It is that time again...

The year is growing old and 2023 is ending. Most of us have lots to do and no matter how much time we think we have, it's never enough. 

All this can add up to a lot of stress, so I figured I'd give you something relaxing and fun to watch.

 

Very British Problems, Christmas edition is a collage of sorts starring some top names in British comedy sharing their Christmas traditions and tribulations. So, enjoy and I'll see you guys on the first day of 2024!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and all that!

 

 

Southbound

Today we're talking about:

Southbound (2015).

Southbound is a horror anthology movie in five parts. I am forced to spoil it a little, but most spoilers are easily spotted and somewhat obvious.

Part 1 – The Way Out.

Two men, Mitch and Jack, are driving down the desert road, harrowed and bloody. Mitch sees these weird skeletal angels that have no lower bodies hovering in the desert. They stop at gas station to get cleaned up, but things take a startling turn which leads into:

Part 2 – Siren.

An all girl jazz band, The White Tights, are staying the night in the motel next to the above mentioned gas station. They are on the way to a gig, but their van breaks down. The girls are young, wild and honestly kind of stupid. “Why is it so hot?” one asks... in the desert. A creepy couple offers to put them up and help with the van, so they go with them. The couple dress and live as if it was the 60's and very soon things get pretty damn creepy. One girl, Sadie, runs away into:

Part 3 – The Accident.

Lucas is driving on the same road late at night while on the phone with his wife and accidentally hits Sadie. She's badly hurt and they are in the middle of nowhere. Lucas calls 911 but doesn't know where they are, so they can't send an ambulance. He is instructed to bring Sadie along to the nearest town. A town that happens to be abandoned. All the lights are on, but no one is there. He finds an equally abandoned clinic and fights to save her life. Ultimately he leaves and we run right into:

Part 4 – Jailbreak.

A scruffy old man, Danny, bursts into the local bar with a shotgun searching for his sister Jesse. The bartender takes him to where she is and he drags her with him despite her protests. Blood is shed as they get stuck in the desert, where she tells him they aren't allowed to be. Truths are told and Jesse drives back to town where she sees a pretty blonde girl, Jem, and we go to:

Part 5 – The Way In.

A married couple and their daughter Jem are celebrating that Jem is going to college. They go to their holiday home when they find masked and armed men outside. They call the police but soon the men break in and all hell breaks loose.

All in all, Southbound is a really cool little horror movie. It has an indie feel and dares to try some new things which delights an old horror hound like me. The actors are all good and the music is top notch. Southbound managed to surprise me once or twice even though a lot of obvious things and tropes happen as well. Accident is my favorite segment and it's genuinely one of the most stressful things I've seen on film. The movie is pretty gory at times, but that is to be expected in horror I suppose. There is a real sense of purgatory in this desert setting, and it seems like everything happens in one night. What I also appreciate is that the movie doesn't explain things. No exposition, no nothing. Just a strange and bloody ride that's Southbound.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, without a doubt. If you're not a horror fan, avoid it, but I assume you would anyway. I was really impressed with this movie about redemption and getting what you deserve.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

Nighthawks

This week, I watched:

Nighthawks (1981).

Not to be confused with Nighthawks (1978) which is a movie about a gay man living a double life, or the famous painting by Edward Hopper, this action thriller stars Sylvester Stallone, Billy Dee Williams and Rutger Hauer.

We meet Deke DaSilva (Stallone) and Matthew Fox (Williams), two highly effective NYPD sergeants who work on the decoy squad. In other words, they pretend to be vulnerable targets to tempt muggers and then drop the hammer on said muggers. They're tough badasses who always get the job done.

Then we have Wulfgar (Hauer), a freelance terrorist whose brutal savagery has him on the outs with the major terror groups. He goes to New York to prove himself so that the terrorists will beg for his services. DaSilva and Fox are assigned to the new ATAC squad and given anti-terrorist training so inevitably the two sides are going to clash violently.

Nighthawks is an interesting movie. It balances the action with the thriller elements quite well, with neither dominating the film. It's not too long and doesn't overstay its welcome. The actors are all good, the scenery and the cinematography are excellent, so I don't have anything to complain about at all, but there is something missing, and I don't know what that is.

Stallone was still riding high on Rocky when he made Nighthawks, and according to himself he was an insufferable know it all. He did make one cut of the movie and the studio likewise did one as well, so some stuff was lost on the cutting room floor. I really can't say what it is that I'm missing, but whatever it is, it's what's holding this movie from being great.

The contrast between Stallone and Hauer is great. Stallone's dark intense gaze is perfectly matched by Hauer's ice blue eyes. DaSilva is driven but has his limits, while Wulfgar has no limits but is equally motivated. Williams is a great partner to Stallone, staying with him beat for beat without being overshadowed.

This is the first (but far from last) movie where Stallone plays a cop and he did all his own stunts, including climbing down from a hovering helicopter and being winched up to a cable car. All this despite being horribly afraid of heights.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes I do. Nighthawks is good, no doubt about it. Good but not great. Solid but missing an edge, something that makes you want to watch it again and again. That said, I do urge you to watch it. For being a Stallone action movie, Nighthawks is almost subdued, but in a good way. It's nothing like the action movie's he'd go on to make. It has a very realistic feel, with the grimy, dark New York streets and the high quality acting.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!

 

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I decided to knock a classic off the list, so I watched;

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

This movie, based on a play by the same name, stars Elizabeth Taylor as Martha who is married to George, played by Richard Burton. They receive two guests, Nick and Honey, played by George Segal and Sandy Dennis. There's also a roadhouse waitress and a manager played by Agnes and Frank Flanagan, and that is the entire cast. That's it, six people and two are barely in the movie.

I've been trying to figure out how to explain this movie without spoiling it. Essentially, the older couple George and Martha are both alcoholics, and they receive Nick and Honey as guests. What follows is two hours of drinking, screaming, crying and the most vicious, sadistic emotional attacks I've ever seen in a movie. It is at times horrific to watch, but you kind of can't look away. If it wasn't for the amazing acting talent on display, this would have been a real flop, but it is in fact brilliant.

George Segal and Sandy Dennis both do a really good job, but they are up against Taylor and Burton at the height of their craft, and it's no shame to be overshadowed by such talent.

This is the first movie by director Mike Nichols, who had previously worked in theater, and according to many of the crew, he worked incredibly hard and it shows. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? isn't a cinematographic masterpiece, but it is incredibly solid as a movie. It is also shot in black and white, but unlike say Psycho (1960) which was shot in black and white for economic reasons, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is shot this way for technical reasons. Both Taylor and Burton wore heavy makeup to age them, and this makeup didn't look good in color. Nichols also decided that Burton looked more brooding and sinister in monochrome, and he wasn't wrong.

The story is simple in its complexity. There are layers within layers and you are never really sure what is real and what is a cruel lie designed to cause or hide pain. Just when you think you have it figured out, the movie runs off in another direction, leaving you to follow along as best you can. If any element had failed, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? would have gone down like a lead balloon, but all the pieces matter and fit perfectly.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, I really do. Unless the subject matter is too heavy for you, you should take the time to watch it. It is a hard watch, but it is also at times strangely beautiful, and seeing great actors pull out all the stops and really go for it is a treat.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!