Black Dynamite is a rare genre of movie, the send-up/self-parody; other films in the genre being "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" and "Mars Attacks!". The point of these movies is to simultaneously pay tribute to and poke fun at movie genres, without ever getting too silly. The genres in question here are blaxploitation flicks and crummy police movies (think "Mitchell") of the 1970's. This movie pulls off the parody almost perfectly.
The movie centers around Black Dynamite, an all-the-time macho guy. In typical cop movie fashion, his brother is killed by drug dealers, so Dynamite starts a war on drugs, so he can avenge his brother's death. The plot gets really loopy and nonsensical from there, as most movies like that tend to do. The storyline is intentionally campy, though, and it's quite funny. The dialog in particular is really amusing, ranging from jilted-sounding exposition, to the constant use of "Can you dig it?". The parody is dead-on, from beginning to end, down to the cheesy cinematography and overuse of sweeps and fades. The action scenes are over-the-top ridiculous, and the sound effects are laughably terrible, too. There's even a touch of sepia-tone to some of the interior shots, as is often found in old grindhouse movies.
While this is a very funny movie, there are times when it seems like the writers couldn't pass up an opportunity for a joke, and they come across as out of place comparison to the sense of humor of the rest of the film. There's a scene where Dynamite and his friends figure out what the motive behind the drug dealers was, ("Who makes M&M's? Mars! And what's Mars spelled backwards without the S?...) and while it's very humorous, it doesn't quite fit with the semi-serious tone of the movie. I say semi-serious, because the film almost never acknowledges the ridiculousness of itself, but instead acts like it's a serious action movie. When the movie does start to somewhat acknowledge itself, it definitely shows; the end fight scene between Black Dynamite and Richard Nixon seems almost like a knowing wink to the viewers. I'm not opposed to it, though, it works really well and is really funny; it's just that script-wise, it seems out of place.
Overall, this is a very, very funny movie, and good-quality one, too. Highly recommended.
Quality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190536/
January 21, 2012
January 16, 2012
Movie Review- Up the Academy
MAD magazine has occasionally tried to make forays into other mediums besides magazines, and it never really works. Up the Academy was their half-baked and silly attempt to cash in on the popularity of National Lampoon's Animal House. But is it really all that bad? For the most part, yes, but it has its moments.
The film opens and closes with very a creepy shot of a guy in an Alfred E. Neuman (MAD's mascot) costume. It gets better, though. But not by much. The humor here relies heavily on stereotypes, toilet humor, and occasionally some slapstick gags. These only work about half of the time, and it's strangely nothing like the sense of humor in the magazine that produced it. The main characters are mostly thin stereotypes, and the jokes revolving around their stereotypical personalities get old fast. It's worth noting that Ralph Macchio starred in this, in one of his earlier roles, and he's one of the only entertaining people in the whole thing.
The plot is very nonsensical, and somewhat reminiscent of the Police Academy movies, although this was released well before them. Basically, a bunch of misfit troublemakers get shipped off to military school and wacky hijinks ensue. That's pretty much it. The movie isn't completely bland, though, the first 40 minutes or so were fairly entertaining. After that, however, the humor starts to go flat. There's one strange thing worth noting, and it really took me out of the movie-watching experience; the soundtrack plays incessantly through the movie. While I liked the style of music (late 70's rock and post-punk), it plays far too much. There were several scenes throughout the movie that would have played out a lot better if there wasn't a song playing in the background. The effects, while few, were pretty cheap, and consisted mostly of old stock footage. I get the feeling this was meant to be played for laughs in some scenes, but it still makes the movie look pretty shoddy.
Overall, this is a very hit-and-miss movie. When it's funny, it's very, very funny. When it's bad, it's really terrible. It certainly isn't horrible, but it's nothing special, and not really worth watching. I wouldn't recommend it. The first three Police Academy movies are a much better alternative if you're in the mood for a "bunch of wacky characters in a not wacky setting"-type movie.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Quality: 2/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081695/
The film opens and closes with very a creepy shot of a guy in an Alfred E. Neuman (MAD's mascot) costume. It gets better, though. But not by much. The humor here relies heavily on stereotypes, toilet humor, and occasionally some slapstick gags. These only work about half of the time, and it's strangely nothing like the sense of humor in the magazine that produced it. The main characters are mostly thin stereotypes, and the jokes revolving around their stereotypical personalities get old fast. It's worth noting that Ralph Macchio starred in this, in one of his earlier roles, and he's one of the only entertaining people in the whole thing.
The plot is very nonsensical, and somewhat reminiscent of the Police Academy movies, although this was released well before them. Basically, a bunch of misfit troublemakers get shipped off to military school and wacky hijinks ensue. That's pretty much it. The movie isn't completely bland, though, the first 40 minutes or so were fairly entertaining. After that, however, the humor starts to go flat. There's one strange thing worth noting, and it really took me out of the movie-watching experience; the soundtrack plays incessantly through the movie. While I liked the style of music (late 70's rock and post-punk), it plays far too much. There were several scenes throughout the movie that would have played out a lot better if there wasn't a song playing in the background. The effects, while few, were pretty cheap, and consisted mostly of old stock footage. I get the feeling this was meant to be played for laughs in some scenes, but it still makes the movie look pretty shoddy.
Overall, this is a very hit-and-miss movie. When it's funny, it's very, very funny. When it's bad, it's really terrible. It certainly isn't horrible, but it's nothing special, and not really worth watching. I wouldn't recommend it. The first three Police Academy movies are a much better alternative if you're in the mood for a "bunch of wacky characters in a not wacky setting"-type movie.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Quality: 2/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081695/
January 8, 2012
Movie Review- Little Miss Sunshine
I don't often watch Oscar-nominated movies, but when I do, they're usually a lot better than I expected. This is not one of those movies, sadly. This is one of those movies that starts out great, but then slowly becomes very un-enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, it's a great quality movie, but I personally didn't enjoy it. Plot-wise the premise isn't all too inventive; it's the average road trip movie, but the actors make up for it. Speaking of the cast, I thought that the cast was great, Steve Carell in particular. I don't know why, but I'm a sucker for comedic actors in serious roles. But while Steve did an excellent job, I couldn't help but feel that he kinda out of place the whole time. There was just something about him that made him stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the rest of the cast.
The main problem I had with the movie, though, was that the movie got incredibly hokey towards the end. The rest of the film is really serious and is more of a dramedy, but the script takes a much more comedic turn after their grandfather dies. After that point, the movie sort of detaches itself from the serious and grounded tone of the film, and goes for more of the generic "wacky hi-jinks" found in road trip movies. And strangely enough, it's around that point that all the characters start to speak in almost nothing but deep and meaningful dialog. I don't mind the occasional bit of thought-provoking dialog, but the characters speak like that so much loses its meaning and becomes empty and annoying.
Overall, it's not that enjoyable a movie, but it's still a well-made one. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're into Oscar-nominated/winning movies, than it's worth a watch.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/
The main problem I had with the movie, though, was that the movie got incredibly hokey towards the end. The rest of the film is really serious and is more of a dramedy, but the script takes a much more comedic turn after their grandfather dies. After that point, the movie sort of detaches itself from the serious and grounded tone of the film, and goes for more of the generic "wacky hi-jinks" found in road trip movies. And strangely enough, it's around that point that all the characters start to speak in almost nothing but deep and meaningful dialog. I don't mind the occasional bit of thought-provoking dialog, but the characters speak like that so much loses its meaning and becomes empty and annoying.
Overall, it's not that enjoyable a movie, but it's still a well-made one. I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're into Oscar-nominated/winning movies, than it's worth a watch.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/
January 2, 2012
Movie Review- Maniac
A lot of people hate this movie because of how violent it is. Sure, it's gruesome, but there have far more violent movies since its 1980 release. If you can look past the violence, this is a great movie. Maniac is a slasher/thriller, and if there's one thing slasher movies are notorious for, it's being crappy. This is one of the few slasher movies that actually bothered to try to be a good movie. And it excels in every category.
The story was original for the time, before slasher movies became really popular, and the script itself is truly disturbing. It centers around Frank Zito, a psycho who takes up killing women as a result of his tormented childhood. The characters are all fairly believable, but Frank in particular is horrifically captivating. The character development is spectacular, and we really get to see into Frank's mind, and it's a very disturbing look. Speaking of which, Tom Savini did the makeup for this movie, and he is excellent at what he does. The special effects and makeup for the deathscenes are very realistic, and most of them still hold up pretty well.
The cinematography is really nice, too. There's a lot of handheld and point-of-view shots, giving the movie and almost documentary-like feel to it at times. The score is really cool, too; it's a very creepy synthesizer-based score. The acting from the minor characters is decent, but Joe Spinell steals the show, being the main character and such.He looks and sounds like a regular guy most of the time, and that just makes him all the creepier.
Strangely enough, the ending is very bizarre and surreal, but it's fitting, given that the main character is mentally unstable, and we're not sure whether it's all going on inside his head or not.
Overall, this is a very unnerving, suspenseful, and downright disturbing movie. Highly recommended for those with a strong stomach and a taste for exploitation-type movies.
Quality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081114/
The story was original for the time, before slasher movies became really popular, and the script itself is truly disturbing. It centers around Frank Zito, a psycho who takes up killing women as a result of his tormented childhood. The characters are all fairly believable, but Frank in particular is horrifically captivating. The character development is spectacular, and we really get to see into Frank's mind, and it's a very disturbing look. Speaking of which, Tom Savini did the makeup for this movie, and he is excellent at what he does. The special effects and makeup for the deathscenes are very realistic, and most of them still hold up pretty well.
The cinematography is really nice, too. There's a lot of handheld and point-of-view shots, giving the movie and almost documentary-like feel to it at times. The score is really cool, too; it's a very creepy synthesizer-based score. The acting from the minor characters is decent, but Joe Spinell steals the show, being the main character and such.He looks and sounds like a regular guy most of the time, and that just makes him all the creepier.
Strangely enough, the ending is very bizarre and surreal, but it's fitting, given that the main character is mentally unstable, and we're not sure whether it's all going on inside his head or not.
Overall, this is a very unnerving, suspenseful, and downright disturbing movie. Highly recommended for those with a strong stomach and a taste for exploitation-type movies.
Quality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081114/
Movie Review- The Funhouse
Today's Movie- The Funhouse (Carnival of Terror)
The Funhouse, also known as "Carnival of Terror", is an often overlooked slasher flick from the early 1980's. Seeing as I like underrated movies like this, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I can totally see why this gets overlooked. It's directed by Tobe Hooper, of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" fame. He made this movie a lot better than it could have been.
I both liked and disliked this movie. On one hand, it has some of the best cinematography I've seen in a slasher movie, but on the other hand, the script is very boring and not scary in the least. The setting is a nice change-up from the usual slasher fare, it takes place in a seedy travelling carnival. But while it's a nifty location, the script doesn't take much advantage of the potential the setting had. The plot is just like any other slasher movie; a bunch of dumb teens get chopped up by a deformed psycho. But the originality put into the film falls flat. Heck, we aren't even introduced to the killer until more than halfway through the film. And when the killer does show up, he looks like a guy wearing a bat mask. On top of that, he does nothing but scream the whole time, which gets really annoying.
While the body count is pretty high (six people including the villains), they're very bland and not at all inventive. Even the villain's death is boring, which was really disappointing. And to make matters worse, nobody dies until about two-thirds of the way into the movie, so we're forced to sit through an hour of virtually nothing happening. The main characters pretty much just hang out at the carnival for an hour, and there's a weird subplot about the main character's little brother who pretty much just hangs out at the carnival, too. The acting is pretty lame, as well; the actresses virtually do nothing but scream for the last third of the movie, and the guys aren't any better. The characters themselves are unlikable, though, so that doesn't really help their performances.
Overall, a strange combo of crap and some nice cinematography. It's not a good film by any means, but it isn't terrible. As I said, I simultaneously liked and disliked the movie. If you're looking for a slasher movie that isn't Friday the 13th, I'd give this one a watch. Heck, you might enjoy it more than I did.
Quality: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082427/
The Funhouse, also known as "Carnival of Terror", is an often overlooked slasher flick from the early 1980's. Seeing as I like underrated movies like this, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I can totally see why this gets overlooked. It's directed by Tobe Hooper, of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" fame. He made this movie a lot better than it could have been.
I both liked and disliked this movie. On one hand, it has some of the best cinematography I've seen in a slasher movie, but on the other hand, the script is very boring and not scary in the least. The setting is a nice change-up from the usual slasher fare, it takes place in a seedy travelling carnival. But while it's a nifty location, the script doesn't take much advantage of the potential the setting had. The plot is just like any other slasher movie; a bunch of dumb teens get chopped up by a deformed psycho. But the originality put into the film falls flat. Heck, we aren't even introduced to the killer until more than halfway through the film. And when the killer does show up, he looks like a guy wearing a bat mask. On top of that, he does nothing but scream the whole time, which gets really annoying.
While the body count is pretty high (six people including the villains), they're very bland and not at all inventive. Even the villain's death is boring, which was really disappointing. And to make matters worse, nobody dies until about two-thirds of the way into the movie, so we're forced to sit through an hour of virtually nothing happening. The main characters pretty much just hang out at the carnival for an hour, and there's a weird subplot about the main character's little brother who pretty much just hangs out at the carnival, too. The acting is pretty lame, as well; the actresses virtually do nothing but scream for the last third of the movie, and the guys aren't any better. The characters themselves are unlikable, though, so that doesn't really help their performances.
Overall, a strange combo of crap and some nice cinematography. It's not a good film by any means, but it isn't terrible. As I said, I simultaneously liked and disliked the movie. If you're looking for a slasher movie that isn't Friday the 13th, I'd give this one a watch. Heck, you might enjoy it more than I did.
Quality: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082427/
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