#274- Enter the Dragon

Quick recap: Bruce Lee schools everyone with his sick moves.

Word.

Fun (?) fact: Bruce Lee struck Jackie Chan in the face with fighting sticks and to make it up to him, promised that he could work on all of his movies. Lee died before being able to fulfill that promise.

The only move I know

My thoughts: Fighting movies aren’t really my thing, especially after watching Once Upon a Time in China. I knew Enter the Dragon wouldn’t be as complicated, but I was still weary that the fighting and general ass kicking would get old after awhile. Fortunately, it did not. I think what sucked me in from the beginning was Bruce Lee. I was expecting a kung fu machine, but he was really funny at times and his acting was much more expressive than I thought it would be. Jim Kelly, who played Williams was a delight and I have half a mind to find all of his later films and watch them because he was so wonderful.

As I mentioned, Enter the Dragon is about as straightforward as it gets. Bruce Lee, who played Lee, is on a mission to take down Han, who is involved in everything from heroin smuggling to prostitute murders. The bad guy is a super bad guy, which is nice to just have someone who is evil and doesn’t have baggage as to why he is evil. Robert Wall plays Oharra, another bad guy with shockingly beautiful hair. Every time he was onscreen fighting, he looked like he had just finished a rehearsal set with the Bee Gees, which is actually a really great idea for a movie.

You won’t be Stayin’ Alive when I’m through with you

The only part of the movie that I didn’t love was the ending, when Bruce Lee went into full force ass-kicking mode. I loved the mirror scene, but shot after shot of beating up bad guys just didn’t do much for me. I appreciate how amazing Lee was and even though the effects might be 100% real, they take someone with an impressive amount of skills as well as restraint to pull them off. I can’t imagine anyone else in that role besides Bruce Lee.

Final review: 4/5

Up next: No Country for Old Men

#265-MASH

Quick recap: Hijinks at a hospital during the Korean War? YOU BETCHA!

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Fun (?) fact: Robert Altman’s 14 year old son wrote the lyrics to the opening theme song.

My thoughts: Four movies in, and I think I can finally say with confidence that I don’t really care for Robert Altman. I loved The Long Goodbye, but that was largely because of Elliot Gould,and I just didn’t get the appeal of Nashville or The Player. And now there is MASH to add to the list,which just might be my least favorite of all of his films thus far.

I have this image in my head of Donald Sutherland (Hawkeye) and Elliot Gould (Trapper John) standing behind me as I type this review, yelling things to me like, ‘buzzkill!’, ‘where’s your sense of humor?’ and ‘why are we here? What happened?’. Their imagined disappointment in me comes from the fact that I just didn’t think this movie was funny. Most of the jokes were about how hot the nurses were and how they wanted to have sex with the nurses, which, if you’re not an Animaniac, it’s just creepy to watch.

HelloNurseyakkowakko

I can’t speak for the show, having never watched it ( I KNOW), but I was hoping for something along the same lines of being funny but also touching and dark at times. This movie was none of that. There was that one scene where Hawkeye and Trapper John saved a baby but they acted like such jackasses towards everyone that it ruined the moment.

Final review: 2/5

Up next: Full Metal Jacket

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#261- Pink Flamingos

Quick recap: Divine is in a battle against Raymond and Connie Marble to keep her title of ‘Filthiest Person Alive’.

one of the few shots I’m willing to post on here.

Fun (?) fact: I’m never eating eggs again!

Let’s instead remember much happier times

My thoughts: The hell?

Okay, but really, WHAT did I just watch? Unspeakable acts with chickens, abundant nudity, and eating real dog poop, apparently. I’m stuck in a conflict between being absolutely shocked at what I sat through but also knowing that was John Water’s point so he’s getting the result he was going for by me freaking out. On the other hand, SHE ATE REAL DOG POOP. I try to be as open minded as I can, but this was just too much. Do you know how much I used to love eggs?? Sunny side up, scrambled, hard-boiled, it didn’t matter. After Pink Flamingos, I can never look at one again without gagging.

I feel obligated to at least point out that in the most messed up way possible, this movie has heart. I can’t believe I’m saying this after all that I saw, but it was (almost) heartwarming to see all the friends and family who supported Divine and were willing to do anything for her, even if it meant committing murder. There were some legitimately funny things in this movie because that’s how shock entertainment goes and I especially loved John Waters as the narrator. There was a fun, campy aspect to the whole thing and it looked as if everyone genuinely enjoyed their time making the movie. So, there’s that.

You and me, both, couch.

Final review: 2/5. Should you watch Pink Flamingos? Sure! Knock yourself out and then throw out all of your eggs just like I have done.

Up next: Touch of Evil

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#254- The Jerk

Quick recap: A poor black child (played by Steve Martin) grows up to find fame and fortune, only to have it cruelly taken away.

the-jerk-dance-o

Fun (?) fact: The cat juggler (who looks awfully similar to Martin) is credited as being played by ‘Pig Eye Jackson’).

Good ol’ Pig Eye

My thoughts: I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one: The Jerk was ridiculously funny and absurd and I’m kicking myself for not watching it sooner.

Some favorite scenes and/or quotes:

He hates these cans!

Shithead really put up with a lot

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Final review: 5/5. Should be a staple of anyone’s movie collection

Up next: Gold Diggers of 1933

1001 Movie Nights

Tag Archives: 1970’s

#274- Enter the Dragon

#265-MASH

#261- Pink Flamingos

#254- The Jerk

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