TODAY I WATCHED (TV-series, Movies, Cinema Playlists) 2012

Last few I've watched:

The Machine Girl
Zombieland
Hardware
Due Date

And just before I moved (Wagga to Adelaide is BYTCH!!!):

Dexter Seasons 2-4

The Twisted Christmas marathon continues with...

"Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (1964)


This kitschy '60s kiddie-matinee sci-fi schlock has become a Holiday perennial around my house. A troop of Martians kidnap Santa Claus so he can bring Christmas joy to the depressed children of the Red Planet. Yes, really.

Between the wooden acting, cardboard sets and the utterly absurd premise (even by kid-movie standards), this film is like a car wreck that you can't look away from.

The movie may be terrible, but it has the coolest go-go theme song ever: "Hooray For Santy (sic) Claus!" Revel in its awesomeness!!

Robotech - The Macross saga

Liberal Arts (2012)


Expertly written and acted drama/comedy, highly recommended. This goes on my Best of 2012 list easily.

So I finished Silent Night Deadly Night and I was like "Uh oh, 3 more days 'til Christmas and I'm out of 'December to Dismember' flicks. Then it hit me: I remembered that one of my favorite recent horror movies happens to take place on Christmas Eve, a fact which while not played up much in the movie, is integral to what happens. So for me that qualifies it to close out my warped marathon. I give you "Inside":

Taken 2
Expendables 2
The Words

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Dogs 101
Cats 101
Bad Dog
Too Cute!
Storage Wars
Parking Wars

Natural Born Killers and Juno have a baby.

I enjoyed it, but I hit my threshold of quirkiness about half way through.

SpectreFate wrote:

Natural Born Killers and Juno have a baby.

I enjoyed it, but I hit my threshold of quirkiness about half way through.

I had a similar reaction, it would have made a very entertaining short film but it felt seriously padded out to full-length.

Just watched Batman Begins

on deck is an episode of That Metal Show w/ Dave from Y and T (first time view for me)

I watched a couple of episodes of Skins (UK), Series 3 today.

Silent House (2011)


Interesting little indie chiller, presented as if it was filmed in a single take (in reality it was shot in 10 minute takes and seamlessly edited together). While some people probably won't like the shaky handheld camera, it works in this case because it forces you into the perspective of the lead actress who because of the filming style is basically in every shot in the film. Not entirely successful, but I'll give it an A for effort because it is genuinely creepy and I applaud the audacity of the style they went for.

Earlier today:

The Matrix
RED

And I'm about to start:

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

AM Raw

Law and Order Season 3, two episodes

Total Recall (2012)


OK to pass the time, not a great film. While it had some great actors in it, it seemed to be missing the fun of the original and any sense of character development. If they had spent more time writing the script and developed the characters better, it would have been a much better film. The other problem I noticed is I didn't spend a second wondering what was real and what was not (part of the fun of the original)

Fox NFL pre-game show with Brian Setzer Orchestra playing Jingle Bells live outside the studio.

Pride and Prejudice

I'm waiting for Pride And Prejudice And Zombies

Shipping Wars
Border Wars

Rock Of Ages

On The Road (2012)


Very enjoyable adaptation of Jack Kerouac's timeless novel about life "on the road" in the late 1940s. Excellent period detail and a great selection of bebop tunes really give you the feel of the era. Impressive.

S.D. wrote:

Excellent period detail and a great selection of bebop tunes really give you the feel of the era. Impressive.

That makes a big difference. I recently saw a preview for a gangster movie back in the 1930's or someplace close and they were playing modern gangsta rap music.

James B. wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Excellent period detail and a great selection of bebop tunes really give you the feel of the era. Impressive.

That makes a big difference. I recently saw a preview for a gangster movie back in the 1930's or someplace close and they were playing modern gangsta rap music.

Soundtracks are so important and unfortunately many films these days just seem like they are advertising the latest singles instead of actually trying to match the mood of the film with the songs chosen.

When I watched Liberal Arts the other night it featured a soundtrack comprised mostly of classical pieces (which are also discussed in the film) and it struck me how "right" it sounded with the feel of the film and also how long it had been since I heard a really good soundtrack.