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What to Watch or: Wentworth

30 Tuesday Oct 2018

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Salutations™!!

I have been watching a show on Netflix for the last few weeks and I’m really enjoying it. It’s called Wentworth and at first, I thought it was a knockoff of Orange is the New Black, which I liked but got tired of really quick. It is about a women’s prison, well, correctional facility in Australia that shows a lot of the “political” and “hierarchical” situations including “top dogs” and “bosses,” crooked governors, secrets, and revenge.

Wentworth_title

©Fremantle Australia

The actors are great and the storylines are interesting. I’m on season three now (there are six so far). Wentworth is set in Australia and focuses on Bea Smith (Danielle Cormack) when she first enters prison after being charged with the attempted murder of her husband. She is sent to Wentworth on remand, where she lives while awaiting her sentencing. She is in the absolute bottom of Wentworth’s tiered society is forced to learn how to survive.

Other stars include Nicole da Silva as Francesca “Franky” Doyle, Kate Atkinson as Vera Bennett, Celia Ireland as Elizabeth “Liz” Birdsworth, Shareena Clanton as Doreen “Dor” Anderson, Katrina Milosevic as Susan “Boomer” Jenkins, Libby Tanner as Bridget Westfall, Aaron Jeffery as Matthew “Fletch” Fletcher, Robbie J. Magasiva as Will Jackson, Socratis Otto as transgendered Maxine Conway and the most interesting and scariest character is Pamela Rabe as Joan “The Freak” Ferguson. She is scary as heck, actually.

There are only 12 episodes per season and there are only six seasons, as of yet. You can watch them all on Netflix and I highly recommend it. Check it out.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I don’t eat sausage, I’m vagitarian.” – Franky Doyle

Currently/Non-Currently or: A Fond Farewell

06 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Life as We Know It, Podcasting, The Less Desirables Network

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When Brian and I started The Less Desirables seven and a half years ago, we wanted a pop culture podcast that would allow us to talk about the things we liked, that we thought we knew, that people didn’t mind hearing us banter about. That ended up being music, sports, some tech, beer (of course) and movies. aperture2

What did I really know about movies? Well, not a whole lot. I just liked to watch them. I still do… I LOVE it. That is as long as I don’t have to go to the movies. I’m not one to really go to the movies. There are several reasons but I don’t just don’t, usually. But, I love watching them at home. I won’t go into the whole AFI Top 100 and Top 400 nominees and all that, you’ve heard it enough, but, to make a long story longer, I love to watch movies that aren’t “current.”

So, for that reason, we decided to call our little segment in which I talked about a movie that was, by any means, “classic” or at least not “current,” the “current/non-current movie of the week.” Catchy, eh? Well, probably not and by the time Eugene got there, he thought the name was dumb. Mostly because if we didn’t explain it to all the listeners, every week, the name made no sense. Eventually, I dropped that segment title and just called it the “movie of the week.”

In 2013, a/perture cinema came on board to be our “movies sponsor.” They were the sponsor of that section, not just the stuff that was top five in the theaters, not just the new stuff being released for home viewing but the “movie of the week” segment. a/perture cinema (all lowercase, by the way) is the area’s best art house cinema. Not only do you get quality films, you get hard to find films, you get stuff from the UNCSA School of the Arts, you get RiverRun International Film Festival pieces, things made from local filmmakers and the list goes on. It is right downtown WSNC and a fun place to watch a film. The best part (to me anyway) is that you can watch those films whilst drinking a beer or wine. And that without having to sneak it in via your significant other’s big bulky purse.

Fast forward to “today’s” The Less Desirables, the current version. It’s still a pop culture podcast but it’s more of a community bulletin board. There are always guests from the community (and sometimes outside our community) that come on to talk about their businesses, restaurants, breweries, theatres (the live action kind), teams, groups, music and so on. That segment has grown from 15-20 minutes way back in 2010 to about 40-50 minutes. That’s what we’ve really come to be known for. Beyond our love for the pop culture things, we love our community and love to promote the things going on in it.

So, with that section getting bigger, and leaving the movies, music, television and beer aspects in there, the show is consistently two hours long. That’s a long time for a podcast. However, we don’t feel that it’s wasted space, we keep it fun and entertaining, at least we think we do and we’re told we do. But, we risk running even longer every week. You love us, we know, but man, that’s a lot to listen to. So, we have to trim the fat somewhere. We’ve already dropped the technology section because that’s so fleeting by the time we talk about it, it’s already not the trend anymore.

We’ve already dropped the technology section because that’s so fleeting by the time we talk about it, it’s already not the trend anymore. When Eugene left he took the TV section with him. We don’t want to cut the guests down because that’s really our bread and butter now. Caitlin isn’t with us so she isn’t doing her “Caitlin’s Bowl o’Stuffs.” All that and it’s still two hours long. In my mind, music is the blood in my veins. There’s always something new and exciting, people want to see and hear it, we can do it whilst driving, cooking, jogging, walking, getting groovy with our significant others, anything. So, that isn’t going anywhere.

All that leaves one thing. Movies. Let me restate that I love movies, but really, because of my relationship with a/perture cinema, I couldn’t really talk about much because I couldn’t talk about Netflix or Amazon Prime or Hulu because it conflicted. I totally understood that and didn’t want to create any friction. But, I’ve gotten busy and coming up with a movie to watch (and taking the time to do it) then writing a post/review of it, that took a lot of time. So, as of this week’s podcast (October 4, 2017), we have decided to drop the movies section from the show. It will probably be filled with something else but it won’t be movies. I don’t necessarily like getting rid of it, but it truly makes sense to. That also means that as of October 4th, a/perture cinema is no longer our movies sponsor. The

That also means that as of October 4th, a/perture cinema is no longer our movies sponsor. They were the second or third major sponsor to sign up with us and we appreciate them for their years of dedication to us. We still will talk about big events and things they have going on, but not every week. We love that place and think that you will, to. Watch a film and have a drink and think of us!

So, there it is, goodbye to the movies section. I have loved you but it was time to go. I’d still love to talk movies with you, Dear Reader, send me some recommendations or ask me questions. I’ll talk about it here and if it’s a big enough topic, on TLD. I’d love to do that. Anywhat, this has gone much longer than I expected. Thanks for hanging in there.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Movies can and do have tremendous influence in shaping young lives in the realm of entertainment towards the ideals and objectives of normal adulthood.” – Walt Disney

The Commitments or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

26 Saturday Aug 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, The Commitments (1991), starring Robert Arkins, Glen Hansard and Andrew Strong. 

The_Commitments_poster

©20th Century Fox

 

Per IMDb: “When Jimmy Rabbitte wants to start a band, he has open auditions at his house.”

That’s a pretty minimalist description, really. Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins) is an early-twenties music fan in Dublin and wants to start a soul band that he can manage. He has friends, guitarist Outspan Foster (Hansard) and bassist Derek Scully (Kenneth McCluskey), who are the foundation and he holds open auditions at his family’s home where his dad, played by one of my favorite Irish actors, Colm Meaney, is a huge Elvis fan and thinks that the whole idea is preposterous: they’re in Dublin, there’s not a lot of “soul” in Dublin.

During auditions, a veteran trumpet player named Joey “The Lips” Fagan (Johnny Murphy) comes and helps direct the band in the right direction. Jimmy thinks that “The Lips” is too old but he soon realizes that Fagan can be beneficial. Jimmy approaches the neighborhood screw-up, Declan “Deco” Cuffe (Strong) to be the singer after hearing him sing at a wedding reception. He approaches his friend Bernie McGloughlin (Bronagh Gallagher) to be a backup singer because he wants her to bring his crush Imelda Quirke (Angeline Ball) along to also be a backup singer. Add in Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle) into the mix and you have the Commitmentettes. Then, add a drummer, saxophone player and pianist and you have yourself a band. A no-experience-having band (other than Joey “The Lips”) but with some heart. If only the band could get along.

There is turmoil the entire time. Deco gets along with no one, people sleeping with other people, egos and jealousy. All of that. It’s in there. How does the band even survive? Well, you’ll have to watch it to find out the answer to that question.

The only person who didn’t perform their own instrument in the film was Johnny Murphy who played Joey “The Lips” Fagen. But, the rest of the film featured real musicians who played their own instruments.  The setting is gritty and very “blue collar” which was the point. The whole film was gritty. It was, at times, hard to understand what they were saying as the Dubliner accent was very heavy. The realism and human nature of the film came through prominently.

The one musician that I would have liked to have had more time in the sun was Glen Hansard (Outspan Foster). He was the music writer behind the musical and film Once. From that film came the tune “Falling Slowly.” The BCPF is a fan of his and I’ve grown to like what I’ve heard. The film had two soundtracks, which featured the cast recordings of many soul tunes from the 60s on. The first stayed on the Billboard Top 200 for over 70 weeks and reached a peak of #8.

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 88% Fresh with an Audience Score of 90%. IMDb rates it at 7.6 stars out of 10. I watched the film on Netflix and I will rate it 3.75 stars out of 5. It was good, interesting and entertaining but it wasn’t exceptionally moving. Have you seen it? If so, what did you think? What film would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Do you not get it, lads? The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I’m black and I’m proud.” – Jimmy Rabbitte

Sausage Party or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

05 Saturday Aug 2017

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a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Sausage Party (2016), starring Seth Rogan, Kristen Wiig, Edward Norton and Michael Cera.

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©Columbia Pictures

 

Per IMDb: “A sausage strives to discover the truth about his existence.”

At Shopwell’s Supermarket, there’s a celebration every morning. Every kind of inanimate object you can think of is celebrating because they could be picked by “the gods” to take into paradise. In particular, Frank (Rogan) is a sausage that is sitting right next to his girlfriend, Brenda (Wiig) on a shelf waiting to go into the Great Beyond. They talk about what they’re going to do and it’s pretty graphic. Instead, they just touch “tips.”

Food and grocery items get picked up, one after the other. Beets, peanut butter, jelly, flour, bananas, even a douche gets chosen to take that eternal journey. One item, however, Honey Mustard (UNCSA alum Danny McBride), has been on the outside but is returned and he’s flipping out. He keeps trying to tell everyone that things aren’t what they seem but no one listens. Honey Mustard tries to commit suicide by jumping off the edge of the cart. Frank tries to help him by grabbing his leg. Brenda helps Frank by grabbing his leg (yes the groceries have legs, shoes, gloves, eyes and mouths) and the human woman who is driving the shopping cart crashes into another shopper causing many of the grocery items to topple, including Frank, Brenda, Douche and some flour that clouds the entire area, creating a scene of chaos not unlike that of a building collapse. The humans don’t notice (it seems on purpose) and go on like nothing happened, running over some of the items.

Douche blames Frank and Brenda for causing the accident and for bending his nozzle, also for ruining his chances of “getting up in” the human purchasing him. Douche is picked up by the store janitor and tossed into the trash only to get out of a dumpster and find a dying juice box, which, after he sucks him dry, makes him stronger and powerful. He continues to murder innocent liquids to become even more powerful, searching for Frank and Brenda to exact revenge. Does he find them? Do Frank and Brenda find the truth of the Great Beyond? You’ll have to watch to find out.

This is probably the crudest film I’ve ever seen, especially for a cartoon. Then again, the crudest prior was Team America: World Police which was a big puppet show. The overt sexual innuendo was non-stop. The racial/sexuality/religious/creed stereotypes were embellished and swollen to mega proportions. It was definitely offensive and meant to be that way. All that being said, I loved it. It was hilarious at points, clever the entire time and a very fun movie to watch. I believe that was the point for most of it, how nonpolitically correct could they be? Lots and that’s good. There was definitely understated but definitely present political and social commentary that was spread throughout the entire film. The 9/11 quality of the cart crash was brow-raising but needed to demonstrate the devastation the groceries felt.

The characters were stereotypical but spot on. Perhaps not so much stereotypical but representative? The voice actors gave the characters life and Edward Norton does a great Woody Allen impression. Something else I found funny was that the original music was composed by Alan Menken (Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid) who normally does a lot of Disney-esque fairy tale stuff. That was great. Let’s say the Meat Loaf cameo was pretty great, too.

All in all, I think the film was great. It’s not something to watch with your kids unless your kids are over the age of 15 or so. Entertaining and fun, but as I said, definitely crude. Rotten Tomatoes has it rated at 82% Fresh with an Audience score of only 51%. I don’t know what happened there. IMDb has it at 6.3 stars out of 10. I watched the film on Netflix and I rate it 4.25 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“It’s all a lie. Everything you’ve been told, everything you believe in.” – Honey Mustard

Full Metal Jacket or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

22 Saturday Jul 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Full Metal Jacket (1987), starring Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio, Adam Baldwin.MV5BNzc2ZThkOGItZGY5YS00MDYwLTkyOTAtNDRmZWIwMGRhYTc0L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU0OTQ0OTY@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,656,1000_AL_

Per IMDb: “A pragmatic U.S. Marine observes the dehumanizing effects the Vietnam War has on his fellow recruits from their brutal boot camp training to the bloody street fighting in Hue.”

I believe I’ve reviewed this film before, and perhaps more than once, but after watching it again with 3B just recently, it renewed my love for it. It’s super violent and shocking, perhaps the most of its kind. A mouthy, wise-cracking journalist goes through boot camp with an unrelenting drill sergeant, a dim-witted and all around screw up of a bunkmate, a violent recourse and of course, the effects of the war’s battlefield itself.

Matthew Modine’s “Joker” doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut, which gets him in some precarious positions in the barracks, with its occupants, with his immediate superiors and the brass that run the government’s military forces. He has to take the fledgling lug under his wing to make sure the rest of the platoon doesn’t suffer the consequences of the unfortunate soldier’s inadequacies. Then, as a journalist, he gets caught up in a conflict which sees heated battle zones become reality. It’s rough and Modine plays the part perfectly.

Modine is listed as the star, but I think the film’s two stars are actually real life drill instructor, retired, R. Lee Ermey as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman and Vincent D’Onofrio as Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence. Ermey’s experience and ad libs were some of the most memorable lines in cinematic history. I can’t really repeat many on here without flying into a ton of obscenities. And, if you’ve not seen the film, then I’d be giving so much away to say how either of them turns out. I’m just going to say that they are both intense.

Stanley Kubrick’s visuals are, in classic Kubrick style, very vivid, both in sets and action. He set the cinematic bar high and often surpassed it on his own. The full crew had their hands full because Kubrick was a perfectionist, but everyone pulled their weight and the end result was amazing. The soundtrack also was intense. If I say much more, then I’ll end up giving stuff away. The film is pretty bad arsed, though.

Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 95% Fresh with an Audience Score of 94%. IMDb has it at 8.3 stars out of 10. I saw it on Netflix, although I own it on DVD and, I believe, Blu-Ray. It’s probably one of my Top 10 and I’m rating it 5 stars out of 5. Have you seen it? What would you like to hear/read me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God, I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.” – the Recruits

The Panic in Needle Park or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

08 Saturday Jul 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, The Panic in Needle Park (1971), starring Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint.

Original_movie_poster_for_the_film_The_Panic_in_Needle_Park

©20th Century Fox

 

Per IMDb: “Follows the lives of heroin addicts who frequent ‘Needle Park’ in New York City.”

Helen (Winn) has a very unsanitary and dangerous abortion. Her boyfriend Marco (Raul Julia) sends her on her own. She gets the attention of Bobby (Pacino) and she ends up moving in with him. Bobby proclaims to be a small-time weed pusher but in reality, he’s an H-addict. He tells her that he’s not hooked just chipping. It’s not long before he has her scoring for him. She gets busted by Detective Hotch who knows who she’s associated with. Hotch (Vint) tries to help her over a period of time by attempting to set her right, but she’s not listening.

One night as Bobby is sleeping off a high, Helen tries a hit. She’s hooked from then on. The rest of the film is an up and down, high (literally) and low swing of drugs, prostitution and debauchery. Do they survive as a couple or in life? You’ll have to watch to find out.

This was a very difficult film to watch. Drug use in films is sometimes overly explicit. Roger Ebert said about this film: “Movies about drug addiction are also, sometimes, hung up on the fetishes and compulsions surrounding drugs. If we get a closeup of one needle penetrating the flesh in ‘The Panic in Needle Park,’ we get half a dozen. This is too many; the physical reality interrupts our identification with fictional characters.” Even at this, I think the movies don’t do the horrific act and subsequent effects of drug use, shooting up, taking a hit, tripping, and so on, any kind of justice. And, by justice I mean it is far worse in real life than on film.

It could be my weak stomach, it could be my sensitivity to self-destruction, it could be a number of things, but the first time we see someone actually shooting up in the film it’s very graphic and I felt like I was going to throw up. I don’t normally do that watching TV or films because I know it’s not real. But, the anxiety I felt from that first scene was intense. Don’t do that $#!+!!! I proclaimed, over and over again. Watching people messed up on drugs is something that I luckily haven’t had to see much if any in my life, but I don’t think I could handle it. I have much respect for the folks who deal with users and addicts, as it’s something that I don’t know that I could be part of. To the Kerri Siglers of the world and the rehab workers and anyone that’s had to watch someone, let alone family members, deal with addiction. You have my total respect.

“Needle Park” is actually called Sherman Square, a public space/park bounded by Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and West 70th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City. In the late-1960s/mid- to late-1970s, it was known as Needle Park because of the amount of drugs and users that could be found in the park. I believe it has since been cleaned up. The “Panic” is a drug reference when supply is low or endangered and that makes the users resort to violence, mostly against each other, in order to get a fix.

This was Pacino’s first real film lead, a year before The Godfather came out. Kitty Winn was in The Exorcist and Alan Vint was more of a supporting actor in many films and some television roles. The film is gritty and rough; at times hard to watch. I found that it became redundant and slightly boring the longer it went on. Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 80% Fresh with an Audience Score of 75%. IMDb has it at 7.1 stars out of 10. I saw this film on Netflix and I rate it 3.75 stars out of 5. Provocative at times but it started to lose steam the longer it went. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to hear/read me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I ain’t no robber. I’m a prostitute.” – Irene

Fast Times at Ridgemont High or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

24 Saturday Jun 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates.

Fast_Times_at_Ridgemont_High_film_poster

©Universal Pictures

Per IMDb: : “A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.”

Brad Hamilton (Reinhold) is looking to get out of high school on top. He’s popular and a senior. But, he’s not really enjoying his time with his girlfriend and a dipstick customer costs him his job at the local All-American Burger. He gets another job at Captain Hook Fish & Chips but, after realizing it was humiliating as all get out to deliver food in that costume, he quits that. So, why not go home and relax instead? He’s on top of the world right?

Brad’s sister, Stacy (Leigh) is also popular and works at the mall in a pizza parlor. She gets dates with older guys by lying about her age. She’s pushed by her seemingly promiscuous friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) to be more bold. Stacy tries and isn’t really thrilled about it. There’s a nerdy dude named Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) who is interested in Stacy but is too shy to ask her out. His buddy, the concert-ticket-scalping-pseudo-suave-dilettante , Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) talks him into taking Stacy out to a local German restaurant. While there, Mark realizes he has forgotten his wallet and calls Damone to bring it to him. Stacy tries to seduce Mark but his shyness gets the best of him and he leaves, rendering Stacy a bit frustrated. Eventually, Damone moves in gets a little time with Stacy.

Jeff Spicoli (Penn in a role unlike anything else he ever did) is a stoner slacker who dreams of nothing but surfing the gnarly waves. He is also the prime nemesis of the dry and no-nonsense history teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Spicoli breaks rules and is just a nuisance, but, I don’t think he means to be. I think he’s just a free spirit. This film is a culmination of their lives and more. What happens with them? You’ll have to watch to find out.

I defy any male aged 40-55 to hear the first few bars of “Moving in Stereo” by The Cars and not have fond memories. When I see The BCPF get into our bed, it reminds me of that and I hear that song. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you have to watch the film. The cameos in this film of folk that either were just on their way into acting or perhaps not necessarily known to the general public in 1982, were all fantastic. Names like Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Nick Cage were all up-and-comers. Actors Taylor Negron and Vincent Schiavelli have both passed on but you’d recognize them in the film from other things. Another quick cameo is from Nancy Wilson of he band Heart. She’s the blonde in the car that flirts then laughs at Brad in his pirate costume. She’s in the film because her husband, Cameron Crowe wrote the book and the screenplay. She’s made a lot of cameos in his films over the years.

The acting in this film was typical early 80s. Good, but you could tell the folks were just getting going. It’s cheesy early 80s cinema at its best. The soundtrack is chock full of greatness, as well. Then again, it is a Cameron Crowe film. This one was directed by Amy Heckerling (European Vacation, Clueless, Look Who’s Talking, Johnny Dangerously and so on).

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 78% Fresh with an Audience Score of 80%. IMDb has it at 7.2 stars out of 10. It is only available via Netflix‘s DVD.com or renting or buying on DVD or digital on Amazon. I have it on DVD and we watched it with 3B. The swimming pool scene, he really enjoyed. I rate the film 4.25 out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” – Jeff Spicoli

 

It’s Really Super, Supergirl or: Dad and Son Time

16 Friday Jun 2017

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Salutations™!!

My son, 3B and I have been waiting for the second season of Supergirl to hit Netflix. It’s

Supergirl_Intertitle

©WarnerBros

here and we’re not on Ep 12 of this season. Yeah, it’s a cheesy show, for sure. But, it fits perfectly with the current DC fare on the CW. It’s fantasy cheesy goodness if anything.

 

So, we loved the first season, not because of substance, not because of the stellar scriptwriting, not because of the deep character studies. For me, at least, it was because it was something else for us to enjoy together. I know I get annoying with this stuff, but it has really taken us this long to get to a point where we are doing as much as possible together and I’m loving every bit of it. Mr. Mxyzptlk just showed up. I wish he was the imp that he was in the comics, but oh, well.

Because that’s what we’re doing as I write this, I’m going to sign off early. I will say that if you want mindless, plot hole-filled, barely canonical fun with a few very pretty cast members that can be watched by all members of the family. then this is the show for you. See ya.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“When I was a child, my planet Krypton was dying. I was sent to Earth to protect my cousin. But my pod got knocked off-course and by the time I got here, my cousin had already grown up and become Superman. And so I hid my powers until recently when an accident forced me to reveal myself to the world. To most people, I’m a reporter for Catco Worldwide Media. But in secret, I work with my adoptive sister for the DEO to protect my city from alien life and anyone else that means to cause it harm. I am Supergirl.” – Intro of “Supergirl”

This is Spinal Tap or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

03 Saturday Jun 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movie of the Week, This is Spinal Tap (1984), starring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner.

Thisisspinaltapposter

©Embassy Pictures

Per IMDb: “Spinal Tap, one of England’s loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DeBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.”

The loud, aging, denying and washed up quintet, Spinal Tap, is releasing a new album called Smell the Glove and are wanting to put together a tour to support it. The band has been around since the 60s and their age is really starting to show; such is the evidence of how painfully out-of-touch they are.

The three main members, David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls are good song writers that show flash and glory, but their dwindling fan base, in conjunction with a terminal case of bad luck, bodes an impending demise for the classic rockers. Rockumentary director, Marty DeBergi captures the life and times, the good, the bad and the horrible on film, which follows the band from album pre-release to the ensuing tour.

Marty DeBergi is, of course, Rob Reiner, the director of the movie and the movie within the movie. Michael McKean (of Lavern & Shirley fame), Christopher Guest (the husband of Jamie Lee Curtis and the six-fingered Count Rugen from The Princess Bride), and Harry Shearer (about half the voices for The Simpsons) all wrote the songs, performed the songs and made the songs what they are: rocking, comedic genius.

I have known of bands that have gone through some craziness and even the ones I don’t know, I hear stories and we call them all Spinal Tap moments. The things that happen with this band are unreal and ridiculous. Getting lost in the bowels of an arena trying to get to the stage, stage props going awry being completely wrong, being second billing to a puppet show, or drummers spontaneously combusting. It’s too much. But… it’s all too fun, too.

There are great one-liners, iconic quotes and a plethora of pop culture right there in that 82 minutes. Most of the script was improved and the entire cast, including the cameos, did a great job delivering them. The cameos, themselves, are remarkable. Bruno Kirby, Howard Hesseman, Dana Carvey, Billy Crystal, Patrick Macnee, Fran Drescher and Paul Shaffer, just to name a few, is an amazing cast. Very good stuff. This is comedic, somewhat silly, but very clever film making. Hats off to the cast. It is awesome.

I knew nothing of the film when it came out and just saw something on HBO about it around 1985 or so. I didn’t know it was a parody and I didn’t know there were real actors playing characters here. When I got into playing music, someone said I had to watch it, so I did and I fell in love. I also have the soundtrack (“Smell the Glove”) on CD.

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 95% Fresh with an Audience score of 92%. Dang! IMDb has it at a solid 8 out of 10 stars. It is on Netflix, although we watched it on Blu-Ray with 3B, who I believe a lot of the humor went over his head. I love this film and give it 4.75 out of 5. Have you seen it? What did you think? What would you like to hear/read me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“It’s like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black.“ – Nigel Tufnel

Stand By Me or: The Less Desirables Movie of the Week

27 Saturday May 2017

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Salutations™!!

a/perture cinema, the Official Movie Sponsor of The Less Desirables, presents The Less Desirables Movies of the Week, Stand By Me (1986), starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell.

Stand_By_Me_1986_American_Theatrical_Release_Poster

©Columbia Pictures

 

Per IMDb: “After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.”

The film starts with a writer (Richard Dreyfus) sitting in his car in the middle of a field with a confused, not-able-to-believe-it look on his face. He rereads a newspaper article about an attorney who was stabbed to death while trying to break up a fight in a fast food restaurant. This leads him to start telling a story of his childhood, his best friend, who was the attorney and two of their pals, who were a bit challenged in their own way.

The story is about Gordie (Wheaton), Chris (Phoenix), Teddy (Feldman) and Vern (O’Connell) and their trek to find the dead body of a boy their age that had been hit by a train and a county-wide search was going on to locate him. Turns out that Vern overheard his brother Billy (Casey Siemesko) and his fellow hoodlum Charlie Hogan (Gary Riley) say they found the body while ditching a stolen car. Vern knew the vicinity where the body was from the description his brother told. Billy and Charlie were part of a bigger gang involving Chris’ brother Eyeball (Bradley Gregg) and Ace Merrill played by a very young Keifer Sutherland. It was a race to find the body if anyone did.

Gordie’s brother Dennis had been killed in a car accident earlier that year and his parents had pretty much written him off. Chris’ whole family were pretty less desirable, except Chris, who tried his best to do the right thing and set the peace. Teddy’s dad was a former veteran who probably suffered from PTSD (although that wasn’t mentioned) and had a bit of a drinking problem. He held Teddy’s ear to a stove and burned it half off. His dad was in a mental institution. Vern was an overweight kid who was a bit of a screwup, but he was a lovable screwup. Any more and I’d be giving away all the good parts. Watch it for yourself.

I have stated before and I’ll state it again, I love films where adults are recounting their childhood with VO (voice overs) as the narrator. The Sandlot was another of those and Now and Then was another. This happened to be narrated by one of my favorite voices, Richard Dreyfus.  He didn’t step on the story too much. He actually allowed the younger actors to take charge and tell their story and each of them were fantastic in their roles. Wil Wheaton went on to play on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Corey Feldman was a staple in many late 80s films, especially alongside Cory Haim. Jerry O’Connell grew up to be a non-fat kid that is a pretty good actor and is now married to Rebecca Romijn. The tragedy, however, is River Phoenix who passed away from a drug overdose at the age of 23 just outside of Johnny Depp’s Rainbow Room Lounge in LA. Such talent that was snuffed out by fate and bad decisions.

This happens to be my second favorite film of all time, right behind another adaptation of a Stephen King work; you’ll have to wait for that one. The pie eating scene from one of Gordie’s stories is both gross and hilarious all at the same time. Rob Reiner did a fantastic job of directing this and the screenplay adaption was spot on with little divergence of the original work. Again, watch it.

Rotten Tomatoes has it at 91% Fresh with an Audience Score of 94%. Wow. IMDb has it at 8.1 stars out of 10. It’s only available via Netflix‘s DVD.com I have it on DVD and it was one that was watched with my son, 3B. I rate this film 5 stars out of 5. One, I think it’s worth that rating and two, it holds such a nostalgic place in my heart. The soundtrack is fantastic as well and I wore out a copy of it on cassette and now own it on CD. Have you seen it? What did you think? Do you agree or disagree with me? What would you like to read/hear me review?

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?” – The Writer