The early 1980’s seemed like the time and place to release rock and roll animated cartoon films like Heavy Metal. There was always one film that I have been meaning to see for quite some time and so I decided to watch Rock & Rule for today’s film. For Angel (Heavy Metal‘s Susan Roman) all she wants to do is be able to have the chance to sing, but her boyfriend Omar (The Pink Panther‘s Gregory Salata) is a little jealous and wants the spotlight. Meanwhile, a legendary singer named Mok (Heavy Metal‘s Don Francks) has retired from performing, but he has gotten himself into the dark arts of life. Mok needs to find the perfect voice in order to conjure out the dark beings from the dark dimension. So, he decides to kidnap Angel and force her to sing in Nuke York to conjure the evil. The film also stars Samantha Langevin (Anne Of Green Gables) as Mok’s Computer, Dan Hennessey (The Care Bears Family) as Dizzy, Greg Duffell (Inspector Gadget) as Stretch/Zip, Chris Wiggins (Friday The 13TH: The Series) as Toad, Brent Titcomb (C.O.P.S.) as Sleazy, Martin Lavut (Heavy Metal) as Mylar, Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) as Aunt Edith, Iggy Pop as Monster From Another Dimension, Deborah Harry (Videodrome) as Angel’s Singing Voice, and the film was directed by Clive A. Smith (Babar).
Rock & Rule is one of those films that seemed to try and build off the success of Heavy Metal, but doesn’t fully succeed. The best thing about this film is quite frankly the soundtrack which features songs from Cheap Trick, Deborah Harry, and even Lou Reed. The film kind of moves a little fast through the story for my liking, but what can you do when the film is only one hour and seventeen minutes long. The animation is real old school and if you’ve seen Heavy Metal, it’s almost the same style except there is something wrong with the inhabitants of post-apocalyptic Earth. The sequences with Mok were pretty cool because he made it like he was performing magic all the time which can be trippy even in that time. The thing about this film is that the story was cool, but it jumps quick into the conclusion without any real turning point. I mean is Mok throwing away Zip’s doll the turning point that sets up the conclusion? Or is it the fact that Omar’s friends tell him to open his eyes that sets it up? That was really my only problem with the film, but that is only one factor. The music is great and the voice acting was great. Check it out on Youtube or just about anywhere on the Internet I can imagine. I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.
For today’s film, I had to choose something quick to watch due to time constraints and I have always admired the work of Jennifer Lopez (Selena). I never got the chance to see The Boy Next Door in theaters, but I am watching it for today’s film. Jennifer Lopez plays Claire Peterson, a woman dealing with whether she should stay with her cheating husband or move on. One day her son Kevin (Ian Nelson) befriends the mysterious boy next door Noah Sandborn (Ryan Guzman). In one vulnerable moment one night, she sleeps with Noah and it turns out to be a very big mistake. Noah has a bit of an obsession problem and after Claire tries to tell him that it can never happen again, Noah goes nuts and the game begins. The film also stars John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2) as Garrett Peterson, Kristin Chenoweth (The Pink Panther) as Vicky Lansing, Lexi Atkins (Zombeavers) as Alice Callahan, Hill Harper (He Got Game) as Principal Warren, Jack Wallace (Boogie Nights) as Bob Sandborn, Adam Hicks (How To Eat Fried Worms) as Jason Zimmer, François Chau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze) as Detective Chou, and the film was directed by Rob Cohen (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story).
What can I truly say about the film other than that if you’ve seen one film about an obsessed individual than you kind of seen them all. The question in screenwriting is always what does your story bring to the table that is different than any other one. We’ve seen these types of films before like Fatal Attraction, Fear, The Gift, Devil In The Flesh, and even The Crush just to name a few. I think the thing about this film that is different than the others is that it explores that taboo teacher/student relationship because she is a teacher and he is technically a student at the school. Ryan Guzman does deserve some credit in this film because he does an amazing job playing the obsessed individual. He captures the essence of a kid who is strong and sexually desirable by women while also being vindictive and destructive when he doesn’t get what he wants. Jennifer Lopez well is Jennifer Lopez, she’s sexy as hell and why wouldn’t you be obsessed with that after you’ve had a taste. This film isn’t anything groundbreaking and it’s not the greatest film ever made, but it’s worth a watch. The cinematography is actually pretty decent and is probably what is most attractive about the film. The film is available to watch on HBO and HBOGO as we speak so check it out if you dare. I am going to give the film an B- for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 