Anna and the Apocalypse (2018)

 'Anna and the Apocalypse' is 'High School Musical' meets 'Shaun of the Dead' in Scotland at Christmas time. This feels like something that should have come out about 10 years before it did, It's actually an expansion on a short film. The plot is nothing exceptional so it's the music that really sells the thing, along with a likable young cast. You should already know if this movie is for you, and if it sounds like it is I say see it. **1/2

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

 It has been some time since I enjoyed a high school set movie as much as I enjoyed 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'. Stephen Chbosky adapted his own novel for the screen and directed it, ensuring that we get what he wanted to put across. The 1999 novel set in the suburbs of Pittsburg during the early 90's, deals with tough subject matter and was banned from some schools. There is a nice mix of lighthearted and poignant here leading to a meaningful whole, the movie does some tricky things incredibly well, and there's a likable group of character. 

Logan Lerman stars as Charly, going into his freshmen year of high school friendless after the suicide of his best friend that May. He winds accepted by an eccentric group of seniors (including Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, and Mae Whitman), and the movie progresses through the ups and downs of friendships and the high school year, ultimately ending in a manner that I found very satisfying. The movie evokes a subtle acke even as it serves as wish fulfillment fantasy, you wish these people were your high school friends. I was surprised by this film and super impressed, I would  recommend it highly to those who might be compatible with its spirt, which isn't everyone. I'd like to read the book this was so good, and there are one or two dangling plot threads I'd like a fuller story on as well.  ***1/2

The Dissident (2020)

Documentarian Bryan Fogel caught lighting in a bottle with 'Icarus', he stumbled into a story about Russian dopping which got that government banded from the Olympics, arguably saved the life of his informant, and made his own career, truly earning his Oscar. 'The Dissident' can't replicate that happenstance, it doesn't try, but it is a well thought out, lucid handling of a matter of real world importance, the death of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khasoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The film takes that event, the who and why, and places it in context of the power dynamics within the Saudi government and larger resistance to their rule, as well as authoritarian rule in other middle eastern nations. Significant stuff. You also get a nice picture of Khasoggi, long a spokesman for the ruling machine who had finally had enough, and paid with his life. ***1/2

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

 2017's 'Wonder Woman' was surely the best received, most fully functional movie to come out of Warner Brother's lackluster DCEU. Retaining both that films capable star Gal Gadot, and director Patty Jenkins, and with it's 1980's setting promising some fun possibilities, all seem set for a big hit both creatively and at the box office. Covid-19 of course kept the film out of the theaters this summer, instead getting a strange bifurcated roll out on Christmas Day, a more modest theatrical release and streaming as the tent poll film for the newish HBO Max. I made a point of seeing the film on the big screen, and watched it with roughly 30 people in a 3pm showing on Monday. I'm glad I saw it theatrically because I was going to see it eventually and the film doesn't have much beyond it's visuals to recommend it. 

Now I was with the thing at first, I even enjoyed the appropriately goofy 1980's style fantasy plot, a wishing stone proves to be at the center of strange goings on. I like that the villain played by Pedro Pascal was motivated not by a desire for revenge, or to rule the world like all too many movie villains', but by simple greed and ego. I liked Kristen Wiig's awkward, shy, nerdy girl turned gorgeous knock out bit, a stock comedy arc and very 80's. I thought that it kind of worked ridiculously bringing Steve Trevor back for a role reversal on the fish out of water schtick from the first move. The action sequences at the mall and in the desert were fun as well. 

However about half way through this endearingly quirky superhero plot the whole movie goes completely off the rails. It gets ridiculous, try's to make the story too big, get's increasingly stupid and chaotic, character motivations stop making sense, it gets lazy, and preachy, and annoying. The coda at the end feels slapped on, and the mid credits teaser scene is offputtingly gimmicky and kind of desperate. So this movie is about 40% enjoyable cheese, and 60% mistake. DC proves again that it is no Marvel. One of the worst movies I've seen this year. *1/2

The Bishop's Wife (1947)

Remarkably for me I'd never seen this before. 'The Bishop's Wife' tells the story of an angel (Cary Grant) who sets out to help an episcopal-type Bishop (David Niven), however part of the way he goes about this is by seducing the man's wife (Loretta Young). I get that it's fanciful, and sets out to inspire and warm the heart, and it does that to an extent, but I couldn't quite get over the weirdness of God's messenger getting all the women in the picture hot an bothered. The inclusion of the Monty Woolley secondary story I found a pleasant surprise. I get why this movie is only a second tier Christmas classic, though don't get me wrong, it somehow mostly works. ***

Greyhound (2020)

Tom Hanks did double duty on 'Greyhound', a film he both stars in and wrote the screenplay for, adapting the 1955 novel 'The Good Shepard' by C. S. Forester, who is perhaps best known for 'The African Queen'. This movie is no 'African Queen' however, it is dull and gray, lacks for interesting characters, and is such a slow build that it hardly evoked an emotion in me until rather late in the picture. 

The story of a military troop and supply convey making the dangerous trans Atlantic crossing early in 1942, on a technical level the film is excellent. This movies feels quite real and even unusually accurate, and I get that it is going for a semi documentary approach, we see characters doing their jobs, but we don't learn much about them. The exception to that rule is Hanks's Commander Ernest Krause, who is a quite, religious man, self sacrificing, fair, the embodiment of what we take that generation who fought the War to be. He is admirable, but never very interesting as a protagonist.

I apricate that the film was setting out to tell a fairly simple story, it was not trying to be a kind of 'definitive work on the subject' or out spectacle all that came before it. So while a modest film in many ways I think it would have much more impact on a big screen. However 'Greyhound' was another victim of 2020, scheduled for theatrical release I think in the summer, instead its available on Appel TV, arguably their first big cinematic get. The movie left me a little cold and a fair bit bored, a disappointment to me, but not to most based on a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. From me however it gets just **

I Am Woman (2019)

 'I Am Woman' is an Australian produced bio-pic on the late singer Helen Reddy, whose 1972 hit 'I Am Woman' become the unofficial anthem of the feminist movement, and the ultimately unsuccessful battle for passage of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. What set's this movie off from the usual arc of infidelity, drug abuse, and finical mismanagement one associates with musical bio pics, is here that arc is enacted not by Reddy, but by her manager  and second husband Jeff Wald, played finely by Evan Petters. Reddy herself is played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey, an Australian actress who is reminiscent of Rooney Mara, and ironically has been dating Rooney Mara's 'Lion' co-star Dev Patel since 2017. Cobham-Hervey brings an appropriate combination of determination and pleasant pluckiness to the part. 

Spanning the years 1966-1989 this is a fairly straight forward telling of the singers rise to prominence, and subsequent fading into the back ground. There is also a nice sub plot here about Lillian Roxon (Danielle Macdonald), Helen's good friend and fellow Australian, who authored the first encyclopedia of rock and roll before dying from an asthma attack in 1973 at the age of 41.

A pleasant film, that wisely gives us near to complete renderings of many of Reddy's best remembered songs, dubbed by Chelsea Cullen, who sounds appropriately like her. An undemanding film that is not trying to break new ground, but is an appropriate tribute for fans of the late artist to enjoy. **1/2

Silent Partner (1978)

 About a week or so ago I was scrolling through my Facebook feed and noticed an article entitled something along the lines of 'This year don't watch 'Die Hard', watch 'Silent Partner'. Now while I did watch 'Die Hard' this year I also watched 'Silent Partner', a Canadian produced, crime thriller that opens during the Christmas season.

 A remake of the 1969 Danish film 'Think of a Number', and based on a novel by Dane Anders Bodelsen, 'Partner' stars Elliot Gould as the lead teller at a Toronto bank located inside a busy shopping mall. Gould's character Miles Cullen figures out that a charity bell ringing Santa (Christopher Plumber) is in fact casing the bank and planning a robbery. Not usually a risk taker (he is a single bank teller around 40 years old, who lives in an apartment and collects tropical fish), this opportunity somehow posses Cullen, he hides about $50,000 in his brief case before the robbery can happen, then when Plumber robs the bank he gets away with only chump change, while the bank and the cops think he's gotten away with ten's of thousands  of dollars (Canadian).

Harry Reikle, Plumber's character, figures out from the  cash discrepancy on the news what has happened, and he's not the kind of guy you want to piss off. Plumber is quite scary in this, he sets about trying to get the money and revenge on Miles, and the resulting movie is a smart, edge of your seat thriller in the best of the Hitchcock tradition.

Cullen's risk taking translates into a new found since of confidence and two potential romantic interests for himself, a fellow bank employee played by Susannah York, and the mysterious Elaine, played by the fetching young French-Canadian pop singer Celine Lomez. 

I was really impressed with this, I really enjoyed it, seldom does such an obvious Hitchcock homage work so well on it's own. A sleeper hit upon release, the film won Best Picture, and Best Director (Darly Duke) at the now defunct Canadian Film Academy Awards. Richly deserving of rediscovery, next year you might think about pairing it with 'Die Hard'. Also featuring a young John Candy in an early bit part. ***1/2

Seberg (2019)

'Seberg' is a bio-pic/(political) thriller about the actress Jean Seberg. Seberg had an interesting life, born in Marshalltown, Iowa in 1938, in her late teens she was the winner of director Otto Preminger's nation wide talent search for an actress to play Joan of Arc in his forth coming film 'Saint Joan'. So that was Jean's film debut, and all she had done before was school and community theater. Preminger was a notoriously difficult man, the filming was very hard on her, she was almost killed by fire in the 'burning at the stake' scene. The movie also tanked, Preminger doubled down that he was right to cast Seberg and built his next movie around her, 'Bonjour Tristesse' based on a young adult novel, that film did better. 

Seberg continued to act both in America and overseas, particularly France, where she became a huge star for her role in Jean-Luc Godard's 'Breathless'. Along her career she'd go through three husbands and multiple lovers, developed a drug problem and die at the age of 40 from a drug overdose. 'Seberg' the film focuses on Jean's at lest somewhat radical political activism, she was involved with the Black Panthers and had an affair with a cousin of Malcom X. The FBI developed an interest in her, wire tapped her ect thus feeding her paranoia. Seberg's last husband Dennis Berry directly blamed that FBI harassment for leading to her death. 

This film concentrates on the mental breaking down of Jean Seberg, here ably played by Kristin Stewart. However the film never really sucked me in, I never felt as invested as I should have been for the thing to truly work. It was a little too paint by numbers, obvious and on the nose. I could see what they were going for, especially with the one FBI agent who becomes troubled by the extent of the government harassment and really develops and sympathy for Jean; and you do feel sorry for her, however the film doesn't dig deep enough, it tries to telegraph what makes Jean work but something gets lost in the translation about how she ticks. I could never quite empathize with her. The film I think could have benefited by more of a sense of scale, and more of a sense of Jean as one of many victims of political harassments, to better see her as part of a larger whole would have helped this for me. A competent effort, but I can give it only **

Noelle (2019)

 'Noelle' is a Christmas movie made for Disney Plus last year, and stars Anna Kendrick as the daughter of a recently deceased Santa, and sister to the Santa designate. Though she spends some time in the film committed for mental evaluation Kendrick's 'Noelle' is not crazy, she really did grow up in the North Pole, and as a result of this has a hard time appropriately interacting with other humans when she travels to Arizona to retrieve her way word brother (a perfectly cast Bill Hader), who fled in nerviness regarding his up coming duties. Christmas of course is saved in the end, and the plots 'twist' is fairly evident early on. 

I didn't really care though, this was a fun and low key holiday fish out of water story. It's really a cross between a traditional, fantastical family Christmas adventure film, and one of those Hallmark Christmas romances (this one particularly chaste), between Noelle and the private detective she enlists to help her in her search (Kingsely Ben-Air), he is of course single and has a cute young boy. Michael Gross is in this as an elder elf (I didn't know it was him until the end credits), and in contrast to the superior 'Christmas Chronicles' movies the elfs here are of a more familiar rendering, humans with pointy ears, but not short. 

Other cast members who I should point out (aside from the cute CG baby deer 'Snowcone'), are Billy Eichner as a Santa cousin and the North Poles resident IT guy, Julie Hagerty as the widow Claus (who it feels like was in seemingly nothing for decades, but has kept popping up in stuff for the last few years), and Shirley MacLaine as Noelle's childhood elf nanny who accompanies her to Arizona. MacLaine is in her mid 80's and seems in great shape, both physical and mental. 

The is another nicely relaxed Christmas film that you can hardly accuse of really stretching its self on anything, and thus makes for a pleasant but perhaps forgettable watch. Though some more conservative viewers might find it too PC. **1/2

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' is the last film in the original 'Planet of the Apes' franchise. My first re-watch of the thing since the late 1990's, this works better as a finale to the series then I had remembered. I long thought that a 6th film would have been needed to really round out the tragic time paradox of the film, but this movie ends on a hopefully note, implying that the march to the apocalyptical final of the 2nd 'Apes' film may now have been avoided. This is certainly a more enjoyable film then it's kind of angry and too often tedious immediate predecessor 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'. 

I like how this movie returns to a more agarin setting, like the first two 'Apes' film, and homages the mutants from the 2nd film, and deals pretty consistently with events in the 3rd and 4th. The nuclear war referenced in the earlier films happens off camera, I suspect largely as a budgetary matter, and here a group of humans and apes lead by Caesar (Roddy McDowell) are attempting to make interspecies cooperation work and preserve the good parts of civilization. For those who nerd out a little about chronology like me, in this movie the nuclear war is said to have taken place 15 years after the events of the last film, which was set in 1991, so the action in this movie is set in at least 2006 or possibly a few years thereafter. 

Like the other movies there is plenty that just doesn't add up, but the characters and story narrative are strong enough, for me at least, to enable suspension of disbelief without too many problems. I particularly appreciated the casting of great old time actors like Lew Ayers and John Huston in Ape parts. **1/2

Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

 'Muppets Most Wanted' is the 2014 sequel to the 2010 franchise soft reboot 'The Muppets', or as the lyrics of one of the films multiple and catchy songs reminds us, actually the 7th sequel to the their original 1979 motion picture 'The Muppet Movie'. I thought this worked quite well, better then I expected it would. As the Muppets originated basically as sketch comedy plot has always been a problem with their movies, they tend to repeat themselves and to some extent they do that here. Latching the Muppets on to some pre existing public domain property like 'A Christmas Carol' or 'Treasure Island' has worked for them in the past, looking for literary antecedents to the story in this movie I would have to go with 'The Prince and the Pauper' mixed with 'The Count of Monte Cristo' and perhaps some Russian lit. 

Kermit ends up in a gulag when he is mistaken for Constantine, the most dangerous frog in the world, who arranged to switch places in an effort to use the Muppets world tour as cover while he and his assistant (a game Ricky Gervais) commit various robberies while in Europe. Ty Burrell and Tina Fey have the other major human roles, and as per Muppet tradition the film is full of celebrity cameos, sometimes playing them selves. 

A nicely relaxed film that's lose and doesn't try too hard, which is largely why it works. Again I was particularly impressed with the songs, and have returned to many of them since first watching this movie the other week. A fun, non demanding film that delivers on the good time one wants from the Muppets. *** 

The Christmas Chronicles Part 2 (2020)

With 'The Christmas Chronicles Part II' I again wasn't expecting much, and again I was surprised. The film works because it was so willing to go in a different direction in its story then the first film, though hitting enough of the familiar beats (including an even bigger musical number for Santa) to feel continuities with the original, and again offer a moral or two, though different from the first one. 

A renegade former elf (Julian Dennison, the kid from 'Deadpool II'), and there is of course a story as to why he is a 'former elf', zaps the girl from the first film and a new boy character played by Jahzir Bruno (Judah Lewis only really has a bit part in this one) to the North Pole, where they meet Mrs. Claus (Goldie Hawn, expanding on her cameo from the first movie) and must again save Christmas. You see in this movie (Mrs.) Santa's village is attacked and chaos ensues, making 'The Christmas Chronicles Part 2' technically a movie about a terrorist attack. 

There is further clever expansion on Santa myths throughout the thing, the pacing is playfully and goes in some directions that I might have found off putting if it wasn't done so winkiningly (spoiler, time travel). I had a good time with this, the first movie was really great for a first movie and this one is really great for a sequel, it's surprisingly hard to compare them they are different enough beats, but they really do compliment each other and work together as a nice whole. So I'm give this part 2 another *** rating. 

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

I really wasn't expecting much from this Netflix holiday offering of a couple years back, though I did think the casting of Kurt Russell as Santa Claus was kind of a neat idea. Though the first 15 minutes or so were pretty paint by numbers, even manipulative (the film starts with a montage of a families old Christmas home movies being watched by a roughly 11 year old girl, the first line she utters when the videos are done is "miss you dad'), it picks up considerably after the arrival of Old Saint Nick, who is decidedly not fat. 

So this is a 'rediscovering the Christmas spirt / fantasy adventure film' and even though it's hardly an exact parallel the movie it reminded me of the most was Tim Allen's 'The Santa Clause' from the mid 90's. Like that film this movie offers some creative, lightly revisionist ideas on the Santa legend, which I mostly really liked, from the design of the sled, to Santa's using 'wormholes' to travel around the world so quickly. The elves in this film are certainly a different take, furry little CG critters that I though a mixed bag (and who first appear inside of a bag). 

Kurt Russell is game and the two kids (Judah Lewis and Darby Camp) give solid on point performances. The film thankfully doesn't try too hard, it's kind of lose and not in a hurry even though there is a major time crunch element moving the story along. What really won me over more then anything was one scene, Santa's musical number in the jail, it was seemingly out of nowhere and has a really fun winking sensibility too it. So 'The Christmas Chronicles' is solid stuff, perhaps the best family Christmas film since 'Elf', hardly a shabby achievement. ***

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

In 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' it's now 1991 and 'Caeser', the child of Cornelius and Zira from 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes' is now 18 and the world has changed remarkably in less then 20 years. In 1983 a virus (that in a throw away line is said to have come from space) has wiped out all the dogs and cats on Earth. Now even though the world is aware of time traveling talking apes from a future where apes rule and man is a beast, apes are quickly adopted as pets in mass numbers, at least in North America. Rapidly that 'pet' status is changed to that of slaves when the apes prove easy to train and capable of menial tasks from janitoring, and waitering, to even hair styling. Supervised by a now quasi-fascist state (there are people in very SS style uniforms walking around) it is a recipe for ape rebellion.

Because he can talk and through a series of events Caeser (played by Roddy McDowall, Cornelius in two of the earlier films) becomes leader of this rebellion and the ape insurrection, said to have developed over around 500 years in the pervious film, quickly starts having victories, after a fashion. There is a prolonged riot / revolution sequence at the end of the film that wears thin, but was obviously intended as a kind of allegory for actually race riots in the period this movie was made. Some intriguing ideas but so far the hardest to sit through of the Apes films I've seen. **

The Most Hated Woman in America (2017)

 'The Most Hated Woman in America' is the story of the life, career, kidnapping and murder of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, the outspoken atheist activist largely responsible for the outlawing of lead prayer in public schools. Madalyn's often confrontational style and seeming assault on 'Christian America' lead to her being nicknamed 'the most hated woman in America'. In 1995 the founder of American Ashiest was kidnapped along with her son Jon and granddaughter Robin, by a group lead by a disgruntled former employee David Roland Waters, with the apparent intent of just extorting money (Waters was aware that Madalyn had been skimming money from her non profit for years). Things took a turn for the worse and all three captives ended up murdered, their bodies not recovered for another three years.

The framing story of the O'Hair kidnapping is interspersed with flashbacks telling of Madalyn's rise to prominence and the impact that had on her family. The oldest of her two sons William was at first very much onboard with what his mother was doing, but eventually developed depression and a a substance abuse problem that he was able to overcome, ironically, through becoming a Born Again Christian. William is now a Baptist preacher and lobbyist in Washington. It was William's daughter Robin who was kidnapped along with his brother and mother, it was Robin's rape by one of Waters associates that lead to the out of control sequence of events resulting in the death of the three hostages, as well as a coconspirator the other two did not trust to keep quite. 

An interesting story, efficient film making, Madalyn is played by Melissa Leo and you can't ask for a stronger performer in that role then her. Among the solid supporting cast is Josh Lucas, Michael Chernus, Juno Temple, Adam Scott, Sally Kirkland and Vincent Kratheiser. At only 91 minutes it plays like a high end television film, and I think for the most part presents these people with very little judgment, letting the viewer decide what to think about them. ***  

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone (2020)

'The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone' is director Francis Ford Coppola's 30th anniversary re-edit of 'The Godfather Part III', which was the most uneven and ill regarded entry in the landmark franchise. I had seen 'The Godfather Part III' only once, on edited VHS circa 2003, so I didn't remember a lot this and can't easily compare the versions. I remember the last scene, which is changed here and honestly I prefer the original on that front, and mostly the weird Sofia Coppola romantic subplot is what I retained from the first viewing. 

While not approaching the first two movies in terms of quality and impact I remember thinking that Part III was not as bad as I'd expected, and I thought 'Coda' worked quite well as an ending. I think some of the editing, given the dates on newspaper clips shown, messed up some of the internal chronology of this final film. I got to see this in the theater so I've now seen all three (in essence) on the big screen, a quasi-achievement. ***1/2  

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

 Seemingly writing themselves into an unescapable corner by blowing up the Earth at the end of 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes', writer Paul Dehan managed an 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes' by sending simian leads Roddy McDowall and Kim Hunter back to the 1970's and reinventing the franchise. 

This was a ridiculous, even shoe horned development, but in effect was necessary. Another ape character that had been neither previously seen or referenced, managed to dredge up and fix Heston's spacecraft from the first film, and he (Dr. Milo played by Sal Mino) and Dr.'s Cornelius and Zira managed to escape on it just before the destruction of the Earth. Now I'm really not clear what the three's escape plan was, but the ship conveniently fell through the same time portal encountered by James Franciscus in the last film. This took them back to 1973, two years in the future from when this movie came out and year after Heston's character is said to have left on his expedition in the first movie. 

Upon arriving back on Earth the apes are taken in by the government, Dr. Milo is accidently killed early on (this may or may not have been solely related to actor Mino's hating being in the ape makeup) and the film becomes an inversed parallel of the first movie. The surviving apes befriend a par of sympathetic scientists (Bradford Dillman and Natalie Trundy) and in this case become beloved by the public when it is realized they can talk, however the presidents chief science advisor Dr. Otto Hasslein (Eric Braden playing a character referenced but not seen in the first movie) is suspicious and wants to sterilize or even kill the apes upon learning that Zira is pregnant.

This film begins a time paradox that either starts, or at least re reroutes and accelerates events that will lead the human dominated Earth to become a planet of the apes. While the films later half is at least semi heavy, the first half has much fun fish out of water stuff, with the Apes adjusting to a commenting on the contemporary  world. I had seen probably 85% of this movie before, all but the beginning, and this probably the best of the sequels, it has a real charm to it. ***

Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie (2012)

 The rise and fall of Morton Downey Jr. is chronicled in "Evocateur: The Morton Downy Jr. Movie". The son of Irish tenor and actor Morton Downey Sr., Jr. spent decades trying to find his place in the world. A periodic recording artists, a D.J., Morton Jr. seemed to have found his place as an "Evocatuer", a populist radio personality turned host of a late night talk show. 'The Morton Downey Jr. Show' aired at night, but had a daytime talk show structure, only free to be even more sleazy because of the hour. The show took off like a rocket in 1987 but relatively quickly feel to earth, canceled in 1989 do to advertiser issues and Downey's penchant for self destructive behavior. Downey made periodic attempts at a come back, a heavy smoker he died from long cancer in early 2001.

'The Morton Downey Jr. Show' was a harbinger of things to come, a polarized media environment that thrived on exploiting's conflict. Like Donald Trump, who was a friend of Downey's and guest on his show (Morton for a brief period would even live in Trump Tower), the hosts sincerity was questionable, he did what got him attention, and didn't always think things through. In fact Downey would clumsily fake his own beating by neo-Nazi's (unlike Trump, Downey seemed to be pretty consistently anti-Nazi), which would more or less be the straw that broke the camels back for his show. 

Fascinating as a forgotten foot note, and disturbingly relevant for today. ***

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

 

'Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!' is exactly what it sounds like it is going to be, an examination of the history of low budget/ low brow film making in the land down under. It is also surprisingly interesting, I started this with the intent to sort of half watch it before going to sleep, however I quickly determined that I would need to stop the movie and resume it the next day (it is currently free on Prime). 

Turns out Australia was largely without a domestic film industry (save for news reels and nature films) prior to the late the 60's / early 70's when the censorship laws were greatly loosened. This allowed for the production of much cheap exploitation entertainment throughout the 70's and 80's , followed by a revival of such fair in the early 2000's. The documentary focuses on the film makers and actors who worked in this field in the early years and has sections focusing on the most popular sub genres, sexploation, horror, action, and a distinctly Australian road vengeance genre, whose best known examples internationally are the 'Mad Max' films. 

The movie mentions briefly some of the more respected/ arty film makers to come out of Australia, such as Peter Weir, but its hart and focus is on enjoyable trash. Quentin Tarantino is a major talking head, which pretty much tells you what you should know about this film going in, it's not for all audience. But I enjoyed the reminiscence, old film clips, and some of the stories are kind of great, my favorite concerns Dennis Hopper's telling off a director based on a humors misunderstanding. I also knew basically nothing about Austrian cinema history going in so I found it very educational. ***

Gus (1976)

'Gus' is that 70's Disney film where a struggling NFL team hires a Yugoslavian mule to kick field goals. It's one of those 'the rules never say a player has to be human' stories, a progenerater to the later (and worse) 'Air Bud' franchise. 'Gus' is perhaps better then it should be, which is not to say good, maybe a little better then fair. It benefits from a large game cast including Disney regulars like Don Knotts, Tim Conway, and Dick Van Patten. Ed Asner plays the predictably crusty but lovable team owner of the fictional California Atoms, which per a line of dialogue is based in Thousand Oaks. Interestingly save the team the Atoms play in the Super Bowl (I guess s that's technically a spoiler) all the teams they play are real NFL. 

Gary Grimes and the fetching Louise Williams have a chaste romance. Tom Bosley is here too, as is Bob Crane in a small part (in my review of 'Super Dad' I was mistaken in stating that was the only Disney film Carne did), as well as a few real life NFL players. Silly but pleasant, the mule in the grocery story sequence near the end is very stretched out, doesn't make a ton of sense in the context of the film but otherwise this movie would have been oddly lacking in splatstick. **

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

 Of the five original "Apes" films, 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' is probably the one I've seen the least of. It has some semi iconic moments I suppose, clustered around the underground ruins of New York City inhabited by mutant humans, an interesting enough wrinkle from where things left off in the first film. The thing that hurts this movie the most is the relative lack of Heston, the star of the first feature had to be talked into a limited appearance in this one, he was loath to do sequels. 

This necessitated the introduction of a new lead, James Franciscus playing Brent, another stranded astronaut from Taylor's time. Not only is Franciscus's character extremely like Heston's character, basically interchangeable, he looks a lot like the better known actor as well. If only Heston had committed fully to coming back I think we would have ended up with a better movie, and perhaps avoided the writely corner they left this unexpectedly resilient franchise in by blowing up the Earth, but that gets us to the next film. This one gets **1/2

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)

'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' makes excellent use of the 'crazy' aspects of Nicolas Cage's public persona; in a film with only marginal relation to the 1992 'Bad Lieutenant' staring Harvey Keitel. Set in post Katrina New Orleans, Cage plays Terence McDonagh, a cop with a rising career and rising drug problem, who gets his hands caught in multiple escalating plot threads. Directed by Werner Herzog the film contains some notably Herzogian moments, but really the film is both Cage's, and the cities, which plays an important role and in a way is a character in the film. This movie went in ways I was not expecting and was just a joy to watch. While it may take a bit to get into the rhythm of the thing, once you do just go with it and it's a fun, wild ride. An unexpected ***1/2.

Borat 2 (2020)

At the beginning of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat has been serving hard time on a work gang for much of the previous 14 years, his earlier film while popular in America had proven an embarrassment to the ruling regime. Borat is given a second chance however and sent to America to bribe the Trump administration, a mission on which he is accompanied by his recently reunited daughter Tutar (Bulgarian actress Maria Bakalova, who kind of steals the film). 

It's mostly an updated repeat of the original film, taking on America 2020 the way the original did the United States of 2006. The biggest difference is that the Borat character is now so well known that Cohen often has to layer additional disguise's atop the old Borat persona. I thought the funniest/ most awkward bits in the film had to do with Mike Pence (though not the gage you might be familiar with from the trailer) and an awkward country music song, though the Giuliani sequence got the most press, and probably isn't all that appears to be in the film. Though production started before Covid got to be wide spread here it is well worked into the film, and the topper gage at the end related to it is kind of brilliant. Obviously not for all audiences, but for those it is for I give it ***.

Mank (2020)

 'Mank' is a bio-pic of the screen writer Herman J. Mankiewicz. Staring the always great Gary Oldman in the title role, it uses "Manks" writing of 'Citizen Kane' as the framing story to tell in flash back of the authors complicated relationship with the thinly valid subjects of Kane, William Randolph Hearts (Charles Dance) and Marion Davis (Amanda Seyfried), as well as studio meddling in the 1934 California gubernatorial in election against openly socialist Democrat Upton Sinclair. 

The film is full of the kind of golden age Hollywood name dropping that I like and is exceedingly well written. There are rich, long conversation scenes that fill me with joy to see on the big screen (the film is coming to Netflix shortly but was given a limited theatrical run). I sincerely think it is even better then Aaron Sorkin's offering this year 'Chicago Seven', and he is perhaps my favorite screen writer working today. 'Mank' was written by in the 1990's by Jack Fincher, the father of the films director David Fincher. This movie was almost made circa 1997 with Kevin Spacy and Jodi Foster but fell apart in pre production. If Jack when the Oscar for original screen play this year it will be well deserved, and also historic in that Jack Fincher died back in 2003.

David Fincher does a very able job directing, it's kind of a dark film but still different from what we usually see from him. The black and white cinematography from Erik Messerschmidt is great, again Oscar worthy, it is movie about the making of 'Citizen Kane' that is shot as if it is 'Citizen Kane'. My favorite all around film of the year so far. ****

Fun Fact: That is 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' in cameo as Upton Sinclair. 

Borat (2006)

 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan' is one of the great film titles of all time. I recall the cultural phenom it was in the late W. Bush years but am just now getting around to seeing it, and largely as prep for seeing the 'Subsequent Movie-Film'. Borat of course is one of Sacha Baron Cohen's characters from his satirical early aughts program 'Da Ali G Show'. 

Borat Sagdiyex (Cohen) is a not particularly competent reporter from the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, who travels to America to a make a documentary about the United States. It is largely an excuse for Cohen to interact with people in character, people who are largely not aware that Borat isn't the foreign journalist he says he is. There is a lot of awkward humor, and the film is interesting as a time capsule of the mid 2000's. 

The film even manages to have an arc, which though it focuses on Borat's infatuation with the actress Pamela Anderson (I'm a little surprised she was still kind of relevant circa 2005) still has some pathos. Borat is portrayed as not so much as bad man, as just an ignorant one, and that's what makes him ultimately likable and allows the film to work. A mockumentary of this type was pretty fresh for the time it came out and holds up even today, I give it, a bit to my surprise, ***. 

Planet of the Apes (1968)

 Of course I have seen the original 'Planet of the Apes' before, many times, but even though I rarely review films I first saw prior to 2005 I did want to briefly write about it, as I am in process of going through the franchise in preparation for a future podcast. I first saw 'Planet of the Apes' when I was around 12, I went in not knowing that twist and it floored me, I was amazed by it. 

I watched much of the subsequent franchise but seldom in full. I would stumble upon a film on television and just watch it from whatever mid point that I encountered it, seldom seeing the whole thing. Through deduction and a late 90's documentary called 'Behind the Planet of the Apes' (which I also recently re-watched) I was able to fit together the outline of the larger story, and determined that it was a paradox that really needed a 6th film to fully flesh out (the original franchise stopped its theatrical films at number 5). 

I saw the bad Tim Burton version from the turn of the millennialism, and feel the more recent reboot films are pretty strong and smart. In the first film of that more recent series they briefly set up a potential reboot of the original 68' films plot (returning astronaut) which I would be interested to see them make. I also recall Oliver Stone's alleged filtration with a new 'Apes' film in the 90's to star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The original film really holds up well, it's smart, has some interesting ideas, sold action pieces, it's exciting, and I even think the makeup holds up pretty well, not exactly realistic but it has a real charm and plays things pretty straight. Of course even the beloved twist is kind of ridiculous, the astronauts should have immediately known they were back on Earth because the talking apes spoke English, but the uninitiated just kind of go along with it as more or a less a plot necessity. The whole man cast is great and the very premise has a kind of inherent, curious appeal, I look forward to revisiting the subsequent films but acknowledge that the original will always be the best, ****.

Freaky Friday (1976)

The 1976 'Freaky Friday' is the original mother/daughter body swap comedy, at least to my knowledge. I don't know if I ever saw this film through in its entirety, nor any of the subsequent remakes, though I definitely have a memory of watching the end of this when I was a young child, it is one of the most kinetic of Disney movie endings. I think the film holds up remarkably well, I of course enjoyed the 1970'sness of the piece, but I think even audiences more then 40 years on could by and large enjoy it. Jodi Foster's performance is of course what is remembered now, but I thought Barbara Harris's just as good, if not better. Always fun to see John Astin as well. Having recently watched some of the poorer Disney live action films of the 70's the quality of this one really stood out. *** 

Bloodsport (1988)

 'Bloodsport' is reportedly Donald Trump's favorite movie, or at least one of them. I am not making this up, you can find multiple sources for this. So I was curious and with the film currently streaming free on multiple platforms I decided to give it watch. The first thing that stood out to me is that 'Bloodsport' is one of the worst acted movies I have ever seen, and I love Roger Corman movies. The second thing that stood out to me is that 'Bloodsport' is fun, I enjoyed watching it. 

This early Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle was produced by the predominate low rent film house of the the 1980's 'The Cannon Group', and to my surprise is based on a true story. Well kinda, very loosely, well the lead character exists. Frank Dux is a former United States Marine who claimed both to be an undercover CIA operative (the CIA denies this) and the first white man to win the "Kumite", an alleged, secret, international martial arts tournament, whose existence has never been independently substantiated. So the movie is full of baseless claims, rather Trumpian. But at lest Dux stood up to the establishment, though this establishment likely never existed. More Trumpian truthiness. 

Though ridiculous it can be fun to watch (again Trump), well mounted fight sequences and a hokey kind of charm. So I can see why 'The Donald' would like it, and I could certainly enjoyably sit through it again, which is not something I could say for another Trump term as president. **1/2

The New Mutants (2020)

A strange orphan of a film, appropriate for one concerning a group of orphaned mutants, 'The New Mutants' was actually filmed back in 2017 with eyes on an early 2018 release. The film fell victim to various problems principally the take over of 20th Century Fox by Disney so that its late August 2020 release in recently Covid reopened theaters, amounts to a dumping, an inglorious whimper of an end to the once genre defining Bryan Singer X-Men franchise. 

Always a lose franchise in its continuity, this film feels even more orphaned in that it is not at all clear where it is supposed to fit in time line wise with the other movies. Not that that matters much as this film concerns new characters who we well never seen again. A group of 5 young, ethnically and geographically diverse mutants (Russian, Irish, Brazilian, Native American, and Kentuckian) brought together for testing at an isolated former Catholic school. The cast includes Maise Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, and Alice Braga as the facilities mysterious lone administrator, also a mutant. 

Directed and co-written by Josh Boone, best know for 2014's 'The Fault in Our Stars', this is an appropriately teen angsty X-Men movie, an even contains a young lesbian romance. For the most part pretty predictable and un inspired, the cast does a decent enough job and I found I liked the ending. On the whole unexceptional filler, though new comer Blu Hunt makes a good first impression as the lead. **

Lord Love a Duck (1966)

 Watching 'Lord Love a Duck' I had a very hard time getting a grasp on the tone of the thing, it's not what I thought it would be, maybe I should have watched the trailer first. On the surface a satire of 1960's California youth culture, beach party movies, high school education (probably my favorite joke in the thing is the botany class being renamed as 'Plant Skills for Life'), organized religion, therapy, class distinction and more, it is a deeply cynical and at times unpleasant film. 

However I have to respect the guts it took to make it. Directed and adapted for the screen by George Alexrod, one of the most successful and respected screen writers of the time ('Breakfast at Tiffany's', 'The Manchurian Candidate') from the 1961 novel 'The Innocent Infidels' by Al Hurt. I was so perplexed and intrigued by this film that I tried to hunt down a copy of Hurt's book, which turns out is difficult to find. Further research also showed that this is apparently a rather lose adaptation of the source material, and that Hurt himself would spend much of his career writing tie-in books to popular TV series like 'Bewitched' or doing the novelizations of films such as 'Promise her Anything' or 'In Like Flint'.

The plot concerns brilliant high school senior Alan "Mollymauk" Musgrave (Roddy McDowell) promising the beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks Barbra Ann Green (Tuesday Weld) that he will get her anything she wants in life, and he does too, regardless of what it takes to get it. Needles to say things do not turn out as planed for either of them. The two leads work well enough together, the chemstry is a little odd but so is their relationship. About half way through the movie Barbara Ann asks Alan "I don't understand, what do you get out of this?" I had the same question. 

The movie is filmed in black and white, I think in part to try and hide some the 15 year age difference between the leads, with Roddy at 37 playing 17. Boasting some good gages, and a catchy theme song, the film is so sharp, biting, envelope pushing and at times sexually uncomfortable, I'm not sure who exactly Axelrod made it for other then himself. I just don't see much of the supposed teen audience getting it, and the film did fail at the box office. In the trailer they use the catch phrase 'An Act of Pure Aggression' and that pretty well captures it. **1/2 

Horse Girl (2020)

 'Horse Girl' is a Netflix original movie written and directed by Jeff Baena, and if this is any indication of the quality of his other work I should probably check it out. Shades of the Netflix series 'The OA' and 'Stranger Things', 'Horse Girl' is an interesting hybrid of a movie, a character study that evolves into something more abstract and science fictionie. Alison Brie gives probably the best performance I've seen from her as Sarah (last name never given) a quite, semi-reclusive girl in say her early 30's, who works at a craft store and shares an apartment with her more outgoing roommate (Debbie Ryan, also likely the best performance I've seen from her, not that she's really scratching anything and no where near the quality of Brie's).  

Sarah's hum drum life is going along as usual until she starts having experiences with missing time, and disturbing dreams, and starts to act more and more unhinged, which is particularly troubling to those around her given a family history of mental illness. The fantastical elements of the story are well handled and smart, the film never spells everything out for you but their is a definite sense of dream logic, like much of David Lynch's work. 

However what made this movie work for me is Sarah as a character, Brie's performance, and the kind of intricate personal backstory that is slowly parsed out to the viewer. It's very thorough, I've know people like this before and I really felt like I got to know Sarah. Little insightful things that would have been brushed aside or never brought up in a more hurried movie are given their do. The cast of supporting characters in Sarah's life, co-workers, roommate, step father, childhood friend, and even the people that take care of the horse that once belonged to her give the sense of a full life. This is in effect an indie movie that casually works its way into sci-fi territory. One of the most impressive films I've seen in this very limited movie year. I highly recommend, but be aware of the R rating going in. ***1/2

The Castaway Cowboy (1974)

 Set in late 19th century Hawaii, referred to here as the 'Sandwich Islands', 'The Castaway Cowboy' concerns a shanghaied Texas cow hand (James Garner) who becomes stranded on the isle of Kauai and ultimately helps a widow (Vera Miles) and her son (Eric Shea) revitalize their struggling potato farm as a cattle ranch and save it from a possessive banker (Robert Culp) and his hired witch doctor (Manu Tupou). Mildly racist this bottom of the barrel Disney fair still has its own limited kind of charm, an odd mixture of irony and sincerity. The rushed, lazy and cheap fair that director Vincent McEveety pushed out in mass for Buena Vista through the 1970's. At first I thought this might be kind of fun and redeemable, but it's largely lifeless and super predictable. Simply put, while I couldn't quite hate it, it is honestly bad, probably one of the 3 or 4 worst Disney film's I've ever seen. *

Georgy Girl (1966)

 I actually think I saw the very ending of this film sometime during my middle school years but was chiefly familiar with it from the great title song performed by The Seekers. 'Georgie Girl' stars Lynn Redgrave as Georgina "Georgy" Parkin, the slightly pudgy, 22 year old, virginal daughter of a London house servant, who is surprised (Georgie is) when she goes from zero to two potential romantic suiters, both of them involved with women she knows. This was a more serious film then I expected it to be, though a comedy of the swinging London school it deals with some weighty matters and melancholy and is effective as a character study. Ms. Redgrave gives a strong performance in an impressive character arc, the supporting cast including James Mason, Alan Bates, and a 19 year old Charlotte Rampling are all solid. I was really impressed, and suspect this film will warrant later re visiting. *** 

Season of the Witch (1973)

'Season of the Witch' aka 'Jack's Wife' aka 'Hungry Wives' is a satirical domestic drama that introduces some supernatural natural ideas early on but doesn't come to be dominated by them till the last third or so. The third feature from 'Night of the Living Dead' director George A. Romero (he made a romantic comedy between this and that film which I have now added to my Amazon watchlist), it's uneven but intriguing, what some might call 'an interesting failure.'

Filmed in and around Romero's home base of Pittsburg with a mostly local cast and crew, the stand out performance is easily that of the films star Jan White, playing Joan Mitchell a 40ish house wife with a husband often away on business and a 19 year old daughter living at home but going to a local collage. Joan is dissatisfied with her life, which is communicated in large part through dream sequences that are some of the best moments of the film, including one in which her husband takes her to a kennel for when he's away on business. On a lark, and though nervous about it as she is a devote Catholic, Joan accompanies a friend to a tarot card reading, where she is introduced to the idea of 'practical witchcraft', which she puts of perusing until her domestic life is complicated when her daughter runs away after having been caught in an affair with one of her professors, played by Raymond Laine the films other most memorable performance.

While the final product comes across as not fully realized with a good share of flat moments, there are parts that are quite good if understandably melodramatic, and there is something kind of haunting about the lead actress. More an abstract then overt horror movie I went in expecting that it wouldn't be able to keep my attention, but it did sufficiently for me to be able to sit through the 89 minute cut I saw, though the apparently lost original cut was over 2 hours and a 1 hour 45 minute cut is apparently also available, and might even be worth hunting down. Definitely not for everyone but for me **1/2.

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

 'The Slumber Party Massacre' is another movie we recently recorded an episode on for 'Rob and Nate Record a Podcast'. Roger Corman produced slasher film is probably one of the better 'Halloween' knock offs. Directed by a woman, Amy Holden Jones, it has a slight knowing edge to it, an element of subtle satire and the film is simply better then it needed to be, which I apricated. **1/2.

The Lighthouse (2019)

 I didn't love 'The Lighthouse', I was surprised, thought I was going to to like it more. I was very impressed by director Robert Eggers previous film 'The Witch', I thought that was a very strong and creepy debut and it stayed with me. 'The Lighthouse' on the other hand didn't do much for me, though I liked the look of the thing and strong performances from Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. However as a whole it just didn't resonate, though I don't think I was in the right mood for this kind of film when I watched it, so I may have to give it another go at some point. **1/2

Halloween II (1981)

 Recorded a whole episode about 'Halloween II' on the podcast (Rob and Nate Record a Podcast) so I'm not going to say much about it other then I liked the pacing, I liked the feeling of logical outgrowth from the original film, didn't love the Meyer's family twist at the end. Still ***

The Trail of the Chicago 7 (2020)

This film was made for Netflix but I actually saw it in the theater, where I was the lone person in my showing. Originally intended as a theatrical release to be directed by Steven Spielberg, he eventually dropped out and directorial duties were taken over by the films writer Aaron Sorkin, who does a capable job. 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' is the story about what was essential a show trail, the trail of what was going to be 10, then it was 8 and later 7 anti war activists accused of actively plotting and causing the riots in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic convention. 

I had been vaguely aware of this story for I don't know how long and then years ago I saw a documentary called 'Chicago 10', which included celebrity voiced computer animated depictions of actual court dialogue, it was practically a plea that a feature length film on the subject be made. It's hard to think of a more appropriate writer to take something like this on then Aaron Sorkin, our greatest dramatist when it comes to inspiring at liberal virtue. 

The film has a great cast including the newly re-relevant Sacha Baron Cohen, as well as Eddie Redmayne, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as a redeemable prosecutor) and John Carroll Lynch (always happy to see him). The film also boasts at least two likely acting nominees come Oscar time, Mark Rylance as the lead defense lawyer, and Frank Langella as the judge (I really hope he gets the award). 

This is strong, old fashion Oscar bate stuff and I really enjoyed it, best picture I've seen so far this year, which admittingly hasn't been many. ****

 One of the chief criticisms of Donald Trump in this election is his handling of the Corona virus, with over 228,000 American's having died of it so far. The United States has by far the most deaths from this condition, the next highest is Brazil with almost 157,000 deaths. Now one of the most common counters I have heard of this criticism is that the United States numbers are so high because we have such a large population and our relative performance should be based on per capita death not total population. This is not an unreasonable position, so let's do a comparison. 

The nation of Japan has a population of 126.5 million people and 1,748 reported deaths from Corona virus (it should also be noted that Japan's population is older then ours). So with a population of around 38% that of the United States 328.2 million lets triple Japans number of deaths and we would come to a total of 5,244 if Japan was the size of the United States. So with 228,000 deaths the United States death rate is more then 43 times that of Japan. I think this nation could do better then 43 times worse then Japan. 

I do not think the President has done a good job on Corona virus and of course I know there are extenuating factors, he's not in control of everything, others have responsibilities on this ect.  However Harry Truman used to say of the presidency that the buck stops here, which is the exact opposite of Donald Trump's attitude to anything that is not overwhelmingly positive. Now this probably won't change anybody's mind but hopefully it adds some perspective.  

Digging For Fire (2015)

 A packed cast and seemingly little plot I expected that 'Digging for Fire' was going to be a high end whack at 'mumblecore' but it seems too highly thought out for that. The story is actually surprisingly complicated, though at the same time arguably not much happens. A couple with a young son (Jake Johnson and Rosemarie DeWitt, PE teacher and Yoga instructor respectively) are staying at a nice, presumably Topanga Canyon home of one of the latter's clients who is in Hungry filming a movie. This is with the home owners knowledge, it was arranged as a kind of treat, a mini-vacation. Anyway Jake Johnson is poking about on the land, finds a rusted pistol and what looks like a human bone. The police are seemingly uninterested but Jake becomes kind of obssesed, so when Rosemarie takes their three year old to her parents so she can have a girls night out, Jake invites some of his friends over for beer, barbeque and digging. 

Despite the set up of the mystery the couple stumbles upon this film isn't really about that, it's about their relationship, a mixture of the rocky and the strong. This movie goes in some unexpected directions, I liked it's looseness, I liked how unconventional this is, it's hard to think of something else that is really like this movie, and of course the cast is amazing. Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom, Sam Elliott, Judith Light, Ron Livingston, Melanie Lynskey, Jenny Slate, though some appear only for a scene or two. So if your good with something lose and in the mood for something different, I really enjoyed both how unusual and how oddly laid back this movie is. **1/2

Winter Passing (2005)

 A film in which Zooey Deschanel drowns a cat, granted there is context, but she still drowned a cat. Will Farrell is in this as well, about 2 years after 'Elf', he and Deschanel fail to recapture what chemistry they had in the earlier film though here they are not a romantic coupling. 'Winter Passing' is a kind of vaguely arty, indy type film about an estranged grown daughter reuniting with her eccentric writer father (Ed Harris), there are a smattering of other films this reminds me of, all of which seemed to do it better, including 'Pieces of April', 'Wonder Boys', even 'Eulogy'. Still 'Punching Pilot' is a great name for a Christian rock band, even if they did get too Ska. **

Big Hero 6 (2014)

 Synergy the movie. 'Big Hero 6' is a hybrid of Disney animated fair and a Marvel movie, loosely based on a Marvel property. It's a super hero team origin story set in an alternate, futuristic San Francisco with high Asiatic influences, almost like we are seeing the place a century after the Japanese won World War II, but quickly became multi-culturalists. I can see why kids would like this but it never really spoke to me, even nostalgically, I'm simply not it's audience. It would spawn a TV series, which is appropriate because this felt like a pilot movie. **

Infinity Baby (2017)

 Of all the Bob Byington films I've seen this one had the hardest time hooking me, though I did like the ending. 'Infinity Baby' is a surreal relationship comedy built on the hook of a company 'Infinity Baby' tasked with finding homes for 1,200 or so babies that do not age because of a genetic experiment gone wrong. Weird, kind of gross concept, but the movie is less about that then about the personal lives of a group of people associated with the company including Kieran Culkin, Martin Starr and Kevin Corrigan. I thought Trieste Kelly Dunn, who I was not familiar with, extremely cute. Byington's casting is usually very good and he often gives lesser known actresses big parts. Filmed in black and white. **

Ice Station Zebra (1968)

 'Ice Station Zebra' is classic Saturday matinee fair, the kind of movie my father loved. The film got poor to middling reviews when it came out and I wasn't expecting to like it much but wanted to see it because again it is the kind of movie my dad loved, and I like to watch those to remember him, as well as it's being a pretty big title from a solid director (John Sturgess) and boasting a good cast (Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, and Patrick McGoohan in a rarish film role). This is a largely submarine based cold war espionage movie, and is best when it's on the submarine, the scenes before the mission and after the arrival at the titular ice station didn't work as well for me (the production design for the artic set is extremely dated and fake, almost distractingly unconvincing). I don't think there is a single woman in this picture, even in the bar sequence at the beginning of the movie. The film is still good, better then I thought it would be, but it could really use some editing, cutting 15 to 20 minutes off its 150 minute running time would have helped a lot. Still *** 

The Magician (1958)

 'The Magician' is a lesser known Bergman work about a troupe of traveling hucksters in 1846 Sweden who spend a long night and day at the residence of duke, where a local doctor and sheriff attempt to provoke them and many a grievance is aired between characters. Max von Sydow plays a mute. I love drama's of confined spaces and Bergman psycho drama, unusual setting, solid performances. I was lead to believe this was one of Bergman's worst films and the attendant low expectations probably helped in the film in my estimation, but I thought it was really solid. The day I saw it I would have given it 4 stars, thinking on it awhile I'm dropping that down to ***1/2 but its still really good. 

Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk (2017)

 The directorial debut of Eric Stoltz and adapted by Tony DuShane from his novel of the same name 'Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk' certainly has an at least semi-autobiographical quality to it. This is the story of the awaking, sexually and otherwise, of Gabe (a solid, grounded performance by Sasha Feldman, who comes across as a dramatically weightier version of Jay Baruchel) a young JW gowning up in 1980's California. This movie really felt real to me, mostly episodic it feels like it's carrying some real childhood baggage. Of especial interest is it's focuses on the heavy control the Jehovah's Witness organization keeps on its members, and how brutally hard they can clamp down on something as innocent as a boy and a girl holding hands. The relationship between Gabe and his cousin Karen is legitimately... we'll say uncomfortable. I was rather impressed with this. ***

Akira (1988)

 I'm not an anime guy, other then the films of Hayao Miyazaki or the occasional more serious subject matter like the Hiroshima film 'In This Corner of the World' it's not a genera or style that I visit often. I was however aware of 'Akira' a 1988 film that is considered a classic of it's type, so I decided to go to a revival showing at a local theater (making this only the third film I've seen in the theater since March, and the second revival showing). This takes awhile to get going but I was surprised how good it was, especially visually. 

Set in 2019 there is a lot going on here, rival motorcycle gangs, intrigue in the Japanese government, children with telekinetic powers, labor unrest, a religious cult, the aftermath of the third world war and preparations for another ill fated 2020 Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo. The whole thing, but especially the ending is worth seeing on the big screen. Apparently periodic attempts have been made at making a live action version of this story, but I don't see how they could top the visuals, best to keep it as it is, and for what it is it's ***1/2.

Jasper Mall (2020)

 I enjoy those dead mall videos on Youtube especially Dan Bell's, the documentary 'Jasper Mall' (which indecently has been endorsed by Dan Bell) can be considered kind of a longer version of one of those. Unlike the YouTube video's this movie seems to have been made over the course of at least one year and you get something you don't get from the internet video's, you get to know some of the regular patrons, tenants and employees of the mall over a decent period of time. It's kind of like a portrait of a small town. I'm sure that the film makers interviewed more people then appear in the final product but elected to present subjects of focus who had the best 'arc's.'

A 'dead mall' by the way is loosely defined as a mall on its downward slop in terms of business, I'd say any mall that has less then 50% occupancy of it's retail space can probably be referred to as a dead mall. The Jasper Mall is a one story 1980's vintage mall in the smallish town of Jasper, Alabama, the mall manager interestingly is an Australian former zoo keeper. Other recurring 'characters' in the film include a florist who is one of the malls longest surviving tenants, and a young interracial couple who we meet in their senior year of high school and follow through eventual amicable breakup as they both prepare to leave town. I found it a rather pleasant film but it is nitch, if you enjoy dead malls and slower paced character studies you'll probably like it. ***

Feeding Frenzy (2010)

From the folks at Red Letter Media 'Feeding Frenzy' is an homage/satire of those 1980's puppet/monster movies like 'Gremlins' and 'Critters'. Tighter then their later feature 'Space Cop' I enjoyed it, though it's definitely on a tight budget and its certainly nitch in its sensibilities as well as little bit gross. **1/2

Tusk (2014)

 I find it rather difficult to even know where to begin in writing a review of 'Tusk', or even what I make of it exactly. It is a puzzle of a movie. It is one of the weirdest tonal experiences I've ever encountered with a film. It's an in-joke of a movie, it's tongue in check but also deadly serious... but not. It's disturbing, and dry, and rye, and gross, and dumb and clever, and I'm flummoxed by it. An amalgamation of things born of a joke on a podcast. Writer director Kevin Smith evokes trashy monster movie's and also Bergman. This is a movie about a guy (Michael Parks) who turns another guy (Justin Long) into a rough surgical approximation of a walrus. Haley Joel Osment is also in this, as is an uncredited Johnny Depp. It's just so weird and awful but it stays with you, it's a like a bad dream. There are long dialogue sequences that are impressive if odd, and some stylized flashback sequences and everything is done on a tight budget but looks probably better then it should. This whole movie is probably better then it should be and I don't know how to process my disbelief and revulsion with a sense of appreciation for it's boldness and creatively, and for Smith pulling of his very ideocentric vision. I don't particularly want to revisit it but I think I'm gonna have to. For the time being at least I'm going to give it **1/2 which is my go to rating for an interesting failure or successful trash, I'm not fully sure which of those this movie is yet, but probably both. 

The Addams Family (2019)

 This animated film version of the 'The Addams Family' (inspired at least visually more from the original magazine cartoons then the 1960's TV series) may seem at first glance a superfluous even random product, but it's enjoyably low key and surprisingly unfrenetic and has a great hook, The Addams's vs the high strung host of a home rehab show voiced by Allison Janney.  Fun visual style, amiable tone, good voice cast including Charlize Theron, Oscar Issac, and Chloe Grace Moretz. **1/2

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

 'Phantom of the Paradise' is Brian De Palma's visually striking Pastiche of 'The Phantom of the Opera', 'Faust', 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', 'A Star is Born', classic horror films, movie musicals, Phil Spector, Karen Carpenter, celebrity culture, the record industry and on and on, and it's kind of great. This cult film has a bit of a reputation, I thought it would be interestingly bad but I rather enjoyed it, including the music which I know doesn't work for everyone but I'm a big Paul Williams fan, who both wrote some songs and is in this, top billed even. William Finley and an adorable Jessica Harper round out the main cast. This is a movie I could probably go on about for some time, but if your at all eclectic in your film taste you really should just see it. ***

Hal (2018)

 'Hal' is a documentary on the under apricated late film maker Hal Ashby (1922-1988) who won an Oscar for editing in the 1960's, made a string of influential films in the 70's, and faded to near obscurity in the 80's before succumbing to pancreatic cancer. A non Mormon from Ogden, Utah he had a difficult personal life, his parents divorced when he was a small child, and then his father killed himself when he was 12. He fled his first wife and only child when he was still a teenager and moved to California for a career and to marry four more times. 

He could be a faithful friend and while actors and crews loved to work with him studios didn't, he was very idiocentric. His period of greatest artistic and commercial success was the 1970's, he made seven films, all of them classic's from 'The Landlord' to 'Being There'. I'm not huge on 'Harold and Maude' like most of his fans but I should really revisit it. I love 'Being There', but have yet see 'Shampoo' or 'Coming Home', so I'll have to correct that, I should have some strong movie nights coming in the nearish future. ***

7 Chinese Brothers (2015)

The title of '7 Chinese Brothers' is about what to make of one mans life, and an excuse to play the R.E.M. song of the same name over the closing credit of this Bob Byington film. Pleasant, unassuming, small scale and amusing it is the story of man with no direction (Jason Schwartzman) who takes a job at a Quick Lube because he is infatuated with its manager (Eleanore Pienta, charming) and attempts to win her over. Olympia Dukakis plays our leads endearingly crusty grandmother and Tunde Adebimpe his best friend, if you don't count his French bull dog to whom he constantly talks. Not much really happens, which is something I love about Bob Byington films, it's obviously modest budget is just perfect. I'm a sucker for these. **1/2

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael (2019)

'What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael' a documentary on the influential and sometimes controversial late film critic (1919 - 2001) is pretty conventional in it's presentation, but comes alive when her words are read aloud. A fine primer it did make me want to read more of what she wrote, and what better purpose a documentary on a writer. **1/2

Bucktown (1975)

Despite her prominent presence on the poster I saw this is not really a Pam Grier movie, but rather a blaxsplotation movie where Pam Grier plays the love interest. The star of 'Bucktown' is Fred Williamson, playing a former professional boxer who travels to the small southern community of Bucktown to attend his brothers funeral and inherit the club he owned. Williamson tries to spruce up the joint with the intention of selling it but persecution by the local and corrupt white constabulary causes him to double down and invite criminal friends from Chicago to help him clean up the community. Things go kind of too well and before long the crooks have taken over local law enforcement and its a case of new boss same as the old boss, with Williamson and his former best bud Thalmus Rasulala set on a collision course. Despite some elements of promise at the start and not going the way I had expected it would this movie is bad. By 74 or 75 the 'extremeness' of these kind of pictures which had been so novel in 72 and 73 had really begun to wear off. *1/2

The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

'The Secret Life of Pets' is an extremely standard CG animal adventure children's film with an all star cast. The more manic second half is preferable over the blandly conventional first. A curio for featuring Louise C.K. Still **1/2 

Operator (2016)

Indie type comedy/drama 'Operator' stars (the under used) Martin Starr as a possibility Aspergers Chicago area computer programmer who enlists his hotel clerk/ aspiring performer wife Mae Whitman to voice a new interactive customer service telephone interface for a major healthcare provider. In the course of the film Starr's character starts to prefer his programmed to please creation over his real life wife causing a potentially permanent break in their marriage. While the 'millennial' sensibilities of the film might at first make it seem as though it could end too soft on coddling and selfishness it does not, and it is nice to see Starr given perhaps the most taxing role of his career. Nat Faxon and Cameron Esposito round out the cast and there is even a subplot about Starr's mother (played by Christine Lahti, nice to see her) not taking proper care of her Addison's Disease. ***

She Done Him Wrong (1933)

 I had never seen a Mae West movie before so I decided to fill that gap in my cinematic knowledge with one of her best known films. 'She Done Him Wrong' is West's second feature film, based on the play of the same title by West the story centers on a night club singer in the 1890's (West of course) as she juggles at least 4 men and makes various sexual innuendos, this is very much a film of the pre code spirit. Kind of hard to categorize, it's a comedy but has some serious elements, including multiple murders, one accidental, and a sub plot about a sixteen year old girl lured into the world of prostitution. At 66 minutes this is the shortest movie ever nominated for a best picture Oscar, though the version I saw clocked in at an hour and two minutes so I'm curious about what's in the missing four, I assume they were removed for theatrical re-release during the period of production code enforcement. Also featuring a young Cary Grant, this is the film from which the oft misquoted line "Come on up some time and see me" originates. ***

Space Cop (2016)

 From the folks at Red Letter Media comes an actual movie, one of at least two from them. 'Space Cop' is a send up of genera types and conventions, it tells the story of cop mistakenly sent back from the future (Rich Evans) teamed with a detective who had been cryogenic-ally frozen in the past (Mike Stoklasa) solving a mystery concerning aliens and a mad scientist in 2016 Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An homage to bad movies it's not what you could really call 'good' but I did for the most part chessely enjoy it. The highlight for me was probably the cameo scene with Patton Oswalt. **

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's The Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)

 I was a pretty big fan of the work of H. G. Wells in my high school and middle school years so I made sure to read the original novel before seeing the 1996 film version. I was excited at the prospect of the film but was disappointed in the final product, an opinion I shared with the projects original director South African film maker Richard Stanley. 'Lost Soul' is a documentary on the making of the 1996 film version of Wells's 1890's novel 'The Island of Dr. Moreau', a notably dysfunctional production which saw the projects originator Richard Stanley kicked off the set and replaced by a reluctant John Frankenheimer, though Stanley would find a unique way to get back on the film, kind of. 

This was an everything that can go wrong did go wrong situation, changes in staffing both in front and behind the camera, two raging egomaniac stars in Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer, heavy rain, drug addled extra's, production over runs, constant script changes, its amazing that the final product turned out as good as it did, and it turned out bad. I had also really been looking forward to this film, and while things weren't quite as insane as I'd hoped/ been lead to expect, they were still pretty bonkers and this is one of those cases were the story of a films troubled production is more engaging then its finished product. **1/2

The Human Tornado (1976)

 'The Human Tornado' is Rudy Ray Moore's follow up to Dolemite, it came out the following year and concerns the same main character, only now he owns a mansion in like Alabama for some reason, though most the movie takes place in California like the first one. The acting skills have improved a little and the budget has increased slightly from the first film, consequently this movie doesn't have quite the same 'seat of its pants' charm as the original does, so if you see one make it Dolemite. **

Tenet (2020)

 Man it's been awhile, back to the theater for the first 2020 release I've seen on the big screen this year. 'Tenet' the new Christopher Nolan film was to have been one of this summer's big releases, it's $20 million opening weekend would have been considered profoundly disappointing in a normal year, but in Covid times it's pretty good. The kind of smart action spectacle we've come to expect from it's director the movie concerns a government agent (John David Washington, very good) putting together a team (including Robert Pattinson, I didn't hate him) to confront a threat involving time flow manipulation and an exiled Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh, scary). Elizabeth Debicki (whose 6 ft 4) is the female lead. 

A bit of a different beast, in terms of comparison I'd describe it as a cross between a James Bond film, 'Inception', 'Looper' and 'Primer'. There is some hard sci-fi here repackaged as an espionage film, while I understood the bulk of what was happening on the screen I'm pretty fuzzy on some of the exact details of how things fit together. There is an awful lot of theoretical physics here and in a lesser hands I wouldn't trust that things actually added up, but with Nolan I trust him on this front, no contemporary director is as interested in time and structure as he is. 

A finely put together film, though for a movie of this scale I'd say the action sequences were arguably understated. To me most everything worked though the film is lite on its character development, but in its defense this was never intended to be a character focused film. I'm really interested in reading up on the logic of the thing and then seeing it again, and with conditions in the movie world being what they are I expect this picture is up for a very long stay in first run theaters. ***1/2

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Put succinctly I did not enjoy Guy Ritchie's 2009 'Sherlock Holmes' film. It was too big, too loud, the leads were prettified, the stakes were over inflated and I could hardly care about the characters, also the logistics of how they end up on the Tower Bridge at the end makes no sense. It's Sherlock Holmes ran through an inane blockbuster filter thus removing most of its nutritional value. *1/2

Night of the Comet (1984)

'Night of the Comet' is a film I really wanted to like, and probably would have liked a lot more if I'd seen it in say the 1990's. This extremely 80's 'cult' film barrows from 'The Day of the Triffids', 'I Am Legend' and other source material to produce a tale centered on two sisters in their late teens (Catherine Mary Stewart, and Kelli Maroney) who are among the few to survive a passing comet that turns people exposed to it into aggressive zombies and/or dust (depending on degree of exposure). I liked the beginning and end of the film, I thought the middle too slow, predictable and boring. As teen aged girls the two of course go on a spree of consumerism at the mall, and take the whole thing too matter of factley, at lest Kelli does. Robert Beltran plays the main love interest, the sound track contains a lot of pop music, excused in part by the girls taking up a residence in a radio station. **

Fury of the Demon (2015)

 'Fury of the Demon' is a film that it would probably be best not to spoil. A documentary about early French film pioneer Georges Méliès and a mysterious 1897 film titled 'Fury of the Demon', which is attributed to him and supposedly causes madness (think 'The King in Yellow'). This film was not what I was expecting, an intriguing surprise. ***

The Brainwashing of My Dad (2015)

 'The Brainwashing of My Dad' is a documentary by first time film maker Jen Sinko. The project has its roots in a kickstarter campaign, but the final product looks reasonably professional and manged to get the likes of Noam Chomsky and Jeff Cohen as talking heads, not to mention Matthew Modine to narrate. The film uses as its starting point the transformation of Sinko's once nominally democratic dad into a right wing zealot, and practically a different person as a result of consuming increasing amounts of conservative media. This is a our gate way into a pretty good survey course on the rise of conservative media since say the 1960's, and it's effects on people. consumers, family and friends. I was already aware of most of this information but it was presented in a way (that didn't annoy me) and would make it a pretty good introduction to the topic for those who aren't. There is even a surprise happy ending. Better then I would have thought. ***

The Last Party (2001)

 'The Last Party' is a 'Democracy Now' reminiscent, thematic collage of a documentary about the 2000 presidential election. The high light is host Phillip Seymour Hoffman's face as he reacts to poetical speakers he is clearly not believing. This is the 2nd in a trilogy of films, the other movies being about the 1992 and 2004 elections. **

MacGruber (2010)

 'MacGruber' is a feature film adaption of a 90 second Saturday Night Live skit that pokes fun at the 80's/90's adventure series MacGyver, it probably should have stayed a skit. About 20% funny and 80% stupid the cast, which includes Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Powers Booth and Val Kilmer is all game, but the material's just not there. I honestly laughed out loud several times but you have to wade through a lot of crap, the movie relies far too much on gross out humor. *1/2 

Future '38 (2017)

 'Future '38' is a low budget indie comedy, a science fiction romance that is presented as a supposedly lost film in an introduction hosted by Dr. Neil DeGrass Tyson of all people. Nick Westrate plays Essex, sent 80 years into the future by the War Department (with almost no explanation on how this was accomplished) to retrieve a dangerous isotope developed in the 30's, but that takes decades to achieve it's full explosive potential. The government hopes to use the isotope to deter Nazi aggression and prevent a second World War. When Essex arrives in the future he finds that he has succeeded and the world is peaceful, but there are a group of unreconstructed Germans who have learned how the war was prevented and hope to stop Essex in his mission. 

Essex enlists the aid of a hotel operator played by Betty Gilpin, who becomes his love interest and delivers her dialogue in Katheryn Hepburn diction. I found the movie plucky and charming, it's chief gags concern relaying the world of 2018 in a way that would be theoretically decipherable to viewers in 1938. It's like a book translated into a foreign language and then back into English, so the internet become 'the electromesh', plastic becomes 'Bendo', and the spork becomes the froon. There are many amusing gags here, such the '24 hour new cycle' being a newspaper delivery service on unicycle. Gilpin and Westrate have a nice chemistry and the whole thing is probably better then it should be. It even boasts a surprisingly soulful and down beat ending. At around 75 minutes probably worth seeing if your at all intrigued. ***

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

This very indie movie stars Michelle Williams as Wendy Carol, a young and poor woman from Indiana traveling cross country with her dog Lucy in the hopes of getting work at the fishers in Alaska. While in Oregon their car breaks down and the consequences of a poor decision on Wendy's part results in her leaving the dog unattended tied up next to a supermarket for hours. When Wendy returns Lucy is gone and the rest of the film concerns her effort to retrieve her lost dog, the only thing in her life that she loved.

Slow and understated the film is a character study, not much happens plot wise, and while it has a few moments that engage and a nice tone and sense of place, it doesn't command the viewers full attention. As a result when the films stronger moments due pop up they may not register as well as they would if you were in distraction-less theater rather then watching at home. Only 80 minutes long its a movie that practically asks to be skimmed more then watched. **1/2