BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH

BRUCE LEE: THE MAN, THE MYTH

With all the talk lately about Bruce Lee and his appearance in ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD it's probably not a coincidence that this has popped up on the (really, really cool) free streaming app Tubi. (To be fair, it's also on Amazon Prime but it was noticing the Tubi listing that prompted this post.)

 

Our small, southern town didn't have a true 'grindhouse' theater, but it did have the 'old' theaters downtown versus the 'new' theater by the mall.

The new theater got the bigger mainstream releases while the downtown theaters got, well, stuff like this. Those are also the theaters where I saw THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and CALIGULA and BASKET CASE and the like.

Those movies, my dad took me to see. But this one - dad was off stationed in Turkey for a year and somehow I got mom to take me to this one. She stayed up in the back and let me go down closer to the front where I liked to sit - one very young, very white kid in a crowd 100% older and probably 90% non-white.

One of the best, most memorable movie-going experiences of my life.

Won't be quite the same, but here's a direct link to the film on Tubi:
https://tubitv.com/movies/282408/bruce_lee_the_man_the_myth

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019)

Directed by Jon Watts

Written by Chris McKenna

Screenplay by  Erik Sommers

Starring Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Marisa Tomei , Jacob Balaton, Jon Favreau, Zendaya, and Cobie Smulders

Rated PG-13

 

 

Fair warning...this isn't a big write-up, but it gets a little bit spoilery with both this film and AVENGERS: ENDGAME so if you've somehow managed to avoid all the noise about that film and the previews for this film well, not sure I'd continue past the cut...

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Starring everyone, okay? Just...everyone....

Where to even start?

Well, first off and perhaps most importantly - NO SPOILERS HERE. I'm going to ramble on for a bit about the movie but if you want specifics as to what happens, you really should just go see it.

And, since there will be rambling, I'll go ahead and put a cut right about here:

The Forgotten DEADPOOL 2 Write-Up

Whoa.

Been even longer than the usual "man, it's been awhile" postings I usually do.

Wouldn't have been quite as long if I'd remembered to post this thing back when I initially wrote it.

It's a small thing, but at least it's actually still playing, at least in my little rinky-dink one-theater town. I guess people are still going to see it.

Anyways, here goes...

DEADPOOL 2 (2018)

Directed by David Leitch

Screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Ryan Reynolds

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Jack Kesy

 

Deadpool is back, and even more Deadpoolier, which is great for people who like that sort of thing. Since I enjoyed the first one, I was happy to plunk down and watch this one.

To really talk about how I feel about it, tho, I'm going to have to throw in some pretty

BIG

SPOILERS

so I'll hide them behind a cut and some pretty pictures...

SOLO - A STAR WARS STORY

SOLO - A STAR WARS STORY (2018)

Directed by Ron Howard

Screenplay by Johnathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan

Starring Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clark, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Paul Bettany

Possibly some very minor spoilers ahead, so I'll toss a break in here:

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt and more but seriously I'm tired already....

No spoilers here, by the way.

Wow.

Remember THE AVENGERS? (And yes, I'm talking the 2012 Marvel movie, not the 1960s British spy series. If you're unfamiliar with that one I'd suggest fixing that problem as soon as possible.)

Remember wondering if they could bring a movie together that featured all three(!) of the main franchise leads, along with the other characters introduced along the way, into an entertaining film? Those were much more innocent times, weren't they?

Ten years and nineteen films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought us here - Thanos is finally "doing it himself" and going after the Infinity Stones that have been weaving their way thru most every MCU movie to date. Doing so will make him quite simply the most powerful being in existence and so it will take every other powerful being banding together to stop him.

Somehow, the original AVENGERS managed to give all the characters time to shine. Somehow, the Russo Brothers upped the ante with the massive CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and it turns out that movie was just a warm-up. Nearly every named character in the MCU comes out for this one.

At this point, they're not even trying to make a movie that 'first-timers' can walk in to and follow with no issue. Maybe one line is given to *who* these people are and their relationship (if any) to the other characters they're on screen with because from the opening frame, this juggernaut of a film starts moving and only takes a breath during the final credits.

It is, basically, one long fight scene, spread across the universe as the disparate characters each have their own encounter with Thanos or his minions and find their way to each other before the final battle. Even so, they manage to pack some surprising emotional beats into the proceedings, grounding at least some of the conflicts on a more personal note than "saving the universe."

And more than maybe any other film in whole MCU series - because that's what it is, each film a chapter in a longer story - it will leave you wanting to see the next one and sooner rather than later.

Avoid spoilers and just go see it.

(and like I said, you can take a breath and maybe a bathroom break once the credits start because the only end-credits scene is allllll the way at the very end)

READY PLAYER ONE

READY PLAYER ONE (2018)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Zak Penn and Ernest Cline

Based on the novel by Ernest Cline
Starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, T.J. Miller, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki


I was going to recuse myself from writing about this one. The book it's based on was written by Ernest Cline, who I knew as BBI Rafterman years ago on the Buckaroo Banzai mailing list I maintain. Aside from having a nice Banzai site, he wrote a well-regarded fan script for the mythical BUCKAROO BANZAI: AGAINST THE WORLD CRIME LEAGUE. I think I still have some early drafts on 3.5" discs somewhere. Meanwhile, you can head to his site and read it here if you like.

But then I remembered that I'm not a pro and not getting paid to be objective and no one really cares if I might be inclined to say positive things about the movie even if it turns out I hated it just because I knew the author online years ago, so here we go...

TOMB RAIDER

TOMB RAIDER (2018)

Directed by Roar Uthaug

Screenplay by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons

Story by Evan Daugherty and Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristen Scott Thomas


So, I had a chance to check out the new TOMB RAIDER film. This one is a reboot that goes back to the beginning, showing how Lara Croft picked up her tomb-raiding hobby. It's heavily influenced by the 2013 version of the game, itself a reboot of the game series. In it, we got a younger, inexperienced Lara who had not yet faced the challenges that turned her into the kick-ass character we've known for the past twenty-two years. (Good grief! Twenty-two? Yep, the first game came out back in 1996.)

Both the 2013 game and the 2018 movie take young Lara to the lost island of Yamatai, believed to be the final resting place of the 3rd century Japanese Queen Himiko. Movie and game pit Lara against an assortment of enemies after Himiko, who was believed to have supernatural powers.

The movie also mixes in a bit of the 2015 Rise of the Tomb Raider, replacing the first game's bloodthirsty cultists with the second game's evil organization, Trinity, which hopes to find Himiko's tomb and harness her power for themselves.

Alicia Vikander, the second Academy Award winner to portray Croft, really throws herself into the role. She's maybe a little petite for Lara (she's apparently only 5'5") but she's solid muscle and once she has her 'trial by fire' moment in the film and really goes on the offensive you have to feel a bit sorry for the bad guys. She also nails the emotional side, grounding this Lara as a daughter who has refused to accept the loss of her father when she was a child and now has a chance to find out what happened to him.

Leading said bad guys is the always cool Walton Goggins as Mathias Vogel. Stuck on Yamatai until he and his men find Himiko's tomb Vogel has maybe gone a bit crazy, something Goggins excels at without a bunch of overblown posturing. Just looking in the guy's eyes can give you a chill up your spine.

Daniel Wu tags along as the captain of the ship that gets Lara to Yamatai, and whose father also disappeared on that last fateful journey of Lord Richard Croft, played by Dominic West.

While the more grounded, semi-realistic action is a welcome change from all the over-the-top cartoon stuff out there these days (there is some of that, of course, and some nice nods to action scenes from the game) and surprising in a film based on a video game, I can't help but think it would've benefited from being a bit more like the game in regards to the plot and some of the enemies. I also missed her supporting cast from the game, but this movie was all about Lara and that's okay, too.

Overall I thought it was a pretty good action movie, obviously in the Indiana Jones mold as it has evolved thru the years in both the Tomb Raider and Uncharted games.

BLACK PANTHER

BLACK PANTHER (2018)

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Written by Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker, Angela Bassett, Winston Duke

 

 

Particularly since it just came out this weekend, I'm not going to spoil anything here, beyond what's been shown in previews.

 

The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has landed and it rocks. Black Panther, like most of the heroes getting their own MCU movies so far, was never one I read much of so I didn't have the burden of sitting there going "that's not like it is in the comics!" I mean, maybe it's exactly like it was in the comics - the point is I don't know either way.

 

What I do know is that I totally dug it. Much like GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and especially THOR: RAGNAROK, Ryan Coogler has made a movie that is definitely a "Marvel Movie" but with a spin that makes it stand out as its own thing.

 

Chadwick Boseman is T'Challa, the Black Panther, continuing from his appearance in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. In that film, T'Challa's father, King T'Chaka is killed and as this one begins T'Challa officially takes up the mantle of King of Wakanda. Adding to his uncertainty that he's actually ready to lead Wakanda, he has to deal with the return of Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis totally digging not being hidden behind a layer of CGI like most of his bigger roles) who has been one of Wakanda's Most Wanted after stealing from them years ago. Klaue, in turn, brings Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger into the mix, who has his own reasons for giving T'Challa a hard time.

 

The whole cast is great. Great enough that browsing reviews I keep seeing different actors being giving the 'stole the show' award. Michael B. Jordan? Sure, he stole the show. Danai Gurira? Sure, she stole it, too. My personal show-stealing accusation goes to Letitia Wright as Shuri, the younger, somewhat irreverent younger sister to Boseman's much more serious T'Challa. Oh, and she's also a genius whose technical achievements could give Tony Stark some serious feelings of inadequacy. She does a great routine as 'Q,' helping T'Challa out in a casino-based fight-turned-car-chase that wouldn't be too out of place in a James Bond film.

If there was a flaw at all that I noticed, it's that 3D, especially post-converted 3D (as opposed to being shot in 3D in the first place) has trouble with fast fight scenes, giving them a distracting blur or double-image effect. It's still a gorgeous film and I'm happy to have seen it in 3D since all my subsequent home viewing will be in good ol' 2D.

Ten years and what...eighteen(?) movies in I shouldn't have to mention the importance of staying all the way thru the end credits for a Marvel Movie, but since I still people who bail as soon as the credits start to roll, consider it mentioned.

 

At its core, it's still a Marvel superhero movie, with increasingly larger and flashier (and more CGI'ed) action scenes that will easily satisfy any fan of these movies, but there's a heart there with the characters and their relationships and motivations that keep an important element of humanity grounding the arcade action.

 

 

Prevues of Coming Attractions

Well, work and various other annoying 'real life' distractions have conspired to throw me off my schedule yet again.

So here are previews for some of the upcoming movies I hope to see this year....

Prevues after the cut....

BONEHILL ROAD

BONEHILL ROAD (2017)

Directed by Todd Sheets

Written by Todd Sheets

Starring Eli DeGeer, Ana Rojas-Plumberg, Douglas Epps, Gary Kent, Millie Milan, Dilynn Fawn Harvey, Linnea Quigley

From IMDb:

"Emily and Eden Stevens escape one violent situation only to dive headfirst into another. Terrified and alone they are stranded in the dark woods only to be chased into a horrific scene in a house of horrors. They must work together to get out alive. But what is worse? What is on the inside or out?" 

Seemed appropriate to hold this one off until Werewolf Wednesday because we have another low (okay, micro) budget, indie horror, crowdfunded werewolf film to check out with the new Todd Sheets flick, BONEHILL ROAD.

Naturally what got my attention, aside from werewolves, of course, was the plan to do it with all practical effects and not CGI so I managed to pony up a little cash for the cause myself.

As I've said before, when looking at movies made at this level, you have to use a different scale. Even the low-budget WOLFCOP was made for around a million dollars. BONEHILL ROAD was done for around fourteen thousand. My hat's off to anyone trying to make any full-length film for that kind of money, and when you add in the idea of full werewolf suits and practical effects...insane. But these guys did it.

Like the IMDb synopsis states, Emily and daughter Eden Stevens leave an abusive home with the intention of getting to Emily's dad's place and regroup from there to figure out their situation. Unfortunately, their route takes them down Bonehill Road. After a minor accident turns into a full-scale werewolf attack, they take refuge in a seemingly abandoned house and, well, the phrase "Out of the frying pan, into the fire" comes to mind.

What follows is a pretty harrowing situation for the two as they find themselves trapped by a psycho in the house while the werewolves toy with them outside, keeping them trapped.

It's a rough ride for the two, and the movie's success hinges as much on the performances of Eli DeGeer and Ana Rojas-Plumberg as Emily and Eden as it does on the werewolves. The two do a good job and work well together as mother and daughter and you want them to get away. That's something that comes as a relief to me because too many movies these days have characters that quite frankly I couldn't give two figs about. My favorite Scream Queen Linnea Quigley is also on hand in something of an extended cameo that's one of her better acting jobs. 

The werewolf and gore effects are also pretty good. The werewolves all have a distinct look, so it's not like they did one mold and made copies. You can recognize the different beasts. Some shots are easily the equal to (or better) than the stuff I've seen in more expensive films. They even take a stab at a full-on transformation which mostly works out pretty well.

Full-on, practical werewolves, blood-n-gore, even a bit of nudity. Basically everything one could want in a movie like this. If you're okay with the obvious limitations imposed by the budget, I'd say give this one a chance.

Bonus: I also really dig the haunting "Bad Moon Rising" cover used in the movie -

IT

IT (2017)

Directed by Andy Muschietti 

Written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, Gary Dauberman

Based on the novel by Stephen King

Starring Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hamilton

 

From IMDb:

"A group of bullied kids band together when a shapeshifting monster, taking the appearance of a clown, begins hunting children."

 

Okay, so I finally caught the recent big-screen adaption of Stephen King's IT. It's been quite awhile since I've read the book or seen the original TV version (all hail Tim Curry!) so I wasn't too stuck on stuff like "that's not what happened!" and all that.

 

First off - the cast did great. A movie like this, focusing on kids, really needs the right kids in the roles to pull it off and they put together a fine group for this one. Kind-of have to feel for Finn Wolfhard, tho. Between this and STRANGER THINGS, the poor guy seems to be stuck in the 80s no matter what he does.

 

Yep, it's another 'set in the 80s' thing. In this case, it's because the original story was told in two parts - the characters facing down It when they were kids, then being drawn together again as adults for another go 'round. This movie is simply the first half, with the kids realizing what is really happening in their sleepy little town of Derry and fighting back. Luckily, part two has already been announced so we'll see how that turns out in a year or so, I guess.

 

The original was written in the 80s, with the flashback section happening in the 50s. This version time-shifts events so the kids are dealing with It in the 80s and the next version can be set somewhat currently. 

 

For an 80s set piece, tho, it (or should that be, 'IT'?) really doesn't beat you over the head with 80s references. In fact, some of it still comes across like it could be the 50s. I'm not sure making paper boats to float down the street was still a huge thing by the 80s and Bill's bike, Silver' (and the fact that he still calls it Silver and recites the Lone Ranger's "Hi yo, Silver! Away!") seems like it came straight from the 50s.

The best parts of the movie were when it dealt with the kids just navigating their world - the initial 'Losers Club' of bullied nerds slowly expanding to include the others, including apparently the only black kid in town, and a girl that of course two of the boys end up pining for.

When they're apart and having their own experiences with the evil clown monster, Pennywise, things just kind-of happen and it seems almost at random. There's not a lot of actual tension, and of course way too much 'Look what we can do with CGI!' going on. The kids' encounters with the truly psychotic town bully are scarier and seems to be a bigger threat most of the time. He does seem to do more real damage to the kids than Pennywise ever does (well, except for little Georgie at the beginning - yikes).

It was pretty decent, helped largely by the cast. I liked it well enough that I didn't mind spending the time or money to watch it, but I didn't think IT was anything special. Did make me want to re-read the book or at least re-watch the original version if I can track down the time.

Two Werewolves and a Babysitter

So yes, I absolutely did take a break for Christmas. But I'm back with a triple-feature, hence the title (which now I'm afraid will show up as the title of one of those ebooks on Amazon - guess I'd better hurry and write it myself).

Anyway, read on if you like for my thoughts on WEREWOLVES OF THE THIRD REICH, CARNIVORE: WEREWOLF OF LONDON, and THE BABYSITTER.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI

In case some of you haven't heard, there's a new Star Wars movie in theaters. I figured I'd go check it out.

(Spoilers ahead)

JUSTICE LEAGUE

Okay, still a little off schedule here but I actually had some time off and used it to watch something relatively recent and popular for a change.

JUSTICE LEAUGE (2017)

Directed by Zack Snyder 

Written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon

Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher

It's been out long enough that there'll probably be spoilers below the cut....

Merry Christmas Movies!

Ha! I bet you thought I forgot about doing something here this week, didn't you? Well, you were absolutely...right. Hey, when it's tough to keep track of what day it actually is, things fall thru the cracks.

But, I have a little bit of time before work, so since it's actually December now, I guess it's okay to dust off a sadly 'normal' topic for this particular list - some of ArcLight's favorite Christmas movies....

Two Movies and a Book

Actually had a little time off at the end of the month. Possibly my last days off until Thanksgiving if the rumors are true. Managed to squeeze in some movie watching and book reading.

Read on for some thoughts on THOR: RAGNAROK, PHOENIX FORGOTTEN, and Rachel Bach's novel  Fortune's Pawn.

Halloween Movies

Another grab-bag as work hours, family commitments, and just a bone-deep tiredness have taken up my time this week.

For all that I love Halloween, I haven't had time to do anything for it this year. That sucks.

Ordinarily, there are at least three films I try and watch during this most joyous time of year. What are they, no one asks? Let me tell ya....

PREDATORY MOON

PREDATORY MOON (2017)

Directed by Shiva Rodriguez 

Written by Shiva Rodriguez

Starring Chris Morrissey, Jonathan Foster, D. Duckie Rodriguez, Jeffrey Crisp, Lowrie Fawley, Mel Heflin

From IMDb:

"Kyle Reading is a zoologist who has been studying wild animal attacks across the country in hopes of finding ways to prevent them. When a young boy is allegedly killed by a bear in Florida, Kyle launches his own investigation. He quickly turns his attention to Dean Clout, the child's uncle, who somehow survived the vicious attack. Dean, infamous for being the town drunk, remembers very little about his brush with the bear. Found unconscious in the woods, he only recalls that he and the boy were left there by a friend who went to run an errand and never came back. But in the weeks following the attack, Dean begins to drop some of his bad habits and pick up some strange new ones. Kyle is convinced that Dean was actually attacked by a werewolf and wants to help him deal with his new condition while keeping the rest of his family safe. He knows that the lycanthropic disease runs in a twenty-eight day cycle and that Dean is running out of time. Unfortunately for Kyle, there is someone who has been keeping a close eye on him. Someone who sees an advantage to having a stranger in town who cries "werewolf"."

A few years back I must've been going thru a period where I had a little extra cash. I contributed a few bucks to an Indiegogo campaign for a werewolf movie because, well...werewolves.

A few weeks back I was browsing new titles available to stream with Amazon Prime when this movie caught my eye because, well...werewolves.

Lo and behold, the reason it sounded familiar is because this is the movie I ponied up some of my hard-earned cash for so they could do some practical werewolf effects.

What did my $15 get me?

LYCAN

LYCAN (2017)

Directed by Bev Land 

Written by Bev Land and Michael Mordler

Starring Dania Ramirez, Jake Lockett, Parker Croft, Rebekah Graf, and Kalia Prescott, with Vanessa Angel and Gail O'Grady

"When six college kids in a sleepy southern town are assigned a group project to rediscover a moment in history, one of them sets in motion a horrific fate when he proposes they head into the Georgia backwoods to tackle the legend of Emily Burt, the Talbot County werewolf. "Lycan" is a Hitchcockian tale of horror set in 1986 that delves into a hundred-year-old fable where our students are met with very real consequences that go beyond any classroom lessons."

Or so says the back cover of the DVD, at least.

I don't do too many 'blind buys' in this age of Netflix, but for the first time in a couple of weeks (thanks to the nutty work schedule I'm still dealing with) I went somewhere other than the grocery store and saw this. It tripped a couple of my interest triggers so I snagged it.

So how did that turn out for me?