Disc Type

1969 was a very eventful year for the United States of America. While I will not name all of the events that transpired over that year, I will remind you of two of the most recognized: In July, Apollo 11 lands on the moon, and in August, Woodstock takes place in upstate New York. However, the events that take place in Stonewall are not as publicized as the space race or the culminating concert of the hippie movement. In fact, I had never heard of the Stonewall riots until my final year of college. To those who are not familiar with the riots, allow me to set the scene: During the early hours of a Saturday morning in late June, an unexpected police raid befalls Stonewall Inn. The club is a popular nightspot for homosexuals in New York’s Greenwich Village, but due to the lack of homosexual rights during this time, is constantly under close watch from the police due to its patrons’ illicit activities. The aforementioned night in June was the final straw for many young men, who began to vandalize the property upon being kicked out.

Like many other dramatizations, Stonewall maintains important characters while building entertaining drama around them. The narrative brings focus to Danny (Jeremy Irvine), a boy from Kansas who has moved to New York in an effort escape the strict upbringing of his parents. Once in the city, he begins to associate with two people who have taken different approaches to fighting for gay rights in New York City. The first is Ray (Johnny Beauchamp), a flamboyant young man who takes to working the streets to support himself. The other is Trevor (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a refined young man who believes the best way to eliminate the issue is through politics. As Danny builds relationships within the homosexual community of Greenwich Village, he quickly becomes acquainted with the shady owner of Stonewall, Ed Murphy (Ron Perlman) and his tumultuous relationship with the police, lead by Deputy Seymour Pine (Matt Craven).

Broad City is about two 20-something ladies who don’t give a whoop whoop. They care so little that they don’t know they don’t care. On top of that, there is a motley collection of odd oddballs. That’s a problem, because these people have nothing but problems. Not that any of them care. And these ladies are like dudes so much that they say “dude” to each other. Our two ladies (I say ladies because I don’t want to say girls or women or other less complimentary appellations) are named Ilana Wexler and Abbi Abrams, played by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Glazer and Jacobson are creators, co-writers, and performers, and their involvement goes back to a web series they created before it was picked up by Comedy Central. Amy Poehler is one of the executive producers. The episodes are peppered with guest stars such as Seth Rogan (Glazer makes an appearance in Rogan’s The Night Before), Kelly Ripa (Live with Kelly and Michael), Hannibal Buress, Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Bob Balaban (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Amy Ryan (Bridge of Spies), Janeane Garafalo, Patricia Clarkson, Alia Shakwat (Arrested Development) among many others. A lot of people are supporting these relative unknowns. They must see something.

Glazer and Jacobson have created something smart and fresh at the same time that it is silly, gross, and vulgar. Their point of view is underrepresented on television. It is about 20-somethings who have very few rules. Maybe they don’t know what they are doing, and maybe they are breaking other people’s rules, but they seem to be well-intentioned and cavalier. They are polyamorous and multicultural in their interests. They try not to judge but judge all the time. They are hypercritical but try to be respectful. They don’t tolerate people who bore them, but they are constantly looking for love. In other words, they are typical 20-somethings. Or are they? That’s a question that is hard to answer for anyone, but I suspect their unique perspectives are indeed unique. They might be so weird as to definitely not be role models but are portrayed with such unflinching honesty as to be somewhat representative of all of us. It is absurdist and ridiculous, but always in the context of what seems like real-life situations. Broad City is merciless satire that is directed at everyone including themselves and feels like it comes from a very real place. These women are on the cutting edge of something, and they don’t care who knows it. At times they seem to come from a privileged background and other times seem barely able to take care of themselves. Sometimes the humor is infantile, yet they almost always come off as charming. There are deleted scenes on the DVD that are as good, if not better than, the broadcast content. All in all, they are full of contradictions.

"So that’s what it’s like to be Simonized."

Years before he became the iconic suave British secret agent with the license to kill, Roger Moore might just have put himself in the running through his six-year run on British television’s The Saint. The show was part of the British Invasion of spy shows that came close on the heels of the first James Bond film Dr. No. Moore played Simon Templar, known throughout the globe as The Saint. While Templar wasn't really a spy, he acted like one most of the time, and the series managed to cover most of the conventions of the genre. There was always a pretty girl or two for Templar to either romance or rescue...often both. Like Bond, Templar was a globetrotter. Episodes took place all over the world. One episode might be in New York City, another in London, while the next two weeks took us from Rome to Paris by way of Monte Carlo.

Have you ever had a dream that you wake up from and as your head spins from the snippets of the dream you can remember it takes you a few moments to clear your head and remember where you are?  Usually this is a result from a hard night of drinking, but for Major John Cafferty (Tahmoh Penikett) it is a battle he is waking up from, and it is not a dream.  With no memory of what happened, Major Cafferty wakes up in a special military hospital with several members from his platoon, only some of his soldiers are dead, and no one has a clue as to how they found themselves in the medical facility.

What the solders do know is that they were on a mission to Afghanistan to retrieve a secret object.  To help the soldiers regain their memory, Dr Troutman (Colm Feore) administers a drug that should help stimulate their memories, but instead it causes bouts of hallucinations and even moments of intense rage.  It’s all a nice setup for what could be a fun thriller, but the result is a bit of a forgettable mess (and no pills can reverse these effects).

The tale of Little Red Riding Hood, like many other children’s stories, is so well known and influential that it has been reimagined time and time again. In fact, one of my favorite short stories, The Company of Wolves, is a loose adaptation of the aforementioned tale. While I can’t call Little Dead Rotting Hood a favorite, I really appreciate how they were able to create a unique story while implicitly maintaining key elements of the original tale. More often than not the important visuals and motifs are present. Unfortunately, the pacing of the events is a little slow and really makes the film feel empty.

Little Dead Rotting Hood focuses on a small town that recently sees a surge in wolf attacks on its residents. The most recent attack on Samantha (Bianca A. Santos) transforms the young girl into a werewolf-like creature. Concerned for the residents being attacked under his watch, Sheriff Adam (Eric Balfour) enlists the help of Officer Victoria (Heather Tom), the town’s wildlife expert. Soon the two begin to suspect Becky (Amy Argyle), a local animal activist with a record of violent protests, to be linked to the recent attacks. As the story progresses, Sheriff Adam begins to learn of the town’s folklore involving a bigger threat than wolves.

Any time I get a double feature, the first thing that comes to mind is that these two movies don't know it, but they are now in competition with one another in my eyes. It was that way for Grindhouse as well as originals subsequent sequels. This time was no different in my eyes, and after screening both features there is a clear victor. Which one, you ask? Well, I'm not telling at this moment. (Don't worry, I will, but I can't just give it up that easy, because if I do, what assurance do I have that you will watch both films?) However, I'm sure my preference will become quite clear once you start reading.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, seems to be the principal lesson in The House Where Evil Dwells. A century earlier in Japan, a samurai comes home to find his wife in bed with her lover and in a fit of rage kills them both, taking his own life afterwards. Since then, the home remains vacant for decades due to speculation that the ghosts of that massacre remain in the house. The unsuspecting Fletcher family, new to Japan and refusing to let a ghost story keep them from an authentic home, move in.