Recently Rated Movies #41: The Steadily-Depressing Stuck-In-Disneyland Wanting-to-see-Grindhouse Blues

In between all of the Facebooking going on (the latest trend amongst Archie's Pals and Gals) and the deluge of Jen's relatives currently in Anaheim for a family reunion, it's going to be rather tight through the next week as far as posting on the ol' blog is concerned. Several days at Disneyland, three or four hours of Easter Mass (which I will fortunately not have to attend), Easter dinner, lengthy sits around a variety of bars and restaurants: that's the next few days for yours truly. That's all fine and well -- I like this family, and I really enjoy hanging out with Jen's mom and grandpa -- but how the hell am I going to work in a showing of Grindhouse?

Just like the Catholics have their silly rituals, I have mine. Only in my case, I prefer spending that four hours in the dark of a theatre, watching movies. And if there were a special holiday set aside for movie nuts, it would certainly include a double feature of films by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, where they go about wildly riffing on the 70's B movies that inspired their respective forms of cinematic madness. This is my type of holiday weekend, folks, and it has nothing to do with crosses or centurions or miracles or even resurrections, unless you count saving Kurt Russell's career such a thing, which I do. And unless Rose McGowan and Rosario Dawson show up in floppy ears and cottontails, it has nothing to do with goddamn bunnies, either (but, OH MAN, I hope they do...)

So, I am waiting for my opportunity. Jen and her mom say we should go to it Monday night, which would be great, but they just don't -- Don't -- DON'T!!!! -- understand. Because, ultimately, the type of films being celebrated in these movies are not their type of movies. They are mine. And I will grab the first chance I can to split from the group and hit a showing. "Fucking splitter!", they may cry, but I won't be back for three-plus hours.

The first irony? I would have to watch in the AMC Downtown Disney, in a scrubbed-over family friendly movie palace, sitting in an area where, speaking sociologically, these types of films would not have been shown in the old days. And the true irony? These types of cheesy, low-budget gorefests, shown in decrepit, smelly, dangerous movie houses in slum areas, hold more soul in them than anything Disney could ever hope to manufacture. (And I say all this as a card-carrying fan of the House of Mouse. I'm just saying it with a little tough love...)

Now, pardon me, I have to go ride Indiana Jones and plot my escape to the theatre...

The List:
Gwoemul [The Host] Dir: Joon-ho Bong // 2006, Korean [Edwards Brea Stadium West 10, Brea CA] - 7
Ghost Rider Dir: Mark Steven Johnson // 2007 [Century Stadium Promenade 25, Orange CA] - 4
Children of Men Dir: Alfonso Cuaron// 2006 [Bear Tooth TheatrePub, Anchorage AK] - 7
Zui hao de shi guang [Three Times] Dir: Hsiao-hsien Hou // 2005, Korean [DVD] - 5
The Invisible Avenger Dir: James Wong Howe, Ben Parker & John Sledge // 1958 [DVD] - 6
I Spit On Your Grave Dir: Meir Zarchi // 1978 [DVD] - 5
Where the Truth Lies Dir: Atom Egoyan // 2005 [IFC] - 5
Woman on Top Dir: Fina Torres // 2000 [IFC] - 5
Charley Chase silent short subjects:
April Fool Dir: Ralph Ceder // 1924 [TCM] - 6
Innocent Husbands Dir: Leo McCarey // 1925 [TCM] - 7
Long Fliv the King Dir: Leo McCarey // 1926 [TCM] - 6
Mighty Like A Moose Dir: Leo McCarey // 1926 [TCM] - 6
Bromo and Juliet Dir: Leo McCarey // 1926 [TCM] - 7