Film

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No, iconic 1960s Bond film scene, Dr. No movie poster featuring Sean Connery, retro James Bond image, classic cinema promotional art

Artist’s Blog #155 – Dr. No (1962)

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Bond girls are probably as iconic as the movies themselves, honestly. I swear, 007 has more game than Milton Bradley. Even watching James Bond on my grandmother’s 80s TV in her living room I remember taking notice of this aspect of this film series. You can see a complete list of these ladies here. It is very well cataloged. According to one source, James Bond has had 75 girlfriends throughout all his movies. IMDB has a ranked list of these actresses that you can view here but, a common one that is often considered the best is Ursula Andress played by Honey Ryder. Ursula is the girlfriend from Dr. No. Of course, James Bond being the playboy that he was, had a total of 3 gfs in Dr. No. Ursula Andress was only one of them in this 1962 film.

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Smile 2 movie poster featuring a haunted smile, creepy horror movie artwork from Smile 2, eerie face from Smile sequel poster, Smile 2 poster art showcasing a haunting grin

Artist’s Blog #154 – Smile 2 (2024)

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Some parts of Smile 2 were better paced than others and, we’ll discuss them in the upcoming prose. Overall, Smile 2 was slow. I found myself checking the progress bar often to see how much movie was left. The main reason, I think, Smile 2 suffered pace wise was that it focused so much on one single character. It seemed like 90% of the movie cataloged the torment of a single girl. I get it, this is the point but, I feel like they could have worked this differently so that the movie didn’t drag as much. I didn’t find this sequel as creepy as the original either. The idea was so unique the first time around but, this second lap around the story lost something for me. Even the eerie smiles were not as well done – this really sucks because that was the selling point.

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Hell’s Angels ‘69 movie poster, Sonny Barger in Hell’s Angels ‘69, Terry the Tramp Hell’s Angels movie, iconic biker film poster, 1969 retro motorcycle movie

Artist’s Blog #153 – Hell’s Angels ’69 (1969)

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The look of Las Vegas is iconic. I don’t know of many places that have a look so immediately recognizable. Sure, you have ancient Greece, Rome, and parts of NY but Las Vegas is a spot all its own. If you are a fan of this desert town and gambling capital, you will dig Hell’s Angels ’69 for no other reason than much of the film takes place in this Nevada location. You get to see the city lights, the casinos, the security teams and their uniforms, the crap tables, and the cards. The casino they use in Hell’s Angels ’69 is Ceaser’s Palace so, you see the hotel rooms and even the pool too. The neon lights of the Flamingo and other spots are my favorite part of this flick hands down. While I wouldn’t watch this movie in its entirety again, I would rewatch these scenes.

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“Martial arts duel in Wu-Tang vs Ninja movie”, “Shaolin monk fights ninja in classic kung fu scene”, “Retro kung fu movie action sequence”, “Epic battle from Wu-Tang vs Ninja film”, “Classic martial arts cinema featuring ninjas”

Artist’s Blog #152 – Wu-tang vs Ninja (1987)

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If you’ve ever seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, you will recall the running up walls, insane jumping, fighting on top of trees, and other wild scenes. Wu-tang vs Ninja has some other laughable aspects reminiscent of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. First, there is a scene where some ninjas are fighting the Shaolin heroes against a rock face. Yes, they are supposedly having a full-on kung fu battle whilst clinching ropes suspended high above the ground. Of course, there is clearly a platform being used to create the effect. A second effect that you see is the appearance and disappearance of ninjas. Clearly, cutscene technology was not what it is today. People ignite from grenades and are plainly scarecrows. Honestly though, without cheesy effects, a lot of funny noises, crazy jumps, and mouth movements not matching the poorly done dialogs, Chinese kung theatre wouldn’t be the classic awesomeness it is.

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Kevin Spacey in American Beauty iconic pose, American Beauty film cover art, Kevin Spacey and rose petals scene, Iconic imagery from American Beauty, Artistic representation of American Beauty

Artist’s Blog #150 – American Beauty (1999)

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An illusive idea presented well in American Beauty is mindfulness. I think that the path to this is through gratitude. The hardest part of American Beauty for me was the final scene where Lester’s monologue was playing. His little girl standing at the door hit me like a sledgehammer. Not long ago now, I had the privilege of seeing my daughter get married. I asked her just to come home but, she wanted to marry. She asked that I spread her veil out wide so that she would look as beautiful as she could for a man waiting for her at the end of the asphalt path. As I held the white elaborate lace train in my hand, a symbol of genuine purity in her case, I made a conscious effort to lock that memory in. To echo American Beauty, there really is so much beauty in life.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan, Conan wielding his sword, iconic sword scene in Conan the Barbarian, Conan in battle stance, 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian

Artist’s Blog #148 – Conan the Barbarian (1982)

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In the world of sword and sorcery, it doesn’t get any better than Conan the Barbarian. I’ll go ahead and get this out of the way, there was only one Conan and that’s Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this film genre, I would put this movie number 1, Conan the Destroyer number 2, and Deathstalker at number 3. I’ve blogged about Deathstalker too and you can read my thoughts on this classic here. Another great film in this world, and character for that matter, is Red Sonya. This is another film I will eventually blog on. Anyway, back to the film at hand, Conan the Barbarian. It has all the elements needed for a great barbarian adventure movie in my opinion. There are swords, sword fighting, cool armor, castles, girls, horses, wizards, witches, and magic. We’ll expound upon some of these things in the following paragraphs.

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The Evil Dead movie poster, 1981 horror film poster, Ash Williams wielding chainsaw, cult horror icon, Sam Raimi’s horror classic

Artist’s Blog #147 – The Evil Dead (1981)

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Psychological torment seemed to be the focal point of The Evil Dead. When Ash’s GF is possessed, she doesn’t go after him right away. Perhaps she is baiting him. Another commonality is a possessed person turning back to normal. They plead with Ash or try to convince him they’re fine. Naturally, they switch back to the demon-possessed form. How terrible would it be to have to look at your GF who 10 seconds ago was demon-possessed and is now her normal pretty self begging you for her life to then put an axe into her skull? The mental strain of this would be astronomical. All the while, you have another possessed person peeking through a door in the floor, changing personalities, screaming, and mocking you. A person’s spirit would be broken by all this – this is why people in prison camps are starved and allowed very little sleep.

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Evil Dead II poster, Evil Dead II horror movie, Evil Dead II Ash character, Ash and chainsaw in Evil Dead II, 1987 cult classic Evil Dead II

Artist’s Blog #146 – Evil Dead II (1987)

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Believe it or not, Evil Dead II is an action-packed movie. It’s not Arnold 1980’s action-packed but, it keeps you watching and on the edge of your seat. Of course, a lot of the on-edge is watching out for the next jump scare. These were commonplace in Evil Dead II and sometimes almost got me while watching on my cell phone. I can only imagine that a theatrical showing would have caused a viewer to jump. At first, Evil Dead II has a consistent pace but once the demon take over stuff starts, it hits the throttle and doesn’t let off. As with The Evil Dead, this one is creepy. While the story is essentially the same, there are new characters and some iconic events in the series occur. Perhaps the most notable is Ash replacing his hand with a chain saw and creating a shoulder sling sawed-off shotgun.

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Children of the Corn Movie Poster from 1984

Artist’s Blog #145 – Children of the Corn (1984)

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I wonder with Children of the Corn if there’s any truth to the following observation. Looking at this movie from I guess what would be either a sociological or psychological (maybe both) perspective, how would this be different if the main characters were not children? In American society, we typically put different values on children. I’m not an anthropologist but, I don’t think this is a global norm. Children of the Corn was filmed in Iowa but takes place in Nebraska and the town is run by a religious cult of children. The two characters that enter the town and must face the children are often hesitant in resistance and compassionate towards them. I hypothesize that we likely would be in America if this were real. However, if the town were run by adults, how might this movie be different? I suspect it would be much more violent.

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Jolly Chimp cymbal toy, Monkey Shines movie poster, retro horror toy, George Romero movie art, creepy monkey toy

Artist’s Blog #144 – Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear (1988)

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Several years ago, I wandered into my favorite thrifting spot for a break from painting. As I was leaving, I went by the glass case to gander at the items they considered treasure. I noticed a retro toy that I had seen on a movie poster. It was an authentic Jolly Chimp toy – the monkey with striped pants and banging cymbals. I had the attendant let me look at it. The creepy toy’s condition was poor but, the box and the toy were there. I paid the $10 and took the piece home for my shelf. Had it not been for the Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear poster, I wouldn’t have even cared about the creepy toy. Get in your wheelchair and read my thoughts on this George Romero oddity but goodity from 1988.

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