Retro Nostalgia: Mortal Kombat (1995; dir. Paul W.S. Anderson) and Ruining Your Childhood
I’ve just re-watched Mortal Kombat, the less-than-stellar 1995 video game adaptation directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. The same director who would two years later direct a far better film, Event Horizon (2007), which has the unfortunate reputation of being a movie most people hate. Why did I watch Mortal Kombat…again? Two reasons. First, I needed something to write about for this column, and it just seemed fitting that a 20-year-old film from my childhood happened to be streaming on Netflix. Second, I wanted to re-experience something from my childhood to see how well it would hold up. An experiment, if you will. And while other films from the 90s (and 80s) have not so much held up as become interesting in other ways as a result of age, Mortal Kombat is one of those gems that, frankly, has always been ridiculous. I just couldn’t see it when I was 11.
Around the World: Ms. 45 (1981; dir. Abel Ferrara); Trauma, Gender Violence, and Revenge Fantasies
(Trigger warning: this review involves discussion of sexual assault, trauma, and gender violence.) Two years after the release of his gritty and noisy murder-fest, The Driller Killer (1979), Abel Ferrara returned to the director’s helm with Ms. 45 (1981), a revenge “fantasy” film. Though Ms. 45 still demonstrates some of that rawness present in Ferrara’s first feature film production, it is by far a smoother film, making excellent use of its mostly unknown and untested cast, especially Zoë Lund, the protagonist from which the title, Ms. 45, gets its name. Of Ferrara’s early films, Ms. 45 is certainly the most compelling, if not because it is a tighter, thematically expedient production, then because of its somewhat brutal (and uncompromising) exposure of the sexist underbelly of NYC — a common theme, it seems, in Ferrara’s work.
Announcement: Around the World (Cycle One) and the New Retro Nostalgia Begins!
For the past month, I’ve been thinking about my various blogging ventures and how to improve them. For Totally Pretentious, that has involved reconsidering how I engage with film in written form. After all, I can’t keep up with Hollywood’s production levels no matter how hard I try; that requires a full time commitment. So I decided to concentrate my film discussions on two specific projects: the Retro Nostalgia feature (derived from my personal blog) and a new feature called Around the World. There will still be the occasional review of a film that doesn’t fit in either of these categories, but my primary focus outside of the podcast will be on these two projects. These changes will also be noted on my Patreon page, which you can support if these columns (or anything I do) interest(s) you. So what are “Retro Nostalgia” and “Around the World”?
257. Baby Geniuses (1999) — A Torture Cinema “Adventure”
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode257TortureCinemaMeetsBabyGeniuses/SandF%20–%20Episode%20257%20–%20Torture%20Cinema%20Meets%20Baby%20Geniuses.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSRobot babies, creepy babies, and just babies, oh my! Shaun, Julia, Paul, and Rachael join forces to talk about 1999’s Baby Geniuses, which one critic described as “about as endearing as unanesthetized gum surgery.” You can guess how we all felt about it… We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 257 — Download (MP3) Show Notes: Baby Geniuses (1999)(IMDB) Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). Additional music from “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
#30. Jupiter Ascending (2015) — A Shoot the WISB Subcast
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode256JupiterAscendingShootTheWISB/Shoot%20the%20WISB%20%2330%20–%20Jupiter%20Ascending.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSSpace princesses, dog boys, and capitalism, oh my! The crew conspires together to discuss the latest Wachowski film, Jupiter Ascending. We tackle the good and the bad and even have a little fun with impersonations. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note: If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Spoiler Alert: the following podcast contains spoilers for the film being reviewed; if you wish to see the film without having it ruined for you, download this podcast and save it for later. Download the Episode here. Show Notes:. Jupiter Ascending (2015; dirs. the Wachowskis)(IMDB) Mike recommends the following videos on action, comedy, and the problem with action movies today: Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
The Disquieting Guest: On “As Above, As Below” (2014) and Theatrical Horror in 2014
I didn’t get the chance to read as many books or watch as many films as I would like this year, and so any ruminations on my part about what might or might not constitute the best of the year should be taken with a Dead Sea’s worth of salt. My impression is that by and large, this has not been a stellar year for horror movies in the theatres. The box office returns tend to confirm that perception, which leads to Scott Mendelson’s gloomy appraisal of the situation here. But what needs to be factored in, regarding horror’s relatively poor showing in terms of numbers, is how few of this year’s films are actually any good. Compounding the problem is the fact that the two recent movies receiving the most glowing acclaim — Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook — have received criminally minimal distribution. Last I heard, The Babadook, which by all accounts is absolutely terrifying and would be leading my Best-Of list had I been able to see it, has only played in a single theatre in all of Canada. I hope to catch both of these films in 2015, but as I have yet to see them, I can’t say anything else about them in the context of this column other than express my anticipation. And here, have a trailer.
