6 ‘n 90! Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.
The Islander is where guests are interviewed by Nancy and asked to pick the ten films they would take with them to a desert island. Nancy’s guest this week is film historian and UCLA professor Jonathan Kuntz.
Battle: LA. In the war between the aliens and the marines, there’s really only one loser: the audience.
Filed under Podcast, The Islander
The Fighter. Both Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Oscars for their supporting roles. Although it isn’t exactly clear who they’re supporting, it doesn’t seem to be Mark Wahlberg.
Winter’s Bone. Hillbilly noir or one of last year’s better films?
The Kids Are All Right. Who are these people? Is this just your standard issue Hollywood love triangle tricked out in lesbian drag to make it seem “new and edgy,” or is it actually some kind of science fiction film that takes place in an alternate universe populated by annoying, self-centered people who actually say things like “all right” and “groovy”?
Filed under Industry stuff, Podcast
For your listening pleasure, a special episode we hesitate to call “a bonus.” But really, how bad can this year’s Academy Awards show be? The 83rd time’s a charm, right? If you missed the live telecast (or just happen to be a masochist), listen and decide for yourself. Hey, our version has this going for it– it’s less than a third of the original running time.
Filed under Industry stuff, Podcast
It’s almost here. The Misfits have made their predictions, but what about you? Share! Be it one category or all of ‘em, we want to hear from you. Respond here, or, if you’re brave enough, contact us (818/574-6991, free when you call from work), and you might get a special slot on our next show, our “live” podcast that should be up by Wednesday. Join us on our virtual red carpet and be part of the frivolities!
Filed under Uncategorized
6 ‘n 90! Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.
The Green Hornet. Are the Green Hornet and Kato villains or heroes? Or maybe both. Or maybe neither. Then again, maybe they’re just a couple of annoying slackers.
The Dilemma. Two friends create a device that makes a silent electric vehicle roar like a rumbling muscle car. The Dilemma is a lot like that device. Look under the hood of this comedy, and you won’t find any laughs, just a lame drama pretending to be something it isn’t.
Filed under Podcast
January 23. ‘Nuff Said.
6 ‘n 90! Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.
Tron: Legacy. In this case, the legacy isn’t special effects so much, as it is lame, lazy story-telling.
Filed under Podcast
6 ‘n 90! Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds!
Yogi Bear. CGI bears, based on Hanna Barbera characters, in a 3D movie. Is this the Misfits’ worst nightmare come true–or a surprisingly watchable comedy?
Whether you like the new True Grit or not might depend on whom you prefer: The Duke or The Dude.
Filed under Podcast
Gorath (1962) Spaceship JX-1 (the first manned flight to Saturn) is ordered to change course and intercept Gorath, a rouge star barreling through the galaxy, heading straight for a planet-shattering collision with the earth. Outfitted in white coveralls and helmets, the crew of JX-1 look more like contestants in a go-cart race than astronauts, but in Gorath’s future of the “80s,” these are the men with the right stuff. When informed they are on what amounts to a suicide mission, the crew only hesitates a moment before raising their fists in the air and chanting in unison, “Hurrah! Hurrah!” While their esprit de corps is appreciated, it’s also just a bit creepy.
Back on earth, high-ranking Japanese officials are peeved at not having been consulted about the decision to reroute JX-1, but after some thought, they magnanimously decide that, yes, maybe the right decision was made without them (useful information about the possible destruction of the earth was obtained, after all). Once everyone is on the same page regarding the need to do something about Gorath, the bean counters weigh in with their penny-pinching take on the situation: it’s going to cost a lot of money to save the earth. It’s decided the job is too big for Japan to take on alone, and before you can say UNICEF, the project is a United Nations operation.
Filed under Cult, Japanese Monster Movie, Movie Reviews
6 ‘n 90! Da Man reviews six films in ninety seconds.
The Warrior’s Way. It’s a film that’s all green screen and special effects. The only thing that hasn’t been digitally added is a decent screenplay.
Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Is the third time a charm?
Filed under Podcast
Lonesome (1928) is part silent, part talkie, and all movie, in that the restless, inquisitive camera of director Pal Fejos is almost always in motion. Bold in its naked simplicity, uncompromising in its determination to reveal story and character through detail and incident, the movie (despite three brief sound sequences shoehorned in at the last minute) is one of the final examples of what silent film was capable of achieving.
The movie’s tissue-thin story is the most literal take imaginable on the “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl” plot. Part one: Jim and Mary (living in adjacent apartments, unaware of one another) go through their morning activities and then put in a day at work: Mary as a telephone operator and Jim as a punch press operator. Part two: After work, Jim and Mary go to the beach, meet each other, and fall in love. Part three: Jim and Mary are separated at an amusement park. They search for one another without success, return alone to their apartments, but ultimately are reunited.
Lonesome shares a number of thematic and visual similarities with both The Crowd and Sunrise (films to which it is invariably compared), but differs in its presentation of the couple at the center of the story. Refusing to reduce Jim and Mary to symbols in the service of a larger message or to pump up their story with melodramatic action, director Fejos accepts the simple plot and everyday characters, employing a kind of anything-goes visual strategy to bring them to life on the screen.
Filed under Silent film
Jim Rutherford
Nancy Louise Rutherford
Lou Aguilar
The Misfits
