I don’t usually review comedies, especially straight forward romance/family ones like HAPPIEST SEASON, nor do I plan to do it often. But I thought this was a pretty good one and I decided to give it a shot. Sharpen my skills.
HAPPIEST SEASON is new on Hulu and takes place at Christmas time, but is not specifically about any holiday celebrations. It has received some attention as a high profile romantic comedy with a same sex couple, and of a much higher quality than the ones starting to pop up on Hallmark and Lifetime. Sony/TriStar had actually intended this for a major theatrical release before the pandemic and its supporters fucked up the country. It was directed and co-written by Clea DuVall, who we of course know as an actress from GHOSTS OF MARS, THE GRUDGE, ZODIAC, etc., so it’s a pretty good in-joke when a character’s teenage bedroom is still decorated with a sexy poster of Josh Hartnett (THE FACULTY). (read the rest of this shit…)
ARGO is based on an amazing true story, recently declassified and told in this great Wired article. During the Iran hostage crisis, it turns out, the CIA managed to rescue a group of stranded American workers using an unusual cover story: they were part of a Canadian film crew scouting exotic locations for a STAR WARS inspired sci-fi fantasy epic. John Chambers, the genius makeup artist behind the PLANET OF APES series (and played by John Goodman here), had done “some contract work” for the CIA according to the article (let’s hope he gets a whole series of MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE style thrillers) and helped to set up real Hollywood producers and offices for the fake movie. The now-worshipped-by-nerds comic book artist Jack Kirby (seen only in a cameo here, played by DEATH WISH V’s Michael Parks) provided the artwork that they used as pre-production set and costume designs. (read the rest of this shit…)
One thing about JOHN CARPENTER’S GHOSTS OF MARS: it’s definitely John Carpenter’s GHOSTS OF MARS.
It has plenty of elements that could be perfect for one of his movies. It’s kind of a siege movie like ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, although the simplicity of that type of setup is mired in flashbacks and narration. It’s got a western motif – even though it’s in the future and on Mars there’s a train, and colonists possessed by angry Martian spirits take the place of the Natives defending their land. It’s got a ready-made anti-hero – Ice Cube as the bad-but-not-guilty-of-the-specific-crime-he’s-accused-of prisoner-in-transfer Desolation Williams. It has a pretty good soundtrack where Carpenter melds his style with a bunch of rock n roll dudes with electric guitars and drums, playing Martian tribal rock. It has Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Joanna Cassidy and Pam Grier in the cast! This shit should be great. (read the rest of this shit…)
Some of you will wonder why I choose to watch this kind of crap. The answer is because of the French.
This one is from a series of movies made for cable called Creature Features. They have special effecting by Stan Winston (director of A GNOME NAMED GNORM) and are all based on the premises or titles of old movies produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff. They got SHE-MONSTER, DAN AYCKROYD VS. SPIDERMAN and many others. The one I’m waiting for is actually TEENAGE CAVEMAN directed by Larry Clark, the pervert who did KIDS and BULLY and ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE where the main kid wears his pants so low you can see his fuckin pubes. Jesus, Larry! (read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Pacman Movie on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “I would have to see them again (oh no!;) ), but while I remember SCARY MOVIE 2 being messier, the…” Aug 1, 03:31
CJ Holden on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “Say what you want about the first SCARY MOVIE, but it stuck to its concept of making fun of teen…” Aug 1, 01:43
VERN on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “I have a long distance friend who I got to say he was going to do it, but he has…” Jul 31, 23:36
VERN on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “Fred – I’ve never seen any of the SCARY MOVIEs, but isn’t it combining two plots from the same genre?…” Jul 31, 23:27
Sternshein on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “Has anybody seen Scare Package? That one tries their hand at ZAZ style comedy in the format of an anthology…” Jul 31, 20:41
Skani on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “I convinced my older brother to do it, and he convinced his wife, but that was mostly kid leverage, since…” Jul 31, 15:17
Skani on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “Yeah, maybe they could make something work, like FAST AND FURIOUS films seem ripe for that kind of treatment. Anymore…” Jul 31, 15:13
Curt on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “(and by WALK THE LINE I obviously meant WALK HARD)” Jul 31, 14:35
Curt on Hot Shots! / Life Stinks: “Skani, I’m glad we see eye to eye on this stuff for the most part, but I have to defend…” Jul 31, 14:34
Mr. Majestyk on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “All this if very far afield from my original question, which was have any of you actually managed to talk…” Jul 31, 14:02
Mr. Majestyk on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “Oh, I own my choices. I didn’t end up here by accident. I have run from love at every turn.…” Jul 31, 12:54
Skani on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “You don’t have to capable of arbitrating whether love is a a timeless truth or a noble lie to identify…” Jul 31, 12:35
MaggieMayPie on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “So, here’s another thing I discovered in my recent trip home to see my family – remember how I said…” Jul 31, 12:32
Mr. Majestyk on Siege (a.k.a. Self Defense): “I mean, you’re not wrong. I’m sure all that crap about love being the fifth element is, like, super true.…” Jul 31, 12:27
VERN’S “I RECOMMEND THE SHIT OUT OF THIS PRODUCT” CORNER:
I don’t usually review comedies, especially straight forward romance/family ones like HAPPIEST SEASON, nor do I plan to do it often. But I thought this was a pretty good one and I decided to give it a shot. Sharpen my skills.
ARGO is based on an amazing true story, recently declassified and told in 
One thing about JOHN CARPENTER’S GHOSTS OF MARS: it’s definitely John Carpenter’s GHOSTS OF MARS.
Some of you will wonder why I choose to watch this kind of crap. The answer is because of the French.
