Last week I had a bad cold and had to be out sick while I got tested for the 'rona. A few days prior I had signed up for the trial version of the YouTube subscription so I could stop seeing the toxic local political ads between now and November. Yes, somehow the ads for the local senate race got my ire up more than the presidential race. Anyway I found out that YouTube has a selection of movies up for free.
While stuck at home and feeling like utter shit I decided to finally watch Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure for the first time. Pretty funny. I might have enjoyed it more if I smoked weed. I only detected one homophobic joke. The movie itself was a bit of a slow burn, but once they hit the mall things started to kick off in a way that really clicked. I can totally see why it is regarded so well by people who grew up with it. I've seen Bogus Journey before but it was forever ago and it was the TV edit. I want to watch it again before watching Face The Music, but I've never really enjoyed watching comedies alone by myself, so that might have to wait.
I almost forgot I watched Godzilla vs Gigan while feverish. The human plot was more amusing than others of the time period. However, the monster fights lacked impact. I didn't realize it was one of the post Godzilla talking entries until a quarter of the way through when he talks to Anguirus for no good reason. Gigan itself is a missed opportunity, it looks cool as hell with hook hands and shit, but it barely even does anything and needs King Ghidorah to back it up and make it seem like a credible threat. Gigan was probably my favorite toy as a child, which makes his weak ass performance all the more disappointing. On my curved Kaiju grading scale, this one is a 2 four foot tall cockroaches out of 5.
I spent the rest of my time at home watching MST3K episodes while moving between states of consciousness. Finally feeling better by Saturday I watched The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974). As Eliot of The Flophouse's favorite film it had been on my list for a while. It is definitely 1970s New York city crystalized in amber, for better and worse. Everything is great from plot, to acting and sets, but there is a black spot of the main character being deeply sexist and a bit racist. It may be a product of its time, in fact that's part of its appeal, but that doesn't mean I have to accept that, especially from the protagonist. That keeps me from holding it up as some magnum opus. I'd prefer Marathon Man as a thriller of this vintage, even if it lacks that 70s New York malaise.