Tell Me Something (1999): This is my Korean film for the week and a very unexpected one. My stepmom had this from her own Netflix account and a couple did not work out for me so I chose this very violent film. Yoon-Hyun Chang directed this movie which stars Suk-kyu Han as Detective Cho with a dark past and is assigned to case of some very brutal murders which the bodies have been disfigured. He then soon discovers that each of the victims had a relationship with an artist named Su-Yeon and must learn more about her to figure out what is going on. This was by no means anything that will ever rank into my favorites but was pretty enjoyable if you have a good stomach because it is very bloody. The movie had a really nice ending.
Advice from a Caterpillar (1999): I might get some heat and this one may not be for everyone but I am here to accomadate to all groups as much as I can so think of this one as a good date movie and one for female friends to get together and watch. It is a rather strange love story with SEX AND THE CITY alum Cynthia Nixon plays an artist named Missy who is seeing a married man and not in a hurry for love. NEWSRADIO alum Andy Dick plays her gay friend Spaz who is an actor turned caterer. Spaz then starts to see a bi-sexual man named Brat, played by Timothy Olyphant, and Missy takes interest in him. This is what it is so if you're looking for the big blockbuster you had better not see this and if you want a romantic comedy, this may not be it. I did feel that Andy Dick gave a pretty good performance in this one and Nixon did too. I did crack up when two grown men played Candyland without any kids around.
American Splendor (2003): This is my biopic for the week which centers around underground comic book write Harvey Pekar who write the comic book in the movie title. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar very well which focuses on his depression, boring job, medical issues, times as a Jazz critic and his married life. Pekar was friends with fellow underground comic writer Robert Crumb and decided to create his own comic book to make of himself showing that you do not have to have powers or weapons to become a hero. He created the everyday man of himself to be the hero. The real Harvey Pekar and his wife also appear as themselves in the documentary scenes which had the more phony background but looked great. Hope Davis plays Pekar's third and current wife and James Urbaniak was very good in his small part as Robert Crumb. This was such a well-shot film which did a great job of blending in some 2-d animation. I actually had the pleasure of seeing the real Harvey Pekar when he was a guest speaker at Ball State. He spoke about his struggles as a writer, his bout with cancer, and just his life in general. He was very informative and pretty nice when I met him. This movie is based out of his comics AMERICAN SPLENDOR and OUR CANCER YEAR. OCY was one that he wrote with his wife Joyce and she came up with the idea to write on it in order to deal with it easier.
Il Posto (1961): Ermanno Olmi wrote and directed this Italian film which takes a look at corporate Italy. This movie centers around high-school graduate Domenico, who is trying to find a job and then looks at the struggles of the political environment he becomes a part of. This is a great character study which takes a look at the flaws in him and his struggle to make it in society.
Phantasm (1979): Don Coscarelli wrote and directed this horror film which is very important to the genre. This movie is about a couple orphaned brothers and witness some strange events going on in a mortuary and face off against a man called the Tall Man. This is a pretty enjoyable horror film where the effects were decent for their time and the dwarves were rather amusing. The tag line on the dvd cover says "If this movie does not scare you then you are already dead". I must say that this movie did not really scare me and to my knowledge I'm still alive but this was a pretty good star-making vehicle for director Don Coscarelli.
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959): This is my classic bad film for the week directed by the legendary "Worst Director of all Time" Ed Wood. Some very bitter aliens land on the planet to resurrect the dead into zombies to march on the capitals of the world so they bring back Bela Legosi, Vampira, and professional wrestler Tor Johnson from the dead to wreak havoc. Have I hooked you yet? Bela Legosi co-stars in his last film and things became very difficult when he died during filming and some of his scenes had not been filmed yet so they get the great idea for the replacement actor to cover his face with a cape so sometimes you see Bela but other times you see some guy with a cape over his face. Surely sci-fi and b-movie buffs are hooked now. So come see some really bad acting, very low-budget which was very clear, bad directing which would go onto become a masterpiece for Wood and the greatest of the bad movies. Just remember what the real-life Criswell says in his disclaimer of the "sworn testimony".
Dracula (1931): No, this is not the classic from Bela Legosi, this is the Spanish version that Universal filmed at the same time as the other version which used the same set but different story elements though both centering on Dracula. This was actually every bit as good in my opinion as its 1931 brother. We first see Boris Renfield before he becomes the lunatic when visiting Dracula in a real estate deal and falling under the spell of Dracula. Dracula then sets out to go to another part of the world and targets Eva, usually known as Mina. Pablo Alvarez Ribio was great as Renfield. This version is actually longer than the other version and has all the same great characters we all know but found it to be more compelling than the other one as much as I like Legosi's version. I found this on the Dracula: Legacy Collection DVD which contains many of the Universal films so it's worth a shot to take for the classic horror buffs and buffs in general.
Sita Sings the Blues (2008): I found this animation tale of a break-up on the Link network. Nina Paley spent about five years creating this film which is about the indian tale of the Ramayana set to '20s Jazz music by Annette Hanshaw. This focuses on a relationship with a man that she loves but is abducted by the ruler of Lanka forcing her into a marriage. I'm not going to get too detailed on this plot, what really is awesome is the animation and the music incorporated with it. It is very clear the passion and hard work that Paley put into this movie to get it made. This is also an animated tribute to Bollywood. If you can find this, it might be worth your time to check it out. What was also interesting was the people in the background kind of commentating on the events.
The Uneasy Three (1925): I end with this silent short comedy from Charley Chase. His name does not live on like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and even Harold Lloyd but still made some pretty good short films. In this one, he is part of an inept heist group trying to steal a valuable jewel while posing as the band. They attempt to play and convince everyone that robbers are there to rob them. Chase's thing was usually playing people who are apparently charming and gentile but turn out to be losers. Great for silent film buffs and just people who are into the "Big 3" to take a look at him.
Well, that is it for this week. Stay tuned for next week which will include Johnny Depp, Ed Wood, Gloria Holden, Ermanno Olmi, Leonardo Dicaprio, Shelley Long.
HONORABLE MENTION
Tom Cherry: Featuring Harvey Pekar in here gave me the idea to also give a friend/local cartoonist in Muncie some recognition. Tom has been writing the cartoon THOSE FUNKY IDIOTS for many years now and puts as much work into that as I do into my blog. He has been featured in the Muncie Star Press and has found other outlets for his strip including some home live-action videos where he plays the main character and if you search youtube with the title you will find some of his shows. I worked with him in BIG RIVER and a few years ago when we were asked to be witnesses in a mock trial. Tom is a good guy and very funny person and maybe someone will see this and give him some big break like Harvey Pekar got. All I ask in return Tom is that if you ever get a tv show, movie, or cartoon going with this is to give me a part. Also check out some more of his work on https://www.thosefunkyidiots.com. Also go see him in November as he stars in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF at the Muncie Civic Studio Theater.
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