And now the sequel to #CatPeople: "Curse of the Cat People"! I have not seen this before... Co-directed by Robert Wise! #waaaaa?

And now the sequel to #CatPeople: "Curse of the Cat People"! I have not seen this before... Co-directed by Robert Wise! #waaaaa?
Posted on May 17, 2015 at 12:10AM
View the original on Instagram https://instagram.com/p/2xOZtCSrs3/

My Reaction to the "47 Ronin" Trailer.

If you haven't seen it feel free to go find it on YouTube. I won't repost it here. Read on to see why.

The White Messiah Complex is in full force with this film. Seriously? Take one of the seminal stories from Japanese history and rejigger it with a white guy saving the day? This is shameful. As for the fantasy elements they look like fun. I'm annoyed they had to go and stick in a white guy. It's only what we white guys have been doing for centuries. Can we please let our fear of a small dick go please? /rantover /fornow

The previous was what I posted on the i09.com post featuring the trailer. I could go on about how absurd it is, but I won't I think my above commentary covers things.

Oh HOW I could go on!!

SATURN 3 (1980)

Buy it!

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Haha, positive? Sure, if you count seeing Farah Fawcett's nude boobs for a split second. But definitely, if you count seeing Kirk Douglas' nude butt for much longer. Yep, before Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises, there was Kirk Douglas taking on Harvey Keitel in the nude. Surprisingly, Keitel was not nude (sorry, ladies!).


Technically any good? The FX, for 1980, were perfectly reasonable. A little cheezy in that there probably isn't liquid water in the rings of Saturn, but nothing that screamed "NOT REAL" at me (again, for 1980). The sets were downright gorgeous. The acting was fine, I bought Douglas and Fawcett, though their relationship seemed creepy as hell. Of course, Keitel was supposed to be bland--however, it must have been hilariously bland on set since they dubbed him with a British guy's voice. Yeah, try not giggling at that.


How did it leave me feeling? The ending was a seriously big: "WHAAAAA?"

Honestly, worst ending ever. Director Stanley Donen really should have just stuck with musicals. I do give him points for trying something else, though. Still, not sure what was up with that ending.


Final Rating? NFI - NetFlix It. While I can't really recommend this movie, it is something fun to have on while doing something else or if you're making fun of it. It's great fodder for MST3K-style quipping. Sadly, it's out of print and is currently unavailable. Luckily, you can watch it via Netflix's Instant Play and I found it on Amazon.com's on-demand service.

CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA (1961)

Buy it! Watch it now! Watch it free at Archive.org

Positive Experience/Entertaining? Well, as a fan of cheesy movies, it was juuust barely a positive experience. Entertaining might be overstating it, however. More, amusing (at times).


Technically any good? Well, it was directed by Roger Corman, so that's debatable. However, the movie did hint at the comic talents we'd see on display in Little Shop of Horrors, which was nice. The script is campy and silly and there's not much else to say about the movie. The acting is hit and miss, though it doesn't matter since this is one of Corman's more campy creations.


How did it leave me feeling? I guess it left me feeling satisfied that I'd accidentally stumbled across a Corman film I'd never seen or heard anything about. It was pretty crappy over all and would only recommend it to Corman Completists and since I'm not one, myself, I can't really recommend it--even to the MST fans in the audience.


Final Rating? DNS - Do Not See. This film will never (rightfully) see the moniker of "classic" Corman. It's mildly amusing and that's about it. I'd love to see it remade though--the premise of a guy getting rich off of a monster hoax that turns out to not be a hoax during the Cuban revolution is actually kind of interesting to me.

Still Processing Star Wars Disappointment

Sheesh... I know I have a lot to say about Episode 3, I just haven't had the time or clarity to put it all down in a blog entry. There is so much to consider. How is Ep3 as a movie unto itself? How is it as a part of the Prequel Trilogy? How does it do as a part of the overall Star Wars saga?

I don't want what I write to be entirely negative, but I can't think of anything cool in the movie that wasn't immediately ruined by something stupid.

I think I need to step away from the whole scene for a little bit and come back to it. I'll try and blog on some other stuff and then maybe work on something over the weekend.

Oh and check out what's available as a convenient Torrent:

Ah, Hollywood...

The more you tighten your grip, the more movies slip through your fingers...

Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith: The Last $10.50 I Put in George Lucas' Bulging Pocket

"Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith: The Last $10.50 I Put in George Lucas’ Bulging Pocket"
2:57 pm, May 17, 2005 by ThePete

Ha-ha. OK so maybe that’s not the full title of the new Star Wars film. While I’ve been on record as saying I wasn’t that enthused to see Revenge of the Shit–er–Stich–er–Sith, In recent days I’ve come to experience a new sensation regarding seeing the final new Star Wars movie to be produced.

My friend and frequent guest blogger here at ThePete.Com, Jen, was able to see a screening of Sith last night and without realizing it described exactly what was going through my mind. She said something to the effect of: “You know, I was sitting there in the theater and there was a strong sense of satisfaction in just putting a cap in this thing.”

I had been noticing the urge to see the film and knew that it wasn’t because I thought it was going to be some great film (Jen has confirmed that in at least her opinion, it is not) but because I just want to move the hell on with my life. You know? Let’s just get this crap over with already. Of course, it’s not that easy.

I did come into some scratch today, which was a welcome and happy surprise, so I decided to go ahead and pick up tix for TheFiancee and I to see the dreaded third ep. She was almost not caring at all. If there were matinee shows on Wednesday she told me she wouldn’t be upset if I went without her since her tomorrow is very busy.

Oh, how things have changed since 1999! Back then, TheFiancee did her best make-up impression of Darth Maul (as best as she could do having run out of almost all of her red make-up!) for the big Ep1 opening at the Chinese Theater. She even got interviewed by a local Fox news affiliate. Of course, she was stoned off her gourd on caffeine, too much movie popcorn butter and adrenaline at 5:30am after seeing the 3:30am show of Episode 1 at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood (I was there, too). But that was 6 years ago. Like I said: how things have changed. Back then we both spent a disgusting amount of money on Star Wars crap (I have video footage of myself and two friends at Toys R Us when they released the toys at Midnight of some day in early May/late April--yes, I brought my camcorder to record the event). And now, 6 years later, she won’t spend a dime on merchandise, and I’ve spent less than $20 so far on random Revenge of the Sith merch. I picked up two R2 units so far and I’m thinking about picking up a pair of cheapy Vader gloves, but that’s really it.

So, we go from literally hundreds of dollars that night in May, 1999 to probably $50, all told (including movie tickets).

Ah, George, how you’ve let your franchise fall.

So, I stopped by Mann’s National today to see if they had any seats left for the midnight show tonight. Strangely, there is no midnight show tonight, despite the fact that Ep3 is supposed to open on May 18, 2005. Every Star Wars movie has opened on a Wednesday (except for the special eds and I don’t count those) and both Eps 1 & 2 had midnight Tuesday night screenings. For some reason, they’re having midnight Wednesday screenings in Westwood. There are no daytime screenings on the 18th–which I think is rather odd.

Regardless, I bought two tix there, assuming that the Fox Village (reported to be Lucas’ favorite theater in LA) would be sold out. Apparently, there were still quite a few seats left at the National–not the best theater in the world but worlds better than your average multiplex and still within walking distance of my apartment.

The funny thing is if you look at the tickets, themselves, you’ll see that they are timed and dated “12:01am 5/18/5″ which would indicate to a person who understands how calendars and the passage of time works that the screening is, in fact, tonight. The fact that people are already standing in line for the first show at the Fox Village theater seems to confirm this. However, both the woman who sold me my tix and the guy at the box office at the FV said that the screening was in fact Wednesday night.

Hm… why do I still feel like I should drive by the National tonight juuust to be safe?

K, I’m going to go bug Jen to do a Pocket Review on SW:E3:ROTS:TL$IPIGLBP now and of course you can all expect a Pocket Review from me late Wednesday night. I may even do an extended phone blog entry guest staring TheFiancee.

Ep3 "Makes Up for" the Last Two?

So, I'm out for a mind-clearing walk this evening and I stop by my old hang-out, Boba Loca to see my friend John who runs the place. It turns out that a mutual friend of ours got to see Star Wars: Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith at a press screening or something. John said the one thing he was curious about was if Ep3 made up for the last two crapfests (my word, not his). The mutual friend said that it did make up for them.

I find this hard to believe. There is NOTHING in my mind that can make Ep3 make up for Eps 1 and 2. Nothing can make the less-than-lackluster performances of Jake Lloyd or Hayden Christensen suddenly good. NOTHING can make the bizarre convoluted plot of Ep1 or the completely unbelievable love story of Ep2 more acceptable to anyone with a fully functioning brain. Likewise, NOTHING about Ep3 can fill the massive plot holes and sheer idiocies of Eps 1 and 2.

Ep3 may be a better movie than Eps 1 and 2. Ep3 may be (by default) a more fulfilling movie than Eps 1 and 2--in fact it had better be based on the virtue of Ep3 portraying the birth of Darth Vader.

To be perfectly honest, I won't be going into Ep3 with an open mind. After the terrible films that were Eps 1 and 2, it would be impossible for me to do so. However, I'm not a child--I can recognize a strong movie when I see one. If it's at all good, you can rest assurd, I'll be honest and admit the strong points of the film just as quickly as I'll bag on its weaknesses.

I have yet to decide when I'll be seeing it. The midnight show in the Village (here, in Westwood) is only 82% full as I type this, which means I bet there will be a matinee with seats available on Wednesday. Perhaps I'll see it then. There's also a chance I could see it sooner than even Tuesday at midnight--how could this be? Oh, I have my ways... :)

Too-Much-Eye-Make-Up-Anakin Skywalker...

Too-Much-Eye-Make-Up-Anakin Skywalker...

Wookie rage Chewie?

Wookie rage Chewie?

Must be pissed he's in one of the prequel movies...

Lame new Emperor fig...

Lame new Emperor fig...

IN LINE FOR A MOVIE WHERE THERE AIN'T NO MOVIE

Wow, Variety.com has a fun little article about Star Wars fans who are in line for tickets to see Revenge of the Sith when it opens in about a month-and-a-half. What's the catch? The catch is--they're in line at Grauman's Chinese Theater--the movie is probably going to play at the ArcLight, down on Sunset Boulevard. WHOOPS.

Here's a clip from the article:

"Star Wars" or no, the diehards are resolute about keeping their line on Hollywood Boulevard.

Underneath a make-shift awning yesterday afternoon, 11 people were in line doing what appeared to be homework, pecking at laptops and talking to members of the media.

"We've heard all this before," said Sarah Sprague, one of the designated spokesmen for the group. In 1999 and 2002, there were plenty of rumors (ultimately false) that the previous two pics weren't going to open at the Chinese.

This year the rumors seem to be true. Fox and the ArcLight haven't finalized their "Star Wars" deal, but execs on both sides say they expect "Revenge of the Sith" to play the ArcLight and not the Chinese.

A media-savvy bunch, those waiting at the Chinese hope press interest in covering (and most likely mocking) them would persuade George LucasGeorge Lucas and Fox to move the booking.

And Sprague was adamant the line isn't moving to the ArcLight. "This is still the epicenter for 'Star Wars' fans. For the big iconic pictures of the 1970s, people lining up were here. They weren't at the Cinerama Dome."

She makes a good point--and that point makes me a little sad because I realize that, if memory serves, EVERY Star Wars film has premiered at the Chinese Theater--EVERY one since the original Star Wars in 1977. Even the Special Editions in 1997 screened there first--before they screened anywhere. I was at Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones on opening day and while I wasn't planning on seeing Revenge of the Sith on opening day, I do now think that I'd still like to see it at the Chinese.

Well, to the line-losers credit, they are standing in line for the benefit of a charity, Starlight Starbright, which is great. I'm glad they are helping a cause while throwing chunks of their life away. (No sarcasm intended--ok, maybe a little.) And they are right to think standing in line at the ArcLight would make raising money harder. The place only gets busy when the movie theaters are actually screening and the Chinese gets a LOT more pedestrian traffic what with there being a semi-massive shopping area right next door.

Here's one last quote from the article to go out with:

"The telling thing is -- for me, at least -- if the film is not playing at the Chinese ... I have zero desire to see it at all," a fan who calls himself Obi Geewhyen posted on the message board at Liningup.net. "I'm in it for the lineup only and don't give a darn about the conclusion of this lackluster, so-called 'Star Wars' series."

Hope springs eternal, Sprague said. After the last two "Star Wars" films, "We're all a little beaten down," she said. "But this one could be it!"

Color me cynical, but I'll go with Obi Geewhyen's view of things--though I will NOT be standing in ANY line for George Lucas unless it's VERY short.