Batman
Returns (1992): I start the week out with Tim Burton's sequel to the
1989 BATMAN. Michael Keaton reprises his role as Bruce Wayne who
secretly becomes Batman. Danny DeVito co-stars as the Penguin who is
out to destroy Batman and teams with a corrupt businessman named Max
Shreck, played by Christopher Walken. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Selina
Kyle who then becomes Catwoman who has her own agenda. I believe
Pfeiffer is the best Catwoman and a lot better than Halle Berry whose
Catwoman does not count in my book. Devito is great as the Penguin who
does what he can to turn Gotham City against Batman. Michael Gough and
Pat Hingle reprise their parts as Alfred and Commissioner Gordon. Look
for Paul Reubens, best known as Pee Wee Herman, in the beginning. Doug
Jones also has an amusing part as the thin clown. In Tim Burton's
Batman franchise, he is the one who started the more dark portrayal of
Batman which I enjoy more and it would soon go to Joel Schumacher who
did a more cheesy take to Batman which is still appealing to some.
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004): This is the third movie of
the Potter series where Harry Potter and friends return to Hogwarts.
Gary Oldman joins the cast as Sirius Black who is an escaped convict and
coming after Harry Potter. David Thewlis also joins the cast as Lupin
as well as Timothy Spalls intoduction as Peter Pettigrew. Michael
Gambon makse his first appearance playing Dumbledore after Richard
Harris died. Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith,
Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, and many others reprise their respective
roles in this decent film series. This one is my favorite in the Potter
series. Alfonso Cuaron takes over the director chair from Chris
Columbus and delivers very well.
Tucker
and Dale vs. Evil (2010): Eli Craig directed and co-wrote this great
and very underrated horror spoof. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine play the
title characters who are a couple hillbillies looking to do work on
their new cabin in the woods. Soon, a group of college students
vacation there and assume that due to their looks and some of their
actions that they are a couple in-bred psycho killers leading to very
violent but hilarious results. The college students are on the attack
of the hillbillies in the reversal of roles. I also thought that a
certain portion of the film gives a good message that can really address
a lot of stereotypes. Fans of the genre will love this and if you have
a good enough stomach for violence, I think this will be a very
enjoyable comedy that should get more recognition. This is available on
Instant Netflix.
The
Fabulous Fraud (1948): This is my short film for the week. This is a
documentary short that takes a look at Dr. Anton Mesmer who discovered
Hypnotism and then debates its legitimacy. I do not totally dismiss it
myself but I need someone to do it to me for me to really buy into it. I
am not really sure of the accuracy of this short film but interesting
to watch for entertainment reasons and it is interesting to watch.
Alien
(1979): Ridley Scott directed this sci-fi classic that started a
successful franchise. Sigourney Weaver stars in her first of four
appearances as Ellen Ripley who is part of the Nostromo vessel where
they encounter an alien that is not like E.T. and must fight for
survival. John Hurt, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean
Stanton, and Yaphet Kotto all co-star in this high ranking sci-fi film.
There is not much else that I can say except it has some good action,
acting and everything else so this is one that should be viewed.
Mothra
vs. Godzilla (1964): This is another Toho film for the week and the
two legendary Japanese monsters in an epic battle. A greedy developer
brings an egg to the beach that turns out to belong to the island of
Mothra and then Godzilla awakes again wreaking havoc over Tokyo and
Mothra is their only hope. Most of the entertainment is through the
battle and those mini-twins that see over Mothra. This is also
available on Instant Netflix and is worth a look.
From
Dusk Till Dawn (1996): This is my vampire entry for the week from
Robert Rodriguez and co-wrote from Quentin Tarantino. George Clooney
and Tarantino star as Seth and Richard Gecko who are brothers and
escaped criminals. They soon take a family, played by Harvey Keitel,
Juliette Lewis, and Ernest Liu, hostage in hopes of getting over the
Mexican border. Things change when they take refuge at a Mexican bar
not knowing it is full of vampires. Salma Hayek, Cheech Marin, Danny
Trejo, John Saxon, Kelly Preston, Fred Williamson, and many others have
appearances. This is one that is not for everyone but i really enjoyed
this entry into the vamp genre. Rodriguez did a great job directing
though some scenes appear that Tarantino may have helped direct like a
trunk scene and a scene that emphasizes bare feet. This has a great
blend of action, horror, and comedy. This is available on Instant
Netflix.
Tammy
and the Bachelor (1957): After all the violent selections so far, I
bring this more light-hearted comedy. Debbie Reynolds stars as the
title character who is a very unsophisticated but good-hearted southern
girl. Leslie Nielson stars as Peter who is from a more upper-class
family but becomes fascinated by Tammy. Walter Brennan and Fay Wray
co-star in this comedy. This is a very fun comedy doing a good job of
combining upper class and lower class. In some ways, the character of
Tammy reminds me of an older Shirley Temple in terms of her ability to
be able to charm just about anyone.
Orphan
(2009): Now I go back to the violence in this horror thriller. Vera
Farminga and Peter Sarsgaard star as married couple Kate and John. They
are in counseling trying to repair their marriage. They soon decide to
adopt a Russian girl named Esther, played by Isabelle Fuhrman. Their
son Daniel does not take to her but their deaf-mute daughter Max becomes
intrigued but soon sees she is very manipulative. Esther begins to
wreak havoc all over the place which Kate notices but John refuses to
listen. This is a really good psychological thriller which disturbed me
more by having a real-life person instead of someone just possessed.
Aryana Engineer played the part of Max and is in real-life deaf and mute
and plays her part so well. There was a couple scenes where they use
subtitles and the scene is shown from her own point of view which was
very good. Fuhrman was great as Esther.
The
Passion of Joan of Arc (1928): This is a Co-Op film series selection
from Travis and I end this week on a silent film. This movie chronicles
Joan of Arc's trial of heresy. Carl Theodore Dreyer directed this film
and used the trial documents to put this movie together. Maria
Falconetti plays the part of Joan of Arc very well. There are a lot of
really surreal images on close-up shots. This movie was thought to have
been lost but was rediscovered in a mental institution in Oslo, Norway.
This was originally done with no music score but in 1995, Richard
Einhorn recorded a really good music score to it. The one that was
shown was shown with a soundtrack by the band called Joan of Arc. I
really prefer the one from Einhorn but Joan of Arc still did a my
favorites and I would love to get a copy of that one. I think it is
great that many people have the respect for this film to do a
soundtrack. I will say this is my favorite silent film and on my five
year anniversary blog I used this one as the only silent film of my 100
selections. I believe this is a silent film that even those who are not
into them can enjoy a lot as it is so well done and stands today.
Well
that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week which so far
includes Nathan Fillion, Michelle Williams, Boris Karloff, Bruce
Campbell, and many others. Keep on reading for week four of the
Madness.
THE MADNESS: Week 4
Here are my selections for this week and as usual, I use the four 6 system.
Alice
in Wonderland (1999, 133 minutes, 66): This tv showing of the Lewis
Carroll book, I did not really enjoy it that much. I just prefer the
1985 version and I'm not really a fan of it anyways. This counts
because of fantasy but either way it counts because of Gene Wilder. (2
points)
Alien (1979, 117 minutes, 666): This sci-fi horror film should get me minimum points. (2 points)
Batman
Returns (1992, 126 minutes, 666): This is a superhero film that should
be counted with the rules saying "think Batman over Superman" and it
was a pretty dark story. (2 points)
Daybreakers (2009, 98 minutes, 666): Not a bad entry to the vampire genre where humans are becoming vampires. (3 points)-Bonus point: Vampires
Enchanted
(2007, 107 minutes, 666 1/2): This Disney film qualifies due to an
enchantress. I really enjoyed this one that started out as a SNOW WHITE
type cartoon and then the princess is banished into the horrible world
of New York City. I love Amy Adams in this film. (2 points)
Fertile
Ground (2011, 95 minutes, 66 1/2): This is a horror film of a married
couple moving into a house and is haunted by the husband's ancestors
which effects the wife a lot. Many do not like it but I found it to be a
decent effort. (2 points)
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996, 108 minutes, 666): This is obvious on what counts for this one. (4 points-Bonus Point: Vampires-Bonus Point: Tom Savini's trnasformation was a lot more extreme so should count.
Galaxy
Quest (1999, 102 minutes, 666): Most of the time this would not count
but this year it is a sci-fi loophole. This is a pretty good sci-fi
comedy about a cast of a cancelled sci-fi series and a group of aliens
who believe they are the real thing and ask for their help against an
evil alien. (2 points)
Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010, 146 minutes, 666): This
is part one. A lot of people did not seem to get into this one with it
being more of a lead-in film. I still thought they did a good job and a
longer story that needed to be told and they did not want to give a
four hour film. Also, where can you go wrong with them using a Nick
Cave song. (3.5 points)-Bonus Point: Lupin a werewolf
Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011, 130 minutes, 666 1/2):
This is the thrilling conclusion to the great series. (3 points)-Bonus point: Lupin a werewolf
Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005, 157 minutes, 666): This is the
4th in the series which introduces pre-TWILIGHT Robert Pattinson,
Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes. (4 points)-Bonus point: Malfoy turning into a rat
Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009, 153 minutes, 666): This is the
sixth entry in the series where Jim Broadbent joins the cast. (4
points)-Bonus point: Lupin is a werewolf
Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007, 138 minutes, 666): This is
the 5th entry which introduces Helena Bonham Carter. (4.5)-Bonus point: Werewolf: Sirius Black-Bonus point: werewolf transformation
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, 141 minutes, 666 1/2): This
is the third entry into the Harry Potter series and counts with all the
witches and wizardry. (4.5 points)-Bonus point: Sirius Black (werewolf), Professor Lupin (werewolf), Peter Pettigrew (Shapeshifter)-Bonus point: Man to wolf transformations as well as a rat to man transformation.
Lord
of the Rings: Return of the King (2003, 201 minutes, 666): The
conclusion to Peter Jackson's take on the Tolkien trilogy. It's got
good elements, but not always my thing. (4.5 points)
The
Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, 76 minutes 666 1/2): Not much
explanation needed here for why this qualifies. This is possibly one of
Tim Burton's best. He did not direct but he produced and co-wrote the
screenplay. Danny Elfman wrote a great soundtrack and shows off his
singing voice as Jack Skellington when singing. (5 points)-Bonus points: Vampire, werewolf, and golem in Sally
Orphan (2009, 123 minutes, 666): This horror thriller that focuses on a psychotic and murderous child. (2 points)
The
Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, 90 minutes, 6666): I discussed this one
with Elizabeth and agreed that due to the pagan and wiccan elements and
Joan of Arc burning at the stake. (5 points)-Bonus point: Silent and triple points.
Stanley
Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001,142 minutes, 666 1/2): This
documentary of the controversial director should qualify because one of
the interviewees is wild card Malcolm McDowell. This is a very
informative documentary towards the films he made. If you want to learn
about his personal life, this may not be for you. (2.5 points)
Tammy and the Bachelor (1957, 89 minutes, 666): This is my Fay Wray loophole. 3 points-Bonus point: 1957
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010, 89 minutes, 666 1/2): This slasher parody should count for the minimum. (2 points)
Wilderness
(2006, 93 minutes, 66 1/2): I believe this is a British horror film. A
group of juvenile delinquents are sent to an island to teach them how
to get along better but instead must survive an archer and a group of
very vicious dogs. (2 points)
TOTAL POINTS: 71.5?
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