Movie Scum

For some reason, this was a hard movie to watch. Not hard to watch as in terribly graphic or poorly made, but I watched the film over six days, each time falling asleep no matter if it was in the middle of the afternoon or 3 in the morning. This is not however an overall indication of the quality of the film, more an example of how I really like sleeping I suppose. Released to theaters this past summer to critical praise, District 9 follows the existing and new denizens of Johannesburg, South Africa after an inoperable alien craft comes to rest over the city. Having no way to return home, over a million alien creatures, dubbed prawns by the locals, are rounded up in a fenced in series of shacks and tents. Twenty years later, crime has risen in the slum, the prawns are acting out against the humans, and the locals are demanding the alien residents be moved to another location. Enter Wikus Van De Merwe, middle management worker bee for MNU, a global weapons company that has been contr

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I will just come right out and say that Inglourious Basterds is a great film. You may want to watch it twice at least, to appreciate all of it. I had to do that with Jackie Brown as well, another Quentin Tarantino film. I found this movie MUCH more enjoyable than Death Proof , which made me want to eat a grenade during some of the slower parts. I get it Quentin, you love movies. And yes, it was an expert replica of the Grindhouse genre. So much so that I did not care for it. I will preface the synopsis of Basterds by telling you that this is not a complete factual account of events during World War II. The basic plot is simple: folks want to kill Hitler. There is a group called the Basterds. This is a group led by Lt. Aldo Raine ( Brad Pitt ). Raine has charged his men with the task of collecting 100 Nazi scalps a piece (there are 9 of them total, counting Raine). In this group is "The Bear Jew," ( Eli Roth ) who is particularly brutal. In addition to the Basterds, ther

Yes, just like that annoying significant other who always reminded you of the stupid milestones you always forgot, I am here to tell you that we have reached the tender age of one month old! We have passed the meconium stage and we almost can turn over, but otherwise we just lay around, look cute from time to time, and cry for attention. Perfect for a baby! Perfect for a blog!

Ah yes. The "accidental" wreaking of havoc is one of my favorite plot formulas. In WarGames , David ( Matthew Broderick ) accidentally almost starts WWIII. I say almost, because no missiles actually get launched. They come close to getting launched around, oh, 11 damn times, but never get out of the silos. Oh, was that a spoiler? Sorry. You see, young David tells his 1983 computer that takes up 1/3 of his bedroom to dial numbers at random to try and find a company that is putting out some pretty hot 1983 games. Checking the results, he suspects that he may have found the company, but he in fact found a backdoor to a government computer system. David's computer runs a simulation called Global Thermonuclear War, tricking the government computer in to thinking the Russians have initiated an attack on the U.S. Obviously hilarity ensues. Not because the movie is a comedy (it isn't), but because of the extremely nonsensical film that follows. There are major holes in the st

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I can't fathom how no one has yet to establish this in America. The US is one of the largest producers of films in the world as well as one of the largest populace of consumers of said movies. If the UK can do it , why the hell can't we? I'm talking about unlimited movie passes. No, Netflix (as awesome as they are) doesn't count. I want a theater chain to come up with a totally unlimited movie pass letting me see as many movies as I can and see fit within one calender year. While discussing the future of this blog with my collaborator PBF, one of the points of contention was the fact that neither of us can see as many theatrical movies as we would like. The unlimited movie pass would fix all of that. Now, I don't expect it to be cheap but I do expect it to be cost-prohibitive for the casual movie-goers while giving us cinemanerds a good deal. Maybe $150-$250 for a 12 month span would be a good starting point provided there are not ridiculous restrictions like s

In an effort to show that we at Movie Scum do not hate movies older than 30-ish, I sat down and watched Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for the very first time. In my life, I have heard random mentions of the film and even seen it reside within the top 250 of the IMDb, but never really given much thought into watching it. Knowing very little about it other than what the title gives away, I sat down in front of my computer to watch this little ditty. Watching this movie reminded me of my senior year government class. After taking this class and listening to lectures of the innerworkings of our government taught by a state delegate, I was politically invigorated. At the time, politics held such promise as a panacea for all that was wrong in the world. The year was 2000 and I voted in that year's Presidential election and every other lesser election since then. It was only recently, a scant nine years after, that I became bitter about the American political system and all the shenanig

For those of you who don't know, Brittany Murphy is dead . It has been determined that Cardiac Arrest is the cause and she was apparently found in the shower. This a newly developing story, so more info is to come. Brittany was in movies such as 8 Mile, Clueless , and Girl, Interrupted . She was 32 years old. The End of the World , written by Arthur Kent and Sylvia Dee, performed by Skeeter Davis (song playing when Daisy in Girl, Interrupted, portrayed by Brittany Murphy, was found dead, having commited suicide.) Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore? Don't know it's the end of the world 'cos you don't love me anymore? Why do the birds go on singing? Why do the stars glow above? Don't they know it's the end of the world It ended when I lost your love I wake up in the morning and I wonder Why everything's the same as it was. I can't understand, no I can't understand how life goes on the way it does.

While watching the excellent documentary "His Name Was Jason," one of the commentators remarked how Jason was "the protagonist in his films." This struck me as interesting but not incorrect depending on how you look at the Friday the 13th series. The simplistic, watered-down definition of protagonist as I understood for many years was "the good guy." While this is the most commonly used definition, other means exist as illustrated by the literary definition . The term can mean anything from the first actor onstage in theatrical productions, the "hero" of the story, or even a mere participant in the story. Arguably though, the best definition is the central character, the one whom the audience conveys the most sympathy towards.

Oops. The F is right next to the D. So, I figured that since my last post was about a movie that is damn near perfection, I figured (partly inspired by it being on right now) that I would give you my offering for worst movie ever. Howard the Duck . This piece of garbage came out in 1986 and I have a small scar in both eyes ever since, from where I tried to scratch them out. Admittedly, I have seen it more than once. Not really sure why. I probably at one point wanted to bang Lea Thompson and her crimped hair (and Holly Robinson for that matter), or I had some bizarre compulsion to see duck titties again. Whatever the reason, I am ashamed. If you want to see why a terrible movie is terrible (and believe me, you don't), look no further. Piss poor acting, terrible directing and editing, absolutely insane and unfathomable plot; this has it all. I will give you the Reader's Digest version. Howard T. Duck (yeah, that's right) is pulled from his duck planet (which is just like

Like many people, I have a few "Top 5" or whatever denomination lists. Movies, music, tv shows, etc. Most of them, especially the music one, changes very often, sometimes by day. My movie list, everchanging as well, has always, since 2000, had Memento on it, usually at #1. I had read about this film before it came out and was quite intrigued at the concept. Bascially, it is about a man, Leonard ( Guy Pearce ) who cannot form new memories, and is trying to solve his wife's murder. The movie tells his story backwards, where each new scene you watch ends where the previous one began. He must keep notes and pictures and in some cases tatoos, to remind him of certain things and people. He usually forgets what is going on after about 5-15 minutes. He has normal memory up until the point of his wife's murder, an altercation in which he was injured, thus leaving him in his condition. I had never seen a movie like this before I entered the theatre that day. I was lucky enoug

We have made our first video! Note the cheap production! The akward pauses! This is the Movie Scum Holiday Special. We will bring you more videos so be sure to subscribe to scumomovies on You Tube and rate us and whatever else you are supposed to do to show that you like our videos.

One of the better parts of the much maligned Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and just about the only redeeming quality in the absolutely horrid Nightmare 5 was the beautiful Alice Johnson, played by Lisa Wilcox. Alice was actually one of the better written characters in the Nightmare franchise and while some of the dialogue was clumsy at time, Wilcox performed better than expected in the third and fourth sequels in a series that was unfortunately going downhill fast. After Nightmare 5 came out in 1989, Wilcox seems to have been largely off the grid. According to her IMDb resume , she has appeared in a handful of small films and some guest appearances on various television series. While this certainly may be an intentional choice by the actress, it is rather disheartening to see someone go from headlining two relatively popular movies to fading into the oblivion of scraping by with acting gigs here and there. Recently, she has appeared with fellow Nightmare star Robert Englund and other

Is Adam Sandler funny? Short answer is yes. I don't think there is anyone among us that did not like, and can't quote incessantly, Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. Unless you are a communist, of course. But, honestly, why do I keep watching his movies? With a few exceptions, I can sum up the plot of any of his films as follows: Generally good hearted buffoon placed in an odd situation that he tries to get a handle on, while trying to woo a woman. Even the better of his films follow that basic recipe. It's like Mexican food. You can order 11 different items, but they all have the same stuff in them. Yet I continue to consume. I can't even really apply the Weekend at Bernie's Effect here, because while he does have some watchable films ( Wedding Singer , Punch Drunk Love , Funny People ), I cannot watch some of his others ( Little Nicky , The Waterboy , Spanglish ). When he was on Saturday Night Live, he was hilarious. The Denise Show, Canteen Boy, The Gap Girls. B

Many people know who John Holmes was. Even if they have not seen his "work." If you do not, he was arguably the most famous porn star ever, largely (no pun intedned) due to being so well endowed. Not very many people know that along with being a drug addict, he also played some part in the Wonderland murders that took place in 1981; the brutal blugeoning of 5 people, one of which survived. I say "some part" as it has never been determined what part, but his fingerprints were found at the scene on Wonderland Ave, the namesake of the crimes and movie. What I will not do in this review is give my commentary of what I think happened, make any remark to any factual discrepensies (I obviously was not involved, therefore would not have the authority to do so) or offer any moral opinion of any of the people involved in the actual events that took place. I will simply give a review of the film. Wonderland really serves one major purpose, aside from being entertainment:

Paramount to produce more micro-budget films In the wake of Paranormal Activity, Paramount seems to be on-board with more tiny-budget films. Let's hope they do not end up in the DTV-bargain bin dreck. The Weinstein Company Has Begun Re-Thinking 'Halloween 3D' The last thing this battered franchise needs is a rushed sequel showcasing lackluster 3D effects. Just keep Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer on the project and it should turn out fine. Josh Brolin in 'Men in Black 3'?!!?!?! Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones reunited again? Maybe we'll get Woody Harrelson from his 'Zombieland' stint and Javier Bardem can play the evil alien with a pressure-based-doorknob-busting thing. Additional Scenes Being Shot for 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' I'm still going to hold out hope that this will be a great remake . All signs seem to point otherwise though.

My love affair with the movie Hannibal is long and twisted. At the time before its release, I loved its predecessor Silence of the Lambs for many reasons but primarily due to its legendary villain, Hannibal Lector. During the pre-production phase of Hannibal, it seemed to be dealt several marks against it from Jonathan Demme and Jodie Foster dropping out as well as a general disdain for the ending of the book. I was still excited at the prospect though and even went so far as to go to an open casting call for extras as it was filming in my hometown. And then, on opening weekend in 2001, I saw the film with a friend of mine ... and I freaking hated it. I can't remember exactly why I did not care for it. At the time, and even more so now, I liked Julianne Moore but she just seemed rather out of place as Clarice. Perhaps it was also due to a drastic shift in tone or pace from the first (technically second) Hannibal adventure. But bottom line, I was ready to write the film off and

Well, sort of. Those of you who are fans of horrible acting, convoluted plots, continuity errors, and major flaws in logic can take solace in knowing the great Mystery Science Theater 3000 has returned. Hulu recently picked up the show and currently have five full episodes available ranging from the terrible Giant Gila Monster to the equally bad Monster-A-Go-Go. While the episodes are not "new," they may be new to you. No sign of Mitchell or Manos yet, but hopefully they'll turn up in time. Now go watch!

Oh, my. The Gate . Why did I like you? For the uninitiated, this is Stephen Dorf's first film. Honestly, it is not really that good, but as far as bad movies go, it is pretty good. Here is the basic plot. Parents leave teenage daugther and pre-teen son for 3 days because they "trust" them. Son and friend accidentally open a gate to hell in the backyard. Way to piss all over your parents' trust, kid. Basically what happens is, a tree with a treehouse in it is knocked over which causes a hole. While messing around back there, Glen (Stephen Dorf), the aforementioned son, and his friend Terry find a geode in it and get all excited because it will surely get them "100 bucks!" This, coupled with an accidental reciting of some magic words, and a dead dog being put in the hole, blast open a gate to hell. Terry, who is a metalhead, will discover the whole story while listening to an album by a band called Sacrifyx. The album is called The Dark Book and comes with s