No Spoilers Episode 4: LETHAL CHRISTMAS MOVIE

Okay you watched the Grinch, Frosty and Rudolph the Red Nose Reject that you accept only when you need him. (interest moral in that story!?) Now the kids are all snug in their beds, time for some Grown up Christmas Classics with a Bang. Last year I put to rest the PENULTIMATE CHRISTMAS ACTION MOVIE (that ones for you @hotdogsladies) Time to go to one of the lesser know Holly Jolly Flicks. Lethal Weapon(1987 R. Donner).

I know, the trailer fails to market the Ho-Ho-ness of the film but revisit this movie or watch it for the first time with some Hot cider and chestnuts roasting over an open fire. It has it all the Holly Jollies: Christmas music bookends the story, Riggs goes to shop for a Christmas Tree and he even has a less than tasty holiday dinner with the Murtaugh family.

Fear not, there is all the grown up action packed sequences edited by Stuart Baird veteran cutter and Richard Donner great rhythm and directing style. Mel Gibson crazy performance as Riggs is brilliant (foreshadowing his future wackiness) as he tries to get through the day without killing a Bad guy. Also, it may be the best Black retiring cop & Crazy White guy buddy movies of all time.

Ask Santa for this one for your stocking. Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! 

*Watch the Director's Cut, it has all these scenes that affect the pace of the movie by overstating Riggs Craziness. It is like watching Touch of Evil's Studio added scenes. Film akward.

No Spoilers Episode 3: Point Blank, Lee Marvin & Hard Hitting Cuts.

Any Tom, Dick & Harriette can continuity cut, takes a master editor/filmmaker to edit in a variety of styles. I stumbled on this great piece of filmmaking as I was digging throught the crates (aka DVD collections) as I prepare to re-design my home office and update my gear. POINT BLANK directed by John Boorman, edited by Henry Berman.

I won't pretend to remember all the different style names from my Film Aestetics Class I took in the 90's but POINT BLANK uses a mixture of techniques that should be watched again and again.

There is what I call a time-matchcuts that break the timeline of the film, smash-cut flashbacks and a great opening title sequence that echoes the main characters mood, imagine being in the mind of an angry Lee Marvin. My Favorite is the Time shifted editing; using dialogue or sounds from other scenes that span the movie timeline. Hard to describe but It's that Steven Soderbergh Limey style like montage sequences (which he admitily inspired the style of The Limey; haven't seen that one, that is another one to watch again and again)

I think this is one of the hardest techniques since it's like pig latin of filmmaking. It's a variation on the film language. So, you have to teach the audience the new languge code with limited time without loosing them. It is not for the faint of heart because your playing with fire. If you do it and it fails you lost your audiences trust and probably their interest. Point Blank succeds in not loosing you, as it jumps around aggressively, very echoing the protagonist.

I know your saying, this movie or that movie does that even better but this was before non-linear editing, made on a movieola or a Steinbeck. Imagine editing Momento, Pulp Fiction, The Limey... I takes a cetain determination and coincidentaly a Lee Marvin like resolve to introduce this style of filmmaking in those technical conditions.

I won't say that it goes on for the whole movie because it is doesn't. It is mostly a conventionally edited movie with strong composition and great late '60s style. Which is reason enough to watch this movie. However, watching how this type of editing techniques being used is like watching a tight rope walker, juggling, without a net. Bold.

PS. I haven't done one of these in a while but I have a feeling that I will in the near future, things are changing around the "old Republic" aka Gorilla Productions...

No Spoilers Episode 2: Last Action Christmas Movie

As the Holiday Season nears; I remember last year's Christmas eve, when my wife and I were preparing the house for Santa. I suggested to my wife that we put on a Christmas movie to play in the background. I was all Grinched out and I like to watch Albert Finney's Scrooge in the morning. So, leafing through my DVD binder. I stumbled upon a hidden gem. Yippikaye Santa!

Honestly, it started as a "husband joke" but the more I made my arguments the clearer it became Die Hard is a Christmas movie!

It' s got all the element of a Christmas movie.

1- The basic plot is about a Jimmy Stewart-like Father who is trying to run back to his familly after he realizes the mistake that he has made. (This sorta gets lost in the gun fire, running on glass and exploding Building.) Also, a little girl (aka Cindy Loo Who) who wants a Christmas miracle.

2- Lots of christmas music (Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow and the timeless Christmas in Hollis by Run-DMC, classic)

3- A Grinch like bad guy who try to stop Christmas from coming (The Germans and the Black nerd from Matlock) by stealing the loot/gifts.

The Studio's Scroogy greed is to blame for not releasing this Mistletoe classic in its rightfully season. I remember first watchting this movie in Summer Blockbuster season. Christmas in July?! Pure Greed. 20th Century expect a visit from 3 ghosts on Christmas eve.

It seems that I am not the only one that thinks this is a Christmas Movie.

Also check it out for it's great Speilberg hermetic story telling (John McTiernan) and Jan Debonts bold use of Anamorphic flares... but I wouldn't want to spoil this holiday classic.

Happy Holidays to you.

No Spoilers episode 0: What is this sections is about?

Like many movie sequels, this blog post should have come before episode 1. So, consider this my Prequel Blog post or MIA 2.

I like talking movies. The people that I have worked with for the past decade, young and old, have heard my editing room, production meeting or creative brainstorming sessions rants about a movie's "epic" creative value. When I realize that they haven't seen this movie, I usually motion like I am going to flip the table in "rage" and film blasphame. (It's a dry joke but I like to recycle)

I thought I would blog about my film geek movie selects so that interweb folk can get some good film suggestions. Sometimes wacky or cryptic, not your classic AFI listings but I am not going to exclude these great movies either.

Not like this guilty pleasure of mine.

But check it out if you want to see how pre-computer graphics were done and a bonus see Dennis Hopper as a proffessor. (He plays a very similar roles as acharacter in one of his famous performances.) 

I don't believe in a good or bad movie or tell you that you should love this but you should probably check it out if want to see good movie making. Like my Philosophy 101 Professor pointed out in the first class, "My goal is to suggest a good lead, you should go and look into it yourself and my your own opinions, I AM NOT GOING TO READ THE BOOK FOR YOU" 

I will try not to SPOIL the movie by writing about the movies' plot twist. breakdown the storyline... Basically, I won't do the things that make reading film reviews frustrating to me.

Enjoy the movie suggest and please send feedback of what you thought of the movie and OBVIOUSLY NO SPOILERS in your comments please!

NO SPOILERS ep1: Top 5 Best Westerns Most People Haven't Seen

I was just finishing unpacking my gear and boxes into the new house/office space when I opened up a box containing my old DVD binders and Boxsets. (These days Netflix is usually faster if I am looking for reference material for work but I'm a collector, so I like to keep some of the old physical media around.) I noticed my wacky variety of movies and it go me thinking.

In the film industry you always bump into that young cinefile that hasn't seen film pre-1990's, who know LL Cool J and Will Smith as actors or have only seen the required classics Movies assigned by there Film school proffessor.

So, I thought I should highlight some great Westerns that are on my shelf and in my heart as some must see shoot'em ups that are not the Classic recommends. Please feel free to add to the list since I love me a good Cowboy movie! 

1. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
James Coburn, Chris Christopherson as Billy, Slim Pickens and a young Bob Dylan that you can understand what he says. Directed by Sam Peckingpah, so lots of ketchup style 70's blood, complexe storytelling and his particular raw filmaking style. If William Holden wasn't in the Wild Bunch this might be the best Peckingpah flick for my taste. It is definetly "Knocking on Heaven's Door".
 

2. Duck You Sucker aka Fist Full of Dynamite
I obviously have a Bromance for James Coburn. Add in this Filck directed by Spagetti Western King Sergio Leone, you have the perfect movie about the West transitioning into the modern era. Lesser know fact is that it is the 2 part Sergio's Trilogy, the first part being Once upon a time in the West, the third being Once Upon a Time in America.

3. The Proffessionals
A rag tag crew of mercs are assembled to get a woman, Claudia Cardinale. Might sound as a familliar plot but the "X factor" is Lee Marvin. Bang for the buck better than Magnificent Seven. Once again, Lee Marvin!

4. The Way of the Gun
A modern day Western with Benecio Del Toro, James Caan, Ryan Phillippe. At the time the writter Christopher McQuarrie of the Brian Singer crew of the 90's directs this raw flick about a kidnapping mixed in with great scenes that have great dialogue delivered by Fred Fenster himself. If you don't like the first scene with Sara Silverman stop watching there, this is not for you.

5. Pale Rider 
Probably blasfemy to not include a Clint movie. So here it is. A Macbethian western. It's got all he fixings, the looks from the man with no name, a big bad Company controling the town and  lots of avenging.  About 100 times better than "The Wraith" Charlie Sheen 80's disaster movie with same plot but with a bunch of teenagers and fast cars.  

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Please Add or comment on what you thought of the movies or if you want to add your favorite to the list.

That's it for now... 

Time to look for #NextNewThing