Hey, I always thought that if you want to make a comedy that practices surrealism and is abstract, then go hog wild. Just make sure that the comedy is actually funny. Thankfully for the most part, “Seven Stages…” is funny. It’s very funny, in fact. It’s also so off the wall, weird, and out of the ordinary that it might alienate some audiences who go in to it expecting something mainstream and broader. For a debut Vivieno Caldinelli’s “Seven Stages…” is funny and bold, but by the hour mark, the narrative completely falls apart, and I was about ready for the movie to end.
Tag Archives: Comedy
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man (2018) [Cinepocalypse 2018]
Everyone who’s on the internet has heard of the Billy Murray stories, like the time he did the dishes at a house party, the time he rode a golf cart alone, or the time he stole a fry from a random stranger. These stories are numerous and sometimes seem hard to believe, which is why filmmaker Tommy Avallone went looking for the truth.
Wolfman’s Got Nards – A Documentary (2018) [Cinepocalypse 2018]
Andre Gower’s “Wolfman’s Got Nards” is a fantastic, long overdue look at the making of, and legacy of “The Monster Squad,” one of the best horror movies of the eighties and one of my favorite films of all time. Anyone who knows me, knows I love “Monster Squad,” just love it. So “Wolfman’s Got Nards” was ninety minutes of pure bliss celebrating this unique horror comedy. “Wolfman’s Got Nards” is not only a testament to the importance of the video age, but how “The Monster Squad” turned in to a classic underdog tale.
Wolfman’s Got Nards – A Documentary (2018) [Cinepocalypse 2018]
Every horror fans knows of The Monster Squad by now, but that wasn’t always the case. Back when it came out, The Monster Squad played against The Lost Boys in theaters and flopped. That doesn’t mean that it didn’t become a bonafide cult favorite over the years.
Heavy Trip (Hevi reissue) (2018) [Cinepocalypse 2018]
The most unknown heavy metal band, Impaled Rektum, is trying to make it to the best metal fest all the way in Norway. The band members may be inept in a lot of ways, but their hearts and souls are guiding them to the darkest, bestest place ever.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
It’s a shame that we’ve reached this milestone, but it warrants noting that “Jurassic World” is the first “Jurassic Park” movie to ever put me to sleep. I’m not saying “Fallen Kingdom” is an awful movie, it’s just that it’s not a very good one. If “Jurassic World” became a Saturday morning cartoon to entertain kids between bowls of cereal and bathroom breaks, “Fallen Kingdom” would be the pilot episode. It’s thin on narrative, but crowded with a ton of half baked, under developed characters, all of whom are so paper thin we barely get to know them, or engage ourselves with them all over again.
The Bootleg Files: Let’s Go Collegiate
BOOTLEG FILES 642: “Let’s Go Collegiate” (1941 comedy with Frankie Darro, Keye Luke and Mantan Moreland).
LAST SEEN: It is on YouTube and other video sites.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: On public domain labels.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: A lapsed copyright doomed this to public domain hell.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Wouldn’t it be nice if The Criterion Collection offered it as a digitally restored presentation?
During the 1940s, the low-rent Monogram Pictures reigned as the king of the second features. Back in the day, this studio churned out scores of B-movies that helped support the major studios’ prestige productions. (In that era, you didn’t just go to the theater and see a single flick, but you got a main feature plus a second feature and an assortment of newsreels, cartoons and short subjects.)