What Am I Watching?

Repossessed! spoiler alert

2010-04-22T13:47:00.001-05:00

Repo Men (2010)
Director- Miguel Sapochnik
Starring- Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Alice Braga

Remy (Law) and Jake (Whitaker) work for a company that manufactures replacement organs for transplant recipients. Their job is to track down those who are over 90 days overdue on their payments, then take the organs back, leaving the the unfortunate recipient to die where they lay.

Remy and Jake love their jobs, and are very good at them, too. Remy's wife, however, doesn't share his enthusiasm for his work and urges him to get transferred to a department that isn't quite so bloody, and that lets him spend more time with his family. Remy cannot stay away from his job, though, and the wear on his family becomes so much that she eventually leaves him.

During a heart repossession, Remy suffers a serious shock from a bad defibrillator and must have his own heart replaced as a result. His efforts to try to resume life "as usual" are hindered by the fact that he now feels empathy for those recipients he's repossessed from, and can no longer perform those duties. He tries one of the "safer" departments like sales, but finds he cannot pressure people into buying new organs without being honest and warning them of what will happen should they be unable to pay. He is soon fired, and cannot afford to pay for his own replacement. Instead of submitting to his best friend and former coworker, Remy goes on the lam and searches for a place where he won't be found out.

He soon finds Beth (Braga), a woman who' also running away from repo men. Beth's transplants seem to take up half of her body, all black market. Together the two try to make their way out of the country to live peacefully.

This movie was a lot better than I had originally anticipated. I figured it would be a goofy, dystopian future society with a lot of digital stuff being thrown in. It was actually more realistic, closer to society of today, only with a few changes in business policy. The gadgetry was a little high-tech (like the scanners that detected the transplant), but not over-the-top.

Acting was solid all around. The ending started to get a little cheesy, but then decided to turn around and give you a serious mindwarp right in the last few minutes.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

Hero in Lunatic Fringe

2010-01-22T08:46:00.000-06:00

Franklyn (2008)
Director- Gerald McMorrow
Starring- Eva Green, Ryan Phillipe, Sam Riley

The lives of three strangers become intertwined and deeply affected by a masked vigilante in an alternate world. Emilia (Green) is an artist who struggles with her mother's detached nature and attempts suicide once a month as part of an art project. Milo (Riley) was dumped before his wedding, and returns to pursuing a childhood sweetheart. Peter (played by Bernard Hill) searches the streets for his son who escaped a mental hospital. Last, but by far not least, Jonathan Preest (Phillipe) wears a mask and battles religious oppression in the darkened Meanwhile City while searching for a girl abducted by the cult-leader named The Individual.

While none of these lives seem related to one another, it becomes apparent that they are connected not only through some personal interactions but also because of the level of suffering and apparent mental instability involved.

Emilia not only suffered mother's neglect, but father's abuse. Milo's childhood sweetheart was not what he thought she was, nor is what he thinks she is, forcing him to deal with reality on terms not his own. Peter, perhaps the most sane in the group, comes close to finding his son, but at tremendous cost. And Preest? He comes to realize his reality is flickering as it becomes more difficult to focus on enacting vengeance on The Individual.

The acting was a bit over-the-top at times, though it seemed well-fitting in with the surreal nature of some of the scenes of the movie. Transitions between one world and the other were smooth; realities were not confused with one another, but also the switch was not jarring to the viewer.

Special Effects were great in this movie. It played well as a superhero/fantasy movie, but switched gears into mental-illness drama with no weird incongruence in how the effects were utilized. The costume, though somewhat basic and reminiscent of the Watchmen's Rorshach, was still pretty cool.

The lives of these four come together at last toward the end in a dramatic, bittersweet finale. All in all, it was a weird movie that dealt with mental illness in a way I haven't seen done much in cinema, but very much liked.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

Depths of Obsession

2010-01-22T07:26:00.003-06:00

Deep End (1971)
Director-Jerzy Skolimowski
Starring- Jane Asher, John Moulder-Brown, Karl Michael Vogler

15-year-old Mike (Moulder-Brown) experiences life as an employee in a public swimming pool/bath house. He meets some strange women, including one who sexually abuses him in a strange, not-very intrusive way, but becomes obsessed with his coworker Susan (Jane Asher), who is not only engaged, but is also seeing the lascivious swimming instructor (Vogler).

Despite her engagement and pool flings, she still flirts a bit with him, enticing him all the more to be with her at any cost. He begins following her to places like he theater, restaurants, even home. She seems to fluctuate between enjoying it, tiring of it, and enjoying it again throughout the movie.

One day, after crashing a foot race organized by the swimming instructor, Mike decides to pop the tires of the man's car, which had been loaned to Susan for the day. Susan chases Mike in a rage, and ends up losing the diamond on her engagement ring in the snow. They decide to bag up the snow surrounding them and take into the pool after hours to thaw, which leads to an awkward tryst and a downbeat ending.

The pacing in this movie wasn't great. There were times it seemed to drag on, and Mike got himself into places that didn't seem to go anywhere in the movie. At one point he finds a nude cardboard cutout of Susan in front of a peepshow, suggesting she is much more well-known to men than he had previously known, but no more explanation is given.

Despite the pacing, the acting was done well, and the minimal effects did nothing to take away from the effectiveness of the movie overall.

Rating: 3/5 Bonedaddies.

Another Day, Another Time Hole, Another Fantastic Thing

2010-01-21T23:41:00.004-06:00

Time Bandits (1981)
Director- Terry Gilliam
Starring- Michael Palin, David Warner, David Rappaport

Young Vincent (Palin) gets caught up in a cross-dimensional crime spree run by employees of the "Supreme Being", using a stolen map of the universe. The time-jumpers are led by Randall (Rappaport), and are actually on the job of fixing time holes, using the opportunity to loot what they can before closing the hole up.

During their adventures, they meet various historical characters, such as a very polite Robin Hood (nailed down in Monty Python style by John Cleese), and King Agammemnon (played by a young non-yet-bald Sean Connery). They also find a time hole that places them precariously on the Titanic before they finally attempt to find the "most fantastic thing", placed in their heads by the Evil Genius (Warner), who want to understand "technology" (VCR's, cameras, etc) in order to control the universe, and therefore control the Supreme Being.

The effects were decent enough for 1981, the pacing and acting were brilliant--I don' think this movie could have been effectively pulled off without the slight Monty Python flavors added. It was also cool to see midgets(?) playing a heroic role here (or maybe antiheroic) instead of being given stereotyped munchkin-style roles. Their personalities definitely trumped any size differences.

The weird thing? This movie makes more sense than Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies

Midnight Spaghetti (Spoiler Alert)

2010-01-14T07:49:00.004-06:00

El Topo (1970)
Director- Alejandro Jodorowsky
Starring- Alejandro Jodorowsky, Robert John, Mara Lorenzio

Gunfight el Topo (Jodorowsky) makes his way through a desert with his naked son seeking some kind of enlightenment. What that enlightenment is, exactly, I think is mostly known to the director/star himself.

The movie begins with the pair coming upon a village recently massacred. Bodies litter the streets and buildings, blood is puddled everywhere, and the one still-living inhabitant they find begs for death, a somber task el Topo leaves for his young son as a "life lesson".

Moving on, they take on a small group of bandits, then happen upon a group of monks being terrorized by more bandits, who are soon dealt with. El Topo leaves his son behind with the monks, and takes with him a woman who was being kept there "(Lorenzio)--he eventually names her Mara.

Being forced to prove his love for her, el Topo embarks on a mission to seek out four master gunfighters and best them in battle. The first is a blind guru who takes a shot to the head. The second is a gypsy who makes copper trinkets as a hobby. The third is a crackshot rabbit herder (yeah, you read it right) whose one-shot pistol and excellent aim ironically prove his undoing. The fourth no longer cares for gunfighting, and deprives el Topo of his victory by taking his own life--to prove how meaningless it is.

After he's accomplished the harrowing task, a cowgirl dressed in black (who decided to accompany them following the first major gunfight) shoots him up and leaves with Mara. A group of deformed underground dwellers find him and take him in. Somehow he survives the wounds, develops light hair, and decides to help the underground dwellers by digging a tunnel out, so everyone can live above ground with normal society.

He is accompanied in his dig by a little woman who eventually becomes his wife. He also runs into his son, who harbors some serious ill will for having left him so many years before (I can only guess he spent a lot of time underground). He agrees to put off killing el Topo until the tunnel is finished, even helping dig himself.

After all is finished, he finds he can't kill his own father and heads back into the nearby town. Meanwhile, all the deformed underground dwellers become overly excited about their new exit door and all leave at once. They are met at the outskirts of the nearby town by the paranoid townspeople, who subsequently open fire on them. El Topo makes it in time to see the last one fall, and is then shot down as well. His little wife, who has just given birth, takes off with his grown son, and that's that.

This movie, though confusing, kept my interest for the entire two hours, something that hasn't happened often with spaghetti westerns--at least, not since Django.

It is full of symbolism. The only hitch is that one must probably watch the movie a dozen times with some religious texts to try to catch what they can, or else contact Jodorowsky and ask him directly. I saw the obvious signs of hypocrisy and demented leadership, but never really got what el Topo was looking for all this time. Perhaps it was simple "enlightenment", maybe just a better home.

A strange midnight movie, to be sure, and an entertaining one, if for nothing else than the weirdness.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies

Zombies, Chicks, Luchadors, and Dr. Satan--Oh My!

2009-11-15T11:47:00.002-06:00

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)
Director- Rob Zombie
Starring- Tom Papa, Sheri Moon Zombie, Paul Giamatti

Famous (?) luchador El Superbeasto (Papa) must save a woman he's lusting after from the nerd-farious Dr. Satan (Giamatti), enlisting the help of his secret-agent/cheerleader-type sister, Susie-X (Moon Zombie) and her smitten robot sidekick.

Along the way he rescues a has-been luchador named El Gato, who was imprisoned by Dr. Satan a long time before. He is now know more for his weird googly-eyes and dragging scrotum than for any wrestling moves.

Throw in some Nazi-zombies trying to retrieve from Suzie-X their fuhrer's stolen head-in-a-jar, and you have a pretty big monster-romp of an animated movie.

Unfortunately, not all of the jokes are that funny--some even seem forced, despite coming from good actors, and a lot of the female characters are visually, if not mentally interchangeable.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

A Hard Case To Defend

2009-11-15T11:32:00.002-06:00

Hart's War (2002)
Director- Gregory Hoblit
Starring- Collin Farrell, Bruce Willis, Terrence Howard

Within the bleak atmosphere of a WWII POW camp, Lt. Thomas Hart (Farrell) must use his limited law school education to defend a murder case involving Tuskegee pilot Lt. Lincoln Scott (Howard) and another POW. Hart knows that Scott has been falsely accused, and knows Col. William MacNamara (Willis), unofficial leader of the prisoners, has something to do with it.

The movie quickly becomes heavily racially charged with arrival of the two African American airmen, and tension is almost constant throughout most of the movie. Col. Verner Wisser, acted incredibly by Marcel Lures, is a strong character, and despite being a "villian" in the movie still manages to force some respect from the viewer, especially toward the end. Wisser and MacNamara share what can be best termed a 'hateful friendship'. Wisser actually seemed broken when he learned of MacNamara's involvement and motives, and what actions he must take in retaliation.

The movie was visually arresting with flat colors and amazing special effects that didn't dominate the film.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

Have a Slice...

2009-11-15T11:16:00.002-06:00

Pizza (2005)
Director- Mark Christopher
Starring- Ethan Embry, Kylie Sparks, Julie Hagerty

Obese wallflower Cara-Ethyl (Sparks) flees her 18th birthday for a night out with "Pizza King" Matt (Embry). Throughout the night, Matt discusses his personal philosophies in an effort to help her be happier with her life. The two share some intense feelings for each other, she suffers humiliation at the hands of some popular girls (but subsequently gets her revenge using an ex-lax pizza recipe), and ultimately realizes that the philosophical "Pizza King" she fell for is nothing more than a pizza shop employee who never bothered to advance his life beyond his high school years.

The story sounds a bit hokey at first, but if you bear with it for a while, it gets pretty entertaining. Acting was good all around, especially from Kylie Sparks. Her character turned various embarrassments into learning experiences and bounced back with surprising fortitude and confidence.

Despite this confidence, she still suffers from a lack of self esteem, which Matt tries numerous times to refute. It was a little hard to see the veneer crack, but it was well-acted and timed.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

Zombie Squad!

2009-07-16T14:20:00.002-05:00

The Dead Next Door (1989)

Director- J.R. Bookwalter

Starring- Pete Ferry, Michael Grossi, Robert Kokai

Years after zombie infestation, a government agency called the "Zombie Squad" is out patrolling the region, exterminating zombies and and collecting un-exterminated ones for medical experimentation in hopes of finding a cure.

Raimi (Ferry), and his crew must find the lab of Dr. Bow, the doctor said to have inadvertantly started the infestation with his formula. Their mission is made more urgent when Mercer (Grossi) is bitten and infected. Dr. Moulsson (Bogdan Pecic, who couldn't be bothered to take off his cap for the role) accompanies them, caring more about the formula than the people infected.

Along the way, the crew runs afoul of a religious cult bent on keeping the zombies alive and believing them to be a sign of the coming apocalypse. The cult, led by Reverend Jones (Kokai) consists of run-of-the-mill cult psychos, as well as "brainwashed" kidnapping victims, including Dr. Bow's own daughter.

Moulsson finds the formula, and once it is concocted, he promptly injects the unconcious Mercer with it, not knowing what effect it will have. Mercer is soon after kidnapped by Rev. Jones, and the crew tracks him to his compound.

In saving Mercer all Hell breaks loose with gunshots and fanatics rushing soldiers. Rev. Jones flees to loose his hoard of zombies, getting himself killed in the process. Mercer turns into a zombie, but the formula reaction causes him to retain his human thought, a ghastly addition to his zombie urges.

The zombie infestation seems to be winning out by the end, and with the help of the formula, a new type of zombie evolves, and one of my favorite endings plays out, but with a great humorous twist.

Acting was bad, effects were cheap but well-thought-out. The story went along great--in fact, the story kept this movie alive in spite of the dismal budget. Also, the constant name-references to horror greats like John Carpenter, Tom Savini, and Sam Raimi (Bruce Campbell even did a couple voice overs!) was fitting. I was surprised there was no Jackson or Romero, however.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

Survival of the...Jerks

2009-07-16T13:57:00.004-05:00

The Fittest (2003)

Director- Jeff Crook

Starring- Jason Madera, Angela Grant, Josh Crook

Stuck in a loveless, childless marriage and a dead-end sales job, pushover Freddy (Madera) finds a mistress in coworker Jill (Christina Caparoula). Al (Crook), Freddy's boss and a self-proclaimed ladies' man, is not happy that Freddy took the woman he was apparently involved with. After a particular confrontation, Freddy gets the axe from his job, Al turns his attention to Mike (well-played by Christopher Ferry), an even bigger pushover with staggering niavete.

At a friendly barbecue, Al finds out Mike's attractive wife is a professional housecleaner and invites her to clean his house. While there, he pays her extra to give him oral sex, which she does, and he takes a polaroid shot, which he shows Mike later just to be a jerk.

Meanwhile, Freddy gets news that mistress Jill has become pregnant. She wants an abortion, he doesn't so he tries to hold her in her basement until he can convince her to keep the baby. His wife Grace (Grant) finds out and seeks out Al for a revenge tryst.

The characters all come tegether in various violent little conflicts through out the movie after this, and in the end Freddy and his wife reconcile with one or two little plot twists that I will not reveal. It's this little twist that makes it worth getting to the end of the movie.

Acting is not bad for a cheap Indie flick. The cast obvious put a lot of effort into their roles, and it shows.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

Get Off My Lawn...

2009-07-16T12:43:00.008-05:00

Gran Torino (2009)
Director- Clint Eastwood
Starring- Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her

Walter Kowalski (Eastwood) wants to spend his remaining years left alone. Having just lost his wife, he's digusted with the greedy behavior of his family, annoyed by the young priest who promised his wife he'd pay special attention to him, he's coughing up blood (an obvious foreshadow to his health), and is further disheartened to find a hmong family moving in next door. Despite his blatant racism, he is haunted by his wartime actions in Korea.

One night, he awakens to hear someone in his garage, trying to steal his 1972 Gran Torino. He grabs his old M1 and investigates, finding a young teenaged Hmong boy. He trips, the boy escapes, and he spends the next day trying to repair the broken entrance.

That night, some Hmong gangbangers stop by the house to recruit their young cousin, Thao (Vang). Thao's sister, Sue (Her) interferes, and the resulting conflict spreads to Kowalski's yard, bringing out Kowalski and his gun, as well as the soon-to-be famous utterance, "Get off my lawn!"

The gang backs off, Kowalski finds out Thao is the one who tried to steal his car, and tries for the next couple days to keep the Hmong neighbors from coming to his house to thank him for protecting them.

He finds himself in this role again, as Sue is threatened by some street toughs who find her in the "wrong" neighborhood. He faces down the hoodlums with a pistol, ordering Sue into his pickup. On the drive home, he unintendedly learns a few things about her culture and softens up.

Thinking his involvement with them over, he is continually annoyed as they keep coming back to invite him to a big family dinner, to make Thao repay through the labor the wrong done to Kowalski's garage, to thank him for turning Thao around into a responsible young man, etc. As they keep coming back, one can see the crusty veneer slowly falling away, and Kowalski, still referring to them as "zipperheads" and "swamp rats", develops a fondness for them that he apparently never had with his own family. He realizes how estranged he really has been when he tried to call his son for some small talk and receives a hurried and disinterested response.

The Hmong gang, however, isn't finished. After a sudden drive-by shooting, Sue is no where to be found. She is dropped off much later, beaten and raped severely. Kowalski has to keep Thao calm despite his own anger brimming over.

Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), who has been stopping in at random times, has become increasingly aware of Kowalski's behavior, and knows exactly what he's capable of. He also knows Kowalski can't be talked out of taking action. When Kowalski stops by the church the next day for confession (which he'd never done in his life), Father Janovich realizes the gravity of the situation in its fullest.

I'm going to stop the synopsis there. The movie is very intense. The characters don't give away too much of the plot in the first half hour (formulaic movies often do it within the first ten minutes), and what they don't tell you, the visuals do (i.e. Kowalski worked at a Ford factory until retirement. He is visibly perturbed as he watches his son driving away from the funeral in a Kia).

We are somewhat desensitized by the racist remarks, particularily because we can't keep up with them. Almost every other word that comes out of Kowalski's mouth is offensive. This turns out to be a verbal trap, because once we've made up our minds that he hates everyone and is generally just a bigot, we see his interaction with his barber, laced with Italian and Polish jokes going back and forth. This from two guys who like eachother.

Her's acting is at first a little forced. When she's teasing Kowalski about his ignorance and mispronunciation of Hmong, it wasn't very convincing. The way she explained her culture sounded a little too much like an educational kid's show. It does get better, however, as the drama and violence ensue.

Vang's performance is surprisingly effective, for its low-key nature. He comes off as a typical teenager with low self-esteem and no direction. As Kowalski works Thao, he actually takes him under his wing, becoming something of a reluctant parent to the kid.

Eastwood reprises his gruff "I don't like anyone" type of character and plays it as though it were his last role (in fact, he's said this is his last acting role in a movie). His constant grimace and annoyed guttural grunts are convincing as he faces Father Janovich, his nosy Hmong neighbors, and a family who finds him more of a massive headache than a family member.

There's also the immense sadness in his character, as well. His memory of Korea continues to haunt him. He never had a close relationship with his kids, and when he finally began trying, it was simply too late. His closer relationship with his Hmong neighbors further serves to remind him of his "former" life both in war and in family (even though the Hmong are Chinese).

The movie, despite its drama, is peppered with humor as Kowalski, having trouble remembering Asian names, makes simple substitutes (Toad=Thao, YumYum=Youa).

I expected the ending, but it was no less heart-stopping. It only lasts a couple minutes, but it feels like forever. It takes something of a Martyr-ish turn, but man, what a movie! Well-done, Clint Eastwood.

Rating: 5/5 Bonedaddies.

The Title Doesn't Do the Film Justice

2009-06-25T06:36:00.006-05:00

A Boy and His Dog (1975)
Director- L.Q. Jones
Starring- Don Johnson, Susanne Benton, Tim McIntire

Vic (Johnson) and his dog Blood (voiced by McIntire) roam the postapocalyptic countryside on the lookout for food. Vic somehow has the power to communicate with Blood via telepathy, and any novelty he may have felt in the beginning has appeared to have worn off, as the two constantly bicker during their journey. Despite the gnawing hunger, as well as Vic's "man needs", the pair stick together through good and bad.

Along the way, they rescue a girl who had been kidnapped and intended to use as a sex slave. Finding himself in love, Vic follows her deep into the earth, where an underground community dwells in perfect old-fashioned civility. Vic is recruited to help repopulate, but is disappointed to find out it's not nearly as fun as it originally sounded.

"What the fuck?!" ran through my head throughout this whole movie, but I have to admit, I loved it! There was very little attempt to explain why Vic had the telepathic power to hear Blood's thoughts, which is fine because it's annoying when movies try to conveniently explain every little aspect of a character that isn't immediately understood. I also loved Vic's far-from-gentlemanly attitude toward women--even the protagonist can be starved for sex, apparently.
What really brings the strange element home for this movie is the ending, which I won't give away, except to say I was very amused by the little turn of events.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

Oddly Not So Boring For the Thin Plot

2009-06-24T01:44:00.003-05:00

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Director- Monty Hellman
Starring- James Taylor, Warren Oates, Dennis Wilson

A couple drifting gearheads driving a '55 Chevy get themselves into a cross-country race with "pink slips" on the line against a GTO driver (Oates) who likes fibbing about his life to hitchhikers he picks up along the way. Speaking of hitchhikers, the duo find themselves with a female stowaway/possible love interest who looks like a minor.

The film does little to explain itself; rather than give the two gearheads names, they are simply listed as Driver (Taylor) and Mechanic (Wilson). The plot is as mentioned above, but the whole "pink slip" thing is kind of forgotten early on, and we're made to feel more like we're watching a simple anti-climactic road trip--especially when we see it all peter out at the end.

Ironically, that's what makes this movie good. There aren't a bunch of short attention-span cutaways and action shots, and at times it feels like we're sitting in the car along with the characters. The acting is a teeny bit flat, but again, given the fairly unexciting nature of the race, that style seems to fit right into it.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

Not So Fabulous Lifestyles...

2009-06-23T06:32:00.004-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains (1981)
Director- Lou Adler
Starring- Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Laura Dern

Corinne Burns (Lane), an orphaned, angst-ridden teen living in a washed-up town forms a band with two of her cousins and strikes a chord with other disillusioned youth. Soon the band finds themselves headlining with the Looters, and Burns sees all the good and bad sides to touring.
Her fans imitate her, seeing in her that part of them that wanted to scream out all their lives and thinking themselves unique, when the Looters' frontman Billy (Winstone) gives them--and Corinne--a rude awakening.

It was cool to see some vastly different personalities in these bands. Billy and Corinne are both brooding and insecure, trying to give the audiences something different while keeping their integrity somewhat intact. Corinne's cousins act and feel as if they're simply along for the ride--which they are. They can barely play any instruments, have little money, and soon miss their home lives as the road becomes longer.

There are also some interesting personalities in the Metal Corpses, essentially a has-been band trying to keep itself alive with a strange frontman who managed to so far stave off STD's and a drugged addled guitarist who probably never knew where he was.

All roles were played very well, very convincingly. The advice from the "has-beens" goes unheeded, and ironically makes sense. It's a good depiction of band relations/tensions, broken families, and also kids coming to the realization that for all the bad in their lives, they are in fact still kids.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

Nachooooooo!

2009-06-23T06:08:00.004-05:00

Nacho Libre (2006)
Director- Jared Hess
Starring- Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Hector Jimenez

Brother Ignacio (Black), an orphan-turned-monastery cook has big dreams of becoming a luchador. Unfortunately, the order considers it sinful, so Ignacio hides his identity and becomes Nacho. He and his partner, Esquelito (Jimenez) jump into the Mexican wrestling world, trying to win money to improve the food at the monastery, as well as the respect of the orphans living there and the love of Sister Encarnacion (Reguera).

For the most part, this isn't a bad movie. It has a lot of great elements to it--the most obvious being that it's about lucha libre! It also has good supporting cast. Reguera is subdued, but never overdramatizes the piety of her character. Jimenez is a personal favorite. His sidekick performance is so dedicated it reminds me of the caddy from Happy Gilmore, or Cornfed from Duckman.

Unfortunately, it has Jack Black. This is not an attack on his acting--he is actually quite capable of pulling off convincing and funny roles. It's just that after 10 minutes of Jack doing his routine, I had enough. I might not be sick of it, except that he does it in every movie he's ever starred in--the wild gesticulating while singing, the mouthed solos, it just doesn't do much for me. It worked better in movies like High Fidelity, School of Rock, and Pick of Destiny. Again, the performance that really stood out as funny was that done by Jimenez.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

A Campbell Masterpiece!

2009-05-12T20:43:00.005-05:00

My Name Is Bruce (2007)

Director- Bruce Campbell

Starring- Bruce Campbell, Grace Thorson, Taylor Sharpe

Bruce Campbell stars as himself in what seems like a spoof of his own career. A Chinese demon is unleashed in Oregon, and an obsessive Bruce Campbell fan, Jeff (Sharpe), tracks and kidnaps the "down and out" actor to help destroy it. Campbell, thinking this is just a ruse put on by his snaky agent (Ted Raimi of all people), plays along. When he realizes it's very real, he bolts and runs back to his trailer.

Jeff contacts Campbell once more to inform him that he's taking on the demon himself, so Bruce finally jumps into action and helps put the demon away...for now.

This movie was funny on every level. There were tons of inside jokes, jokes even fans might not understand at first, various Campbell movies made fun of, one even completely made up! Bruce and Ted Raimi played off eachother perfectly--hell Bruce played off everyone perfectly! He even had actors from the Evil Dead movies come in for roles in this one.

The lines delivered were excellent, the acting was escellent, all in all this movie was a great idea brilliantly executed.

Rating: 5/5 Bonedaddies.

Witches & Ballet? Warning: A Couple Spoilers...

2009-05-12T20:25:00.004-05:00

Suspiria (1977)
Director- Dario Argento
Starring- Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

American ballet dancer Suzy Bannion (Harper) travels to Germany to attend a presitgious dance academy only to find mystery and danger surrounding the building. Murders continue to occur after her arrival, and Suzy, terrified, must find out what is behind it all. What she uncovers is a deep historical involvement between the academy and witchcraft, and she must figure out a way to destroy it before she becomes the next victim.

Like the description? It's slightly more interesting to read than to watch the movie itself. The pace of the movie tries to move along evenly, but too many scenes drag on endlessly before switching to an interesting part. The murder scenes were pretty interesting, and creatively done at times, like the barbwire room.

The ending played out okay, but the idea that the original witch was still alive but invisible (through a spell I think) was a bit too silly for me. And for some reason I expected a lesbian love scene, though there were no indicators. I know I have no right to be disappointed, but I do.

Rating: 3/5 Bonedaddies.

Can't Pull Your Eyes Away

2009-04-16T06:54:00.005-05:00

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Director- John McNaughton
Starring- Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles

Ex-stripper Becky (Arnold) shacks up with her brother Otis (Towles) to escape a bad home situation and ends up meeting his roommate, Henry (Rooker). They hit it off, but there's tension with Otis in the home. Otis makes some innappropriate advances toward his own sister, and Henry is quick to defend her. In an effort to make up and blow off some steam, The two get a couple hookers. Otis witnesses Henry choke one of them to death, then break the other's neck, and is horrified.

As he learns more about Henry, however, Otis becomes curious himself about what it feels like and is recruited into serial killer training. They use their sadistic hobby to obtain some nicer things for themselves like a television and video camera. Unfortunately for Henry, tensions flare up again when Otis starts becoming sexually obsessed with his victims. Things come to a head as Henry catches Otis attempting to rape his own sister, and knows he must get her out of there, even if he still sees her as a potential victim.

This movie was incredible to watch, and VERY well-written. Henry doesn't give much of himself away through words, but shows a lot through actions and reactions. When the three are dancing around for their new video camera, Henry is instructed by Otis to watch Becky dance. This brings on some bad memories of his mother, and Henry quietly pleads for Otis to stop, and seems on the verge of tears. This particular scene is so out of regular character for Henry, which makes it all the more disturbing, since it lays bare one of the troubled corners of his mind.

It's interesting to note some sympathy with Henry throughout th movie, while at the same time, he is a sick serial killer. He becomes both the villian and the hero, and then the villian again, as the movie progresses. The ending is great. For such a simple ending, I didn't really see it coming. Who knew he'd "take one for the road"?

Rating: 5/5 Bonedaddies.

The Title Says it All...

2009-04-16T06:25:00.004-05:00

The Screaming Skull (1958)
Director- Alex Nicol
Starring- John Hudson, Peggy Weber, Alex Nicol

Eric Whitlock (Hudson) brings his new wife Jenni (Weber) to a large house he once shared with his late wife, Marian. As the couple tries to settle in, Jenni begins to see and hear a skull in different places, and her history of mental illness is blamed.
The gardner, Mickey (Nicol), tended to the grounds since Marian was alive. He was very close to her and took her death hard, leading some to think he may have been behind it. Unfortunately, the horrific story goes far deeper than someone using a skull to scare someone else.

I loved that this movie started right out with 'Dance of the Dead' music accompanying. The plot twist was a little predictable, but still pretty entertaining, and the acting wasn't too bad all around. I thought the gardner was pretty clever for comeing off as slightly mentally handicapped.

Rating: 3/5 Bonedaddies.

Manster? Really? MANSTER!?

2009-04-07T18:49:00.005-05:00

Manster (1959)
Director- George P. Breakston, Kenneth G. Crane
Starring- Peter Dyneley, Tetsu Nakamura, Terri Zimmern

Reporter Larry Stanford (Dyneley) spends time in Japan and meets up with Dr. Suzuki (Nakamura) who conducts strange esperiments. While there, he is drugged and injected with a serum that is meant to turn him into a monster. Unaware of what the doctor has done, he befriends the doctor and soon turns his back on his wife at home for the doctor's more lascivious lifestyle.

As the days pass, Stanford spends more and more time with Dr. Suzuki's assistant, Tara (Zimmern). As others notice his dramatic shift in personality, Stanford notices an increasing irritation in his shoulder. He gets a tad worried when he discovers an eye on his shoulder, which evolves into a face, then a head. Stanford loses his mind and becomes a monster, going on a murder spree.

The effects are okay for the late 1950's, but what annoys me is the whole good vs. evil concept and the "moral" being that there are things we may not be meant to understand, so we shouldn't mess with them. And whose idea was it to call the movie Manster? It sounds like his mom named him.

One really cool thing about this movie is seeing where Raimi got his inspiration for the Good Ash/Evil Ash scene in Army of Darkness. The eye-in-my-shoulder! concept was immediately recognized.

Rating: 3/5 Bonedaddies.

All That's Missing is a Psychadelic Van and a Great Dane...

2009-04-07T18:27:00.004-05:00

I Eat Your Skin (1964)

Director- Del Tenney

Starring- William Joyce, Walter Coy, Robert Stanton

Famous author Tom Harris (Joyce) journeys to "Voodoo Island" with his agent to research his next book. There he finds a beautiful young lady enjoying the tropical life and her father, who once was trying to find a cure for cancer but now is forced by the leader of the island to turn men into fearless, mindless zombies to be used as pawns for world domination--and Haitian-style voodoo rituals. Love the voodoo leader's wtich doctor style, by the way.

The effects are cheap, but still very creepy and effective--especially those freaky big fake eyes on the zombies! The acting is stiff, but the scenery of the island is beautiful to look at (even in black and white). Also, the story runs along at a pretty even pace, for a B flick. There is no eating of skin, however, so the title is misleading. It would have been better if they had left the "Zombie" title on, or maybe named it "Voodoo Island" or "Zombie Ruler" or something.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

"Head" Case

2009-04-07T17:42:00.003-05:00

The Head (1959)

Director- Victor Trivas

Starring- Horst Frank, Karin Kernke, Michel Simon

Doctor Abel (Simon) discovers a serum to keep the head alive after the body dies, but finds he needs a heart transplant before being able to put it to use. His mad assistant, Dr. Ood (Frank) decapitates him when he learns the transplant isn't taking and reanimates the doctor's head in hopes that he can obtain the formula for the serum. He then lures a beautiful exotic dancer away from her unhappy life, kills her, and uses her body as Frankensteinien replacement for a hunchbacked woman who had been seeing Dr. Abel when he was alive.

Dr. Ood, infatuated with the woman, tries to rape her after being confronted with what he had done, is tracked by police, and jumps out a window.

The sets were designed by Herman Warm (who did the sets for Dr. Caligari), which explains the dark and forboding atmosphere of the movie (even in the doctor's office). The effort put into the story far surpasses the acting ability, but overall the movie wasn't half bad.

The "Serum Z" concept was pretty silly. It's understandable to want to make head reanimation explainable, but honestly Shelly explained it better in a 19th Century Victorian novel. They may have done better to keep with the "Frankenstein" concept.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedadies.

Feed Me, Seymour!

2009-04-05T16:19:00.004-05:00

Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

Director- Roger Corman

Starring- Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles

Seymour Krelboin (Haze) is a florist who mistakenly breeds a plant that is so hungry it demands human meat. It's hard enough to get his life together and try to date Audrey (Joseph), he now has to find human victims for his plant.

The humor is a little risque for its time, but all in all, a good movie. The real standout is Jack Nicholson, who makes his film debut as a sadomasochistic dental patient that Seymour is forced to extract teeth from (after being mistaken for the dentist he killed). Nicholson could easily have gone into comedy back then, as his character is hilarious and well-acted.

The ending was pretty predictable, but still good, even if the movie itself is largely just silly.

Rating: 3/5 Bonedaddies.

See You On the Other Side?

2009-04-05T15:41:00.004-05:00

Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)

Director- Goran Dukic

Starring- Patrick Fugit, Shannyn Sossamon, Shea Whigham

Suicide afterlife resident Zia (Fugit) tires of the routine world he "lives" in, and after realizing his girlfriend, Desiree (Leslie Bibb), has arrived into his world, he goes out in search of her in hopes of reuniting in true love. He recruits companion Eugene (Whigham) to come along, and picks up disgruntled afterlifer Mikal (Sossamon), who believes her presence there is a mistake and wants to speak with the "People In Charge".

On their way, they meet a few different types of suicides, and find themselves part of a community run by a mysterious miracle worker named Kneller (Tom Waits). Zia learns that Desiree has fallen in with King (Will Arnett), a cult leader who is promising a huge miracle for his followers, and decides to go to see her. Kneller accompanies him, as his dog is also in King's company, and Kneller wants him back.

I'm going to stop it right about there, because the story keeps taking odd turns, and it's worth more to watch than to hear about. The plot moves along smoothly, and there are several things to try to observe along the way, like all the broken down/discarded objects on the side of the road during their road trip, a gas station that keeps losing their hose to absent-minded drive-offs, as well as the mysterious black hole on the floor of the passenger seat in Eugene's car.

Tom Waits' Kneller is another scene-stealer. His character is charismatic and fun to watch as he tells his stories in classic Waits style. I'm not sure what the Kneller in the written story is like (the movie is based on "Kneller's Happy Campers by Etgar Keret), but now I won't be able to imagine it without Waits' influence. I also love Kneller's rogue ways and his reluctance to follow conventional rules, even after his "cover" has been blown.

The meeting of Zia and Mikal is typical of destined lovers in a love story, but there are so many odd bits and twists in this movie, that one doesn't really notice a love story developing. We're more distracted by the passenger seat-black hole, the different suicide types, the little miracles, the physical inability to smile, etc.

Overall, an excellent movie that I would definitely love to watch again not for the love story, but for the observation of suicide afterlife culture, as well as Kneller's rule-bending.

Rating: 4/5 Bonedaddies.

That Lighthouse Needs Fixing...

2009-03-30T22:04:00.003-05:00

Tormented (1960)
Director- Bert I. Gordon
Starring- Richard Carlson, Susan Gordon, Juli Reding

Tom (Carlson) is all set to get married. Trouble is, he has to ditch his mistress, Vi (Reding). Vi isn't too thrilled with being cut loose, and attempts to blackmail him. She underestimates his desperation to maintain secrecy, however, and gets herself dropped from a lighthouse.

Tom, thinking he's free, goes on with his new life, but is soon disturbed by visions of body parts showing up in various places. He soon sees Vi's head in his living room and pleads with her to leave him alone. In the meantime, an old associate of Vi's stops in town looking for her. He finds out about her relationship with Tom and tries his own hand at blackmail, which gets him killed as well.

The effects aren't bad for a 1960 movie, the acting is alright, and there are a few suspenseful moments, even if the build-up to the ending was a bit predictable. It was a good ghost story, though, and kept up pace well so as not to bore too easily.

Rating: 3.5/5 Bonedaddies.

What Am I Watching?

Repossessed! *spoiler alert*

Hero in Lunatic Fringe

Depths of Obsession

Another Day, Another Time Hole, Another Fantastic Thing

Midnight Spaghetti (Spoiler Alert)

Zombies, Chicks, Luchadors, and Dr. Satan--Oh My!

A Hard Case To Defend

Have a Slice...

Zombie Squad!

Survival of the...Jerks

Get Off My Lawn...

The Title Doesn't Do the Film Justice

Oddly Not So Boring For the Thin Plot

Not So Fabulous Lifestyles...

Nachooooooo!

A Campbell Masterpiece!

Witches & Ballet? Warning: A Couple Spoilers...

Can't Pull Your Eyes Away

The Title Says it All...

Manster? Really? MANSTER!?

All That's Missing is a Psychadelic Van and a Great Dane...

"Head" Case

Feed Me, Seymour!

See You On the Other Side?

That Lighthouse Needs Fixing...

Repossessed! spoiler alert