Here are some two sentence reviews of the movies I watched in November.
Stats
- Movies watched – 8
- Movies that were new to me – 6
- Movies about genocide – 4
- Monthly Masterpieces – none
November 28
- This is the End (2013) – Some of the novelty of the extended conversations about jizzing everywhere had worn off by the time I got to a second viewing. Still, there is enough inspired comedy to make this episodic vanity project worth watching a second time–but probably not a third.
November 24
- White Zombie (1932) – Excellent and atmospheric early zombie (zombii) film. Lugosi is fun, but the real star is the great camerawork that is backed up by a myriad of brilliant stylistic flourishes throughout the film.
November 21
- The World’s End (2013) – This is a real chore to get through: unfunny, and with way too many extended robot fights. There is heart to be found, and it is for the most part well acted and well made, there just isn’t anything in the far-fetched story to hold my interest.
November 17
- Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics – 10 Years Of Revolutionary Rock and Roll (2006) – I didn’t know anything about the Plasmatics before this documentary, and after it I knew only a little bit about them. The fandom of the filmmakers is too obvious, but at least there is a lot of great concert and behind the scenes footage to keep things interesting.
November 11
- Caddyshack (1980) – There really is something to be said for a bunch of gifted improvisers getting together and smashing out a movie of pure silliness. Of course, Ted Knight apparently hated improvisation and he is the best thing in this movie, so what do I know?
November 10
- Thor: Dark World (2013) – It is the usual mish-mash of gods in silly costumes doing very important things with only Loki to keep things entertaining. Unlike Hitchcock, these Marvel movies don’t seem to understand that MacGuffins like “Aether” aren’t actually interesting enough to be the focus of a film.
November 3
- Ender’s Game (2013) – This is pretty decent, my only real complaint is that they cut short most of the training room stuff, which is, as everyone knows, the best part of the book. And, unfortunately, like most megaplex fodder, I’d completely forgotten about this film within a week of seeing it.
- Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) – Pretty good if you are in the mood for a second rate Borat/Bruno clone. Not to sell it too short, Knoxville and the kid does a great job and there are plenty of inspired sequences, just overall it doesn’t quite gel the way Borat/Bruno do.
Leave A Reply