COYOTE VS. ACME (2026, AMC PRIME) does something its lead protagonist, Wile E. Coyote, is incapable of in his cartoon world: it speaks for itself loud and clear (while making you laugh your head off). I knew of the Warner Bros. tax write-off controversy (visible on-screen only by the copyright being several years old and a credit thank you to 'all those that spoke out when it counted most'), but I didn't know what the actual movie's plot was about. Such a clever, simple premise (co-written by current Warner DCU boss James Gunn... oh, the irony pile-up! 🤔) that marries the old-time Looney Tunes gags with the present-day reality of our litigious society and profits-at-all-costs corporate greed. Will Forte's lawyer schtick is a little thin for our lead human protagonist, but the supporting cast (human or animated) and on-the-ball production crew pick up Kevin's slack. As JB mentioned in his review on Friday (read it), the biggest miracle "Cv.A" pulls off is making the one-dimensional Coyote (and even the Road Runner during a couple of scenes deep into the third act) compelling characters despite their lack of speech. Then again, when they're as well animated as every other Looney Tunes character in this piece, who needs words? 😢🤥 Worth seeing on the big screen to appreciate the production values of shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. 😁
As with Renny Harlin's "Deep Water" earlier this year, I let myself get too hyped by the impending release of Yeon Sang-ho's COLONY (SOUTH KOREA, '26, THEATER). I even watched trailers and stuff, because a new 'zombie' movie by the director of 2016's "Train To Busan" can't miss, right? Heck, some of the actors from "TTB" return in either similar or completely different roles. Well... let's just say if "Busan" is a 10 then "Colony" is either a 6 or 7, with moments/scenes that push it up to 8. While "TTB" had a giant heart and pathos that tugged at your emotions, "Colony" goes for an all-out sci-fi vibe with outrageous characters that make it feel like a good (not great) movie version of a latter "Resident Evil" videogame. It's a different beast altogether.
Mad scientist Seo Yeong Cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan, excellent as the Albert Wesker of this piece) creates a virus that spreads rapidly in a building with a high-tech mall ("Dawn of the Dead" callback!) that makes those infected create fungi that communicates to all infected what every single one of them can see/hear. A group of survivors can't leave the quarantined-sealed building unless they find and bring in Seo Yeong Cheol out with them, since he injected himself with the virus and that makes him the only human vaccine that can stop the spread. Like in "Busan," the human mistrust of one another results in bands of survivors with different agendas (revenge for the death of a loved one, etc.) on top of the threat of many infected that can work as a team (impersonating police, etc.) to wipe them out. While the end of "Colony" results in one of the best examples of a 'heroine's journey' I've seen in a while, you can't help but want much more than what the actual movie delivers. If "Train To Busan" is the George Romero equivalent to "Dawn of the Dead," "Colony" feels like a souped-up "Land of the Dead." It's good, just not OG "Dead" trilogy good. Like "Deep Water," maybe if I hadn't hyped myself I would have liked it more. 😕😔
THE CLOVERFIELD TRILOGY! CLOVERFIELD (2008, 4K UHD)
It's been a decade since I saw "10 Cloverfield Lane" in theaters, and I never bothered to check out the Netflix-exclusive follow-up a couple of years later. The original "Cloverfield," though? Seen that a bunch, and on hindsight, it's where the creative/marketing muscle of J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot in its prime was clicking on all cylinders. A 'kaiju' (back when that term had only started getting mainstream traction) of unknown origin is dropped in the middle of NYC, unleashing Godzilla-like levels of destruction and human devastation in its wake... but we only get to see any of it through the camera of Hud (T.J. Miller), a sad-sack loser attending a party full of self-centered Millennials and Gen-Z pretty people. Despite a PG-13 rating limiting the on-screen violence, the excellent sound/visual design (which stands out more in 4K than the shaky-cam visuals) and non-stop action after a 20-minute introduction (which will make half the audience care for these characters, while the other half will root for their eventual demise... all based on each viewers' particular demo) make for an entertaining under-80 min. fun flick. Matt Reeves (director)? Drew Goddard (writer)? I think these kids might have a future in movies. 😉😇
Just recently bought the 4K (cheap), which prompted the rewatch of the prequel and first-time viewing of the third. I remembered the basic plot from 10 years ago: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is trapped in the basement of survivalist John Goodman while the world outside may or may not be uninhabitable due to an invasion/attack of unknown origin. But I completely forgot about Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), or the small details like Michelle's boyfriend Ben (Bradley Cooper) calling after she leaves her engagement ring on their apartment, or that the only shower/toilet in Howard's shelter is in his bedroom (EEEUUU! 🤢🤮). A mostly humorless survivalist chamber drama is not what most people expected as the follow-up to "Cloverfield," which can be explained by this being a separate movie that was retrofitted into Bad Robot's franchise universe late in its production. While there is barely enough sci-fi meat in "10CL" to make it of a piece with the '08 movie, two out of three lead actors giving engaging performances throughout ain't too bad. So sorry you couldn't dodge that barrel, Emmett. ☹️🤗
No, I didn't subscribe to Netflix (perish the thought! 😵) to watch the third entry in the series. A friend is out of town for a few days, I'm watching his apartment and feeding his cat... and I can also use his Netflix account. Too bad his TV is only 43"... barbarian! 😅 Released by Netflix during a Super Bowl LII ad in 2018 announing its immediate streaming availability, "The Cloverfield Paradox" is an even less well-integrated retrofitted separate movie than "10 Cloverfield Lane" was. The name 'Cloverfield' is tacked onto the CG name of a spaceship conducting experiments in outer space, a giant monster shows up at the very end, and the premise (a particle accelerator experiment to try and save the world from an energy crisis results in a portal to a parallel universe affecting a crew of baffled astronauts/scientists) offers a convenient way to thin the herd in PG-13 horror-lite ways. Without the 'Cloverfield' name this would be another generic sci-fi movie ("Life," "Pandorum," "Slingshot," etc.) with decent special effects (an amputated arm writing by itself, a human fusing with the ship's electronics, etc.) and a disposable cast (no disrespect meant your way, David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl) streaming on... well, Netflix. If there ever is a new "Cloverfield" movie, the upside is that it can't possibly be any more generic than this streaming contractual obligation. Pass.
Yikes! 🥵🥶 Cooler heads prevailed, and that franchise made more money and has a better standing than the "Cloverfield" sequels ever did. 😁 In my mind "Cloverfield" is one cool found footage monster flick... nothing more, nothing less. 🙂
Watching Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony" (see review above) made me ache for some George R. Romero goodness. You'd think the virus-infected 'fast' zombies' would make me seek out the "Dawn of the Dead '04" remake or the many "28 _____ Later" movies, but nope.
So I rewatched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968, DVD) and "Martin" with the group commentaries on. I miss hearing George Romero's voice, especially in his latter years when he came across as a gruff, lovable hippie grandparent type. 🥰 I had a chance to talk face-to-face with George for five brief minutes in NYC before he passed, and it was nice to put human warmth and a smile (not to mention a firm handshake) on that voice. 🥺😓 My DVD copy is a late 90's port of the Elite Laserdisc release of "NOTLD," and source of the commentary tracks that are still ported to officially licensed releases (most recently on the Criterion 4K of "NOTLD"). Even though he's a much bigger deal than his fellow commentators, George doesn't take over the commentary and lets the others (mostly John Russo) get into as much detail as they collectively remember. While "NOTLD" has problems (that catatonic Barbra!) and the lack of resources constantly show, it still works its charms until a gut-punch of an ending that still hurts to watch 58 years later. Poor Ben. 🥺😭
Same with MARTIN (1976, DVD), a Lionsgate release so early in the format's life and badly made you can't access the menu screens until after you reach the end of the first viewing of the flick. Had to skip chapters all the way to the end just to turn on the commentary track. If you've heard commentary tracks on "Dawn/Day of the Dead" you know Romero's knowledge of his films comes out better when prompted by the likes of Tom Savini (make-up boss), Michael Gornick (cinematographer), Richard Rubestein (producer), etc. to recount old war stories. While watching John Amplas fumble through the Pittsburgh suburbs, hurting others to prove to himself that he's a vampire (the home invasion of the lady who invited over her lover is genuinely tense and well-staged), hearing this crew of PA natives enjoying each other's company was as much fun as seeing Amplas-as-Martin's face at the very end. Only in a George A. Romero drama does the bloody ending of its protagonist opens many more questions than it answers. "Martin" remains criminally underrated as one of Romero's best works.
I'll give Agnieszka Smoczynska's HOT SPOT (POLAND/GREECE, '26, THEATER), a Polish-made dystopian sci-fi flick that came and went through AMC theaters last week, two things: (a) it has personality and a sense of humor (something lacking in most futuristic movies that take themselves way too seriously), and (b) it emptied the theater when the credits started rolling faster than any other movie I've seen (90 secs. after credits started I was the only one left! 😇). In a futuristic world with water limits (hence the pic's desert/arid look) where AI allows for wordless communication between the chip-marked civilian population, private investigator Jan 623 (Andrzej Konopka sporting a buff blonde wig) is tasked with investigating a grizzly ritualistic murder among a group of detained political refugees. One of these refugees, Rana (Noomi Rapace, "Prometheus"), seems to possess the mental ability to defeat the sentient AI... and drag Jan's life with his wife Ayka (Reika Kirishima) and son Zen (George Aurimas) into a hypnotic-induced nightmare. It feels like a distant cousin to "Blade Runner" (car/screen techs look dated by design, the private dick unaware he's a pawn on a much bigger game, etc.), except with Europe's 'The Final Countdown' as background music to lighten-up the otherwise dreary mood. 'It's fine,' but edges too close for comfort to being utterly forgettable despite being occasionally funny. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄
Last but not least, rewatched THE ODYSSEY ('25, IMAX 70MM) before the contractual obligations to Fall theatrical releases force AMC to give-up this lucrative cash cow. My 4th time seeing Christopher Nolan's biggest movie ever, once in regular 70mm film and three times in a row in 70mm IMAX. I 😍 New York! 😎 It was an empty space all the way in the back, though, so I had to watch all 2 hrs. and 52 min. standing up. Couldn't seat on the floor or I would have cut out the bottom half of the full IMAX screen. Seeing the same epic movie four times in about a month's time, I'm so familiar with the rhythms and beats of "The Odyssey" by now I can 'disconnect' mentally from the slow parts (Tom Holland's Telemachus visit to Jon Bernthal's Menelaus) and 'engage' when the dramatic parts (like the final test with the suitors, which starts earlier when Odysseus goes undercover) start gearing-up for a rousing finale. And somehow watching Robert Pattinson's Antinous go from overconfident, cocky suitor to coward hiding behind others' swords, then get his comeuppance at the hands of Matt Damon's angry-as-f*** Odysseus (the single biggest reason why Nolan's creation of Elliot Page's Sinon character works so well as a cinematic improvement over the original text), keeps getting better and more fun on repeat watch. What a summer! ☺️
a few weeks ago, I binge-watched the Vincent Price first collection from Shout, that made me in the mood to watch more. Second collection is impossible to find, so I 'rebuilt' it with individual releases from Kino and other stuff I already had (I'm still missing a couple). I can see why it got sold out so quick, all the movies from this set are top shelf. The third boxset was easily available, so I obviously got it. Here's what I watched from all of this throughout the week...
The Raven: I've never read the original story, all I know is the Tim Burton stop-motion animated short (possibly the best thing he's ever done) and the Simpsons parody (possibly the best thing they've ever done). The slapstick comedy threw me off a little at the beginning, but I quickly bought into it. I had a ton of fun, the magician fight is obviously the main attraction. Oh, and there's a very young Jack Nicholson showing up.
Comedy of Terrors: Speaking of silly movie, they cranked the slapstickness to 11 on this one: The woman who sings really bad, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price beating each other up, Lorre being in love with the woman. And where's Boris Karloff during all of this? He's sleeping of course.
The Last Man on Earth: Enough of this levity, time to get dramatic. I mean, a plague ravaging humanity, that's hitting a bit close to home. The 'zombie-vampires' are almost like anti-vaxxers.
Master of the World: I had to get a dud at some point. Sorry, dud is a strong word, it's not that bad, there are some cool scenes. I guess I prefer my Vincent as a scientist, in a big dusty mansion, with a dead wife. But if it's any indication of the rest of the set, I understand why Vol.3 is still available.
Tower of London: In which Corman and Price do Shakespear. A script NOT written by Richard Matheson, how dare they?!
Diary of a Madman: This one was disturbing.
Cry of the Banshee: Man, we're far from the fun times of the first two I've watched on this list.
The Best Little Wh0rehouse in Texas: For some reasons, the Blu-ray was selling out fast on Amazon. I never saw it, so it was time to snag it. Damn that woman was charming, she had the most adorable laugh, and was an excellent actress. The movie's fantastic, of course, and I'm happy to finally have seen it. It's worth watching if only for the Charles Durning song and dance bit in the last act. Now, somebody release 9 to 5 pronto.
'For some reasons...' Yeah, when a celebrity dies their body of work resurfaces on stores, sales and the collective consciousness. Never seen "TBLWIT," but its playing at my local AMC theaters 'till Sep. 2. That's the nostalgia power of Dolly, RIP. 😔
"Cry of the Banshee" gives us sadistic Vincent Price, and that's always good for a laugh even if the movie has no levity whatsoever. 😬🙄 "Last Man in Earth" is cheesy but fun, making the most out of a great premise, cheap production values and a star (Price is always compelling) squeezing all the dramatic worth from Richard Matheson's words. 🤓🧐 Every other Price film you mentioned l haven't seen... l think? Maybe "The Raven," but l honestly don't remember any of it. What are the V.P. movies you want to but can't get access to, Kuni? 😉😅
Dr Phibes Rides Again was part of vol.2, but I didn't get it yet.
That complete the 3 boxset from Shout
Apart from that, I'll watch anything and everything with Price. I think I got the essentials. I'll have to do some research for the other 'essentials' not collected in those 3 sets.
My favorite under-the-radar Price is "From A Whisper To A Scream," a 1987 horror anthology in which V.P. plays Cryptkeeper-like host to four horror tales. It's on Amazon Prime right now, and Shout put it out on BD years ago (l have it). Might just dust off this sucker in time for Scary Movie Month in... a little over a month??!! 😳😮
Time to paaaaarty! 🥳🤩
ReplyDeleteCOYOTE VS. ACME (2026, AMC PRIME) does something its lead protagonist, Wile E. Coyote, is incapable of in his cartoon world: it speaks for itself loud and clear (while making you laugh your head off). I knew of the Warner Bros. tax write-off controversy (visible on-screen only by the copyright being several years old and a credit thank you to 'all those that spoke out when it counted most'), but I didn't know what the actual movie's plot was about. Such a clever, simple premise (co-written by current Warner DCU boss James Gunn... oh, the irony pile-up! 🤔) that marries the old-time Looney Tunes gags with the present-day reality of our litigious society and profits-at-all-costs corporate greed. Will Forte's lawyer schtick is a little thin for our lead human protagonist, but the supporting cast (human or animated) and on-the-ball production crew pick up Kevin's slack. As JB mentioned in his review on Friday (read it), the biggest miracle "Cv.A" pulls off is making the one-dimensional Coyote (and even the Road Runner during a couple of scenes deep into the third act) compelling characters despite their lack of speech. Then again, when they're as well animated as every other Looney Tunes character in this piece, who needs words? 😢🤥 Worth seeing on the big screen to appreciate the production values of shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. 😁
As with Renny Harlin's "Deep Water" earlier this year, I let myself get too hyped by the impending release of Yeon Sang-ho's COLONY (SOUTH KOREA, '26, THEATER). I even watched trailers and stuff, because a new 'zombie' movie by the director of 2016's "Train To Busan" can't miss, right? Heck, some of the actors from "TTB" return in either similar or completely different roles. Well... let's just say if "Busan" is a 10 then "Colony" is either a 6 or 7, with moments/scenes that push it up to 8. While "TTB" had a giant heart and pathos that tugged at your emotions, "Colony" goes for an all-out sci-fi vibe with outrageous characters that make it feel like a good (not great) movie version of a latter "Resident Evil" videogame. It's a different beast altogether.
ReplyDeleteMad scientist Seo Yeong Cheol (Koo Kyo-hwan, excellent as the Albert Wesker of this piece) creates a virus that spreads rapidly in a building with a high-tech mall ("Dawn of the Dead" callback!) that makes those infected create fungi that communicates to all infected what every single one of them can see/hear. A group of survivors can't leave the quarantined-sealed building unless they find and bring in Seo Yeong Cheol out with them, since he injected himself with the virus and that makes him the only human vaccine that can stop the spread. Like in "Busan," the human mistrust of one another results in bands of survivors with different agendas (revenge for the death of a loved one, etc.) on top of the threat of many infected that can work as a team (impersonating police, etc.) to wipe them out. While the end of "Colony" results in one of the best examples of a 'heroine's journey' I've seen in a while, you can't help but want much more than what the actual movie delivers. If "Train To Busan" is the George Romero equivalent to "Dawn of the Dead," "Colony" feels like a souped-up "Land of the Dead." It's good, just not OG "Dead" trilogy good. Like "Deep Water," maybe if I hadn't hyped myself I would have liked it more. 😕😔
THE CLOVERFIELD TRILOGY!
ReplyDeleteCLOVERFIELD (2008, 4K UHD)
It's been a decade since I saw "10 Cloverfield Lane" in theaters, and I never bothered to check out the Netflix-exclusive follow-up a couple of years later. The original "Cloverfield," though? Seen that a bunch, and on hindsight, it's where the creative/marketing muscle of J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot in its prime was clicking on all cylinders. A 'kaiju' (back when that term had only started getting mainstream traction) of unknown origin is dropped in the middle of NYC, unleashing Godzilla-like levels of destruction and human devastation in its wake... but we only get to see any of it through the camera of Hud (T.J. Miller), a sad-sack loser attending a party full of self-centered Millennials and Gen-Z pretty people. Despite a PG-13 rating limiting the on-screen violence, the excellent sound/visual design (which stands out more in 4K than the shaky-cam visuals) and non-stop action after a 20-minute introduction (which will make half the audience care for these characters, while the other half will root for their eventual demise... all based on each viewers' particular demo) make for an entertaining under-80 min. fun flick. Matt Reeves (director)? Drew Goddard (writer)? I think these kids might have a future in movies. 😉😇
10 CLOVERFIELD LANE (2016, 4K UHD)
ReplyDeleteJust recently bought the 4K (cheap), which prompted the rewatch of the prequel and first-time viewing of the third. I remembered the basic plot from 10 years ago: Mary Elizabeth Winstead is trapped in the basement of survivalist John Goodman while the world outside may or may not be uninhabitable due to an invasion/attack of unknown origin. But I completely forgot about Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.), or the small details like Michelle's boyfriend Ben (Bradley Cooper) calling after she leaves her engagement ring on their apartment, or that the only shower/toilet in Howard's shelter is in his bedroom (EEEUUU! 🤢🤮). A mostly humorless survivalist chamber drama is not what most people expected as the follow-up to "Cloverfield," which can be explained by this being a separate movie that was retrofitted into Bad Robot's franchise universe late in its production. While there is barely enough sci-fi meat in "10CL" to make it of a piece with the '08 movie, two out of three lead actors giving engaging performances throughout ain't too bad. So sorry you couldn't dodge that barrel, Emmett. ☹️🤗
THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX (2018, NETFLIX)
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't subscribe to Netflix (perish the thought! 😵) to watch the third entry in the series. A friend is out of town for a few days, I'm watching his apartment and feeding his cat... and I can also use his Netflix account. Too bad his TV is only 43"... barbarian! 😅 Released by Netflix during a Super Bowl LII ad in 2018 announing its immediate streaming availability, "The Cloverfield Paradox" is an even less well-integrated retrofitted separate movie than "10 Cloverfield Lane" was. The name 'Cloverfield' is tacked onto the CG name of a spaceship conducting experiments in outer space, a giant monster shows up at the very end, and the premise (a particle accelerator experiment to try and save the world from an energy crisis results in a portal to a parallel universe affecting a crew of baffled astronauts/scientists) offers a convenient way to thin the herd in PG-13 horror-lite ways. Without the 'Cloverfield' name this would be another generic sci-fi movie ("Life," "Pandorum," "Slingshot," etc.) with decent special effects (an amputated arm writing by itself, a human fusing with the ship's electronics, etc.) and a disposable cast (no disrespect meant your way, David Oyelowo and Daniel Brühl) streaming on... well, Netflix. If there ever is a new "Cloverfield" movie, the upside is that it can't possibly be any more generic than this streaming contractual obligation. Pass.
We dodged a bullet. According to wikipedia, there was talk to have A Quiet Place part of the Cloverfield universe.
DeleteYikes! 🥵🥶 Cooler heads prevailed, and that franchise made more money and has a better standing than the "Cloverfield" sequels ever did. 😁 In my mind "Cloverfield" is one cool found footage monster flick... nothing more, nothing less. 🙂
DeleteWatching Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony" (see review above) made me ache for some George R. Romero goodness. You'd think the virus-infected 'fast' zombies' would make me seek out the "Dawn of the Dead '04" remake or the many "28 _____ Later" movies, but nope.
ReplyDeleteSo I rewatched NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968, DVD) and "Martin" with the group commentaries on. I miss hearing George Romero's voice, especially in his latter years when he came across as a gruff, lovable hippie grandparent type. 🥰 I had a chance to talk face-to-face with George for five brief minutes in NYC before he passed, and it was nice to put human warmth and a smile (not to mention a firm handshake) on that voice. 🥺😓 My DVD copy is a late 90's port of the Elite Laserdisc release of "NOTLD," and source of the commentary tracks that are still ported to officially licensed releases (most recently on the Criterion 4K of "NOTLD"). Even though he's a much bigger deal than his fellow commentators, George doesn't take over the commentary and lets the others (mostly John Russo) get into as much detail as they collectively remember. While "NOTLD" has problems (that catatonic Barbra!) and the lack of resources constantly show, it still works its charms until a gut-punch of an ending that still hurts to watch 58 years later. Poor Ben. 🥺😭
Same with MARTIN (1976, DVD), a Lionsgate release so early in the format's life and badly made you can't access the menu screens until after you reach the end of the first viewing of the flick. Had to skip chapters all the way to the end just to turn on the commentary track. If you've heard commentary tracks on "Dawn/Day of the Dead" you know Romero's knowledge of his films comes out better when prompted by the likes of Tom Savini (make-up boss), Michael Gornick (cinematographer), Richard Rubestein (producer), etc. to recount old war stories. While watching John Amplas fumble through the Pittsburgh suburbs, hurting others to prove to himself that he's a vampire (the home invasion of the lady who invited over her lover is genuinely tense and well-staged), hearing this crew of PA natives enjoying each other's company was as much fun as seeing Amplas-as-Martin's face at the very end. Only in a George A. Romero drama does the bloody ending of its protagonist opens many more questions than it answers. "Martin" remains criminally underrated as one of Romero's best works.
ReplyDeleteI'll give Agnieszka Smoczynska's HOT SPOT (POLAND/GREECE, '26, THEATER), a Polish-made dystopian sci-fi flick that came and went through AMC theaters last week, two things: (a) it has personality and a sense of humor (something lacking in most futuristic movies that take themselves way too seriously), and (b) it emptied the theater when the credits started rolling faster than any other movie I've seen (90 secs. after credits started I was the only one left! 😇). In a futuristic world with water limits (hence the pic's desert/arid look) where AI allows for wordless communication between the chip-marked civilian population, private investigator Jan 623 (Andrzej Konopka sporting a buff blonde wig) is tasked with investigating a grizzly ritualistic murder among a group of detained political refugees. One of these refugees, Rana (Noomi Rapace, "Prometheus"), seems to possess the mental ability to defeat the sentient AI... and drag Jan's life with his wife Ayka (Reika Kirishima) and son Zen (George Aurimas) into a hypnotic-induced nightmare. It feels like a distant cousin to "Blade Runner" (car/screen techs look dated by design, the private dick unaware he's a pawn on a much bigger game, etc.), except with Europe's 'The Final Countdown' as background music to lighten-up the otherwise dreary mood. 'It's fine,' but edges too close for comfort to being utterly forgettable despite being occasionally funny. ̄\_(ツ)_/ ̄
ReplyDeleteLast but not least, rewatched THE ODYSSEY ('25, IMAX 70MM) before the contractual obligations to Fall theatrical releases force AMC to give-up this lucrative cash cow. My 4th time seeing Christopher Nolan's biggest movie ever, once in regular 70mm film and three times in a row in 70mm IMAX. I 😍 New York! 😎 It was an empty space all the way in the back, though, so I had to watch all 2 hrs. and 52 min. standing up. Couldn't seat on the floor or I would have cut out the bottom half of the full IMAX screen. Seeing the same epic movie four times in about a month's time, I'm so familiar with the rhythms and beats of "The Odyssey" by now I can 'disconnect' mentally from the slow parts (Tom Holland's Telemachus visit to Jon Bernthal's Menelaus) and 'engage' when the dramatic parts (like the final test with the suitors, which starts earlier when Odysseus goes undercover) start gearing-up for a rousing finale. And somehow watching Robert Pattinson's Antinous go from overconfident, cocky suitor to coward hiding behind others' swords, then get his comeuppance at the hands of Matt Damon's angry-as-f*** Odysseus (the single biggest reason why Nolan's creation of Elliot Page's Sinon character works so well as a cinematic improvement over the original text), keeps getting better and more fun on repeat watch. What a summer! ☺️
ReplyDeletea few weeks ago, I binge-watched the Vincent Price first collection from Shout, that made me in the mood to watch more. Second collection is impossible to find, so I 'rebuilt' it with individual releases from Kino and other stuff I already had (I'm still missing a couple). I can see why it got sold out so quick, all the movies from this set are top shelf. The third boxset was easily available, so I obviously got it. Here's what I watched from all of this throughout the week...
ReplyDeleteThe Raven: I've never read the original story, all I know is the Tim Burton stop-motion animated short (possibly the best thing he's ever done) and the Simpsons parody (possibly the best thing they've ever done). The slapstick comedy threw me off a little at the beginning, but I quickly bought into it. I had a ton of fun, the magician fight is obviously the main attraction. Oh, and there's a very young Jack Nicholson showing up.
Comedy of Terrors: Speaking of silly movie, they cranked the slapstickness to 11 on this one: The woman who sings really bad, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price beating each other up, Lorre being in love with the woman. And where's Boris Karloff during all of this? He's sleeping of course.
The Last Man on Earth: Enough of this levity, time to get dramatic. I mean, a plague ravaging humanity, that's hitting a bit close to home. The 'zombie-vampires' are almost like anti-vaxxers.
Master of the World: I had to get a dud at some point. Sorry, dud is a strong word, it's not that bad, there are some cool scenes. I guess I prefer my Vincent as a scientist, in a big dusty mansion, with a dead wife. But if it's any indication of the rest of the set, I understand why Vol.3 is still available.
Tower of London: In which Corman and Price do Shakespear. A script NOT written by Richard Matheson, how dare they?!
Diary of a Madman: This one was disturbing.
Cry of the Banshee: Man, we're far from the fun times of the first two I've watched on this list.
The Best Little Wh0rehouse in Texas: For some reasons, the Blu-ray was selling out fast on Amazon. I never saw it, so it was time to snag it. Damn that woman was charming, she had the most adorable laugh, and was an excellent actress. The movie's fantastic, of course, and I'm happy to finally have seen it. It's worth watching if only for the Charles Durning song and dance bit in the last act. Now, somebody release 9 to 5 pronto.
'For some reasons...' Yeah, when a celebrity dies their body of work resurfaces on stores, sales and the collective consciousness. Never seen "TBLWIT," but its playing at my local AMC theaters 'till Sep. 2. That's the nostalgia power of Dolly, RIP. 😔
Delete"Cry of the Banshee" gives us sadistic Vincent Price, and that's always good for a laugh even if the movie has no levity whatsoever. 😬🙄 "Last Man in Earth" is cheesy but fun, making the most out of a great premise, cheap production values and a star (Price is always compelling) squeezing all the dramatic worth from Richard Matheson's words. 🤓🧐 Every other Price film you mentioned l haven't seen... l think? Maybe "The Raven," but l honestly don't remember any of it. What are the V.P. movies you want to but can't get access to, Kuni? 😉😅
I have Tomb of Ligiea on the way
DeleteDr Phibes Rides Again was part of vol.2, but I didn't get it yet.
That complete the 3 boxset from Shout
Apart from that, I'll watch anything and everything with Price. I think I got the essentials. I'll have to do some research for the other 'essentials' not collected in those 3 sets.
My favorite under-the-radar Price is "From A Whisper To A Scream," a 1987 horror anthology in which V.P. plays Cryptkeeper-like host to four horror tales. It's on Amazon Prime right now, and Shout put it out on BD years ago (l have it). Might just dust off this sucker in time for Scary Movie Month in... a little over a month??!! 😳😮
DeleteNoted. I love anthologies.
Delete