DJG / Weekend Watcher

-

Monty Python And The Holy Grail * * * * *

The Pythons created one of the finest and freshest screwball comedies ever with their 1970s take on the age old quest of King Arthur and his “ka-nig-its” as they coconut-clopped on a Holy Grail quest. It's a film that will forever be quoted and borrowed from, yet never equaled…and hopefully NEVER remade. The Pythons created pure CINEMADHESIVE that never grows old or tiring to me. I’m positive I quote it almost daily as it was part of my formative speech and head training in middle-school.

-
Hell Boy II: The Golden Army * * * *

The first Hell Boy surprised and wowed me with it's in-depth "Big Red" and movie monsters. This second installment is even better as the visuals are like the most luscious and drippy ripe fruit ‘n’ candy stand in the world. It’s like Willy Wonka’s factory came to life or something. The creatures are some of the most creative and “touchable” I have seen in a long time. It’s a HECK of a good time at the movies. Director Guillermo del Toro officially looks to be the right candidate to take over the "Lord of the Rings" franchise, as he is making two more films for producer Peter Jackson.

-

Persepolis * * * * *

With great animation and art direction an incredibly compelling story of tragedy is told. PERSEPOLIS centers a girl growing up and escaping the harsh realities of IRAN and how it shaped her future. Based on the excellent graphic novel(s), this story beautifully comes to life on screen. I wouldn't recommend it for the youngsters, but wait until they are old enough to understand.

-

Alice * * * * *

ALICE is a visual dream feast of stop-animated taxidermy mishaps and a little girl who follows them out of curiosity and wonder through a claustrophobic rusty nail maze. It's my favorite take on the classic tale of "Alice in Wonderland" and with a Czech-mate-master twist (See my full review in an earlier blog entry).

-

WALL-E * * * * 1/2

The first half of WALL-E is GENIUS to me and spoke spoonfuls in my heart and I sobbed so much. But, the second half lost something within me and hit a WALL. I plan to buy the DVD anyway and make my DJG-CUT after the first hour (See my full review in an earlier blog entry).

-

Blackula * *

This movie goes without explanation…just barely think about it and you'll get the picture.

-djg