Sunday Marathon

Yesterday I decided to take advantage of the Instant Viewing option on Netflix so I could enjoy some much-needed vegetation. It was brilliant:


Beastmaster. This one was by and large crap, but I knew it would be and watched it for unintentional humor more than anything else. I like the bit where the girlie goes from wearing a full-length white dress to a set of barely-concealing-anything rags with no explanation in between. My favorite character - Seth, played by John Amos. Everybody else was almost overwhelmingly uninteresting. Funny for that, though, as I said.


Escape From New York. You've just gotta love dystopian sci-fi. Again, with a dose of silly, but redeeming for having writing and characters that are actually interesting. I figured it was about time I saw this one, and now I have. My favorites - Kurt Russell, the weird-hairdo freak, and the poetry of having Manhattan be one big penal colony.


Cat Ballou. I'm in a western mood, and this one's a spoof besides. Sometimes these types of movies just don't pull it off, however, this isn't one of those. The writing was clever, the gags quite funny, and all of the actors did a brilliant job. I laughed quite a bit. However much I liked it at first, I liked it infinitely more as soon as the character Jed (played by Dwayne Hickman) is introduced and drunkenly slurs, "Ma'am, I apologize for my disgusting condition and I assure you I will not inflict myself on you any further," then proceeds to continue talking. Perhaps I have a new nickname for all of the overly-friendlies at the bar.


Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This one was easily the best out of the bunch. Made in '54, some of the writing is interesting for the sake of how it reflects the time. Brilliant for the use of choreography and the dancing impressed and entertained me in a way West Side Story's never managed. Here's the jist, if you don't know - Set in Oregon in 1850, it starts when backwoodsman Adam goes to town to pick up supplies, and a wife. He propositions Milly, who accepts and goes back home to find out that she's suddenly got six brothers-in-law as well as a new husband. It's a pretty basic story about the civilizing effect of women on men, and with a lot of comical pay-offs. My favorites - the barn-raising, Adam, Milly, the costumes/hair (and the way they set off the Pontipee brothers from the townsfolk), the brothers dancing with each other, and anything else that's in the movie 'cause I'm just that enamored with it. Go watch this one immediately.