Day 319: Blue Velvet (1986)

I wanted to watch something different for today and i wasn’t quite sure what I was in the mood for. So, I surfed my Showcase Anytime app and I stumbled upon a film that instantly caught my eye. The film I chose for today was directed by surrealist legend David Lynch and his 1986 film Blue Velvet. Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) is your typical college student who is forced to come home after his father was in an accident. One day while walking back from seeing his dad in the hospital, Jeffrey discovers an ear and with the help of a friend heads down a very dark journey. You see Jeffrey takes it upon himself to investigate a woman named Dorothy Valens (Isabella Rossellini) who just may be connected to the ear somehow, but the journey may be more than he bargained for. The film also stars Laura Dern (Jurassic Park) as Sandy Williams, Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) as Frank Booth, Hope Lange (The New Dick Van Dyke Show) as Mrs. Williams, Dean Stockwell (Air Force One) as Ben, Frances Bay (Happy Gilmore) as Aunt Barbara, Brad Dourif (Child’s Play) as Ray, Priscilla Pointer (A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) as Mrs. Beaumont, and Jack Harvey (Tune In Tomorrow) as Tom Beaumont. 

This is the first David Lynch film that I have seen that I actually enjoyed watching because it made sense (Eraserhead is the only other film I’ve seen). The film gets pretty intense right when he starts his investigation and the surrealism in the film is the brutality of Isabella Rossellini who likes to get slapped around during sex. Then all of the scenes with Dennis Hopper just get really weird and intense, but man he puts on one heck of a performance as this crazed wild man who is just out of his gourd. Kyle MacLachlan does a good job in the film, but Dennis Hopper and Isabella Rossellini steal the show and are the MVP’s of the film. One of the most intense sequences in the film is the “joy ride” that they all take as Hopper’s character is pissed and trying to scare the crap out of MacLachlan’s character. They visit a whore house where you see more tense and awkward scenes. I haven’t talked about Laura Dern’s character who symbolically in my opinion represents the light side of life where as Rossellini’s represents the dark side. There is always these symbols in the film especially at the end with robins, but I’ll let you see that for yourself. It was cool seeing Brad Dourif in the film as this was a pre-Chucky role for him and what does he play, but a madman who is apart of Hopper’s gang. If you like films that get very intense and awkward, then definitely check this one out. I am going to give Blue Velvet an B+ for a final grade and the soundtrack is pretty decent.

Day 119: Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

For today I chose a film from Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore) because the first film in the Hotel Transylvania series was very good despite what people may be saying about his career. When I saw that Netflix had Hotel Transylvania 2 available to watch, I took the shot and it’s todays’ film. The film starts off with Mavis (Selena Gomez) and Jonathan (Andy Samberg) getting married and that follows with them having their first child Dennis (Asher Blinkoff). Dracula (Sandler) is having a hard time with the idea that his new grandson could be a human and not a monster. It’s gotten to the point that Mavis and Johnny are thinking about moving away to give Dennis a normal upbringing. Not liking the idea of that, Dracula has Johnny take Mavis on vacation in an attempt to see if he can bring the monster out of Johnny. The film also stars Kevin James (King Of Queens) as Frank, Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs) as Wayne, David Spade (Tommy Boy) as Griffin, Keegan-Michael Key (Let’s Be Cops) as Murray, Fran Drescher (The Nanny) as Eunice, Molly Shannon (Superstar) as Wanda, Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation) as Grandpa Mike, Megan Mullally (Will & Grace) as Grandma Linda, Mel Brooks (Spaceballs) as Vlad, and the film was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.

While I loved the first film, I have to say that I enjoyed this one, but not as much as the first. This film had it’s funny moments, but not as much as the first film did. The funniest character in this film was definitely Blobby who provided enough laughs even though he doesn’t really say much. I honesty believe that is why they had him in the film as much as he was. The first film dealt with Mavis wanting to date a human and this film had them struggling with the idea that their son could be human. That is the one thing I have to give the film credit for is that it was well written film and it may show that Sander has something left in the tank. I loved the edition of Mel Brooks as Vlad and certainly the nod to Interview With The Vampire with the costume Johnny wears at a party.  The only thing I had a problem with is that he switches his stance very quickly on how he feels about humans even though this is a guy who has hated humans for a very long time. I just feel that this is something that should have been developed over a film, but nonetheless it was a good film. I am excited to hear that there is going to be a third film in the series because it’ll be cool to see where they take it now. Alright so it’s time to give the film a final grade and with careful thought, I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.