Recent Viewings, Part 2

[FatFreddysCat]

"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001)
Barred from hangin' out in front of the Quick Stop, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) of "Clerks" infamy hit the road, heading to Hollywood to stop production of an unauthorized movie based on their "Bluntman & Chronic" comic book characters. Along the way they get mixed up with a gang of beautiful diamond thieves, an orangutan, and an extremely persistent wildlife police officer (Will Ferrell). A fast moving cross country adventure packed with F-bombs, fart jokes, celebrity cameos and lots of laughs.

"Cinemania" (2002)
Occasionally I worry that I spend way too much time watching movies, but I felt a little bit better about myself after watching this documentary, which focuses on five New Yorkers whose passion for film goes beyond fanatical and lands in weird/obsessive/disturbing territory. These are people whose devotion to cinema has completely taken over their lives -- they see as many as five movies a day, EVERY day, darting across town from theater to theater. One guy has hundreds of books full of insanely detailed notes he's taken about every movie he has seen since 1986, another eats food that constipates him so he will never have to "miss something" by going to the bathroom in the middle of a movie.  A lady who hoards memorabilia from every theater she visits was banned from one for attacking an employee who ripped her ticket the "wrong way." Another guy only watches movie musicals from the 40s and 50s over and over and owns thousands of film soundtracks on LP, but doesn't have a stereo to play them on.
...so yeah, compared to these folks, my movie habit is small potatoes. I am also very glad that I've never been seated next to any of these people at a theater.
(... just for the record, this was the 215th film I've seen so far this year. I bet the people profiled in this doc would call me an "amateur.")

[Rev. Powell]

THE NOWHERE INN (2021): Annie Clark (who performs as "St. Vincent") commissions her friend Carrie Brownstein (of the band Sleater-Kinney and the series "Portlandia") to make a documentary about her; but when her real persona proves too boring for film, she spices things up acting more like her alter-ego, losing sight of reality in the process. It begins like an avant-garde version of SPINAL TAP and gradually spirals into out-of-control psychological thriller territory as Clark and Brownstein both lose their minds in different ways; clever and spiced liberally with chuckles. 3.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It" (2021)
The 3rd film in the "Conjuring" series is set in 1981, and the First Couple of paranormal investigations, Ed and Lorraine Warren, comes to the defense of an accused murderer who claims that "demonic possession" caused him to commit the crime. The couple's research uncovers Satanic cult activity that indicates the young man may have been under the influence of a curse.
Supposedly "based on a true story," this is more of a supernatural police procedural than a s**t-your-pants-scary horror film. It's a slow burner in the 1970s style with strong performances, decent effects and a couple of legit creepy-cool moments. If you liked the previous "Conjuring" flicks you'll dig this one too.

[lester1/2jr]

4 x 4 (2019) =  In the first minute, the movie actually STARTS which is incredible. A guy breaks into a car to steal the stereo and discovers he can't get out. The car is totally designed to trap someone inside and the windows are soundproof and so forth. He's stuck. Soon, the car's owner begins calling in taunts to the obviously angry man.

It's like one of those horror movies where theres a guy trapping people in a booby trapped house, except in this case the guy deserves to be there. There's a lot of crime in Argentina and people are p**sed. Vigilante justice was never like this though.

The director takes what could have been a really rote and boring plot and turns it into something bigger. The attention to detail and political overtones are well thought out.


this guy didn't like it

"
1/10
Too implausible
nikolazekoviczonin10 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Could be good movie but it's just too implausible, there is just no way no one couldn't hear his banging on windows and doors no matter how sound proof car is"


so its not for everyone I guess

5/5

[Jim H]

Friday the 13th part VIII - My Friday streak continues.  Hadn't seen this one in ages.  It really is the pits.  Horribly written, badly acted, a couple of OK side characters, 15 minutes too long, bad kills, awful ending, bad use of locales, etc.   Most people seem to think parts 5 and 8 are the two worst.  I'm inclined to agree, but at least part 5 had some kind of amusing kills and Tommy Jarvis beating up people.  Only things I like much in VIII, Kane Hodder remains a good Jason, and there's a few decent flashes of humor and style. 

[Dr. Whom]

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

A young tax collector and a ghost who is supposed to lure men to their doom fall in love. She is promised in marriage to the Dark Lord (or something), but with the help of a taoist monk, our protagonist can save his love literally from the jaws of Hell.

This irresistible roller coaster of a movie was my introduction to the genre way back when it first came out. I vividly remember thinking 'what did I just watch' as the end credits rolled.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." (1998)
Before Samuel L. Jackson, there was THE HOFF!
In this mostly-forgotten made-for-TV movie, David Hasselhoff plays Marvel Comics' wise cracking, cigar chomping super-spy, who's been retired from S.H.I.E.L.D. since the end of the Cold War. He's called back to active duty when a re-activated HYDRA, led by the daughter of his old foe Baron von Strucker, plots to attack NYC with missiles loaded with a deadly virus.
The Hoff is clearly having fun playing Fury, and Lisa "Melrose Place" Rinna, who plays his sidekick, certainly fills out a leather spy catsuit nicely, but otherwise this movie is silly, low budget action junk. This was supposed to be the pilot for a potential Nick Fury TV series, which never happened.
Fun fact: this movie was written by David S. Goyer, who would go on to co-write Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, which I guess proves that everybody's gotta start someplace.
For Marvel completists only!

[Alex]

"Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." (1998)
Before Samuel L. Jackson, there was THE HOFF!
In this mostly-forgotten made-for-TV movie, David Hasselhoff plays Marvel Comics' wise cracking, cigar chomping super-spy, who's been retired from S.H.I.E.L.D. since the end of the Cold War. He's called back to active duty when a re-activated HYDRA, led by the daughter of his old foe Baron von Strucker, plots to attack NYC with missiles loaded with a deadly virus.
The Hoff is clearly having fun playing Fury, and Lisa "Melrose Place" Rinna, who plays his sidekick, certainly fills out a leather spy catsuit nicely, but otherwise this movie is silly, low budget action junk. This was supposed to be the pilot for a potential Nick Fury TV series, which never happened.
Fun fact: this movie was written by David S. Goyer, who would go on to co-write Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, which I guess proves that everybody's gotta start someplace.
For Marvel completists only!

I love that movie simply because my sister-in-law hates it. The first time she told my brother she loved him, he looked deep into her eyes and replied "And I love the Hoff baby."

[Gabriel Knight]

4 x 4 (2019) =  In the first minute, the movie actually STARTS which is incredible. A guy breaks into a car to steal the stereo and discovers he can't get out. The car is totally designed to trap someone inside and the windows are soundproof and so forth. He's stuck. Soon, the car's owner begins calling in taunts to the obviously angry man.

It's like one of those horror movies where theres a guy trapping people in a booby trapped house, except in this case the guy deserves to be there. There's a lot of crime in Argentina and people are p**sed. Vigilante justice was never like this though.

The director takes what could have been a really rote and boring plot and turns it into something bigger. The attention to detail and political overtones are well thought out.


this guy didn't like it

"
1/10
Too implausible
nikolazekoviczonin10 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Could be good movie but it's just too implausible, there is just no way no one couldn't hear his banging on windows and doors no matter how sound proof car is"


so its not for everyone I guess

5/5

I wasn't even aware this one existed. I love Luis Brandoni, gonna check it out.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Purge: Election Year" (2016)
The third installment of the all-crime-is-legal-one-night-a-year series is even more overtly political than usual. The Election is coming up and a Presidential hopeful says if she wins, the first thing she will do is abolish the annual Purge. Obviously the elite "New Founding Fathers" party who've been in control for the past 20+ years don't want that to happen, so they take advantage of Purge Night to make numerous attempts on her life. Eventually she's stuck out on the mean streets of Washington D.C. with only her head of security (Frank Grillo, badass as usual) and a few hangers-on to keep her safe.
Unlike some of the other "Purge" films this one's more about inter-personal intrigue than ultra-violence (though of course there is still some primo mayhem), and it dragged on a bit longer than it really needed to, but I was mostly entertained.
Now I only need to see "The First Purge" (which, despite its title, is actually the fourth film in the series) and I'll be all caught up on this franchise.

[Rev. Powell]

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

A young tax collector and a ghost who is supposed to lure men to their doom fall in love. She is promised in marriage to the Dark Lord (or something), but with the help of a taoist monk, our protagonist can save his love literally from the jaws of Hell.

This irresistible roller coaster of a movie was my introduction to the genre way back when it first came out. I vividly remember thinking 'what did I just watch' as the end credits rolled.

I love this one!

[lester1/2jr]

^ I once drove an hour away to a video store AFTER driving all day for my job because I NEEDED to see Joey Wang flying across the screen

[FatFreddysCat]

"Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" (2019)
The stoner buddies from Clerks are back again, headed on another cross country road trip to stop Hollywood from making yet another "Bluntman and Chronic" film. Of course they have numerous wacky misadventures along the way before they finally crash the official "Chronic-Con" and face off against... fandom itself! 
...if this flick feels like a re-run, it's probably intentional. I think after his 2018 heart attack, Kevin Smith just wanted to take a victory lap through his back catalog and party with a bunch of old friends. The frequent jabs at the movie and comic book industries, and pop culture in general, provide a lot of laughs. Plus, there's a nice dedication to the late Stan Lee hidden in the end credits.
(My 14 year old son recently discovered Jay and Silent Bob via YouTube and can't get enough of them, so I've been walking him through the View Askew-niverse this week... I'm not sure if that makes me the best Dad ever, or the worst. Haha.)

"The Hitcher" (2007)
A twenty something couple on a road trip through the New Mexico desert makes the mistake of picking up a stranded motorist (Sean Bean)... who turns out to be a serial killer, leading to a series of gory, ultra-violent cat and mouse games on and off the road. 
Since I haven't seen the original "Hitcher" with Rutger Hauer since I was in high school, I don't really remember enough about it to compare the two but I will say I enjoyed this flick. The action scenes are impressive, with lots of cars crashin' and blood spillin', plus the female lead was cute as hell and she wore a pair of Daisy Duke shorts for the entire movie. Put this one in the "remakes that didn't suck" column.

[Trevor]

"The Hitcher" (2007)
A twenty something couple on a road trip through the New Mexico desert makes the mistake of picking up a stranded motorist (Sean Bean)... who turns out to be a serial killer, leading to a series of gory, ultra-violent cat and mouse games on and off the road.  
Since I haven't seen the original "Hitcher" with Rutger Hauer since I was in high school, I don't really remember enough about it to compare the two but I will say I enjoyed this flick. The action scenes are impressive, with lots of cars crashin' and blood spillin', plus the female lead was cute as hell and she wore a pair of Daisy Duke shorts for the entire movie. Put this one in the "remakes that didn't suck" column.

I saw the original The Hitcher in 1987 and it remains a very disturbing film for me.

Imagine my joy earlier this year when I got an enquiry about any elements of the film we might hold?  

[Dear FIAF members,

Re: The Hitcher (dir. Robert Harmon, 1986).

We are searching for original film elements, neg, IP or even print in good condition. Please contact [email address] Many thanks for your consideration and time.

Many thanks for your consideration and time.

Best regards,

Chris Holden
Managing Director
Second Sight Films
/quote]

[Rev. Powell]

Rewatched BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS and I now believe it's a masterpiece, ragged edges and all. The final "lucky crack pipe" confrontation is bravura filmmaking. 5/5.