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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Top Ten Movie Trailers of all Time

I love trailers. In fact, I love them almost as much as I love movies. Here are my top ten favorite movie trailers of all time. Thank you YouTube for allowing me to view them again after all these years.

1. Black Panther (2018) - I almost "froze" with anticipation.

2. Fight Club (1999) - The most brilliant thing about Fight Club's trailer is that it never gives away the plot of the film.

3. Strange Days (1995) - When you hear the song "Selling Jesus" in the trailer of Strange Days, it sends shivers down your spine. 

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Trailer #2 (2016) - "Make ten men feel like a hundred". Nuff said. 

5. Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999) - There are two trailers for "Menace". I put them in a tie for number 5. 

6. The Revenant (2015) - My heart was pumping hard during this trailer. DiCaprio is one bad mofo. 

7. Star Wars: The Force Awakens official teaser #2 (2015) - This one got me souped-up. Unfortunately I was disappointed by the overall result.

8. Battlefield Earth (2000) - Great trailer but I heard the flick was a bomb. I liked Barry Pepper's yell and John Travolta's unique laugh. 

9. Total Recall (1990) - Arnold Schwarzenegger's greatest film as far as I'm concerned. Oh and the trailer's not bad either.  

10. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Japanese Trailer (2015) - I just liked it. Better than almost all the Force Awakens US trailers. 

List compiled by Jesse Burleson

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Tina 2021 * * * * Stars

THE QUEEN OF ROCK 'N' ROLL GETS HER CROWN

"When I saw her dance she was all I could look at". As an admirer of iconic entertainers, I concur.

With some bubbly musical numbers and interviews from colleagues, friends, and kin, 2021's Tina is possibly one of the greatest documentaries I've ever seen. The only one I would say is better would be 2019's Apollo 11 (and that's just by a hair). After 50-plus years in the entertainment biz, Tina Turner decides to tell her story here chronologically. Yup, it's only fitting that HBO would step in to do it all justice.

Tina Turner well, what can I say. The woman is a living legend. She moves and sings on stage like a freaking fireball. At a running time of nearly two hours, Tina is done in the normal HBO Documentary Films style. That means the events in her spotlighted life are told with a certain level of visual elegance, a certain level of mystique, and streamlined panache.

What separates Tina from other docus however, is the archive footage. It's grainy, vibrant, trippy, and awesome. You get to see Phil Spector producing, you get the "Proud Mary" stuff, and you get the 70s cabaret shows in Vegas. I only wish the filmmakers would've included scenes from Turner's stint in Tommy as The Acid Queen. That might have literally put it over the top.

Whatever. Tina keeps it real and well, revealing. The film includes insight into her abusive marriage with Ike Turner, her comeback in the 80s, her cold upbringing, and her finding of love again with music executive Erwin Bach. Nothing you see hits a false note. Tina is an exhilarating foray into a singer that screams like a boss and zigzags like an energizer bunny on pure stimulation. There's a "lot of love that's got to do with it". Natch.   

Written by Jesse Burleson

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The Evil Twin 2021 * * * Stars

DOUBLE THE NASTINESS, DOUBLE THE FUN

In 2021's The Evil Twin, the twin sister characters are played by one person. Emily and Charlotte are portrayed by Canadian native Emily Piggford. It's an impressive performance and for the life of me, I still can't figure out how the filmmakers pull that stuff off. I suppose it's blocking, stand-ins, tireless rehearsals, or mysterious tricks of the cinematic trade.

So yeah, "Evil Twin" is a Lifetime movie where the two sister personas are so dissimilar from each other you wouldn't even know they came from the same blood. I mean their looks are identical (obviously) but their psyches are completely unalike. Normally I'd call this premise dubious and convenient but hey, the film wouldn't exist without it. 

Distributed by Lifetime television and taking place in a Mayberry town where everybody knows everybody, The Evil Twin chronicles antique store worker Emily (Piggford). After being in a strained relationship with her intense boyfriend, Emily decides to move back to her hometown to start anew. There, she encounters a twin sister she has never met (Charlotte). Charlotte is ugly on the inside while being conniving and without remorse. Instead of embracing long-lost sisterhood with Emily, Charlotte decides to make things worse for her. That includes murdering people on the side, stirring the gossip turd, and even cutting her hair the same way as Emily. Can't we all just get along!

All in all, The Evil Twin is a Lifetime pic that uses its veritable twin hook to really catch you off guard. It's the mano-a-mano of good vs evil. It's also a character study a la the notion of polar facing. Emily Piggford's way of deciphering the mannerisms of the two sisters is well, a big feat. Every scene has to be just right and despite "Evil Twin" being a little too coincidental for its own good, the flick doesn't cheat the audience in the way it all goes down. "Twin" win-win. 

Written by Jesse Burleson

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Obsessed with the Babysitter 2021 * * 1/2 Stars

BESET THE BABYSITTER

"You're practically inviting creeps to barge in". No kidding. The creep in Obsessed with the Babysitter (my latest review) is really something else. He's voyeuristic and well, sadistic. He looks like a simp but don't let that fool you, he fights like Van Damme. The creep-o I'm talking about is Adrian Cartwright and he is played by Canadian Simon Haycock. Haycock looks a lot like Cary Elwes did in the 1990s (again, creep-o alert).

Anyway, Obsessed with the Babysitter is just what it says it is (rich man preys on his hired babysitter who is a Step Up-type dancer). However, the way the film goes about itself you'd think it could've benefited from a more sophisticated title. "Obsessed" with its sterile look and evil eye elegance, takes itself real seriously. It's still trashy though and still a bit camp. The Lifetime Movie Network wouldn't want it any other way.

Now is "Obsessed" better than most Lifetime endeavors? Somewhat. Does it belong in the upper echelon of the Lifetime canon? Uh no. There's a bit of logic missing here with some of the characters. For instance, how are two of the main ones able to fall from a 2 story house without breaking any bones or sustaining any type of injury? And why is the boyfriend of the babysitter persona not an accomplished dancer himself? I mean he's just as good if not better than her. Finally, how does the babysitter (Elaine played by Kristen Vaganos) not know that the antagonist has installed spying cameras in her apartment? I mean you could see the darn things from a mile away (pure bullocks).

Bottom line: Obsessed with the Babysitter has a plot that unfolds effectively like a blanket. And the script involving psychology and child repression crackles a little more than with most Lifetime outings. Still, I'm going with a mixed review. Minus the suck-you-in factor, it's nothing to "obsess" over.

Written by Jesse Burleson

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

The Penthouse 2021 * * Stars

RE-"PENT"

"What did you actually see?" I saw The Penthouse and you know what, I probably don't plan on seeing it again. At least not through my "rear window". Natch. 

Anyway, 2021's "Penthouse" is my latest write-up. For once, the title actually fits what's going on in the movie. "Penthouse" is about a platonic married couple who purchase an 11th floor penthouse with great vistas. They also spy on a pseudo neighbor who lives on a boat and might be a cold-blooded killer (come on, you just know he is). 

The Penthouse is not a violent thriller but a slow-burner and a low budget churner. Not a lot happens at least not what we the audience, can see. Suggesting something Hitchcockian, using flighty camera angles, and feeling like an art house version of a Lifetime pic, "Penthouse" has acting that's mediocre, suspense that's wonted, and direction that's well, standard. Despite all this, the viewer could easily get sucked in waiting for the final outcome (I did cause I'm just easily deceived).

So yeah, The Penthouse has an ending that's as laughable, unceremonious, and anti-climatic as I can remember. If the film's director (Massimiliano Cerchi) needed a few more takes to get what he wanted, he probably should have used them. The music pounces in at all the wrong moments, a dog escapes by itself on a boat, and the interplay between the lead characters feels like junior high kids making art with a camcorder. 

Bottom line: The Penthouse has one decent performance that comes from entitled antagonist Michael Pare (he plays scruffy scammer Charles). And the flick does have a few tense moments where the "violence of the mind" is present and ever thought over. Most of the time though, "Penthouse" is more a cinematic "outhouse" than a luxurious fit. A mixed "view" to a kill. 

Written by Jesse Burleson

Sunday, April 11, 2021

The Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother's Hunt for Justice 2021 * * 1/2 Stars

NOT SO STRONG "ISLAND"

"I'm beginning to think there's a cover-up". Oh Lifetime Movie Network, you slay me! You really do.

Anyway, in The Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother's Hunt for Justice, the killer in question is never really established. I mean I had an idea (or ideas) but the film sort of left me dangling like a loose end. 

"Long Island" stars veteran actress and Philly native, Kim Delaney. She looks a little different than what I remember as she sans her brunette locks for long, sort of unwashed blond ones. Delaney plays an alcoholic, chain smoker of a mother named Mari Gilbert. Her performance is disciplined and raw and she's probably the best thing going for a Lifetime lifetime-r like "Long Island". 

Based on true events, directed by Stanley M. Brooks, and feeling like an episode of Law & Order minus the title cards (the bad guy even looked kinda like Vincent D'Onofrio), The Long Island Serial Killer: A Mother's Hunt for Justice chronicles middle-aged Mari Gilbert (Delaney). After her sex worker daughter goes missing and winds up dead, Mari vows to find out who murdered said daughter. The suspect could possibly be a serial killer from the Long Island area (or some crooked rozzer on a power trip, who knows). 

"Long Island" with its estimable intentions, is not as shocking, compelling, or frenzied as most Lifetime endeavors. It's a movie of rare restraint, populated by blurred characters who fade in and out and are not always fully defined. The flick is edited in a cross-cutting manner like most crime dramas and I sort of liked that. However, "Long Island" feels a little unfinished as its outcome is only explained in detail following a series of paragraphed, closing credits. It's malfeasance spectacle that although flowing and steadfast, doesn't quite do the viewer "justice". 

Written by Jesse Burleson

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

QT8: The First Eight 2019 * * * Stars

"FIGURE OF EIGHT"

In QT8: The First Eight, The "QT" refers to Quentin Tarantino while the "8" refers to his first eight films. Now I do believe Tarantino is a solid filmmaker but I would never consider him the greatest of all time. His one-two punch of Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown however, shows that at one point he has touched "greatness".

"QT8" is a Tarantino documentary that chronicles all his directorial efforts from Reservoir Dogs to The Hateful Eight (and even a sneak peak of Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood). The interviews from the people he has worked with (Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth) have no filter and the docu at times, feels kinda pasted together. Oh well. QT8: The First Eight is insightful and detailed at an elongated running time of 104 minutes. The only film of Quentin's that feels a little left out is Kill Bill Vol. 2.

"QT8" reminded me of another filmmaker documentary involving Richard Linklater (21 Years: Richard Linklater). Both flicks feature animation and an omission of the directors themselves and that aspect annoyed me. Still, I give the edge to "QT8".

With QT8: The First Eight, there's a lot of stuff I learned about Tarantino that I didn't know before. I mean I knew he was a lover of movies but I didn't know he would invite his cast members to sit down and watch a movie just for kicks. I also didn't know that he at first wanted Micheal Madsen to play the John Travolta role in Pulp Fiction. Finally, I couldn't believe that Tarantino was a huge fan of the TV show Moesha. I mean how random is that?

All in all, I plan on recommending "QT8" despite the fact that it feels like a living funeral tribute when the dude is obviously alive and well. And oh yeah, the Harvey Weinstein stuff should've probably been left out. Whatev. As Mr. Pink said, "I didn't create the situation, I'm just dealing with it!" Natch.

Written by Jesse Burleson

Sunday, April 4, 2021

An Organized Killer 2021 * Star

AN ORGANIZED KILLER HAS TOO MUCH "FILLER"

"What do you want, money?" OK, I'll bite. I never "want" to see 2021's An Organized Killer ever again. I'm dead serious. It's like a bad episode of The O.C. It's wine and cheese la-di-da. It's a potboiler gone to "pot". It's trashy soap opera incarnate. I hated it.

Shot in Dallas, Texas (but it could've been SoCal or Florida for all we know), "Organized" features some good-looking actors only to have them appear doltish, slight, and oblivious. The viewer is one step ahead of the film's insensible plot contrivances as the eyes roll threefold.

The helmer for An Organized Killer (Arizona's filmmaker of the year Brian Skiba) is a veteran of thirty-three credits a la the almighty IMDb. He should know better than to not skim on being predictable, snobbish, and/or feeble. His direction is off-kilter and his poor editor (Michael Kuge) has almost nothing to bounce off of. Skiba's "Organized" gives the middle finger to what made Lifetime fare such an intriguing guilty pleasure. A studio head from LMN would see this swipe and ask questions till the darn sun came down. 

The problem with An Organized Killer along with its stiff acting, is that there's no point to all of it. The antagonists are evil for the sake of being evil and they have no motive except to make other people's lives miserable. As something about a divorcee who takes in a psychotic roommate with an equally scheming, hunky sidekick, "Organized" turns up the camp with its marshmallows being as stale as apartment mold. 

The movie title of my panning review is of course, An Organized Killer. The USA title is The Single Mom Conspiracy. Neither of them seem fitting in a flick that literally evaporates as you see it. How about calling "Organized" Incest for an Inquest. Yup, you can just "kill" me now. 

Written by Jesse Burleson

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Shark Season 2020 * Star

NOT VERY TOOTHSOME

"There's a shark!" So says a persona in 2020's Shark Season. And yes, she screams the line just like a young girl did in Jaws. "Season" is like Spielberg's juggernaut for the Lifetime ripoff crowd. Better yet, it's akin to a bad version of the Blake Lively vehicle, The Shallows

Anyhow, Shark Season is pretty low budget but to its credit, the sharks look kinda real. But let's get back to how bad "Season" really is. Director Jared Cohn challenges the audience to play a drinking game. We're talking whenever he features an overhead shot of twentysomething victims in kayaks or those same twentysomethings spouting, "what do we do?" It's cinematic procrastination and after a viewing of Shark Season, you may be three sheets to the wind. 

"Season" has its actors either overacting with cringe-worthy dialogue or underacting with the use of cue cards. It can be hard to watch and you wonder if the killer shark is bored as heck buying time in his or her hypothetical trailer. "Season" also suffers from a lack of suspense at least until the last ten minutes. Helmer Cohn would rather stew with his knowledge of Coast Guard lowdown or high tide hit on than build any.  

Shark Season is about a man and two women being trapped on a sinking island (or islands) as a great white shark awaits to feast on them. Added to that, the active duty workers trying to save the three dolts could care less with their cold protocols. Finally, "Season's" production values are so off that there's even some shots where the kayakers are so close to land they could probably smell it and seek shelter.

"Season's" US title is actually Deep Blue Nightmare. Either way you cut it, "Season" is a nightmare to sit through. You don't necessarily side with the shark but you don't really root for the irksome leads either. One star "fish food". 

Written by Jesse Burleson