Tried to watch The Nightingale (2018, Netflix, Hulu) a revenge film set in Tasmania during the 1820’s Black War, a rebellion by aborigines. I got a third of the way through. There is evil violence, and then there is cartoonish cruelty. It reminded me of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. A book that made me laugh out loud when ‘The Judge’ threw the bag of puppies in the river and started shooting at it. Because of course, we already had raped grandmothers and babies on spikes, why not this too. In the end the aborigine guides acting, or rather his poor excuse for it, just would not stop bothering me. The Tasmanian forest was lovely though, and the lead actress did a wonderful job so I will look into her other films.
Although just about none of the cast actually looked like their characters (especially Buscemi; Bob Hoskins was much-better-cast in the role in Enemy at the Gates), I thought it was indeed both hilarious and horrifying. The backstabbing, paranoia, intrigue and murderous absurdity of Stalinist Russia on full display.
Dammit!
It may be both. In NOTLD – which defined the genre – the original zombies were caused by some (hand-waving) intergalactic radiation. Everyone who dies in the movie becomes a zombie, but it’s not clear if they get zombified because they were bitten, or if anyone who dies (in the course of the radiation event) would become a zombie. The only deaths in the movie are from zombie-bites.
They eat BRAAIIIIINNNNS, not just flesh. The other zombies lack the cranial essence.
Another key rule is that it takes a headshot to “kill” [more like stop] a zombie. Otherwise their undead limbs will continue to chase/grab/gnaw on you. Alternate methods include mass explosions and fire; lots of fire.
I kept seeing people refer to this as a horror film so I was expecting a completely different type of film. This is not a horror. Horrible things happen but in no way would I ever say this is a horror film.
It’s because the director’s previous movie was The Babadook. But you are right, of course. This is far from a horror movie. Just a horrifying movie.
Not exactly a movie I saw recently but a co-worker, knowing that I’m a movie watcher, mentioned that he and his girlfriend started to watch Galaxy Quest, for the first time, last night on PlutoTV. I think they got as far as the launch of the NSEA Protector, scraping against the side of the dock. I’m slightly jealous, as it’s such a fun film to watch the first time.
And talking to him, he’s not much of a Star Trek fan, so he didn’t recognize the archetypes being portrayed; like the classically trained British actor, perhaps modeled on Patrick Stewart, or how Sigourney Weaver’s character has so little to do on board. I had to explain the concept of the redshirt.
Deep Red - streams on Hoopla
Wow, I kind of loved this movie. It’s a giallo movie from Dario Argento and honestly, it’s kind of amazing. Well made, well shot, and with a score that clearly influenced Halloween just a few years later.
Anyway, the whole movie was really excellent and kind of a huge surprise for me. I’d recommend it for anyone.
I saw a 70mm showing of Licorice Pizza tonight, the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson. This is the film of the year right here. A beautiful moving, hilarious and heartbreaking portrait of young love, growing up and coming of age set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973. Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour) gives a bravura debut performance and this is a star-making role for Alana Haim. The two of them together are just incredible.
The film is in very limited release right now (I think only on four screens nationwide!) but will add some locations this weekend and then I think goes wider on Christmas. If you are lucky enough to have it play near you, see it!
Once they finish it (and I hope they do!), you may wanna direct them to this thread: "Never give up, never surrender!" - for Galaxy Quest fans
The Amazing Spider-man 2
This was the only Spider-man movie I had not seen and with all the rumors flying around of Tobey and Andrew being in the new movie, I thought I should see Andrew Garfield’s other movie.
It’s overlong, but is still a pretty good movie. Electro is wasted as a villain, though. He just kind of gets defeated. I’m surprised they re-introduced Harry Osborne as a Green Goblin character, but impressed that they:
killed Gwen Stacy. I didn’t think they had it in them.
Anyway, a very well made movie that is overlong by quite a bit. It needed to be tightened up to just under two hours, but is 140 minutes, pushing it a bit too far.
It also began to feel “here’s another one” a bit too much. I know Sony was furious when Kevin Feige said they want Spider-man in the MCU, but don’t want it to be Andrew Garfield. In the end, Kevin Feige was correct. The new Spider-man cast is really excellent and I’m glad they went a different way with it.
I’m all ready for Tobey and Andrew to show up in the next Spider-man!
What do you think the odds are? I am about 90% certain boy Tobey and Andrew will appear, though I don’t expect to see them until the last 30 minutes or so. I am betting they come through to help in the climax of the movie, delivering wild cheers from the audience when they appear.
Silent Night (2021 movie)
I kind of hated this movie, at least the vast majority of it. It’s probably better to go into it totally blind, so I won’t say much. I probably would not really recommend going into it at all, though. I hated most of the characters and I just don’t really think they told this story in the best way.
Not the worst movie of 2021, but a total “skip it” from me.
The Courier on Prime. Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan in a true recounting of a spy operation that took place prior to the Cuban missile crisis. Very well done, although I couldn’t get past Brosnahan’s Mrs. Maisel character.
I also watched Black Widow over the past few days. It was okay except for the airplanes taking off vertically without rotating their engines, which made me a bit crazy.
We watched the Power of the Dog , reviewed by many above.
Really liked it, but very unsettling sound and mood, .
I saw West Side Story yesterday. This is the new 2021 remake, directed by Steven Spielberg with a screenplay by Tony Kushner. I liked it a lot, partly for the very familiar songs. I recommend it.
(Some people want or try to see the Academy Award nominees, so if you’re playing that game, I’ve heard the suggestion that this film will be in contention, as will The Power of the Dog, previously mentioned.)
Re-watched We Were Soldiers, the Mel Gibson Vietnam movie. No idea why I did that. What schlock that was. Yes, it was taken from real events in the Ia Drang Valley, but they used every cliché they could think of and telegraphed who was going to die. Also, the terrain was so obviously NOT subtropical Vietnam, but rather California. Turns out it was filmed at Ft. Hunter-Liggett Military Reservation. I’ve been to both places, and neither looks remotely like the other.
Substitute “Hacksaw Ridge” and substitute Okinawa for la Drang Valley, and I have written this exact review.
Their dead… They’re all messed up!
Now, now… I don’t think we all agree on this…
We don’t know what kind of Murder-Happy Characters are out there…
Ah, my dear sir, I see you have had the benefit of a classical education!
The Beast of Hollow Mountain. (Does it count if I saw it on MST3k?)