TODAY I WATCHED (Movies, TV series) 2014

Bright Lights Big City - B+. Pleasant character study that doesn't ever really get as gritty as it wants to be, but still features a powerhouse Michael J and a top notch score by Donald Fagen.

Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House - B-. Spottily funny classic with some great moments from Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and the very funny Melvyn Douglas. More a movie for the middle class and misdirected in some spots, but still fun.

Breaking Bad - The Entire Series

Mrs. Witchfinder and I just got done watching every Breaking Bad episode. Breaking Bad is easily one of the best drama series I have ever seen. The writing and acting was beyond excellent and there were many jaw-dropping moments in the series. I had not real interest in watching it, but a friend highly recommended it and I'm glad we watched it. The only downside to the series is that it's over and that makes me sad. If you haven't watched Breaking Bad I highly recommend that you do so.

"Breakdown" (1997)

Another movie I caught the edited tail-end of on our local Fox affiliate after a Cardinals game ended and I was waiting for the local news.  And as usual, I found and ordered it for cheap.  I love Kurt Russell's work and I find something inherently creepy about the old "rogue trucker tormenting innocent travelers on the road" schtick so this was a no-brainer for me.  While the plot of this flick has been done to death, the performances made it for me.  Kurt was great as the "hero" (his scenes where he's hanging on the undercarriage of the big rig's trailer are harrowing) and JT Walsh is great as the outwardyl-innocent-but-actually-serial-killer trucker. 

And the ending is particularly satisfying.

tohostudios wrote:

"Breakdown" (1997)

Another movie I caught the edited tail-end of on our local Fox affiliate after a Cardinals game ended and I was waiting for the local news.  And as usual, I found and ordered it for cheap.  I love Kurt Russell's work and I find something inherently creepy about the old "rogue trucker tormenting innocent travelers on the road" schtick so this was a no-brainer for me.  While the plot of this flick has been done to death, the performances made it for me.  Kurt was great as the "hero" (his scenes where he's hanging on the undercarriage of the big rig's trailer are harrowing) and JT Walsh is great as the outwardyl-innocent-but-actually-serial-killer trucker. 

And the ending is particularly satisfying.

Yeah, that's a good one, better than average for that type of material.

That whole "killer trucker" motif is why I really love Larry Cohen's "Pick Me Up" entry in the second season of Masters Of Horror.   In that one you actually have dueling serial killers (one a trucker) battling over victims.  It's VERY darkly comedic but still appeals to whatever it is that I find creepy about the whole concept of trucker serial killers.

I still think Duel is my all-time favorite killer truck movie, the star of the film could never be matched...



*edit* - This is not the original truck, but it's the same make & model. The original truck was destroyed at the the end of the film. I had thought there was a second truck they used just for the crash sequence but an interview with Steven Spielberg on the DVD indicates he had to get the shot in one take because he didn't have a second truck.

It's a 1960 Peterbilt 281 tractor pulling a 1948 tanker.  

See!  That truck just looks creepy. 

This whole truck thing is probably why I enjoy Maximum Overdrive too. 

"Women In Cages" (1971) Pretty typical "chicks in chains" flick with four lovely inmates attempting an escape from a hellish 3rd world work farm run by butchy warden Pam Grier. There's so much nudity, lesbianism, S&M torture and other sleaze in this movie that you won't even notice that there's almost no plot.

Smackdown

Just past the half-way point of the first season of 24.

Duel (1971, Steven Spielberg)



Richard Matheson's study in suspense brought to effective life by a young Steven Spielberg directing his first feature length film (even though it was a made for TV movie initially).  The movie was shot in only 12 days and edited in 3 weeks to make the broadcast date, Spielberg had to use 5 editors to get it completed on time.  It was an ABC Sunday Night Movie in the States, but a slightly longer cut was issued in Europe theatrically.  This longer cut was reissued theatrically in 1983 in the U.S. when I first saw it and it's the same version released on DVD.  The TV version runs 74 minutes, the theatrical cut runs 90 minutes.

Many of the action beats he would use later in Jaws are first displayed here, it's a very impressive movie for a first feature, especially considering the low budget and fast schedule.  He's camera angle crazy at this stage but almost all of the setups work beautifully, the film has a very Hitchcock vibe, especially the scene in the diner.  Spielberg's insistence to film the entire movie on location (as opposed to shooting background plates and then filming the actors in cars on set with rear projection) keeps it from becoming dated.  Maybe not as action packed as many modern films, Duel has several impressive set pieces and all of the action scenes are expertly done.

My only gripe is I wish they had also included the 74 minute TV cut on the DVD, the 90 minute cut feels a little long and many people think the shorter cut is best.

Great write up Shawn. I agree about the length; there's something so minimalist and economical about Duel that's more effective with tension in a narrow window of time. It was a sad day when my old tape of a local network airing went missing.

Spielberg intended it to be 74 minutes and planned it that way (a 74 minute film with commercials added for broadcast is 90 minutes), but European theatrical release rules at the time dictated a movie had to be at least 90 minutes long. The studio financed the filming of a couple additional sequences including a longer opening credit sequence, the scene where the truck tries to push Weaver's car into the oncoming train (if you look at that scene carefully you can tell it's a different truck, the tanker is a slightly different design) and a scene written by the producer where Weaver calls his wife on the phone...Spielberg didn't like this sequence but begrudgingly filmed it anyway. I like the train sequence, but I fast forward through the phone call scene because it's obvious padding and serves no purpose.

Still, a fantastic film and amazing that Spielberg was only 24 at the time. He considers the film to be "High Noon on wheels".

Castle - Season 3

World's Strangest

Cards vs Brewers.

Watching the Cards kick the damn ball all over the place after scoring 2 runs in the top of the first (three errors after one inning).

2-2 after one inning.

Pirates vs Cubs. So far, 6 shut out innings by Liriano as the Pirates are winning 2-0. They finished a game suspended by rain earlier today with the Pirates winning 5-3 in 11 innings.

It's only the second inning and already Lance Lynn has had 3 error behind him AND been hit by a pitch. Talk about a tough night; and it's only the 2nd inning.

24

Sound City

Cards beat Milwaukee 5-3 and are back to a 4 game lead in the NL Central.

"Vamp" (1986) two fraternity pledges looking to hire a stripper for a frat party stumble into a gentlemen's club that happens to be a front for a den of vampires - led by new-wave diva Grace Jones. This MTV styled horror comedy starts off strong but runs out of gas way before the end.

Crocodile Dundee

Finished the first season of 24. Now one episode into season 2. Not as full throttle as the first season, but with 8 seasons in total, I'm sure it will pick up.

AM Raw