Short Attention Span Review: Best of the Best (1989)

Short Attention Span Review: Best of the Best (1989)

I do this out of love, peeps.  Writing this review feels a lot like baring my soul in some new and thoroughly uncomfortable way.  Why?  Well, because this cliched and entirely too emotional offspring of a kung fu flick cross-pollinated with a soap opera is most certainly a guilty pleasure of mine.  Crafting this blog will require me to profess my undying love for a picture that is remarkably bad.  As far as I'm concerned, Best of the Best is a case study in the rare art of getting everything wrong--and somehow getting it right.  Yes, the plot finds room for every staple of both motion pictures about sports and plucky underdog tales in general.  Yes, it shamelessly mines each of these tropes for every single ounce of melodrama.  It mines many of them twice.  Some of them may be mined a half-dozen times or more before everyone hugs it out at the weepy conclusion.  Yes, Eric Roberts takes over-acting to new heights, playing his role with less restraint than we might expect from Bill Shatner and Wings Hauser--if they were shitfaced and engaged in a fierce competition to see who could get booted off the set first.  Yes, the closing reel morality play is so overdone that it roughly equates to cooking your steak until it becomes jerky.  All of these things are true (and I haven't even touched upon the glam-rock soundtrack or Eric's hair, dear lord) and yet it is both entertaining and touching in spite of its glaring flaws.  Shit, much of the entertainment is reliant upon Eric's dedication to turning every other scene into an opportunity to work through the five stages of grief in one take.  In terms of competence, originality, and believability, Best of the Best must be considered an abject failure.  However, it bypasses the realm of "so bad it's good" filmmaking and somehow lands in "so bad it is marvelous" territory.   Yeah, I'll stand by that.  You'll marvel, all right.  You may even cheer.  You may cry a bit, doing your own Eric Roberts Lite routine, and you'll certainly feel like a dumbass for falling prey to this crap when that happens.  Honestly, I love it.  No shame, peeps.  I'm going to bat for Eric Roberts like Mickey Rourke here.  I would have given him the Oscar, no bullshit.  His performance in Best of the Best leads me to believe that his acceptance speech would have been the greatest thing to happen in the history of time.

Final Grade: C+

Eric Roberts, man.  Eric Fucking Roberts.  Unbelievable.  And I still wind up so invested in his character.  If I was the only one who felt this way, I would chalk it up to mental illness.

Short Attention Span Review: The Avenging Eagle (1978)

Short Attention Span Review: The Avenging Eagle (1978)

Sheng Fu and Lung Ti headline this Shaw Brothers gem from the year of my birth.  A revenge yarn with a bit more depth than one might expect, The Avenging Eagle doesn't skimp out on the studio's trademark choreagraphy and visual splendor.  Littered with well-staged battles featuring an array of combatants (each armed with a different weapon, none of which could be described as run-of-the-mill) and host to several striking sets and a smorgasboard of colorful costumes, this is kung fu cinema at its very best.  While inferior to hallmark films from the studio like The Five Deadly Venoms or Five Shaolin Masters, it is still a great outing that provides viewers with 90 minutes of top-notch kung fu treachery.  Of particular note is the relationship between the two leads and the way The Avenging Eagle avoids familiar tropes in an effort to strike a balance between revenge and redemption.  Make no mistake, this character development doesn't come at the expense of high-flying kicks and epic battles, for the story allows such meditation while remaining a bloody good time for fans of the genre.

Final Grade: B

Cool weapons and great choreagraphy make this fast-paced and surprisingly emotional quest for vengeance well worth a look.

Short Attention Span Review: It Follows (2014)

Short Attention Span Review: It Follows (2014)

As I write this review, I can't help but wonder: when was the last time I watched a totally original horror film?  I've seen a lot of good horror films over the years, but I may have to go all the way back to my discovery of giallo in the very heart of my adolescence for a similar revelation.  It Follows is quite unlike anything I've ever seen--and it's scary as hell.  Now, I know I'm a little late to the party here, but if you're like me and you've been sleeping on this one in spite of they hype, well, wake up!  The hype is warranted.  Creepy from the start, there's a wicked dreamlike vibe woven throughout that is decidedly unnerving.  Fortunately, the stakes remain high, and this imaginative flair never causes the picture to become too whimsical to be taken seriously.  It Follows is a dead serious live wire that aims to give the audience a major jolt.  The score is damn near iconic, the performances are captivating, and the direction from writer and director David Robert Mitchell is precise and inventive in equal measures.  Few things excite me as much as the discovery of a great horror film, and this is probably the best one I've seen since The Descent.  Cool, terrifying, and fresh as hell--I may be so late that I almost missed the party, but I'm so glad I found time to enjoy this one.  It Follows represents a wealth of imagination and a superb effort courtesy of everyone involved.

Final Grade: A

It Follows is built upon a kooky premise that can transform mundane shit like this old lady walking down the hallway into a terrible nightmare.

Short Attentin Span Review: Wind River (2017)

Short Attention Span Review: Wind River (2017)

How often does a great movie come along?  I'm a big fan of motion pictures and I'm very picky about what I sit down to watch, so I enjoy much of what I see.   I often use my blog to tell you about really good movies--or movies I enjoyed in spite of some rather obvious flaws. Wind River isn't entertaining in spite of its flaws and it wouldn't be fair to describe it as merely "really good" either.  Wind River is a great movie.  Dark, mystifying, and thoroughly engrossing, it boasts several setpieces of significance, to include both powerful jolts of excitement and poignant flourishes of staggering emotional depth.  Founded upon a splendid script and masterful direction from Taylor Sheridan, the picture also sports a phenomenal cast.  The supporting players never falter, and Elizabeth Olsen is perfectly case as one of the two leads, but the star of this one is clearly Jeremy Renner.  He may not be included in such conversations, but I firmly believe that Renner is one of the finest actors working today.  He is a joy to behold here, offering up a landmark performance with admirable restraint.  He endows Wind River with an abundance of heart and fire, but does so with impeccable nuance and subtlety.  Renner is truly exceptional here, and Wind River is a brooding masterpiece.  I think this is the best movie I've seen in 2017, and it has the substance and authority to stand the test of time.

Final Grade: A+

I firmly believe that Jeremy Renner is one of this generation's finest actors.  His work in Wind River is far less explosive but just as impressive as his more dynamic turns in great films like The Hurt Locker and The Town.

 

Short Attention Span Review: The Dark Tower (2017)

Short Attention Span Review: The Dark Tower (2017)

Let's be clear about this: I wasn't looking forward to this version of The Dark Tower.  I treasure the books, and if it were up to me, we would get an adaptation akin to what Ron Howard allegedly pitched.  I've read that he envisioned a sprawling saga unfolding over the course of a few movies with a television series serving to fill in the gaps.  That sounds about right.  Then this movie hit, and the buzz surrounding it was not the sort of buzz that a devotee of the material might hope for.  No, it was more like the buzz that occurs when flies discover a fresh pile of poo.  I was already skeptical of the approach and the casting (but not for the reasons that so many were bitching about), and I really wasn't feeling it.  So, of course, once I actually sat down to view director Nikolaj Arcel's much-maligned film, I wound up enjoying the hell out of it even if it is a bit goofy.  First off, it makes no attempt to faithfully adapt King's novels, merely borrowing names and themes to go along with a few plot threads in what is clearly a totally different take on the material.  By and large, this kept me from measuring it against the literature that inspired it, and that benefited the movie in a big way.  Secondly, it put two fantastic performers in a wonky fantasy/sci-fi/horror/western that essentially stands as an oversimplified good vs. evil yarn with a lean run time.  I'm cool with that.  Was it groundbreaking?  Hardly.  Was it terrible?  Nope.  Was it entertaining?  I do believe so.  McConaughey was game as the baddie, channeling Nicholas Cage when Nicholas Cage is invested in a part (which is admittedly rare), but this take on The Dark Tower is undoubtedly Idris Elba's show from start to finish.  As one would expect, Elba was magnificent in his role; dude was good with bullets and even better with CGI.  At one key moment, he fired one bullet, then fired a second bullet that ricocheted before catching up with the first bullet--and redirecting it.  I was in awe.  Seriously, I enjoyed all the Easter eggs and the action bits were ludicrous but fun to watch.  I won't make a case for The Dark Tower as a quality adaptation or a fine film, for it is surely neither of these things.  I will say I went in expecting a total shitshow, and instead I turned my brain off for 95 minutes and had a cheesy good time with Roland of Gilead and the nefarious man in black. 

I can only hope that I haven't forgotten the face of my father . . .

Final Grade: C+

Say what you will about the movie, but don't you dare knock my main man Idris Elba.

Short Attention Span Review: Stranger Things 2 (2017)

Short Attention Span Review: Stranger Things 2 (2017)

Sure, it's a bit too familiar.  Okay, maybe in addition to recycling beats from the first season, the show is even more derivative this time out.  Who cares?  The first season was epic, and a powerful nostalgia vibe is one of the biggest keys to this show's success.  Recycling is cool, and Stranger Things 2 is a wicked good time.  In terms of style and enjoyment, this breakout series easily skirts a sophomore slump and instead keeps the good times rolling for Netflix.    Everyone's back for another kooky voyage loaded with fright and intrigue, and there are some new faces in the mix to keep things fresh.  One of these, Dacre Montgomery, is a revelation as Billy, bringing a lot of beefcake and even more in the way of charisma to his part.  Billy is equal parts picture perfect 80s heart throb and despicable sociopath, and Montgomery makes the most of his screentime, damn near stealing every scene that he's in.  However, the biggest surprise for me was Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, who has somehow evolved from the most repulsive tool in Hawkins, Indiana to perhaps the show's most courageous and likable character.  Of course, Millie Bobby Brown continues to kill it as Eleven, and there's really no point in going down the list as all of the players are wisely given lots to do, and everyone puts forth a worthy performance.  Matt and Ross Duffer continue to impress with Stranger Things 2, another mindbending spookshow with a wealth of charm that fires on all cylinders and rewards viewers with a fantastic story populated by rich characters.  The score is pretty damn nifty too.  Hell, everything about this franchise is pretty damn nifty--if you're not watching it, you're missing out in a big way.

Final Grade: A

 

Short Attention Span Review: Brawl in Cell Block 99

Short Attention Span Review: Brawl in Cell Block 99

Fucking wow.  I'm totally blown away.  Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a delirious nightmare masquerading as an action film.  A slow boil that ultimately explodes with some truly bone-crunching* action, this is a real find.  Hot on the heels of Bone Tomahawk, this picture clearly marks director Craig Zahler as a force to be reckoned with.  Well-plotted and deftly captured, this grim descent into carnage propelled by bad decisions born of good intentions is nothing if not relentless.  Star Vince Vaughn utterly disappears in the lead role, bringing a subdued version of his trademark wit to bear in a few well-placed moments that wind up being as bleak as they are comical.  The brutality and the sheer physicality that he brings to the part surely paint this as a transformational showcase, and Vince is money throughout.  True story: he's an ultimate badass in this one.  By the end, you may just find yourself thinking that he could kick the shit out of Conan the Barbarian if he had to--and that's not a statement this Robert E. Howard devotee would make lightly.  Brawl in Cell Block 99 is not for the squeamish, but if you don't count yourself among the squeamish and you're looking for a badass thrill ride, you need to watch this shit now.

*No, seriously: bone-crunching.  The phrase "bone-crunching" gets thrown around a lot in regards to action movies, but this is different.  Bones are crunched.  A lot.  In ways you've never seen before.  Totally gnarly, peeps.


Final Grade: A

Vince Vaughn slays it in the uber-violent and thoroughly malevolent version of Get Hard.