#walthall

[ozu-teapot]

The House of Usher | Alan Birkinshaw | 1989

[tanambogo2113]

Chandu the Magician 1932

Roxor (Lugosi) kidnaps Robert Regent and his death ray invention. He hopes to degenerate humanity into mindless brutes, leaving himself as Earth's supreme intelligence.

[from1837to1945]

Home, Sweet Home (1914, D.W. Griffith)

[lairreparablefugadeltiempo]

The Birth of a Nation (D.W. Griffith, 1914)

[camyfilms]

WINGS 1927

Jack - don't you know me?

[photo-dujenoir]

ned walthall

[letterboxd-loggd]

Judge Priest (1934) John Ford

December 14th 2023

[spilladabalia]

Butthole Surfers - White Dumb Ugly And Poor

[picturessnatcher]

The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' (D.W. Griffith, 1914)

[erstwhile-punk-guerito]

[rookie-critic]

Face/Off (1997, dir. John Woo) - review by Rookie-Critic

As you can probably tell, I've started down something of a Nicolas Cage path, which is something I've always really wanted to do. There are so many classic clips, lines, faces, moments, you name it, from Cage movies across his entire career. The cult status of a lot of Cage's films is staggering, and a lot of them have built up a reputation so strong that you almost can't exist as an adult in modern society without at least having heard of a good number of them. There are hardly any of his litany of classics that this is more true for than Face/Off. This is one that I have wanted to see for an incredibly long time, mostly based off what I had heard about Cage's performance and just the general insanity of the plot, so I was very excited to finally cross this one off.

Let me start by saying that this is so deserving of the love it receives. It is crazy, it is unbelievable, at times it is incredibly stupid, but isn't that what we all want out of this? I can't really put myself in the shoes of the average moviegoer in 1997, because it is so hard for me to break away from the perception of Nicolas Cage as he exists now, and the reputation and iconography he's known for, but even in 2023, this is a pretty crazy performance from him. It's not as unhinged as I was prepared for, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that, for most of the film, he's not Nicolas Cage, he's Nicolas Cage impersonating John Travolta. I'd say he doesn't do a horrible job with this, but I wasn't necessarily getting Travolta from it. On the other side of things, John Travolta is truly the star of this film. I know people constantly reference this as a great Cage milestone performance, but really the great Nicolas Cage performance of this film isn't even given by Cage himself, but rather by John Travolta doing a stellar impersonation of Cage's acting style. I've never viewed Travolta as a particularly amazing actor, I think he's good and has been in some pretty classic things, but I don't think those things are made classic by his presence in the same way that Cage's presence does. That is not the case here. I really, truly believe that Face/Off has the reputation it does, and the beloved-status that it does, because of Travolta, even if people don't realize. Another thing that really gives this film a leg up is that John Woo is a really good director who knows his way around a film set and a camera. The way this movie is shot is gorgeous. I caught myself multiple times throughout the film noticing how great the shots are, and even said, "ok, that shot was actually pretty sick," out loud a few times to the friends I was watching it with.

Now, this was the the late 90s, and there are a handful of ridiculous, silly things that I noticed: a lot of the explosions at the beginning of the film are clearly just fireworks, there are multiple shots, especially during the boat scene, where you can see the stunt doubles' faces, the bodies laying on the tables during the titular face/off surgery (which I learned after the film were actually painstakingly made animatronics) are uncanny valley representations of Travolta and Cage, the actress playing the daughter, Dominique Swain, doesn't give the best performance, and if I saw John Travolta wipe his hand down the face of one more person, I was gonna lose it. Some of these negatives genuinely detriment the film, but I found some of them added to the endearing qualities of it. The 92% Face/Off has on Rotten Tomatoes feels pretty generous, but really my score isn't much worse than that. Face/Off was great, and it deserves the legacy it's cultivated.

Score: 8/10

Currently available to rent/purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on DVD/Blu-ray through Paramount Pictures.

[ozu-teapot]

The House of Usher | Alan Birkinshaw | 1989

It's good to share...

Oliver Reed, Romy Walthall

[garrywalthall]

Common Weight Training Mistakes to Avoid

Weight training remains popular for several reasons. It provides several benefits, such as muscle growth. Individuals can achieve their weight-lifting goals while avoiding common errors, such as overtraining.

Some believe that overtraining leads to faster results. However, less is more. Overtraining harms the joints, muscles, and neurological system. Muscles expand during healing, not while lifting weights. Therefore, individuals must rest enough and avoid overstressing their muscles.

Individuals should challenge themselves when they lift weights. However, they should avoid large weights. Overly heavy weights may restrict muscle development, particularly in teens. It causes the growth plates at the end of their bones to close too soon. In addition, starting with large weights leaves the bones vulnerable to major damage.

Lastly, individuals should avoid working the same muscles every time they exercise. The practice can cause muscle imbalance, as the overworked regions develop more quickly than others. Instead, vary weight-training sessions to ensure complete body workouts.

[from1837to1945]

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, "Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven, Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore— Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"             Quoth the Raven "Nevermore."

[moviesandmania]

THE HOUSE OF USHER Oliver Reed and Donald Pleasence Poe-it-up Review and free on YouTube

‘A modern passion. An ancient terror.’ The House of Usher is a 1989 horror film about an engaged couple who are involved in an accident on the way to the man’s uncle’s mansion. The young woman becomes trapped in the house with deranged residents and weird happenings. Directed by Alan Birkinshaw (The Masque of the Red Death 1989; Invaders of the Lost Gold; Killer’s Moon) from a screenplay written…

[vintagedreamsofsennett]

A Trap for Santa Claus (1909, D.W. Griffith)