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kathrynboyt
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Rock & Rule (1983)
You think he's joking, but he's not.
I first saw this movie when I was seven, with no clue as to the title, and I've spent the last 25 years trying to work out if it was real or if my memories are mixing up two shows as no one I know could work out what I was talking about.
A few months ago, I found this by accident and, reading the plot synopsis it all clicked. THIS was the film I'd been trying to remember since childhood. I immediately hunted down a copy and watched it all the way through, beginning to end.
So, what's to like about Rock&Rule?
Well, to begin with, I personally think the character designs look like a big "F U!" to Disney as these are the mutated, anthropomorphic offspring of the street animals (cats, dogs, mice, rats, etc) who survived the nuclear apocalypse of World War 3 wherein all human life was wiped out.
The scenery is amazing, the cityscapes look dirty, industrial and dilapidated, a lot of thought went into them.
The villain of the picture, music superstar Mok Swagger, is wonderfully, delightfully evil. He blatantly uses his charm and status to manipulates people in order to get what he wants and doesn't care if people get hurt or die in the process as long as he obtains his objective.
Also there are some big names providing the singing voices, Debbie Harry as Angel and Lou Reed as Mok ("My name is Mok. Thanks a lot...", trust me, once that little ditty is in your head, you're going to sing it forever)
So, what's wrong with it?
My biggest sticking point is our, ugh, I'm going to use this term loosely, "hero", Angel's bandmate/love-interest, Omar.
Omar is selfish, self-centred and egotistical, he clearly doesn't like anyone but himself from the band to be the centre of attention. Added to this, he consistently runs out on his friends, is actively rude to Mok when they're in his home (I guess manners aren't his strong point?), and is much too busy sulking to come and help when he's needed.
All throughout I found myself wondering "why am I supposed to be rooting for this guy?"
Also, I found the story hard to comprehend - the whole concept is that Mok's sales, both his album and concerts, aren't doing so well at the moment.
What's a superstar to do?
-Take some time out to rest up and think things over?
-Plan a new album with a fresher sound?
-Release a 'best of' album as a placeholder while he's taking time out?
Nope. he's going to summon a demon! The door to whose realm can only be opened with the right key/voice (spoiler: that's why he needs Angel)
This is not a perfect movie but it is worth adding to your collection. Sit and let the music wash over you and admire the daring (for the time) 3D effects.
The Chronicle (2001)
A Sadly Missed Gem
There's a Pig-Boy in the basement, one of the reporters is psychic, another's been repeatedly abducted by aliens since her teens, the Editor has a mysterious past and the photographer is prepared for everything from ghosts to demons, there's an alien assassin in the form of an STD, Fat Ghosts and Pet-Eating Aliens that are actually the Spiritual Leader of the whole galaxy...basically it's just another day at the office for The World Chronicle newspaper.
This is a show for people who feel that the X-Files took itself too seriously and I used to enjoy watching it on Sci-Fi...now I watch the 're-runs' online.
Yes, some of it's now a little bit dated but a bit of nostalgia now and then doesn't hurt)
Every member of the cast seems to be having a fantastic time with their roles, really making it their own and the chemistry between them makes it seem realistic.
Alas, it was cancelled much too soon, but we still have the memories
Queer Eye (2018)
Yaaas!
I found this on my 'Netflix Recommends for you' list and so, because I'm a big fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, and because I never actually managed to watch the original series in the Noughties, I thought I'd give this show a go.
I was not disappointed, it was fun, it was bubbly, it was the perfect 'binge-watching' show. The Fab 5 seem like people I want to hang out with. Maybe a bit OTT and campy at times, but I really enjoyed this show. I'm a straight married woman and I want these 5 to give me a make over!
Cherry Pop (2017)
Could be better
I whiled away a Sunday afternoon with this movie (it was playing as I did other things)
From the casting list, I was expecting greatness as I watched the RuPaul Royalty strut their stuff on the screen, after all, the cast list includes Latrice Royale, Tempest DuJour and Bob the Drag Queen to name just a few, these are Drag Queens that I know are very funny and tremendously talented.
So what's wrong with it? Well, dry script, a protagonist that I personally found hard to like - I think the viewer is supposed to sympathise with his dream of being a performer/singer. And a few toilet humour jokes - one queen actually throws up on stage during a song where she's lip-syncing about what she does when she *ahem* soils herself.
Actually, can I ask who wrote these songs and how old they were to think the songs were funny? The other songs (all sung by the same voice actress, by the way) include "I can't have this baby right now", "I hate you, white bitch". They pretty much go on in that sort of vein, until the Protagonist does his solo of a straightforward, traditional 'Ave Maria'
That said, it had it's entertaining moments. The one that sticks out at the moment is Tempest Dujour as the aging, headlining act of the club, Lady Zaza who, having lost her partner a few months before the film takes place, and so having "lost the will to tuck", spends her time locked away in her dressing room, playing sad music whilst melodramatically looking in to the mirror, loudly bemoaning her loss to her reflection (and the audience) before writing a suicide letter that's 8+ pages long, stating in it that that she doesn't like long goodbyes.
The film is 79 minutes long and during that time I was expecting to see some character development, other films have managed it in that time, but instead it just sort of trailed off and didn't seem to have a real ending, unless you count more of the protagonist's dispassionate narration about what everyone got up to after his night at the club was over.
Maybe if it'd taken place over several nights, made as a series rather than a film, we could have got to know the characters a bit more, as it was, everything felt squashed in.
It's honestly not the worst film I've ever seen but it could have been amazing.