Wife is Gone Movie Journal blog-a-thon

Mooooovies hurry up with the movies!

Special Halloween Scary Factor added to each entry!

The War of the Worlds (2005) - Steven Spielberg's heralded return to "fun" blockbusting entertainment is actually a dour telling of the old alien invasion tale, tricked up with great special effects and a straining, running, moving Tom Cruise. With lockjawed conviction, Tom is a working class lousy Dad who gets to prove his worth when the ships start arriving. I didn't buy this one for a second, it's grim but with no conviction. And the ending is a joke, right?

Grade: C-
Scary Factor: 5.3 (out of 10)

Bad Ronald (1974) - Classic TV movie about a troubled kid who takes refuge inside a fantasy world and the walls of a house - with another family living in it. The tagline was: "The Wilby place is haunted... by a ghost who isn't dead!" Scott Jacoby is the kid, Kim Hunter his dear Mother. Dabney Coleman also appears. The effectively creepy tone is lightened by some 70s stylistic choices that smell cheesy today.

Grade: B+
Scary Factor: 7.2 (out of 10)

Twisted Nerve (1968) - Cleaver. Cleaver. Chop. Chop. First the mom and then the pop. Then we'll get the pretty girl. We'll get her right between the curl. Nice tagline, slightly less impressive movie. Similar character study horror about a troubled young man (Hywel Bennett) stalking lovely young Hayley Mills. Billie Whitelaw, Frank Finlay lead a distinguished cast down a much less interesting tale than Michael Powell told eight years earlier in Peeping Tom - that film ended Powell's career, this one didn't do much for child star Mills. Some decent shocks but it takes a while getting there.

Grade: C
Scary Factor: 3.4 (out of 10)


KPJJJJ

Sweet dreams...Tiffany!

I love you,

KPJJJJ

Wife is Gone Movie Journal blog-a-thon

Cheers to Kevin McCarthy - 93 years young!

I met Kevin McCarthy twice, once at an early autograph show at the Beverly Garland (saw Joel Hodgson crossing the street, the celebs were packed in like sardines) - where he signed a cool Nightmare pic for me.

The second time was one afternoon when I was entering Eddie Brandt's and he was leaving - I was working for WBTV's unlamented Hype at the time. In my previous gig at Passport Video, I did a script about Monty Clift, who was a great friend of McCarthy's. I stopped him and introduced myself, he was gracious and friendly as I mentioned the Clift doc. He said it sounded interesting and agreed that they were indeed very close friends.

To get in the Halloween spirit, I've got Kevin McCarthy fighting Pod People in the background - great stuff and I noticed that some of the locations looked familiar...and damned if large chunks of the Don Siegel classic were filmed on Vermont Avenue, two blocks from our house!

Learn something new every day out here...

http://members.fortunecity.com/movielocations/inv21.htm

KPJJJJ

Wife is Gone Movie Journal blog-a-thon Meal break

10:25 PM CST

Updated - Tiffany's actual meal tonight!






This is Tiffany's meal tonight (guessimate):

Jealous? Yes I am...YUM.

KPJJJJ

Wife is Gone Movie Journal blog-a-thon

Tiffany is in Kansas City so I'm going to get some more movies blogged...

Nightmare in the Sun (1965) - Hard-to-find flick directed by actor Marc Lawrence is low budget, low grade pulp, kinda dull but enlivened by a bizarre cast - John Derek, in his final acting role, is a hunk of hitchhiking beef who gets mixed up in Ursula Andress' marital problems (Derek and Urs were really married at the time) - Arthur O'Connell is the cuckolded hubbie who might get murdered. Throw in Aldo Ray, Sammy Davis, Jr., Keenan Wynn plus Richard Jaeckel and Robert Duvall as a pair of crazy motorcycle punks.

Grade: D

Six Hours to Live (1932)- Dull talky movie wastes an intriguing premise - diplomat Warner Baxter dies but is revived with only the title time to solve his own murder. Lots of chat and little action in what could have been a neat pre-code D.O.A. Unfortunately, it's much less than that.

Grade: C

Accident (1967)- Joseph Losey hit brought the blacklist victim tons of international acclaim, too bad the remainder of his career never quite matched this perfect combo of tense narrative and art house depth. The tragic tale of an Oxford professor suffering and suffering through a time-fractured mid-life crisis. Dirk Bogarde stars but the real wonder is Harold Pinter's dense screenplay.

Grade: B+

KPJJJJ

Roman C. sweeps Cup in five

October 19, 2007

After Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJJJJ) took the first game following his three-peat championship reign, Roman Castevet (RC) won the 18th Yahtzee Cup in an unprecedented four game sweep.

Things started well for KPJJJJ, but RC's first Yahtzee was only a hint of what was to come.

Game #1

KPJJJJ 262/ RC 208/ The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, My Yahtzee (TCTTHWMY) 153

Yahtzees: RC (1)

Game #2 RC poured it on...double Yahtzee...

Game #2

RC 398/ TCTTHWMY 225/ KPJJJJ 217

Yahtzees:RC (2), KPJJJJ (1)

Game #3 was the turning point, with a solid four of a kind making the slim difference.

Game #3

RC 264/ KPJJJJ 256/ TCTTHWMY 193

TCTTHWMY made her move in Game #4 but RC could not be stopped, his Yahtzee was the difference.

RC 275/ TCTTHWMY 267/ KPJJJJ 183

Yahtzees: RC (1)

This time, RC would not be denied. So close...and he made a statement with a dominating win.

Game #5

RC 403/ TCTTHWMY 242/ KPJJJJ 192

Yahtzees: RC (2)

Yahtzee Cup Yahtzee Totals:

RC (6), KPJJJJ (1), TCTTHWMY (1)

In later exhibition play, RC finished up the card with a second 403 and two more Yahtzees. Asskickings all around from Mr. Castevet.

KPJJJJ

YAHTZEE CUPDATE!

October 17, 2007
KILLER PIMP THREE-PEAT!

Yahtzee Cup #17 is in the books and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJJJJ) has made it three in a row, sealing his sixth Yahtzee Cup with two straight victories.

After taking a 2-1 lead, the Killer Pimp finished his sixth Yahtzee Cup off with two victories in a row, making this the second cup he has won in five games.

Knute Yahtzee (KY) and Night of a Thousand Yahtzees (NOTY) were not available for comment.

The details:

Game #4
A late Yahtzee set the Cup in the Killer Pimp's sight, snatching the victory from KY's hands.

KPJJJJ 241/KY 233/ NOTY 173

Game #5
On the edge of victory, KPJJJJ squeaked out a slim win in a low-scoring matchup.

KPJJJJ 235/NOTY 223/KY 161

"I didn't think I had it the final victory. I couldn't believe it. I just played each roll hard and tried to stay in the game," he said following the match.

Six cups for the Pimp, Seven for Superstar Bootyray (aka NOTY), and Four for the current Knute Rockne.

KPJJJJ

Movie Journal #7

More more more moooooovies, still rolling through 2006! Today a taste of Carla Gugino (yum!), plus lots of seedy pre-code fun!

Judas Kiss (2005) - Sexy Carla (see above - for as long as you need...I'll be down here while you're looking...) and her partner Simon Baker are running some sexy con games in sweaty, sweaty New Orleans, with Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman on their tails. Writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez did better with Carla in the awesome Corman redux The She-Creature. Grade: B-

Night World (1932) - Snappy Pre-code treat with Boris Karloff - hot off his turn as Frank's monster - as a ruthless gangster running a nightclub. With simpy Lew Ayers and Mae Clarke in the romantic leads, it's Boris and the occasionally shocking piece of dialogue that stick in the memory. Busby Berkeley had a hand in the dance bits. Grade: B

Mail Order Wife (2004) - Fakey funny doc about a disgusting loser (Andrew Gurland) and his attempts to find romantic happiness with the title woman. Things don't work out well. Ultimately, the joke's on us with this entry in the docuspoof canon. Too bad it wasn't funnier. Grade: C

KPJJJJ

Movie Journal #6

More mooooooovies:

Capote (2005) - Phillip Seymour Hoffman, wonderful, fantastic, Chris Cooper, Catherine Keener, even Bruce Greenwood. Dan Futterman's screenplay, Bennett Miller's direction all top notch. Now, a few years later, I wonder is this all our talented movie folk can do - fetishistic recreations of other people's triumphs?
Grade: B+

I Escaped From Devil's Island (1973) - Cheapo Filipino production from the Roger Corman stable, Jim Brown and Chris George are the lead prisoners daring to make the title claim. Decent low budget thrills, with the early half of the movie - with the grueling conditions shown in detail - is the best. This was rushed to theatres ahead of the big budget big deal Papillon. Brown isn't trying too hard, George tries too hard, his teeth gleam ahead of his acting. Grade: C+

The Norsemen (1978) - Oh hell yeah - as a big Six Million Dollar Man fan, you know I'm down for Lee Majors as a badass Viking (still with that Heath Barkley drawl) hitting North America hard. This same story was later told in the 2006 version of The Pathfinder. Slow, dull and historically laughable, the budget here must have all gone to the then-Mr. Fawcett-Majors. However, Cornel Wilde, Mel Ferrer and especially Jack Elam as "Death Dreamer" are not to be trifled with (see Mr. DD above with Denny "worst Tarzan ever" Miller). Grade: D+

The Boondock Saints (1999) - Hahahahaha. So much less entertaining than Overnight but pretty funny if you've seen that documentary detailing the short rise and long fall of Boondock auteur Troy Duffy. He obviously has no real idea what he's doing - one scene ends with plates smashing for no good reason, then again none of this makes much sense. Hollywood stopping this guy's rise was a lucky break for film...Willem Dafoe is a pro, but he's not even very watchable in this turgid Tarantino-ish mess. Grade: F

Flightplan (2005) - Miss Foster, are you sure you didn't check your daughter through? No, she was my carry-on! Basically Bunny Lake is Missing (on a plane) but Jodie Foster is worth watching and this works pretty well for much longer than expected. Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean (always a villain!) and Erika Christensen co-star. Grade: C+

KPJJJJ

Movie Journal #5

Movies from 2006...

The Matador (2005) - Pierce Brosnan has aged well, and this movie he produced for himself shows that he - like Roger Moore - had more interesting shadings to give to James Bond. Damn those Broccolis! Here, Pierce is a crack assassin having a crack-up, leading to an intense bonding with an ordinary shlub (Greg Kinnear) whose excited by the thrills and danger. Hope Davis shines as Greg's understanding wife.
Grade: A-

Gozu (2003) - Weird-as-shit Takashi Miike-directed freak out, following a gangster through violent and disconnected episodes. At times gripping, loses its power after a while, maybe because nothing makes any sense and at over two hours the senseless shocks are just dull.
Grade: C

The Killing of Sister George (1968) - Robert Aldrich uses his kino-fist to fine effect here, as an unstable actress deals with being written out of her TV soap. Beryl Reid is a smash as "Sister George", a lesbian alcoholic watching her relationship with Susannah York go down the tubes too. York's childlike character (named "Childie" - a little on the nose, yes?) is a bit much, but Coral Browne and Patricia Medina both supply plenty of chilly English class. Love the broad range of Aldrich, this emotional soap was done the same year as the similar nutso drama The Legend of Lylah Clare and the year after the megahit The Dirty Dozen.
Grade: B

Rolling Vengeance (1987) - Ridiculous Canadian action flick with Don Michael Paul out for revenge in his monster truck, crushing mullet-wielding bad guys led by an inexplicable Ned Beatty.
Grade: D

Dealing...Or the Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues (1972) - Interesting '70s exploitation, from a source novel by the Crichton brothers (Douglas and the more-famous Michael). The rather bland Robert F. Lyons stars as a Harvard grad student playing drug mule for stylish drug dealer John Lithgow (stealing the picture easily in his film debut). Strange mix of thriller, comedy and romantic head trip, with Barbara Hersey as the stoned object of desire.
Grade: B+ (another DVR from the late Jerry's)

KPJJJJ

Movie Journal #4 - R.I.P. Jerry's Video

Another fiver while T takes a nap - the Killer Pimp took home the Cup but that's another post.

Here are the five flicks - peeking ahead I see it's a horror-filled bunch.



Outrage (1973 TV-movie) - Ahhh, the great 1970s TV movie, starring Robert Culp too! One I haven't seen (that's a very short list). Here, the Culp is a doctor in the suburbs who takes arms against the motorcycle hoodlums terrorizing his home. Cheesy and kinda dull - even at 74 minutes. It all seems to take place on the same street of fake studio houses. Not Culp's finest hour. But thanks to the late Jerry's Video (?-2007) for the DVR rental.

Grade: C



King Kong (2005) - The minute Jack Black cocked that eyebrow in the back seat of the taxi, I knew I was in for a loooooooong ride. Weird desicions abound here, the greatest of them all being: WHY? Naomi Watts and the big ape have some moments but they aren't enough.

Grade: A butt-numbing C-



Hex (1973) - Weird and unsuccessful horror drama set in the years right after World War I. Keith Carradine, Scott Glenn, Grizzly Adams and Gary Busey are the bikers, Christina Raines one fo the weird, supernatually dangerous ladies they meet in the cornfields.

Grade: C-

Oldboy (2003) - This took the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes in 2004, not surprisingly the year Quentin Tarantino helmed the panel. Chan Wook Park is the writer/director, adapting a magna comic about a man who gets mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years. Some awesome fight scenes to be sure, the grim nature of this one I found tough to take after a while. Still a fine flick - and the Cannes Jury that year also gave an award to Irma P. Hall from The Ladykillers "for her acting".

Grade: B

Red Eye (2004) - Solid thriller of the Hitchcock variety has a great villian (Cillian Murphy of the piercing eyes and translucent skin) and a sharp heroine (Rachel McAdams), the latter trying to fend off the former on the ominous title flight. Wes Craven can still turn the screws on and he does here. Refreshingly, and contrary to expectations, it doesn't completely run out of gas before the final fade.

Grade: B+

KPJJJJ

Yahtzee Cup #17 BEGINS!

October 10, 2007 - Wednesday

Yahtzee Cup #17 is in play!



An exciting start with plenty of five-dice thrills.

The competitors:
Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJJJJ)
Knute Yahtzee (KY)
Night of a Thousand Yahtzees (NOTY)

Game #1
KPJJJJ 279/ NOTY 252/KY 213

A squeaker, Killer Pimp's Yahtzee makes the difference.

Game #2
KPJJJJ 558/ KY 260/NOTY 152

Killer Pimp coming on strong! FOUR Yahtzees here and asskickings galore.

Game #3
NOTY 365/ KPJJJJ 263/ KY 225

NOTY isn't going down without a fight! Her TWO Yahtzee game gives her a victory.

And she almost, almost, kicked the Killer Pimp's ass.

THE BATTLE CONTINUES SOON...KPJJJJ up 2-1 over NOTY...KY waiting to make his move.

Yahtzee Cup Totals (Part #1):

KPJJJJ 5 (Games 1, 2 (4))
KY 2 (Games 2, 3)
NOTY 2 (Game 3(2))

KPJJJJ

MOVIE JOURNAL #3

The Twonky (1952) - Weird-ass movie based on a weird-ass short story, about a man who gets a television set that's actually some kind of alien intelligence. The movie is mostly played for laughs and it's great to see Hans Conreid as the leading man hero. Arch Oboler - the radio genius behind "Lights Out" - was writer/director - in the end, he's defeated by his own low budget.

Interestingly, the story this is based on is by Henry Kuttner (who had his short story "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" bastardized as The Last Mimzy in 2007) - and it is definitely NOT the lighthearted affair seen here.

Grade: C

Lightning Over Water (1985) - The amazing Wim Wenders hangs with one of his fading idols, director Nicholas Ray, in this often uncomfortably close documentary. Ray wants to finish a last movie before he dies of cancer and the effort is depicted here. At times, it is a struggle but Wenders hangs over his subject and star like an observant angel from his own masterpiece, showing us a glimpse of the man's power and legacy.

Grade: A

Welcome to Arrow Beach (1974) - HORROR time, with Laurence Harvey announcing his entry into the "Former Hollywood Stars Going Grindhouse" - here playing a sinister veteran who has a taste for human flesh. When he sees pretty young Meg Foster, he's ready to sink in. Harvey directed and styarred, editing this from his deathbed. A bizarre cast enlivens things, and Harvey's direction is solid and at times, shockingly effective.

John Ireland, Joanna Pettet, Stuart Whitman and Jesse Vint also star, plus Lone Ranger #2 John Hart.

Grade: B-

Crash (2005) - Seriously, I can't say it any better than this:

http://mattzollerseitz.blogspot.com/2006/02/anything-but-this.html

Hated this thing.

Grade: F

Star Wars 3: Revenge of the Sith - not Jedi, Sith
Stuff Finally Happens, things get dark. But Hayden and the gang still don't resonate with me.
Yes, better than the first two nightmares but still, it sucks. Beautiful effects, Sam Jackson, Jimmy Smits, lots of solemn...everything.

Saw a quote today on the Onion's AV Club and it cracked me up, Tasha Robinson on post-Phantom Menace fans of Star Wars: They're like the kid who dropped their ice cream cone in the sand, picking off the grains saying, "It's still good! It's still good!":

It's not.

Grade: C

KPJJJJ