I'm not sure if I've mentioned it on this blog before, but my all-time favorite movie is Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Apart from the stark sense of realism that was Kubrick's trademark, the performances of Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, and the late great R. Lee Ermey provided the perfect capsule of how the fog of … Continue reading Monkey See War, Monkey Do War – Monos
There's a moment in Rupert Goold's Judy, a biopic about Judy Garland's London tour shortly before her death, that rises above your standard-issue celebrity sob piece to something truly brilliant. After showing up late, and drunk, to her first performance at the "Talk of the Town," Renée Zellweger as Garland can barely stand, and needs help … Continue reading An “Eh” True Hollywood Story – Judy
DreamWorks' latest animated feature, Abominable, is the third movie to come out in the last 12 months concerning the welfare of yetis and yeti-adjacent species. The previous two films represent the extremes of the quality spectrum on the subject, from the brilliantly designed Missing Link to the crime against humanity that was Smallfoot. My initial thoughts when going … Continue reading Do You Wanna Help a Snowman? – Abominable
It's an extremely hard task to create an Oscar-worthy film out of disparate elements from other movies, particularly when the previous materials have gone down as all-time classics. Thankfully, Writer/Director James Gray (whose last film - the transcendent Lost City of Z - was ignored during awards season) and leading man Brad Pitt are a pair ably … Continue reading A Prestige Star Vehicle In More Ways Than One – Ad Astra
We finally made it to fall! I can at last turn off my air conditioner... mostly. It's Los Angeles, what do you want? Anywho, the opening salvos of awards season have been fired, with some absolutely great films coming out (Ad Astra review coming soon), as well as some abject shit (The Goldfinch). We even … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – October 2019
It was inevitable. It's September, we're officially into awards season, and that means we get the prestige films that studios think will attract critics and voters for the highest prizes. Most of these films range from middling to great, with even the mediocre ones showcasing a single amazing acting performance, or some inspired camera work, … Continue reading A Little Birdie Told Me This Sucks – The Goldfinch
I confess that I've never read Stephen King's novel, It, nor have I seen the 1990 TV miniseries based on it (I was like, 8 years old at the time). So when I saw the 2017 film version of It, that was my first full exposure to the story. I was thoroughly entertained and quite excited for … Continue reading Add “SH” to the Front for Accuracy – It Chapter Two
It's somewhat telling when a film debuts before a festival audience and then undergoes significant changes before it's released to the general public. Very rarely is a film altered by studio demand and made better as a result. Some of these changes take place well behind the scenes, so movie-going audiences might not be aware, … Continue reading You Have the Right to Lose Control, Movies Don’t – Don’t Let Go
There's a lot to unpack with the new indie film, The Peanut Butter Falcon, which debuted at the South by Southwest festival this year, then opened early in August before having its wide release last weekend. Most of that stuff is on a more meta level than the actual film itself, which I'll just say right … Continue reading Wrestling is Stupid, But This Movie is Not – The Peanut Butter Falcon
The beginning of September signals a major turning point in the movie calendar. While it's technically not fall until the equinox late in the month, September means the end of summer blockbuster season and the beginning of awards season. Over the course of the month, studios will shift away from the major popcorn fare meant … Continue reading This Film is Not Yet Watchable – September 2019
I Actually Paid To See This 