What I've Been Watching

Summer Watching Continues  

   I’ve been watching more movies than I think I normally do. Not sure why. I’ve also been watching some streaming shows- Joe Pickett, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Based on a True Story, Silo, along with Yellowjackets, and I’ve gone back to The Daily Show, which is not holding my interest like season 1 did. Anywho, here are the movies I’ve watched in the comfort of my own home over the past few weeks…

The Grand Budapest Hotel- My daughter discovered that she likes Wes Anderson, so I showed her this one before we went to see his latest- Asteroid City.

True Lies- I hadn’t revisited this James Cameron/Arnold Schwarzenegger spy classic in a while. It still holds up.

Extraction 2- I think I liked this sequel about as much as the first. Which is to say I enjoyed it.

Whoopee- With the exception of his occasional trips into black face, I enjoy the old Eddie Cantor movies. My eldest daughter sat with me as I rewatched this one. She had never heard the term “Whoopee”. She also thought Cantor was very funny.

Psycho- Showed my eldest daughter this Hitchcock classic for the first time. She liked it. Phew!

Gunsmoke: To the Last Man- One of the better made for TV movie follow ups to the classic western series.

The Green Knight- I just thought it was ok. I probably heard too much hype and it couldn’t live up to it.

Justice League: The New Frontier- I still like this DC animated movie. The only issue is that it tries to fit so too much into 90 minutes that the story seems to get lost or just convoluted.

Nimona- full review in TV section

Inglorious Basterds- Now here is the only Tarantino movie I did not like on first viewing. I have changed my mind over the years though.

Mission: Impossible- Fallout- Revisit before seeing Dead Reckoning.

The Mule- Here is a small, recent Clint Eastwood movie that sometimes plays just great, then it gets a little muddy. For the most part I thought it was not bad.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On- Finally got to see this little film. I was already a fan of the online videos and the film plays well. The only problem with it, is it starts to drag after a while. Mainly because the pace is slow. It’s a very gentle film. So gentle that it occasionally gets a little boring.

In the Heights- Revisited this one. One of only a handful of movie musicals that I consider great.

It Came from Beneath the Sea- See Classics section for full review.

Sherlock Holmes in New York- Another revisit for me. This 1970’s TV movie stars Roger Moore as the great detective. It’s not great, but still fun.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy- I love this movie. What is funny is that I didn’t care for it on first seeing it in the theater. I later watched it on home video, something clicked in my brain, and I loved it. Now I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it over the years.

The Devil’s Backbone- My first time seeing this early Guillermo de Toro movie. It feels a bit like he’s prepping himself for Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s nowhere as good as Pan’s Labyrinth, but it is good. And emotional.

The Laundromat- So this is Steven Soderbergh’s message movie. A shout from the treetops to beware of how corrupt the world’s financial system is. Inspired by the “Panama Papers” case of 2016. It’s sometimes really entertaining and at other times seems to go off on tangents. It’s also full of big-name actors. I can’t recommend it.

Seven Samurai- So I hadn’t rewatched this Kurosawa classic in many years. I was surprised by just how fast it’s 3hr 27min running time goes by. It’s a classic for a reason.

X- Not being a big slasher-horror movie fan I watched this 2022 indie out of curiosity. I was really enjoying it until the killings started. I also didn’t see any reason the “old” people had to be played by younger actors in mediocre make-up. The weird thing is, I will probably check out its sequel “Pearl”.

Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham- I have never read the comic book that is its source material so I didn’t have any preconceived expectations. I liked it and would have leaned into the weird Lovecraft vibe even more myself.

Gilbert- I only wish I had gotten around to watching this terrific documentary on the late comedian Gilbert Gottfried before he passed.     

Summer is here watching

     Summer is upon us and I’ve watched quite a few movies at home recently. Along with knocking out a few streaming shows too, like Mrs. Davis. It has been under 30 days since my last check-in and here is what I’ve been watching…

The Curse of the Fly- This is an odd final film in The Fly series. Made in 1965, it does involve the matter transfer technology but no fly-people. It’s actually sort of ahead off it’s time if you think about it. Not a great film by any means but definitely interesting.

Confess, Fletch- This new movie based on the popular Fletch books stars John Hamm as the investigative news reporter amateur sleuth. I liked it and would be happy if they made more. It did not even make a ripple at the box office but would be perfect as a streaming series like Jack Ryan or Reacher.

Rollerball- I hadn’t seen this since I was a kid. I recalled liking it, but there is no way I understood this movie as a kid.

The Stunt Man- It had been a while since I watched this one. It’s not as fun as I recalled but it’s still a terrific flick.

The Hateful Eight- It loses something watching it on TV after seeing it in 70 mil in its theatrical release, but it’s still another nice entry in Tarantino’s filmography.

Billy the Kid Returns- See review in Classics Section

Under Western Stars- See review in Classics Section

Fire & Ice- This 1983 animated Fantasy film by Ralph Bakshi is fine. When they actually succeeded in making the animation resemble Frank Frazetta art it, at least, looked great. It’s a much bigger concept than they had the time or tech to pull off.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- My second favorite Indy movie. Some of the SPFX don’t hold up but the combo of Ford and Connery is still great.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse- Revisited this one before seeing Across the Spider-verse. This first movie is superior but they’re both good.

Earthquake- Here’s another I hadn’t seen since my childhood. It’s REALLY dated but contains some very effective scenes.

The Old Way- I’d been waiting for a chance to see this new Nicholas Cage Western. While it’s definitely flawed, it was better than I expected, and young Ryan Kiera Armstrong is really good.

Master of Dark Shadows- If you remember the late 1960’s gothic soap opera Dark Shadows than you’ll enjoy this documentary about the show and its creator. I did.

Black Widow- Finally able to show this MCU movie to my wife. I like it. It plays like a Bond movie with a few superhero trappings.

Casino- Overly long and, yes, at times, boring. It has some great performances and I think people give it some of the glow of Goodfellas, that it does not deserve.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League- My second viewing of this supersized version of Snyder’s vision. Personally, I’m not a big fan of Snyder’s DC movies. They are cast amazingly but are just dark for no good reason. Don’t get me started on Man of Steel. Having said that, when you make a 4-hour movie, some of it is going to be great. Those parts make it worth the watch.

The Sixth Sense- Introduced my 17-year-old daughter to it. I had a terrible feeling she’d figure out the twist before it happened, but she didn’t. She really enjoyed it.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- Rounding out my revisit of the Indy movies before Dial of Destiny opens. Yes, it’s by far the weakest of the series, but there are some really nice moments. One of its problems was a over reliance on CG. This is a series that works best with as much “in camera” effects as possible.

Tarzan and the Huntress- Not one of Johnny Weissmuller’s best, but it’s watchable.

Renfield- Another Nick Cage movie I missed in it’s theatrical run. This one runs hot and cold. It’s fun but has trouble maintaining its charm. Cage and Awkwafina are fun to watch in it though.

The Misfits- Here’s one I’ve been meaning to watch but never got around to until now. This 1961 movie directed by the great John Huston and starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift should have been a slam dunk. Monroe’s performance goes from brilliant to awful from scene to scene and the story just isn’t very engaging.

7 Men From Now- Here’s a classic I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t even heard of before. 1956 Western starring Randolph Scott and Lee Marvin, directed by Budd Boetticher, and written by future western director Burt Kennedy. I really liked it. I may look into making it part of my collection.

Peter Pan & Wendy- Disney’s live action remake of Peter Pan is cast well but seems to just happen before your eyes and the only character that you really end up learning anything about is Captain Hook. It’s missing the magic.