The third venture for Dante and Randal in this finality to the Jersey saga. Ok so maybe it's not final. What would all my Generation X slacker brethren have to do with the rest of our meaningless cumulative existence without more Kevin Smith goodness?
First off I have to admit I had not seen this epic on the big screen as I was in San Diego for the 2006's San Diego Comic Con International.
Having Randal back for another round is always welcome. Kevin Smith writes the best non-sensical dialog, and it is always a good thing no matter how many times I have seen it.
My serious issue with this movie is that Smith keeps putting his wife in his films. Dude, she is not nearly as hot as you seem to think she is. And she's not a very good actress. She's too stiff and not easily acceptable as one of the loser geeks in his reality. That and giving her the Mary Jane line was a bit much.
The use of Randal as a gay catalyst in Clerks is something I didn't really understand other than Smith wanting his gay brother something to hold onto in his films. Somehow I doubt the GLBTQ community is ready to send an award to Smith for his outreach to their plight. I empathize with Randal as he seems to find something wrong with everything in his way. And he always has the best 1Liners and come backs. I see a bit of myself in this character who can always make others laugh at crude fucking humor and shit.
Things get better as Rosario Dawson shows up in a bra that doesn't quite hold her tits in place while she dances to the Jackson Five. Fuck. That and the really unusual musical number he insists that he has always wanted to have in one of his flicks.
And as much as people protest, the donkey scene is quite hilarious. The new common denominator of Randal versus Elias is a welcome change from the usual rigamerole of Dante v. Randal.
In all this movies has almost everything the original had and more including Jay reinacting the scene from Silence of the Lambs and a whole juxtapositon for about go-karts versus masturbation.
I think this is the first time I have watched this in my home since I bought the DVD back in 2006.
As an end all I give this quality classical Generation X slacker flick as the pentultimate basis upon which I will base all other slacker projects, movie, comic or otherwise. This movie rates Sabu slashing open his biceps on the barbed wire versus Terry Funk (a wound that required over 100 stitches) and taping it shut and finishing the match.
Showing posts with label terry funk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terry funk. Show all posts
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Zombieland; A Hardcore Review
I forget if I already reviewed this movie. But you know what? It's my MagogDamn Hardcore Review. So I'll re-review it if I fucking want, and or forgot I already did. Now from the opening credits to the final moments with Tallahassee with Twinkee firmly in hand this movie is a winner.
Rules rules rules. We all have some. We follow some sort of dichotomy that we choose to live by, whether it be laws, rules of nature or things we fucking make up as we go along. We all have them, and you know what? Some are meant to be broken. Sometimes.
So Columbus, who is played by the other Michale Cera, Jesse Eisenberg who recently starred in The Social Network with Justin Timberlake, which I won't pay to see.
Cardio
The Double Tap
Seatbelts
Don't be a hero
Check the back seat
Just a few of the many many rules that Columbus lives by. After the zombie apocalypse Columbus who is a shut in, meets up with Tallahassee, played by the enigmatic Woody Harrelson, is an ass kicking guy with an arsenal or really odd weaponry, a love for Dale Earnhardt or at least the number 3 AND an unquenchable thirst for a Twinkee. Tallahassee sets a new standard when it comes to taking out zombies. There's some new fangled ways of taking those undead flesh cravers out. And I couldn't be happier to watch this new artform take shape.
And the fucking dialog is seriously hilarious. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are dialog gods on par with Kevin Smith and myself.
Emma Stone is hot, as always, and not completely without her merits in the Zombieland. I mean you would think, hot chick, pretty fucking useless when it comes to battling the undead. And Abigail Breslin has outgrown being the little chubby girl from Little Miss Sunshine, which is another awesome fucking movie and worthy of a Hardcore Review.
Now things get a little complicated when Tallahassee and Columbus meet Wichita and Little Rock (Stone and Breslin). Cause well Columbus is a bitch and all he wants in life is to meet a girl who he can brush her hair past her ear. And as romantic as that sounds, you're a little bitch who's only survived cause he's been lucky. Sure he does cardio and he has a bunch of rules, but let's face it, Columbus isn't the brightest, toughest or brazen individuals in movie history. I am glad that the lead character isn't this bullshit cliche tough as nails ass kicker. I mean even Tallahassee isn't even all that predictable in this flick. Sure he kicks some serious zombie ass, but he's also driven by Twinkees and uh, finding new and improved ways to dispose of the undead. That and his obsession with Bill Murray. The kill scene with Murray is so fucking funny, even Wichita breaks character and starts laughing. The thing I wonder about is if they really shot in Bill Murray's house. That would be an interesting fact.
The whole Wantin' Your Wampum gift shop scene is AWESOME. "Let me begin my 3 part apology by saying you're a wonderful human being..."
The driving scene in the Hummer after the trashing the gift shop where they're just shooting the shit, is classic. "You don't know who Willie Nelson is?..... Willie Nelson?..." "Yeah. No!" C'mon everyone knows who Willie Nelson is. EVERYONE!
I could go on and on and on about every fucking scene in this flick. But then again, it would be too long and boring after while. I mean I consider myself a really good writer, but rehashing every scene in even the greatest movie would get tedious after a bit.
The whole concept of disguising yourself as a zombie to avoid being attacked is fucking cool. And it's been done in Shaun of the Dead, and some comic books, which is a brilliant idea.
Ok, so for the grade. I go with Steve Corino versus Terry Funk in MLW in a barbed wire "I Quit" match. Bloody as you would expect. And just imaging the single toughest sixty year old EVER kicking the shit out of a thirty something for the MLW Heavyweight Championship. It was pretty brutal. And then of course the Extreme Horsemen come out and take out Funk on behalf of Corino. And the match ends without actually anyone actually saying "I quit," but with Funk wrapped up in barbed wire. Blood, sweat and a lot of ass kicking including Funk piledriving Corino through the ringside table. Fucking brilliant. And the best part was Corino offering Funk to simply say he quit before the match even started and walk away. To which Funk grabs the mike and tells Corino the same thing. Sixty years old, two bad knees and fucked up back and still fearless.
Rules rules rules. We all have some. We follow some sort of dichotomy that we choose to live by, whether it be laws, rules of nature or things we fucking make up as we go along. We all have them, and you know what? Some are meant to be broken. Sometimes.
So Columbus, who is played by the other Michale Cera, Jesse Eisenberg who recently starred in The Social Network with Justin Timberlake, which I won't pay to see.
Cardio
The Double Tap
Seatbelts
Don't be a hero
Check the back seat
Just a few of the many many rules that Columbus lives by. After the zombie apocalypse Columbus who is a shut in, meets up with Tallahassee, played by the enigmatic Woody Harrelson, is an ass kicking guy with an arsenal or really odd weaponry, a love for Dale Earnhardt or at least the number 3 AND an unquenchable thirst for a Twinkee. Tallahassee sets a new standard when it comes to taking out zombies. There's some new fangled ways of taking those undead flesh cravers out. And I couldn't be happier to watch this new artform take shape.
And the fucking dialog is seriously hilarious. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are dialog gods on par with Kevin Smith and myself.
Emma Stone is hot, as always, and not completely without her merits in the Zombieland. I mean you would think, hot chick, pretty fucking useless when it comes to battling the undead. And Abigail Breslin has outgrown being the little chubby girl from Little Miss Sunshine, which is another awesome fucking movie and worthy of a Hardcore Review.
Now things get a little complicated when Tallahassee and Columbus meet Wichita and Little Rock (Stone and Breslin). Cause well Columbus is a bitch and all he wants in life is to meet a girl who he can brush her hair past her ear. And as romantic as that sounds, you're a little bitch who's only survived cause he's been lucky. Sure he does cardio and he has a bunch of rules, but let's face it, Columbus isn't the brightest, toughest or brazen individuals in movie history. I am glad that the lead character isn't this bullshit cliche tough as nails ass kicker. I mean even Tallahassee isn't even all that predictable in this flick. Sure he kicks some serious zombie ass, but he's also driven by Twinkees and uh, finding new and improved ways to dispose of the undead. That and his obsession with Bill Murray. The kill scene with Murray is so fucking funny, even Wichita breaks character and starts laughing. The thing I wonder about is if they really shot in Bill Murray's house. That would be an interesting fact.
The whole Wantin' Your Wampum gift shop scene is AWESOME. "Let me begin my 3 part apology by saying you're a wonderful human being..."
The driving scene in the Hummer after the trashing the gift shop where they're just shooting the shit, is classic. "You don't know who Willie Nelson is?..... Willie Nelson?..." "Yeah. No!" C'mon everyone knows who Willie Nelson is. EVERYONE!
I could go on and on and on about every fucking scene in this flick. But then again, it would be too long and boring after while. I mean I consider myself a really good writer, but rehashing every scene in even the greatest movie would get tedious after a bit.
The whole concept of disguising yourself as a zombie to avoid being attacked is fucking cool. And it's been done in Shaun of the Dead, and some comic books, which is a brilliant idea.
Ok, so for the grade. I go with Steve Corino versus Terry Funk in MLW in a barbed wire "I Quit" match. Bloody as you would expect. And just imaging the single toughest sixty year old EVER kicking the shit out of a thirty something for the MLW Heavyweight Championship. It was pretty brutal. And then of course the Extreme Horsemen come out and take out Funk on behalf of Corino. And the match ends without actually anyone actually saying "I quit," but with Funk wrapped up in barbed wire. Blood, sweat and a lot of ass kicking including Funk piledriving Corino through the ringside table. Fucking brilliant. And the best part was Corino offering Funk to simply say he quit before the match even started and walk away. To which Funk grabs the mike and tells Corino the same thing. Sixty years old, two bad knees and fucked up back and still fearless.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday the 13th UNCUT; A Hardcore Review
Today I review one of my all-time favorite movies, the original Friday the 13th. This time UNCUT. And what exactly does uncut mean? It means 10 extra seconds of footage that was not in the original theatrical release back in 1980. It means a grizzlier death for the man who is so popular he inspired a game called "Six Degrees of Separation from..." Yup you guessed it. Like so many other people who are now pretty damn famous, some more deserving than others, Kevin Bacon got his big screen start in the original Friday the 13th. And with the uncut version, right after a post sex joint, Bacon gets goozled from under the bed by an arrowhead. It was a great shot of the abilities of Tom Savini, who at one point in his career denounced all the horror special effects he did and said it had been a waste. Then went back on that and started making movies again.
Anyways. For those of you not in the know, the killer in this movie WAS NOT Jason Voorhees. Had Drew Berrymore known this in Scream she'd still be alive today. I saw this first when I was about 12 or 13 and in Junior High. It was a magical time in my life. Being loathed by so many people at school. Even being made the butt of a joke that the entire school knew about, and I didn't. It was fun times. Especially when I would sit in class and remember watching all these horror movies and envision killing a lot of those who surrounded me in equally R rated kinda ways. But why I may ask myself, when but two decades later, they're all saddled with kids and wrinkled and flabby flesh and me, I'm better than ever. Stronger, smarter and tougher than they could ever think of. I think kids really need to go through some hardships in their lives to come to appreciate life more. We have way to many online high schools to avoid having to deal with bullies and shitty class sizes and faculty that are so underpaid they don't give a shit about you and your thoughts for six years of junior and senior high school.
But back to the movie. I watched this at my girlfriend, Christina's place on Friday the 13th with some friends, her brother Ron and her podcast cohort, Matt, who proceeded to entertain us all and scream like a little girl every time someone got killed. And not to mention when Christina's sister knocked on the door, Matt just about lost it. It was great. Eating "Spooky Meaty Chili" and drinking Kilt Lifters while Matt asked what was going to happen next every five minutes was a lot of fun. The fact that he had never seen the movie before made it a blast, cause it's always good to watch horror movies with someone who's never seen it before. The deaths brought out with dvd quality and sound. Kevin Bacon gurgling on his own blood. And then the voice..... "help meeeeee." Ah, I fuckin' love that part. Each time. It's so fucking eerie. "Help Meeeeeeee." And almost completely inaudible from the rain. Then you get to meet the killer. Expecting it to be some massive shape that tears through the camp counselors like cheap linens. But it's not, it's frail little Mrs. Voorhees. All one hundred ten pounds of her. Now in Scream they discerned that there were rules for surviving a scary movie. One of which was you couldn't drink or do drugs, another was you had to remain pure like Laurie Strode in Halloween. However if you watch closely, and listen to the cast and crew commentary, you'll notice sole survivor Alice, not only smokes weed and drinks a few beers during the course of the movie, there is also implications of her having sex with the new owner of Camp Crystal Lake. And when all is said and done, Alice, safe in the canoe in the middle of the lake, safe as can be. Being called to by the Sheriffs on the shore as she wakes from post massacre slumber....
THE TORCH IS PASSED! And wee little Jason Voorhees who would grow up to be a massive king of death, pulls Alice under. The final moments being Alice in the hospital being questioned by the Sheriff, asking her what she remembered. "Strip Monopoly." "What?" "Oh nothing. What about the boy, Jason. The one who pulled me under the water?" Only for the sheriff to look at her blankly and say, "We didn't find any boy." Adrienne King who plays Alice looks at the screen and says, "Than he's still out there....."
This movie holds such a special place in my heart for so many fucked up reasons. And not just fucked up reasons. But really good reasons too. The grade this movie receives is equally old school yet very hardcore in nature. Flair versus Funk in 1989, NWA Clash of the Champions. It started when after his third match in a series with Ricky Steamboat, Funk came into the ring to congratulate Flair. Clad in a tuxedo, as a judge for the match. Funk attacked Flair and then gave him a piledriver through a table. This brought upon an "I Quit" match at the next Clash of the Champions. The two, who may be the two greatest wrestlers in the profession go back and forth in the ring and out on the floor. Funk even piledrivers Flair TWICE. Once in the ring and once on the cold floor or particle board that was covering a hockey rink. After probably fifteen minutes of fighting, a table is brought into play. No one gets put through the table, but both Flair and Funk taste the wood. There was no blood, but plenty of carnage. In the end, Flair works on Funk's legs, who sells like no one else in the business. A Man who was all about business and what was best for the industry. Funk sold the Figure Four for Flair like very few else have done. And after being beaten and chopped, finally achingly shouting, "Yes I quit."
Anyways. For those of you not in the know, the killer in this movie WAS NOT Jason Voorhees. Had Drew Berrymore known this in Scream she'd still be alive today. I saw this first when I was about 12 or 13 and in Junior High. It was a magical time in my life. Being loathed by so many people at school. Even being made the butt of a joke that the entire school knew about, and I didn't. It was fun times. Especially when I would sit in class and remember watching all these horror movies and envision killing a lot of those who surrounded me in equally R rated kinda ways. But why I may ask myself, when but two decades later, they're all saddled with kids and wrinkled and flabby flesh and me, I'm better than ever. Stronger, smarter and tougher than they could ever think of. I think kids really need to go through some hardships in their lives to come to appreciate life more. We have way to many online high schools to avoid having to deal with bullies and shitty class sizes and faculty that are so underpaid they don't give a shit about you and your thoughts for six years of junior and senior high school.
But back to the movie. I watched this at my girlfriend, Christina's place on Friday the 13th with some friends, her brother Ron and her podcast cohort, Matt, who proceeded to entertain us all and scream like a little girl every time someone got killed. And not to mention when Christina's sister knocked on the door, Matt just about lost it. It was great. Eating "Spooky Meaty Chili" and drinking Kilt Lifters while Matt asked what was going to happen next every five minutes was a lot of fun. The fact that he had never seen the movie before made it a blast, cause it's always good to watch horror movies with someone who's never seen it before. The deaths brought out with dvd quality and sound. Kevin Bacon gurgling on his own blood. And then the voice..... "help meeeeee." Ah, I fuckin' love that part. Each time. It's so fucking eerie. "Help Meeeeeeee." And almost completely inaudible from the rain. Then you get to meet the killer. Expecting it to be some massive shape that tears through the camp counselors like cheap linens. But it's not, it's frail little Mrs. Voorhees. All one hundred ten pounds of her. Now in Scream they discerned that there were rules for surviving a scary movie. One of which was you couldn't drink or do drugs, another was you had to remain pure like Laurie Strode in Halloween. However if you watch closely, and listen to the cast and crew commentary, you'll notice sole survivor Alice, not only smokes weed and drinks a few beers during the course of the movie, there is also implications of her having sex with the new owner of Camp Crystal Lake. And when all is said and done, Alice, safe in the canoe in the middle of the lake, safe as can be. Being called to by the Sheriffs on the shore as she wakes from post massacre slumber....
THE TORCH IS PASSED! And wee little Jason Voorhees who would grow up to be a massive king of death, pulls Alice under. The final moments being Alice in the hospital being questioned by the Sheriff, asking her what she remembered. "Strip Monopoly." "What?" "Oh nothing. What about the boy, Jason. The one who pulled me under the water?" Only for the sheriff to look at her blankly and say, "We didn't find any boy." Adrienne King who plays Alice looks at the screen and says, "Than he's still out there....."
This movie holds such a special place in my heart for so many fucked up reasons. And not just fucked up reasons. But really good reasons too. The grade this movie receives is equally old school yet very hardcore in nature. Flair versus Funk in 1989, NWA Clash of the Champions. It started when after his third match in a series with Ricky Steamboat, Funk came into the ring to congratulate Flair. Clad in a tuxedo, as a judge for the match. Funk attacked Flair and then gave him a piledriver through a table. This brought upon an "I Quit" match at the next Clash of the Champions. The two, who may be the two greatest wrestlers in the profession go back and forth in the ring and out on the floor. Funk even piledrivers Flair TWICE. Once in the ring and once on the cold floor or particle board that was covering a hockey rink. After probably fifteen minutes of fighting, a table is brought into play. No one gets put through the table, but both Flair and Funk taste the wood. There was no blood, but plenty of carnage. In the end, Flair works on Funk's legs, who sells like no one else in the business. A Man who was all about business and what was best for the industry. Funk sold the Figure Four for Flair like very few else have done. And after being beaten and chopped, finally achingly shouting, "Yes I quit."
Monday, April 19, 2010
Whip It; A Hardcore Review
"What are you doing in five and half minutes?"
The tagline for this movie is "Be your own hero." More appropriate words for this current neopolitical/ pop culture driven climate could not be more spot on.
Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is your run of the mill small town Texas misfit teen with no real aspirations of life other than placating her mom who happens to be taken with beauty pageants and cotillions. Bliss, along with "help" from her best friend, Pash, she appears at the pageant with blue hair to answer the question, "If you could eat dinner with anyone who would it be?" Bliss and Pash work side by side along with Birdman, their classmate and new shift supervisor at their waitressing gig. Pash has applied to Ivy League colleges, while Bliss kinda just doesn't really know who she is or what she wants from life. Having little passion for her future, Bliss goes shoping in nearby Austin with her mom and little sister. The shopping excursion turns into something more when Bliss runs across some local roller derby girls who skate for the team, The Hurl Scouts. Concocting a beautiful scheme with bff Pash, Bliss is out to "support her high school team," on an away game in Austin. Bliss reveres the girls of the Hurl Scouts, despite their losing effort. Claiming her new heroes in the Hurl Scouts to skater, Maggie Mayhem, Bliss is told, "Well put on some skates. Be your own hero."
Armed with a gut full of determination and "Barbie" skates, Bliss tries out for the TXRD. She's smaller and thusly faster than any girl on the track. Picked by coach, Razor, Bliss joins the Hurl Scouts, TXRD's Bad News Bears, with one exception. They're hot, lovable losers. And they just don't care. Lead by Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashly Simpson (Drew Berrymore), Rosa Sparks (hip hop artist Eve) and the doubly deaf Manson Sisters, Bliss is rechristened "Babe Ruthless," the team's newest "jammer." For the roller derby newb, a jammer is the person who scores points for their team, by completing revolutions of the track while passing members of the opposing team. Teammates provide blocking to enable scoring from the jammer. Physical contact is not only necessary it is wholly encouraged, cheered and fucking expected. Babe's problem is her unwanting to take a hit or make physical contact. Being pushed by rival Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) Babe is forced to become well Ruthless.
The movie is about finding out who you are and going after it. It's about respecting where you come from, but not allowing that to hinder who you might become. The great thing about this movie is that a lot of actual roller derby girls worked on its production. It was also Drew Berrymore's directorial debut. And to be honest, I had my doubts about the film's legitimacy when I found that out. But after seeing how passionate these women are about what they do. Without big money contracts, endorsements top quality facilities to practice or play in, and the way society looks at them, I have so much more respect not only for the sport as a whole, but the women as individuals and their friendships and families that grow from roller derby.
What makes the experience of watching this movie even more special for me is that prior to watching it I was drinking down at the Surly Wench Pub here in Tucson and it was following a huge intercity roller derby bout. To see these women in person and the fun, and caring they have for each other after the bout is over. The people you travel down the road we all call life together become your friends, your road dogs. People you would go to bat for.
As I have stated before in my reviews, my position of being a fan of professional wrestling, most notably ECW in the years of 1994-2001, I dig the hardcore moments that encompass true battle and courage. That being said, if I review something and grade it with more than a short passing reference to Hulk Hogan I FUCKING HATED IT! And it's my blog and if you're reading it then I guess you enjoy my thoughts, have similar feelings or just like backlashing humor. However, in today's review Hulk Hogan will not be a factor. Thank god. I fucking hate that bastard. Whip It is about passion for what you do, and finding out who you really are. And in a one liner that truly matters, "being your own hero." What I came up with after some heavy thought is the tag team match from "One Night Stand" 2006 pitting newly self anointed co Hardcore Champions Mick Foley and Edge versus any two scumbags from the ECW locker room. Those scumbags just happened to be the "Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer and "The Living Legend" Terry Funk. Funk was 62 when this match happened. Which is twenty plus years older than Foley. Tommy provided most of his team's offense and time in the ring. But when Funk got a hold of his opponents he let them have it. And a 62 year old punch from Terry Funk is probably a lot like a forty-something punch from Terry Funk, "stiff." During the course of the match, Funk had trauma to his eye and had to be rushed from ring side. All the while Tommy Dreamer took the brunt of the new hardcore duo. Funk returned ten minutes later through the crowd, complete with bloody head bandage and insanely over sized 2X4 wrapped in barbed wire. When he gets to the ring, Beulah helps him light the damn thing on fire. He then starts wailing away on Mick Foley with it and then dives into Foley taking both men off the ring apron and into a large piece of plywood covered in barbed wire. And the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the Manhattan Center thundered E C W! E C W!
The tagline for this movie is "Be your own hero." More appropriate words for this current neopolitical/ pop culture driven climate could not be more spot on.
Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is your run of the mill small town Texas misfit teen with no real aspirations of life other than placating her mom who happens to be taken with beauty pageants and cotillions. Bliss, along with "help" from her best friend, Pash, she appears at the pageant with blue hair to answer the question, "If you could eat dinner with anyone who would it be?" Bliss and Pash work side by side along with Birdman, their classmate and new shift supervisor at their waitressing gig. Pash has applied to Ivy League colleges, while Bliss kinda just doesn't really know who she is or what she wants from life. Having little passion for her future, Bliss goes shoping in nearby Austin with her mom and little sister. The shopping excursion turns into something more when Bliss runs across some local roller derby girls who skate for the team, The Hurl Scouts. Concocting a beautiful scheme with bff Pash, Bliss is out to "support her high school team," on an away game in Austin. Bliss reveres the girls of the Hurl Scouts, despite their losing effort. Claiming her new heroes in the Hurl Scouts to skater, Maggie Mayhem, Bliss is told, "Well put on some skates. Be your own hero."
Armed with a gut full of determination and "Barbie" skates, Bliss tries out for the TXRD. She's smaller and thusly faster than any girl on the track. Picked by coach, Razor, Bliss joins the Hurl Scouts, TXRD's Bad News Bears, with one exception. They're hot, lovable losers. And they just don't care. Lead by Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Smashly Simpson (Drew Berrymore), Rosa Sparks (hip hop artist Eve) and the doubly deaf Manson Sisters, Bliss is rechristened "Babe Ruthless," the team's newest "jammer." For the roller derby newb, a jammer is the person who scores points for their team, by completing revolutions of the track while passing members of the opposing team. Teammates provide blocking to enable scoring from the jammer. Physical contact is not only necessary it is wholly encouraged, cheered and fucking expected. Babe's problem is her unwanting to take a hit or make physical contact. Being pushed by rival Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) Babe is forced to become well Ruthless.
The movie is about finding out who you are and going after it. It's about respecting where you come from, but not allowing that to hinder who you might become. The great thing about this movie is that a lot of actual roller derby girls worked on its production. It was also Drew Berrymore's directorial debut. And to be honest, I had my doubts about the film's legitimacy when I found that out. But after seeing how passionate these women are about what they do. Without big money contracts, endorsements top quality facilities to practice or play in, and the way society looks at them, I have so much more respect not only for the sport as a whole, but the women as individuals and their friendships and families that grow from roller derby.
What makes the experience of watching this movie even more special for me is that prior to watching it I was drinking down at the Surly Wench Pub here in Tucson and it was following a huge intercity roller derby bout. To see these women in person and the fun, and caring they have for each other after the bout is over. The people you travel down the road we all call life together become your friends, your road dogs. People you would go to bat for.
As I have stated before in my reviews, my position of being a fan of professional wrestling, most notably ECW in the years of 1994-2001, I dig the hardcore moments that encompass true battle and courage. That being said, if I review something and grade it with more than a short passing reference to Hulk Hogan I FUCKING HATED IT! And it's my blog and if you're reading it then I guess you enjoy my thoughts, have similar feelings or just like backlashing humor. However, in today's review Hulk Hogan will not be a factor. Thank god. I fucking hate that bastard. Whip It is about passion for what you do, and finding out who you really are. And in a one liner that truly matters, "being your own hero." What I came up with after some heavy thought is the tag team match from "One Night Stand" 2006 pitting newly self anointed co Hardcore Champions Mick Foley and Edge versus any two scumbags from the ECW locker room. Those scumbags just happened to be the "Innovator of Violence" Tommy Dreamer and "The Living Legend" Terry Funk. Funk was 62 when this match happened. Which is twenty plus years older than Foley. Tommy provided most of his team's offense and time in the ring. But when Funk got a hold of his opponents he let them have it. And a 62 year old punch from Terry Funk is probably a lot like a forty-something punch from Terry Funk, "stiff." During the course of the match, Funk had trauma to his eye and had to be rushed from ring side. All the while Tommy Dreamer took the brunt of the new hardcore duo. Funk returned ten minutes later through the crowd, complete with bloody head bandage and insanely over sized 2X4 wrapped in barbed wire. When he gets to the ring, Beulah helps him light the damn thing on fire. He then starts wailing away on Mick Foley with it and then dives into Foley taking both men off the ring apron and into a large piece of plywood covered in barbed wire. And the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the Manhattan Center thundered E C W! E C W!
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