Well, it’s been a while since my last check-in. Nearly a month and a half to be more specific. That time being from the 1st of November to mid-December. That’s why you’ll see a few holiday movies pop up toward the end of the list. I’ve also finished watching a lot of streamed episodic shows… The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Peaky Blinders season 2, Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, Wolf Pack, and Righteous Gemstones Season 3 to name a few. But I’m not here to chat about episodic television. Here are the movies I’ve watched, at home, over the past few weeks…
Justice League: Warworld- There is some good stuff in this recent DC animated movie. I loved seeing Warlord, but didn’t think Jonah Hex was portrayed correctly. Overall it was fine.
Captain Marvel- A rewatch in anticipation of seeing The Marvels. It’s a fun watch. (so is The Marvels by the way)
Shazam: Fury of the Gods- Some of my same complaints of the first Shazam movie are present here. The characterizations between Billy Batson and Zachary Levi’s Captain Marvel are not consistent. It was also still way too soon to bring the whole Shazam Family together. They should have had a couple of Shazam movies then bring in the rest. It’s just too many characters muddying up the film.
Quiz Lady- See full review in TV/Streaming Section.
Excalibur- I hadn’t revisited this early ‘80’s classic in a long time. It’s kind of messy, but so entertaining.
The Out of Towners- My first time seeing this 1970 Neil Simon penned comedy. It’s very “of it’s time”. Today Jack Lemmon’s character comes off as kind of a dick. Sure he’s having some really bad luck, but he takes it out on the innocent people who are trying to help, with his constant rants about suing everybody.
Some Kind of Hero- So here is an odd film from Richard Pryor’s filmography. It’s a serious film commenting on the support returning Vietnam vets were getting, or not getting, from the government. I think audiences wanted a comedy and this just wasn’t one. Pryor is quite good though.
Event Horizon- There is some good stuff here but it all sort of amounts to nothing.
Daliland- Ben Kingsley is great as Salvador Dali, but even with it’s 97 minute running time it drags.
The Last Manhunt- Based on the true story of a Native American man who is blamed for a murder and runs off with his young girlfriend. It’s not bad. Jason Momoa is all over the poster but has only a small part in it.
The Wild Bunch- A classic I hadn’t revisited in a while. It’s terrific but still suffers from having that terrible 1960’s\70’s movie blood. It looks very little like actual blood and always takes me out of a movie from that period.
Logan’s Run- Another one I hadn’t looked at in a while. It’s dated but still entertaining enough. Just before it overstays it’s welcome, it ends.
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life- This is a really good documentary directed by his close friend Rob Reiner.
Sly- This Netflix doc is fine, but seems to only be a surface telling of Sylvester Stallone’s story. I was hoping for a little more depth.
The Real Charlie Chaplin- Now this is a newish doc about actor/director/composer Charlie Chaplin and it is definitely a warts and all portrayal. I enjoyed it.
Being Mary Tyler Moore- Yet another doc, this time about Mary Tyler Moore. This one is terrific, again, it’s warts and all. I learned stuff about her that I did not know and it only made me admire her more.
The Killer (2023)- See full review in TV/Streaming Section.
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger- A childhood fav and a full write up can be found on the Geek’s World Blog as part of my Drive-In Memories series. It's A Geek's World After All - It's A Geek's World After All (weebly.com) November 2023.
The Whale- Finally got to watch this movie that was the talk of last years Oscars and won star Brendan Fraser a best actor statuette. It is a good movie and Fraser is amazing.
Grease 2- I’ve never been a fan of this sequel, but thought my teenage daughter might enjoy it. I actually had a better time with it this time, just as a piece of camp.
Dashing Through the Snow- This is a new Christmas movie starring Lil Rel Howery (as Santa) and Ludacris as a busy Dad trying to create a memorable holiday for his daughter. I was so surprised with this movie. It’s very funny and I would watch it again.
Legion of the Super-Heroes- Another recent DC animated movie. Not bad, this time putting Supergirl with The Legion and not Superboy. It won me over and has a pretty satisfying conclusion.
Gremlins- A seasonal re-watch. I’ve loved this Joe Dante’ directed holiday monster movie since first seeing it in the theater.
Violent Night- Missed this one last year but finally took a look. It’s sort of a combo of Die Hard and Bogart’s The Desperate Hours, with Santa Claus taking on the John McClane role. Stranger Things star David Harbour plays Saint Nick and by the end I was really enjoying myself.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived- This is a doc about Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double from the Potter movies. They became very close friends and Holmes suffered an injury during production of the last film leaving him paralyzed from the waste down. This is also a terrific doc. Very interesting and moving.
Wonder Man- See full review in Classics Section.
Babyon 5: The Road Home- I’m a big B5 fan and have been waiting to see this. I like it. Not a huge fan of the animation style, but you can tell that creator J. Michael Straczynski wrote it and that’s a good thing.
Family Switch- A body swap movie where an entire family swaps places- Mom w/Daughter, Dad w/Son, and dog w/Baby. It’s set at Christmas time, but that has nothing to do with the story. It has some fun moments but is just ok. The CG baby though is horrible.
Pitch Perfect 2- A revisit. I’m a fan of the series. Not sure why, but they make me laugh.
Get Carter- This is the original 1971 revenge thriller starring Michael Caine. I’m not sure where all the love for this movie comes from. Carter is not a nice guy and goes a little overboard avenging his brother’s death. The plodding early‘70’s pacing of the film doesn’t help.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie- I was a fan of the Monk TV show and enjoyed this movie reunion. I think it was an hour idea stretched to 90 minutes, but doesn’t suffer too much for it.
The Exorcist: Believer- From the looks of the trailer you’d be led to believe that Ellen Burstyn, who returns as Reagan’s Mom from the original film, had a bigger role here. It’s not a bad movie, but when compared to the 1973 William Friedkin classic it doesn’t stand a chance.
Merry Little Batman- This new animated Batman film is definitely for kids. If I were 10 years old I’d probably have enjoyed it more. The animation style is weird and unappealing and the humor pretty juvenile.
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