Friday…I’m In Love

Hello again!  Welcome to Steve on Sinema, my personal blog talking about my favorites from the land of make believe…Hollywood.  As the freezing rain falls outside, I’m inside, home from work and typing away.  It’s been a few days since I last checked in with all of you so I thought I would let you know what I’m up to.

On Saturday, Warren and I decided to take in the movie “Taken” which Warren actually saw the week before, while I was having a bloody good time with “My Bloody Valentine 3D”.  Warren loved the movie and knew that I would feel the same, so insisted we go see it this past weekend.  Here are my thoughts on the movie “Taken”.

STEVE SAYS: on “Taken” – A truly great movie, the best action thriller since “The Bourne Ultimatum”.  A great story; a great performance by the leading man Liam Neeson; and just an overall fun time at the movies.  Lots of action; you will be cheering for Liam from kill number one until the final bullet.  A must see movie!  My rating, which I agree with Warren is 4 ½ stars.  The only thing that could have been better in order to make this movie a “5 star” feature would’ve been a full frontal shot of Liam! ☺

Leading up until the time we went to the movie on Saturday, Warren and I just did a little shopping (grocery and other), and following the movie we stopped for our lunch/supper at Little Angie’s Cantina in Canal Park in Duluth.  I have to say, it’s been awhile since we ate at this restaurant, and it will be awhile before we go back – $25 down the drain and out the shoot, if you know what I mean!!

Part of our shopping consisted of my weekly stop at Best Buy, to use a $5.00 gift certificate I received for being such a great customer.  I had to stop by and pick up a new DVD release from this past week, my DVD Pick of the Week entitled “His Name Was Jason”.

HIS NAME WAS JASON: 30 years ago, a small horror film gave birth to 12 sequels, an endless body count and one of the most terrifying icons in horror history. Gore FX legend Tom Savini is your host for the ultimate documentary on everybody’s favorite hockey-masked momma’s boy and his 3 decades of cinematic carnage, featuring classic clips from every FRIDAY THE 13TH movie, rare behind-the-scenes footage, and over 80 interviews with filmmakers, actors, stuntmen, FX artists, journalists and fans including Sean Cunningham, Kane Hodder, Seth Green, Harry Manfredini, Betsy Palmer, Greg Nicotero, Amanda Righetti, Adrienne King, James Roday, Amy Steel, Felissa Rose, Ari Lehman, Camilla & Carey More, Lar Park-Lincoln, Shavar Ross, more.

The FRIDAY THE 13TH films cut a gore-laden swathe through the 1980s and ’90s, making it one of the most successful horror franchises. This documentary revisits the hockey-mask-clad phenomenon of Jason, an impassive killer who shed pint after pint of teenage blood at the campgrounds of Crystal Lake before taking the show on the road to New York City and even Hell! Sharing their thoughts are host (and special-effects legend) Tom Savini, fans, and many of the series’ cast members.

I was able to watch disc 1 of this 2-disc splatter edition on Saturday night, and I loved it.  This is my favorite horror series of all time – I love Jason, and I love Friday(s)!  In addition to this new DVD release, the first three films in the “Friday the 13th” series were re-released this week, including an uncut version of Part 1 and a 3D version of Part 3.  Instead of purchasing these three DVDs at Best Buy, I decided to order them from Columbia House since I have been a lifelong member, and because I received a great offer this past week with 60% off DVDs and free shipping and handling.  So, my other DVDs are now on the way to my home.

This coming weekend I’m anticipating the release of the new “Friday the 13th” remake, which is released this coming Friday morning at 12:00am – or midnight – whichever you prefer.  Although I won’t be able to make the midnight showing due to having to work on Friday at 8am, I will be watching the movie on Saturday, most likely in Roseville, MN at the AMC Theater, as Warren and I are taking another day trip.  This theater has the best screens, sound and seating.  Warren will not be attending this movie (not his cup of tea), so he will select another movie around the same time that he may enjoy more.  On Saturday, I will be meeting a couple of people to pick up some more DVDs to add to mhy collection and also a couple of posters that I will be taking to Horror Hound Weekend in Indianapolis to have signed by the stars of the films.  Since we are going to be in the Minneapolis area, we will probably stop by Buca Di Beppo’s again or maybe even Khan’s Mongolian Barbecue – one of our favorites.

This week will be a busy one at work, since my work mate is off all week long because of an emergency surgery over the weekend.  Most of the week will be me alone handling all of the calls, the people, and the orders.  It should go by fast at least!  I will however be looking forward to the weekend and our Saturday trip to Minneapolis.

That is all from me today.  Drop me a note and let me know what movies you have been watching lately, and what your thoughts are.  Are you a “Friday the 13th” fan?  If so, drop me a line and let me know what your favorite of the series is.  My favorite is “Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter” starring one of my faves, Corey Feldman.  Watch Corey kill Jason for the very first time, which of course doesn’t last too long – bring on “Part 5: A New Beginning”! ☺

Have a good one, take it easy and stay warm!  Cuddle up and watch a good movie!!!  Until next time…

Steve

Road Trip

Hello, good Monday evening!  Welcome back, and thanks for stopping by to visit my blog on cinema.  So what did your weekend plans entail?  My partner Warren and I took a road trip down to Minneapolis and back on Saturday so I could meet someone that I had agreed to purchase some DVDs from.  So, we got up early on Saturday morning around 7am and got ready and hit the road.  Our first stop, in Coon Rapids, was to pick up the 37 DVDs that I had purchased from a seller on Craigslist.  These people were moving and wanted to get rid of their DVD collection, so I lucked out and found their advertisement.  There were a few gems on this list, DVDs that were out of print and hard to find.  I got all of the DVDs for $100, less than $2.75 per DVD.  The diamond in the rough was “Piranha” which I have wanted to add to my collection for awhile now.  Here’s a sampling of a few of the DVDs that I purchased.

PIRANHA: “Operation Razorteeth,” a government project involving the breeding of mutant piranhas, gets way out of hand when the fish raid a lake at a summer camp for kids in this Roger Corman-produced, Joe Dante-directed classic. Heather Menzies stars as Maggie McKeown, an insurance investigator out to trace a missing teenage couple who have disappeared in the woods. With the help of a drunken recluse, Paul Grogan (Bradford Dillman), they come across a supposedly deserted army base inhabited by Dr. Robert Hoak (Kevin McCarthy) who has been breeding the deadly fish in secret. In their hunt for the missing couple McKeown and Grogan drain the army pool, unleashing millions of mutant piranhas into the lake of a nearby children’s summer camp and a newly opened tourist resort. Smart exploitation with a ludicrous and clever script co-written by John Sayles, this drive-in answer to JAWS is full of film references and plenty of B-movie thrills (gore and nudity). PIRANHA is the kind of movie they don’t make anymore–and better yet–it holds up well.

BLOOD SIMPLE: When a bar owner discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife, a complex web of deceit and double crosses ensues in a small Texas town. The Coen brothers’ first picture is…  When a bar owner discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife, a complex web of deceit and double crosses ensues in a small Texas town. The Coen brothers’ first picture is an intricately plotted film noir filled with surprises at each turn. The cast, largely unkown at the time, includes Dan Hedaya as the cuckolded bar owner, Frances McDormand as the cheating wife, John Getz as the adultering bartender, and the fabulously creepy M. Emmett Walsh as the slimy, sweaty private detective who should not be trusted. The film is a marvel to experience; director of photography Barry Sonnenfeld has created stunning compositions filled with open spaces, and the sound–from the slightest footsteps or dripping water to a sudden shotgun blast–reverberates ominously, as if it is a character unto itself. Directed by Joel Coen and cowritten by Joel and his brother Ethan, BLOOD SIMPLE is an eerie testament to the limitless possibilities of low-budget filmmaking.

HELL NIGHT: Three girls pledging to join a sorority spend the night in a supposedly empty mansion. To their utter horror, they find that they are not alone.

KANSAS: In Kansas, Wade, a wholesome, law-abiding teenager, meets Doyle, a rough bad boy, and the two become friends. But unfortunately, the impressionable Wade begins to follow Doyle’s lead, and ultimately the two undertake a bank robbery. With the police catching up to them, the boys separate. Wade hides under a bridge — where he saves the life of the governor’s young daughter, an act caught on film by a newspaper photographer. Now, Wade is not only a criminal wanted by the police, but a mystery hero, sought after by the townspeople…

After leaving with my new collection of DVDs, we stopped at a local park in Coon Rapids to look them over quickly, and to my amazement, they were almost all in perfect condition and scratch free.  What a deal to start my day!

From Coon Rapids we headed to Roseville, another close by suburb of Minneapolis where we were going to see a movie – our weekly movie.  Although I had already seen “My Bloody Valentine” a couple of weeks ago, our local cinema didn’t have the 3D version of the film that I was hoping to see…so when I saw that the Roseville AMC theater had this version, I told Warren that I had to see it again.  Warren didn’t care to see the movie, since it is a horror movie, so he took in another more to his liking…”Taken”.

Here’s a recap of our weekend picks.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D: Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine’s Day, he woke up…and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pickaxe before being killed.

Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine’s Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony’s dark past has returned. Wearing a miner’s mask and armed with a pickaxe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who’s come back to claim them…

STEVE SAYS: on “My Bloody Valentine” – a fun flick, especially in 3D.  A throwback to the great slasher flicks of the 80’s that I truly love.  If you area person that loves blood galore, you will certainly love this film.  How many ways can you kill someone with a pick axe, let me count the ways…1) through the top of your bald head 2) through the back of your head and out your left eyeball 3) under the chin and up through your mouth 4) into the pit of your stomach 5) through your forehead 6) you get the point! ☺  I would rate this movie 4 ½ stars on my 5 star scale.

TAKEN: When two young American women are abducted in Paris and forced into white slavery by a mob of Albanians, it’s up to a retired secret agent (played by Liam Neeson) to save his estranged daughter (Maggie Grace) from a life of prostitution. While it’s hard to believe Paris is more dangerous than Los Angeles, director Pierre Morel and co-writer Luc Besson create enough elegant action sequences to distract us from the inanity while Neeson does all the heavy thespian lifting without breaking a sweat. The movie doesn’t really work, but it doesn’t bore us to death either.

WARREN SAYS: On “Taken” – Let’s face it, this is a movie where the CIA rules and everything goes pretty much as planned and expected. Having said that, I think the anger and determination of the father, in this movie, is accurate and was accepted by the viewers at my show.  I liked the lead character (Liam Neeson)’s take no prisoner’s attitude when it came to his daughter’s life. He could be a violent man that knows sometimes that’s the only answer to violent evil people – such as were portrayed in this movie. Maybe there’s a message here – an eye for an eye.  Warren rates this movie a 4 ½ stars out of a 5 star scale.

Well, there you have it – our weekend movies and two good ones to be exact, along with our thoughts and ratings.  Tell me what you thought of either of these movies.  Send me a note, leave me a comment, drop me a line.

Following our movies, we did some bumming around the mall and other stores.  We hit Rainbow Road, a gay bookstore in downtown Minneapolis for a quick look through; although we didn’t purchase anything there this time, we have in the past.  This is a nice little store for gay men and women alike and centrally located next to Loring park where our Gay Pride Festival is held each year.  Unfortunately, last year the owner of the store sold some of his space, so the store got smaller, but it’s still a nice place to visit and shop.  Stop by and took a look next time you are in Minneapolis.

After stopping by the bookstore, and following our supper at Buca Di Beppo’s, we headed towards home.  It was a lot of riding to travel 2 ½ hours each way for a one day trip, but the time actually went by rather quickly as do most Saturday’s and weekends.  I had a blast as did Warren and hopefully we will have a full weekend trip coming up in late February where we can stay overnight downtown and hit some of the nightspots on Friday and Saturday.

Well, that’s all from me today.  Take it easy!

Steve

Oh the Horror!

Good evening and welcome to my blog, and my views on cinema.  Today was a great day as it was my payday at work.  I had set aside $60.00 from this particular paycheck to be able to purchase two Weekend Pass tickets for Warren and I for the upcoming Horror Hound Weekend in Indianapolis, IN.  At the end of March, the 27th thru 29th, we will be enjoying our weekend at the Marriott in Indianapolis and the horror convention.

While there, we will be meeting the stars of many horror films, past and present.  I will be getting a few autographs and taking some pictures, as well as purchasing some items including DVDs and t-shirts.  We will have a great time, away from home and work, and spending quality time with one another and enjoying each others company.  I have been very excited to take this trip, as my birthday happens to fall on Saturday the 28th, and this is my birthday present to myself.  Maybe Warren will buy me something special that weekend – what do you say pal??? ☺  Anyway, one of my favorite actors growing up, Corey Haim, will be signing autographs at the convention and I’m planning on having a “Lost Boys” poster signed by Corey.  I’m also hoping for a picture with him.  Here are four of the movie stars that I’m hoping to pick up an autograph from.

We are less than two months away from our road trip to Indy!  This trip should be no problem for Warren and I as last year we drove to Oklahoma to attend a five concert called “Rocklahoma”.  This was about a 15-hour drive, where Indianapolis should be a few hours less.  What a great time that was in Oklahoma last year – great music, an enjoyable ride (although long), and good company with my partner Warren.  I would actually love to go again this year, but we will have to see what I can afford and where else we may decide to go.  We both love to travel, and usually take a week long trip each year.  This year we have been thinking about either Provincetown, San Francisco, or Key West/Fort Lauderdale.  They all sound good to me!  At least we would be warm wherever we choose.

Now on to my DVD pick of the week, “Lakeview Terrace”.  We have not yet seen this film, but it looks like a great thriller, and Warren and I both love these types of movies.  Samuel L. Jackson is a wonderful actor, so this movie should be very good.

Here’s a look at the plot of this movie…

LAKEVIEW TERRACE: A quick perusal of any of LAKEVIEW TERRACE’s promotional materials–its nervy trailer, its foreboding (and painterly) dawn-hued poster featuring Samuel L. Jackson looking less-than-neighborly in his squad car–not only reveals it as a thriller, but offers up aesthetic evocations of several popular home-invasion suspensers made in the early 1990s. Like UNLAWFUL ENTRY and PACIFIC HEIGHTS, LAKEVIEW TERRACE takes place in upper-middle-class Californian suburbia. The film’s ubiquitous purple sky and poolside lighting create an air of domestic bourgeois comfort just waiting to be upended by deadly social unease. In this mode, the surprises start when the film opens with intimate household scenes not of the film’s purported heroes, an interracial couple who’s about to move next-door, but of its not-entirely-apparent villain–a curiously middle-aged beat cop (Jackson) who raises a few eyebrows when he close-mindedly bullies his children, but seems sad and sympathetic. The cop, a black man named Abel Turner, watches blankly from his home when the first new neighbor he sees is an African-American wife (Kerry Washington)–and then reacts with quiet shock and disgust when he realizes that the white mover is actually her husband, Chris (Patrick Wilson). The invasion in this home-invasion thriller is, ironically, the one perceived by its psychologically damaged bad guy. Abel, offended and ostensibly law-immune, immediately begins jabbing Chris with a toxic passive-aggression that quickly becomes impossible to ignore. LAKEVIEW TERRACE adheres to a satisfying thriller construct. It’s also a little interested in exploiting the archetypes of squirm-inducing domestic threat–all the nasty scenarios viewers recognize from those earlier movies–to consider several facets of American racism: its inevitability in familial and casual issues and its existence in liberal white guilt as much as its poisonous mixture with mental illness.

It sounds like an interesting movie, right?  Well, I will probably pick up a copy of the DVD this weekend while we are in Minneapolis on Saturday, and we can watch it when we are at home on Sunday.

That’s about all from here today.  It’s getting a bit warmer, and also getting lighter earlier in the day…so we know that spring is getting closer.  I can’t wait until spring hits, and then summer – I’m so looking forward to the nice warm weather especially with this cold winter we have had here.  The snow can melt away anytime to!  As you can tell, I’m not a “winter” person.

Have a great night and drop me a line and let me know what you are up to and what movies you have been watching.  Until we meet again….enjoy!

Steve

Let’s Get Cranking

Instead of a day spent cranking (to move with a winding course); going here, there and everywhere…it’s been a day of rest for me.  I’ve just been chilling in front of the TV first watching a movie, “Howling IV” to start my morning, then an episode of “Lost” after that, and finally onto Boston Celtics basketball.  Happy Sunday to you!  I hope whatever you are doing – whether it is a day filled with running errands, cleaning around the house, shopping or just hanging out and relaxing like me – it’s going well for you.

It’s cold outside here in northern Minnesota, so it doesn’t interest me to go outside at all today, except of course to get the Sunday paper to check out the Best Buy ad for the week.  So, I have decided to stay in with my pajamas on and watch television most of the day.  Yes, of course I took a shower and am now washing some clothes, but other than that it’s going to be a peaceful and restful day for me.

If you are interested in staying in today, but would still like an adrenaline rush, I’ve got the movie for you.  “Crank” starring Jason Statham is a fast-paced, adrenaline filled, action packed movie that will keep you going for a couple of hours.

Here’s the storyline…

CRANK: Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) is about to begin his morning with an unexpected wake-up call. Groggy, practically unable to move and with a heart that’s barely beating, Chev answers his cell phone and hears the voice of thug Ricky Verona, who reveals Chev has been poisoned in his sleep and has only an hour to live.  As it turns out, Chev is a hit man who freelances for a major West Coast crime syndicate. And a run of the mill job the night before that was supposed to be like any other hit went unexpectedly awry: Chev let his target go in an effort to quit the professional killing business and start a new life with his girlfriend Eve.  Now, Chev must keep moving – literally – to stay alive. The only way to prolong the poison from stopping his heart is to keep his adrenaline flowing. As the clock ticks, Chelios cuts a swath through the streets of Los Angeles, wreaking havoc on those who dare stand in his way. He must rescue Eve from danger, stay two steps ahead of his nemeses as they try to eliminate him, and search for an antidote to save his own life.

This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat and will get your blood pumping.  So, you will not need to even leave your sofa, or bed or wherever you are parking yourself today, and you will still feel like you have been moving today.  Me, well, I may have to bring out my “Crank” DVD and Warren and I will have to strap ourselves in (not literally) ☺ and sit back and take in the action.  Warren has not yet seen this movie, as I checked it out in the theater a couple of years ago while we were in White Bear Lake as Warren had a prior commitment.  If not today, we will need to sit down and watch this movie again in anticipation of the recently announced “Crank II”.

I’m looking forward to the release of the second movie in the series, and it looks as though it will be coming out the beginning of April. I have watched the movie trailer a couple of times now, and you can check it out here – Crank II trailer.

Here’s a quick look at the new movie…

CRANK II: HIGH VOLTAGE: Set three months after his destructive run through Los Angeles, hitman Chev Chelios (Statham) launches himself on a literally electrifying chase through Los Angeles in pursuit of the Chinese mobster who has stolen his nearly indestructible heart and replaced it with a battery-powered heart that requires regular jolts of electricity to keep working.

Another good thing about these two movies is that you get to check out the films star, Jason Statham, throughout.  In “Crank” you even get to check out his backside – nice!  Maybe in the second movie they will give us a full frontal shot – we can only hope!!

Well, that’s all the work for me today…one blog post and now back to the bedroom for more relaxing of the mind and body.  Again, I hope you all enjoy your day no matter what you are doing.  Drop me a comment and let me know that you are alive and kicking.  I don’t hear from too many people to this point, since my blog is fairly new, so let me know you are out there and checking in now and again.

I will see you all in a few days.  Take care.

Steve

See-Saw

Good evening and Happy Thursday!  I am sure ready for the end of the work week to be here.  It’s been a busy week, as things are picking up in our office, and with the traveling that Warren and I did on Monday and Tuesday I just felt really tired today.  As you know from reading my partners writings from Wednesday and today, we went to a great concert on Monday night in Minneapolis at the Northrup Auditorium in the middle of the University of Minnesota campus.  We saw one of my current favorite bands, The Killers, and they were rocking, literally!  The third row balcony seats were great, dead center of the stage with a perfect view and the balcony bounced along with the crowd.  “The Killers” played for about 1 ½ hours, and all their great songs were included in the set list.  I loved the concert, as did Warren, and I even bought a concert tee to where around this summer.  It was a great night and a fun trip!!

This coming weekend we don’t have any major plans; we will for sure catch a movie, which one I don’t know at this point.  Other than that, nothing else on the agenda, probably just hand around the house and stay warm as it sounds like its about to get cold again….yuck!  The only good thing about that is that I will get to catch up on some television including another DVD or two out of my collection.  Speaking of my DVD collection, here are my two ‘HOT DVD Releases of the Week’ which I will be adding to my collection in a couple of days.

Saw V: Unrated Director’s Cut: With Jigsaw dead and the case seemingly closed, FBI Agent Strahm is still trying to link police detective Mark Hoffman to the murderer as an accomplice. Before he can, however, he gets locked in a watery cube that almost kills him. After surviving, he is suspended from the force by newcomer Dan Erickson. Seems the higher up is convinced that something is wrong with Strahm. In the meantime, Hoffman is fulfilling Jigsaw’s last wish, and setting up a game involving five individuals – a trust fund tweaker, a strident real estate broker, an egotistical investigative journalist, a corrupt city official, and a fire inspector. Their connections seems tenuous at best, but as Strahm pushes ever closer to finding out about Hoffman and his connection to the crimes, we soon learn the method to this killer’s madness.

Repo! The Genetic Opera: Begun in 2002 as a Los Angeles stage production by writers Darren Smith and Terrence Zdunich, REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA was designed as a gory, comedic Grand Guignol to appeal more to club goers than fans of musical theater. One fan, aspiring director Darren Lynn Bousman, who has since worked on the SAW franchise, vowed to one day direct a film version of the show. Six years (and five SAW films) later, he has made good on his promise with a bizarre, gory, and unique piece of work that is as sure to entertain as it is to polarize its audience. In the year 2056, following an epidemic of human organ failure, the GeneCo Corporation–owned by the mafia-like Largo family–grows and installs new organs on a massive scale. The business, though, necessitates the employment of repo men to reclaim the organs from clients who miss their payments. Repo man and single father Nathan Wallace (Anthony Head, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) keeps his job a secret from his terminally ill daughter, Shilo (Alexa Vega), doing it only to pay for her costly medication. Nathan also has a secret history with GeneCo patriarch Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino)—and their connection is about to become public knowledge on the night of a concert from popular singer–and GeneCo client–Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman). Compellingly strange, REPO! resembles a comic book-influenced goth dinner theater production set within a dystopian video game. Musically, the score concentrates more on libretto-like sung dialogue than memorable tunes (save Vega’s pop-punk “Sixteen” and Brightman’s chilling “Chromaggia”), but the cast appears to be having a blast. Skinny Puppy’s Nivek Ogre lends some underground cred as the most twisted member of the Largo clan, but Brightman gives the comically bloody proceedings true legitimacy. A surprising casting choice, she’s an almost regal presence, and her goosebump-inducing soprano soars stratospherically above this fun cult film in-the-making.

So, there you go, a couple of “spine-tinglers” for your long cold weekend.  I caught “Saw V” in the theater around Halloween, and it was very good…and of course, very gory.  Warren as you know, as I have stated many times, is not a horror fan so didn’t watch the movie with me, but it’s well worth a viewing for all you avid horror fans.  I happen to really enjoy this series and own all of the DVDs: Saw 1-4.

Thanks for checking in today.  Sorry the post was short and sweet today, but I’m ready to lay down and relax.  Drop me a line and let me know what you think of my selections.  If you have seen any movies recently, whether on DVD or in the theater, let me know what you saw and what you thought.  It’s good to hear from my readers, and I know Warren loves to hear from you to.

I’m off to catch the Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic game…Go Celtics!!!  I hope to check back in another day or two.  Keep a look out for another post over the weekend.  Until then, take it easy and enjoy your Friday.

Take care,

Steve