2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968, 4K UHD) 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT (1984, BLU-RAY) VALET GIRLS (1986, 35MM PRINT, NITEHAWK CINEMA) ODDITY (2024, THEATER) TRAP (2024, THEATER)
I've never taken Peter Hyam's "2010" seriously as a follow-up to Staley Kubrick's "2001." It's a decent space thriller and loving homage to Kubrick's vision, but the reverence to its predecessor and some very dated elements (once cutting-edge 80's SFX, the Cold War-heavy narrative, etc.) kept this one firmly anchored in the Hollywood fanfic realm. It's also tough for me to buy Roy Scheider (shorty shorts and living room dolphin pool notwithstanding) as the same Dr. Heywood Floyd that William Sylvester played in the original, they're just too different. For the first time ever I watched them back-to-back to see if the momentum train of Kubrick's film lifts or in any way elevates "2010." Nope. :-P "2001" is still mesmerizing and beautiful, an arthouse film at heart with the production values of a blockbuster (before those were made) and the skillful workmanship of the best people making movies in the late 1960's. While "2010" is a well-built, mid-size skyscraper reaching out toward the sky like the apes and astronauts in "2001," Kubrick's opus is safely tucked up high on the stars above it. Nice try, though.
Attended a screening of a pristine, rarely-seen 35mm print of Rafal Zielinski's direct-to-VHS Empire Pictures flick "Valet Girls" with the director (who'd never seen the finished product outside of the editing bay where he completed it nearly 40 years ago) in attendance. I happened to be sitting next to Zielisnki, and kept turning over and watching his face beaming with pride as "Valet Girls" kept a sold-out crowd at Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema howling with laughter and delight. An unapologetic 80's T&A party comedy (with romantic hijinks thankfully reduced to gags/punchlines), we follow wannabe pop singer Lucy (Meri D. Marshall in her only movie role ever) and bestie Rosalind (April Stewart) as they're hired to become valets at the regular parties thrown by Hollywood big shot Dirk Zebra (Christopher Weeks), whose only interest is for him and his guests to bed as many beautiful wannabe-starlets as possible. Already wacky hijinks ensue further when male valets (including Rosalind's ex) try to get the valet girls fired so they can have their old jobs back. It's the type of low-budget film (single location, bad acting across the board, nudity every 10 mins. or so) that I'm sure appeared on "USA Up All Night" in the late 80's/early 90's, but its presented with energy and some amusing 80's fashions/music at the peak of the decade's stylish excess. While the director confessed to being ashamed of it during a post-screening Q&A, Noah Zielinski (Rafal's son who had never seen it) put it best: "Valet Girls" is an unassuming 'B' movie and sincere in its attempt to entertain. I had a ball with this one. :-)
In a year brimming with excellent horror choices, Shudder steps in with "Oddity" as the dark horse surprise. A slow-burn supernatural thriller/revenge, it has at least three 'gotta change my undies' jump-scares (the good kind, not the fake ones most flicks rely on) and a creepy vibe that helps carry it through a surprisingly low body count and minimal-but-well-implemented violence. I'm avoiding any plot/character discussion because "Oddity" works best if you know as little as possible going in. When it finally streams Shudder please watch ASAP. You can thank me later. ;-)
Last and least, M. Night Shyamalan mostly strikes out with "Trap" for the same reason his "Knock On the Cabin" was a success: not enough violence. Yes, it's a PG-13 flick, but you can't show me a serial killer (Josh Hartnett, good but underused) trapped in a concert with hundreds of extras and rely solely on his smarts to keep me entertained. The third act swings for the fences and misses wildly, mostly because M. Night's daughter Saleka can't carry the dramatic weight of the role she's saddled with. It's not the worst, but we all know M. Night can do much better than this.
I just saw 2010 for the first time rather recently, and I loved it! Of course it's not 2001 but I wasn't asking for that or expecting it. But if you want a sci fi action movie, it succeeds in spades.
I've never seen any of the Godfather movies. A blind spot I should fill. Once I'm done with the Free Willy franchise, of course.
I didn't watch anything of note this week. But then I thought about the times I talked movies with people and a potential top 3 or top 5 when mentioning certain movies. Well, guess what, since I have nowhere else to put it (I don't use any movie tracking apps) here is my top 5, in no particular order...
First thing of note, other than all being from the 80s (which I never realized until now), is they all have a solid score or soundtrack. Just saying the titles will wake your earworm linked to that movie. They're also pretty fantastical in their own way, which is what I like in movies, when they go weird and don't apologize for it.
Dune (1984): Yes, better than the new one (which I'm not a fan of actually). People will list a bunch of reasons why it's bad, but all of these things are features not bugs to me. I think Lynch was the perfect choice for it and instead of putting the words of the book to screen, he adapted the book, which is why it's called an adaptation. The casting is full of A-list actors that basically turn the movie into a Shakespearian drama (Paul's call to his father in the desert will always get me). My friend recently found a fan-edit on YouTube, adding a bunch of deleted scenes (it's very good), making me wish for a proper director's cut, which will never happen because Lynch basically disowned it. I could go on and on about this one, but I'll stop here.
The Blues Brothers (1980): It's almost a miracle the movie even exist because of Belushi being drunk or high almost every day of shooting. Putting that aside, the movie is just a fun watch, the music, the car chases, Belushi and Akroyd being cool and the destruction everywhere they go.
The Neverending Story (1984): The movie rocked my childhood. My uncle showed it to me when I was young and I never forgot it. For a long time, I knew only the french dub, and back then these dubs were quality stuff. The Sphinxes scene is my favorite, but the whole world is just great. There never was a fantasy film quite like it since then and I don't expect to get one soon, especially with the studio system we have now.
Les maîtres du temps (The Timemasters or The Masters of Time, 1982): When I was young, on a local tv station (in french, in Quebec) during the holidays, they had a special program once a week which showed mostly animation for 'younger' audience. I put 'younger' in quote because they had a very wide definition of the word when it came to it. Go search this movie on Youtube (you should be able to find a complete dubbed version) and you'll see what I mean. This one scarred me for life. They did show more appropriate stuff (Asterix, Lucky Luke, Peanuts), and other movies that were not for kids (The King and the Mockingbird, and others that I forget). Either way, it was quality stuff, they were not afraid to challenge us back then. The program still exists, but the movies are not as good, mostly bad actually.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988): The only one with a very good score, but not a memorable one. If you don't know the original stories before watching this, you would have no idea where it will take you. Every new scene will show you something new and weird. Yes, there's some wonky behind the scene stuff, and Gilliam has become an old man who say stuff he should keep to himself, but the movie is just fun.
Honorable mention: Pink Floyd The Wall (1982): This is an honorable mention, as it's one I watch often, but that's a lot because the music, but I do love the whole movie. I'm not a super fan of Pink Floyd, but that particular album was always a favorite of mine, especially the live one and the video recording of it in Berlin. But let's not skip the animation sequences which are just great and dark and disturbing.
Please share yours if you have such a list, I'm curious
Four of my Top 5 haven't really changed since we did our Favorite Movies podcast over a decade ago: Back to the Future, Matinee, Phantom of the Paradise, Wizard of Oz. I can't commit to a fifth title because there are just too many movies fighting for that slot and I'm a coward. Love this idea for the weekend thread! Thanks!
I waited so long to watch Phantom of the Paradise despite Patrick championing it for a decade. And now I watch bits and pieces of it twice a week and keep getting the music in my head all the time. I love De Palma.
Making a top 5 is tricky. Tricky because I have a tie for 1st. Master and Commander and Das Boot. Crimson Tide and Dazed and Confused should be in the top 5. But so should Doctor Zhivago, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. Spring Breakers is top 5 as is Eastern Promises. The Insider, The Mission. All top 5. Extreme Prejudice definitely, and Jeremiah Johnson is probably my 3rd favourite. It's hard to decide!!! Trainspotting is top 5 as well.
Hello everyone! I haven't commented much since Junesploitation, and have been watching less movies (life has been busy), but I'll share what I have watched:
-I had started One Million Years B.C. (1966) during Junesploitation, but only watched the beginning. What a delight and glad to have seen it, even if a bit late.
-I felt like watching some road trip movies so I watched Gasoline Rainbow (2023). Didn't really connect with it and felt a bit like a chore. Zola (2020) was funnier than I excepted. American Honey (2016) I really enjoyed, if a bit too long. Also rewatched Vanishing Point (1971)
-Tangerine (2015) I really really enjoyed. The characters are so caustic but Sean Baker pulls the magic trick of making us deeply empathise with them by the end. Red Rocket was excellent too. Looking forward to his new movie coming out soon.
-Once Were Warriors (1994) was a portrayal of a Maori family living in modern day New Zealand. It’s dealing with domestic abuse (physical and sexual), and was pretty hard to watch at times tbh. Really good and well done though.
-Liquid Sky (1982) was pretty weird and off-putting at first but I got completely on it’s wavelength pretty quickly. What a wonderfully unique movie.
-Land of Bad (2024) has Russell Crowe and BOTH the lesser Hemsworth brothers. As usual, it’s Crowe that makes this worth watching.
-Re-watched The Dictator with my son, and it’s still really funny. I watched the 5 original Planet of the Apes and I love that series except for the 5th movie. Watched the OT Star Wars movies. Also watched Alien Resurrection, which I like more every time I see it. Also Promithius and Alien Covenant. July was mostly a “rewatch beloved franchises” month for me.
Yeah! Looking forward to the new Alien movie. We saw the trailer before Wolverine vs. Deadpool. My son later remarked that the trailer was full of spoilers unfortunately. I guess face huggers are expected among fans, but are a pretty big spoiler for someone new to the franchise. (I've tried to show Alien to the kids, but they've always been really resistant to anything they perceive as "horror")
I remember Tangerine being the "shot on iphone" movie, but less discussion about how good it was.
There was a scene near the beginning of Once Were Warriors which left me in tears. Like many things in life, it doesn't really have a happy conclusion.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951) I wish I had a Gort.
TRAP (2024) Naming the daughter Riley makes this a curious double feature with Inside Out.
COMMANDO (1985) Best thing about this movie? The subtlety.
TAROT (2024) This one’s interesting. It’s incredibly dumb, and both the scares and the jokes are tame. But I appreciate its willingness to go full-on supernatural with monsters and otherworldly freakiness. Sign me up for TAROT 2, then.
It was a week of drive-ins. Last night I was at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater for a screening of the 2007 GRINDHOUSE experience. I had not seen either of the features, so it was an ideal moment to catch them with the original "fake" trailers that have become actual movies since then. Planet Terror is a wild film, messy but a lot of fun. Death Proof has its moments, especially the conclusion. There is no mistaking this as coming from anyone but Quentin Tarantino. The stunt work in the finale is amazing. Though I liked the long stretches of dialogue, they do make the film feel disjointed. To finish the night, there was a screening of the 1983 thriller OLIVIA. With the films and the cooler weather, it could not have been a nicer drive-in evening.
Earlier in the week I went to Shankweiler's Drive-In Theater, near Allentown, Pennsylvania, for a double bill of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE and MAXXXINE. Maxxxine was the draw for me, and was the second feature, so I had to give Deadpool & Wolverine a shot. I was glad when it ended, honestly. Not being a comic book film fan and not having seen any of them all the way through, I was entering unfamiliar and usually unsatisfying cinematic territory. The experience did not give me any motivation to dive deeper into the superhero cycle. What frustrates me about D&W is the skill shown in making the film. The visuals are very impressive, but it would be nice if they served a story that interested me. As for Maxxxine, there are good aspects to it beyond the mess that the narrative becomes. The retro 1980s style is done well, and Mia Goth has a strong screen presence. Unfortunately, the mystery takes some heavy-handed turns that pulled me out of the film by the conclusion.
With my focus on catching some of the Olympics coverage, I only got to one watch at home.
THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945) - Who is the killer removing victim’s fingers? With a series of killings of young women terrifying London, a Scotland Yard detective turns to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to make progress in the investigation. A Universal B-movie at only a little over an hour, this 1940s Sherlock Holmes update starring Basil Rathbone is an easy and fun watch. It almost seems like a film noir, and the story has no connection to the original stories.
Is anyone else thinking about Scary Movie Month? I have started to look at my discs to figure out the titles that I would really like to get to this year. There is also a list of recent horror films that I know are likely to be available on streaming.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968, 4K UHD)
ReplyDelete2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT (1984, BLU-RAY)
VALET GIRLS (1986, 35MM PRINT, NITEHAWK CINEMA)
ODDITY (2024, THEATER)
TRAP (2024, THEATER)
I've never taken Peter Hyam's "2010" seriously as a follow-up to Staley Kubrick's "2001." It's a decent space thriller and loving homage to Kubrick's vision, but the reverence to its predecessor and some very dated elements (once cutting-edge 80's SFX, the Cold War-heavy narrative, etc.) kept this one firmly anchored in the Hollywood fanfic realm. It's also tough for me to buy Roy Scheider (shorty shorts and living room dolphin pool notwithstanding) as the same Dr. Heywood Floyd that William Sylvester played in the original, they're just too different. For the first time ever I watched them back-to-back to see if the momentum train of Kubrick's film lifts or in any way elevates "2010." Nope. :-P "2001" is still mesmerizing and beautiful, an arthouse film at heart with the production values of a blockbuster (before those were made) and the skillful workmanship of the best people making movies in the late 1960's. While "2010" is a well-built, mid-size skyscraper reaching out toward the sky like the apes and astronauts in "2001," Kubrick's opus is safely tucked up high on the stars above it. Nice try, though.
Attended a screening of a pristine, rarely-seen 35mm print of Rafal Zielinski's direct-to-VHS Empire Pictures flick "Valet Girls" with the director (who'd never seen the finished product outside of the editing bay where he completed it nearly 40 years ago) in attendance. I happened to be sitting next to Zielisnki, and kept turning over and watching his face beaming with pride as "Valet Girls" kept a sold-out crowd at Brooklyn's Nitehawk Cinema howling with laughter and delight. An unapologetic 80's T&A party comedy (with romantic hijinks thankfully reduced to gags/punchlines), we follow wannabe pop singer Lucy (Meri D. Marshall in her only movie role ever) and bestie Rosalind (April Stewart) as they're hired to become valets at the regular parties thrown by Hollywood big shot Dirk Zebra (Christopher Weeks), whose only interest is for him and his guests to bed as many beautiful wannabe-starlets as possible. Already wacky hijinks ensue further when male valets (including Rosalind's ex) try to get the valet girls fired so they can have their old jobs back. It's the type of low-budget film (single location, bad acting across the board, nudity every 10 mins. or so) that I'm sure appeared on "USA Up All Night" in the late 80's/early 90's, but its presented with energy and some amusing 80's fashions/music at the peak of the decade's stylish excess. While the director confessed to being ashamed of it during a post-screening Q&A, Noah Zielinski (Rafal's son who had never seen it) put it best: "Valet Girls" is an unassuming 'B' movie and sincere in its attempt to entertain. I had a ball with this one. :-)
In a year brimming with excellent horror choices, Shudder steps in with "Oddity" as the dark horse surprise. A slow-burn supernatural thriller/revenge, it has at least three 'gotta change my undies' jump-scares (the good kind, not the fake ones most flicks rely on) and a creepy vibe that helps carry it through a surprisingly low body count and minimal-but-well-implemented violence. I'm avoiding any plot/character discussion because "Oddity" works best if you know as little as possible going in. When it finally streams Shudder please watch ASAP. You can thank me later. ;-)
Last and least, M. Night Shyamalan mostly strikes out with "Trap" for the same reason his "Knock On the Cabin" was a success: not enough violence. Yes, it's a PG-13 flick, but you can't show me a serial killer (Josh Hartnett, good but underused) trapped in a concert with hundreds of extras and rely solely on his smarts to keep me entertained. The third act swings for the fences and misses wildly, mostly because M. Night's daughter Saleka can't carry the dramatic weight of the role she's saddled with. It's not the worst, but we all know M. Night can do much better than this.
2010 is to 2001, like Godfather 3 is to Godfather 1-2. Decent movies, but can never be as good
DeleteI just saw 2010 for the first time rather recently, and I loved it! Of course it's not 2001 but I wasn't asking for that or expecting it. But if you want a sci fi action movie, it succeeds in spades.
DeleteI've never seen any of the Godfather movies. A blind spot I should fill. Once I'm done with the Free Willy franchise, of course.
I didn't watch anything of note this week. But then I thought about the times I talked movies with people and a potential top 3 or top 5 when mentioning certain movies. Well, guess what, since I have nowhere else to put it (I don't use any movie tracking apps) here is my top 5, in no particular order...
ReplyDeleteFirst thing of note, other than all being from the 80s (which I never realized until now), is they all have a solid score or soundtrack. Just saying the titles will wake your earworm linked to that movie. They're also pretty fantastical in their own way, which is what I like in movies, when they go weird and don't apologize for it.
Dune (1984): Yes, better than the new one (which I'm not a fan of actually). People will list a bunch of reasons why it's bad, but all of these things are features not bugs to me. I think Lynch was the perfect choice for it and instead of putting the words of the book to screen, he adapted the book, which is why it's called an adaptation. The casting is full of A-list actors that basically turn the movie into a Shakespearian drama (Paul's call to his father in the desert will always get me). My friend recently found a fan-edit on YouTube, adding a bunch of deleted scenes (it's very good), making me wish for a proper director's cut, which will never happen because Lynch basically disowned it. I could go on and on about this one, but I'll stop here.
The Blues Brothers (1980): It's almost a miracle the movie even exist because of Belushi being drunk or high almost every day of shooting. Putting that aside, the movie is just a fun watch, the music, the car chases, Belushi and Akroyd being cool and the destruction everywhere they go.
The Neverending Story (1984): The movie rocked my childhood. My uncle showed it to me when I was young and I never forgot it. For a long time, I knew only the french dub, and back then these dubs were quality stuff. The Sphinxes scene is my favorite, but the whole world is just great. There never was a fantasy film quite like it since then and I don't expect to get one soon, especially with the studio system we have now.
Les maîtres du temps (The Timemasters or The Masters of Time, 1982): When I was young, on a local tv station (in french, in Quebec) during the holidays, they had a special program once a week which showed mostly animation for 'younger' audience. I put 'younger' in quote because they had a very wide definition of the word when it came to it. Go search this movie on Youtube (you should be able to find a complete dubbed version) and you'll see what I mean. This one scarred me for life. They did show more appropriate stuff (Asterix, Lucky Luke, Peanuts), and other movies that were not for kids (The King and the Mockingbird, and others that I forget). Either way, it was quality stuff, they were not afraid to challenge us back then. The program still exists, but the movies are not as good, mostly bad actually.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988): The only one with a very good score, but not a memorable one. If you don't know the original stories before watching this, you would have no idea where it will take you. Every new scene will show you something new and weird. Yes, there's some wonky behind the scene stuff, and Gilliam has become an old man who say stuff he should keep to himself, but the movie is just fun.
Honorable mention:
Pink Floyd The Wall (1982): This is an honorable mention, as it's one I watch often, but that's a lot because the music, but I do love the whole movie. I'm not a super fan of Pink Floyd, but that particular album was always a favorite of mine, especially the live one and the video recording of it in Berlin. But let's not skip the animation sequences which are just great and dark and disturbing.
Please share yours if you have such a list, I'm curious
Four of my Top 5 haven't really changed since we did our Favorite Movies podcast over a decade ago: Back to the Future, Matinee, Phantom of the Paradise, Wizard of Oz. I can't commit to a fifth title because there are just too many movies fighting for that slot and I'm a coward. Love this idea for the weekend thread! Thanks!
DeleteDidn't expect to see Wizard of Oz there, but i can't say anything against the choice.
DeleteIt's hard to commit to these kind of lists, but i felt that at my age, it was time to do it.
For F This Movie fans in SoCal, Regency Theaters shows an oldie every week. This week it is Wizard of Oz. That is all.
DeleteI waited so long to watch Phantom of the Paradise despite Patrick championing it for a decade. And now I watch bits and pieces of it twice a week and keep getting the music in my head all the time. I love De Palma.
DeleteMaking a top 5 is tricky. Tricky because I have a tie for 1st. Master and Commander and Das Boot. Crimson Tide and Dazed and Confused should be in the top 5. But so should Doctor Zhivago, and The Bridge on the River Kwai. Spring Breakers is top 5 as is Eastern Promises. The Insider, The Mission. All top 5. Extreme Prejudice definitely, and Jeremiah Johnson is probably my 3rd favourite. It's hard to decide!!! Trainspotting is top 5 as well.
there's no rule here, you make your top 3-5-10 however you like. great movies in your list
Deletephenom question......here goes.....
Delete1) The Blues Brothers (greatest movie ever made)
2) Raiders of the Lost Ark
3) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
after that order becomes less important: Jaws, The Dark Knight, Princess Bride, Almost Famous, Wrath of Khan, Goodfellas, Point Break, and more!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone! I haven't commented much since Junesploitation, and have been watching less movies (life has been busy), but I'll share what I have watched:
ReplyDelete-I had started One Million Years B.C. (1966) during Junesploitation, but only watched the beginning. What a delight and glad to have seen it, even if a bit late.
-I felt like watching some road trip movies so I watched Gasoline Rainbow (2023). Didn't really connect with it and felt a bit like a chore. Zola (2020) was funnier than I excepted. American Honey (2016) I really enjoyed, if a bit too long. Also rewatched Vanishing Point (1971)
-Tangerine (2015) I really really enjoyed. The characters are so caustic but Sean Baker pulls the magic trick of making us deeply empathise with them by the end. Red Rocket was excellent too. Looking forward to his new movie coming out soon.
-Once Were Warriors (1994) was a portrayal of a Maori family living in modern day New Zealand. It’s dealing with domestic abuse (physical and sexual), and was pretty hard to watch at times tbh. Really good and well done though.
-Liquid Sky (1982) was pretty weird and off-putting at first but I got completely on it’s wavelength pretty quickly. What a wonderfully unique movie.
-Land of Bad (2024) has Russell Crowe and BOTH the lesser Hemsworth brothers. As usual, it’s Crowe that makes this worth watching.
-Re-watched The Dictator with my son, and it’s still really funny. I watched the 5 original Planet of the Apes and I love that series except for the 5th movie. Watched the OT Star Wars movies. Also watched Alien Resurrection, which I like more every time I see it. Also Promithius and Alien Covenant. July was mostly a “rewatch beloved franchises” month for me.
Alien, just in time for Romulus coming out next week
DeleteI saw Tangerine at a festival in Montreal, it was awesome. Loved it and bought the blu-ray as soon as i could
Once Were Warriors is a masterpiece. Not an easy one to watch though
Yeah! Looking forward to the new Alien movie. We saw the trailer before Wolverine vs. Deadpool. My son later remarked that the trailer was full of spoilers unfortunately. I guess face huggers are expected among fans, but are a pretty big spoiler for someone new to the franchise. (I've tried to show Alien to the kids, but they've always been really resistant to anything they perceive as "horror")
DeleteI remember Tangerine being the "shot on iphone" movie, but less discussion about how good it was.
There was a scene near the beginning of Once Were Warriors which left me in tears. Like many things in life, it doesn't really have a happy conclusion.
THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a Gort.
TRAP (2024)
Naming the daughter Riley makes this a curious double feature with Inside Out.
COMMANDO (1985)
Best thing about this movie? The subtlety.
TAROT (2024)
This one’s interesting. It’s incredibly dumb, and both the scares and the jokes are tame. But I appreciate its willingness to go full-on supernatural with monsters and otherworldly freakiness. Sign me up for TAROT 2, then.
Commando, story written by the guy who wrote one of the best Batman comic ever... The Long Halloween
DeleteOMG...Loeb wrote Commando!?! mind blown. (and the Long Halloween is amazing for sure)
DeleteBetter late than never...
ReplyDeleteIt was a week of drive-ins. Last night I was at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater for a screening of the 2007 GRINDHOUSE experience. I had not seen either of the features, so it was an ideal moment to catch them with the original "fake" trailers that have become actual movies since then. Planet Terror is a wild film, messy but a lot of fun. Death Proof has its moments, especially the conclusion. There is no mistaking this as coming from anyone but Quentin Tarantino. The stunt work in the finale is amazing. Though I liked the long stretches of dialogue, they do make the film feel disjointed. To finish the night, there was a screening of the 1983 thriller OLIVIA. With the films and the cooler weather, it could not have been a nicer drive-in evening.
Earlier in the week I went to Shankweiler's Drive-In Theater, near Allentown, Pennsylvania, for a double bill of DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE and MAXXXINE. Maxxxine was the draw for me, and was the second feature, so I had to give Deadpool & Wolverine a shot. I was glad when it ended, honestly. Not being a comic book film fan and not having seen any of them all the way through, I was entering unfamiliar and usually unsatisfying cinematic territory. The experience did not give me any motivation to dive deeper into the superhero cycle. What frustrates me about D&W is the skill shown in making the film. The visuals are very impressive, but it would be nice if they served a story that interested me. As for Maxxxine, there are good aspects to it beyond the mess that the narrative becomes. The retro 1980s style is done well, and Mia Goth has a strong screen presence. Unfortunately, the mystery takes some heavy-handed turns that pulled me out of the film by the conclusion.
With my focus on catching some of the Olympics coverage, I only got to one watch at home.
THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945) - Who is the killer removing victim’s fingers? With a series of killings of young women terrifying London, a Scotland Yard detective turns to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to make progress in the investigation. A Universal B-movie at only a little over an hour, this 1940s Sherlock Holmes update starring Basil Rathbone is an easy and fun watch. It almost seems like a film noir, and the story has no connection to the original stories.
Is anyone else thinking about Scary Movie Month? I have started to look at my discs to figure out the titles that I would really like to get to this year. There is also a list of recent horror films that I know are likely to be available on streaming.
ReplyDelete