Monday, June 27, 2016

June Quick Picks and Pans




The King of Comedy (1983) Martin Scorsese’s ahead-of-its-time satire about the dark side of fame didn’t make much of a splash when it premiered, but now it seems more relevant than ever. Scorsese regular Robert De Niro stars as Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring 30-something comedian who lives with his mother in a brownstone, and dreams of making it big. He longs to be a guest on a late night talk show, hosted by his idol Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis, in a surprisingly restrained performance), but can’t convince anyone associated with the show to give him a chance. When he fails to get Langford to notice him, Pupkin, along with his equally obsessive accomplice (Sandra Bernhard), kidnaps the beleaguered talk show host. 



De Niro makes you squirm as the socially tone-deaf Pupkin (in a running joke people keep getting his name wrong), who’s completely oblivious to the signals everyone sends off around him. He lives in an elaborate fantasy world where he’s a nationally renowned comedian and Langford begs him to take over hosting duties. It’s almost impossible not to cringe at Pupkin’s repeated attempts to match his delusional self-image with reality. Nearly 35 years after its initial release, The King of Comedy has much to say about the fickle, ephemeral nature of fame and the cult of personality. Why did it take me so long to see this?



Rating: ****. Available on Blu-ray and DVD





Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985) The third entry in the 36th Chamber series suffers from the law of diminishing returns (the first film is a genre classic), but it’s worth seeing, thanks to impressive fight choreography, elaborate set pieces and a rich color palette. Similar to its predecessor, Return to the 36th Chamber, the film leans more toward humor. Gordon Liu reprises his role as Shaolin monk San Te, but he’s not in it nearly enough. Instead, the focus is on mischievous young upstart Fong Sai-Yuk (Hou Hsiao), who defies a local magistrate and creates grief for the Shaolin master. Compared to Liu in the first two films, Hsiao’s character isn’t very likeable, appearing more obnoxious than charismatic. Also, Fong Sai-Yuk doesn’t experience much growth as a fighter (his ordeals are glossed over) or as an individual. The film is redeemed, however, by a terrific climactic scene, with Shaolin monks vs. Manchu thugs.



Rating: ***½. Available on DVD, Hulu and Netflix





We Are Still Here (2015) This creepy tale from writer/director Ted Geoghegan features a middle-aged couple, Anne and Paul Sacchetti (Barbara Crampton and Andrew Sensenig), grieving over the death of their grown son. They move to an old house in a small town, and invite their hippie friends (Lisa Marie and Larry Fessenden) over for company. An impromptu séance (never a good idea in this sort of movie) summons the otherworldly residents of the house. We Are Still Here is notable for a modern horror film, mainly because of its older protagonists; a nice change of pace from the usual 20-somethings that dominate recent genre efforts. Geoghegan also maintains a nice ‘70s vibe, and there are a few good scares. It’s too bad the film falls into some of the usual clichés (Why do the main characters stick around when things get bad?), and it shows rather than suggests a few too many times, but  you could do much worse playing Netflix roulette on a Saturday night.



Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Netflix Streaming



                               

The Champions of Justice (aka: Los Campeones Justicieros) (1971) Blue Demon and his luchador pals form a super group of luchadores to square off against a mad scientist and his super-powerful little people army (their uniforms are tastefully emblazoned with an “M” for midget). The twisted doctor kidnaps the contestants of a beauty pageant, and freezes them for his nefarious plans. Why? Don’t ask me why, but it’s up to the wrestlers to get them back. Each successive scene (accompanied by a repetitive jazz score) is simply an excuse for the wrestlers to whoop ass. Will good prevail over evil? If you’ve seen any of these flicks, you already know the answer. One of the joys of this film is its conceit that our heroes keep their masks on at all times, which is why the sight of a luchador in pajamas fills me with glee. If you’re looking for a tightly engineered plot or scientific plausibility, you’ve come to the wrong place. On the other hand, if you just want to watch a bunch of sweaty wrestlers with colorful masks and imaginative names pummel a bunch of bad guys, then you’ve struck pay dirt.



Rating: ***. Available on DVD

Monday, June 20, 2016

The Nature’s Fury Blogathon – Day 3 Recap




We’ve come to the end of the line for this ‘ol blogathon folks, but not before we’ve been attacked by all varieties of creatures great and small, and felt the angry, unforgiving wrath of Mother Nature at her most petulant.



It’s been a great honor to host the Nature’s Fury Blogathon, and get the chance to read so many terrific articles by a bunch of amazingly talented people. I can’t thank everyone enough for taking the time from their busy schedules to make this happen. Hopefully, it won’t be another two years before I muster up the initiative to host another such event, but until that nebulous day, let’s take a look at the last (but certainly not least) batch of posts…



And while you’re at it, be sure to visit the Day 1 and Day 2 Recaps!

                                                                                                                                            



Animal Attacks:


Kerry from Prowler Needs a Jump tells us what happens when an elephant and some angry ants walk into a bar (not really) in her comparison of Elephant Walk (1954) and The Naked Jungle (1954)

Dan Lashley (with special guest) of Wide Weird World of Cult Films grins and bears Grizzly (1976)

Sarah Jane (look her up on Letterboxd.com) sinks her fangs into the aptly named killer snake film, Sssssss (1973)                 
http://letterboxd.com/fookthis/film/sssssss/1/



Chad Denton from Trash Culture pecks away at Birds of Prey (aka: Beaks: The Movie) (1987)

 Aurora from Citizen Screen reviews the greatest giant bug movie ever made (that’s a compliment), Them! (1954)
https://aurorasginjoint.com/2016/06/21/them-1954/ 

I Fought Nature, and Nature Won:


Debra Vega from Moon in Gemini takes a stand regarding Stephen Kings’s The Stand (1994)

Amanda by Night from Made for TV Mayhem takes a look at the forgotten TV movie Ants (aka: It Happened at Lakewood Manor) (1977)

Emma Wallace from Emma K. Wall Explains it All spends some quality time on a ski lift in Frozen (2010) (Nope, not the Disney one!)

Kristina from Speakeasy gets out her umbrella for The Rains Came (1939)

Crystal from In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood shows how Bogie, Bacall and Robinson upstage a hurricane in Key Largo (1948)
https://crystalkalyana.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/key-largo-1948/



Wendell Ottley from Dell on Movies feels the freeze with The Ice Harvest (2005)

Robin Pruter from Pop Culture Reverie examines the drama and devastation of San Francisco (1936)
https://popculturereverie.wordpress.com/2016/06/20/san-francisco-review-by-robin-franson-pruter/ 



Beth from Mildred’s Fatburgers reminds us Tom Joad will be there, in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
http://www.mildredsfatburgers.com/the-blog/natures-fury-dust-is-nothing-to-sneeze-at  



Thomas Lalli Foster chills out with Robert Altman’s Quintet (1979)