Fourth Annual Mustache Marathon: Week 4

It’s now December, which means that the fourth annual Mustache Marathon has recently come to a close.  Not quite, though.  There’s still one final post that has to be written for the few movies that I saw in the last week or so of the marathon.  There were three movies added to the marathon.  They were three movies that had mustaches to varying degrees.  But they all had mustaches and that’s what matters.

The reason that the Mustache Marathon exists in the first place is for the mustaches.  The month of November for me is devoted to the movies I have to watch and the movies that involve mustaches.  Why?  Many other people are growing out their facial hair to raise awareness for prostate cancer.  I don’t want to grow out my facial hair.  Instead, I choose movies in which characters grow out their facial hair.  Specifically, the facial hair above the upper lip.  I pick movies based on mustaches.

In the final week of the fourth annual Mustache Marathon, I watched three more movies based on the mustaches that I knew would be coming from them.  The three movies were three of the most interesting movies in the entire marathon, and the final one was one of the most unique yet derivative creative projects that I have ever witnessed.  What were the movies?  Read on to find out.

Tremors

I have loved Tremors since I was a small child.  The movie came out the same year that I came out of my mother, and it was one of my first introductions to horror.  It was a good introduction, being as much comedy as horror.  It softened the blow for me to become accustomed to one of my now favourite genres of movies.  Actually, two of my favourites.  Horror and comedy may in fact be my two favourite genres.

Anyway, I love the movie.  The chemistry between Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward is pretty great, and the concept is quite good.  Giant earthworm-like monsters terrorize a small western-like town.  The set pieces are fun.  The stakes are high.  And the danger is realistic with the unrealistic premise.  Everything about the movie works for me.  It could be nostalgia sneaking in.  I think it’s just a fantastic movie.

I forgot just how mustache influenced Tremors is.  I chose the movie for Michael Gross’s mustache, not thinking about the other people in the movie.  There’s one other notable mustache in the movie.  An actor named Tony Genaro was also rocking some facial hair throughout the movie as well.  These two mustaches were enough to make the movie worth putting in the marathon.  The movie itself is enough to be a classic forever.

Hamlet and Hutch

This one isn’t much of a classic.  I found it on Netflix when I was searching for a Burt Reynolds movie to include.  You know, because Burt Reynolds is a legend when it comes to movie mustaches.  The choices weren’t great.  Two of the three had him sporting a beard.  This one didn’t.  So I turned it on.  And, boy, did I not enjoy this movie.

What I thought was going to be a family dramedy ended up being a straight drama about Alzheimer’s.  Burt Reynolds and his mustache played a former Broadway star who is growing old and losing his mind.  He is sent to live with his family, where his Broadway mindset doesn’t fit with his new country setting.  As the movie goes on, we are shown the problems with the disease and what needs to be done to keep the people suffering from it safe.  It has great intentions but fails to be entertaining while doing it.  Burt Reynolds does try in the movie though, and I give him credit for it.

Live Action Toy Story

First, let me explain why I would choose a Toy Story movie at all.  The movie isn’t necessarily seen as a movie featuring mustaches.  But there’s Mr. Potato Head.  He has a mustache, and it is very prominent on his face throughout the series.  It’s enough to make me consider the movies as potentials for the Mustache Marathon.

This movie isn’t one of the three movies, however.  Instead, it is a remake of the first film where all of the animation is replaced with live action work.  Mostly it involves actual toy versions of the characters from Toy Story, moved with wires and strings.  Many times you can see the wires and strings.  Actually, there are very few times in which you don’t.  The humans and animals are replaced with real humans and animals in this version, as well.

Live Action Toy Story is similar to the remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark that I’ve heard of.  The camerawork is made to resemble that of the original movie as much as possible.  The dialogue and plot are still the same as they were before.  The only real noticeable differences are in the physical realization of the characters.  In this case, real toys instead of animated ones.  The whole idea is rather interesting, although the execution is weak at best.

With those three movies as a part of the marathon lineup, the fourth annual Mustache Marathon comes to a close.  November 2014 has seen me once again visit some of the actors that I have come to know and love over the four years since this began.  It also broadened my horizons a little bit.  And it let me revisit old classics that I hadn’t seen in a while.  It was a fun month and one that I will cherish for a while.

What’s coming up next?  Nothing for the month of December.  I’m going to take some time off from marathoning, catch up on some other stuff, see some Christmas movies… All that fun stuff for the holiday season.  I’ll come back soon with something for you guys.  Maybe another marathon.  Maybe some more Power Rangers reviews.  Something.  Whatever it is, I hope to see you there.  Thanks for sticking with me for the month.