All Consuming: drystyx

fun for duke lovers and haters alike

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:34:33 GMT

by George Sherman

I neither love nor hate the duke, but I get a kick out of this flick.
The duke is Big Jake, who has to rescue little Jake from 9 kidnappers led by Richard Boone.
But really it is a bunch of fun scenes and funny lines. The “Daddy” scene is hilarious, and a must see.
Action packed, good natured fun, with lots of stars, including Bruce Cabot, Christopher Mitchum, and John Agar.

Cushing does not drive a stake through Lee's heart

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:51:54 GMT

Island of the Burning Doomed

The two legends, in fact, play second fiddle to the main characters. This is a science fiction drama in which the isolated characters on an island don’t realize they are in danger. It is very credible in that people react very realistically. If the movie were made in later years, the characters would automatically know everything that is going on.
The characters and the story make this a riveting tale enrapt in the science fiction of very formidable aliens.

extremely like the book

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:47:02 GMT

All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics)

by Lewis Milestone

This is one of the first books I ever read, and it was one of those unusual books that you can just stroll through. Excellent writing. The movie was almost perfect to the book, including to the fate of the characters involved, and included the same sole survivoe (whom I won’t spoil the movie by mentioning, although one other does survive as an amputee, and another deserts and is caught, so his survival is questionable.)
It captures the spirit of the novel, and the true feel.
Great book done to the letter = great movie.

great music which doesn't match the vidious lyrics

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:18:09 GMT

Hook/Blues Travellers

This is clearly the Blues Travellers best song, due to the great vocals and music, and yet he uses his best song to downgrade the very people who listen to it. The lyrics don’t match the song one bit. Of course, the Beatles are probably the only group to consistently match lyrics and music perfectly together.
Still, the music and vocals are awesome. He needs someone to write lyrics for him, badly.

The Stranger lives in song

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:28:46 GMT

Bohemian Rhapsody (single)

by Queen

The glorious vocals and great mood swings of this song, which remind one of the way McCartney would change themes, make this a classic.
There is no doubt that Mercury and friends were influenced by Camus in this song, clearly about “The Stranger” from mother’s funeral to murder to execution. The alienation is felt, and the music perfectly matches the lyrics.
Awesome.

Song of the Sirens to Odysseus

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:25:36 GMT

The Cranberries - Linger (single)

by The Cranberries

That is what this song will make you think. O’Riordan’s supreme voice finds the perfect pitch and no hetero sexual male will ever be able to resist this song. I think the lyrics could match the song better. The song sounds as if she feels guilt, but the lyrics suggest guilt on her partner’s part. Still, it is a hallmark classic. If a man tells you he could resist a siren who would sing this song, he is gay.

Grand scale music and lyrics

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:21:47 GMT

Number 9 Dream - John Lennon (song)

by John Lennon

If “Instant Karma” was the ultimate rock song, then Lennon can still be happy over this one being the greatest song of all time. It mixes the right amount of classical sound with high energy rock to produce a dream state so believable that you live it. Each of the Beatles were masters at making words match the music. Very few artists can say this. Very few artists even have videos to match either words or lyrics.
This is a remarkable and beautiful song, a true classic that many have never heard. If they did, they would be mesmerized.

The ultimate rock song

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:18:03 GMT

Instant Karma (single)

by John Lennon

This is everything a rock song is supposed to be: it is about rebellion, challenging authority, peace instead of war; it has a strong, uplifiting, rousing beat, high energy, and great overall sound. Add to that it was performed by one of the four giants from Liverpool, which the greatest rock song of all time should be done by either one or all four.

Audrey always worth going after

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 22:02:49 GMT

Breakfast at Tiffany's

by Blake Edwards

This film, at least in my eyes, gives the point of view of the George Peppard character, who is a writer and gigolo. He becomes enamored by the Audrey Hepburn character, and slowly they begin a relationship which really seems credible. Both characters seem shallow, but aren’t mean or petty. Audrey’s past and true life come in to haunt her. It is a feeling many people fear when they move to some place and want to start a new life.
But it is the cat who makes the movie work. And how the cat is viewed by the characters in the end, which really puts tears in your eyes. Very moving.

revenge is never this clean cut

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 21:57:02 GMT

Sin City

Stories of revenge usually take the side of how revenge never comes across the way you want. When a movie like this tries to impress the viewer with “superior” motives and will power, and the right to personal revenge, what we get is sickness.
It would be nice to be able to handle matters with force, but 100% of the time, the object of revenge is smart enough to be too far removed from your grasp.
Aside from that, this movie gives about every predictable stereotypical scene you can imagine. A few laughs, and that’s it. Just not a good movie on any level.

A story about "The Birth of a Nation"

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:08:55 GMT

The Birth of a Nation

I hated this movie, because I was the younger of two brothers, and all the younger of two brothers get killed. Boooooooo!

Of course the older borthers make jackasses of themselves. Yaaaay!

Now about the controversy. I think content is 95% of what makes a movie great, and the content is not good. The pioneering techniques were important, yes, but it is the story and characters that are important to me, so a big thumbs down.

Hudson's Bane

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:03:09 GMT

Aliens

by James Cameron

This is an action packed thriller, and it reminds us of when we played soldier as kids. Only this time, the soldiers are in “deep s..t”.

Okay, so we throw realism out the window. This is about aliens who bleed acid, and incubate inside humans. This movie is about fun, but also about characters.

In fact, it is the supporting characters that make this film so great. One in particlar, named Hudson, who steals the show with his bravado-oh wait, the bravado is gone, it’s back. Paxton had the best role in this one.

Super fun.

super cheese, super fun

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:57:38 GMT

Attack of Giant Leeches (B&W)

by Bernard L. Kowalski

This is cheese, no doubt about it, but it is perfect cheese, and super fun. It is well crafter, mostly because the acting and characters are so vivid, and credible for the times.
The giant leeches attack people in a Louisiana swamp. The characters are mostly trash that no one cares for. In fact, the three main trash characters share the stage more the the “thinking man” characters. The temptress wife of the obese Cal steals the show. She is super sexy and sultry. The scene in which she is rescued by the hero is the classic cheese poster scene of all time, the muscular man with a gun in one hand and a scantily clad long haired woman in the other.
This is extremely fun, scary, and exciting. This is the movie you’ll secretly love but won’t admit to.

pleasantly surprised at movie so far truest to book

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:49:47 GMT

Troy - Director's Cut [Blu-ray]

by Wolfgang Petersen

I didn’t expect to like this movie, but after watching it, cannot figure out what the naysayers are complaining about. The movie has non stop action mixed with great drama. The perfomrances are stellar, led by legendary Peter O’Toole himself, as Priam. The movie is even truest to the original Iliad. There are som returnings, as this is done with a spot of realism.
The Iliad is foremost the story about the dispute between Agamenmno and Achilles. That is the story. And that is what this movie focuses on. Troy, Ilium, is pretty well agreed upon to be Turkey, and the war was probably about trade routes.
The movie has stunning fights and great acting. Pitt reminds us of a thoughtful but energetic Russell Crowe, and that’s good company.
In fact, the parts rewritten are an improvement upon what we are given previously. No one knows for sure how much of the original poem really is intact. Later versions almost certainly romanticized certain viewpoints. Homer sang for kinds, so basically the poems were brown nosing jobs, as evident from what text we have today. The more powerful a king was, the more Homer brown nosed. He was the first recorded shameless toady.
This movie is a supreme delight, and I was pleasantly surprised at everyone and everything. It looks to be the result of a well oiled machine in which everyone involved can take pride in jobs superbly done.

A story about "Cabaret"

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:34:43 GMT

Cabaret

by Bob Fosse

a great film. Lot of poignant scenes. The one that always sticks with me is the one that I still consider the number one Horror Movie film of all time, the cafe scene with “Tomorrow Belongs To Me”, despite the beautiful music and singing, or because of it, this scene is guaranteed to send chills up anyone’s spine. Forget chainsaws and hockey masks. This is the ultimate terror.

Great picture of how prejudice appears too often

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:25:41 GMT

Gunman's Walk

This is a lost classic Western gem. Van Heflin plays a man much like Anthony Quinn in “Last Train From Gun Hill” He is the “man” in the territory, a cattle baron, but he is very charismatic and friendly, and seems to have changed with the times, or has he?
His grand stories in the saloon, reminiscent of Floyd’s barber show, among the older men, is heard by his two sons. The older one wants to be a grand hero of whom grand stories are told about, too. But he lives in the wrong era. The younger son is dismissed by the father as a weakling.
There is plenty of action, but as we grow to hate the older son, the wisdom of many characters comes through, as they keep reminding us that it is the father who is the culprit, despite his charisma.
This film gives a great look at how prejudice can infest generations, and not truly disappear when it is supposed to.

Stewart vs. Ryan

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:14:59 GMT

The Naked Spur

James Stewart plays the average man turned bounty hunter, after killer Robert Ryan. Each character in the movie is introduced as Stewart comes across them. But the conflict is always between the Stewart character who worked for everything he had, and the charming Ryan character, who was born with it all. For a while we pull for Ryan’s charimatic outlaw, until we see how disturbing he really is.

so relevant today, when Machiavelli is such an idol

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:08:04 GMT

Prince of Foxes

by Henry King

The times of Machiavelli’s famous “Prince” are explored, along with the lead character’s fascination with Machiavellian ideas. Indeed, this is still relevant today. Power plays the man who lives in a world in which a man is supposed to be vicious and evil, and yet seem loving and kind. Orson Welles plays an aristocrat who does just that. Power aspires to be like him, but is he Machiavell’s Prince, or is he the opposite, a man emanating evil, but with a heart of gold. Our first clue comes when he spares the assassin.
Highly recommended.

Great Scott! A great movie!

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:58:15 GMT

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Single Disc Edition)

by Jim Sharman

Not only is this movie loads of fun, and not only does it have great music, but it qualifies on its own merit asa great movie. Don’t pay attention to the naysayers, many of them claiming to be fans. The movie takes absolute stereotypes, including the naive Brad and Janice, and turns themm all into three dimensional characters. The plot is the only unsubstantial element, but this is a musical.
Great movie. And great music.

A story about "National Lampoon's Vacation (Full Screen Edition)"

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:54:00 GMT

National Lampoon's Vacation (Full Screen Edition)

I always get a kick out of this movie. First of all, it is hilarious. My kind of humor. Funny. But also because before I ever saw it, I did the exact same thing. I took a trip with my fiance to St. Louis once, and my map indicated we were going over a bridge, but just like Griswald, I went over the wrong bridge and got lost. Of course I didn’t meet the same couteous people he did. However, I parked in a garage to watch the Cardinals play, and couldn’t find the parking garage later. I walked around the town from dark to dawn, and I do remember about twenty guys standing somewhere, giving me the business. But they were dressed like blue collar workers, and were just having fun, watching me go in circles.

Tale of revenge

nobody@www.allconsuming.net (drystyx) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:37:31 GMT

The Bravados

by Henry King

This is probably the most famous “Revenge” movie ever made, and rightly so. Peck plays a man driven to avenge his wife’s death. He follows four men who escape from a hanging, and what a star studded crew: later film legend Lee Van Cleef; the handsome but vicious Stephen Boyd; the veteran Albert Salmi; and the introverted Henry Silva. They consider atrocity after atrocity, most of it caused by Boyd, and we see it more through the eyes of Silva, who evokes the most sympathy from the viewer. He serves more as an emplyee and guide.
With each act of retribution the audience secretly cheers Peck on, as do the other characters in the movie. Just what the writer and director intended. And then we are caught in the trap of “revenge” and the true message, when Peck comes to a horrid realization at the end.
True classic.