The entries this month will be a mix of everything. I originally had a theme planned for June but I’m getting such a late start that I can’t do what I wanted to with it so we are doing Junk in June. This doesn’t mean the movies I watch will be junk just that they have no central theme that links them together.
Bushwick (2017) directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Millot stars Dave (Batista) Bautista (WWE) and Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect). Batista is no stranger to movies; he found his groove acting wise in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy but other films that he has starred in were also entertaining. I especially enjoyed Enter the Warrior’s Gate. Bushwick is about Lucy played by Brittany Snow who has returned to her home town to meet her folks with her boyfriend Jose. An odd announcement about the subway station being shut down is swept aside by Lucy as trains are shutdown all the time. Upon seeing a burning man run down the station stairs, however, it is abundantly clear that something is not right. Jose runs for help but is killed by an explosion. Lucy walks outside to see her home of Bushwick has turned to utter chaos, there are people clad in black military gear shooting folks. She is handcuffed by one of these mysterious men but manages to escape and get out of her cuffs, unfortunately, she is witness to two men executing another citizen. Pursued by these men she enters a basement, they attempt to rape her but are beat up by the inhabitant of the house, Stupe, played by Batista. This movie is a fine example of modern day exploitation, a trend I hope to see continue. Although it has sleek hollywood style visuals, it’s pure grime underneath. It plays to our fears as a nation, that of political unrest so great that it leads to another civil war. The music in this film is always great. It reminds me of Carpenter’s music in Assault on Precinct 13. It’s a score that really lets you know that the stuff is really going to hit the fan. Batista’s emotionally tormented portrayal of Stupe is heart felt and sincere; his action scenes as always are fun to watch from body slams and tackles to small close quarter gun skirmishes. I feel that 10-15 years down the line this will be seen as a cult classic. The story is simple but characters are developed just enough for you to really care about Lucy and Stupe’s struggle to survive Bushwick’s invasion by mysterious forces. Bushwick hits all the right notes in my opinion, it left me satisfied and unsettled like a good exploitation film should. I’d definitely recommend this one to everyone even if they aren’t a fan of films that star professional wrestlers.
Wrestling With Film 