Well, I don’t need to see the American movie version of “The Grudge” anymore. The roomie’s woman rented “Ju-On” last night …. and, man-oh-man, is it sweet. “Ju-On” great example of using sound, imagery and tone to create great thrill moments without relying on gore. It’s definitely worth checking out.
DVD
Dinner And A Movie (Or Two)
I took a night off last night. I didn’t even open the door to my bedroom. That’s a job for tomorrow as I have big plans for the weekend. Right. I ate dinner and watched a couple of movies. They was good.
I wanted to see “The Day After Tomorrow” at the movies but just couldn’t bring myself to pay the money for it. I generally hate Roland Emmerich’s movies. He’s such a hack. “The Day After Tomorrow” surprised me though (probably because I had no expectations). Good story. Good visual effects. All-in-all a great movie when you want to put your brain on hold for a couple of hours. It gets major, major, super bonus points for having Jake Gyllenhall in it. I heart Jake. He’s dreamy!
Watch “Super Size Me” if you wanna get scared of ever touching fast food again. Interesting movie that brings up lots of good points about food, marketing and culture in this country.
Seriously?
What bullshit the sticker attached to the DVD of the “Dawn of the Dead” Unrated Director’s Cut is. “Too Scary for Theaters” my ass. The stuff that has been added back in is cool … more blood, gore and character development. The sticker should read “Contains Scenes that the MPAA Deemed Too Violent & Gory for You to See.” Guess what? It’s a zombie film. We expect lots of gore. We expect heads exploding in messy glob of blood and brain matter. We want it no other way. That’s why we like horror films.
NC-17: No One 17 and Under Admitted
Signifies that the rating board believes that most American parents would feel that the film is patently adult and that children age 17 and under should not be admitted to it. The film may contain explicit sex scenes, an accumulation of sexually oriented language, and/or scenes of excessive violence. The NC-17 designation does not, however, signify that the rated film is obscene or pornographic in terms of sex, language or violence.
It’s a shame that the NC-17 rating has not fared any better than the X rating. Movie theaters and rental chains still shy away from carrying such films. I don’t suppose it helps most the NC-17 movies have not been all that good anyway. Maybe when “Haute Tension” hits theaters it will help ease that stigma … that NC-17 movies are just all about sex. That they can be about some hardcore killin’ as well.
News & Randomness
Home Improvement News:
Well, just a few more days and my office will be finished. I have to let the floor “cure” until Sunday before I can put any furniture on it. That allows me some time to get the finishing touches done. I’ll put down the baseboards tonight and spend the next couple of days getting my bookcases painted. Then it’s on to ripping my bedroom to pieces. Whoo. A handyman’s work is never done.
DVD News:
The Unrated Director’s Cut of “Dawn of the Dead: 04” hit stores today. Yes! More Gore! More Blood! More Chainsaw Action! More Zombie Carnage! I am not the least bit excited …
Theater News:
Friday we perform “Coyote on a Fence” again before our trip to competition on November 6. This is the show in which I play an imprisoned Nazi skinhead. So, if you happen to be in Salisbury, NC on the 6th, you should drop by and watch us in action at the Meroney Theater (home to the Piedmont Players). That night we will find out if we go on to represent our state at the Community Theater Competition at the Southeast Theater Conference in March of next year.
Other Randomness in a Random Order:
1. Been listen to too much Diamanda Galas.
2. The greatest holiday of the year is Sunday.
3. I heart “Arrested Development.”
4. My flirting skills are as suspect as my typing skills.
Season Five!
What a shock. “‘The Simpsons’ The Complete Fifth Season” DVD Set will hit stores December 21st. That’s mere months after the Forth Season hit store. Maybe they finally heard the cry of fans that “I want to get all the seasons sets before I die!” With “The Simpsons” at 16 seasons and going strong it still may be an impossibility. Here the episodes we finally get to own …
“Homer’s Barbershop Quartet”
“Cape Feare”
“Homer Goes to College”
“Rosebud”
“Treehouse of Horror IV”
“Marge on the Lam”
“Bart’s Inner Child”
“Boy-Scoutz ‘n the Hood” [One of favorites!]
“The Last Temptation of Homer”
“$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)”
“Homer the Vigilante”
“Bart Gets Famous”
“Homer and Apu”
“Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy”
“Deep Space Homer”
“Homer Loves Flanders”
“Bart Gets an Elephant”
“Burns’ Heir”
“Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song”
“The Boy Who Knew Too Much”
“Lady Bouvier’s Lover”
“Secrets of a Successful Marriage”
Out Today
New toys make life (somewhat) bearable.
Fincher Rant
It really is a shame that David Fincher didn’t participate in the “Alien Quadrilogy” dvd box set. It would have been so sweet to have his comments on the making of “Alien3.” I was watching his audio commentary on the new “Panic Room” Special Edition last night (after fixing the damn mailbox), and it’s really good. Fincher is always has interesting insights into the selection and direction of his films. His commentaries on the special editions of “Seven” and “Fight Club” are worth a listen as well. Maybe (at some point in the future) Criterion will get the rights back and be able to release their laser disc edition of “The Game” on dvd. Mmmm, David Fincher!!!
DVD Two-Fer
Happiness is … dvd’s with super sweet packaging. The “Futurama” set comes with each disc in its own individual slip case (so much better than those massive fold out sleeves). The “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” discs comes housed in a Valiant and Valiant diary complete with signed photos of Roger and Jessica Rabbit. Sweet!