The Movie Journal

  Santa Sangre (1990) As soon as Santa Sangre finished, I was in a state of shocked silence for about ten minutes. What on earth did I watch? Classified as a horror movie, it is not a horror movie in any typical sense. There are no haunted houses, or demons, or ghosts. Instead, we are immersed in a world filled with surreal psychological horror. There are people that believe the term “horror” is not the correct word because of its content. I was a bit overwhelmed when the film ended. It was my first taste of what Alejandro Jodorowsky can do with images and a story. His films are known for being violent or showing bodily images one would not be accustomed to. Yet, they serve a purpose. The images are not meant to be gratuitous. I felt like I was immersed in a dream. Jodorowsky created many scenes that captivate you and hold you tight. A prime example is the elephant scene. The elephant dies and a funeral procession is held. Then its body is dumped off a cliff into the ravenous hand...

  Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 6 "Lethe" October 22, 2017  For those who qualm and complain about fan service, I do not think you’ll enjoy “Lethe.” As a casual fan of the series, I found there was plenty to enjoy even if the episode is somewhat relying on its fan service to tell the story. In the pilot, we learn that Michael Burnham is the adopted daughter of Sarek…who happens to be Spock’s father. Yes, Spock is namedropped as we learn some details about why those two are not on the same page. Something to do with the Vulcan Expeditionary Force. The main focus of this episode is a rescue mission for Sarek, whose ship was attacked by a Vulcan terrorist group. It may be another episode that focuses on Michael’s daddy issues, but an important one, nonetheless. Sarek is an important part of Michael’s life as he is responsible for her upbringing. All the right emotional notes were hit. Jason Isaacs continues to show incredible acting prowess as Lorca, the captain who li...

  Star Trek: Discovery: Season 1, Episode 5 "Choose Your Pain" October 15, 2017 “Choose Your Pain” is a very promising episode of Star Trek: Discovery . I liked the title and how it is applied in the episode. Essentially, the name comes from a Klingon torture practice where prisoners choose amongst their own who will be beaten. Given the shows fast pace, it could have been explored more here, but it is still a powerful, forceful concept. Star Trek fans may have been rightfully surprised when Tilly used the “f” word, the first time any Trek character did so. Welcome to the 21 st century television. Burnham takes a backseat here, but still plays an important role in terms of the audience getting to know who she is…someone who will do the right thing, no matter the cost. The episode does a good job in developing characters not named Burnham. We see how Saru adjusts to captain life as he tries to save Lorca from the Klingons, we learn pivotal information about Lorca’s dark past ...

  Dirty Dancing (1987) Despite its massive popularity, I never thought that one day I would be watching Dirty Dancing . I try to stay away from these dance films because let’s face it, it is not a fun genre. I knew the music behind the movie. Who doesn’t know the songs “(I’ve Had) The Time of Your Life” and “Hungry Eyes.” They are radio staples from the 1980’s that still receive airplay nowadays…and are very good songs. I finally relented because of my goal to watch every movie on the Empire’s Top 500 list, and you know what? I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, Eleanor Bergstein’s screenplay is hit-or-miss as it far too predictable for my liking. At the end of the day, you cannot deny the power of Patrick Swayze’s and Jennifer Grey’s chemistry and powerful dance moves. Credit to where it belongs, but there is a surprising subplot involving abortion (and more towards the pro side) that you will hardly see in a film from this decade. If I am not mistaken, marketers backed out distributi...

  Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a decent movie, if just barely. There is lots of zany gags. How many of them you find funny is ultimately up to you. Honestly, a sequel to the hit 1984 Gremlins was not totally necessary as I felt the first film ended on a great note. Warner Brothers took time to convince Joe Dante to return to the director’s chair, and he originally refused because he felt a sequel was not necessary. I find the main purpose as a cash grab and to sell merchandising for the franchise. Essentially, the film is a mediation and a parody about sequels. Like many sequels, this is a plotless endeavor especially when the gremlins show up. It is gag after gag after gag (yes, some of the gags are excellent). There is a terrifying scene that rivals if not exceeds the microwave scene from the 1984 film. Yes, make sure you keep paper shredders away from gremlins. The special effects are really cool. There is Brain Gremlin, voiced by Tony Randall, w...

  Total Recall (1990) Total Recall is one beast of a movie. Is that a good thing? Well, it depends on your preferences. Paul Verhoeven, who also directed the 1987 film Robocop , made his film with wall-to-wall violence that never lets up. His frenetic direction is what made the film move had such a breakneck pace. Because the film was adapted from a Philip K. Dick story (just like a similar sci-fi story, Blade Runner ), there has to be social commentary. Throughout the almost-two-hour long movie, an important question is asked of the audience. Is Schwarzenegger’s character’s actions real or is everything just a dream? There are no clear answers…and I really liked the ambiguity. Lesser directors could have turned the movie into a mindless action film using Schwarzenegger’s brawn to create something forgettable. The big man does use his muscle to great effect in the action scenes, but one could say he was cast against type. When compared to his 80’s actioners, his character is more v...

  Back to the Future Part III  Back to the Future Part III is so much fun. It is a sweet and entertaining finale to one of the best science fiction trilogies to exist. The first two films have similar ideas and themes, but Robert Zemeckis and company switched things up here. They created an homage to old-school Westerns, a very risky movie considering how westerns were not popular with moviegoers at the time. I loved the references to the westerns of old. Of course Marty would have to say the line, “uh..Mar..Clint Eastwood.” That line gets me every time. There is a really sweet love story between Doc Brown and Clara Clayton. It surprises me that people seem to dislike their romance. I thought the chemistry existed between the two characters. Furthermore, the film took risks with this romance because it involved middle-aged characters falling in love, and that is never seen in movies. All things considered, Zemeckis took filmmaking risks and they all paid off. In addition, the...