Apr
30
Netflix #23 - The Host - Suggested by Michelle, Howard, FDot, and Brett
Not liking this movie wasn’t even in the realm of possibility. What wasn’t to love? It’s a Korean monster movie for goodness sakes! So just imagine how shocked I was when I was let down. Prior to watching The Host, I rewatched Cloverfield (which holds up nicely on the small screen by the way) so I was all set for another awesome monster movie. It started off good enough: humans suck, so they accidentally create a giant mutant monster. But what followed were some pretty serious disappointments. I shouldn’t blame the movie entirely, I just had completely different expectations. Take the monster for example. It bursts out of the water and kicks people’s asses, which is all fine and good, but I assumed that it was going to get bigger as the movie went along, because as far as movie monsters go, this one was downright puny. So everytime the monster appeared on screen and it wasn’t suddenly enormous, it was another disappointment. But it swung around like a monkey, which was neat so I kept watching. The movie kept going and the main characters seemed to be getting picked off one by one. For a brief moment, the unassuming and totally awesome Aunt (who happens to be an archery champion) appears to be emerging as the Ellen Ripley of the movie. The music starts pumping, she’s running with her bow in hand, and I sit up in my seat, super excited at the idea of her charging into the monster’s den and kicking some serious monster ass. But no. She gets knocked out and doesn’t come back until the end of the movie. Another disappointment. And the virus storyline? What was the point of that? Why couldn’t it just be a monster movie? Why did there have to be this completely tacked on government conspiracy subplot? Maybe if I watched it again, I’d be able to enjoy it more, since I won’t have any false expectations, but chances are I won’t.
Netflix #24 - Idiocracy - Suggested by Hayes
I really enjoyed this one. You’ve probably never heard of it, but it’s a science fiction comedy starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, and Dax Shepard made by the same guy who did Office Space. Luke Wilson plays an average guy who goes into cryogenic sleep for 500 years and wakes up in time where everyone on Earth is a complete moron. Not only is it really funny, but it makes some very good cultural points. For example, water has been replaced by a Gatorade-type beverage, and everyone just blindly drinks it (and uses it to water crops) because it has electrolytes, yet no one has a damn clue what an electrolyte is (as a matter of fact, neither do I) but apparently it’s what “crops crave”. There’s also some really great scenes that take place in a future hospital and sadly, the hospital staff doesn’t seem that much dumber than some health care workers I’ve dealt with. It almost reminded me of a live-action South Park in it’s absolute absurdity (don’t forget Maya Rudolph is in this, and she plays a prostitute of course) but still smart enough to be absurd in new and clever ways. I’d definitely recommend this one for a rainy day if you need something different to watch.
Keep your recommendations coming!
April 30th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Thanks for the heads-up on The Host — I’d wanted to see that, but now I’ll skip it. With the near-perfection of Cloverfield still in my rearview window, I’m sure I’d be disappointed too.
Idiocracy sounds great! I’d heard about it when it was initially released, but didn’t take the time to see it. Now, I definitely will.
And speaking of rear-view mirror — Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” is a classic must-see.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Rec. It’s a movie out of Spain, documentary style, but less shaky than Blair Witch or Cloverfield. Watched it last night, very good, very scary.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Idiocracy sounds great. So weird I haven’t heard of it since we were considering that name for our firstborn son.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I loved Idiocracy. I just wish we could have seen the original cut before the studio fucked with it.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Sorry you didn’t like the Host. I do think the Cloverfield monster was cooler and cuter, but I did like the Host’s. I admired the fact that it showed the whole monster right away. As I’ve said though, I didn’t want it to die.
I thought Idiocracy was very funny. I was surprised that it was considered so controversial.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Drink Brawndo: It’s Got Electrolytes!
April 30th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Another plug for Big Trouble. It has Zooey Deschanel in it…
April 30th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Aww…too bad you didn’t enjoy The Host, but I can see where you’re coming from; there were a few odd choices that the film made.
I’ll reiterate my previous rec’s
Camp
Tremors
The Tune
and add….
9 to 5
Better off Dead
A Shock to the System
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
April 30th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Oh, yes, definitely Camp. But I loves me some showtunes, so that makes me incredibly biased.
Also, the Tales of the City, More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City are fun for a variety of reasons, but especially for Olympia Dukakis.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
If it makes you feel better, I was pretty disappointed in The Host as well. The same director’s previous movie (Memories of Murder, about a real-life serial killer case and the two policemen investigating it) is much better, kind of a Korean (and shorter!) Zodiac.
April 30th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Idiocracy was a very strange but good movie. Oddly enough I was approached recently about using this energy drink on my show.
http://www.brawndo.com/
Yeah, it’s real.
Ohh and by the way, it’s not out on netflix yet, but if you ever decide to venture out of the house there is a movie at the theaters called Young at Heart. Very funny and emotional. Check it out if you get the chance.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I second Better Off Dead.
“I want my 2 dollars!”
In and Out
The Cutting Edge
Evil Dead 2
Somewhere in Time
Night of the Comet
Shallow Grave
God Grew Tired of Us
April 30th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
I loved “The Host.” Maybe because I saw it in the theater? I liked how it was your typical monster movie. As for “Idiocracy,” the opening was funny, but the movie went downhill from there. It could have been a great 30-45 minute sitcom special or something.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
That second one sounds good. I’ll throw a couple out there that I love. Quills is one of my favorites, but it’s a little depressing (only if you think people you’ve grown fond of getting killed is depressing, otherwise nevermind). Still, it’s so good. And Cradle Will Rock (which is NOT Hand that Rocks the Cradle) is another one of my favs–tons of good people in it too. It’s where I developed my crush on Cherry Jones.
May 1st, 2008 at 1:08 am
Hey there, glad that you liked the recommendation!
I Triple Better Off Dead!
May 1st, 2008 at 3:36 am
Three of my favorites:
“What’s Up Tiger Lily” and “What’s New Pussycat”, Woody Allen’s first two films. Tiger Lily takes a Japanese spy movie and overdubs Allen’s own dialog. Pussycat stars Peter O’Toole and Peter Sellers, and is one of the funniest films ever made.
Well, ok, I might be alone in that judgement, but it certainly is the funniest film about psychiatry ever made.
My dad was a submariner, and spent a 6 month tour at sea on a nuke sub, during which the one film onboard was “What’s New Pussycat”. The crew saw this film daily, and got to where they could turn off the audio and do the dialog themselves. Happily he shared that bit of lunacy with his family.
Third film: the documentary “Mondo Elvis”, or really any of the various documentaries floating around on the King’s fan base. Think “Trekkers” but with an older generation of seriously twisted folk.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I agree with you. Idiocracy was a fun surprise!
May 2nd, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Ohh! I’m so glad you liked The Host. Sorry, I’ve been absent for a while, but I’m trying to catch up.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:30 am
Oh hey… I bought Idiocrasy at Target for like, $4, awhile ago…
Mike Judge was also majorly responsible for Beavis and Butthead and King of The Hill.
May 3rd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
The Lost Continent, the 1968 version. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063240/
I still have nightmares about the sound the seaweed makes. Awesome.