I Heart Bounty Hunters

The Mandalorian
2019 | TV-PG | 40 Min | Action Sci-Fi | Disney+

Creator: 

Jon Favreau

Stars: 

Pedro Pascal

Carl Weathers

Rio Hackford

Gina Carano

Synopsis:

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. The series depicts a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.

I love that Disney+ release's new episodes on a weekly bases as I'm not a binge-watcher, I feel it takes a bit away from you digesting what you just witnessed. Yet I found myself watching four episodes of Mandalorian right off the bat. At first, the show starts like most Star War's anything slow and pointless. Pacing has always been an issue with me when it comes to the Galaxy Far Far Away. You always get a ton of walking around talking and a small smidge of action. 

But it was that Third episode "The Sin" that left you at the edge of your seat in a way Lucus never could. I was left feeling very anxious and drained needing to jump into the next episode immediately. And those next few episodes gave us a nice blend of emotions new charters and locations that are all breathtaking.  Pedro Pascal delivers a nice performance time and time again with such a range of emotions from behind a helmet. I'm going to say it his emotions come through just like Michael Myers or Jason Voreshes. 

As the pace tails off once again it is not until episode six "The Prisoner" that you are once again left holding your breath. In fact, this was the strongest episode for me as you are lovingly teased with new slimy charters that really help paint the picture of a Bounty Hunters life going from dirty job to dirty job working for the scum of the universe getting paid very little. 

By the end your left wanting more and your beside yourself knowing you have to wait almost a full year to get more! With wonderful visuals, a great cast, and so many throwbacks sprinkled about most die-hard fans will deep dive into the series many times as they wait for season two. If the Mandalorian is a small taste of what's to come on Disney+ then I can not wait for the Marvel Universe to hit the small screen as well! 

I mean come on they tossed more than one reference to the god awful Holiday Speical! 

If you are a Star Wars fan then you have already watched for someone looking for something different and does not care about the Star Wars timeline then dig in you just might be surprised.

4 out of 5

My Top 10 Movies for 2019

Ok, here we go December 31,2019 the end of a very long very busy year. For me, it was somewhat a let down only watching 47 movies falling way short of my bottom line of 52 for a year. But working side by side with my girls on all these musicals made it worth the while. So going into 2020 my goal is going to be a tad lower shooting for 60 movies next year (my goal has been 75 for a few years now). In the meantime here are the ten movies I deem the best of  2019.

Number 10

This seems to be my most popular post for the year as well. I really loved the emotion of this movie and how it made me feel.

Number 9

Yes, Toy Story 4 was a bit of the same as the past few stories and yet still one of my favorites of the year.

Number 8

Yes, Ralph was better than Woody there I said it.

Number 7

This was defiantly a fun year for music inspired movies. I could watch the Dirt again tonight!

Number 6

Shudder has been one of the best investments of the year for me. It was hard too I had to give up Full Moon Streaming to jump on this ship. Boy looking back its a no brainer. Any way the Tom Savini Doc was amazing and I might still get a chance to write about it. My favorite take away was learning how he gave up so much to take the time out to raise his kids.

Number 5

Once again I turn to Shudder and one more documentary. I watched this all the way back in February and still talk about it today. What a fantastic look at the history of black horror films and the role of African Americans in the film genre.

Number 4

The return of Joe Bob Brigg's has been huge, how huge well he introduced me to this 80s not so classic Blood Harvest starring Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim stars in his first dramatic film role in this taut drama. A beautiful young girl, Jill Robinson, returns to her peaceful rural home town to find that her life has been turned upside down. The house she grew up in has been defaced, her parents are missing, and the whole town hates her father, the bank supervisor who had foreclosed on many of the local farms. Only "Marvelous Mervo" (Tiny Tim) seems happy to see her. He wanders around the community dressed in a clown's suit with a clown's permanent grin grotesquely painted on his face. Mervo's brother tries to re-kindle his love affair with Jill. Then, one by one, those closest to her are slaughtered like cattle... tied upside down from the rafters of the barn... until the surprise ending reveals the madman.. and a very unlikely savior. I was blown away by Blood Harvest I have not had that much fun in a long long time. This one is not for everyone but I was sure happy to experience it.

Number 3

I defiantly want to take a minute and write about One Cut of the Dead.  Once Cut is a low-budget film about zombies and a cast of nobodies, but the problem is that the new actors are not exactly getting along with the crew. Everyone involved is soon receiving a lesson in the merits of perseverance, the preciousness of family bonds and of course the dangers of the living dead. A fun new twist on the Zombie movie. IF you have Shudder already then you should be watching this NOW!


Only two movies received 5 Bloody Brains this year and they are well worth it.

Number 2

Once again we turn to Shudder and Joe Bob. Deathgasm is from 2015 yet this mindblowing tale of Metalhead Brodie is sent to live with his Christian aunt and uncle after his drug-addicted mother is sent away. Brodie seems unable to fit in until he meets the mysterious Zakk at a record store. Joined by their love of metal, the two form the metal band Deathgasm. However, when Brodie and Zakk break into the house of metal star Rikki Daggers they find mysterious sheet music known as The Black Hymn. Deathgasm plays the Black Hymn, which unleashes a demon known as Aeloth who possesses the town's citizens. Now it's up to Deathgasm and the popular girl Medina to fight demons, prevent the apocalypse and save the day. HOLY SHIT! Why are more people not talking about this one? This is one of those Horror Comedy's that can go toe to toe with Shaun of the Dead!

Ok on to number One,

No Shudder here but once again we dip into the music pool...

This was by far the best movie of the year for me! So well-acted looks amazing sounds incredible.
 Rami Malek is Freddie! If for some reason you have not seen Bohemian Rhapsody its a must. Even if you do not like Queen's music. In fact my teenager only new of a few songs now she owns a few Vinlay records and a best-of CD. A very powerful movie.

So I know my list is always the best of what I have seen this year, not just the best of 2019 with that said what was the best movie you watched this year? Have you seen any on my list? If for some reason I get busy again in 2020 feel free to follow me on Letterboxed. Here is a snapshot of everything I watched and again here is to more flicks in the new year.

In case you were wondering here is a look at worst movies I watched this year.

Christmas Break-In
Unaccompanied Minors
Venom

Into the Sun

Bad Moms

They're not just getting rich... They're getting even.

Trading Places
1983 | R | 1Hr 56 Min | Comedy | Paramount Pictures

Director: John Landis

Writers: Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod

Stars: 

Eddie Murphy

Dan Aykroyd

Ralph Bellamy 

Jamie Lee Curtis

Synopsis:

Louis Winthorpe is a businessman who works for the commodities brokerage firm of Duke and Duke owned by the brothers Mortimer and Randolph Duke. Now they bicker over the most trivial of matters and what they are bickering about is whether it's a person's environment or heredity that determines how well they will do in life. When Winthorpe bumps into Billy Ray Valentine, a street hustler and assumes he is trying to rob him, he has him arrested. Upon seeing how different the two men are, the brothers decide to make a wager as to what would happen if Winthorpe loses his job, his home and is shunned by everyone he knows and if Valentine was given Winthorpe's job. So they proceed to have Winthorpe arrested and to be placed in a compromising position in front of his girlfriend. So all he has to rely on is the hooker who was hired to ruin him.

I remember watching trading places in my early teen years and shelved it ever since. Lately, it has been getting a lot of talk as one of the greatest Christmas Comedies of all time. Now, I have to admit I did not remember this as a Christmas story nor do I remember liking it back in the '80s. So when I was given the chance to revisit Trading Places I did and well I loved it!

In fact, the inside jokes that made me chuckle as well as the underlined racist story came through loud and clear now unlike it did in '84. Back then all my buddy and I cared about was Eddie Murphy. And for a role that he was not supposed to get he knocks it out of the park. The fact he was nominated for best performance in a comedy/musical Golden Globe in 1984 does not surprise me. 

Ok, I have to admit I totally forgot that Jamie Lee Curtis was one of the stars in Trading Places. And I must confess she was one of the best parts! Paramount did not want her due to her being a Scream Queen. According to John Landis, Jamie Lee Curtis was a hard sell because she only has done horror and wasn't known for comedy. But wait a second...

Our beloved scream queen goes topless in this one. All those years of Horror flicks and her first comedy we see her shedding her clothes? Even though horror movies were infamous for exploiting their female stars; Jamie Lee Curtis says she did not feel exploited in Hollywood until she started starring in mainstream movies like Trading Places. She had never been asked to appear naked in any of the horror movies she starred, but once she went mainstream and starred in Trading Places she had to take her top off. Don't get me wrong I know that the late 70s and early 80s had its fair share of nudity but for Curtis to get naked I felt a tad bit sad and not going to lie I was shocked.

Although the plot does not play out as well in this decade Trading Places definitely deserves its spot on Christmas lists. Maybe not for 24 hours straight but it should at least be playing somewhere right? This one fits the mold of AMC or FX. My guess would be the use of the "N" word along with the line used outside of the world trade center "In this building, it's either kill or be killed" keeps it off the small screen. When this can easily be edited for today's audience. 

I had so much fun going back and watching Trading Places, back to a time when Eddie Murphy was funny and Aykroyd was hitting his stride. Though this takes place at Christmas it's not a true Christmas movie and can be enjoyed anytime. Dubbed as one of the top 100 comedies of all time Trading Places is well worth the revisit.

4 Ninja Santa's out of 5

Holiday Movie Catch Up

Just a quick rundown of a few other Holiday treats that I watched this year.

Wanted to knock this off the bucket list thought it would be a mindless comedy. Sadly it is just a ho-hum comedy. The boring start did not help the ending any. The last 15 minutes are cute as well as predictable.

2 Ninja Santa's out of 5

This Home Alone clone had nothing original about it. The cute young cast just could not save this snooze fest. 

2 Ninja Santa's out of 5

Strange enough I did not deep dive into the Hallmark movie overload this year. Sure it is the same old plot but Return to Christmas Creek was a fun ride. I really fell for Kristen Hansen she was not over the top sweet. 

4 Ninja Santa's Out of 5

I feel this one deserves a review on its own. I have never seen animation drawn so dark and yet so beautiful! As the flow took you through Klaus you can see the progression of light and bright colors happing it's pretty magical I must say. If you are still looking for some holiday spirit fire up the old Netflix and check out Klaus.

4 Ninja Santa's out of 5

One more pleasant surprise filled my stocking this year! 2018's the Grinch was in a word, wonderful!

With so much charm eye-popping colors and energy flowing it was hard not to feel the holiday cheer after this one. It was also nice to see Cindy Lou Who step forward to become the star of the show. Cindy Lou brings a fresh take to an old tale. 

4 Ninja Santa's out of 5

Oof is a word for my lack of movie watching this year! Only 40 movies so far with less than a week to go. I will never hit my goal of 75 but I will put some work into hitting my average of 52 before the year ends thanks to a small vacation coming up. I would like to hit up a few more Holiday flicks before deep diving into Disney Plus for 2020. I sure hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season.

They say money talks. All mine ever says is "Goodbye".

Freddie Freeloaders Christmas Dinner
1981 | TV-G | 1Hr  | Holiday | HBO

Director: John Trent

Writer: Red Skelton (story)

Stars:

Red Skelton

Vincent Price

Imogene Coca

Freddie the Freeloader sets out to have Christmas dinner in a very expensive New York restaurant with his good friend, the Professor. Along the way, he stops in a hospital to entertain some children at Christmas.

A touching, music-filled holiday tale featuring Vincent Price and Imogene Coca with plenty of laughs for the whole family. While inspiring many of today's comedians this rubber-faced clown is best known for his long-running TV show Red Skelton. Red's show filled living rooms with laughter with such characters as Freddy the Freeloader, Junior the Mean Widdle Kid, San Fernando Red, and Clem Kadiddlehopper. Red reprises his role as Freddy for the newly started Home Box Office channel Christmas of  '81.

The look and feel really draws you into the story, the gorgeous backdrop of the small town to the snobby town folk you are quickly invited into Freddie's world. With a cute storyline, the holiday cheer flows freely. Unfortinly for me it starts to draw long towards the end.

As Freddies song goes There is nothing worse than loneliness at Christmastime, When old friends forget where you are, While your memory still lingers, You can count upon your fingers, Those that know the meaning of the Star. This is just one of the many heartfelt moments.

Oddly enough Vincent Price's charter was well odd. In fact, once he was brought into the story that's when the story started to fizzle out for me. In fact, once they made it to dinner it kind of lost its heart. Not completely but just enough to drag this one down. I love watching the old Christmas Specials from Red Skelton's Tv Show and I'm glad this came up on YouTube to check out. I truly believe this deserves to be cleaned up and released on Blu-Ray. If you are looking for something a little funny and pre Hallmark Channel love fest check out Freddie The Freeloader's Christmas Dinner by clicking here. 

3 Ninja Santa's out of 5

Twas the Night Before Bah Humbug

Twas The Night Before Christmas
1977 | TV-G | 60 Min | Holiday | ABC

Director: Tim Kiley

Writers: Dick Clair, Jenna McMahon

Stars: 

Paul Lynde

Foster Brooks

Alice Ghostley

'Twas the Night Before Christmas is a Christmas television special loosely inspired by the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore. It first aired December 7, 1977, on ABC.

The story is set on Christmas Eve in a New England town in the late 1890s. The Cosgrove family's home is in an uproar over the holidays. Clark Cosgrove is frazzled by the gift demands of his loud children. His wife Nellie runs into endless friction with Clark's formidable mother, who lives with them. Nellie's inebriated father and cat-loving mother arrive for the holiday, and tensions arise between the mothers-in-law. A German uncle has also arrived, but complications ensue when a traveling salesman is mistaken for the uncle. Adding to the tumult is a visit from a caroling neighbor (Anson Williams). 

During the night, Clark's mother-in-law's cat escapes from the house and winds up on the roof. Clark goes to retrieve the cat and creates a ruckus, waking the house. When the children ask if the noise came from Santa Claus, Clark initially wants to dispel the myth of Santa Claus. Instead, he appeases them by reciting A Visit from St. Nicholas.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas was part of a series of ABC television specials starring Paul Lynde. Most notably the 1976 production of The Paul Lynde Halloween Special, relied on a sketch comedy revue format, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas retained a narrative format where Lynde and his castmates remained in character for the entire show. Lynde's casting as a relatively straight, dramatic lead fulfilled a longstanding wish of his for more serious roles.

This is so hard to watch Paul comes off as one big A-Hole! This special was so poorly received by both critics and the public - placing #30 in the Nielsen ratings - that it was never re-broadcast nor made available on VHS or DVD. Thanks to someone out there holding on to there old VHS struck gold by finding and posting this one to YouTube for the rest of us to see. Sadly the magic of the Halloween special was missing, leaving us with a lump of coal. I will leave a link below for the show so you can be the judge but you have been warned this one is a clinker!

1 Ninja Santa out of 5

To watch this train wreck click here