I thought he said phone number!”

Accidentally answering a crucial final question during a contest judged by Frank Nelson also happened to Ricky Ricardo in “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (ILL S1;E32) in 1952. Ricky is asked what George Washington said to his troops while crossing the Delaware. A clueless Ricky is getting queasy from his disastrous performance on the show and blurts out: “Please let me sit down. This is making me sick!” Winner!

End of Episode

#My Favorite Husband #Lucille Ball #Richard Denning #Ruth Perrott #Frank Nelson #Shimen Ruskin #Gale Gordon #Bob LeMond #Night School #1950 #Radio #CBS #pythagoreon theorem #octagon #Mathematics #Arithmetic

0 notes