| Return From Witch Mountain |
[May. 12th, 2009|11:15 pm] |
Just watched the old 1978 film, Return from Witch Mountain. In it there are a gang of wannabe tough guys (all played by kids) called the Earthquakes. Their gang names are Rocky, Muscles, Crusher, and Dazzler.
I think Dazzler is kind of missing the point. He's way older and a good head taller than the other kids, so you'd think he'd get the whole 'tough' nickname thing. What makes it especially funny is the way he lights up as introduces himself to Kim Richards. "...and I'm Dazzler!"
For all the film's problems, there are actually some fairly full-on moments during the major chase scene, and Christopher Lee plays his part dead straight, which is especially nasty when he's trying to arrange for a child to be crushed to death.
5/10 |
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| Star Trek (11) |
[May. 11th, 2009|12:21 am] |
A bit of background - The last Star Trek movie I enjoyed was First Contact (or as most people know it, the Borg one) which is also the only Star Trek movie out on DVD that I still wish to buy.
I refuse to buy the 9th and 10th films. I'll watch them again if someone loans them to me, and who knows, I may re-evaluate my position, but for the moment I feel that Paramount got my money at the cinema, and they ain't gettin' another cent outta me for those lacklustre pieces of crap. I felt dissatisfied while viewing them, and by their respective finales was feeling quite cheated at what we were being given. Overlong, uninspired episodes that weren't even internally consistent and hoped to disguise what they were by wearing tarty clothes and talking dirty.
So, the new film. ( No real spoilers, but cut for those who are worried... )
Well worth a look.
7/10 |
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| Sweeney Todd |
[Mar. 25th, 2009|11:44 pm] |
Watched Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd tonight, based on the Stephen Sondheim musical. This is the sort of movie that is made just for me. Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter (who I'm pretty sure wants to have my babies), Timothy Spall, and Alan Rickman, working together on a dark musical.
As a film it was ok, but as a musical it didn't work. Which means essentially that as a film it didn't work. Now I'm left to wonder whether the musical was always bad, or whether Burton's adaptation of it is rubbish.
For me, if I don't come away humming a single song, or even remembering them, it's a failure. And if Sharon, who is a song-stuck-in-the-head magnet, isn't caught by any of them, then that's badness times two!
I just watched Deep Roy's songs from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to get the taste out of my mouth. |
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| Movie goodness |
[Mar. 13th, 2009|05:33 pm] |
In the last week or so, between getting ready for the rent inspection, looking after Lex, and not much else, I have been thoroughly enjoying two different movie related shows. Actually, not enjoying - mainlining. Inhaling.
Both are by non-professionals
The first is Terry Frost's Paleo Cinema, a fairly regular podcast on movies pre-dating 1980. Terry's range of tastes and knowledge is fairly eclectic and encyclopedic, though as he is the first to admit, he's no expert. Terry forewent a formal study of cinema, and instead simply grew up watching lots of films.
His shows are usually well put together and presented, and it tends to feel like you're sitting around chatting with him, rather than being talked at. I don't always agree with his views and criticisms, but there hasn't been a single show I haven't enjoyed.
I checked out a couple of random podcasts, but have now gone back to the start and am running through the shows in order. Highly recommend it.
The other is The Bazura Project, a movie show that screens on Channel 31. Shannon Marinko and Lee Zachariah present a half-hour program of news, reviews, interviews, entertainment and general silliness. Every show opens with a short parody of a well-known film (there's only been one I haven't picked so far).
My attention was first drawn to the Bazura Project by this report on Media Watch about their efforts to get nominated for a Logie.
All three seasons are watchable on their website, and on youtube. I started from the first episode and I'm now nearing the end of season two.
What I enjoy about both shows are that they are simply people who love movies talking to you about them. It's rare I come away from either without wanting to check out something new, or rewatch something old.
Check'em out! |
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| Some February dot points |
[Feb. 16th, 2009|11:27 pm] |
* I made banana and walnut muffins today, and they were yummy. I gave half to Bill and Diane from the Post Office, because they are lovely people and I didn't manage a Chrissy prezzie for them last year.
* Our estate agent has put back our rent inspection a month at my request. Basically told her we were in the middle of sorting/rearranging, and the house would be a mess.
( Cut for extreme length, and because there's nothing overly exciting... ) |
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| Superman and the Mole Men |
[Jan. 27th, 2009|06:09 pm] |
I'm still kind of wrecked, so today after episode 2 of Time and the Rani, I watched Superman and the Mole Men (1951) to help get the taste out of my mouth.
It was George Reeves' first go at playing Superman, and he did it well. Superman is a deadly serious and no-nonsense kind of guy in this. Not afraid to put people in their place by taking their guns, or giving the undeserving townsfolk an acidic comment.
( Spoilers under cut )As films go, it's a bit slow but mercifully short at just under 60 minutes. The production values are low, and the Mole Men are cheap. But I rather like Superman's characterisation, and the take on the base idea.
Quite reasonable for a piece of fifties sci-fi. |
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| Wes Craven's New Nightmare |
[Jan. 21st, 2009|08:24 am] |
Given I talked about Nightmare on Elm Streets 5 and 6, I though I may as well talk briefly about the seventh film, given I've just finished going through the box set.
New Nightmare is not only the best Elm St. movie since the original, it's probably the best movie of the series. Wes Craven's had ten years to further hone his writing and directing skills, and it shows. The core premise is interesting and a clever twist on the old idea. The best summation is that of all the films, this was the only one that still evoked feelings of tension from me, even though I know the film well.
Freddy Krueger is back to doing what he does best - being an all pervading background presence that only appears now and again. This is highlighted by an appearance of Freddy as he became, a pop-culture icon, as opposed to a demonic force. It makes the appearances of demon Freddy more interesting, scarier, because we haven't had time to get used to his new incarnation.
Some clever ideas, solid acting, and a great script - I could easily sit and watch it again. Which I'll do at some point soon so I can listen to Craven's commentary track. |
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| Commenting on Reviews |
[Jan. 19th, 2009|12:36 am] |
So Thursday night I had problems with my clutch (oo-er!), then the fridge died yesterday - and today, the internet exploded!
Long story short, someone attacked a reviewer for giving their work a bad review, which prompted someone else to write a piece effectively saying that if your writing is for public consumption - grow a fucking backbone (my wording, not his) and learn to take criticism.
My take on this is that I like criticism. I haven't had anything published for a while, but that's because much as I tried to continue on post-stroke, it was just too hard and disheartening. But I think I"m getting my mojo back.
I think good negative criticism helps you find the flaws in your writing, and bad negative criticism is something to be ignored. I'm not talking about anyone in particular here, but bad critics are usually more concerned with how cleverly worded their put-downs are, than giving a balanced review.
But for me, the unforgivable sin in reviewing is to spoil the story for the reader. You don't give away plot twists, you certainly don't tell people how it ends - but some reviewers do just that.
When I am actually writing, I put up all the reviews I can find, positive and negative. For me personally, part of being a writer is to take the negative reviews and acknowledge them. They are valid opinions. I don't have to agree with them, but they are just as valid as my hatred of Van Helsing, and my love of Zoolander.
So, am I wrong to write comments about the reviews, or to mess about and play silly buggers? I don't know. Given that virtually no part of my life is hidden in this LJ, it would feel weird not to comment on the reviews.
So here are links to my comments and reviews for Of the Mermaid and Jupiter, Best Seller, and two lots for Sold Out.
I'd be interested in people's opinions. Have I crossed the line without realising? |
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| Elm St. 6 |
[Jan. 17th, 2009|02:00 pm] |
Was as bloody ordinary as I remembered, I was hoping that it would hold up better, as some films do.
Easily the weakest of the films, it falls into the "if this is cool, then ten times as much of it is ten times as cool," trap. Sequences go on far too long, the dreams end up boring and repetitive, and Freddy has now attained cartoon character corniness.
One can only wonder what it would have been like if Peter Jackson's Elm St. script Dream Lover had been made instead. |
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| Comic Book Opera |
[Jan. 15th, 2009|11:35 pm] |
I originally intended for this to be my 1,000th post, but I lost count and posted the Elm St one, so this is my 1,001st post.
Went to see The Young Music Society's production of Comic Book Opera, which was written for them by the ever talented ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) azahru, or as she's known professionally, Liz Argall. Liz is a talented and intelligent woman, so I was looking forward to the production.
And it was good. It was good with a cast of 200+ schoolkids, and 2 weeks rehearsal. It was good with fluffed lines and sound issues that meant it was hard to always hear the singing. It was fun, silly and dark. Kind of hard to describe in detail, but basically a brother and sister get transported to a dimension where villains and super-heroes exist. That's fine, but then the villains decide to come to our reality and take over.
I think my favourite character was Duke Disaster. He was a wonderful dag. And for favourite moments I'm stuck between Goldstar's sideways hop across the stage, followed by her new sidekick's relectant attempt to do the same when ordered to, and the fight scene which featured people running around in front of the action with signs that said "BANG!" and "POW!"
I can't say go out and see it, as the production I saw was it! But Liz is hoping to do more with the project, and I hope she does. I think it would be amazing as a full, professional production. |
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| Aliens Vs Predator - Requiem |
[Sep. 11th, 2008|03:15 pm] |
It was kind of ordinary. I wasn't bored, but neither was I thrilled, amazed, surprised, shocked, delighted... It's not a bad film, but neither is it remarkable. The comments that I've heard that said it was a "hits of the Aliens, and Predator, series" was accurate.
The only thing that stood out to me was its use of violence towards women, which I thought was pretty obvious and dreadful. ( MAJOR SPOILERS regarding this aspect and the some stuff from the end... read on only if you've seen it or don't care... )
There are times when I see a film and I hear women talking about the violence against women within that movie, and I think they've been a bit one-eyed - seeing only what they are looking to see, separate from the context of the moments within the film itself. And there are times when I think they are bang-on, that in modern cinema, there should be a higher standard of writing. I'm suprised that I haven't heard a lot more about AVPR.
There is an arguement that AVPR is going out to shock, and that's why it has some of these scenes in it. It breaks many of the cinema 'rules', something I'm always in favour of when handled well, but when it does these things, they're... not interesting. Every shock is telegraphed so far in advance that it has no real impact.
While I'm a fan of both the original franchises, and love many of the Aliens Vs Predator comics, if I ever decide to have AVP and AVPR in my collection, it will be when I record them off TV. And even then I'm not sure I could be bothered. |
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| Parodies and 4th movies... |
[Aug. 31st, 2008|01:32 pm] |
Someone commented on my kicking the crap out of Scary Movie 4, saying "I wouldn't judge a franchise by the 4th movie in it.
Are there any *good* 4th movies in franchises?
Not that I've seen *any* of them, I don't watch horror movies so the references, clever or not, just wouldn't work for me, it just seems a little harsh."
Which is a fair comment. Most 4th movies are pale photocopies of the original. However, I do think that the adverts for the Scary Movie series are an accurate portrayal of what to expect from the franchise. Most film companies would put a range of their funniest jokes in the trailers. And none of the previous films got my interest with their trailers, either.( Read more... ) |
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| Scary Movie 4 |
[Aug. 30th, 2008|10:07 pm] |
I had never seen any of the Scary Movies, and happened to notice in the paper that one was on TV tonight. So I watched it. Well, half of it.
It was exactly what I had expected - bland, stupid, telegraphed American humour with its only clever moments being more accidental than planned. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if it had had better actors. While the writing hadn't improved, the scenes with Leslie Neilson were by far the funniest.
They weren't hugely funny, they were just the funniest in the film.
I stayed watching past where I wanted to turn off, but just after the blind girl hit the guy in the knackers with her stick, I turned the TV off.
Now I know why I had never bothered previously with the series, and I need never bother again. |
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| Programs |
[Aug. 9th, 2008|04:26 pm] |
Have finally gotten all the programs uploaded onto the PC. It seems fairly stable apart from not wanting to shut down properly some of the time, which is a huge improvement on the overall functionality. Time will tell how it lasts on a PC that caused on old priest to proclaim it as EVIL, moments before he burst into flames and died!
*ahem*
Anyway, just thought I'd put up links to a few of my favourite handy programs. Most of these have free versions. I'm not saying these are the best out there, these are just the ones I've found that I've liked and used for some time. Figure some of you will know about a few of these, but for those that don't, some are worth repeating... ( Read more... )
And that's it! Feel free to reply with your own fav programs, or to say 'nonono, that program is crappy compared to this one!' |
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| Fangs of the Living Dead |
[Jul. 18th, 2008|08:57 pm] |
If you ever get the chance to watch this 1969 Italian vampire film, don't. They had a real, and very nice, castle, and somehow managed in some shots to make it look like a bad model.
Not so bad it's good, just bad. Even the Wasp Woman (1960) had more amusement value. |
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pig-biting mad
disappointed
impressed
curious
annoyed
thoughtful
awake
satisfied
enthralled
geeky