Those of you in the UK are in for a treat! For the first time ever, RiffTrax: Live is broadcasting live from the Prince Charles Cinema in London on February 15. And you don’t get just one movie – you get two: Plan 9 From Outer Space and Samurai Cop. It’s one night only, so don’t miss it.
A truck carrying a vicious serial killer crashes into a truck carrying some non-specific chemicals, and, instead of just dying horribly, the serial killer becomes a serial killing snowman who loves making corny quips! Stan Lee would be proud.
Yes, the snowman looks that bad, but fortunately the RiffTrax guys make it hilariously watchable.
Well, now you can also see The Disaster Artist, a film based on director/writer/lead actor Tommy Wiseau’s journey to bring that movie to life. Strange how it has a cult following now, but I’m sure RiffTrax has helped the film along.
The Disaster Artist is supposed to be excellent, so catch it in theaters or when it hits DVD.
Movie Reviews
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
This film caught my interest last summer. I was never a fan of Guy Ritchie until the Sherlock Holmes movies, but his quirky style is quite original. When the movie was panned by critics, I skipped it. Bummer I did, because I enjoyed it.
The opening scene with the giant elephants as big as a castle attacking is ambitious and breathtaking. There are a lot of incredible scenes, as well as simple, smaller ones, that are simply captivating.
The actors do a fine job. Jude Law’s character oozes coldness and Charlie Hunnam is a solid young Arthur. (If not just a little bit like Thor.) The vast array of supporting characters are all very real and provide a lot of color.
Richie’s unique style is very much in evidence here, and just like the scenes in Sherlock Holmes where he solves the crime in slow-motion flashbacks, Arthur describes scenes both past and present with the same flare and humor.
This is a reimagining, so while there is a Lady of the Lake, don’t expect Sir Lancelot. And similar to A Knight’s Tale, there is a blend of modern elements in this medieval tale.
Bottom line – if you enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes movies, like Guy Ritchie’s directorial style, or enjoy something quirky, then you’ll enjoy this film. It’s not for everybody, but I found myself fascinated by this slightly messy but ambitious and fun film.
Recommended as a rental.
Pirates of the Caribbean – Dead Men Tell no Tales
A ship of dead pirate killers escapes the confines of the Bermuda Triangle and come after Jack Sparrow. Will Turner’s son Henry, a mysterious woman named Carina, and Captain Barbossa also want to find Sparrow – and ultimately find the Trident of Poseidon.
Kudos to Disney for taking an average ride at Disneyland and turning it into a five billion dollar franchise. These films keep making money, Disney will keep making movies.
The multiple set pieces are top notch and massive. No special effects budget was spared.
Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush could do their roles in their sleep and obviously enjoy themselves. Everyone else does a good job, especially Javier Bardem as the ghost captain. (He was also the villain in Skyfall and No Country for Old Men, so he’s really good at it.)
Overall, the film is good with lots of funny moments, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. Many times.
Worth a rental if you’re bored.
Most Disappointing Movies of 2017
Last week, I listed a combination of best films/personal favorites of 2017. Someone asked what were the biggest disappointments. Below in descending order are my picks.
7 – John Wick: Chapter II – While the movie was good and most people thought it great, I grew bored with the repeated scenes of Wick shooting someone. He must’ve shot five hundred people in the head and they showed every single one of them. We get it – he’s a badass with a gun! Enough already.
6 – Get Out – Everyone raved about this horror film, and while it was very well done and finely acted, it wasn’t anything new. The idea of someone’s soul occupying another person’s body had been done countless times and this film was just more of the same.
5 – A Cure for Wellness – This film was just a bit too weird and too many things didn’t make sense that were supposed to make sense. I also don’t like the lead actor, so it made it difficult to connect with this overlong, convoluted film.
4 – Kong: Skull Island – While the set pieces and special effects were amazing and it boasted some top notch actors, the story was disjointed and just never came together. Samuel L. Jackson was wasted as a one dimensional villain.
3 – Alien: Covenant – Every horror film cliché known to man is used in this film. It’s disjointed, the characters aren’t very likeable and rather dumb, and it’s full of plot contrivances and situations that run against the logic of Aliens.
2 – Life – Speaking of Aliens, this film was nothing but an Alien rip-off. Well done, but right off the bat a lot of bad decisions by the crew (more horror clichés) ruined any chance this film had of being decent. Very annoying. This film was highly overrated.
1 – Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – And the winner for biggest disappointment by a landslide! This had to be the biggest, most convoluted mess I’ve seen in years. The director tried to cram every element of the comics into one film and it’s a complete disaster. Plus the two leads are horribly miscast and have zero chemistry. Not only was this the biggest disappointment, it’s also the worst film of 2017.
And there you have it! What films disappointed you last year?
Ninja News
Another successful IWSG post day!
And so many who were grateful for the timing of the monthly question. Looks like some great plans made by many.
Plus special thanks to Olga Godim for her post of gratitude.
That’s why this group exists!
Chiaroscuro - Darkness and Light: Voices From Poets - dVerse Anthology
Find it on Amazon
Have you ever checked your overall book or author ranking at Amazon? I never knew there was a thing until this past week.
Sadly, this feature only goes back to February 2013 for the book rankings and September 2012 for the author rankings, so it completely misses the nine months my first couple books were in the top ten of science fiction on Amazon and Amazon UK. But the results were still interesting.
My highest book ranking was number fifty-one in February 2014. (Top 100!)
My highest author ranking was 647 in September 2012.
Have you ever checked your rankings?
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the next IWSG Twitter Pitch Party – Thursday, January 18!
With hundreds of agents and publishers, this one will be ten times bigger than our first event.
Ready for some RiffTrax or Disaster Artist? Have you seen King Arthur or the fifth Pirates film? Ready for #IWSGPit? Ever checked your overall Amazon rankings? Enjoy the IWSG postings? And what was the most disappointing film you saw last year?
