p e n g u i n d e v i l

I watched Animal House. I hadn’t seen it in quite a while. While I admit that it loses a bit of its spark as the years have worn on, as do most comedy’s, it is still a classic that I get a good deal of enjoyment from. At this point though, I no longer think it is a film that I would recommend to just anyone.

These last two days though, I also went through Scarface. I really must pick up the DVD sometime. These old fullscreen VHS tapes I have just don’t do it justice. I remember watching it again a couple of years ago and being rather nonplussed, it didn’t seem quite to be able to grab me like it had before. This time though, I really got into it. I feel like it’s one of Pacino’s best roles. He seems to really get into the part and it looked like he had a lot of fun (“yell everything, spit while you do it and be sure to use the F word constantly”). I also always get a kick out of seeing F. Murray Abraham as a cocaine dealer. The soundtrack though, I soo cannot imagine Giorgio Moroder ever being considered the right music for a movie. Some music dates really badly.

Then last night, I finally got around to watching Shaolin Soccer. I started it a bit a few months ago, when I was obsessed with Kung Fu Hustle, and I wasn’t too moved. This time around though, I was very entertained. They really are very similar movies and though Kung Fu hustle I do still prefer, I would strongly recommended Shaolin Soccer to anyone who liked it.

Today, taking advantage of the funny weekends I also finally watched The Testament of Doctor Mabuse. The 1962 version. I definitely liked it a lot. There are soo many old European crime movies (by the way, did I really read at imdb that Pacino is in a re-make of Rififi? When, oh please when, are they going to stop pillaging the classics of the past to make a buck? Yet another cruddy overblown hollywood travesty on the way… Of course, maybe it’s a different Rififi. They’d better stay away from Melville though, If I ever hear about a re-make of Le Samourai there will be hell to pay)… Anyway. It was very good. I mostly like seeing Gert Frobe playing a role aside from Auric Goldfinger… Though of course, I now feel an urge to watch Goldfinger again. It also made me ponder the series as a whole. I admit that I haven’t really looked into it but it seem that there must be 10-20 Mabuse films. That would be an interesting (yes, and I bet tiring) process to watch them all. Anyway, this one was really a fun film. Though I do not have the courage to tackle the original silent version, I must get my hands on the Lang talkie from 1933.

On another kind of viewing, I went out Sunday to the Doug Fir, where I hadn’t been before. It was a mighty cool place, possibly a bit too hip for me to like, but I made an exception for it. I just thought it was just really nice. I think it would be a neat place to take out-of-towners.

I saw Adelaide and Her Space Holiday… Adelaide was pretty good, kind of an electro-shoegazer kind of thing. I thought their music was good and I always like bands that have projectors as part of their shows. The projected imagery was more secondary then the other concerts I seen with them (Butthole Surfers, Godspeed and, the best of the music films combos I’ve seen, Yo La Tengo at the Guild Theatre playing with the films of Painleve, which was really incredible… (Oh, and I guess I could count the silly video montage Ozzy used at the Ozzfest I attended) but I still like the effect. The Young Machines is all that I had heard of Her Space Holiday but it seems that I do like his songs quite a lot. Some of the lyrics are a bit too honest and sad and the music is good and interesting. Surely worthwhile if one is into this kind of thing. Plus he had double LP’s for sale and that always pulls me in. Anyway, though I only got to maybe a show a year now, I still think that it was a really good show.

Well well… So I sat down to watch Once upon a Time in America. I am a fan of Leone, but hmm. His 4 westerns that I’ve seen are at the top of the genre and I will always say that The Good The Bad and The Ugly is one of the most satisfying, engrossing and well shot films I’ve seen. This one? Admittedly, I watched it following Godfather I & II and it just soo was not all that. The Music? Yes it was a Morricone score but it seemed to either be hokie music that was just too corny or Morricone music that didn’t seem to fit the action on the screen at all. Max’s ending scene was dumb and the last shot of the film was dumb too. It made me think though that Leone was trying to imply that the whole 1960’s part was just an opium dream, though even if that wasn’t the implication, I still didn’t like that shot. Anyway. It just didn’t grab me. It was convoluted and, while parts of it were interesting, at almost 4 hours it just wasn’t engrossing enough to make it worth the time.

Not to plagiarize, but I thought that DVD Savant really summed it up, “There is probably a point (3 viewings, 5?) where the film might click, and become a perceived masterpiece. I don’t think I have that much patience.”

Yeah, me neither.

On to other subjects. The new issue of Video Watchdog has piqued my interest in a Czech zombie movie, Choking Hazard. I may need to look that up. Of course, as a corny fun zombie move it appeals to me, but I also really like the screen shot they used. I’m a sucker for good images like that. They also developed in me a slight interest to see King Arthur. I know that it looks like one of those big hollywood extravaganzas that I love to hate but I read the rather lengthy review (being that Excalibur and Monty Python and the Holy Grail have long been my two favorite films, I just had to look) and it actually came across as maybe being ok. I should probably just rent it.

It’s been a busy weekend of productivity! I got rid of the black monoliths of records and replaced them with a lower profile shelving, which made the dining room seem a much better space.

In other important news, I finally started the Chronicles of Narnia. I didn’t get too far, but it was good to get it started, it’s such a nice version, a pleasing contrast to the overblown spectacles they make these days. Yesterday and today I worked my way through Godfather I and II. Always a pleasure but you know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen them except on these old VHS copies. And though I have some atrocious DVD’s here, Dr. tarrs Torture Dungeon (one day, I will be seen burning it by the roadside… Once I’ve got my hands on the good version, Mansion of Madness) and From Beyond (when on earth is a good DVD coming for that? I mean, VHS master with burned in Korean subtitles… sigh). Anyway, yeah, maybe dvd ain’t perfect but, after 7 years of watching them, video tapes just get harder and harder to accept, especially once they get some years under their belts. Anyway, watching them just made we want to watch them again, but in a situation where I could actually make out some coloration and maybe some details during the dark scenes.

And I got a little surprise today! The first season of Northern Exposure in the mailbox! Of course, I started it as soon as I finished the Godfather part 2.

So totally back into the swing now. We’ve been trying to make up for lost time at Watch This. I went in to get some TV but it was checked out so I rented The Game and High Fidelity. Funny thing about The Game is that I’d just heard about it and the whole story the week before, having had no intention of seeing it. And then here I go renting it. I couldn’t get what I heard about it out of my mind so it was funny when at the last scene, it changed from where I had thought it would go. So that was a little surprise. All in all it was pretty entertaining and a bit stressful at times. High Fidelity, well we all know this movie. I actually used to own it until I swapped it for a disc of Stargate. Most folks might find this hard to understand but, even though I wish I still had the disc at times, I think I made the right switch. Cusack’s character is just too annoying and I find my patience for Jack Black to be fairly limited. Though his dissing of the wimpy music always cheers me up. Speaking of the music. I’m not into much of it aside from the Stiff Little Fingers, but then that’s even spoiled by the comparisons made with Green day (what? Excuse me? How old are these people?)? So why so I even keep wanting to watch it? I dunno. Memories of my record store clerk times… And of course all of the records in Dobler’s (well, whatever) apartment. Those always cheer me up, no matter how lame they are.

Anyway. I finished those and then they had Six Feet Under back in! Yay! I burned through it in 2 days! Another great season! Though the Sopranos is still my favorite, I feel that Six Feet has more consistently good seasons. This one seemed a bit focused on sex lives, but maybe they all are, and I am finding Claire’s star falling as she gets lost in a haze of Marijuana smoke. Sad. But it was a great season with some good shockers! I’m ready for season 5!

And future wise? Well, I still haven’t watched Oldboy

Well yes and good. back home. back at work. all of the above. It’s been a bit busy though. I went to Jim & Maddy’s wedding at the Grand Lodge, which is McMenamins hotel number 4 for me. Two or three more to go (I cannot quite decide about the White Eagle). It was good. And it was nice to see some folks I hadn’t seen in a long time. After that, went to Movie Madness (hook up the VCR! It’s the home of all those old forgotten classics of the 80’s) and rented some movies. Which ones? You might ask…

Bonfire of the Vanities. Which, for what it was, I still found pretty entertaining. The low point would be the miscasting of Tom Hanks (totally not right for the role, these days they’d probably put Keanu in it…) and Bruce Willis, who seemed to be just wandering through the sets… Maybe still high off of his glory from Moonlighting…

Tarnation. Yeah. Pretty good. A bit unsettling at times and though the format was a bit odd, I kind of grew to like it. Plus the whole thing made me feel much better about my own family.

What Happened Was…. Well it sure made me uncomfortable at times. I liked it though, makes one wonder how anyone gets through dating. I sure liked her story though it took me quite by surprise and I thought her comment about how once you have something interesting to say you are no longer interested was a good sentiment.

Also in mind, I finally got around to watching The French Connection. I liked it a good deal, though I’m rather a sucker for Gene Hackman, but I feel a bit surprised by its Oscar success. And I had a fun night of watching Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th, part 2. I sure like those old films. As I remember from years ago, I still prefer “part 2” quite a bit. They both really made me want to see Friday the 13th, part 3. Gimme that mask! Honestly, except for the downright horridly laughable Freddy Vs Jason, I think those are the only three I’ve seen. I seem to have the feeling that the rest just aren’t needed.