Retroview: Tuff Fest I: Looking Back

A Retroview Review.  the last one actually.

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Luke here, back with a new limited series where I talk about like 60 movies over the next 60 days. Click here for an explanation. Read on for the quick and dirty review!

Well That wraps it up. Yesterday's post was the final of the series. I hope you enjoyed the quick and dirty write ups of some movies I saw basically a quarter of a year ago haha. Do I have a favorite movie? No. I think that would be the hardest thing to pick, because I saw so many amazing movies, movies that were all amazing for incredibly different reasons. I think if you read through, you'll be able to tell which ones I enjoyed most. Did I get burnt out watching almost 60 movies in 10 days? Hell no, I wish life wouldn't keep getting in the way so I could do it all the time. Will I do it again? You better believe it. Tuff Fest II feels like it's just around the corner...

-Luke Hunter James-Erickson
To see all the movies written about so far, click here: Tuff Fest I
Again, for an explanation, click here: Introduction to Tuff Fest I
To suggest movies I should schedule for Get Tuff Fest II, e-mail me: TheeLuke@gmail.com

Retroview: Tuff Fest I: Wrap-Up Mega-Post 3

A Retroview Review. 
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Luke here, back with a new limited series where I talk about like 60 movies over the next 60 days. Click here for an explanation. Read on for the quick and dirty review!

Okay, so, like 4-5 months late, here is the last of the last two wrap ups for Tuff Fest I:

Red State
Kevin Smith never claimed to be a great film maker, and he has definitely lived up to that expectation. That said, he has made some good movies. His movies generally portray that he knows what he wants to say, but the end results generally come off a little muddled, trite, or cliche. Red State has a simple message, which serves Smith well, because it shines through crystal clear: religious fanatics don't always live in a foreign country. The world Smith presents to us feels real enough to touch, aided by spectacular performances by just about every cast member. It's a brutal, disturbing film, with one heck of an ending. I can't say the message isn't ham-handedly hammered home, but it's evident that this was Smith's intention, so I find myself unable to fault him. Maybe best described as a tonal piece.

More short reviews after the break!

Retroview: Tuff Fest I: Wrap-Up Mega-Post 2

A Retroview Review. 
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Luke here, back with a new limited series where I talk about like 60 movies over the next 60 days. Click here for an explanation. Read on for the quick and dirty review!

Okay, so, like 4-5 months late, here is the first of the last two wrap ups for Tuff Fest I: 

House II
Everything that can possibly happen in a movie happens in House II. And all in 90 minutes. It's a sequel that is so loosely related to it's original that basically it's only connection is that it calls itself a sequel to House (not House, or House, or House, or House though). But that doesn't matter at all, much in the same way that Troll 2 doesn't need to be related to a movie called Troll, because it's so bad ass that it transcends any predecessors. Cowboys, John Ratzenberger, Zombies, Mayans, Dinosaurs, Halloween, Bill Maher, 80's pop stars, dance parties, dinner parties, virgin sacrifices, ex-lovers ... the list goes on and on. The Best thing about this movie and that it doesn't feel as though it's dragging on, or that it's trying to accomplish too much. Some how they managed to get everything "movie" into 90 minutes, which is the most "movie" time for a movie to be. Just see it. Seriously. This is the only one during Tuff Fest that I'd seen before, and it was well worth it.

More reviews below the cut! 

Retroview: Tuff Fest I: Wrap-Up Mega-Post 1

A Retroview Review. 
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Luke here, back with a new limited series where I talk about like 60 movies over the next 60 days. Click here for an explanation. Read on for the quick and dirty review!

The Secret of NIMH - If you saw it as a child, feel reassured that it is still as adorable and chillingly terrifying as you remember it. I was not lucky enough to have known what I was in for. It's like the Rescuers meets H.P. Lovecraft. Okay, not that crazy, but still dark.

Cronos - I was surprised that it wasn't set during the Spanish Civil War, as many of Del Toro's other movies are, but it's a better tale set in the modern era. Del Toro's movies generally concern mortals coming in contact with the other side. Cronos follows suit, looking deep into the heart of man (or maybe just this one man) when he is given something even he already knows well enough not to call a gift. It's as twisted and inventive as Del Toro's other movies, but on a slightly smaller scale, which feels natural and inviting.

Many more after the break!