#149- Back to the Future

Quick recap: Marty McFly accidentally travels 30 years into the past where he must help his parents meet before he and his siblings are erased forever.

Don’t start getting ideas, Michael Bay

Fun (?) fact: Thomas F. Wilson, who played Biff, improvised the ‘butthead’ line as well as the ‘make like a tree and get out of here’ line. He also gives out FAQ cards to fans when they ask him about the movie.

What not to do when time traveling

My thoughts: Unlike Jaws, I do have memories of seeing this movie at some point in my adolescence. It wasn’t a favorite then, although I remember being entertained by it. In the years since, not much has changed. Back to the Future is one of those movies I would watch anytime it was on tv or if someone put it on, but it isn’t something I would seek out on my own.

If I had to put my finger on the best part of the movie, I’d go with Michael J. Fox’s performance. Casting did a perfect job choosing him as the lead character. On the surface, he’s a normal teenager with the typical problems of school, having a girlfriend and being embarrassed by his parents. On another level though, he is a very thoughtful kid, befriending an eccentric scientist and then doing everything he can to help him. Getting his parents together was selfish, I suppose, but he really took to heart who his parents were and who they eventually turned into. It’s these layers that made me appreciate the movie so much more than when I originally watched it.

But mostly, Back to the Future is about time travel. The action scenes were good, although the science a little fuzzy. I like that the answer to why this was possible at all was the ‘flux capacitor’ as if that’s all you really need to know. The only issue I have is how easily McFly was able to change events into the future. he mentioned being mayor to Goldie one time, and he latched on to the idea. He played guitar at the end of the movie, where Chuck Berry’s cousin just happened to be, thus creating rock and roll. At least it all turned out for the better, in the end.

Final review: 4/5. Very enjoyable and also a movie that perfectly captures the 80’s. Oh, does it ever.

Up next: The Player

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#140- Tongues Untied

Quick recap: A quasi-documentary about the lives and experiences of black gay men, as told through spoken word and personal stories.

also a helpful tutorial for snapping properly like a diva!

Fun (?) fact: Tongues Untied originally ran on PBS, and was therefore partially funded by the government. As expected, this did not go over very well for conservatives, who called this ‘pornographic art’, which I think sounds kind of nice.

My thoughts: I think this movie, above all others really took me out of my element and made me see a subset of America I had not thought deeply about before: the black gay male. Seeing as I am neither black, nor gay, nor male, I wasn’t too sure how I would react to the documentary, but it ended up being the perfect example of why we watch movies: to experience something new as well as gain empathy for others.

Tongues Untied is a documentary in the sense that it is true experiences of the men involved, but there are no interviews or narration. Instead, most of the words are poems from Marlon Riggs, the director of the film who also appears on screen detailing his experience growing up gay and black. The rhythm of the movie was a little hard to get into at first, mostly because I’m not too familiar with poetry. I warmed up very fast to the concept once I stopped focusing on the words and instead focused on the people and emotions being showcased.

I’m no expert in late 80’s black gay culture, but Riggs seemed to show a full spectrum of men: drag queens, old guys, young guys, muscular guys, ‘sissies’ (a great discussion of this word occurs during a scene when a bunch of men are eating and talking about what they have been called). I loved that Riggs didn’t focus on the names of the men in the documentary because it made it feel like this could be anyone in the role, detailing their situations. The anonymity ended up making the movie feel more personal to me, as if I would recognize someone I knew at any moment.

The most powerful point of the film comes at the end, as the faces of young gay black men who have died of AIDS appear on screen. The theme of silence pops up throughout the poems in Tongues Untied, and refers to the silence men go through in hiding a part of their identity. Reading the obituaries in the film made me aware of how many men were forever silenced by the disease. 4 years after completing this film, Marlon Riggs himself succumbed to the AIDS virus.

Final review: 5/5. Never in a million years would I have watched this on my own, but I am so glad I did.

Up next: Close-Up

#137- Manhunter

Quick recap: Will Graham, former FBI profiler, is talked into helping solving a particularly gruesome serial killer case. Watch closely and you may see our good friend Hannibal Lecter pop in to lend a hand!

Lector reminds me more of a grown up Eddie Munster than terrifying serial killer

Fun (?) trivia: The scene where Graham visits Lecter was actually filmed at an art museum in Atlanta. Also noted that ‘Lecter’ is spelled ‘Lecktor’ in the film.

Random vet creepily puts his hand on McClane’s back as she lays on a sedated tiger, while Dollarhyde stands in the corner and watches. Weird.

My thoughts: Oh, boy. I’m going to try my best not to compare this movie to Silence of the Lambs because you just can’t. It’s superior, Anthony Hopkins is superior and so it wouldn’t be fair to this movie. I’m also not going to compare Manhunter to its remake Red Dragon, which was released in 2002. Why? Because this movie is a hot mess all on its own without needing any further comparisons.

If I had to put my finger on Manhunter’s biggest problem, it would be that it is an 80’s movie. How 80’s you ask?

Yeah. Director Michael Mann is also known for a little show called Miami Vice so that explains the color choices. I really can’t fault anyone for that because it was the style at the time. What I can fault the movie for, however, is the music. Oh my god, the music. Someone on that crew figured out what a synthesizer was and just went NUTS on the soundtrack. It’s pretty awful. The worst scene is when Dollarhyde the serial killer, watches the girl he likes get back from a date with another man. As he sits in the car, his heart about to break, the most 80’s sounding song comes on and it completely ruins the moment. Totally inappropriate, just like the decision to use Prince on the Batman soundtrack.

Concerning the plot, I was surprised with how gritty Manhunter was. I remember reading the book a long time ago and really enjoyed it. The scenes where Graham imagines the dead women with mirrors in their eyes was creepy. I wouldn’t go so far to call it horror but it was unsettling, at least. The acting was pretty good, although Graham’s habit of always talking to himself was a little weird. I get the point that he was trying to understand the killer’s point of view but those scenes just seemed silly.

Wheeeeeeee!

Final review: 2/5.

Up Next: Nothing for a month. For some stupid reason, I’ve decided to try NaNoWriMo this year where I will be writing a novel in 30 days. See you guys in December!

#136- The Evil Dead

Quick recap: A group of friends stay in a cabin for a weekend and have a lovely time. They learn about themselves, each other and most of all the evil demons that surround and inhabit them. Literally.

I appreciate a title that just cuts to the chase!

Fun (?) fact: During filming, Bruce Campbell had several of his teeth knocked out as well as suffered a twisted ankle. Things of that nature are bound to happen when you make a film with your best friend as director and have next to no money in your budget.

evil Homer, evil dead…shut up and let me enjoy this gif. It’s mesmerizing.

My thoughts: Hey, Bruce Campbell is in this movie! If I had to choose one takeaway from Evil Dead, it would be that. He starred in another low budget film, Bubba Ho-Tep, and at one point visited my college town. My husband interviewed him for the paper since he always had a thing for him or something. I,however,knew nothing of him and didn’t understand the hype. Now I get it! Well, not really because this is the only movie I’ve seen of his but I at least have a point of reference in case he ever comes up in conversation. It’s the little things, you know.

how is Ash still alive?? HOW?

Evil Dead is not the sort of movie I would seek out normally. Gross out, buckets of blood kind of horror isn’t my thing mostly because too much of it desensitizes me to the scary parts and I just become bored. This movie was different because I already knew the insane amounts of blood and gore beforehand so I couldn’t be disappointed later on. Plus, the title Evil Dead just screams B-movie horror film, which are usually full of that sort of thing. What surprised me was that there were some legitimately scary scenes mixed in with all of the gross stuff. The first time one of the girls is possessed was creepy, really creepy. In fact, all of the demons freaked me out, I think because of the voices changing. They stopped being so scary once the blood starting pouring but it was still impressive for quite awhile.

One thing that dawned on me while watching the movie was how insignificant the characters were to the ‘monster’. I’ve never really thought about it but that’s true for most horror films. The 5 friends in this particular movie have little to no personality which made it easier to watch them be mutilated in various ways. The beginning of Evil Dead was SO SLOW that by the time the horror started, I was ready. Bruce Campbell’s character Ash survived longer than anyone but I cheered him on much like I would watching a random marathon on tv.

Final review: 4/5. Scary in some parts and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Up next: I’m nearing the end of Horrorfest, but I still have a few left!

1001 Movie Nights

Tag Archives: 1980’s

#149- Back to the Future

#140- Tongues Untied

#137- Manhunter

#136- The Evil Dead

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