My Spring Break in Movies, conclusion

Here's the riveting conclusion to my film by film recount of my recent staycation. I never did make it deep into my instant queue and only went through 3 netflix movies. But, to my credit, I made up for it with the Saga and some choice cable discoveries. I never made it to 3:10 to Yuma or the Hunter S. Thompson doc, Gonzo, though.

- Thursday -

Inglorious Bastards - This is the 1978 WWII film that inspired the upcoming (and for some reason misspelled) Tarrantino re-make, Inglourious Basterds. It was fun to watch, but by no means a quality film. Everything about Fred Williamson is out of place, but it's nice having him there.

Attack of the Clones - Episode II of the saga and a huge improvement over Ep. I. Still, it carries the weight of poor acting and over Lucas-ing that the entire prequel trilogy suffer from. The back 45 is great, though, as the titular attack ushers in perhaps the greatest era of the SW EU, The Clone Wars.

- Friday-

Matinee - I caught this on cable and didn't mean to watch it, but the next thing I knew, it was over. Set in 1960's Key West, it plays the home front of the Missile Crisis against the escapism of sci-fi/monster movies. John Goodman plays the big time movie exec pushing his newest flick; Mant. It's an enjoyable period piece, but not much more.


A New Hope - Here it is: Where the journey began in 1977 and ends for me this particular trip, as I'll probably never watch Episode I all the way through again. There's not much to say for this movie that isn't already out there. I wish I could go back to a time in my mind where I didn't know anything about this world and watch this, as my immersion in the EU has tainted the simplicity of the story.

-Saturday-


Hot Rod - I watched this while extremely hung-over - but it was still funny. I'm not sure why hardly one's seen this. Hopefully the new surge The Lonely Island has received will get more folks to check it out.


Foot Fist Way - Danny McBride has quickly become one of my favorite funny people in the biz right now. If you're not watching Eastbound and Down on HBO, you're missing out. Foot Fist Way is by no means a masterpiece or even comedy classic, but it's worth a look for a fan. Also, the film left me wondering how angry the founder of Tae Kwon Do would be if he could visit modern day America now and see that his fighting style has been co opted by over coddled suburban adolescents.


In the Electric Mist (sober) - Better this time, but still spotty. If you're a fan of the character and series, check it out. It's not much better than Heaven's Prisoners, but it's not worse, either.

Death Sentence - I watched this recent Kevin bacon flick on HBO late night. Skip it.

-Sunday-


Religulous - Bill Maher is smug. Very smug. But, he also makes some good points. They must pass out the "what's stopping atheists from being murderers" argument in young adult Bible camps, because it's the third time I've heard the argument in less than a year. And, you know what, if neither side is willing to acknowledge the base of reasoning for the other's argument, it will never be settled. I've had this argument personally with two of my closest friends who I consider intelligent people and am as shocked at their refusal to acknowledge our evolved cognitive group instinct as they are that I cannot acknowledge that god built it into us. Oh, well. Live and let live.

The Talented Mr. Ripley - I couldn't fall asleep last night so I flipped around the channels in bed and lingered here for too long to flip away. I saw this the first time when was released int heaters. I remember not getting it, but for some reason, liking it. When all the kids I saw it with trashed it, I hid my opinion and went with the herd and said the same thing. I watched it one more time when I worked at a movie store and it made more sense, but I didn't like it as much. Finally, all the parts clicked last night as I appreciated it and enjoyed it thoroughly. It's a great cast - Damon, Law, Paltrow, Blanchette, and P.S.Hoffman - and a good, creepy story that's shot in a convincing manner to be 1950's Europe. I flipped through the original novel once years ago and this seems to be a case of the film actually being better, due to the layering given the titular character.

Well, that's it. My lame-ass, no vacation taking, Spring Break in movies. On a sports related note, after an amazing 14-0 start, the diamond dawgs dropped 2 of 3 to Bama last weekend. In doing so, they gave up 30 runs, walked 16 and committed 7 errors. I figured they'd drop at least one, but I won't lie and say I didn't hold out a glimmer of hope for them to return undefeated. Georgia State comes calling this week at Foley Field. Let's hope we've cleaned up our act a little bit.