Month: May 2018

For the last random movie of May, we have the classic horror film The Bad Seed (HU DVD 4910). The plot summary on Wikipedia is too spoiler-y for my taste. But there’s a ton of interesting facts on the IMDB page, including one that is probably of interest only to me:

Paul Henreid tried to buy the rights to the play. He wanted to direct and was planning to cast Bette Davis in the role of the mother. (see IMDB)

Also intriguing, this film is what inspired the band name Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.

If you somehow don’t know what this movie is about, here’s our summary:

A mother makes the tortuous discovery that her cherubic eight year old daughter harbors an innate desire to kill.

And here’s the trailer:
Happy viewing!

Today’s random movie is The War Lover (HU DVD 10437) starring Steve McQueen. This black and white 1962 war film got kind of meh reviews, according to Wikipedia. Based on the trailer below, it’s…uh…”of its time,” shall we say. (Check out that font though.) This film was also at some point subjected to the bizarre process of colorizing old movies, though our version is black and white. But, hey, Steve McQueen playing a daredevil pilot so maybe it’s ok.

Here’s our summary:

Stationed in England during World War II, Buzz Rickson is the bravest air force pilot in his squadron. His maniacal quest for aerial thrills prompts his many daredevil heroics. His rebellious attitude, however, threatens to alienate him from everyone around him.

And here’s the absolutely amazing trailer:
Happy viewing!

Today’s random movie is Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (HU DVD 13144). This movie looks so good based on the trailer below. The plot summary on Wikipedia kind of gives too much away, but it’s really interesting to read about the production of this film. Panahi himself is a major part of this story, as it came about due to a travel ban preventing him from leaving Iran. Taxi won the Golden Bear at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, but the award was accepted by his niece because the director was not permitted to travel.

Here’s our summary:

Jafar Panahi drives a yellow cab through the vibrant streets of Tehran, picking up a diverse group of passengers in a single day. Each man, woman, and child candidly expresses his or her own view of the world while being interviewed by the curious and gracious driver.

And here’s the trailer:

Happy viewing!

Wild Tigers I Have Known (HU DVD 3048) by Cam Archer is our random DVD of the day. It was produced by Gus Van Sant, according to the cover, and has what appears to be the hippest of soundtracks by bands I’ve never heard of.

Intriguingly, according to Wikipedia a recut version was released after the film’s premiere that rather changes the story. Points docked for this movie being shot in my least favorite place on the planet, Santa Cruz, California.

Here’s our summary:

A young boy with a crush on the cool boy at school, pretends to be a girl on the phone so he can meet and win the affections of his crush.

And here’s a trailer-ish clip:

Happy viewing!