Lemmy

Recently, I've been on a sort of 'music tear'.  I discovered a documentary series called 'Metal Evolution' and it's opened a whole world of music to me that I never really paid much attention to....Heavy Metal.  So, in my explorations, I've discovered the band, Motorhead, and their lead singer, Lemmy.  And, I also discovered a little documentary about Lemmy that's a terrific movie, whether you like the music or not!



Now, music aside, Lemmy's been about the music business since he first saw The Beatles...at the Cavern Club...before they had a record contract!!!  That's when he started his career in music, one that didn't start off too well and led him to working behind the scenes just to stay close to the business that he loved.  And his behind the scenes job??  Lemmy was a roadie....for Jimi Hendrix!!!  So, just from those two aspects, he's a guy who's got a story to tell, then, get to Motorhead, arguably one of the best...and longest lived...metal bands of all time and you've got yourself a story.  But that's just the music, Lemmy, the man, is just as interesting!

Lemmy, at the time of the film, is a man in his mid-60s, who's still living the 'rock and roll' lifestyle unapologetically.  He drinks, he smokes, he does some drugs, and he lives by a philosophy of live and let live.  He lives in a small apartment in Los Angeles, he walks every day to a local watering hole and drinks and plays video trivia and does what he likes to do...and nothing else.  And, it's not just a camera following Lemmy, as interesting as that might be, we meet a ton of people who admire and want to work with Lemmy, members of nearly every metal band there is are present and singing his praises for keeping the metal banner high and up front!

Now, life's not all one big party for Motorhead's leader, there's a short scene near the end of the movie, where we find Lemmy alone in his dressing room in Berlin, waiting to go on.  The filmmakers ask him if he has any regrets, and, as Lemmy is telling us that this is his life and he wouldn't change a thing, you can't help but see in his eyes that he does, in fact, have some regrets, but has chosen not to dwell on them...it's a very poignant scene that reveals much more than you might think.

If you love the music, then this is a no-brainer, but if you're not a metal-head, check it out anyway, it's a movie about a guy who's been there and done that and is willing to share his experiences with anyone who wants to learn from his mistakes....it's well worth your time!

I'm giving Lemmy, 4 out of 4 cigars, it's an amazing movie about a type of individual who's dying out...and who probably won't be replaced!

Get Out Of The Water!!! SHARKTOPUS!!!!

If you've ever watched the SyFy channel, then you know that on the weekends, you get two choices, mega-disaster movies or mega-monster movies.  Well, if you grew up (like I did) watching Saturday Afternoon horror movies, then you probably have a soft spot in your heart (and your skull) for these movies...especially the monster movies.  So, when I got to see Sharktopus, at first I was ambivalent, but soon, I found this schlocky, weird, self-aware movie growing on me...like 8 strange arms!



Now, if you're looking for something new and innovative, just walk away now.  But, if you enjoy some retro-style, over-the-top monster movies....then here we go!  The government has been working on a new 'weapon', combining a shark and an octopus into a controlled killing machine.  It's controlled by an electronic device embedded into the top of it's head....and, if you don't see this coming, then you need to watch more of these movies.  The device is damaged during testing, the sharktopus escapes and soon, it's running rampant up and down the coast of an unidentified tourist resort, eating people and leaving destruction in it's wake!  Now, the government, island police and scientists are all trying to capture or kill our mutated hero.

The most fun I had with Sharktopus was noticing that, probably due to low budget and time constraints, the monster continually changes sizes depending on what the story requires it to do.  Changing from large enough to take down a boat to just big enough to fit a woman's legs in it's mouth!  Once you understand that this movie, and the people in it and making it, all seem to realize that Sharktopus isn't going to win any awards, and have decided to just have some fun, then you, the audience, can sit back, relax and just enjoy the insanity that is Sharktopus!!!

I'm giving Sharktopus two ratings, if you enjoy the insanity that can be low budget monster movies, then Sharktopus is a 4 out of 4 cigars.  If you can't stand these 'just for fun' movies, then it gets a 1 out of 4 cigars.  Personally, I not only enjoyed it, but can't wait to share it with the younger generation, this is definitely a throwback to the kinds of movies that Sir Graves Ghastly would have shown on Saturday afternoon for those of us who wanted to stay in and enjoy the show....kids today, don't know what they're missing!  So, if you have or know kids, rent Sharktopus, pop some afternoon popcorn, pull the curtains and sit back, relax and enjoy the crazy shark with 8 legs who doesn't like humanity very much!