Welcome to the 361st Edition of my long-running series. This is week
2 of The Madness and I have a lot less points but more is to come
soon. In Fantasy Football I am now 3-2 and a game behind a couple
teams. I have a good start so far so hopefully I can improve and one or
both of those teams can suffer a loss. Now I will get to my selections
for the week.
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The
Last Temptation of Toxie (1989): I can't go the series without some
Troma and the third in their popular series. For starters, the
protagonist is Toxie who in the first movie was an absolute nerd getting
picked on by everyone and then thrown into a bucket of chemicals
turning him into the title character. In this movie, Toxie has
seemingly fought off all the evil in Tromaville and has a hard time
finding a job to support himself and his wife as his strength and his
toxic abilities make it hard for him to do many things. Soon,
Apocalypse Inc. offers him a job and the possibility of his blind wife
seeing again so he takes it not realizing he is working for evil but
soon sees he must fight evil again. These are movies which do not lend
anything in the way of good acting, good dialogue, and many other things
but they do provide entertainment if you can look past those other
elements. These movies are available on Instant Netflix so may be a
good series to watch among friends.
Notes on a Scandal
(2006): This is Travis's Co-Op film series selection in this British
thriller. Richard Eyre directed this film which stars Cate Blanchett as
Sheba who is a new teacher in her school. Judi Dench stars as Barbara
who is a veteran teacher and befriends Sheba but soon finds she wants
more than a friendship. Sheba is a family person who is married and has
children but soon starts an affair with a 15 year old student. Things
get very complicated when Barbara finds this out. One thing I really
like about this is the narration of Dench who lets us know throughout
the film what is on her mind. This was a very well-acted movie and very
suspenseful. One thing of interest is that Blanchett, Dench, and
actress Anne-Marie Duff have all played Queen Elizabeth I at some point
in their careers. This is a movie that has a lot of suspense and is
rather disturbing at times but does it without a lot of violence so if
you have a hard time with violence, this might be a good one to watch.
Scream 2 (1997): This is part three of my three-part
Wes Craven series who directed this parody series to he slasher-horror
genre. In this sequel, survivors from the first one reprise their
roles. Neve Campbell reprises her role of Sydney Prescott who is trying
to move on from her difficult year in college but things do not get
easier when reporter Gale Weathers, played by Courteney Cox, writes a
movie called STAB based on the events from the murders of "Ghostface".
Shortly after this movie is out, copycat murders are now occurring.
David Arquette, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Kennedy all return in this
sequel in addition to Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laurie Metcalf, Elise Neal,
Jerry O'Connell, and many others. I believe this series is very
misunderstood. Many are upset that the movie did not scare them but it
was meant to be more of a parody. I loved the discussion on movie
sequels that took place in a class. Kevin Williamson wrote this
screenplay and I really think this is a very well done sequel and takes
the right approach. This film and part three are available on Instant
Netflix but parts one and four are available on DVD. Part one needs to
be watched first but is another double feature you can watch.
The
Golden Equator (1956): This is my short film which talks about Ecuador
and the progress the country is making. It talks about the railways,
roadways, and the foreign investment that is going on in the country.
This was an informative short but maybe better in color.
Ninotchka
(1939): Last week, I did the 1939 film OF MICE AND MEN, now I bring a
comedy from the era. Greta Garbo stars as a stern Russian woman of the
title name who is sent to Paris on business. She soon meets Count Leon,
played by Melvyn Douglas, who takes a liking and interest to Ninotchka
making her fall for a man who stands for what she believes she detests
and slowly becomes more outgoing. Garbo was a very popular silent film
actress and in 1930, made her talkie debut in ANNA CHRISTIE where people
were concerned for her Swedish accent and was always billed as "Garbo
Speaks" where everything worked out for her becoming quite the star.
This movie was billed as "Garbo Laughs" taking her first shot in the
comedy world and this movie does deliver a lot of laughs. Look for Bela
Lugosi in a cameo appearance. This is a very good romantic comedy that
ranks high in the genre and has good supporting characters within it.
Audrey
Rose (1977): Marsha Mason and John Beck star as married couple Janice
and Bill and have a daughter and a good life. Things get strange when a
stranger named Elliot, played by Anthony Hopkins, is displaying
stalker-like behavior towards the couple. He soon reveals his claim
that their daughter Ivy is the reincarnation of his own daughter who
died years ago. Ivy soon starts having strange dreams indicating that
Elliot could be right. This was a pretty good chiller which also does
not have a lot of violence and a good performance from a young Anthony
Hopkins. Susan Swift makes her film debut as Ivy and also does a great
job. This reincarnation thriller is available on Instant Netflix.
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2001): This is the second in the
series of the wizard based on the novels by J.K. Rowling. Daniel
Radcliffe reprises his role as the wizard and in this one, he is being
told not to go back to Hogwarts but decides to anyways with his abusive
and neglectful family. When arriving, he is hearing a mysterious voice,
students are being attacked where Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigate
these happenings. Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, and Alan Rickman all
reprise their parts. Kenneth Branaugh plays a celebrity wizard who
becomes a professor there. This is a good sequel which I'm doing a lot
this week. These do get adapted very well from the novels. I know some
see this as Satanism but most just see this as simple fantasy and
nothing to get so worked up over.
Gojira (1954): This
is the Japanese film that started the Godzilla craze and possibly the
best of these films. In this movie, we find that Godzilla was created
out of nuclear testing which was inspired by American nuclear testing
that was being done there.. In future films, Godzilla was usually
created other ways but this was quite the statement on this one.
Nothing seems to be able to stop Godzilla and he goes on wreaking havoc
through the city. This is the only one that I know of that actually has
Japanese dialogue that is not dubbed. Godzilla would go onto take on
many other monsters like King Kong, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Rodan, and
even a mecha-version of himself. Sometimes he was billed as good,
sometimes as the villain and other times, the lesser of two evils but
this movie introduced us to that Japanese icon.
The
Omen (1976): This is my satanic film for the week and one that may make
others reconsider adoption. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick are a married
couple named Robert and Catherine who want children so they take a boy
named Damien with the suggestion of a priest. Strange things begin to
happen leading them to believe that Damien is an antichrist. Harvey
Stephens plays the part of Damien and does good. This movie is
legitimately creepy so if you like horror, this is a really good one to
watch. I'm not always one of the biggest horror fans but this ranks up
as one of my favorites in the genre that still holds up today. They
have some really good death scenes and the movie sends a lot of chills.
This movie is available through Instant Netflix.
Planet
Hulk (2010): I end this week with this animated Marvel movie. This
one is based on the Incredible Hulk who is exiled off of Earth by the
other superheroes due to his anger issues. The Hulk soon lands on a
planet with an evil ruler where he is sold into slavery and forced into
gladiator like games. He soon reluctantly helps his other fighters to
become free of the tyrannical rule. The Hulk is possibly one of the
hardest characters to make a movie around and usually works better as a
supporting character like in THE AVENGERS. This movie I felt addressed
some of the reasoning why it is so hard and it became watchable to me. I
did wonder why the Hulk stayed in that form the whole time and never
became Bruce Banner but
I'll look past that. This is not the best
animated superhero film but I thought it was worth a watch. This is
available on Instant Netflix.
Well, that is it for this
week. Tell me what you like and what you dislike. Stay tuned for next
week which so far includes Emma Stone, Kiefer Sutherland, Mickey
Rourke, Ricky Gervais and many others. Keep reading though for week 2
of the Madness
THE MADNESS: Week 2
I don't have as much this week but got some good selections. As always, I use the four 6 system for ratings.
Audrey Rose (1977, 113 minutes, 666): A little reincarnation horror here. (2 points)
Dark
Shadows: Episode 210 (1966, 23 minutes, 66 1/2): The problem with
this popular vampire soap opera is that they only start the series at
episode 210 so I didn't really get to know these characters right away.
My mom is a big fan of the series, I should probably watch with her so
she can fill me in on who these people are so that I can maybe enjoy it a
bit. (1.5 points)
-Bonus point: Vampire
Glen or
Glenda (1953, 68 minutes, 66): Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi qualify this
and Elizabeth made the announcement that if it gets watched on Wood's
birthday so I did that for the full points. This is Wood's feature film
debut about a transvestite, which is played by actor Daniel Davis but
might be some other person involved in the film, and trying to break the
news to his fiancee that he likes to wear women's clothes. This movie
in some ways was a bit groundbreaking as the topics were very taboo in
those days. The strange things came with Lugosi's non-nonsensical
dialogue scenes as the scientist and I am not quite sure what the point
of him was. He mentioned an awful lot about a green dragon that eats
things like little boys and puppy dog tails (6 points)
Gojira
(1954, 96 minutes, 666 1/2): The Godzilla movie to start it all, no
reasoning needed here to justify its qualification. (4 points)
-Bonus point: 1954
-Bonus point: Destroying Tokyo
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002, 161 minutes, 666): This is
the second entry into this fantasy series which has enough wizardry and
witchcraft in order to qualify here. (3 points)
The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002, 170 minutes, 666): This is
the second of the Tolkien trilogy where Frodo continues his journey to
destroy the ring. Christopher Lee automatically justifies this one.
(3.5 points)
Ninotchka (1939, 110 minutes, 666): A Bela Lugosi loophole, you probably won't find a lot of those. (3 points)
-Bonus point: 1939
The Omen (1976, 111 minutes, 666 1/2): Nothing needed to justify this great antichrist film. (2 points)
Planet
Hulk (2010, 81 minutes, 66 1/2): This is a comic book movie and has
sci-fi and fantasy elements that should qualify this one. (2 points)
Scream 2 (1997, 120 minutes, 666): This Wes Craven undoubtedly gets me basic points. (2 points)
The
Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (1989, 102
minutes, 66): This Troma film is billed as Horror so we can count this
one. (2 points)
The Vampire Diaries: Season 1,
Episode 1 (2009, 45 minutes, 66 1/2): I decided to give this vampire
series a shot. I am a bit on the fence as of now but it did kind of
hook my interest near the end so I won't give up on it yet. It's not
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, or TRUE BLOOD but it might have its
image. (2 points)
-Bonus point: Vampire
The
Vampire Diaries: Season 1, Episode 2 (2009, 45 minutes, 66 1/2): I am
prepared to stick to this. I can see good things happening between
those Salvatore brothers. (2 points)
-Bonus point: Vampire
The
Vampire Diaries: Season 1, Episode 3 (2009, 45 minutes, 666): I'm
really getting more into this show and may stick to it. (2 points)
-Bonus point: Vampire
Total: 34 points
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