BNAT1138: The Middle

Before our next Butt-Numb-a-Thon (BNAT) feature and apropos to nothing other than the fact they were there for their own guest appearance at a Slammin' Salmon screening, the Broken Lizard guys had a beer-drinking contest with the Ain't it Cool Newswriters. The Lizards won, with appropriate comedic timing. 

Trailers:  They Call Her One Eye, Sudden Death (possibly another but between writing in the dark and my pen being rebellious, I can't tell if just overwrote notes on the next film, or over a trailer name)

Shutter Island.  Essentially still a rough cut, and Harry recounts the correspondence involved getting the film.  And it turned out that Scorcese negotiated the inclusion of The Red Shoes. Nice programming, Mr. Scorcese.  Based on a Dennis Lehane book (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), the mystery of a missing patient at an isolated mental institution is a little too clever for my taste, but I certainly can't fault the performance (or the pacing, or just about anything other than the story). Not that it's a bad story, just a kind I personally get impatient with. I found myself admiring one particular scene that featured primarily face shots.

Trailers:  James Tont Operazione U.N.O.,  Maniac Cop 2,  Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze

I missed the introduction to the two next films, playing back to back, as I was attending to a bio-break. So I was in for a very pleasant surprise.

Le Magnifique is an exploitation espionage comedy, where superspy Bob Saint-Clair is always saving the day and getting the girl, that is, until his alter ego François Merlin isn't sure what to write next. Jacqueline Bisset co-stars as another spy and the grad student François pines for. Laughing so much will definitely keep a person awake and alert.

Micmacs à tire-larigot or Micmacs is  from Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of Amélie, The City of Lost Children and Delicatessen. This whimsical fantasy about a man taken in by a group of salvaging outcasts after he loses his home and his job after catching a stray bullet in his brain stars the wonderful Danny Boon (The Valet, Joyeux Noël). It's a revenge confection, but a very tasty one, complete with the delightfully absurd characters Jeunet is so fond of.  A rowmate from France mentions the subtitles are especially good since they are translating old slang; he also mentions it's funnier in French.

Trailers:  The Ski Bum, Hot Dog: The Movie,

Adam Green's Frozen  played next. This is one of those films you should see without knowing anything else about it. But I will say one woman fainted during the film, and every guy in the row ahead of me and behind me were cringing and squealing like girls (and not because of what you think, either).  My rowmate practically grabbed my arm.  So that's a heavy endorsement from people who normally watch horror. 

Trailers: Bug, Mission Thunderbolt

Centipede Horror is the choice vintage horror, and one of those salvaged Shaw Brothers films.  It seems their non-martial films love exploitative revenge, in this case a scorcerer is bent on exacting revenge on a man's descendants through centipedes.  I had to cover my eyes at the end.  But I made it through. 

Trailers: The Honeymoon Killers, Mr. No Legs, Lunch Wagon

The Candy Snatchers, a kidnapping caper with three of the most inept kidnappers and the creepiest little kid, actually made a great double feature with Centipede Horror. I seriously think the little kid in it inspired the "Pancakes" kid in Eli Roth's Hostel. 

We had our first break that was longer than five minutes. This time I actually walked outside to see the creepily, foggy morning. Unfortunately, my nose re-sensitized and some of the people around me were ripe enough that I gagged. I had to go in and desensitize my nose.  I'm glad I had a few bio-breaks that involved applying deodorant and a general washup; while I wasn't minty fresh, at least it wasn't too bad. Fresh breath helped a lot from a couple brushings over the course of the night.  The poor waitstaff, though. I felt bad for them. 

At this point, the final stretch is coming, so I'll save all that for a final installment.