This is the sequel to Ju-On, the Japanese original version of "The Grudge".
I liked this better than the first one. But it flits back and forth in time, so I didn't really get the hang of what was happening until the end. So I don't know.
The movie focuses on the curse of the house that was the center of the original (the same house was used for the American version, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and was nearly a shot-for-shot remake of the Japanese one). This time, the curse is impacting people associated with a television show about the curse.
This is going to sound weird, but I think the reason I like this more is that it doesn't spend as much time at the house. I'm not really that into the house, it gets old. And the characters are compelling - the main character is an actress who stars in a lot of horror movies, so they refer to her as a "Horror Queen". The other characters include an extra from one of the horror movies, a girl who works on the television show, the host(ess) of the television show and her boyfriend, and another dude affiliated with the show.
Here's the thing about these Japanese movies: they always involve really long black hair strangling people to death. Like to the point that I'm surprised any Japanese people have hair past their chins. Also, mouths sewn shut. Not sure what that's about.
I mean I liked it though.
Availability: DVD and Streaming
Released: 2003
Added to my queue: 2/11/2008, along with all those other Asian movies
Reason added to my queue: Probably because I had seen the American one
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
I always loved the revival of this show, which aired when I was in 4th grade. So, I decided to give the original a chance, and loved it as well.
It is what is referred to as an "anthology" - every episode is a stand-alone vignette, typically a mystery, thriller, or general drama. Several actors are repeated through the episodes, and they are written by well-known authors such as Ray Bradbury.
Another random tidbit - this is included on Time magazine's list of 100 best television shows of all time. So that's awesome.
It's really good, from the first episode, where a man decides to take revenge on the person who attacked his wife, to the last episode I've seen, where an aging actor announces he's leaving the business.
Totally recommend.
Released: 1955
Availability: There are 10 seasons. Seasons 1-3: Streaming; Season 4: DVD. Not sure about the rest.
Added to my queue: Unknown
Reason added to my queue: Love things like this
It is what is referred to as an "anthology" - every episode is a stand-alone vignette, typically a mystery, thriller, or general drama. Several actors are repeated through the episodes, and they are written by well-known authors such as Ray Bradbury.
Another random tidbit - this is included on Time magazine's list of 100 best television shows of all time. So that's awesome.
It's really good, from the first episode, where a man decides to take revenge on the person who attacked his wife, to the last episode I've seen, where an aging actor announces he's leaving the business.
Totally recommend.
Released: 1955
Availability: There are 10 seasons. Seasons 1-3: Streaming; Season 4: DVD. Not sure about the rest.
Added to my queue: Unknown
Reason added to my queue: Love things like this
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Honeysuckle Rose
There was a time when I would have thought that a movie featuring Willie Nelson cheating on Dyan Cannon with Amy Irving was a sweet romance. That time has passed.
The movie is still really good, because you get to see Willie and his friends in a series of concerts doing what they do best - the man didn't write "On the Road Again" for nothing...you can tell he really loves it.
But watching his wife and young son keep the home fires burning while he and the band, including Lily (Irving), the daughter of his best friend (Slim Pickens), who replaces him for a 3-week stint when he retires from the band, is really, really hard. The band members all know and love Viv (Cannon), and also really like Lily, and it's pretty clear this isn't Buck's (Nelson) first dalliance. Of course, what happens on the road tends to stay on the road. In this case, Buck and Lily get really sloppy, and really public, about their affair, which naturally results in what these things tend to result in.
Amy Irving is at her very prettiest in this movie, I will say that.
I wanted to turn it off when I saw where it was headed, but the thought that he might play "Always on My Mind" at some point kept me watching. Then I realized if he did play it, it would be disgusting, because there was no way it would be appropriate for this movie unless it were played at the very beginning. Fortunately, he left it out.
Anyway, there are some good aspects of the movie, such as the music, and the actors. The storyline just breaks my heart for everyone involved, though.
Availability: DVD only (I got it as part of a double feature with Pure Country)
Released: 1980
Added to my queue: 2/16/2010
Reason added to my queue: I think it was because we always listened to the Pure Country soundtrack in college and I wanted to check it out
The movie is still really good, because you get to see Willie and his friends in a series of concerts doing what they do best - the man didn't write "On the Road Again" for nothing...you can tell he really loves it.
But watching his wife and young son keep the home fires burning while he and the band, including Lily (Irving), the daughter of his best friend (Slim Pickens), who replaces him for a 3-week stint when he retires from the band, is really, really hard. The band members all know and love Viv (Cannon), and also really like Lily, and it's pretty clear this isn't Buck's (Nelson) first dalliance. Of course, what happens on the road tends to stay on the road. In this case, Buck and Lily get really sloppy, and really public, about their affair, which naturally results in what these things tend to result in.
Amy Irving is at her very prettiest in this movie, I will say that.
I wanted to turn it off when I saw where it was headed, but the thought that he might play "Always on My Mind" at some point kept me watching. Then I realized if he did play it, it would be disgusting, because there was no way it would be appropriate for this movie unless it were played at the very beginning. Fortunately, he left it out.
Anyway, there are some good aspects of the movie, such as the music, and the actors. The storyline just breaks my heart for everyone involved, though.
Availability: DVD only (I got it as part of a double feature with Pure Country)
Released: 1980
Added to my queue: 2/16/2010
Reason added to my queue: I think it was because we always listened to the Pure Country soundtrack in college and I wanted to check it out
Pure Country
This is a sweet drama about Dusty Wyatt (George Strait), a wildly popular country musician on tour with a huge spectacular stage show. Early in the movie, he becomes disenchanted with being the "dancing chicken" and takes off on his own, leaving his manager and former love Lula (Lesley Ann Warren) to deal with the fallout. He finally lands at a farm somewheres out west, and lives a nice simple life with a simple family, falling for the lady of the house (Isabel Glasser) before, as expected, everything catches up with him.
The good: it's sweet, fun, and Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights) costars as a greedy young upstart. Also there's a lot of twangy George Strait music, which is good old country fun.
The bad: while she does a great job, Lesley Ann Warren is forever stuck in my head as Janie's mother in the "Janie's Got a Gun" video, which makes me kind of hate her in everything she does. How she didn't know about Janie's abuse is beyond me.
Availability: DVD only. I got it as a double feature with Honeysuckle Rose, which I will watch next.
Released: 1992
Added to my queue: 2/16/2010
Reason added to my queue: We used to listen to the soundtrack in college all the time. I probably added the movie out of curiosity.
The good: it's sweet, fun, and Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights) costars as a greedy young upstart. Also there's a lot of twangy George Strait music, which is good old country fun.
The bad: while she does a great job, Lesley Ann Warren is forever stuck in my head as Janie's mother in the "Janie's Got a Gun" video, which makes me kind of hate her in everything she does. How she didn't know about Janie's abuse is beyond me.
Availability: DVD only. I got it as a double feature with Honeysuckle Rose, which I will watch next.
Released: 1992
Added to my queue: 2/16/2010
Reason added to my queue: We used to listen to the soundtrack in college all the time. I probably added the movie out of curiosity.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Holiday
This movie is essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the movie Dirty Dancing. In Hindi. With Indian music.
Stop and think. Even if you are the biggest fan in the world of Dirty Dancing, or of Bollywood, would you want to see an Indian remake? Having done so, I will venture to say "No." Sadly, the best character in Dirty Dancing is the music. I can't speak for Indian people - maybe they used the perfect music and I just miss the American songs - but the storyline and characters, while compelling, just can't carry the movie, in my opinion.
I love me some Bollywood though, and am looking forward to Crimes, which should be coming to me soon and starring the same leading man, Dino Morea. Quite the dancer, that one.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2006
Added to my queue: 9/5/2007
Reason added to my queue: unknown
Stop and think. Even if you are the biggest fan in the world of Dirty Dancing, or of Bollywood, would you want to see an Indian remake? Having done so, I will venture to say "No." Sadly, the best character in Dirty Dancing is the music. I can't speak for Indian people - maybe they used the perfect music and I just miss the American songs - but the storyline and characters, while compelling, just can't carry the movie, in my opinion.
I love me some Bollywood though, and am looking forward to Crimes, which should be coming to me soon and starring the same leading man, Dino Morea. Quite the dancer, that one.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2006
Added to my queue: 9/5/2007
Reason added to my queue: unknown
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Jenifer
AKA, "Butterface"
Steven Weber (Wings, etc.) stars as Detective Frank Spivey, a family man who rescues a young woman named Jenifer from being killed in the woods by what seems to be a deranged man. Then Frank finds himself drawn to her - I'll go out on a limb and say that this is because she has a really hot body and is continually trying to have sex with him - despite the obvious drawbacks of the situation, which, in no specific order, are that she is mentally retarded, she is a cannibal, he's MARRIED, and she's so ridiculously deformed we wouldn't be having this conversation if everything besides her face weren't hot.
But her face, y'all.
And she eats people.
This movie was released under the "Masters of Horror" label, and was made by Dario Argento. I'm not sure if I've ever heard of this guy besides the fact that I've known I've had this movie in my queue for the past 3 years - but I would not call this movie a masterpiece of horror. At best, it's soft porn. Well, not at best. If you're hoping for porn, you won't get it. But if you're hoping for horror, it's going to feel more like porn.
Don't watch it. And definitely don't spend three years waiting for it to rise to the top of the queue. This woman's face.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2006
Added to queue: 6/10/2010
Reason added to queue: Some magazine article or something.
Steven Weber (Wings, etc.) stars as Detective Frank Spivey, a family man who rescues a young woman named Jenifer from being killed in the woods by what seems to be a deranged man. Then Frank finds himself drawn to her - I'll go out on a limb and say that this is because she has a really hot body and is continually trying to have sex with him - despite the obvious drawbacks of the situation, which, in no specific order, are that she is mentally retarded, she is a cannibal, he's MARRIED, and she's so ridiculously deformed we wouldn't be having this conversation if everything besides her face weren't hot.
But her face, y'all.
And she eats people.
This movie was released under the "Masters of Horror" label, and was made by Dario Argento. I'm not sure if I've ever heard of this guy besides the fact that I've known I've had this movie in my queue for the past 3 years - but I would not call this movie a masterpiece of horror. At best, it's soft porn. Well, not at best. If you're hoping for porn, you won't get it. But if you're hoping for horror, it's going to feel more like porn.
Don't watch it. And definitely don't spend three years waiting for it to rise to the top of the queue. This woman's face.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2006
Added to queue: 6/10/2010
Reason added to queue: Some magazine article or something.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Why We Fight
This documentary is really, really interesting.
It was filmed during the Iraq war, and basically asks why we engage in war at all. As you might expect, the allegation that Iraq had WMD, the belief that the Iraq war in some way was related to 9/11, and the admission by George W. Bush that it was, in fact, unrelated to 9/11 are all encountered and addressed. The war machine of the Bush era is also juxtaposed with historical views at prior presidents - most intriguingly, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had some prescient advice for the country upon his exit from the presidency...advice that we simply haven't taken.
Our history with Saddam Hussein is also detailed, which I didn't know before this documentary (like that he started out as our friend, etc.). So there's that.
I am not the most political person in the world, and I am not about to get involved with the politics of war. But we've been in the Middle East since I was old enough to pay attention, and I understand that our defense budget is greater than any budget here on our own soil. So yes, I have wondered why we fight. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't spark optimism in me.
Check it out.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2005
Added to my queue: 10/26/2009
Reason added to my queue: Netflix recommended because I liked Super Size Me, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Okay...
It was filmed during the Iraq war, and basically asks why we engage in war at all. As you might expect, the allegation that Iraq had WMD, the belief that the Iraq war in some way was related to 9/11, and the admission by George W. Bush that it was, in fact, unrelated to 9/11 are all encountered and addressed. The war machine of the Bush era is also juxtaposed with historical views at prior presidents - most intriguingly, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had some prescient advice for the country upon his exit from the presidency...advice that we simply haven't taken.
Our history with Saddam Hussein is also detailed, which I didn't know before this documentary (like that he started out as our friend, etc.). So there's that.
I am not the most political person in the world, and I am not about to get involved with the politics of war. But we've been in the Middle East since I was old enough to pay attention, and I understand that our defense budget is greater than any budget here on our own soil. So yes, I have wondered why we fight. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't spark optimism in me.
Check it out.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2005
Added to my queue: 10/26/2009
Reason added to my queue: Netflix recommended because I liked Super Size Me, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Okay...
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