(From my tumblr post!!)

This past Tuesday I went out to the movies, it’s been a while since I’ve been out to a movie on a week night! (Weird for me to say that right?!?!)

It was actually for a TERROR TUESDAY event, sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse, yup! At the screening we heard that, the L.A. Alamo is coming; “Sometime in the near future.”

 

 

The movie of the night was DRAG ME TO HELL! Directed by Sam Raimi! Because it was a RAIMI night I wore my DARKMAN shoes!!! Yes, I have DARKMAN SHOES!

DARKMAN SHOES, a gift from someone who knows me well!

I saw DRAG ME TO HELL when it first came out in theaters, I loved it and had a blast. If I ever find it on TV, I watch it.

It’s about a girl, Christine, who crosses a gypsy, get cursed and has 3 days of torture that may lead to a trip to Hell!

Should she go to hell???

Watching it again I jumped, closed my eyes and got the creepy feels. It’s classic Raimi who assaults you with sound and makes inanimate objects horrific! A floating lacy handkerchief was never more sinister.

At the screening there was a slew of guests; actor Dileep Rao, Producer Grant Curtis, Composer Christopher Young, and fellas from the sound department; Jussi Tegalman, Marti D. Humphrey, and Chris Jacobson then lastly Christian Cordella who worked on storyboards and the titles. (I hope I got all the name right, I was scribbling fast!)

Q&A Time!

All the fellas gushed about working with Sam Raimi, and shared how they created the sounds of hell for the big screen.

Watching it again I jumped, closed my eyes and got the creepy feels. It’s classic Raimi who assaults you with sound and makes inanimate objects horrific! A floating lacy handkerchief was never more sinister.

On the way out of the theater I was able to thank Dileep for coming out! Woot! He stayed through the whole movie!

I really do miss going to the movies, and this movie energized me, taking me to my happy place, mostly because it was a Sam Raimi movie! Yup!

Now, don’t upset gypsies, and just be nice! YUP!!

GREASE 2 is a great movie, I prefer GREASE 2 to GREASE and I’ll stand by that statement all my live long days!

What is it about GREASE 2 that I love? Well everything of course, as soon as it starts it just keeps on rolling. We’re going BACK TO SCHOOL at Rydell High! There’s familiar faces of the principal Miss McGee (Eve Arden) and her assistant Blanche (Dody Goodman) ready for a brand new year in the 60’s. Then our T-Birds come in on Motorcycles! What a gang of boys, lead by Nogerelli (Adrian Zmed) and then there’s Goose (Christopher McDonald), DiMucci (Peter Frechette) and Davey (Leif Green). Frenchy (Didi Conn) shows up and she welcomes the hunky new kinda square kid on the block (who happens to be Sandy’s cousin!) Michael Carrington (Maxuell Caulfield). Next up we get the PINK LADIES in their sporty pink jackets! We see the girls, Sharon (Maureen Teefy), Paulette (Lorna Luft) and Rhonda (Alison Price) who are all waiting on their leader Stephanie (Michelle Pfeiffer) oh and I can’t forget Pink Lady in waiting Dolores (Pamela Adlon). With everyone on the scene we just dive into school life, clique life that is Rydell High.

They’re Ready To Go PROWLIN’

The big story in GREASE 2 is Stephanie who’s a Pink Lady is no longer interested in Nogerelli having outgrown him over the summer. Nogerelli doesn’t want to let go, he’s got a rep to protect and a code to uphold. (Pink Ladies are T-Bird girls, at least until grad!) As Stephanie has come into her own dreaming of a C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R, Michael hopes he can fit the bill and win Stephanie’s heart. The songs and dances fit into all of that perfectly. (I have them all in my head playing on repeat as I ramble on here.)

Who’s That Guy?!? How Can I Get One?

GREASE 2 came out in 1982! I never got to see it in theaters back then but we (my family and I) saw it on video and cable! Any time we found it playing you can bet we would watch it again and again. We had the soundtrack on cassette and listened to it almost every time we drove some where far. I vividly remember singing along to every song with my sister. I took that cassette tape with me to college and listened to it as I would drive back and forth from L.A. to Nor Cal. The tape started to loose some juice, but it still delivered the musical goods.

GREASE 2 gets a lot of flack, but never from me! It hit a nerve in me as I know it has with others. When you find a kindred spirit that loves GREASE 2 as well, you know that’s a good friendship! It is a musical that keeps the tunes coming and every song and dance scene makes me happy. Yup, even “that” song.

I am happy that in recent years GREASE 2 has had some well deserved recognition not just as a cult classic but as a feminist movie. Yup, for reals!

Look at it, GREASE 2 empowers the women! It’s frank in it’s talk about sex! GREASE 2 was directed by a woman, Patricia Birch, and she did the choreography as well.

The first time I got to see GREASE 2 on a big screen was back in 2003! (I found my ticket stub to be sure!) 15 FREAKIN’ YEARS AGO! It was a midnight screening in June at The NUART theater in West L.A. with a shadow cast! Christopher McDonald was there, and I think Alison Price may have been there too, but Christopher for sure! My sister and my dad were with me at that screening. It was one of the best nights EVER! The shadow cast did an amazing job recreating the costumes and their C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R came down on a tricycle! My sister and I never thought that experience could be topped! But hey 15 years later, here I am gushing over GREASE 2 because a 35th ANNIVERSARY screening put on my fans just happened in Los Angeles!

Monday March 12th at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theater (by Laemmle) in Beverly Hills hosted a free fan screening with a big cast/crew Q&A for GREASE 2! (As soon as I heard about it I got tickets and made sure my sister could go with me.) We got there early and were second and third in line (almost first like Riff Randall) and totally a buzz with GREASE 2 geekiness. Talk about happy feelings just gushing over something you love with strangers because you’re all there for the same reason, GREASE 2! Even the few drops of rain while waiting outside didn’t dampen the mood.

The line grew, CHRISTOPHER MCDONALD showed up and greeted the line. The main guy behind organizing the event also came out to thank everyone and that was Brian Herzlinger (My Date With Drew, where he and Drew gushed over GREASE 2, Yup!).

 

GREASE 2 HERE WE COME!

 

Once inside the theater the soundtrack was blaring and people started singing along. My sister and I got seats in the second row, right in the middle!  As the theater filled and the place buzzed with good vibes more of the cast was around and hanging in front of the theater. My sister who had gone off for a moment came back with a picture of herself and Maxwell Caulfield and so it was my turn to take a try. Yup! I found Maxwell in the lobby and asked for a photo, he commented on my pink jacket and asked if I had seen the movie on a big screen. I told him about the shadow cast show and then he gave me a grab hug as I snapped our picture! AHHHHH!! C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R himself! Yeah, I’m giddy!

 

Maxwell Caulfield is COOL! C-O-O-L COOL!

Brian came on down to kick off the screening, he thanked everyone for coming and promised a fun Q&A after the show!

GREASE 2, in 35mm, hit the screen. My sister and I squealed and giggled and sang along. Everyone in the theater clapped, sang, said the lines. A few guys next to us were a glow every time Michael/Maxwell was on screen just as my sister and I were. 😉 Screening like this are what makes a movie go-er like me so happy. It’s sharing the happiness, the geekiness and thinking hey people can just get along when you find great things to share. (But I digress…)

PRESENTING GREASE 2!

The print was beautiful! Slouched in my seat and looking up at the screen from the second row the movie was as great as ever. On a big screen you can see more of the background, notice something new and just feel like you’re there in the halls of Rydell High.

When the movie was over Brian came back down to introduce the cast, Christopher McDonald was the first one down followed by Alison Price (Rhonda), then Maureen Teefy (Sharon) and Leif Green (Davey), Adrian Zmed (Nogerelli), the cheerleader twins Jean Sagal and Liz Sagal, Maxwell (Michael) and the director Patricia Birch. The stage was full!

GOOSE!

 

Reunited! GREASE 2

Brian was ready to ask some questions and first shared some facts; GREASE 2 came out in 1982 and there were only 3 movies directed by women that year, it was GREASE 2 (Patricia Birch) obviously, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (Amy Heckerling) and SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (Amy Holden Jones). Brian then gave a shout out to Lorna Luft who is currently dealing with medical issues. (Later during the talk Adrian said he had talked to Lorna’s husband and she could use all our good vibes and thoughts.)

35 Years Later!

As the Q&A went on Brian asked Patricia about directing and she shared her method, she was good at what she did and she came right out to tell her crew what she knew and what she didn’t so she could get the help she needed. The opening scene is one of her favorites, she loved her cast and let them improv. She is still amazed at how she pulled off the Luau scene with so many motorcycles going around and she loved the bowling alley song. Patricia shared that she had watched the movie 2 month ago to check out the sound and was energized by the warmth and emotional appeal of high school anxiety presented on film.

There was talk about how YES the film does embody female empowerment.

Chris McDonald says he forces his kids to watch the movie every Sunday (haha!) and how when he auditioned he was trying for the part of Nogerelli.

I learned that Alison Price is actually Patricia Birch’s daughter (learned something new!) and she shared that her mom gave her a cabbage with candles for her birthday on set instead of a cake!

Brian said he did get an email from Tab Hunter who is the awesome teacher Mr. Stuart in the film and Tab sent his well wishes and thanks to all who would attend the show that night.

Maureen was asked about the song DO IT FOR OUR COUNTRY and she said how she didn’t exactly think about what she was singing about back then. That Monday night it was the first time she ever saw GREASE 2 on a big screen as she was on a honeymoon when it first came out.

Remembering DO IT FOR OUR COUNTRY!

The twins Jean and Liz shared that they had been cast in the film separately but it was Patricia who decided to play up their twin angle.

Adrian really did put a real cigarette in his mouth, he said he practiced a lot up until the day it was filmed, but he didn’t actually swallow it. Adrian commented on how there’s just an innocence to the film of trying to be cool when you feel like you’re not cool.

Everyone would gush that it was one of the best times of their lives and they all thanked Patricia for the opportunity.

Maxwell said how he just fell in love with Michelle again seeing her on the big screen. He talked about his stuntman who was the lucky one riding through Griffith Park with Michelle and that he beat out a lot of other teen idols for the roll.

Leif shared a fun story about the idea of saying his character Davey could have been related to Rizzo and that’s how he was in the T-BIRDS and one day on set he got the cast to join in watching the dailies by dressing up as Rizzo.

Brian’s last question before going to the audience was asking Maxwell about what he whispers to Dolores at the end of the movie. Maxwell shared! It was a naughty little nursery rhyme! Then Leif chimed in saying how Pamela (Dolores) was the youngest on set and she cussed like a sailor!

Adrian said a lot of injuries, ankle twists and things happened on the bowling alley scene, Michelle had gotten a black eye and that’s why she wore sunglasses a lot through the film.

Patricia really loved her biker heaven, told Maxwell how he was gorgeous in that scene and that they filmed it in 3 days.

The PROWLIN’ song was filmed in 24 hours, they scrambled to get it shot when they decided they wanted the full song to be featured in the film and Patricia came up with the stage idea since they didn’t have enough time to recreate an old supermarket.

My little sister, Sara, took a moment in the Q&A to gush about her love of GREASE 2 and thanked all on stage.  As my sister said our lives are all better with GREASE 2 being a part of it.

GREASE 2 will finally be out on a Blu-Ray later in April as part of GREASE, GREASE 2 combo celebrating GREASE’s 40th anniversary.

All the cast agreed how the movie exudes a sense of warmth and Patricia said it was all thanks to the cast and they were the ones to bring out the humor in it all. As it all came to an end Brian thanked all for being there to celebrate the legacy of GREASE 2.

My sister and I hung around and managed to get some pictures with more of the cast, I talked to Christopher about the Nuart screening and he too said how much fun that had been. Having the chance to tell the cast what the movie meant and give a little thanks was so much fun, as cool as BIKER HEAVEN.

We Love You Alison!

 

We’ll never forget the NUART!

 

Thanks for the stories Leif!

 

Feeling as High as that high note!

 

Double Trouble Twins!

On a side note actor Keith Coogan was hanging around the theater and my sister and I got to chat with him some and so that was a nice and fun extra cherry on top! (Woot!!)

Keith and Sara! Yeah!  Surprise!

So yes I still love GREASE 2, if not more than ever! Thankfully no flying cars ended the night and my GREASE 2 high is still keeping me going and going! Yup!

Ok so it’s not about how many movies I watch, but that I get to watch movies! And I’m watching fun stuff that makes me happy! I’ll say it is about quality over quantity. Happy Fun movies to keep me sane through insane times, yup, yup, yup.

So here’s my round up of movies so far and ramblings about some of my favorite finds!

NEW MOVIES:

  1. SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968) | 1/2/18 | FilmStruck
    “Horror and Fatality have been stalking around in all ages, why then give a date to the story I have to tell? – Edgar Allan Poe
  2. FREEWHEELIN’ (1976) | 1/2/18 | Amazon 
  3. THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1945) | 1/3/18 | YouTube 
  4. OVER THE MOON (1939) | 1/6/18 | Filmstruck
  5. LOVE ON THE RUN (1979) | 1/6/18 | Filmstruck 
  6. BAY OF ANGELS (1963) | 1/7/18 | Filmstruck 
  7. SON OF MONTE CRISTO (1940) | 1/8/18 | DVD |
  8. MIKEY AND NICKY (1976) | 1/14/18 | Filmstruck 
  9. TOKYO DRIFTER (1966) | 1/14/18 | Filmstruck  
  10. MAN’S CASTLE (1933) | 1/14/18 | Filmstruck |
  11. SATURN 3 (1980) | 1/16/18 | Amazon 
  12. UNDERWORLD : BLOOD WARS (2016/2017) | 1/16/18 | STARZ App 
  13. THE FIRST POWER (1989) | 1/27/18 | STARZ App 
  14. SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE VOICE OF TERROR (1942) | 1/28/18 | Amazon 
  15. GEOSTORM (2017) | 1/31/18 | DVD 
  16. XxX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE (2017) | 2/4/18 | Amazon 
  17. CLOVERFIELD PARADOX (2018) | 2/4/18 | Netflix |
  18. ASSIGNMENT REDHEAD (1956) | 2/16/18 Amazon 
  19. THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016) | 2/17/18 | DVD 
  20. BLACK PANTHER (2018) | 2/18/18 | Edwards Alhambra 
  21. CHERRY FALLS (2000) | 2/18/18 | DVD 
  22. ST. MARTIN’S LANE (1938) | 2/23/18 | FilmStruck
  23. THE HAUNTED STRANGLER (1958) | 2/23/18 | FilmStruck 
  24. TIME TO DIE / Tiempo de Morir (1966) | 2/23/18 | DVD 
  25. DEVIL’S EXPRESS / GANG WAR (1976) | 2/27/18 | Amazon
  26. THE DEAD PIT (1989) | 2/28/18

My 6 Favorites So Far: (In no particular order)

  1. OVER THE MOON (1939) 
    Merle Oberon was raised by her miserly grandfather and though he’s long passed she’s lived a poor life serving her servants. Once it is revealed she’s an heiress worth 18 million she seeks out the life she reads about in romance novels. Her country doctor and true love is played by Rex Harrison, he of course thinks she won’t love him now that she has money. Good news, Merle does have a head on her shoulders and knows what she wants.

  2. BAY OF ANGELS (1963)
    A young man gets a taste for gambling and goes on a vacation to try his hand at gambling some more. He meets a gambling obsessed woman who he falls for, together they experience a life of money, spending and more gambling. Can they make it together or give up on gambling together?

  3. TOKYO DRIFTER (1966) 
    A yakuza enforcer has a chance to go straight when his boss declares they are going straight.The Drifter sings his song and dreams of a life just drifting along, until the other gangs get in the way to keep him fighting.


  4. THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE (2016)
    A woman’s body is found in a cellar! She’s taken to a father and son team who do the autopsy and soon they discover there is something very strange and wrong afoot. Really creepy, really good, just well done scares and twists.
  5. BLACK PANTHER (2018) 
    The movie we need right now, the hero we need right now. I LOVED IT SOOOO MUCH!!!!!
  6. TIME TO DIE / Tiempo de Morir (1966)
    A man returns to his hometown after an 18 year prison sentence for killing a man in self defense. The man was greatly missed, but is warned to leave and never return because the children of the man he killed want revenge. Written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it is great, yet sad, look at machismo and how the cycle for vengeance only brings pain and more death.

 

 

Still re-watching movies too!!!

RE-SEE MOVIES:

  1. KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2016) | 1/5/18 | HBO (w/ Celia and Dad)
  2. HIGHLANDER (1986) |  1/5/18 | HULU (w/ Celia)
  3. EVOLUTION (2001) | 1/15/18 | AMAZON
  4. JUMANJI (1995) | 1/15/18 | STARZ APP
  5. TAMPOPO (1985) | 2/6/18 | Filmstruck
  6. THE PERFECT WEAPON (1991) | 2/10/18 | HULU
  7. SUPERGIRL (1984) | 2/19/18 | DVD 
  8. BARBARELLA (1968) | 2/22/18 | AMAZON
  9. XANADU (1980) | 3/1/18 | DVD

Movies are a happy place and anyone reading this knows that about me. Yup!

So here’s my whole list all together of all the new movies and re-sees I watched any chance I got! I watched a lot of fun and happy movies!

Let’s Celebrate Movies!!!!!

I rated 33 movies a 5, which is my rating for an excellent movie, a movie I loved, a movie I’d recommend a bunch and hope to watch again and again. Of those 33, 10 movies were from 2017. I am not keeping up well with new releases like I used to, d’oh! 4 movies from 2016 got my 5 rating and all the rest among my big faves ranged from the years of the 1930’s to the late 1990’s. My guy Dave and I did a lot of movie renting of Blu-Rays and checking out DVDs from the library! Yup! Go Old School!

NEW MOVIES:

  1. RUTHLESS (1948) | 1/3/17 | DVD  (“Came in for a drink and found a memory.” – Buck Mansfield)
  2. WAR REQUIEM (1989) | 15/17 | DVD  
  3. COIN HEIST (2017) | 1/6/17 | Netflix  
  4. EAT THE RICH (1987) | 1/8/17 | DVD  
  5. BLACK EYE (1973/1974) | 1/10/17 | DVD  
  6. FORGOTTEN SILVER (1995) | 1/12/17 | DVD 
  7. SHE’S BACK ON BROADWAY (1953) | 1/13/17 | DVD 
  8. THE SHADOW OF THE CAT (1961) | 1/15/17 | Svengoolie/MeTV  
  9. TERMINAL ISLAND (1973) | 1/15/17 | TCM Underground/DV-R 
  10. ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (1964) | 1/18/17 | TCM/DV-R  
  11. CRY OF THE CITY (1948) | 1/19/17 | DVD 
  12. THE YAKUZA (1974) | 1/21/17 | New Beverly 
  13. MOONTIDE (1942) | 1/22/17 | DV-R / FXM Retro  
  14. THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966) | 1/22/17 | DVD  
  15. IGUANA (1988) | 1/23/17 | DVD 
  16. TERMINAL MAN (1973) | 1/23/17 | DV-R / TCM
  17. THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN (a.k.a. Snapshot or One Minute More) (1979) | 1/25/17 | DVD 
  18. THE PUSHER (1958) | 1/25/17 | DVD  
  19. DAY OF THE ANIMALS (1977) | 1/26/17 | Amazon Instant  
  20. HORNETS’ NEST (1970) | 1/27/17 | DVD  
  21. THE LAST RUN (1971) | 2/1/17 | DVD 
  22. THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) | 2/1/17 | FilmStruck 
  23. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (2017) | 2/9/17 | AMC Atlantic 
  24. SWISS ARMY MAN (2016) | 2/10/17 | Netflix 
  25. GRIZZLY (1976) | 2/12/17 | Amazon 
  26. THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944) | 2/18/17 | DVD  
  27. VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976) | 2/18/17 | DVD 
  28. WOOL 100% (2006) | 2/20/17 | DVD 
  29. GUMSHOE (1971) | 2/21/17 | DVD  
  30. LOOPHOLE (1981) | 2/21/17 | DVD 
  31. OUT OF THE DARK (1988) | 2/23/17 | DVD 
  32. GET OUT (2017) | 2/24/17 | AMC Monterey Park 
  33. DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962) | 2/24/17 | DVD 
  34. THE NESTING (1981) | 2/26/17 | DVD 
  35. CONTAMINATION (1980) | 2/28/17 | Blu-Ray  
  36. COUNTDOWN (1967) | 2/28/17 | DVD  
  37. SMART MONEY (1931) | 3/7/17 | DVD 
  38. MEN & CHICKEN (2015) | 3/10/17 | Blu-Ray 
  39. WAKE IN FRIGHT (1971) | 3/13/17 | Blu-Ray
  40. NIGHTMARE AT BITTER CREEK (1988) | 3/14/17 | Amazon Instant
  41. HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE (2016) | 3/17/17 | Stream
  42. MST3K: ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE (1987) | 3/19/17 | Netflix
  43. KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra  
  44. THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (2017) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra  
  45. THE BELKO EXPERIMENT (2016) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra 
  46. THE LAST SUPPER (1995) | 3/25/17 | DVD 
  47. BRANDED TO KILL (1967) | 3/27/17 | Blu-Ray 
  48. DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET (1974) | 3/28/17 | DVD 
  49. HEART OF MIDNIGHT (1988) | 4/5/17 | DVD 
  50. THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (1950) | 4/10/17 | DVD 
  51. GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) | 4/11/17 | DVD 
  52. MST3K: THE RETURN: REPTILICUS (1961) | 4/16/17 | Netflix 
  53. RiffTrax: SAMURAI COP (1991) | 4/18/17 | Edwards Alhambra 
  54. THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017) | 4/18/17 | Edwards Alhambra
  55. MST3K: THE RETURN: CRY WILDERNESS (1986) | 4/19/17 | Netflix
  56. MST3K: THE RETURN: TIME TRAVELERS (1964) | 4/24/17 | Netflix 
  57. MST3K: THE RETURN: AVALANCHE (1978) | 4/26/17 | Netflix 
  58. PATERSON (2016) | 4/30/17 | On Demand Rental 
  59. AFRAID TO DIE (1960) | 5/2/17 | DVD 
  60. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017) | 5/4/17 | Arclight Pasadena 
  61. MST3K: THE RETURN: BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956) | 5/5/17 | Netflix 
  62. MST3K: THE RETURN: STARCRASH (1978) | 5/7/17 | Netflix 
  63. MST3K: THE RETURN: THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974) | 5/8/17 
  64. WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974) | 5/8/17 | Stream 
  65. THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948) | 5/15/17 | DVD  
  66. MST3K: THE RETURN: THE LOVE OF HERCULES  (1960) | 5/18/17 | Netflix 
  67. ALIEN: COVENANT (2017) | 5/20/17 | AMC Monterey Park  
  68. CRIMSON PEAK (2015) | 5/20/17 | HBO Go 
  69. THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) | 5/26/17 | Netflix  
  70. ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1950) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest 
  71. DON’T THINK TWICE (2016) | 5/29/17 | Netflix
  72. ADRENALINE DRIVE (1999) | 5/30/17 | DVD  
  73. THE IRON HORSE (1924) | 5/31/17 | DVD  
  74. MST3K: THE RETURN: YONGARY (1967) | 5/31/17 | Netflix  
  75. WONDER WOMAN (2017) | 6/1/17 | Vista 
  76. WILD TALES (2014) | 6/4/17 | DVD
  77. VOICE OF THE KING (2017) | 6/7/17 | NoHo7 | Rating: 4 (Q&A w/ Bob Miller)
  78. IT COMES AT NIGHT (2017) | 6/8/17 | AMC Monterey Park
  79. THEM (2006) | 6/18/17 | Amazon Prime
  80. MST3K: THE RETURN: WIZARDS OF THE LOST KINGDOM (1985) | 6/20/17 | Netflix | (FINISHED ON 7/10/17 )
  81. MINIONS (2015) | 6/30/17 | Netflix 
  82. CERTAIN FURY (1985) | 7/2/17 | DVD
  83. MUTANT (1984) | 7/11/17 | Amazon Instant
  84. VALERIAN (2017) | 7/20/17 | AMC Mission Hills San Diego  
  85. BATMAN & HARLEY QUINN (2017) | 7/21/17 | SDCC Ballroom 20 
  86. ONE DARK NIGHT (1982) | 7/23/17 | Amazon 
  87. ROAD HOUSE (1948) | 8/8/17 | DVD
  88. ALLISON’S BIRTHDAY (1981) | 8/28/17 | YouTube 
  89. KNIGHT RIDERS (1981) | 8/31/17 
  90. COLOSSAL (2016) | 9/2/17 | Blu-Ray 
  91. IT’S A DISASTER (2012) | 9/14/17 | DVD 
  92. THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE (1993) | 9/15/17 | DVD  
  93. UNLOCKED (2017) | 9/19/17 | Amazon Instant  
  94. WHEELS OF FIRE (1985) | 9/23/17 | YouTube  
  95. MOANA (2016) | 9/28/17 | Netflix 
  96. WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY (2017) | 9/29/17 | Netflix
  97. THE STAIRWAY TO THE DISTANT PAST (1995) | 9/30/17 
  98. EQUINOX (1979) | 10/4/17/ | FilmStruck 
  99. GATE OF HELL (1953) | 10/6/17 | DVD 
  100. CULT OF CHUCKY (2017) | 10/7/17 | Netflix  
  101. THE GRAVE(1996) | 10/8/17 | Amazon Instant 
  102. THE TRAP (1996) | 10/13/17 | DVD  
  103. TOP SECRET AFFAIR (1957) | 10/14/17 | DV-R  
  104. WOLF GUY (1975) | 10/17/17 | Blu-Ray 
  105. THE MAGICIAN (1958) | 10/17/17 | DVD 
  106. BABY DRIVER (2017) | 10/20/17 | Amazon Rental  
  107. THE RETURN (1980) | 10/20/17 | Amazon 
  108. BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (1974) | 10/28/17 
  109. BEWARE! THE BLOB (1972) | 10/31/17 
  110. THE DEVIL PLAYS (1931) | 11/1/17 
  111. THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) | 11/2/17 | Arclight Pasadena 
  112. THE SPANIARD’S CURSE (1958) | 11/5/17 | Amazon  
  113. GANG BULLETS (1938) | 11/5/17 | Amazon  
  114. MONKEY’S PAW (1948) | 11/8/17 | Amazon 
  115. SHADOW OF A MAN (1954) | 11/9/17 | Amazon 
  116. BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (2017) | 11/10/17 | Pasadena Playhouse  
  117. ATOMIC BLONDE (2017) | 11/17/17 | Google Play  
  118. WIND RIVER (2017) | 11/18/17 | Google Play 
  119. BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) | 11/19/17 | Regal Garfield
  120. THE TROLLENBERG TERROR a.k.a. The Creeping Eye (1958) | 11/20/17 | Amazon 
  121. KRAMPUS (2015) | 11/23/17 | HBO GO 
  122. GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORA (1991) | 11/23/17 | Starz App 
  123. GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK (2001) | 11/24/17 | STARZ APP 
  124. SUPERNATURALS (1986) | 11/24/17 | Amazon
  125. GODZILLA VS MEGAGURIUS (2000) | 11/26/17 | STARZ App 
  126. COCO (2017) | 12/3/17 | AMC Monterey Park 
  127. SHIN GODZILLA (2016) | 12/3/17 | Blu-Ray 
  128. THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (1958) | 12/13/17 | Amazon 
  129. INNOCENTS IN PARIS (1953) | 12/13/17 | Amazon 
  130. HELLBENT (1987) | 12/15/17 | Amazon 
  131. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017) | 12/17/17 | Arclight Pasadena 
  132. SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945) | 12/25/17 | Amazon  
  133. SHERLOCK HOLMES: TERROR BY NIGHT (1946) | 12/25/17 | Amazon 
  134. SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE SCARLET CLAW (1944) | 12/25/17 | Amazon  
  135. SECRETS (1933) | 12/29/17 | Filmstruck  
  136. THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF (1970) | 12/29/17 
  137. THE WOMAN IN QUESTION (1950) | 12/29/17 
  138. MST3K: THE RETURN: AT EARTH’S CORE (2017) | 12/30/17
  139. ROBIN AND THE 7 HOOD (1964) 12/30/17 | TCM

WHAT A LIST, right?! I saw 139 new movies in all! Now more lists and ramblings follow!

8 FAVORITES of 2017

  • WONDER WOMAN
  • THOR: RAGNAROK
  • KONG: SKULL ISLAND
  • JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2
  • GET OUT
  • BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL
  • COCO
  • WIND RIVER
    *As you can see I kept to the fun escapism movies, I’ll catch up on the more serious stuff probably in 2018. These movies made me happy, gave me stuff to think about, dream about and just dwell in the nice feels. WONDER WOMAN, kick ass and the movie I didn’t know I had been waiting a lifetime to see.

 

4 FAVORITES FROM 2016

  • PATERSON
  • HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE
  • SHIN GODZILLA
  • MOANA
    *Still sad that I missed PATERSON in 2016! I love Jim Jarmusch so much and have not missed one of his movies on a big screen since I first saw NIGHT ON EARTH. I did get to enjoy PATERSON with my dad when we rented it one night and it was my dad who first to introduce me to a Jim Jarmusch movie. We loved the flick a lot and yeah, it was a 5 movie for us both. SHIN GODZILLA was just a blast as I said recently. And I have to highlight HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE which made me laugh a lot, a lot more than I expected. I saw it back in March and only recently did my sister finally see it too, we got to gush about it together over the holidays.

 

10 FAVORITE MOVIE DISCOVERIES FROM YEARS OF OLD

  • ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (1964)
    A wonderful little movie, that still plays so relevant when it comes to racisms and fear that people place on others. Being it’s a movie you hoped they’d go with the happy ending, but it was very much about real life and it’s not always happy even when people really are in love. I ended up watching this twice, the second time with my mom.
  • VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976)
    An all star cast in a movie about a very real event. The SS St. Louis carried over 900 Jewish German refugee passengers in 1939 right before World War II and they are headed to Havana, seeking asylum to escape Hitler’s Germany. This movie was hard to watch and it only fueled my anger for events happening now. Again it is fear that hurts people, fear of people who believe different things. It was worth the watch and thinking about it keeps me fueled to keep the fight going for what is right in everyday life.
  • ROAD HOUSE (1948)
    Ida Lupino is one of my favorite actresses and filmmakers. Road House is now one of my favorite noir films. Ida is Lily Stevens, she’s a lounge singer who is independent and sure of herself. When Lily comes to a new club the owner, Jefty, played by Richard Widmark thinks he’s got dibs. Lily falls for Jefty’s partner instead and well, there’s drama and scheming
  • THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE (1933)
  • THE STAIRWAY TO THE DISTANT PAST (1995) 
  • THE TRAP (1996) 
    These three movies above are a trilogy! My dad first checked THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE from the library and I couldn’t rent the other 2 fast enough. I still wonder how these movies escaped me in the 90’s. I absolutely love this world of detective Makiu Hama, that’s his real name, played by Masatoshi Nagase. I loved everything about these movies, EVERYTHING! From the style, to movie references, to the satisfying tale that was told about Makiu’s world. I can’t recommend these movies enough and they really are the best thing I saw in 2017, yup!

    MY NEW FAVORITE TRILOGY!!!!

  • GATE OF HELL (1953)
    This Japanese movie is a beautiful movie, simply beautiful to look at and fall into. It’s also incredibly tragic. A Samurai has fallen for the woman he saved during a rebellion and when he asks for her hand as a reward he discovers she is already married. Her his obsession only intensifies as he tries to get the woman he wants by almost any means possible.
  • WOLF GUY (1975)
    Oh Arrow Video helping me discover cool movies. SONNY CHIBA is Wolf Guy! From a clan of werewolves he is the only survivor and living in the city working as a private detective. He’s soon on a case where a gang of men are being killed by a tiger spirit. Who is wielding the tiger spirit? What is the cause for revenge? When is SONNY gonna wolf out and show just how immortal he is during a full moon? I know all the answers because I watched it, yup.
  • GUMSHOE (1971) 
    Albert Finney is a comedian, wannabe detective, Eddie Ginley in this feature debut by director Stephen Frears. I really dug this little flick as Eddie says, “Me moments of glory all in me head.” He finds himself mixed up in a strange plot as he seeks out his own Dashiell Hammett fantasy life. It had some shocking moments and lots of sharp one liner wit.
  • BLACK EYE (1974)
    I really do have a love of private detectives and this one tickled my fancy from beginning to end. To quote my own review from the beginning of the year: “Fred Williamson is private eye Shep Stone, he was once a cop and now does his own thing; solving cases and eating peanuts along the way.” I love Fred Williamson and he delivers his brand of charm here, the tough guy who has a heart, but means business. Don’t piss of Shep and if your’e a bad guy, well, don’t let him catch you!

 

Runner up: Finally I saw THE LONG GOODBYE (1973) and yes you can give me some shite for not having seen it before, I was indeed missing out!

MOVIE OUTING: Being a big movie goer, I have not been to the theater as much as usual, hey you got to save that $$ sometimes. I must admit I only made it to the New Beverly once in 2017! It was a great time though as my guy Dave and I went with some good pals for a date night and we saw THE YAKUZA (1974) (Thanks JEFF & EMILY for a good outing!)

Seeing WONDER WOMANTHOR and COCO with my nieces were among my top movie outings too as they are so much fun to watch movies with!

Next up my re-see movies, the movies I’ll watch again and again any chance I get:

RE-SEE: 

  1. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
  2. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
  3. GREASE (1978) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
  4. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
  5. ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING (1987) | 1/1/17 | Netflix
  6. THE FOG (1980) | 1/2/16 | DVD
  7. EATING RAOUL (1982) | 1/8/17 | DVD
  8. A BITTERSWEET LIFE (2005) | 1/9/17 | DVD
  9. ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO (1964) | 1/20/17 | TCM/DV-R (watched w/ mom)
  10. THEY LIVE (1988) | 1/20/17 | BluRay
  11. WILD BEASTS (1984) | 1/13/17 | YouTube
  12. ZOOT SUIT (1981) | 3/14/17 | DVD
  13. ALIEN (1979) | 3/22/17 | Blu-Ray
  14. ALIENS (1986) | 3/22/17 | Blu-Ray
  15. ALIEN 3 (1992) | 3/23/17 | Blu-Ray
  16. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988) | 3/27/17 | Netflix  (w/ Celia and Effie!)
  17. ALIEN RESURRECTION (1997) | 3/29/17 | Blu-Ray
  18. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) | 4/1/17 | Netflix (w/ Celia and Effie!)
  19. NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) | 4/7/17 | DVD
  20. SLEEPWALKERS (1992) | 4/7/17/ | DVD
  21. THE LOST BOYS (1987) | 5/22/17 | DVD (w/ Celia)
  22. ANIMAL CRACKERS (1930) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  23. ALIENS (1986) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  24. MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  25. CLUE (1985) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  26. SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) | 6/12/17 | CABLE
  27. WONDER WOMAN (2017) | 6/13/17 | Edwards Alhambra (w/ Celia and Effie)
  28. MIDNIGHT MADNESS (1980) | 6/17/17 | YouTube (rental)
  29. STREETS OF FIRE (1984) | 6/22/17 | DVD (Finished 6/26/17) (w/ Celia and Effie)
  30. TANK GIRL (1995) | 6/27/17 | Blu-Ray
  31. THE CURSE (1987) | 6/28/17 | YouTube
  32. DEAD END DRIVE-IN (1987) | 7/1/17 | DVD
  33. ICEBREAKER (2000) RiffTrax | 7/5/17 | Amazon Instant
  34. STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (director’s cut) (1979) | CABLE | 7/27/17
  35. ROAD HOUSE (1989) | 8/12/17 | DVD, outdoors screening
  36. POLTERGEIST (1982) | 9/4/17 | DVD
  37. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) | 9/13/17 | Living Room Theaters (Portland) *Only people in the theater!
  38. MARY POPPINS (1964) | 9/24/17 |  DVD
  39. HOT FUZZ (2007)  | 9/24/17 |  DVD
  40. ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)  | 9/24/17 |  DVD
  41. HERCULES (1997) | 9/27/17 | Netflix
  42. MYSTERY TRAIN (1989) | 9/30/17 | FILMSTRUCK
  43. FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) | 10/1/17 | CABLE
  44. WACKO (1982) | 10/5/17 | YouTube
  45. THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) | 9/7/17 | Amazon
  46. BORN IN EAST L.A. (1987) | 10/9/17 | Samuel Goldwyn Theater (Q&A Cheech Marin)
  47. EVIL DEAD (1981) | 10/21/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
  48. SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983) | 10/21/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
  49. BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) | 10/22/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
  50. FRIDAY THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER (1984) | 10/22/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
  51. THE BURNING (1981) | 10/22/17 | THE FRIDA CINEMA
  52. DRACULA 2000 (2000) | 10/28/17 | Amazon
  53. HALLOWEEN (1978) | 10/31/17 | Amazon Rental
  54. PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) | 11/3/17 | Netflix
  55. THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) | 11/11/17 | Arclight Pasadena (with Q girls)
  56. INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) | 11/12/17 | On Demand Cable
  57. WAYNE’S WORLD (1992) | 11/19/17 | Starz App
  58. THE THING (1951) | 11/23/17 | YouTube Rental
  59. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017) | 12/10/17 | Netflix
  60. DREDD (2012) | 12/11/17 | Blu-Ray
  61. THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) | 12/18/17 | Blu-Ray
  62. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) | 12/23/17 | Google Rental
  63. DIE HARD (1988) | 12/23/17 | Google Rental
  64. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) | 12/25/17 | DVD
  65. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) | 12/25/17 | DVD (w/ Commentary)

When it comes to re-see movies, watching some of these with my nieces was the best, because I’m sharing my favorite movies and crossing my fingers that they’ll fall in love with them too. Celia and Effie enjoyed BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and STREETS OF FIRE. Celia is the older one and she’s getting to the age where she can watch some more scary stuff, and rated R stuff…(shhhh Don’t tell Grandma!) Dave and I got to watch THE LOST BOYS, TERMINATOR 2 and DIE HARD with Celia and yup, she LIKED THEM! Whew!!

I also got to see some of my favorite re-sees in theaters! Dave and I had a movie theater all to ourselves while vacationing in Portland to watch CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. We also got to drink some beer with our movie snacks. 

Guess what? I went to the movies with my little sister. I can’t recall the last time that she and I did that. But it was a most special occasion as we went to see an Academy screening of BORN IN EAST L.A and Cheech Marin was there with some of the other cast for a Q&A. This is a special movie for us, we watched it tons growing up. Our dad was actually BORN IN EAST L.A. and well we’re latino girls too. BORN IN EAST L.A. was one we would watch anytime it was on cable. We watched it as a family together. We had only watched it on VHS, Cable and DVD before. Thanks L.A. for making our movie dreams come true. I was glad I got to take me sister out to the movies and watch a movie we loved for the first time on a big screen. WAAS SAPPENING!?!

And I finally got the chance to attend a horror movie marathon at a very cool theater in Santa Ana, THE FRIDA. I wrote all about the adventure right here: http://shempcat.com/camp-frida-outing/

2017 sure has been a strange year, a year that has made me angry because there’s things to fight for and a world to not give up on! I am so thankful that I have been able to turn to movies for some distraction for a few hours at a time. That’s what I’ll always have thanks to movies. I’m glad I got to see 204 movies in all, so glad I made it to 200+.  Now, here’s to more movies in 2018. YUP! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

At the beginning of November I rounded up my movie list and shared what I had been watching. I have seen some more movies since then and as the year winds up I will soon pick my favorites of new and new old movies I’ve seen.

Movies have kept me sane through these crazy times. As the world feels meaner and tougher I’ve still got movies that give me a change of pace, make me smile and encourage happy thoughts. I’ve veered away from some more serious movies as of late, and that’s because I want to be in Happy Place when I take a break. But, don’t think I let movies distract me from the big bad world, which I am not giving up on!! I’ll do what I can to make it a better, happier place any chance I get! #RESIST

But I digress, it’s movie talk here!

So since November 2nd, here’s my list of movies:

NEW MOVIES: 

  • THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) | 11/2/17 | Arclight Pasadena 

  • THE SPAINIARD’S CURES (1958) | 11/5/17 | Amazon
  • GANG BULLETS (1938) | 11/5/17 | Amazon
  • MONKEY’S PAW (1948) | 11/8/17 | Amazon
  • SHADOW OF A MAN (1954) | 11/9/17 | Amazon
  • BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL (2017) | 11/10/17 | Pasadena Playhouse 

  • ATOMIC BLONDE (2017) | 11/17/17 | Google Play 
  • WIND RIVER (2017) | 11/18/17 | Google Play 
  • BLADE RUNNER 2049 (2017) | 11/19/17 | Regal Garfield 
  • THE TROLLENBERG TERROR a.k.a. The Creeping Eye (1958) | 11/20/17 | Amazon

  • KRAMPUS (2015) | 11/23/17 | HBO GO
  • GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORA (1991) | 11/23/17 | Starz App
  • GODZILLA, MOTHRA & KING GHIDORAH MONSTERS ALL OUT ATTACK (2001) | 11/24/17 | STARZ APP
  • SUPERNATURALS (1986) | 11/24/17 | Amazon
  • GODZILLA VS MEGAGURIUS (2000) | 11/26/17 | STARZ App 
  • COCO (2017) | 12/3/17 | AMC Monterey Park 
  • SHIN GODZILLA (2016) | 12/3/17 | Blu-Ray 

  • THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (1958) | 12/13/17 | Amazon
  • INNOCENTS IN PARIS (1953) | 12/13/17 | Amazon 
  • HELLBENT (1987) | 12/15/17 | Amazon
  • STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017) | 12/17/17 | Arclight Pasadena 
  • SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945) | 12/25/17 | Amazon 
  • SHERLOCK HOLMES: TERROR BY NIGHT (1946) | 12/25/17 | Amazon
  • SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE SCARLET CLAW (1944) | 12/25/17 | Amazon

THOR: RAGNAROK was so much fun we just had to see it twice and the second time was with my nieces! They dug it too, yup!

I really loved Miike’s THE BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL, my dad, and my guy Dave went to see it in the theater!

SHIN GODZILLA was so awesome, we had been watching some old Godzilla flicks and SHIN just blew me away, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!

COCO was probably one of my favorite movie outings of the year, as it was a viewing with my Mom, Dad, Sister and  2 of her kids! My niece Effie had already seen it. Yea, family! We all had lots of tears of happy happy joy joy watching that movie.

RE-SEE MOVIES: 

  • PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) | 11/3/17 | Netflix
  • THOR: RAGNAROK (2017) | 11/11/17 | Arclight Pasadena (with Q girls)
  • INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) | 11/12/17 | On Demand Cable
  • WAYNE’S WORLD (1992) | 11/19/17 | Starz App

  • THE THING (1951) | 11/23/17 | YouTube Rental
  • GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017) | 12/10/17 | Netflix
  • DREDD (2012) | 12/11/17 | Blu-Ray

  • THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) | 12/18/17 | Blu-Ray
  • TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991) | 12/23/17 | Google Rental

  • DIE HARD (1988) | 12/23/17 | Google Rental

  • NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) | 12/25/17 | DVD
  • NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989) | 12/25/17 | DVD (w/ Commentary)

The re-see movies have really been just favorites worth watching again and again. We got to re-watch TERMINATOR 2 and DIE HARD with my niece Celia who was watching them for the first time. She had seen TERMINATOR recently with her mom and so we got the honor of showing her part 2. We then watched DIE HARD right after and guess what, she dug ’em both but dug TERMINATOR 2 more, and she did agree that DIE HARD is a Christmas movie. Take that, folk!  😉

Thus far, I have seen 134 new movies and 65 re-see movies! 199 movies in all! (Fingers crossed I get a few more movies in over the next few days!)

Stay tuned for another movie post as I will round my whole movie list in one place and pick my favorites from what I’ve seen on the first of January!

Enjoy the New Year and let’s keep watching movies!!! YUP YUP YUP!

Watching movies! That’s what I wish I could be doing all the time…(I am finally over 100 movies adding together my new and re-sees! Whew…) And writing about movies is what I should absolutely be doing more of too, yup! Too bad that I love to procrastinate! Oh, how I am easily distracted and I’ll just make up excuse as life goes on and on because the world is crazy! But that nonsense should be put aside to share the happy, and the fun and so here’s a little list and some rambling about what has filled my eyes and mind when I do find the time to sit in front of a TV or big screen. Yup.

The fun is sharing movies with friends and I got to see movies at Rosemead High with their film club back in May for a marathon! There was actually one movie I had never seen too! I am very lucky that I can join in that event with some awesome friend who love movie marathons as much as I do! Yup!

WONDER WOMAN finally hit the big screen and that was a big ball of emotions for me. (I’m wearing my Wonder Woman tiara now as I write this!) I got to see WONDER WOMAN twice, the second time was with my nieces, Celia and Effie, and that second time it still packed a teary good punch! (The tears of joy are a good thing!) It’s kind of hard to explain just what brings those tears in Wonder Woman; there’s tears of joy, tears in reaction to things going on, and the feeling that a WONDER WOMAN movie was long overdue, more tears of joy.

More highlights: My friend, Karen, was back from Ireland and we got to check out a documentary on the Kings Hockey commentator Bob Miller called VOICE OF THE KINGS! There was a Q&A and of course we got to met him too! GO KINGS GO!

Karen, Bob and I! BOB MILLER! GO KINGS GO!

 

I got to show Celia THE LOST BOYS and she dug it, she’s getting a small taste for horror things! YEA!!! I appreciated that Celia was most amused to see Alex Winter as a vampire, since she had only known him a Bill from you know what…(Oh, I know Celia finally watched GREMLINS with her mom and she loved it, I’m happy to report.)

Oh and Celia and Effie and I watched STREETS OF FIRE which was also a hit! (WHEW again!) Effie like noticing LEE VING who she recognized from CLUE! She said it’s “Not Mr. Body!” Also, funny to realize how PG STREETS OF FIRE is and what PG was then compared to now…right? Yea the 80’s!!! Good times!

 

Ok, now here’s the list, NEW MOVIES and RE-SEES! Yup!

NEW MOVIES: 

  • MST3K: THE RETURN: THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1974) | 5/8/17 
  • WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974) | 5/8/17 | Stream 
  • THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948) | 5/15/17 | DVD 
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: THE LOVE OF HERCULES  (1960) | 5/18/17 | Netflix 
  • ALIEN: COVENANT (2017) | 5/20/17 | AMC Monterey Park 
  • CRIMSON PEAK (2015) | 5/20/17 | HBO Go 
  • THE JUNGLE BOOK (2016) | 5/26/17 | Netflix 
  • ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1950) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest

  • DON’T THINK TWICE (2016) | 5/29/17 | Netflix 
  • ADRENALINE DRIVE (1999) | 5/30/17 | DVD

  • THE IRON HORSE (1924) | 5/31/17 | DVD 
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: YONGARY (1967) | 5/31/17 | Netflix 
  • WONDER WOMAN (2017) | 6/1/17 | Vista 
  • WILD TALES (2014) | 6/4/17 | DVD 
  • VOICE OF THE KING (2017) | 6/7/17 | NoHo7 | Q&A w/ Bob Miller

  • IT COMES AT NIGHT (2017) | 6/8/17 | AMC Monterey Park 
  • THEM (2006) | 6/18/17 | Amazon Prime 

 

RE-SEE MOVIES: 

  • THE LOST BOYS (1987) | 5/22/17 | DVD (With Celia, she loved it!…whew!)
  • ANIMAL CRACKERS (1930) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  • ALIENS (1986) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  • MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  • CLUE (1985) | 5/27/17 | Rosemead High 24hr Film Fest
  • SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004) | 6/12/17 | CABLE
  • WONDER WOMAN (2017) | 6/13/17 | Edwards Alhambra (With Celia and Effie)
  • MIDNIGHT MADNESS (1980) | 6/17/17 | YouTube (rental)

    R.I.P. Stephen Furst!

  • STREETS OF FIRE (1984) | 6/22/17 | DVD (Finished 6/26/17)
  • TANK GIRL (1995) | 6/27/17 | Blu-Ray

Oh, I have rented a flick or two just the other day so lookout for a rental round up popping up here soon! I’m hoping I can get my dad out to see BABY DRIVER. Slow and steady I’ll watch those movies! Oh yea, I will!

P.S. – I did watch the entire series of GLOW on Netflix in one day/night! You should check it out too if you like lady leads, wrestling, and good stories! Yup!

Now, what have you been watching?

RENTAL ROUND UP TIME!!!!!!!!! Whew I’ve got a lot to catch up on! Hee Hee! Enjoy!

On 2/26/17 at 2:22PM we (my guy Dave and I, duh) rented CONTAMINATION (1980) on Blu-Ray and COUNTDOWN (1967) on DVD.

CONTAMINATION – “Let’s see what this mystery is all about?” This Italian/German horror movie starts out in New York City when a ghost ship comes to port and there’s a bloody gooey mess aboard and a lot of green egg gunk! There’s Coffee from Columbia that’s been tainted, with alien things! A cop, a government scientist and an astronaut go to Columbia to go on an adventure because; “national security is at stake!” It was gorey good, it was ridiculous, a RAT exploded, I am pretty sure for realz and GOBLIN did the music.

 

COUNTDOWN – Let’s race to space! Robert Altman directed this film and it stars James Caan as Mickey Stegler, the man who’s going to the moon in what could be a one way trip because we’re racing to beat the Russians! Will we make it? Mickey is getting the intense crash course and his pal Chiz, played by Robert Duvall is mighty jealous he’s not going up, but begrudgingly helps with training. It was a fun space adventure and goes to show political ‘tudes haven’t changed, people want to win and movie magic makes dreams comes true.

 

On 3/7/17 at 7:41PM we rented ZOOT SUIT (1981) on DVD, SMART MONEY (1931) on DVD, WAKE IN FRIGHT (1971) on Blu-Ray and MEN & CHICKEN (2015) on Blu-Ray.

SMART MONEY – Edward G. Robinson is Nick the Barber, he’s lucky, he gambles and usually wins, wins big. His pals stake him so he can go to the big city and play against a big high roller. When Nick finds himself in the big city, he gets fleeced from some local hoods. Well, Nick ain’t no dummy, he gets revenge and makes money and starts running gambling halls of his own much to the annoyance of the police. Nick’s best pal is Jack, played by James Cagney. Jack is by Nick’s side and helps to keep the racket going strong while he tries to keep Nick from falling for Blondes, which is Nick’s biggest weakness. I love me pre-code films.

 

MEN & CHICKEN – Oh boy! This was a weird one! Two brothers, one being Mads Mikkelsen, find out they were adopted and they venture out to seek their true father and find three more brothers. Men & Chicken, tries to unfold the mystery of man, their place in the world and how society can hold them back. How does a man leave a legacy when he can’t sire children? Oh my, well Science and or Nature finds a way. You just need a Cock to control the chicken coop. This is what I learned from MEN & CHICKEN.

 

WAKE IN FRIGHT – This was quite a follow up to the previous mentioned movie. Men just have a tough time when they can’t get what they want. A teacher, John Grant, played by Gary Bond, is stuck in a nowhere one train stop town of Australia and it has eaten away at his soul. He’s got a vacation and plans to head to Sydney and see his girlfriend. John gets stuck in another small outback town! UH OH! The town is filled with gambling drunkards and soon he becomes one too. John even goes hunting in the outback shooting kangaroos, which is a brutal sight to see. (The hunting footage was very sad, and they made a point of saying it was done by real licensed hunters.) Donald Pleasence is the town doctor, and full time alcoholic and he takes John on many of the weekends adventures. This was re-released on the big screen a few years back and since I missed it then I knew I’d see it eventually. As sobering as it is, I’m glad I did.

 

ZOOT SUIT – “An American Classic.” There was a recent production of ZOOT SUIT here in Los Angeles and Dave and I were fortunate enough to attend. This inspired me to rent and re-watch the movie which I hadn’t seen in a long long time. “Enjoy the pretense..play the myth.”

ZOOT SUIT in film form is still a relevant piece of cinema! Directed by Luis Valdez and I was excited to realize that it was Patricia Birch who did the choreography. (She directed GREASE 2!!!!!!) Based on a true incident of a gang of Chicanos who are put on trial for murder.

Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) is the gang leader at the center of the trail, and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the judicial system or our government. It’s angering even more so right now for what we’re all facing every single day! Zoot Suit says our system of justice can prevail; “no matter how slowly wheels grind.” but it sure doesn’t apologize for the error of it’s ways. People are ready to believe in hate, categorize what and who they don’t understand, let American’s kill American’s when they’re not white. ZOOT SUIT though is here to remind you to fight for your life, your race, your family, to shake up the country so they see the errors of it’s ways! #RESIST WAKE UP people, dance if you have to, just don’t let hate win!! Yup!
On 3/22/17 at 12:24PM we rented DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET (1974) on DVD, BRANDED TO KILL (1967) on Blu-Ray and THE LAST SUPPER (1995) on DVD.

 

THE LAST SUPPER – 5 liberal friends all live together in a house and have a weekly Sunday meal, usually inviting an outsider to discuss the world and it’s politics. Oh 90’s…are you to blame? 😉 Anyways, this fun 90’s cast of characters includes Cameron Diaz, Annabeth Gish (SHAG!!!!), Jonathan Penner, Courtney B. Vance and Ron Eldard…oh and #DIRECTEDBYWOMEN Stacy Title.

As the film starts during their most recent things dinner goes over the edge when they kill a racist, evil man played by Bill Paxton. (R.I.P. Bill Paxton!) and so they fall down the rabbit hole of their moral dilemma. When you’re a liberal spouter do you take some action too? Could they do it again? Should they? The timid ones find new strength while some begin to feel their conscious creeping.

 

BRANDED TO KILL – A Japanese Yakuza movie that focuses on hitman #3, Goro Hanada, who finds himself on the kill list after a hit went wrong. He’s running from hitman #1, who’s tormenting him mentally rather than just taking him out the way he expects. Goro is trying to survive, trying to outsmart #1, while indulging in his fetish for white rice and women.

This movie just exudeds C-O-O-L, Cool! 1960’s Cool. It was visually beautiful and slick. Goro was a good #3 but it was a butterfly that got in his way. I really am leaning towards old stylish flicks these days and this was a great discovery.

 

DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET – A film by Samuel Fuller and set in Germany. I’m a big fan of Samuel Fuller and this was an interesting discovery. It was actually part of a TV series in Germany but given a theatrical cut in 2015 UCLA Film and Television Archive put out the directors cut. This is what I watched on DVD.

An American agent dies on Beethoven Street with photos of a US official up to some dirty deeds with a woman. His pal, an American detective, played by Glenn Corbett, takes on the case and he joins up with the gang of drug dealers who delve into blackmail of entrapping officials with scandalous deeds.  Of course he plans to expose their plans, and it’s fun in Fuller’s style. The detective is an American in Germany and one of my favorite things is him talking in English to his German contact who replies in German, they just talk back and forth no subtitles on the German end but you know just what’s going on. It is a bit clunky along the way, but some cool stuff for sure and I loved Fuller’s little cameo off camera as his puff of cigar smoke is rising from a chair.

 

And our last rental was on 4/5/17;  GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) on DVD, NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) on DVD, HEART OF MIDNIGHT (1988) on DVD, SLEEPWALKERS (1992) on DVD, ALI FEAR EATS THE SOUL (1974) on DVD and THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (1950). Sadly we didn’t get to finish ALI FEAR EATS THE SOUL, but what I saw was quite good and a bit sad…I will have to finish it another day (I did see it was on FILMSTRUCK under their CRITERION collection!)

 

HEART OF MIDNIGHT – HEART OF MIDNIGHT is a very creepy, dark, moody piece that’s more than a little disturbing. There are some great visuals that lead to some great jump scares.

Jennifer Jason Leigh is Carol Rivers, she’s a survivor, recovering from a recent mental breakdown when she inherits her uncle’s night club Midnight. She heads there with plans to revamp it to her own style to fulfill a fantasy of her own, yet, she’s haunted by memories of her uncle’s past. Carol soon discovers his nightclub was more of a sex club with a series of fetish rooms. As Carol moves in an inhabits the building strange visions take over and local boys, one being a young Steve Buscemi, sexually assault her which only adds to the pain of sorting out her past and present. Peter Coyote comes in, who is intriguing from the start, trying to piece together the puzzles pieces of his own that involve the MIDNIGHT. I would love to delve more into this movie, but there’s so much that could be spoiled. As it started I really wasn’t too keen on where i thought it would go, but Jennifer is an amazing actress!! I actually read Ebert’s piece on the movie and it ended up spoiling some things, so don’t do that until after you watch the movie. And look out for Frank Stallone as a detective, a chauvinistic one at that.

Since this was a DVD, Dave and I  actually listened to some of the DVD commentary after watching the movie. It was great to learn about the director, his take on the movie from a recent viewing compared to when he made it. It really is a look at a women trying to survive in a man’s world and facing day to day exploitation. A fun factoid discovered, in the film commentary, Jennifer has a cast on her leg, when asked about it in the movie she says an Elephant stepped on her, the truth was she had a cast when filming started and the director said go with it instead of dropping her from the film. Yea movies! Yea Commentary!!

 

 

THE DAMNED DON’T CRY – Joan Crawford is a rich socialite Lorna who’s mixed up with the mob, she’s gone missing after young gangster Nick Prenta is found dead. Now it’s time for flashbacks as we discover Lorna was once Ethel, who came from a poor family. She was married to an oil worker, they had a kid and just worked to survive. When Ethel’s young son dies in an accident she leaves her husband determined to become someone, make some money and find another sort of life.

What we learn is Ethel is willing to take what she wants, and is ready to use men even as they use her too. Joan is an amazing woman and she plays this role so well. You see the tragedy that fuels her on the surface. As Ethel becomes Lorna she has a taste of living with money, and hopes to have happiness yet it is soon evident that a gangster lifestyle means just using others for more riches and love is not in the cards.
Next up is the Stephen King trilogy of DVD’s that my guy Dave was really keen on watching. I had seen two of the three, realizing I never watched all of GRAVEYARD SHIFT! I had rented the other two flicks back in the day, on VHS! So now re-sees on DVD! Woot Woot!

 

GRAVEYARD SHIFT – I remember catching this movie from the beginning on cable but never watch the whole thing, I must have found something else to watch because channel flipping was so much fun! Anyways, GRAVEYARD SHIFT, there’s a killer creature hiding in the bowels of a cotton factory in Maine that’s overrun by rats! David Andrews is John Hall, the latest employee to join the factory and wrangled into the basement clean up crew for double holiday pay! The things people do for money! There’s good gross out monster kills! There’s crazy rodent killer played by Brad Dourif and the cool touch chick played by Kelly Wolf. Watch this movie to learn what a slingshot and a soda pop can can do when you’re in trouble!

 

 

NEEDFUL THINGS – I had good memories of this movie when I first watched it on VHS with my dad. We dug it then and I am glad that it holds up just as good now. Dave had never seen it and dug it too! So woot! Oh and this time around I realized W.D. Richter wrote the screenplay!

Ok, let’s go to the little Maine town of Stephen King land and meet the latest tenant who has opened an antique shop, Leland Gaunt, played by Max Von Sydow. Leland has everything, especially that one thing your heart desires most, you just have to do some pranking! Leland spins the wheels to drive the town’s residents into killers. I love the twists of having one person taunt another thinking it’s someone else and so the vicious small town gossip circle spins rampant! The town though, is lucky to have newcomer Sheriff Alan Pangborn, played by Ed Harris. Will evil win? Can the human race survive it’s dance with the devil? (I’m feeling dramatic! Thanks Stephen King!)

 

AND last but NOT least!

 

SLEEPWALKERS – Oh 1992, thank you! SLEEPWALKERS are a cat like, incestuous race that need virgins! So the Mother and Son SLEEPWALKER team (Son Sleepwalker Charles played by Brain Krause and Mom Sleepwalker played by Alice Krige) are in a new town and in desperate need of that virgin goodness. From the start Charles has plans for local girl Tanya Robertson played by Mädchen Amick. There’s some cool old school effects mixed in with new computer moves (well new in 1992!) and it’s the old school bits that keep things fun. I still wonder why cat’s don’t like SLEEPWALKERS though, but maybe cause they got to be human cats and they’re still cats? Yeah, that’s my big question of the movie. I do love though how mad Mom Sleepwalker gets when those cats are around, you think she’d be better at killing ’em. Again more questions!?

 

Whew! Finally wrapped up a RENTAL ROUNDUP before I rented more movies! So now my guy Dave and I can go rent more movies!!!!!! See you soon Vidéothèque!! See you readers soon too with more movie stuff. Yup!

Since I have fallen behind in sharing my movie views I worry about rambling in a long posts and I was thinking of combining my rental round up with my movie tally, but let me do one post for each…

I am making a promise to myself (AGAIN!) to set a regular blog schedule. But,…then again summer is around the corner (EXCUSES, EXCUSES!) and who knows what will happen!! WHAT will tomorrow bring!?!?

Right now I am here and I this is my movie tally as I put on the finishing touches on that Rental Roundup! (The coming thing, from me!) Some of the best of my movie outings since the last time I posted a tally (GEE, FEBRUARY!), was my movie outings to celebrate my b-day back in March. Oh and fun re-see’s especially with my nieces Celia and Effie, they finally got to see BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA! “It’s all in the reflexes.”

NEW MOVIES

  • JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (2017) | 2/9/17 | AMC Atlantic

  • SWISS ARMY MAN (2016) | 2/10/17 | Netflix 
  • GRIZZLY (1976) | 2/12/17 | Amazon 
  • THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944) | 2/18/17 | DVD 
  • VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976) | 2/18/17 | DVD 
  • WOOL 100% (2006) | 2/20/17 | DVD 
  • GUMSHOE (1971) | 2/21/17 | DVD 
  • LOOPHOLE (1981) | 2/21/17 | DVD 
  • OUT OF THE DARK (1988) | 2/23/17 | DVD 
  • GET OUT (2017) | 2/24/17 | AMC Monterey Park
  • DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962) | 2/24/17 | DVD 
  • THE NESTING (1981) | 2/26/17 | DVD
  • CONTAMINATION (1980) | 2/28/17 | Blu-Ray 
  • COUNTDOWN (1967) | 2/28/17 | DVD 
  • SMART MONEY (1931) | 3/7/17 | DVD 
  • MEN & CHICKEN (2015) | 3/10/17 | Blu-Ray 
  • WAKE IN FRIGHT (1971) | 3/13/17 | Blu-Ray |
  • NIGHTMARE AT BITTER CREEK (1988) | 3/14/17 | Amazon Instant 
  • HUNT FOR WILDER PEOPLE (2016) | 3/17/17 | DVD

  • MST3K: ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE (1987) | 3/19/17 | Netflix 
  • KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra
  • THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (2017) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra 
  • THE BELKO EXPERIMENT (2016) | 3/25/17 | Edwards Alhambra
  • THE LAST SUPPER (1995) | 3/25/17 | DVD 
  • BRANDED TO KILL (1967) | 3/27/17 | Blu-Ray 
  • DEAD PIGEON ON BEETHOVEN STREET (1974) | 3/28/17 | DVD 
  • HEART OF MIDNIGHT (1988) | 4/5/17 | DVD 
  • THE DAMNED DON’T CRY (1950) | 4/10/17 | DVD
  • GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) | 4/11/17 | DVD
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: REPTILICUS (1961) | 4/16/17 | Netflix 
  • RiffTrax: SAMURAI COP (1991) | 4/18/17 | Edwards Alhambra

  • THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017) | 4/18/17 | Edwards Alhambra
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: CRY WILDERNESS (1986) | 4/19/17 | Netflix 
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: TIME TRAVELERS (1964) | 4/24/17 | Netflix
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: AVALANCHE (1978) | 4/26/17 | Netflix
  • PATERSON (2016) | 4/30/17 | On Demand Rental
  • AFRAID TO DIE (1960) | 5/1/17 | DVD
  • GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017) | 5/4/17 | Arclight Pasadena
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: BEAST FROM HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956) | 5/5/17 | Netflix
  • MST3K: THE RETURN: STARCRASH (1978) | 5/7/17 | Netflix

 

RE-SEE MOVIES:

  • WILD BEASTS (1984) | 1/13/17 | YouTube
  • ZOOT SUIT (1981) | 3/14/17 | DVD

  • ALIEN (1979) | 3/22/17 | Blu-Ray
  • ALIENS (1986) | 3/22/17 | Blu-Ray
  • ALIEN 3 (1992) | 3/23/17 | Blu-Ray
  • WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT (1988) | 3/27/17 | Netflix (w/ Celia and Effie!)
  • ALIEN RESURRECTION (1997) | 3/29/17 | Blu-Ray
  • BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) | 4/1/17 | Netflix (w/ Celia and Effie!)

  • NEEDFUL THINGS (1993) | 4/7/17 | DVD
  • SLEEPWALKERS (1992) | 4/7/17/ | DVD

So my movie watching total is now up to 82 movies which is including new and re-sees. Slow and steady! Watching movies yup yup yup!

 

Back in February, with another 10 movie rental package my guy Dave and I got more movie to watch from the comfort of home with homemade popcorn! Movies and popcorn! Homemade popcorn with lots of butter and salt! It’s the little things and movie watching takes us to a happy place! Happy Place Break!

Though, for this round of movies we sure did pick some serious flicks! It wasn’t all happy, happy, joy joy… in fact it only helped to highlight my feelings to our current political climate. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

On 2/16/17 at 7:31PM the five rental picks we got were: MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944) on DVD, GUMSHOE (1971) on DVD, VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (1976) on DVD,  WOOL 100% (2006) on DVD and LOOPHOLE (19781) on Blu-Ray.

THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS – It was a pizza and movie night when we watched this one, another movie starring Zachary Scott! (I previously mentioned him with the DVD rental of RUTHLESS!)

WHO IS DIMITRIOS?

Set in 1938 in Istanbul, Zachary is Dimitrios, a bad man, who’s dead body recently washed ashore. The police captain who finds Dimitrios tells the story to a vacationing mystery writer, Cornelius Leyden, played by Peter Lorre. Cornelius is instantly fascinated and wants to know more about Dimitrios!  He sets off on a journey to unfold the mystery and discover what kind of man Dimitrios really was, with flashbacks! It’s a fun journey as Cornelius meets those who were dealt a hand of Dimitrios. He discovers there’s a lot of anger, love lost and pain. With every story Cornelius gets caught up in more danger. Peter Lorre is absolutely great as the curious writer!

 

VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED – Looking through the aisles of the store, picking up random titles, I’m not sure what really caught my eye when it came to Voyage. It was probably the cover of familiar faces like Max von Sydow, Faye Dunaway, Malcolm McDowell, and Oskar Werner; then reading the description which sounded intense, I decided why not. Little did I realize just how intense this viewing would be as it is based on a true story.

Right now there’s a rise of hate going on in the world, anti-semitism and a backlash about refugees. It’s not cool by any means. I am not happy about it and this movie I chose VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED illustrates just what fear and hate can cause between governments and people.

The SS St. Louis carried over 900 Jewish German refugee passengers in 1939 right before World War II and they are headed to Havana, seeking asylum to escape Hitler’s Germany. It was a frightening realization knowing this would not end well as it is a big star hollywood splash with classic glam, you truly hope for a glimmer of a happy ending.

Faye Dunaway is a beautiful and fierce presence as the wife of a doctor played by Oskar Werner who’s hated for having helped German Nazis. We see Jonathan Pryce in an introductory role for him as a jew who escaped the camps along with a friend. There’s a family, the Rosen Family, the father played by Sam Wanamaker who was tortured by the Nazis and his wife Lee Grant who have a young daughter and they all just want a chance at life and peace.

There’s other big players with cameos galore; Ben Gazzara as a US representative and an American Jew trying to fight for the people aboard the ship. Orson Wells is a rich man in Havana toying with the cause for financial gain and Katharine Ross as a prostitute on the island who has some connections of her own. Lastly I also have to highlight Max von Sydow as Capt. Schroeder, a German officer who has sided with his passengers hopes of a place to go safely. Lastly there’s the Captain’s steward played by Malcolm McDowell. Look out for: Jose Ferrer, James Mason and Maria Schell to name a few more.

I got very emotional watching this movie and just thinking upon it again. Voyage had a tagline of: “The Ship that shamed the world.” But it seems it’s been forgotten in this day and age and it when we forget these things happened they can repeat themselves. I do not want that to happen!!! NO ONE should be shamed for their heritage, or beliefs, as they all just want to live their life. At one point Wanamaker said, about leaving Germany at the start of the film…”It’s only a temporary madness, of course we come back.” I can only hope that here and now we as a country can come back too.

We all must continue to fight, resist and survive.

 

WOOL 100% – This was a nice switch of pace after a heavy duty punch of Voyage. Two adorable old sisters live in a house filled with junk they collect from town. The two have a routine each and every day, they wake, eat and trek into town in the early morning hours. They lovingly pick up things tossed aside, clean them up, draw them into their collection diary and give them a place among their mansion.

One day when they pick up a basket of red yarn they find it is that of a young girl they dub Knit Again. Knit Again knits up a sweater that she undoes to knit again. Knit Again causes trouble in the house, upsetting the collection, and soon inspires the sisters to start cleaning house.

Part of the charm of WOOL is the animation bits that come and go, flashbacks via a dollhouse and animated tantrums of Knit Again. It was a bittersweet tale and the visual flair made me love this movie. What lead the ladies to become recluses? Well you’ll have to watch yourself.

 

GUMSHOE – This film was the feature debut of director Stephen Frears. Albert Finney is Eddie Ginley and he has just turned 31 years old. Eddie is an aspiring comedian who has a penchant for talking like a Dashiell Hammett detective and thinks his own analysts is crazier than he might be. “Me moments of glory all in me head.”

Eddie puts an ad in the local paper offering his services as a Private Eye and is soon caught up in a case that involves gun trading, being a hired killer, and heroine. The whole time Eddie has a sharp tongue spitting out witty remarks; “Gumshoe’s the game.” So much charm just oozes from Eddie. “A girl, a gun, a grand.” It was a fun mystery that took some turns. It goes to show ya that a delightful fella knows how to make good friends that will be at his side at the right time!

Oh and a funny side note I was surprised to see Andrew Lloyd Webber was the one who did the score to the movie! Fancy that! It was good too!

 

 

LOOPHOLE – We had ourselves an Albert Finney double thanks to this movie! And more Jonathan Pryce! Funny little random movie connections! (Hey, did someone say shrimp?) Anyways…

LOOPHOLE stars Albert Finney as thief Mike Daniels, and he is a good one with a small crew of two other fellas. After their latest score Mike reveals he has a new plan, that he’s scoped out for some time, but they’ll need a little extra help.

The heist involves robbing a big bank vault and taking all the safety deposit boxes but they need an architect! That’s where Martin Sheen as Stephen Booker comes in and he happens to be an architect down on his luck without a job and in debt.  After a little nudge and some big bucks temptation he’s of course in on the team. There is real good suspense and tension as the heist begins, it was also fun to watch the set up. I really recommend this one, but before you know it the film is done.

 

On 2/23/17 at 11:51AM we picked up three flicks:  OUT OF THE DARK (1988) on DVD, THE NESTING (1981) on DVD and DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1962) on DVD.

OUT OF THE DARK – This was one amusing thriller horror movie with a super cool cast (Karen Black, Bud Cort, Geoffrey Lewis) and cameos (Divine! Tab Hunter! Paul Bartel!). Set in the 80’s, WOOT, a group of ladies work at a phone sex line, run by Karen Black as Ruth in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.

There is more than a little bit of sleaze, and some good killer killing moments. I’m not afraid of clowns and this killer is rockin’ a pretty cool clown mask! The first kill at MacAurthur Park is one of the phone call gals walking her dog when the clown killer shows up to play a mime game with her. Most people I know, especially those with clown-phobias, would have been out of there faster than you can say BOZO. But play they do and bad stuff happens. Who is that masked clown? His name is Bobo, by the way. What’s his deal? What’s he got against phone sex ladies? Seriously, what’s his hangup? HAHA! Hang-up!

As the ladies who work at the phone sex line are knocked off one by one by Bobo, the cop on case is Lt. Frank Meyers played by Tracey Walter; “Another gritty crime in the city of angels.” Frank, he’s tough and his lady partner stays by his side.

The kills are good, the comic relief is all 80’s and there’s cool yellow Chucks and a weird not so sexy sex scene that is all there to distract you from who could be the real bad guy! A Clown mystery! Beware of BOBO!

 

DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS – Dave had never seen this one and I hadn’t watched it in ages. So this was a fun sci-fi re-see for me. These foreign seeds on earth are germinated when a meteor shower strikes all over the world creating walking killer plants, Triffids, and those who watched the meteors fall were blinded. Our hero Bill happened to bandaged in a hospital so he’s among the few see-ers left in world. Bill finds a young girl who can see as well and they pair up trying to find safety, search out others and just survive. We also follow a married scientist pair who’s relationship is on the rocks as they continue their studies in a lighthouse along the shore.

Will the Triffids overtake humanity? Can the human race survive and overcome the odds? Do the bad men try and take over the new world? So many questions are set forth, and you wonder, what side would you be on? Survive? Give up? Help others? Just sit back and watch! Let’s cheer Sci-Fi, always there to ask the tough questions! Yea Sci-Fi!

 

THE NESTING – More horror movie fun. We almost thought we had seen it already but thankfully it was a new movie to us both! An agoraphobic writer, Lauren (Robin Groves), finds a new home at a country house that turns out to be haunted. It’s as though the house had actually drawn Robin in to experience it’s history through strange vision of days long past and it happens that in it’s heyday was as a brothel. Can Robin overcome her phobia to move on in her life and get back to writing?

There’s plenty of jump scares and tension in the houses mystery which all adds up to make this a creepy film piece. It was a solid haunting, ghost, revenge tale that just focused on a few kooky characters and knocked ’em off in gruesome deserving ways. There’s some cool old actors too who give it solid cred; Gloria Grahame and John Carradine! They’ve still got their acting chops and show off just why there are always cool.

 

Yeah ROUNDUP!!! More movies have been rented since I started this post and I’m ready for Round 4, so stay tuned, it won’t be long, I promise! (I think…I just can’t let myself go and be lazy!!!!!!!!!) There’s movies to share after-all! Yup!

Round 2 of my DVD rental report is here! Yeah, renting movies like it’s 1990! (Oh days of old!) Since the last one I have rented 10 movies from Vidéothèque! There was one of the 10 that I did not watch though! You know how it is, you expect to watch them all right away and then there’s distractions! But dude…9 out of 10 rentals ain’t bad. There were some fun picks indeed.

On 1/9/17 at 6PM my guy Dave and I rented: BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET (1958) on DVD, BLACK EYE (1974) on DVD, FORGOTTEN SILVER (1995) on DVD and lastly A BITTERSWEET LIFE (2005) on DVD.

The movie we did not watch was BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET, but we plan to rent it again as I realized there is a sequel to it as well! Yup. I want both at the same time!

 

A BITTERSWEET LIFE – As the dvd began the movie felt pretty familiar and after a while we realized we had seen it already! But, you know what we kept on watching because a good movie is worth watching again! Looking back I realize I actually watched this movie in the early 2000’s after it had come out, but that was way before my official tally tracking.

From South Korea, the film is about a mob enforcer who’s asked to follow his bosses girlfriend to find out if she’s cheating on him and if she is, he’s got to kill her and the guy off! You can guess that he decides to not do the deed and suffers later for the choice. It’s not any easier that another enforcer is causing trouble with a rival gang so our hero has a lot to fight against. There’s action, torture and more action! If gang members just took care of each other rather than letting their egos get in the way, but then again, revenge is always a sweet thing to watch, because bad people get what they deserve.

 

BLACK EYE – Fred Williamson is private eye Shep Stone, he was once a cop and now does his own thing; solving cases and eating peanuts along the way.

An old silent movie star dies, he was involved with the local drug scene and a group of bad guys want the old man’s cane. It all happens to be going on in Shep’s neighborhood and so he’s immediately involved when his neighbor, a local prostitute, is killed. On top of that, Shep is a bit sad as his part time lady is also in a relationship with another woman. Yeah, he’s jelly, but he knows she’s a woman who can do as she pleases.

I really dug this little movie. Fred Williamson is bad ass as Shep. He’s chomping peanuts all the time and he gets his peanuts from the local bar where he takes his calls and does his private eye business.

The mystery in this film ties drugs, the pornography the film business, rich folks, a missing girl and a local cult all into one pot and you can bet Shep sorts it all out with peanuts in hand!

 

FORGOTTEN SILVER – A mockumentary, by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, looking back at a silent era filmmaker from New Zealand. They cleverly made this documentary seem quite real and possible, and that’s wonderful movie magic from the start. Their filmmaker Colin McKenzie just about started all the trends of the filmmaking era and no one seemed to know about it as his greatest achievement was a lost film. As Colin’s film is discovered, and restored we learn about his rise and fall and it is all captivating. I really enjoyed this fun little film that jabs at the industry. Anything is possible and when you love movies! Movies let us achieve our dreams! YEA MOVIES!

 

On 1/19/17 at 3:04PM we rented: IGUANA (1988) on BluRay, THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (1966) on DVD, DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN (1979) on DVD, CRY OF THE CITY (1948) on DVD and THE PUSHER (1960) DVD.

 

CRY OF THE CITY – I love old movies and I can’t get enough. I’m a big fan of Victor Mature! So we start our story from a hospital where a man is surrounded by family as it seems he’s on the verge of death. Martin Rove is the man in the bed, played by Richard Conte. Turns out Martin killed a cop, and is caught up in jewel heist! Detective Candella (Victor Mature) is on his trail. Candella knows Martin’s family and doesn’t want to see them hurt, but wants justice served.

Both men are from the same neighborhood and each took a different route. The film delves into family, loyalty, honor. Martin is a selfish man, he’s on the run, pushing his mother to the edge and making his life look glamorous to his younger bother. Candella doesn’t want Martin’s brother to go down the same road, and tries to be a better big brother figure. There’s a great cameo from Shelley Winters too as Brenda, a girl who helps Martin out in a time of need. Filled with suspense this film is a noir classic.

“Junior, why don’t you be a nice guy and beat it.” – Brenda

 

IGUANA – From director Monte Hellman we follow a disfigured man (Everett McGill) who’s lived his life at sea as one of the crew aboard a ship and because of his scaled face he’s been called Iguana most of his life. Since Iguana is a practitioner of Voodoo he’s soon tossed off and when he washes ashore of a small island he offers thanks to his Voodoo gods but then his crew finds him only to torture him again.

Once Iguana escapes he declares himself King of the island and vows to be the kind of ruler who is cruel yet fair. Michael Madsen is Sebastian, who was left on the island too. Sebastian becomes Iguana’s loyal subject after he lost a few fingers to Iguana’s “just” hand. As others wash ashore they must choose to obey Iguana’s law for a chance at life over death.

The film offers up questions of “Do men want to be ruled?” “What will men do to survive?” “Would you rather be free and alone or dead?” Iguana himself is a man questioning existence as he suffers with his disfigurement and being treated terribly all his life, but he only seems to knows how to return hate. Is he just a reflection of all the wrong doing he himself faced?

There’s also a side story of a young Spanish woman who’s lusting for adventure, lusting for a life of her own choosing and when she spends a night on the island with her future husband she’s captured by Iguana and forced to be at his side.

It was a movie that is rumored to come from a true old story. It’s visual and most unusual. Not easy to watch at times, but fascinating take on human nature and survival.

 

THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM – It does feel like I’m picking movies that, though they’re from days past, they’re more relevant now than ever. There’s spies, nazi, British Intelligence. At this point in time it seems the Nazi are making a return in Germany, but they must be uncovered! Quiller (George Segal) is sent in after the latest operative was killed. His handler is played by Alec Guiness!

Our big baddie is Oktober (Max von Sydow) and he wants to details on Quiller’s people. Quiller and Oktober have quite the back and forth and no one wants to give up what they know. Will Quiller bring down their operation? Can Oktober’s team kill Quiller? Will the Nazi group continue to infiltrate the current state of the country? Only time will tell, but Quiller won’t give up!

 

 

DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN, a.k.a. SNAPSHOT, a.k.a. ONE MORE MINUTE…Oh first things first, as I rented this movie the DVD title was DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN and it has nothing at all to do with Halloween! After reading up on it, those putting out the movie just decided to give it a Halloween title to capitalize on the Halloween movie at the time. So the titles SNAPSHOT or ONE MORE MINUTE are actually more appropriate.

It’s about a young and pretty girl who’s shown off her naked body as a model and is soon tormented, stalked, terrorized…I would say many days after HALLOWEEN. There’s a lot of people attracted to this girl, and every time it is a deadly attraction…the old ice cream man ex BF who’s loved by her puritanical mother, and oddly obsessed and really too old for this 17 year old girl!!! Next there’s the photographer who likes to photograph dead things, the older woman friend who knows the modeling ropes and the old film producer who is more than a little skeezy. I mean there’s a lot of skeezy and misdirect about who could be causing all the trouble. Dun, Dun, Dun!!!

 

THE PUSHER – Based on The 87th Precinct series by Ed McBain we see what a drug pusher known as Gonzo is doing to the neighborhood as he peddles heroine to kids, couples, anyone he can hook. The Lieutenant and his best detective are on the case! But, the detective is engaged to the Lieutenant’s daughter and wouldn’t you know it, she’s hooked on “the dope” and looking for a fix! Uh oh!

Smack! Dope! Fix! What would you do for that fix? It’s all bad news when smack is on the streets! The Lieutenant is ready to catch that pusher and set things straight! Oh, Keep a sharp eye out for a John Astin cameo! (And a weird coincidence, after watching this movie I got my hands on a few Ed McBain books to delve more into the Precinct stories when I find some time! READING TIME!)

 

On 1/27/17 at 7:58PM we rented: HORNETS’ NEST (1970) on DVD and THE LAST RUN (1971) on DVD. These rentals used up my rental packages so I guess it’s time to buy more! 😀 Yup!

 

HORNETS’ NEST – A group of boys see their whole town of mothers, grandfathers and children mowed down by Nazis while they were off hiding with the other fighting men and they were powerless to stop them. The same day a group of paratroopers land nearby and are also mowed down by the Nazis but one survives, Captain Turner, played by Rock Hudson (sporting his mustache).

Turner is rescued by the kids and they demand his help to avenges their town! After that he plans to uses the kids to complete his mission of blowing up a nearby dam. It’s a harsh look at war and the effect is has on people, especially children. Children who are forced to grow up fast, children who think they have the answers, children who are ready to kill because that’s all they have seen around them. Innocence lost right from the start.

It was a solid film and the kids were great, and real. Rock Hudson was pretty tough and gruff.

 

THE LAST RUN – George C. Scott is Harry Garmes, he lives a lovely lonesome life in Spain along the coast where he rents his boat to a local fisherman. Harry is getting older and is looking for something to help pass the time. He used to be a getaway driver and wants to give it another go to prove he’s still got it.

Harry makes some plans, has one last night with his prostitute gal pal (Colleen Dewhurst) and sets off to help a young guy Paul (Tony Musante) break out of jail. Paul makes Harry pick up his gal pal Claudie (Trish Van Devere) and as a trio they go on the run through the Spanish countryside.

When you’re dealing with ex-cons, cops and gangster types it’s never going to be an easy escape. Along the way Harry does his soul searching and does what he does best; DRIVE. The driving scenes were amazing along small mountain roads.  It was a great film and George C. Scott was pretty cool. It was fun to read up on George a bit more and learn that his wife at the time of this movie was Colleen and soon after they divorced (for the second time) and he then married Trish after who he stayed with the rest of his life.

 

And this now concludes my Round up!! I have already rented a new batch as I finally finish writing this piece and will be back even sooner with more movies to share! Now go out and rent some movies too! Yup! Yup! Yup! MOVIES!