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Reviews, previews and chuckling and snorting...

20/20 Filmsight - August 2007

11 Guys That Always Play Pick-up Bball

August 31st 2007 17:52
It's crudely shot, poorly-acted, but this short video is a labour of love.

These guys have played a lot of nasty basketball, with a lot of terrible friends, and have distilled their lifetime of knowledge into a fine short video:



They seem to have forgotten about Rico the Dribbler, the short guy with the mad dribbling skills, who is unable to pass and spends most of the time doing crossovers ad nauseum...
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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Short Films
   


The Big Doll House

August 30th 2007 23:04
Big Doll House DVD cover
Producer/Director Roger Corman was known as the 'King of the B-movie', as he was known for making movies very quickly, on low-budgets - and they weren't always good.

He is also well-known for breaking in several Oscar-winning directors, including Coppola and Scorcese, as well as notable actors.

He had a huge impact on American cinema, aggressively distributing films from Bergman and Fellini in America, and pushing his own sexploitation pictures into failing drive-in theatres.

The Big Doll House is one of Corman's infamous productions - he gave Jack Hill a bunch of money, took the cast to the Phillipines, and shot a movie in the Women in Prison (WIP) genre.

WIP movies are generally intended to titillate... they usually feature unreasonably attractive women, stuck in prison, taking showers and engaging in desperate lesbian play. They appeal to the ultimate male fantasy - lots of hot girls together.

The acting is awful, the storyline is flimsy and the production value of the film is rather poor. Despite all these faults, The Big Doll House is genuinely entertaining, and even inspiring. It stars Pam Grier as one of the tough inmates, as well as five other sexy prisoners, who decide to bust outta the joint.

By today's standards, the movie isn't very dirty or shocking... with all the torture-horror that comes out, and the movies with gratuitous nudity and sex, The Big Doll House is rather tame by comparison. Instead, the entire movie is filled with this campy humour that is quite invigorating to watch.

An interesting theme throughout the movie is the total uselessness of men. There are three men in the movie: a doctor, who's too weak and cowardly to do anything, and two supply men, who get manhandled by the horny inmates, and dream about fooling around with them.

Yes, the men talk about what they'd do if they had the chance, but every opportunity that they have, they're actually terrified to go through with it, or they're interrupted in some way. The men are rendered totally impotent in the film, and are nothing more than rambunctious little boys.

It's almost a movie that would appeal to some feminists, I think, with the women being more than capable of getting out of jail. That being said, there were some isolated lines of dialogue that bordered on misogyny.

Pam Grier The Big Doll House
There isn't that much skin in the movie, but a couple of scenes are definitely for the high-fiving crowd: a shower scene where the subordinate inmate has to soap Grier's back, and a catfight that happens to turn into mud wrestling.

Some readers might think that I'm wasting my time watching B-movies, or wonder why I criticize Hollywood movies for bad acting, but accept it here. The difference is that, I feel, B-movies are usually made by an independent studio, which means that there's little pressure on the filmmakers to conform to mainstream audiences. As a result, they're free to make the movies they want, which results in a product of pure passion.

As I mentioned before, many influential, A-list directors have come out of the Roger Corman school of filmmaking, which shows the level of his influence, I think. The mentor-protege relationship seems to be dying off in Hollywood too, as the article on Corman in Senses of Cinema illustrates:

"Although numerous Corman alumnae now hold major studio positions, a younger generation of directors is finding work within the majors to be the fastest route to promotion, partly as a consequence of the hyperconglomerisation of Hollywood, which has all but killed off independent production. Corman's films as a director, and the success of his numerous protégés, are his real legacy; in his films for AIP, one can sense the hand of a genuine and caring artist at work."

The Big Doll House really surprised me; I expected pure trash, but instead, found inspiration dressed up as trash. It's fun, there are moments of excellent work, and it looked like the cast and crew had a good time in the Phillipines.


I say: Only see this if you're excited by B-movies the way I am. Don't expect a dirty skin-flick or a fantastic escape movie. It is what it is.

See it for: I think Pam Grier is a remarkable looking actress, and the rest of the 'gang' are far too attractive to all be in one cell.







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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Americanas
   


Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem Trailer

August 29th 2007 18:26
The original Alien came out in the 70s, and still scared the bone marrow out of me as a child in the 80s.

The original Predator came out in the 80s and scared the spinal fluid out of my terrified child's body


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Americanas
   


The IT Crowd Season 2, Episode 1 is available

August 28th 2007 22:47
The IT Crowd Moss and Roy
Booyashaka! One of the most interesting comedy series to come out of the UK has moved onto season 2, with the first episode airing in the UK this week.

The IT Crowd!
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On the Oscar's Best Actresses

August 27th 2007 23:34
Meryl Streep
This excellent article from the Film Experience Blog lists the actresses that have been nominated for the most Oscars in the Best Actress category.

The top three are, unsurprisingly, Katherine Hepburn(12), Meryl Streep(11) and Bette Davis(10


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: C'est la vie!
   


After the Wedding

August 26th 2007 23:37
After the Wedding Mads Mikkelsen
As Susanne Bier's latest movie, After the Wedding, came to a creaky close last night, I heard the tremulous sounds of gasped sobs and blowing noses from every direction in the theatre.

Exiting the cinema, nearly every attendee cast their red eyes downwards on the Chauvel's carpet. No mirthful talk in the lobby, as the audience was stunned, I believe, into a deeply inward trance


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Why British Comedy Series are Vastly Superior to American Comedy Series

August 24th 2007 00:23
It's just my opinion, of course.

And it's a little unfair - I live in Australia, where we receive a lot of English programming... I used to live in Canada, which was dominated by the American airwaves


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: C'est la vie!
   


13 of the worst fake accents in film (on deputydog)

August 22nd 2007 23:37
Patsy Kensit
Ha! This post on deputydog lists the 13 worst fake accents done in a movie.


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: C'est la vie!
   


The Story of the Weeping Camel

August 21st 2007 23:21
Story of the Weeping Camel Mongolian family

Yesterday, I criticized Guardian film critic, Ron Bergan, for being too pretentious about the 'art of cinema'... though reading his posts is similar to being reprimanded by your father for throwing dirt in the street, he does have a wide knowledge of film, and his recommendations are probably worth watching.

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Should we enjoy film? (or: condescension from the Guardian film blog)

August 21st 2007 00:03
Update: Though I threw a lot of little poisoned darts at Bergan, I went out and watched a movie he recommended, The Story of the Weeping Camel, and it was magnificent. I'm still a little woozy this morning, actually.


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: C'est la vie!
   


Three Amigos!

August 19th 2007 23:46
The Three Amigos salute
This movie has a special place in my memory... it came out in 1986, and for a couple of years, it was the funniest movie on the playground. I hadn't seen it, of course, but I could quote the hell out of it.

Movies from the 80s are a tricky proposition... having rewatched some 'classic' films from my youth, I've only discovered that they were awful, really


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Americanas
   


Jon Stewart interviews Dick Cheney Biographer

August 17th 2007 00:03
Stephen Hayes, author of Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President, appeared on the Daily Show this week, opening himself up to a grilling by Jon Stewart.

Hayes is a pro-Cheney sychophant, claiming that the world needs more of Cheney. Stewart response


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: C'est la vie!
   


The Jena 6 and the Most Beautiful Song in the World (LINK)

August 15th 2007 23:52
Update (29/09): Thanks to Miswanderlust, who sent me this update on the Jena 6 trials. One of the teens will now be transferred to juvenille court.


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Cellphone

August 15th 2007 20:20
Cellphone Shou Ji Ge You film poster
Released in 2003, Cellphone is an excellent movie from China directed by Feng Xiaogang, concerning the huge impact that mobile phones have on our lives.

In a poignant scene, a character in the movie reflects on how men in China used to live carefree, dancing wildly behind their wives' backs - but the cellphone has allowed them to be omnipresent. It's a twisted idea... surely, married men should aspire to NOT cheat on their wives, but Cellphone draws some interesting questions on the loss of privacy and freedom in the modern world


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The Whitest Kids U Know - Slow Jerk

August 14th 2007 23:19
This short sketch from The Whitest Kids U Know comedy troupe is called Slow Jerk, and it made me recoil in disgust and laughter.


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Short Films
   


The Best of Takeshi's Castle

August 13th 2007 23:09
MXC boulder dodge
Looking for a hearty belly-laugh? Well, there's nothing that can accomplish that like a 'Best of' from a twisted Japanese game show.

Like most popular things in Japan, the game show was an American idea, ported to Japan and injected with a hot awesome solution... now, while we're snoring in our La-Z-boys to Double Jeopardy, Japanese contestants are almost killing themselves in complicated slapstick scenarios


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Manhattan Murder Mystery

August 12th 2007 22:47
Manhattan Murder Mystery
You'd think that getting caught with nude pictures of your wife's adopted daughter would put a real damper on your creative output as a filmmaker, but in Woody Allen's case, it did nothing to stop the creation of Manhattan Murder Mystery, a fantastic Allen film from 1993.

It is, like many of Allen's films, a tribute to a genre, the murder mystery, but with layers of human introspection built over it... Diane Keaton plays Allen's wife, a middle-aged housewife that is so afraid of becoming conservative and boring in her advancing years that she suspects the next-door neighbor of murdering his wife


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Chamillionaire's Hip Hop Police Video

August 10th 2007 18:32
I got a message over Facebook from Derelict DJ, telling me to check out the new video from Chamillionaire.

Man, this thing is hot... Cham gets busted by a black cop for saying the N-word; the rest of the video is a wicked satire of old media, police violence and sensationalism. And Slick Rick drops some lines, too


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: Short Films
   


Ratatouille-

August 10th 2007 00:06
Ratatouille Remy stealing cheese
A lone rat among hundreds in a colony realizes that he wants more in life... the premise of Ratatouille is Remy, our main rat, has a special talent for odour and taste, making him aspire to be plunged in the world of haute cuisine.

It's a plot often rehashed in Disney films... the lowly commoner is the 'diamond in the rough', or the princess-to-be is a lowly maid in a house full of awful sisters
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Watchmen casting preview

August 8th 2007 23:34
Fanboys and comic geeks are all excited about Alan Moore's legendary Watchmen graphic novel being adapted for the screen. Some of us are less than enthusiastic about Hollywood butchering another once-great-comic.

My own stance is ambiguous. Director of the epic Frank Miller adaptation 300, Zack Snyder, has been picked to lead the production... JohnDoe thinks he'll do it justice, but then, John loved 300, whereas I thought it was a miserable piece of crap that wasn't even worth finishing
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Superbad Trailer

August 8th 2007 17:46
Superbad movie photo image
Immediately after posting the trailer for, what I called 'the worst movie of 2007, Sydney White, I'm posting this trailer, which, it could be argued, is equally moronic and juvenile.

The difference? This one is actually funny


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A Gentlemen's Duel

August 8th 2007 00:25
Thanks to an anonymous commenter, who pointed out that this isn't amateur at all... it's done by Blur Studios.

Amateur animation improves every year, as software packages get better and better at helping artists convey their ideas into viewable media. A lot of it is awful tripe, but there are some spectacular gems out there


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Sydney White Trailer

August 7th 2007 23:37


Update (27/09): Sydney White opens. Takes in $5 million at the box office, but only pulls in 39% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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The Searchers

August 6th 2007 22:29
John Wayne in The Searchers

John Wayne is one baaaad cowboy... the original man's man, he epitomized the idea of masculinity - no fear, no doubt, rough hands and a quick shot.

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Wil Wheaton on why Hollywood makes terrible comic book movies

August 2nd 2007 22:30
An interesting article by Wil Wheaton on the Suicide Girls website.

Yes, Wil Wheaton is the annoying kid from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and, yes, Suicide Girls is the soft-core girlie site that has cheesecakey photos of alternative girls. Combine the two, and it's a nearly unstoppable force


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Posted By: Cibbuano - Category: C'est la vie!
   


New Dragon Gate Inn

August 1st 2007 23:33
Maggie Cheung New Dragon Gate Inn

One of the most loved wuxia movies to come out of China, New Dragon Gate Inn (also known as Dragon Inn) is a fantastic, action-and-intrigue packed historical thriller, with a compelling plot and incredible fight scenes.

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