Film
Monthly Movie Reviews – August, 2013
Here are some two sentence reviews of the movies I watched in August. Stats Movies watched – 13 Movies that were new to me – 11 Julia Stiles movies – 2 Monthly Masterpieces – 0 August 30 Farmageddon (2011) – I’m sure there is a good message here, and the film probably isn’t as dishonest and one-sided as it…
Read MoreMy Favorite Movies 44: It’s a Gift (Norman McLeod, 1934)
It’s a Gift is one hell of a depressing comedy. It’s like just being on the edge of going to sleep with a mosquito buzzing in your ear, and no matter how many times you try to swat it, you only end up smacking yourself in the head. And instead of this routine only lasting…
Read MoreMonthly Movie Reviews – July, 2013
Here are some two sentence reviews of the movies I watched in July. Stats Movies watched – 15 Movies that were new to me – 10 Westerns – 2 Monthly Masterpieces – Rio Bravo, Duck Soup, Gaslight July 26 Rio Bravo (1959) – Howard Hawks and company prove that you don’t need anything more than waist level camera set-ups and a song…
Read MoreMy Favorite Movies 43: Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933)
For someone who has always been a silent comedy fan, it took me a while to give the humor of the Marx brothers a chance. Sure, the visual gags were still there, especially with Harpo running around like a feral, rapey Carrot Top, but otherwise, the Marx brothers practiced a decidedly scripted and verbal form…
Read MoreMonthly Movie Reviews – June, 2013
Here are some two sentence reviews of the movies I watched in June. Stats Movies watched – 10 Movies that were new to me – 8 Shite foreign films – 2 Monthly Masterpieces – This is Spinal Tap June 27 Man of Steel (2013) – This doesn’t really seem all that gritty (aside from Superman’s new-found penchant for…
Read MoreMy Favorite Movies 42: This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)
This is Spinal Tap is not the first “mockumentary,” but it is probably the most famous one. And, in a time when the genre can be seen all over film (Borat, Bruno, and the slew of mockumentaries made by the Spinal Tap team) and TV (The Office, Parks and Rec, and Modern Family), I’m pleased…
Read MoreMonthly Movie Reviews – May, 2013
Here are some two sentence reviews of the movies I watched in May. Stats Movies watched – 15 Movies that were new to me – 9 Star Trek movies – 3 Monthly Masterpieces – The Adventures of Robin Hood, Out of the Past, Dazed and Confused, Gilda May 30 No Reservations (2007) – Yet another story of a “total B” that just…
Read MoreMy Favorite Movies 41 – Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947)
For the uninitiated, film noir can be a disappointing thing. The colorful dialog often veers dangerously close to camp Calvin and Hobbes “Tracer Bullet” self-parody, while the B-movie visuals sometimes aren’t quite as stylish as modern audiences whose only exposure to the style is from Sin City comic books. Of course, there are films noir…
Read MoreMonthly Movie Reviews – April, 2013
Here are some two sentence reviews of the movies I watched in April. Stats Movies watched – 14 Movies that were new to me – 13 John Carpenter movies – 2 Monthly Masterpieces – none April 27 Slomo (2013) – Short film about a guy who tunes in and drops out to pursue his love of in-line skating…
Read MoreMy Favorite Movies 40 – Gummo (Harmony Korine, 1997)
Gummo is a movie people either hate or love. Or, more accurately, Gummo is a movie people either hate, or are apologists for–and today I guess I will be taking the apologist tack. After all, I understand the complaints, I won’t even argue that they are unfair. Hell, I even wavered back and forth about…
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