The Filmcake

December 14th – December 20th

South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut – I think a much better transition to the big screen than The Simpsons Movie. Nicely irreverant soundtrack. Good stuff.

Inglourious Basterds - This is likely the best Blu-ray title have purchased so far (although my collection still numbers under 10). I can’t wait to rewatch this one and delve into the special features. The opening scene is one of the best of the year. This one is also vying for the top spot on my best of the year list.

Angels & Demons - This movie had the Hollywood star and slick production values that a $150 million budget affords but otherwise was not much better than the average Syfy Original Movie. The Da Vince Code wasn’t a great movie by any means, but it was immensely more enjoyable than this one. This one lacked the cleverness and pulse that was sometimes evident in the previous film.

Funny People - I’m a little conflicted about this one. On one hand, I enjoyed how the movie feels barely held together. It succeed while feeling like it could spiral out of control at any point. It was easily 30 minutes too long though. Once Eric Bana’s character arrives, the movie probably would’ve benefited from spiraling out of control to a quick end. On the other hand, a stronger script could have made for a compelling story about mortality and the lonely world of the comedian. Maybe it’s just me but I think there was a The Wrestler-like story in there that might have been worth watching. At times, Funny People approached something dramatically compelling only to lose its way.

The Goonies – For people my age, this is a childhood favorite. But, man, this one just really doesn’t hold up. Perhaps the nostalgia is strong enough for others to be able to stomach it into the present day. But for me, it was just way too grating. Just about every single character in this movie seems to exhibit moderate mental retardation. Impaired cognitive functioning abounds.

Heathers – One of the great screenplays of my generation. I am still genuinely surprised with how this 20-year script old deals with homophobia. It just seems so surprisingly progressive. Considering that it was made just three years after The Goonies, Heathers proves just how awful The Goonies really was.

August 17th – August 23rd

Plan 9 From Outer Space (RiffTrax Live) - This was pretty cool. The RiffTrax guys (formerly of Mystery Science Theater 3000) did a live Riffing of Plan 9 that was broadcast in theaters throughout the country. I wasn’t super blown away with it. It was funny enough. But I’ve seen funnier MST3K’s. That being said, I hope this becomes a regular occurrence (with a different movie getting Riffed). It was well worth the $12.

The Room – A movie so hilarious it doesn’t even need to be Riffed (though it was; slightly better but still not great upon a second listening). This time, we had the pleasure of introducing The Room to my brother-in-law who absolutely loved it. It just doesn’t get old. I think the thing that sets it apart from other horribly bad movies is that it’s very well paced. There aren’t too many boring stretches, which can make a good or bad movie go south quickly.

Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino’s latest. Don’t know if it’s his greatest. And saying it’s “up there” isn’t saying much because he’s only directed 6 films (and they’re all great). It’s offensive, sure. But it’s delightful. It’s a QT classic.

Grindhouse – After Inglourious Basterds, we all needed some more QT brilliance (w/ Robert Rodriguez). And since my DVD Tarantino collection is lacking (I have 2 copies of Reservoir Dogs on DVD, but nothing else), we went with a copy of Grindhouse I’d DVR’ed a few weeks back. This is the first time I’ve revisited the movies in their original Grindhouse format since the movie opened. I like all of the trailers and the back-to-back movies, but I do miss Vanessa Ferlito’s dancing (which appears on the DVD).

The Gore Gore Girls - The last of Herschell Gordon Lewis’s films until (30 years later) 2002′s Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat. It’s offensive and gross and disgusting. But its so offensive and gross and disgusting that it’s kind of wonderful. For me, the offensiveness of a movie like this (or even Inglourious Basterds) is something completely different than the offensiveness of a movie without a brain for people without brains. The clueless violence and misogyny of mainstream fare approaches a level of offensiveness that truly repulses me. This movie is particularly notable for the bizarre chocolate milk scene and the appearance of Henny Youngman, the rapid-fire comedian most famous for the classic “Take my wife–please” joke.