What was the last movie you've seen?

[Ack]

I have a tradition that I do every other month. I make a big pot of red beans and rice, and some Mexican cornbread, and a glass of milk. And I devour all that stuff while watching an old western. This time it was while watching The Searchers, a John Wayne film. I would be lying if I said I thought this was a good movie. The best aspect for me was the scenery, definitely some amazing backdrops in this film. However watching this movie made me really consider how far as a culturally conscious society we've come. And how accepted the politically incorrect societal norms were during this film's creation. Or maybe the film really was portraying accurately the bigotry and racism of its era. All the same it was ugly stuff in that regard. But that scenery!

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend reading the book. The movie felt underwhelming to me after reading it, even if John Wayne does actually act in it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I'm glad that someone else around here watches good movies.

That first line sounded a bit condescending

It was intended it to be condescending; so, I am glad it came off that way...

[Ack]

I'm glad that someone else around here watches good movies.

I actually watch a lot of good movies. I just don't talk about them here. Here, I talk about things like:



Macabre

William Castle gave me another mid-1950s awful horror delight with this one. A doctor in a small town has just had his daughter kidnapped and buried alive! Can he rescue her in five hours before she runs out of air and suffocates? Unfortunately, while the film starts with a great premise, as time whittles away and events unfold, it leads up to an ending that A) is ridiculous, B) is poorly written, and C) makes little sense when watching the first half, because there is little foreshadowing to how slap dash the whole thing will be wrapped up.

I'd spoil the ending, but the film specifically asked me not to. Instead, I'll tell you that the acting is generally poor, the dialogue will make you cringe, and while the film actually does rack up some tension and despair, it then utterly wastes the vast majority of it. Much of the plot is revealed through flashback to intentionally throw off the viewer, but when the end comes around, the twist absolutely ruins things. This is followed by an end credit sequence that looks like a funeral march in a Rocky & Bullwinkle episode.

Ok, so Macabre is a bad movie, but it does offer a unique piece of cinematic history as the first of William Castle's independent films, and the first of his gimmick movies. Castle eventually became famous for his gimmicks to attract an audience, such as letting audience members vote on the ending, giving out special glasses to see the ghosts in the film, wired seats with buzzers to scare the audience, taking out a million dollar life insurance policy on a cockroach, and always imploring audience members to not give away the ending. For Macabre, Castle gave each customer a $1,000 life insurance policy from Lloyd's of London in case they died of fright during the movie, dressed ushers in surgical garb, and paid to have an ambulance parked outside certain movie theaters. It worked, Macabre was a huge success that recouped 50 times its small budget, and Castle continued doing promotional gimmicks for many of his later movies. As awful as the movie is, it's delightful knowing that this helped launch the career high point of one of the greatest B-movie producers in film history.

[MrPopo]

I think for your next Western night you need to watch Paint Your Wagon. Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin; how can you go wrong?

[Ack]

I think for your next Western night you need to watch Paint Your Wagon. Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin; how can you go wrong?

Paint your wagon...with blood!

[Exhuminator]

I think for your next Western night you need to watch Paint Your Wagon.

I actually haven't seen that one, so I shall make it so! Thanks man.

[Fragems]

Saw Avengers: Age of Ultron today it was a solid Marvel movie. That being said I kind of feel like I'm getting burnt out on Marvel movies there have just been so many over the past few years.

Had annoying movie goers again. Had 4-5 elderly people towards the back of the theater who kept falling asleep and snoring rather loudly and in the front half of the theater were multiple children who screamed during quite a few scenes.

[Luke]

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Carrie had her shit together. Booming system up top.

[jp1]

Saw Avengers: Age of Ultron today it was a solid Marvel movie. That being said I kind of feel like I'm getting burnt out on Marvel movies there have just been so many over the past few years.

Had annoying movie goers again. Had 4-5 elderly people towards the back of the theater who kept falling asleep and snoring rather loudly and in the front half of the theater were multiple children who screamed during quite a few scenes.

You know, I just don't get the Avengers thing. I love Marvel, I grew up reading Marvel exclusively and I love the characters. That said, the movies just don't do it for me. They are really kind of Michael Bay(ish). Somehow he gets lambasted for doing the exact same thing (all action, no character development/plot) while Avengers is constantly praised. Besides that, they are really squeezing this orange to death, how many movies can you suck out of one franchise before people get tired of it? Age of Ultron specifically I can't comment on, maybe it is different? They are movies I want to love, but the best I can muster is apathy.

[Luke]

You know, I just don't get the Avengers thing. I love Marvel, I grew up reading Marvel exclusively and I love the characters. That said, the movies just don't do it for me. They are really kind of Michael Bay(ish). Somehow he gets lambasted for doing the exact same thing (all action, no character development/plot) while Avengers is constantly praised. Besides that, they are really squeezing this orange to death, how many movies can you suck out of one franchise before people get tired of it? Age of Ultron specifically I can't comment on, maybe it is different? They are movies I want to love, but the best I can muster is apathy.

The Avengers is a comic book movie that knows it is a comic book movie. That is what makes it great. The stories are well written, so saying they are Bay-ish is silly. The Hulk rag dolling Loki is hilarious. A robot with balls is not.

Not saying the general public is always right, but they certainly have spoken. These movies are fun, bright, and so much fun that it's okay to enjoy a movie so silly that stars people wearing dumb outfits. Think about it. Adults are paying good money to see a dude named Thor swing a hammer. Writing that can't be easy.

And I'll also give you the elbow because mustering apathy is a contradiction of terms.

It's not that people should like THE AVENGERS, it's just astonishing how much of a success it has become. That alone earns it a gold star. ULTRON might make more money than the second and third highest grossing movies of this year combined. That's bananas.