Pop Culture Entropy

Black Moon Rising

2009-09-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is not part of my best of list! This is, in fact a DISASTER! As a little treat for Amy and possibly April, I've decided to do reviews of whatever my BF and I are watching. My boy toy and I like to watch movies. A lot. As a result, we have watched all contemporary movies. While waiting for new movies to be produced, we sometimes amuse ourselves with older cinema. BF is in charge of choosing the films. The latest offering comes straight from the mind of John Carpenter and the 80's! You may remember him as the director of The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China (two films that will be making an appearance on my best of list) but he didn't direct this jewel, oh no. Its just from his mind. Like Athena fully formed from the forehead of Zeus, we have this epic of big hair and ridiculous super cars. Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones is a hot young thief in a cool leather jacket. There's some kind of convoluted plot regarding him thieving a computer disk the size of an 8-track and then hiding said disk in an experimental car at a rest stop. Then Linda Hamilton shows up for no good reason and steals the super car. Did I mention that she has the tallest 80's hair I've ever seen? She's wearing a wig and I'm pretty sure they left room under the wig for her natural big 80's hair. This masterpiece of stilted dialogue and gratuitous Hamilton on Lee Jones sex scenes was a complete mess. The super car was not even a little bit cool. It looked like it might be made of cardboard and the design came from some kid's 80's era trapper keeper. UGH! One of the only redeeming features of this movie (besides them having the good sense to not show Lee Jone's ass) was the fact that the cast was filled out with a veritable who's who of actors you have seen in the background of every movie from the 80's. There was that guy from that one movie, and that other guy who used to be a football player, oh, and the sheriff from True Blood. You can't spit in an 80's film without hitting that guy! Ha, ha, ohhhh. Don't watch this movie, unless you really want to see Linda Hamilton's nipples or you really like to play name the random 80's character actor.

42. The Shawshank Redemption

2009-08-26T17:42:00.000-07:00

42. The Shawshank Redemption
Of all the stories Stephen King wrote, who would have guessed that one of the few with no supernatural overtones would make my list. My bf likes to joke that if a movies doesn't have wizards in it, I won't watch it. That's close to true. Also, I'm not a fan of prison movies as a rule. This particular film transcends the genre. Tim Robbin's earnest performance and Morgan Freeman's heart-rending voice over could have made this too maudlin, but Frank Darabont does a wonderful job of keeping the tone dipping between dark and uplifting. There's a great visual style to the film as well. Even though the prison is full of men, there is a feel of isolation among the inmates. The world outside of the prison if full of bustling life and beautiful sweeping vistas. This is also the first appearance on the list of Clancy Brown who shows up at in at least 2 more of my favorite movies.

43. Ghostbusters

2009-08-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

43. Ghostbusters
So, when I was a kid, I owned the cassette tape soundtrack from this movie. That is how in love with this film I was. The sequel cooled my ardor but some love still remains. Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd put together a rare gem in one of my favorite genre mixes. Its a science fiction/fantasy/comedy people. Not many exist and even fewer do it well. Of course, having Bill Murray lead the ensemble cast is a giant step in the right direction.
This movie has so many quotable lines, its ridiculous. I love the whole scientist as superhero idea as well. I'm not going to bother recounting any plot points because if you haven't seen this movie, than you should stop reading and do so NOW. Anyone with scifi or movie geek tendencies will have seen this already. As a counter point to how awesome this movie is, let me tell you how terrible the sequel is. All of the snappy dialogue and great chemistry is replaced with wacky situations and buckets of slime. Ugh, it hurts me on the inside to dredge up the repressed memories of Ghostbusters 2. Typing the name put a bad taste in my mouth. I understand that money is a powerful motivator. I would find it difficult to turn down millions of dollars for the sake of art, but please, don't make a Ghostbusters 3. Don't "reimagine" the movie either. It is fine just the way it is. Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, I'm looking at you two. People today love to beat a cash cow to death. Don't make me hate the original movie because you have buried the lovely original under a tidal wave of ill conceived sequels and shitty cartoons. Oh wait, you did that already in the 90's. OK, please stop doing that so we can forget all that crap and enjoy the original again. Please. For me.

44. The Long Goodbye

2009-08-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

44. The Long Goodbye
Before watching this film, I would have never, in a million years said Elliot Gould was a sexy man. He came before my time. He was an old man to me. But oh my, Phillip Marlow is a sexy man. His best friend is a cat and the cat is in charge. His neighbors are a group of party girl sirens always begging for his attention. But, he doesn't pay them any mind. He knows better. And so begins Robert Altman's take on the most classic of all Noir characters.
This Marlow is the coolest private dick around. He takes every situation in stride. Everything is OK by him. He has a kind of cool elegance of movement and speech that lets you know that something is going on inside. He's already two steps ahead of the bad guy and, if he's not, he can roll with the punches.
The story is pretty standard noir fare. His best friend's wife is murdered and the friend is on the run. At the same time, another case falls in his lap featuring a lovely lady with a missing husband. Unrelated cases that reveal themselves to be connected underneath. Our hero has to figure out what's going on while being watched by the cops and the mob. I don't want to give more away but suffice to say such a simple description doesn't come close to expressing the complexity of the mystery.
This movie came out in 1973 and you get a real sense of the time. Admittedly, Altman's direction is more concerned with style than anything but, I love the hardboiled detective re-cast as shabby hipster. Its so obvious that Spike from Cowboy Bebop is a clone of this character. He's the loose limbed cool cat with a bad-ass hiding underneath. Even his shaggy mop of hair and ever present skinny tie are the same. Some may find the story rambling but it fits the nature of Marlow and the end is a kick in the pants. I wouldn't call it a twist ending but I didn't see it coming.

45. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2008-02-15T13:29:00.001-08:00

44. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I love Kung Fu. Sometimes, actors are passed off as martial arts experts in movies, but it just doesn't work. It takes years of training and a certain grace and flexibility most people do not possess to really pass. Then there are these people. I know that half the stuff they do is physically impossible and requires wires and effects but they do it with such precision and grace, I believe its real. Of course, amazing kung fu does not make a great movie any more than beautiful costumes and awesome sceanery. Ang Lee does a superb job of mixing action with a sad and sweet story. You don't get the super happy ending but somehow you knew at the beginning it wasn't going to work out well and that's OK. Did I mention the acting? Well, its great too. And Chow Yun-Fat is pretty foxy which doesn't hurt one little bit.

46. The 40 Year Old Virgin

2008-02-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

46. The 40 Year Old Virgin
How can a movie be so charming and so raunchy at the same time? Its brilliant. Steve Carell makes you want to talk to the weird guy at work (until you realize he has a massive hentai addiction). I just really love how sweet the whole story was. They made the stereotypes into people. How every time you thought they were going to cop out and feed you some stupid cliche, they twisted it into something funny but not mean. Also, the dance sequence in the end was the absolute perfect metaphor for really awesome sex.

47. Sense and Sensibility

2008-02-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

47. Sense and Sensibility
OK. I am a sucker for English accents. I'll admit that I like pretty dresses too. Those 2 things do not make a great movie. Its the story people. There's nothing more romantic than two people who should be together but just keep missing each other. Its the anticipation that gets you, the tension. Jane Austin knew this 100 years ago. I'll admit that I'm a little more keen on the story in Pride and Prejudice but this movie version is my favorite of any of her books. The actors are perfect, the settings are amazing, and the costumes are beautiful. Everything mixes together in that perfect way to make you feel transported. Emma Thompson plays Elinor as a wonderful mix of grace, strength, and pride that made me love her character. She's the kind of female character that doesn't kill aliens or zombies but I admire her anyway. The only thing I didn't get in this movie is how anyone would not want to marry Alan Rickman. Wealthy and hot. I'll take him!

48. The Breakfast Club

2008-02-15T12:47:00.000-08:00

48. The Breakfast Club
I choose this movie for my list because of the special place it holds in my heart. I think the lines are truely quotable and the story completely original (for its time). This was indie before there was an indie. The message is a little heavy-handed but I think that is perfectly acceptable for the teen audience. This may be the first movie I ever enjoyed that was mostly people sitting around and talking. Also, this film is totally eighties. If anybody ever wants to know what it was like to be a high school kid in the eighties, watch this film. My experience was never as extreme as any of the characters but I knew kids like them. I usually shy away from stories who's plot lines could be taken from my life but I'll make an exception for this one little movie.

49. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

2008-01-10T06:04:00.000-08:00

49. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
This movie scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid. There was something about Gene Wilder's manic performance and the fact that kids kept disappearing that made me uneasy. Top that with the scene in the tunnel with the creepy song and disturbing imagery and you have nightmare fodder for years. That may be one of the reasons I love this movie. Scary movies are wonderfully cathartic and this is a great one to start with. I especially love the ones that have absolutely no basis in fact or reality, movies that can scare you but you can comfort yourself with the sure knowledge that it could never happen to you. Watching this movie as an adult, I realize that it has not lost any of its creepyness. The songs, the bizarre family situation and Bavarian town full of Americans add layers of weirdness before you ever meet one Umpalumpa. Although I love Tim Burton, I wonder why he bothered to remake this film. Anything he did will be a pale shadow to the pulsating lump of delight and horror that is this wonderful movie. Let me also cite the wonderful quotability of the movie. From the songs to the made up words, Roald Dahl has become a pervasive voice in the American pop consciousness. Oh, and the snozzberries taste like snozzberry!

50. Legend

2008-01-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

First things first. I want to post my personal top 50 movies of all time. Please note that the order is mostly arbitrary until I get close to number one.

50. Legend
Let's start this off with a blast from the distant past! 1985 baby! Do you remember 1985? Well, all I remember is that unicorns were awesome and Tom Cruise was nobody. Legend is a delightful little gem by the great director Ridley Scott. I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan but he wasn't too annoying as the forest dwelling boy Jack and Mia Sara played the lovely Lily. The real stand out here, though, was Tim Curry as Darkness. The makeup for his character was stunning and frightening but his real power was in his voice. His delivery of the one word, innocence.... mmmmm. To hell with Tom Cruise, give me some Tim Curry! The original version released in the US features a rather bizarre soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. Intended to be more modern, it now seems dated. I have recently seen the version containing the Jerry Goldsmith score and it seem much more timeless. Some of the acting was a tad uneven and I get the feeling everything was filmed on a set. Although Scott never delivers a complete feeling world, it was the most beautifully realized fantasy movie until Lord of the Rings. Also, UNICORNS!

First Post

2008-01-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Amy!
The purpose of this blog is to entertain Amilito with humorous ruminations on pop culture specifically relating to movies and (to a smaller extent) TV.

Enjoy