Rat Rant – “To Live and Die in LA” (1985)

So the real world has kept the SS Rat busy for a while but now he’s back and I’m gonna let him post some more of his rants here beginning today.  Heck now that he’s not so stressed I’ll get a chance to post more too!

A Rat Rant on To Live and Die in LA (1985)

Action – Crime Drama {plenty of action for the purists and enough drama for the thinkers}

What can I say but I watched this flick again the other day and I LOVE it. Great pacing starts the action rolling right from the beginning, we meet our principal character {William Petersen in one of his earlier film roles known for CSI today} and follow him down his dark road of obsession with getting the criminal no matter what the cost. Further driven by revenge he enlists his less-jaded new guy partner to aid him in his single-minded quest for vengeance. The purpose driven hero is counterbalanced well by a rather dark and demon-laden villain {played by Willem DaFoe}

Through in a couple of supporting characters to stabilize the backdrop {including Darlanne Fluegel as a hooker without a heart!} for the story and everything is all set. Action fans will surely love one of the best car chase scenes in many years and the folks who love an engaging story will appreciate the intertwined nature of the people in the story. Everyone has a hidden agenda whether they know it or not and everyone is eventually doomed by their own desires {either literally or figuratively}. As an added bonus if you can secure a copy of the SE DVD after you watch the flick itself watch the alternate ending which the Hollywood moneymen wanted instead of the actual ending. It’s a perfect example of why so many mainstream Hollywood films turn into crap. Idiots with money but no soul for the product they are trying to sell. Fortunately the films creators stuck with their own ending instead.

Even without the tidbit of the alternate ending, this is a great film. The SS Rat has seen it at least a dozen times and it’s worth a watch whenever you want a fast paced actioner with some actual thought behind it’s characters

 

Rat Rant – “The Way We Are” (1997)

A Rat Rant on The Way We Are (1997) aka Quiet Days in Hollywood

Drama – {interesting character study}

Ok so here’s the SS Rat, the lover of horror and what’s he watching again? More drama, some might think the SS Rat’s been sniffing the wrong kind of cheese these days but it’s true. Let me tell you the rat actually enjoys dramas, especially those that are character driven.

For this film yeah there are some name stars in it but if they were replaced by just any competent no-name actor the story wouldn’t miss a beat. We start off on the mean streets of Hollywood and meet a handful of characters, Joe Estevez’s character is a throw-away and could easily be lost but I’m digressing here. I know some complain that the characters seem “shallow” but that’s entirely the point, that’s how many folks really behave, to make all the characters in a film such as this into philosophers defeats the purpose entirely. The only character I really take exception to is the female cop {if a real police officer behaved as she did they’d be dead in a day}. The story is structured to travel from one character to another, the character we are following meets someone and soon we’re following that person who in turn meets someone else.

This kind of intertwined story also piques the SS Rat’s interest because it reminds us of the nature of everyday life and how paths cross and diverge in our own lives with people and places. Without dwelling too heavily on the plot so as to not take away from your viewing pleasure, suffice it to say that some folks have a happy story and some not so happy. The ending has a humorous twist designed to at least elicit a smirk from the viewer if not a laugh.

So what we have here folks is an interesting character study about people from a variety of backgrounds, kind of a snapshot of life if you will. For some good dramatic viewing the SS Rat says check this one out

 

Rat Rant – “Backbeat” (1994)

A Rat Rant on Backbeat (1994)

Drama – pseudo-bio {emphasis on the pseudo and more melo-drama than drama}

Ok first up to be fair I’m not a Beatles fan so that particular hook for this film was lost on me. That being said this pseudo-biography can’t make up it’s mind if it’s trying to chronicle the formative years of the Beatles or the life story of “fifth Beatle” Stu Sutcliffe. And ultimately this indecision is it’s real weakness.

The characters are moderately interesting but in the end I found it difficult to really care about any of the dis-functional primary characters and the secondary characters are never explored. The Paul McCartney character is a small role who plays Jimmny Cricket to the John Lennon character. It’s implied that there was tension between Stu and Paul but it’s never really explored since Paul is treated as such a minor character. And as for George, Pete and Ringo it’s as if the screenwriter read their names out of a Beatle history book but didn’t have a clue as to who they were.

Being that this is essentially a drama there’s not much more to say, Sheryl Lee is passable as the love interest of Stu but even her character seemed to be lacking in depth. The finally climax to the life of Stu is revisionist history for dramatic effect and does no favors to the truth of his life. Ultimately this film will probably have the most appeal to Beatles fans who will overlook many of these flaws and be entertained by the alleged exploits of their young heroes.

But for the SS Rat, no thanks, a decent effort perhaps but a wasted execution and delivery leave the SS Rat to say give this one a miss

 

Rat Rant – “V for Vendetta” (2005)

A Rat Rant on “V for Vendetta” (2005)

Political Thriller {more meaningful each day}

What can I say I love this kind of flick. Intrigue and drama set in a fantastical vision not so far removed from the real world that we can’t see the story. And yes the creators of the original comic series which serves as the inspiration for the film were split in their liking for the film. However the dissent by Alan Moore about the “Americanizing” of the plot elements misses the entire point of the story which he himself created! The story itself transcends a single political philosophy or counter-philosophy and could be adapted to most any culture on the planet.

Our anti-hero “V” at times comes across as at times as little more than an agitator or terrorist with a score to settle but there is much more at work here than something so rudimentary. The message is simple, in any society where the people willingly give up their freedom the only way to get it back is for the people to reclaim it. Despite what some folks think about this movie being all about just one guy, in the end he represents the ideals of the people and if they are not willing to act then nothing of any substance will happen.

The imagery of the future society is well done and immediately draws the viewer in leaving little doubt about who the villains are in the story. Natalie Portman does a fine job as the counter to “V”, she representing the innocence and he the lost soul. By the end of the film they have blended somewhat but the blending makes each of them stronger. Perhaps my favorite image from the film is the wonderful allegory of V as he “lines up the dominoes” to foreshadow the events of the finale.

This is unusual fare at times and not for the faint of heart or those looking for mindless action, but for an excellent cerebral adventure looking at the dark side of our society you can’t miss with this. SS Rat says “remember, remember the fifth of November…” and check this one out

 

Rat Rant – “The Tripper” (2006)

A Rat Rant on The Tripper (2006)

Thriller – slasher {I’d be thrilled if they slashed the creators of this drivel}

Ok so as you know the SS Rat is a big horror/thriller fan so I always give the benefit of the doubt to new flicks I haven’t seen in the hopes of finding those hidden gems. Well true believers let me tell you this ain’t one of those gems. The film centers around hippies going to a love festival becoming the prey of a homicidal nut-job sporting a Ronald Reagan mask {or maybe it was supposed to be Reagan, who knows and who cares}.

If this pathetic piece of tripe had been made in the sixties I maybe could have forgiven them but how many hippie love festivals are there still these days? Add to the fact that every person in the film is an utterly unsympathetic asshole or a vacuous waste of oxygen and the sympathy level for the victims is zero. The only good line in the film is when the Reagan killer is ready to chop the yuppie punk who then looks up in disbelief and says “but I’m a Republican!” as the axe falls upon him.

But even that one brief funny moment can’t save this turkey. As the film winds along we get a few more lame political jokes and an “explanation” of the killer’s motivation when the cops find the obligatory Reagan shrine. The film would have been better served if the national guard had been called in from the beginning and Dukakis had simply driven his tank over the entire miserable cast!

SS Rat loves a great thriller but for the crime these guys have committed upon the film-going public not even a presidential pardon should save them from being banned from ever making films again. SS Rat says avoid this “bad trip” at all costs

 

Rat Rant – “Dream Lover” (1994)

A Rat Rant on Dream Lover (1994)

Suspense – with a touch of Romance {every rose has it’s thorns}

What’s dis you say SS Rat? You reviewing romance movies now, you done lost yer mind? Fear not true believers and remember the SS Rat likes a wide variety of films and in this case it’s a romance with an edge.

Have you ever met a woman and fallen deeply in love with her even though you really don’t know anything about her? That’s the situation confronting our hero (James Spader) when his meets the woman of his dreams (played by the stunningly gorgeous Madchen Amick with eyes to die for!). Only for our hero it’s not all wine and roses as he begins to find out the truth behind who his new wife really is. The analogy of peeling back the layers of an onion is mentioned in the story foreshadowing the events which are yet to come blending perfectly with the complexities of the relationship they have.

Mix in his surrealistic dreams about what’s really happening and who he really is and you’ve got a very interesting suspense story. A man who has to find the truth about his wife and himself before it’s too late. Great yarn has all the right elements, love, friendship, betrayal and a few more things we won’t mention here to give away too much. The only question to keep in mind is when can deception be too perfect? There is always a fatal flaw…

Yes true believers the SS Rat loves a good love story, especially when love is the sharpest side of the blade! SS Rat says check this one out!

 

One State Two State Red State Blue State

So I hear this on the big guy’s TV all the time, red states and blue states. I just don’t get it. I went outside to play yesterday and looked around for where you could see the ground to figure out what state I’m in. I saw lots of green when I first climbed up the steps outside {the big guy doesn’t mow the lawn very often!} I skulked through the undergrowth and chased a few bunnies for a while then started looking for the colors again.

Here’s what I found: At the edge of the big guy’s yard there is a large brown dirt area where someone forgot to plant any stuff this year. I walked a little further and found the black and grey solid ground that the big evil metal monsters zoom along. I even found a large field of green with white lines every few feet on it but no red and no blue. A couple of kids were coloring with powdery sticks on the grey monster path in front of the big guy’s house but they used yellow and pink! Could they have been told the wrong colors?

I guess I just don’t get it, aren’t all you big folks basically the same? Aren’t all the states in the country pretty much the same? If not how do you find the colors and is that more important than being citizens of the US? Do you put your allegiance to a color above your allegiance to your country? A little cat wonders.

Talk to ya later folks, your pal Fluffy

 

Rat Rant – “Impostor” (2001)

A Rat Rant on Impostor (2001)

Action – SciFi {future society} (And a grim future at that!)

What do you do if the government is chasing you because they’re convinced you have been replaced by a bomb laden alien doppleganger bent on murdering the chancellor? If you don’t know the answer then you obviously haven’t seen this flick yet. Great atmospheric glimpse into a “what if” future society has a man pursued by overzealous government agents looking to eliminate him as a threat.

And while I normally won’t bore you with the history behind the film this has it’s origins in a short story written by one of the masters among sci-fi authors, Phillip K. Dick. The protagonist {Gary Sinise} is ably counter-balanced by the dedicated government agent {played by private pyle himself – Vincent D’Onofrio}. Add in the ever gorgeous albeit underutilized Madeleine Stowe as the wife of our on the run hero and you have an excellent core cast.

Our hero is determined to prove he is human but gets thwarted at every turn by a government that just wants him stopped. The plot and pacing are handled well with enough twists and turns to keep even the most jaded viewers wondering about who is telling the truth and who isn’t right to the very climax of the film. Even those moviegoers who smugly run around telling anyone who’ll listen how they figured out the twists in “The Crying Game” and “The Usual Suspects” in the first five minutes {yeah right!} will be caught by surprise at the ending in this case.

So for a good suspenseful sci-fi actioner to pump your pulse up a notch the Stainless Steel Rat says you can’t go wrong with this.

 

Rat Rant – “Pizza Man” (1991)

A Rat Rant on Pizza Man (1991)

Comedy – {political and intellectual, leave you rubber chickens at the door}

Well what can I say, yeah the movie is dated and some of the younger folks won’t understand all the players but that aside it still has some classic moments. The film is a one night magical mystery tour of pizza man Elmo Bunn who’s “never been stiffed and never delivered a cold one” and his quest to get his $15.23, the price of a large sausage pizza with anchovies.

I can hear the scoffs now, “what’s funny about that, SS Rat?” Simple, for those that know him today as a “liberal political pundit” this was from his acting days, yes I’m talking about Bill Maher the same guy from “Politically Incorrect” and “Real Time” both of which ran for years. Pizza Man could easily be taken as a precursor to his more active political roles which he takes now.

So it’s a political lecture? No, not really, if you know the political landscape from the 80′s though you’ll love the scene where he catches Ronald Reagan in bed {literally} with Geraldine Ferraro, quickly closes the door and turns to the heroine {played by the stunning Annabelle Gurwitch – yowza!} and succinctly asks, “what’s going on here?” For those that don’t know politics as well there are enough jabs at more well know foils of mainstream to keep you interested and some just outright hilarious scenes no matter who the players are. For instance another classic scene involves a game of “three card monty” with poisoned blowfish! Trust me that scene alone is worth the price of admission!

So if you’re looking for a laugh or especially if your looking for a political laugh with a bit of history thrown in you can’t go wrong here, the Stainless Steel Rat says “check this one out”!

 

Rat Rant – “Vegas Vampires” (2004)

A Rat Rant on Vegas Vampires (2004)

Horror – Vampires {yes indeed a horrible addition to the vampire genre}

So I’m watching this flick and thinking “great I love vampire movies and I love Vegas, what could be better?” Turns out that’s a foolish question indeed as after seeing this vampire flick I’m almost ready to dust off “Dracula, Dead and Loving It” for a watch! So what’s the prob SS Rat? Why doesn’t this flick make the grade? Lets go…

To start with I’m always leery of an film that has a modern “blaxploitation” theme to it. I love some of the old films from the early 70′s but newer filmmakers still haven’t got it right yet. The first thing I noticed {or didn’t notice} was that all the sports jerseys worn by the characters early in the film were optically blurred!! WTF?? A bad movie is hard enough to get into without having my suspension of disbelief constantly challenged by visual blurring. What happened did the pro sport leagues object or did they not pay the product placement fee?

I guess that should have been the least of my worries since the film suffers from far too many cliches, not the least of which being the caricature cops at all levels in the force. Daniel Baldwin as a surly detective {that’s a stretch} in a throw away role. A populace that seems ignorant of the fact that apparently thousands of vampires live in their midst and vampires that are wearing plastic fangs that look like crackerjack prizes in many cases. The film can’t use budget constraints as an excuse as they went out and grabbed longtime blaxploitation stars Fred Williamson & Richard Roundtree to be in the film {or wasted in the film}

The entire vampire element of the film gets lost in a maze of too many characters whom we either don’t care about or don’t get to know enough to care about. Throw in a vampiric ceremony complete with bonfire in the scrub maybe a thousand feet from population that nobody seems to notice and this farce is all but complete. You have to ask what were they thinking when they made this but perhaps they just weren’t thinking at all.

The SS Rat loves a good vampire flick, unfortunately this aint it, the SS Rat gives this a “drive a stake in your own heart first before you watch this” thumbs down