Movies you've seen recently (Part 1)

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, a fictionalized version of himself. He’s kind of the internet’s version of Nic Cage. It may seem like a one-trick movie, but the movie is actually really fun and I enjoyed it a lot.

Pedro Pascal plays a super-fan that pays $1 million for Nick Cage to come spend the day with him. The whole thing is great and to be honest, I think Pedro Pascal kind of steals the movie for a good part of it.

I am not a massive Nic Cage fan and I really enjoyed the movie. A fun comedy.

I reckon…

(spit)

Played “Bill and Ted Face the Music” while I did some busy work. It was just fine; I don’t regret the time spent at all. A B+. I think it was streaming on Netflix.

Films featuring time travel generally demolish their own plot integrity, since other time travelers can overwrite anything that happens in the story. But that’s not an issue with Bill and Ted since the time travel is played for laughs.

Free on amazon prime. It’s not a documentary…they disclaim something at the beginning about fictionalizing certain things. Pretty interesting behind-the-scenes look, however. If you liked the series,I think you’ll want to see this. I don’t know how I missed it back in '99.

They made a few of these behind-the-TV-show docudramas about 20 years ago and some of them were quite good for TV movies. The one about TheMonkees was very good and even the one about Gilligan’s Island from Dawn Wells’ POV was interesting.

I saw the former but not the latter. I’ll have to check it out, thanks! In keeping with the theme, I also saw My Dinner with Jimi.

My Dinner with Jimi is a 2003 comedy film written by Howard Kaylan, dealing with events in 1966-67 which led up to the night in 1967 when the Turtles encountered the Beatles and Kaylan had dinner with Jimi Hendrix in London, England. The film also depicts other 1960s rock icons like Brian Jones, Frank Zappa, Donovan, Cass Elliott and Jim Morrison. The film was given an extremely limited theatrical release in Toronto in late September 2007.

That’s the one where John Lennon is so abusive that he makes the guitarist from a chart topping band quit music forever.

Yep.

I just re-watched Dead Zone this morning. Maybe the 3rd time I’ve watched it? Could be the 4th.

It mostly holds up, but somehow seems slightly low budget. It’s certainly politically relevant these days.

I’d forgotten Cronenberg directed it. It explains why “Hetty” from the Avonlea series played Walken’s mother.

And whatever happened to Anthony Zerbe. For a while in the 80s he seemed to be everywhere. Then, nothing.

Return of the Chinese Boxer. Were there any other Japanese vs. Chinese kungfu flicks? This one had lots of weird weapons, zombies, gunfights, and terrible dubbing. If that’s your deal, check it out. I should look up the first one, I guess.

Just finished Operation Mincemeat. Nicely done stiff upper lip and all that. There was a phrase towards the end the caught me up. “They swallowed it rod, reel, and sinker.” I’ve always heard it as hook, line, and sinker. Is that a Britishism?

Ip Man (2008).

I’ve never heard of it. I guess it could have been known around WW2, but it’s not typical.

Interesting! I somehow missed that aspect though I gained the impression the series treated him as a national hero (I’ve never seen any of them.) The film I watched had the subtitles referring to their enemies as the “Japs” by the Chinese characters which was somewhat jarring.

It’s practically a subtrope of its own within martial arts films. Fist of Fury is perhaps the classic,and spawned a whole slew of sequels and remakes.

I was just going to say that. I watched the Ip Man series after learning about Donnie Yan, having seen him in Rogue One.

Which I watched yesterday, followed by Episode IV. Actually I started watching Episode IV up to the part where, at Obi-Wan’s house, they see Princess Leia’s full recording. Then I had the urge to pause and watch Rogue One first. Then continue Episode IV. Very satisfying this way.

The Duke with Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. “Based on a true story.” Right …

Set in 1961, a portrait of the Duke of Wellington is stolen from the National Gallery. Down-and-out Broadbent’s put up for it. But there’s a lot more to the story.

Give it 3 Goyas. Mostly okay but nothing special about it. Mirren really buries herself in the part. Can’t believe that is Dame Helen.

Just adding a thumbs up to Top Gun. Wife and i saw on iMax past weekend. A bit slow at the start/kind of a recap. Strong buildup all the way to the end. We savaged a huge pipcorn box down to the kernals. Not talking Oscars, just solid entertainment.
Grand and greatgrandkids saw Jurassic whatever at the same time. For them, it was four stars - dinosaurs and people being eaten. Forget the critics, plot, science. PEOPLE BEING EATEN!! Take the kids and don’t roll your eyes out of your head.

Too windy to work outside, so I had Trog on in the background on TCM as I avoiding doing anything productive at all. A couple observations…

Doesn’t the ‘C’ in TCM stand for Classic? Trog is no Classic.
Joan Crawford? Really??? Goddamn, she must have been flat broke and hard up. Not her best moment.
I have a deeper appreceation for the lame “Gorilla Mask” gag on Bob’s Burgers. The make-up in this movie was… not. Somebody just threw a guy a hairy mask and fuzzy slippers and said, “That’ll do!”

Stunningly inept. A real steamer.

From IMDB: “The ratty ape suit is a leftover monkey outfit from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).”