The Weekend Fallout is an unsafe place to discuss most things in the reel and real world.
Let us know what you have been watching recently on the big and small screen. Excited about any upcoming releases? Doing anything fun this weekend? Simply sitting around in your underwear eating dang quesadillas while watching movies and endlessly scrolling social media? Let us know below!
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
What’s a movie that makes you upset when people don’t like it? And why should people like it?
MOVIES WATCHED THIS WEEK
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
“A disfigured composer sells his soul for the woman he loves so that she will perform his music. However, an evil record tycoon betrays him and steals his music to open his rock palace, The Paradise.”
A kooky horror-comedy musical in the same vein as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I love these type of movies and this was at it’s during the musical parts. Not a lot going on in between, but enough to keep you watching till the next musical act. &0’s wackiness at its best. Also, I feel that Mr. Lucas received some inspiration for Darth Vader’s design from this film’s Phantom. (3/5)
Ravenous (1999)
“In a remote military outpost in the 19th century, Captain John Boyd and his regiment embark on a rescue mission which takes a dark turn when they are ambushed by a sadistic cannibal.”
Essentially a satire black-comedy about cannibalism with gorgeous scenery and some great gore. Robert Carlyle steals the show and director Antonia Bird sets an ominous tone with atmosphere and some creepy images. The almost sitcom like score plays extremely well with the dread displayed on screen. The setting is the real star of this film here. This is one of the few movies where you can practically feel the cold through the screen. It just does a solid job of conveying the cold and desperate feeling that the characters are going through. (3.75/5)
School Ties (1992)
“Set in the 1950s, a star-quarterback is given an opportunity to attend an elite preparatory school but must conceal the fact that he is Jewish.”
Just your typical all white boys private school full of rich kids and high expectations because of their parents. Brendan Fraser being all Brendan Fraserery. But, the real fun here is to see all the future stars just getting the feet wet in the industry. Matt Damon (who plays an annoying prick), Ben Affleck, and Chris O’Donnell plus some other familiar faces of the 90’s. Nothing particularly good here, but still a fun watch. (3/5)
SHOWS WATCHED THIS WEEK
Black Mirror Season 5.01 and 5.02
“Striking Vipers”
“Two estranged college friends reunite in later life, triggering a series of events that could alter their lives forever.”
An interesting slow burn episode that takes virtual reality gaming to whole new level similar to Ready Player One. Two friends reconnect to play their favorite fighting game that’s like Mortal Kombat, but as the characters in the actual game. Some good performances and fun settings to make it feel like a video game. Something just didn’t land in the episode with me though. I feel like this is one of the few times where they should have gone further with the story instead of dancing around like they did.
“Smithereens”
“A cab driver with an agenda becomes the center of attention on a day that rapidly spirals out of control.”
I just didn’t care for this one at all. A decent performance by the main character, but this less than 30-minute thin story seemed stretched for an hour. Being predictable isn’t always a bad thing, but you better tell an intriguing story and that didn’t happen here.
Weekend Wasteland launches in 3, 2, 1…
