Movies we've seen in 2021

Post by **Mike** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:41 pm

This is for people to talk about movies they've seen this year. I know we have other movie review threads and the year is half over, but I've got a list, so I will post it. Feel free to use this thread (or not) for movies you've seen as well.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:45 pm

Mike's list
50 First Dates
Big Daddy
Hubie Halloween
Bedtime Stories
The Do Over
Arq
Ocean’s Eleven
Hook
Zathura
Jupiter Ascending

Outside the Wire
Total Recall
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Peppermint
The Last Stand
The Running Man
The Favourite
Secondhand Lions
Fight Club
Hercules in New York

The Sixth Day
Becky
Australia
BMX Bandits
Peacemaker
Moulin Rouge
The Prom
Happy Death Day 2U
Godzilla vs Kong
Stowaway

Legally Blonde
Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Sleeping with Other People
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Solo
Rogue One
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Army of the Dead
Zombieland
The Hitman's Bodyguard
The Owners
Good Boys
The Art of Self Defense
Galaxy Quest

Drive Angry
The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Freaky
Love and Monsters
Vampires vs. the Bronx
Spy
Ghostbusters (2016)
Free Guy
Slither
Shang Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings

Cinderella (2021)
The Losers
American Ultra
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Old Guard
The House that Jack Built
The Nice Guys
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
A Knight's Tale
Mr. Right

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
Hocus Pocus
Blood Red Sky
Bingo Hell
21 Jump Street
The Titan
The Eternals
Old Guard
Red Notice
Fatman

Spontaneous
Spider Man: No Way Home
Freak Show

I think this is comprehensive for 2021, and they're listed in roughly the order I watched them in. Lots are for Kyle's movie challenges (Schwarzenegger, Sandler, Kidman, Star Wars), and some I've seen before... comfort food like Galaxy Quest and Zombieland. But there's a bunch of new ones. I'm going to pick out a few notables in my next post, but if anyone's curious of what I thought about any of these, just ask.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Jun 26, 2021 9:49 pm

Just a handful of new ones (for me) that were worthwhile for a variety of reasons:

ARQ
Becky
The Hitman's Bodyguard
Good Boys
The Art of Self Defense
Love and Monsters

Plus Drive Angry... a really ludicrous Nick Cage movie, that really hits the pinnacle of over-the-top Cage.

Becky is my hands down favorite of the year. Top fucking notch.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Jun 29, 2021 2:03 pm

Vampires vs the Bronx

Vampire movie for teens. Cute, cheesy, fun, but not great. It owes a lot to Lost Boys, although it doesn't manage to be as genuinely scary. I like the metaphor of gentrification=vampires. Like Dracula, the vampires are looking to move in and find a whole new population to prey on. So the film's done its homework. It just could have been more.

Mando · Post by **Mando** » Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:24 pm

Cruella - We actually got to see it in the theater!
Saving Pvt Ryan (July 4th movie)

I usually watch TV Series and re-watch them,....LOST, etc.

We DID get to watch the BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small" not the old version, the one made last year....it was soooo good.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:28 pm

Tomorrow War

A carnage-filled but bloodless and so PG-13 action war film. There's a bit to like and I definitely enjoyed the comedians who were cast. A bit silly, a bit serious, and a whole lot gruesome.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:04 pm

poorpete wrote: ↑Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:28 pm Tomorrow War

A carnage-filled but bloodless and so PG-13 action war film. There's a bit to like and I definitely enjoyed the comedians who were cast. A bit silly, a bit serious, and a whole lot gruesome.

We really enjoyed it, in large part because it was dumb, nonsensical fun. It’s this decade’s Day After Tomorrow.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:06 pm

Frances Ferguson (2019)

I guess this is what people call a dark comedy, whatever that means. It's fairly amusing but not very deep. Much of the amusement comes from Nick Offerman as the narrator, otherwise known as Ron from Parks and rec. I sort of love him, not too much but just enough. He makes a terrific narrator though. He has a wonderful Midwestern accent. Speaking of the Midwest, this movie joins an increasingly crowded club of good movies by and about people from Nebraska. In this case it is both by and about people from Nebraska. The story is based on real events - a substitute teacher stuck in a s***** marriage does some crazy things and we observe the aftermath. It doesn't really go anywhere and that's how it was supposed to be.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:03 am

PARASITE

It won the best picture oscar for a reason. It's so good and I am not going to say one thing about it because spoilers, but if anyone has theories/interpretations I'd love to read them, could white out for spoilers. I loved this movie so so so so so so much, I watched again the very next day and I am looking forward to watching #3 as soon as I'm able.

Post by **Mike** » Sun Aug 29, 2021 9:32 pm

Wow... I haven't watched any movies for a couple months, and now I'm the last week, I've watched a few.

Free Guy was exactly the sort of fun I need right now. I have a couple quibbles with the ending that keep it from being perfect, but it is so worth watching.

Slither is a 15 year old horror movie that I've seen before. Absolutely love it! Written and directed by James Gunn, starring Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillian and Michael Rooker. The cast and crew reportedly had a blast making this, and it shows. It's well constructed and well acted. There's some practical effects that are a little cheesy, but they don't take away from the story at all. If you haven't watched Slither, you should.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:59 am

I've seen more movies this month than the rest of the year

The great stuff:
Assault on Precinct 13
Eat Drink Man Woman
The Wedding Banquet
Bridge of Spies

The very very good stuff:
Halloween - Almost reached the end without jumping scared but it did get me!
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - movies!
Inside Man
Total Recall
Death Becomes Her

The very good stuff:
The House - goofy fun
Middle of Nowhere - solid from Ava
Fast Five
John Wick

The good stuff:
Fast & Furious
Dark Star

The Meh Stuff:
Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Rock'n'Roll Revue - good musical performances, but weird that The Duke is the lead of this -- but maybe shows how pliable the genre was in 1955 -- what changed I wonder? But the big negative, Paramount Plus version missing some performances including Ruth Brown.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:54 am

poorpete wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 7:59 am
Rock'n'Roll Revue - good musical performances, but weird that The Duke is the lead of this -- but maybe shows how pliable the genre was in 1955 -- what changed I wonder? But the big negative, Paramount Plus version missing some performances including Ruth Brown.

Imagine my shock to learn that John Wayne starred in a movie called Rock n Roll Revue. I was in such a state of shock I had to look it up to verify.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:18 am

The Lady in the Van

Free on Amazon prime, with Maggie Smith. Chronicles the last years of a woman who has taken up residence in the Camden area of London in an old van, for reasons revealed in the movie. Interesting not only because you get to see Maggie Smith doing her best actor in the world s***, but the script is multi-layered and interesting and apparently based on a mostly true story! This appealed to me a lot more than it would probably appeal to most people but I thought it was terrific and definitely worth watching.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Mon Aug 30, 2021 3:20 pm

Mike wrote: ↑Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:54 am Imagine my shock to learn that John Wayne starred in a movie called Rock n Roll Revue. I was in such a state of shock I had to look it up to verify.

I mean, modern rockists would think both would be absurd additions. Again shows how pliable the genre was back then. Then again, if you are a country star who has a Duke attitude, it's possible you might be considered rock over Duke's important influence over rhythm and blues..

Post by **Mike** » Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:43 pm

Watched Old Guard again last night on Netflix. Great film! And I just looked, and apparently the sequel was just confirmed. I'm excited.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:46 am

Mike wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:43 pm Watched Old Guard again last night on Netflix. Great film! And I just looked, and apparently the sequel was just confirmed. I'm excited.

I was surprisingly pleased with it as well. It was one of those movies that sat in my queue forever because it sounded like a movie I would enjoy, but I was never motivated to watch it.

A completely different movie that I did the same thing with was The Devil All the Time. Whoa. So good. Tom Holland is so good. It’s a period piece and a tough watch, but so great.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:25 am

Kyle wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:46 am
A completely different movie that I did the same thing with was The Devil All the Time. Whoa. So good. Tom Holland is so good. It’s a period piece and a tough watch, but so great.

Good to hear. That one has been on my list since before it came out,and I just haven't gotten to it yet. Bumping it up.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:41 am

Mike wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:25 am
Kyle wrote: ↑Fri Sep 17, 2021 5:46 am
A completely different movie that I did the same thing with was The Devil All the Time. Whoa. So good. Tom Holland is so good. It’s a period piece and a tough watch, but so great.
Good to hear. That one has been on my list since before it came out,and I just haven't gotten to it yet. Bumping it up.

Understand going into it that it's deliberately paced. I can see people not liking it because they think it's "too slow"-- but it's not. It's just one of those movies that doesn't rush what doesn't need to be rushed.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Sun Sep 19, 2021 3:53 pm

Pig- This movie is about Nicholas Cage as a mountain man with a truffle hunting pig that is stolen from him. The plot involves his journey to find it. This movie is pitched as John Wick with a Pig, but this is not that movie. This movie is a beautiful, somewhat slowly-plotted examination of passion, art and the hollowness and pretentiousness of the communities that arise around them. I really don't want to give away any details, because it's a great movie and I highly recommend it. So just go watch it. This is not one of those crazy, over-the-top Cage performances. He's really going for it here, and it's incredibly powerful. He's just freaking awesome in it. It's easy to forget that Nic Cage is an oscar-winning actor, but then you see movies like this and it reminds you of how good he is.

This movie has a scene where Nic Cage, looking homeless, is in a super-elite restaurant, eats one bite of food. and then asks to speak with the chef. And he does. And these two men- Cage and chef- have a conversation across the table, and it is just SO good. You know the dairy farm scene from the beginning of Inglorious Basterds? It's like that. Not as good as that (nothing is), but it's like that. Hand to god, after the movie was over I ran it back and rewatched the scene. Fucking great.

Unfortunately for you, you're going to read this review and have high expectations that won't be met. But I went in to this movie with low expectations and was blown away. I wish you could have the same experience I did. It's such a beautiful movie.

Post by **Mike** » Sun Sep 19, 2021 10:35 pm

The House that Jack Built
Holy shit, Lars von Trier is weird. This is the first film of his I've seen. Matt Dillon plays a serial killer, and anything else I say is either inadequate or too much.

Jack (Dillon) is having a conversation with an unseen companion and they debate art and philosophy and meaning while Jack illustrates things from his life with random vignettes.

I found it spellbinding. I couldn't turn away, even as I found myself rooting for a horrific sadist to get away with his crimes, if only so that the stories would keep coming, which I think may make him right on some level.

It's also weird and dumb and cheesy at parts, and I don't care. There's a couple levels of background knowledge that I wish I had, and I think I could have enjoyed this on an even deeper level, but even without that, it was still really good.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:11 pm

The Nice Guys
I loved this when I saw it 5 years ago in the theater, and I've wanted to rewatch it since. I did. It holds up.

Ryan Gosling as an alcoholic private detective in 1977 L.A. Russell Crowe as a thug enforcer. They are the unlikely duo in this action comedy, and they are both pitch perfect. But to bring it all together is Anjourie Rice as Gosling's 13 year old daughter. She is a ray of sunshine in this raunchy, gritty trip through crime and porn and Hollywood as the larger conspiracy unfolds. Great film.

Shit, I need to rewatch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang now. I can't believe I've only seen that one once as well.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:15 pm

I want to see that Pig movie.

BUT WHAT ABOUT PARASITE? Have y'all seen it??? Do not delay. That is really best picture for a REASON.

Post by **Mike** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:18 am

Yes. Loved it

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:26 am

It's the first foreign language Best Picture win for a reason too. Like say Hurt Locker, to break through these ceilings one has to be kinda undeniable.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 6:34 am

I was talking Killmonger on a now-locked thread, so feel this needs to go here. I was thinking more about what makes a great villain while listening to a podcast on The Incredibles, and it kinda hit me, when they talked about Mr. Incredible telling Buddy "I work alone," which sets him down the path to evil. Part of what makes a great villain is how they prod the main character to change for the better! I mean in both The Incredibles and Black Panther, they want our hero dead, but the result in both cases is they fix a flaw. With, Mr. Incredible, thanks to Buddy, he no longer works alone, he's part of a superhero team, and is all the better for it. For T'Challa, thanks to Killmonger, Wakanda is no longer hidden -- you could say they no longer "work alone."

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Thu Sep 23, 2021 10:22 am

Parasite was amazing. My favorite movie of that year, I believe.

Pete- Thanos was a great villain, but overly committed to the idea of working alone. Jokes aside, I think that's a great insight.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Tue Sep 28, 2021 1:06 pm

newtome Movies seen this month

Great
BlacKkKlansman - fun joyous and also enraging and heartbreaking
Skyfall - action setpiece followed by acting setpiece, and repeat for 2.5 hours. Judi Dench runs a masterclass.

Very Good
Miss Sharon Jones - I miss her so. Lots of tears.
Seconds - cool experimental suspense/horror film in the hollywood system
Mission Impossible - Fallout - just crazy man!
Creed - solid, at times good at times great, here's a good median location for it.
Interstellar - Nolan is not always perfect but almost always good and always interesting

Good
Bill and Ted Face the Music
The Italian Job
Star Trek Beyond
Rocketman
Better Luck Tomorrow

OK
Falling Leaves - 12 minute silent film, 11 of which are ok to boring, and one minute of heartbreaking beauty.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:48 am

One thing I'm noticing that I want to keep a look out for. For 2021 my goal was around 50% or more films by women and/or non-white directors -- and I believe I was 7/13 last month, but only 2 were from women, and one was a short.

Another thing, that I find helpful in watching movies, a deadline! In this case, it was we signed up for a month of Paramount Plus. So I tried to watch as many films as I could during that month. It seems to work because although I have a lot of films in my netflix list, since we haven't cancelled in a decade, I wait on them.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Oct 11, 2021 9:28 pm

After talking about "comfort food" movies on the podcast, it turns out that's apparently what I'm in the mood for now. In the last two nights, I've watched:

A Knight's Tale
Great execution of the underdog sports movie formula. And a very talented cast. I've seen this a bunch of times before just catching it when it happened to be on late-night cable. This is the first time since the first time that I've intentionally chosen it to rewatch. Glad I did.

Mr. Right
Holy shit, I love this film. Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell are two of my favorite actors already, and they wind up being super-adorable together. If you've never seen it, it's a quirky love story, except he's a hitman. There are scenes of extreme slow motion violence, counterpointed with lots of funny, heartfelt material. Everyone in this cast is solid. This is my second watching, and I knew five minutes in that it's my new super-rewatchable comfort movie.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Tue Oct 12, 2021 8:17 pm

I love that Mr. Right movie too! So cute! Violence but it never hits home because it's so clearly unrealistic and made up, if that make sense.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Nov 06, 2021 4:03 pm

Blood Red Sky
Great premise. Mediocre execution. Here's my problem:

The cover picture for this movie on Netflix shows me the face of a woman who is obviously a vampire (or something close). The tag on it is, "When a group of terrorists hijacks an overnight transatlantic flight, a mysteriously ill woman must unleash a monstrous secret to protect her son."

Okay, no twists or surprises then. It's vampire on a plane. Got it.

But even if Netflix hadn't spoiled it for me, the movie wasn't being secretive. It was so obvious who the terrorists were that I was sure they had to be punking me. It had to be a misdirect, but no... that was them.

It's a two hour film, and nothing supernatural happens until full a third of the way through, but literally just as something vampirey is about to take place, this movie goes to a flashback to say, "Hey, the upcoming scene might be confusing for some of you, so here's the whole story of how she became a vampire so that you'll know she's a vampire and that's why she can do all these things? Got it? Good... back to the show."

I kept imagining some real monster-in-the-dark horror as terrorists get picked off one at a time, before someone realizes her body is gone, and then we all get to put the clues together at the same time. But that's not what we got. We got a pretty well-telegraphed gory action film with vampires.

I have to admit though that I couldn't turn away. The mother-child stuff was compelling enough that I really wanted to see how they did or didn't get out of this.

I'm glad I watched it. I wish it was better.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Sun Nov 07, 2021 7:28 am

I felt the exact same way about this movie. It was good enough to keep me watching, but too predictable to be anything more than that.

Post by **Mike** » Wed Nov 10, 2021 10:32 pm

Bingo Hell
Ugh. Did not enjoy. Low grade horror about an aging neighborhood that is falling apart and slowly dying or being bought out. A new bingo hall opens offering ludicrously large prize money. People take money and then they die in horribly graphic and gory ways.

I like that the heroes here are old ladies defending their community. I thought they were good. But that's about all I liked. The story and motivations were thin and poorly explained, and I feel like the director cares more about his lovingly crafted special effects scenes than he did about the rest of the film. In that sense, it reminded me a bit of Peter Jackson's early horror, except less good.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:35 pm

Okay, I haven't seen them yet, but my son asked to go see Eternals with me and his brother this weekend, and I was like, "Hell yeah! But we haven't even seen the Legend of the 10 Rings one yet!"

But then! BUT THEN!

I found out it comes out for free on Disney+ tomorrow!

Friday- Shang-Chi
Saturday- The Eternals

And then I'll have caught up with the MCU movies! I'll report back after I've seen them.

Post by **Mike** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:53 pm

Shang-Chi was great. We had an amazing time watching it. I will spoil nothing, because I do have complaints,but they don't stop it from being very fun.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Thu Nov 11, 2021 2:23 pm

Mike wrote: ↑Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:53 pm Shang-Chi was great. We had an amazing time watching it. I will spoil nothing, because I do have complaints,but they don't stop it from being very fun.

Yeah- I skipped yours and Aidan's review of it on the podcast a couple of episodes ago because I knew I was going to watch it. We'll have a spoilery discussion in another thread after I see it.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Thu Dec 09, 2021 3:53 pm

November Movies

The Parent Trap (1961) perfectly outdated fine (Disney)
Nomadland - pretty great, pretty moving, though kinda liked The Rider better (Hulu)
Tenet - weeee, silly brain busting fun (HBO)
Dune - pretty great world building part 1 minus a few clunky melodramatics and cliches (but if it's a cliche from an old book, does that make it ok?) (HBO)
Howl's Moving Castle - rewatch, holds up nicely, though still I feel a tad off from his masterpieces (HBO)
Summer of Soul - great! Awesome music and should be watched along with Apollo 11 for great July 1969 comparisons (both on Hulu)
Spirited Away - havent seen since 2002. Enjoyed it then. Loved it this time! (HBO)
Ready Player One - silly fun with its good parts, and its bad parts are fun to talk about (HBO)
The Beatles: Get Back - fascinating, repetitive, a tiny bit boring but sum is greater than its parts, as a Beatles fan it's a must. For those who aren't, wait for a shorter version. (Disney)
Black Widow - lots of fun. Really enjoyed the Scarlet/Pugh chemistry. More buddy films with them, screw the timeline (or put it in a different timeline, there's no rules) (Disney)

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:29 pm

Don't Look Up

Effective satire is witty and nimble and cutting. This was none of the above. Waste of an amusing idea.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:36 pm

Dune
This was the Dune movie I have always dreamed of seeing. Three full hours just to get through half the book, and they could have left 45 minutes on the floor, but I loved it anyway. Some aspects of the "exotic" Fremen people and their white boy savior are like nails on a chalkboard, but they did the best with it they could under the circumstances. Everything else was basically exactly as I had imagined it in my mind when reading the book. From Paul and Jessica to the sandworms and beyond, it was perfection and ecstasy. There's so much to it... I need to see it again and take notes or something. The symbolism of different elements and colors, the way space and shadow are used, the foreshadowing, the sign language, The Voice, all of it was just a luxury and playground for the imagination. 10 out of 5 stars, when do we get part 2?

Mando · Post by **Mando** » Wed Dec 29, 2021 12:22 pm

Yes, we saw Dune as well. First movie in a theater in forever. It was fun but after popcorn and drinks it was almost 100 bucks for 3 people. We saw it Thanksgiving day and had the place to ourselves.

I just saw Spiderman: No Way Home on Monday night...It too was a pricy event but well worth the experience. Everything Spiderman in one place!
A fun popcorn sci-fi show. no spoilers here.

Post by **Mike** » Wed Dec 29, 2021 2:56 pm

Red Notice
Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds are competing art thieves, and Dwayne Johnson is the FBI profiler who has to bring both of them down. There's a weird buddy dynamic and plenty of twists and double-crossed. And the plot is mostly enormously stupid, with some very nonsensical parts. HOWEVER... the three leads are all incredibly charming and have a very fun chemistry which, combined with some fun actions scenes, made this an enjoyable stupid popcorn movie.

Fatman
Mel Gibson plays curmudgeonly Chris Cringle in this very violent and jaded Christmas movie. Walter Goggins is great as always as the creepy bad guy. And the actress playing Mrs. Cringle charmed the shit out of me. There was a lot that I liked in this, despite it starring Mel Gibson. I think 25 minutes can be completely removed from the second act, resulting in a vastly superior movie, and yet, I still recommend it.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Wed Dec 29, 2021 7:52 pm

Mando wrote: ↑Wed Dec 29, 2021 12:22 pm Yes, we saw Dune as well. First movie in a theater in forever. It was fun but after popcorn and drinks it was almost 100 bucks for 3 people. We saw it Thanksgiving day and had the place to ourselves.

The advantage of waiting: we went to the dollar theatre and went wild with popcorn and stuff and it was still cheap. I had a box of Junior Mints that lasted for the whole movie, it was great. I had not been to an in-theatre movie for so long. Nobody was there, in a cavernous place, so it felt very covid-safe relative to other things we do.

Post by **Mike** » Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:03 pm

Spontaneous
High School senior Mara is our narrator and guide through this super dark comedy. The film opens with a classmate spontaneously exploding (bursting?) in class, and Mara tells us it will not be the last time.

This movie was not made for me. The first half was enjoyable, but then at the halfway point, it goes from dark comedy to dark tragedy. And it stays there. As kids keep exploding,the movie treats it 100% seriously in the reactions and consequences of such an event.

I get it. In a world of senseless tragedy where horrible things happen for no reason, this was written as a reaction to school shootings and climate change and the election of Donald Trump. It's about how to deal with tragedy and survivor's guilt and hopelessness. The messages are conveyed through exploding teens, so they're not quite subtle. It's not a bad movie, but I didn't enjoy much of it myself, but again, it's not for me.

Spider Man: No Way Home
I just got out of the theater after seeing a new Spider Man movie with awesome action and a bunch of cool multiverse shenanigans. Fantastic! But of course I'd think that. I need a week or so to come down off my Marvel high before I can tell you if this is good or not. Although, I did see and enjoy Eternals and recognized immediately how dumb it was... so maybe SM:NWH is actually good? We'll see.

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Mon Jan 03, 2022 9:15 am

December views

The Power of the Dog - beautiful film with great acting, what else do you want?

Sweetie - Jane Campion's first film. Weird, wild, but didn't enchant me

West Side Story (2021) - first film in the theaters in two years. I was recently boostered and knew Omicron was coming soon but not quite here (the good ode days?) and the theater was sparsely attended, so figured this was my only chance. Another film that was filmed beautifully -- it felt excitingly old fashioned. All the non-Tonys were great and I hope this is just the start of Rachel Zelger's career because she's great here. If it's safe to to go the theaters in your area, might be one to check out - especially if you like Spielberg and/or Musicals (if you're like me and like both, this is the shit!)

An Angel at My Table
Janet Frame biopic by Jane Campion is really good! As a socially shy and awkward kid who always thought that my anxiety would have landed me in an insane asylum if I was born a century earlier, this really spoke to me.

King Richard
Yeah it good. Will Smith does very well and it really nails what it tried to nail. Not perfect, a bit by the numbers, but good!

The Last Laugh
1924 Murnau silent film is gangbusters if you like depressing silent dramas with excellent camera work and sets.

The Matrix Resurrections
It exists. Really unsure how I feel about it still. Wish Carrie Anne Moss was in it more. But like how no one but the Wachowskis would have made a sequel like this, it's definite auteur material. It cares very little in fan service, it only really cares about telling a new story.

The Grinch 2018
My kids were on a Grinch binge, and we watched all three. The original is still very good. The Ron Howard remake is still wild and absurd, but on third watch there's things I'm starting to like about it, though it's still wild in the 80s and 90s how horny male directors making kids movies were. The new one has no horniness, has a great supporting run by Kenan Thompson, and a low key finale that felt different than most finales. Still, it' ok.

Black Girl
One of the first early major African films to break into the western world -- it's good -- has a lot of clear colonial issues it's focused on. But dunno about the finale. Will need to rewatch.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Mon Jan 03, 2022 7:35 pm

I want to see that Angel at my Table film!

poorpete · Post by **poorpete** » Mon Jan 03, 2022 10:24 pm

Nice, it's very 1990 biopic, uninteresting in hitting Hollywood beats, luxuriating in the small and big moments that all add up.

Reminded me I wanted to actually read some of her stuff, but other than a few on the internet here or there I'll have to seek it out at the library

Like this one, though I don't totally get it. Concrete sky imagery though!