If Music Could Talk

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 5:38pm

matedog wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 4:43pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 4:10pm

Kory wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 3:53pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 3:38pm

Is that a strike for or against Mormonism? Asking for a friend.

Well, they hated me because I wasn't Mormon, so maybe it was good intentions but for the wrong reasons.

When I was an undergrad, my summer job back in my hometown was working at a tourist booth—a trailer, actually—handing out maps and shit and giving directions. Dumb job, but I got to read and listen to music most of the time. A few times, I got missionaries come in for directions. I always assumed were Mormons but they might have been JWs or Millerites for all I know. Anyway, during one of the visits, it was two young guys, and the one stared at my Discman like it was forged from hell. No exaggeration—he hated that thing and all it represented. I also masturbate with it, I wanted to say.

I hope it was a wonky one. Otherwise, those things don't vibrate much. I get it, back in the day options were limited.

Like if it didn't function well, maybe it'd be shaky and emit some kind of pleasure vibes.

matedog wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 6:30pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 5:38pm

matedog wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 4:43pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 4:10pm

Kory wrote: ↑

16 Jun 2020, 3:53pm

Well, they hated me because I wasn't Mormon, so maybe it was good intentions but for the wrong reasons.

When I was an undergrad, my summer job back in my hometown was working at a tourist booth—a trailer, actually—handing out maps and shit and giving directions. Dumb job, but I got to read and listen to music most of the time. A few times, I got missionaries come in for directions. I always assumed were Mormons but they might have been JWs or Millerites for all I know. Anyway, during one of the visits, it was two young guys, and the one stared at my Discman like it was forged from hell. No exaggeration—he hated that thing and all it represented. I also masturbate with it, I wanted to say.

I hope it was a wonky one. Otherwise, those things don't vibrate much. I get it, back in the day options were limited.

Like if it didn't function well, maybe it'd be shaky and emit some kind of pleasure vibes.

Drew Magary watches Gone With the Wind for the first time: https://newrepublic.com/article/158206/ ... -gone-wind

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

18 Jun 2020, 6:45am

Drew Magary watches Gone With the Wind for the first time: https://newrepublic.com/article/158206/ ... -gone-wind

That was perfect. Drew is such a great writer.

Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019) Documentary on Mark Patton, who seemingly fell off the face of the earth after being typecast as gay after starring in Freddy’s Revenge. In addition to some good clips and info, there’s an Elm Street cast & crew reunion, highlighted by Mark having a face-to-face with the screenwriter, who he’s blamed for the last 30 years for the downturn in his career. I enjoyed it.

The Boxer’s Omen aka Mo (1983) When a boxer gets his neck broken in the ring by a dirty fighter (hey, wasn’t that the plot of Million Dollar Baby, you fucking hack, Clint Eastwood) his brother vows revenge on the opponent (martial arts film legend Bolo). But first he’s drawn to a monastery where he finds that his twin brother in a past life was a monk who in this life is at death’s door after being bitten by spiders who previously drank poison from a straw, so he becomes a monk himself and battles a wizard who controls bats, alligator skulls and his own flying head, then he wins, but during his match with Bolo he goes blind when a witch that was conjured by some other wizards in the carcass of an alligator sticks pins in his eyeballs…all that and so much more, you get the picture. This was batshit, heavy on the bats. And some kick ass nudity too! That’s why Million Dollar Baby sucked so bad, they stopped at the broken neck!

Fascination (1979) A crook who stole a bag of gold from some other crooks gets chased into a chateau where two beautiful women are hardly afraid of him, despite being held at gunpoint. The girls kill his enemies, then hold him as a willing captive for when their midnight guests arrive, who happen to be five more beautiful women. Great nudity, and most of it from French porn queen Brigitte Lahaie. I’d heard this was one of Jean Rollin’s best, I don’t think I agree, but good enough!

Memory: The Origins of Alien (1979) Documentary about how the film came to be. I enjoyed the beginning the best, when they did a little history of Dan O’Bannon. It seemed most of the film dwelled on the chestburter scene. They must have said “chestburster” 50 or 60 times. The movie should have been called Chestburster. But it was entertaining and informative. Did you know that Walter Hill was set to be the director? I didn’t. Ay-lee-in, Come out and Pla-ee-aye!

Into the Dark: Delivered (2020) Hulu’s Mediocre Movie of the Month would have been better suited for Lifetime. A pregnant couple befriends a single expectant mother who has ulterior motives. Not a single “twist” couldn’t be spotted a mile away, and as if the shameless, blatant rip-off of Misery wasn’t obvious enough, they doubled down on it by adding some foot trauma! I can’t believe I sat through the whole thing, the absolute worst episode of the series to date, and with titles like My Valentine and Treehouse to compete with, that’s no easy feat.

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Week 6

Dead Heat (1989) Buddy-cop movie with Treat Williams and Joe Piscapo. While investigating zombie jewel thieves, they uncover a zombie-making company and Treat becomes one himself, so now he must solve his own case before he rots. Supporting roles from Darren McGavin and Vincent Price could not save this unwatchable turkey, though if there is any saving grace, it’s that the FX were very good, particularly a Chinese butcher shop where the meat comes to life. Thankfully, director Mark Goldblatt returned to editing, where his resume is ridiculously awesome, including Terminator, Starship Troopers, Rambo 2, Halloween 2, and my personal alltime fave, The Howling.

Cannibal Holocaust (1980) One of the most infamous films of all time was banned in dozens of countries for animal cruelty, and all around gruesomeness. An anthropologist finds film reels from a missing documentary crew in the Amazon and brings it back to the states. The television ececs plan to run it as a special report, but are shocked and appalled at what the find. The second half of the film plays like the first ever “found footage” movie. You’ll be shocked and appalled too, I would hope. A must-see.

Shudder had some difficulty getting the Dead Heat half of this episode up and running, making the week-long wait even more painful when I finally saw it.

The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Week 7

Mayhem (2017) A virus that causes people to act on their violent impulses spreads through an office buildings, and all the petty squabbles (and some not so petty) of a law firm full of jerks boils over into murder and…., uh…mayhem. Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead) needs to get to the top floor to plead his case of wrongful termination to the Board of Directors. He teams up with Samara Weaving (The Babysitter, Ready or Not) who had her house foreclosed and wants to see the Board too. They kill their way to the top. It’s exactly the film I thought it would be, fun and bloody. I liked another recent office killing movie The Belko Experiment better.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) Black & White Experimental Japanese Cult fave about a man whose skin and bones mutate into metal. Very little dialog and some great imagery, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Eraserhead. Not really my bag, but I’m happy to get it off my bucket list. Only 67 minutes.

Job Bob spent equal time praising and dissing Mayhem. Full disclosure: I just watched Tetsuo a few months ago for the first and only time, and I FFd through it just to see the commentary.

Rewatches (2nd time each)

Hereditary (2018) I liked it 2 years ago, I liked it last week, and the ending was very cool, but a top 5 or 10 alltime movie? To each their own, I guess.

Don’t Breathe (2016) Three young house robbers find their blind victim is not one to be fucked with. From the director of the Evil Dead remake. How is this not considered a Thanksgiving movie? You know why.

Starry Eyes (2014) A pretty, young actress will do anything it takes to land the role of a lifetime, but it looks like her casting couch might actually be a Satan couch. The last 30 minutes were satisfyingly gory, and some nudity too! Good movie.

Ready or Not (2019) I think I liked this even better the 2nd time. Not a dull moment, great characters, fun and funny, I’ll be watching this for years to come.

I'm writing a lecture on juvenile delinquency and early rock n roll, and the role of movies for making rock n roll acceptable. One of the movies I watched today was Rock, Rock, Rock, with an absolutely adorable 13-year-old Tuesday Weld. The flick is especially inane, tho. TW is Dori, a spoiled rich girl who has her charging privileges cancelled because she blows thru her allowance. Desperate to get money to buy a new dress for the prom and keep her boyfriend from defecting to new girl Gloria, she accidentally engages in a usury scheme (she's bad at math and thinks 100% interest is actually 1%). But she bamboozles her father into bailing her out and she gets the new dress. Boyfriend apologizes and all is well at the end. Good to know that things work out for spoiled white rich kids. In between that nonsense are two extended series of performances from people like Chuck Berry and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. Plus, of course, Alan Freed plays himself promoting rock n roll.

Also watched Rock Around the Clock and Shake, Rattle, and Rock, which feature, mainly, Bill Haley and His Comets and Fats Domino, respectively, and seek to neutralize the idea of rock n roll as dangerous. It's just kid's music and actually keeps kids from getting into trouble! But it's all white kids, again.

Taxi Driver
Great film but that music does not age well!!!!

101Walterton wrote: ↑

21 Jun 2020, 2:06am

Taxi Driver
Great film but that music does not age well!!!!

Hmm, I have to listen. Haven't seen that movie since 198X.

Sounds like the score to Lethal Weapon, with the sad sax.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

20 Jun 2020, 7:43pm

The flick is especially inane, tho. TW is Dori, a spoiled rich girl who has her charging privileges cancelled because she blows thru her allowance. Desperate to get money to buy a new dress for the prom and keep her boyfriend from defecting to new girl Gloria, she accidentally engages in a usury scheme (she's bad at math and thinks 100% interest is actually 1%). But she bamboozles her father into bailing her out and she gets the new dress.

Haha, my wife and I watched that on TCM a few years ago, that was pretty funny. No way a girl can be pretty AND smart, right?

tepista wrote: ↑

21 Jun 2020, 12:45pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

20 Jun 2020, 7:43pm

The flick is especially inane, tho. TW is Dori, a spoiled rich girl who has her charging privileges cancelled because she blows thru her allowance. Desperate to get money to buy a new dress for the prom and keep her boyfriend from defecting to new girl Gloria, she accidentally engages in a usury scheme (she's bad at math and thinks 100% interest is actually 1%). But she bamboozles her father into bailing her out and she gets the new dress.

Haha, my wife and I watched that on TCM a few years ago, that was pretty funny. No way a girl can be pretty AND smart, right?

If a pretty girl fills her head with math skills, she'll forget how to get a boyfriend.

I also couldn't buy that two really ugly adults could produce an attractive girl like that. They stole her from another family or something.

Silent Majority wrote: ↑

21 Jun 2020, 11:00am

Sounds like the score to Lethal Weapon, with the sad sax.

Yep plus at the end keep getting the dramatic Batman soundtrack over and over.

Watched Hamilton last night with the fam (the missus and all parents/in-laws are enamored with it enough that I really just had to bite my tongue and not act like a curmudgeonly asshole). As I think Wolt has affirmed, mechanically the play is quite well done (not that I have any other real reference points for what a Broadway musical should be like) but the politics are absolutely rock stupid. I don't really care if normal people find it inspiring or w/e - I mean, who cares - but the idea that anyone with a modicum of political power finds it an intelligent meditation on American politics is terrifying and contemptuous in equal measure.

I did like some of the stylistic nods to rappers tho: eminem, biggie, tupac, etc. None of the music was actual rap, despite what NPR dorks thinks, but I think the way the music engaged with rap and the genre touchstones was actually my favorite/most interesting part of the whole thing.

101Walterton wrote: ↑

21 Jun 2020, 2:06am

Taxi Driver
Great film but that music does not age well!!!!

Bernard Hermann's film score is fucking fantastic. Are you mad.

Flex wrote: ↑

05 Jul 2020, 12:05pm

Watched Hamilton last night with the fam (the missus and all parents/in-laws are enamored with it enough that I really just had to bite my tongue and not act like a curmudgeonly asshole). As I think Wolt has affirmed, mechanically the play is quite well done (not that I have any other real reference points for what a Broadway musical should be like) but the politics are absolutely rock stupid. I don't really care if normal people find it inspiring or w/e - I mean, who cares - but the idea that anyone with a modicum of political power finds it an intelligent meditation on American politics is terrifying and contemptuous in equal measure.

I did like some of the stylistic nods to rappers tho: eminem, biggie, tupac, etc. None of the music was actual rap, despite what NPR dorks thinks, but I think the way the music engaged with rap and the genre touchstones was actually my favorite/most interesting part of the whole thing.

Walmartopia is currently the greatest musical of all time.