Movie reports

Interesting documentary about John Milius who either wrote or directed many of the seminal films of the 1970's and early '80's. Milius is an unabashed lover or guns, war, and right wing causes, which is his right and he's made lots of money off his conservative pro war leanings, but like many conservatives he loves to play the victim and this film does it's best to show him as the victim of mean old liberal Hollywood.  They try to make the case that after the anti Soviet film Red Dawn came out Milius was put on some sort of blacklist and not allowed to do the kind of work he wanted to ever again, which is patently false.  After Red Dawn he went on to write seven more films, the HBO series Rome, had a creative hand in three video games, and directed two feature films, in addition to writing an episode of Miami Vice.  When people who were accused of being Communists in the 1950's and '60's got blacklisted, they got no work period, they had to leave the country or leave the business, which is the opposite of what happened to Milius.  I liked most of this film, the parts where we're supposed to think he was ostracized, I hated.

Wildly over the top film about a guy who's stress manifests itself as a bloodthirsty creature who lives up his butt and comes out to wreak havoc when he's threatened.  It's pretty dumb but still fun.

This biopic of British cooking show hostess Fanny Cradock is hard to watch.  It features great performances by all in it, especially Julia Davis, but it hit too close to home for me.  Davis's Cradock reminded me of my crazy old bi-polar Aunt Rageaholic, when other people were around, she was all sweetness and light, but when it was just family, then it was a totally different story and she was bitchy vindictive and petty.  I'm always interested in pop culture history and if you are as well then you'll like this film.  I liked it but it brought up a lot of issues with me.