Movies at Midnight? What a Concept!

Weird neck pains irritate me. Stop it, neck.

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Not even a score by Daft Punk can deter my interest in Tron 2. Nothing against Daft Punk, and certainly it's a step up from Journey, but it's not like this movie needs a big "name" attached in the score column. I'm down anyway.

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I watched The Foot Fist Way last night. While I did enjoy it, the film reminds me of Bottle Rocket in some ways, in that it's a dry run of better things to come. In Bottle Rocket's case, Wes Anderson went on to make Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums; in The Foot Fist Way's case, Danny McBride really went on to showcase the unbridled form of his comedy.

Don't get me wrong: McBride is playing the cruel, rude, sociopathic bastard you'll recognize from East Bound and Down or Tropic Thunder, it's just that he and director Jody Hill don't push the character as far as he has since. I could almost sense them pulling their punches to keep Fred Simmons from being totally unlikeable, so the film goes far but then holds back.

It's still funny as hell most of the time and if you like McBride, Foot Fist Way is most definitely worth checking out. If you've seen any of the Conan O'Brien "king of the demo" material, you'll know what to expect from Foot Fist Way, only more cruel and profane.

KING OF THE DEMO - watch more funny videos

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I've also been watching Midnight Movies, which is so far a fun documentary about the birth of the "midnight" cult film phenomenon. It begins with Jodorowsky's El Topo (the first "midnight movie"), and also covers Night of the Living Dead, Pink Flamingos, The Harder They Come, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Eraserhead, with shout outs to Reefer Madness and Bambi Meets Godzilla, among other movies that played at the Elgin in New York and the Orson Welles theatre in L.A.

.. The directors are all involved and it's half about how the films came to be and half interviews with theatre owners, distributors, critics, and fans. Interesting tidbit: Roger Ebert gave Night of the Living Dead a harsh review because he watched it with parents who brought their children to the show. Just let that simmer a little bit, and imagine the review you might write after seeing the reactions he did. I'm not done yet but they've just transitioned from Rocky Horror to Eraserhead, and it's particularly interesting to hear the overlap with people involved. Richard O'Brien talking about watching Eraserhead is almost as interesting as John Waters talking about seeing NotLD first run at a drive-in in Baltimore. For that, this is a definite "must see". --- Finally, there's a new Jim Jarmusch movie coming. Here's the trailer, since I don't want you to have to wait for Sunday. .. Good night.