In honor of the 50th anniversary of Blazing Saddles, I have a few things to say:
"Blazing Saddles," directed by Mel Brooks and released in 1974, is undoubtedly a significant piece of cinema that should not be dismissed or cancelled due to its language or themes. Here's why:
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Mini-pod dedication to Ray Liotta: ON May 26, 2022, actor Ray Liotta passed away while on location in the Dominican Republic. He was 67 years old. Known for playing charismatic, yet volcanic characters, he came to prominence in the 90s with roles in Goodfellas, Field of Dreams, and Unlawful Entry. In later years, he became a reliable character actor, often steadily working on multiple projects in one year. He had a resurgence recently with important supporting roles in the Many Saints of Newark and Marriage Story. He had numerous awards and nominations over the years. Liotta wona primetime Emmy in 2005 for a guest role on the hit series ER. Intense, charismatic, ruggedly handsome. A silver screen icon, Ray Liotta. Gone too soon. One of my favorite roles of his, besides Goodfellas and Field of Dreams, is as Ryan Reynolds' partner in the frenetic action movie, Smokin’ Aces. In honor of Ray Liotta, pour yourself a 7 & 7 (a goodfellas drink of choice) and watch your favorite Liotta performance. MINI-POD review of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
2022 release An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Qay Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis and James Hong Directed and written by Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert who previously collaborated on the cult hit Swiss Army Man. With her laundromat teetering on the brink of failure and her marriage to wimpy husband Waymond on the rocks, overworked Evelyn Wang struggles to cope with everything, including a tattered relationship with her judgmental father Gong Gong and Joy, her daughter. And, as if facing a gloomy midlife crisis weren't enough, Evelyn must brace herself for an unpleasant meeting with an impersonal bureaucrat: Deirdre, the shabbily dressed IRS auditor. However, as the stern agent loses patience, an inexplicable multiverse rift becomes an eye-opening exploration of parallel realities. Will Evelyn jump down the rabbit hole? How many stars are there in the universe? Can weary Evelyn fathom the irrepressible force of possibilities, tap into newfound powers, and prevent an evil entity from destroying the thin, countless layers of the unseen world?—Nick Riganas This film was fun, highly inventive, and had some laugh out loud moments. Michelle Yeoh is her usually bad ass self. Ke Quay Quan nearly steals the film, and Stephanie Hsu neatly navigates the road between absurdity and genuine pathos. The writers obviously had a lot of fun creating the rules of their multiverse. I highly recommend this film which is already getting early Oscar buzz. As a drink pairing, I would suggest the the Multiverse Cocktail– What you will need 2 oz Tequila 1 oz Triple Sec 2 oz Pomegranate Liquor 4 oz Pomegranate Juice 2 oz Cherry Juice 2 oz Sprite 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice Ice Glass Rim & garnish 3 tbsp Black Sanding sugar 3 tbsp Simple Syrup Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children's games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits with deadly high stakes. A survival game that has a whopping 45.6 billion-won prize at stake.
It’s the Hunger Games meets children’s games. I just finished season one of the South Korean produced Netflix series Squid Game. So you know what that means. It’s time for a mini-pod review. Squid Game is strange. It’s intriguing. It’s hyper violent. It’s hard to look at and hard to look away from. In summary, it’s a pretty fun show to watch. If you have any familiarity with Korean cinema at all, you’ll inevitably notice similarities between this series and some of the more popular Korean films (Old Boy, Parasite, Snowpiercer, etc.) In essence, don’t get attached to very many characters. The stakes are high for every character. The losses are often heartbreaking. Although, it’s quite clear from the beginning who it is we should root for. If you like stylized violence, superb twists, and intriguing mysteries, this is a definite watch. As a double feature I would recommend binging this series that following it up with the Japanese cult hit, Battle Royal. My drink suggestion: Soju, a Korean distilled Barley based liquor. Sort of a Korean whiskey and a favorite of Player 456 on the show. A mythic and emotionally charged hero's journey, "Dune" tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence.
--Courtesy of Warner Bros. website Anyone who knows me, knows that my favorite novel of all time is Frank Herbert’s Dune. It is a complex book involving political intrigue, environmental issues, adventure, the Hero’s Journey, romance, family turmoil, wars between royal families, and messianic metaphors. Literally, it has everything. The first major adaptation of this seminal work was the David Lynch Dune produced in 1984. The film is notorious for its studio interference that lead to the dilution of the overall image that Lynch was going for. The original cut was 4 hours long, but the studio made Lynch cut it down to a brisk 2 hours. This led to a muddled method of storytelling that ultimately doomed this adaptation. Fortunately, I had read the novel before seeing this film, so I had a better understanding of some of the missing elements. I, therefore, kind of enjoy this film for what it is. In 2000, the SyFy channel produced its own version. This was a miniseries that lasted 6 hours spread out over 3 nights. It was able to capture many of the missing elements that Lynch unfortunately had to cut. It was ambitious, had great special effects, but often lacked the acting gravitas needed to pull off some of the more complex narratives of the story. Still it was an overall enjoyable attempt, which was successful enough to spawn a sequel, Children of Dune. The sequel combined the 2nd and 3rd books of the Dune Chronicles (Dune Messiah and Children of Dune) into one miniseries. That brings us to this latest effort from Denis Villeneuve. Starring Timothy Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Issac, Josh Brolin, Jason Mamoa, Stellan Skaarsgard, and more. This adaptation is not without its flaws, but overall I felt it actually captured the essence of the story. The acting is solid throughout. The different planets and locations all feel unique. The action is spectacular. Most of all the cinematography is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Often, I was so enamored by the visuals that I missed key dialogue and had to go back and re-watch the scene. Villeneuve has filmed the first book in two parts. Essentially, this was the first half of the first book. If the second half is anywhere near the success of this first half, Dune may have finally gotten the adaptation it deserves. Nearly, 20 years ago, a movie came and went. That movie deserves a second look. Is it a classic? No. Is it any good? Not really. Is it worth my time? Not unless you're a glutton for punishment like I am.
This is not a good movie by any stretch. It is a completely implausible plot with one dimensional characters and loose science. So why review. Because I love it. This is exactly the type of movie I go for. I called it a Bad Movie I love to watch. It may be filled with plot holes and bad acting, but there is something so charming and magnetic about a film like this. Also, it contains a very subtle metaphor that I completely made up. The Core at its core is a metaphor for indigestion. The movie begins by telling us that the Core of the Earth has stopped turning. This is akin to the world stopping discomfort of indigestion. The side effects of this process are affecting the environment of the world. Storms (stomach acids), EM lightning strikes (flatulence), and echo locating instincts of some animals (inner body turmoil) are running rampant around the globe. Enter our intrepid heroes and their fantastical ship, THE VIRGIL. This ship will get them to the core and solve the issues. It is no coincidence then that the ship looks like an antacid pill. It progressively sheds parts of itself during the journey as pieces of the ship are compromised (like a time released medication.) Eventually they restart the core and all is right. (That should be easy enough to guess on your own. All kidding aside, we at Films and Fermentation have a soft spot for Good Bad Films. If you have 90 minutes to kill, check out The Core, starring Aaron Eckhart, Hillary Swank, Richard Jenkins, and Stanley Tucci. It's a worthy waste of time. |
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February 2024
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