tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54011339697578629202024-03-13T08:36:47.431-04:00Big lug land...it's about the meat of the matter...Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.comBlogger438125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-67444432828364920992023-12-31T12:39:00.004-05:002023-12-31T12:39:38.896-05:00Eight Years Later... I unpublished a bunch of posts on here today. It's been eight years since I last posted (late December, 2015). Those were all from long-time-ago me, and new me has reached a very different place. It's also a place where I'm tidying up my life and mind after a couple years of increasing struggle (once should learn about their severe, untreated ADHD and completely-failed coping Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-13363394494408410472012-06-29T12:50:00.002-04:002012-06-29T12:50:26.308-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #26: Kawa
Perfect for pride month is this coming out story I reviewed for DVDsnapshot. Also, the occasional glimpses of New Zealand remind me I'd love to travel there one day. It just looks beautiful.
Official Synopsis:
When successful businessman Kawa
(Calvin Tuteao, Once Were Warriors)
finds the courage to tell his wife and kids, his parents and his
traditional Maori community that he's gay, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-19040989579405760412012-06-22T10:00:00.000-04:002012-06-22T10:00:09.429-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #25: The Conquest (La Conquête) (2011)
THE CONQUEST is excellent and timely biopic - which is shaping up to be a theme for my movie watching lately. Originally reviewed for dvdsnapshot.
Official Synopsis:
The Conquest
is that rare specimen produced while its political subject is still
in power. Denis Podalydès delivers a witty yet commanding portrayal
of Nicolas Sarkozy and his rise to the French presidency through the
lens Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-54897524704550435232012-06-15T14:00:00.000-04:002012-06-15T14:00:06.998-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #24: Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
A few weeks ago, I reviewed a documentary about an actress who seemed to hide as much as she gave. Now I got to take a look at one about an actress who, while she doesn't let us in on everything, kindly shares her story complete with big, over-the-top musical numbers. Originally reviewed for dvdsnapshot.com)
Official Synopsis:
Carol Channing's life is as colorful as
the lipstick Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-62985135697972157792012-06-14T22:26:00.000-04:002012-06-20T23:10:22.472-04:00The Agonies and Ecstasies of a Neophyte Gardener
The repository of all my hopes, dreams, and salad fixings...
...or, "How I Blew Over $50 Tuesday at Home Depot Because of a Damn Raccoon."
For as long as I've lived here I've stared out at the raised garden plot out back and thought "I really should try putting in a garden." My neighbor speaks with rapt wonderment about the tomatoes the previous owner could coax out of the only sunny patchJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-54843512501572359822012-06-09T11:00:00.000-04:002012-06-09T11:00:03.249-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #23: Queen of Blood
The Year: 1990
In the far-flung future of stock footage and quilted coats, Mars proves to be a planet of matte paintings, miniatures, and deedleboppers. Queen of Blood is a great lousy movie, perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Frequently (and always unintentionally) funny, this is the finest in inventive low-budget film-making from the Roger Corman school. Curtis Using plenty of stock Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-8374887783630958092012-06-01T17:28:00.004-04:002012-06-01T17:36:41.861-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #22: ImmortalsThere's something cold and off-putting about Tarsem's CGI abuse in Immortals. Admittedly gorgeous, its clean aesthetic is one glob of frozen Vaseline away from being a mash-up of 300 and Mathew Barney's Cremaster series of art films... and that's just the impression left by the first three minutes. By the time Frida Pinto shows up and John Hurt starts narrating, you question why actors and Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-32934041387220314912012-05-25T10:00:00.000-04:002012-05-25T11:34:44.748-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #21: Charlotte Rampling: The Look
Supurbly unflattering cover photo aside, this collection of conversations with a legendary film star was originally reviewed for DVD Snapshot. Do you really get to know the woman, or is she the living embodiment of the Sphinx herself? I'm still not sure.
All I know is I really wanna see Max Mon Amour now...
Official Synopsis:
Legendary actress Charlotte Rampling (Heading South, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-26962019041585234732012-05-18T10:00:00.000-04:002012-05-18T10:00:12.515-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #20: Films of Fury
Reviewed for DVDSnapshot, and recommended to everyone, this "Kung Fu Movie Movie" is the most fun Friday Night Flick I've seen in quite a while.
Official Synopsis:Films of Fury tells the story of the Kung Fu sub-culture from its ancient Peking Opera origins to its superhero-powered future. From Enter the Dragon to Kung Fu Panda and everything in between, Films of Fury features the Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-86603940917395449372012-05-06T14:04:00.000-04:002012-05-06T14:04:27.232-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #18: The Museum of Wonders
This week we visit The Museum of Wonders on behalf of DVDSnapshot. The more time that passes, the more I'm convinced this is one for independent film fans. Perhaps perfect for a double-bill with The Last Circus?
Official Synopsis:
When the beautiful dancer Salome learns
that the dwarf circus owner Marcel has just received an inheritance,
she marries the lovesick, diminutive Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-13878042417481046272012-04-27T18:16:00.005-04:002012-04-28T14:46:56.512-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #17: Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
I still think the best thing about listening to his music is that even though I don't understand the words, I know the intent is to make you feel kinda dirty...
Grab a pack of Gauloises and curl up with this bio-pic treat. Originally reviewed for DVD Snapshot.
Official Synopsis:
Renowned comic book artist Joann Sfar's
Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life is
a completely original Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-74177663881158418882012-04-20T10:00:00.000-04:002012-04-28T14:46:50.006-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #16: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's JourneyA delight reviewed for DVD Snapshot - not the world's most illuminating documentary by any means, but it's got Muppets - so what more do you need?
Official Synopsis:
Beloved by millions of children around
the world, Elmo is an international icon. However, few people know
the soft-spoken man behind the furry red monster: Kevin Clash.
Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Being
Elmo: A Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-65747564890730829162012-04-15T22:20:00.002-04:002012-04-28T14:46:43.268-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #15: Brainstorm (1983)
As an accomplished movie watcher, I can sometimes get surprised realizing that I haven't actually seen a movie I know a great deal about. Brainstorm is one of those. A bit of a flop, its fortunes were darkened by the death of Natalie Wood during the production. I also knew it was made in two aspect ratios, one being Super Panavision for the effects scenes. When I realized that was all I knew, IJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-91646901230236726372012-04-06T21:58:00.002-04:002012-04-28T14:46:30.651-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #14: Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials
This week, it's not a movie, but rather a series of long-lost television specials that should by all rights be classic. Originally reviewed for DVDsnapshot, it's a real pleasure to share these with you.
Official Synopsis:
Before his untimely death at the age of
42, television pioneer Ernie Kovacs left us with a sublime body of
comedy work whose influence can be seen on everything from Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-90993409117447254802012-03-30T19:25:00.003-04:002012-04-28T14:46:20.546-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #13: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are as comforting a team as Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, or Steve and Edie. Hammer films, be they horror or a mystery-thriller like this, are as comforting as house slippers. Mannered, stage-bound, and always hinting at much darker thrills than they show, this studio produced gem after gem. All together, it's a match-up equal to chocolate and peanut Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-22331857273061155772012-03-23T10:00:00.000-04:002012-04-28T14:46:06.106-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #12: Nightmare (Stage Fright, 1980)
Nightmare is definitely a product of its time as a circa-1980
slasher film. In such a film, a couple having graphic sex in an alley can't really
complain if someone comes along and finds them. This includes the
audience gaping at the indulgently gratuitous nudity (and those round
vaccination scars anyone who doesn't have one has probably forgotten about
by now). The couple is, however, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-34386669096298540022012-03-20T12:16:00.002-04:002012-03-20T16:40:37.129-04:00That's A Lotta VHS Tapes
Part of getting the house in order (my quickly lapsed "2012 Project") in order to a) shack up and b) be less of a pack rat, means sorting things. Last night, I felt it was high time I addressed my VHS collection. Some of these movies I bought nearly 20 years ago, others are tapes with over 20 years of viewing under their belts than I picked up at one sale or another. Making the list was a fullJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-57899924463062124422012-03-16T10:00:00.000-04:002012-03-16T10:00:03.646-04:00Jay's Movie of the Week #11: Snow White: A Deadly Summer
David DeCoteau is doing something right... I just can't quite figure out what for all the wrong here. (Originally reviewed for DVDsnapshot.com)
Official Synopsis:
In this edgy tale of horror, a troubled
teenage girl finds herself in a web of lies and deceit when her
stepmother attempts to murder her by sending her to a discipline
camp.
Our Take:
The ever-prolific David DeCoteau has
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-54856746562848531412012-03-09T07:00:00.000-05:002012-03-09T07:00:12.322-05:00Jay's Movie of the Week #10: Suspicion (American Playhouse, 1988)
I stray from my usual horror and genre fair with something a little more high-toned, like a stifled remake of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Verdict: They were asking for trouble from the get go.
Marry in haste. Remake in leisure. Watch in boredom. (Originally reviewed for DVDsnapshot.com)
Official Synopsis:
A powerfully tense remake of the Alfred
Hitchcock classic, this British production of Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-29843236273313718512012-03-04T17:42:00.002-05:002012-03-04T17:42:53.390-05:00Jay's Movie of the Week Reviews #9: AenigmaI'm going to start calling my One-A-Week reviews my movie of the week. Why? Why not? No better way to start than this howler of a horror that actually gets better the more you think about it...
I haven't liked any Lucio Fulci movies made after The House By the Cemetery (with the possible exception of Cat in the Brain). They're awful; totally overrated by fans. I know this, and yet I keep Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-4477420733151568232012-02-26T22:02:00.000-05:002012-02-26T22:04:57.447-05:00One A Week Reviews #8: Libestraum
I've seen Libestraum on offer for 20 years now and always meant to watch it. I had heard it was something of a meditative mystery featuring the last screen appearance of Kim Novak and had the excellent pedigree of being directed by Mike Figgis. Also, it starred Bill Pullman along with two lead actors, Kevin Anderson and Pamela Gidley, who never really "happened," even though they kept getting Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-85356547659524414252012-02-19T17:24:00.004-05:002012-02-20T15:20:45.448-05:00One A Week Reviews #7: Final Destination 5There was a period during my twenties, right after college, where I just couldn't stomach horror movies. There was something about finally getting out of school and entering a not-that-friendly real world, that had me finally grappling with an end to "adolescence."With that came a loss of that youthful viewpoint that nothing could hurt me, an innocence I luckily was able to maintain for a large Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-27077261071322429822012-02-10T20:37:00.002-05:002012-02-10T20:37:55.807-05:00One A Week Reviews #6: Cat in the Brain (Nightmare Concert)
Cat in the Brain is a walk down memory lane by Lucio Fulci, mostly built from clips from his other (lesser) films. It's a cheap gorefest masquerading as meditation, some weird, director's walk-about. There's a loose story which is even more loosely draped with clips intended to represent the memories of the director in his Winter. Everywhere he goes, events cause him to flash back to the gore Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-4685346916091385032012-02-03T11:00:00.000-05:002012-02-03T11:03:13.218-05:00One A Week Reviews #5: The Legend Of Hell House
Of all the well-known horror films I've seen over the years, I somehow continually missed The Legend of Hell House. I haven't even read the Richard Matheson novel, "Hell House," that it's based on. I have however read "The Haunting of Hill House," and seen both versions of The Haunting. I wondered, based on the similarities in plot, where a small group of psychics spend some time in a Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-27938336315347790092012-01-29T20:10:00.002-05:002012-01-29T20:10:25.089-05:00One A Week Reviews #4: Horrible Bosses
The crude comedy Horrible Bosses succeeds on two levels. On one, it's a showpiece for likeable film actors with comedy chops to shine. But on another level, it succeeds as a wish-fulfillment outlet for so many people who're laid off, fired, or feeling trapped in their jobs by this crappy market and horrible economy. As a kind of wish-fulfillment, this triumvirate take on "Strangers on a Train" Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0