Tag: films

A Yuletide Request for Reader Recommendations

The Portly Politico13 Comments

Happy Monday, TPP Readers!

In lieu of my usual Monday Morning Movie Review, I wanted to do something a bit different:  what are some of your favorite films to watch during the month of December, in the build-up to Christmas?

I’m thinking of doing the Christmas equivalent of the 31 Days of Halloween series, but probably not for all thirty-one days of December.  That said, there are some great Christmas movies out there that would be fun to give the 31 Days treatment.

For those that missed that series, here is the idea:  these videos will also be super lo-fi, as a.) I believe in the lo-fi ethic and, more honestly, b.) my video editing skills and capabilities are virtually non-existent.  We’re talking one take with minimal in-camera editing—and that’s it.  No fancy cutaways to clips from the movies; no wacky angles; no green screens placing me in a haunted castle.  At most I’ll hold up a DVD of the flicks if I have one.

My only caveats:  no Polar Express (2004) and no Elf (2003).  Even I have standards!

Let me know your picks in the comments below, or through the contact form on this site.

Thanks!

—TPP

Request for Reader Recommendations

The Portly Politico6 Comments

Happy Monday, TPP Readers!

In lieu of my usual Monday Morning Movie Review, I wanted to do something a bit different:  what are some of your favorite films to watch during the month of October, in the build-up to and/or on the day of Halloween?

I have an idea for a little YouTube project:  a series of brief (one-minute or less) reviews/synopses of thirty-one horror flicks, one for each day in October.  I’d release these as YouTube Shorts, so I only have one minute!

These will also be super lo-fi, as a.) I believe in the lo-fi ethic and, more honestly, b.) my video editing skills and capabilities are virtually non-existent.  We’re talking one take with minimal in-camera editing—and that’s it.  No fancy cutaways to clips from the movies; no wacky angles; no green screens placing me in a haunted castle.  At most I’ll hold up a DVD of the flicks if I have one, and maybe I’ll dress up in some mildly goofy outfit occasionally.

I have a vast archive of reviews of crappy (and good!) movies to pull from for this list, but I want to know your recommendations.  If it’s something I’ve already review, great!  It’ll definitely save me some time.  If it’s something totally new, even better—I get to watch and review your favorite flicks!

I can’t promise I’ll get to all of them, but if there’s a surplus, I’ll bank them up for next October.

Let me know your picks in the comments below, or through the contact form on this site.

Thanks!

—TPP

Monday Morning Movie Review: Two Mexican Horror Films

The Portly Politico1 Comment

Last Friday Americans got blitzed celebrating the short-lived victory of Mexican forces against the invading French army on 5 May 1862 at the First Battle of Puebla.  Cinco de Mayo enjoys greater observance here in the United States than in Mexico due to a.) the strong ties between the United States and Mexico dating back to the nineteenth-century (ties that are increasingly fraying as Mexico becomes a failed state) and b.) major marketing campaigns by American alcohol manufacturers.  Now we invoke the spirit of the Puebla and General Ignacio Zaragoza with tequila and tacos, a sort of Mex-American Independence Day.

To commemorate the occasion, streaming service Shudder has uploaded some Mexican horror films to their lineup, and I managed to squeeze a couple of them in over the weekend between The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023; review coming soon), a second screening of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. III (2023; I enjoyed it more the second time), Mother’s Day, and recovering from last week.

I’d never heard of the two films before, but both were enjoyable.  The first was Darker than Night (1975; sometimes “Blacker than Night” or “Blacker Than the Night“; Más Negro que la Noche in Mexico); the second—my favorite of the two was Poison for the Fairies (1984; Veneno para las hadas in Mexico).

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