Going to finish Mass Effect tonight no matter what! Actually, I don't have much left: Just one more plot-related planet, and the DLC mission Bring Down the Sky. I think the latter carries over to Mass Effect 2 if you do it, though, so I'll probably get that done before I handle the endgame. But, yeah, I'm looking forward to finally wrapping this up and moving on to the sequel! It's been a fun, though flawed, ride. Also, I need to write a Radiant Historia post some time before I start falling behind on these video game posts ... lord knows I have no excuse, since it takes me so damn long to finish a game these days.
The Toxic Avenger (1984): The most famous movie put out by Troma Entertainment, well known in the horror world for its goofy, intentionally shlocky horror flicks. Actually, The Toxic Avenger is a fair bit darker than expected -- it's over-the-top and goofy, but some of the characters are really sadistic! But it's still fun, though, and the romantic element of the movie made me laugh my ass off. Good times.
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011): A documentary on the comedy tour Conan O'Brien did shortly after being fired from The Tonight Show. It does a solid job of showing the life of a compulsive entertainer, and definitely a different side of Conan than you'd see on his talk shows. It's actually surprising how open he is, because at times he comes off like an asshole, although he's not really different from a lot of comedians in that regard (they do like their ball busting).
House on Haunted Hill (1959): Haunted house stories are one of the few types of stories I cannot take seriously at all. There's just nothing scary about a damn house. But I did enjoy House on Haunted Hill for one particular reason: It is hilariously campy. I laughed my ass off the whole time, and the ending twists put me over the top. The final scene is especially ridiculous. I don't want to give it away, because it is worth seeing cold, but it really is the greatest thing. I wish I'd watched this with a group of people.
3:10 to Yuma (1957): Just as good as the remake! (Or should I say that the remake is just as good as the original?) It's definitely nowhere near as flashy: It's quite subdued, with little music (except for a song that opens and closes the movie) and few shots that call attention to themselves. It's just a straight-up good, tense western. I think Russell Crowe is a better Ben Wade than Glenn Ford -- Crowe is just more menacing. But I think Van Heflin is a better Dan Evans than Christian Bale. Heflin just looks and feels more like an average dude who is down on his luck and is taking on this dangerous job for money and principle.
Sexy Beast (2000): A really good crime movie because all the tension is built out of character rather than the heist. Ray Winstone's character is desperate to stay retired, but Ben Kingsley's gangster is a nutjob and a force of nature who will not be denied. The story is built really well: I like how it toys with the viewer's perception of events later in the movie, but not in a way that feels cheap. It's one of the few times I think that way of structuring the story is done well, because the disorienting effect works perfectly to ram up the tension. Mainly it works because the viewer can become invested in the characters easily. (Although, honestly, I needed subtitles because fuck me if I can understand British gangsters.)
Tom Jones (1963): Pretty funny movie, although the DVD claims of "greatest comedy of all time!" are so overblown, haha. It definitely has a unique style for the time, though: It uses some old Hollywood techniques to tell a ribald story, and there's plenty of amusing fourth wall breaking long before that got overplayed. The ending is a bit simplistic for my tastes, but before then it's plenty of fun if you don't take it at all seriously.
On the queue for this week: The Triplets of Belleville (2003), ...And Justice for All (1979), Good Bye, Lenin! (2003), The Illusionist (2006), Rio Bravo (1959)
Total Movies: 153 (Blazing Saddles, The Descent, Gundam 00 the Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer, Village of the Damned, Children of the Damned, Trigun: Badlands Rumble, The Night of the Hunter, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 1st, Dawn of the Dead, Black Swan, Clue, Scarface, Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned, True Grit, Perfect Blue, The Quick and the Dead, High Sierra, Shutter Island, A Serious Man, Kite, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Broken Blade 3, Kite Liberator, Machete, The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Heathers, The Prince of Tennis: The Two Samurai, The First Game, Notes on a Scandal, The American, King of Thorn), The Expendables, Sword of the Stranger, The Hangover, Welcome to the Space Show, Broken Blade 4, The Social Network, End of Evangelion, Neo Tokyo, Red, Dreamcatcher, Jason X, Wag the Dog, The Naked Gun, Dirty Work, 8mm, The Wicker Man (2006), Blood: The Last Vampire, Winter's Bone, The Road, Heartcatch Precure! Hana no To de Fashion Show ... Desu ka?!, Broadcast News, Bulletproof, Dead Leaves, Dirty Dancing, Hot Tub Time Machine, Eureka Seven: Pocketful of Rainbows, Cloverfield, Best in Show, Play Misty for Me, Paprika, The Cat Returns, Welcome to the Dollhouse, 12 Monkeys, The Killer, Metropolis, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, The Third Man, The King's Speech, Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, The Abyss, The Fighter, Mega Piranha, Dumb and Dumber, The Rebirth of Buddha, 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, The Town, Willow, Akira, Morning Glory, The Verdict, I Love You Phillip Morris, Phantasm II, American Splendor, Broken Blade 5, Tangled, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, The Rock, Wanted, Green Zone, Despicable Me, Waiting for Guffman, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, X-Men: First Class, X-Men, Hereafter, X2, Zatoichi, All About Eve, The Thing, Odin: Photon Space Sailer Starlight, City of God, Das Boot, Some Like it Hot, Downfall, X-Men: The Last Stand, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, Winnie the Pooh, Bullitt, Hard Eight, Memories of Matsuko, Double Indemnity, Freaks, Break Blade 6, Key Largo, The Grand Illusion, The Seven Year Itch, Hermes: Winds of Love, To Catch a Thief, An American in Paris, Ninotchka, Interstella 5555, Hobo with a Shotgun, Dog Day Afternoon, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Steamboy, Little Norse Prince Valiant, Redline, Beat the Devil, Casablanca, The Girl Who Played with Fire, Easy Rider, Little Caesar, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Band of Outsiders, The Three Faces of Eve, Mardock Scramble: The First Compression, Clue, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Cabaret, Spaceballs, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rifftrax), If...., El Topo, Irresponsible Captain Tylor Movie 1+2, Gundress, Barefoot Gen, Santa Sangre, The Toxic Avenger, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, House on Haunted Hill, 3:10 to Yuma, Sexy Beast, Tom Jones)
