All Posts – Page 27

Jenna Does Elvis #8 – Viva Las Vegas (1964) / Roustabout (1964)

vivaroust

I’ve hit another milestone—Viva Las Vegas! Now we’re getting into Elvis’ second wind, as both of the following films include well-known leading ladies—Ann-Margret in Vegas and Barbara Stanwyck in Roustabout. I’ve gotta say, having at least one other good actor in these Elvis movies improves them tenfold. Elvis isn’t bad on his own, but when he’s surrounded by blandness—in the script and otherwise—he tends to turn off. These films aren’t going to win a MENSA award anytime soon, but you’d think the producers would have made more of an effort to keep them enjoyable. Both Ann-Margret and Barbara Stanwyck really help elevate both films into the ‘watchable’ category:

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Why I Turned It Off #1 – Tusk (2014)

tusk

Tusk (2014)
Written and Directed by Kevin Smith
102 min. (5 min. watched)

Hey y’all, this is a new series where I talk about movies I couldn’t finish and why. I’m not like Jenna—I don’t think you should Always Finish The Goddamn Movie. To me, if fifteen minutes go by and it hasn’t interested you at all yet, or if somewhere along the way to that fifteen minute mark it commits some sort of unforgivably lame act that makes you wanna abort mission, I say just hit stop and put something else on. No shame in that whatsoever. First of all, you aren’t doing a movie any favors if you force yourself to watch it when you know you’re not in the mood for its vibe. And second, I wholeheartedly believe that there are certain indefensible things a movie can do that can shatter your faith in it completely. And I’m not talking trivial, nitpicky, clickbait-y, CinemaSins style offenses—I’m talking straight up, fuck this movie, we’re done here type shit.

Case in point: the opening scene of Tusk.

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Jenna Does Elvis #7 – Fun in Acapulco (1963) / Kissin’ Cousins (1964)

acapulcokissin

I can see the boardroom meeting now:

“Listen men, we need a fresh spin for these Elvis movies. Cranking out ‘[insert occupation] Elvis’ films three times a year is all good and fine, but we need to be one step ahead—this rustling overseas from England is making me nervous.”

“Well sir, themes are still popular, and heck, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Why, the solution is more themes, of course!”

Cut to: Fun In Acapulco.

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #7 – Fun in Acapulco (1963) / Kissin’ Cousins (1964)

Smug Film Podcast Episode #30 – Alex Hiatt / Ex Machina / Robots / Rewatching Movies (5/18/15)

Episode 30 1:12:26 | View on iTunes

On this episode, Jenna Ipcar and I are joined by Smug Film’s own Alex Hiatt to discuss Ex Machina, robots in film, rewatching movies, and much more! Plus, a question from the mailbag, and Chloe Pelletier with a review of Mad Max: Fury Road!

Links Mentioned in this Episode:
David 8 Promo
A Blank Stare Is Worth A Thousand Words
Continue reading Smug Film Podcast Episode #30 – Alex Hiatt / Ex Machina / Robots / Rewatching Movies (5/18/15)

Jenna Does Elvis #6 – Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) / It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963)

I think Stockholm syndrome is starting to set in. I’ve always sort-of liked Elvis, but now a real fever is taking hold. I find myself wanting to listen to Elvis on the regular, thinking about Elvis randomly, YouTube is recommending Elvis videos to me all the time, and heck, I even bought an Elvis t-shirt. In my defense, at this point in his career, Elvis owned a pet chimpanzee and was obsessed with karate, so look, we’re all going a little crazy here, alright?

Most of all, I love how they keep finding different ways to put Elvis in the same position of deciding between two girls and his life goals. You’ve got Singer Elvis, Western Elvis, Writer Elvis, Tourism Guide Elvis, Boxing Elvis—hell, if they made Elvis Barbie dolls, I would buy them all. So what’s next in the world of ___ Elvis? Check out the latest installment below to find out:

Continue reading Jenna Does Elvis #6 – Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) / It Happened at the World’s Fair (1963)