Monkey Wrench

NOVEMBER MOVIES

2011-11-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

Back in 2010, I saw some movies...9/18/2011 well, damn, I’m missing Tiffany and it’s now the official anniversary! Back to the movie journal and the many adventures we had only last year…bracketing this one with two very awesome star encounters, one old school and one new.

First, at the Aero, QUARK himself, Richard Benjamin with the Michael Critchton thriller WESTWORLD. I asked Benjamin about his other SF classic and he talked about the weirdness of the TV show (created by Buck Henry) and how you take chances to work with people like BH. I mentioned my Mom, a fellow Northwestern grad of his generation (also met Paula Prentiss, who Mom always said really dominated everything she did on stage, “a shame she did all those dumb movies.”

Also, Richard Benjamin’s son looks JUST like him.

http://www.ciscopike.net/2010/06/quark.html

WESTWORLD rocked pretty hard BTW.

11/4/11

Lots of happenings in the past few, T in SC and me alone with no wine and some urge to write. So WITH NO FUCKING INTERNET, because, you know, AT&T SUCKS…(I’m at Best Buy tomorrow for a internet card cause fuck this shit)…SHERLOCK HOLMES’ FATAL HOUR (1931) is an obscure (for good reason) early British take on the title character. Arthur Wonter is Holmes and Ian Fleming (no relation!) as Watson, for you trivia fans.

THE A-TEAM (2010) was seen with one of our final Berendo across the hall neighbors, Kevin. The movie was watchable, but we bailed before the credits and missed the cameos by Benedict and Dwight Schlutz! Grrrr…

OK, settle down now, how about a nice Ethan Hawke vampire movie, like DAYBREAKERS? Lots of mythology, little to retell though (it looks really good though). I never thought I would be tired of Marvel Comics films with big stars and big budgets, but WOLVERINE was near incomprehensible and in the present (2011) X-MEN FIRST CLASS was a woeful disappointment, with simplistic characters and some pretty awful acting.

DARK OF THE SUN (1968) is a crackling action flick, with Rod Taylor and Jim Brown as mercenaries who get involved in African gun running and lots of action (including an epic chainsaw battle). The stars make a great team, and Taylor reteams with his TIME MACHINE co-star Yvette Miemeux.

THE TRUE STORY OF LYNN STUART is a neat little “based on a true story” crime drama; OUT OF THE FOG is prime Warner Bros. with John Garfield and Ida Lupino sparking together; SUGAR had no SOME LIKE IT HOT references nor songs, and a dearth of baseball, but it’s an effective look at the immigrant experience through a baseball lens.

WINTER’S BONE kicked ass, and we even met John Hawkes at the Arclight screening – I’m not sure Jennifer Lawrence will ever be this good again. Such a great feeling for the locale, which Hawkes said was simply from being there and using lots of locals. I think Lawrence was supposed to make the screening but it was Hawkes only.

CIRQUE DE FREAK, um, well, it had John C. Reilly in it and um, wow, they really tried a lot to hit the next Harry Potter, didn’t they? I hear the books are better. QUEEN BEE is some prime Joan Crawford, as she seemed on some level to embrace the “camp” aspects of her persona. A little later, Tiffany and I were sucked into BERSERK, (1967) where she remained a viably sexy leading lady, with dudes much younger fighting over her. That’s longevity, ladies and gentleman.

In other news from 2010, EYEWITNESS (1981) was an OK thriller with janitor William Hurt teaming with journalist Sigourney Weaver in more ways than one.

MYSTERY TEAM was pretty funny, about a “Three Investigator” style team that gets back together when they are way too old for it. Donald Glover leads the cast. We first learned about this one thanks to their unmanned booth at ComicCon the year before.

One of the best films I’ve seen in a long time, THE DUELLISTS vaults pretty far to my favorite movies full stop. It’s a beautiful debut from Ridley Scott, following Napoleonic-era soldiers Keith Carradine and Harvey Keitel (yes, he’s excellent even in period garb) as they feud throughout history.

Awesome in the Cinerama Dome opening weekend, Christopher Nolan forged an original blockbuster with INCEPTION, a trippy effects piece with good acting and some truly awesome set pieces. Word was the Nolan himself was in the crowd for the show after ours, during which the projectors malfunctioned and delayed the screening by a long while. Noirish melodrama THE STRIP has a typically committed Mickey Rooney performance as a jazz drummer trying to stay on the straight and narrow. Minor but fun, with Rooney a surprisingly effective tough guy. John Frankenheimer’s career is an exceptional one, and most of his work in the 60s is exceptional. But things started to go very wrong for him as the 1970s started, with I WALK THE LINE an example of a director not really connecting with the material. Gregory Peck is a stalwart sheriff who gets the hots for backwoods babe Tuesday Weld, whose father Ralph Meeker runs the shine. Peck is pretty good as the corrupted man of integrity, with Weld just sizzling as the bad girl using him. Johnny Cash has five songs on the soundtrack, including the title one. Fun to realize that even in 1970, Jerry Lewis is used as shorthand for dumbass yokel – as a bunch of hicks are shown losing it at some broad-ass slapstick stupidity.

Dallas time…with me ensconced upstairs in the spare bedroom and checking out Mark’s paltry DVR stock. But, I was able to record and watch BIG FAN while there, and I thought it a semi-honest piece of blue collar life. Patton Oswalt plays a guy who loves the Giants and loves calling in to a local radio show to talk about them. Robert Siegel followed up his script for THE WRESTLER with this, his directorial debut. Oswalt is really good, as is Kevin Corrigan as his equally obsessed pal. Some of the mother stuff (he lives with mom, naturally) is a little over-the-top, but overall a solid effort. Meanwhile, COP OUT is Kevin Smith proving once and for all that he can’t make a real movie. Absolutely terrible.

HOW TO STEAL A MILLION is stylish fun with Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn at the height of their gorgeousness. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is another disappointing horror homage from Ti West, with creepy Tom Noonan inviting a babysitter in for more than a night of sitting. Some moments but it takes forever to get to them.

SALT was written for Tom Cruise but thankfully we got Angelina Jolie instead. She kicks all kinds of ass as a sleeper agent awakened when she’s called out by defector Liev Schreiber. The action gets a little CGI-crazy at times (usually when jumping from high-speed trains), but it's smarter than your average action flick.

Cisco Pike, at the movies, with pounds to sell.

Red Wine Splashdown at Yahtzee Cup #49

2011-09-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Yahtzee Cup #49 – Red Wine Splashdown

August 19, 2011 - Westmoreland Stadium--

Well, now it was Superstar Bootyray (SB) who had the Yahtzee Cup victory to savor. This one was a fast-paced thriller and spiller. Roman Castevet (RC) and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) were ready to stop her run.

RC burst out to a strong lead, and he kept it going through the first three games. A double Yahtzee in the first game spelled doom for the other players.

Game #1

RC 342/SB 255/KPJ 239

Yahtzees: RC (2)

Game #2 was closer but the result was the same, with the Pimp scoring the same last place finish – consistency!

Game #2

RC 265/SB 252/KPJ 239

Now, it was time to stop Castevet from running away with the Cup…to make it happen, the Pimp smacked down a full glass of RED WINE all over the board and the Bootyray card.

It was a funny thing to see, no doubt, but it was no help for the Pimp. Roman rolled the SAME score twice in a row, and unlike the Pimp’s, his got him the win. 3-0 and the chance for the sweep…

Game #3

RC 265/SB 194/KPJ 156

But there was a Superstar playing, one who loves playing spoiler. Maybe she was inspired by the spill, but she took the fourth game to prevent the sweep. Roman’s score of 174 was easy to beat, and the Pimp continued to struggle for a win, despite an early Yahtzee.

Game #4

SB 241/KPJ 219/RC 174

Yahtzee(s): SB, KPJ (1)

A squeaker of a Game #5 saw three low scores, with Bootyray taking the prize. Could she pull off the upset?

Game #5

SB 208/RC 200/KPJ 197

Roman still led 3 games to 2, but now there was a break in the action…then on a day off, I think…8/26/11 let’s say…and there was something extra-special about this Cup finale…The Nightmare Before Christmas’ Oogy Boogy was the Cup, courtesy a Disneyland special from Roman C.

Would it bring him defeat…or victory? Damn, it didn’t look good after Game #6, the low scoring trend continued, and so did the Bootyray comeback. Could she win four in a row to take it all?

Game #6

SB 221/RC 180/KPJ 144

HELL YES she could, and did. Roman rolled a Yahtzee early and thought it was over, but the Bootyray couldn’t be stopped. She now has 16 Cups, equaling Roman Castevet and only one behind the Pimp’s 17.

Game #7

SB 255/KPJ 211/RC 200

Yahtzee: RC (1)

Cisco Pike

Movie Journal with extra Powers Boothe

2011-09-11T00:16:00.001-07:00

OK, the dog days of summer and it’s time to get fired up for a BIG WRITING WEEKEND. Of course, I feel like this one has a good chance of success because of the “broke factor”—as in we have no cash to do much else but write.

So here are some movies from the Journal. The viewing this year has been light, but perhaps more selective as well. Some thoughts as I get over the shock of Monty Clift’s appearance in THE DEFECTOR.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND now…and some thoughts on movies while we get ready to finish off the ENVOY saga.

Didn’t get very far, did I?

Sat. Sept. 10, 2011 - OK, checking in a few weeks later, just one week shy of our 7^th wedding anniversary in fact. We completed the ENVOY story, and now Tiffany is working on the treatment/Bible/start of the novel document. We’re blowing off Soderbergh at KING OF THE HILL, a shame but I think it will inspire her to finish the damn thing.

OK, a few flicks from 2010 as I try and figure out what the fuck Merchant/Ivory’s SAVAGES is all about.

A bit of a Kurosawa-fest for me last year thanks as usual to TCM. HIGH AND LOW was fascinating stuff, a bit dull but man, Mifune is truly one of the greats. I can see the issues Americans have had with adapting it, as various directors have threatened to do. Continuing my education with an important film never seen, HUSBANDS was pure Cassavetes but I greatly prefer everything that came before (FACES and SHADOWS at least, not so much TOO LATE BLUES). It was tiresome to me, and that was a shame because I love Cassavetes and Falk…oh well, I couldn’t take MIKEY AND NICKY either.

Good God, FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE is bad, even for a low budget Johnny Cash thriller. Retitled DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC, but it never comes close to living up to that title. But hey, you’ve got a wooden JC, Ronny Howard and Vic Tayback, and that’s something. Not much, but something.

BLUES IN THE NIGHT was mildly nourish melodrama, with a nifty start and slow fade to sapsville (cornytown?). Hey, I got to meet one of my childhood heroes, POWERS BOOTHE, at an Aero screening for EMERALD FOREST and TOMBSTONE (which I did see in the theatre). Boothe was great at his Q&A, and I asked him about his awesome Philip Marlowe performance.

He told many EMERALD FOREST stories and what a fun experience working with John Boorman must have been. Dude’s kinda crazy is my point (I mean, have you seen ZARDOZ?)…but FOREST is good stuff, big-hearted and contemplative while still giving audiences some exploitation-style action. Also, a special sneak preview of MACGRUBER, really just the trailer (saw the flick later and it unfortunately gave Boothe very little to do.

OK, back on the tube, JOHNNY GET YOUR GUN was bold but not too effective. THE WHISPERERS was muddled with fine performances, TOBACCO ROAD was another chapter of Erskine Caldwell’s seriocomedy about a strange deep south Georgia community. Not nearly as memorable as the later GOD’S LITTLE ACRE, based on Caldwell’s novel, but that one was scandalous in 1958, so TOBACCO in 1942 was considerably cleaned up from the stage version.

More Direct TV theatre…THE SECRET FURY was solid melonoir with Claudette Colbert as the center of a fun and twisty plot, directed by Mel Ferrer, with the always-solid Robert Ryan…THE SERVANT was a loooong must-see that lived up to the hype, damn, Bogarde is killer in that (Fox too), OUR MOTHERS HOUSE a nice slice of British nastiness, with a bunch of kids, a mother who’s never home and a superbly seedy performance from Dirk Bogarde.

SHIVERS is good solid early Cronenberg, with a really gross finale. More Kurosawa with the very early THE MEN WHO TREAD ON THE TIGERS TAIL, more of a filmed stage production than a movie, but still full of fascinating details. Disappointments don’t come much bigger than D13-ULTIMATUM, a big letdown from the original action opus. Not even many memorable parkour moves. MOONRISE is uneven but interesting Hollywood noir from director Frank Borzage, Dane Clark is a very poor man’s John Garfield, but the rich atmosphere is worthwhile – Borzage’s didn’t make another film for ten years. Robert Downey’s ad agency satire PUTNEY SWOPE is still a trip after all these years, and DAYS OF HEAVEN struck a perfect tone between character and image – need to see that on a big screen.

Speaking of, BIGGER THAN LIFE deserves the big screen treatment some time, with Nicholas Ray, James Mason and Walter Matthau (as the heroic gym teacher!) is a still-potent tale of addiction. TCM continues piling on the premieres CHUKA, a Rod Taylor starrer that’s not worthy of him. He’s the title gunfighter but the budget can’t match the ambition. Kurosawa-fest continued with the STAR WARS-influencing THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, more fantastic fun from a world great. His movies are a real delight because you truly never know how he will choose to handle a situation. It’s always something unexpected.

As for the very lovely, very inert MARRIED LIFE, oh my God, did I even finish it?

I LOVE YOU, MAN was murdered by its awful ad campaign that zeroed in on a Lou Ferrigno cameo (which was good BTW). A sweet, slightly overlong, very funny comedy with Paul Rudd as a friendless fellow chumming with Jason Segal. Barely watched the awful Italian horror flick/JAWS ripoff (TENTACLES), worth a look for the completely listless American cast. The cast of AN AMERICAN DREAM, led by stalwart Stuart Whitman, are far from listless, but they aren’t very effective at bringing the Norman Mailer story to the screen. Bit of a garish mess. Middling noir MANHANDLED wastes a promising trio of Dorothy Lamour, Dan Duryea and Sterling Hayden (in his early beefcake days).

1960s TV show NAME OF THE GAME had rotating heroes (including Robert Culp), on 90-minute adventures each week, but none of their episodes was ever this creative, sending reporter Gene Barry off the road and into a hellish still-in-the-future in L.A. 2017 A.D. Interesting artifact gains great value when you learn the director is a young Steve Spielberg. Sharp visuals hint at the great director is almost already was.

Yasujiro Ozu's TOKYO STORY is a masterpiece worthy of the billing, and REVOLUTIONARY ROAD unworthy of a very exceptional book. Not bad a somewhat strained attempt, Michael Shannon takes his showy part and runs for the hills, taking the movie with him.

Had a MISFITS marathon at the apartment, and Jeff Miler brought the dark comedy OBSERVE & REPORT all for the watching. It tested the patience but it was a true and dark little vision from Seth Rogan and company. Not bad at all.

I’m gonna wrap it up with MACGRUBER, the feature-length SNL sketch made feature film. Hey, we were supporting Powers Boothe, who costars here and is given little to do. Will Forte and Kristen Wiig get some laughs, especially during some sexy sexy sex scenes.

OK, a few more…finally saw 1965’s KING RAT, a good example of the POW genre, with a great George Segal performance. MISS PINKERTON is a zippy programmer with Joan Blondell in the lead.

WHO SLEW AUNTIE ROO? was a DVD from Don that we finally watched and really loved - I mean, Ruth Gordon and Shelly Winters made for quite a pair, and things got pretty shocking at times. Shocking is a good word for CAPT. NEMO AND THE UNDERWATER CITY a 1970 snoozer that I pray star Robert Ryan was well paid for...

Let's finish up with some video of ol' Powers Boothe at the Aero, shall we?

CPike

#48 is great

2011-08-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yahtzee Cup #48 down to the wire

May 26, 2011, Westmoreland Stadium—

With Roman Castevet (RC) basking in his Cup #47 victory, Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) roared out of the gate in Yahtzee Cup #48. Superstar Bootyray (SR) prepared to play spoiler.

Game #1 was even in the Yahtzee column between RC and KPJ, but RC’s failure to score the upper 35 bonus proved a fatal blow.

Game #1
KPJ 309/SB 242/RC 224
Yahtzee(s): KPJ, RC (1)

Game #2 saw the Pimp distance himself, with a definite victory, no Yahtzee needed.

Game #2
KPJ 269/SB 178/RC 137
Yahtzee: SB (1)

Game #3 saw a Pimp slap turn into a Pimp stumble, as a failure to get the upper 35 left Bootyray room to make a move. And make it she did.

Game #3
SB 266/KPJ 242/RC 240
Yahtzee: KPJ (1)

Game #4 saw another Yahtzee for the Pimp, but this time it was Roman’s turn for the win.

Game #4
RC 242/SB 224/KPJ 222
Yahztee(s): RC, KPJ (1)

Game #5 saw Roman try following up his win, but Bootyray started making her move with a close win. Bootyray overcame no upstairs 35, using her Large Straight to win it.

Game #5
SB 258/RC 251/KPJ 189
Yahtzee(s): SB, RC (1)

Game #6 saw the Pimp get one win away from The Cup, no Yahtzees and a rare tie for second.

Game #6
KPJ 265/SB 220/RC 220

Game #7 was the start of a second card, and it was also where the Pimp's luck ran out. Up 3-2-1, he couldn't seal the deal. Roman Castevet came back to score his second win, his Large Straight making up the difference.

Game #7
RC 264/KPJ 207/SB 201

Now, time for do or die...Killer Pimp rolls an early Yahtzee but he can't quite put the game away. Bootyray keeps it close...and tkaes it when KPJ rolls no Large Straight or 4-of-a-kind. Now it's 3-3-2...

Game #8
SB 291/RC 267/KPJ 250
Yahtzee(s): KPJ, SB (1)

Da dum...da dum...dadumdadumdadum. DAAAAA! That Jaws-inspired soundtrack moment was brought to you by this Superstar Bootyray victory. Game #9 was not very suspensful, as SB rolled a Yahtzee and the others lost the game of catch-up.

Game #9
SB 281/KPJ 217/RC 180
Yahtzee: SB (1)

Nice victory for the Superstar...giving her 16 Cups, tying her with Roman Castevet (Killer Pimp has 17). But her greatest moment could be right around the corner. Stay tuned.

CPike

The Single Card File: Yahtzee Cup #47

2011-05-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's Yahtzee Cup wrap-up time again and this time it's No. 47 on the line. Turned out to a one-card Cup, but full of excitement nonetheless.

Game #1 and it was the usual suspects taking the field: Roman Castevet (RC), Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) and Superstar Bootyray (SB).

It was low scoring action right off the bat, with the trio starting slow:

Game #1
KPJ 215/SB 203/RC 148

Ouch for Roman's inauspicious start. Game #2 saw him Yahtzeeing to a win:

Game #2
RC 296/SB 244/KPJ 241
Yahtzee: RC (1)

Now Roman was on a roll, and he took a 2-1 lead with Game #3:

Game #3
RC 263/KPJ 212/SB 195

Hey, this is turning into a runaway! said the other players as Roman took Game #4, with a Yahtzee again:

Game #4
RC 295/SB 229/KPJ 212
Yahtzee: RC (1)

Game #5 was a stumble for RC, as Bootyray tried stretching it to two cards...

Game #5
SB248/KPJ 208/RC 156

...but Castevet would not be denied, taking Game #6 for a one-card victory and his first Cup in quite a while. His third Yahtzee made him the only player to roll a 50-pointer during Cup #47 play, and his score the only one to break 300.

Game #6
RC 317/KPJ 184/SB 171

Damn, a convincing win for Roman Castevet! Yahtzee Cup #47 is his!

CPike

March movies

2011-03-24T23:08:00.001-07:00

OK, these March movies have marched right into April despite what the posting date says. So Happy April Fool’s with a batch of flicks that entertained me last year:

Bob le Flambeur was slick French noir at its well-oiled best by master director Jean-Pierre Melville. The title master thief gathers group of crooks for a big score that seems doomed from the start. Pervasive air of doom fills the screen here; Neil Jordan remade it interestingly with Nick Nolte in 2002 as The Good Thief.

The Young Doctors was unmemorable except for the pretty good leading man performance of the eternal teen Dick Clark and the impressive cast, including Fredric March, Ben Gazzara, George Segal and Eddie Albert. The Big Heat was another noir classic for T’s viewing pleasure – it still packs a punch too. The Baron of Arizona was a nutty epic with Vincent Price taking an early leading role and running with it. Sam Fuller, even starting out, was determined to cram his as much of his vision into his films as possible. A trip to the Warner Archive brought out Bye Bye Braverman, a most excellent comedy with my old pal George Segal in the lead, miles away from the other young doctors at the hospital.

Around this time, we’d planned on our annual Film Noir pilgrimage but the opening night show was sold out (perhaps thanks to Jeff Miller’s plugging). So we checked out Tight Spot, a neat little thriller that was playing on the big screen and our TV. Brian Keith and Ginger Rogers make a snappy team under Phil Karlson’s direction. We liked City of Ember, a kinda overstuffed but fun fantasy YA book adaptation, with a great Bill Murray performance as a befuddled Mayor. My Name is Bruce stars the irrepressible Bruce Campbell in the role he was born to play, himself. The movie was shot on his home turf of Oregon and it’s a pleasing piece of low-fi fun. Not so fun is the strained Barbra Streisand failing as a hooker to help her feckless husband in For Pete’s Sake (1972). And the recent release Armored was disappointing from director Nimrod Antal. Too much noise and silly violence as the noirish concept got stretched to the breaking point. Cleaning the DVR, buzzing through the ever-working Ernest Borgnine, first as a thuggish blackmailer The Oscar, going after movie star Frankie Faine. Can Hymie Kelly (Tony Bennett) help his pal out again? He will but not feel good about it and Frankie might come hilariously close to the gold Oscar statue. That’s a camp classic that’s a zippy pleasure, as opposed to the incredibly boring and laughably cheap The Neptune Factor (1973). A distinguished cast must have been well-paid to sit in a underwater ship set and point at nothing. As exciting as it sounds. OK, I finally saw the Seven Samurai and I have to admit: I like about a half dozen Kurosawas better than this. It’s got incredible moments, and Toshiro Mifune is outstanding…but man is it looooong, and not nearly as action-packed as its reputation suggests.

Now, wrapping up with Sirocco, lesser but not bad Bogart from the early 50s, a return to international intrigue for the star. A.I. Bezzerides scripted but this is a lesser effort of his. A young Zero Mostel makes a good impression here before the blacklist took him down. W

ith the 14th Annual Noir Fest to enjoy this month…but here's last year’s entry live and in person: The Locket/Bodyguard double feature (and we stayed for both!). The first movie is awesomely convoluted, with a young Robert Mitchum looking ready to burst onto the A-list (despite his weakish character). The second was a lightning-paced B-movie with Lawrence Tireney kicking ass to a Robert Altman screenplay…in 1948! Altman wrote a screenplay that Richard Fleischer shot over twenty years before M*A*S*H?? Friday, April 9 – 7:30 PM Double Feature: THE LOCKET, 1946, Warner Bros., 85 min. Dir. John Brahm. This dazzling and dizzying psychodrama uses a web of interlocking flashbacks to show how a woman’s childhood obsession with a prized locket dictates the course of her life. NOT ON DVD BODYGUARD, 1948, Warner Bros., 62 min. Dir. Richard Fleischer. Lawrence Tierney is an insubordinate copper who gets framed, turns in his badge and goes undercover to expose corruption and murder in the meat-packing industry. Helping him is beautiful Priscilla Lane. This early Richard Fleischer programmer boasts a breakneck pace and a screenplay by Robert Altman! NOT ON DVD Noir again this month!

Movies movies movies

2011-03-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

More movies from 2010:

Starting with What’s Up, Doc? (1972), hey, Peter Bogdanovich might be an asshole but he had a great run from 1971-1974, minus Daisy Miller of course. This is a solid screwball farce, with the unlikely Streisand/O'Neal combo making magic together.

Nim’s Island (2008) was delightful fun that proves Jodie Foster can have a light touch when needed and The Walking Stick (1970) matches David Hemmings and Samantha Egger in a non-thrilling thriller. The Road Builder (1971) is more like it, tense chills from screenwriter Roald Dahl and star Patricia Neal. Around here I avoided Jury Duty by a whisker and then travelled to CAMDEN for a short visit. The Las Vegas Story (1952) is trashy fun courtesy the sly Jane Russell (R.I.P.), wooden Indian Victor Mature and the florid Vincent Price.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) was subprime Cassavetes for me, and Nevada Smith (1966) not too memorable other than an early utterance of "bullshit." I Live in Fear (1955) was prime Kurosawa and The 400 Blows (1959) about what I expected from the Truffaut classic.

However, I expected more from Hot Tub Time Machine in NYC, but its mild funny couldn't keep an awesome trip to see Ryan and Jen from being a winner.

Cisco Pike

Yahtzee Cup looks good at 46

2011-03-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

With a Cisco Pike birthday in the offing, and Cup #47 scheduled for Thursday, March 24 (check local listings for times and channels in your area), time to recap Yahtzee Cup #46. The Cup resided with Roman Castevet (RC) for a while, could he regain the title again?

Superstar Bootyray (SB) made her welcome return to the ring, facing off in a classic match against RC and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ).

Game #1 started things off in grand style, with a close contest full of Yahtzees and high offensive numbers. Bootyray took the game with a Yahtzee helping her victory.

Game #1

SB 304/KPJ 275/RC 266

Yahtzee(s); SB 1, KPJ 1

In Game #2, SB continued her winning ways but the scores were less impressive all around. RC made a strong play, but fell just short, 227-220. The Pimp brought up the rear (hey now).

Game #2

SB 227/RC 220/KPJ 188

Would the return of Bootyray bring a sweep? Not yet, the Pimp said, as he stepped up to win the next two games and make a match out of it.

Game #3

KPJ 280/RC 232/SB 170

Yahtzee(s): KPJ 1, RC 1

Game #4

KPJ 242/SB 208/RC 150

Knotted at two, Roman made his presence felt with a Game #5 victory. No Yahtzees but a solid win nonetheless. KPJ had a memorably weak four of a kind here, a 7!

Game #5

RC 262/SB 217/KPJ 207

Game #6 was close as the Pimp and Bootyray slugged it out...Bootyray on top by a slightly better 3 and 4 of a kind.

SB 259/KPJ 245/RC 220

Game #7 saw the start (and quick finish) of Card #2, as the Yahtzee returned for Bootyray only.

Game #7

SB 247/RC 184/KPJ 150

Yahtzee: SB 1

With that, Cup #46 was history and Bootyray took home her 14th Cup. One more ties her with Roman Castevet's 15 - with the Pimp still leading the way with 17 Yahtzee Cup victories.

Cisco Pike

Movie journal Friday

2011-03-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

Some of the 2010 surplus...

Mo movies from about a year ago, as I remember the last year we spent in the old Berendo apartment.

Crash Landing (1958) is one I barely remember, a terrible disaster flick with Nancy Davis and Gary Merrill in the leads. Like watching two mannequins trying to make us believe they're in an airplane. From the same year, God’s Little Acre is much better, a kind of amazing piece of work. Adapting an novelist who has no really stood the test of time, Erskine Caldwell, a teller of bawdy Southern tales laced with anger and humor, Anthony Mann steers an outstanding cast through a sexy, silly, funny, poignant tale of the Walden family and their land. Robert Ryan, sexy sexy Tina Louise, Aldo Ray, Jack Lord, Vic Morrow, Buddy Hackett, Rex Ingram and Michael Landon as an albino! I'm a big Jeff Bridges fan but man, Crazy Heart (2009) is pretty far down the list of movies that he should have won an Oscar for...Colin Farrell is good in support though. The Crowded Sky (1960) was one I skimmed, another awful (and awfully dull) disaster flick with Dana Andrews, Troy Donahue and Rhonda Fleming.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) was not my favorite Cassavetes by a long stretch. Gena Rowlands goes nuts, husband Peter Falk tries to keep the family together. A long slog. The Shout (1978) is art-house awesomeness from director Jerzy Skolimowski. John Hurt, Alan Bates, and the gorgeous Suzanne York lead the cast, Tim Curry has a small part too.

A Letter to 3 Wives (1948) is old-school Hollywood filmmaking at its best, with a trio of women trying to discover whose husband has left town with an unseen narrator. They Might Be Giants (1971), in all honesty, kind of fumbles a surefire premise, with George C. Scott's judge convinced he's Sherlock Holmes and Joanne Woodward as the shrink Watson. It overreaches by the time the bizarre finale wraps up in a supermarket. Written by William Goldman's older brother, it does give the famed band its name.

Women in Love (1969) is Ken Russell's big hit with a pair of love affairs that turn quite steamy; the nude wrestle between Oliver Reed and Alan Bates is quite something. Mister Buddwing (1966) is an intriguing failure with James Garner as an amnesiac with a lot of women on his mind. Taking Off (1971) was an Aero special with star Buck Henry in attendance and the Milos Forman comedy really played with a crowd. Bobo Bates' brief song, Paul Benedict explaining "Bogarting" - a truly special experience.

Cisco Pike

Friend Roman takes Cup #45

2011-03-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Yahtzee Cup #45 began Jan. 2, 2011, the first Cup played entirely in the new Westmoreland Stadium. Roman Castevet (RC) was lost in a long Yahtzee drought in the search for his 15^th Cup but he got out of the gate in a hurry here. Facing off against the current champ Happy New Yahtzee (HNY) and the ever-present Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ), RC outdistanced the field in the first two games.

Perhaps he was smelling a sweep…

Game #1

RC 298/HNY 220/KPJ 208

Yahtzee(s): RC 1, HNY 1

Game #2

RC 282/HNY 232/KPJ 220

Yahtzee(s): RC 1

Game #3 went to the Pimp, but that would be his shining moment in Cup #45. No Yahtzee needed here as the other two failed to break 200.

Game #3

KPJ 255/ HNY 194/RC 164

Game #4 found Happy New Yahtzee making herself at home in the winner’s circle. It was Yahtzees for all, thought the Pimp only hit 200 despite the 50.

Game #4

HNY 292/RC 233/KPJ 200

Yahtzee(s): RC 1, HNY 1, KJP 1

Now Castevet was feeling the pressure, with his opponents taking one game each. But on the special Christmas Storyâ version card, Roman finished up the first side’s final Game, #5, with a dominating performance. The others did well and still got their asses kicked. Nearly 400 for Roman Castevet!

Game #5

RC 395/HNY 292/KPJ 200

Yahtzee(s): RC 2, HNY 1

One game away from the win, RC had to withstand one more challenge from Happy New Yahtzee. She brought some high-scoring power herself, with a pair of Yahtzees, bursting the 300 point barrier and kicking some ass of her own to make it 3-2-1 in games.

Game #6

HNY 366/KPJ 255/RC 177

Yahtzee(s): HNY 2

The next game proved lucky #7 for Roman, and he brought out the asskicking stick for his 15^th Yahtzee Cup win. It was a decisive one as he broke 300 again.

Game #7

RC 313/KPJ 174/HNY 142

Yahtzee(s): RC 1

Damn, quite a barnburning finish for #45…until the Cup rolls again, it’s rolls on to the Castevet Estate…for now.

Cisco Pike

Yahtzee Cup #44's epic finish

2011-03-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

On to Card #2 of the 44th Yahtzee Cup, and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) started out on fire, roaring back to take the first two games of the card. He hadn't won since Game #1 but now he was one win away from snatching the Cup from Hunt for Yahtzee October (HYO), now playing as 10 Things To Do in Yahtzee When You're Dead (10T).

Game #7
KPJ 259/RC 195/10T 179

Now, the Pimp smells victory...

Game #8
KPJ 261/10T 252/RC 169
Yahtzee(s): KPJ 1

Game #9 was the Pimp's undoing though, as Roman Castevet rolled a walkoff Yahtzee to score an extra 100 and take the win, his third. All tied up now at 3-3-3, setting up a Game #10.

Game #9
RC 269/KPJ 252/10T 109
Yahtzee(s): KPJ 1, RC 2

A rare event, a Game #10, and it's time to roll like there's no tomorrow. KPJ fell out of contention early, but RC and 10T went down to the wire. Ultimately, 10T had the Yahtzee and RC couldn't overcome that.

Game #10
10T 289/RC 280/KPJ 216
Yahtzee(s): 10T 1

So she hoisted the Cup again, capping a nice run for the former Berendo duo. 12/14/10 was the finish and Westmoreland Stadium officially crowned open for Yahtzee.

Roman Castevet was waiting in the wings however...itching to make the Cup his again.

CP

Yahtzee Cup #44 begins at Berendo...

2011-01-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

Yahtzee Cup #44

The beginning of 2011 brought with it a move from the old playing field on Berendo to the more spacious Westmoreland Stadium. So it’s fitting that the final Yahtzee Cup of 2010--#44 — covered both locations, starting at the old place and wrapping up in the new.

Game #1 kicked off on September 20, 2010, with Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) rolling a strong opener, complete with a Yahtzee. He needed all those points to overcome a strong challenge from Hunt for Yahtzee October (HYO). Roman Castevet (RC) placed third.

Game #1
KPJ 308/HYO 271/RC 202
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1)

KPJ couldn’t keep the momentum in Game #2, failing to break 200. RC and HYO were left to battle it out, with a mere seven points separating them in the end. No Full House haunted RC, his leads elsewhere do enough to overcome that deficiency.

Game #2
HYO 253/RC 246/KPJ 189
Yahtzee(s): None

With Game #3, HYO really pushed down the gas, breaking 300 and asskicking her two rivals as she took a 2-1 lead over the Pimp (who scored the worst of the Cup so far here).

Game #3
HYO 305/RC 214/KPJ 133
Yahtzee(s): HYO (1), RC (1)

Castevet got on the board in Game #4, despite missing the upstairs 35 by one point. His 62 didn’t cost him the win, as HYO fell short there too. Both had Yahtzees to make up for it. KPJ finished second with a five-dicer. 2-1-1 HYO now.

Game #4
RC 279/KPJ 237/HYO 236
Yahtzee(s): HYO (1), RC (1)

Things really started heating up in Game #5, with RC and KPJ locked in a battle for the ages. No zeroes on either side, both breaking 300, the difference was RC’s powerful 108 upstairs, ten points better than KPJ. KPJ did match his high score from Game #1, but it wasn’t enough. HYO finished a distant third.

Game #5
RC 312/KPJ 308/HYO 166
Yahtzee(s): RC (1), KPJ (1)

RC was in the mix now, tied with HYO at 2, with the Pimp standing at 1 win. Game #6 came with the Cup going to two cards no matter the outcome…

It was a race to the bottom in the card finale, with no player breaking 200. RC was the only player to get the upstairs 35, but HYO’s large straight negated that advantage. She took it with 199, and took a 3-2-1- lead going into the second card.

Game #6
HYO 199/RC 190/KPJ 143
Yahtzee(s): None

And the Cup made its move to Westmoreland…

CPike

Yahtzee Cup #43 - the Berendo Finale

2010-11-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

With a move in the cards, the Yahtzee Cup was played for one final time at the Berendo. We've come a long way from the floor playing days, and the move to a table will now be followed by a move to a house. But the Cup and the competition live on. Here's the wrap-up for the final Berendo Cup - #43 total - and it was a good one.

Game #1 began in July 13, with Roman Castevet (RC) rolling red hot, hitting two Yahtzees to dominate the opener. Without a zero on his card, he racked up 405 points and kicked ass on the way to a 1-0 Cup lead. The Night Belongs to Yahtzee (NBY) and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) put up little and even less resistance, respectively.

Game #1
RC 405/NBY 265, KPJ 187
Yahtzee(s): RC (2)

Game #2 turned things competitive, with a Yahtzee proving the difference in the end. The Killer Pimp took the win, with a Yahtzee overcoming his lack of a Full House.

Game #2
KPJ 266/NBY 242/RC 201
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1)

Things got less impressive for all players in Game #3, with two players failing to break 200 – but the Pimp took a 2-1 lead with a Yahtzee-aided 205.

Game #3
KPJ 205/NBY 187/RC 161
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1)

Scores stayed way down low as Game #4 got underway, with two players again not breaking 200. A lucky Pimp did break that barrier, with a ten point win from a 202.

Game #4
KPJ 202/NBY 192/RC 188
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1)

Close competition but the Pimp had scratched out a 3-1 lead with a pair of less-than-impressive scores. Game #5 could close out an unlikely victory but the Pimp slid back below 200 for his lowest score yet as RC and NBY slugged it out.

Game #5
RC 291/NBY 238/KPJ 186
Yahtzee(s): RC (1), NBY (1)

RC’s win made it 3-2, and Game #6 was one more chance for the Pimp to close it out in one card, but again he was foiled. This time, it was a dominating round for NBY, she rolled double Yahtzees while nearly matching the opening Castevet score.

Game #6
NBY 397/KPJ 271/RC 239
Yahtzee(s): NBY (2), RC (1)

SECOND CARD time now, and it was 3-2-1 as KPJ tried again to finish it after gaining a 3-1 lead. But it was NBY pushing him now, a renaming as The Muppet Yahtzee seemed to inspire her. She took Game #7 with a late Yahtzee giving her the win.

Game #7
NBY 280/KPJ 246/RC 236
Yahtzee(s): NBY (1)

And she didn’t let up, making the eighth and final game a close one too – ultimately it was a slim margin of victory. A “1” in the ones left NBY two points shy of a victory and another game.

Game #8
KPJ 248/NBY 230/RC 192
Yahtzee(s): NBY (1), KPJ (1)

After a 3-1 lead dwindled to a 3-2-2 close shave, KPJ hoisted his 17th Yahtzee Cup, the final one won at Berendo.

CP

Been a while...

2010-11-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

Lots of stuff has happened since the Blog's been away. A tragic passing (cat), a new beginning (house) and a decided lack of interest in the Movie Journal. Not in the movies, mind you, but the journal. Hey, it has been a long run. Maybe time to stop with the constant keeping up...

Nah, on to 2010.

CUT TO: March 4, 2011 and I have figured that less introspection and more quippy thoughts are what's called for going forward:

Movies movies movies

2011 now and I have to drag a MONKEY WRENCH into the light before the summer is through. So I just want to give a bit of thought to each 2010 title, a stream-of-movie-consciousness for this year.

Already met with Joe Dante this year, and as we wait on his decision, here’s look at what I saw in the past 12 months.

Shield for Murder (1954) – Really solid noir from star/co-director Edmond O’Brien. He’s a cop who starts veering crooked and can’t stop. Carolyn Jones, John Agar and Claude Akins co-star.

Vampires in Havana (1985) – Bizarre Cuban cartoon by Juan Padron is styled like Sergio Aragones, with a wacky plot about vampires and government stupidity. Definitely one of a kind, with a strangely involved plot.

Five Graves to Cairo (1943) – As mentioned to Robert Towne (at a post-Christmas visit dinner), he delightfully recalled it and we got him a copy soon after the meal. A great unseen Billy Wilder gem.

Hard Times (1975) – Aces is the word for this Walter Hill special, with James Coburn and Charles Bronson enjoying two of their finest roles. Tough, lean, without a wasted shot in its tidy running time.

Sherlock Holmes (2009) – Wow, what an overproduced mess. Downey is awful too, but at least Watson isn’t an idiot. You want a fun twist on Holmes, try Without a Clue from 1988.

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) – The Townes loved this one…we borrowed a peek and thought it was fun. Jeff Bridges bolstered his Oscar winner with a funny supporting performance.
The Andromeda Strain (1971) – Still effective Michael Crichton thriller builds tension nicely. Dated but the main setpieces still work.

The Damned United (2009) – The Townes loved this one too, and its director just took home the big director prize for “The King’s Speech”, so I guess he made a great impression on the party circuit.

Fermat’s Room (2007) – A foreign-made thriller has a neat locked room mystery setup that unwinds as you’d expect. Fun while it lasts, but it leaves no lasting taste.

Circus of Horrors (1960) – Garish thriller of European descent, a fun bit of background noise bit not much else.

A Time to Sing (1968) – Awful Hank Williams, Jr. vehicle casts him as a square dork with a beautiful voice, a far cry from the outlaw image we all know today. Ed Begley proves that the Oscar winner still has to shovel shit after the win.

Surrogates (2009) – Fun and colorful sci-fi flick with Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell solving murders in a future where humans live through the title creatures, more perfect versions of themselves. Fast-paced and lively.

Poor Pretty Eddie (1973) – Unnerving exploitation has a very game, overqualified cast and some truly truly disturbing scenes among the sleaze. An auteur’s vision brought to life, without a doubt.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – I know it’s beautiful but this still leaves me cold. Maybe a big-screen viewing will change my mind, but I’m in no hurry.

Trouble Man (1972) – Fun blaxploitation P.I. thriller tries to be the Shaft of Los Angles and almost makes it. Leading man Robert Hooks looks great but doesn’t quite have the charisma to stand beside Roundtree. Nicely directed by Ivan Dixon, with a sleazy Ralph Waite and Paul Winfield too.

Oh, about here the Saints won the Super Bowl and we went to the great city of New Orleans to watch it happen. See my entries from last year for more details.

Flipped through The Sergeant (1968) and Federal Man (1950) on the way to the Girls on the Loose (1958), directed by Paul Heinreid, and then the deadly dull Von Ritchtoven and Brown (1971), an awfully boring way for Roger Corman to retire from full-time filmmaking.

At the Vista, with the manager in costume of course, we saw The Wolf Man (2010), which just one Rick Baker another well-deserved Oscar. The addition of the weird monster baby was unfortunate but mostly it worked as old-fashioned fun. Del Toro is very effective.

Back to the Vista for Shutter Island (2010), Martin Scorcese’s hit with tortured Leo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo going to a weird island to unravel a mystery. It looks great and the actors are all fine, but it goes on 20 minutes too long as the acting peaks in the red (a bit overmodulated).

Gumshoe (1972) Albert Finney is a lousy comedian playing private eye in a disappointing genre mash-up, playing it all mainly as shaggy-dog camp.

The Amateurs (2007) – Great cast and a surefire comedy premise don’t hit the bullseye here, with Jeff Bridges pretty much redoing the Dude in a plot about yokels doing porn. Too many self-consciously wacky characters in a story that doesn’t make much sense as it plays out.

DVR cleaning- time: First Snow (2007) has a fortune teller freaking out Guy Pearce amid some good character actors in a blah thriller – Mummy’s Boys (1934) showed Wheeler and Woolsey as dated dated date comedians of the creaky old school and Jeff Miller came over to watch The Misfits and he told us hilarious tales of Rocket Video. Tracy Morgan came with “I’m Tracy Morgan!” and demanded to know why he had no movie shelf of his own. Jeff told him, “They’re on back order.”

And then, in an anecdote that should surprise no one, Peter Bogdanovich also came and sniffed about his lack of prominent placement for his section. Oy vey, Pete, do you have to always rock the ascot?

OK, Oscar season and another borrow from the Townes, one they really liked, A Serious Man (2009) the latest from the Coens. To be perfectly honest, I really didn’t get this one – but hey, the brothers are really experiencing a renaissance right now so I’ll try it again. The Woods (2006) was a tight little horror piece with good acting (including a pretty sedate Bruce Campbell), whatever happened to director Lucky McKee anyway? The Long Night (1947) is a fascinating misfire, a stylish suitably grim remake of Le Jour Se Leve (1939) the seminal French noir that kind of misses the point completely. Henry Fonda is many things but he’s no Jean Gabin.

Big City Blues (1932) – Fun little programmer has a hick coming to the big city and getting in big trouble fast. Humphrey Bogart has an early, brief appearance, with the great Joan Blondell in the lead.

Seconds (1966) – John Frankenheimer’s best one-two punch might have been following his epic action film The Train with this tense and unnerving horror film that proves how good Rock Hudson could be.

Deep End (1970) – Super-stylish, oddly integrating drama with sinister overtones is much like its protagonist, a young man working in a bath house and trying to work through his blossoming attraction to follow attendent Jane Asher. Cat Stevens does several tunes on the soundtrack.

Around Oscar time, zipping by Vic’s party, turned out to be the last Emma Oscars and the last one at old Berendo. Not a bad show, nice to see Jeff Bridges finally take it home, and damn, it had Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin as hosts. After this year’s disastrous snooze, it looks like a masterpiece.

Watched Doc (1972) around here, and it’s a revisionist Western that makes Wyatt Earp an asshole and the title character a tragic hero. Stacy Keach is really good in the title role, as he usually is in most anything.

Cisco Pike

Another one card Yahtzee Cup win?

2010-08-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yahtzee Cup #42

The one card Cup victory is a rare thing, and even more special would be that happening two Cups in a row. As Yahtzee Cup #42 started, Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) was riding high after two consecutive Cup wins, but his luck ran out this time.

Game #1 was a low scoring start, with neither KPJ nor Roman Castevet (RC) breaking 200. That left it wide open for Yahtzee: The Final Frontier (YTFF) to win, her Large Straight making the difference.

Game #1

YTFF 240/RC 190/KPJ 179

Game #2 gave KPJ a shot at a win, but RC (and his Yahtzee) was enough to squeak out a victory. 1-1, with the Pimp winless.

Game #2

RC 265/KPJJ 260/YTFF 198

Yahtzee: RC (1)

YTFF took the next game too, her Yahtzee wasn’t even needed for the win. Damn, 2-1 lead for the Final Frontier. The current Champ remained winless, while Roman got his ass kicked.

Game #3

YTFF 288/KPJJ 217/RC 183

Yahtzee: YTFF (1)

Game #4, make or break time for the competition. Points have been hard to come by, and most of them have gone the way of the Final Frontier. The fourth game was no exception to this rule. Two players didn’t break 200, even though the Pimp scored a Yahtzee - and the one who did took Game #4 and a 3-1 lead for the Cup.

Game #4

YTFF 235/RC 191/KPJ 169

Yahtzee: KPJ (1)

Game #5 held the highest score of the match – Roman coming in with a dominating 318 – and the Pimp failed for the second consecutive game to score 63 upstairs. 3-2, YTFF still on top.

Game #5

RC 318/YTFF 250/KPJ 197

Yahtzees: YTFF (1), RC (1)

Now, would it be another one carder? The Pimp played it well, staying close…but Yahtzee: The Final Frontier threw a Yahtzee to clinch the Cup in six.

Game #6

YTFF 248/KPJ 205/RC 172

2009 Movie Journal DONE

2010-08-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

OK...not five to go...a few more than that and 2009 movie journal is complete!

A Study in Terror (1965) – Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper was advertised like Batman, all campy and Ka-Pow! - but instead it's a nicely grim thriller, with a dash of blood and sex, a fine Holmes in John Neville and an always welcome non-idiot Watson. A flop in its day, which put the kibosh on a proposed series of films. Instead, it's a fine one-off and a perfect double feature with Bob Clark's later take on the same subject, Murder by Decree. Grade: B+

Up (2009) – Pixar strikes again, and this one didn’t charm me. In fact, I found this tale of a grumpy old man and the Boy Scout he abducts for an aerial adventure more entertaining if you considered most of the running time the dying vision of the old man after he strokes on the front porch. Maybe that’s just me. Grade: C

Love Affair (1932) – No, not that one, the one with Humphrey Bogart and Dorothy Mackaill! Oh right, this one is a forgettable programmer, with two leads who could have done something with a better script. Bogart in his early clean cut mode is the least of the Bogarts by far. Grade: C

Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) – This Shatner-led horror opus, of the “nature running amok” subgenre, is probably the basis for my lifelong fear of spiders. Also, as a young Kirk fan, it was nice to see the Captain in a better movie than some of the junk he starred in off the bridge. This one holds up well, with a game cast (including Woody Strode) dedicated to the modestly effective horror tale. Some shaky effects certainly, but they sell it with clever direction and enthusiasm. There’s an awesome finale too. Grade: B+

Fitzwilly (1967) - Dick Van Dyke gave up more seasons of his classic TV show for this? Sure, after Mary Poppins, it seemed like a good idea, but his late '60s work leaves a lot to be desired. This plastic Christmas card of a movie has a silly premise, a lovable gang of rogues, and Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) making the moves on Rob Petrie (what will Laura think? Or Max?) Grade: C-

Fuzz (1972) – It wants to be the MASH of cop movies, but a willing cast and some memorable moments (from solid Ed McBain source material) doesn’t add up to much. At times, it looks incredibly stagebound and cheap, with lots of Boston location work mixed in. Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch and Tom Skerritt are among the cast. Grade: C

Precious (2009) - Solid adaptation of a beloved book that is tough to watch at times, but it never condescends to its characters. I expected more of a horror show in the ghetto, but it is about this girl and the world through her eyes (and ears). Deserved its Oscar nominations (and the win for Monique). Grade: B+

….then the best of the year…The Misfits – Wow, this UK series is a real wonder, super powers and teenage delinquents done so unexpectedly well that it’s just about the best thing I watched in 2009. And yes, I watched it on the You Tube…then invested in the UK DVD. See, I had my cake and ate it too (and also paid for it).

Cisco Pike

2009 movies - WRAP

2010-08-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

More movies from 2009...

Julie and Julia (2009) - OK, even the Julia Child scenes, marked by fine performances from Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci, aren't enough to make this twee thing worthwhile. I didn't think Amy Adams could be so unlikable but she is here...with minor conflicts driving her and a colorless leading man giving her little in return to her straining desire to be loved like we used to love Julia (Roberts, that is). Grade: C-

Up in the Air (2009) - Bleh, I kinda hated this one, about a handsome fellow who travels the country firing people. His greatest desire is to break an airline mileage record, so you know he's worth rooting for. The film veers from mood to mood, capturing none of them well, even dishing out an undeserved bummer ending right out of the 70s. Decent performances can't make this one sit right, it's the film of a rich kid making fun of the lower classes he's pretending to understand. Grade: C-

Now, as the year wrapped up, I found myself wanting to finish up the sweaty “card of movies” I’ve been carrying since I first discovered Eddie Brandt’s. You see, you need to write your movie wants down, because the number of tapes at EB’s is overwhelming… I’m sorry, what are we talking about? Tapes? What’s a tape?

Anyway, the hip way to catch movies you’ve always wanted to see now is on the YOU TUBE…and that’s what I did, finally catching:

This British double feature:

The Romantic Englishwoman (1975), a really good Joseph Losey joint, all about identity, infidelity and intrigue (imagined and not). Glenda Jackson, Michael Caine and Helmut Berger are the main players. Grade: A, plus The Supergrass (1985) – Hard to believe a cast that funny could be in a movie this lame. The title means an undercover cop, and Adrian Edmondson is the Supergrass here, going under to bust a drug ring. Lots of familiar faces, but little to laugh at. Grade: C-

And these two again:

Unman, Whittering and Zigo (1971), a creepy British thriller about those ever-wicked boarding school boys, who put the screws to new teacher David Hemmings. It’s a solid B+. Plus, bonus first movie of 2010, The Spirit (1987), an actually quite good (and faithful) TV movie adaptation of the legendary Will Eisner comic strip. Sam Jones does OK as the hero, and the modest budget fills the comic-inspired frames nicely. B+.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (2009) – Terry Gilliam returns with a tale right up his alley, a mystical duel that leads right up to modern-day London. Christopher Plummer takes the title role, but it’s Heath Ledger (who died with this film unfinished – he was replaced by several other leading men). The multiple heroes gambit got the film finished and it works quite well (I thought Depp was the weakest of the lot), but the second lead (now Spider Man) and typically myopic Gilliam script make it hard to enjoy this one. The overstuffed production design is echoed by the busy but inert story. Grade: C+

Every Little Step (2008) – Absorbing documentary traces the evolution of Broadway mainstay A Chorus Line while involving us a cast search for a revival of the show. T was a big fan, no surprise there. Grade: B+

It’s Complicated (2009) – Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin in bed was the poster image in this one, and their relationship is at the heart of this Nancy Meyers confection (even though bland other man Steve Martin is higher billed). A nice bit of fun, with a game cast led by Baldwin, tearing into his return to the A-list with relish, nicely straddling the fine line between stud and buffoon. All the usual criticisms of Meyers work apply here, but it’s the kind of thing Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Gig Young did in their day and I for one am a fan of that Hollywood tradition. Grade: B+

Five to go...and then on into 2010, the year ten years after we made contact.

Cisco Pike

Wrap on 2009 movies Part one

2010-08-21T23:04:00.001-07:00

The Brothers Rico (1957) – Richard Conte starred in one of my favorite noirs of all time (Thieves Highway), so him in lead of any noir (even late period like this) is cause for celebration. And Phil Karlson behind the camera? Sounds sure-fire but unfortunately, this plays a lot like a TV drama of the era. Conte is solid but the part is dull, with sappy subplots and little real grit. Big disappointment. Grade: C-

Opening Night (1977) – The Cassavetes filmography trek continues with this backstage drama, a strange hybrid gabfest/horror movie of sorts, about a famous leading lady and an accident with a fan that drives her close to the edge. Gena Rowlands is stellar as the leading lady, with John as her co-star onstage and a great performance from Joan Blondell as the writer. Plays like a companion to Rosemary’s Baby at times, with tense and truly scary moments as Rowlands loses her grip on reality. Grade: B+

Saw a bit of The International…a credit for good friend Gloria Fan…saw the literally smashing shootout sequence but it wasn’t enough to make me seek out the rest of the film.

War, Inc. (2008) – WOW – stranger than strange as shit film makes you glad stars like John Cusack insists on letting his freak flag fly. This is a sequel of sorts to Grosse Pointe Blank , with Cusack’s hitman character working in the Middle East for some reason. Loud and chaotic, with Hillary Duff required to carry too much of the film’s comedic load. And then there’s Dan Ackroyd as Dick Cheney (not kidding). Bad, but interestingly so at least. You know, in the spirit of Skidoo or Candy. Adjust your expectations accordingly. Grade: D+

Year One (2009) – Mel Brooksian comedy bombed bigtime in theaters, despite a funny premise and willing cast. Not hip by any means, but it’s clever and sharp where you don’t expect it, and Oliver Platt should have been Oscar-nominated for his role as a very lascivious High Priest. Grade: B

Remember the Night (1940) – Wow, a real find here, a Preston Sturges script that teams Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck several years before they got into Double Indemnity together. Sweet and snappy, to say more would be to ruin a real delight. Grade: A

Next Day Air (2009) – Really fun, fast-paced modern day thriller shows what happens when the wrong package gets delivered to the wrong address. Raunchy, violent and silly at times, sometimes in the same scene…director Benny Boom keeps it all chugging along nicely. Grade: B+

Psychomania (1970) – Semi-awesome British horror flick has a haunting rock theme and unbeatable premise: a pact with the Devil leads a biker gang to keep committing suicide to rise again from the dead! George Sanders and Beryl Reid lead the overqualified cast, with George taking his final bows after this one. It’s bizarre fun, not a bad exit. Grade: B+

Electric Glide in Blue (1973) – Robert Blake has a great starring role here as a height-challenged deputy who longs to make detective on the New Mexico force. Weird mystery hides its beats and lingers on character moments that have nothing to do with the main narrative—and to me, that’s a big plus. Elisha Cook, Jr. has a large role, Nick Nolte a walk-on. Grade: B+

In the Loop (2009) – Profanity is effectively deployed in this dense political satire about the scheming behind wars of choice, blustery generals (James Galdolfini) and one sharp-tongued government official (a character on a Britcom as well) who tries to spin the situation his way. Lots of activity in a slightly comic/real world style, not many laughs aside from the profane rants. Grade: B

Promise Her Anything (1966) – OK, so the back story is that Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron were an item and they couldn’t leave London, so they had to shoot this Greenwich Village-set comedy (by William Peter Blatty) there instead of NYC. The staginess is obvious and the “hip” subject matter has “blue” movie director Beatty trying to stay up with the changing times. His movies are so bizarre and anti-sexy now, they must have looked equally awful back in ’66. Did I mention that he falls for single mom Leslie and then puts her “adorable” toddler in his movies? Not good at all, raising to sitcom-level funny at its best. Hey, at least the Tom Jones title song is rocking. Grade: D+

The Deep (1977) - Box office smash from ’77, pretty people Nick Nolte and Jackie Bisset go on vacation and get mixed up with smugglers, Robert Shaw and Lou Gossett (as a smuggler). Silly fun has the least exciting chase sequence in the world (on motorbikes), and too much underwater squab action…but it’s not terrible. Also, wet t-shirt on Jackie! Grade: C+

Dead Birds (2004) – Effective 1860s-set horror has a really good cast, which helps when things veer toward the familiar. Michael Shannon stands out among a solid cast. Grade: C+

The Princess and the Frog (2009) – Disney returns to head-drawn animation with glorious results, a vibrant jazzy fairy tale set in the Big Easy. Sweet and snappy, with a scary villain and fine songs, this gives throwbacks a good name. And the New Orleans Disney hit leads to the New Orleans Saints QB going to DisneyWorld as the Super Bowl MVP…I love it when a plan comes together. Grade: A

Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss

2010-06-13T13:28:00.001-07:00

40 pack of movies will finish 2009

2010-05-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

The Power (1968) – Wild and crazy George Pal flick has a great cast for a color-soaked 60s movie fan like me. You’ve got your George Hamilton, incongruously cast as a genius scientist, your Suzanne Pleshette, old stalwarts Earl Holliman, Michael Rennie, Gary Merrill, Richard Carlson, Yvonne DeCarlo, Aldo Ray and more. The set-up is solid – who is the killer psychic? – but Pal’s direction is uneven, with the pace flagging at times and some sequences edging into Naked Gun territory (like the standoff near the end). Still, it’s darker in tone than you’d expect, and some of the visuals are great, if dated. The trailer is simply awesome. Grade: B+ Trailer: A

The Hunt for Red October (1990) – Never read a Tom Clancy book, but I still loved this first adaptation of his work, with a perfectly cast Alec Baldwin in his only shot at the Jack Ryan role. John McTiernan directs a good adaptation that keeps enough technology for the book’s fans (who loved those five-page descriptions of missles), while setting a tense pace and utilizing the A-list cast perfectly. Sean Connery and Scott Glenn are a few of the A-listers in question. Grade: A

Paranormal Activity (2009) – We played “Is this a movie?” after this one and the answer was NO. Lame and dull, with little payoff, except the realization that you’ve paid theatre prices for a shitty video project that should have debuted on the SciFi, sorry, the Syfy channel. Grade: D

Criminal (2004) – John C. Reilly takes the lead as a con man working the grifts long and short in a fun, twisty tale of revenge. Diego Luna and Maggie Gyllynal Luis Guzman and others add to the fun. I love a good con tale, and this one is about a B+. Remake of Nine Queens.

The Wild Party (1956) – Bizarre melodrama showcases hambone Anthony Quinn letting it all hang out as a washed-up ex-jock ACTING his way through one loooong night. Like a bad play written by pretentious English majors who get it man...but if you're in the right mood, it’s a B&W hoot. Grade: D

The Last Shot You Hear (1968) – Blah, UK TV movie got a theatrical release but isn’t really worthy. Hugh Marlowe stars, a fading movie actor in the twilight. It has that grainy TV look of an episode of Doctor Who, with a script that could have used some Daleks. Grade: D+

Chan is Missing (1982) – Auspicious debut for writer/director Wayne Wang, with cabbies looking for the guy who owes them big. Fun but a bit hampered by the low budget, a little slow in spots for my fast-paced tastes. Grade: B+

Quicksand (2001) – Forgettable thriller with Michaels Keaton and Caine slumming a bit, though Caine has a minor blast as an egocentric movie star. Not sure why these kind of movies still exist, but I'm glad they do. Grade: C

Empire of the Ants (1977) – At first, this is an incredibly dull horror flick with Florida real estate agent Joan Collins showing off some property to a collection of has-beens and never weres, like John David Carson, Albert Salmi, Robert Lansing and Robert Pine. Incredibly dull for most of the running time, this one does live up to its title with an incredibly unexpected last act. Listen, don’t misunderstand me, the movie is very, very boring for a long time, but boy oh boy does the tedium pay off in a hilarious way. Grade: C+

Valentino – Ken Russell’s infamously awful biopic stars Rudolf Nureyev as the silent screen superstar. The bizarre casting almost works, but honestly this could have used some more of the director’s trademark weirdness. As it stands, it’s an uninvolving biopic, trudging through the star’s rise to fame and fall into idolatry. Grade: C+

On Dangerous Ground (1950) – Robert Ryan gives another great performance in a lead, here as a violent city cop tracking a bad guy to the wilderness, where he meets and falls for, blind Ida Lupino. Nicholas Ray keeps things tense; also a nice showcase for Ward Bond in a meaty semi-lead role. Grade: B+

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) – Wes Anderson goes animated in his inimitable way, with fussy production design and great, heartfelt performances from big stars (here, Clooney and Streep). I had no knowledge of the source material, but this film is good fun…if the Daddy issues seem a little out of place. Grade: B

The first dozen...in the books.

CP

Another 12 pack of movie journal fun

2010-05-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

More movies from 2009 -

Black Moon (1934) - Creaky horror flick is not very memorable, despite the jutting jaw of Jack Holt and the legendary pipes of one Fay Wray. Grade: C+

Where the Wild Things Are (2009) - Ry Dawg in town and we checked the latest Spike Jonze joint out at the Cinerama Dome with T's dad. This adaptation of the beloved book hits the right emotional notes as it expands the slim narrative of the prose. Catherine Keener is remarkable in a brief role as Mom...I think the reactions to this will vary widely, with good friends and a good vibe, I wasn't too critical and it didn't piss me off. Grade: B, plus a Ry Dawg factor of +10.

The Border (1982) - Mild, rambling drama set on the Mexican border should be greater than it is, but casting Jack Nicholson as a mild guy certainly doesn't work here. Warren Oates and Harvey Keitel enliven things a bit, as does Valerie Perrine (though she is stuck with a silly, badly written role), but the plot gets more outlandish as it moves to the predictable finale. The Telly Savalas flick of the same title from two years earlier handles the same material much better. Grade: C-

The Last Married Couple in America (1980) – Smug, awful comedy with bright stars plastering grins on their faces and trying to get through it. George Segal left "10" for this one and his loss was Dudley Moore's gain. He and Natalie Wood stumble through this witless home movie from director Gil Cates (director of the Oscars many times); Richard Benjamin and Valerie Harper are wasted too. Grade: D

Land of the Lost (2009) - Awful comedy seems to have been both laboriously overdesigned and made up on the spot. Based on the lousy TV show (that not many remember), Will Ferrell finds his luck running out, even Danny McBride fails to liven things up. Weird but not very good. Grade: C-

Timecrimes (2008) - Pretty nifty time travel thriller keeps its clockwork pace moving nicely, even if the film never quite kicks into another gear. Not bad stuff, I await the Hollywood remake not at all. Grade: B

Zaat (1975) - Mind-blowingly bad regional horror flick requires you and your friends to be at their snark-filled best...T and I barely made it through and we're good at this. Hilarious horror film never understands that darkness is your low budget's friend. Watching this monster stumble around too-well-lighted sets is pretty damn funny, if occasionally too slow paced (this is where the snark really comes in handy.) Grade: F (for fun!)

The Ghoul (1934) - Solid English horror with Boris Karloff as the title fellow, combating Ralph Richardson in his film debut. With Ernest Thesiger and Cedric Hardwicke as well,

13 Frightened Girls (1963) - Hilarious opening sequence promises camp heights that aren't reached again, but that was William Castle's modus operandi - hook 'em early. Ridiculous plot has a girls school full of diplomats' daughters getting involved in a silly espionage plot. Your only chance to see Murray Hamilton as a badass secret agent. Grade: D+

OK, working the Zombie plot out and Heaven help us, we were told to watch Dwayne Rock Johnson movies...and watch them we did. It wasn't easy.

The Game Plan (2007) - Simply hideous, soulless Disney product, with asshole QB Rock (defined helpfully early on by an ESPN profile that outlines the main character's motivation) getting more than he bargained for when the cute daughter he never knew he had shows up. Predictable and weirdly convoluted at the same time, it seems to last about five hours. The Rock is weirdly asexual here, with his usual charm coming off as strained. We learned little here to help with our script. Grade: D

The Pacifier (2005) - Written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (for Jackie Chan), this is another great high concept turned into a mediocre movie. Rock Johnson must act as a nanny for a family of sitcom kids, the usual complications ensue. Carol Kane gets few laughs early on. At least, for script help, this one had the right beats. Grade: C-

My Bodyguard (1980) - Now, finally, we find a good movie to inspire us, a sweet, beautifully drawn story about two unlikely friends and their adventures. Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon and the city of Chicago star, along with Martin Mull, Ruth Gordon and John Houseman. Quite a good job from director Tony Bill. Grade: A

CP

Movie journal time for 2009

2010-05-27T08:56:00.000-07:00

OK, it's time for more movie journal - I'm trying to wrap up 2009 in one big bloggerino here over the looong holiday weekend that couldn't come soon enough...

Scorpio (1973) - Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon square off in this generic international spy thriller. Burt’s still plenty athletic but this contains one solid extended chase but little else of interest. The stars look tired, leaving too much of the heavy lifting to the generic cast of European actors. Grade: C

Greaser’s Palace (1972) – Insane Western/social satire/comedy from Robert Downey Sr. follows Sidney from MASH (Allan Arbus) as Drifter, a singing zoot-suited savior here to perform for us all. This was Downey’s big budget shot and it bombed, but it’s a one-of-a-kind thing, very watchable with catchy tunes and a winning Arbus. Occasionally slow, but worth a look. Luana Anders and a young Downey, Jr. also appear. Grade: B

Artists and Models (1955) - Frank Tashlin’s finest hour as a director? Maybe not but it’s probably Martin and Lewis’ best movie. Dean and Jerry are an aspiring cartoonist and the spastic dork whose dreams inspire him. The fast-paced gags are bright and funny, and the byplay between the stars inspired, a taste of the madness of their live performances. Shirley MacLaine as a Bat Girl is a special bonus. Rowr! Grade: A

Army of Shadows (1969) – Fantastic set pieces highlight this long-unseen thriller that details French resistance exploits during WWII. Lino Ventura, Simone Signoret and Jean-Pierre Cassel are the pawns in one of director Jean-Pierre Melville’s best. A famous flop in its home country and unseen for decades, it’s episodic, at times shockingly great, anchored by the fine performances. Grade: A-

Zombieland (2009) – Fun splatter comedy makes you laugh loud early and often, and it doesn’t wear out its welcome either. Woody and the super secret surprise guest star are hilarious, and the young leads smart and human even among the textual flourishes and snarky dialogue. Grade: B+

The Clay Pigeon (1949) – Bill Williams and Barbara Hale make a cute couple in this sharp little L.A.-set noir (William Katt make an appearance a bit later). It’s pulpy fun, with loads of real locations playing a part. Great credits for this low budget gem, with Richard Fleischer behind the camera and Carl Foreman penning the script. Grade: B+

Bedtime Stories (2008) – Trying to crack the Zombie Zappa project, we watched some big budget big screen family films like this one…well, OK, we kind of fast-forwarded through this one…maybe the spec script was good originally? Awful and overstuffed beyond belief.

The Mummy 3 (2008) – Not exciting, not even remotely…not much else to say, except I never thought that these movies could suck so bad knowing how much I love this genre. This one criminally wastes Michelle Yeoh and Jet Li for the sake of international marketing (and financing). I’ll always think of David Cross sitting behind us at the Vista after watching the first Mummy…his friend asks how he liked it and he said, “I think it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen!” Little did we suspect how bad they would get...don't even get me started on the little kid addition here...at least Rachel Weisz had the good sense to jump off the franchise, replaced (not too convincingly) by Maria Bello. Grade: D+

Wizards (1977) Hideous animation combined with unappealing characters and a muddy storyline, it’s got to be Ralph Bashki’s worst. Really ugly stuff on every level. Grade: F.

The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) – Loads of fun in an Italian villa with a murderous severed hand on the loose (or is it?) Too pat in the end, but watching charming Robert Alda romance Andrea King and square off against Peter Lorre is solid Hollywood entertainment. Grade: B

The Split (1967) – Decent caper flick works its varied cast to great effect, it’s an Elmore Leonard story so you know the criminals are well-defined and nasty as Hell. Jim Brown anchors the cast as they scope out the L.A. Coliseum for a heist. Gene Hackman, Donald Sutherland, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Klugman, Warren Oates, Julie Harris, James Whitmore, Diahann Carroll, and one weird-ass surreal ending make for a pleasant diversion. Grade: B

Stay Hungry (1976) - Weird movie set in the South follows rich kid Jeff Bridges as he opens a gym and gets involved in the weird world of professional bodybuilding (including a charming young Arnie Schwarzenegger) - Bob Rafelson plops us down into a quirky world with lots of quirky characters, but the tone veers all over the place, and it gets really ugly towards the end, veering into a dark place that it never fully recovers from in my opinion. Bridges is great at the callow asshole thing, and the film is an awesome showcase for the charming Sally Field and her incredible ass. Bridges and Field (and her ass) have nice chemistry. Grade: B-

That's the first dozen...more to come.

Yahtzee Cup #41 - One Card Wonder

2010-05-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Yahtzee Cup #41 was the opposite of the previous epic battle...in fact, this one was wrapped up in one card only.

Game #1 was a close one, with Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) rolling a Yahtzee to win it all from Roman Castevet (RC). Just Yahtzee (JYF) nearly got her ass kicked twice.

KPJ 253/RC 248/ JYF 149
Yahtzees: KPJ (1)

The Yahtzee came in handy again, in Game #2,

JYF 251/KPJ 224/ RC 138
Yahtzees: KPJ (1), JYF (1)

Game #3
KPJ 289/JYF 204/RC 199
Yahtzees: KPJ (1)

Roman Castevet made his move with a dominating win in Game #4

Game #4
RC 376/KPJ 250/JYF 179
Yahtzees: KPJ (1), RC (2)

A break here, then the Pimp came back to push on for the one card win...the Yahztees were spread around, but there was only one winner:

Game #5
KPJ 393/ JYF 255/RC 250
Yahtzees: KPJ (1), RC (1), JYF (1)

Game #6
KPJ 239/RC 191/JYF 155

Damn...TWO IN A ROW!

CP

Movie journal 12 pack!

2010-04-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

"Old Joy deserves better!"

Ghost Town (2008) – Really original comedy from the writer of that laugh riot Stir of Echoes – no seriously, this is an excellent piece of work and a comedic reworking of that earlier film. Ricky Gervais is the one seeing ghosts with Greg Kinnear the most prominent of the bunch. Constantly funny and surprisingly moving, it’s a gem that should be unearthed at some point. Grade: A

The Last American Hero (1973) – Jeff Bridges flashes his best cocky grin as the kind of guy his character from Picture Show could have grown up to be. Based on a real-life racing legend, it’s an above-average biopic, with solid backwoods flavor, great car stunts and a nice early example of Bridges’ desire to make his “heroes” hard to root for at times. Grade: B

Extract (2009) – Ugh, and we went to the theatre for this! Mike Judge’s stuff is usually worth it, but this is a tired take on the same old workplace material. There’s not a memorable bit or insight in the bunch really. Jason Bateman is likable but bland, and who else was even it? Grade: D

The Taking of Pelham One, Two, Three (1974) – So good, such a wonderful example of a Walter Matthau starring role, he’s a grumpy transit cop who gets all he can handle with Robert Shaw and his gang of lunatics hi-jacking the NYC subway. I think it’s second to Charley Varrick but it’s close. Hopscotch is a strong candidate too. Grade: A

Gable and Lombard (1976) – Absolutely tortuous biopic with James Brolin and Jill Clayburgh failing to match the title stars completely. At first, it’s not terrible, and Brolin remains passable throughout – but it keeps going and going… Grade: D+

The Hour of 13 (1952) – Fun but too slick MGM thriller is light on the thrills but it does have a fine Peter Lawford in the lead as a burglar out to catch a killer. Remake of 1934 film Mystery of Mr. X. Grade: B

Nothing but the Night (1972) – Hammer’s attempt to get more adult in their horror didn’t work out that well. The source material was a novel, and it plays that way – slow with suspense set pieces that must have worked better on the page. I’m sure Christopher Lee was happy to get out of Dracula’s cape, but the script lets him down (something he faced quite a bit). Grade: C-

Thief (1981) – Rock solid debut for writer/director Michael Mann, with James Caan giving one of his best performances as a career criminal. Willie Nelson has a heartbreaking small part as Caan’s mentor, and Tuesday Weld brings romantic interest. A slow burn at times, but very worthwhile. Grade: B+

Nowhere to Go (1958) – Sharp Brit noir provides us with a nice long look at the young Maggie Smith in all her feline glory. Camerwork is beautiful, script is cold and tough, though George Nader is a bit of a blank in the lead. Grade: B+

The 27th Day (1957) – Interesting sci-fi idea is talked to death here, with five disparate individuals given the power to destroy the world. Gene Barry is in the lead, which fits for the TV-style treatment on display here. Grade: C

Old Joy (2006) – Low key to the point of catatonia if you come looking for much of a story, but this is an effective mood piece about two old friends struggling to reconnect during a camping trip. Calming and meditative, and my cat went apeshit bananas during this, determined to get at that dog onscreen. Grade: B

9 (2009) – Handsome feature length version of an acclaimed short subject follows a rag doll that holds the secret to saving a post-apocalyptic world. Unusual and unnerving at first, it settles into a way-too familiar pattern by the finale. Still, it does look great, though the characters are more a bundle of traits than anything else, and therefore not too memorable. Grade: C+

CP

Yahtzee Cup #40 - EPIC

2010-04-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

YAHTZEE CUP #40

It’s a big number folks, a big fat one staring down at the three competitors gathered for an intense competition with dice and a cup — and The Cup. It is the 40th Yahtzee Cup, a battle that would turn out to be one for the ages, spanning three sets of games, over nearly three months, with a Super Bowl in between them.

The first round started in January...on Wednesday the 13th.

Game #1

It began simply, with Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) rolling hot to open play, a quick start with the first and only Yahtzee of the game proving the difference.

KPJ 263/ Roman Castevet (RC) 229/ The Lovely Yahtzee (TLY) 217
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1)

Game #2

The Pimp kept the pressure on in Game #2, with his single Yahtzee again proving the difference. Nothing outstanding here, just good solid scores and a 2-0 series lead.

KPJ 278/RC 243/ TLY 228
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1)

Game #3

Now it was getting good for the Pimp. Even with a modest score - even more modest this time - he took a third game and was on the brink of keeping the Yahtzee Cup at Berendo, but on his side of the bed.

KPJ 243/RC 233/TLY 164

Game #4

Getting a little late, but a chance to win it all in four (a feat still not accomplished) was too much to resist. Unfortunately for the Pimp, his hopes for a sweep were dashed. TLY took it with a Yahtzee, and with the upstairs 35 that KPJ did not have. There would be no sweep this time.

TLY 290/RC 265/KPJ 257
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1), TLY (1)

The contest for Cup #40 would have to wait for a while. It resumed on the eve of Super Bowl weekend. The night before we left for New Orleans to cheer on the Saints, KPJ had three chances to win it all.

Unlike the World Champion New Orleans Saints, the Pimp failed to make it happen.

Game #5

Another low scoring game, and TLY became District Yahtzee (DY) to keep rolling for her second victory.

DY 243/RC 223/KPJ 219

Now, the Pimp was sweating, up 3-2 over DY. But would RC have something more to say?

Game #6

In Game #6, he would indeed, with the first game of the match to break 300 points. KPJ's Yahtzee couldn't keep him out of 3rd place.

RC 313/DY 265/KPJ 208
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1), RC (1)

Game #7

Mr. Castevet was now heating up, and he topped 300 again with the highest score of the match, a 327. DY took a tumble, while KPJ dropped his fourth in a row after taking the first three games of the match.

RC 327/KPJ 257/DY 132
Yahtzee(s): RC (1)

Now, a break for the night, as KPJ and DY hit the Big Easy to root the Saints on to victory. Killer Pimp was now up 3-2-2 and his cold streak looked like it might never end.

The third night finished it up in epic fashion. February 26, a Friday.

Game #8

Roman Castevet picked up where he left off, rolling his third 300+ game in a row. In fact, his 3 300+ games were the only ones of the whole 40th Cup. DY barely escaped asskicking, KPJ did not. And KPJ even had a Yahtzee, large straight and his upstairs 35!

RC 312/DY 233/KPJ 226
Yahtzee(s): KPJ (1), RC (1)

Game #9

Pressure on the Pimp, as his 3-0 lead was now 3-3-2. RC had all the momentum but he couldn't slow down District Yahtzee as she took Game #9 in dramatic fashion. All three players knew it was close and all three joined the Yahtzee Club for the first and last time of the match. The Pimp missed the win by missing his 35 upstairs by one point...and DY took it with her slightly better Chance.

DY 250/RC 248/KPJ 224
Yahtzee(s): DY (1), KPJ (1), RC (1)

And like that, it was 3-3-3. DAMN.

Game #10

The third game was the charm for the Killer Pimp, as he rolled an early Yahtzee in an effort to win one after six straight losses. DY kept it close with a 50 of her own, but RC faded down the final stretch.

KPJ 279/DY 238/RC 197
Yahtzee(s): DY (1), KPJ (1)

A battle for the ages, and for the 40th Yahtzee Cup, was over. Some Misfits followed as Jeff and Jen arrived and welcomed the new Yahtzee Champion.

CP

SAINTS are going...to WIN THE SUPER BOWL

2010-03-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

SAINTS SUPER BOWL VICTORY

Did that really happen?

Finally posting this on April Fool's Day seems appropriate but it's no joke this year.

SATURDAY - Left Saturday morning very very early – after a Friday night of Yahtzee action, where I was unable to clinch the Yahtzee Cup in three chances (more on that later). I could have left for New Orleans already a champion but that was not to be.

T was getting travel shutdown syndrome (tss) and so we shifted to one-on-one Yahtzee for a few…JK was a singing good mood and the dice were rolling pretty good for me…but JK had the lead right up until the final roll.

Yahtzee of sixes – with my sixes the last open space on the card…WOW – that was exciting. I went on to win three in a row. JK left and I thought – loose three in a row, then win three in a row, just what the Saints need to do…

Kline left and T stirred a bit but it was mainly me wired and ready…it was rainy and windy…I got about five hours of sleep – waking up a few minutes before the alarm went off at 5:45 am…on to the airport and a not long wait for Southwest Airlines to get us there.

In line, we talked to a Packer fan who also worked for the Milwaukee Braves. He was still pissed that the Braves treated that city poorly on their jump to Atlanta. He was a Braves fan no more after that. As for his Packer bona fides, he signed up for season tickets in 1962 and waited 25 years to finally get them in 1987. Damn, what a fan base.

Speaking of fans, the New Dats were in full force, and on the plane, it was lots of Saints fans…and a few Colts ones. We heard some “Geaux Saints” from the flight crew as we made our way into New Orleans and Louis Armstrong airport…from Bob Hope in Burbank to Louis Armstrong in New Orleans.

Floats were blocking the cab and we had to get out a few blocks away from the hotel…I think that's a good sign right away. Inside the Residence Inn, Eric’s place is sweeet…banana daqurais are the first order of business and we take care of business.

We wander and try out some steaming hot fried okra red beans and rice…music legends courtyard complete with jazz band right nearby. Damn it is cold but we’re feeling fine.

We have a Banana daquari splash from a drunk chick and her suffering boyfriend. Meaning, the chick throws the drink at him but hits me instead. The tongue lashing from Tiffany is awesome, she goes after the drencher (me following behind soaked) and defends my dryness. It's punctuated with a dousing on the drencher by Tiffany. Needless to say, we made that group's storytime for the next several decades. The boyfriend's two bros looked especially amused. We get back that night and Eric goes out and stays out taping a band for Ryan – it's a little TV for us and I crash out hard.

Super Bowl Sunday passes in a happy blur. Next morning, a breakfast buffet for free at the hotel, and man, it's weird looking at NOTHING BUT Saints fans here.

We go out with Eric to see the floats next, wandering down empty streets with only Eric’s iPhone app for Mardi Gras to help us on our way. T and I grab grub at Boderaux’s backyard and it is good and comfy to sit for a while. Can we stay here for the next four hours until game time?

Probably not so we decide on Harrah’s casino for the viewing. Good choice, we stake out a small patch of land and I stand fixed in one spot watching up at the TV above us. There's a crazy Tron-style column in the center of the room - with lots of different screens on it.

I think we got one beer the entire game, I know I didn't move from the two-foot square of carpet I was padding, not even for a bathroom break. The game, obviously, was awesome. I didn't feel too good after the first half, but after that smashmouth onside kick (people weren't even paying attention when it happened), things really went our way.

The look on my face here is when I realized that we were going to really really win.

Still can't really believe it - still basking in the glow. I never really got the appeal of "We Are the Champions" until now.

So we burst out into the New Orleans night like a war had ended, and man, it was a party all over the place. Canal Street was a walkway, bands jammed everywhere and WHO DAT was the cry of the night.

We made it back to the room eventually, and laughed watching dazed N.O. sportscasters report what they could not believe.

The Court of the Two Sisters fed us well, and the Who Dat nation packed the highway waiting for the team to return. We picked up a running Saints fan on the highway, because he wasn't making the airport otherwise. He had actually bought tickets to the NFC Championship and got burned by counterfeits at $500 a pop. Ouch. But he was a true fan, saying if he had to pay that much to have the Saints win like that, he'd pay it again.

True, we had a loooong wait getting back to L.A., but those Super Bowl highlights in my head didn't get old once.

Saints Going to Super Bowl

2010-01-30T18:16:00.001-08:00

Never thought I'd be wearing an NFC Champions New Orleans Saints t-shirt but I am!

WHO DAT!

(should I pay the NFL for saying that?)

Cisco Pike

A Sunday 12 pack of movies

2010-01-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

OK - so more movies on a lovely California Sunday.

With DirecTV giving us all the cable channels for free - I had a blast skimming through the listings, it worked like the digital TV Guide of my dreams - and with no tapes to fuck with...

So these first six movies give you an idea of the variety out there for the sampling: Eagle Eye was pretty decent thriller stuff, with Shia LaBeouf outrunning Billy Bob Thornton and silliness on the way to "I forgot I watched this"-dom. Then, there's The Hindenburg, a really awful disaster flick with a worried George C. Scott finding a plot onboards the unlucky ship. Ends as you'd expect, but with silly cut-ins of our characters running for it. Scott is good, and Robert Clary gets an unexpected highlight. Anne Bancroft is also among the overqualified cast, Robert Wise directed. Director Frank Tashlin brought his wild visual style to the real world (more or less) in The Girl Can't Help It (1956), in which press agent Tom Ewell gets hired by famous gangster Edmond O'Brien (hilarious) to promote Jayne Mansfield to stardom. Great rock numbers from Fats Domino, the Platters, Gene Vincent and Little Richard add to the energy, which is considerable. How about a special shout out to O'Brien? He's simply fearless here and elsewhere...

Fearless is a word to apply to Larry Cohen's batshit crazy The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), with Broderick Crawford in the title role, along a truly once-in-a-lifetime cast of real-life politicians, forgotten Hollywood stars and great character actors like Rip Torn and Michael Parks. Robert Aldrich's Autumn Leaves is a fascinating, pretty awesome melodrama with Joan Crawford - a single career gal who never found Mr. Right - and Cliff Robertson, the crazy young fellow she falls for. Crawford and Cliff pull this off, and Aldrich keeps the focus on the social ramifications of the woman's lifestyle choices. He certainly works well with Crawford, and she's outstanding in a role that could have played as camp. A few scenes of shocking violence hint at the horror Aldrich had in store for his leading lady a few years later. The Seven-Ups is a sorta sequel to The French Connection with Roy Scheider promoted from sidekick to star. It's got great character support, a too-confusing plot and a WHAMMO car chase that does rival the one in Connection.

The next six takes me off the couch and into the Chinese Theatre for District 9, a interesting SF story that's got alien coming for a visit and staying. Themes of racism and government control exits nicely in this fast-moving narrative that never quite goes where you expect. Then more DTV for The Puffy Chair, a meh dip into mumblecore, Frozen River, a really good drama with Oscar-nominated Melissa Leo, the extremely disappointing Chandler with Warren Oates, and 3d dumbness with Brenden Fraser in the Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Cisco Pike

2010 12 pack of movies

2010-01-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

A twelve pack of movies for me...going back to the summer of 2009 and Public Enemies, which should make my "Best of" list for the year. Typically meticulous Michael Mann direction combined with an absorbing script and fine acting. Stephen Lang makes a particularly strong impression, with this and Avatar, he's having a heck of a year. A far cry from him starring in a lousy TV movie my first boss produced, worried that he wasn't good enough in it. Christian Bale fades into the background but everything else pops.

Then, we saw a collection of Frank Tashlin cartoons at the Cinefamily (with Jerry Beck sitting right down the row from us too). The lineup was awesome:

HOOK & LADDER HOKUM (Van Beuren)
PORKY’S ROMANCE
PORKY’S DOUBLE TROUBLE
SPEAKING OF THE WEATHER
PORKY PIGS FEAT
PLANE DAFFY
SCRAP HAPPY DAFFY
SWOONER CROONER
A HOLLYWOOD DETOUR
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
WOLF CHASES PIG
A TALE OF TWO MICE
CENSORED (SNAFU)
THE LADY SAID NO

Also, not strictly a "movie" but since Danny McBride and his team described it as one big story, I'll give it an A too because it was the funniest thing I saw all year. It's almost enough to make me forget Land of the Lost (almost).

The Hurt Locker comes next

Now, we got DirecTV in late June - the first thing recorded is the still-unwatched Cassandra's Dream - but Colin Farrell's "teddy bear eyes" keep that one in the queue.

So, even with the massive temptation of many many free movie channels for six months, I was able to finish 2009 with 153 movies watched, a drop of 23 from last year and 26 from 2007. Fewer movies mean more writing time...

After leaving early the first time, finished The Hurt Locker and I loved it. Wartime grit and character study, tense suspense that recalls Howard Hawks and Robert Aldrich in their prime. I hope Bigelow takes the big boy Cameron down to win Best Director for this...Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie lead the starless cast, dotted with appearances from Guy Pearce and a most excellent Ralph Fiennes. AAA.

OK, so maybe all of these aren't completely defensible...but they represent the first few months of DTV...

88 Minutes made me glad I was watching it for free. A OK cast supports Al Pacino, who looks surprised to be there half the time, maybe thinking "how did it come to this?" Incredibly confusing thriller seems like a parody at times, but without the energy to make it good bad. It's a D.

On the Yard is an obscure prison drama that plays like a muted Oz. It sort of centers on mild-mannered John Heard, imprisoned for a crime his nature doesn't suggest, but then it loses focus, drifting into prison politics and power plays. It's not bad, a low B, with the usual good Heard performance.

As a huge Alec Baldwin fan, I felt guilty about even watching his directorial debut Shortcut to Happiness, a remake/rethinking of The Devil and Daniel Webster. Baldwin disowned this version of the movie, which existed in limbo for years. Now, for free, I watched...and it was weird. And obviously filmed over a long period of time. Baldwin plays a schlub writer who makes a deal with the Devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt, oy) for success. Anthony Hopkins shows up for the speechifying at the end, and Amy Poehler shows off her pre-stardom teeth. Not a disaster, just not very good.

The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization, Part 2 was kinda funny, but I think the years of reality TV have blunted its edge. I grabbed The Questor Tapes during our run to the San Diego comic book convention and it was neat enough...but still hobbled by that (non) ending. Oh well...
Together Brothers was a bizarre 70s creature, about poor kids in San Antonio trying to find the killer of the one good cop in town. Very watchable, with a good soundtrack and sharp location work, and since it's the 70s, it's got the jarring tonal shifts and a lively (mostly non-pro) cast. It's in the B neighborhood, but worth a look.

To the theatre again for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and it's a handsome staging for a crucial book in the series. These movies are fine, but they really don't hold you like the books and the skill Rowling uses to blend the strands of narrative never come close to being met here. Still, at least Chris Columbus is long gone.

For the final of the twelve...I'm taking aim on Appaloosa an Ed Harris Western based on Robert Parker's book. I heard Ed talk about this with Elvis Mitchell and that interview was far more interesting that this...

BTW, Elvis Mitchell's THE TREATMENT (a great podcast btw, you should subscribe) is produced/distributed by KCRW-Santa Monica (www.kcrw.com/thetreatment)...and it gets out there, I was driving across Arkansas when I heard the interview. Thanks Sarah for the info and the great work.

Anyway, this is a snoozy love triangle between partners Harris and Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zellweger provides most of the drama. Handsome but dull dull dull. C- time, cowboy.

Cisco Pike

Cup #39 goes to Superstar Bootyray

2009-12-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

It was a hard-fought Cup for Number 39- started on Sept. 3 - finished on December 4 or so...with only two Yahtzees rolled in 8 games, it was close all the way.

With the nom de Vainglorious Yahtzee (VY) squaring off against Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) and Roman Castavet (RC), Game #1 was low scoring and back and forth, a pattern that would hold through Games 1-6...

Game #1
RC 266/KPJ 242/VY 197

Game #2 came down to the Yahtzee, the only one of the card...it gave Castavet the win.

Game #2
RC 272/KPJ 196/VY 148
Yahtzee: RC (1)

RC was off to a 2-0 lead, but Game #3 saw the Pimp making his move.

Game #3
KPJ 228/VY 217/RC 142

More low scores, but the Pimp tied it up in Game #4.

Game #4
KPJ 238/VY 202/RC 131

Now, VY joined the fray -

Game #5
IY 273/RC 262/KPJ 218

And she took Game #6 too, meaning three sets of 2 games apiece - 2to2to2!

Game #6
VY 234/RC 216/KPJ 214

Now, after several weeks off, the Second Card was started. Could this close match continue on...? It could, but only for two more games.

And with a name change to Unforgettable Yahtzee, the Bootyray took them both, ending the year as Yahtzee Champion...

She started out with a Yahtzee explosion that set the stage early...

Game #7
UY 343/KPJ 268/RC 121
Yahtzees: UY (2)

And that was all she wrote for Cup #39:

Game #8
UY 254/RC 201/KPJ 131

Ouch! Now with 11 Cups, congratulations go out to Superstar Bootyray, our year-ending Yahztee Champ!

See you next year...

Yours in Yahtzee,

Cisco Pike

Movie Journal 2009

2009-11-30T11:18:00.001-08:00

More more sneaky bloggerino…

Sleeper (1973)…with Jerry and Julia, our neighbors from across the hall, getting some exposure to the funny, early Woody Allen. I remember watching this several years ago and it didn’t really do it for me…but it was late then…and now, with a Cinespia crowd ready to laugh (and check out the orgasmitron), it sang. Grade: A.

And now for the last gasp of the Time Warner hold on our home entertainment, reduced to their PPV movie options after the Video Hut left town. First up on the farewell to cable tour 09…

Spring Breakdown (2009), a real disaster for co-writer/-star Rachel Dratch, whose unceremonious removal from the cast of 30 Rock led her to this lame attempt at a distaff Old School. Funny on paper, with a well-qualified cast, but it just doesn’t work. Amy Poehler tries, but she and Dratch, plus a miscast Parker Posey (who takes this thing way too seriously), can’t make it work. It’s a sunburned D.

OSS 117: Nest of Spies (2006) is good silly fun, especially for fans of 1960s swinging spies. Here the jokes are French, the tone is smarter Austin Powers and the lead spy is hilarious. Solid B.

The Hangover (2009) was OK, really well cast and fortunate to have the Ed Helms/Zach Galifianakis factor when the script isn't all special. The final photo montage was the unquestionable highlight, showing the importance of leaving them laughing. Grade: let's say B.

Wow, this is it, the final movies watched with the Time Warner PPV experience. It was pretty meh, but TW's complete fail at DVRness led us to become the happy DirecTV customers we are today.

Here dey is - out with a pair of good ones, well, one really good one and one not so bad.

Synecdoche, New York (2008) is Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, with him tackling his own adult psyche in a challenging way that his closest peers (Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze) refused to do during their 2009 returns to childhood. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as a theatre director striving to stage a new play and his life in a compelling fashion. Layers upon layers of reality go to work, overall, this one is something to see. It's not always successful - though a second viewing might yield more - but B+ at least.

Least and last, our TW finale was Outlander (2008) - an agreeably goofy Viking and alien flick with Jim Caviezel, Ron Perlman and John Hurt...c'mon what's not to love? It was C+ ish.

We celebrated our freedom with a viewing of The Great Escape (1963), T had never seen it and it held up well, with McQueen still cool and affable James Garner all charm. Grade: A

More movie journal

2009-11-02T14:53:00.001-08:00

Hey sneaky blogging about some 2009 movies to get me going on more serious items...

Been doing well since the 100 declaration...a bit of a movie glut after finishing a couple of script projects plus the Halloween season.

Now, back to May or so and the exciting, ever rare "watching of a list movie"...The Movie List, now in its tenth year! This time it was Woody Allen's drama from 1988 Another Woman and it starred Gena Rowlands and Mia Farrow as women connected through an air duct. A very sterile and quiet work (short too), Woody doing Bergman but without the grand sweep of the more successful Crimes and Misdemeanors. Gene Hackman is a shot of life briefly but overall, it's a B-.

But still, a list movie down and now, only Dean Martin in Toys in the Attic remains.

Speaking of Dino, we caught Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed on the Turner Classics and watched it live...Carol Burnett and Elizabeth Montgomery plus Dino as a super-sensitive TV doctor a la Ben Casey! Funny and energetic - with Carol a loose-limbed delight. Great supporting cast, Jill St. John a standout as the girl who does nothing but dance. Grade: B+

Now, we come to the last stretch of our basic cable TV movies watched off the ol' Time Warner set-up. Body of Lies should have been OK, but it's only sand and gritty actors outgritting each other in a convoluted tale that reminded me of Syriana minus a worn-out Clooney. Grade: C.

Coming off Halloween 2009, here's a pocket of May horrors leading up to the return of Sam Raimi.

First, we caught a good chunk of Evil Dead 2 and it remains the heart of the franchise to me, with Bruce Campbell's heroic performance making it sing. Then, some German horror courtesy of Them and no, they are not giant ants this time. Instead, it's a bleak and nasty home invasion piece with a bleak nasty twist. Grade: C. We PPV'd the second X-Files movie and it was not terribly coherent, or interesting, or much of anything. It felt like a tired TV-movie reunion more than a real MOVIE, the first was more of a big-screen adventure than this and it sucked. Grade: D.

OK - we liked Quarantine, the American remake of [Rec], a Spanish horror flick set among a besieged apartment building. Finally, a recent horror flick that didn't suck...though I'm sure the remake is a sacrilege for some reason or another when compared to the original. Happy for the pretty good, the remake gets a B+ for now.

Also pretty good, Breakheart Pass, an Alastair MacLean joint set on a train in the Old West. It's a thriller with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland (dull together), and various other familiar faces put through their paces. Though MacLean used the same tricks, they hang together well here. Did I mention it's set on a train? Grade: B.

Angels and Demons proves that Tom Hanks is still in pretty good shape, but the silly story here is not worth his (or Ewan MacGregor's) time. Goofy and breathless, anonymously directed by Ron Howard and not nearly as much silly fun as the first one. Grade: C-.

Alastair MacLean strikes again with Where Eagles Dare, a gloriously fun wartime adventure with the terse duo of Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood taking down the Nazis' impossible fortress. Again, the same notes are struck here as in Guns of Navarone, but Burton and Eastwood find a great balance, and the clever twists keep things rolling along. Grade: B+.

Scanning the shelves, checking out our owned but unseen DVDs...we hit on Whatever Happened to Aunt Alice?a black comedy/thriller with Geraldine Page and Ruth Gordon squaring off in surprisingly bloody fashion. Nice twists all the way through there...Grade: B. More DVD treasures, Prince of the City, epic NYC corruption classic, with Treat Williams as a pretty unsympathetic cop turned superstar informant. He reminded me of Jimmy McNulty, a similar type of guy getting the job done. Insanely detailed, this is the one in Lumet's resume that people should talk about more. Grade: B+.

Scary stuff, this pocket of horror...but the best scares this summer came from Sam Raimi's welcome return to horror (and comedy), with Drag Me to Hell, a movie that unfortunately got saddled with a PG-13 that effectively kept the real horror fans away. Too bad, because it's the director's best, most sustained work since A Simple Plan. At least we saw it in the theatre, with a packed house of screaming fans. Grade: A-.

Cisco Pike

2009-10-10T00:12:00.001-07:00

Here’s a shot from Tiffany and me at Mark Peel’s Campanile for our 5^th wedding anniversary…it fits the next movie:

You Were Never Lovelier (1942) – Fred and Rita do make a wonderful couple. And Tiffany makes a wonderful wife and partner. Grade: A+

Cisco Pike

2009 movies

2009-10-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Damn, we have two scripts due yesterday so I'm glad the sickness has left. Slept about twelve hours yesterday and just now starting to feel human. Baker's list might finally come through, I'm ready to put in the hours this weekend and get it done.

Now, another chunk of movies for 2009. See, I had thought 100 would be a good limit for the year, trying to cut down to produce more writing. So far so good, at some point, I reasoned that 10 a month was more reasonable...so the limit for the year is more like 120. Still, I just hit 100 and it was Rafelson's Stay Hungry, which is an amiable mess, and a wonderful showcase for Sally Field's fine, fine ass. But that title is telling me to get to work writing.

Anyway, I'm stopping on 100 now...and it's grindstone time for Baker.

2009’s movies continue with our annual trip to the Film Noir festival at the Egyptian Theatre. We made a full double feature this time around, with the following:

Friday, April 3 – 7:30 PM

Double Feature:

New 35mm Print! Rare! ALIAS NICK BEAL, 1949, Universal, 93 min. Finally -- a stunning, brand-new 35mm print of what might be director John Farrow’s masterwork! A Faustian fable given full noir treatment by Farrow, scripter Jonathan Latimer and cameraman Lionel Lindon. The devilish Nick Beal (a mesmerizing Ray Milland) materializes out of the fog to "assist" a crusading district attorney (Thomas Mitchell) who has declared that he’d "give anything" to convict a local mobster. Soon, the D.A. begins a miraculous campaign for governor, bolstered by Beal’s connections and the encouragement of his most enticing acolyte (Audrey Totter). A supernatural fable that in style and theme is a logical extension of the era’s best noir films. NOT ON DVD

Ultra-Rare! FLY-BY-NIGHT, 1942, Universal, 74 min. Don’t miss this undiscovered gem, one of the first Hollywood efforts of noir maestro Robert Siodmak! Shifting with Hitchcockian aplomb between suggestive light comedy and thickly shadowed suspense, Siodmak stuffs two features worth of stylish set pieces into the film’s sprightly running time, making it as good as wartime B pictures got. Richard Carlson’s and Nancy Kelly’s romance-on-the-run chemistry, laced with witty innuendo (and plenty of Kelly’s fine gams!) is reminiscent of Donat and Carroll in THE 39 STEPS. Great fun, and surprisingly sexy for its time. NOT ON DVD

The first was mostly talk, like a creepy stage play of the era, with Ray Milland leading a fine cast, special notice for the revelatory work from Audrey Totter. The second flick was a breezy B, expertly directed and well acted.

FTA (1972) – Weird, long unseen documentary following the anti-war title tour (which stands for “Fuck the Army”). It toured the world in the early 70s, with Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland and other lesser-known actors performing anti-war skits and songs. Complete with interviews from troops who support the tour, and a confrontation at the end with some who don’t. Sutherland comes off the best during some compelling readings, Fonda does little in the actual stage show. An artifact that’s not too entertaining. Grade: C

Horse Feathers (1931) – Another favorite Marx Bros. This one puts Groucho in charge of higher learning, with predictable results. Always remember: the password is “swordfish.” Grade: A+

The Hot Rock (1972) - Afghanistan bananastand, this fun, slightly inconsequential, caper flick is breezy fun. William Goldman scripted from a Donald Westlake novel, teaming Robert Redford, George Segal, Ron Leibman and Paul Sand plus the watchful eye of Zero Mostel. No classic, but what’s not to love? Grade: B+

The Wild Bunch (1969) – Another shot at a classic I never quite appreciated enough. It’s much better this time out, I’ll shoot for the big screen experience next time it plays in 70mm. William Holden leads the troops for one last messy score, but it’s Ernest Borgnine who really scored for me here. I’d never thought much of him, but he might be the highlight here, though Warren Oates and Ben Johnson run a close second. It’s still uneven to me, but maybe Sam will win me over at the Egyptian. Grade: B+

Dreamscape (1984) – From the great geek summer of ’84, this underrated SF adventure held up well, right down to the evil snake creature that haunts the President’s dreams. Cocky Dennis Quaid earns geek goodwill here as the hero, and he would later earn more in Innerspace. The best Kate Capshaw has ever been, she and Quaid have some real sparks, with a train scene that the teenage boy audience remembers very well. Grade: B+

Cops and Robbers (1973) – Another Donald Westlake caper, this one with two cops deciding to take advantage of a robbery to make out for themselves. Cliff Gorman and Joe Bologna are the cops, with Gorman making the most of a rare leading role. A decidedly low-key, but fun, affair, with a groovy theme song. Grade: B

Cisco Pike

More movie journal 2009

2009-09-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

They Came to Cordura (1959) – Sent to us from Tiffany’s dad…who’s due in a few weeks…he pitched this as an art movie, and it’s more interesting than your usual run-of-the-mill war flick. First, it’s WWI-era and second, it’s more of a hiking through Mexican desert survival and argue than typical war action. Gary Cooper is the man with the shameful past and the little notebook that can make men heroes. Rita Hayworth is the lady along for the ride, with Van Heflin, Richard Conte, Tab Hunter, and Dick York (this is the movie he injured his back on, leading to the pill addiction that got him fired from “Bewitched.”) Interesting ideas crop here and there, but it’s talky as hell, with nothing much accomplished by the end. Grade: C+

Chocolate (2009) – Asskicking action flick from Thailand, this time introducing a female lead to rival Tony Jaa. As always, the storyline is alternately confusing and dull, but the action scenes are incredible, building to a jaw-dropping finale. Grade: B+

The Big Bus (1976) – This Universal parody of disaster movies runs out of gas before the end but it starts with a ZAZ-like pace and benefits from splendid lead performances from Joseph Bologna (as the stud driver with a haunted past) and Stockard Channing. Ned Beatty does the George Kennedy guy on the ground, with silly highlights including Murray Hamilton as the on-bus pianist, Larry Hagman as a doctor and Sally Kellerman + Richard Mulligan as a married couple who can’t stay apart. It does seriously flag toward the finale though, 88 minutes shouldn’t feel this long. Grade: B-

Doubt (2008) – Solid adaptation of the John Patrick Shanley chamber drama, with an impeccable cast and fairly intriguing storyline. It’s familiar territory, but well-filmed and the perfect Oscar nominee but not quite a winner. Shanley himself adapted his Tony Award-winning play and directed too. Grade: B

The Wrestler (2008) – Disappointed in this Mickey Rourke comeback tale, the Mick just isn’t

the same guy to me these days. Literally, I look at him and wonder, “Who the fuck is that guy?” – he’s fine here, but I really didn’t buy this tale of redemption from the Onion guy and Darren Aronfosky. The daughter stuff especially rang false to me, but Marisa Tomei’s tits look incredible. Grade: C+

Coraline (2009) – Disappointing adaptation of the excellent Neil Gaiman book, defanging it a bit (the best friend character mainly) and overall losing the book’s point. Visually stunning, in 3-D out of faddish necessity. Grade: B-

Charley Varrick (1973) – Awesome tale when leading men could look like Walter Matthau and be complete badasses, courtesy director Don Siegel. Sheree North, Joe Don Baker and Felicia Farr are along for the ride. Great finale, some hilarious dialogue from Walter, especially his bedroom patter. Grade: A

Also watched a chunk of the original Out of Towners and wow, it’s certainly not funny.

What an unpleasant flick…I’m guessing movies like this are what equaled the “big cities are hell” wisdom that I grew up with in Arkansas. Billy Dee Williams makes an impression as a baggage clerk.

Gomorrah (2008) – Long, involving tale of the Italian island where murder and corruption rule the day. Confusing at times, its bursts of violence seem expertly timed to keep you as on edge as the many characters. Grade: B

Quick Let’s Get Married (1964) – After watching this piece of shit, I came away with newfound admiration for the professionalism of Ray Milland. As he proves here, acting in a super cheap cheapie, he gives off a vibe of old Hollywood glamour that’s weird to watch here. Weird because everything else is so terrible, including Ginger Rogers as a madam, Barbara Eden as a simple peasant girl, Michael Ansara and Elliott Gould in his film debut as a mute. Released in 1971. Grade: F

The Great Buck Howard (2008) – Old pal Marvin Acuna produced this script in some co- capacity, and it’s a mild character piece with a hammy enough performance by John Malkovich in a role that Vincent Price would have won an Oscar for. The script is too writerly, peaking several times and saddling us with a wimpy protagonist who only wants to be a scribe. Colin Hanks doesn’t do much, but Ricky Jay has some nice moments. Tom Hanks shows up in a couple of scenes to awkward effect. Grade: C+

The Guns of Navarone (1961) – A kickass action flick that seems to me to herald the modern-day action film as it still stands today. Directed by J. Lee Thompson, produced and written by Carl Foreman, this Alastair MacLean adaptation is a men on a mission classic and deservedly so. The effects still hold up (Oscar-winning), and the cast is loads of fun, from the loosest, coolest Gregory Peck ever, Anthony Quinn, and even James Darren (with his singing even cleverly integrated into the story). Top-notch fun all the way. Watched it, then made T do the same. Grade: A

Duplicity (2009) – Loved the Michael Clayton but did not feel the same for his writer/director debut. Cold-blooded con people Julia Roberts and Clive Owen scam and go at each other and moguls Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkenson, but I really didn’t give a shit. Lots of style and elegant surroundings, but the most interesting twists are in the cocktails. Grade: C-

Alien Raiders (2008) - Pretty great B-movie, this is the movie that Stephen King’s The Mist was not. Cramped location in a supermarket, no name actors and a clever screenplay that keeps the twists coming. Completely unheralded but it deserves to be seen. Grade: B+

Death Race (2008) – Awful remake of a drive-in classic has no balls and very little under the hood. Jason Statham continues to crank out shitty movies, with Joan Allen here for some reason. Loud and stupid and never exciting. Grade: F

Monkey Business (1931) - Behind Duck Soup, this tale of the four Marx Brothers taking to the High Seas on board a kuxury ship might be my favorite of their movies. All the brothers are in fine form, and the fast pace will leave you breathless from laughing. Grade: A+

A Matter of Life and Death (1944) – I still remember my Easter weekend screening of this at the Nuart, and it holds up perfectly well on the big TV. The team of Powell and Pressburger are in classic form, with a tale that’s equal parts fantasy, romance, courtroom drama, mystery and special effects bonanza. David Niven and Kim Hunter are the lovers, with Raymond Massey, Richard Attenborough and Marius Goring. Grade: A+

The Executioner (1970) – George Peppard and Joan Collins stumble through this muddled spy thriller and the viewer is as bored as they look. Overall good cast helps, with Oscar Homolka, Judy Geeson and it’s always funny to see Charles Gray from Rocky Horror not doing the Time Warp. Grade: C-

Cisco Pike

Movie journal 2009

2009-09-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

After a roaring second day of the 39th Yahtzee Cup, it’s time for some more movies from the list.

Starting 2009’s crop here:

Wild Bill (1995) – Walter Hill’s strangely laconic take on the legend is not quite a precursor to his Deadwood work, but it’s enjoyable enough. Jeff Bridges stars, solid as always, with Ellen Barkin a surprisingly effective Calamity Jane. Grade: C+

Valkyrie (2008) – A History Channel TV-special (“The Germans Who Tried to Kill Hitler But Didn’t”) dressed up in faded Hollywood A-list colors. Tom Cruise, grimly determined (isn’t he always?), leads the ragtag group of Nazis, with sterling British support from Tom Wilkinson and Ken Branagh (they do make the best Germans). Director Bryan Singer and writer Chris McQuarrie can’t generate much suspense, though they try. Grade: C-

Mirrors (2008) – Funny funny stuff, with Kiefer Sutherland as an ex-cop turned department store security guard who battles his own…reflection? Muddled horror is stylish as hell, courtesy director Alexandre Aja, but silly and unconvincing, with Kiefer turning in a Shatner-esque performance of incredible awfulness. You will not believe this is Donald Sutherland’s kid, he’s that bad here. Grade: D

The Chairman (1969) – Gregory Peck sleepwalks his way through this tired spy thriller without many thrills. Red China is the place and Greg’s got the secrets in his head, but there’s not much to recommend except some interesting for the time location filming. This is no Torn Curtain and that’s not saying much. Grade: C

The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) – I dunno, but something about that Technicolor dandy Stewart Granger always worked for me. Maybe it was Dad making a joke about him goosing Deborah Kerr in the remake of King Solomon’s Mines, but this and his other early 50s swashbucklers hold up really well. Grade: A

Max Payne (2008) – Awful video-game adaptation casts Marky Mark Wahlberg as a detective who broods and mumbles around this Sin City wannabe. I know the game Max kicks ass, but this is a piece of shit unaided by Marky’s negative charisma. Grade: WFT?

The Train (1965) – Didn’t really love this one until the second time around, but man, it certainly strengthens the case for Burt Lancaster as one of cinema’s greatest action heroes. In fact, I think this showing was me screening it for T and she agreed on its goodness. A good decade past his swashbuckling days, Burt’s still got the moves, trying to outwit nasty Nazi Paul Scofield and save a trainload of art treasures. John Frankenheimer directs and what a job he does. Maybe, as Seitz argues, the first modern action movie. Grade: A

The Girl Most Likely To… (1973) – Lacerating TV-movie from the poison pen of Joan Rivers, aided by an outstanding starring performance from Stockard Channing. Black comedy that has the strength of its convictions, even the final coda works. Ed Asner, Jim Backus and Fred Grandy co-star. Grade: A

Taken (2009) – Our first flick of 2009 was solid action goodness, although some of the advertised tough stuff was apparently left on the cutting room floor (or for the “Unrated DVD versions I mean). The set-up is simple and effective: professional badass Liam Neeson’s daughter goes missing overseas. He does everything he can to find and save her. Awesome trailer for this, and the movie keeps the pace up. Neeson’s solid, with crisp action from Luc Besson (who co-wrote and produced) and director Pierre Morel. Grade: A-

CP

Yahtzee Cup #38 wraps up in two

2009-09-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

With a 3-1 lead and a long layoff between games, Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) wanted to keep the pressure on as he went for his 14^th Yahtzee Cup.

Roman Castevet (RC), current Cup champion and the holder of 14 titles of his own, didn’t want that to happen, and neither did The Yahtzee Show (TYS), looking for her 11^th Cup.

With the first game, it looked like TYS might have a shot. She powered through a massive double asskicking of her opponents, with a TRIPLE Yahtzee score. Damn, the Pimp was getting nervous.

Game #5
TYS 490/RC 252/KPJ 204
Yahtzees: TYS (3)

Game #6 was close, too close for comfort…but in the end, a mere three points handed the Pimp his 14^th Cup. The Yahtzee Show barely missed pushing the Cup play onto a second card, her missing four-of-a-kind was the difference.

Game #6
KPJ 249/TYS 246/RC 215

After a tense two games, the Cup was back at Berendo. Until the next time Yahtzee Cup action breaks out…

Yahtzee Cup #38 opens with a lead

2009-09-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Dateline: June-ish

Yahtzee Cup time again and this time, it’s the 38^th Cup at stake. Current champ Roman Castevet (RC) came in with confidence, but it was Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) who took an early lead. He was looking to even up the all-time Yahtzee Cup standings at 14 Cups each. The Yahtzee Show (YS) looked for her 11^th Cup.

Game #1 was closer than the score indicated, with the Pimp taking the win in uninspired but solid fashion. A large straight and full house proved enough to give him the win in this low-scoring start.

Game #1

KPJ 237/ RC 174/ YS 146

Game #2 saw the Pimp making his move, rolling a solid game that topped 300, complete with the first Yahtzee of the Cup. A 2-0 lead is a good thing to have, right Pimp?

Game #2

KPJ 305/ RC 247/ TYS 192

Yahtzee: KPJ (1)

Now, Game #3 is on and the Pimp is thinking a sweep would be nice…but the noted champ Roman Castevet won’t let that stand, and neither will The Yahtzee Show. RC squeaks past The Yahtzee Show by a mere 4 points, with the Pimp standing only 18 points behind that. Now, the sweep is spoiled and the Pimp remembers all those Cups with only the first two wins to show for his efforts.

Game #3

RC 263/ TYS 259/ KPJ 245

The fourth game, the game where Cups are won and lost. Here, the Pimp made his move, aided by a double Yahtzee and the extra 100 points that comes with it. Oh, and dishing out the pair of asskickings put him right on the edge of his 14^th Cup.

Game #4

KPJ 372/ TYS 250/ RC 210

Yahtzees: KPJ (2)

But the hour grew late, so Cup play was paused, and the Pimp would have to wait a little longer for his chance at Cup #14.

Yahtzee Cup #37 goes to the Roman in five

2009-07-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

It’s all over in one card. Although broken up by a pair of meetings 10 days apart, this victory gave Roman Castevet his 14th Cup, and a lead of 14-13 over Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John. The current Champ Fright Yahtzee II (FYII), has ten Cups, and she was the only one standing in the way of a Roman sweep this time out.

Game #1 saw RC rolling strong to start. With an opening double Yahtzee game, RC took the lead early and didn’t let it go. The Pimp rolled a Yahtzee, but he still got his ass kicked.

Game #1
RC 363/ KPJ 236/ FYII 211
Yahtzees: RC (2), KPJ (1)

Game #2 was the current Champ’s time to shine. She rolled a Yahtzee, but so did KPJ…Roman faded back, finishing third. But he was about to lay the smack down.

Game #2
TP 288/ KPJ 247/ FYII 218
Yahtzees: FYII, KPJ

KPJ had come close but he had no victories to show for his efforts. Things got no better for him in Game #3. It was close, but the Castevet machine made sure to finish in first place. RC’s Yahtzee was the difference and the Pimp picked the wrong time to not roll a Yahtzee.

Game #3
RC 268/ FYII 239/KP 229
Yahtzee: RC

BOOM – RC took a commanding 3-1 lead with Game #4, rolling his second double Yahtzee game of the Cup. Game #4 saw KPJ jumping back on the Yahtzee train, but he was one short again.

Game #4
RC 379/KP 269/ FYII 195
Yahtzees: RC (2), KPJ (1)

Not many Cups have been won in one card, and the 5-game victory is a rare and impressive achievement. KPJ had another Yahtzee and RC didn’t, but the “9” on the Pimp’s 3-of-a-kind costs him a win and hands the Cup back to Castevet.

Game #5
RC 272/KP 263/TP 209
Yahtzees: KPJ, FYII

Mazel tov, Roman Castevet!

CP

Yahtzee Cup #36 - Part #2

2009-05-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

April 28, 2009

It had all started so well for Killer Pimp J. Johnny John (KPJ) - he took the first two games of the 36th Yahtzee Cup, setting him halfway to his 14th Cup...but Fright Yahtzee (FY) took Game #3,m besting Roman Castevet by two points.

Game #4

FY started with a bang, dishing out a double Yahtzee smackdown that tied her with the Pimp.

FY 314/KPJ 236/RC 173
Yahtzees: FY (2)

Roman Castevet looked to make his move in Game #5, matching FY with Yahtzees...but he missed the upstairs 35 by one point...sealing Fright's third victory in a row.

Game #5
FY 303/RC 276/KPJ 188
Yahtzees: FY (1), RC (1)

One win away...Roman Castevet winless, Killer Pimp ice cold at the roll...

Could she take it in four straight, in a single card?

Yes. Yes she could.

The dice turned cold for everyone in Game #6, with the Pimp bottoming out, leaving the others to slug it out.

No Yahztees, one large straight...but sometimes it comes down to Chance, and here it was:
Fright Yahtzee 15, Roman 9, Pimp 9...

FY 229/RC 224/KP 173
Yahtzees: none

A great win for Fright Yahtzee, taking the Cup in four straight (! - a Cup First!!), over a two week break. It's her first Cup of 2009 and her 10th overall...finally, she gets one for the other thumb.

And she did it, as always, with style.

Cisco Pike

Yahtzee Cup #36 - Part #1

2009-05-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2009

Back in action on the Yahtzee Beat - and the trio squared off for the first three games of Cup #36, with Roman Castevet (RC) and Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KPJ) tied at 13 Cups each, and Fright Yahtzee (FY) looking to get her tenth (one for the other thumb).

Game #1 started well for the Pimp, with a Yahtzee, Large Straight and no zeroes...Roman Castevet matched him every step of the way though, no zeroes on his card either. There 102s upstairs matched and it was the narrowest of wins...

KPJ 313/RC 311/FY 162
Yahtzees: KPJ/RC (1)

Game #2 kept KPJ rolling along, with another Yahtzee helping his cause.

KPJ 284/RC 250/FY 232
Yahtzees: KPJ (1)

Game #3

Now, Fright Yahtzee made her move, squeezing out a two-point victory - her Yahtzee sealed the deal.

FY 235/RC 233/KPJ147
Yahtzees: FY (1)

Getting late, and Part #2 of the Cup followed, after a two-week break...

CP

"Kima, Kima Greggs!"

2009-04-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday March 29, 2009

“Kima! Kima Greggs!”

I must have looked insane stalking hard across the 7-11 parking lot, head down, probably mumbling to myself. I noted the Obama 08 bumper sticker on the light blue Prius-ish vehicle and wrote the driver off as another familiar member of the neighborhood. It had been a lousy afternoon, and I was in a pissed-off mood.

But as I moved past the light blue car and glanced over my shoulder at the young woman at the steering wheel...the call was out of my throat before I could stop it.

"Kima!" I said, turning and literally pointing her out. "Kima Greggs!"

OK, maybe I was possessed by the spirit of McNulty, but she certainly responded to her full, fictional name being shouted across the parking lot at her.

Yes, she getting ready to drive away, her business in 7-11 complete. And yes, this crazy white boy was calling her out by her character's name at 6 p.m. on a Sunday. She looked up at me, and rolled down her window.

"Ohmygod, you are Kima Greggs! My wife and I are such big fans and we thought you were a goner in Season One...but you made it!”

She looked amused and convinced that I was reasonably sane, and I extended my hand in greeting. “I’m John Plunkett…and I'm so sorry, I don't even know your real name!"

She shook my hand softly and said, "Sonja, Sonja Sohn."

She was unbelievably kind as I asked for an autograph and made her hunt through her own papers for a blank piece to sign. I finally found a card and a pen...her sig is scanned below.

We chatted about the interview I had just read with David Simon in the Guardian, about Omar Little (“You mean Michael K. Williams,” she said – and I had to explain that usually, I know the actors’ names and not the characters. The Wire is that rare exception), about her Obama bumper sticker, and how the current Prez said Omar was his favorite character on TV and how O and his mother even came by the set during the campaign.

I asked if I’d see her in anything soon and she thought for a moment before saying no. Too bad, but she was a real star to me this Sunday night.

I guess it was her turn to give a fuck.

Cisco Pike

TCB

2009-04-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

A Christmas Carol (TV 1971, AA)

Last movie of the year for 2008, and this was the reason they made sure no Oscar winners would play on TV again. Alastair Sim reprises his role as Scrooge in this underseen, Academy Award-winning animated version of the Dickens classic. Not widely available, it’s well worth seeking out – and it was all thanks to Phil Hall at filmthreat.com for pointing it out here. It was a captivating hit at our Christmas party with some terrifying images that looked fresh and exciting today. Took it home for Christmas and everyone watched except MBro, who had his mind on “Businesssssssssss….”

Grade: A+

Movie Journal 2008 in the books

2009-04-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

So close, so very close...

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) – The big movie of the year, with Danny Boyle juggling time and space as well as he ever has - all for a big, messy tale about the title character and his Dickensian journey. I didn't think it was always credible in the script department, especially in the later, more melodramatic turns, but it works on its own terms. Grade: B

The Passenger (1975) – Absorbing Michelangelo Antonioni film about a journalist who trades identities with an arms dealer while on assignment in overseas. Slow moving but gripping all the same, the DVD includes a commentary track with star Jack Nicholson that's well worth a listen. The kind of art-house movie that's not for everyone, but I'm betting it holds up well (and rewards, or demands?) multiple viewings. Grade: A

Twice-Told Tales (1962) - Hawthorne replaces Poe, but Vincent Price remains. Nicely mounted version of three stories, with Sebastian Cabot and Price squaring off in the best one. Overall, well done in the wake of the Corman's success, a bit stiff at times but fun. Grade: B

Mamma Mia (2008) - This is the highest grossing film in British history? Dear God, how much do they love ABBA? Meryl is fine, but the trio of leading men are fairly fossilized (sorry, Pierce), Christine Baranski terrifying and the young leads forgettable. But, if you love ABBA... Grade: D

Horror House (1970) - This Frankie Avalon horror film has haunted me for so long, I remember seeing it at a matinee in Camden but Klath recalls no such thing. Terrible but I remembered the ending pretty well because it was pretty damn bloody for the time, and for a small child.

Otherwise, nonsensical and dull, though after unearthing this nugget on a message board about the British DVD version, maybe I should give the creator more credit:

This film is available on disc in the UK from Anchor Bay as part of their Tigon box-set, 'Haunted House' was available on the late lamented Vampix video label in the early 1980's in the UK. What makes this incarnation of the film interesting is the director's commentary supplied as an audio extra. Michael Armstrong's career had unfortunate beginnings: He shot this flick, his first, when he was 24 and the experience was painful, with the film taken away from him and his original cut undone by studio re-writes and re-shoots. The following year he went to Germany to make 'Mark of the Devil' and suffered exactly the same fate. The financial success of both titles (especially 'Mark', which was a huge exploitation hit) was little consolation to the tyro film-maker and he vowed to stay away from movies until he was guaranteed complete creative control.

Armstrong here explains the changes made to his original concept in great detail, pointing out exactly which scenes he shot and how they would/should have fitted into his scheme of things. The film he wanted to make - 'The Dark' - certainly sounds pretty interesting the way he tells it, and the most frustrating thing about the whole episode is that it seemed to boil down to a personality clash between him and Louis 'Deke' Hayward, AIP'S man-in-London at the time.

Hayward tried to shoehorn Boris Karloff (who owed AIP one film as part of a contract) into the plot at various junctures, a ploy which Armstrong vigorously resisted, resulting in a war of wills that Hayward was destined to win. Hayward went on to extensively re-write the script, inserting Dennis Price as a policeman and George Sewell as a lurking spurned suitor, and employed a technician called Gerry Levy to shoot the necessary patch-up sequences. It's fascinating to watch the film whilst Armstrong indicates continuity errors in the insert sequences and identifies the various loose ends that commemorate the residue of his original script.

That does explain why the movie stops making sense at several points, but it's still a D.

Fort Apache, the Bronx (1981) - The late Paul Newman stars as a tough cop dealing with life in the big city, one of Paul's better blue-collar perfs - he mixes it up with young partner Ken Wahl and superior Ed Asner. Some dramatic conflicts seem unresolved by the end but some nice episodic moments along the way. Grade: B+

Wall-E (2008) - Pixar strikes again, crafting another classic in a winning streak that only sputtered with Cars. This one is SF-oriented, but it was the promise of "Chaplin-esque" humor that kept us away in the theatres. No need to fear, this heartfelt story has amazing humor and humanity, with and without dialogue. Grade: A

The Quiller Memorandum (1966) - Yes, it's George Segal starring as badass spy Quiller, running through Cold War Europe and trading Harold Pinter jabs with Max Von Sydow and Alec Guinness. Quite excellent, pitched at the time as a Bond antidote (see below) and it stands up nicely with similar sober spy stories of the era like the Harry Palmer series and Burton's spy coming in from the cold. Grade: A

Blast of Silence (1961) - Patton Oswalt-recommended, Criterion-approved - this no-budget programmer is a blast of tight Christmas gloom, the perfect way to end a moviegoing year. No one involved ever did anything nearly as good, but this late period noir is very worthy of inclusion among the greats. Lionel Stander ("My name is Max.") provides the narration, a rough grumble from Hell. Grade: A

2008 - in the books. Next, a final word, then the present and future.

CP

Mental Health Day 2

2009-04-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, at long long last, the Holy Grail of my obscure movie quest: The Yellow Canary, a Pat Boone starrer from 1963 scripted by Rod Serling! First, I didn't expect this to be in black and white but it is a grim tale indeed with Pat proving too lightweight as an asshole singer (who seems Bobby Darin-ish onstage and off) finds humanity when his kid gets kidnapped. Lots of waiting by telephones, a fun cast, including Barbara Eden, Jack Klugman, Harold Gould and Steve Forrest and a few memorably pulpy lines. Pat though, does not show the depth needed to drive this melodrama home. Grade: C

Twilight (2008) – T was excited about this one, because a massively popular hit about vampire love (forbidden, of course) in the scenic Northwest must be OK, right? Spoiled by Harry Potter and Joss Whedon, the answer is no. The creator apparently hates horror and it shows, her silly vampires glow in the sunshine and play baseball with homemade uniforms for fun. Not scary in anyway, but not silly enough to be diverting. Billy Burke as Kristen Stewart’s sheriff Dad made me feel old. Grade: C

Quantum of Solace (2008) – Yikes, the Bond train seemed to be running just fine but this grim, violent tale is a step somewhere less than forward. Not much more than indiscriminate action, with betrayal and revenge the primary motivators for James this time out. Dull after a while, brush up on Casino Royale (not the Woody Allen/David Niven version) for maximum enjoyment. Grade: C

99 and 100% Dead (1974) – Bizarre crime drama with a fanciful, pop-art inspired palette – from the opening moments, you know you’re in for something new. Richard Harris strides through the thing with style as a badass trying to survive a gang war. Edmond O’Brien, Chuck Connors (with a screw-on hand of death), Bradford Dillman and Ann Turkel. John Frankenheimer directs with his freak flag flying, the coke budget must have been huge. Grade: B+

Transsiberian (2008) – Middling, moody train-set thriller with Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson squaring off against Russian baddies or something. Blah mystery is not mysterious nor exciting. Grade: C-

Tower of London (1962) – Oooo, Vincent Price hams it up as Richard III and the Roger Corman crew tackles historical horror in drab black and white, a real comedown for those used to lush excellence from AIP at the time. “Serious” production is pretty weak tea compared to the real classics they were turning out at the time. Grade: D+

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) -"A love letter to New Orleans" was the initial description that caught my attention, and it was the Crescent City that kept moving me right up to the end. Brad Pitt is a man aging backward, and Cate Blanchett the love of his life. Epic in scale, with amazing technology at work, I think David Fincher wondered how a Slumdog could have captured all the gold in 08. But hey the Gump similarities were hard to overcome at times, and I thought Blanchett too studied (as I usually do). Still quite an achievement, we saw it early at the Egyptian, with Fincher there. He was very warm and very funny, not at all what we expected. Oh, and Robert and Luisa Towne adored it, with RT working with Fincher on something next. Exciting. Grade: A-

Master and Commander (2006) - Fine seafaring adventure gives Russell Crowe one of his best starring roles, and fans of the book series are probably disappointed that this was the first and last shot they'll have. But Peter Weir really lets the flags fly, with epic battles made for the biggest screen and sound you can find. Longish in spots, but powerful fun all the same. Grade: B+

Gran Torino (2008) - Clint Eastwood continues his late career run of excellence, but the racism inherent in the storyline here turned off the storied Academy, shutting Clint out of the Best Actor race, and denying him a Best Song nom too. Essentially a modern-day Sam Fuller gutpunch, Clint plays an old widowed racist who befriends his neighbors and kicks a littls ass too. Crude but powerful, with a fine performance from the old legend, even if he lingers for one shot too many at the end. Grade: A-

Tower of Evil (Beyond the Fog) (1972) - Love Turner Classic even more when they show some terrible POS like this...sub-standard horror with a British flair. Various versions exist, and the retitle was done to take advantage of Carpenter's The Fog in 1980! Wow, the shelf life of bad horror movies is amazing. No matter, it's all low-budget awfulness. Laughable at best, boring at worst. Grade: F

Wanted (2008) - Loud and trashy, this action-filled saga plays like the Wachowski brothers without the big ideas. Based on some comic book, it's a live-action cartoon starring a bland leading man, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie's ass. As usual, it's really about Daddy issues. Grade: C-

Mental Health Day

2009-04-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

OK a little inventory first - here on the 106th day of the year...sitting down now on the new laptop and watching Movie #38 of the year (insert birthday parallel here). That's given me time to catch up...finishing up 2007 in my sights today.

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966) - A little disappointed in this well-regarded comedy from Blake Edwards and writer William Peter Blatty (known strictly for laughs before the pea soup hit). Overlong in typical Edwards fashion, with an uneven tone wasting a fine cast. James Coburn gets elevated to leading man here, with Dick Shawn as a silly sidekick; Carroll O’Connor and especially Harry Morgan have vivid supporting moments but it doesn’t add up to much. Grade: C

Role Models (2008) – Weird movie pokes at the edges of its own high concept enough to be worthwhile, with funny leading men (Paul Rudd especially) and funny foul-mouthed kids (always a winner). The role-playing turn in the third act isn’t that funny, but it’s refreshingly bizarre. Grade: B

Foul Play (1978) – Chevy Chase debuts in a good one, and it would be all downhill from here. His smug prick thing needs her sweetness to balance things out, and her star power to make sure he doesn’t overwhelm things. He needs her more than she does him, and she’s at her best here. Fun thriller plot works the Hitchcock vibe better than contemporary Brian DePalma. Grade: A

Two movies, same movie on Fox Movie Channel…I’d caught most of the original before and wanted to see the TV movie remake for comparison’s sake. The original The River’s Edge (1957) – with an extremely nasty Ray Milland, Anthony Quinn, and crisp direction from Allen Dwan. The bloodless TV remake gets rid of everything interesting about the original and adds lots of zooms. Grades: B+, C-

We started Poultrygeist, the latest from Lloyd Kaufman but man, it was tough to watch and never finished. The ragged, cheapo production is miles away from their high point, Tromeo and Juliet. Then, more of The Wire as Season 3 drew the strings together tight. Damn good TV, I think it's the best season of the bunch, though it couldn't be as powerful without the first two.

Yahtzee Cup #35 in the books (finally)

2009-04-12T14:14:00.001-07:00

Yahtzee Cup #35 is the story of two Cups, broken up by the longest delay in Yahtzee Cup history. It started with an epic card in February (2/12/09) – during it, Owner of a Yahtzee Heart (OYH) drove herself close to her 10th Cup while Killer Pimp J. John Johnny John (KP) provided the comic relief.

As usual, a fast start proved crucial, and Roman Castevet (RC) got a hot hand early, taking the first two games in easy fashion.

Game #1

RC 270/OYH 253/KP 196

Yahtzees: RC, OYH

Game #2

RC 270/OYH 209/KP 209

Yahtzee: RC

A sweep in the making? Not quite says the Pimp (KP), popping up for a dominating game with a score that makes me hungry.

Game #3

KP 420/ RC 202/OYH 189

Yahtzees: KP (2)

But wait, OYH is making her move now...and damn it's quite a move, first taking a low-scoring one that might set a record for total points scored...

Game #4

OYH 199/KP 195/RC 192

...and then a Yahtzee-assisted win.

Game #5

OYH 302/KP 246/RC 186

Yahtzee: OYH

She was feeling the Cup within her grasp now, and another Yahtzee powered her above 300 again...

Game #6

OYH 321/KP 279/RC 235

Yahtzee: OYH

Then came the controversial "break" - a nearly two month delay in Cup completion. It was April 9 when play resumed, and it was a similar start for Roman C. OYH played as Yahtzee of the Wild Frontier (YWF) but even her Yahtzee couldn't get her the Cup.

Card #2

Game #7

RC 289/YWF 251/KP 176

Yahtzee: YWF

OYH came close, but RC sealed the deal in Game #8. Meanwhile, the Pimp was absent from the whole damn thing, and struggled to keep his head above 100 for the duration.

Game #8

RC 258/KP 163/YWF 162

In the end, victory was spelled:

Well played, sir.

The Cup win totals are now tied at 13, with one roller still waiting for number 10.

Tonight, the Yahtzee Cup is in play again.

April blogging in March

2009-03-24T22:32:00.001-07:00

Just back from the Film Noir Fest...so much fun last night at the Egyptian for a double feature. But I'll get to those in a minute. First, the backtimes blogging must be finished.

Like a noir hero, I wake up...and where am I? Some dimly lit office, it must be...no, it can't be...I'm back at the desk. Sneaky bloggo time, as my meet at one with the Teary Peel has moved to Wednesday, things are looking brighter already.

Plans taking shape now, with the Braves in the victory column and 2008's movies soon appearing in my rear view mirror.

The Love Guru (2008) - Mike Myers was seen at the Arclight being kind to a kid...but this comedic crime against humanity tilts the scales against the man who would be Wayne Campbell. A mushy mix of rude PG fart jokes and stale catchphrases-to-be, it has some funny parts (Stephen Colbert, um...) but it also has Jessica Alba, who is no Elizabeth Hurley (or Heather Graham). A movie drenched in flop sweat. Grade: C-

Kill a Dragon (1967) - This crazy late 60s action thriller has a slumming Western cast kicking ass and cashing checks wherever they pay. Jack Palance, Aldo Ray and Fernando Lamas are the trio of faded Hollywood stars here, in the Far East against some drug running baddies, or something. Jack's pretty funny as a super-stud badass, but otherwise, pretty deadly. Grade: D

The Magnificent Seven (1960) - Disappointing return to the great Western, with director John Sturges never quite taking the reins of this remake of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai...it's a pokey movie that gains all its spark from the flinty sparks struck by the dueling cast of young bucks (and one old stud named Yul). The exceptional cast of future stars is still the reason to tune in, with Robert Vaughn getting to act it up with conviction, Steve McQueen doing plenty with very little and the lithe James Coburn flinging his blades as highlights. Grade: C+

Let the Right One In (2008) - Icy cold setting sparks new creative juice into the old horror tropes here, with the inevitable American fuck-up remake coming soon. Some subtitling issues (much like District B-13's) made me glad we caught this in the theatre. Haunting, scary and above all romantic, with the bonus of walking out beside a grumpy-looking Patton Oswalt and his newish bride... Grade: A

The Grand (2007) - Poker tournaments get the C. Guest documentary treatment, even though Dave Foley is funny enough during real tournaments. Familiar faces haunt the old concept like gamblers on a losing streak, hoping for one more laugh. Grade: C-

Deception (2008) - the title is accurate, as the presence of Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman would generally mean something entertaining happening on screen. Here, lots of cool office buildings and sexy city beats as poor sap Ewan gets taken for a ride (that turns murderous, etc.). Jackman's jazzy but he disappears for long stretches, leaving sad sack Ewan to fight alone. Grade: C-

In the Company of Spies (1999) - Another Video Hut closing special, as I cross the old titles off my list and wonder why they were on the list to begin with...I found this dusty relic from 1999, a Roger Towne-scripted (ah, that's the reason) tale of espionage that looks like a typical Canadian production of the era. Set up to be a series, with some scenes playing like really low-rent versions of Robert's Missions. Grade: D

The Snorkel (1958) - Neat "perfect murder" movie with some unforgettable visuals and a jazzy tempo. Long unseen, more and more of these British noirs show up on TCM and for the most part they are right cracking good yarns. This one has the benefit of a no-name but familiar cast plus a tidy script. Grade: B+

Then, the yard became haunted...HALLOWEEN 2008 arrived and maybe Tiffany's attitude of frightful fun was catching because it was the most fun haunting holiday I can remember in quite a while. And now to finish up the scary flick fest...

Torture Garden (1967) - Ridiculously entertaining example of a favorite genre, the Horror Anthology, with Burgess Meredith as the owner of the title venue, offering glimpses of the future to an eclectic cast that features Jack Palance (starring with Peter Cushing!), Beverly Adams and Robert Hutton. Grade: B

Die Monster Die! (1965) - Not bad horror based on Lovecraft, with Boris Karloff and Nick Adams squaring off, Patric Magee another recognizable name...cursed with a lousy rep, this is fun stuff, with fine color photography stretching the budget Corman-style (the director was Roger Corman's long-time art director Daniel Heller, who later went on to direct lots of 70s/80s TV and the Dean Stockwell/Sandra Dee Lovecraft pic, The Dunwich Horror). Grade: B

Then, had just a taste of the great Curse of the Demon - and then some prime Hammer horror with The Gorgon (1964), as Chris Lee, Peter Cushing, Barbara Steele and Patrick Troughton try and avoid facing the title creature and a weird, melancholy William Castle horror piece called Mr. Sardonicus (1961) with Guy Rolfe as a man disfigured by guilt. It's pretty somber stuff, and both films score solid Bs with me.

T and I watched a sad mid-80s Vincent Price-hosted thing on PPV consisting of him coming in for an afternoon videotaping lame intros to really lame, sub-Tales from the Darkside stories. Never even finished it...scary bad.

The Foot Fist Way (2008) - This struck my funny bone just right, with Danny McBride as a dense martial arts instructor whose life is a hilarious wreck. Will Ferrell's company plucked this out of obscurity and cheers to them for that. Jody Hill directs, Patton Oswalt recommended. Grade: A

Torn Curtain (1966) - Slow Hitchcock hit is glossy but dull, with Paul Newman and Julie Andrews providing box office clout but not much passion. One violent setpiece, some decent chase moments but a clear sign of a director coasting. Grade: C

Hangover Square (1945) - Laird Cregar died during the making of this moody thriller, he was trying drastic weigh loss regimes to turn himself into a traditional leading man. He felt imprisoned by his hulking image but it's what lasts all these years later. John Brahm directed, this was from a boxed set of his work. Grade: B+

Hour of the Gun (1967) - Intriguing Wyatt Earp retelling was burned at the time as some kind of sacrilege, but it's only real crime is wasting Jason Robards, Jr's Doc Holliday. Pretty much the same movie as Kevin Costner's, with the most unlikeable James Garner I've ever seen. John Sturges directs with no flair at all. Grade: C

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Birthday bloggeroo

2009-03-21T23:58:00.001-07:00

Tropic Thunder (2008) – Overstuffed comedy feels like an expanded gag from the old Ben Stiller Show and that’s not a bad thing exactly, especially when Ben the star lets his costars have most of the fun. Robert Downey, Jr. got an Oscar nod for his blackfaced “serious” actor, and he and Stiller have nice, loose chemistry together. Nick Nolte and Danny McBride have slobby fun together too, with Tom Cruise under heavy makeup as a studio bigshot hamming it up painfully. Plus, Matthew McConaughey as a cheesy agent, Steve Coogan and co-star Jack Black as the most superfluous and ineffective character of them all. Overstuffed with underutilized comic talent, but still funny enough. Ben the director should have trimmed it by 20. Grade: B

The Americanization of Emily (1964) – I’ve read a lot about this anti-war comedy as a real frank standout during the slick ‘60s, but it’s not quite a definitive black comedy about the nature of heroism. Interesting but a bit cool and flippant in that way that passed for sophisticated then…still mostly smooth and refined, with Paddy Chayefsky writing the words, all the talk is mostly entertaining. James Garner and Julie Andrews are the leads, with a standout Melvyn Douglas (especially affecting near the end), James Coburn (very funny as a fellow officer), William Windom and Keenan Wynn (who did make it in a classic black comedy this same year, Dr. Strangelove). Grade: B

Ben X (2002) - Courtesy Gloria Fan, this Danish teen drama tells the story of an outcast loner whose fantasy world threatens to spill over into the real one. Familiar beats here but it’s really a calling card for the director, who spins this in a unique way, especially during the finale. Grade: B-

Hamlet 2 (2008) – Rock me sexy Jesus, rock me back to the elevated heights of the film fest where this OK comedy spoof-ish thing was sold for a way-too-high price. Steve Coogan is a strangely sincere drama teacher trying to put on a show, complete with too-studied silliness like the Jesus song. Trying too hard is not the way to create a cult film, and a neutered, “sweet,” Coogan is just about pointless. Grade: C

Traitor (2008) - Muddled and dullish spy thriller has occasionally bursts of action but it's all weathered with a weary this-world-sucks pallor. The serious cast includes Don Cheadle, Jeff Daniels, Guy Pearce, all working from a story by Steve Martin (not in a funny mood). Grade: C

The Sicilian Clan (1969) - Fun Franco-fest with the coolest one, Jean Gabin, squaring off against the beautiful Alain Delon. Grade: B+

Saturday, September 6 – 7:30 PM

Rare! New 35mm Print! THE SICILIAN CLAN (LE CLAN DES SICILIENS), 1969, 20th Century Fox, 118 min. Expatriate Sicilian mobster Jean Gabin and his family shelter homicidal, lone-wolf jewel thief Alain Delon after his daring escape from a prison van. Delon proposes a multimillion-dollar jewel heist to Gabin that is fraught with danger, but the semi-retired patriarch signs on when he decides it will allow him to retire home to Sicily all the faster. But no one counts on dogged police inspector Lino Ventura (CLASSE TOUS RISQUES, SECOND BREATH) on Delon’s trail. Ventura is extra-surly from trying to kick cigarettes and channels all his frustrations into nabbing Delon and his accomplices. Director Henri Verneuil collaborated with Gabin and Delon on another heist picture ANY NUMBER CAN WIN (MELODIE EN SOUS-SOL) in 1963. Ennio Morricone provides another memorable score. Dubbed-in-English version. NOT ON DVD

Street Kings (2008) - Ugh, great cast flounders in this elaborate cop thriller that plays like a bastard cousin of Training Day - Keanu Reeves, as the LAPD badass, needs not worry about an Oscar campaign. Hugh Laurie wanders around like House goes to Internal Affairs. Grade: C-

Marlowe (1969) - Did I watch this again? I guess so, but it's still so unmemorable...playing less like Chandler and more like a lousy TV detective show from the same time period, all plastic and cheese. James Garner doesn't put much of a stamp on Marlowe, he much too flip and smooth. Bruce Lee steals the show (though his final fate is unbelievable). Grade: C

Suburban Girl (2007) - In this final year of the Video Hut...I bought this and I'm Not There for less than renting them...so maybe the 7-11 guy helped drive them out of town. Still, I started up with The Wire about here, intrigued at first until I saw the light...indeed, indeed. Oh, and this mostly awful Sarah Michelle Gellar/Alec Baldwin romantic comedy? Um, not much to say...actually. Kinda creepy and mostly focusing on the May/October...April/November? romance. Grade: C-

Barry Lyndon (1975) - Showed this to T and she told me that her father took his mother to the movies - a big deal in the big city - and it was this epic tale of a scoundrel's rise and fall. They did not enjoy it, and yes, I can see why. Still, it's one of my favorite Kubricks...and this interview with him is the only other thing I have to add. Grade: A+

Then, there was Tony Bennett...and he was awesome...at the Greek this time and it was sweet (we even got a table) - his daughter opened and she was not great but the old man, belting it out among the swaying trees, that was something special. The fourth time I've seen him I think (Tahoe, Dallas, Hollywood Bowl)...keep swinging Tony...

Burn After Reading (2008) - My favorite of the year maybe. The Coen win an Oscar and come back with a comedic gem, filled with laugh out loud moments (this has happened before, Fargo, then Lebowski) and an A-list cast. Naturally, little critical acclaim and a lack of Oscar attention followed. Grade: A

Righteous Kill (2008) - Well, the best I can say about this Robert De Niro/Al Pacino teaming is that we didn't start drinking until about halfway through...the aged duo strike few sparks as a pair of world-weary cops after a killer whose identity is pretty obvious from the start. Fun supporting cast includes Carla Gugino and 50 Cent. No ever-lasting shame for the old guys, but nothing worth remembering. Grade: C+

The Golden Salamander (1950) - Fun start to this mystery/adventure, with Trevor Howard in the lead...and young Herbert Lom as a shady young man, but it goes on and on before sputtering to a halt. Grade: C-

He Walked By Night (1948) - Inspired early noir set the stage for Dragnet (and Jack Webb co-stars here) as the cops go after tormented Richard Basehart in the now-familiar semi-documentary style. Mix that with the passionate performance by Basehart and you have an intriguing mix. Grade: B+

Now, with the Fall, the great Paul Newman passes away. Damn. He lived a good life though and his passing provided the excuse for watching some of his old stuff:

The Young Philadelphians (1959) - Pretty blah drama among the rich and troubled, Paul is just so sincere as the poor boy struggling to make good, even as his true Pa Brian Keith must labor under old age makeup for most of the running time. His false Pa was Adam West (!), who left his boy nothing but tragedy. Robert Vaughn is his drunk pal, a scene stealer of Oscar nominated proportions. And you know a big courtroom scene is involved somewhere...Grade: B

The Sting (1973) - It's a shame Newman and Redford didn't make more movies together, but they have a precious few great moments in this underwhelming Oscar winner. It's mostly Redford's show, with Paul providing muted support. Robert Shaw is the mark, waxy as his mustache. Grade: B

The Left-Handed Gun (1958) - Poor tormented Billy the Kid gets the Method treatment here, with a mumbly Paul looking great but sounding a little too much like James Dean. Arthur Penn doesn't try too hard with the staging, mostly interested in the psychodrama. Grade: B-

Twilight of Honor (1963) - West Side Story (Devon, Pa.) star Richard Chamberlain comes on as Paul Newman-lite in this courtroom drama, with only wise Claude Rains' supple voice saying anything worth listening to (although Nick Adams was nominated as Supporting Actor). Part of Richard's initial burst of fame, and rightfully forgotten. Grade: C

"You can't go home again, Johnny."
Yes, you can...and you can watch more Newman movies while there:

Pocket Money (1972) - Well, seemed like the perfect flick to watch with Dad, Newman and Lee Marvin in their only teaming, as a couple of low-level con men...or something like that...in this aimless mumbling story that made me very aware of how unentertaining it was. The cast is loaded, a few titters here and there, but I never liked Paul as a dummy, which is what he plays here. Weird one, not satisfying at all. Grade: C-

Now, this is the definitive Paul for me, as Lew Harper, private detective...Harper (1966) is the best in my book, with William Goldman hitting one out of the park in his first at-bat. The commentary track is not as good, but it's still fun to hear Goldman tell many of the stories I'd only read before. Sequel The Drowning Pool (1975) keeps us on Newman's side all the way, he fights a lengthy battle with a seat belt before diving into a deep Southern stew of murder and intrigue in New Orleans. Fun, fun, fun. Grade: A, A-

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KIRK DOUGLAS and a TREK encounter

2009-03-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Kirk Douglas live and person in Culver City at the Kirk Douglas Theatre of course...a few stars in the crowd, Tiffany complimented Jayne Meadows on her coat and got a hug and thanks in return...George Takei and husband were there too...(see below for an after-the-show shot)...

Kirk talked a lot about his relationship with his Dad (the Ragman)...said his dad got him an ice cream cone following a performance he gave as a child...and "that ice cream cone was like my Oscar."

So it was a nice moment after the 90 minute show as Kirk's own son Michael made a surprise visit, complete with an ice cream cone.

Carl Reiner double feature

2009-03-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 6 - 7:30 PM

Director Carl Reiner In-Person! Double Feature:

THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS, 1983, Warner Bros., 93 min. Dir. Carl Reiner. Brain surgeon Steve Martin is saddled with a horrible wife (Kathleen Turner), until he comes up with the perfect solution: transplanting the brain of a sweet, romantic woman into his nasty spouse’s gorgeous body. Outrageous gags and typically witty Reiner-Martin wordplay ensue in one of the funniest films of the 1980s. More

DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID, 1982, Universal, 88 min. Dir. Carl Reiner. Steve Martin is a private eye who manages to interact with Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, and Alan Ladd thanks to gorgeous black-and-white cinematography (courtesy of RAGING BULL director of photography Michael Chapman) and some extremely creative editing. This merging of classic 1940s film noir clips and new footage directed by Reiner is a movie buff’s dream, and a hilarious comedy regardless of how familiar one is with the classics being referenced. Discussion following with director Carl Reiner.

Carl opened with a nice rant against Ronald Reagan and then reflected on the films we just watched...with great stories about Steve Martin, Bette Davis and the back of Paul Heinreid's head.

Here, Carl discusses his 1st act and the importance of talking to yourself...

I saw DEAD MEN in the theater back in the day, I made Dad take me even though he wondered whether I'd like it or not. I think he asked the same thing when I wanted to see the rerelease of REAR WINDOW. I loved them both for the record.

I loved DEAD MEN too, more so than the extended version on TV, with Steve in drag as Gloria Grahame fighting it out with Bogie. At the Q&A Carl mentioned how expensive it was to use the footage, I wonder if that had to do with the cuts from the theatrical?

Anyway, I was already a big Bogart fan (Steve Martin too) when this came out and now, Steve was playing my favorite of all professions, the private eye. Silly and rapid fire gags galore, with the crushy Rachel Ward and Carl himself as the baddie. MAN WITH TWO BRAINS is familiar from TV viewings by the dozen, but with a laughing crowd loving it, it felt to me like a bizarre fever dream of lunacy. Complete with an Elevator Killer (who never did turn himself in, as Carl told us), and Kathleen Turner wearing nothing but nightgowns...what's not to love?
Grades: A

CP

Movie bloggeroo

2009-03-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

More movie blogging as the year comes into focus: trekking through March-April 2008 now...

Pick-Up Alley (1957) – What the hell was this about? Oh, yeah, that block of wood Victor Mature trying to do world-weary as he tries busting dope lord Trevor Howard. Anita Ekberg is along for production value. Diverting but not too memorable, except for the elegantly evil Howard. Grade: C+

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) – OK, so I splurge on the super-sweet boxed set fo ma burfday and it arrives from Amazon and damned if it doesn’t have two copies of the Extras disc and NO COPY of the film itself. Both cases, just two of the same disc. They sent a new one and I never had to send the old one back. The film itself is a groundbreaker that still feels fresh and energizing. Gene Hackman started out as Dustin Hoffman’s father in “The Graduate” but he bowed out to do this. Good decision. Grade: A+

Hell’s Five Hours (1958) – Another Noir fest flick that we skipped and then found among the Bootleg Files. Not bad but not great either, and with a nuclear storyline and a crazed bad guy played by Vic Morrow, you rightfully expect something special. Coleen Gray really loses something when she wears that 50s housewife hair too. Grade: C-

The Ruins (2008) – Great book, pretty decent movie. Scott Smith's had good luck with his adaptations, maybe because he does them himself. The lean, mean A Simple Plan by Sam Raimi was one of the director’s best, though it's less bleak than the novel by far. Here, Smith's book was a great Stephen King-style horror tale with well-done POV shifts between the main characters. That's mostly lost, but the gruesome details mostly make the transition to the screen. Grade: B+

Heat Lightning (1934) – This melodrama comes off like a landlocked version of the blistering Safe in Hell, a similar pre-code delight in which a bunch of desperate scoundrels lock horns (and other body parts) on a sweltering tropical island. Here, it’s a desert setting but the song’s similar. Not as shocking as many early 30s flicks but still fast-paced, patter-filled fun. Grade: B

My Colt is My Passport (1967) - Egyptian Theatre fun with some 1960s Japanese noir, starring the unforgettable Joe Shishido, a star who had his cheeks filled with silicon to look tougher (?). Not quite as stylized as Tokyo Drifter or Branded to Kill, but still effective, with a memorable finale set among the charred sands of Nagasaki. Grade: B+

Damn, I’ve reached the end of April 2008 already!
From the Egyptian calendar:
Saturday, April 26 – 7:30 PM
Joe Shishido Double Feature:
MY GUN IS MY PASSPORT (KORUTO WA ORE NO PASUPOTO) 1967, Nikkatsu, 89 min. Joe Shishido (GATE OF FLESH) and Jerry Fujio are hitmen hiding out in a remote, dust-blown trucker’s inn while waiting for the coast to clear. But, needless to say, complications ensue. Takashi Nomura was a journeyman director at Nikkatsu, who often turned out real gems that went largely unsung or underrated. This is his best, a visually stunning, black-and-white action opus, full of noir atmosphere as well as breakneck set-pieces, all culminating in a pulse-pounding, ultra-violent and surreal climax. Chitose Kobayashi and Ryotaro Sugi co-star. The Nikkatsu publicity department loosely linked this with other black-and-white 1967 Shishido gangster pix, Seijun Suzuki’s BRANDED TO KILL and Yasuharu Hasebe’s MASSACRE GUN. In Japanese with English subtitles.

Baby Mama (2008) – Tina Fey and her SNL pal Amy Poehler team for this obvious but still funny comedy that follows obsessed for a baby woman Liz Lemon- er, no, not quite but also very close. Not that memorable and a bit of a letdown from the comic highs of 30 Rock, but still an OK timewaster. Grade: B

Curious George (2006) – Post-Universal meeting, T and I figured we were not the writers to create new adventures for the Curious One. But we did watch this adaptation with Will Ferrell voicing the man in the yellow hat. A little too much Jack Johnson on the soundtrack for me but the movie is sweet and effective. But with so many Curious George rules to live by, we didn’t chase after the little guy. Grade: B

Cloverfield (2008) – WTF – another good idea shat out in an underwhelming splat by the JJ Abrams machine. What if NYC got attacked from the skies and you kept your video camera filming the whole time? Decent idea for a short, maybe, but here the shaky cam only captured 20-something douches worried about their romantic bs. Can’t even live up to its own premise and really runs out of energy about midway through its short running time. Grade: D+

The October Man (1947) – Trevor Howard again, this time in sensitive leading man mode, as a shellshocked vet who gets mixed-up in murder and finds himself a prime suspect. Nice visuals reflecting the tormented Trevor’s psyche are fun, for advanced studies, try comparing this with the better-known contemporary Spellbound. Grade: B

Enchanted (2007) – Catch up time with Tiffany and she loved it as much as I did the first time around. Too long with the overextended CGI finale, but Amy Adams is outstanding, very deserving of an Oscar nod that never arrived. Grade: A-

Irma La Douce (1963) – Now this, this is overlong (that’s what she said…sorry), a reteaming of Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine is all fakey sets and silly hijinks as Parisian cop Jack becomes a badass pimp by accident. Overlong and indulgent, not Billy Wilder’s finest moment. But it was still a hit, with 1964’s Kiss Me Stupid waiting in the wings to begin Billy’s box office fall from grace. Grade: C

Son of Rambow (2008) – Mike Myers in the audience (and being very cool to a kid who walked over to him) was the highlight of this lauded but unexceptional Brit flick about two young aspiring filmmakers. Shifts in tone are too great for the whimsy to support. Grade: C

Blood Money (1933) – Pre-code fun with a racy script and Judith Anderson vamping it up alongside George Bancroft (meh leading man) and Frances Dee. Occasionally inert, even at 65 minutes, but there are plenty of twists and turns that you will never see coming. Worthwhile for early movie buffs especially. Grade: B+

The Mackintosh Man (1973) – Fun but occasionally inert spy thriller with Paul Newman (always interesting but struggling a bit with an accent – or maybe I was struggling to listen to it), James Mason, Harry Andrews and John Huston behind the camera. Location filming and nice action bits, with a palpable icy tone to the characters and their weary work. Grade: B

The Onion Field (1980) – I remember the ads on TV but otherwise this based-on-a-true story police drama never appealed to me. So with T on the FHC beat, I developed a taste for the gruesome and true-to-life...and this period piece cop drama is both of those. James Woods and Franklyn Seales are two thugs who commit a horrific crime against two cops (John Savage and Ted Danson). Woods is spooky, with Seales an uneasy voice of conscience. I know Seales only from his role as the fancy pants lawyer from "Silver Spoons," but he's very good here. Grim and kind of unrelenting, but that was the mood I was in. Grade: B+

An American Crime (2007) – Well, this is indeed some grim grim shit, also true-to-life, about a crazy lady who takes in a young girl and proceeded to torture her and keep her imprisoned like an animal. Pretty great, with Ellen Page as the girl and Catherine Keener as the crazy woman. Especially well-handled in the finale, cushioning the horror just enough to make it bearable. No theatrical release, this debuts on Showtime. Grade: B+

Papillon (1973) – Action man Steve McQueen teams with Ratso Rizzo on Devil’s Island, aiming for epic greatness with a true story behind it. The episodic adventures of our man Papillon are mildly engrossing, but McQueen’s underplaying locks his character in too tight, when he breaks down near the end, it’s never the true change we’re looking for – as a contemporary comparison, Paul Newman reveals those depths of self-deception in Cool Hand Luke – but Steve still seems like he’s got in all under control, even when condemned. Grade: B

Damn, Firefox crash set me back a bit - anyway, it's a DAY OFF WORK (3/11/09) and two weeks before me birthday. Mental health day and a good chance to sneak in more more more of the old Movie Journal...under 100 is the goal today, starting up with the best and the worst of Summer 2008:

Iron Man (2008) - The Good: Robert Downey, Jr. using his powers for good, bringing wild playboy Tony Stark to the screen, with an overqualified cast bringing their A game to a pretty good script that doesn't completely collapse at the finale. Nice eyepatched cameo at the end too. Grade: A

Highway West (1941) - OK remake of Heat Lightning follows the same narrative but much earlier - where HL showed us the bitter woman who had been left, here we watch her get left and see more of her relationship with criminal Arthur Kennedy...cheap backlot stuff but an interesting compare and contrast to the earlier, more explicit version. Always nice to see Kennedy, here fine as a snarling baddie. Grade: C

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - Who the fuck asked for this? With a mouthful of a title like that, I'd have to say George Lucas, who doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. Flashes of the old greatness were evident in the trailer, but those moments don't have much else to support them. Nuking the fridge is only the beginning, lots of CGI and Shia LaBeouf as Tarzan are still to come. An expensive supporting cast can't do much with this script, running from one exposition-filled scene to the next, leading up to a finale Lucas probably dreamed up in 1974 after reading "Chariots of the Gods." Nostalgia is a sucker's game, and I really hoped Temple of Doom would remain the worst of the Jones films. It didn't. Grade: C-

To cleanse the palette, try this link to the original story session for the genesis of Indiana Jones the character...listening to George and Steven then, it's clear that they are serious movie fans.

http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/03/raiders-story-conference.html

Now, tackling one I'd saved for quite a while, inspired by this essay by Matt Zoller Seitz:

http://www.thehousenextdooronline.com/search/label/Barry%20Lyndon

There are only so many Kubrick movies, but Barry Lyndon would wait no longer.

Barry Lyndon (1975) - Epic tale of a rogue's rise to high society is a surprisingly personal story, or at least I found sympathy with poor Barry's plight, right down to the gut-punch of a punchline. Ryan O'Neal was the only available star with enough wattage to get the needed funding (Robert Redford was who Kubrick wanted but he committed another project). Though generally considered a bit of a lightweight, O'Neal's wide-open face serves him well here, much in the same way as it does in his other best work (Hill's The Driver, Bogdanovich's Paper Moon). Here, he carries our sympathies but never asks for them. Technically a miracle, filled with wonderful supporting actors who all seem to have a story of their own. Grade: A+

Domino (2005) - Despite the degeneration of Tony Scott's ability to focus on one thing for more than three seconds (he suffers from advanced Bayism), this gritty life story of Domino Harvey has an ambitious script by Richard Kelly (the next big thing who hasn't lived up to his moniker yet) and solid perfs by Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez, Delroy Lindo...too bad the caffeinated camerawork pushes you out before you sink in. Grade: C+

HEY HEY back on it - post-car wreck-a-roo...3/13/09...almost done...

The Savages (2007) - Oh, so Tamara Jenkins finally gets around to following up her great Slums of Beverly Hills..after nearly a decade I'm very disappointed. More true-to-her-life Sundance workshop material, this one is about two competitive siblings and their ailing father. Never very comic, this is impeccably acted but thoroughly unimpressive dramatically. A real shame. Grade: C-

Bad Company (1972) - Great great great movie that needs to be rediscovered, certainly one that shows off the eternal charm of Jeff Bridges, as well as the appeal of tragic leading man Barry Brown. Shot and staged in a natural, low-key, this Civil War-era Western is, at turns, brutal, hilarious and shockingly sensitive. Robert Benton directs and co-writes in top form, a real unsung stunner of a movie. Grade: A

The Houston Story (1956) - Pretty kickass example of ruthless tycoon noir, with Gene Barry an oil man getting rich by any means necessary. Barbara Hale and old school great Edward Arnold back up a clever script, 79 minutes of nasty fun, directed with his usual pop by William Castle. Grade: B+

Duffy (1968) - James Coburn as a toothy swinger/master criminal who gets caught up with James Fox and James Mason (dueling son and father) and a crime via boat, plus seductive Susannah York and double crosses galore...strains at times to be hip and mod, the screenplay by Donald Cammell never quite packs the punch it should - you settle for a mild buzz, with Coburn helping you along. Not at all the cult item TCM made it out to be, though the cinematography had a definite '60s style. Grade: C+

Blue Collar (1978) - Drama with comedic overtones, with three autoworker pals (Harvey Keitel, Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto) getting in over their heads with stolen money and Union big shots. Paul Schrader doesn't always balance the varying tones of his script, but Pryor is superb, with the others equally good. Out of print on DVD now, but well worth seeking out. Grade: A-

Right at Your Door (2006) - Disappointing sci-fi thriller has a great set-up that maybe would make a classic short. At feature length, it grows annoying fast, despite good work from Rory Cochrane and Mary McCormack. Grade: C-

Hancock (2008) - Not-bad attempt to make a "grown-up" superhero story about Will Smith's attempts to come to terms with his origins, his powers and the society around him. It feels more original than many summertime flicks, though it's scattershot at times. Grade: B

Get Smart (2008) - Great source material + Pretty great cast = Fairly awful movie. As a Don Adams/Mel Brooks/Buck Henry fan, I think I'll leave it at that. Mosaic Media strikes again! Grade: C-

Stalag 17 (1953) - Billy Wilder working Oscar magic with a hit Broadway show and William Holden at his most heroically cynical, but the play's the thing and that thing is pretty creaky at this point. Still OK, but dated and a bit dull around the edges, with too much comic relief along the way. Grade: C+

Shutter (2008) - Mosaic Media strikes again in some form at least, because our good pal Gloria Fan got her first credit on this not-bad j-style horror tale that feels like a half-hour plot stretched too far past the breaking point. Joshua Jackson is pretty effective, with decent shocks but not enough to make it past the finish line. But go Glo go! Grade: C+

Keeping the bloggeroo going on 3/16/2009:

The Other (1972) - Wow, this is what happens when "serious" directors tackle pulp material...or maybe the pulp material in question was this pretentious to begin with, I will never find out. Robert Mulligan treats the screenplay (and novel) by lousy actor Tom Tryon with great grim reverence and that only leads to unintended laughs, 70s horror style. Grade: C-

Hellboy 2 (2008) - Guillermo del Toro seems to lose some level of talent when he enters the Hollywood machine, here, the return of Ron Perlman as the big red guy is merely OK, at least we're spared the soap opera love triangle bullshit that impeded Part One. Here, the pieces are in place but things get way too overstuffed - leading to unbelievable battles and zero suspense. Grade: C-

S*P*Y*S (1974) - Seriously, this is the best they could do to get Hawkeye and Trapper together again? Generally tries to be an international spoof of spy thrillers, I guess...with Donald and Elliott trying their best to inject life into things. This infamous bomb isn't all that bad, it's more a dull disappointment. Grade: C

Vantage Point (2007) - Decent B thriller with a nice, mid-level cast and a fast-moving script that tells an assassination from different points of view before converging them for a big finish. Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt lead the overqualified cast. Grade: B

Sergeants 3 (1962) - Finally, I get to see this Rat Pack take on Gunga Din on a nicer print than the faded TV dupe I scored a decade ago. Well, it's nice to finally see the whole thing but it's not exactly a classic, with a script like clings way too close to the original. The main problem is Sammy in the Gunga role, it's a nice update to place this in Civil War times, but Sam plays it too cute. Having the slight Sinatra in the bossy father figure role (played before by Victor McLaglen), treating Sammy like a two-year old, results in several cringe-inducing moments. Frank's not exactly straining in front of the camera here either. On the plus side, there's Dean in the old Cary Grant role (old Cary Grant fine, you?)...and director John Sturges wakes up long enough to provide one lengthy and effective action sequence. Lawford's swan song with the Pack. Grade: C+

I took some time this year to revisit Sturges and realized that his movies don't really age as well as I expected. Checked out bits of The Satan Bug and realized how stiff and slow Ice Station Zebra is compared to the other enormously entertaining Alastair MacLean adaptations (The Guns of Navarone, Breakheart Pass)...

The Dark Knight (2008) – Why so serious? Heath Ledger took home the Oscar post-death, but Bats couldn’t break into the director/picture categories. Much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments followed. The fanboys united with most every critic in the land to praise praise praise this…we saw it pretty geeked. Dunno, it’s not bad…but I saw a lot of Jack in the Joker, and the ham-handed morality would be easier to swallow if the plot made a bit more sense. Aaron Eckhart gets shoehorned in from an upcoming sequel, showing off how dull Christian Bale is growing up to be (onscreen at least). I guess I’m old-fashioned, but next time how about we just airlift Caine and Freeman out for another go at The Man Who Would Be King? Grade: C

Genevieve (1953) – Disappointing British comedy proved too sweet and gentle for me, as a bickering couple try and finish a cross-country road race for classic cars. Maltin calls it a legendary Brit flick, but it doesn’t reach near the heights of the Ealing laffers. Grade: B

Step Brothers (2008) – T and I laughed a lot at this super-silly Will Ferrell/John C Reilly teaming, and I think the secret to its success was the way the supporting family members played by Mary Steenburgen and Richard “Oscar Nom 2009” Jenkins were treated. They get some room to breathe and a taste of the spotlight now and then, a nice contrast to the inspired stupidity of the title dolts. Grade: B+

Running with Scissors (2002) – Ca-ray-zee family bullshit, another “memoir” that smelled a bit JT Leroy-ish around the edges. This one is stuffed with a great cast, but the central character (based on the author of course, played by Joseph Cross) stays unsympathetic and too removed from the hammy fun Annette Bening and Brian Cox are having… Alec Baldwin has a few effective scenes as our hero’s distraught father. Grade: C+

Scary Movie 4 (2006) - Did we actually watch this? I barely remember this one, except that it continued the lame post-Wayans brothers Zucker/Pat Proft style comedic journey from R-rated raunch to blah goofiness...it makes you long for the glory days of Top Secret. Anna Faris is good as always though. Grade: C

Red (2008) - on the free HD channel, this got play in Fango for the original novel by Jack Ketchum and for director Lucky McKee's involvement (he was replaced midway through production). A showcase for Brian Cox as a good man driven by dog-hating punks to the edge and beyond. Gripping despite occasional lapses into unbelievable melodrama. Grade: B+

The Last Winter (2006) - Ugh, the arthouse horror maestro Larry Fessenden again falls short of his obvious inspiration (here, arctic thriller The Thing) with a muddled tale that has some sort of pro-environmental message buried in it somewhere (I think). Grade: C-

Pineapple Express (2008) - This hybrid stoner comedy/80-style action thriller is high concept is more ways than one, but it's not nearly as funny as it should be. Starts well enough, with process server Seth Rogan getting mixed up with crooked cops led by a underused Gary Cole, eventually going on the run with his drug dealer James Franco. The title bud never really comes into play though, just some shaggy dog goofiness capped by lousy '80s graphic violence. However, these characters' Oscar sequel was hilarious. Grade: C+

Deadly Currents (1991) - Originally titled Curacao and set on and around the island that gave us Andruw Jones (and Jair Jurrjens)...this spy thriller is heavy on the cable-TV sexy (awful lighting, wind), with William Petersen as a burn-out CIA agnet mixed up with George C. Scott (and his "fancy lad") and some duller, lesser actors. Petersen and Scott have some good moments together but it's low grade stuff here. Grade: C-

The Counterfeiters (2007) - Oscar-winner about Jewish forgers working for the Nazis is OK, just the stolid treatment of an intriguing subject..the kind of lure Oscar can't resist. Grade: C

Trespass (1992) - This Walter Hill crime drama is a great neo-noir set-up down home in Memphis and Arkansas, with the perfect cast to punch it home. It doesn't quite hit the next level, but it's more than serviceable - a grim little shoot-em-up with a black heart. Ices T and Cube, Bills Paxton and Sadler square off. Saw it in the theatre back in the day, expecting more funny from Ice-T then...now, not so much. Grade: B

The Exiles (1961)...already covered - and this was a treat, a true independent film rediscovered at UCLA...Blogged about on Dad's birthday last year...see here.

CP