culture dungeon

The Reigning Monarchs

2012-02-05T06:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.thereigningmonarchs.com/

January wrap-up

2012-01-31T15:34:00.000-08:00

Comedy

The 11th Annual SFSketchfest started and I've seen a bunch of shows already. My recaps can be found over at AST in this thread: SF Sketchfest 2012 Starts Tonight!

Devices

The weekend before the fest started I had a pretty major problem with my 2 year old MacBook Pro. The more methods I tried to repair it with (Disk Utility, MacKeeper, Recovery HD) the worse it got. Finally I realized that I was still under Apple Care warranty (3 years) and had up-to-date backups on my Time Machine, so I brought it to the Genius Bar at the Stonestown Apple Store. After a few minutes of running some diagnostics, they determined the hard-drive was faulty and they'd replace it. Two days later I had it back, as good as new.

Luckily I've learned my lessons from years of owning Macs:

Invest in the warranty and back that shit up!

Movies

1/1 The Girl w/ the Dragon Tattoo @ Cinearts Empire (dark and stylish)

1/5 War Horse / Adventures of Tintin 3D @ AMC Van Ness (both old-fashioned fun)

1/16 A Dangerous Method @ Embarcadero (disappointing)

1/18 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy @ Century (well-shot, dense plot)

1/20 A Separation @ Embarcadero (incredibly moving - one of 2011's best)

Nature

Took a nice hike with my brother along Blithedale Summit near Mt. Tam.

Netflix

Dexter, Seasons 1 through 6 (SHO, Netflix) (great, but peaked with Season 4)

Die Hard (1988) (a classic)

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) (slow, elegant)

The League, Season 2 (Instant Watch) (funny stuff)

Wet Hot American Summer (2001) (Instant Watch) (silly, great cast)

Rifftrax

Captain America & Ghost House (VOD)

TV/DVR

Pink Floyd: Which One's Pink? (VH1)

Well made doco, reminded me of how much I used to like them (60's/70's period - Meddle being probably my favorite album). Pity they can't all get along. And now two of the originals (Barrett & Wright) are deceased.

Partial watch - Ozu's Floating Weeds (1959)

Heard his name many times but was unfamiliar with his films. Found this on TCM one evening and was mesmerized. Posting this here to remind myself to watch this from the start.

Shameful Young Artists

2011-12-31T18:34:00.000-08:00

Holiday Cheer

Had a nice visit over Christmas with family (mostly in-laws). Saturday saw the Masters of Venice exhibit at the de Young, ate at Park Chow, attempted to see Playland @ the Conservatory (but it was closed early), then took a nice walk around Land's End to see the ruins of the Sutro Baths and some lovely views of the bay.

Sunday featured opening gifts, a terrific dinner prepared by Nancy and her mother, much drinking and talk about movies (for Anna - here Nathan Rabin argues that Joe Versus The Volcano is a "Secret Success"). We then managed to watch three films:

Sunshine Cleaning (Netflix DVD - good, light fun considering the grim premise + it confirms my crush on Amy Adams)

Amy A. looking great in the awful Night at the Museum sequel

The Hangover, Part 2 (Comcast On Demand - as David Bax from BP said, "Probably a better movie than the first one, but they forgot to make it funny.")

Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom (DVD - much better than I remembered it. But then, for me, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect film, so any sequels seem less - more on this later…).

I also caught a few comedy specials online and TV:

Apple Sisters Variety Show

The Nerdist: Year in Review (BBC America)

Rifftrax

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (live streaming)

Magic Christmas Tree (VOD)

Movies

Young Adult (12/10 @ Metreon)

Charlize Theron gives a dynamic performance as as unlikable woman yearning for her glory days in high school. Comedian Patton Oswalt plays a lovable loser making the best out of a bad situation. The latest film from director Jason Reitman (Up In The Air) and writer Diablo Cody (Juno) is a touching comedy/drama about grown-ups who still have some growing up to do.

Shame (12/11 @ Embarcadero)

Michael Fassbender (man-crush) stars in this adult film (NC-17) meant for adults. I've never seen a film with this much sex and nudity that was also such a buzz-kill. But it's a work of art that made me somewhat nostalgic for late nights in Manhattan.

The Artist (12/18 @ Embarcadero)

Capone did a great interview with the director who reveals this was not the film's original title. Makes sense, as the "artist" in question is actually an "actor," but the current name fits, telling the story of how creative people must adapt to changing trends in their field. Perhaps even more than this year's My Week With Marilyn and Hugo, it gives a insightful look into what goes on behind the camera to create "movie magic." And yes, it's a "silent movie" (i.e., no dialogue) but it does have a score (and in two surreal scenes, a soundtrack).

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol IMAX (12/26 @ Metreon)

First off: too much punctuation in that title. But I liked it a lot. Action movie of the year, narrowly beating out Fast Five. I am a Tom Cruise hater, so I never saw the first three, but may now visit them. Pixar director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Iron Giant) did a fine job, again featuring his fascination with machines and gears in motion.

………

Bunch of "Best of" lists coming out from folks I admire (even when I disagree)

Capone's Best of 2011 (very thorough list of 50 best, separate list of documentaries, and picks for worst) http://www.aintitcool.com/node/52440

A.V. Club

Best Films (15 picks then lists from each contributor - 3 pages)

Worst Films

Podcasts

And a discussion between two critics about why one didn't like Scorsese's 3D film Hugo

http://www.avclub.com/articles/hugo,67044/

I'm afraid I'll end up on the wrong side of history, but here's my own take on the hype, which I posted in the comments over at Battleship Pretension:

BP episode #249 12/27

"…I am with Tyler on not loving Hugo (and I saw it in 3D opening week). I'd rate it very good, not great, and am baffled by the nearly universal praise it is receiving on so many critics best of the year lists. I am tempted to say "the emperor has no clothes," but won't go that far - I did enjoy the film, I just find the recent spate of Scorsese efforts to be exercises in style rather than satisfying works of art. Tasha Robinson at the A.V. Club is one of the few vocal dissenters, labeling it a "gimcrack" (look it up).

Not seeing it in 3D likely reveals its flimsy story. What begins with the promise of an inspirational child's fable devolves into a lecture on the importance of film preservation, reducing our protagonist to a passive observer. The central mystery of the automaton was not explored fully enough for me. Beyond its spectacular mise-en-scène and immersive 3D (which was gorgeous) I found the whole thing to be bit precious and ultimately hollow. Kind of like Avatar…"

Food

Ben & Jerry's Limited Batch "Schweddy Balls" ice cream

It only appeared once at my local 7-11 and it is delicious.

Music

While being forced to hear crap dance-pop radio at work for a few weeks this summer, I developed Stockholm Syndrome and started to appreciate the latest hits from divas such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, and the like. One song I heard a lot was "Like A G6" (by Far East Movement) which features a sample from this song by Dev which I find kind of hypnotic.

More songs I learned to love: Adele Rolling in the Deep, Rihanna What's My Name, Avril Lavigne What the Hell, Britney Spears Till the World Ends, J. Lo On the Floor , and of course LMFAO Party Rock Anthem.

TV/DVR

Hell On Wheels (AMC)

It's not trying to be Deadwood, though at first I thought it was. It's got the same look, but not the high level of writing. Luckily it's tackling a different set of issues: railroad, racism, immigrants, natives, religion, prostitution (OK, so it's not completely different). It was a ballsy move to kill off two of its most promising characters (the grizzled foreman - played by Ted Levine - and the sickly surveyor) in the very first episode. Kind of a dumb show, but it's a much less frustrating watch than The Walking Dead came to be. Enjoying the muddy Old West setting and the trains.

An aside: One episode dealing with slavery got me wondering if anyone had ever made a movie about controversial abolitionist John Brown? Turns out he has been portrayed on film and TV, but not in any epic biopic like the one I imagine could be made.

Metal Evolution (VH1Classic)

While visiting the U.K. in 1981 as a teen I bought Encyclopedia Metallica: The Bible of Heavy Metal (OOP), published during the heyday of the NWOBHM. My copy is filled with passages highlighted with yellow marker as I devoured it's contents multiple times. In four hours (of 11 total) host Sam Dunn has already covered the contents of that book.

Episodes seem way too short considering all the available material, but they are doing a good job cataloging the multi-headed hydra that is Metal. The first few shows covered territory familiar to me, so I can nitpick the omission of bands like Budgie, Blue Oyster Cult, Thin Lizzy, Montrose, and Angel Witch, but can forgive them ignoring B-level bands that I've only come to appreciate as I got older. Curious to see how they handle later 80's trends like hair metal ("nerf metal" as Chuck Eddy labelled it) and thrash.

Web Video

Kind of fitting that I started this year with a post about Mr Plinkett's SW3: Sith review, as he just released his latest takedown of IJ4-Crystal Skull, making the argument that the latest entry (and hopefully last) betrays everything that made the series so successful. This got me wanting to re-see the second film Temple of Doom which I did Christmas Day with my brother and bro-in-law. It was pretty great, though the parts I remembered best, the mineshaft chase and subsequent brawl on the conveyer belt, now seemed to be the stiffest parts. They feel unnaturally set-bound and reliant on machinery and contraptions for the gags to work. But the rest of the film is a potent blend of old-fashioned action, humor, and the supernatural. Have not seen the two current Spielberg films and am not in a rush to just yet.

Mo' Vember

2011-12-03T18:19:00.001-08:00

Note: I had no idea this was a real thing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movember.

I mean it here as a further update of my media intake from the latter part of last month.

Music

Got the latest albums from these ladies:

Florence + The Machine, Zola Jesus, St. Vincent, & the very spooky Chelsea Wolfe

Discovered a glammy, hard rock band from the early 80's — Storm

New progressive metal from Machine Head, Opeth, and Mastodon

Found this full-length concert video of Van Halen in their prime. Amazing how dynamic a frontman Diamond Dave was, despite constantly forgetting lyrics (or not singing at all).

Yeti O.S.T. - one of the funniest record covers I've ever seen.

Comedy, Podcasts

Bought the latest albums by Doug Benson, Patton Oswalt, and Eddie Pepitone, all of which are great.

My favorite podcaster Jimmy Pardo made an appearance on Conan's TBS program (where Jimmy does crowd warm-up) in part to promote his third annual 12-hour post-Thanksgiving Pardcastathon to benefit Smile Train. That was I how spent my Friday night/Saturday morning, watching the live stream of the event on my laptop, though I didn't make it through the entire thing — fell asleep @ 230AM so I missed the last third or so.

Some other great podcasts are starting to put out special live episodes like Walking the Room and Who Charted?

Devices

Bought an Iomega 3TB Mac Companion to make backups more efficient, but it wasn't so easy. Spent at least a week reconfiguring the connections between my MacBook, Time Capsule and various LaCie hard drives to get some kind of redundancy going. The problem is that the Apple Time Capsule does not backup any drives that are mounted after it, and while you can store files on the TC, you can't back them up on anything else. Am not fully satisfied with the current set-up, but the new drive is very cool, so it's now my main media server (music, movies).

Etón Soulra - Bought this thing online from http://www.crutchfield.com cause it seemed like the greatest thing ever, and it was… for 20 minutes until it stopped working. Had them send me a new one and it worked very well… for a month and a half. With some hesitation I had them send me a third, which is fine so far, but I haven't brought it to work yet. I don't have high hopes. I imagine the electronics involving the battery and the solar panel are too sensitive for rugged use. We shall see. There are very few "boom boxes" that fully enclose your iPod/Phone, let alone can run on sunlight.

Movies

11/16 J. Edgar (disappointing and grey)

11/18 Immortals 3D (pretty, dumb fun)

11/22 The Descendants / The Skin I Live In (both excellent - emotionally moving with clever twists)

11/24 Hugo 3D (gorgeous but kind of hollow)

11/29 The Muppets / Arthur Xmas 3D (both light-hearted fun)

11/30 My Week With Marilyn (charming, pretty, and little bit sad - like the lady herself)

MST/RT/CT

Rifftrax

Warriors of the Wasteland (aka The New Barbarians), VOD

Buffalo Rider, VOD

The Boy In the Plastic Bubble, VOD from 2010

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Cinematic Titanic

War of the Insects (aka Genocide), VOD & DVD for sale here

Fall Update

2011-11-13T13:15:00.001-08:00

Buildings

The Claremont Hotel, Berkeley, CA

http://www.claremontresort.com/

Comedy

Anthony Jeselnik w/ Ophira Eisenberg & Kevin O'Shea

@ The Punch Line - 8pm, Friday 11/11

Movies

9/21 Drive

9/25 Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame / Red State

9/30 Warrior

10/26 Ides of March

11/5 Sutro's: The Palace at Lands End / 50/50

11/6 Martha Marcy May Marlene / Moneyball

11/11 Melancholia
11/13 A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Xmas

Lobby display at Balboa Theater

Rifftrax

Laser Mission

Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince

Sons of Hercules: Land of Darkness

TV/DVR

Free Agents (NBC) – 1,2,3,4 and it's gone. Watched the six episode series of the BBC version (from 2009) and it's way better. Darker, more naturalistic and filthier (though bleeped). I can see why the U.S. take on the material tanked, even though I liked the cast.

The Walking Dead (AMC) – frustratingly excellent tension during the 90 minutes of the Season 2 premiere, but I've been let down by every subsequent episode. Not sure if it's the writing or the acting that's at fault, but I find the characters uninvolving. I wish half the cast would just get bitten and go away.

The League – Season 3 started recently on FX and I loved it so I caught up with this viciously funny series with Netflix (S1) and Xfinity On Demand (S2). Paul Scheer and Nick Kroll are frequent guests on Earwolf podcasts, and Mark Duplass & Katie Aselton have made a number of good films, together and apart.

The Heart, She Holler (adult swim) – starring Patton Oswalt & Kristen Schaal. Weird fun, if not quite funny. Like if David Lynch made episodes of "Hee Haw"…

What I did on my autumn vacation

2011-11-11T10:15:00.001-08:00

Visited my parents for a week at the end of October around the date of their wedding anniversary (and just learned it's my brother's and my responsibility to plan a party for their 50th coming up in a few years). They live in Maryland, the suburbs of Washington D.C. I initially chose those dates because of some touring comedians that would be in town that week (Attell, Posehn, Cinematic Titanic) but as the time approached I realized:

1) I was broke, and

2) my parents would appreciate me sticking around the house, as would I.

So I didn't go out in the evenings, which would have been an awkward mix of driving, taking the Metro downtown, and doing the same in reverse, probably after a few drinks at a comedy club. In years past, vacation time spent there was stress filled, with me planning out activities for every day (movies, museum trips, seeing other relatives, etc.) often resulting in little to no quality time being spent with my parents. Another factor in my selection of dates was that the weather would be not too cold then, and it turned out to be perfect timing, as it dropped in temperature some 20 degrees from the low 70's to the mid 50's by the end of my stay.

My father was able to cash in some miles for a free plane ticket for me so I flew Continental/United (now merged). Upside is that he was able to get me the same seats on each leg of the trip (30A) which is a window seat, in the back, far enough behind the wing that I could get some nice views. Desert lands in the Southwest were particularly nice in the morning, and some fascinating waterways and crop layouts in the vicinity of Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

Downside is that there was a three-hour layover. Dad suggested I ask the United folks if there was an earlier flight to Baltimore-Washington (BWI) available that I could get onto. After looking at the "Departures" board I found a connection that landed in D.C. proper (Reagan Washington National Airport - DCA). With little effort, they were able to get me a seat on the earlier flight, and after asking them to check for me, were even able to get me a window seat (31A), which amazingly had a free seat next to me so I was able to stretch out.

I barely had time to buy a lunch and call ahead to let the parents know I would be arriving hours earlier and at a whole other airport. Thankfully my dad offered to pick me up rather than me having to take a Metro train closer to their home in MD.

The discomfort of coach/economy seats is only one reason I dislike flying. Post 9/11 security checks are annoying enough but on one trip years ago I was pulled aside and given the dust test(?) and had my bag unpacked and searched; I was mortified. But the biggest drag of flying for me is the whole "ear-popping" phenomenon. While the pressure change is often painful when landing, what's worse is that it usually takes a full two days for my hearing to return to normal. So I spend the beginning of every vacation feeling like I've got cotton in my ears and uncertain of how loud I'm speaking.

Minor annoyances aside, this particular series of flights went well (I even had no line of people at the security check on my return flight from BWI Friday morning, the first time I've ever seen that). I may have to rethink my "I hate flying" stance.

Anyhow, here's what I did while on the East Coast…

• At her request, gave my mother a sales pitch for an Apple iPhone. She's in the market for a new cell, and thought the "Siri" function was cute. One of her sisters plays Angry Birds. She was already inclined to get one but just needed a little push. Turns out it's a lot harder to get one of the new 4S models than just going down to the nearest Apple Store, which we learned only after making the trip. Seems that there are so few out there you must make a reservation online (only after 9pm, and not all sizes or carriers will be available). The better option is actually to order one and have it shipped to you, which is a one to two week wait but less hassle than the reserving process turned out to be (UPDATE: mom ordered it and says it's more like 3 weeks: then Apple cancelled her order and she had to go to store again). After a bit of convincing it was worth the upgrade to a smartphone, my dad did get a 4, which Apple still sells. And by doing it at the store, in person, they were able to offer us a 16GB for $150, a model they don't even offer online.

It was funny to see the different demographics at a suburban Apple Store compared to the SF locations I'm used to. This Montgomery Mall, MD store (right off the Beltway) had a few "older" sales people (our guy Dale was probably in his 30s-early 40s) and a much older clientele, many folks in their 50s and 60s shopping and attending in-store teaching sessions.

• Helped my father with some technical problems he was having with his 6-year old Dell "Discovery" PC. I know very little about Windows-based systems, but I was able to be of some use. The big issue is that their desktop tower runs very slow, and is nearing it's limit as to what software can be updated on it. Some botched hard-drive replacement done by Best Buy in 2008 has left their DVD drive unavailable. Add to this the fact that they use the cluttered looking AOL interface as their homepage, every minute spent on this dinosaur was painful to me.

The whole time working on it I was urging them to make more use of their brand new Dell Inspiron laptop, which has a 17" widescreen, a trackpad, and runs Windows 7. After much prodding, I got dad to transfer files to the new Dell and to hopefully take advantage of their WiFi by using the laptop throughout the house. I even managed to trim down some of the excess buttons and toolbars in their AOL browser, in addition to delete some useless app shortcuts on their desktop screen.

But I know that old habits die hard. My main advice was, "Allow yourself to enjoy the new technology; it can improve your quality of life."

• Simultaneous to this were conversations with my aunt who was shopping for a new Dell desktop and wanted some advice. For a second there I had her seriously considering a switch to Apple and a new iMac, but the conversion from PC to Mac seemed too intimidating. I later suggested she get a laptop for it's convenience but seeing as she doesn't have WiFi in her home, that would require even more upgrading. So we settled on a nice package Dell offered with a new widescreen monitor, that ended up costing almost half the price of an iMac (though not as pretty: while at the Apple store, she confessed to having "Mac envy.")

• Yard-work. Spent over half a day cutting off dead tree limbs and trying to salvage a decorative garden bed that was damaged in a recent hurricane. Also patched a hole in the chimney of my aunt with brick fragments and cement mix. Did this all with my dad, which was a pleasure. Funny how working in the yard was in childhood a chore, but feels more like a duty (or even a privilege) as an adult.

The tree that fell – gone by the time I got there

• Went to see Ides of March at the Old Greenbelt Theatre, then had Chinese food at the restaurant next door (very good, best General Tso's chicken I've ever had). I found the film engaging but inconsequential. Features a great cast (Clooney, Gosling, Giamatti, P.S. Hoffman, and Evan Rachel Wood is gorgeous), but is not particularly cinematic, and despite it's story potential not a lot really happened. Felt to me more like a PBS American Playhouse production, or an extended episode of the West Wing. I know it's based on a play, but as other critics have noted, it doesn't offer anything new to our understanding of the backdoor dealings of political campaigns. Worth seeing, but not required viewing in a theater. Rent it.

Half the appeal of this evening was going to Greenbelt itself which is a community I'll have to explore more in the future. It was started in 1937 during the New Deal era as a "public cooperative community," and is considered a National Historic Landmark (2012 will be its 75th Anniversary). BTW, inside this classic theater, it's a bit of a dump, a mere shadow of it's former glory.

• Took a trip to downtown Washington, D.C. with my dad to visit the National Museum of Crime & Punishment http://www.crimemuseum.org/. Their cheap looking website was not helping to sell me on it but this enthusiastic review (which questions the unsettling appeal of artwork made in prison by convicted murderers) and the following video did

In all, it was what I'd hoped, lots of fascinating stories and artifacts, but sort of haphazardly put together. A bit too loud and busy, as every themed section (Pirates, Gangsters, etc.) had it's own ambient soundtrack consisting of sound effects and dialogue running on a loop, that would often overlap when transitioning from one area to another. A bunch of the later displays on forensic science and police training were interactive and geared towards a younger, school-aged audience. At one point we could hear a gaggle of noisy school kids approaching and I feared for my sanity (crowded museums bug me) but they passed us in about ten minutes as they could not be bothered to read placards or study black & white photos and diagrams of old bank heists. One of the promotional materials stated you could go through the museum in about two hours, but we were there for about three and a half.

My favorite object was this Chicago gangland cartoon map from the 1930s

detail view

Now starving, we grabbed some lunch at Oyamel, an upscale mexican kitchen ("cocina mexicana" as they call it on their logo) which seemed a bit pretentious but turned out to be delicious. I'm not a fan of restaurants whose menu needs to be explained to me by the waiter. Gourmet food in general is wasted on me; I can see the point in spending lots of money on small quantities of unique food, especially as a social activity, but I just can't prioritize it. I would however recommend this joint for a larger group looking to have some drinks and share food together.

tacos, $4 apiece

Being in the "Penn Quarter" (a new term for an old neighborhood) just north of the National Mall, we only had to walk a few blocks to get to the National Gallery East Building to see a small show of Bauhaus publications which was closing soon. As we approached the modern structure I was shocked to see it sheathed in metal scaffolding, entire sections stripped of it's granite shell, revealing mundane brick-work underneath. I never knew that this how this building was constructed. I included a full frontal shot of it in my "Buildings" post a few days ago. Also there is an interior with sculpture in the foreground.

So while there we saw:

Bauhaus books (under glass in the study library) http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/bauhausprintinfo.shtm

Gothic tapestries http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/pastranainfo.shtm

Hugely imposing and meticulously crafted they are fine examples of political propaganda, enshrining the Portuguese conquest of Morocco. More here.

Andy Warhol "Headlines" screenprints & sketches http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/warholinfo.shtm

The definitive piece, which captures Warhol's casual graphic brilliance, and even better in person as it's about 4 feet high.

On our way back home, we visited the renovated National Park Seminary now selling condos in Silver Spring, which I'll have to write more about at some later date.

• Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

My mother and aunt have been on a kick of renting documentaries from Netflix based on a list compiled by Martin Spurlock and this was at the house when I got there (did they know in advance that I would love it?). I recall when it came out and was intrigued by the heavy metal connection, but never saw the film myself. My mother prefaced us watching it by telling me the three accused had recently been freed (on August 19, 2011 to be exact) and that this film was a key element in a nationwide movement to getting their convictions overturned. I had heard the phrase "Free The West Memphis Three" in recent years but had no idea what it referred to.

The film-makers went into the trials not having any opinion either way about who was guilty; they merely sought to document the results of a heinous crime. But as they proceeded, they captured so many contradictory statements from the families, police, and lawyers involved that at the end, it seemed justice had not been served. A guilty verdict was rendered, but too many questions remained unanswered. So after watching this incredible documentary on one evening early in my vacation, I became curious to learn more about it.

The Wikipedia entry is lengthy and gives a thorough account of the case and its aftermath. But one of the sites it linked to was this:

Murders In West Memphis http://www.jivepuppi.com/index.html
by Martin David Hill, an in-depth, scholarly examination of all the police records, locations, theories, and evidence implicating other likely suspects. It took me at least four evenings to read the whole thing. And while I share the authors opinion that the three teens were unfairly convicted with the facts as presented in court, I am unconvinced of both their total innocence or that any other person is clearly the true culprit.

The fact is that the crime is truly inhuman and hard to comprehend. Prosecutors invoking the names of both Metallica and Aleister Crowley to damn the accused during the trials resonated with me, as I was also, during my alienated, powerless youth, fascinated with heavy metal music and the occult. But that didn't make me, or anyone else, necessarily capable of murdering young children.

My last night in Maryland, the sequel Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (1999) arrived from Netflix. Already prepared for what it contained, I found it far less engrossing. It barely touches on all the case details available and provides little new facts. It does feature the eccentricities of one of the slain children's stepfather and the softening image of the three imprisoned teens, now young men. Also lots of scenes with the grassroots movement of citizens moved by the first film attempting to get them new trials. There is a third movie (PL3: Purgatory) currently making the rounds at festivals which will contain the recent event of their acquittals (itself a weird legal loophole in which they are not quite declared "innocent" but are freed from prison).

• On a personal hygiene note, I drank a few beers each night, but didn't smoke any cigarettes for the entire week, which was good. I also watched very little TV, due in part to my parents not having HD service on their cable. Immersing myself in the West Memphis Three case occupied my free time and was the equivalent of reading a long book. Oddly, I once again found sleeping on the couch downstairs more comfortable than the proper single bed provided, which is sadly a foot or two too short for my height.

Summah Sum-up (8 of 8): Work, Buildings, & Bad Finger

2011-10-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

My day job is painting houses in San Francisco. I work for Rob Finn Fine Painting & Design. These are pictures I took at job sites. (Clicking on any photo will give you a bigger version)

500 Precita – primed…

and painted

My eye is drawn to architecture in process of construction/destruction. These are other shots of buildings.

This is my finger I hurt while on scaffolding. It took over a month for the new fingernail to grow back.

The scene of the crime

Summah Sum-up (7 of 8): Music

2011-10-29T18:36:00.000-07:00

For years I was a "music guy." Nowadays, not so much. But these are things I discovered this year and liked …

I love mash-ups. This is my main source, a collective of German DJ's http://mashupyourbootz.blogspot.com/

Summah Sum-up (6 of 8): Podcasts

2011-10-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

I listen to a lot of podcasts. Over the last couple of years they have become my main media of choice. I commute to work via bus or streetcar so I have time to kill every day. Owning first an iPod, then an iPhone, enables me to listen to sound files (mp3's) during my travels. It used to be music, but now it's mainly comedy or film-related podcasts.

My very first was an episode of Battleship Pretension (#128 w/ guest Frank Conniff, an alum of MST3K) in August of 2009 which I was pointed to by the MST fan site Satellite News. What I found was an informal chat between Frank and the hosts Tyler and David on the subject of so-called "bad movies" and how some people love them, or at least find them fascinating. I liked the hosts enough to check out other episodes, and I still regularly listen to their show.

One of their earliest guests was Matt Belknap who runs the AST (A Special Thing) website and record label. His stories about attending comedy shows in L.A. and posting reviews online inspired me to check out that site and some of the podcasts he produces, namely Jimmy Pardo and Doug Benson (and lately, Greg Proops).

Podcasting is an ideal medium for stand-up comedians as they are inexpensive to record and distribute, allow for free-flowing conversation, and can be released uncensored. Most appear with new episodes on a weekly basis, free of charge, though some have figured out how to monetize their product with paid subscriptions (Pardo's Never Not Funny) or "Bonus" episodes (Benson's Doug Loves Movies & The Benson Interruption - for sale via AST or iTunes).

Marc Maron's WTF has gotten a lot of well-deserved mainstream press recognition as he is funny, insightful, and a great interviewer.

Another early podcast I listened to a bunch was filmmaker Kevin Smith's SModcast.

In May of this year he launched the SIR Network which is maybe a dozen programs with him and his buddies bullshitting about various topics. I was a regular for awhile but I burnt-out on it and haven't listened in months.

What I did stick with was the Stitcher app Smith used to stream his product. One can regularly listen to hundreds of shows with this tool (as long as you have a WiFi or 3G connection to the web). Not every podcast out there is a available but a lot of them are. It's a good way to casually check out a show without actually downloading it.

Earwolf is a network that I DO regularly listen to as it features at least half a dozen great shows. Founded by Scott Aukerman (Mr. Show vet, host of Comedy Death-Ray - now Comedy Bang Bang) and Jeff Ullrich. Earlier in 2011 they ran The Earwolf Challenge which was the first (and to date, only) reality-show podcast competition. It was a blast to listen to (3 new episodes a week!) as 10 shows entered, and 1 show walked away with a year-long distribution deal. What was so great about it was that podcasting was looked at as a craft in and of itself, while judges and participants struggled to define what makes an effective show. Earwolf also has an excellent iPhone/Android app that enables you to stream content directly to your device.

Other recent favorites:

NNF Presents: Rock Solid

The Todd Glass Show

The Mental Illness Happy Hour

I would be remiss in not pointing the curious towards Christine E. Taylor's blog Podcasting Changes Everything. She has interviews and features about comedy podcasts and has turned me on to few new ones. It's a fledgling medium and she is one of it's most fervent supporters.

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and I have only mentioned a handful above. No doubt I will return to this subject in the future…

Summah Sum-up (5 of 8): MST/RT/CT

2011-10-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

I started watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 2002, a couple years after it was cancelled but when Comedy Central was still airing repeats. Since then I bought all the box sets, downloaded the entire series, and began posting at fan sites devoted to the show. These were the first internet forums and message boards I'd ever contributed to. As a grown man in his forties, I was seriously "late to the party" – both to the show and to the art of online discussions.

When I started this blog I figured I'd be posting a lot about MST and it's offshoots, but I stopped putting up posts here linking to the episode guide series going on at Satellite News because I got burnt out on the show (and that site). Analyzing the series for the meaning of every joke over the last couple of years finally took its toll on me. What I used to enjoy had become a chore, and no matter how much I immersed myself in the show's history, I would never be as much of a fanatic as some other commenters there. As I got into listening to more current comedians and podcasts, I grew weary of those folks, often getting into arguments over what we find funny or not, which is always a useless conversation.

But thankfully the veterans of MST have been active online and onstage, keeping movie-riffing alive and fresh for new audiences.

Cinematic Titanic

Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World / Rattlers @ The Castro - 5/6/11

(originally posted by me at Satellite News here)

Greatness…

Now I've seen five live shows from these folks and they just keep getting better. The intros bits by the cast and Gruber were all new from last time I saw them (thankfully Frank retired "Convoluted Man") and each presented different material between the 7 & 9:30 performances, keeping it fresh for us return customers. It seems the crew have embraced both their standup comedy pasts and their MST3K legacy as they constantly referred to it (for example, Josh introduced himself as the "Tom Servo no one likes"). Another difference from a year ago is they are dropping a lot more F & S bombs, making it more a PG-13 affair. They seem to enjoy being more crude with their language and I loved every expletive-laced moment of it.

Samson is very high energy and loud, and is likely the best CT effort yet, highly reminiscent of the Hercules flicks, but with even stronger (and bluer) riffing than MST. As happened the last time I saw them at the Castro Theater, some lines got lost in the large room (especially Mary Jo's), but I still giggled like an idiot throughout.

Rattlers is more of a sleeper, and filled with sequences so silly the crew hardly say a thing, knowing the crowd will find the funny in the film itself. It's a bit like Alien Factor in its low-budget ineptitude. Another winner, with more conversational and character-based humor. Frank calling the heroine "Buffy Sainte-Marie, Vampire Slayer" got a loud laugh from me.

No mention of any upcoming DVD's, but I can't fault them as long as I get to see them live on a regular basis. They clearly enjoy touring and for that I am grateful.

…

Rifftrax

Highlander

Crater Lake Monster

The Devil's Hand

X-Men 3: Last Stand

Rifftrax Live: Jack the Giant Killer (Fathom event) - 8/17

Rifftrax Presents - Night of the Shorts II: Electric Riffaloo - 8/20 (my review from the previous post)

Galaxy Invader

Abraxas

Setting Up A Room (short)

The Wicker Man

Karate Kid 3

Thor

…

MST3K

Just to prove how over the show I am right now, I have not even removed the shrink-wrap from the last two Shout Factory box sets XX (released in March) & XXI (Vs. Gamera - August, which came with this cool set of postcards from the original movies, shown below). Not that they don't contain great episodes, but I've seen them all multiple times before and am more concerned these days with catching up (and staying current) with other things.

Summah Sum-up (4 of 8): Comedy

2011-10-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

…by which I (mostly) mean live stand-up comedy shows. I wrote recaps for a couple over at AST (which I'm re-posting below), but the first couple I didn't, so I've linked to reviews I found elsewhere.

Brian Posehn @ Cobb's (w/Chris Garcia & Ngaio Bealum) - April

Jay Pharaoh @ Cobb's (w/ Reggie Steele & Kris Tinkle) - July

Maria Bamford @ The Punch Line (w/ Nato Green & Robert Mac) - August

Louis C.K. @ The Punch Line - 8/18

Just got back from the Thursday night show and Louis was awesome. Hour and a half long set of new material. Working stuff out, some pauses and dead ends but he's such a pro it all comes out funny. I'm sure when it's tightened up he'll have a great set to record and show on TV and stuff, but it was cool just to see him be loose and goofy in front of a small crowd.

…

Jimmy Pardo - Never Not Funny / Running Your Trap @ The Purple Onion - 8/19

Just returned from NNF/RYT Live shows at the "legendary" Purple Onion in San Fran. My first time in this room and while it is quaint and charming it's also kind of a dump with numerous interruptions by a noisy bartender and staff, which of course Jimmy remarked upon several times. First show sold out, second a bit more "intimate" (i.e. two-thirds full).

The NNF show was recorded and I imagine will be offered up as a Bonus Episode soon. Guestless (which surprised me because I know Chris Hardwick was in town last night), the guys had some good stories involving Ann-Margret, preparing an apartment for Jimmy's mother, baby bottoms, cocaine (lots of cocaine… and cock), and another great, ultra-cruel, eBay letter from Pat.

RYT was fun with one female contestant being way too weird for Jimmy who offered her many opportunities to step off the stage and a guy named Jeremy who was more co-operative, and ultimately won the game ($31 and a truly bizarre Harry Caray Cubs t-shirt). The panelists were Cole Stratton (his first time – and MVP IMHO), Janet Varney, and "Pat Francisco." Not recorded, so suck it, the rest of you.

Special thanks to fellow podcast aficionado Derek and the great Christine Taylor who were cool enough to talk with me and give me the courage to meet Pat, Matt, and Jimmy after the show(s). They were all as nice and appreciative as you could imagine. Thanks for the great night.

…

Rifftrax Presents - Night of the Shorts II: Electric Riffaloo @ The Castro Theater - 8/20

with Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and guest riffers Chris Hardwick, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Richter, Adam Savage, Cole Stratton and Janet Varney

As per usual for these shows I arrived to a long line of ticket holders that extended around the block. The show started 15 minutes late and by the time everyone was seated, the 1400 person capacity theater looked pretty full to me. After showing the Rifftrax 5 year anniversary highlight reel, Kevin & Bill took the stage … and the crowd went wild - (yay).

First they showed a brief video message from Mike Nelson explaining why he wasn't there (he didn't come in January either - what's he got against SF?). Apparently while trying to sell RT titles door-to-door he was killed by an irate customer who didn't want to buy their take on "300." Then they outlined what we'd be seeing (they did this last time back in January which I am grateful for since it gave me a chance to jot down notes without missing any of the riffing).

1. County Fair - K&B, lots of singing

2. Act Your Age - w/ Chris Hardwick

3. Paper and I - w/ Bob Odenkirk

4. The Calendar: How to Use It - w/ Cole Stratton and Janet Varney

5. Flying Stewardess - just K&B

6. At Your Fingertips: Boxes - w/ Adam Savage

7. Tooth Truth with Harv and Marv - w/ Andy Richter

So two repeats from previous Fathom live shows (which I didn't mind) and five "new" ones, adding up to two-hours and overall an even better show than last time. They picked great guests and some truly surreal shorts. I don't know the studio versions of all these so I'm not certain how much of the riffing was new or tweaked by the guest riffers but it all felt fresh to my ears (there was a joke about actor Gerard Depardieu pissing himself that was ripped from today's headlines). They even threw in a few f-bombs and other expletives which delighted the crowd. Seriously, if you have a problem with CT & RT folks swearing at live shows you are a moron.

…

Andy Kindler @ The Punch Line 9/13

Just got back from Andy Kindler. As great as I'd hoped, he prowled the stage like an elderly Dane Cook after a hip replacement (Andy's joke, not mine). The audience seemed to really enjoy him, so don't let him tell you otherwise. Openers Miles K. and Jacob Sirof were really good too. I was the idiot who said that I was there alone because, "I didn't want to have to explain to my friends who Andy Kindler was," which confused Jacob (who was doing some fun crowd-work). After awkwardly trying to explain myself, he finally said, "Your friends are assholes."

Summah Sum-up (3 of 8): Netflix

2011-10-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

Having been a Netflix subscriber for years now (since April 2006), I am loathe to consider canceling either the DVD by mail or the streaming "Instant Watch" option which I've come to enjoy. But the simple truth is that I don't use either very much. But this is what I caught this summer…

Smith & Carlin on the set of Dogma

• Kevin Smith: his entire filmography plus his live Q&A's like the latest Too Fat for 40. While his films range from poor to nearly-great, they are all enhanced by the commentary tracks by Smith and his crew. Funny and informative.

Clerks (including his first film, the documentary short "Mae Day")

Mallrats

Dogma

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Jersey Girl

Clerks 2

Cop Out

The ones I skipped were Chasing Amy (actually rented this last summer), Zack & Miri Make A Porno (saw in theaters when it came out in 2008), and his latest film Red State (caught it a few weeks ago w/ live streaming Q&A).

• Super High Me (Doug Benson's pot doc)

• Comedians of Comedy: Live @ the El Rey (Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, etc.)

• Battlestar Galactica - Marathon viewing of all four seasons of Ronald D. Moore's reboot. Probably the best long-form sci-fi I've ever seen, even if it fizzled out during the last season.

• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1 & 2

• Party Down - Season 1

Lizzy Caplan

Summah Sum-up (2 of 8): TV/DVR

2011-10-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

By this category, I mean stuff I caught on cable, a mix of some serious classics and corny comedies. Seeing as how my DVR is almost always full (HD programs take up more space than standard-def), I am seriously considering canceling Netflix.

Films

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932)

It Happened One Night (1934)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

Shock Corridor (1963)

The World of Henry Orient (1964)

The Blues Brothers (1980) (133 min. cut)

Road Games (1981)

The Goonies (1985)

Teen Wolf (1985)

The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989)

Disney's Beauty & the Beast (1991)

Delirious (1991)

Groundhog Day (1993)

Canadian Bacon (1995)

Dirty Work (1998)

Pieces of April (2003)

Charlie Bartlett (2007)

Trail of the Screaming Forehead (2007)

Valhalla Rising (2009)

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

Zombieland (2009)

Skyline (2010)

…

TV Series (+ Specials)

• Svetlana (HDNet) http://www.svetlanasworld.com/

• IFC completed the runs of 90's series Mr. Show, Undeclared, & The Larry Sanders Show (which I'm going to call my favorite sitcom ever, matched only by Seinfeld. And I think I'd rank Mr.Show alongside sketch classics like SCTV & Kids In the Hall)

• The Rocky Show (original version of Rocky & Bullwinkle, occasionally aired on KOFY-13)

• Louie Season 2 (on FX)

• The Sarah Silverman Program (now cancelled, was on Comedy Central)

• Breaking Bad Season 4 (AMC)

• NTSF:SD:SUV & Childrens Hospital (Adult Swim)

• The Emmys (host Jane Lynch was good)

• CC Roast of Charlie Sheen (comedians Anthony Jeselnik & Amy Schumer were stand-outs)

• Michael Ian Black: Very Famous (CC hour special)

• “Weird Al” Yankovic Live! – The Alpocalypse Tour (CC)

• Doctor Who Series 6 (2011) - starring Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor. My first time with "NuWho" - I liked it so much I went back to watch Series 5 On Demand

• Prohibition (latest documentary from Ken Burns, approx. 6 hours on PBS)

…

Fall '11 Premieres

I don't really watch much network TV. No cops, lawyers, soaps, late night or reality shows for me. And the few comedies I do like I haven't followed all that closely. But after watching the Emmy Awards I became acutely aware that the Fall season was starting and I might as well try to get on board with Modern Family, and after two episodes can say it's not really up my alley but I can see why it's popular.

New comedy series that I gave a shot but probably won't be watching despite liking some of the talent involved:

Up All NIght / New Girl / 2 Broke Girls / Whitney.

Free Agents I'm going to give another shot after some good words on The Paul Goebel Show

Going to give The League (FX) a look too.

So for now I'm sticking with my favorites, all of which started off strong this season:

Archer / It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)

Community / Parks & Rec / The Office / SNL (NBC)

Cult Dung 2011 Summah Sum-Up (1 of 8)

2011-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

("Summah" is a term coined by Howard Kremer , aka Dragon Boy Suede, co-host of the Who Charted podcast on the Earwolf network)

Since I took such a long break from blogging (May through August - but did keep notes the whole time), I need to update this record of my media consumption, so the next few posts will be mainly lists.

As my priorities have been shifting away from old Mystery Science Theater episodes and more towards current TV, comedy, and podcasting, I've begun to rethink my categories here. For instance, it occurs to me that the label of "Reviews" does not indicate what art form is being discussed. So far I've only used it for "Movies," which will now become it's own thing here.

The New Order:

Movies, TV/DVR, Netflix, Podcasts, Comedy, MST/RT/CT, Music, Work

With that in mind, here's part one of my update, sans reviews, except for links to the few recent ones I did post (a * indicates a high recommendation - and for the record, I enjoyed all of these to some degree):

Movies

Source Code*

Your Highness

Hanna*

Thor

13 Assassins*

X-Men First Class*

Super 8

Green Lantern 3D (the 3D made it seem better than it actually was)

Harry Potter #8 3D*

Winnie the Pooh*

Horrible Bosses (only caught the first hour)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D

Captain America

Friends With Benefits

The Tree of Life*

The Guard*

Attack the Block*

30 Minutes or Less

Rise of the Planet of the Apes*

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Fright Night 3D

Bellflower*

Our Idiot Brother

Shark Night 3D

Love Exposure*

Senna*

Contagion*

Cold Fish

Drive*

Cold Fish

2011-09-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

The most recent film from Japanese director Sion Sono (whose Love Exposure I loved so much), Cold Fish is a darkly comic exploration of the male psyche set against the colorful backdrop of tropical fish shops.

The story focuses on a shy introverted shopkeeper who is unwittingly drawn into the world of an insane criminal and finds his personality completely transformed by it. The charismatic, successful businessman Mr. Murata consistently urges his lowly competitor Mr. Shamoto to "man up" and take charge of his life, effectively blackmailing him by seducing his wife and brainwashing his daughter into his Hooters-girl cult of fish store employees. Things get stranger from there…

Like Sono did in his earlier film, the director masterfully blends disparate themes into a statement about being ruthless: in business, in nature, and as a person in general. Cold Fish explores the notions of dominance & submission, sexual violence, child-rearing, blackmail, murder, and includes a few gruesome sequences of corpse dismemberment (which are also quite funny).

Overall, I enjoyed it's characters, humor, eroticism, music and went along with some pretty shocking plot twists. But its grim final act makes it a hard film to recommend to anyone with a sensitive stomach.

An interview with the co-screenwriter… and here's the trailer.

Apparently Sono already has a new film currently making the rounds at European film festivals - Guilty of Romance - which looks to be more female-centric and sensual.

iPod Shuffle #006

2011-09-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

My own favorite Journey track about a girl (circa 1980):

TRANNIES 123

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

Bill Corbett - "Hey, look you guys, some stuff."

Recently re-watched Transformers 1 - after listening to the Experts & Intermediates podcast thoroughly dismantle a select few Michael Bay films. They came down pretty hard on it and surprisingly chose Pearl Harbor as the best of his flicks (while still hating on it).

This was maybe the third/fourth time I've seen T1 - most times with the mocking audio commentary by the guys at Rifftrax ON, which I find the best option. The script & dialog are so idiotic I need the comedic element to enjoy the splendid visuals (even Armond White may be right: Bay is a film artist - though he disliked the final entry in this series ). The more times seen, the less confusing it becomes, esp. during the fight scenes. The hyper pro-military/technology angle throws me, as it does in some Cameron films (Aliens/Avatar). Even when the government are meant to be viewed, in part, as the "bad guys," their weaponry is always pornographically displayed - a distinct "might is right" theme always comes through. But the forced comedy elements (the parents, the dog, painfully obvious product placement, and John Turturro's entire performance) continue to bother me, helpfully leavened by Mike, Bill, & Kevin deconstructing the film as I watch it. A strange mixture of joy and hatred for me.

T2 features even more buffoonery w/ dosed parents, dogs humping, nasal probes, plus college campus nonsense. The shapeshifting female hottie is the worst. No, Shia's male roommate Leo is. Negro-bots Mudflap & Skids got a lot of criticism (but being voiced by Tom Kenny, get a pass for him being a Mr.Show/Spongebob alum). But robots with beards, balls, and bad accents, not so much. Here, MK&B make a lot out of "no no no" and "move move move:"

By hour 1:10 I'm looking at the time wondering how much longer this movie goes on… and its only halfway through. At the end I was relieved it was over and mostly amused by what I'd seen, helped immensely by the wisecracking. Couldn't have have done it w/o the RT crew. Pyramid stuff in Egypt was too profoundly silly to ever take seriously.

Megan Fox's absence in the third film was a non-issue as her replacement at least had a definite character to play: hot, young professional woman who strived to better her boyfriend. The action sequences in this Summer's T3 were stupendous in 3D but the plot was just as preposterous: Decepticons transporting an entire planet into Earth's vicinity. After a spectacular battle in Chicago, the good guys win (SPOILERS?). Looking forward to another Rifftrax commentary for this final entry in the Transformers "trilogy:" i.e. three attempts at the same god-damn thing. Redonkulous.

Race Against Time

2011-09-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Senna

Stirring celebration of a man I never heard of in a sport I never cared for (grown men driving in circles?). But Ayrton Senna (1960-1994) was a world champion Formula One race driver and a hero to the people of Brazil. After getting a glimpse into the back-room politics and the viewpoint from the driver's seat while on the track, I came out of this with a new respect for auto racing.

Amazing that this documentary consists only of film/video taken of during Senna's career with audio derived from from years worth of interviews with the man, his family, and those within the racing world who knew or worked with him. He was such a superstar that while there is an abundance of footage before, during, and after races, there are also plenty of candid moments: Senna on vacation with his family, being mobbed by appreciative fans, or making appearances on Brazilian TV, all of which add up to a portrait of a charming, intelligent man who, even when drawing on the most cliched sentiment in sports (thanking God for giving him a victory), his faith and gratitude seem genuine.

“Suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously.
I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension.
I got closer to God."

…

Contagion

This is that rare Hollywood animal: an all-star disaster movie with class. Multiple stories overlap to show how different elements of society deal with a worldwide attack by a highly contagious deadly virus. Artfully directed by Steven Soderbergh, featuring a minimal electronic score by Cliff Martinez, and top-notch performances by its ensemble cast (Jennifer Ehle was particularly outstanding as a dedicated lab researcher who bravely tries out an experimental vaccine on herself), it is both bleak and hopeful.

Throughout, there are deaths, many deaths (including some of the big names in the cast), and once the public is informed of the magnitude of this disease, they naturally begin to panic. Soderbergh manages to balance these tense scenes of urban chaos against quiet moments of families dealing with grief. And lots and lots of laboratory work and logistical planning of how to quarantine and manage the infected. The clinical, procedural nature of the film makes it play out like a how-to manual in the case of a disaster.

In fact, a cynical person could mistake this movie for a piece of pro-government propaganda. Most of the stories depict a best-case scenario in which a well-run bureaucracy (the CDC, World Health Organization, National Guard) fight the clock to identify, contain, and ultimately defeat this mysterious new enemy.

Jude Law (sporting a strange snaggle tooth appliance - to tone down his beauty, I assume) plays an overzealous blogger who has his own paranoid theories about the disease involving government collusion with pharmaceutical companies. But in contrast to the way our "liberal media" usually depicts journalists as truth-seeking heroes, in the world of Contagion, he is shown to be a greedy crackpot.

With it's positive behind-the-scenes look at government officials in the face of crisis, and the high quality of film-making on display (is Soderbergh really planning on retiring?), this is 2011's "feel good" movie about feeling bad.

Love Exposure

2011-09-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

I first learned of this 2008 Japanese film from an enthusiastic review on the sadly now defunct British podcast Mondo Movie (listen to the first 17 minutes of episode 102 - The Up-Skirt Locker) whose called it in their description "Sion Sono's dazzling four-hour mix of teen romance, religious fervour and pantie-peeking pornography."

It finally started showing here in the States earlier this year and CHUD reviewed it lovingly, stressing that it is long (237 minutes) but that it feels more like watching a mini-series than the usual boring epic film. And also that it is a delightful mix of styles and genres unlike anything else.

I'll hold off on calling it a "masterpiece" until I've seen more of the director's work, but for now I'll say that it is both profound and profane, and recommend it to anyone who loves cinema. And don't let the inherent weirdness turn you off, even the mainstream press have found it lovable:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/01/DDQV1KTP5K.DTL

http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/movies/love-exposure-directed-by-sion-sono-review.html

My Idiot Shark

2011-09-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Our Idiot Brother is a comedy I've been looking forward to since Sundance in January (when it was called MY Idiot…), mainly because of it's great cast (Paul Rudd, Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan) and potentially amusing premise: naive down-on-his-luck dude moves to the city seeking help from his family, awkwardness ensues, and everyone's life ends up being improved. Sounds pretty corny when put like that, but what makes Brother watchable is the charm of the performers, particularly Rudd's Ned, who I've I always liked (Anchorman, I Love You Man) and is so sweet and good-hearted here it's almost painful.

The seriousness of some of the events (incarceration, infidelity, accidental pregnancy, child-rearing, unethical journalism) made it at times more of a dramedy, so the laughs were not as frequent as I expected. But there is funny to be found: T.J. Miller kind of stole the show as a helpful hippy who shows up a few times throughout the story.

And Ned's horsing-around with his young nephew re-enacting fight scenes from Pink Panther movies was both silly and touching, and helped to establish a familial connection. In fact the main gripe I have is that his three sisters (who each have their own distinct set of personal issues that Ned manages to complicate) never seem like a real family that grew up together. It's like this brother of their's is a stranger not raised in the same household, neither sharing the same values nor memories. Some time is spent at the mothers house, but I don't recall a father ever being mentioned. So a bit more back-story might have helped me believe this group as a family unit.

Likable cast, sweet story, but a bit hokey, and not quite as funny as I'd hoped.

…

Speaking of attractive casts, that was the main reason I decided to see Shark Night 3D. Sara Paxton (who I last saw get raped nearly to death in that Last House On The Left remake a few years ago) and Katherine McPhee (stunning on American Idol many seasons ago and was also in the Anna Faris vehicle The House Bunny) strutting around in bikinis along with some bland 90120-looking shirtless dudes there to protect them. (Note: that was supposed to be a joke but lead "nerd-hunk" - is that a thing now? - Dustin Milligan was indeed a regular cast member on the rebooted 90120)

Second reason was that it was shot in 3D, not post-converted. The high-speed boating and underwater sequences were stunning, with streams of tiny bubbles and bits of debris floating about that was truly immersive (submersive?). But with seemingly all the sharks being CGI creations (and there is a wide selection of shark species on display here, making it unlike most sea-creature attack movies) they generally lacked weight and real menace. There were a few jump scares (literally, twice, a shark jumped out of the water to munch on some pretty boy) but little gore. I guess to get it's PG-13 rating the filmmakers were selective about their bloody moments. There are a number of deaths we are never graphically shown.

yes, in this movie a dude goes after a shark with a spear

Which actually leads me to the big twist of the film:

SPOILERS !!!

Turns out these sharks were put into this salt water lake by a couple of rednecks in order to make snuff films of real shark attacks. One of them explains it this way (and I'm paraphrasing):

"What's been the longest running annual event on cable TV? Shark Week. We're here to serve the hardcore fans who want to see the real thing."

So that's a pretty nutty idea that's introduced about 2/3rds through the movie. There's something "meta" about making a shark attack movie that condemns folks who just want to watch the carnage. And a bit of an insult to the audience to then not deliver the goods (at least not in the way last year's blood and boob filled Piranha 3D did - a film I must confess I missed in theaters, and can't bear the thought of seeing in measly 2 dimensions. In fact my regret at not seeing it is probably what most enticed me to see this one). Maybe director David R. Ellis was going for a more family-friendly version of Piranha. There was no equivalent here to Gianna Michaels' topless water-skiing or Kelly Brook and friend doing nude underwater ballet. Nor a dismembered "member" floating on the screen.

Shark Night does an effective enough job of setting up some 2-dimensional characters and putting them in a picaresque yet isolated location (stuck on an private island without phone service). It then manages to find ways to force them all back onto the water, allowing each of the seven kids to die (or nearly get eaten) in their own distinct ways. But the movie starts losing steam once the real villains are revealed and proceed to explain their motivations: revenge, greed, sadism, etc. Unfortunately the more time we spend with the human bad-guys, the less fun this shark story becomes.

Still, some good moments underwater, and leads Milligan and Paxton were both likable (him for his character, strong yet shy, and her for being both brave and vulnerable… and for that blue bathing suit).

ETA: Best part was probably the goofy post-credit rap by the cast.

Odd coincidence: in these two films I got to see both Zooey D. and Katherine McP sitting on toilets. Now I can scratch those fantasies off my bucket list.

iPod Shuffle #005

2011-09-03T01:04:00.000-07:00

iPod Shuffle #004

2011-09-03T00:51:00.000-07:00

Two different videos for the same lovely Stevie Nicks song from Fleeetwood Mac Live (1980), the only album where it appears. The first is still photos, the second a montage of video clips.

iPod Shuffle #003

2011-09-03T00:39:00.000-07:00

iPod Shuffle #002

2011-09-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

iPod Shuffle #001

2011-09-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Hard at work staining a rich man's house in Marin County, CA.

This song came on my iPod and brought me back to my youth…

Bellflower

2011-09-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

"This is nice:"

http://www.bellflower-themovie.com

Comedian and film lover Doug Benson called it a "David Lynch fever-dream" which is not too far-off. I'll add "…as if directed by Slacker/Dazed & Confused-era Richard Linklater."

Small-town surrealism, brilliant grunge cinematography, cool DIY inventions, great sound design/music, and naturalistic performances, esp. by the gals (who also showed the proper courtesy of baring their breasts, but cleverly only after the film's mid-point so the sexuality serves more as irritating memory then as titillation). What could have been a pretentious mumblecore nerd-bait cluster-fuck felt like genuine art. One of the best films of the year for me.

Loved it, but was admittedly confused by some events at the end which included flashbacks and some potential fantasy sequences going on in the mind of the protagonist. Hard to tell what was real or not, but didn't really change how much I was moved by the whole thing (probably enhanced by forcing me to dwell on it). Touched a raw nerve re. the brutal nature of bad break-ups, as I couldn't help but remember numerous times in my love-life where I was smitten by a girl who was so obviously wrong for me, but I just had to pursue to an inevitably disastrous conclusion. The main chick Milly was an amalgam of at least 3 different women I fell for throughout my life.

Director/writer/star Evan Glodell depicts how the broken-hearted mind can imagine horrible revenge scenarios to punish one's former lover. I'd put this in a double-bill with Blue Valentine, as at least half of Bellflower is a full-on romance, the rest capturing it's dissolution. Reminded me of people I knew in those unfocused rock and roll post-college days when I couldn't yet hold my liquor but could still hook up with a hot punk-rock chick at a party. I also once suffered a concussion after a bicycle accident, and in my delirium found that I got laid by an ex (or two) who found my compromised physical state irresistible. So weird to me that Glodell was able to capture my own experience here on film, a decade and a half later.

But it's primarily a story about male friendship: one an introvert, the other an extrovert - two guys coming up with common goals, yet gradually outgrowing each other (like starting a band with a guy who eventually abandons you). Contains the classic trope of "best friend gets a girl, leaves his buddy behind." In a quiet moment late in the film, one says to the other, after congratulating him for bedding someone, "You know, I had a crush on her." Devastating.

By the end of the film, having burnt all his bridges, the "hero" reflects on blissful moments with his former best friend: driving their hot-mod car, shooting flames, and firing shotguns in the wasteland, just the two of them, after the end of the world - but actually before the real-world shit went down. Not unlike Nolan's film Inception it left me wondering what was real and not. But most of it made sense to me on a visceral level, which is a true achievement for any film. Highly recommended.

CHUD.com had both good reviews and a cool follow-up about the Medusa car itself:

http://www.chud.com/65780/bellflower/

http://www.chud.com/44116/review-bellflower-sxsw-11/

http://www.chud.com/47535/p-diddy-inadvertantly-sponsors-the-brilliant-bellflower-an-exclusive-video-of-medusa/

Also some interviews with the film-maker which provide a bit more (or less) context:

http://collider.com/evan-glodell-bellflower-interview/107511/

http://anthemmagazine.com/story/Q-A-with-Evan-Glodell

http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/08/evan-glodell-blows-up-with-bel.php

Girls & Boys

2011-05-15T19:08:00.000-07:00

Both of today's movies have Brazil as a connective thread. In the first, the ladies have a meal at a Brazilian restaurant that gives them all food poisoning. In the second, most of the story takes place in the highly photogenic Rio de Janeiro.

Bridesmaids

A chick flick for dudes or a slob comedy for gals? Either way this is the rare rom-com that works for both genders. It's smart and profane in equal measures. This may be seen as a response by super-producer Judd Apatow to complaints that his films don't feature enough strong female characters (a criticism made by Katherine Heigl who has ironically made nothing but shit movies since starring in Apatow's Knocked Up). Here SNL regular Kristen Wiig (who co-wrote the screenplay with Annie Mumolo) takes the role of the immature (wo)man-child whose life is going nowhere and has tough lessons to learn. There are hardly any men featured, with the notable exceptions of Jon Hamm as an abusive boy-toy and Chris O'Dowd as an adorable traffic cop who courts Wiig in a very natural way, but whose affection she doesn't know how to reciprocate.

Her love-life is a subplot here though; most of the drama revolves around her dislike of her engaged best friend's (Maya Rudolph - another SNL vet) new best friend (Rose Byrne - as funny here as she was in Get Him to the Greek) taking over the wedding plans. It was this inside glimpse into the relationships between women that felt fresh to me. The supporting cast was great, with everyone given scenes to develop character. At two hours long, there was plenty of room for comedic moments to breathe, including some bits that seemed to be ad-libs and improv by this talented cast of ladies. Everybody wins, especially Kristen Wiig whom, while I feel has worn out her welcome on SNL after years of being the star performer there, has finally found a movie role that exploits all her talents.

…

Fast Five

A movie I had no intention of seeing, but good press convinced me it would be fun. The very funny How Did This Get Made? podcast reviewed it, dissecting all it's ridiculous lapses of logic (and disregard for the laws of physics) but still raved about it's good qualities: family values, humor, and bloodless mass destruction set in a beautiful locale. I didn't get any of the callbacks to previous installments of the Fast & Furious series but did appreciate the flashy film-making and crazy stunt-work on display. I usually dislike movies that ask you to "turn off your brain" in order to enjoy it but this one worked for me. It helped that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was a likeable badass here after last year's disappointing Faster.

And it actually got me pumped for Transformers 3D which showed a new trailer beforehand, displaying a new level in cinematic urban mayhem. Capone @ AICN saw an early cut of it and had good things to say.

Taking the plunge

Chaos & Destruction

2011-05-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Our title comes from Stephen Meek, hired guide from the film Meek's Cutoff, trying to describe to the three wives of the party (who knit throughout his speech) the fundamental difference between women and men. None of the ladies are much impressed. By the end of the movie, Meek has surrendered to Emily Tetherow's (Michelle Williams) assessment of the situation: they are lost in the wilderness and may as well follow a captured native to either the West Coast (and water) or to an ambush/slaughter by an as yet unseen Indian tribe.

SPOILERS! The movie ends soon after, leaving the viewer uncertain of the outcome of the journey. Do these settlers ever make it to Oregon? We never see, though history proves they (the whites) eventually did. Meek (a bearded longhair Bruce Greenwood) is a blowhard, filled with brave stories of conquest, but Michelle Williams (who I loved in Blue Valentine) is more trusting of the foreign mysticism of their newly captured Indian, as is her husband, a very understated Will Patton who is outstanding here in his wise stoicism (named Soloman to good effect).

Meek's Cutoff is slow, monotonous, and ultimately hypnotic, punctuated with elliptical scenes of beautiful landscape and nighttime cloud formation photography. The potential drama of the hardships of a covered wagon trip across the deserted plains is consistently stripped to its essentials (i.e. when an axle breaks, the men matter-of-factly whittle a new one, then the journey continues; also, when meal times come, the women stoke the fires and grind grain with simple tools, then knead the dough, etc.).

People who complain that the Lord Of The Rings trilogy is just hours of dudes walking will positively HATE this movie. I was enraptured. It is subtlety scored with droning strings and clanking pots and pans, many sequences with only the sound of squeaky wagon wheels. A minimalist Pioneer Days.

There is a metaphor throughout about following leaders whom you have lost faith in, then finding a new one who you know even less, but seem to be trustworthy, ultimately leaving your fate to the unknown (i.e., God).

The devout religious beliefs of our group are a crucial part of them staying together. Early on there is a reading from the Book of Genesis about Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden and forced to wander for years in the wilderness. This provides the basic structure of the film, as we begin at a river, watching the party ritually gather water in preparation for their long journey. Much later, after losing faith in her guide, a defiant Mrs. Tetherow is tempted by the foreign words of the native ("Other"). She confronts the dual nature of man, civilized and savage, and dares to make her own choice.

The biggest action sequence is the group lowering their covered wagons down a hill by ropes. One crashes, leaving the remains of wheels and wood that future travelers will find years (…decades, centuries…) later, wondering what befell of their original passengers. This is that film; the story we imagine when we find those artifacts of American Westward Expansion, or the obscure native petroglyphs carved into rock formations.

…

Hesher (as played by JGL, who is going places) is Chaos & Destruction incarnate. His sage madness infiltrates a sad family and brings them enlightenment, not unlike a "Magical Negro": maybe a Magick Metalhead?

I first heard of this movie back in 2010 when it played at Sundance, where it received middling reviews. I hoped it would be a documentary on contemporary headbangers ("Hessians") but no; Hesher is an embodiment of metal ideals of sex, death, and destruction. His tattoos are simplistic renditions of stick-figure suicide, a skull, and a middle finger to the world: in essence, a symbol of nihilistic rebellion (with an uplifting message of emotional liberation for all of us "normals").

This movie has some aspects of "Indie Hell" family dramedy conventions but it won me over. The kid playing the lead T.J (Devin Brochu) was a winner (putting me in mind of the wonderful leads of Let Me In / Let the Right One In) as a damaged, isolated pre-teen with heavy family issues, finding a mentor in the most alien person around. Rabbit Hole also came to mind as the loss of a loved one is central to the plot. The recent passing of my grandmother (Dorothy Kimble) also played a part in me relating to this narrative. Animal Kingdom creator David Michôd had a hand in writing the screenplay and I felt his influence here. Dark sexual humor with sudden, cathartic bursts of violence (and Metallica music).

This is the third Natalie Portman performance I've seen in 2011. She was good, but not as homely as her character seemed meant to be. Piper Laurie (Carrie, Twin Peaks) was frail and adorable as the perhaps too-kind grandmother. As the drugged-up grieving father, Rainn Wilson was the weak point for me, as I never found his character fully relatable, but maybe that was the point. The unpredictable Hesher becomes T.J.'s de facto father figure, urging him on to fight back, if not always in the most constructive ways. Some scenes rang hollow to me but I was mostly on board.

Worthwhile for the mood and some very affecting scenes. As a couple behind me at the theater said after the credits (worth staying for the profane drawings, a la Superbad) "We want more Hesher!" i.e. JGL Will Return in "From Hessia WIth Hate." Good times…

Oscar winner

MST3K - S02E05 - Rocket Attack U.S.A.

2011-03-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

This week's episode is Rocket Attack U.S.A. (1961)

Discussed at length on Satellite News here.

Reviews of MST episode

http://reviewsfromthetop.blogspot.com/2010/09/mst3k-205-rocket-attack-usa-with.html

http://mightyjackmst.com/MightyJack/Rocket.html

Review of the movie

http://monstermoviemusic.blogspot.com/2008/09/rocket-attack-usa-unknown-musicians-in.html

March Madness

2011-03-28T18:28:00.000-07:00

Have seen a bunch of films, TV shows, and video podcasts but haven't made the time to properly review them all so this post is a bit of a cheat. Just a simple list of what I liked, loved, and hated. I'd recommend viewing them all, even the one I disliked because it is such a strange animal, worthy of discussion.

Loved

Bambi

Certified Copy

The A.V. Club has a nice video review of this (ignore the Red Riding Hood bit)

Encounters at the End of the World

I Saw the Devil

The A.V. Club has a nice video review of this along with a feature on other Korean directors.

Stagecoach

Tiny Furniture

Liked

Paul

Rango

Hated

Sucker Punch

MST3K - S02E04 - Catalina Caper

2011-03-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

This week's episode is Catalina Caper (1967)

Discussed at length on Satellite News here.

Once again, not many screen shots but I found a bunch of lobby card images.

Reviews of MST episode

http://reviewsfromthetop.blogspot.com/2010/08/mst3k-204-catalina-caper.html

http://mightyjackmst.com/MightyJack/Caper.html

Uncredited appearance by supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, seen just above Crow's head. She worked for the William Adrian Agency at the time.

A Pint of Guinness / The Curse of Cromwell

2011-03-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

More of TCM's Month of Oscars programming from February:

They played a run of films featuring the O.G. Obi-Wan himself, Alec Guinness, most of which I'd seen before, and enjoyed again during this viewing. The Lavender Hill Mob I strongly recommend to those who like heist films and/or dry British humor. It is widely considered a masterpiece. Guinness plays small roles in David Lean's Great Expectations and Dr. Zhivago, which I also watched, but I want to expound upon a not-so-great film I saw for the first time, that helped fill in some gaps in my education…

Cromwell (1970)

I nearly failed my sophomore year History of Western Civilization class in college due to having a serious girlfriend for the first time and being consumed by art and music. Because I had always been a naturally good student, it was a surprise to me how little I actual learned during that semester, receiving a D grade for the first and only time in my life. I state this upfront to confess that I did not know who Oliver Cromwell was, or what his legacy meant to to the histories of either England or Ireland. Now, thanks to TCM and Wikipedia, I know a bit more.

Elvis Costello's song "Oliver's Army" was the big hint that I was missing something. Didn't really get the joke until now.

First of all, the movie is not very good. Despite some handsome costumes and sets, it's bogged down by a thuddingly dull score, stagnant photography, and dull battle sequences. But the subject is fascinating: a classic example of trying to cram too much story into a modest length film. As many erudite comments on IMDb explain, beyond the historical liberties taken in order to condense the material into a digestible length, there is the whole other matter of tone: is it right to celebrate the achievements of a man who is responsible for genocide and creating the conditions from which the Irish "troubles" continued for centuries onward?

While the movie consistently portrays him as a noble-minded hero, Cromwell (as over-played by the hammy Richard Harris - oddly enough, an Irishman) comes off as a douche. The fallen King Charles I (Alec Guinness) is more sympathetic and nuanced, which I'll credit to both the actor and the director. We feel for his dilemma and confusion as he is brought down, an event he never imagined could occur. Divine right of kings and all that… His public execution is the highlight of the film.

Famously, the film ends just as Cromwell becomes de facto dictator of England, and before his campaign to eradicate Catholic influence from Ireland. Only a few years after his Lord Protectorate ended, the British Isles returned to monarchy, though with a much stronger Parliament than before. Many today still consider him a British hero, but a vocal minority curse his name to this day.

Movie trailer from TCM.

19th Century paintings by Hippolyte Delaroche

Charles I Insulted by Cromwell's Soldiers

Cromwell and the corpse of Charles I

Cult of Personality

2011-03-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

Busy couple of weeks for me as I spent a long weekend with family in Napa Valley for a wedding, got back to working full-time, and spent hours watching awards shows in addition to my regular diet of IFC 90's comedies.

The happy couple…

Besides the actual ceremony and reception, the highlight was visiting Rubicon Estate, one of Coppola's wineries.

Also me and my cousins watching Miley Cyrus host SNL. Yes, she's 18 now so it's OK to admit that she's sexy… and a surprisingly good singer.

The Kimble Bros. 2011

This is a particularly good sketch from Mr. Show, featuring Jack Black, doing a lengthy parody of Jesus Christ Superstar (a personal fave - specifically the Ian Gillan studio version - NOT the movie S.T.)

A funny Ben Stiller sketch as exercise guru "Fredrick" featuring the lovely actress Kelly Mullis, and an elderly man.

During the month of February, TCM programmed movies than had won Oscars. Not just best picture winners, but any acting, directing, or technical awards. So early one morning I turned on Federico Fellini's La Strada (The Road) (1954) which I have to admit I'd never seen before, despite loving and owning almost all of his films from the 60's and 70's.

Being from his more neo-realist period and starring wife Giulietta Masina it always looked too dry or depressing to me. Well, I was gladly proven wrong: of course it was great, at times both sad and funny, involving Fellini's usual themes of marital fidelity, rustic Italian tradition, and the arts of clowning and the circus. The characters portrayed by Giulietta and Anthony Quinn are like magnetic opposites, constantly attracting and repelling each other, unable to escape their entwined fates.

Richard Basehart was a revelation as the charming high-wire artist "The Fool." (I only knew him as the object of the MST3K robot Gypsy's affection, I think more for his work in sci-fi/action shows. But after seeing his in La Strada, consider me a fan now too.) And of course there's a lovely score by Nino Rota.

Another one of the things I caught up on was the PBS American Masters documentary on the great actor Jeff Bridges. He comes across as a lovable guy, committed to his his art. Would have appreciated some scenes of his bearded self in King Kong, the first film I saw his in as a child, but overall it was a good survey of his career. Never knew the Coen Brothers wrote the character of "The Dude" in the The Big Lebowski with him in mind for the role.

Watch the full episode. See more American Masters.

Brief notes on awards season:

I liked so many movies from 2010 I couldn't be too angry or disappointed by who won or lost. Despite many claims by critics throughout the year, I felt it was a good crop. But between actual awards shows, IFC's 2 hour plus Film Independent Spirit Awards telecast was superior to the bloated nearly 4 hour Oscars. The snarky Joel McHale was funnier than the strange pairing of Franco/Hathaway. Many of the same films were up for the same awards, but Indie Spirit gets the nod for the fact that Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop was awarded Best Documentary, with Mr. Brainwash accepting onstage.

Just a heads-up for next year, film-nerds: watch this awards show - it will piss you off the least. List of winners.

Biggest Oscar disappointments:

• No nominations for editing or visual effects for Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim, which he addressed with his typical English politeness in this Doug Loves Movies podcast episode.

• Burton's ugly-looking Alice winning anything at all.

• No Daft Punk Tron: Legacy score nod.

• My personal favorite film Animal Kingdom won nothing, but hopefully the supporting performance of Jacki Weaver will encourage more folks to check it out.

• And as Capone reminded me, no Best Director nom/win for Inception, a technically brilliant film that left some viewers cold.

In the non-award worthy category:

Drive Angry 3D which was trashy fun but relentlessly stupid. I was mostly dumbfounded that they chose the primary villains to be a white trash satanic cult. So very 70's of them, hearkening back to B-movies like Race With The Devil and The Devil's Rain. The recent House of the Devil (which I loved) used the same plot twist. 2011 looks to be a big year for insidious religious groups what with Red State, Martha Marcy May Marlene, etc. coming out of Sundance this year.

That same weekend I watched Elvira host Hammer's The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) , Christopher Lee's last entry in their Dracula series which at this point they were trying (too hard/not hard enough) to update the mythology to modern times. Always heard it was awful, and it was, but not as bad as I'd feared. But there is a reason it is public domain and unlikely to ever be properly restored for pristine HD home video release. Peter Cushing is his usual solid Van Helsing vampire hunter but here he is pitted against a (…wait for it…) satanic cult in contemporary England made up of brainwashed industrialists/miltary leaders. Not nearly as good a take on the concept as Hammer showed in the earlier The Devil Rides Out (with some of the same cast).

MST3K - S02E03 - Jungle Goddess

2011-03-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

This week's episode is Jungle Goddess (1948)

Discussed at length on Satellite News here

Like last week's entry, I had a hard time finding screencaps from this movie. The next five are all from the website Cold Fusion Video. Quoting from their review:

"The whole thing is an exercise in how not to make an exciting action-adventure movie."

Reviews of MST episode

http://mightyjackmst.com/MightyJack/Jungle.html

http://reviewsfromthetop.blogspot.com/2010/08/mst3k-203-jungle-goddess-with-phantom.html

Link to some other jungle-dwelling gals including the much more provocative looking Liane.

Also, Bettie Page, just because…