I am admittedly ignorant to the praise and mocking this 1964 ditty has received over the decades. From a treatment on MST3K in America, to a cult following, “Kitten with a Whip” is that rare piece of cinema fodder that is a completely obvious chunk of sixties conservative propaganda demonizing the youth, free spirits, and sexuality altogether. Setting aside the context, “Kitten with a Whip” is a dumb movie. It’s sometimes very ridiculous to the point where this can just be deemed as a fantasy or a cartoon of a sorts. The vivacious Ann Margret coming off of “Viva Las Vegas” slums it and mugs it for the camera in this cliché youth gone wild quasi-thriller that is something of a fractured romance beneath the hilarious camp and utterly absurd dialogue.
Tag Archives: K
Kick-Ass (2010)
One of the saving graces of “Kick Ass” is the casting of Chloe Moretz, a young girl who manages to completely and utterly steal the show from every single cast member here including Clark Duke, and she’s managed to spawn an unlikely legion of admirers who came to the movie to see a little girl mutilate everyone in her path. While “Kick Ass” never quite manages to muster up the sympathetic story it did in the comics, Matthew Vaughn completely wins over the crowd with Hit Girl aka Mindy, the most interesting character in the bunch who is given the most interesting conflict in the film as this character whose own life manages to play out like a typical hero origin. Little girl loses her mom after her dad is framed for a crime, she’s trained by him to become a killer, the dad dies and she avenges him in cruel and unusual ways. I assumed the girl would hit the big time after seeing her steal scenes from Joseph Gordon Levitt in “(500) Days of Summer” but here Matthew Vaughn shows that he takes the character very seriously and never dodges her sheer brutality in the face of schmoes who happen to come across her blade.
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
Like most American audiences, I was introduced to Jet Li in “Lethal Weapon 4” where he stole the show from every cast member in the final film of the franchise as the vicious Wah Sing Ku who engages in a battle with Riggs and Murtaugh at the end of the movie. And like every other American after the movie I sought out Li’s previous works and was pretty much under whelmed. The man’s past works range from mediocre to plain idiotic and America didn’t do much for him with movies like “The One,” “Cradle 2 The Grave,” and “Romeo Must Die” all of which were packed with CGI and hip hop references stifling Li’s potential. When allowed to work on his own terms though, Li pulled off some rather incredible pieces of martial arts cinema, one of which is “Kiss of the Dragon.”
The Kegger (2007)
Phil Haney is one sick fuck. And trust me, that’s an ode of respect and praise to the man who created one of the best times I’ve had with an online short movie in a while. “The Kegger” is a film that seems obvious and yet will pretty much sweep the rug out from even the most cynical viewer who thinks they’re watching an “Animal House” wannabe. Even as a darkly demented frat house romp, “The Kegger” is rather hysterical with some great acting, and hilarious gags that left me breathless.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
What with all the documentaries about global warming, the Iraq War, the horrible medical system in the US, the environment, and protests, sometimes we want a documentary that’s compelling and fun at the same time. With documentaries there aren’t many out there that provide both for the American audience. “The King of Kong” is that documentary. It’s escapist without sacrificing brain cells. “The King of Kong” is that movie that places a great deal of importance around something that most of us would deem irrelevant and absurd.
KillerKiller (2007)
Karma is a bitch and many times the manifestation of payback can provide some truly blood drenched results. “KillerKiller” is not a horror film that started off on the right foot with me. The audio was pretty crummy and the story began like a typical slasher film, but as the story progressed, “KillerKiller” won me over. Not only is it a great little horror film, it’s a great survival film, and a very good branch off the “strangers in a house” sub-genre tree that soon becomes a fascinating glimpse at predator and prey formulas. In Higgins’ slasher mystery, the victim is the murderer and soon the killers will make for the body count. A horror movie of this gamut with such a low budget would usually fall flat on its head, but thankfully it doesn’t.
Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (DVD) (2007)
I love Seth Rogen, I’ve loved Seth Rogen since the days of “Freaks and Geeks” when he was the often difficult supporting character Ken, who popped wisecracks, I loved Seth Rogen when he was in “Undeclared” as almost the same character, and now he’s finally leading a film that’s a much deserved turn the man. “Freaks and Geeks” fans know the man can headline a movie and Apatow proves that. As the character Ben, he’s probably one of the many complex characters that Apatow has such a talent for concocting.