Cess Pool Cinema:
Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior (2001) Dir. Joshua Sinclair - US
The Banal, the Blah, the Banausic:
Husk (2011) Dir. Brett Simmons - US
Vegas In Space (1991) Dir. Phillip K. Ford - US
Frenemy (2009) Dir. Gregory Dark - US
Ticked Off Trannies With Knives (2010) Dir. Israel Luna - US
Dead Silence (2007) Dir. James Wan
Spinning Into Butter (2008) Dir. Mark Brokaw - US
Fear In The Night (1947) Dir. Maxwell Shane - US
Theatrical Screenings:
Source Code (2011) Dir. Duncan Jones - US 10/10
Hanna (2011) Dir. Joe Wright - US 10/10
Troll Hunter (2010) Dir. Andre Orvedal - Norway 6/10
Rewatched:
Cat People (1942) Dir. Jacques Tourneur - US
Bringing Up Baby (1938) Dir. Howard Hawks - US
Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior (2001) - The only reason I watched this tripe was due to the rare film presence of Grace Jones. She looks great and is, of course, underutilized. But no matter, as this piece of shit David Hasselhoff television headliner is as dull as anyone could possibly imagine. Poor Karen Allen has to play love interested to Hasselhoff...and, yeah, for anyone familiar with Shaka Zulu, this may sound like a campy, fun kinda film...but it's not. Sadly, it was expiring on Netflix instant this week, forcing me to sit down and watch. It is not available on disc on Netflix. Lucky you.
Husk (2011) - What starts off as an interesting horror film with high production value devolves rather quickly into forgettable land. Corn is creepy. This film is not. A group of young-ish whocaresabouts hot a group of crows and run into the ditch. They all pass out, and when they awaken, it looks like a member of their crew ran into the corn. Ah! What horrors await! If you like cheesy B-flicks, you might like this better than I did.
Vegas In Space (1991): This really could be a cess pool film. A group of notable San Franciso drag queens took eight years to piece together this mess about a group of space soldiers that change sex to take on a mission in Vegas in space where only women are allowed. It's pretty hard to sit through. Oh, drag queens.
Frenemy (2009): The DVD cover features Zach Galifianakis front and center---but this pre-Hangover flick is really a bizarre vehicle for Matthew Modine (who produced) directed by a porn director/producer. The original title was Little Fish, Strange Pond...and that was more fitting. I don't even need to go into what it's supposed to be about, it's just not that well put together.
Ticked Off Trannies With Knives (2010): Slightly amusing, at best, this grindhouse ripoff takes some blatant accents from Tarantino's Death Proof (2006), but what's worse is that it's just too damn low budget and creaky for me to keep an interest. GLAAD certainly made a mistake poo-pooing its entry into Tribeca 2010, as this brought more attention and controversy to the title than was deserved.
Dead Silence (2007): I loved Insidious (2011), the latest film from Saw (2004) helmer James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell. So much so, I had to go get a copy of their followup to megahit Saw, the ventriloquist misfire, Dead Silence. Well, it's pretty bad, boring, and formulaic. I am happy this team took some to recalibrate for the awesomeness that is Insidious, but Dead Silence has little to offer beyond the director's obvious fascination with strange, creepy dolls.
Spinning Into Butter (2008): Yeah, what a doozy of a title. Based on a book and play that starred Hope Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker takes the lead as the Dean of Students at a Vermont school where a black student has been subject to some pretty nasty racial slurs and hateful threats. The film attempts to exam how we deal with racism in today's politically correct culture, and also examines the internalized racism many a white person seems to harbor. The film is utter crap--the production value is weak, the dialogue a little stagey, and the action a little bland. Seasoned cast members do their best (I love you, Miranda Richardson) and SJP gives it her all, and she does alright, though her scenes with an African American reporter played by Mykelti Williamson come off as a little too desperate for catharsis (turns out Williamson's character is not part of the original play....hmmmmm). I was intrigued by SJP's monologue about why she left her position at a mostly black school. It felt honest, refreshing, and sadly, reflects the internal thoughts that a lot of people would be afraid to admit. It's just too bad this couldn't be voiced in a better production. Is "Whipping Into Cream" a better title? I hear Devo over the opening credits already.
Fear In The Night (1947): I love me some old film noir---even B noir. But this one is pretty creaky. Directed by Maxwell Shane (I have also seen his The Glass Wall, 1953, with my gal Gloria Grahame, also a little hokey) this one grinds along to a predictable end. A doofy man wakes up (DeFrest Kelly, from "Star Trek" in one of his first roles) and recalls that he dreamt he violently killed a man. There's blood on his hands and other tell tale signs that it may have happened. His brother in law is a copper, and it turns out that doofus did kill someone...I'll bet you can never guess how he did kill someone in his sleep. Lordy, what a turkey.
Source Code (2011): You know, I wasn't going to see this film, mostly because I felt the preview was a little poor and the two leads kind of bore me (yeah, Jake and Michelle). But after hearing Duncan Jones in an interview on XM queer radio, along with Vera Farmiga, I decided I should drag my ass out to see it (plus I did like Jones' first flick, Moon, 2009). Well, I was impressed---it's a pretty tight little sci-fi flick, and I have lots I want to say about the ending, but I don't really want to write any spoilers here. BTW, Farmiga has the best role in the film.
Hanna (2011): I love the Chemical Bros---and this is by far the best film thus far of Joe Wright's career---there are two beautiful action sequences in this film that blew my away. I know it's been criticized for a thin plot, but I don't care. I loved it---the music, most of the acting (sorry Eric Banana) and yeah, the music. See it in the theater. Adapt or Die. Oh, and I loved the opening and closing lines. She didn't miss mine (you'll get that if you watch it).
Troll Hunter (2010): One of three opening night films at the MSP/Saint Paul film fest, I had high expectations for the Norwegian oddity. And I was a little let down. The lost footage thing is just tired, and I have little patience for it. A group of college kids team up with a Troll Hunter that hunts various trolls in the Norwegian woods. And after the first troll encounter, it's pretty flat paced. The second half of the film is extremely grating. I'm sure it will gain a cult following, but it failed to impress me.
Cat People (1942): I love this little Simone Simon classic---Jacques Tourneur was truly brilliant at creating atmosphere with little or no special effects. A simple story about a woman cursed to turn into a large panther when she gets physical is a cinema classic. The remake is a fun turkey, too.
Bringing Up Baby (1938): I showed this Howard Hawks classic to some friends that had never seen it---I don't think there's a screwball comedy I love better than this. Katharine Hepburn hits every note and soars to fucking greatness in this. She's sexy, hilarious, goofy, and just plain lovely. If you've never seen this film, please, please, please, get a copy and watch it. Fucking great.
