Tag Archive | "Cinema Dave"

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Saturday matinee popcorn eating fun

Posted on 26 December 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Given the timeliness of #FakeNews, the tragedy of Richard Jewell was going to be my last review for Flicks, but my dear readers are savvy enough to know the difference between fantasy and reality.  It is for John Williams sake that I chose to review Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker as the last column of Flicks.

While the Beatles are the soundtrack from my youth and Alice Cooper is helping me cope with middle age, the music of John Williams has truly been the soundtrack of my life.  “Johnny” Williams, the maestro, composed many television shows, most notably season three of Lost in Space, which still gets my adrenaline pumped after 50 years. When I hear the opening notes of The Cowboys, I want to find Bruce Dern and avenge John Wayne. As a senior at Florida State University 35 years ago, I was honored to lead the Marching Chiefs across three football fields to the strains of the Indiana Jones theme.  

For many years, John Williams was the conductor for the Boston Pops, and I had always wanted to attend his concerts. The year 1992 was to be John Williams’ final tour. He was playing at the Wolf Trap in Virginia. At that time, I was unemployed, house sitting in Maryland and being nourished by Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. As broke as I was, I decided to put myself further in debt and attended the concert. It was a crossroads moment in my life, and I have never regretted this decision. I finally learned to listen to my own voice 37 years ago.

Beyond the special effect visuals, following one’s own conscience and moral compass has been the underlying theme of the Star Wars franchise.  Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker wraps up three generations of characters and how they deal with consistent evil. Characters like Darth Vader and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) are seduced by power and evil, while characters like Leia (the late Carrie Fisher), Luke (Mark Hamill) and Rey (Daisey Ridley) endure, persevere and heal. John Williams also has a cameo as a bartender in the film.

According to Rotten Tomatoes.com, the public likes Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker more than mainstream critics.  Given four decades of great expectations and the fact that the top billed actress died three years ago, the production team created an entertaining movie.

Utilizing John Williams’ inspired musical score, Episode IX cements many lingering plot points from the previous eight movies of the Skywalker Saga. Along with Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Disney has plans for the future of Star Wars, though the Skywalker Saga, which began in 1977, has concluded. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker succeeds as popcorn-eating Saturday matinee fun.

In the days before Christ, primitive people would hunker down in their caves at night, light a torch and tell some stories. The more artistically inclined individuals would paint their stories on the cave walls. It was much later when someone placed some corn over a fire, watched it pop and shared the food with their family and friends. This was the first cinema experience, which became perfected by the evolution of technology. Movies are merely an extension of the entertainment once enjoyed by our ancestors.

At age 81, former President Ronald Reagan said, “In our country, one’s destinations matter more than one’s origins. Like most Americans, I live for the future.” 

These words become more meaningful to me as I write my final paragraph of Flicks.  I am humbled by my dear reader’s 20 years of readership and, to quote the great clown, Red Skelton, “God Bless and Good Night.”

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“The Swashbuckling Journalist & Information Scientist”

Posted on 19 December 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Santa Claus meets “Cinema” Dave.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13: 6-7

When I accepted the plaque for 20 years of service with The Observer, I admitted that “Flicks” has been a labor of love for me. I also became aware that I would not be writing this column for another 20 years. Like Dwyane Wade’s final year with the Miami Heat, I was hoping to have #OneLastDance. 

This columnist came to the revelation that the world had changed more than I have. (Case in point — does anyone know what the word “Flicks” means?) I am still the shy 10-year-old Davy from Huntington, Long Island, who moved to Deerfield Beach with his parents and Chrissy the dog in 1973. I live with chronic grief over the loss of my dad and my dog, yet I am sustained in my Christian belief that real love is eternal. We will meet again for a grand family reunion with my New York and Alabama families and dearly departed friends that I have written about in this column.

With decades of show business training, I am comfortable when the spotlight is thrust upon me. Actually, I am a private person and not emotionally demonstrative. I like having the separation from shy Dave Montalbano to Cinema Dave — that “swashbuckling journalist and information scientist.” The meek Montalbano is a working man with a deep love for his family, friends and pets, while Cinema Dave attends premiers, festivals and gets his picture taken with movie stars, music legends and American heroes.

Since 1999, our community has survived wars, rumors of wars, the 2000 Presidential Election, multiple hurricanes (with Hurricane Wilma being the most devastating), political corruption, shootings and my personal battles with a pesky puppet — Sinister Simon.

This column is older than actress Bailee Madison, Dwayne Wade’s NBA career and the Marvel Comic’s “The Infinity Wars Saga.”

Considering that major media have hired syndicated columnists from either New York, Chicago or Los Angeles for over a decade, I am proud to have claimed the title “the longest standing film columnist in Broward County.”  My intention was to write a film column that was not uppity or snarky, unless I thought my column was Saturday matinee popcorn eating fun. Then, I would report on a film and let the ticket buyer decide the value of seeing the movie. Afterall, some people love Madonna and some people love a King Kong movie. Both are entitled to their opinions.

This column has outlasted Blockbuster Video and Border’s Bookstore. It seems appropriate that a column titled “Flicks” closes in 2019. People do not go to movie theaters the way they did in 1999. Yet, I am thankful this year to share the communal experience watching Captain America battling the Mad Titan Thanos at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science Autonation IMAX screen — A battle reminiscent of David versus Goliath, a mythic story that is close to this writer’s heart.

At my age, my heart is a current concern.  Given the sedentary lifestyle of being a swashbuckling journalist and information scientist, my medical doctors have prescribed more walking and swimming, which I will be doing in my free time, since I will not be writing a weekly column. After next week, “Cinema” Dave has no plans for public publishing, but I have learned by writing “Flicks” that writing is my innate talent, so, given my Christian belief and faith, my writing has been “born again.” It seems appropriate to end my penultimate column with Merry Christmas!

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Remember December 7?

Posted on 05 December 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Translated quote attributed to Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (though not factually verified)

This Saturday, Dec. 7 marks the 78th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Does this sentence hold any significance for you? For some of my readers, the bombing of Pearl Horror was a horror story that they first heard about on Broadcast Radio or that their parents lived through. It was a life changing day for millions of people.

The Japanese Imperial Navy waged a surprise attack on the territory of Hawaii, which was the most western naval base of the United States of America. (On Dec. 8, 1941, Congress declared war on Japan.) A shocked nation responded months later with a bombing mission over Tokyo, which lead to the Battle of Midway, Iwo Jima, Bataan and the eventual dropping of two Atomic Bombs on Japan. Thus, in one compound sentence, explains the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

As a child and teen growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, World War II was very much a topic of conversation, since many relatives and neighbors served in the conflict. Television shows like Hogan’s Heroes found humor about prisoners of war. Afternoon movies featuring John Wayne, Cary Grant and Errol Flynn presented patriotic stories with stock war footage filmed by legendary movie directors like John Huston, John Ford and Italian Immigrant Frank Capra. 

When war concludes, a soldier returns home in the hopes of finding peace. The highest ranking actor in military history, a Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve, James Stewart made a movie with Frank Capra that bombed — It’s a Wonderful Life. It wasn’t until the early 1980s with contemporary, hot film director Steven Spielberg that The Searchers and It’s a Wonderful Life were two of the most influential movies. 

As Greek philosopher Socrates proclaimed over 5,000 years ago, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”  As Sept. 11, 2001 has revealed, each generation faces the challenge of evil and how one responds to that challenge defines a generation.

This Monday, Dec. 9, Broward County Library Director Kelvin Watson will be visiting Deerfield Beach Percy White Library to do a book talk on Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel.  As a follow up to his book, The Good Soldiers, Finkel focuses on the returning soldiers from the “War on Terror” and how they are trying to adjust to civilian life.

This Saturday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m., Deerfield Beach Percy White Library will present a John Wayne movie released in January 1944. (Title cannot be revealed due to licensing agreements.) While young people might scoff at how dated this film will look, this film is a time capsule about the culture of world war. One will cringe at the cigarettes being smoked in this movie, yet one will appreciate the sincerity of domestic sacrifice. While John Wayne did not serve in World War II, his movies where respected by the American soldier. I should know. My Dad served in World War II at the time of this movie’s release.

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17 Days of FLIFF 2019

Posted on 21 November 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

An epic tale can be told in 17 days. That is the major lesson that was learned in the 2 ½ weeks of the 34th Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF), which featured a strong beginning, middle and a grand finale.  There were heroes and villains, featuring close calls and thrilling escapes. There was also an acknowledgement that regardless of race, color or creed, there is a community of individuals who love stories told on the big screen.

Winner of the best ensemble award,Working Man, is a film that symbolizes the themes of FLIFF 2019. Ten years in preparation, Robert Jury molded his script into a 1 hour and 49 minute drama that touches upon all the elements of Aristotelian drama: sadness, penance, comedy and redemption. Yet, for all of the academic touch points, Working Man is a contemporary movie that taps into modern sensibilities. The production values of this film reflect upon a little independent film that costar Talia Shire was involved in 43 years ago — Rocky.

Forty-three years ago, the biggest star on the set of Rocky was Burgess Meredith, an actor who was known to one generation as Batman’s nemesis “The Penguin,” to another generation he was “George” to Lon Chaney Jr.’s “Lennie” in John Steinbeck’s adaption Of Mice and Men.  The production values of Rocky were far more depressed than the previous mentioned Burgess Meredith productions. In fact, the actor’s dressing room was a shared van on the streets of Philadelphia.

Instead of missing the glory of salad days gone by, Talia Shire saw him (in his Long Johns, in the dressing room) proclaiming, “Isn’t this great?” Meredith garnered an Oscar nomination for Rocky and steady work in the industry for another 30 years. This is a lesson that the then 29 year-old Talia Shire embraced.

Being trained in theater with the gravitas that “the show must go on,” Shire flew into Ft. Lauderdale on a red eye jet, later than expected, despite an injured index finger and waves of throbbing pain. She would have made Burgess Meredith proud. 

Shire provided expert analysis of Working Man (Videos will be downloaded on my blog — https://cinemadave.livejournal.com this weekend.)  She was generous with the press, signing autographs and posing with fans for photographs.  Shire is a movie star, but she prefers to be known as a character actress.

As an Italian child from Long Island, the film From the Vine helped me recapture moments of my youth.  Starring Joe Pantoliano in a rare leading role, this filmis the story of an overworked executive who discovers the bucolic joy of making wine. 

In 17 days, the climate changed from tropic heat to November chill.  As a double feature, Working Man and From the Vine were great Sunday afternoon matinee fun.

FLIFF 2019 has closed. Many of the backstage angels and class acts are limping home from a job well done.  In fact, 17 days is a great benchmark in the motion picture industry. For Working Man and Rocky were filmed within a similar time period.   Hmm … Cinema Dave has an idea for a film project in 2020 Anno Domini …

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The Warrior Queen of Jhansi opens as FLIFF closes this weekend

Posted on 14 November 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Based on a true story, The Warrior Queen of Jhansi opens this weekend and deals with the 1857 Indian Rebellion against the British Empire.  If you remember the historical epics that starred Errol Flynn, Charlton Heston and David Niven, The Warrior Queen of Jhansi presents an alternative perspective from the losing side of history.  Like the Alamo, the seeds of victory were planted in this rebellion that was led by a warrior woman, Rhani of Jhansi (Devika Bhise).

Clocking in under two hours, this film is an entertaining piece of history. The film provides costume drama with conflict between the Rhani and Queen Victoria (Jodhi May), but also presents the outdoor beauty of India. The battle scenes are epic, but lack the bloody intensity of current events provided on the big screen and the small screen these days.

It is with a sense of melancholia that The 34th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival closes this Sunday evening with From the Vine starring Joe Pantoliano.  Pantoliano stars as a damaged individual who returns to rural Italy in an attempt to resurrect a wine vineyard. 

Written and directed by Daniel Cohen, A Stone in the Water will play this weekend. Bonnie Bedelia portrays a grief-stricken mother who projects her worst fears upon a pregnant survivor of a car crash. Sunday evening will wrap up the festival with Working Man, which features Talia Shire’s return to the festival.

Prolific actress, Diane Baker has graced the festival with her warmth and humanity. A voting member of the Academy Awards who serves with the Actor’s Branch, Baker  credits acting to opening her world to adventures in Greece and Israel.  She has witnessed firsthand a government dictatorship, while acknowledging the common wishes and desires of worldwide humanity.  She credits much of her education to her mentor, Melvyn Douglas, a MGM contract player who won two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor in Hud and Being There, respectively.     

Douglas helped Baker deal with Joan Crawford, an actress who could be very demanding. Baker and Crawford made three films together: The Best of Everything, Della and Strait-Jacket. Perhaps because Crawford portrayed Baker’s mother in two of the three films, the fine line between fantasy and reality seemed to be crossed. This weekend, I will be presenting the videos of Diane Baker’s interview with Professor Foster Hirsch on my blog — www.cinemadave.livejournal.com, which will detail how Baker dealt with her conflict with Joan Crawford.

As much as I love partying and reconnecting with friends and colleagues, it is these special moments with people like Diane Baker that elevates a film festival like FLIFF.  As much as the industry has changed, it is great to listen to a professional of her caliber who believes in good stories, human values and the importance of laughter.

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Oct. 11 was El Camino day!

Posted on 16 October 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

As late as Monday morning, Oct. 7, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie was supposed to open exclusively in Miami. Perhaps some studio executive read this column a few weeks ago because last Friday night, the film also opened locally, as close as the IPIC Boca Raton theater in Mizner Park. The first screening was packed and the ticket buyers were intimately aware of every nuance of this Breaking Bad history, while embracing some of the characters from Better Call Saul, a spin off.  This is noteworthy because El Camino also debuted on Netflix the same day — Friday, Oct. 11.

Like Rob Zombie’s 3 from Hell, Vince Gilligan’s El Camino is redefining the business model for a motion picture release. Neither film rivals the box office revenue of a Joker or The Addams Family, but both 3 from Hell and El Camino are relatively low budget productions, so the return of investment can be substantially larger, whereas a successful big budgeted studio production with many movie stars may never see a profit for many years after release.  Kudos to the independent streaks of Rob Zombie and Vince Gilligan for lighting the way for the creative part of the motion picture industry.

Despite being part of the Breaking Bad universe, El Camino is a standalone movie. One does not need to see the previous 62 episodes of the television series, but one will likely want to watch them now. The El Camino Jessie Pinkman (Aaron Paul) character is the gestalt of television version of Breaking Bad. Jessie, the boy, has become a man and is the whole of the sum of his 62 parts.    

El Camino opens  moments after the grand “Felina” of Breaking Bad. Jessie has escaped his captivity and is on the run from the police and sadistic criminal scumbags. After reuniting with his old buddies Skinny Pete (Charles Baker) and Badger (Matt Jones), Jessie seeks the services of Ed (the late Robert Forster), a man who runs his own private industry witness protection program.  

Given writer/director Vince Gilligan’s love of words, El Camino is a double entendre. While there is a Chevrolet car in the movie and the locations are set in New Mexico, El Camino is a Spanish word for “a path, a road or a journey.”

How Jessie goes from “Point A” to “Point B” is an entertaining story, yet this is a meditative story about potential redemption.  Throughout the film, various Breaking Bad characters appear in flashbacks. Each provide kernels of wisdom for Jessie’s journey to enlightenment.  

Sadly, the Oct. 11 release also marks the passing of Robert Forster. An actor with 50 years of motion picture experience, Forster provides a fine swan song performance as “Ed the Disappearer.” Suffering from Brain Cancer at the time of filming, Forster’s performance rings sincere and true. 

There are some great violent visuals to El Camino, but the quiet moments with Aaron Paul and Robert Forster will be the cinematic moments to savor. 

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“Sympathy for the devil” begins with Joker

Posted on 10 October 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Joker is probably the most ambiguous movie to open with such strong box office revenue. It helps to have a comic book character with almost 80 years of villainy. Mix that with almost 50 years of movies featuring urban alienation, and it is little wonder why Joker became a box office monster last weekend.  

“Sympathy for the devil” begins with an unreliable narrator. Understanding this concept will enhance your viewing pleasure of this film if being seated next to a madman on a roller coaster ride is your idea of pleasure.

The film opens with Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) putting on his clown make-up and preparing for his temp job as a sign carrier for a failed business.  After being mugged on the street by a bunch of callow boys, Arthur loses his job because his sign is destroyed.

Defeated, Arthur returns to his one room apartment that he shares with his delusional mother.  The two find pleasure in watching Murray Franklin’s (Robert DeNiro) celebrity night time television show. Beyond that, many things happen and Arthur is right in the middle of these wild situations. Sometimes, Arthur is the agent of chaos; sometimes, he is the victim of chaos. Regardless of the circumstance, Arthur laughs at jokes that only he understands.  

Through the cloak of ambiguity, this film manages to raise social messages.  From a subway shooting that echoes Bernard Goetz’s 1984 headlines, Arthur inspires a mass protest to “Kill the Rich” by people wearing clown make-up, which echoes the 2014 Ferguson Missouri riots. 

Batman’s Father, Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) is a self-made billionaire, who commits to the political ambition to become Mayor of Gotham City, which echoes Donald F. Trump’s Presidency.

Much like Renee Zellweger’s performance in Judy, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Joker is likely to be Oscar-nominated. The actor runs the gamut of human emotions.  One feels sorry for Arthur, but the seduction of evil is real and an unsuspecting individual could easily become the Joker’s prey.

Though clowns have been part of the entertainment industry since the Roman Circus, recently clowns have been front and center during recent Halloweens. Sid Haig’s Captain Spaulding and Pennywise the Dancing Clown from Stephen King’s It books and movies have been trick or treat favorites and horror movie convention winners.  Like Cesar Romero, Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker fits right into this Rogues Gallery Circus.

For those who want to don greasepaint beyond Halloween, the Kazoo and Drum Corps for the “Day of the Dead” is seeking volunteers for the parade in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, Nov. 2.  (Visit the website at www.dayofthedeadflorida.com.)

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Renee Zellweger resurrects Judy

Posted on 03 October 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

On June 22, 1969, Mom, Dad and I were out on our Johnson & Johnson wooden boat on Cold Spring Harbor.  My parents swam ashore and I stayed on the boat with a transistor radio. Between songs (likely Big Band), the news man announced that “Judy Garland died.” I got so excited that I pulled the boat ashore, much to my Dad’s dismay — since the tide was going out.

Being six years old, I had seen The Wizard of Oz at least twice, including once by myself on the color TV set. (The Wicked Witch of the West so scared me that I could not watch the film alone in the den the first time). Beyond portraying Dorothy Gale, Mom introduced me to Judy Garland the star of variety shows that featured singing, dancing and comedy.

Starring Renee Zellweger in the title role, the new movie Judy features the entertainer’s swan song. Living off her fame, but performing at low budget night clubs with her children Lorna and Joe, Judy finishes a show, only to learn she does not have a bed to sleep in.  After arguing with her fourth ex-husband Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell) about custody of the children, Judy gets a job offer to perform in London’s “Talk of the Town.”

The money is good, but years of prescribed substance abuse have taken their toll on this vulnerable 46-year-old mother of three.  Having earned a reputation as being unreliable, Judy Garland’s swan song performance is an emotional roller coaster ride featuring insomnia, heartbreak and the divine grace of performance.

Renee Zellweger owns Judy. Besides performing her own singing, there are moments when the ghost of Judy Garland has returned to the big screen. Likely to be Oscar nominated, Zellweger’s performance is consistent. Her final close-up is a rare audience connection that bookends the beginning of the movie.

Based on the play End of the Rainbow, this new film explains the dark side of show business. The opening shot features young Judy Garland (Darci Shaw) being told by Louie B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) that she is a plain, next-door girl that is separated by her beautiful singing voice.  This scene echoes the Book of Genesis chapter in which Eve is seduced by the serpent.

Tears were shed, but the laughs are truthful, Judy is an entertaining tragedy with many life lessons. Parents who know that their children want to “run away to the circus,” should take them to see Judy as a family movie some afternoon. The discussion afterward will be genuine.

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Sid Haig & the evolution of cinema

Posted on 26 September 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Before there was “Spooky Empire” in Orlando, there was Petey Mongelli’s inaugural monster conventions in Broward County until Hurricane Wilma hit in 2005. With roadshow buzz about Rob Zombie’s directorial debut House of 1000 Corpses and buzz about the sequel, The Devil’s Rejects, Sid Haig was one of his featured guests. When I met him at his booth back then, we talked about Spider Baby and his film debut with Lon Chaney Jr.

Haig talked about Chaney’s professionalism and generosity on the set of this low budget, but happy production.  Haig seemed pleased when I mentioned he was carrying the torch from Lon Chaney Jr.’s generation for today’s filmmakers.

Since Sid passed away last Saturday morning, the outpouring of grief from fans and the motion picture industry has become overwhelming on social media. He was not a regular on Entertainment Tonight type news programs, but Sid Haig’s legacy is secure to anyone who ever met him or enjoys a master thespian performing his craft.

Last week, this columnist wrote about the marketing strategy for 3 from Hell, which involved limited time on the big screen — three nighttime weekday screenings. On the fourth day, the home viewing release date – Oct. 14 – was launched. 

Without the marketing might (and theme parks) of  Disney and Universal Studios, independent filmmakers are getting creative in seeking distribution and widening the profit margin. Case in Point — El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie — This film was secretly produced in New Mexico, while the fifth season of the television show Better Call Saul was being produced in the same territory. Utilizing much of the cast and crew of the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul universe, it was a surprise to learn that El Camino will be available on Netflix on Oct. 11.  However, there will be limited screening in major cities like Miami. (I am hoping for something more local).    

Speaking of local, The Deerfield Beach Percy White Library will be hosting “Local Creative Talent Film Producers” on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.  The producers and creative force behind Dead Ant will be in attendance and will host a panel. Starring Sean Astin, Jake Busey and Tom Arnold, Dead Ant is a monster movie/ musical comedy about a one hit wonder heavy metal band that gets stranded in the Joshua Tree Desert. Think This is Spinal Tap meets Tremors.

For almost two years, this columnist has written about the “evolution” of the motion picture industry. With the recent releases of 3 from Hell and El Camino, we are witnessing the business paradigm shift in the motion picture world. With local festivals like the upcoming Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, cinema consumers have the opportunity of better choices.

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Universal Horror with 3 from Hell & Us, while neighbors help Bahamas

Posted on 18 September 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It was a hot Sunday August night years ago at the Pompano Muvico when Cinema Dave watched Rob Zombie’s creation, The Devil’s Rejects [which was released in 2005]. With visceral violence and terrible torture scenes, Cinema Dave wondered what type of people would pay to see such a film. He questioned the psychological make-up of the people sitting next to him and cheering the exploits of Otis (Bill Moseley), Baby (Sheri Moon Zombie) and patriarch Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig).  Now, Cinema Dave owns a DVD copy of it.

A follow up to his first movie, House of a 1000 Corpses [2003], The Devil’s Rejects is now considered Rob Zombie’s best movie.  Barely a blip in the 2005 box office, the filmwas rated highly by national critics like Roger Ebert. A cult phenomenon through the horror convention circuit and through the camaraderie of the actors, Zombie put paper to pencil and created 3 from Hell, a direct sequel featuring Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie and Sid Haig in a brief appearance as the patriarch.

Unless you were in a movie theater for the last three weeknights, you missed the big screen edition offilm as the film is now being processed for a DVD/Halloween release next month. Riding the vibe of this independent cult film trilogy, Universal Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando is devoting a haunted ride exhibit to the Firefly Family from the film.

Halloween Horror Nights is also dedicating a haunted house to Us, Jordan Peele’s next film after his Oscar winning screenplay, Get Out.  Starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, Us is a horror movie that is too long for its own good.  There are plenty of thrills and laughs, but the horrific explanation is complicated and takes too long to explain. (US is currently available on DVD).

Beyond the fantasy of terror movies, there is the realistic horror of Hurricane Dorian upon the Bahamas recently. Unlike the selfish behavior of people seen in a horror movie, our South Florida neighbors have stepped up to help our Caribbean neighbors with donations.

Beginning 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival’s (FLIFF) Savor Cinema (503 SE 6 St., in Ft. Lauderdale) in partnership with the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science, will screen Eye of the Dolphin and Beneath the Blue, two films filmed in the Bahamas that were previously honored by the festival. Throughout the double feature, there will be a Bahamian party in the courtyard.  While ticket prices vary, all proceeds will go to Bahamian charity relief efforts. For more information, find FLIFF on Facebook.

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