Media Notes: Roundup for November 2018

 These are the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during November 2018.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise):

• Whitey: United States of America vs. James J. Bulger (2014. Documentary. True Crime).  A documentary that looks at the life and crimes of James "Whitey" Bulger, the notorious Boston mobster through his trial. The documentary also looks at the corruption of the federal government that allowed Bulger to commit his many crimes. Though the documentary tries to show both sides, the FBI and the government do not come out looking good here. There is plenty to point out they basically enabled Bulger so as to pursue their goal of bringing down the Italian Mafia. Overall, interesting to watch, brings forth some new ideas and insights. The film maker talked with prosecutors, defense, victims' families, and others involved. On a side note, many books and articles have been written on Bulger, including the book Black Mass, which I reviewed and was basis of a Hollywood film. Bulger was recently killed in prison early in November of 2018. Via TubiTv.
• First Man on Mars (2015. Horror. Comedy. Science Fiction). Eli Cologne is one of those billionaires with too much money and not enough to do. So he finances a mission to Mars to become the first man there. Except something goes wrong, and he returns to Earth infected with some alien organism. His ship lands back on Earth after returning from Mars in the middle of a Louisiana bayou during Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Martine Munro and her bumbling team of scientists head out to find it while the local sheriff is also trying to find "the alien" before it kills again. This movie is a throwback to old, cheap, cheesy low budget B-movies of the 1970s including the bad dialogue, cheap special effects, terrible acting, cartoonish stereotypes, a bimbo or two, overly dramatic music, and overdone cheesy gore.  Add a bit of satire on our modern times, and you got this film. Kind of thing you watch at 3:00am in some obscure cable channel when you can't sleep. Via TubiTv.
• Vampire Boys (2011. Horror. LGBT. Romance). Jasin is a vampire in modern day Los Angeles. He also has ancient lineage blood in him. He needs to find a mortal, "the one," to turn so he and his brood can survive and continue their eternal life. Jasin has his eyes on Tara.. Tara is open to the idea of being made a vampire, but then Jasin notices Caleb, and now Jasin needs to persuade Caleb to be turned. It's mostly a movie about pretty boy California vampires, who do go shirtless quite a bit. It does play a bit with some vampire myths. For example they can walk in the sun just fine and even tan (hey, they ARE California vampires). A little cheesy, but also cute at times. Horror is pretty minimal; it is more a mostly sweet romance. Plus, I did find interesting how it breaks or gets away from common vampire lore. And as the meme says, STILL better than Twilight. Via TubiTv.
• Triad Election (2006. Crime. Drama. Thriller. Foreign/international). The movie description: "As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok (Yam) faces competition from his godsons. At the same time, Jimmy (Koo) looks to increase his business relations with mainland China." Jimmy is the respectable godson, who has made a fortune and built his business selling pirated DVDs, including porn in mainland China. He has done well, and it looks like he wants to go more legitimate. Lok sees him as having a shot at winning the election. Jimmy does not want to run, but when he is arrested in China by a corrupt cop, he needs to run to preserve his business interests. Soon we learn Lok, against tradition, wants to stay in power for another term, and he will do anything. Jimmy, meanwhile, wants to get out of the mob, but due to Lok, he is now forced to run and make sure he wins, but at what price? Interesting film. It builds up nicely, and it has some good intrigue, plus a twist at the end that was quite good. Overall, a pretty good film. I would not call it a "thriller" per se, but it is a solid crime drama piece. Via TubiTv. 
• Zodiac (2007. Crime. Drama. Mystery). An account of the Zodiac killer that terrorized California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Movie has a pretty good cast with Jake Gyllenhal (the newspaper cartoonist who also happens to be an avid reader and a bit of an amateur detective), Robert Downey, Jr (as the San Francisco Chronicle crime reporter working the story), and others. Some good performances, as we first see the story from the eyes of the reporters and the detectives working the case. Interesting look at the mystery of who was Zodiac and the times. Thing was Zodiac would kill, send letters, then go quiet, then reappear, making it harder for cops to track him down. Seeing this film, one is a bit amazed how they had to get things done without things like computers and cell phones like they do now. For instance, today, in the scene the cabbie was killed, someone likely would have filmed some of it on a cellphone. We get so see a TV with a game of Pong playing, which helps indicate the passage of time too. It's the little details that make this interesting to me, see how far things have come. Also, the film takes some interesting creative liberties. At one point, the detective is watching Dirty Harry of all things. Also, the thing about the stolen library books, I am not sure if it was true or not, but it does feel like Hollywood creativity (not unlike the library books records detail in the film Se7en, which is done by the same director here by the way). First half of the film is the investigation; second half is Graysmith working on his book, pursuing the case on his own, so on. The second half basically becomes the obsessive amateur forsaking all to find the truth, whatever it is, when everyone else has moved on. It starts interesting, but it does get tiring by the time you get to the end. Case was never solved, so the film offers the possibility that Graysmith presents based on his search. As Detective Toschi points out in the film, much of the evidence is circumstantial, but it does seem strong or at least possible. Film is based on the books by Robert Graysmith The Zodiac and The Zodiac Unmasked. Via TubiTV.
• Mundo: From Altar Boy to Hitman (2018. True crime. Biography.). Movie based on the real life of Mexican mafia ("La eMe") hitman Ramon "Machine Gun Mundo" Mendoza.  Film starts with Mundo in prison, who is by now an undercover informant. How did he get to that point from being a prominent member of  La eMe to becoming an informant? The film then takes us through his story from his start on the streets, and we even get a small history lesson at the beginning. As Mundo describes, he was a product of the 1960s (Vietnam War, the Manson murders, by the way Charles Manson has a small appearance in the film, so on) he grew up in. There are a lot of interesting details as well. At one point for example, he is "volunteered" to be lobotomized (a pre-frontal lobotomy) while in prison, to cure his violent tendencies. This was more like torture while in prison, but it was a common practice in many prisons until courts shut it down. Mundo was spared from the procedure as a result. Eventually, Mundo finds religion, which leads him to retire from the streets, and after prison, to work for the government. Overall, the film pays attention to detail; it is well made, and it is interesting to watch. If the topic interests you, I'd recommend this film. It often gets compared to American Me, which is a fictionalized account of the Mexican Mafia, an account that drew the ire of La eMe even. From what I understand, you are better off watching Mundo if you want a good, authentic account. On a side note, not sure about the title, the "altar boy" part of the movie title since there is no reference to Catholicism in the film, and later in his life, the Christians that Mundo meets and help convert him are all Protestants (possibly Pentecostals, but I am not sure at this point). Mundo did write a book of his life too, Mexican Mafia: the Gang of Gangs. Via TubiTv.
• Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985. Action. Adventure). Movie based on the series of books The Destroyer, started by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir; the book series started in 1971, and it has continued through today (by now, both creators are deceased, so other authors continue the series). This movie was meant to be the first of a movie franchise, but it did not succeed in that regard. I vaguely remember watching this back in the 1980s, so when I found it again decided to give it another chance. I can see why the franchise did not take off. This is a pretty slow film, but it does have its good moments and a bit of light humor. Best parts for me were the interactions between Remo and Master Chiun, master of the martial art Sinanju and a fan of American soap operas, who becomes Remo's trainer and father figure. Remo's mission this time is to stop a corrupt military contractor using his influence to sell subpar weapons to the army and government. Overall, as a I said, a bit slow, but the movie is not without its charm. Maybe with better stories, this could have made a decent television series. I liked it, but it was a light film that had potential but just did not get there. On a side note, Joel Gray, the actor who portrayed Master Chiun did earn a Golden Globe nomination for his role. By the way, the film does have a very good, catchy musical instrumental theme. On another side note, I recently found a copy of one of the early Destroyer series books, which I will review down the road after reading it, so stay tuned.Via TubiTv.
• See No Evil (2006. Horror. Thriller). Four years ago, a couple of cops go on a call, and barely survive an encounter with a slasher. In present day, one of the cops who survived and wounded the slasher now works in corrections and leads a group of young delinquents on a cleaning detail of an old hotel due to be converted to a homeless shelter. Turns out the slasher already made the hotel his residence, and they now have to band together to survive.  The movie stars Glenn Jacobs, WWE's Kane, as the psychopathic slasher; in fact, the movie is made by WWE's film company in collaboration with Lionsgate.I went in with low expectations, and it turned out better than I expected. Sure, the teens are mostly stereotypes from any other horror film, but overall, the film moves at a good pace, good amount of scares, and makes for a decent B-movie horror film. Via TubiTv.
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018. Science Fiction. Adventure). I am not sure why so many people ragged on this movie. Compared to the poor quality of the new trilogy, this movie was light, entertaining, good story, and it did do enough to serve into the original continuity.  It had plenty for the old time fans and enough for new folks to find it accessible and entertaining. I liked it. The cast was pretty good too. To be honest, I am finding these standalone stories a lot better and enjoyable than the mess Disney is now creating with the third trilogy. Rogue One was quite entertaining too, albeit a bit darker but if you are familiar with the original trilogy story it fits in well. Anyhow, if you want a good Star Wars movie that is entertaining, this one is pretty good. DVD borrowed from Berea branch of the Madison County Public Library.

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• Lords of the Mafia (2000. Documentary. Crime. Mafia). A series that looks at different mafia families. It was hosted by Robert Stack, likely among the last things he did (he passed away in 2003).  Like other documentary series of this type, this relies on a combination of historical footage, experts providing details, and a recreation here or there (very minimal on that). Robert Stack provides narration. If you've seen him in Unsolved Mysteries, then you have an idea of the narrative style.
• "The Lucchese Crime Family." Documentary was OK. I found particularly interesting the description of the days after Prohibition when they managed to gain control of a variety of industries, often through the unions, to make their money. Sure they controlled big unions like the Teamsters, but what I found interesting is how they also learned to control very small unions who did very specific things so they could still keep a stranglehold. For example, and I did not know this, there was a small union of plaster workers (they do the walls in buildings before they get painted). Most people did not know that union even existed. The Luccheses did, and with such control, it was another way to keep the money coming in and keep things in line. Sadly for them, the days of intelligent leaders passed, and they got new leadership that was more into violence and greed than smarts and good business. 
• Supermarket Sweep (Game show. 1965-2003). I continue watching the 1990s run, with some 2000s, hosted by David Ruprecht, which ran on Lifetime Channel and later on Pax TV, on YouTube this month. See the June roundup post for more comment on this show. Watched 5 episodes.