3/2
The Black Rock (Short, 2009, Kevin Epps, Projected DVD, Red Vic) - 4.0
A documentary that’s intended to be about the Black experience at Alcatraz. Epps picks a couple of prisoners and tells their story, and tries to demonstrate how bad they had it, but pretty much ends up showing that everyone there was treated horribly, regardless of race. He also brings up the prison being segregated, which sounds bad at first, but then it comes out that the prisoners actually would have killed each other had this not been done, and anytime they experimented with it, it turned ugly. It was clear this was meant to be a feature, too, but there just wasn’t enough material to fill up more than 45 minutes, even with the director’s unnecessary intro and outro. It’s not a terrible account of the Alcatraz experience in general, it just fails badly at making any kind of point about racism existing there.
Light of Day (1987, Paul Schrader, VHS) - 7.0
Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett are siblings, and they have a rock band together, and are trying to find success, but it’s not working out. It was pretty bland, but I liked it ok.
3/4
Coraline (2009, Henry Selick, RealD, Metreon) - 8.0
A girl moves into a new house, and she is somewhat bored with her life and ignored by her parents, until she discovers an idealized version of said life through a secret door, but this new life is darker and more dangerous than it initially appears. It was really good.
3/6
Dawn of the Dead (Rewatch, 2004, Zack Snyder, DVD) - 9.5
Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames and some other people hide out in a mall to avoid being eaten by zombies. Strong, likable characters, some good assholes you can’t wait to see die, lots of killing, lots of action, and a zombie baby. Really fucking good.
Spice World (Rewatch, 1997, Bob Spiers, 35mm, Clay) - 10.0
The Spice Girls are preparing for their first live show, and they deal with an overbearing manager, a pregnant friend, a nosy documentary crew, the paparazzi trying to destroy their public image, and aliens. That doesn’t even begin to cover it, though, because this movie encompasses everything it is possible for a film to encompass. The girls are charming and adorable and hilarious and fun, and everything about this movie is fucking amazing.
3/9
Friday the 13th (2009, Marcus Nispel, 35mm, Disneyland AMC) - 7.0
This was playing at a movie theater in the mall outside of Disneyland, and even though we were exhausted from an entire day at Disneyland (for Erin's birthday), we couldn’t resist seeing a horror movie there. It was about some teens who are kind of annoying getting killed by Jason. It was pretty good, but never quite clicked with me. The kills are creative and fairly bloody, but seemed to be over too quick, and not in a way that felt blunt and brutal, but in a way that felt unsatisfying. Some of the story didn’t really make sense, either. Like, there’s some girl who Jason keeps chained up and doesn’t bother to kill, and there’s never a reason given for why he does this. I don’t know, I guess that kinda stuff doesn’t really bother me, but there’s basically just something about Nispel’s style that I find kind of mediocre when it should be really good. I felt the same way about his Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake.
3/10
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009, P.J. Hogan, 35mm, mall in Glendale) - 8.0
Isla Fisher is addicted to shopping, even though she’s going broke, and she ends up writing a popular financial advice column that’s basically about not succumbing to a shopping addiction, even though she can’t follow her own advice, and there’s also a love story. The movie itself wasn't anything I could really relate to, since the only thing I know about shopping is that it gives me anxiety, but Isla Fisher is fucking amazing and adorable, and she makes it work. I also really liked her relationship with her parents.
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (Rewatch, 1990, Renny Harlin, VHS) - 9.0
Andrew Dice Clay is a private detective working in the music business, and he’s hired to find a girl. Clay’s stand-up is pretty retarded (which is not to say that I don’t like it, I kinda do), but he’s fucking hilarious in this movie, and every weird noise he makes is totally amazing. And this is actually a surprisingly well put together action-adventure-thriller that’s a lot less campy than expected. It’s also got a koala bear, and one of my favorite lines from any movie. I won’t give it away, but it’s about Clint Eastwood.
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