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Post by loverofbeers on Jan 22, 2013 1:45:15 GMT -5
Damn, this movie makes me so happy. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) is a Don Coscarelli flick starring Bruce "God" Campbell and the great Ossie Davis. My first time watching this movie was on the big screen at Dobie Theater on the UT Austin campus (RIP Dobie Theater), and this was my third viewing. It just gets better every time. Just like the Evil Dead movies, this film is highly quotable. My favorite two quotes: Elvis: Look, man, do I look like an ichthyologist to you? Big damn bugs, all right? The size of my fist. The size of a peanut butter and banana sandwich. What do I know? I got a growth on my pecker!And, Elvis: [looking up Callie's skirt] The revealing of her panties was neither intentional or non-intentional, she just didn't give a damn. She was so sentimental on me that she didn't mind that I got a bird's eye view of her love nest. I felt my pecker flutter once, like a pigeon havin' a heart attack, then lay back down and remain limp and still. Of course, these days even a flutter was kinda reassurin'. The movie occurs in East Texas, Mud Creek to be specific, in a retirement home that somehow is the residence of Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy, and possibly the Lone Ranger. And a mummy is eating the souls of the elderly residents. Like Phantasm, this movie has a large monster insect that looks a little bit shoddy at times. Fun stuff. Reading between the lines, I think Coscarelli believes that Lee Harvey was a patsy in a conspiracy hatched by LBJ. That is what I believe too, but with the help of Operation 40 and Allen Dulles (more at the bottom of this post), bat-shit crazy Cuban Americans, Mafiosos, and some right-wing big money (oil?) Texans including George "Poppy" Bush, the CIA man. Earlier today I drank an Avery Ale to the Chief (Boulder, Colorado), a beer I bought three bottles of four years ago. I saved the last one to commemorate Obama's Second Inaugural if he were to be re-elected. Almost drank it on Election night, I was sure Romney was going to pull a squeaker of a victory. Glad I was so wrong. So first a Cheers! to hopefully a righting of our national ship and to a better tomorrow. Now I'm drinking a Pedernales India Pale Ale from Fredericksburg, Texas, a part of the Hill Country not too far from Johnson City, the birthplace of that evil bastard LBJ. Fuck presidents born in Texas! and Cheers! to Elvis impersonators everywhere. Especially El Vez, the Mexican Elvis! TCB, baby! In a flash! Elvis's jet at Graceland, been there, done that. I am an Elvis fan. LOB-17 At the direction of President Eisenhower, (Alan) Dulles established Operation 40, comprising 40 officials and agents whose primary area of operations was the Caribbean region, including Cuba. On March 4, 1960, La Coubre, a ship flying a Belgian flag, exploded in Havana Bay. It was loaded with arms and ammunition destined for the armed forces of the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The explosion killed 75 people and over 200 were injured. Fabian Escalante, an officer of the Department of State Security (G-2), later claimed that this was the first successful act carried out by Operation 40.
During the Kennedy Administration, Dulles faced increasing criticism. The pro-American but unpopular regimes in Iran and Guatemala that Dulles had helped put in place were widely regarded as brutal and corrupt.
Several failed assassination plots utilizing CIA-recruited operatives from the Mafia and anti-Castro Cubans directly against Castro undermined the CIA's credibility. The reputation of the agency and its director declined drastically after the Bay of Pigs Invasion fiasco, and Dulles and his staff (including Deputy Director for Plans Richard M. Bissell, Jr. and Deputy Director Charles Cabell) were forced to resign in September 1961. President Kennedy reportedly said he wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds."Alan Dulles would later serve on the Warren Commission at the behest of LBJ. One of Washington D.C.'s airports was named after the treasonous scumbag.
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Post by loverofbeers on Jan 25, 2013 17:13:50 GMT -5
Watched two movies in the last few days. One good to me and one meh.
I re-watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Beginning (TTCMTB) from 2007.
So, this is the prequel to the Platinum Dunes re-imagining from 2003 (TTCM), of the beloved by many, original, 1974 classic, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (TTCSM). Right of the bat, the problem for Bay's TTCM, is that it writes itself out of possibly having a sequel. There is an and to the madness or at least a very limiting of the potential harm that what is left of the Hewitt Family can actively pursue. Simply, a sequel would be ineffective.
The further "problem" was how successful this re-make or re-imagining was on a financial level, the so-called, "The Bottom Line". You see, Michael Bay's first Chainsaw film was the first modern American re-make (actually, The Amityville Horror might have been, not sure, if not, TTCM was the first successful remake, and both are from Platinum Dunes). Its' surprising success took Platinum Dunes and Hollywood by surprise.
It also debuted the grisly extremes we have seen in the last decade with the birth of "Torture Porn" and re-makes like the very good Dawn of the Dead, and movies and teevee shows spawned by Dawn, the new "Zombie craze" including Shawn of the Dead and arguably the comic series which is highly recommended to all horror fans of all genres, The Walking Dead (THAT is a devastating comic book!). Other films include The Hills Have Eyes, Evil Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and so many others, but all of these films are the result of Bay's and TTCM's success. This film was directly responsible, unintentionally, of spawning the SAW franchise, the Hostels, the Wrong Turns, and most the rest of the extreme genre from the U. S. and Canada. That is a big tribute for the modern TTCM's success.
Personally, well, I watched TTCM the first time during it's initial run on a date with a very crazy stripper at a great theater, The Village Cinema, which eventually, sadly, went out of business, but the good news would be that its space was to become the home of the future Alamo Drafthouse Village, so the good times returned but with damned good alcohol and food service. Back to the movie, I liked it right of the bat. It was different from the classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (I have been corrected, this is the proper name of the Tobe Hooper film), but it was very, very good. It gives the family new members and a canonical new universe and surname, the Hewitt clan instead of Hooper's Sawyers. And this is the most devastatingly chaos-bringing and macabre force of nature version of Leatherface up till now. This Leatherface will fuck you and all of your friends and your brothers and your sisters completely the fuck up. I dig him.
I liked both Platinum Dune movies from top to bottom: The script, the music, the sounds, the talented young actors (that word obviously includes actresses), both of the very talented and effective Young Turk and independent-minded directors, the gore and blood, the effects, the kills, the slaughterhouse scenes, the referring to people outside of the family as critters, things, varmints, or Bounties from God (Like "Sheriff Hoyt" says, "A clean goat is a happy goat"), THAT house, the credibility brought to the film by R. Lee Ermey deciding that this was a very good project to be associated with and the inclusion of the tagline Henkel/Hooper, as well as the use of the voice of John Larroquette, I don't have a beer at the moment, but if you do, raise a glass for John Larroquette, I love that guy. Oh yeah, the credibility of being filmed in Austin, Cele, Martindale, Granger, and the barbecue loving Taylor, Texas for the slaughterhouse scenes. TTCM was actually filmed partly on E. 51st Street, my old neighborhood, and I had no idea 'till looking it up right now. Huh. I keep enjoying watching both movies.
And now to sour that endorsement, I only know Michael Bay via horror, I have never seen one of his music videos or blockbuster type flicks like "Warship" or anything from The Transformers line, so I can't judge him there. By horror, I actually consider Michael Bay to be a generous contributer to making the whole genre popular and successful again. Shit, look at the box office numbers from that abomination 3D trainwreck this month. Anyway, I pick and choose which re-makes I will watch, and overall I have pretty much only have watched decent to very good re-makes. I have no problem with these movies. And the major problem of no sequels for TTCM, TTCMTB fixed to my liking. When TTCM was made, I don't think Bay was thinking in a greedy manner because I feel he made TTCM as a personal project. And All-Hell broke out for our genre, which is healthy in keeping things fresh. I have read that many critics hate these re-imaginings, but I dig them. I recommend watching them TTCMTB first and following it with TTCM.
Now on the more brief side of things, next I watched From Dusk to Dawn (1996) for the second time. I like elements of this movie, dislike other parts, and feel okay about it as a whole, but I won't recommend it.
What I like was the performances by George Clooney, Cheech Marin (three fun roles), a younger Danny Trejo, Tom Savini, Big Bad Fred Williamson, and especially Harvey Keitel who always delivers screen gold. I liked the Chinese kid and I can lose or keep Juliette Lewis, I'm not a fan. I hated the awful performance by that cokey, sometimes resident Austinite, douchebag Quentin Tarrantino. He plays a very intriguing character, but his delivery is a fail. He cannot act his way out of a paper bag but got a huge part, Clooney's loony schizophrenic brother, because Robert Rodriquez and he are inseparable close friends at times.
I also disliked the CGI, it did not age well at all. I did like the Aztec temple/vampire nest/titty bar setting for the last act of the film, but it was over the top in non-stop action and waves of vampires. I preferred the bank robbery and on the road mayhem scenes that took place in Texas and were filmed in Austin as well as in Washington State and California. Mexican scenes were filmed in the beautiful Chihuahua Desert, a part of which is my hometown in Far West Texas. Beautiful country.....
LOB-22
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Post by jakeawesomesnake on Jan 25, 2013 22:22:26 GMT -5
I like From Dusk Til Dawn ,but I thought the second half was too jarring. The first half is great and I'd like to see a full movie of that. Also loved the Mexican Rock band going from smooth to rocking out.
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Post by loverofbeers on Jan 31, 2013 21:28:03 GMT -5
Yeah, I like that band too, they are Tito and the Tarantulas. Chicano Rock, I dig it, but I still prefer a Chicano Elvis, any day.
Watched three movies over the last few days.
Machete was the first movie, and the worst of the bunch, and that says a lot. An all-star name, gimmick movie which was so painful to watch.
First, filmed all over Austin including a block from my favorite music venue, The Continental Club, and in what I guessed was about an eight block radius area of Downtown including my Capitol Building. And that scene was offensive to me. This movie was so insulting to so many groups including quality movie lovers.
If I was either a Catholic, a Texas Republican, an Anglo-Texan, a Tejano, a Mexican national, a fan of the Texas Legislature, or an eighties or seventies era action film fan, I would be offended. As a Texan, Latino Halfblood, Austinite, fan of the Texas Capitol Building, and a gun fan and advocate, this movie offended me. Robert Rodriguez should be deported from Tejas to Southern California or some other home for fakes and wannabes. He has sure changed since his first movie, El Mariachi. The talons of fame and Hollywood got a hold of the man by his second movie, Desperado, and his hard-on for using big names in his over-hyped flicks does not end. I hate this movie except for Cheech Marin as a Revolutionary "Man of the Cloth", but it still makes Catholics look bad. Oh yeah, terrible CGI blood and shooting effects. Sad.
Next I watched For a Few Dollars More (1965) for the fourth time. The action takes place in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a possibly Texan if not Mexican or New Mexican border town, Aqua Calientes, and El Paso, Texas. Klaus Kinski, a sick but very talented and dead actor, stole every one of his scenes as the revolver totin' evil hunchback. Funny stuff, especially his interactions with Lee Van Cleef. A classic Spaghetti Western, 'nuff said.
Third I watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Next Generation for the third time. I first saw it during it's initial and deservedly short theater run at the late Dobie Theater (RIP). I hated it. When I re-watched it a couple years ago on DVD, I hated it. After watching Texas Chainsaw 3D this month, well, I like this movie a little bit now, it is no longer the worst of the Chainsaw Massacres for me. I could have enjoyed this movie more if not for the robotic leg, the Illuminati, and the too over the top feminine Leatherface. Too much of a Nancy for my tastes. Still better than Machete.
Drinking a favorite Mexican beer from the makers of Dos Equis, their Christmas cerveza, Noche Buena Estilo Bock. Good session, brown lager drinking, I'll tell you what. Salud!
LOB-28
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Post by loverofbeers on Feb 1, 2013 0:30:06 GMT -5
Just watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) from Michael Bay, Platinum Dunes, and New Line. I already said much about this film, so I will add very little. I noticed for the first time local Austinite Harry Knowles from Ain't It Cool News had a cameo as a head on a silver platter. Nice. I endorse the following review in it's entirety by Harry from earlier this month for the double Chainsaw feature at The Alamo South Lamar: www.aintitcool.com/node/60221. Harry Knowles is good people. I met him when he hosted the First (and only) Texas Fangoria Frightfest. Good times, and a good local character. A Cheers! to Harry. Back to this movie, I love the soundtrack (Skynyrd!) and the cinematography, yet the fog machines are over used in setting ambiance. I liked the opening scene which shows a waterhole very much like the one I love that has been bone dry for the last two years (thank you humanity and climate change, thank you). I liked all the characters and the actors. I like the direction by Michael Nispus. Once again, R. Lee Ermy plays a great modern villain and there seems to be a running theme in half this series of adoption or more horrible, impregnation of imprisoned female victims, and the raising of the offspring as "family". This comes up in Parts 3, both Platinum Dune movies, and TC3D. I did forget to mention that in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Beginning there was one problem, the end had been unwritten prior to production, so four alternate endings were shot. Bad, bad, bad. Otherwise good. Nursing a second Noche Buena. Salud! LOB-31
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Post by jakeawesomesnake on Feb 1, 2013 0:58:14 GMT -5
First I watched 1982 Western Barbarosa starring Willie Nelson and Gary Busey, and its about the blood feud between Barbarosa and the family he's married into. This movie was really uneven. The cinematograhpy and soundtrack was great and really good respectively, the only reason I didn't think the latter was great was because they'd overuse a certain song and it came off as overdramatic. The gore was anywhere from alright to really good and the acting was the same way. Most of it was really bad ,except for Nelson and Busey who's interaction and friendship dynamic was the best part of the movie. My god the ending of this movie was really hokey due to the slow mo that was used.
Then I watched the great original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Not much to add except that this movie manages to get everything right, I especially like the ominous feeling the cinematograhpy of the sunsets give off. When used right in a movie sunsets can be either really beautiful or in the case of horror movies, ominous and a way of forshadowing bad things. Also something I was thinking about alot on this viewing was how the heroine manages to escape ,but kind of lucks out in a way that doesn't make the family look weak ,but at the same time you can totally buy. I really feel this has been a problem in horror movies where they'll have this good or great antagonist and then at the end they'll just get their ass kicked and look really weak.
Third I watched 2011 dark dramady Bernie which stars Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine, and Matthew McConaughey which was based on the true story of Bernie Tiede and his eventual murder of Shirley Maclaine's character. This movie was really funny and yet also managed to be serious and I also really liked the soundtrack. Jack Black gives a great, subtle performance in a way that seems to lead you to one conclusion until you think about his part in earlier scenes and in the end you're kind of left in doubt. McConaughey redeems himself here with a hilarious performance as the local DA Buck and I really liked the part where they mention how Texas is essentially five states. It seems almost too hard to believe ,but in real life Bernie was so popular in the town that they actually had to move the venue to another town because it was almost certain he'd be accquitted no matter the evidence. This is a reccomend.
Finally I watched 1985 horror movie Future-Kill which intrigued me due to it's great poster, which seems to be a lost art these days (even on Netflix there are times where I decide to watch a movie just because the cover intrigues me, similar to when I was a kid and rental stores were still the norm). This movie has an awesome soundtrack and good gore, particuarly when it has to do with the head area ( the stomach gore didn't look as good). This movie has atrocious acting, numerous godawfully fake fight scenes, and a story that doesn't seem to make much sense. Also the main antagonist looks super hoky in his wannabe Road Warriors armor and much like Barbarosa a really chessy slow mo ending.
Congrats LOB on winning the contest!
JAS-20
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Post by jakeawesomesnake on Feb 1, 2013 1:05:21 GMT -5
Barbarosa- Takes place in Texas and was filmed in Big Bend National Park, Bracketville, and Telingua; Texas.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre- Obviously takes place in Texas and was filmed in Austin, Leander, Hills Prairie, Round Rock, and Watterson; Texas.
Bernie- Takes place in the East Texas town of Carthage. Was filmed in Austin, Bastrop, Carthage, Georgetown, Lockhart, and Smithville; Texas.
Future-Kill- Filmed in Austin, Texas.
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Post by loverofbeers on Feb 1, 2013 5:17:30 GMT -5
Dammit, I was going to score three more points, but I had so many canine distractions that an hour and twenty minute movie, took over two hours to watch. Oh well.
First I want to comment on a few things you typed in your last post. Hopefully I won't miss anything. Sunsets. Yep and yep, I agree completely. The original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I agree about the movie's perfection and your point about not making the villain look weak after a movie of build up for the villain's bad-assness. "Booking wise", that is a very good and smart point. Lastly I agree with you about the lost art of movie posters and cover art for video tapes. I loved scanning horror in the video stores back in the day too, and also sometimes made decisions based only on the cover of the box. Good memories.
Okay. I watched Leatherface, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990).
This is a much maligned movie. The writer did a great job and the director did the best that he could. He ran into three problems; heavy handed producers that meddled nonstop, the literal stonewall that was the studio (New Line), and the budget that was not at all negotiable. And being forced to film new endings because test audiences liked certain characters (Ken Foree's for instance) by the studio. Making this movie is a director's worst nightmare. I don't recommend the theatrical release but the much better extended version which is still not the Director's Cut is very good. Hell, this is my second favorite movie in the whole franchise.
Kane Hodder is credited as the stunt coordinator. I asked him about this once, and he called R.A. Mihailoff, Leatherface in this movie, a pussy and said that Mihailoff was not allowed to carry a running chainsaw, so Kane played the uncredited role whenever a chainsaw was running. Oh yeah, that is the Cadillac of chainsaws, and a work of chrome art. And Ken Foree hit a home run in this movie. I also liked the survivor girl and the cinematography was top notch. Too bad, like Texas Chainsaw 3D, this movie was filmed outside of Texas against the wishes of the director, this time. I recommend the documentary about the making of this film. It is called The Saw is Family: Making of Leatherface. It chronicles the production of this movie and the unhealthy relationship between the director and his bosses.
Anyway, here is my favorite trailer from the horror genre, and a shorter documentary from this movie. Oh yeah, I love the adopted nuclear family of Leatherface's especially Tex (Viggo Mortenson), Tinker, Mama, and especially Alfredo who is a scene stealer. I also liked the little girl, the fruit of the loins of Leatherface. I just plain like this movie.
Just to share, and I am computer stupid, but I recently learned that you can hit the toolbox or "nut" motif at the bottom of the Youtube screen to pick higher resolution viewings. So if you didn't know, take that and put it in your pipe.... Enjoy better watchings.
Okay, two more.
Oh yeah, EDIT on a previous post. The re-make/re-imagining was directed by Marcus Nispel, not "Michael". Brain fart.
And since I won, I want to decree the following which is a surprise to me and I wouldn't have expected it at the beginning of the month. The VIP of the month goes to three actors, Marilyn Burns, John Dugan, and Matthew McConaughey who were in three movies we watched. Honorable Mentions at two roles acting or two roles behind the camera, or a role in front and one in back (correct me JAS if I am wrong) go to Woody Harrelson, R. Lee Ermy, Kim Henkel, Terrence Evans, Tobe Hooper, Bill Moseley, Andrew Byrniarski, Michael Bay, Cheech Marin, Jim Siedow, Marietta Mariach, Tom Savini, Caroline Williams, Kathy Lamkin, and Viggo Mortensen. Yes, I am a nurd.
Second decree, JAS, you pick next month's theme, and thank you for tolerating The Mystery Box.
Lastly, my list of shouldacouldawoulda didn't watch movies included House of a 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Nixon, No Country for Old Men, Dazed and Confused, Traffic, Heroes of World Class Wrestling, and Peewee's Big Adventure (The Alamo basement scene).
And that is a wrap on The Lone Star State Month, aka The Mystery Box.
EDIT, uno mas, and then, no mas. Salud!
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