Double Bill: L.A. Blue

Heat and Collateral 

Master Woody

Though we haven't seen fit to publish a list like Andrew Sarris, Cinema Nerds definitely has a pantheon of directors who we think are absolutely the bee's knees. One such auteur is Woody Allen.

Needless to say, we here at Nerd HQ are over the moon about the fact that later this month Woody will be the subject of a 3+ hour American Masters documentary on PBS!

Watch Woody Allen: A Documentary on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Part 1 will air November 20th and Part 2 on the 21st, both at 9pm. Not to be missed!

Behind the Burly Q (2010)

Behind the Burly Q is an interesting documentary about the "good ol' days" of classic burlesque. The documentary features lots of veteran strippers (including Tempest Storm!) sharing stories about their introduction to burlesque, their personal lives, and crazy goings-on backstage! Also interviewed is Alan Alda, whose father was a comedian in burlesque, and Lou Costello's daughter Chris (who shares about Abbott and Costello's beginnings in burlesque). They talk about the theatres, the patrons, the scandals, the novelty acts, the big name stars, and the tragedies.

But can we talk about the girls? Oh my god. They're all absolutely gorgeous. The documentary contains lots and lots of beautiful photos of the girls and videos of some of their performances. Some of them reminisce about how beautiful they were...there's even video footage of legendary burlesque icon Lili St. Cyr talking about her fear of losing her looks and growing old.

This film is streamable on Netflix, so if you're a fan of pasties and feathers and tassels and all that good stuff, I suggest you give it a watch!

V For Vendetta (2006)

A young woman (Natalie Portman) finds herself allied with a terrorist known only as V (Hugo Weaving) who is attempting to bring down a brutal totalitarian government.

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Not since Fight Club had a film this venomous come out of a major Hollywood studio. From the outside it looks like any other summer action film, but underneath beats a politically subversive heart. When "Street Fighting Man" kicks in over the end credits, there is not a shadow of a doubt: This film is was meant as a call to arms! Yet here we are five years later and not much is different.

Art cannot change the world. Listen to "Imagine" as much as you want. The only way to really change things is for YOU to get out there and DO SOMETHING!

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is a popular wedding singer who's about to get married to his own lucky lady...until that lady leaves him standing at the altar ("Hey, Linda! You're a bitch!"). Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore) is a waitress who befriends the wedding singer, and she's engaged to The Biggest Jerk Ever. I'd imagine that you could figure out the rest. ;)

I love this movie, it's so 80s and cute and fun. I'm sure I'll get rocks thrown at me for saying this, but as fun as Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore are, they're kinda crazy. The Wedding Singer is easily my favorite Adam Sandler movie. He gets to be funny, but he also gets to be sweet, and he and Drew Barrymore have great chemistry together (not so evident in 50 First Dates, sigh). This film also has some memorable supporting characters...Alexis Arquette as a Boy George wannabe (sobbing big fat mascara tears, haha), Steve Buscemi as the drunk best man as one of the weddings, and Ellen Albertini Dow as an adorable old lady who pays Robbie for singing lessons with meatballs.

The Wedding Singer is a date night sort of movie, so if you're in the mood for that, I recommend giving it a watch. See Adam Sandler team up with Billy Idol on a plane! See Sandler sing a bitter and hilarious song about his ex! See Sandler threaten to strangle someone with a microphone cord! And don't take this movie too seriously, it's meant to be fun!

A Trip To The Moon (1902)

A group of astronomers decide to take a trip to the moon. Once there they encounter angry creatures called Selenites who attack them. The astronomers must fend off the attack and find their ship if they ever hope to make it back to earth.

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OK guys. Here's your chance to get ahead of the curve. At the end of this month, Martin Scorsese is releasing his new film Hugo. Since a good portion of the plot centers around pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès, now would be the perfect time to familiarize yourself with his work so that you can better appreciate Marty's movie. You can be the cool guy who explains all the references to your friends. We all know that people LOVE that guy.

All kidding aside, I'm really excited for Hugo. Of course I'd be excited for any Scorsese film, but this film in particular. This film has the potential to expose a wide audience to the revolutionary work these early filmmakers were doing. Sure the story is disposable and the shots linger for far too long, but the artistry on display is astonishing. It makes total sense that Méliès was originally a magician, because what he was able to do with such primitive tools, is truly magical.

Part of me thinks Perhaps modern audiences are too cynical to really appreciate this magic, but I think kids are still pure enough to get it. My sincere hope is that Scorsese's film will inspire a whole generation of youngsters to pick up the family video camera (or heck even an iPhone) and start telling stories with images. Something to dream about...

In the meantime, please turn off the "irony" part of your brain and just let the magic take you away! I swear it's only 12 minutes and then you can go back to listening to whatever band I'm not cool enough to know about.

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

I know Halloween has come and gone, and I should write something other than a horror film review, but Cinema Nerds actually got a request! Woo! And the request was for none other than one of my favorite horror films, Rosemary's Baby.

Rosemary (Mia Farrow) and Guy Woodhouse (John Cassavetes) are a young couple moving into an old fixer-upper apartment. Guy is a struggling actor and Rosemary desperately wants a baby. They reluctantly befriend the eccentric older couple next door, Minnie and Roman Castevet (Ruth Gordon and Sidney Blackmer). They agree to start trying to conceive, and Rosemary becomes pregnant after a night she doesn't remember, except that she had disturbing nightmares. What should be a happy time in a young woman's life becomes a horrifying experience full of paranoia and terror, and it becomes clear to Rosemary that there is something very wrong about this pregnancy.

This movie FREAKS me out. The idea that almost everyone you know could be involved in a plot against you is truly chilling. The film has so many unforgettable images...a very pregnant Rosemary walking into oncoming traffic, Rosemary's gaunt, almost skeletal face, Minnie Castevet's face through the peephole, Rosemary using Scrabble tiles to figure out the secret behind the book on witchcraft left to her by a friend, Guy Woodhouse pulling away when Rosemary has her feel the baby kicking. Rosemary's Baby proves that sometimes even the quietest moments can be incredibly scary.

Add this one to your to-see list, and don't drink anything with tannis root in it! And don't talk to your neighbors! And...start giving your spouse lie-detector tests! And...and...and...DON'T GET PREGNANT EVER!

The Shining (1980)

Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is a writer battling alcoholism and some serious anger management  issues. All of this comes to a boil over one long, cold winter locked in a giant hotel with his family.

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Screenwriting teachers HATE Stanley Kubrick. He broke every rule in the book. He even refused to write his scripts in the traditional screenplay format. Some might consider this rebellion for rebellion's sake, but I feel otherwise. Standard screenplay format is perfect for telling a standard narrative story, but Stanley Kubrick didn't tell those kind of stories. In fact he didn't really tell stories at all.

Kubrick's films are structured like a brick wall, one block stacked upon another. According to sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss, he referred to these blocks as "Non-Submersible Units". Each has the ability to stand alone, but when placed together they generate a cumulative effect. Though you might not know what is going on in every minute of 2001: A Space Odyssey, you can't help leaving that film without a sense of awe. In Full Metal Jacket everything is building towards a feeling of despair. With The Shining, Kubrick was building towards sheer terror. And I'll be damned if it didn't work like gang-busters!

Double Bill: L.A. Noir

Chinatown and L.A. Confidential

Hocus Pocus (1993)

This film is a Halloween MUST for me! I watch it every year. It's silly, it's quotable, and it's really really fun.

Winnie (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah Sanderson (Sarah Jessica Parker) are three witch sisters who were hung for their evil ways 300 years ago. Thanks to a very handy spell, they're back to wreak havoc on a new generation. Max Dennison and his little sister Dani are new to Salem (yes, THAT Salem) and with their new friend Allison, both accidentally bring back and set out to destroy the three witches.

This movie has it all! Witchcraft! Trick or treating! A zombie! A talking cat! While some of the acting is pretty laughable (I'm looking at you, Max!), the three leading ladies are really funny and appeared to have a lot of fun playing their parts. Bette Midler even has a shining moment as she gleefully sings "I Put a Spell on You" to cast a spell on all the parents in town. A young Thora Birch plays the little sister Dani, and she's very cute and embarrasses her brother Max for the entire movie (even to the point of telling her brother's crush that he likes her "yabos"!).

So if you want to watch something lighthearted while you carve your pumpkin this Halloween, I suggest giving Hocus Pocus a watch. Just don't go lighting any black flame candles!