Top 5 Films: Massachusetts

Since I've been hitting the states in which I've lived first, there was only one choice left for the Top 5. I'm not sure how I'll choose next time, but I'll find a way. Perhaps I'm way to picky about the movies I like, but I really thought that Massachusetts was going to be easy compared to Oregon. Boy was I wrong. I haven't enjoyed any of the Dennis Lehane adaptations and late-stage Scorsese doesn't cut it for me. Good Will Hunting? No. Legally Blonde? Not really my thing. The Boondock Saints? Forget it. Fever Pitch? I'm still mad at them for tainting the 2004 World Series Celebration. I don't need to see Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore running around the field in my moment of elation.

Field of Dreams
Look at this. The first one and I already picked a movie indelibly linked to Iowa. It'll get more appropriate later, I promise. I sacrifice Little Children for Field of Dreams for the simple reason that a huge plot point send Ray Kinsella on a road trip that culminates at Fenway Park with Terrance Mann. It just doesn't get more Boston (hell, even more Massachusetts-ian) that Fenway Park.

PS -- I reserve the right to reuse this film at a later date.

The Verdict
Sidney Lumet, David Mamet, Paul Newman. And let's not forget James Mason and Jack Warden. Newman plays an alcoholic Boston attorney (I think that's a requirement of attorneys in Boston) in need of redemption. Not much more to say other than this is a great film. Also, I have a man-crush on Paul Newman.


The Last Detail
Another pseudo-cheat because it's a road trip movie that travels through several cities on the east coast. The Boston set piece is an effort to deflower the tragic sad sack Meadows (Randy Quaid) before he gets placed behind bars for 8 years. Jack Nicholson leads the trip up the east coast and Carol Kane, Nancy Allen, and Gilda Radner all pop up. Underrated 70's director Hal Ashby (Harold and Maude, Being There) wrangles everything together. What's most remarkable about the film is that it hearkens back to a time when Randy Quaid wasn't a joke, but a talented character actor (he picked up and Oscar nod for his role here). Poor guy got stuck as Cousin Eddy.


Altered States
Altered States is a mindfuck. I can't even begin to describe it. I'd imagine it's as close one can get to being on drugs without having actually taken any (and I'd hate to think what might happen if one did while watching this movie. Would a wormhole open? Would it be like John Malkovich entering his own mind?). Ken Russell directs and it's based on a book by Paddy Chayefsky, but I care mostly because Bob Balaban is in it and Bob Balaban rocks!



Jaws
Not officially indicated as Massachusetts but filmed on Martha's Vineyard with Massachusetts residents as extras, I'm going to allow it. Easily the best Spielberg movie, it's endlessly entertaining. Funny, scary, whimsical, not afraid to kill children or dogs, and rated PG. And then there's the epic USS Indianapolis speech before all hell breaks loose. Jaws is one of those films you can't help but watch if it's on TV. I'll still take a man-eating shark over jellyfish any day, though.

Why I Won't Be Seeing Playground and I Feel Like a Bad Person For It

I was looking at the upcoming events for the Hollywood Theatre because, well, I work there and try to maintain the blog, and I clicked on a link for a special event this week called Playground. Here's the trailer:


Pretty harrowing. It looks like it's going to be well done and informative, but I knew even before my girlfriend asked if I'd like to go that I would not be seeing that movie. I'm generally not one to avoid movies based on subject matter or content, but Playground strikes me as particularly unpleasant and, more than that, makes one feel pretty helpless. Maybe it's in light of the Kyron Horman case out here that still isn't solved, but children will always be vulnerable to something and people are pretty twisted.

I saw The Cove and Lake of Fire. I've seen countless horror films with rapes, mutilations, gore, and torture (hell, one of them had a woman cut a baby out of another woman's stomach with scissors), and while I understand that these horror films are fake, that doesn't mean we can write them off saying "stuff like that doesn't happen in real life" because it does (just generally with less supernatural forces). The Cove is about animals, so it's easy to distance one's self. Lake of Fire is more of a discussion on a controversial subject. Horror movies are spectacle and also distancing from realities. But Playground is right there.

It seems a little like I'd rather just not think about it, which is probably partially true, but I think it's really great that people are trying to expose it. However, since I'm already on the side of, "this is a horrible thing," I don't need to see the movie to be further convinced. It's kind of like how I don't need to see An Inconvenient Truth to know we should try to stop global warming. Playground is probably an attempt at a call to action, but I'm sad to say, like most Americans, I'd see it, be sad, and do nothing. Judging by how I felt/feel after watching the trailer, I don't think I could handle the full film.

If you want to see it, though, head to the Hollywood Theatre on Thursday. It starts at 6 PM.

Weekly Film Rec: From Beyond

I was going to apologize for yet another horror film, but A) one should never have to apologize for recommending horror films and B) I haven't really recommended that many. So while The Bad Sleep Well would have looked good for diversity and done much for my film geek street cred, I'm going to go with Stuart Gordon's From Beyond (though The Bad Sleep Well is pretty awesome).

Taken from a story by H.P. Lovecraft (much like Gordon's Re-Animator), From Beyond is about scientists who unlock access to a sixth sense by using a machine to stimulate the pineal gland thereby gaining access to a new plane of existence (and allowing those things within this plane access to you). I'm not entirely sure about the science of all of this (or the existence of a "pineal gland"), but if this is what it takes to play with some fantastic practical effects, then I'm more than willing to go for the ride.

Mainstay of Gordon's films, Jeffrey Combs, is the lead and even though he can sometimes be a bit too over-the-top (I'm looking at you, The Frighteners), I always love watching him. He's got this great manic energy that's perfect for a mad scientist type. Of course, he's not the mad scientist in this one, or at least not the maddest. There's at least two other that are more insane than he. One who gets to turn into a wicked beasty and Barbara Crampton, most notable because she was in Chopping Mall the same year.

I'd be completely remiss if I didn't mention genre all-star Ken Foree. He plays the comic relief here and does it quite well. It does feel a bit cliched having the sole black person being the funny one, but dammit, it's Ken Foree! Dawn of the Dead!

The film is by no means great, but it's a bit of fun with some disturbing effects. Great for a night of high quality cheese.

Top 5 Films: Oregon

This project my end up being more daunting than I'd expected. It's quite easy to find lists of films shot in a particular space, but finding films that are set in those states is another thing. I'm worried about when I have to pick five films for, say, Idaho. Of course, maybe I'm just too picky. I'm not in love with The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy (which I've just dubbed the Astoria trilogy), or the films of Gus Van Sant. That alone makes this task about 30% more difficult.

Old Joy
Old Joy kind of hypnotized me when I watched it. I'm pretty sure the combination of the music (by Yo La Tengo) and the scenery subliminally implanted the idea to move to the Pacific Northwest in my head. The film is slight and simple, but damned if it isn't affecting. Plus, Will Oldham rocks! Still need to catch up with Kelly Reichardt's follow-up, Wendy and Lucy.



Stand By Me
A fictional town in Oregon is still a town in Oregon, right? For me, Stand By Me is a much prefered Corey Feldman vehicle than The Goonies (which is still fun, just not as great in my mind as everyone else's). It's one of the great Stephen King adaptations and comes in the middles of an amazing Rob Reiner run (This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally..., Misery. OK, so at the beginning of the middle). Also, the four leads (hell, let's call it five to include Kiefer Sutherland) couldn't have had more different career trajectories. Death (River Phoenix), nerd-god (Wil Wheaton), burn-out/joke (Corey Feldman), B-list "star" married to a supermodel (Jerry O'Connell, marriage status noted only since he was so rolly-polly in the film), and legitimate but troubled A-Lister (Kiefer Sutherland).


One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
A veritable classic, no matter what Ken Kesey may say. This film would fight for a spot if I was doing a top 5 for every country (note: I will not be doing a top 5 for every country). It's no surprise that great cast + great script + great director (or at least very good) = a great film. Louise Fletcher is so identified as the loathsome Nurse Ratched that I was surprised to find that not only has she been working consistently for over 35 years, but that she was pretty sexy in The Cheap Detective just three years later. I didn't think that was possible. And good on the casting director for seeing the inherent chemistry between Christopher Lloyd and Danny Devito. It must have made casting for Taxi (also) three years later that much easier.


Zero Effect
This is kind of a cheat because, while I remember thoroughly enjoying Zero Effect, I don't remember too much about it. The film basically hinges around your feelings about Bill Pullman, which is fine for me, because I like him (and even better that it doesn't hinge around your feelings of Ben Stiller because he's pretty restrained here). It's a clever and bizarre detective story. I'm kind of predisposed to it because the director, Jake Kasdan, directed some Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared episodes plus The TV Set, which is hilarious.


The Phantasm Series
I'm including the whole series because I know for a fact that II and III take place in Oregon and there is some debate about whether the first takes place in Northern California or Oregon, but I think it's Oregon, so it stays. Simply put, Phantasm is awesome. Flying silver orbs, other dimensions, grave robbing, the Tall Man, Reggie Bannister. They've got everything. I'm envious of our UK brethren because they get the entire series in a boss box-set.

Weekly Film Rec: Scott Pilgrim vs The World

It seems a bit too soon to be recommending this since it's only been out for a few weeks, but dammit, no one is seeing it! The only people I know who have seen it are the group that went with me. It's Edgar Wright! When has he ever gone wrong? Spaced? Shaun of the Dead? Hot Fuzz? Don't? All classics!

OK, so maybe Wright is still floating around the fringes of the mainstream as he deals in esoterica. While his films stand on their own, there are so many references geared to a specific audience that it'd be easy to feel left out (hell, the Spaced DVD comes with an "Homage-O-Meter" option that is sort of a Pop-Up Video for the pop culture references).

I don't want to get into why people aren't seeing Scott Pilgrim (I could right a few thousand words defending Michael Cera alone). The fact is, the movie was made and the only people who should care about the money are the ones who have money to lose in it. It's a bit disheartening to see Vampires Suck reaching more viewers, but that, too, is a discussion for another time.

The biggest reason I have to give for everyone to see it is that I can't remember ever leaving the theater thinking that I've legitimately seen something different. From the fights to the integration of the comic and references, Scott Pilgrim simply feels new (while paying homage to an earlier time). I wanted to applaud twice in the first five minutes. Once when the Universal logo came up in 8-bit graphics with an appropriate 8-bit Universal fanfare and immediately after the amazing opening credits. That the movie is funny as hell is a bonus (seriously, Chris Evans and Brandon Routh are unbelievable).

Despite any reservations you might have, trust in Edgar Wright. He is your friend in cinema.

Weekly Film Rec: The Serpent and the Rainbow

Three to four years ago, I rented about seven horror movies to binge on over a weekend (for some reason, even though I was renting DVDs, I picture myself carrying a pile of those thick VHS Blockbuster boxes). Off the top of my head, I can only remember three of them for vastly different reasons. One was Eli Roth's Hostel, which I hated pretty passionately (and which wasn't nearly as gruesome as I'd expected [I'd expected some pretty intense gruesome-osity], so that was nice). Another was The Hitcher, which I didn't know much about aside from the fact that Roger Ebert hated it, genre fans loved it, and it starred C. Thomas Howell who I didn't have much of an opinion about aside from thinking of him painted black in Soul Man. That film blew me away from all angles. The third film in this memory trilogy was The Serpent and the Rainbow.

The reason The Serpent and the Rainbow sticks in my mind is because I never got to watch it. The weekend ran out and my roommate copied and burnt the DVD for me to watch, but I never got around to it and the disc got beat to hell and thrown out (it's not illegal to copy DVDs if no one ever watches them, right?). Finally, after years of anticipation (and prompting from a season 2 X-Files episode), I moved the film to the top of my Netflix queue.

Even after all these years, I still didn't know what the film was about aside from a powder that paralyzes people temporarily and nearly shuts down the body so it's impossible to tell if they are living or not. This leads to premature burial and the old voodoo-style zombie. The Serpent and the Rainbow is pretty clunky at times and has a few fairly jarring transitions, but damned if it isn't an effective horror film.

If there is one thing Wes Craven excels at, it's blurring line between the real world and the dream world. This could easily be The Nightmare on Elm Street 3.5: Freddy Goes to Haiti. The dream imagery is absolutely terrifying (I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares of that corpse bride). But as terrifying as the dreams are, the villain, played by Zakes Mokae, is even more intense. I barely felt safe watching him (and given his power, he probably knew I was watching).

It's rare that a horror film gets under my skin anymore and The Serpent and the Rainbow definitely achieved that. For that alone, I have to make it this week's film rec.

Alternate Titles for Chopping Mall

Last night, I watched Chopping Mall with my girlfriend and while it's a perfectly serviceable crappy horror movie, there is a glaring problem: the title.

Originally, the film was called Killbots, but that title is somewhat lacking, too, and tells you less about what you can expect and more about the menace. At least Chopping Mall tells you that there will be mayhem at the mall.

Well, Andrea and I spent some time coming up with names that we think would be just as good, if not better than Chopping Mall and Killbots.

Killing Mall
Death Mall
Shocking Mall
Lazering Mall
Mall Insecurity
Rolling Security
Shopping Plasma
Trapped in a Mall with Deathbots
The Mall Menace

And finally... the title so obvious it took forever to think of...

Shopping Maul