360 Movie Challenge

A great documentary about exploitation films made in the Philippines in the 70's. It's a veritable cannon of must-see "Bad Movie Night" flicks.

And, yes, plenny of delightful boobies "j

A sad, sad movie. Sadder because the darkness of its irony repeatedly undermines its comedy.
Bobcat (director), the world is neither pretentious nor sugar-coated in your eyes; it's all Wes Anderson-does-Jerry-Springer.
And to Mr. Williams, we need more nude scenes from you, sir; but be proud, don't let the man steal your pelt, you are beautiful the way Allah made you.
Autoerotic asphyxiation, your movie is here.
Peace be with you all.

Last night kicked ass! Even more so now that I'm recovered from it. A fun documentary (I mean, it was about beer, what could be better??), great friends, great food, great beer - ahhhhh.

In order:
MOVIE: Another doc for the casual learner. Some pretty good cartoons, some decent reenactments, loads of trivia - but what we all noticed was they would spend only a minute or two on some topics that should have gotten much more attention. At just 45min, this doc is packed with great info, but not enough detail. A beginner's doc, let's say - to introduce you to the vast world of beer.

GREAT FRIENDS: I was joined for this one by my great friends Art and the Baron Von Bronco. All of us work at the same liquor store and love making cocktails, homebrew, and cooking. These were the perfect guys to watch this movie with; every so often we'd have to stop to expand upon or debate something in the doc. Great meeting of the minds.



GREAT FOOD: In the theme of the night I whipped up some simple beer-based recipies:

BROWN ALE BRAUTS
Brauts (as many as you need)
Onion (about one per bottle of brown)
Rogue's Morimoto Hazelnut Brown Ale (enough to cover the brauts)
1 Tbsp flour
black pepper to taste

Put the brauts in a deep pot. Just cover with brown ale. Add onion. Heat on medium high - high until brauts are cooked. Remove brauts. Reduce beer and onions by half. Stir in flour. Reheat brauts in the sauce.
Serve on bread or mashed potatoes. Black pepper to taste.



BEER JELLO - (Brello?)
gelatin
beer - your choice

Read the instructions on the gelatin to find the liquid : powder ratio. Heat about 1/8 the amount of beer you need in the microwave. Whisk in gelatin until completely dissolved. Add cold remaining beer. Let set until firm.




AND SOME GREAT (and not so great) BEER!!:

Some lights, some darks, lots of IPA, and a great homebrewed Imperial IPA from the Baron Von Bronco.



We were all excited to try the Father Damian (sainted for his humanitarian work here in Hawaii). Sadly this beer was not worthy of the great man's name. It says it's a "dark belgian ale", but the most predominant flavors were fuckin' Birkenstocks and dish soap. A disaster of a beer.



The Kilt Lifter was solid, not too strong, mostly malt with some wine notes. A great beer to have with a hearty dinner.

Another intriguing Super Power movie. Although its dedication to its subject and lack of grand special effects will keep it on the B List.

Like "Defendor", "Special" gets right into the psychology (not morality) of being and becoming a super hero - notably the Hero Syndrome/Complex:

"The Hero Complex is an inherent desire to help others. It is a compulsion to help make their world right. Not officially a disorder or disease, there are an increasing number of people who 'suffer' from it.
Comic book heroes also suffer from this disorder, having the need to help others, show instinctive, altruistically cooperative behavior that is detrimental to the individual but contributes to the safety of others."

Basically, it's not normal to be a super hero; those who choose that role have to have something a little off about them. Our "hero" in "Special", Les, fits the bill perfectly. He's not too bright, not too courageous, but irrepressibly altruistic. Things change when an experimental drug suddenly gives him amazing powers - powers that only he seems to be able to see.

Whether or not the powers are real, Les's heroism is ignited and propels him to his own humanitarian limits.

A fitting addition to the haunted mansion/skittish, unhelpful villagers/period/Hammer spook genre. Great sets, great costumes, and consistent scares. This one will have you jumping and spilling your popcorn, guaranteed.

However, if you like the aforementioned cliche you'll be in for a real treat; if you're not into cliches - better to pass. "The Woman In Black" is made simply to delight.

Harry Potter wanders around, "leading" the film with his name alone (shoots, what is his real name?). He comes off awkwardly too young for the role and is given virtually nothing to do except make the classic horror mistakes one-by-one. "Don't go in that attic! Oh...." "Don't go in that graveyard at night! Oh...."

Forget capes, cowls, and clichés - "Chronicle" exemplifies the next stage in superpower movie evolution.

The story follows three stratified high school students: Steve, the all-american school star; Matt, a would-be intellectual; and Andrew, an outsider who's world is full of clouds without silver linings. After discovering an other-worldly object, the boys find they have telekinetic powers. Cue the orchestra and let's start fighting monsters, right? Gladly, wrong.

Though "Chronicle" will be paralled with movies following the super hero trend, it clearly veers in a more dramatic direction (think "Phenomenon" or "Carrie"). Special effects are part of the story, but director Josh Trank reigns them in, making them true extensions of the characters instead of a spectacle unto themselves. Writer Max Landis (son of John Landis) has crafted a tight script with genuine care for it's heroes. Steve, Matt, and Andrew are refreshingly full and realistic characters. You know these guys. You're probably watching this movie with one of them. And this is what makes the fun and the dark sides of "Chronicle" so compelling. Super power or none, these characters are faced with real-life challenges that prove it's not what could you do, it's what should you do.