For the better part of the last five years, there has been rumblings on one level or another about remaking  Chan-wook Park's 2003 film Oldboy. Now nearly everyone I know (if not everyone) who has seen the film, has fallen into a range with the film from "Really Liked" to "a Modern Classic:" I fall into the later of these two categories, and often find myself re-watching Dae-su's arduous adventure. So when in the past Hollywood bandied around pairings like Fast and the Furious director Justin Lim with Paul Walker, Steven Spielberg and star Will Smith, or David Lynch featuring Betty White in the title role. (Enough already people, we know White is a national treasure, but seriously.) Lead character Dae-su says in the film, " Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I, too, have the right to live?" In this case, the reanimated creature known as the Hollywood remake might just have a right to life.

Now comes the news that the new hotness changing the title slightly to the spaced out Old Boy, casting Josh Brolin in the lead, and putting Spike Lee behind the camera. To this I say, do it. Lee proved in 2006 with Inside Man that he could handle a tense dramatic story that still contained a fair amount of action, and, as usual with Lee's film's, it was incredibly well composed visually. The same can be said of 2008's Miracle at Santa Anna, but Spike Lee goes WWII didn't work out as well on the screen or at the box office. In recent years, he's worn a documentarian's hat more often than not, but I have full faith that he could do the story justice. The only thing that gives me pause is the script by Thor, The Cell, and I Am Legend, Mark Protosevich, who apparently is also penning the unnecessary Jurassic Park IV.  Protosevich strikes me as a hired gun, and it seems an odd base for the film unless he sticks to a strict adaptation.

Now let me get back to the film's star, Josh Brolin. While Brolin goes back all the way to The Goonies for me, it's been in recent years that he's really come into his own as an actor. With turns in No Country for Old Men, Planet Terror, W., Milk, and True Grit, Brolin has been on a roll (duds Wall Street:Money Never Sleeps  and Jonah Hex not withstanding.) If there's any actor out there right now that  I would be more happy about filling Min-sik Choi's shoes (and wild hair), it's Brolin. All one has to do is watch the emotional depths he plumbs in No Country to see that he's the right man for the job.

So right about now you're probably wondering when this is going to turn and I'm going to reveal this support for a classic film being remade as a ruse. Well, I hate to disappoint, but it's not going to happen. There's still plenty of time for this all to blow up or go away, but for once I'm not going to be the naysayer. For years I've been filled with dread with it comes to this remake, but, for once, Oldboy gets to be associated with hope for a change.

Check out the trailer for the original if you haven't seen the flick, and let your mind explore the possibilities.

Referring here to the manual, it says that the only thing better for a Monday than Bugg Zappers are links. Interesting, Bugg Zappers are links to some cool posts I read through the week. No wait, I read it wrong the only thing better are lynx. I can see it in a way, the crazy ears, the spots, and the wild mane. If David Bowie were an animal, I'd think him to be a lynx. That hasn't happened to my knowledge. We all know that circa 1974, Mr. Bowie was dog from the waist down, but that is completely unrelated. So no matter what this zoology manual says, Bugg Zappers are still cooler than  lynxes until The Thin White Duke becomes one. Want proof, read on....

Not too long back I was discussing with Emily (she of The Deadly Doll's House of Horror Nonsense,) the merits of Paul Verhoeven. It was quickly and easily decided that the devastating Dutch director may not just be a great director, he may well be the greatest director of all time. Just look at the tale of the tape. Not counting his entire Norwegian output, he directed Flesh+Blood, Robocop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, and Black Book in a string of entertaining films  spanning from 1985 to 2006. In the past I've talked about Robocop, and over at The Bloodsprayer you can see my love letter to Showgirls. Today however, I want to turn my eye to a film that always makes me a bit uncomfortable. It's hard to sit there for two hours listening to people planning on how to eradicate bugs. It would be like Zoe Saldana watching Killing Zoe or Peter Dinklage watching Get Shorty. Unsettling. However, despite all that Verhoeven still manages to get me on the on his side, and by the time the credits roll even I'm ready to nuke some bugs.

Verhoeven and Robocop scribe Edward Neumeier based Starship Troopers on a book of the same name penned by author Robert Heinlein. Where Heinlein was known for his sensitive and innovative novels Stranger in a Strange Land, The Puppet Masters, and Job: A Comedy of Justice, Troopers has often been criticized for glorifying the military, fascism, and creating an irresponsible utopia built on straw-man arguments. Now, while I said based, what I actually meant is threw the book out the window, kept a list of characters, and carried on with business. Verhoeven was even quoted in American Cinematographer magazine as saying that he never finished the book as it was leaving him, "bored and depressed". Verhoeven's film does neither, but interestingly, many of the same arguments that have haunted Heinlein's book could be leveled at the film version as well... along with quite a few more I'm sure.


Starship Troopers stars Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico. A rich kid graduates Buenos Aries high school drawn into service for the Federation when his girlfriend Carmen (Denise Richards) and Carl (Neil Patrick Harris) decide to sign on as well. After all, it's peacetime and the Federation is a path to school, business, success in life, and most importantly citizenship. While the scholarly Carl gets signed on the the intelligence service and Carmen starts on a path to become a starship pilot, Johnny gets placed in the Mobile Infantry a.k.a The Roughnecks. Johnny excels at basic training, but when his actions result in the death of one of his squad, he's on the verge of washing out. The day he's about to leave, war breaks out when the bugs attack earth wiping several cities, including Buenos Aries off the map. After a disastrous first strike by the Federation which hugely underestimated the military might of the bugs, the forces regroup. Ricco, having received a battlefield commendation, becomes a leader on the field, and soon old friends Johnny, Carmen, and Carl are brought back together to fight the alien bug menace.

On the surface, Starship Troopers can easily be seen as a mindless action movie featuring questionable acting (Casper and Denise), incoherent themes (the military is bad and scary... well, except in the action scenes where it's cool and exciting), and sensational gross out moments (Brain Bug, I'm looking at you. Or on second thought, I'm not.) However, somewhere in the gobbledygook, there actually lies a slick, sharp, satirical edge fighting it's way to be heard over the gunfire. Many of them occur in the interstitial vignettes inspired by war propaganda films such as Why We Fight or Triumph of the Will. Their constant refrain after a "factoid" pertaining to the war effort, "Would You Like to Know More?", delivers a prescient echo in a time where politics, entertainment, and online information have become inexorably intertwined. In many ways, Troopers, this late nineties film, predicted the rabid jingoism and nationalism that directly followed 9/11 and the questionable conflicts stemming from it. The problem is, as I mentioned earlier, that the film can too easily be taken for face value or worse yet have its message entirely misconstrued. A person like the character played by Jake Busey in the film (I don't have to tell you what kind of character it is, I said Jake Busey.), could easily mistake Starship Troopers as a film that film that could fit on a Tea Party Member's approved watch list.

On a final personal note, let me talk a moment about how dumb some of the characters in Verhoeven's film are. Oh, those giant blue things coming up from the bug's planet are surely just lights. There's no way that they could be highly destructive weapons. (Apparently NPH was having a Harold and Kumar moment when it came to that intelligence.) Then there's Johnny. Your love triangle is between the future former Mrs. Charlie Sheen and a future member of Charlie's Angels? That, sir, is no choice at all. These are but a couple of the bad decisions that continue throughout the film, and if you're anything like me it will leave you yelling at the screen wondering who is giving the orders in this army and what kind of basic decision making skills are people in the future capable of making? In other words, an entirely enjoyable viewing experience.

In the beginning of this article, I named Verhoeven as the greatest director due to his large body of work, and I'm being a bit felicitous, though only a bit. Verhoeven has consistently made films that that have challenged the middle American idea of what a mainstream box office release could be, has been unafraid to take chances on theme and style, and follows an artistic vision no matter where it may take him. To me, those are three major qualities that a great director must have. To diminish Verhoeven because he works in genre films or with the classic cinema conventions of sex, violence, and sensationalism, is to disregard the most important quality that Verhoeven brings to his film, entertainment.  To push play on one of Paul's film results in spending your next two hours in a world where only the rules that the director allows need apply. People don't talk or act like people in Verhoeven's films? Who said they had to. I just wish they would be a little less vocal with all the bug hating.

Sorry for having to coin a word in the title there, but in the inaugural post, I wanted to sum up what I'm going to start doing at the beginning of the weeks now. I'm going to do a cheap, easy post like the clip-show of the blogging world. Now, wait, did I type that out loud. Well, it's not what I meant at all. What I meant is that for years I've been meaning to start a feature to spotlight all the great writings I see from my blogging buddies and around the way. So check these posts out, and if it's not Monday, remember you can always find a list of great reading in the lower right hand corner. (After you've read everything here of course.) Who among us is hardcore enough to be checking out movies starring Stone Cold Steve Austin, well none other than Matt-Suzaka of Chuck Norris Ate My Baby Hunt to Kill: Vengeance is a Dish Best Served Cold. Stone Cold.

A much as I would like it to be otherwise, there is rarely a revival showing going on in this Bugg‘s hometown. A few years back I would have called the idea entirely preposterous like Uwe Boll directing and starring in an all tap-dancing version of Wuthering Heights.  Hell, we’re happy to finally get all the first run movies around here. So imagine my surprise when one of my best friends calls me up with news that The Big Lebowski was going to be shown one night only to coincide with the release of the film on BluRay. Sadly the event wasn’t planned by a madcap theater operator, but rather the auspices of Regal Entertainment Group. Still I appreciated a chance to get to see a Cohen brother’s classic I missed during its first run on the big screen.


I was also glad to get out with my friend, who for sake of argument I’ll call Stereo Rebel. Mr. Rebel is shortly to become a father for the first time (and by shortly I mean shortly but more on that later.) I know soon enough his free time to hang out playing video games, improving, and talkin’ general nerd smack is going to be limited. So I was glad to get to go out to see with flick with him. In some ways my relationship with the film The Big Lebowski mirrors that of mine with Stereo Rebel. Years back when I first met him, I was a little unclear about what I thought. Sometimes I didn’t like him at all (with the feeling more than mutual), but I found him amusing and quotable to a degree. Over the years, adding age and experience, he’s turned out to be one of my very favorite people, and the Big Lebowski has likewise turned into a favorite film.

The first hurdle to cross was getting to the movie itself. There was some general mention in the e-mail from Fandango about the event that Stereo Rebel had gotten about a commemorative poster to be given away at screening while supplies last. As we are both the kind of nerds who are going to have to have one if we can get one, that meant getting there an hour before the show. Which we did after I agreed that in case of his wife going into labor he could ditch me, take my car, and after I finished watching the movie, I would figure out how to get home/get to my car. Naturally, we were the first persons there, and there was nary a poster to be found except for a handbill for the remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (which I snagged). So we stood for a good half hour before they would even let us in the theater snacking on popcorn and giving the hairy eyeball to the middle aged ladies in line for The Help across the way. All in all, it was an effective way to spend thirty minutes.

Once we got in and sat down, a few more people tricked in over t next half hour. It started off with another demographic almost as slavishly on-time as fan boys, the middle aged. Slowly, the other groups dropped in. A frat boy in a Viking helmet with his friends. Several hipsters in various plaids and/or states of vintage clothes. The thoroughly confused. All in all, we numbered around thirty five by the time Regal’s First Look reel had clued us in on Conan O’Brian, ABC’s new lineup, and the remake of Straw Dogs. Then with no preamble or trailers, the movie began. Having never seen Lewbowski in the theater, I was blown away by how crisp the digital transfer was. Not only did it showcase how incredibly alive the color palette was, but also allowed me to pick out tiny details I had missed during my many home viewings.

I know Stereo Rebel enjoyed the film as much as I did. There were many lines that hit us both of us as funny because of delivery or timing but were lost on the majority of the crowd. (Which is a perfect example of why he’s my pal, and I didn’t know a single other person there.) Despite the fact we both loved ever minute, I noticed that he kept his phone close to hand or sitting on his knee. I’ve actually never seen anyone so relaxed and high strung at the same time. In a flash, he was ready to be out, to spring into action, to go and bring his kid into the world. He was also ready to enjoy the version of “Dead Flowers” by Townes Van Zandt over the end credits until I mentioned that they might be giving out posters on the way out of the theater. Faster than a guy clapping for free internet porn, he was out of his seat and down the hallway. There on a table like manna from cinematic heaven set a heavy stack of Lebowski re-release posters emblazoned with the special screening date. So with rolled up bounty under out arms, and bellies full of buttery popcorn goodness, we let out into the night.

I realize I’ve said very little about The Big Lebowski in this post, so here’s my thoughts in a nutshell. It’s in my top 10 films of all time, top 5 comedies of all time, “I am the Walrus.”, I would blow on Tara Reid’s toes any day (though not Aimee Mann’s unconnected one), “nice marmot”, holding out hope for the Credence, “I am the Walrus.”,  The Man in Me by Bob Dylan is awesome, and poor, poor sweet Donny. Stripping down all the detective story and stoner jokes and fucking Eagles, The Big Lewbowski is a movie about friends. Walter, The Dude, and Donny all have different, crazy lives, but deep affection for each other though it may not always be obvious. With my close friends that's often how it is as well.

So, if I may, I want to wish Stereo Rebel and his missus the best on their impending bundle of joy. While I (and his other friends) may not like all of Stereo Rebel’s new responsibilities at times, I’ve got it on pretty good authority that he’s just about to bring another Lewbowski fan into the world. I take comfort in that. Its good knowin' there’s going to be future generations out there. Fans of the Dude. Taking it easy for all us sinners. So until next time folks, crack open a good sarsaparilla. The Bugg abides.

Golden Queen Commandos (1982) starring Hui SanYang (Elsa Yeung), Bridget Lin, Sally Yeh, Teresa Tsui, Silvia Pang, Hao-yi Liu, and Sophia Chin. Directed by Yen-ping Chu.

Synopsis: When seven beautiful, but deadly, women are imprisoned in World War II Japan, they are joined together by Black Fox (Bridget Lin) for a special mission. They escape the jail and ride off to the plains of Tibet. There, at all costs,  they must stop an evil genius from perfecting an insidious chemical weapon .

To say that the synopsis doesn’t do Golden Queen Commandos justice is a massive understatement. If you’ve ever wanted to see a film that had everything (and I mean everything), then you have got to check this flick out. The film kicks off by introducing each of our heroines with separate vignettes topped off by freeze frames, and then it becomes a women in prison film. After they play basketball (yes, you heard me right), GQC changes gears into an escape from prison film that morphs into a Western. Then after the noodle eating contest (yep, you heard me right again), the femme fatales become women on a mission, and with equal parts James Bond and supernatural undertones, the film rolls along to a thrilling climax.

It should come as no surprise to fans of Asian cinema that this miasma of styles was penned by Godfrey Ho, the master of the Hong Kong B-movie, and first time writer and sometimes composer Li Fu. Ho really went all out on this one, and second time director Yen-ping Chu (directing as Laurence Full) was clearly ready to go along with the ride. The film is such a mix of styles and eras that it is incredible.

Black Car (Hui San Yang) looks like she stepped right out of anime while the Amazon (Teresa Tsui) is the super strong jungle queen that her name implies, and Sophia Chin’s Sugar is a Southern accented prostitute. While the plot is bizarre and the characters surreal, what really makes the film is the dubbing. I don’t know who is responsible for the over the top voices, but I would love to shake their hand. All the voices are inspired, and if you listen closely you can pick up little things they snuck in such as when a group of Japanese SS troops are after the girls and one of them says, “I got to get to the leather bar.”

Needless to say, I loved this picture and would love to see the sequel Pink Force Commandos that reunited the main cast in similar roles. Everything about Golden Queen Commandos makes it one of the best cult films I’ve ever seen. It is a great film to watch alone, and an even better film to put on when you’ve got friends over. So if the thought of a film that features everything except the kitchen sink appeals to you, then you owe it to yourself to check out this classic piece of bizarre cinema.