LUCY Poster Gets Me Thinking Of Much Funnier Memories From The Past…

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

Hmmmmmm. I’m sorry, but I laughed out loud when I saw the name to Luc Besson’s new film about a sexy gal (Scarlett Johansson) who gains superhuman powers after she accidentally ingests some of the drugs she’s forced to smuggle. Not because I don’t think Mr. B and Ms. J can pull it off more than ably and not because it’s one more Besson action flick about a killer lady doing her stuff kicking all sorts of butt and getting into serious trouble in fancy locations. Nope, those well-aged tropes make me smile and nod. It’s the title, ladies and gents. Why? Because I think of Lucille Ball making a 20-foot loaf of bread, stuffing chocolates in her mouth on that assembly line, stomping grapes versus a real grape stomper and getting into other mischief that requires “splain”-ing to her harried hubby. Of course, when I get around to actually seeing the trailer, I’ll be expecting a laugh track and a orchestral/bongo back beat. Oh, wait… it was already dropped onto YouTube in April? D’oooooh! (Goes to microwave some popcorn, microwave is busted. *Crap!* Runs out to buy bad of equally nasty cold bagged popcorn… Seven minutes, thirty eight seconds later)…

(thanks, Movieclips Trailers!)

“Luc-yyyyyyyy? I’m hooooooome” (Hee-hee…)

Random Film of the Week: Psycho II

Posted on May 6, 2014 by geelw

Well, it’s Mother’s Day this week as well as my birthday (tomorrow, so you still have time to get me that gift or else!), so I’m going to have fun with this week’s pick. While seen as sacrilege to some fans of the original movie, for my money Psycho II is a nice surprise that does well at following up on Norman Bates’ life post-release from the institution he ended up in thanks to his deeds in the original.

Screenwriter Tom Holland and director Richard Franklin get some great (albeit limited) mileage out of Anthony Perkins here as he portrays Norman as trying to live the “normal” life, but ends up instead plagued by forced memories from the past intended to drive him back to his old ways. Or perhaps he’s hallucinating all that bad stuff? Whatever the cause, bodies start piling up (well, the actual death count is small compared to other films of the era), the mystery deepens and it’s not until the final reel that things become clear with a double twist corker of an ending that’s still amazing… Continue reading →

Get on Up Trailer: Better Not Get Me Down Or It’s The Big Payback!

Posted on March 14, 2014 by geelw

Well, this looks as if it’ll hit all the usual Hollywood biopic notes to a “T” (“Can I get a “T”!) and yes indeed, the music saves this trailer (and quite possibly the film) from sinking into melodramatic parody. I say ANYONE who wants to spend money on a ticket needs to at least track down a copy of Star Time and Brother James’ appearance on The T.A.M.I. Show (TIGHT band, TIGHTER pants, the crowd goes wild as if commanded and possessed) just so you can hear those bombastic classics as they’re meant to be heard. I’m betting if there’s a soundtrack for this flick, the mix will be putrid or overdone or both, but I may be wrong. I’m not holding my breath. Now, Please, Please, Please go dance somewhere else, as I’m trying to work here!

Random Film of the Week(end): Rollercoaster

Posted on January 26, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, sideshowcarny!)

In some parts of America during the summer of 1977, you either got very lucky and saw Star Wars, or you got very unlucky because that flick was sold out when you wanted to go and had to settle for something like Rollercoaster. Now, on it’s own merits it’s a passable “disaster” flick that’s a wee bit too long and wastes the talents of a few major stars at the tail ends of their careers. On the other hand, it’s about a unnamed home-grown terrorist who decides to seriously vandalize amusement parks and kill people (at least in the first big accident in the film) in order to extort money from a mega corporation just because he can.

There’s no motive other than profit, he’s not some crazed maniac out for revenge whose daddy and mommy were killed in a freak amusement park accident, and the film relies on some dopey luck and dumber plot holes to speed things along as it hopes you won’t notice under all that Sensurround booming your eardrums into submission. But none of this will matter to some people who see this flick today and think it works on the level of a decent thriller. It sort of doesn’t in my old eyes because the film not only shows you the culprit right at the beginning, it tends to drag out scenes just to show off some fancy camerawork and some nice amusement park real estate instead of add depth to the characters it needs to… Continue reading →

Random Film of the Week: Iceman

Posted on January 24, 2014 by geelw

EDIT! It was THAT cold in the library that I got Tim Robbins and Timothy Hutton confused. Heh. Corrected! The funny thing is that mistake most likely came out of a conversation last night with a friend who started that confusion as we were discussing movies both actors were in and I must have retained that up in the vaults as a frozen memory. OOPS. Ah well…

Yes, it’s still winter outside, so I’m tossing this forgotten flick up with the hope you check it out because it’s actually a great and thought provoking sci-fi drama. This may or may not be a short post because it’s FREEZING in the library (seriously, NYPL? What’s up with this indoor cold?) and my brain is flipping on and off in deciding my word count. Anyway, excellent performances from Timothy Hutton as Stanley Shephard, an anthropologist who helps a defrosted prehistoric man (John Lone) as he struggles with the new world he’s been awakened into.

Sure, the “science” here is immediately questionable as to how that caveman survived 40,000 years in that block of ice, but the film works because of the performances that have you believing everything it throws at you. Besides, as I’ve said before, if you’re going to see a sci-fi flick for the “science”, you’re not going to be enjoying much with a too-critical set of eyes… Continue reading →

Random Film of the Week(end): Somewhere In Time

Posted on November 6, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, famousmichigan!)

As much fun as it was and still is, frankly speaking, Superman: the Movie had a really TERRIBLE time travel sequence that breaks the film and manages to always get a tiny bit under my skin each time I see it. Fortunately, Somewhere In Time is a much better film overall about time travel, love, loss and quite probably the worst long distance relationship ever. I saw this upon its initial release back in 1980 and it’s stuck with me since.

Now, I’m not deep into the romantic fantasy genre at all, but SoT has a compelling pull to it that makes it one of my favorite science fiction films, bittersweet finale and all. It’s not for every taste, but if you decide to give this one a shot, you’ll find Jeannot Szwarc’s fine direction, the lovely John Barry score, intentionally languid pacing and solid performances from the cast (I think it’s Reeve’s best film work, period) make this one truly memorable… Continue reading →

Chucky… You’re Back (Again)! But You (Still) Don’t Scare Me…

Posted on September 10, 2013 by geelw

Oh, I dunno. None of the Child’s Play movies ever frightened me at all and the more violent Chucky flicks were more amusing and bizarre (and gory) than actually scary. So this recent attempt at freaking me out with a new (and sometimes CG animated) Chucky is falling on deaf eyes or something like that. Yeah, you can come over and film me while I watch this, but you’ll see what looks like a scream is act-ually a big, fat contagious yawn. Come on, you know you’re about to YAWN just by reading that word. Go on ahead. It’s supposed to work that way. Ready? One… Two… Three… Therrrre you go. See? And hey, if you didn’t yawn – read this again with the cat or dog nearby and they’ll yawn. Bet you a nickel.

Er, where was I again? Oh yeah – sorry Universal, this one didn’t do a thing for me. Yaaaaawwwwnnnn… Zzzz (and better luck next time)…

Random Film of the Week: THE CAR

Posted on July 17, 2013 by geelw

Since it’s hot as HELL outside, I figured I may as well throw you readers a bone in the form of a film with a lot of heat under its hood that won’t burn you (unless you’re expecting it to blow you away with stellar acting and a memorable plot.) If you take it at all seriously (and it’s VERY hard to do so, mind you), 1977’s THE CAR isn’t a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure as hell is a really and unintentionally hilarious one.

It’s more or less a nasty-tasting cake made up of equal parts of single-word title films (JAWS, DUEL), a dash of devil possession from some other popular 70’s flicks, a custom George Barris ride that looks like a tricked out rolling bathtub and some (as in too many) scenery chewing lead and character actors having at the jumbled script and its crazy plot diversions.

This is a “Yours is not to question why…” flick, plain and simple. Small run down desert town gets visited and its citizenry terrified (and run down) by a mysterious driver-less evil car from hell (more or less). Sheriff and crew take on car with mixed and amusing results until they realize that good old fashioned explosives and a few tons of boulders solve many problems. Crash, Bang, Boom… The End? Yeah, it’s that simple enough to be a thirty minute episode of some sort of horror anthology on TV (or as part of a much better film anthology), but THE CAR is padded with a number of dopey subplots that don’t really go anywhere because after too many minutes of greasy buildup someone usually gets killed (and taken out of the picture as a result), leaving that screen door swinging in the breeze until the next victim shows up…

Continue reading →

Curse of Chucky Trailer: That New CG Dolly Doesn’t Scare Me One Bit…

Posted on July 11, 2013 by geelw

Bleh. No wonder this is direct to Blu-Ray & DVD, although I won’t stop you from buying or renting it. Some folks are creeped out by this new digital Chucky, but I couldn’t stop laughing once his eyeballs bulged when that gal leans in closer. Maybe I’ll catch this on cable in a few months and change my mind, but probably not. For my money, 1945’s Dead of Night still has the scariest single “animated” doll on film, but I’ll give it up for Trilogy of Terror’s “Amelia” chapter for putting me under a couch. This new film might put me under a couch if I’m rolling on the floor laughing… we shall see…

Get (More) PSYCHO: Mezco Toyz Gets Mother And Marion All Dolled Up…

Posted on May 13, 2013 by geelw

Mezco PSYCHO Dolls Eeek! I don’t know what’s more frightening: the fact that there are actually dolls based on Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal horror classic now available for pre-order or the the fact that there are people making some more room on their shelves for both of them with big grins on their faces. Granted, Mezco’s Living Dead Dolls line continually sells out and has legions of fans, so this set will most definitely do well with that crowd.

On the other hand, it’s a damn good thing these weren’t available as Mother’s Day gifts, as I’m trying to think who’d be the person giving one or both to their mom in a nicely wrapped-up package with an even BIGGER (and more sinister) grin on his or her mug. Not me, folks… although I can safely say that “My hobby is… stuffing things…”. Hmmm. If I ever tell you “You eat like a bird…”, you may want to start running in the opposite direction (and fast)…