Category Archives: Movies

by

Shag – Review

2/5 – The horniest bunch of white folks you will ever see

A recent vacation with a group of friends in the Outer Banks led to me watching Shag. They love the movie and have watched it many times, usually when on similar beach vacations to this one.

I had never heard of the movie. Have you? If you’re not in this group of girls who made a deal with me that if I watched Shag, they would watch The Princess Bride, I’m guessing the answer is no. Also, what’s up with people not having seen The Princess Bride?

Shag is neither the story of Scooby Doo’s partner in mystery solving, nor is about Mr. Boombastic. Rather, it’s about a group of girls in the 1960s who head away for a wild beach weekend before one of them gets married.

Mr. Lover Lover is nowhere to be found in Shag.

From the onset, it seemed obvious that Shag owes its existence to the success of Dirty Dancing. Shag was released just two years after Dirty Dancing. It’s set in the 60s. A shy girl discovers joy and love through dance. There are elaborate dance numbers. Sure, it doesn’t take place at a Catskills country club, but I’m guessing that Dirty Dancing’s runaway success led to Shag getting the green light.

There are four girls in the Shag crew. The main girl is Carson, but my favorite of the four is Pudge, her “fat” friend. As one of the girls watching the movie with me pointed out, “The only thing pudgy about her is her tits!” That’s not why she’s my favorite. She’s the underdog of the crew. Carson has the fiance at home and the new guy pining after her. Melaina, played by Bridget Fonda, has the “looks” and the hope of being a Hollywood star. I put looks in quotes for a reason. Melaina is supposed to be the hot one, but Pudge and Carson are easily cuter (and saner) than she is. Luanne rounds out the crew. There’s not much to say about Luanne, because she’s the classic stick in the mud. Every time she was giving someone a lecture, all I could think was “Can we get back to Pudge, please?” Pudge rules.

FACT: Ivan Rodriguez loves Shag.
That’s why he insists on being called Pudge, the best character in Shag.

Shag is one of those two-star movies that is especially fun to watch in a large group. People heckled the movie with jokes (myself included), and it was great, because I didn’t have to worry about missing anything, because there isn’t much there. Please don’t take this as me not enjoying Shag though. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, but more for my friends’ on-the-spot live Rifftraxing of the movie than for what was on the screen. That said, “Y’all is the horniest bunch of white folks I ever seen.” may be my new favorite line of dialogue in all of cinema and I would definitely watch this movie again with the same group of friends.

As far as I know, my friends have yet to watch The Princess Bride. Maybe next year.

by

CONTEST! WIN Zombie Massacre on DVD!

Exciting news! Tuesday Night Movies is now on Twitter!

To celebrate, we’ve partnered up with eOne to give away three DVDs of their new movie, Zombie Massacre!

There will be three winners! Winners will be announced on Tuesday night, August 20th. And if you can’t wait to win, you can buy Zombie Massacre right now on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00D3XMNUQ.

Entering is easy and there are multiple ways to enter. Simply use the RaffleCopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

by

Spike Lee’s Kickstarter

Filmmaker Spike Lee is the latest celebrity to turn to Kickstarter to fund his new project, a currently untitled movie going by the working title of The Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint for the purposes of the Kickstarter.

What’s really cool about the campaign is Spike’s level of sharing with his donors. There have been 14 updates in the 10 days the campaign has been active. Some are videos of actors showing support. But he’s also posting some very cool stuff there too, like his Essential List of Films for Filmmakers.

I contributed a ten spot to the campaign. This nets me an autographed Malcolm X Production Crew Patch if the Kickstarter gets funded. Spike is currently at $478,000 towards his goal of $1,250,000

Mine!

Spike has opened the vault when it comes to donor prizes. Besides the afformentioned Malcolm X patch, there’s a signed 40 Acres and a Mule patch (for half the price of the Malcolm X patch!), signed movie posters, signed postcards from Spike Lee’s movies and more. It was interesting to see the posters priced at different price levels. It makes sense; the demand for Inside Man is probably much higher than the demand for Red Hook Summer.

I’m tempted to contribute on a second Kickstarter 
account just to get this signed 40 Acres patch.

If there was an award for Best Kickstarter Copy, it would definitely go to Spike’s plea for $10,000 pledges, which reads:

This Award Is For All Playa-Playas. For 10 Grand I’m Taking You to Dinner, Then You Will Have The Honor And Privilege To Sit Next To Me (IN MY WIFE’S TONYA’S SEAT) COURTSIDE – FRONT ROW IN THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE AT THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS ARENA – MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TO SEE OUR BELOVED NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS, ORANGE AND BLUE SKIES. IF YOU DON’T KNOW THIS IS ONE OF THE TRUE GREAT SPORTING EVENTS TODAY. YOU WILL REMEMBER THIS EXPERIENCE AS LONG AS YOU LIVE. THIS IS A VERY LIMITED ITEM. YOU SLOW – YOU BLOW. THIS IS BIG, BIG TIME. PS. KNICKS WILL BE GREAT THIS COMING NEW SEASON. ————————————————- So There You Have It. The Awards Are Affordable To One And All We Need Everyone To Help This Cause. Many Thanks In Advance. I Can’t Do This Without You. This Will Truly Be A Community Generated Spike Lee Joint. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF”

Seriously, after reading that copy, I wish Spike Lee wrote the copy for every Kickstarter.

Oh, and 25 people have already made the $10,000 contribution.

Are you contributing to Spike Lee’s Kickstarter? If so, what did you get?

UPDATE: I went in for the signed 40 Acres patch. 

by

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope – Review

With Comic-Con 2013 in our rear-view, I thought it would be a good time to watch the documentary Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, which is currently streaming on Hulu.

I almost bought the DVD of Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope last year. Four HeroClix figures of Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Morgan Spurlock and Harry Knowles were packaged with the DVD. Unfortunately, I could never track down the version that came with all four. They were divided up into Stan and Harry or Joss and Morgan  But the ones I wanted were Stan and Joss, and I couldn’t see myself buying two copies of the DVD to get both of them. Sorry Morgan and Harry…

I have to say, I really enjoyed this movie, which I found surprising. I thought this was going to be another fansploitation film, the kind that basically says “Look at these weirdos being weird.” But that’s not what happens here. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is very hopeful in all of the stories it tells. No one is mocked, either to their face or behind their back. It’s an honest movie. These are real people being featured here, and if you have attended Comic-Con, you can probably relate to at least one of them.
 

There are six main stories in Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, with each story focusing on different fans. Two of the stories follow two artists trying to break into the comic book industry. Another follows a guy who wants to propose to his girl at Comic-Con. One follows a toy collector who needs to get his hands on the latest exclusive from Hasbro. Chuck Rozanski, the founder of Mile High Comics, is the focus of another. But my favorite of the stories followed Holly Conrad and her friends.

I’ve seen a lot of cosplay at conventions over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen homemade costumes that were as cool as the Mass Effect costumes that Holly Conrad and her friends made for the masquerade at Comic-Con. And I’ve never even played Mass Effect. But that one alien costume, with the lights and the moving eyes and mouth just blew me away.

That costume on the left is insanely awesome!

My second favorite story was Rozanski’s. His part of the documentary was interesting because Rozanski is a retailer. He’s not at Comic-Con to just have fun. He’s there to make his livelihood. While the fans and celebrities are staying at fancy, high rise hotels near the convention center, Rozanski and his crew are at a much more modest motel. The financial crisis hit Rozanski’s business hard, and at this Comic-Con, he’s thinking about selling his most prized comics, something he doesn’t want to do, but something he realizes he needs to do to stay in business. New York City based fans might recognize Michael Carbonaro, whom Rozanski goes to for help brokering a deal to sell Rozanki’s $500,000 CGC graded Red Raven Comics #1. Carbonaro runs the New York Comic Book Marketplace convention and used to run Big Apple Con before selling that show to Wizard World. I think this movie is the calmest I’ve ever seen Carbonaro. He’s usually a bombastic ball of energy at cons in NYC. It was amazing to see him standing still quietly having a conversation here. I wonder if the filmmakers secretly switched him to decaf on the days they needed to film him.

I once met Chuck Rozanski when he was the auctioneer at a CBLDF auction.
Nicest guy ever. And he signed my paddle.

There is drama throughout the movie. Rozanski isn’t sure if he’ll turn a profit. Holly and her friends deal with technical malfunctions. James, the guy who wants to propose, can’t ditch his girlfriend long enough to pick up the ring. And not all of the stories have happy endings. One of the two artists looking for work doesn’t have the big break he hoped he would.

Interspersed throughout the stories are celebrities, fans and comic book creators talking about what they love about Comic-Con and their experiences there. It was cool seeing the likes of Grant Morrison, Seth Rogan, Joss Whedon and Matt Fraction talk about what they love about Comic-Con.

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope is a great documentary. I recommend watching it even if you have no interest in going to Comic-Con. It gives insight into this very unique world that pops up and exists for only a long weekend every year. I really think this is now my favorite Mogran Spurlock movie.

Spurlock also put together a cool book
 on the Comic-Con he filmed.

And if you take away one lesson from Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope, it should be this: if you’re going to propose to your girlfriend at Comic-Con, make sure you have the ring in your hand before you get there. And if Kevin Smith offers to officiate your wedding, maybe take him up on it.

by

The 5 Coolest Things to Come Out of Comic-Con 2013

1. Man of Steel 2 will be Superman/Batman!

With Christopher Nolan and David Goyer heavily involved in both franchises, I’m really hoping that we see a continuation of the continuity established in The Dark Knight Rises. And by that, I mean Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the Bat-suit teaming up with Henry Cavill’s Superman!

2. Avengers 2: Age of Ultron

Avengers 2 has a subtitle: Age of Ultron! Who’s Ultron, you ask? Ultron is a robot created by Hank Pym aka Antman/Giant Man/Goliath/Yellow Jacket. After gaining sentience, Ultron decided that the world would be a more perfect place if humans weren’t on it and set about eradicating all life. Whedon has stated that Hank Pym will not be in Avengers 2. Does this mean Whedon is changing Ultron’s origin so that he’s created by Tony Stark? It makes sense. With Tony Stark having created his AI assistant Jarvis in the Iron Man franchise, do we need another scientist for Ultron’s creation? I’m fine with this change. Thankfully, it looks like Avengers 2: Age of Ultron will have anything to do with Marvel comic Age of Ultron beyond its title and main villain.

While Hank Pym won’t be in Avengers 2, his fans will be happy to know that it will be Hank Pym as Ant-Man in the Ant-Man movie!

3. James Robinson releases Grand Passion through Dynamite

I only recently read Starman for the first time. But since reading it, Robinson has quickly become one of my favorite comic book writers. I was extremely sad to see him leave Earth 2, which he seemed to be setting up for a grand, multi-year run. While we wait for The Saviors, his creator-owned project with J. Bone being released through Image, we have Grand Passion to look forward to.

Dynamite is setting themselves up to be a nice competitor to Image for strong creator-owned projects. Uncanny has been really good. It will be interesting seeing if Dynamite lures more talent for creator owned series that would have otherwise gone to Image, Icon or Vertigo.

4. Karen Gillan chopped off all her hair for Guardians of the Galaxy

So this happened…

The famously red-headed Karen Gillan shaved her head for her role of Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy. In the comics, Nebula is Thanos’s granddaughter. Thanos was the big blue guy in the scene after the credits in Avengers. Like her grandfather, Nebula is also a villain.

It will be very interesting seeing the usually nice Gillan taking on the role of a villain.

5. Zombified Weezer played The Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Party

I have a soft spot in my heart for Weezer. I played their first album over and over again on repeat in my car in the mid-90s. I was already jealous of people who had access to The Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Party before I heard Weezer performed.

But what’s really cool are the zombified Weezer posters promoting the concert.

by

SDCC 2013 – The Best Comic-Con Exclusives

When it comes to exclusive merch, Comic-Con in San Diego is second to none. Comic and toy companies go above and beyond at San Diego in ways they don’t for other shows. If you’re at Comic-Con right now, there’s a decent chance you’re reading this while standing on line for one of the items listed below.

G.I Joe Skystriker Vehicle with Jetfire Deco and V.A.M.P. with Autobot Hound Deco and 3.75 inch Snake Eyes, Baroness and Bludgeon Special Edition Pack – Hasbro – $99.99

This is the third G.I. Joe/Transformers mash-up that Hasbro has sold at San Diego, and man, they really went all out this year. Two vehicles. Three figures. One of which is Snake Eyes. And another that is Bludgeon! I applaud Hasbro for going super-hardcore and releasing a Bludgeon figure. Unless you were reading the tail end of the Transformers series put out by Marvel in the 1980s, he’s probably not someone you’d recognize. His figure is definitely not aimed at the casual fan. And who couldn’t use a Snake Eyes with Autobot deco on him? On top of all this, you also get a G.I.Joe scaled Blaster boombox for Snake Eyes to rock out to! If you’re not at Comic-Con, you’ll have a very tiny window to buy this and Hasbro’s other exclusives on Hasbro’s website after the show.

Star Wars The Black Series 6-Inch Boba Fett Action Figure with Han Solo in Carbonite Accessory – Hasbro – $44.99

This year, Hasbro is launching a new line of Star Wars action figures, The Black Series. These figures will measure 6 inches and be more detailed than the standard Star Wars action figure line. To kick the series off, they’re selling a Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite two-pack at Comic-Con. I’m kind of obsessed with Han Solo frozen in Carbonite. I may need this.

Marvel Universe 3.75 inch Deadpool Corps Special Edition Figure Set – Hasbro – $49.99

Tuesday Night Movies has a certain affinity to merchandise dedicated to the Merc with a Mouth. This set includes Deadpool, Lady Deadpool, Champion dressed as Deadpool, Kidpool, Squirrelpool and Dogpool, all packaged in tacos shells in a food truck box. Hasbro, you win this year.

Marvel Minimates Deadpools Assemble Pack – Action Figure Express – $22.00

Cable-Pool! Captain Ameri-Pool! Thor-Pool! Iron Deadpool! Best Minimates set ever?

Game of Thrones: 7″ Stark Shield Wall Plaque – Dark Horse – $30.00

The Lanisters send their regards.

Hellboy Qee Comic-Con T-Shirt Vinyl Figure – Dark Horse – $20.00

This figure is super cute, and you can buy a matching t-shirt for yourself at the SDCC show store.

Aardman Superman Action Figure – DC – $24.95

You’ve been hitting that cookie box a little too much lately, Superman.

Batman ’66 #1 Variant Cover Comic – DC – $10.00

I wasn’t planning on featuring any variant covered comics here, mainly because they’re usually overpriced and lame, but this one was too cool not to show.

Batman Classic TV Series Batusi Batman – Mattel – $30.00

The 1960s Batman TV show is all over Comic-Con this year. Mattel wins the award for best tie-in with this toy that captures one of the most classic scenes from the series, Batman dancing.

The Big Bang Theory Sheldon with Vintage Batman T-Shirt 8-Inch Action Figure – Entertainment Earth – $25.00

Seriously, the ’60s Batman show is everywhere at Comic-Con 2013. Even Dr. Cooper is getting in on the act.

Masters of the Universe Classic Rokkon and Stonedar 2-Pack – Mattel – $60.00

I had the original Rokkon when I was a kid and he was one of my favorite action figures. They’re men who turn into meteors! How cool is that! I would snatch up this new set in a heartbeat!

Star Wars Wrath of the Rancor Christmas Ornament – Hallmark – $?


I’m very happy to report that Hallmark will be selling this ornament at NYCC this year too. I’m not sure on the price, but I’m guessing it’d be in the $30-$40 range.

Doctor Who River Song’s Deluxe Journal – Entertainment Earth – $60.00

Entertainment Earth has been selling a cardboard covered version of River Song’s journal for a while now. But this faux-leather, embossed version is where it’s at. I defy you to find a cooler looking diary.

Spider-Ham Mini-Bust – Gentle Giant – $45


Peter Porker finally gets his due. Limited to only 500. I expect these to sell out fast.

And now for some of the SDCC exclusives that have me scratching my head…

Man of Steel Variant Statue – DC – $129.95

I’m not really sure who this is aimed at. Goth Superman fans?

“Magnitude” Admiral Ackbar Mini-Bust – Gentle Giant – $175

Admiral Ackbar. With a mustache. WTF. But at the same time, I kind of love it.

by

Man of Steel – Review

4/5 – Up, up and away!

I liked The Man of Steel a lot. I was actually surprised by how much I liked it, based on the amount of nerd rage that was swirling around the internet the weekend the movie opened. The majority of the rage seems to be focused on three parts of the movie. I’m going to be going into all these parts, but they involve SPOILERS, so if you haven’t seen The Man of Steel yet, don’t read past this shirtless photo of Henry Cavill!

The main thing in Man of Steel that seems to have Superman fans’ crimson panties in a bunch is Superman killing Zod. He didn’t banish Zod back to the Phantom Zone. Zod didn’t die accidentally, or in a situation out of Superman’s control. Superman had to make the choice to kill Zod or let Zod kill a family with his heat vision, and he chose to kill Zod.

Superman should have killed Zod just because of that facial hair.

A lot of people have labeled The Man of Steel a darkening of Superman’s story. I don’t think that label fits this movie, unless we’re talking about the actual lighting in the movie. I’m serious. Even on a bright, sunny day, the lighting seems subdued. This may have had to due with me seeing it in 3D. Every movie looks darker in the 3D version for some reason. But even if the trailer, Smallville looked like it was covered in perpetual cloudiness.

People are calling this is a dark movie, mainly because Superman kills. But Superman doesn’t kill wantonly. He’s no Punisher. In the one case where he intentionally take an enemy’s life, his back is to the wall. It’s kill Zod or let Zod kill innocents. Superman can barely restrain Zod at this point. If he didn’t kill Zod, those innocents’ blood would be on Superman’s hands almost as much as they would have been on Zod’s. It’s not a choice Superman makes lightly. He’s clearly pained by having to do it, despite Zod bragging earlier about killing Superman’s birth father. I’m fine with Superman’s actions here. He was dealing with a genocidal mass murderer and didn’t have a choice.

Now this is a dark movie.

The second part of Man of Steel that seemed to upset Superman fans the most was Zod’s killing of Jor-El. In Superman’s classic origin story, Jor-El dies along with Superman’s mother Lara and the rest of Krypton when the world explodes. But in Man of Steel, Jor-El dies before Krypton explodes, thanks to a well-placed knife to his gut courtesy of General Zod. I was very surprised when this happened, but I was okay with it. I think it furthered Zod as a villain without causing Jor-El’s story to change too much. He would have been dead in a few hours anyway, right?

Speaking of Jor-El, I half-expected (or should I say half-wanted) Russell Crowe to break out into off-pitched song when he was making his presentation to the Kryptonian High Council. I think Les Miserables has ruined Russell Crowe for me.

“Zod, at last, we see each other plain…”

The mass destruction that takes place in Metropolis during Superman’s climatic fight with Zod is the third thing in Man of Steel that seems to have ruffled many feathers. To that all I can say is this is a superhero movie. Mass destruction comes with the genre. No one bats an eye when giant robots are involved, but if it’s a few super-powered men batting each around that wrecks the city, the internet cries foul. A lot of these complainers are superhero comic book readers, which makes their reaction all the more surprising, as New York, Metropolis and Gotham seem to get leveled any time a multi-title crossover event occurs.

Insurance in Metropolis must be insanely expensive.

In the battle of the summer superhero movies, Man of Steel definitely wins over Iron Man 3. Iron Man 3 had me wishing it would all end. Man of Steel had me glued to my seat.

I really liked Amy Adams as Lois Lane. She played Lois as fearless and whip-smart. It’s too bad we didn’t get a Jimmy Olson though. Maybe next movie.

More superhero movies need Amy Adams.

I also really liked the way Clark Kent became a reporter at the Daily Planet. I like the way it was explained in the movie and I liked where in the movie it happened. And I loved that by that point, Lois knew Clark and Superman were one and the same. They have a cool relationship that I’m looking forward to seeing more of in the sequel to Man of Steel.

In 2011, DC Comics relaunched its entire line of comics in The New 52, doing away with decades of continuity in an attempt to bring in new fans. If Man of Steel shows us anything, it’s that DC should have hired screenwriter David Goyer to relaunch Superman in The New 52. The story in Man of Steel outshines any Superman story we’ve seen from The New 52.

Man of Steel is so much better than this nonsense.
by

The Great Gatsby – Review

4/5 – See this in 3D!

Here’s a piece of advice I never thought I’d be giving for a film adaptation of The Great Gatsby: see it in 3D. Seriously, no joke. See it in 3D. “But 3D is stupid! It never adds anything to the movie except three dollars to the ticket price!” you exclaim. Most of the time, I agree with you 100%. But it’s worth it with Gatsby.  Trust me. Baz Luhrmann makes very good use of 3D tricks to make a beautifully shot movie look even more beautiful. It’s not just people reaching out from the screen towards the audience, aka every other 3D movie. It’s the way Nick’s reflection shimmers in a window, or the way the green light from Daisy’s dock glows across the bay. This is 3D all grown-up, not the adolescent stunts it’s usually associated with.

The Great Gatsby is a very good movie. I doubted it, based on the trailer. And then the movie came out to middling reviews and I doubted it more. The trailer looked beautiful, but I worried Baz Luhrmann would give in to excess and make it too over the top. But instead, he strikes a great balance between energy and elegance. The entire movie is shot beautifully and paced excellently.

I think Leonardo DiCaprio has over taken Joseph Gordon Levitt as my favorite actor of the 2000s. Looking at DiCaprio’s track record from 2002 onward, when he starred in Gangs of New York opposite Daniel Day Lewis, you would be hard pressed to find a bad movie. Note: As of today, I haven’t seen The Aviator, Body of Lies, Revolutionary Road or J. Edgar. But even if those four movies were clunkers, the remaining films are all high quality. These days, you can pretty much bank that if you’re going to see a Leonardo DiCaprio movie, you’re going to see a good movie. How many other actors without the initials JGL can you say that about?

I don’t know anything about The Wolf of Wall Street other than Leonardo DiCaprio stars and Martin Scorsese directs.
I’m doubly sold.

I forgot that Carey Mulligan played Daisy Buchanan in this movie. While watching it, I kept thinking I was looking at Michelle Williams, and then at one point, I couldn’t tell if she was Michelle Williams or Katie Holmes in a blonde wig. She didn’t have Holmes’s signature half-smirk, but she sounded more like Holmes than Williams and looked more like Williams than Holmes. Then the credits rolled. Carey Mulligan. Huh. It turns out Carey Mulligan is who you get if Michelle Williams and Katie Holmes have a baby in some out-of-left-field Dawson’s Creek subplot.

Dawson, it turns out it wasn’t Pacey you had to keep an eye on.

See The Great Gatsby in the theater in 3D. Otherwise, you might as well wait to see at home.

by

Beam Me Up, Von Scotty

Recently, my new husband and I were coming back from our honeymoon and, by a cruel twist of fate, we happened to be booked on a 23-hour, 3-flight trip from Croatia to New York.
The first of our two layovers was a 10-hour one in Dusseldorf, Germany. Being a fairly frequent budget traveler, I am no stranger to long, restless hours sitting uncomfortably in airport chairs around the world. (N.B. Sofia, Bulgaria has the worst of them; Amsterdam’s airport was one of the best).  My husband, however, wisely suggested we try and get a hotel room in Germany so that we could at least sleep for a few hours before getting on two more flights. Brilliant man.
Not so brilliant was the fact that despite having Wi-Fi for the entirety of our two-week trip, it wasn’t until the airport in Croatia that we realized that maybe we should have booked said hotel.
We managed to get onto the spotty airport Wi-Fi for about one minute, long enough to see that there was a Dusseldorf Sheraton that was – oddly – completely booked. But that there was also another nearby hotel called the Maritim Hotel. And, even better, I actually saw the hotel as we landed.
Perfect. We’d have dinner: traditional German fare at the Dusseldorf airport McDonald’s, of course. Get a room at the hotel. And then roll on out of bed at 5 AM the next day to walk right on over to our terminal for our 6 AM flight (we even already had our boarding passes).
Capital plan.
Except as we’re walking over to the airport, we start to see throngs of people congregating near the front door. I catch a couple of girls in some leather get-ups. But I think, “Hey, I’m in Germany” and shrug it off.
And that’s when we see it. The guy who strolls out of the hotel’s front door in a full Trekkie uniform and Spock ears. Immediately, my husband grabs my arm, glee in his eyes, as he asks me: “Do you know what this is?!”
Yup. We have somehow managed to wander into a huge sci-fi convention in the middle of the Dusseldorf airport hotel. We wander around in a daze as we see Star Trek and Syfy booths, lots of happy geeks and, in all fairness, a lot more leather than I’m used to seeing even at a convention. Turns out German geek chic is metal goes on the Enterprise.
Naturally, there were no rooms to be had at this hotel. Which, considering the fact that I was tired and that we had an epic travel day still ahead of us, might have led me to muttering some curses under my breath. Something like: “Come oooooon, geeks. I mean, you’re my people, but seriously?! The Dusseldorf sci-fi convention is today?!” But with more f-bombs.
We ended up having to grab a cab to another hotel that did have rooms available. Which was annoying as I had just perfectly used up all of my Euros. However, as I was muttering expletives at the hotel ATM, my husband took my arm and said, gently. “I know you’re pissed. But, seriously, can we just take a moment to realize how amazing this is.”
I looked around at the costumes, let myself soak in the excited chatter taking place entirely in German – which of course makes everything sound extra vital — and realized, he was right. It was amazing. Or, more accurately, wunderbar.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why I married him.

Written by Sarvenaz Tash. whose debut novel, The Mapmaker and the Ghost , can be purchased at your local bookstore or with a few clicks of your mouse here.

 

by

Django Unchained – Review

4/5 – Django Unchained is Tarantino’s best movie in years!

Five minutes into Django Unchained, I said, “I already like this more than Iron Man 3.” That feeling stayed throughout the entire movie. That’s a long time to feel that way, as Django Unchained clocks in at close to 2 hours and 45 minutes.

But Quentin Tarantino pulled off an excellent take on the spaghetti western. Looking back the 10 feature films that Tarantino directed, I would call Django Unchained his third best film, behind Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs (Note: I haven’t seen Death Proof). In other words, this is Quentin Tarantino’s best movie in 18 years. That said, the gap between Reservoir Dogs and Django Unchained is much larger than the gap between Django and next movie I’d put on that list.

The cast in Django is superb. Christoph Waltz definitely deserved his Oscar for playing Dr. King Schulz. He was easily my favorite character in the movie. Dr. Schulz is like an old west Danny Ocean. He has all the angles figured out, and is both the smartest and most charming man in the room.

I want Django’s jacket.
Jamie Foxx is wonderful as Django. He plays him as a soft-spoken force of nature who won’t stop until he’s reunited with his wife, Broomhilda, played by the stunning Kerry Washington. I haven’t seen many of Foxx’s movies, and this has me excited to see his take on the villain Electro in Amazing Spider-Man 2.
The object of Django’s quest. His wife, and fellow runaway slave, Broomhilda.

In my review of The Help, I noted that southern racists and Nazis were very easy go-to Hollywood villains. It’s interesting that Quentin Tarantino’s last two movies have featured those two groups as their main antagonists. It’s also interesting how much I loved both of them. I found Django killing slave owners to be as cathartic as Lt. Aldo Raine hunting Nazis in Inglourious Basterds.  Inglourious Basterds, by the way, is my 4th favorite movie directed by Tarantino.

Definitely worth seeing.

There are funny scenes scattered throughout the bounty hunting and payback in Django Unchained. It’s the kind of humor that you would expect from a Tarantino movie. A group of white men in white hoods spend a few minutes complaining about the quality of the eye holes in their hoods before attempting to lynch Django and Dr. Schultz. Like the diner scene in Reservoir Dogs, it focuses on the day-to-day minutiae of these men. It’s not a scene you’d expect, and plays like a very good deleted scene. It was very funny, but you would understand if the director dropped it on account of time.

I thought Django Unchained was great from beginning to end. I only wish I had taken the opportunity to see it on the big screen when it was in theaters this past winter. I highly recommend watching it. One caution though, like me, you might find yourself humming the main theme for a few days.