Recent Raves

Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai): In the old days, if someone had a secret they didn't want to share... you know what they did? 

Ah Ping (Ping Lam Siu): Have no idea. 

Chow Mo-wan: They went up a mountain, found a tree, carved a hole in it, and whispered the secret into the hole. Then they covered it with mud. And leave the secret there forever. Ah Ping : What a pain! I'd just go to get laid.

Chow Mo-wan: Not everyone's like you. - IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Dir. Kar Wei Wong, 2000)

Again sorry for not posting for a bit - I've been too busy working 2 jobs to see many movies lately. 

Now I have a little time to write so I thought I'd babble 'bout not just movies but some music, books and other whatnot that I've been digging lately in a post I call : 

Recent Raves:



WAL-MART : THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE  (Dir. Robert Greenwald - 2005)

This may be full of information most already know (small long owned businesses being destroyed when a Walton family owned monstrosity rolls into town, scores of people who are on welfare while being employed by Wal-Mart, repeated crimes in their security-free parking-lots, etc) but Greenwald's heartbreaking documentary makes a convincing case that there may not be anything but EVIL at that discount superstore monopoly. 

Without much polish - no glitzy graphics or snappy soundtrack - this flick particularly got to me because the company I work for does some of the same shit. The movie is not all depressing doom - it does end on a hopeful note and the parody commercials are great: Betty Johnson (Susie Geiser) - I'm Betty and I'm a Wal-Mart associate. I love working at Wal-Mart! I love that they pay me less than min. (minimum wage) because that means I can't afford to eat as much and I get to keep my figure!" 

SNAKES ON A PLANE-Mania Internet Style : This hilariously titled upcoming Samuel L. Jackson action flick has created a flurry of web activity - satirical trailers (I actually can't tell the spoofs from the real thing - in fact I don't know if the poster image to the left is real or a joke), excited fan blogs, and even a promotional campaign that involves a songwriting contest - a winner get to have their homemade song on the soundtrack. I'm sure the premise of hundreds of venomous snakes set loose on a plane to kill someone testifying in a mafia case will inspire many a young starving musician. 

Apparently the movie had some re-shoots in which they added a line the Internet Movie Database says is expected to take on cult status: Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson): "I want these motherfucking snakes off the motherfucking plane!" That's a badass line, sure. I'm just wondering if Jackson will say as he has in so many movies "this is some repugnant shit!" In fact I'm betting on it. 



If you haven't checked out the suberb site YOUTUBE you really should. Where else can you get William Shatner's riveting interpretion of Elton John's Rocketman , this great live-action version of the Simpsons opening done to promote the Simpsons syndication in Britain, and an archive of TV performances from the Kinks, Iggy Pop, the Specials, Funkadelic, and many other previously uncirculated goodies. 



My favorite find is the rare footage of 4 members of Monty Python appearing on a Texas PBS station in 1975. Recently discovered after being shelved for 30 years its unfortunately short (only 14 minutes because an engineer taped over the last bit) but a treat indeed to see. 

Kar Wai Wong's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE and its bizarre follow-up 2046 I had been meaning to see IN THE MOOD... for a long time and the occasion of the release of its somewhat sequel 2046 announced that now is the time. 

Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) suspects his wife is having an affair with the husband of his neighbor Su Li-zhen Chan (Maggie Cheung). 

They form a friendship and a unique relationship develops. An achingly lyrical film that stayed with me for days. 2046 is as complicated as its title. 

Its a hotel room number, it is the last year before Hong Kong would be completely absorbed by mainland Chinese rule, and probably most important it is the name of a science fiction martial arts story that Chow Mo-wan is working on. 

Less poetic than its successor, disjointed and definitely too long 2046 is still worthwhile - incredible visuals, touching acting, and an unimposing soundtrack make it a fine companion piece. 

More soon...

The Top 50 Sequels That Should Have Never Been Made

Making this list made me realize how much of my life was wasted watching: 



THE TOP 50 SEQUELS THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN MADE 



There was a Simpsons episode where Bart was trapped in a room with multiple doors labeled with roman numerals. At first he wasn't able to read them as numbers but suddenly his knowledge of Rocky films kicked in and he was able to identify the numerals correctly, and pick the right door in which to make his exit. 



That might be the only practical purpose for most movie sequels. 



I mean sure there's a few good to excellent sequels - GODFATHER PART II comes immediately to mind. I mean that one even won the best picture Academy Award! 



But for every good sequel like say THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK or SUPERMAN II there are literally hundreds of awful unnecessary money-grubbing retreads. 



Here's the cream of the crap: 100 bad sequels, well actually more than that considering I use one entry for multiple movies out of or including a whole series at times. 



Lastly many would argue that in some cases the original movie shouldn't have been made either but that's a whole 'nuther list!

Read them and weep.

1. THE GODFATHER: PART III



PART II pretty much summed it up didn't it? PART III is a unnecessary and pointless sequel, but considering at one point in the '80s Stallone came close to fronting an entry in the GODFATHER series it could have been a lot worse. 



Many blame Sophia Coppola's acting or lack of acting but in my book the project was doomed the second Robert Duvall passed. They replaced him with George Hamilton. George Hamilton for Christ's sake!



2. STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE 



"Prequel? More like Nyquil" - David Letterman



3. THE TWO JAKES (the Jack Nicholson-directed sequel to CHINATOWN)



4. MORE AMERICAN GRAFFITI: The post-script to the original movie said what the fates of the characters were - so why do we need this unfunny, stiff, and visually bombastic mess? I can't think of a reason.



5. CADDYSHACK II



6. BLUES BROTHERS 2000: Or course if you're reading this list you know that sequels mostly always suck but if one of the major players from the first film is dead they are destined for the Hall of Suck. Aykroyd's misguided attempt to revive the Blues Brothers' film career replacing the great John Belushi with John Goodman is a embarrassment and almost as much of an insult to Belushi's legacy as Bob Woodward's tawdry bio Wired.



7. BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II (III wasn't great either)



8. AIRPLANE 2: THE SEQUEL: Probably one of the worst offenders of the re-treading of the entire first film with no shame. In the commentary for the AIRPLANE! DVD the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams stress that they had nothing to do with the sequel and that to this day neither of them has seen it. Good decision. Wish I had made it too.



9. JAWS 2 (ditto for the rest of them too)

10. STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (You know, the one that Shatner directed)



11. TEXASVILLE (THE LAST PICTURE SHOW sequel)



12. THE MATRIX RELOADED (same goes for REVOLUTIONS)



13. OH, GOD! BOOK II



14. THE NAKED GUN 2½: THE SMELL OF FEAR (the third one, 33⅓: THE FINAL INSULT was better, but not much)




15. FLETCH LIVES



16. GHOSTBUSTERS II



17. ROBOCOP 2 (never saw any of the others after this)



18. SUPERMAN III (IV sucked too)



19. STAYING ALIVE (Sylvester Stallone-directed sequel to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER)



20. DIE HARD 2



21. DUMB AND DUMBERER: WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD



22. MEN IN BLACK II 



23. SCARY MOVIE 2 The poster campaign for the original Scary Movie said "No shame, no mercy, no sequel." For breaking that promise alone, this makes the list.



24. ESCAPE FROM L.A. (ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK sequel, duh!)     



25. BATMAN & ROBIN (Don't think I saw BATMAN FOREVER, don't remember it anyway)



26. THE JEWEL OF THE NILE (ROMANCING THE STONE follow-up)



27. BABE: PIG IN THE CITY



28. TEEN WOLF TOO



29. TRAIL OF THE PINK PANTHER (any of the PINK PANTHER movies made after Peter Sellers death could make this list)



30. ROCKY V



31. MAJOR LEAGUE II



32. THE EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC



33. JURASSIC PARK III



34. BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 



35. HIGHLANDER II: THE QUICKENING



36. THE STING II



37. BATTLE FOR PLANET OF THE APES



38. AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER



39. THE FLY II



40. RAMBO III (Man, Stallone is popping up quite a bit on this list!)

41. ANALYZE THAT (Though part of me wants them to make a third one so that they can call it: GO ANALYZE YOURSELF, ALREADY!)



42. THE KARATE KID, PART II (Never saw PART III)



43. HALLOWEEN II (and III, and IV, and so on)



44. YOUNG GUNS II



45. GREASE 2



46. SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT II (The inconsistently titled PART 3 was worse, but nobody was paying attention anymore)



47. WAYNE'S WORLD 2



48. BIG TOP PEE-WEE



49. POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE (Again, I never saw the third one)



50. FRIGHT NIGHT PART 2



Whew! That's quite a list of failed follow-ups. Since scheduled upcoming films include STAR WARS: EPISODE III, THE RING 2, a new PINK PANTHER movie, as well as a bunch of sure to be sucky sequels, I'm sure this will be a much lengthier list in the future.



More later...