My Girlfriend Hates This Movie: Blade

At this point I would like to introduce the first film in a recurring series called My Girlfriend Hates This Movie, But I Love It. Ladies and gentlemen, from 1998, I give you Blade. It stars Wesley Snipes as Blade, savior of the human race. That's not enough for you? It also stars Kris Kristofferson as Blade's fellow warrior, and the Kiefer-lite stylings of Stephen Dorff as an evil halfbreed vampire. Yes, it's a vampire movie. But a very hip New York vampire movie with nightclubs, martial arts, black magic and blood, blood, blood!

It's based on a Marvel comic book, and it has great special effects. Mostly though, it features Wesley Snipes doing some awesome chop-socky on the evil vampires. One scene features a blood rave. Traci Lords is in this film. What more do you need to know? Get the DVD or check the listings on TNT. It's almost always on TNT.

It's This Fucking Life

Two of my favorite films of all time were released in 1989. One of them is Drugstore Cowboy. I don't know where to begin with how great this movie is, but let's start with the casting. It stars Matt Dillon in the performance of a lifetime. I only knew Matt as the tough guy in teen films of the early 80's. But it was a great choice to cast him as the lead. I didn't know Matt had it in him. Then you've got Kelly Lynch as Matt's partner in crime. They play the mother and father figures in a crew of drug addicts who rob drugstores, trade drugs and evade police in early 70's Portland, Oregon. Heather Graham and James Le Gros play the younger couple in the crew. Character actors Max Perlich and James Remar give great performances as a junkie and a cop, respectively. Plus there's William S. Burroughs playing a disgraced junkie priest.

The cinematography is beautiful, and director Gus Van Sant adds some experimental film touches when Matt's character hallucinates, as pictured above. He also subtly speeds up the film in certain moments. Maybe it's the Stan Brackhage influence or his training at Rhode Island School Of Design. In any case Van Sant gives us a very artful independent film. But it's also character-driven and story-driven and funny.

Van Sant based the film on a book by a man who served hard time for drug crimes. But you don't have to be a drug addict to learn lessons from this film. Here are some quotes from Dillon's character:

"All these kids, they're all TV babies. Watching people killing and fucking each other on the boob tube for so long it's all they know. Hell, they think it's legal. They think it's the right thing to do."

"For all the boredom the straight life brings, it’s not that bad. Even this crummy little room ain’t so bad. I actually wake up some mornings and I feel like something good’s gonna happen today. I’m a regular guy. I got my regular job. I got my regular room."

"It’s this fucking life. You never know what’s gonna happen next. That’s why Nadine spiked herself with the easy way out. That’s why Diane keeps going like she does. See most people, they don’t know how they’re gonna feel from one moment to the next. But a dope fiend has a pretty good idea. All you gotta do is look at the labels on the little bottles."

Then there's the music. I've long coveted the elusive Drugstore Cowboy soundtrack, and finally through the magic of Half.com I bought it. Here's a little music from the film:

For All We Know by Abbey Lincoln

The Israelites by Desmond Dekker

So there you have it. One of my favorite films. One last thought on this is that by watching Drugstore Cowboy you can understand normal American life by observing those who choose not to live it by the rules, even if they don't succeed.

Iwerks Is Screwy Spelled Backwards

We've been watching a DVD set called Cartoons That Time Forgot all weekend. UB Iwerks is a great cartoonist. Learn more here. I can't believe I've never heard of him. Please enjoy his creation Flip The Frog, courtesy of Youtube.

Interstitial Overdrive: Abe Vigoda Status

We loved him in The Godfather and as Fish on Barney Miller. Let's check on how our boy is doing.

Jack On Wheels

Here's a partial list of the delights contained in the film Hell's Angels On Wheels: an angry Jack Nicholson constantly getting into fistfights; Adam Roarke as the leader of the gang; go-go dancers; bar fights; chain fights; knife fights with sailors; love triangle drama; menacing highway patrol officers; a beatnik painting bodies during a biker orgy; and the usual cans of Coors; reefer; choppers; and the open road.

Then there's the music. Sometimes utterly inappropriate and carefree and light. Other times groovy and a bit like this song by the Ventures.

What else can we say? Adam Roarke turns in a great performance. He's one of the best biker film actors ever. There's an appearance by real Hell's Angel Sonny Barger. At times it's like you're watching a documentary about bikers. Otherwise it's just a solid low budget 60's biker film. You'll see.

The Baddest Of The Bad

Friday afternoon Mrs. West and I feasted on an uninterrupted viewing of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. All 3 hours. We didn't fall asleep, which is the curse of watching Sergio Leone films on commercial TV.

Instead we had the special edition 2 DVD set (courtesy of Ma and Pa West). It's a shoebox-like package, with a DVD embedded in both the top and bottom of the box. Aside from the bonus disc of special features, it includes some postcard-sized movie posters of the film from around the world. See Japan's poster up top.

So about the film. It's Sergio Leone at his best. Best spaghetti western ever? Maybe. You can find out more about it elsewhere. Here's the trailer.

On this viewing of the film I tried to decide who was the baddest of the bad: Clint Eastwood or Lee Van Cleef. I was biased toward Van Cleef, but I have to say it's a draw. Eli Wallach is just crazy, so he's not really in the running.

Before I go, here's a little music from the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Mangia!

Interstitial Overdrive: No, You're Cheesy!

What just happened? I just finished watching a 7-hour marathon of America's Next Top Model on VH1. I'd never seen the show before. I don't know how to feel. Anyway, please watch this unrelated Burger King ad while I sort out my feelings. I don't know who this "Dr. Angus" is, but he is my hero. The Dr. knows how to bust a move on the ladies, yes.