The first few weeks of the new year brought a bit of a slow down of my movie watching as I caught up on some TV shows. Finished The Gilded Age, Percy Jackson, Wonder Man, Landman, and began School Spirits season 3 and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. I’m also still working my way through Orphan Black too. That’s not to say I didn’t watch anything. Here are the movies I’ve watched over the past few weeks.
On Night in the Tropics- I got Vol. 1 of the Abbott and Costello DVD collection for Christmas and hadn’t seen this movie, which marked the comedy team’s movie debut. The movie as a whole is ok and boy’s routines sometimes seem shoehorned in but they are funny. Their appearance here started their film career.
Breakdown=1975- I was a year late to this doc that...well, breaks down that moment in time where films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dog Day Afternoon, Shampoo, Three Days of the Condor, Funny Lady, Jaws, Tommy, and Escape from Witch Mountain could all exist and be successful. I enjoyed it.
Merv- A moderately entertaining movie about a couple who breakup and share custody of a dog named Merv. It works mainly through the charm of it’s costar Zooey Deschanel. Charlie Cox plays the guy, and he is trying his best but never seems totally comfortable.
The Devil Wears Prada- My wife wanted to rewatch this one before the sequel comes out later this year. I hadn’t seen it since it was in theaters. It’s good.
The Roses- An updated take on the book “The War of the Roses”. It starts off funny and then just gets kind of annoying.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes- My second viewing. I still liked it quite a bit and hope for more films in this new series.
Chasing Chasing Amy- A little indie doc about a young trans man and how Chasing Amy helped awaken him to his true self and not feel so alone. It’s actually pretty good.
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5- After the finale of Stranger Things Netflix released this behind-the-scenes doc of production of the show. As a fan, I enjoyed it. You do have to be a Stranger Things fan to care about any of it though.
Operation Mincemeat- I enjoyed this WWII movie about a plan to use a dead body with fake orders to mislead the Nazis. I liked it. It had a good balance of a thriller and the ridiculous.
The Rip- This is a new film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as cops who come across millions in drug money. It’s quite good. Directed by Joe Carnahan who also made Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team (which I really enjoy), and Boss Level.
Thunderbolts*- Showed my wife. My second viewing. I still liked it. I’m not as big a fan as some MCU fans but it’s good.
Bad News Bears- This is the 2005 remake with Billy Bob Thornton. The Bad News Bears was a big part of my childhood. I watched it again not long ago and it’s hard to believe it was actually aimed at kids. This remake is better than I expected. Updated but still has the underlying sense of chaos. It surprised me.
Shrek 2- I was in the mood for something funny, had rewatched the original movie not long ago so I put it on. I laughed. It still works.
The Lord of the Rings- This is the 1979 Ralph Bakshi animated movie. I’ve seen it many times over the years. It’s such a shame that he didn’t get the chance to make the second half. I’ve liked since seeing it in theaters.
Disneyland Handcrafted- See full review in Television/Streaming Section.
Eleanor the Great- Directed by Scarlett Johansson and starring the always amazing June Squibb it’s a good movie. In the hands of a more experienced director maybe it would have clicked a little better but as a first feature it’s not bad.
Yellowneck- 1955 indie movie about 5 Confederate soldiers who desert and set off through the swamps of 19th Century Florida in hopes of reaching Cuba. It’s a pretty cool idea but when it was over, I thought, “this could be a good movie”.
A Guy Named Joe- See full review in Classics section.
The Wrecking Crew- Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa star as brothers out for revenge in this throwback to the buddy cop movies of the ‘80’s with a definite John Wick influence. It’s much better than it has any right to be.
I’m Chevy Chase, and You’re Not- Far from the hatchet-job I was expecting. It’s a “warts-and-all” documentary but Chase doesn’t come off as a total A-hole. We actually get some perspective as to why he has acted and acts like he does sometimes. I found myself understanding him better.
Paul Anka: His Way- Another good doc. This one traces the amazing career of the singer/songwriter and follows him on a recent tour of Asia. He’s in his late ‘80’s and still brings it in live performance. An interesting guy.
Ella McCay- The first movie James L. Brooks has directed in 15 years. It’s not terrible, but they sure all can’t be Terms of Endearment or Broadcast News. The script could have had a couple more passes and star, Emma Mackey, is good but not quite ready to carry a movie on her shoulders. Jamie Lee Curtis is great in it.
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