My Amazon DVD Reviews: The Master

Worthy of The Cause
3 Out Of 5 Stars

A troubled young soul in need of redemption comes to a charismatic philosopher who claims to have the answers. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Lancaster Dodd, who is obviously loosely based on L Ron Hubbard and his cult of Scientology. When Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a World War II veteran who can't adjust to civilian life stumbles aboard Dodd's yacht party, the two find a sort of common bond with each other. Freddie has a need to find answers, The Master claims he has them. For the next two hours, the 2 men circle each other in a sort of tragic dance.

"The Master" explores the bond between Hoffman and Phoenix and it is a difficult bond to watch. Freddie has issues the run so deep that even Hoffman's "processing" can't draw them out. The two men metaphorically explore what it is like to be a cult follower in a cult leader. Hoffman in particular exudes charisma even when other characters point out that "The Cause" seems like it is being made up as they go along. At the same time Freddie is so desirous of a father figure/guiding light not only is he willing to follow "The Cause," he is willing to fight off anyone who dares question the Master's divinity.

The movie does a great job in showing what willing followers will do in search of the ultimate answer. Phoenix, as the troubled young Freddie, runs through the movie like a powder keg just waiting to explode. Even in the end, as the two men try to mend their differences, Phoenix can't hide that he is wound up tighter than a watch spring even as Hoffman attempts to console him one last time. "The Master" is not an easy movie to watch. Phoenix burns so darkly and with such intensity that it is hard to wonder if he is redeemable. He earned his Oscar nomination, as does Hoffman, who for the bulk of the movie remains unflappable in the faith of his beliefs. Dodd desperately wants his protege to follow his leadership while Freddie struggles between his love of Dodd and the leash that The Master keeps his followers on.

"The Master" doesn't explode. It is a slow burn of a film that reveals its greatnesses the hard way.

     

My Amazon Blu-Ray Reviews: The Beatles' Yellow Submarine

We All Live On
5 Out of 5 Stars

Lovingly restored and recolored, the Blu-Ray of The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" is an opening of a time capsule, with the dust of years wiped clean. The mix of traditional animation and the Peter Maxian designs still holds a fascination to this day, with the sound quality now absolutely stunning. Granted, the imaginations behind much of the movie was lysergically enhanced, but it adds to the time-charm of the movie. I can't recommend this enough to Beatles Fans, who already know the songs and probably many of the scenes by heart.

Extra Credit due Dept: I really dig the 'cell' reproductions included in the Blu-Ray package. The bonus interviews with surviving members of the cast and crew are brief but delightful, but the VH1 Interview with the surviving Beatles from the '99 DVD release might have been a nice addition. You can choose between mono and 5:1 surround, depending on your purist nature, and the sequence for "Hey Bulldog" has been reintegrated into the film seamlessly. It's a must own, and I now anxiously await future Beatles' Blu-Rays.

   

My Amazon DVD Reviews: "Kink Crusaders"

"This is my family, this is my tribe"
5 Out of 5 Stars

For those unfamiliar with International Mr. Leather, it as an annual event where literally thousands of Leatherfolk gather every May in Chicago. The centerpiece of the weekend is the International Mister Leather contest, in which men from around the world compete for the chance to promote the Leather Lifestyle (among other activities).

But it wasn't always like this. In a DVD that is destined to take a place next to the book "25 Years Of Champions," "Kink Crusaders" chronicles the humble beginnings of IML in 1979 (12 contestants from 6 states) to the extravagant pageant that it is today. In 2008, documentarian Mike Skiff traveled to Chicago for the chance to capture the 30th year of IML as it unfolded. So as you would expect, this is the kind of film that is laden with imagery of Homomasculinity at its hottest, with pictures, interviews and event clips documenting every year of International Mr. Leather. (Including a brief but explanatory clip as a postlude from IML 2010.)

But once again, I have to repeat. "Kink Crusaders" is much more than a tableaux of hot men in leather. Perspective comes from a rare "Mr Gold Coast Leather" film clip to ongoing interviews with contestants and commentary from Guy Baldwin, founder Chuck Renslow and others (including the odd interlopers who found themselves inside the hotel as the contest was occurring). Mike Skiff and a host of contributors have created a grand history of this culture of leather in this magnificent 90 minute documentary. But if the thought of all those concepts and heavy thinking intimidates you, fear not. There are contest videos, and did I fail to mention that the pictures are hot? If you missed that earlier on, forgive me. I reiterate; the men are HOT. Get "Kink Crusaders" now. It's going to look great on your widescreen.

     

My Amazon DVD Reviews: "Blade Runner"

It's All Here Now
5 Out Of 5 Stars

This review is from: Blade Runner (Four-Disc DVD Collector's Edition). First off, I was surprised to see this set at such a low price. Ridley Scott's Science Fiction masterwork and possibly Harrison Ford's singular best acting job, four discs. and all three versions of the movie. The remastering is stunning, and makes it all the more stunning that "Blade Runner" was created before the CGI days.

In the future, Androids are called replicants, but they also are smart and strong enough to go renegade. if they do, the Blade Runners shoot them down. Deckerd (Ford) is the best of the Blade Runners, and is called upon when an escaped group of Replicants returns to earth in search of immortality. Seems they have a built in 4 year expiration date. That is, except maybe for the one called Rachel, which Deckerd may be falling in love with. Played with smokey noir feminine wiles by Sean Young, she becomes the lynchpin in Deckerd's chase for the runaways.

Noir is a major operative word here. Los Angeles in 2019 is covered in smoggy rainstorms and decaying buildings. Only the rich can afford to build themselves a place in the sun, and they're the ones making the killer bots. Which means everywhere else is darkness, shadows and slivers of light. This is easily one of the most exquisitely filmed Sci-Fi thrillers in history, which means the original cut didn't pass muster with the suits. That version (the happy ending voice-over version is included), along with the 1992 director's cut and the Ridley Scott final version. One of the few DVD's I've found fit to actually own, "Blade Runner" is a marvel of a movie.

   

My Amazon DVD Reviews: Apollo 18

This Moon is Made Of Cheese
2 Out of 5 Stars

"Apollo 18" takes the 'found footage' horror methodology (think "Blair Witch" or "Paranormal Activity") and takes it off world. You thought Apollo 17 was our last lunar mission? You think the Russians never landed on the moon? Got news for you conspiracy minded types out there; neither of these is true. Sent up under the guise of a National Security/Department of Defense kind of Top Secret mission, our three astronauts board the Liberty and Freedom vehicles for one more investigation of what's really up there. It ain't the Sea of Tranquility, that's for sure.

Before you know it, something is making creepy noises outside the Lunar Module. Samples are suddenly not where the explorers originally left them. And them dastardly things ripped up the USA flag! Not only are these critters scary, they're downright UnAmerican! Then again, they weren't too nice to the Ruskie that landed there before Apollo 18, and the unlucky astronauts realize that their government may not have told them everything about their journey or its intended mission. The handheld cameras soon begin jerking and spinning, the automatic cameras are going static, and the humans just might be losing their minds.

"Apollo 18" mixes just enough "now-you-see-it" spookiness to add some real scare jolts, but mostly, it's dopey space B-Movie fun. The Metal Munching Moon Mice from the old Bullwinkle cartoons were about as believable as the space bug monsters wreaking havoc on our helpless heroes, and some of the effects are laughably bad. There's plenty of stock footage in use to help make the original bits work chronologically, however, as a horror movie is concerned, the green cheese that is "Apollo 18"? It certainly isn't rocket science.

   

My Amazon DVD Reviews: Hollywoodland

HollyWoodBland,
3 Out Of 5 Stars


Two conflicting movies fight for dominance in the interesting if seriously flawed "Hollywoodland." One of them stars Ben Affleck as Geroge Reeves, a struggling actor who catches his one lucky break by becoming the star of the early TV Series, "Superman." Reeves is charming, funny, clever and witty, but not much of an actor. He has an angel in the form of Toni Mannix (an excellent Diane Lane), who picks Reeves to be her personal boytoy, sets him up with a home, jobs, all that her rich husband, MGM Studio VP Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins, channelling his inner Ed Asner). Eddie has his own toys, but he has a dark lining. Then there's the gold-digging Leona, who Reeves has an affair with, much to the consternation of Toni. But then, maybe Toni talked George out of marrying Leona. Or maybe George was just sick of Leona and called off a wedding to be with Toni. We never know, because a depressed Reeves committed suicide in 1959.

Or did he? This is the issue that "Hollywoodland" grapples with. Any one of these people orbiting Reeves had ample motive to kill him, and his death was clouded in controversy at the time. In this half of the movie, director Allen Coulter (his first movie after critically acclaimed TV episodes of The Sopranos and Rome for HBO) creates an interesting scenario of Old Hollywood, power, and dirty relationships. Not only that, he recreates the 50's in spectacular style, with a particular heads up for all the classic cars you'll see. Affleck is also at his best as the doomed actor, playong all the sides of Reeves in what was an Oscar worthy job.

However, there's a second part to this, and that is the Film Noir attached to it. This part stars Adrian Brody, doing a great job as hack detective Louis Simo. Simo gets hired when Reeves' mother raises suspicions that her son would not have killed himself. So Simo goes digging where others are too scared to, and Simo can't afford not to. Brody is engaging as Simo, although I kept thinking of Micheal Imperioli doing Chrissy on The Sopranos, to the point where I began thinking Brody was forced to watch the series to get the part down. And since Simo's story is trying to uncover the truth behind Reeves', it seems that we are forced to watch as the two stories, told as separate timelines (and in Reeves' case, as flashbacks) play out.

That's where the schism takes place. Simo's life is coming undone, and "Hollywoodland" keeps trying to force-fit Reeves' career slide with Simo's domestic problems. Reeves' life is so interesting that the continual forced jamming of Simo's becomes unsettling; the film works best when Simo is trying to pry up the boards of the all too pristine Hollywood system. There are so many subplots and spinouts from that main course, the movie ultimately falters. It's way better than "The Black Dahlia" or "Zodiac," but it's nowhere near the likes of "LA Confidential." Or even a couple episodes of The Sopranos, for that matter.