February Week 4 & March Week 1 Movies

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Doing a double session this time because... we're going to Bockfest in Cincinatti this week, so we're going to meet up with the History of Bad Ideas crew & Michael Bagford for some great food, DRINKS & more drinks... and also get to know the history of the city even more. It's going to be hella fun... check out the podcast for more details. We're going to try to interview the Sausage Queen...

February 24 – Pepsi, Where’s My Jet (2022)
 
This is a Netflix documentary about the kid who sued Pepsi to get a Harrier Jet using Pepsi Points based on a commercial ran in the 90s with NO SMALLPRINT LEGAL MESSAGE & the 20-year legal battle that followed. It was really interesting to see how young ambitious kids with their ambitious friends going up against a corporate juggernaut that’s obviously in the wrong… and then things get weird a few years in when Michael Avenatti (yes, THAT Michael Avenatti) gets called in to “help” with the situation. Very interesting look at the legal system & how it’s a corporation. I mean… right? Everybody knows that, right?

Rating – 9/10 – If you like these kind of documentaries, this is a fun one.
 
February 25 – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
 
Yup, I finally watched the long anticipated sequel to my favorite Marvel movie… and it was great as advertised. Though I didn’t quite get the same feelings as watching the first one in the Oakland area five years ago… this one had different feels after the passing of Chadwick Boseman. The story is basically Wakanda going against the Na’vi from Avatar but their leader isn’t a giant blue fish-cat creature, but rather a Latin guy with wings on his feet… and all while the people (mainly the ladies) of Wakanda are dealing with loss in completely (sarcastic) logical ways but… it’s pretty deep stuff for essentially a ridiculous kids movie.
 
Rating – 10/10 – Not quite 10+ but… let’s face it… it’s because they’re fighting the Na’vi due to poor communication skills
 
February 26 – Search for the Beast (1997)
 
Okay, this one is about a scientist going into the Oskaloosa wilderness to find Bigfoot & hijinx ensue. This movie is one of those were everybody who works in it has worked in only this… except for the exotic dancer who was bearing T&A in a few scenes… you know, because it was the mid-90’s… she’d been in a few things… showing T&A. It also takes some weird turns towards the end. The video quality is that of any home camcorder in the mid-90s as well as the Microsoft Paint special effects.
 
Rating – 7/10 – Drunk watch with friends… horrible acting abound… but also like watching the movie your friends made when they were high that one time…
 
February 27 – Mausoleum (1983)
 
This one was recommended on Tubi… and it starts out with a 10 year old girl at her mother’s funeral… and she’s obviously distraught… so she runs into this mausoleum & is possessed by a demon. We then cut to 20 years later… and the demon finally takes over… and this voluptuous woman starts killing people in some pretty fantastic ways. There’s also a great quick performance by LaWanda Page as the nanny & honestly, I really dug the lead actress’ performance (Bobbie Bresee) and when you combine it with pretty bad but effective effects, I recommend this movie if you’re into cheesy demon possession movies like “Demon Wind” and others from the 80’s.
 
Rating – 9/10 – I’d love to talk about this one with other film nerds
 
February 28 – The Church (1989)
 
THEN Tubi told me about this Dario Argento movie (well, he wrote but… it’s of the same ilk) about a 12th century church built on a mass grave of demonic possessions… and through, I don’t know, digging a basement for the church or something, they unleash an evil upon the world… but it really doesn’t surface until there’s a school field trip there… and hijinx ensue! Again, a great cheesy 80’s horror flick if ever there was one… and a preteen Asia Argento in a key role (basically as Natalie Portman from “Leon The Professional”).
 
Rating – 9/10 – I’ve love to talk about this one with other film nerds too
 
March 1 – The Legend of Bigfoot (1975)
 
I mentioned before that we were on a Bigfoot kick… and this was a mockumentary made in the mid-70s about a man (Ivan Marx) going in search of the missing link. It’s oddly kind of a precursor to found footage movies (though the bigfoot is just a guy in a big black furry suit obviously) and there’s other things that happen along the way… but what’s most striking about this movie isn’t the constant narration (which gets pretty ridiculous but fits the 70s environmental things from school idea) but some of the shots & editing are pretty great. Then I saw who did it… and it’s Harry Winer who would later do flicks like “Space Camp” and a LOT of TV over the years.
 
Rating – 6/10 – Can’t really recommend as I almost fell asleep a few times to soothing tones & zero plot but… if you’re on a kick, go for it.
 
March 2 – M3GAN (2022)
 
As a kid, I loved the stupid show “Small Wonder” that lasted FOUR seasons… and watching it in hindsight, the show was absolutely terrible. I was 5-7 years old though so what the hell did I know? Basically that was about an engineer who secretly made an android to look like a little girl… took it home to test out with his own family… and hilarious 80’s sitcom hijinx ensue complete with laugh tracks. A few years ago I commented on The Grindbin Podcast that the entire show needed to be redone as a horror movie. Ladies & gentlemen, Hollywood was listening… and this is the result. Let’s see… a female engineer (Alison Williams) was secretly working on an AI android, got caught, so she decided to take it home… to test out on her niece who she just got custody of after her parents died (on screen by the way). Hijinx ensue… and it was fun, freaky, and everything you could ever want in a horror movie.
 
Rating – 10/10 – I absolutely loved this movie
 
March 3 – Invincible (2006)
 
I had never actually seen this movie until now… and it seems like it’d be right up my alley. Mark Wahlberg plays the real life Vince Papali, who tried out for the Philadelphia Eagles (my favorite team since 1987) in 1975 during an open tryout… and makes it onto the team with help from new head coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear). Is it completely based in fact? Of course not, it’s a Disney flick. Does it hit all the sports movie tropes? Absolutely.
 
Rating – 8/10 – I still really enjoyed it… though some character choices are questionable… but whatever
 
March 4 – Four Brothers (2005)
 
I remember really liking this movie when it came out… John Singleton directed, odd mix of “brothers” raised by a sweet old lady who’s murdered in the opening scene & then vengeance hijinx ensue! Great flick, right? People being threatened with gasoline, straps being pulled in the middle of basketball games that have little or nothing to do with the manhunt, the ancient ruins of Detroit, quipy dialogue of the uber-hetero nature… all stuff you want in 2005 when you’re 24 at the time. That being said, a LOT of questionable things pop up too (yes, I know the earlier stuff is super questionable, that’s why we’re talking about it on the podcast) especially with regards to female roles, vigilante justice & dirty cops. Probably the real MVP of this movie though… despite being almost a cameo… is Chiwetel Ejiafor as the bad guy Victor Sweet. This is a Globe-level thespian doing his best over-the-top gangster… and I’m all here for it.
 
Rating – 8/10 – If you like stupid action flicks (with little action) starring a mid-2000’s supergroup of Marky Mark, Tyrese & Andre 3000, check it out!
 
March 5 – Midnight Ride (1990)
 
Okay, a housewife has just left her arrogant & abusive cop husband (Michael Dudikoff) in the middle of the night… and when he finds out, he’s going to set her straight. Well, the joke’s on her as she picks up a hitchhiker (Mark Hamill) who ends up being a psychiatric patient serial killer… and hijinx ensue! I’m not going to lie… this kick started a dive into Mark Hamill’s early 90’s filmography that I had no idea about… and this movie was actually a lot of nutso crazy fun.
 
Rating – 9/10 – I can’t wait to talk about this movie at length on a podcast.
 
March 6 – Time Runner (1993)
 
In this next one, Mark Hamill is an astronaut from 2022 who accidentally goes through a wormhole & back in time 30 years to stop an alien invasion… and gets some help from Rae Dawn Chong… and a newfound ability to see flashes of his future? Look, the movie is nutso crazy from a plot standpoint… and really doesn’t let up at any point… but yeah, enjoyable nutso fun.
 
Rating – 9/10 – How did I not hear about these kinds of movies starring Mark Hamill?
 
March 7 – The Beyond (1981)
 
This is a Lucio Fulci movie (so Italian Giallo horror genre) about a woman inheriting an old Louisiana hotel (brothel?) with a terrible secret… it’s built on a portal to HELL!!! Oh, and hijinx ensue. The movie has a genuinely creepy aura about it… even with some fairly ridiculous characters & situations thrown in… it’s actually very similar to “The Church” which we watched a few weeks ago… but with slightly more body horror gore… but gee, did I enjoy it?
 
Rating – 8/10 – Yup, it was pretty good… may have to check out more of this Fulci
 
March 8 – The Meteor Man (1993)
 
I hadn’t seen this movie since it first came out on VHS 30 years ago… but I remembered liking it as a kid. Starring basically every African-American actor from the 80’s & 90’s it’s about a man who gets hit by a meteor giving him superpowers… and now he’s going to clean up the neighborhood… well, surprisingly reluctantly… in fact, the neighborhood basically pressures him into doing it. Hijinx ensue. I’ve wondered for the longest time why this movie wasn’t more of a thing & readily available on streaming services since it’s a groundbreaking African-American superhero movie (like Spawn, Steel, Abar, etc.) but then… I remembered that Bill Cosby has a cameo (don’t even think he has a line) where he’s a homeless man who also gets a piece of the meteor… with the power of green enabling him to do some seedy things… and kind of is a hero at the end… so yeah, that doesn’t age well though I think he financed a large part of this movie.
 
Rating – 9/10 – A must see for any fan of black superheroes!
 
March 9 – RocketMan (1997)
 
This Disney-produced Harland Williams vehicle is one of my favorites from my teen years. Basically a computer programmer (Williams) stumbles his way into the 3rd (or 4th) seat on a Mars mission with NASA with Captain William Sadler, 2nd in command hot brunette & a chimpanzee. Hijinx ensue. Obviously it’s an absolutely absurd comedy… but damn it, I like it. Watching it this time there are a few moments where I was like “Wait, this was Disney with that joke?” but yeah, definitely recommend.
 
Rating – 9/10 – The “It Wasn’t Me” catchphrase has always wore on me a bit keeping this from a 10

So yeah, that'll do it for now... but I'll be back before you know it!

​Steve