Alien: Romulus

 

                                Last week were hands down probably the roughest weeks I had to endure, especially when it comes to working at a small Television station in the middle of nowhere. And the weekend I still was a little in the mixed of mad and anxiety kicking in so, in my randomness of ideas I decided to ask both my brother and his ex if I can take three of their kids to see a movie, though I took one out of the three kids with me of all movies I decided to take my nephew with it's the latest Alien movie, Alien: Romulus. Granted I can admit I'm being a terrible uncle when it comes to taking my nieces or nephew to movies like this though I'm going to leave that for God to decide when I meet him. Back to Alien was another one of those movies that I wanted to watch because I love Alien movies, and I know what it's going to have but it was another one of those films I wanted to see this year in the theaters.

                                Space colonizers come face to face with the most terrorizing life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

                                The thing that put a smile on my face once I sat down in the theaters in watching the movie was not the Alien or the facehuggers but that we open the movie with 70's Sci-Fi technology turning on and that literally put a smile on my face because I never pegged any director to do that in today’s movie remakes or reinvention. From Prometheus to Alien: Covenant I've pretty much seen every recent Alien movie in the theaters, and I've always had a blast with them, I always was drawn to the horrors that was the Alien universe I mean deep down I always enjoyed them never thought they would be as great as the first two Alien films. And in all honesty, I was sold in one teaser trailer of the film and remember seeing all the facehuggers chasing after the crew members and I was sold right from the beginning knowing I needed to see the movie. Granted all the recent Alien movies pay enormous tribute furthermore they always have the same premise of evil corporations SOS distress calls or really anything that involves androids wanting to create life or destroy life basically all same plot points of the first two films so, why go to these recent Alien movies especially when there's a grand total of six maybe seven? And really the answer is simple the Alien or the Xenomorph is this creature that has the instincts of a bee where they need to breed on human life to survive as well as, it has no remorse moreover you can't reason with it. So, that's why Xenomorph or Alien is hands down one of the scariest movie monsters in all of cinema history. Fede Alvarez who directed another horror classic Don't Breathe (now if you haven't seen that film go check it out) and he does a fantastic job paying tribute to both Alien and Aliens but more importantly does a great job in building tension and suspense through the course of the movie in which really that's basically why I've been enjoying with the recent Alien films is each director as of now is basically trying to bring out what way you can scare the audience as well as finding other ways to have what I like to call WTF moments and really it's not just the Alien that gets the screen time but the facehuggers get screen time as well especially my favorite scene where it's a game of playing cool and quiet so you won't attract the facehuggers which is great. Hands down this was one of the most exciting and entertaining movies I've seen this year along with Ungentlemanly Warfare, and if you are a big fan of the Alien franchise as well as love the suspense and claustrophobia then I would highly recommend watching Alien: Romulus while it's still out in theaters.

       

August Recommendation: Rope

 

                                    In a sense I was really at a loss of what movies I was trying to recommend for my monthly recommendations. At first it was supposed to be Boy Kills World, unfortunately after watching the movie I felt a little down about the plot twist so really as I've said I was going through a movie watching drought. Though I began to realize that I haven't really recommended a good classic movie that would usually see in either Turner Classic Movies or basically any classic movie that no one has ever touched or has never seen. And really Alfred Hitchcock's Rope save the day for me and more importantly the best decision I've ever made because any Alfred Hitchcock's films age like fine wine.

                                    Just before hosting a dinner party, Philip Morgan (Farley Granger) and Brandon Shaw (John Dall) strangle a mutual friend to death with a piece of rope, purely as a Nietzsche-inspired philosophical exercise. Hiding the body in a chest upon which they then arrange a buffet dinner, the pair welcome their guests, including the victims obvious fiancée (Joan Chandler) and the college professor (James Stewart) whose lectures inadvertently inspired the killing.

                                    Surprising fact, Rope is the first in a sense of my personal view where there is no Hitchcock Blonde (all the actresses Hitchcock cast where blonde), for which really was the first time I realized this, while watching the second time around. Rope I believe was one of those movies that I had never seen granted I've never seen all of Hitchcock's films and my brother just picked this movie randomly and watched it from start to finish and thought that this was one of the greatest Hitchcock films, and so, re-watching the movie again like I said earlier his movies age like fine wine, because the camera angles and the suspense is still there and you still get that chill on your back that you will still feel your own a** being on the edge of the couch you’re on. Surprisingly enough this was the first collaboration between legend Jimmy Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock for which I knew these men worked together hell my first movie between the two was Rear Window and that was one of those films I remember my parents renting at the local library. And this was the first film where two legends of film both working together on an experimental film that had never been done before until Birdman. I think that's the best way to describe Hitchcock's Rope is the first experimental film that used the concept of long camera angles with very little edits, it was the infamous Birdman movie before director Alejandro Inarritu brought Michael Keaton's career back to life. The film alone had to do with a lot of rehearsals so you can keep the flow of the camera going and even when you watch the film you'll slowly notice where the cut of the film was made. I can go on and on about how great Jimmy Stewart is in the movie I mean all of the movies he's made with Alfred Hitchcock are always his best performances, but really the scene stealer throughout the movie is John Dall's character whose the real psychopath behind the murder and does such a great job playing a monster who has no remorse for what he's done as well as doesn't care about the fact that his own friends as well as his college professor worried about the victim. Now deep down I can go on and on about how great the movie is but deep down I can tell that everyone has not seen this movie before and really I don't want to spoil anymore details but Rope is most certainly one of those movies I'd highly recommend watching for a billion reasons it has great camera angles it shows very little and you have to pay attention to what the actors are thinking and another thing in what makes this film great is the amount of facial expressions as to what the characters are thinking makes this film great as well as the reveal. And once you watch the film for the first time the more you want to go back and just study more in the film in terms of what you missed as well as some of the little details. Sadly, the film alone is not in any streaming services though wouldn't hurt to keep a look out right? And really if you feel the need of a movie to expand your horizons Rope is most certainly the one Hitchcock film worth the purchase.

      

Boy kills World

 

                                    I remember seeing a trailer to this movie thinking that this could be intriguing consisting that Archer's voice aka H. Jon Benjamin is providing the voice of a boy who goes off on a revenge rampage. Which sure when you think about it sure it's basically every revenge film you know and watched, but really it was just Archer's voice in the movie which piqued my interest, luckily, I found a copy of the movie on Blu-Ray and I for some reason have mixed feelings. Staring Bill Skarsgard in his first action movie where he's not portraying a creepy clown, and Jessica Rothe who’s famous for the Happy Death Day movies. And finally, Sam Rami produced this movie going back to his days when he was making nothing but weird and twisted horror movies.

                                    Boy is a mayhem machine who's been training to assassinate the bloodthirsty Hilda Van Der Koy and avenge his family's murder; guided by his sister's mischievous spirit, Boy uncovers one stunning revelation after another as he barrels towards Hilda. 

                                    Writer/Director Mortiz Mohr pitched Boy Kills World with a short and previsualization reel to Sam Raimi and Roy Lee, of Raimi Productions and Vertigo Entertainment respectively, who were impressed and subsequently agreed to produce alongside Nithibah Pictures and Hammerstone Studios. I think it's safe to say that this movie with so much potential at first but then comes crashing down after watching the very end of the movie, though there was a big reason but will get to that later. I mean the movie has its moments mainly coming from H. Jon Benjamin's performance as the narrator of the film and Bill Skarsgard going with the flow, and really what I love about Benjamin's performance is that he basically a man/child voice just like his performance in the long running series Archer furthermore when you have H. Jon's narration as well as Skarsgard's acting is the most hilarious and funny parts of the film though really that's basically it. And really the action sequences are great some of the stuff they developed was pretty cool for an action movie but then when I got to what is supposed to be the climax of the film I get this bizarre twist for which I'm not sure I was more not wanting as to not surprised at the same time and for which this is another one of those films that sure it has the cliché revenge story but when you see the twist it just shuts me out through the end of the movie which I guess it's usual especially when you've seen enough movies as I have. If you're a fan of action movies like I am, I would most certainly recommend watching Boy Kills World but truth be warned for the rest of the world you may feel like you've seen this movie and if the plot twist throws you off I can't say that I warned you about these things and you didn't listen, for which I hope you do listen to me and avoid watching Boy Kills World.  

                        

In the Heat of the Night

 

                                     Now granted this Sidney Poitier classic is still on Tubi so you can most certainly check this great movie out now. Fast forward to last week my parents gave me their library card to go check out a movie for a usual movie night. Because as I was a young man that was our simplest solution was to rent a movie at the library instead of paying to rent a movie at your local video store, you all remember renting movies at Movie Gallery's or Library's? Hell, movies stores where the one place in the world where you can check out porn, finding the porn is easy going to the clerk is the toughest part because they’re going to give you that look of judgement if you know what I mean. Anyway, getting back to the topic, In the Heat of the Night was another one of those cop movies I haven't seen as of late in my early years and it was staring at me in the library shelf, so I must check this movie out.

                                     African American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth. 

                                     Hands down this is most certainly the best buddy cop movie in my opinion despite the fact that I'm trying to separate the film from other buddy cop movies mainly because the film starts off as the two main characters who really don't like one another out of the sense of the color of each man's skin, and sure there other cop buddy movies where the two characters don't like one another but it's really because of their lack of respect for one another, this movie is set in the late sixties south where you’re going to be seeing really bad racisms everywhere you go and the fact that this movie came out during that time was no doubt great but most of all important for the world to see. I've seen some of Sidney Poitier's films, just not all of them, which in truth it's sad but then again if you’re going to start off with a great Sidney Poitier film you might as well start off with a great movie like this movie. Of course and really with a doubt Sidney Poitier was the best part of the whole movie I mean his quote of "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" gives me chills, though another important actor in the movie upon which earn him an Oscar was Rod Steiger who does such a fantastic job playing the Police Chief who at first follows his principles on how he was raised but slowly begins to realize he need's Poitier's character and through course of the story worries for his safety of high tensions while investigating the murder and yet by end of the movie he begins to respect Tibbs and leaves it as each man respects one another. So, for a first and hopefully many Sidney Poitier movies to watch this was worth the watch from start to finish. And last, I check In the Heat of the Night is still on Tubi so, if you still have the absolute free no charge streaming service, I will highly recommend checking the movie out and be sure to listen to Ray Charles song In the Heat of the Night as well. 

      

Beverly Hills Cop

 

                                     Continuing the search of movies I haven't touched or seen and browsing through Netflix I stumbled upon Beverly Hills Cop, another one of these movies that I haven't seen for which was the turning point to former SNL star Eddie Murphy at that time. I think a reasonable explanation as to why I avoided any Eddie Murphy films is really after watching the Nutty Professor 2, I truly believe that was my breaking point and this was at a young age all I can remember was laughing but then his future projects like Norbit, Daddy Day Care or Tower Heist I just felt absolute no I don't want to dive deep into that disgust.  Now I don't know if I'm finding the right Eddie Murphy film but so far, I at least found the perfect Eddie Murphy that can't be worse than the Nutty Professor movies or Norbit, right?

                                     After his childhood buddy is murdered while visiting Detroit, rebellious cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) follows the leads to Beverly Hills, Calif., under the auspices of a vacation. He checks in with old friend Jenny Summers (Lisa Eibacher) and starts to believe her boss, art dealer Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), might somehow be involved in the murder. However, Lt. Bogomi (Ronny Cox) of the Beverly Hills Police Department does not trust Foley and hinders his search for evidence.

                                     Around 1977, executive Don Simpson came up with the idea of a cop from East L.A. being transferred to Beverly Hills. Screenwriter, Danilo Bach was the first to be called up by Don Simpson to write the screenplay. Originally around 1981, Bach pitched to both Simpson and Paramount under the name Beverly Hills Drive, about a cop from Pittsburgh named Elly Axel. However, Bach's script was a straight action movie, and he was forced to make a tone of changes to the script, but after a few attempts the project went stale but, after the success with Flashdance (1983) Simpson made it clear, that the Beverly Hills film as his next project to be. Now, to make a long story short, the attempts of the movie getting made went beyond interesting aspects that you'd never expect, because Eddie Murphy wasn't the first actor to be offered the role of Axel Foley like Harrison Ford not being the first choice for Han Solo or Indiana Jones, Mickey Rourke was first offered the role even Sylvester Stallone was consider the part for Axel Foley even stationed him to write the screenplay for which he included more dramatic scenes and it wasn't for another revision of the script that both Don Simpson and his partner Jerry Bruckheimer convinced Eddie Murphy to take the role of Axel Foley and to be truthfully honest I don't think this movie would of ever been successful if they didn't approach Eddie Murphy for the role. Speaking of Eddie Murphy, I truly believe that this is one of the many movies I should of started on from his career to watch first instead of his later movie for many reasons this was one of the first movies I sat down and watched a SNL legend really does a great job playing not just the comedic performance but also does a fantastic job playing all of the dramatic scenes for which that's really what you need when it comes to a cop movie like this. Like, Fletch the movie itself is very 80's style of filmmaking which is fine no complaint here but I believe what makes this film different and unique is that it has a catchy theme song composed Harold Faltemeyer who does such a great job in creating a tune for everyone while watching Beverly Hills Cop, everyone can have a good time watching movie and whistling the music to themselves when the movie is over. Without a question a movie with the recommendation it has that fun and entertaining value but more importantly you see a much better actor in Eddie Murphy than his other movie roles where he feels like he's depressed and is only in the movie to pay the mortgage. So, if you're looking for an entertaining Cop movie, I would most certainly recommend watching Beverly Hills Cop on Netflix as of right now. Although now having liked the first Beverly Hills Cop since the film is officially 40 years old, I'm still on the iffy on whether to continue with its successors though I'll let you all know when I get to that fork in the road.

         

Thirty Year Anniversary of Dumb and Dumber

 

                                         

                                   Well I'm back from a long and great vacation/road trip, word of advice if you’re thinking of wanting to take a road trip down South be careful of the many traffic jams, you'll encounter for many reasons, they will drive you to the point of madness for which we all know is like gravity it just takes for one big push to get you yelling at the cars and the people driving them. So, now that I've returned, I figured out what better way to make a comeback by reviewing a movie all about a road trip with two of the dumbest people on the planet. Dumb and Dumber staring Jim Carey along with unsuspecting comedic performance from Jeff Daniels both star as the most iconic not so bright dumb bros legit who are able to do the most inspecting things you'd never quite expect they would pull off or even they would know they pulled off.

                                   Imbecilic best friends Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) stumbles across a suitcase full of money left behind in Lloyd's car by Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly), who was on her way to the airport. The pair decide to go to Aspen Col., to return the money, unaware that it is the connected to the kidnapping. As Harry and Lloyd -- who has fallen in love with Mary -- are pursued across the country by hired killers and police, they find both their friendship and their brains tested.

                                   The interesting thing I found out about Jim Carey's career, is that 1994 was really Carey's biggest as well as the launching point of his career, for examples his very first success was Ace Ventura which came out in February 4th of that year, then five months later comes out with the Mask and then Christmas season he comes out with Dumb and Dumber so, really talk about your one, two punch to financial success like, you can pay off everything with just those three films combined. The hotel scenes in the film were actually shot at the infamous Stanley Hotel (which was based on Stephan King's the Shinning) and what I heard of this story and granted it's been a few years when I heard it while taken a tour at the hotel, Jim Carey actually stayed the night at the Hotel and he was so shook up about the Hotel he didn't want to set foot in there so they decided to shoot the scenes at a Studio. Which comes to show that stories like the Stanley Hotel you'd probably know the stories are true. A movie like this which developed a cult following and stands the test of time, there's really nothing to say about how great the film is I mean earlier Jim Carey's films age like fine wine when you think about it. Though in all honesty there's has to be some praise for the film’s success is the writing from the Farrelly brothers and Bennet Yellin as well as the incredible acting with Jim Carey and Jeff Daniels, like these five people combined created a brilliant piece of comedic genius where you have these two characters who are so dumb and make such terrible choices as well as making decisions that are so funny. And really when you look a movie like this, it's without a doubt a great example of making a road trip comedy I mean if you’re looking at past road trip movies through the years and granted some of them I either remember or haven't seen so, deep down this movie without a doubt a perfect comedic Road Trip movie. Time tested for Dumb and Dumber, furthermore I would most certainly recommend watching Dumb and Dumber as well as watching it with your teenagers because a movie like this isn't so bad in terms of vulgar language or sexual content and I would believe the youngsters of today would give a chuckle moreover have a blast, speaking of which I should pick a time to watch this with my nephew, The movie is still on Netflix last I checked so if you’re in need of a perfect comedy to shut your brain off I would most certainly recommend watching Dumb and Dumber.