Following Adams 2K Replay piece on Fever Pitch (2005), I watched a bunch of Drew Barrymore Rom-Coms of the time, starting with that one. It was as good as I remember, with lots of baseball, but Jimmy Fallon is a problem, I never cared for the guy.
Then I went with Never Been Kissed (1999), which is not as good. I can deal with the funky plot, but Drew acting like a stupid teenager just doesn't work. And there's a bit of baseball, so the theme continues. Also, I realised that Hollywood failed Leelee Sobieski and I miss her in movies. And we get small roles from James Franco and Jessica Alba, before they became famous.
50 First Dates (2004): The montage of women talking about Adam Sandler as a womanizer-serial-lover at the beginning is weird, but when Drew gets in, they mostly forget that part and it gets good. We even get a breakup scene under heavy rain, what else do you need? I really like the ending, it's super sweet. Maybe Sandler should've played the dude in Fever Pitch.
Then, to change things a little, and following Patrick and Heather podcast on Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and realising it contained a commentary track from Patrick (how does it feel to have your name right next to Tobe?), I quickly bought the "Glorious 4k" (- P. Bromley, from the commentary) disc from Vinegar Syndrome. First time watch, really enjoyed it. It's not my favorite, I'm not really a horror guy, so not really a Toby guy, but I like gore and fun, and there's plenty of that in there. Patrick's commentary is very good too. You really deserve your title of Film Historian here.
Speaking of TCM2, when I was buying the blu-ray on Vinegar Syndrome, I had to add about 50$ to my cart to get free shipping (and save 10$), so I Brimstone & Treacle (1982), featuring Sting. It's very good and has kind of a surprising ending. The 4k is great looking too.
My son and I went to see Black Bag. I loved it, but caveat, it was a little confusing. We were both trying to figure it how the ending pieced together in the car ride on the way home. I honestly was having trouble understanding what some people were saying. Which isn’t a criticism of the movie, but I just have a hard time parsing accents sometimes.
We watched Logan Lucky a few nights after (I had seen it before) and of course it’s a great movie. We put it on way too late, as he had school the next day and I had work, but we opted for some late night movie time.
I was able to get "The Making of The Wizard of Oz" through a inter-library loan. Thanks for the recommendation, Patrick and JB. I'm only half way through but it's fantastic.
STAR TREK GENERATIONS (1994) Kirk and Picard both turn their backs on fantasy and instead choose to face reality. Yes, Kirk’s exit from the franchise is disappointing, but would there be any way to do this that would be satisfying? (Also, it’s not final, because he came back in a whole bunch of ST novels.) I don’t know. This movie is what it is.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986) He’s got your number now…
THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE (2025) Super fun movie! I’m not sure how I feel about Daffy and Porky having an origin story. But there are TONS of references to classic Warner Bros. cartoons and classic sci-fi/horror, and that makes up for it.
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001) Still holds up! But is it a… Royal with cheese?
DAISIES (1966) Gave this wonderful oddity another rewatch. I’m tempted to sign up for Criterion just to check out their huge Czech new wave collection, but I fear they might not be as good as this.
LILO AND STITCH (2002) Never forget that Ving Rhames plays a character named “Cobra Bubbles.”
And happy birthday, Patrick! Hope your cake is a little more Marie Antoinette and a little less Matilda.
I've never been a Looney Tunes guy (but like everyone from Gen X, have seen a ton of it). But I've only heard good things about this. Might check it out.
HOLLAND (2025) What a weird movie. It had good elements and cast but was ALL over the place. I wanted to like it because I very rarely click on a new streaming thriller. I usually get overwhelmed, think they all look the same and then don't watch anything. But Matthew Macfadyen + mystery = an automatic watch for me. But it was not good IMO.
CASSANDRA'S CROSSING (1976) I like these disaster movies from the 1970s. Great cast here. I'd say the stand outs were Martin Sheen and OJ. Plus it was on a train.
Following Adams 2K Replay piece on Fever Pitch (2005), I watched a bunch of Drew Barrymore Rom-Coms of the time, starting with that one. It was as good as I remember, with lots of baseball, but Jimmy Fallon is a problem, I never cared for the guy.
ReplyDeleteThen I went with Never Been Kissed (1999), which is not as good. I can deal with the funky plot, but Drew acting like a stupid teenager just doesn't work. And there's a bit of baseball, so the theme continues. Also, I realised that Hollywood failed Leelee Sobieski and I miss her in movies. And we get small roles from James Franco and Jessica Alba, before they became famous.
50 First Dates (2004): The montage of women talking about Adam Sandler as a womanizer-serial-lover at the beginning is weird, but when Drew gets in, they mostly forget that part and it gets good. We even get a breakup scene under heavy rain, what else do you need? I really like the ending, it's super sweet. Maybe Sandler should've played the dude in Fever Pitch.
Then, to change things a little, and following Patrick and Heather podcast on Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and realising it contained a commentary track from Patrick (how does it feel to have your name right next to Tobe?), I quickly bought the "Glorious 4k" (- P. Bromley, from the commentary) disc from Vinegar Syndrome. First time watch, really enjoyed it. It's not my favorite, I'm not really a horror guy, so not really a Toby guy, but I like gore and fun, and there's plenty of that in there. Patrick's commentary is very good too. You really deserve your title of Film Historian here.
Speaking of TCM2, when I was buying the blu-ray on Vinegar Syndrome, I had to add about 50$ to my cart to get free shipping (and save 10$), so I Brimstone & Treacle (1982), featuring Sting. It's very good and has kind of a surprising ending. The 4k is great looking too.
DeleteThanks for the kind words on the commentary. It was very fun and very nerve-wracking to do.
DeleteDon't worry, you were awesome!
DeleteDid you participate in other commentary tracks? I feel i have on another disc, but i can't remember which one
I remembered, it's The Thing from Arrow
DeleteMy son and I went to see Black Bag. I loved it, but caveat, it was a little confusing. We were both trying to figure it how the ending pieced together in the car ride on the way home. I honestly was having trouble understanding what some people were saying. Which isn’t a criticism of the movie, but I just have a hard time parsing accents sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWe watched Logan Lucky a few nights after (I had seen it before) and of course it’s a great movie. We put it on way too late, as he had school the next day and I had work, but we opted for some late night movie time.
I really like Logan Lucky, and now i prefer it to any of the Ocean's movies
DeleteI was able to get "The Making of The Wizard of Oz" through a inter-library loan. Thanks for the recommendation, Patrick and JB. I'm only half way through but it's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteYes, that book's the best. Praise Aljean.
Delete*cough*happybirthdaypatrick*cough*
ReplyDeleteOh shit, it is?
DeleteHappy Birthday Patrick
Happy Birthday, Patrick! You are wonderful! Hope you're having a great day!
DeleteHappy Birthday, Mr. B!
DeleteThank you all!!
DeleteHappy birthday to you! Hope you had a chance to enjoy it.
DeleteA little late, but hope you had a great birthday!
DeleteSTAR TREK GENERATIONS (1994)
ReplyDeleteKirk and Picard both turn their backs on fantasy and instead choose to face reality. Yes, Kirk’s exit from the franchise is disappointing, but would there be any way to do this that would be satisfying? (Also, it’s not final, because he came back in a whole bunch of ST novels.) I don’t know. This movie is what it is.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986)
He’s got your number now…
THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE (2025)
Super fun movie! I’m not sure how I feel about Daffy and Porky having an origin story. But there are TONS of references to classic Warner Bros. cartoons and classic sci-fi/horror, and that makes up for it.
THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001)
Still holds up! But is it a… Royal with cheese?
DAISIES (1966)
Gave this wonderful oddity another rewatch. I’m tempted to sign up for Criterion just to check out their huge Czech new wave collection, but I fear they might not be as good as this.
LILO AND STITCH (2002)
Never forget that Ving Rhames plays a character named “Cobra Bubbles.”
And happy birthday, Patrick! Hope your cake is a little more Marie Antoinette and a little less Matilda.
I've never been a Looney Tunes guy (but like everyone from Gen X, have seen a ton of it). But I've only heard good things about this. Might check it out.
DeleteHOLLAND (2025)
ReplyDeleteWhat a weird movie. It had good elements and cast but was ALL over the place. I wanted to like it because I very rarely click on a new streaming thriller. I usually get overwhelmed, think they all look the same and then don't watch anything. But Matthew Macfadyen + mystery = an automatic watch for me. But it was not good IMO.
CASSANDRA'S CROSSING (1976)
I like these disaster movies from the 1970s. Great cast here. I'd say the stand outs were Martin Sheen and OJ. Plus it was on a train.