Sorcerer (watched 5/12/14)
Howdy schlockianados! I was realized it was 4 years and 2 months ago (give or take a few days) that I laid the Brains, Blood, Boomsticks Scepter down and strayed from writing about the crap we love to watch. Well I can say after two weeks back on the wagon it feels like we’re racing through the woods at night clubbing anything that moves and calling ourselves heroes. I’m not sure what the last sentence means, but I think it means we’re back.
This week continuing our campaign we watched William Friedkin’s Sorcerer (a remake of the French The Wages of Fear). Yeah, it’s the same Friedkin that made The Exorcist (you don’t have to waste time checking IMDB). You probably haven’t heard of it because who the hell would name a flick about assassins, truck drivers hauling nitroglycerin, and super mega explosions Sorcerer is beyond me, and apparently it was beyond his audience too. They all decided to go out and see Star Wars which came out the same week and was aptly enough about an intergalactic laser fight…. hmmmmm… Star Wars… go figure.
Since nobody saw the movie, Friedkin decided to dub it the best film of his career, and the rest of us were too busy wondering if Luke and Leia were ever gonna do it. Turns out Friedkin needed a PR firm to help him with this damn fine film, and we came up with some titles (based on mixed drinks) that really would have helped this movie sell some tickets. In no particular order we recommend: Adios Motherfucker, Truck Punch, Fire Dragon, or CHOMP (Cro-Magnon Haulers of Mortal Peril)… okay so I made the last one up.
Crossing the Bridge
Anyway it turns out it’s a damn fine flick, and to quote one observer “this movie has a lot of truck driving.” The truck driving takes place over some damn fine cinematography though, even if does take quite some time for the story to develop. To be perfectly honest there was a lot of talking going on during the first half hour which made the sub titles hard to read, but overall only affected our empathy for the characters (we had none). The stories pretty clear even though Friedkin works hard to make it seem more complicated than it really is: Some dudes do some bad things. Those dudes flee to South America. Said dudes are out of money and agree to take on a suicide trucking mission so they can get back to drinking and hookers.
We were continually delighted by the well composed cinematography which was punctuated by some fantastic explosions. The scene where the trucks cross the rope bridge is every bit as nail biting as was advertised and probably because it was absolute hell to film. After viewing the film it felt more like a metaphor for the arduous journey it took for Friedkin to complete the movie than the existentialist journey it’s purported to be. The only thing that got this film completed was his absolute desire and love for it. It’s also what probably broke his back as a director, and anyone’s desire to finance his work in the future.
What it has: Explosions!, brilliant cinematography, fire, really weird noses, lot’s of truck driving, watches, Nitroglycerine and quite a few corpses
What is doesn’t have: Sylvester Stallone, any freaking special features (on the DVD), a good title, a brave helicopter pilot, or a good reward (8000 pesos, really?!?!)
Watch it if: You’re a fan of the director, love great cinematography, enjoy well crafted films, have a thing for truck drivers layered in sweat and grime.
I rate it 4/5 pesos (there’s really not much wrong here, it just wasn’t “perfect”)
What we drank with it:
Adios Motherfucker
3/4 oz Black Velvet
3/4 oz Jack Daniels
1/4 oz Peach Schnapps
1/4 oz grenadine syrup
1/2 oz sweet sour
Shake’em together over ice and hold on to yer titties….
Brains, Blood, Boomsticks, & Broods 
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