Today's addition to my list of awesome films is From Dusk Till Dawn, a classic 1996 horror/action/awesome film written by Quintin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez. This film marks George Clooney's first film role after success on that show about doctors and he couldn't have picked a better film to star in!
Plot: A pair of bank robbers, Seth and Richie Gecko (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, respectively) are on their way to Mexico, more specifically El Ray, to evade the FBI. Along the way, the Gecko Brothers kidnap a family in an RV and force the family to help smuggle them into Mexico. Once they are safely south of the border, they stop at a grungy truck stop where the real action begins. You see, this is no ordinary truck stop... no, no. All the strippers and employees are really a bunch of bad ass vampires!
What choice do our heroes have but to fight back and kill as many vampires as they can?!
The Awesome
Classic Monologues: There have been some great monologues in the English language: "To be or not to be" from Hamlet; "The Horror..." from Apocalypse Now; "I'm mad as hell..." from Network, and so on, but none are as poetic or emotionally affecting as the one delivered in From Dusk Till Dawn by Chet Pussy, as portrayed by Cheech Marin.
Not to be outdone, the awesome Fred Williamson delivers a more somber and intense, but equally awesome monologue about 'Nam and how the human spirit will find a way to survive!
The Supporting Cast: In addition to the aforementioned Cheech Marin and Fred Williamson, you have Tom Savini as Sex Machine and Danny Trejo as Razor Charlie. Rounding out the awesomeness of the supporting cast is John Saxon as FBI Agent Stanley Chase. My only complaint is that Saxon wasn't able to bust out some Roper-esque martial arts.
Don't know who Roper is, or what that's referring too? Well, now you do:
Full Tilt Boogie: While not a part of the film directly, but the behind the scenes documentary, Full Tilt Boogie, is one of the better full-length "movie about a movie" documentaries you'll see. Any movie with a Kennedy joke in the opening is okay by me.
Most Awesome Moment: No discussion of this film is complete without mentioning Satanico Pandemonium. Oh, screw mentioning it, let's get to some watching:
Okay Tonto, I've had enough of this nonsense now. You're quitting, you're not quitting, yes, you are, no, you're not... Make up your mind! Actually, you know what, I'm making it up for you! If I'm the only one writing for this site, then so be it. I'd change the name but that would cost money and I'm not in the business of paying for something when a free option makes just as much sense, ya feel me.
Besides, I've been sitting on this 1000 Awesome Movies list for Gozer knows how long now, and I'm doing it! So let's get to it, shall we?!
Before I get started, for all you film geeks that like to argue over stuff like this, this isn't a countdown. It's just a list of awesome.
Awesome Movie #1 - Big Trouble in Little China
If Big Trouble in Little China isn't the Citizen Kane of awesome, it's easily the Potempkin or The Godfather.
Kurt Russell stars as Jack Burton in this 1986 masterpiece directed by John Carpenter.
Plot: Truck driver Jack Burton and his buddy Wang (an actual person, not a euphemism) have to go underground in San Francisco, well, Chinatown specifically to rescue Wang's girlfriend. You see, Wang's girlfriend has herself some sexy green eyes which is exactly what Lo Pan, a 2,000 year-old cursed sorcerer, needs to sacrifice to end his curse. The Awesome
Jack Burton's Way With the Ladies - Burton is asked if he's going to kiss Kim Cattrall goodbye. His response is priceless.
The Exploding Head - Unless it's a serious WWII or Oliver Stone movie, an exploding head is almost always an awesome sight to behold.
Bad Ass Fight Scenes - Sword fights, gun fights, mystical power battles, and over the top Kung-Fu.
Lo Pan - In the realm of best villain discussions, David Lo Pan is often always overlooked. When we meet him, he dares Burton to nail him with his truck and Burton does. Is he squished? Hell no! He pops up on the other side and shoots lasers from his eyes. Far more awesome of an entrance than blasting your way onto a spaceship (I'm looking at you, Darth)
Most Awesome Moment: If there was ever a moment more awesome in film history, I've yet to see it.
