Yeah. Florida in particular has a huge chunk of its housing reserved for people who don’t want to live near kids. Was she really that in love with that tiny rented unit? She sure as Hell wasn’t in love with the neighborhood. Just move!
I just want to say thanks for the recommendation re: The Perfect Neighbor. It was very skillfully done and quite powerful. And that woman was a total psycho. Some good police and detective work there.
Every year since 2010 we’ve tried to see all of the Best Picture nominees in the theater (though we’ve missed a few); otherwise, I wouldn’t have been interested in this film at all. As it turns out, this was one of my favorite films we’ve seen across all those years…and also, Ben Foster was fucking great in this.
Triangle (2009)
Sorry to report I got a bum tip from several of the posters in the “Horror Movies That Actually Scare You” thread. A middling mystery is set up in the first twenty minutes or so before being subverted by a tired, old Twilight Zone trope. Very predictable and really not scary all. YMMV.
Neat movie, not scary. I’d call it a solid episode of Twilight Zone if they made it today for a new iteration of Twilight Zone.
But, no, not scary.
Watch the segment “Kidprint” from the new V/H/S Halloween that was released. Shorter, about 15-20 minutes. Much scarier.
Last night I watched the most recent of the saga Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes which came out a year ago but I kept forgetting to get around to. It was really good! Even though they were resetting with a new trilogy, it’s solidly in continuity and moves more into adventure territory. The plot reminded me of Conan The Barbarian.
The VFX are as spectacular as the first, with a particular focus on the overgrown cities, that and certain sequences reminded me a lot of the OG 1968 movie. I look forward to the next one, which is no doubt on its way.
Started A House of Dynamite on NFLX. Very intense.
The Perfect Neighbor
Recommended, but trauma warning!
Documentary. No talking heads, no retrospective discussion. Just camera footage from various police cameras as they deal over and over again with a woman who calls them to complain about the local kids being loud and being on her property.
It gets much worse. Due to trauma, I will spoiler post a mild, early spoiler so you know:
The complainer shoots and kills a mother. The movie shows the moment her children are told their mother is dead. I wish they edited out this devastating moment in young kids lives, but it is there.
Very well done. Exceptional acting & directing. A must-see.
Fool’s Paradise (2023) - Charlie Day’s (of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) directorial debut. It got a 4.7 rating at iMdb, and I guess I can see why. It is a little disjointed even past the quirky nature of the film in the first place. It’s basically Being There goes to Hollywood, with a nod to Wes Anderson and a lot more farce. Charlie plays an institutionalized man with a mental age of around five (or, like a dog, it’s explained). He’s functionally mute and just goes along with whatever anyone tells him. So there’s a lot of Little Tramp in there too. The doctors don’t know how to treat him so they, “put him on a bus an ship his ass downtown.”
Fortunately, he’s a dead ringer for an asshole actor who is ruining a movie, so the producer (Ray Liotta) plucks him off of skid row and plops him in front of a camera. You see where it’s going. There’s a whole arc of meteoric rise, including marrying Kate Beckinsale, and humiliating crash with predictable heart-warming resolution.
I liked it. Ken Jeong, who usually annoys me, plays a desperate publicist and pretty much kills it. It seems his character was given a little more attention than in the original script, hence the confusing and sometimes plodding result. John Malkovich has a hilarious turn in an Arthur Jensen/General Jack D. Ripper type cameo.
I liked it. There are some pretty drop dead hilarious scenes in it. And Charlie Day can really pull it off without uttering a word throughout the majority of the movie.
I found it on the Roku Channel.
A really well done thriller that is probably the most realistic of all the films made about nuclear warfare. This is right in Kathryn Bigelow’ wheelhouse.
My partner and I watched this last night. We were both in tears at the obvious point.
Very well put together account of a shocking true story. It could be argued it needs some analysis of precisely why events transpired like that, but perhaps that is for another time.
I wish she had found joy in kids playing outside. She assumed the worst of kids. If she had brought them candy and been friendly, they would have loved her.
Yeah, that is a masterclass in acting without a voice. I think he wrote a challenging movie and people didn’t appreciate it much. But I liked it.
Scarface (1983)
Highly recommended.
No, I’d never seen it. My knoweldge of it consisted of:
- “Say hello to my little friend.”
- Gangster movie, but apparently not Al Capone
It was terrific and I see how it gained popularity over the years. I understand it was mixed reviews upon release, which I can also kind of understand. This is movie that definitely is pretty intense in parts, more violent and intense than much of the Godfather.
I do love that Al Pacino played Michael Corleone, who turned into a big gangster of sorts. Now he played Tony Montana, a much worse person at thestart, kind of a loser, but ended up a big gangster of sorts. Huh. Who is more evil Michael or Tony? Tony has a more obscene and vulgar presence, but Michael ends up being about as bad as they come. Both have girls who leave them, rightfully so.
Anyway, great movie. Many great moments and scenes. I liked pretty much the whole thing.
It’s almost 3 hours, but flew by.
Great film!
Put this on your viewing list:
…dwarves.
How does one peruse a vampire?
Saw this for the first time over the weekend. Excellent movie! With the exception of there being too many lingering shots of feet, and his trademark violence limited to the last few minutes, this movie shows off just how damn good Tarantino is.
The actor struggling to remain relevant. The assistant/stuntman/confidant with a checkered past. The tension with the Manson family. The wonder and positivity around Sharon Tate. So well done.
I’m thrilled you mentioned the film so I could remember to try it.
Sleuth, from 1972, starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. A rich man arranges to meet with his wife’s lover, with a proposal that could benefit them both.
Watching this movie was a real good time! Looking back on it, I have to say the plot was ridiculous, but who cares? The acting and the setting were sublime, and it was funny as well.
You might enjoy Deathtrap, also with Caine, but this time playing opposite Christopher Reeve.