Last Week in Movies (8/1-8/7)

So, here we are, another Last Week in Movies entry with only 2 movies. What happened? Well, life happened. That's as cheesy and cloying as I can put it. I'm a busy man, people. I'm constantly running hither, thither, and yon, blazing trails and staking claims, building walls and smashing through 'em Kool-Aid Man-style. That, unfortunately, leaves little time for movie viewing sometimes. Am I giving up on my summer long quest to watch and enjoy the films on my illustrious list? Hell naw, son, I'm just switching things up a titch. For the remaining weeks of my summer viewing experience, every film on the list is fair game. I will no longer follow the rigid pattern I originally set up. I will not be shackled by my love of making lists and doggedly following them.

Anyway, here's Last Week in Movies. Enjoy.

The Warriors (1979)
In a nightmarish future where 70's hair is all the rage, New York City is crawling with hundreds of oddly-dressed "gangs" with little to do but protect their various turfs from outsiders. Cyrus, the charismatic leader of the Gramercy Riffs, wants to change all that. At an open-air gang summit meeting, which sort of looks like how I imagine the San Diego Comic Convention's Masquerade might look, Cyrus proposes the unification of all gangs and the subsequent takeover of New York City. Can you dig it? Well, one dude can't, so he shoots and kills Cyrus, and blames Coney Island's own The Warriors. The Warriors spend the remainder of the movie trying to make it home safely while be hunted by the cops and literally every other gang in the city. It's pretty much as cool as it sounds.

My grade: B

Costume ideas: I don't dress up for Halloween because I'm 31-years-old and I hate fun, but if I were to participate in American's second most useless holiday, I think I might dress up as a member of the Baseball Furies.

Iconic lines: You want iconic lines? I got your iconic lines right here:

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

A prehistoric beast is released from 20,000 fathoms. It wreaks havoc on New York City (Is there really any place better for havoc wreaking? I think not.). Some scientist and his friends save the day. Whatever.

My grade: C

Breaking news from the distant past: I was going to poke fun at this flick, call it a Godzilla rip-off and what-not, but apparently Beast from 20,000 Fathoms was released a whole year before Godzilla. It's all there though: the nuclear bomb, the boat attacks, the pissed off building-stomping. You win this time, Time.