The Super Network

Every week the people of Super Website (Super Blog) will give you a recommendation of a Film, DVD, Bluray, Book, Soundtrack or any other item for you the readers to check out.

Super Marcey Recommend’s:

Never Sleep Again

I love documentaries and I love ones especially about film. One of the best ones I have seen recently is Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. Having spent the day appreciating Freddy’s Revenge with a good friend, I thought this would be the perfect recommendation for this week. Here is the Freddy’s Revenge segment from my original review.

“Freddy’s Revenge segment:
It is no secret that this film is one of my all time guilty pleasures, and it is a film which contains a lot of homosexual undertones. We hear from it’s star the lovely Mark Patton (He is openly gay but at the time of filming he hadn’t come out yet), he openly talks about the homosexual elements and what he thinks about them. I love the fact that he calls himself possibly the first male Scream Queen. It is so funny to hear the director talk about how he didn’t realize some of the things they were actually doing. The screenwriter however knew exactly what he was doing! This is a must see segment, and check out the gorgeous woman who played Lisa, she looks fantastic now.“

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Logan J. Fowler Recommend’s:

Toy Story 3

You would never think that a movie about inanimate playthings that come to life when their owner is not around would make you sob like a newborn infant. But then, you would doubt the magic of Pixar (before Cars 2, mind you), and my friend, you’d be crazy.

When Andy, owner of many toys including Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), amongst others, has to move away to college, his mom says he has to choose whether to donate the toys, trash them, or put them in the attic. Andy places all of his toys sans Woody (who Andy plans to take to college) in a trash bag, which Andy plans to place in the attic. The bag is mistaken for garbage by Andy’s mom when he leaves it in the hallway, so in turn she places the bag outside along with the rest of the trash, and Woody heads out to rescue them. Not believing Woody when he says they were headed to the attic, the toys make their way into a box set for Sunnyside, a day care center nearby. The toys are greeted by Lotso Huggin Bear (Ned Beatty), Ken (a scene stealing Michael Keaton) and more Sunnyside residents. Woody makes it out of the day care to be with Andy but his friends remain, only to discover that Sunnyside is not as sunny as they wanted it to be. When they plead to Lotso to move rooms where the kids are nicer to them, Lotso shows his true colors (but stills smells likes strawberries) and the toys are rejoined by Woody to escape the day care prison break style.

While the original Toy Story was classic, and Toy Story 2 was a pretty good follow up, I would consider Toy Story 3 the best of the trilogy. It is the funniest of the films, but also the darkest; I dare you not to cringe in fear or get severely emotional when Woody and company are facing death by incinerator. That’s how dark this film goes, but that scene is counterattacked by a supremely sweet ending that will make the heart of any grown up melt if they have were ever put in the position Andy was.

I laughed, I cried, I loved-Toy Story 3 is by far my favorite movie of 2010, one of Pixar’s finest, and a fantastic closing on a great three acts. Toy Story 4? No. Toy Story 3 had a FLAWLESS ending, and I’d hate to see them taint what I consider a beautiful curtain call on these beloved toys.

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Pat Torfe Recommend’s:

Jason Goes To Hell

I know that a lot of people will give me flack for this, but for myself, this film is a guilty pleasure. Jason Goes To Hell. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. This really shouldn’t be a Friday The 13th film. Jason specifically isn’t in the film aside from the beginning and the very end. It’s a rip-off of The Hidden, despite what director Adam Marcus claims. I know, I know, but there’s just something about this film that has me watching it on occasion. The storyline is rather ridiculous: Jason is still lurking around Crystal Lake. He gets caught in an FBI sting and gets the crap blown out of him. At the morgue, the coroner is transfixed by Jason’s still-beating heart and takes a bite out of it. Why? Why not?

Anyways, in doing so, the coroner is possessed by Jason’s spirit and goes on a body-hopping rampage in the pursuit of his last remaining bloodline relatives, through whom he can be truly resurrected or truly killed. Yeah, it’s a lame sort of story and the acting leans towards being over-the-top, but what makes this film is the gore. Now, keep in mind that the film was cut for an R rating, but the DVD contains both the R rated and unrated cuts. Guess which one you should watch? Aside from the heart munching, the stabbings by various instruments (including a knife sharpener, of all things) and some gooey meltings, probably the most memorable kill involves an impalement by signpost and subsequently being split in half. Coupled with a memorable performance by Steven Williams as Creighton Duke (a bounty hunter who’s after Jason for some reason), it’s moderately enjoyable for those who go into it with no expectations. Again, it’s not everyone’s choice for a Friday The 13th film, but the gore factor should alleviate some of the discomfort. As well, the commentary by director Adam Marcus and writer Dean Lorey is a lively one, and they acknowledge the film’s shortcomings as well as tell some fun stories, so there’s also that to look forward to if you grab the DVD.

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Bede Jermyn Recommend’s:

Wendy And Lucy

Michelle Williams has definitely come a long way since playing Jen Lindley in the popular late 90’s/early 00’s teen T.V. drama DAWSON’S CREEK, in the 8 years since that show ended she has grown into a fantastic and versatile actress who isn’t afraid to dive head first into any role that comes her way (she has already picked up two well deserved Oscar nods for her performances in the films BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN and BLUE VALENTINE). For my recommendation this week I’ve decided to pick one film that really gets to show us how great of an actress she can be, which the 2008 film WENDY AND LUCY. The film tells the story of a young woman named Wendy (Michelle Williams) who, along with her dog Lucy, is traveling to Alaska in hopes to start a new life. Along the way her trip becomes derailed when her car breaks down in a small country town. Knowing that she’ll unable to buy food for Lucy since she’ll have to use most of her money to fix her car, she decides to steal some dog food at the local supermarket. Before she goes inside, she ties Lucy out the front so that she won’t runaway. Unfortunately as Wendy is about to leave and get Lucy, she gets picked up for shoplifting by the police. A few hours later after she has been released from police custody, she goes back to the supermarket but finds that Lucy has disappeared.

This is simple but extremely well crafted and intimate drama/character study that is truly elevated by the fantastic performance of Michelle Williams. She is both believable and heartbreaking as Wendy, every moment that she goes through in this film we feel it as well. This is definitely up there as one of her best performances, if not the best of her career so far (and judging on all the great turns has she has delivered over the last few years, that is saying a lot if I say so myself). It truly is a beautiful subtle piece of acting from her. The supporting cast also do very well with their performances and naturalistic direction from co-writer/director Kelly Reichardt is terrific. Also the film has one of the most saddest and heartbreaking endings that I have seen a while, which also gave the film that extra bit more of power. While the film may not be for everyone (I guess you can say that this film is truly the definition of an ‘indie’ film), but it is effective little gem of a film that I recommended you all to check out. Although I do have a feeling that if you have (or had) a dog in your life, this film will resonate with you even more.

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