IRT Magazine

What the fuck is wrong with America? Wild Hogs made more money than Grindhouse last week? Wild fucking Hogs?????

I may be biased as a Tarantino and Rodriguez junkie, but Grindhouse is the most fun I’ve had at the movies since Sin City. And as any regular reader of this blog knows, I see a LOT of movies. Of course there will be a life for the two films making up Grindhouse (Planet Terror and Death Proof) far beyond the theatrical release and it will eventually make a profit. The double feature idea was a noble experiment that failed, but the two films were good enough to stand on their own merits and deserve an audience. Here are a few concerns I have about Grindhouse’s poor box office performance.

1) There is talk that they will release the films separately. Ok, great. BUT what does this mean for the DVD release? Will there be a separate release for each film? My dream DVD release for these films is a 4 disc box set - an extended cut of each film, a disc with the theatrical double feature and a disc of bonus features. Is this now an impossible dream? If they do separate releases for each film, what will that mean for the fake trailers (directed by Edgar Wright, Eli Roth and Ron Zombie)?

2) Will this lessen Tarrantino and Rodriguez’s Hollywood clout? Film execs are a fickle bunch ruled way more by their wallets than the desire to release great films. Before this both QT and RR could basically do what they wanted and culture benefited because of it. You can’t put restraints on artists like these guys.

3) Zoë Bell – A kiwi sweetheart who was Uma Thurman’s stunt double in the Kill Bill movies. She’s the breakout star of Death Proof and deserves to be a star. I hope she becomes a star and the poor box office doesn’t hurt her career. I’m pretty sure it won’t.. But you never know.

4) Death Proof is quickly becoming one of my favorite films of all time. It is one of the most subtly brilliant screenplays I have ever encountered. It is a rare thing these days to experience a film or music that feels fresh. Death Proof was a refreshing as tall glass of ice water on a hot summer’s day. I left feeling like ANY type of storytelling is possible. A word I can use to describe it is liberating.. It’d be a shame for this film not to get the attention it deserves as one of QT’s best.

Come on people.. Get off your asses and see Grindhouse.

-Brad Filicky

A Review of the new NIN DVD by the Quiz Kidd

A lot of Nine Inch Nails fans were disappointed with Trent Reznor’s last album, With Teeth. Survivalism, the first single from the new NIN album, Year Zero, is a return to form. When asked to describe the music he was writing for Year Zero he responded “Highly conceptual. Quite noisy. Fucking cool.” And Survivalism is all of those things. Even more interesting is the viral marketing plan surrounding the record. Websites, Morse code, mysterious flash drives found in bathrooms during NIN’s European tour, phone numbers that lead to frightening 911 recordings and sound clips are all part of getting the word out behind the concept of Year Zero. If you have a few hours to kill and love of post-apocalypticA good overview of the happenings can be found at http://www.ninwiki.com/Year_Zero_Research.

-Brad Filicky

Here’s another recap of movies seen over the past weekend.

Hellboy: Sword Of Storms – Yet another animated superhero movie. SOS is very close to the tone and punch of the live action film that came out in 2004. Both Ron Pearlman and Selma Blair lend their voices to the animated versions of the characters they portrayed in the live action film. This gives the film a sense of familiarity and makes the whole presentation less cheesy.

The Marine – If you like wrestling and dumb action or are just a fan of the Marine Corps, see this. If not, save your time.

On The Beach – A 1959 film with Eva Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and Gregory Peck. Taking place in Australia after a nuclear war has destroyed most of the rest of the world. A wave of radiation is making its way southward from the destroyed parts of the world. People faced with death deal with it any way they can. Gripping cinema. Should be considered a classic.

Incubus – Horror film. Starring Tara Reed. God save us all.

Hollywoodland – A film dealing with a mystery surrounding the suicide (or was it murder) of George Reeves the first Superman. This film is pretty similar to Black Dahlia in that it deals with the seedy underbelly of post war Hollywood. In general a superior film to Black Dahlia and deserved more attention that it got. See it on DVD and experience a sadly overlooked film.

Hannibal Rising – Ahh Hannibal Lecter. One of the most iconic movie characters of the late 20^th century. In this film we see how he became the monster he is. Campy, but still looked good. This film does not have a lot of the substance of Silence of the Lambs or even Hannibal. Still pretty entertaining.

Trust The Man – A film documenting the romantic misadventures of two New York City couples. David Duchovny was pretty likable, but a Woody Allen film this aint. Could be a good date movie.

Black Christmas – The 1975 version. A killer terrorizes a sorority house. Better than the 2006 remake but still not that great. Margo Kidder played a pretty funny drunk though

Story: The Quiz Kidd

Here’s a quick recap of the films I managed to watch over the weekend

Farce Of The Penguins – Any film that is as popular as March Of The Penguins is bound to be parodied. Leave it to potty mouth everyman Bob Saget to bring together some of his comedian friends (including Lewis Black, Dane Cook, Carlos Mencina, Christina Applegate , Monique, Gilbert Gottfried and Penn Gillette) to poke a little fun at nature films. Using actual penguin footage with voiceovers and narrated by Samuel L Jackson instead of uber-narrator Morgan Freeman (which means the narrator says fuck a lot). The talent assembled is pretty staggering and will have you laughing even if the penguin footage used seemed a bit forced at times.

Catch And Release – The Only reason I went to see this was the fact that Kevin Smith is in it. I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of a cheesy romantic comedy Catch And Release was more of Zach Braff-esque drama. Well developed characters that you care about and a hip indie rock soundtrack. A date movie that won’t have men wanting to puke.

The Gathering – A low budget horror flick starring Christina Ricci. She plays an American tourist who winds up in a small English village and starts having visions where she sees townspeople dying in horrible ways. More atmospheric than most Hollywood schlock horror, but still not great. Probably would have worked better as a novel.

Dead Man’s Shoes – A revenge tale. A mans’ retarded brother is killed and he’s back to see his sibling avenged. More of a reflection on revenge than visceral (although there were some pretty violent scenes) fantasy, this is still a sobering look at the consequences of our actions. Probably the best of the films I saw this weekend

Dante’s Inferno – This was a submission to the GenArt film festival which I help to program (checkout www.genart.org). A primitively animated film that shows Dante what hell would look like now. Lots of pot shots at the Bush administration and current society in general. If you can get past the primitive style there’s lots to like about this film.

All Is Normal – Another GenArt submission. All Is Normal tells the story of a young woman who agrees to house sit a secluded Appalachian lake house to escape an abusive boyfriend. She slowly goes a little loopy and hilarity ensues in the form of knuckle bracing paranoia. Not flashy like a lot of modern horror flicks (see also my blurb about The Gathering) and was ten times creepier because of it. A well executed little thriller.

I watch a lot of movies on the weekend. It’s almost a damn pathology. Here’s a quick list of what I saw this weekend

Iron Man - Not much needs to be said about this one. The latest in Marvel’s straight to DVD animated movies. A bit darker than either of the Ultimate Avengers films, but still tame enough not to offend most. If you Like comics, superhero movies or good animation you’ll enjoy it if not you won’t. It’s that simple

Dreamgirls - A film that seems tailor made to appeal to the Academy. Well executed, great performance by everybody (especially Jennifer Hudson). Didn’t really move me all that much. My main problem was that I didn’t like the music. I wanted some deep Motown/soul inspired jams. Instead I got standard Broadway fare.

Smoking Aces - As over the top and violent as it was I was hoping it would be even MORE over the top. Crank did a better job of blowing my doors off. Some good cameos though. If you want an entertaining movie you don’t have to think too hard about this is for you.

Absolute Warhola - A quirky documentary about the Slovakian town where Andy Warhol’s family is from. A charming study of cultural differences and the full spectrum of human personalities this doc will appeal to anyone who likes to observe human nature.

Iraq For Sale - Robert Greenwald’s (Director of Wal Mart The High Cost of Low Prices and Unprecedented) latest doc takes aim at Halliburton and other companies making a profit by privatizing the Iraq War while putting our soldiers in danger. If this film does not make your blood boil you should check your pulse.

Venus - Peter O’Toole, in one of the greatest performances of his already illustrious career,  plays Maurice, an aging actor falling deeper and deeper into the despair of old age until he meets Jessie, the beautiful twenty-something looking after his friend. Halfway between a cute old man and a dirty old man, O’Toole rides the balance between the two like a tightrope walker. You’ll see this film as heartwarming rather than creepy and that’s what makes this special.

Letters From Iwo Jima - Rarely have I seen a film that captures the futility and pointlessness of war like Letters From Iwo Jima. The second in Clint Eastwood’s films highlighting the Battle Of Iwo Jima during WW2 and told through the eyes of Japanese soldiers. What is more important - life or honor? Your future or the legacy of your country? This film will have you asking these questions, but won’t supply any easy answers

Sherrybaby -  Maggie Gyllenhaal became a star with her role in Secretary. She was great in that movie, but she’s even better in this. She plays Sherry, just out of prison and free of drugs for over 2 years. She is trying to cope with readjusting to life on the outside and trying to get her daughter back. Gritty and real, sometimes this feels like watching home movies. This is what all indie film should be

Testament – A 1983 film dealing with the effects of nuclear war in a small California town. One woman struggles to hold her family together as her town fall apart around her. Testament gets props for portraying nuclear war in a realistic manner while keeping the story very personal. Check out Kevin Costner in one of his first film appearances.

So.. The Oscar nominations..

Should the IRT, a magazine which prides itself on not being part of the celebrity-fucking mainstream media, really give lip service to the ultimate in Hollywood self-congratulation? Normally I’d say no. But this year deserves a few shout outs…

Little Miss Sunshine gets a nomination for best picture – Not only was this a small indie film of the type the academy usually relegates to best screenplay category like an idiot savant boiler room freak, but it was also one of the most graceful critique of George W. Bush’s America seen all year. A small family perseveres together amidst pressures to conform to the rigidity of conservative culture where life is “just one beauty contest after another” As Dwayne (played by Paul Dano) says, “do what you love and fuck the rest” .Of course this film has about as much chance of winning as Chinese Democracy has of ever being released. As the saying goes it’s an honor just being nominated

Pan’s Labyrinth getting nominations – A dark, uncompromising fantasy film juxtaposing the horrors of fascism in post civil war Spain with the fantasies of a young girl wishing for escape. This will surely go down as Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece.

The Departed – Best film of ‘06… PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let this be Marty’s year.

Dropkick Murphys not being nominated for best song??? WTF??? – What the fuck is wrong with you Academy? The use of the Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” was not only the best use of music in film all year, but one of the best uses of music in film ever. Yeah, I said it, ever. And the academy just looks away. If the Three 6 Mafia can win an Oscar, surely the Murphy’s can be nominated…