The Terminator

The Terminator (1984)

Directed by James Cameron

Holds up quite well as a fun post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror flick. The almost-all-synth score (Brad Fiedel), while certainly dated, is one of the more interesting and creative of the 80s movies I've re-watched recently.

***

The Ninth Gate

The Ninth Gate (1999)

Directed by Roman Polanski

Eh.

*1/3

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

I laughed, I groaned. Maybe I was feeling tired and vacuous, but I laughed more than I groaned.

*7/8

Slasher

Slasher (2004)
Directed by John Landis

A rather entertaining documentary about a traveling used car salesman.

Several more thorough reviews have pointed out the movie's flaws; but flaws and all, I found it mostly funny, a little sad, and worth watching.

***

Dennis Miller Has Turned Into an Angry Old White Dude

I know I'm late to the party on this, but the fact that Miller has become "Weird Old Uncle Dennis" is something I wasn't aware of when I started watching an hour-long stand-up special on HBO last night (a rebroadcast of a special that aired in January). I always knew he was something of a curmudgeon, but I didn't know he was shilling for 'W' with such fervor.

Slate says it best:

Miller has taken 20 years of conservative ideology and swallowed it rote and whole. The United Nations is weak and ineffectual; animal rights activists are hysterical; the First Amendment is a refuge for scoundrels; and when it comes to murderers, kill 'em all and let God sort them out. If only this were funny. For a comedian who used to unleash mighty comic riffs like a jazz soloist, Miller is now just another member of the pundit's chorus.

A quick look on Wikipedia shows that my previous perception of Miller as being libertarian, yet somewhat liberal in his views isn't too far off the mark. In this special, however, he sounded like a nationalist zealot with some seriously suspect ideas about international diplomacy.

I think I'll pass on the next Dennis Miller special.

Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Directed by Rob Marshall

Not terrible. Not great. Some of the character development seemed a little weak to me. Fantastic cinematography and production design. Good score, though it seemed at times just a bit too reminiscent of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon score.

**

The Caine Mutiny

It'd been a while since I last saw The Caine Mutiny, but I caught it again on on-demand recently. It's a good war movie that turns into a good courtroom drama, leaving the viewer with some questions about who was actually in the wrong in this particular case, and, in general, to whom or what one's allegiance is owed on a ship at sea during wartime. Also played out are themes of courage vs cowardice, military command and control vs paranoia, and, quite naturally in a movie about a mutiny, loyalty. A well-paced, interesting story with well-drawn characters, I highly recommend this film.

****

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

I thought The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe was a good adaptation of Lewis's story (though I must admit to having read The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe many, many, many moons ago, so I am clearly not the best judge of how good an adaptation it is, but I did like the film, so there). The characters were well played, the story moved forward quite nicely, and the action and animation were well done.

***

Korgoth of Barbaria

I laughed so much it hurt after unexpectedly running across the pilot episode on Adult Swim on the cartoon network. Sex, violence, and enough blood and guts to make Tarantino smile is humorously interspersed with quick, witty snaps of dialogue and a metal soundtrack. From Adult Swim, via Wikipedia:

In a dark future wasteland, the cities have fallen, primordial beasts have reclaimed the globe and thieves and savages populate sparse, dirty towns. Korgoth emerges from the frozen north, and his merciless savagery may be his only key to survival. Korgoth of Barbaria is an animated fantasy-action-adventure-comedy from Aaron Springer.

It is slated (also according to Wikipedia) to begin a regular schedule on Adult Swim this September.

***

Robbing Peter

An El Ramon suggestion, Robbing Peter was a subtle yet entertaining indy film with interesting characters and an engaging story. Definitely recommended.

***

Madagascar

I found it entertaining. My main criticism is there wasn't quite enough of the monkey duo. Sacha Baron Cohen (a/k/a Ali G) is quite funny as King Julien.

**1/2

The Skeleton Key

Genuinely creepy at times, this film had some plodding dialogue that was a little too much telling rather than showing at times. It makes for a halfway decent Friday night date movie after a long week at work.

**

The Fate of Gaffer Tape

Since the last post by anyone was on May 20th, I've given some thought as to what to do with this site. I remain convinced that it's a good idea -- especially if we can get some good discussions happening by way of the comments section. So, to that end, I've decided to do at least a short capsule review with stars (out of 5) for every movie (and some TV stuff too) I see. I hope other Gaffers will do the same. I'll try to write longer reviews too, when possible.

Edward Gorey Documentary - Update

I was able to get in touch with director Chris Seufert via email and have learned a bit more about the status of the Edward Gorey Project. He states:

The documentary is on hold for now while we finish a similar type project with musician Suzanne Vega. There's a lot of business to work out on the project as well, as [Edward] died before we were completely finished. However, the material really is great and you're not alone in anticipating it. We definitely will be finishing it up and will have a dedicated web site soon.

Chris also told me that the music has begun to be recorded, and that in addition to using songs that Edward selected for his theatrical productions, his production company has been speaking with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls about doing some original music for the film.

In addition to the teasers linked from the original post on this topic, you may want to take a look at this 360 degree view of Edward's studio, shot by Chris using a fish eye lens the week following Edward's death.

And, regarding the Suzanne Vega film, the A-Minor Interview teaser is really neat. I'll try to stay on top of this film's progress as well and post any new information I run across.

Unadulterated Star Wars Available Soon

From Cinematical's Mark Beall, who said pretty much exactly what was on my mind:

I was one of those nerds who refused to purchase any DVD versions of the modern, altered "classic" Star Wars trilogy. I know Lucas insists on the new version being the definitive -- and that is 100% his decision to make -- but I was doing perfectly fine in the meantime on my homemade DVD versions created from my old VHS tapes complete with Han shooting first and the Yub Yub song. However, my heart sang a chorus worthy of Handel himself when the announcement finally came that Lucas had buckled and agreed to release the classic versions of the film, even if it is only a ploy to rip yet more cash from my pockets.

A first look at the covers can be had at the Star Wars site.

Real Time With Bill Maher

I've been overdosing on Bill Maher's cable show via on-demand. For a sense of his take on things, check out the "New Rules" section on his HBO website.

FeedBlitz

I've changed the email subscription service for Gaffer Tape from Bloglet, which rarely worked, and was no longer being maintained, to FeedBlitz. Bloglet subscribers have been automatically transferred, but please let me know if you have any problems with the new service.