Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Monitors (1969)


It's the swingin' mod future, apparently, and the whole world is policed by the Monitors, passionless, uptight white dudes sporting bowler hats. So really, aside from the hats, it's not all that different from today. Well, except that the Monitors have apparently made everything better, from ending war to curing the common cold. And as far as anyone can tell, they've done it all through peaceful means, like an army of Lock & Co.-sponsored Ghandis. Our main guy doesn't trust them though, and after he knocks a Monitor out he's approached by this slapsticky rebel underground and asked to sign up. Did I say "slapsticky"? That's right, because as heavy as this all sounds it's really more of a zany comedy that just has delusions of pretentious. There are a handful of funny bits (like when someone assures the main guy that the revolution is non-profit), and the brunette who helps our main guy escape from the Monitor re-education place is beyond fine, but it's all pretty one-note, and if I want to watch a dated, unfunny, one-note, anti-war comedy, Dr. Strangelove is probably on TCM right now.

Yeah, you read that right. Fuck Dr. Strangelove. Learn why it sucks here.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Alice (1988)


I never really "got" Alice in Wonderland. I mean, is it just supposed to be weird, or scary, or annoying, or what? I suppose it's pretty redundant to say that anything is like Alice in Wonderland on acid, but I will say that this take is extra fucked-up and surreal, all without being in the least bit interesting. Alice ends up in "Wonderland" after following a taxidermy rabbit (it got better) into a junk drawer, where she turns into a doll, a rat pounds a couple of stakes into her head, a bunch of animal skeletons lay siege to a dollhouse she's hiding in, she's dragged around by chickens, she's locked in a pantry, she finds a loaf of bread with nails in it (it's like the worst Halloween handout times two), dishes are thrown at her, and she's threatened with decapitation. None of this actually kills her though, which is unfortunate because believe me she is beyond fucking annoying. ("'I'd dearly love to bash her goddamned face in,' said Mr. Satanism.") Since this movie was made in Czechoslovakia, "Wonderland" is AKA a condemned apartment building, and most of the "magical" creatures are represented by things like old socks. Of course, this probably resonated with the kids over there, who were used to using their imaginations in this manner since their version of getting the G.I. Joe Aircraft Carrier for Christmas generally was unwrapping a re-purposed box containing an old sock. Ah, Communism, your failures are endless. As for this movie, I can't remember the last time I was so bored by bizarre, nightmarish shit. Seriously, when it comes to Alice in Wonderland, give me the Tom Petty version any day. Or any version that's a porno, that 's cool too.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Best Years of Our Lives - Supplemental

Now in shocking 3-D!


(The full review appears in my first book, The 100 Best Movies Ever Made ...Mostly Suck. Available here.)

The Initiation (1984)


Four sorority pledges vs. a homicidal maniac. That's known as a classic setup, ladies and gentlemen. This slasher flick stars known hottie... uh, what's-'er-name... the brunette from Melrose Place who was always being victimized and shit. You know who I mean; every week someone was beating her up, or raping her, or shooting her, or kidnapping her baby (seriously, this happened like three times), or fucking up her order at the drive-thru and then, when she went in to get her missing burrito, raping her with it. I'm not kidding - if you could get cancer by being raped by your own kidnapped baby, it would have happened to this chick. Anyway, she plays one of four pledges assigned to break into a department store as part of a sorority prank. The hottest of the lot assures her survival by backing out at the zero hour, but the other three go through with it and run afoul of the main chick's complicated backstory, who recently escaped from the loony bin by killing a Nurse Wretched type and jacking her wheels. The killer terrorizes the Chipettes and their idiot friends until it's time to wrap things up, at which point there's a big twist that could have only originated in the deepest recesses of someone's ass. It's a bullshit, ripoff ending to a movie that wasn't gory enough anyway, and, even worse, Melrose chick and the other cited hottie never show us their tits, but their mediocre friend does. Stupid movie, these aren't the tits we're looking for. You can go about your business. Move along.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Square Pegs (1982-1983)


This show has kind of a following because, you know, the 1980s, but remember what that old guy who taught Luke Skywalker how to lightsaber said:

"Who is more foolish? The fool, or the fool who watches it?"

For real, Square Pegs' 1980s shtick is more forced than 1980s shows that were made after the 1980s were over. Take, like, the chick who says "like" like so many times that, like, you want to, like, choke her to, like, death with, like, your penis. (Hey, I'm saying she's annoying, not ugly.) Then there's the guy who's supposed to be new wave, even though it's painfully obvious that the writers have no idea what that is. Although they're pretty sure it has something to do with the Clash. And even if you can ignore all the heavy-handed 1980s bullshit, the plots are filled with completely fucktarded, sub-Saved By the Bell occurrences. For example, in one episode this chick is disposing of her lunch every day by flushing it down the toilet because, I dunno, the cool kids, or anorexia or something. Anyway, it won't always flush, which is presented as a problem despite the fact that, last time I checked, you can generally throw shit you don't want into garbage cans too. Or on the ground. Talk about bending over backwards for a gag. Seriously, hacks who made this show, write much? Or what about the one where they install video games in the school cafeteria, so kids are constantly in there playing Pac Man instead of going to class? What the hell kind of school are these clowns running? (Oh, yeah, public school.) There's tons of bush-league mistakes too, like a part where we hear everyone in the room mumbling and whispering but can clearly see that no one is mumbling or whispering, and a bit where the new wave guy is only allowed into a cool-kid party so he can operate the sound board for the band, but then the episode completely forgets its own plot and he spends the entire time dancing to the band instead.

Speaking of bands, one of this show's big selling points is the music, but if you're one of those people who likes music don't get too excited. Devo shows up and actually plays a song that isn't "Whip It", but beyond that the only tunes of note are by Jimmy and the Mustangs (notable for being the only 1980s rockabilly band not called "The [Something] Cats") and the Waitresses, and as you know the Waitresses are only famous for two things: 1) writing the two worst songs in the history of the universe, including the future and 2) having a lead singer who is so badger-cunt ugly that I wouldn't fuck her for money. You know who I would fuck for money though? The super-annoying pep chick. No one that energetic could be anything but a shrieking romp monster in bed. (Well, either that or she'd break down crying halfway through, which would be even better.) Plus I like the fact that she's an insufferable twat. The only chick in this entire show who trumps her is the incidental redhead who occasionally shows up in crowd scenes:


Hell yes. I'll tell you what, I would put my peg in any hole that chippie offered. It isn't square, though. Frankly it's more like a baby's arm. Assuming that baby was super well-hung of course.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Download one of my books for free.

Beginning on the 22nd, you can download your very own copy of 66.6 Absurd Movies About the Devil from Amazon for free, and trust me, it's worth it just for the cover:


Seriously, I would hit that like a gay football player hits the showers. Uh, okay, maybe that isn't where I really wanted to go with that, but you get what I mean. Anyway, this is a limited time only offer, so don't miss out.