Today's Movies

Don't Be Negative (Negative) Just Be Positive (Positive)

Filmmaking Movie Night

These are movies about making movies. Which is like writing a book about writing



or a song about about singing



All of which are legitimate forms of expression, I don't know why I brought it up.

This Oscars-inspired BMN is just bursting with star wattage. Hollywood Boulevard alone has three people that we're keeping tabs on:

Mary Woronov


Dick Miller


and Paul Bartel


That means Dick and Paul are now tied with Linnea Quigley for second place behind Cameron Mitchell, who has 9. I don't think they'll catch up, judging by how many Cameron Mitchell movies are still out there to watch. Although we've been in a little Mitchell drought lately. It's been over a year!

It also stars the guy who directed White Line Fever, the guy who directed Caged Heat and Robby the Robot.

Everyone who was ever successful.

You'll recognize a lot of people in Baadasssss! but mostly you'll care about Adam West and Sally Struthers. Hey, notice how I've been spelling baadasssss the same way for two years? It's because of this movie and the movie it's chronicling, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.

 Here's what happened last week:

Today's Movies

Evil In The Woods Movie Night

Ax 'Em was always going to be part Blaxploitation Month but I considered a few movies to go with it before settling on Twin Peaks. I thought about making it the only complete Blaxploitation Night and showing The Human Tornado.



I decided against it making this the first Rudy Ray Moore-free February. (frowny face) I thought about a tools on sticks theme and watching David A. Prior's (Deadly Prey, Killer Workout) Sledgehammer. But it's too similar to the horror(ibleness) of Ax 'Em. Then Everett McGill and Wendy Robie appeared last Friday in The People Under The Stairs as a married couple (cough) just like in Twin Peaks.



Leaving us wanting more, more!

First we're going to have to get through Ax 'Em. Remember that scene in the middle of Las Vegas Bloodbath where a bunch of women wrestlers eat donuts, try on bikinis and have a regular conversation? For 20 minutes.



That reminds me of the entirety of Ax 'Em except no one wears a bikini. As far as I remember anyway. It could be impossible to store memories of Ax 'Em. And you may doubt anyone in the movie was aware there was a camera nearby. The movie introduced me to Chubb Rock though!




The Twin Peaks pilot (European theatrical edit) will be our second David Lynch directorial effort, after watching Blue Velvet right after Dennis Hopper died. We'll've seen Kyle MacLachlan four times now since we watched Showgirls and The Hidden. And, of course, you'll remember Dana Ashbrook and Kimmy Robertson were both in The Willies:




Here's what happened last week:

Today's Movies

Eviction Movie Night

A quick perusal at Black Horror Movies has led me to conclude that The People Under the Stairs is the best black-leaning horror movie. Except maybe Chester Norvell Turner's Black Devil Doll From Hell and Tales From the Quadead Zone. Hey, let's watch the latter now!



Man that was good.

Oddly, the movie that Larry Yust did prior to Homebodies was a blaxploitation movie called Trick Baby.



But it was picked because it fit the eviction theme. I probably should have done this theme a couple of years ago during the financial crisis when it was timely. But everything is great now. I had a real estate theme brewing that Homebodies was a part of but now Open House is going to have to find another partner.

 

People Under the Stairs is where Pulp Fiction's Gimp comes from.

Here's what happened last week:

Today's Movies

Larry Cohen Movie Night

Larry Cohen has been good to Bad Movie Night, for giving us things like this:



and this:



And we already had John Carpenter Night and Godfrey Ho Night so a Larry Cohen Night is overdue.  

Hell Up in Harlem is the sequel to Black Caesar, a movie we never saw. But here's Larry Cohen himself talking about it over the trailer. So now you're all caught up.

After Black Caesar was a hit Hell Up in Harlem was made quickly during the weekends while Cohen was making the first It's Alive on weekdays. I think the slapdashing of the movie contributes to its charm.

Cohen gets the "story by" credit for Cellular, which I figured meant he said to somebody, "Hey, why don't you guys make a movie where someone is kidnapped and only some random guy with a cellphone can save her". But I guess the finished movie bears more than a resemblance to Cohen's script. Someone remade the opening scene for their film class based on the original script and it looks similar:



Except Cellular is shot on film and has more Jason Statham!

Here's what happened last week: