Calamities in Pagan Cinema: “The Covenant” seemed like it was made to be the boys’ own answer to “The Craft.” But the film is too caught up in its own broken masculinity to begin to offer a coherent vision of magic – much less a coherent film.
Watched Kept Husbands. This movie was super interesting and had me twisting all sorts of ways. The script and acting were bumpy but the best parts were super impressive. Pacing felt very off in parts, but McCrea was outstanding.
I don't know how I feel about the movie in 2024, but it's far more complicated than overtly sexist. Still interesting lessons other than the last 3 minutes.
Sparks was comedic gold even if he was unnecessary .
Watched Sullivan’s Travels. I walked in knowing it was one of the “great movies” but didn’t anticipate all the twists and turns. There are two fantastic films stuck together here and it ends up being better than the sum of its parts. There are a lot of later films that steal outright from it, but it was wild.
I want to see a remake with Sorkin writing and Jeff Daniels (from 2010) acting in the lead.
Watched Straight Outta Compton. Whew, I’ve never so much wanted a movie to be a biography. The stories are all fascinating, but the drama really fell flat for me. It felt like a Wikipedia summary rather than an actual movie. It felt like the Hollywood version of one of the most real stories. Giamatti stood out, but there was just too much going on here to be cohesive.
Silent Running might be one of the most depressing sci-fi's I've ever watched.
I can see how in the 70s it probably was distant enough to feel like a fantastical drama, and the idea of earth losing its ecosystems with the last remnants being kept alive in outer-space domes was an unrealistic idea, but today it feels just way too current.
Bruce Dern is absolutely amazing, but omg this movie just gets more and more sad until it ends as bleakly as it begun
Watched Mean Girls (2024). Not what I’d call a “good” movie, but it was fun and did a pretty good job of translating the stage show. Probably could have abbreviated a few more of the songs but it is a nice remembrance of the original movie and out performed my low expectations.
Cravalho did incredibly and I can’t wait to see what else she does because dang, she stood out.
Watched Dark Alibi at suggestion of @TSPOE_pods. I’ve never seen a Charlie Chan movie and don’t think I want to see more. The racial history is super complicated and not clearly bad, but is tough to watch in 2024.
The stand out actor by a mile was Moreland. His comedy was so reminiscent of Eddie Murphy in parts that I swear Murphy must have cribbed lines. Rarely have the comic relief characters been a hit for me, but he and Fong were fantastic.
Watched Deadpool 2. I think I like this one more than the original. It definitely is even emotionally resonate. As stand-alone films for people that were alive during this, these are probably the most-rewatchable. Crass and violent, it's still full of charm.
Watched The Rock. I find this movie so weird and thought-provoking. It is a fine action flick, although the violence is kinda stupid both in how touching it tries to be and also in how gory it is with no reason. The lunacy of the government also makes suspension of disbelief really hard.
That said, Harris is a great actor and his character has a ton of depth. Cage and Connery do fantastic jobs and the relationships hold the movie together more than the action scenes.
About a million years ago, I took a cute girl on a date to see the cult movie Lola Rennt. I felt pretty cool for knowing all about hip German cinema. I eventually married the girl, so she must also have thought I was pretty cool. Well, a few days ago, I found …
Movie poster - a woman is on the phone looking nervous.About a million years ago, I took a cute girl on a date to see the cult movie Lola Rennt. I felt pretty cool for knowing all about hip German cinema. I eventually married the girl, so she must also have thought I was pretty cool.
Well, a few days ago, I found out that Netflix remade the film last year. In Hindi!
Looop Lapeta (লুপ লাপেটা - literally "Crazy Situation Looping") is a hyper-modern update of the original, and it is joyous. It's lovely seeing a film made by someone who likes film-making. Most Netflix films are content to point static cameras at actors and hope for the best. This absolutely revels in cinematic trickery. The updates contain lots of subtle (and not so subtle) nods to the original. The whole cast are gold, but it's Shreya Dhanwanthary who shines with an absolutely scene-stealing monologue in a deftly filmed uncut shot.
It doesn't have quite the tension of the original and is perhaps a little stretched out. The use of flashbacks is fun, but the slow-motion sequences do drag a bit. The Gappu & Appu comic relief felt a bit tacked on.
I can thoroughly recommend it as a delightfully bonkers film.
Somehow I missed this the year it came out, and that was a mistake. Wonderful character study with amazing cast. Not for you if you have to know all the whys of the plot.
Watched Pixels. Jeez that was horrendous. I walked in with very low expectations, but it crashed below them. It was neither funny nor engaging, and the movie failed the Bechdel Test more than any other modern one.
Written and directed by Brit McAdams; starring Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Ciara Renée
The life of the host of a local TV paint show is shaken when a younger painter is hired to help with failing ratings.
Very original, the film inhabits a quirky reality of its own. Sometimes a bit too much out there to truly connect, but mostly a very special and unique comedy.
Watched Dark Phoenix. Really disappointing after a very good first five minutes. The entire movie felt so stupid and was just an excuse for each character (completely indistinguishable hot people) to look cool while staring at someone.
The CGI was pretty painful and the writing was so rough. The plot made little sense and every part was just flat.
This story is iconic: you’d think they would be able to find a good movie in it, but it was disappointing to have seen.
Watched Mystic River. Genuinely thought it might be one of my favorite movies half way, but the ending was so painful that it ruined it for me. I think there are a lot of truly beautiful scenes, but the overall movie is masturbatory and kind of a mess.
All three leads were stellar, and honestly nearly all the supporting cast was too. The script felt like it tried to be too true to the book and the director didn’t know how to cut the story.
Watched The Thin Man. I enjoyed it since the dialogue was magical and the delivery by Powell and Loy was top-notch. I want to see more of this duo. I liked that the movie didn’t try to slow down and let you just try to keep up with it.
The main characters being a little morally greyer than white was a welcome change.
I found the dinner scene to be pretty silly but the rest of this film was a treat.
🆕 blog! “Movie Review: If You Were The Last”
★★★★⯪
The 2016 film "Passengers", with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, is a gruesome study in "because of the implication". JLaw's character wakes on a spaceship to discover that only Pratt's character is alive and has prematurely roused her from her slumber. She has, in effect, been murdered and the only way she can pacify th…
The 2016 film "Passengers", with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, is a gruesome study in "because of the implication". JLaw's character wakes on a spaceship to discover that only Pratt's character is alive and has prematurely roused her from her slumber. She has, in effect, been murdered and the only way she can pacify this dangerous man is to sleep with him. It is a grim film.
WHAT IF THAT WERE A ROM-COM!?!?!?!
Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao are stuck on a spaceship a million miles from Earth. Their communications and navigation systems are broken so they spend their days watching movies, working out, and doing chores. Until - bored and horny - they discuss whether they should break their respective marriage vows and get it on.
It's a delightfully weird mix of When Harry Met Sally and a dozen other movies. Thankfully, there is no hint of coercion on either part. It is touching (fnar), sweet, and rather uplifting. Despite the paucity of romance, it is an excellent comedy. The absurdity of the situation is taken to the extreme in a way you could never do with For All Mankind.
The film is weird though. It's obvious shot on a budget so, rather than go for tacky CGI - the spaceship and planets are made of cardboard. It's very "Dave Made A Maze". The interior shots eschew every sci-fi cliché of gleaming octagonal corridors and go for an IKEA æsthetic. It is jarring and rather odd - but does make more sense as the film progresses. It almost feels like it is designed to be produced in a little off-Broadway theatre.
The plot, in retrospect, makes no sense. The sci-fi is a little cheesy and superfluous. But it is staggeringly good fun.
‘Love Lies Bleeding’ Review: Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian Electrify in Rose Glass’ Unpredictable Body Horror Thriller (www.indiewire.com)
The “Saint Maud” filmmaker’s second feature is an equally alluring and repellant mashup of disparate genres and ideas.