Over/Under-rated movies: the redux

I only paid a buck to see it originally, and 'twas free this time.

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in memoriam: Tobe Hooper

Warning: contains space boobs and space butt, although no space junk

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A classic cheesy sci fi flick that I’d forgotten about!!

It’s been interesting seeing all of the memoriam articles, which universally announced his death as “Director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. Not a single one I saw even pretended to call him the director of Poltergeist anymore, even though it was such a bigger film. I guess his role on that has been generally decided on.

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How long can I let my mind moulder in this place?
Wherever I turn, wherever I happen to look,
I see the black ruins of my life, here,
where I’ve spent so many years, wasted them, destroyed them totally.

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These, in their youtube variants, were posted over at the other place. I’m not certain if the posters involved were seriously recommending these or not, but I’m certainly willing to. If not exactly highbrow, the phrase “bush shot” is dropped several times, they certainly qualify as scholarly, covering most of the major works, from Dreyer’s Vampyr to Almereyda’s Nadja, and even tracing the sub-genre back to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s little known “Christabel.” (They missed Persona, though.)

Later podcasts feature appraisals of the films of Andrzej Zuławski, Elio Petri, and Miklós Jancsó, look at the Art Giallo, and focus on the books, Nightmare USA and Immoral Tales.

Joe Bob says check it out.

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Do.

Gods and Monsters is astonishingly good. Serious quality art.

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Finally, A Return to Reason!

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2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future, a 1966 promotional short.

More than a bit stiff and completely fails to prepare one for Kubrick’s film, but the faith in space migration, Hollywood, and just capitalism in general is touching.

And, if you’d like a double feature, might I suggest?

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Haven’t watched the video yet but is arthur c clarke pretending to be a chef or a painter?

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He’s apparently in some sort of clean room. Clarke and the narrator often seem to be under the impression that these props are actually going to be used in outer space.

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Very funny backstage (and on stage) farce. Nothing about circumcisions though…

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They told Clarke he really was in outer space, and he totally bought it!

Burrrrnnn!

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For me, Valerian was dull until Rihanna came on. She’s really great for about ten minutes but they promptly kill her and the movie goes back to being pretty but dull.

I wanted it to be the next Fifth Element but instead it … wasn’t. :cold_sweat: It felt kind of like someone crossed JJVerse Star Trek with the second half of the first Captain America movie.

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I kinda didn’t like the stuff with Rihanna. I thought the opening scene was the best, and the Big Market thing was kind of fun. The main problem was just the wooden and unlikeable main characters though.

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“Spirits surround us on every side - they have driven me from hearth and home, from wife and child.”

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Official Blade Runner anime short, Olmos briefly returns as Gaff. There is some beautiful work.

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Thanks, I’m glad I got to watch this before the link was removed. Apparently it’s a Crunchyroll exclusive (for now) but I’m sure it’ll keep popping up in viewable formats.

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Cuadecuc, vampir

Pere Portabella’s behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of Jesus Franco’s Count Dracula.

At least it’s ostensibly a documentary. For the most part, Portabella contrives to simply tell his own version of Dracula, shooting from around corners because the “best” camera position has been taken by the official production’s cameras. I wasn’t too enthused with Count Dracula when I saw it many years ago, but Cuadecuc has been made great by stripping Franco’s film down, no color, no sound, (an avant-garde score has been overlaid, seguing from strange rumblings, street sounds, opera, and lush muzak) and really no strict adherence to narrative, although anyone familiar with the story can easily figure out where they are.

Even the parts that should break the spell, the genuine behind-the-scenes footage, often merely enhance the effect. Seeing someone run through the woods with a smoke machine prior to a take, or spinning cobwebs over the reclining vampires, feels like part of some obscure occult ritual.

For added topicality, supposedly the film functions as a protest against General Franco’s Spain. Exactly how is unclear to me, although it’s worth mentioning that “cuadecuc” is not Spanish, but actually Catalan, a language which was at that time banned in Spain.

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Saw them in reverse order as I saw Kingsman 2 in the theater. I just got done with Kingsman now.
Both are wonderful over the top comic book super spy fun. Excellent action scenes crazy gadgets and villains who are truly mad.

Definitely worth a DVD rental fee.

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