12 Down....122 to go...

Well well well blog. We meet again. I thought I had finally vanquished you from this mortal earth with that final karate leg sweep but you have come back at me with the devastating Crane Kick. It is so devastating and there is no defense for it. I am a balloon just awaiting your pin prick to blow me away. I bow to you in humble defeat and ask that you spare me and my fellow Cobra's further humiliation.

In setting this new movie goal for myself I hoped to extend my love of movies and passion for the new. In doing so I have to keep up a pace of 12 movies a month over the course of the year to hit my goal with ease. And on Jan. 31st I hit 12 by watching Step Brothers again. Still pretty funny btw.

Of the other 11, the one that rises above the rest is The Wrestler. I will admit I am a bit biased to this film as professional wrestling, specifically indie wrestling, carries a special place in my heart even if I rarely indulge that part of me anymore. I also am a big fan of the director, so I figured that this one would be right up my alley. And I will not lie to you dear blog, this movie was deeply affecting to me. There is no doubt that there are real people out there who embody the lead character. Wrestlers who either don't know any other way, or just can't hang up the boots and move on from life. They dismiss common sense and self preservation and continue to batter their bodies until they ultimately fail them. One scene in the middle of the movie in particular shows a convention center hall filled with wrestlers long since used up showcasing there wares for sale. As the camera pans around you see men who can no longer walk without the aide of a cane or wheelchair. One man has a cath bag attached to his leg. Our "hero" must wear a hearing aide, but hides this fact whenever he is in the ring or backstage, not wanting to show weakness to his fellow wrestlers. I know those guys exist today. The are going to continue down a path of pain and loss dreaming of their previous glory days in the squared circle.
Some reviews I had read for The Wrestler some how found some uplifting message or even a positive outcome from the ending. To which I say those people are either blind, retarded, or a mixture of both. Do not be misguided people. If you have seen any of the directors other works, you will not be surprised by this fact. But do not let this deter you from seeing this film. I am pulling for Mickey Rourke to win the Oscar for best actor. Admittedly I have not seen any of the other nominee's, but I don't care. This performance is truly amazing and worth the accolades it is receiving.
On the flip side of that coin, I saw one of the worst movies I have seen in recent memory. The movie "Basket Case" had been lauded to me by some close friends as a piece worthy of taking in. It was in my wheelhouse so to speak of bad horror movies, and I was intrigued by the premise of a deformed "brother" that used to be attached to the protagonist and now lives in a basket that he carries around and attacks people. And let me be clear before I get to far into this. I have seen some truly TERRIBLE movies in my time. I even give discounts to films such as this that were made long before the advent of modern special effects or technology that could stretch your production budget. But all that goes out the window the first time we are "treated" to the boy in the basket. Not only is it incredibly ridiculous looking even by the standards of the day, it's so rubbery and fake looking that when they move it around the sets it just kinda jiggles around an is about as menacing as well..er...something that's not very menacing. And it's not scary looking. And the movie is incredibly boring. Though it does contain one good line. "What's in the basket....Easter Eggs?" This is said without any proper pause or pacing, and without any indication that Easter is even approaching. And it's in a doctor's office waiting room. Though it does make sense to me. Because any basket that I see that I don't know whats in it, I automatically assume it's Easter Eggs. So at least they appealed to the logical side of me.
That's about all for the list so far. There was a comical moment while watching "Under Siege" where Adie recognized one of the actresses from her role on Full House. Of course she finally recognized her as she stripped off her top and jiggled her boobs around. Ad insists that that was independent of her recognition. I have my doubts.