Iron Man was a real comics movie breakthrough - with Robert Downey Jr. brilliantly depicting the dissolute and desperate genius Tony Stark. Iron Man 2, on the other hand, is just a great movie, coasting on the first one. We still have Stark as alcoholic, asshole-ic badboy with a tragic flaw - the arc reactor that is keeping him alive is also poisoning him. He has a number of other problems, mainly that the Army wants to get its hands on the Iron Man suit. In fact, Don Cheadle manages to steal one while Stark is having a drunken birthday party.
Meanwhile, Mickey Rourke in Russia is creating a suit of his own, complete with energy whips. He makes a great villain for the piece: Not many actors can match Downey's badboy rep, but Rourke sure can. His Russian accent explains why nobody can understand a word he mumbles.
Add onto all of these Iron Men, we have Stark's daddy issues. It seems his father was a cold Walt Disney type, who - never mind, I couldn't buy any of this, and I won't try to sell you. We also have the romance between Stark and Gweneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts, his secretary. Of course, I enjoy seeing this develop, but I kind of wanted to keep the tension going for a while. Oh well, -SPOILER- I can't be sorry these crazy kids got together.
Ip Man is a totally different kind of man. It stars Donnie Yen as Ip Man, the founder of modern school of Wing Chun martial arts. It starts in 1930s Foshan, China, a rich little town with a lot of martial arts hobbyists. Ip Man is number one, but he rarely fights, preferring to hang out in his mansion with his wife and kids. When the Japanese come and devastate the city, he has to work in the coalworks to survive, but his calm dignified spirit is not broken.
The Japanese general is a martial artist himself, though, and soon seeks out Ip Man to stage fights, and tries to recruit him as a teacher for the Japanese soldiers. It all builds up to a classic karate vs. Wing Chun duel.
Yen is lovely in this role, dignified, grounded, and unstoppable in combat. The fights, choreographed by Sammo Hung, are well worth watching. The film has an interesting look, with a burnished antique feel combined with a white overhead glare in some of the fight scenes. Excellent martial arts movie.
Now, will Ip Man 2 be a disappointment when it is available?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
TV Jazz
This is just a quick note to let you know that the iconic TV detective series Peter Gunn was available on View Instantly. "Was" as in, not any more. They pulled it on 26 Jan. I guess I should have mentioned it before this...
Peter Gunn is of course most famous for Henry Mancini's stabbing theme song. But the whole series is soaking in 1950s jazz - Gunn hangs out at Mother's jazz club, where he meets his gal Edie, a chanteuse with the house combo. She sings a number about every other episode. Gunn's manhunts often lead him to other jazz or beatnik haunts, and there's the occasional guest star like drummer Shelly Manne. The series takes place in a city where the streets have San Francisco names (Post, Geary), but out of town is referred to as "across the river" - as if the locale is Greenwich Village in San Francisco.
Each episode is a neat little noir drama (or comedy, in some cases). Blake Edwards directs, adding little expressionist touches or classic glamor lighting to an otherwise set-bound low-budget series. Character actor Herschel Bernardi as harried Lt. Jacoby is a lot of fun too, as are the rest of the regulars. Billy Barty shows up a few times as a pool playing informant. All in all, more fun than you might expect.
You know what else they pulled off Instant on Jan 26th? Route 66. Their famous theme song was by Nelson Riddle. If you don't remember it, it featured Martin Miner and George Maharis as two young men bumming around the country in a 1960 'Vette. They stop along the way, have adventures and learn the meaning of "America". I only got to watch one episode before it got pulled off of View Instantly. The locations were lovely (Mississippi in the winter), especially compared to the stale backlot sets of Peter Gunn. The proto-hippy wandering youth thing was interesting, but I felt that the show was too long at 1 hour. Oh well, at least I got a chance to check it out.
So, why did Netflix pull these old TV series? This is one reason why I can't take streaming seriously as a replacement for DVDs-by-mail. Aside from the limited selection, the selection can disappear at any time. I want to watch what I want to watch, not what's currently "in stock".
Peter Gunn is of course most famous for Henry Mancini's stabbing theme song. But the whole series is soaking in 1950s jazz - Gunn hangs out at Mother's jazz club, where he meets his gal Edie, a chanteuse with the house combo. She sings a number about every other episode. Gunn's manhunts often lead him to other jazz or beatnik haunts, and there's the occasional guest star like drummer Shelly Manne. The series takes place in a city where the streets have San Francisco names (Post, Geary), but out of town is referred to as "across the river" - as if the locale is Greenwich Village in San Francisco.
Each episode is a neat little noir drama (or comedy, in some cases). Blake Edwards directs, adding little expressionist touches or classic glamor lighting to an otherwise set-bound low-budget series. Character actor Herschel Bernardi as harried Lt. Jacoby is a lot of fun too, as are the rest of the regulars. Billy Barty shows up a few times as a pool playing informant. All in all, more fun than you might expect.
You know what else they pulled off Instant on Jan 26th? Route 66. Their famous theme song was by Nelson Riddle. If you don't remember it, it featured Martin Miner and George Maharis as two young men bumming around the country in a 1960 'Vette. They stop along the way, have adventures and learn the meaning of "America". I only got to watch one episode before it got pulled off of View Instantly. The locations were lovely (Mississippi in the winter), especially compared to the stale backlot sets of Peter Gunn. The proto-hippy wandering youth thing was interesting, but I felt that the show was too long at 1 hour. Oh well, at least I got a chance to check it out.
So, why did Netflix pull these old TV series? This is one reason why I can't take streaming seriously as a replacement for DVDs-by-mail. Aside from the limited selection, the selection can disappear at any time. I want to watch what I want to watch, not what's currently "in stock".
Monday, January 24, 2011
Let's Return Again
Let's return again, to Larry Blamire - The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, sequel to his masterpiece, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Of course, you've seen the original, right? If not, I'll wait.
OK, now we've all seen Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. We are either dying to see more Blamire, or cursing the name of Beveridge for suggesting it. Cursing people may skip the rest of this article.
All others, welcome! I offer reassurances - The Lost Skeleton Returns Again is just what you are looking for. All of our friends are there, even those who died in the last movie. Our story: The government needs scientist Paul Armstrong to find a scientific rock, but he has become a bitter drunken shell of a man, lost in the Amazon. The government and his wife Betty set out to find him. But so does the skull of the Lost Skeleton! Fortunately, so do their alien friends, Kro-Bar and Lattis, disguised as Earth humans Day Trillis and Zamie ... something...
Unfortunately, the rock they seek lies in they Valley of the Monsters! Fortunately - wait, I lost track.
Anyway, you know whether you want to watch this. We do and we're glad we did.
OK, now we've all seen Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. We are either dying to see more Blamire, or cursing the name of Beveridge for suggesting it. Cursing people may skip the rest of this article.
All others, welcome! I offer reassurances - The Lost Skeleton Returns Again is just what you are looking for. All of our friends are there, even those who died in the last movie. Our story: The government needs scientist Paul Armstrong to find a scientific rock, but he has become a bitter drunken shell of a man, lost in the Amazon. The government and his wife Betty set out to find him. But so does the skull of the Lost Skeleton! Fortunately, so do their alien friends, Kro-Bar and Lattis, disguised as Earth humans Day Trillis and Zamie ... something...
Unfortunately, the rock they seek lies in they Valley of the Monsters! Fortunately - wait, I lost track.
Anyway, you know whether you want to watch this. We do and we're glad we did.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Such a Night
In 2009, I went to see the premier of a movie that was not available on DVD. Simply put, that movie, Larry Blamire's Dark and Stormy Night, is now available through Netflix.
Dark and Stormy Night is a loving parody of 1930s Old Dark House movies. I don't think that it is as much of a masterpiece as Blamire's The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, a 1950s sci-fi spoof. I guess it's a little harder to technically match the velvety shadows and creamy highlights of the classic black and white horror movie. Also, the tone is a little uneven, with some characters acting a little too "in on the joke". But it is so stuffed with characters, situations, gags and plot twists, it's hard to care while you are watching it.
Readers who have been reading may also know that the Lost Skeleton's sequel is also available: The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. We'll be watching that soon.
If you aren't sure this is your cup of tea, go to YouTube and search for "Tales from the Pub". You will find a few dozen short (2-3 minutes) black and white mysteries, all set in a pub, written and directed by Larry Blamire. If you like these, start queuing up the Blamire.
Update: We had so much fun watching Dark and Stormy Night, we went and streamed The Mystery of the 13th Guest. This is the 1942 remake of the 1932 Thirteenth Guest, with Ginger Rogers. Ginger Rogers is not in the remake, but it was directed by William "One-Shot" Beaudine, of Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter fame. It's a pretty dopey movie, with a comic police stooge named Speed (Frank Faylen). He adds a rather Stan Laurel touch to a pretty conventional mystery. What the movie lacks in chills, style, coherence or logic it makes up in ... well, it's very short.
The 1932 version is in the public domain, and you can download from Archive.org.
Dark and Stormy Night is a loving parody of 1930s Old Dark House movies. I don't think that it is as much of a masterpiece as Blamire's The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, a 1950s sci-fi spoof. I guess it's a little harder to technically match the velvety shadows and creamy highlights of the classic black and white horror movie. Also, the tone is a little uneven, with some characters acting a little too "in on the joke". But it is so stuffed with characters, situations, gags and plot twists, it's hard to care while you are watching it.
Readers who have been reading may also know that the Lost Skeleton's sequel is also available: The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. We'll be watching that soon.
If you aren't sure this is your cup of tea, go to YouTube and search for "Tales from the Pub". You will find a few dozen short (2-3 minutes) black and white mysteries, all set in a pub, written and directed by Larry Blamire. If you like these, start queuing up the Blamire.
Update: We had so much fun watching Dark and Stormy Night, we went and streamed The Mystery of the 13th Guest. This is the 1942 remake of the 1932 Thirteenth Guest, with Ginger Rogers. Ginger Rogers is not in the remake, but it was directed by William "One-Shot" Beaudine, of Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter fame. It's a pretty dopey movie, with a comic police stooge named Speed (Frank Faylen). He adds a rather Stan Laurel touch to a pretty conventional mystery. What the movie lacks in chills, style, coherence or logic it makes up in ... well, it's very short.
The 1932 version is in the public domain, and you can download from Archive.org.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Too Soon
One New Year's tradition I don't observe is the "Who Died" list - the list of influential entertainers who died in the last year. But we did feel the urge to commemorate one great late actor, Leslie Nielsen, died Nov 28, 2010. We did not watch any of his best or most famous movies, but we felt our choice was appropriate: Dracula: Dead and Loving It.
I'm not going to say too much about this film, because Mr. Peel of Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur said it so much better. It was made in 1995 and is, unbelievably, the last feature Mel Brooks directed. It isn't one of his funniest (or Nielsen's or co-star Harvey Korman's), but it has a very lovable quality. It feels like more of a tribute than a spoof. Some of the best parts are Peter MacNicol's dead-on Dwight Fry imitation as Renfield, and Korman's Nigel Bruce as Dr. Seward. Nielsen makes a terrible Dracula, but never lets on - keeping his Transylvanian accent firmly in place, and tongue far from his cheek.
The jokes are rare and mostly pretty lightweight, but it worked for us much better than, for ex, Spaceballs, which was just a mess.
Good-bye, Lt. Drebbin. We'll miss you.
A sad postscript - Nielsen's co-star in Forbidden Planet, Anne Francis died Jan 2, 2011. We loved her in Honey West.
I'm not going to say too much about this film, because Mr. Peel of Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur said it so much better. It was made in 1995 and is, unbelievably, the last feature Mel Brooks directed. It isn't one of his funniest (or Nielsen's or co-star Harvey Korman's), but it has a very lovable quality. It feels like more of a tribute than a spoof. Some of the best parts are Peter MacNicol's dead-on Dwight Fry imitation as Renfield, and Korman's Nigel Bruce as Dr. Seward. Nielsen makes a terrible Dracula, but never lets on - keeping his Transylvanian accent firmly in place, and tongue far from his cheek.
The jokes are rare and mostly pretty lightweight, but it worked for us much better than, for ex, Spaceballs, which was just a mess.
Good-bye, Lt. Drebbin. We'll miss you.
A sad postscript - Nielsen's co-star in Forbidden Planet, Anne Francis died Jan 2, 2011. We loved her in Honey West.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year from Hotlanta!
We're flying home to Tally and we have a 4 hr layover in ATL. But I recently read about this restaurant on Concourse E - One Flew South. So Ms. Beveridge is having a French 75 and I've got a Smoked Manhattan:
Bacon infused rye
Allspice dram
Angostura bitters
3 housemade maraschino cherries
Neverbeen more happy to be stuck in an airport.
Bacon infused rye
Allspice dram
Angostura bitters
3 housemade maraschino cherries
Neverbeen more happy to be stuck in an airport.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Twas the Quiz before Christmas
The last time Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule posted a film quiz was over Labor Day. I didn't notice it was up until about 4 days later - far too late to get my answers in. After that fiasco, I've been checking every day - And here it is. I got my answers in before Christmas!
1) Best Movie of 2010
Bringing Up Baby, same as every year.
2) Second-favorite Roman Polanski Movie Our favorite is Ninth Gate. Second favorite is probably Rosemary's Baby. We're not big fans.
3) Jason Statham or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rock is a surprisingly versatile actor (beyond the eyebrow trick), but Statham is so awesome that I watched In the Name of the King.
4) Favorite movie that could be classified as a genre hybrid
Pistol Opera - a hybrid of yakuza and Noh theater.
5) How important is foreknowledge of a film’s production history? Should it factor into one’s reaction to a film?
Very unimportant. I don't care how much money a movie cost, who fought with who, or even what technology was used for the special effects. Only what's on the screen matters.
Of course, the rest of the stuff is fun to read about...
6) William Powell & Myrna Loy or Cary Grant & Irene Dunne
Nick and Nora. No question at all.
7) Best Actor of 2010
It's weird to say this but either Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp.
8) Most important lesson learned from the past decade of watching movies
Comedies and action movies - nothing pretentious or polite. Don't rent high-brow movies that look good but will only depress you. If you do rent them and don't watch them, return them right away.
9) Last movie seen (DVD/Blu-ray/theater)
I do not believe I have ever heard of Tom Six, or any of his movies. Please do not enlighten me.
11) Best under-the-radar movie almost no one else has had the chance to see
Dark and Stormy Night, by Larry Blamire of The Lost Skeleton of Cadvera "fame". It's a ton of fun, and 90-year old Betty Garret is in it! As far as I know, if you missed its premiere at the Egyptian last year, you missed it.
Stop the presses! It is now available on Netflix! Rent it today!
12) Sheree North or Angie Dickinson
Dickinson bared it all with Capt. Kirk and the captain of the Nostromo in Big Bad Mama. So, Sheree North (who was on Lost in Space).
13) Favorite nakedly autobiographical movie
8 1/2, and by extension, Stardust Memories.
14) Movie which best evokes a specific real-life place
The Lord of the Rings trilogy perfectly evokes Middle Earth - which is real to me...
15) Best Director
Del Lord, unless you mean for 2010. For 2010, still Del Lord.
16) Second-favorite Farrelly Brothers Movie
Never seen one. May it ever be so.
17) Favorite holiday movie
The Thin Man. Best Christmas ever!
18) Best Actress
Again, it's weird to say, but Angelina Jolie.
19) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson wasn't in Mitchell, so him. He wasn't in Final Justice either.
20) Of those notable figures in the world of the movies who died in 2011, name the one you’ll miss the most
My crystal ball says "Clint Eastwood".
21) Think of a movie with a notable musical score and describe what it might feel like without that accompaniment.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Actually, I think it would work pretty well. In some ways, the Maricone score could be replaced by whistling wind and creaking hinges and maintain the same feeling.
22) Best Screenplay
Duck Soup
23) Movie You Feel Most Evangelistic About Right Now
Some of our nephews have never seen any Marx Bros. so we've been hyping them. We've recently recommended The Fall to several people as well.
24) Worst/funniest movie accent ever
With respect to Hrundi V. Bakshi, we just saw the Mystery Science Theater version of Werewolf. Although it takes place in Albequerque, it has very few native English speakers (even Joe Estevez seems to be having trouble). The leading lady seems to be Russian or something and her attempts at an American accent are a stitch. "You mean... a waarwolf?"
25) Best Cinematography
I've got The Fall on the brain - it certainly is beautiful.
26) Olivia Wilde or Gemma Arterton
Umm, I saw Quantum of Solace, so... which one was in that?
27) Name the three best movies you saw for the first time in 2010 (Thanks, Larry!)
And I thought I'd seen all the great musicals and screwball comedies!
28) Best romantic movie couple of 2010
I guess I'll have to say Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, same as every year.
29) Favorite shock/surprise ending
When Jimmy Stewart kills himself at the end of It's a Wonderful Life - in my version anyway.
30) Best cinematic reason to have stayed home and read a book in 2010
Since we don't go out to see movies - yay Netflix! - how about Best Reason to Fall Asleep on the Couch while Watching a Movie? I did that a lot. How about National Treasure, 1 or 2? Not a 2010 movie, but that's when I watched it.
31) Movies in 2011 could make me much happier if they’d only _______________
Stop taking themselves so seriously.
1) Best Movie of 2010
Bringing Up Baby, same as every year.
2) Second-favorite Roman Polanski Movie Our favorite is Ninth Gate. Second favorite is probably Rosemary's Baby. We're not big fans.
3) Jason Statham or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rock is a surprisingly versatile actor (beyond the eyebrow trick), but Statham is so awesome that I watched In the Name of the King.
4) Favorite movie that could be classified as a genre hybrid
Pistol Opera - a hybrid of yakuza and Noh theater.
5) How important is foreknowledge of a film’s production history? Should it factor into one’s reaction to a film?
Very unimportant. I don't care how much money a movie cost, who fought with who, or even what technology was used for the special effects. Only what's on the screen matters.
Of course, the rest of the stuff is fun to read about...
6) William Powell & Myrna Loy or Cary Grant & Irene Dunne
Nick and Nora. No question at all.
7) Best Actor of 2010
It's weird to say this but either Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp.
8) Most important lesson learned from the past decade of watching movies
Comedies and action movies - nothing pretentious or polite. Don't rent high-brow movies that look good but will only depress you. If you do rent them and don't watch them, return them right away.
9) Last movie seen (DVD/Blu-ray/theater)
- DVD: If You Could Only Cook, with Jean Arthur and Herbert Marshall. We especially loved Leo Carillo as a gangster and gravel-voiced Lionel Stander as his henchman.
- Blu-ray: Fantastic Four from a copy I own. I insist this is an awesome movie.
- Theater: Despicable Me and Scott Pilgrim double bill at the Mission Tiki Drive-In last summer. Took some teenagers, who were not impressed, but didn't complain.
I do not believe I have ever heard of Tom Six, or any of his movies. Please do not enlighten me.
11) Best under-the-radar movie almost no one else has had the chance to see
Dark and Stormy Night, by Larry Blamire of The Lost Skeleton of Cadvera "fame". It's a ton of fun, and 90-year old Betty Garret is in it! As far as I know, if you missed its premiere at the Egyptian last year, you missed it.
Stop the presses! It is now available on Netflix! Rent it today!
12) Sheree North or Angie Dickinson
Dickinson bared it all with Capt. Kirk and the captain of the Nostromo in Big Bad Mama. So, Sheree North (who was on Lost in Space).
13) Favorite nakedly autobiographical movie
8 1/2, and by extension, Stardust Memories.
14) Movie which best evokes a specific real-life place
The Lord of the Rings trilogy perfectly evokes Middle Earth - which is real to me...
15) Best Director
Del Lord, unless you mean for 2010. For 2010, still Del Lord.
16) Second-favorite Farrelly Brothers Movie
Never seen one. May it ever be so.
17) Favorite holiday movie
The Thin Man. Best Christmas ever!
18) Best Actress
Again, it's weird to say, but Angelina Jolie.
19) Joe Don Baker or Bo Svenson
Bo Svenson wasn't in Mitchell, so him. He wasn't in Final Justice either.
20) Of those notable figures in the world of the movies who died in 2011, name the one you’ll miss the most
My crystal ball says "Clint Eastwood".
21) Think of a movie with a notable musical score and describe what it might feel like without that accompaniment.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Actually, I think it would work pretty well. In some ways, the Maricone score could be replaced by whistling wind and creaking hinges and maintain the same feeling.
22) Best Screenplay
Duck Soup
23) Movie You Feel Most Evangelistic About Right Now
Some of our nephews have never seen any Marx Bros. so we've been hyping them. We've recently recommended The Fall to several people as well.
24) Worst/funniest movie accent ever
With respect to Hrundi V. Bakshi, we just saw the Mystery Science Theater version of Werewolf. Although it takes place in Albequerque, it has very few native English speakers (even Joe Estevez seems to be having trouble). The leading lady seems to be Russian or something and her attempts at an American accent are a stitch. "You mean... a waarwolf?"
25) Best Cinematography
I've got The Fall on the brain - it certainly is beautiful.
26) Olivia Wilde or Gemma Arterton
Umm, I saw Quantum of Solace, so... which one was in that?
27) Name the three best movies you saw for the first time in 2010 (Thanks, Larry!)
And I thought I'd seen all the great musicals and screwball comedies!
28) Best romantic movie couple of 2010
I guess I'll have to say Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, same as every year.
29) Favorite shock/surprise ending
When Jimmy Stewart kills himself at the end of It's a Wonderful Life - in my version anyway.
30) Best cinematic reason to have stayed home and read a book in 2010
Since we don't go out to see movies - yay Netflix! - how about Best Reason to Fall Asleep on the Couch while Watching a Movie? I did that a lot. How about National Treasure, 1 or 2? Not a 2010 movie, but that's when I watched it.
31) Movies in 2011 could make me much happier if they’d only _______________
Stop taking themselves so seriously.
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