Pencilstorm Hall of Fame Nominee: Mean Mr. Mustard's AC/DC - Cult Night

March 28, 2016 Wal Ozello

By Pencilstorm contributor Wal Ozello

Mr. Mustard’s AC/DC – Cult Night was the most amazing OSU College Campus Experience and I dutifully submit it as a first ballot Pencilstorm Hall of Fame nominee.

For those of you who have been to Mean Mr. Mustard’s AC/DC – Cult Night, you are sure to agree with me. If you haven’t, here are the facts:

1) It’s AC/DC – Cult Night, not AC/DC Cult night. Every other song they played that night was by AC/DC or The Cult. The other songs were filled in with metal or hard rock. Imagine an evening of Thunderstruck, For Those About to Rock, Fire Woman and She Sells Sanctuary, mixed with Master of Puppets, Dr. Feelgood, or Mr. Brownstone. If you remember the Campus Bars sound systems like I do, those speakers were LOUD. Imagine metal played over them instead of club music. Piercing distorted guitars and double bass drums never sounded better.

2) Buckets of beer. Well… every OSU bar sold buckets of beer. But if you’ve never been to an OSU campus bar, understand they had 2.5 gallon buckets which were completely filled with beer from the tap... for $5. That’s about five and half pitchers. We'd put three people on a bucket and get sloshed.

3) It was every Sunday night. The last ditch effort of the weekend to party your ass off. What better way to do it then with metal and buckets of beer. Sometime I looked at it as the end of a great weekend, other times I thought of it as the beginning of an awesome week. Either way, it rocked. Finished it off with a trip to BW3's wings or the Greek place to get a gyro.

4) Mean Mr. Mustard’s was known as the alternative bar. It was usually filled with pre-goths types listening to sad stuff like Morrissey, Depeche Mode, and R.E.M. – but on Sunday night the metal heads took over. Everyone there was for the rock music. Lots of hair, leather, tattoos and jeans.

5) It was truly balls to the wall music. You had metal heads, college kids, and locals all getting together to listen to music that really rocked. Imagine Headbanger’s Ball but live. Every song, one after the other, was an awesome surprise of “in your face” metal.

I have amazing memories from AC/DC – Cult Night and many more experiences that I don’t remember (note… buckets of beer). If I got my hands onto a time machine, this would be one of my first stops.

AC/DC - Cult Night deserves an honored spot in Pencilstorm's Hall of Fame. It represents everything we stand for hear at Pencilstorm.

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 , Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

1984 Glam Metal Smack Down: The West Coast Vs. The East Coast - by Scott Carr

March 25, 2016 Scott Carr

1984 Glam Metal Smack Down - The West Coast vs. The East Coast

1984 was a banner year for the genre of Glam Metal. Glam Metal defined the decade of the 1980's, and 1984 was possibly one of its biggest years.

The previous year had seen Quiet Riot top the charts with their breakthrough album Metal Health. Metal Health was the first ever heavy metal albums to hit number one on the Billboard album charts and would go on to sell more than six million copies. The success of that record opened the flood gates for Glam Metal.

The Glam Metal scene of the 80's is closely associated with LA's Sunset Strip, which produced a long list of bands including Motley Crue, WASP, LA Guns, Dokken and countless others. While Los Angeles could be dubbed the Seattle of the 80's, it did not solely account for all the action. The East Coast also had its fair share of glam bands: Cinderella, Britny Fox, Skid Row, Kix and Bon Jovi are just a few that come to mind.

Taking all of that into account, I thought I would lay out some arguments for two albums that came out in 1984 that had major chart success and let the masses decide which one is the champ. If not the masses at least the Pencilstorm.com loyalists can weigh in.

First up from the West Coast we have Ratt with their full length debut album Out of the Cellar.

Ratt formed in San Diego and their history stretches back to 1973. After numerous name and lineup changes Ratt officially appeared on the scene in August of 1983 with their independently released self-titled EP. The success of this EP landed the band a major label deal with Atlantic Records and the band quickly began work on their debut full length album.

Out of the Cellar was released on March 23, 1984 and was an instant hit on MTV and radio. The album's first single "Round and Round" peaked at No. 12 in the Billboard singles chart and proved to be the biggest single of the band's career. The video for "Round and Round" featured a cameo from comedian Milton Bearle, who was the uncle of Ratt's manager Marshall Bearle. As for the rest of the record it was loaded with catchy guitar riffs from Warren DeMartini and raspy lead vocals from Stephen Pearcy. I always thought of Ratt as a new breed of Aerosmith. They had all the typical trappings of the era but with an underlying blues rock thing that kind of made them different from the rest of the pack. "Wanted Man" and "Lack of Communication" were also released as singles but did not chart as high as "Round and Round." The videos for "Wanted Man" and "Back For More" received heavy rotation on MTV.

Ratt would continue to have moderate hits with their next few records and became a huge concert draw but never quite matched the success of their debut album.

Currently Ratt is touring with only one original member, drummer Bobby Blotzer. Dude must need the cash.

Out of the Cellar Stats:

Triple Platinum (over 3 Million units sold)

Peak Chart Position on Billboard Charts - #7

"Round and Round" #12 on Billboard Hot 100

"Wanted Man" #87 on Billboard Hot 100

Future Whitesnake video vixen Tawny Kitaen appeared on the Out of the Cellar cover

From the East Coast we have Twisted Sister with their third full length release Stay Hungry.

Twisted Sister come from the streets of Long Island, NY and like Ratt their history goes back well over a decade. The band was formed in 1973 by guitarist Jay Jay French but it would take several years before the band would find the right combination of players to create the Twisted Sister that became a worldwide success. With the addition of lead singer Dee Snider in 1976 the band soon become a huge live draw and released two singles on their own label. Although the band became very popular in the New York Tri-State area, they could not get a record deal. The band eventually signed with Secret Records, an indie punk label out of the UK. Secret Records released the band's first EP Rough Cutts and debut album Under the Blade. Although both releases brought the band great success in the UK, Secret Records would go out of business by 1983 and the band was again without a label. Atlantic Records quickly signed the band and released their next album You Can't Stop Rock 'N Roll in June of 1983.

Stay Hungry was released on May 10, 1984 and would bring the band a whole new legion of die-hard fans. As with Ratt, MTV once again proved to be vital in the commercial success of Twisted Sister. The videos for "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" both featured a cameo from Mark Metcalf, best known for his work in Animal House as Doug Niedermeyer. Metcalf channels his best Doug Niedermeyer for both videos and ask "What do you wanna do with your life?" and of course the appropriate response to that question is always gonna be "I Wanna Rock." Both videos became staples in MTV's daily line-up and Dee Snider became one of the most recognizable front men in rock and roll. Twisted Sisters image was more on the cartoonish side of glam metal and that would eventually work against them. A couple more albums followed Stay Hungry but Twisted Sister would never repeat the success they had in 1984.

Twisted Sister are currently in the midst of playing some farewell shows and promoting their career spanning documentary We Are Twisted F***ing Sister.

Stay Hungry Stats

Triple Platinum (over 3 Million units sold)

Peak Chat Position on Billboard Album Charts - #15

"We're Not Gonna Take It" #21 on Billboard Hot 100

"I Wanna Rock" #68 on Billboard Hot 100

Now the big question, which one of these Glam Metal icons should reign as the top dog of 1984? Looking at the stats they are very close in terms of sales, so it cannot be judged on sales alone. Overall Ratt had a higher chart position for their record and singles, but does that make them the champs? Twisted Sister tagged their ravenous fan base with the moniker "SMF's" which stood for 'Sick Mother F******". While Ratt called their form of Glam Metal "Ratt 'N Roll." So, is it the "SMF's" or the "Ratt 'N Rollers"? Dee Snider went to bat for the whole genre of Heavy Metal when he spoke at a Senate hearing where the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) was trying to censor music, so maybe his band wins, because that was epic.

Below are some links that may help crown a winner in this battle. In the end both bands had a great 1984 and obviously there was enough room in the marketplace for both, but now is the time to decide which has stood the test of time.

Let the music do the talking.......

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps andReturning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

1 - You Think You're Tough 2 - You're In Trouble 3 - The Morning After 4 - Round And Round Show Louco de Fudido

Watch the official video for Ratt's "Round and Round" released as a single in 1984. It proved to be the biggest hit of Ratt's career. The song was named one of "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's" and was named one of the best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.

Featured on the "ratt & roll" album

Uploaded by gene scott on 2014-03-23.

Description

Live in Auckland, New Zealand 1985. Pro-Shot!!! You Can't Stop Rock N' Roll Knife In The Back Stay Hungry We're Gonna Make It We're Not Gonna Take It Burn In Hell The Kids Are Back I Wanna Rock

Subscribe to INDIE & FILM FESTIVALS: http://bit.ly/1wbkfYg Subscribe to TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/sxaw6h Subscribe to COMING SOON: http://bit.ly/H2vZUn Like us on FACEBOOK: http://goo.gl/dHs73 Follow us on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/1ghOWmt We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Documentary HD They were the Grand Funk of Glam and the NY Dolls of Metal.

Watch the official music video for Twisted Sister -- We're Not Gonna Take it [Extended Version]

Watch the official video for Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" "I Wanna Rock" is from the album Stay Hungry (1984). In 2009 it was named the 17th VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs by VH1.

Twisted Sister - The Price Watch the official video for Twisted Sister's "The Price." Twisted Sister was formed in Long Island and sppeared on VH1's 100 greatest artists of hard rock. Download the greatest hits at iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/stay-hungry-25th-anniversary/id320268623 For more info, go to: http://www.twistedsister.com/

Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? Farewell Show Friday April 8th - Ace of Cups

March 23, 2016 Colin Gawel

On Friday April 8th, Cheap Trick is being inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame at 9 pm EST in New York City. Earlier that same evening, the band, Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? will be playing their final show at Ace of Cups in Columbus, Ohio. Doors 5 pm with WICHITRNRHOF? onstage at 7. Admission - as always - is FREE. And - as per tradition - Teenage Fanclub Fanclub will open the show.

Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? was founded many years ago with a simple purpose: to find an answer to the question, Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? Their yearly protest shows of Cheap Trick covers generated big press and even bigger bar tabs whenever they played. However, they always vowed to disband once Cheap Trick were rightfully given their spot alongside the other great rock bands of all time (and Billy Joel). That day has come. (click here for a recap of the press)

Or click here to check out Episode #27 of the fabulous podcast Cheap Talk with Trick featuring Colin as a guest talking about the Rock Hall.

So true to their word, this will be their last show. Bassist and Four String Brew owner Dan Cochran added, "I'm extremely happy for Cheap Trick, though I have to admit, I just got Tom's 12-string bass sound down last year so I'm kind of disappointed that the band is breaking up. Though Colin was planning to perform a complete version of The Doctor in 2017, so I guess that is off the table. Thank God."

"We might still show up and play some Cheap Trick songs once in awhile under a different name, but Why Isn't Cheap Trick In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? is finished." said guitarist Rick Kinsinger.

"I agree with Rick," said vocalist Colin Gawel, "our work is done. Justice has been served. And besides, with a new Trick record coming out, I'm going to need the extra time amending my complete Cheap Trick song rankings."

Drummer Herb Schupp added, "Maybe for our final show I can finally convince the guys to play "Who D' King."?

Below: Live at Ace Of Cups, 2015 - Surrender. Below that, 2014- Marci Mays on vocals. Below that, 2013 at Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH, Induction Ceremony day.

Why Isn't Cheap Trick In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame playing Surrender at Ace of Cups. 4/17/2015. Columbus, Ohio.

Colin Gawel & the Lonely Bones yearly (till they get in) Tribute to Cheap Trick, WIth Marcy Mays on Guest Lead Vocals

Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? is a band started by Colin Gawel (Watershed) that plays once a year to protest Cheap Trick not being in the rock hall of fame. other members: Herb Schupp, Rick Kinsinger, Dan Cochran.

Pencilstorm Hall of Fame Nominee: Dwight Yoakam - by Colin G.

March 18, 2016 Colin Gawel

Click here for complete list of 2016 nominations for the Pencilstorm Hall of Fame. Winners to be announced Thursday April 14th online at the CD1025 Big Room Bar.

Dwight Yoakam graduated from Northland High School here in Columbus, Ohio. He used to hang around School Kids records and talk to Curt Schieber. He dropped out of OSU and moved to L.A. and became one of two people in the world making cool country records in the 80's. (Steve Earle was the other.)

Flash to 2016. He is still one of the only guys making cool country records. He was and is still the coolest dude not just from Columbus, but from anywhere. He is an amazing songwriter and an even better singer.

And when it comes to acting, nobody plays an asshole like Dwight. I hear he performs that role often in real life. Maybe that is why he is so convincing in a movie like Sling Blade. A guy at the Grand Emporium Saloon in Kansas City once told me he once saw Dwight threaten his monitor guy with a knife over a shitty stage mix.

Clearly, Dwight Yoakam has the skills and hometown background to be welcomed into the Pencilstorm Hall of Fame. I encourage my fellow committee members to give his resume serious consideration. - Colin Gawel.

Below- A bootleg from 2014 showing why Dwight used to perform with bands like X and Husker Du.

A montage of the sold out Dwight Yoakam concert at the Grey Eagle Casino on May 2, 2014. A funny part, during Streets of Bakersfield, Dwight stops to explain why he and the band were late for the concert. Sorry for the shakiness, the bleachers we were sitting on were rocking back and forth like crazy.

The Pride of Northland High School.

Uploaded by Larry Musicman on 2015-11-17.

Above- Being the coolest. Below-being a convincing asshole on screen.

Sling Blade movie clips: http://j.mp/1J9TMmK BUY THE MOVIE: http://amzn.to/vWy6sQ Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: Doyle (Dwight Yoakam) kicks everyone out of the house in a drunken rage. FILM DESCRIPTION: Sling Blade marked the directorial debut of country singer turned actor Billy Bob Thornton, who also authored the script (expanding George Hickenlooper's acclaimed short Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade) and stars in the picture.

"Turn my fucking monitors up, you motherfucker."

Pencilstorm Hall Of Fame Nominee: Angelo Julius Palma's Facebook Page - by Scott Carr

March 17, 2016 Scott Carr

You may be asking yourself, why would someone's Facebook page be nominated for entry into the Pencilstorm Hall of Fame? Well, the short answer is because Angelo Julius Palma's Facebook page kicks ass. It's like a daily rock 'n roll history lesson. The guy posts all the coolest rock 'n roll birthdays, album releases, and random bits of trivia that makes logging onto Facebook every morning worthwhile. Angelo is the real deal, he grew up in the days when being a rock star meant something and loves sharing all his rock and roll memories with those lucky enough to be on his friends list.

Some may remember Angelo from his days working behind the counter at Singing Dog Records but my personal history with Mr. Palma came a bit later when he owned a record store in Youngstown, Ohio called Pussycat Records. Angelo used to run ads in a record collecting magazine called Goldmine and he would list records that he currently had for sale. Remember this is pre-internet and Ebay, everything was done via snail mail but Angelo always had the coolest records. I bought tons of great stuff from him, including Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls, T. Rex, Sweet, stuff that you didn't see hanging around at my local used record stores in Huntington, WV. Angelo's motto for his record store was "If you can't find it, I will." When I moved to Columbus in the early 90's I ran into Angelo face to face for the first time at a record convention that used to be held at Veterans Memorial. Again Angelo's booth was always loaded with all the coolest stuff and I'd always walk off with a tasty stack of wax. I crossed paths with Angelo again when he was booking and promoting shows at Skully's Music Diner. He booked my band in the venue a few times and every time I would see him we would talk about the band Angel and why they were the greatest unknown band ever.

It comes as no surprise when I post a picture on Facebook of The Faces A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse LP that Angelo asks "Hey man, do you have the giant poster that originally came with that record?" or if I post a picture of Alice Cooper School's Out LP "Do you have the panties that came with that?" Angelo doesn't ask these questions to be a show off, he asks because he is generally excited by all aspects of the music that he is passionate about.

Angelo knows his stuff and is always happy to tell you what he thinks is cool and will just as quickly tell you that Alice Cooper hasn't made a decent record since 1974.

Angelo regularly professes his love of all things Tommy Bolin, Glenn Hughes, Phil Lynott, Nikki Sudden and Wally Bryson on his Facebook page. If you don't know who any of these people are , you are not worthy of Mr. Palma's friendship, so move on.......

Angelo's Johnny Thunders period. Based on the hair alone Angelo deserves a spot in the PSHOF.

Angelo with Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls @ Bernie's

Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt, part four: Movies 52-66

March 14, 2016 Rob Braithwaite

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Ratings key:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ = I can’t see giving anything that I’ve seen once five stars
★ ★ ★ ★ = get to the theater / move it up in your queue
★ ★ ★ = “three stars is a recommendation” - The Empire [magazine] Podcast
★ ★ = if the remote is too far away, you could do worse
★ = if the remote is too far away, get someone to move it closer then throw it at the TV

052
Southpaw (2015) ★ ★
stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker
director: Antoine Fuqua

Did you see Rocky III? Change who gets killed, add a child custody case, make two characters call each other “baby” so much that you’d get alcohol poisoning if you drank a shot every time they did, and you’ve got Southpaw.

watch Creed instead

053
Room (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen
director: Lenny Abrahamson

The reveal of the situation the two leads are in is so well crafted that I wish I hadn’t known anything about the movie before seeing it. An impossible feat then because how would I have known to see it? A bigger problem now because it’s an award nominee and winner. So, if you somehow don’t know anything about it, you're one luck duck. Just know that it is worth watching.

double feature pairing: Pan's Labyrinth

054
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Maureen O'Hara. Lucille Ball, Ralph Bellamy
director: Dorothy Arzner

Two dancers of a traveling dance troupe struggle to make it in the dance world. (One more time for luck? Dance!) Judy has aspirations to be a world class ballerina. Bubbles knows how to work the stage and rich men.

Lucille Ball was a spectacular presence. A singing, dancing, joking spectacular presence.

Did you know night court was a real thing? I thought it was just a premise for a great sitcom. I spent a good amount of the scene’s time find-and-replacing characters from Night Court. Then I wondered if the show ever referenced this movie. Not for a whole episode, but the gag at the top of a court scene that would lead into the main story. Then I was introduced to Abraham Lincoln Johnson and Martha Johnson.

Earlier, Judy watched a dance routine in which two of the dancers were in black face. A surprise, but for 1940 maybe not so shocking. When Judy and Bubble’s night court case resolved, and the next case was called, two African-Americans walked past the camera.

I don’t know what to make of that. In both cases, the screen time was minimal to the point of being unnecessary. The inclusion of both blackface and black faces had to be intentional. For a movie that was progressive in its treatment of women (Judy is career-minded, forgoes pairing off with a rich man, breaks during a burlesque performance to berate the men who come to leer at them), it’s hard to think the filmmaker decided to be racist for a few seconds. I suppose one could be pro-woman and racist. Still, how much more American can you get with names like Abraham Lincoln Johnson and Martha Johnson?

double feature pairing: Footloose

055
Legend (2015) ★ ★
stars: Tom Hardy, Tom Hardy, Emily Browning
screen writer/director: Brian Helgeland

Reggie and Ronnie Kray were the most notorious criminals in London during the 1960’s. Or so Legend’s narration says. It wasn’t effectively shown. Maybe that’s because the narration came from Frances Shea, Ronnie’s eventual wife. The information was so dry that she could have been reading newspaper articles about the brother’s activities. No insight. No snap.

Remember when Spandau Ballet’s Kemp brothers played The Krays?

watch Adaptation instead

056
Intruders (2015) ★ ★
stars: Beth Riesgraf, Rory Culkin, Martin Starr
director: Adam Schindler

It’s a nice twist to make the victim of a home invasion agoraphobic, unable to have left her house in 10 years. The twist she turns against against her attackers is surprising then kinda dumb. The movie must have known this, since everything wrapped up in 80 minutes. That’s not enough time to get upset about it.

watch Vacancy instead

057
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Tina Fey, Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman
directors: Glen Ficarra, John Sequa

The adaptation of Kim Barker’s book, The Taliban Shuffle, an account of her time as a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The power lies with Tina Fey, leading with her dramatic leg. Fey’s pairing with Christopher Abbott and Billy Bob Thornton are two of the best the movie has to offer.

Also, it’s tough to be down on a movie when it starts with “Jump Around.”

double feature pairing: Good Morning Vietnam

058
London Has Fallen (2016) ★
stars: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and others cashing in a paycheck
director: Babak Najafi

This story of a terrorist killing all the world’s leaders (except for America’s!) at the British Prime Minister’s funeral was written by a computer. Another computer compiled outtakes from the actor’s previous movies to create the images. (I’ll eat my hat if Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler were in the same room when they filmed their scene together.) And how is it that the President of the United States of America, the man who just help kill all the terrorists, isn’t the one giving the rousing speech about not minding our business in foreign affairs to cap it all off? Because Morgan Freeman is the Vice-President, and Morgan Freeman is hired to make speeches.

Sometimes I just want some movie popcorn. Maybe I should learn to make it myself.

watch water boil instead

059
The Last Days of Disco (1998) ★ ★ ★
stars: Chloë Sevingy, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman
writer/director: Whit Stillman

“The times, they are a-becoming quite different.”
- Seymour Skinner

double feature pairing: Diner

060
Love & Friendship (2016) ★ ★ ★
stars: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevingy, Xavier Samuel
screen writer/director: Whit Stillman

A lady searches for a husband for her daughter and herself. Based on Jane Austen’s Lady Susan.

Fancy dress and pretty locales. Funny words and portrayals. It’s the world of Jane Austen, a place I don’t frequent, though it’s nice to check in from time to time.

double feature pairing: The Prestige

061
The Night Before (2015) ★ ★ ★
stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie
director: Jonathan Levine

It’s the final run of a Christmas tradition three friends have shared for 10 years. Hilarity ensues.

Would you believe mild amusement? The story is pat. Performances from Rogen, Ilana Glazer and Michael Shannon made it watchable.

double feature pairing: Three Amigos

062
Black Rock (2012) ★ ★ ★
stars: Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth
director: Katie Aselton

Three friends return to the isolated island of their childhood to reconnect. Trouble finds them. Survival tries to save them.

The movie’s strength is in its character moments and motivations. Even though a few action beats are a bit forced, it generally works.

double feature pairing: Backcountry

063
Rififi (1955) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel
director: Jules Dassin

This is widely considered to be one the best heist movie of all time. I now can agree. The heist of a jewelry store is still tense after all these years and the movies inspired by it. What I wasn’t expecting was the strength of the aftermath, when the success spirals out of control.

double feature pairing: Sneakers

064
Pixels (2015) ★
stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan
director: Chris Columbus

Video games from the 1980s attack Earth.

Sometimes I can’t sleep.
Bad movie, bring on the sand.
Man, that did not work.

watch The Last Starfighter instead

065
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) ★ ★ ★
stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, John Gallagher Jr.
director: Dan Trachtenberg

Michelle crashed her car. Howard has taken her to his fallout bunker just as the attack from…he can’t be certain, and she’s not certain about him.

I don’t know how much to say about this in-spirit sequel to Cloverfield. If you are looking for another Cloverfield, you’ll be waiting for the last 15 minutes. If you are looking for a tense thriller in an enclosed space, enjoy the monster movie at the end.

Since I’ve seen it, the original origin story I heard makes a lot more sense than the narrative I’ve seen in recent articles. It’s a good movie, however I was distracted by the seams, perceived or real. You should see it before investigating that too much.

double feature pairing: Attack the Block

066
The Brothers Grimsby (2016) ★.5
stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong, Rebel Wilson
director: Louis Leterrier

I went for the spy comedy, forgot that gross-out comedies were still being made. Good golly, new level reached.

watch Spy instead

Counters:
66/366 movies (se7en movies off pace)
11/52 movies directed by women

THE TOP THREE

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

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