Winter Watching

     It’s that time again where I report in on what I’ve been watching over the past month. A good number it turns out. Catching up on films from 2024 that I had missed and revisiting a few favorites too. Along with shows like The Pitt, School Spirits, Ghosts, Matlock, Will Trent, High Potential, and season 2 of The Night Agent. Plus a few other shows here and there. So...here are the movies I’ve watched, at home, over the past few weeks…

All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records- I worked at a record store while I was in college that was very similar to Tower, but a local chain, and this film really hit me in the feels. I also didn’t know most of story of Tower Records. Fascinating.

Stargate Origins: Catherine- I’m a fan of the film and the TV series, so this low budget prequel, that was originally presented as a series of online shorts, worked sometimes. Mostly it just screamed “WE WISH WE HAD A BUDGET!!”.

The George Burns Story: A Century of Laughter- A low budget doc from 1997 about the great comedian. I liked it, but only because the subject was so interesting and funny.

Gladiator II- I’m not a big fan of the original film. I’ve only seen it once, when it was first released. This follow up is fine. A lot of money for a movie that’s just “fine”.

Past Lives- This comic/drama got a lot of attention during last year’s awards season. It is quite good.

The Harlem Globetrotters- See Classics section for full review

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge- I revisited this TV movie starring Halle Berry after seeing Dandridge in The Harlem Globetrotters. Such a sad story.

The Return of the Pink Panther- One of the better of the Panther series. A fun revisit.

The Gold Rush- A revisit inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s podcast. Such a good film and I’m not a huge fan of silent cinema.

Switching Channels- I saw this Burt Reynolds/Kathleen Turner/Christopher Reeve modernized remake of His Girl Friday when it first came out in 1988 and recalled not thinking much of it. A lot of time has passed so I took another look. My recollections were correct. It’s not that good.

Bionic Ever After?- The last of 3 (I think) made for TV movie sequels to the Bionic shows of the 1970’s. It’s entertaining if you’re a fan and Lindsay Wagner is actually really good in it.

The Mechanic- I’d heard good things about this 2011 Jason Statham action flick. It’s fine. Maybe if I’d seen it in 2011 I’d have liked it more. There have been a lot of movies like it over the past 14 years.

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy- See TV/Streaming section for full review

Star Wars: Attack of the Clones- I revisited Phantom Menace a few months ago so I thought I’d take a look at this one again. There’s some good stuff in there, but the SPFX are beginning to show their age.

The Gorge- This is a strange film and I don’t mean that really as a slam. It’s not bad. Buoyed by it’s charismatic stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.

You Look Familiar: Vernee’ Watson- I remember Vernee Watson from Welcome Back Kotter but she has gone on to work consistently since then and has lived an interesting life. The doc itself is very low budget but her recollections are worth listening to.

The Last Laugh- This is a strange little documentary about finding humor out of The Holocaust. We learn that it can be done, but it had better be funny.

The Great Mouse Detective- I recalled this movie being more exciting, but it’s a little slow. The animation is a little inconsistent, though mostly good.

Heat- I hadn’t revisited this 1995 Michael Mann film in a very long time. It is cool looking with good performances, though Al Pacino goes pretty big, but I did feel most of it’s 2 hour 50 minute running time.

September 5- This film is about the abduction of the Jewish athletes during the 1972 Olympics, but from the ABC sports production team’s point of view. The same events are covered in Spielberg’s Munich, but I think I liked this film more. It’s a very interesting point of view to be following.

K-19: The Widowmaker- Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson lead this 2002 film about the Soviet nuclear submarine that barely avoided a catastrophic disaster at sea, near the U.S. coast. It’s ok. I probably won’t revisit it though.

The French Connection- A revisit in honor of the passing of the great Gene Hackman. His first Best Actor Oscar and the film won best picture at the 1972 Oscars. It’s definitely dated and at times problematic but the car chase under the elevated train is still unmatched.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim- An anime prequel story based on the writing of J.R.R. Tolken. It’s a little long and shares a lot of similar events to The Return of the King, but is fairly entertaining enough for “Rings” fans.

Food of the Gods- Keep a look out for this one to be featured in my “Drive-In Memories” series.