Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Rev. Powell]

WOMB (2010): A woman undergoes a procedure that allows her to implant a cloned embryo of her dead lover in her womb. Slow-paced but bold and unsettling drama blurring the lines between parental and erotic love. 3/5.

[Dr. Whom]

Suzume (2022)

A high school girl finds a portal in an abandoned holiday resort, and starts her off on a quest across Japan to prevent destructive earthquakes.

Not bad at all, but the shadow of Miyazaki hangs heavily over it. After the very charming Your Name, I was a bit disappointed with this wannabe Ghibli offering. That being said, it is definitely worth your time.

Also, when are people finally going to think about Chesterton's Fence when they encounter magical objects? I mean, seriously, it saves you no end of trouble.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard" (2022)
Mismatched duo Michael (Ryan Reynolds) and Darius (Samuel L. Jackson) are back for another globe trotting shoot'em up adventure, and this time they've added Darius' hot tempered wife (Salma Hayek) to the team as they try to stop a Greek crime lord (Antonio Banderas) from unleashing a cyber-attack that will cripple all of Europe. Just like the last movie, there's lots of cars crashing, bullets flying, and things exploding. Reynolds and Jackson make a great team and Hayek is all foul language and cleavage. Not a masterpiece by any means, but silly popcorn action fun.

[lester1/2jr]

Nightclubbing: the Birth of Punk Rock in New York City (2022)

I don't know if this is a series or what, but this was all about Max's Kansas City. It was very informative with lots of footage and commentary from people who were there. At the same time, I wish they had said who Max was and why it was called Kansas City when it was in the middle of Manhattan. Or maybe they did and I missed it who knows.

Basically, Max's was the bridge between the earlier folkie sort of scene and punk rock (and eventually hardcore). It started in the mid 60's but really rose to prominence with Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. After that, it slowly began to transform into punk, which would come to be associated more with another club: CBGB's.

CBGB's is referenced constantly throughout this and clearly there was a rivalry there. One point that really comes across: there were tons of drugs. There were celebrities too and they were on drugs. Towards the end, groups like the Misfits and the Bad Brains started to gain momentum, literally and figuratively.

In general, Max's seemed kind of campier and more colorful than CBGB's, but CB's probably fit the coming pre Guliani hellhole NYC vibe better

5/5

Wayne/ Jayne County has the best / most straightforward commentary but Alice Cooper also talks a lot

[Gabriel Knight]

RENFIELD (2023)

Renfield, Dracula's henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum for decades, longs for a life away from the Count, his various demands, and all of the bloodshed that comes with them.

If you're a fan of the original DRACULA, then you'll probably enjoy the first half of the movie. They made a huge effort in recreating plenty of scenes with Nick Cage added in; they're hilarious and nostalgic.

Sadly, I felt the action was way too fast, I barely managed to keep up with the images and dialog at the same time. It feels as if they weren't sure which one was their target audience: hyperactive TikTok teenagers, or old-school moviegoers. So what you get is a mixed bag of fast-paced action, gothic scenery straight from the 30s, and an awful plot about self-improvement and toxic relationships.

Yes, my main gripe with the film: it dwells too much on this part, almost as if it's the entire plot. Forget Dracula or Renfield, this movie is about toxic relationships and how to overcome them. Uh? After a while, I thought I was watching some random Instagram channel.

Apart from that, the movie is entertaining enough, and it seems that they took Cage and told him "here, go nuts". If you're a fan of that actor, you're in for a treat; sadly, he's not that prominent on the screen, but when he does,  oh goody. The rest of the film is the previously mentioned silly plot, with a lot of insanely bad gore. I mean, it's hilarious and fun, but the blood looked like jelly, even games from PS4 have better blood than that.

Recommended for fans of the original DRACULA for some nostalgia shots, and if you're looking for a quick, bizarrely violent, and fun movie. It's really short too! 7/10

[Rev. Powell]

HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN (2022): A carpenter becomes pregnant, but suffers from nightmares featuring a strange woman, while simultaneously being drawn to a past lover. Well-shot and acted feature from Mexico, but the scares are few and far between, the pacing is leaden, and the antagonist poorly defined; it feels like it wants to be a domestic drama, and isn't really committed to the horror thing. 2.5/5.

[RCMerchant]

Nightclubbing: the Birth of Punk Rock in New York City (2022)

I don't know if this is a series or what, but this was all about Max's Kansas City. It was very informative with lots of footage and commentary from people who were there. At the same time, I wish they had said who Max was and why it was called Kansas City when it was in the middle of Manhattan. Or maybe they did and I missed it who knows.

Basically, Max's was the bridge between the earlier folkie sort of scene and punk rock (and eventually hardcore). It started in the mid 60's but really rose to prominence with Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. After that, it slowly began to transform into punk, which would come to be associated more with another club: CBGB's.

CBGB's is referenced constantly throughout this and clearly there was a rivalry there. One point that really comes across: there were tons of drugs. There were celebrities too and they were on drugs. Towards the end, groups like the Misfits and the Bad Brains started to gain momentum, literally and figuratively.

In general, Max's seemed kind of campier and more colorful than CBGB's, but CB's probably fit the coming pre Guliani hellhole NYC vibe better

5/5

Wayne/ Jayne County has the best / most straightforward commentary but Alice Cooper also talks a lot

I watched this too. You had to be a player to get into Max's. Any bum could get into CBGB's.
Oh- their never was a "Max". The guy who first opened it was Mickey Rushkin in 1965.

[lester1/2jr]

RC- yeah the studio 54 aspect was annoying, even though of course I would have been let in

[FatFreddysCat]

"Revenge Of The Ninja" (1983)
After his family is killed by a clan of evil ninjas, a Japanese martial artist (Sho Kosugi) relocates to the U.S. to start a new life. But even in his new home, he still ends up getting tangled up in a battle with heroin smugglers, the Mob, and a rival Ninja. The plot is nonsense, of course, but the stunt work and fight scenes are fun to watch. Kosugi has impressive moves and there's lots of bone crunching, butt kicking action in this cartoony but cool cult classic.

[lester1/2jr]

Outside the Wall (1950) - youtube comes through again with their exciting new 15 part series...

No, it's another old crime movie, this time taking place in Philadelphia. A guy who's been in jail since he was 15 and is now 30 gets out and is of course immediately thrust in to some illicit scheme, delivering bribe $ to some lady from a bed ridden gangster. Along the way he meets two decent looking broads and lots of gangsters who can't shoot straight. The guy is likeable enough and the whole thing is well put together if not super revelatory in any sort of way. You ever notice how close people talk in movies? It's a little odd.

4/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Commando" (1985)
Arnold Schwarzenegger racks up an absurd body count in this cheese ball action classic as Col. John Matrix, a retired Special Forces operative who gets back in the saddle when his daughter (a pre-teen Alyssa Milano) is kidnapped by an old rival. It's totally over-the-top comic book nonsense but it's also tons of sadistic fun.

[Rev. Powell]

UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS (2022): Peter, an irritable gay dwarf, reluctantly agrees to go on a last minute road-trip with sex-worker Winona, who believes she has a date to be abducted by aliens in Canada. More of a character study spiked with bits of hallucinatory sci-fi than the mismatched-eccentrics road trip comedy you might expect, this offbeat indie features a great performance by Matthew Jeffers. 4/5.

[RCMerchant]

BURIAL GROUND: NIGHTS OF TERROR (1981)
I'm guessing most of you fine folks have seen this Italian zombie fest directed by Andrea Bianchi. I just rewatched it last night- again!
Crumbly zombies attack a villa because...who knows why. It doesn't matter. It's fast paced, gory as hell, and the star of the show is an incestuous kid named Micheal, played by midget Peter Bark. My favorite Zombie film of ALL TIME.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Filth and the Fury" (2000)
The short but influential story of the Sex Pistols is told by the band members themselves in this entertaining rock doc, full of vintage clips and photos. Directed by Julian Temple, who also helmed the previous Pistols doc, 1980's "The Great Rock & Roll Swindle." The band felt that "Swindle" put too much emphasis on their former manager/noted bulls**t artist Malcolm McLaren's version of the band's history, and this film aims to set the record straight. The absolute truth probably lies somewhere in between, but no matter which side you want to believe, this is still a cool, sleazy trip down punk rock memory lane.

[RCMerchant]

^ Great movie about a great band!