The Friday Night Rave

Put up or shut up...

Ok, let's talk film. Welcome to the rave. I have now obtained a real full time job, so my posts will be posted late. I am trying to get into a habit to post the night before, but I like my Hollywood news fresh, so we will See how that works. Well, let's shut the brain off and let's just write for the sake of writing! I got my first comment yesterday! I was pretty excited. Fridays would be the day I respond to comments so let's do that for my first one. Anonymous said that he or she likes the National Lampoon direct to video series. First off, thank you for your comment. It was well written and articulate. This user, I hope you mind I call you USER. You didn't leave a name. But this USER says that they don't mind the Direct to Video market already working (on a small scale) and the new market Paramount is establishing with Paramount Famous. This is from yesterdays blog, "Paramount's Panhandling.

Well yesterday I was sticking to the facts and I didn't share my emotion on the actual films themselves. I have never seen them so I can't be critical on the films themselves. I did actually buy American Pie Presents Band Camp. Yes I did. It was trite, but good for parties. Now I am not gonna bag on the films themselves. Just because it is not totally my humor. It obvoiusy doesn't mean it sucks. That's why I don't do reviews, cause every one's taste is different. I mean I think my taste is correct, but unless you're dating me, you don't have to worry about me shoving that into your brain.

Was I was getting to is that Paramount Famous was created to fill in for Paramount Vantage. Vantage was doing small artsy films, like No Country for Old Men, Babel. And now since they went into production and marketing overload, they had to lay off a bunch of people. So now they still have the "make for less money and get decent return" void to fill. So they filled it with direct to video comedies and stopped artsy films. That irked me. I hope I made that clear. If anyone still disagrees with my thoughts please sound off. I have a very dominant type personality, but that doesn't mean I am never wrong, it just means I am always right! Anyway I am glad I inspired good dialogue.

Let's continue with the brainless rave. I saw a few films on DVD this week. I have Netflix and Blockbuster. I saw Apocalypse Now twice this week. That's just how I roll. If you're gonna aspire to or you are a director, please watch that film. It is a masterpiece of direction. You wonder what happened to Coppola when you watch this film. It is soo amazing. I was blown away to see a amazing performance by a 14 year old Larry Fishbourne. So classic. His face was still the same.

Oh yeah, huge point here. I saw Street Kings with Keanu. WOAH! I know. And aside from him trying to still get this acting thing down. I mean he has come a very long way. I like him. But two things about this film. It's a corrupt police drama that is just ok. In the corrupt police drama, there have been masters of the genre. It's like when I was talking about 21 a couple weeks ago. If you're gonna do a genre film, like a mob film, a Vegas scam film, or a corrupt police film. You have to re-set the bar or get out of the game.

Street Kings was not bad. It just was not like it's masters, LA Confidential and The Departed. My God! Those films were so wonderful and amazing and saucy and juicy. I mean what a moment when Guy Pierce and a then unknown Russel Crowe team up after the 2 hour mark in LA Confidential to play the good cop/bad cop. How amazing and shocking was it when DiCaprio was gunned down without warning in The Departed! These were masterful moments in film. In Street Kings, there is no risk. There is no passion like the masterpieces of the genre. The film was not bad, it was just nothing compared to what we have seen in the genre. Why do you think there have been no mob films?

AND the dialogue keeps saying the Keanu is a Bruce Willis type. It is hilarious. Anyway I will stop there. Rent it. Have a good weekend! Until Monday Let's talk film!