April 2012: The Horror! The Horror!

The Cabin in the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2012)

I could quite literally talk about how much I adore The Cabin in the Woods for hours. It is undoubtedly one of the best films of the year and I can firmly state that if you didn’t like it, chances are you probably didn’t get it. It’s a harsh statement, but it’s the truth (just look at Rex Reed’s awful and inaccurate review). Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard work so beautifully together and their screenplay truly takes horror to a new level. It’s tense, hilarious, and utilizes the conventions of the horror genre in a way that it’s really never been done before. If only all modern horror films were as magnificent as this cinematic gem.

 

God Bless America (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2012)

Bob Goldthwait has a pretty dark view of the world, as anyone who has seen his movies should know, and I’m a big fan of that. This movie can feel a little preachy at times, but something about it just stuck with me and I found myself laughing from start to finish. Maybe it’s because I hate people and stupidity just as much as these characters do, and maybe that makes me a giant asshole, but I really enjoyed this one. It’s not for everyone, although I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of: speeches about how stupid people are, uber-violence, and Bonnie and Clyde.

 

Score (Radley Metzger, 1974)

[Note: the trailer says ’73 but it’s definitely ’74]

This slightly NSFW trailer may look a little dated, but I just saw this on bluray and I have to admit that I was so fucking impressed. I’ve always found porn chic to be extremely fascinating, but Score definitely takes the cake. Radley Metzger’s films aren’t just your average porn flicks. They’ve got witty dialogue, great filmmaking techniques, some very steamy sex scenes, and even decent acting (not that most people who watch porn care, but I do). Honestly, this is some of the most stunning pornography I’ve ever seen and it’s no wonder that this is considered the golden age of porn.

Score also explores fluid sexuality and features characters that engage in both heterosexual and homosexual sex. Hell, it even does a better job at showcasing the fluidity of sexuality than a certain Oscar nominee about lesbians and wine. This clearly isn’t for everyone, but those willing to explore the golden age of porn (which is a lot more story than actual sex by the way) should definitely check this one out.

Juan Barquin

Just yer average twenty-something college student with no time on his hands who ends up watching (and writing) too many movies and shows for his own good.

9 Responses

  1. amy says:

    Wow, I’m really surprise how little films you’ve watched – then again, I didn’t see many films either xD We pretty much disagree with The Lady, though. xD

    • Juan Barquin says:

      @amy, I was so LAAAAAAAAAZY this month. Well, not really, I just had a ton of papers to write and finals so it was just too overwhelming to keep watching a ton of movies as well. I’m just glad I did at least one per day.

      • amy says:

        @Juan Barquin, I understand. How is everything with school? Read that you were shooting your short? Maybe you should blog about that xD

        • Juan Barquin says:

          @amy, school seems to be going alright! I’m done for now – a bit of a summer break thankfully! As for the short, I’ll probably post about it once I actually get the equipment I’ll be working with and take some photos. Hell, if people like this one (which I’m basically doing on a $500 budget (just camera stuff and minor props), I might just go ahead and start up a kickstarter for a second, slightly bigger short I’ve got in the works.

    • Rodrigo says:

      @amy, My lazyest month (film-wise) was February. Only 5 films, lol. But to be fair, I was starting to get hooked into Mad Men and rewatching Curb, Rome, Entourage, Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire.

      • amy says:

        @Rodrigo, TV takes up so much time, huh? xD The heaviest TV months, it’s the laziest movie months… it’s even worse for me with books and sometimes music…

        • Juan Barquin says:

          @amy, Apparently in April I saw approx 200 episodes of television so that can definitely account for my low movie count lol.

          I’m a monster???

  2. Rodrigo says:

    The only film I’ve seen from your list during April was Avengers, in which we both have the same score and enjoyed it for reasons that might be equal or different.

    And I saw Pariah too (I have it at 3.75/5 like Amy), but that was seen by me yesterday. The second half of the film makes it work well IMO.

    • Juan Barquin says:

      @Rodrigo, As long as we can all agree that Pariah is pretty great, I’m a happy man. But yeah, if anyone disagrees with us on The Avengers, I’ll have to punch some babies.

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