Caught Stealing

The trailer was definitely leaning towards lighter fare.

Now admittedly, did I go see this movie purely to see Matt Smith punked out from head to toe? Yes! Was I happy with the final film notwithstanding his presence? Oh absolutely! But maaaaan, this is some heavy shit. It has moments of comedy and enjoyment but it's a serious tale with very realistic serious consequences. Set in the great year of our lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight we follow everyman Hank who upon being tasked with watching his punk neighbor's cat gets embroiled in a stolen money caper with several interested crime parties pretty much going at him non-stop to get it, leading to an array of chases, deaths, and making peace with the past in the process. Once again, Austin Butler our friggin' guy, has yet to miss! The entire movie is carried on this performance, great supporting cast though without question, but he plays it pitch perfect in my opinion! Hank is a very damaged man and you see great pain throughout and not just from the gruelling scars he accumulates, it really is gonna be one of those sleeper performances of the year in my estimation! Zoë Kravitz gets some time to shine and while admittedly I wish she got involved more in this dangerous situation she still did good work. Do I even have to talk about Matt? He's in the movie roughly as much as Zoë, but needless to say I was revelling in every minute of it and of course being the nerd I am it's funny how easily I see things like his stride or his little finger twiddling and just think yep that's Eleven, just with soooo much more swearing and aggression. He's a true punk, he's a cat person, he's a family man himself, pure 10/10! Oh yeah and we get to see a wee baybah the whole movie, ho ho ho ho he's a fluffy boy and I must pet him! You know me and cats, you don't fuck about with them in my presence unless you want to eat lead and...yeah they hurt the little one's paw so I was craving blood to the climax. Though I will admit the movie threw me for at least two loops, I caught one mere seconds before it was sprung, but yeah it's nice to be surprised at the movies from time to time considering the obelisk of media I've consumed. It's very solidly directed, the cast brings it all the way, the action though limited is more candidly shot truth be told with a wide enough angle to where you can see everything which I like, soundtrack was pretty good but I just wanted to hear more punk songs, it's got a very good pace and the time flies by, you do get invested and it keeps you invested till credits, so I can sure fire recommend this. 3 stars, 7.5/10, and that about does it for this month. What will next month entail? Who knows, not me, I make this up as I go along.

Longlegs

Well that was fuggin' weeeeird!

About as weird as the trailer which caught my interest quick before it went off the rails and it gave me the heebie jeebies so why not go see it? I'm a bit bewildered, not too sure what to make of it, but I'm happy I saw it. Cause the movie starts like your typical psychological crime drama, flat out compared to Silence Of The Lambs in the trailer, but as we get nearer the end it just gets out there man and there are plenty a twist and turn few would catch so you never can guess how it ends. It is a sublimely shot film I'll say that for sure, switching from 8mm film to more standard modern cinematography, it has an uncanny ability to get under your skin though the movie isn't abrupt or in your face with it's horror. Sure there are instances of music stinger fueled jumpscares but a good majority of the film is silent with no score and just natural soundscape but when it hits, creepy as shit and you will feel that anxiety along with your pulse rise so sound design is excellent as well. The characters are a limited cast of only really 4 parts and it's hard to get a handle on them. Lee is our protagonist, a young FBI agent who is on the case of a satanic Zodiac style serial killer that has submerged ties with her past. Maika Monroe is really good in this and some may say her acting is subdued but I would call it more intensely subtle, she can show the emotion and fear when necessary, and it took me forever to figure out why I know that face. I'm an idiot! It's Jay from It Follows. Wild. I know a good bit of hubbub was made about Nic Cage being in a horror movie and his appearance is hush-hush but you'd be surprised how early you see him, and he's not only unrecognizable but he brings the crazy. That special kind of crazy where you laugh but you're still freaked the hell out. It's great! Batshit plot surrounding him to where even I'm questioning if it just goes straight out of the bounds of reality. It seems like it and there's supernatural stuff at play but it isn't focused on intentionally. It's supposed to be a WTF element which makes it scarier. The unknown is terrifying. I'm here for it! It's a wild ride and unnerving for sure, I dare almost say the real horror is subconscious if I was more of a snob than I already am. It's worth seeing regardless of at theater or at home, and I can recommend it. I give it 3 stars, 8/10! Now for the fun goodies next week.

Fire Walk With Me

In the immortal words of David Lynch himself, "What the hell??".

Eraserhead I could get. I had even a small foothold when talking about that film, but Fire Walk With Me is absolutely what people think of the term "a David Lynch movie" is. Set as a prequel to the show Twin Peaks but made 2 years after the show at that point wrapped up, this more or less focuses on the final living days of Laura Palmer who from what I can discern the first season of the series delves into her murder investigation. And it almost seems that's what the beginning of the film is setting up, two FBI agents investigate a different case that has tentative links to Laura's future demise but unfortunately because of behind the scenes woes the film got reshuffled and is very different from the original script, so you're rolling with a brief investigation and then the movie shifts gears without a clutch right into the life and experiences of Laura Palmer. I didn't mind that a great deal because I knew this was essentially laying the groundwork for the series to build upon so the different actors for the same parts, the ultimate revelation of Laura's death, and the things that other fans would call inconsistencies I had no issue with because this is my first experience of the world of Twin Peaks. But yeah from the oh so very brief research I did into this apparently people were not too keen on this film when it came out but since has gotten a reappraisal. It's a fascinating experience watching this, because it really drops the pretense of a murder mystery and starts getting weeeeird and experimental, and is so not the movie you have just playing in the background while you file your taxes or cook breakfast. But I'll admit even when you're paying attention it still leaves you befuddled and wondering if someone slipped something in your beverage of choice. But I never ever claim weird and bizarre even to the point of confusion as "bad", even with shit like Killing Of A Sacred Deer that was mindwarping to the state of shellshock but not once did I categorize it as bad. I have seen some inept ignorant incompetent motherfuckers in my life who equate weird and different with bad and I got news for you champ, that's short for champion, this is a batshit movie where I'm swirling in a hurricane of unexplained moments and yet I still have interest and enjoyment with it. There is not one uncommitted individual in front of or behind the camera, everybody did such fantastic work. You couldn't say in a thousand generations this movie's star is not Sheryl Lee, I'm telling you right now man without witness or reward, without a shred of exaggeration or lie, this lady gives one of the most interesting, engrossing, and fantastic performances I have ever seen. I don't think there is an emotion she didn't potray as Laura, I mean a truly special actress. I don't know if I can fully sum up her character and probably never will but I can recommend this movie full force because of her acting alone. I have to say despite the super brief appearances in the long run of FBI investigators Chet, Sam, and Dale I really was digging their scenes and while I'm far from a super fan of crime shows/police procedural kind of stuff I easily got into the groove of their characters so well done on that. Ray Wise as Mr. Palmer did mighty good work even if the character just creeped me the hell out. Is that a stereotype these days of a suburban, straight laced, middle class dad who just seems that he stuffs bodies in a crawl space before having breakfast with the family? Just me? It might be. And like I said all the other aspects of production are great! The sets and the overall design are really damn nice, the cinematography is striking, the sound design has an edge to it, and because the film is so off the wall and experimental that means they really get to play. They get to play with what the camera can do, what kind of shot or effect do we want, what do we want the sound and ambiance to be, it's such a freeing experience when you can do that which is why certain shots and images are gonna stick with you and the strangeness of it all is what makes it stick all the more. I still got emotionally invested, I was shocked at times, puzzling over details, and even fighting back tears at a certain point. It's certainly never boring! I know it ain't for everybody so I can't recommend it to everybody, but if you feel brave enough one day to step into one of the strangest worlds you've ever known I say go for it. Not really too sure what to rate it, but I'd be talking out my ass Ace Ventura style if I said it didn't make me want to watch the show. I don't know when I'm ever gonna talk about Twin Peaks again, later rather than sooner, but I'm walking away from this in a positive mood. I give it 3 stars, 8/10! And we got one more before the day of the birth arrives for me.

Clay Pigeons

A request that was well worth watching.

This was weird. Not to say at all I didn't like it, I just knew nothing about it and was very pleasantly surprised. It's been a hot minute since I've seen a movie cement a tone so solidly and quickly in just the opening scene and it actually is a movie up my alley, weird and funny but dark. So our story goes that an average mechanic named Clay while out with his buddy, doing the most sensible thing imaginable, drinking beers and shooting shit when things go bonkers and his friend offs himself which starts a bad trend as several close people to Clay start dying and in the meantime he meets this delightfully bizzare guy named Lester who he forms an unsual friendship with. Things get so bad the FBI get called in and the stakes rise from there as Clay tries to prove he had nothing to do with the killings and find the real culprit. I probably had the dumbest smile on my face throughout this movie cause it's just such a weird, odd, off center movie but that's genuinely the strong point. Now the actors are pretty solid, Joaquin Phoenix class act as ever, Vince Vaughn who I'm not super keen on might have delivered my favorite performance of his career I mean this guy. Let me tell you about dis guy, he is un-f***ing-believable but he can come off very down to earth and likable. Last but not least we got Janeane Garoffalo, who is undoubtedly the straightfaced normal character but she might have made me laugh the most, she's just so not here to put up with people's bullshit, and shawty I love you for it. In terms of direction, it's not super striking or memorable albeit you get some quite lovely wide shots of the mountain ranges around the town, but neither is it at all bad. The director knows how to make the script leap off the page and delivers a memorable and severely off movie that is fun and very engaging to watch. And of course I gotta bring it up...because it's true, but guys the Hannibal vibes were off the charts here. Like, if you want a cliffnotes version of almost the whole show of Hannibal watch this movie. Possible gay bromance, murder, protagonist gets locked up but soon chases the villain, you got the FBI involved, there's a fair bit of will our hero run off with our villain or apprehend him for the authorities, I mean if Bryan Fuller didn't take some notes off this movie for his show I'll be damned surprised cause that is a coincidence unlike any I've encountered. Tangent over, go watch it. 3.5 stars, 7.5/10!

Face/Off

I really had no clue what I was in for.

Such an interesting movie, both in style and story but I can fully understand if it isn't someone's cup of tea. I'm fairly certain this is the first film I've seen of John Woo's filmography and I'm infinitely curious to see if any of the others fit this specific style. I will give some good points towards the plot, where a long standing feud between an FBI agent and a terrorist goes to new heights when the terrorist is apprehended but has one more ace up his sleeve, and information to his next act has to be procured in an interesting way. But the dynamic between hero and villain is the most intriguing part of the movie, and John Travolta and Nicolas Cage play their respective parts super well but then we get to the main crux. I'm still bewildered beyond words that after Nic is captured the very first idea that pops out in obtaining information on his biological bomb, is to literally undergo a face transplant to make John look like Nic. And it only gets wilder from there. Granted the movie sets it's tone expertly in the opening scene with batshit Nic on cloud nine, with one of the most overblown and highly unrealistic but still enjoyable action scenes I have seen in a long time. This is the epitome of action cop movie sequences, like it goes so out there and unashamedly so with sparks coming out of everything that gets hit, slow motion for no other reason than to have slowmo, shootouts where people stand on the roof of cars and point guns at each other while having conversations, and of course obvious wire work. Now I can appreciate that kind of pure Hollywood actionsploitation way of doing things, but I know it is not for everyone. You almost have had to have grown up on very specific kinds of action movies to fully enjoy this ride. But like I said the best part of the movie are our stars, and it is honest to God a super interesting and unique concept for a movie. Have the villain and hero swap places but still have it out for each other, collide some worlds just to see what happens, they do as much with the concept as the runtime allows and decently so. You can tell the actors are having a blast working with this material and the audience can enjoy it just as much, when Nicolas Cage is playing John Travolta who just so happens to look like Nicolas Cage there's a lot to read into that performance. I wouldn't mind seeing such a concept for a film in the future even if it doesn't have the gunplay and chases, it has that potential. While it is an absurdly ludicrous movie at times, I found it to be a decent one and can recommend it to some. 3 stars, 7/10, another week another new movie and no rest for the wicked.

Batman The Animated Series: Season 1

If series 13 of Doctor Who has taught me anything, it's to elaborate fully on my points. So from henceforth if a show deems it necessary, each review will be split into parts. This is most definitely one of those shows and the bulk of this entire series will be contained in the first season.

So, where exactly to start with Batman The Animated Series? Well apologies up front for not reviewing it sooner, given my reputation for all batmedia. I was heavily late to the party when the show was airing in it's hayday, so I strangely enough was introduced to this show not through the Cartoon Network but by one single VHS tape that I still own after all this time. Now keep in mind at such a young age I saw only Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, and Batman Returns, in that order even so my knowledge of Batman was increased tenfold watching the show as I grew up, and the Arkham games pushed it to a partial encyclopedic knowledge roughly 10 years later. The first episode I ever watched actually caps off the first season, and I'm splitting this up not how it was broadcasted but by my good old season collections on DVD, with Dreams In Darkness so we'll come to that in good time. It's almost overwhelming to get to talk about this show because I genuinely could go on for longer than anyone would read. I could easily make a 10 part retrospective on the show's history alone so I'll summarize briefly. In the gaps between the Burton and Schumacher eras plans were set for an animated Batman show that was just as much for adults as it was kids. It kickstarted in 1992 and almost singlehandedly changed the game of animated shows in the first episode. The animation, dark and stylized quite literally being drawn on black paper so every frame is seeped in shadow and black so the animation team had to know better than anyone how to work with light, color, and movement creating a whole new style dubbed dark deco by the creators. It looks good to this day with gorgeous backgrounds, sharp lines, excellent use of color and shading, I think there are videos upon videos dissecting and revelling in this unique animation style. The cast while dipping it's toes in the celebrity department is mostly made up of then not well known actors, but now my God I'd almost dare say this was one of the first shows where people really started paying attention to who was voicing what character. Kevin Conroy has cemented a legacy as the Dark Knight, the voice that has lasted generations and only has just recently stepped into live action, is THE Batman to so many people above even Michael Keaton, living and breathing the character for 30 years now. And lest we forget the clown prince of crime himself, Mark Hamill. Okay. Who.....the hell, thought when they were making this show, you know who we should consider for the archnemesis of Batman? Luke Skywalker. How? Why? What? It seems so out there, but surprise surprise he is in a league of his own, once again pretty much beating out every actor as THE Joker for so many folks, and has secured a legacy of madness that will continue for a very, very long time. 10/10! The cast alone once more could take ages to praise in turn, so I'll throw out my all time favorites a giant round of applause for voicing these villains. Richard Moll as Two-Face solidified him as my forever favorite villain of Batman's rogues gallery, Tommy Lee Jones got me on board but this man made me stick around. Henry Polic the II was the first new villain I knew in this show, introducing me to the master of fear the Scarecrow and maaan what a splendid job he did. I know this is sacrilegious but because of this show if you asked me my top 5 Batman villians even today, the Joker is #5, Mr. Freeze is #4, Riddler is #3, Scarecrow is #2, and Two-Face takes the #1 spot. He did that good a job, not really scaring me too bad but endlessly owning my attention when he was on screen. Scarecrow's episodes are always a highlight for me. Michael Ansara as Victor Fries. I gotta wait. We're gonna talk episodes later on and there will be much to say about Heart Of Ice and this character. Put a pin in that, we'll come back to that. Those were the big standouts for me this season, and I couldn't love them more, both actor and character, and no doubt more will come in the other 3 seasons. Not ever to discredit or shy away from the rest of the cast, Bob Hastings is a great Jim Gordon and was a good addition to Pat Hingle's version. Loren Lester though shockingly only in two episodes as Robin shows not the boy wonder but the Dick Grayson college student version of his character and does it well, can't wait to see more in future episodes. Efrem Zimbalist Jr. gives so much wit and humor to Alfred, and while my heart forever belongs to Michael Gough in the role, with unfathomable levels of love and admiration for both Alan Napier, Michael Caine, and Sean Pertwee's renditions, gives a strong and memorable performance. I can't point out a bad performance, even in a bit player, so onwards to music. I love it, from the opening theme, to the ending theme, to the reoccuring villain motifs, to the score for each individual episode. Shirley Walker and her team practically was 1/3 of the success of the show, giving us that dark moody and even triumphant music that accentuates the adventure. Never once does the music not give me goosebumps throughout the entire first season at one point or another, that's the power we are talking about here. Onto the fun part as we discuss what I consider to be the best episodes of the season. Obviously I have to give a shoutout to On Leather Wings the first epsiode, it has some very good animation and sets the tone for the show perfectly, and once the studio execs saw it they had a heck of a lot more faith in the show. Christmas With The Joker follows up on that and it's actually really fascinating to see the show not give a ton of buildup for these iconic characters, it does the character justice but nowadays it's almost all about the buildup to see a certain character, but it's a very fun episode and gaves us the first hit off Mark Hamill's performance and laughter. After that we have Nothing To Fear which not only introduces Scarecrow in a very good way but is the episode with the honor of having the whole I am vengeance lines, and personally has one of the most hair raising scary Batman moments, I mean sweet lord I actually recommend the episode more for that than the I am Batman part. POV is flat out another animated tribute to Akira Kurosawa this time the influence being Rashomon, and any episode with Renee Montoya is a win for me. I actually will give credit to the show for setting up Harvey Dent several times and not just introduce him when he is disfigured, showing up in the first episode, he dates Poison Ivy which is pretty wild and her introduction episode as well is a standout, but this was it man. This was the episode to cement Two-Face as my favorite, giving Harvey a split personality even before going full on villain and introduced two parters to the series, it's a terrific episode and the entire design of Two-Face is nothing short of classic. The Penguin oddly enough is introduced in one of the more kid centered episodes, of course it's a show for kids but this takes it to another level with two young children saving Batman's life and tries to hide him away from the clutches of the Penguin. It's not a terrible episode, not even a pandering or cheesy episode, but you can tell this one was for the kiddos I mean the title is I've Got Batman In My Basement for crying out loud. But boooooy do we switch gears fast with Heart Of Ice. It literally is just as good as people make it out to be, taking a one off villain from the comics and adding so much pathos and tragedy to it that it's not difficult to see why this is the episode that got this show an Emmy. Michael Ansara knocks it out of the park from line one and it just goes to show how big an impact this character made. I mean every Batman adaptation since, even Batman & Robin does his origin this way, because it has such an emotional impact, because he is such a well written villain, I mean the first season is either getting a 9 or full 10/10 but Heart Of Ice alone gets a 10/10. Then we meet Selina in The Cat And The Claw, again an absurdly good introduction to the character and nails the Batman/Catwoman dynamic effortlessly. Adrienne Barbeau is perfect casting and I like how Selina and Bruce's relationship evolves through this two parter, I genuinely love their interactions and couldn't wait to see her next episode. Now it's time to talk about Beware The Gray Ghost. Holy mother and great scott! Wow wow wow. What a perfect example of art imitating life with Adam West the Bright Knight himself, as the childhood hero of Bruce and teams up with the Batman in his older years. It's a gorgeous and loving tribute to the legend himself, and does dig into what happened after he put up the cape and cowl all those years ago. 11/10, the Gray Ghost is my hero. Feat Of Clay is a solid two parter introducing Clayface, once again introducing an element of tragedy to how he became the way he is and is a story I don't hear many people talk about but it's worth the time. Again sort of following up that case of characters showing up without much fanfare, Harley Quinn just kind of pops up in Joker's Favor, and I betcha' a million bucks no kid or adult who saw it live back then would know how much love and attention this character would get. It does reinforce how much I miss Arleen Sorkin and even I'm a bit perplexed how Harleen got so much popularity in the coming years, and we're talking long before even Margot Robbie got the part, but it's wonderful to see her all the same. Scarecrow appears once again in Fear Of Victory, get used to me shining a lot of light on his epsiodes, with a unique villain plot and once again kind of another blood rushing creepy moment that I can only imagine freaked kids out something fierce back then. An Appointment In Crime Alley is easily one of the best Batman stories to come out of this show, it introduces Leslie Thompkins and without one word of dialogue shows everything you need to know about her relationship with Bruce and it does have in my opinion one of the strongest and emotional endings to any of the episodes. Mad As A Hatter, one of my favorites when I was younger and thoroughly obsessed with Alice In Wonderland, a good introduction to a lesser known villain but made very memorable through the story. Here we go again, Scarecrow part the third with Dreams In Darkness, the first episode I ever saw of this show and man I got a lot of memories about this. I watched it a ton and it really got my imagination going at such a young age, easily the reason why I hold Scarecrow so highly. I love the story, the animation for the hallucinations, I still want that awesome pocket watch, it's another stand out for me and I'm glad to see it get a lot of appreciation. I hope there's been some videos to really delve into these episodes because what they did for animation, television, and comics cannot be understated. It's such a rich show that has so much to offer, even in an episode like The Forgotten you can still enjoy it, it's very well written, innovatively animated, and just fun to watch. I doubt it's no secret the first quarter of this show gets the full 4 stars, 10/10, and I hope that trend continues as we dig straight into season 2 tomorrow.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Why have I been sleeping on my ass for the past 7 years before getting to this movie?

I really and truly think this movie doesn't get half the praise it truly deserves, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a movie worthy of discussion, analysis, praise, and overall enjoyment regardless of age. It's such a unique and bonkers yet brilliant idea to esentially set a real world crime noir in the bright and slapstick world of cartoon characters. Set in 1940s Los Angeles a gruff private investigator named Eddie slowly gets enbroiled with cleaning the name of cartoon star Roger Rabbit as he's set up for murder, but Eddie has a damaged past and cares nothing for toons yet more pieces fall into place and the plot thickens. Already the cast in this movie is what makes half the movie as great as it is, Bob Hoskins is a trememdous lead and effortlessly acts through the film despite that none of his toon co-stars are there in the flesh (in a sense), George Fleischer couldn't play a bumbling yet still very much fearing for his life toon better if he tried, Christopher Lloyd might have his coolest look in this film and it's indeed a different role for him but one I feel to be almost the most effective, and I tip my hat to Kathleen Turner for giving us the voice and personality of Jessica Rabbit in all her glory. Rock on. Now we get to talk about the technicals which is an obelisk sized task in just text, they have entire behind the scenes documentaries on how they blocked, shot, interacted, and implemented all these animated characters, props, and scenery. It is ingenious and any film school that doesn't talk about it in some way is a hack, they had to use in scale to the animation rubber replicas of the characters and I don't know how to describe it, cause they key out the dummy and layer the animation and it looks seamless. And this was a huge huge deal at the time, this was the movie where Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse shared a scene, nothing like that happened before. Even with movies like Space Jam A New Legacy it was still all properties of Warner Bros., but this is where every animation studio chipped in and that was a huge deal before the 90s, and even then it wasn't a common occurence, plus I'm a nerd for this kind of thing so I'm peering in the background naming any characters I can. I will admit it's been a few years since I last saw this movie but, I'm not entirely sure this was made for kids. I mean Looney Tunes were primarily believe it or not, made more for adults but kids loved it and it still worked. The same applies to here, we get some pretty gruesome deaths both seen and implied, Eddie drinks a fair bit, Jessica Rabbit I don't think I need to say much more about her, you get a little bit of language, it just seems more geared towards at least older kids and adults. That didn't stop me though, I must have saw this when I was maybe 10 years old and I absolutely loved it. I loved the story, the characters, the humor, the musical score mother of pearl! Let me tell you right now, real talk, I cannot listen to the first half of Valiant & Valiant without getting in an emotional mess and weeping. It is that damn good, and the music score is very jazzy/bluesy which I adore endlessly. I mean I don't think I need to tell people to go see it, it's an incredibly strong film even if the mystery aspect isn't absolute shall we say, I can't recommend it more. But what's the score? I don't know if I wanna give it an 8 or 9. It deserves either but I'm gonna give it a 9/10, 4 stars check it out!

The Saint

This was such an interesting film to watch and I really liked it.

I wasn't entirely sure in the slightest what to expect from The Saint, I never heard of it, I never watched it, never heard anybody talk about it, and I got curious. Why the shit is no one talking about a crime thriller with Val Kilmer as a master of disguises set in post cold war Russia? If someone told me there was a movie with that plot, I would go see it. The movie gave me very strong Brosnan era Bond vibes, set in Russia after the Cold War, you get some gadgets, you got a love interest, it just really had that vibe of those movies. And the movie came out in 1997, the same year Tomorrow Never Dies came out so there's some connections there. And yeah, there is some more noticeable 90s filmmaking moments but it's a solid film with good direction. Hell this film alone proves how versatile and great an actor Val is, cause he pulls off so many looks, so many accents, he really does knock it out of the park. Elisabeth Shue is a good romantic lead, bit love struck hardcore, like constantly snogging Val Kilmer but hey it's Val Kilmer I can understand that. He had about 6 shirtless scenes, it's a grand time. The plot isn't flawless, there are things that are just sort of there, like at one point our heroes are evading henchman and wind up underground, and there's just this lady woman down there who assists them and sells....paintings?? I have no idea what that was about, feels like a deleted scene connected it better. It's much more a thriller than an action flick, there's no shoot outs so some people might call it dull but it has a different feel to it, it's not meant to be balls to the wall action. Half the movie is a romance for God's sake, so yeah it probably won't turn a lot of heads but I really wouldn't be surprised if there's a small cult following to it. 3 stars, 7/10, see you tomorrow when the music's over.

Cruella

Not at all a bad film to review for the 800th mark.

Yes, we got that far. And sweet lord did I love this movie, I mean if you asked me before what live action Disney movie was my favorite I'd say The Jungle Book, and after this movie I do not think Cruella can be topped. I had precisely zero idea what on earth they would do with this story, and I was grabbed, intrigued, made incredibly happy, and even kinda wanted a continuation as credits rolled. A lot of people were pointing and crying Joker at the trailer and I strongly disagreed, knowing they would do their own thing entirely and make something good which they did. Shock of all shocks, I'm right. Again. They tipped their hat to that film in their own way but the way the story progresses, shifts and molds to show how Cruella came to be was handled very well I thought. Now I know some people would shriek contrivances abound in this movie, but it could have been handled a lot more hamfisted and it could have fell flat hard. Like dropping a sack of puppies falls hard. But seeing Estella as a young girl (and yes that is future daughter goals to me) who after suffering a tragedy meets up with two thiefs Jasper and Horace and pretty much finds her own identity, oh and plots revenge which might be the most worthless of causes but there's something different when she does it. Am I being too shameless? Yes. Terribly. Hell I could almost argue the whole point of the picture is a take on finding your true persona and characteristics, no compromises. And it is a gradual shift from Estella to Cruella, it's not just one bad day and then bam there she is in all her splendor and fashion, in fact the film just has good pacing and knows when to linger on a shot and when to cut. I caught myself many a time catching on the long takes, and sort of intricate camera movements, I see you Birdman long take you cheeky bastard I see you, so the cinematography is very good. The sets are very well done, each having a personality, and since the film has a great emphasis on fashion you get a lot of that 70s style to it which I was digging quite a lot. The soundtrack, holy great balls of fire, this soundtrack is excellent. You get like 2 points just for playing The Doors, I swear half the movie I was foot tapping and lip syncing, it was made for me. And Emma...my God! I never knew I needed Emma Stone with red hair, almost exclusively and exquisite black outfits, and a british accent. Where has this been my whole life and how have I lived without it? She was outstanding in this role and while I feel you can't compare Glenn and Emma because they are so different in their potrayals, she was excellent. I just had such a great time with it, even when it treaded close to silly or ridiculous it never inhibited my enjoyment or love for it, I've seen many a ludicrous thing in my time so I can roll with all of this. The comedy I felt wasn't busting your gut laughing but it got me often, and I appreciate a more slight giggle and brief guffaw than laugh out loud personally. The plot albeit gets a bit soap opera but the life of Cruella DeVil has to be heavily dramatic to some extent, so hey you just be you movie I can't hold a grudge. If she flat out murdered a dog though it would have gotten a 10/10, I don't hate dogs or anything but come on, though this movie gets a touch dark and doesn't really dumb it down for kids in a way where adults could not take it seriously. It commits to it and bless them for that alone. 4 stars, 8.5/10, yes I meant that, and another month gone. I'll be taking my usual break but I'll be back in time for Scarlett don't you worry, I've been waiting for that day for a long time so I will see you then.

101 Dalmatians

20 years since I last watched it, so how does it hold up?

Now I know this isn't technically the first Disney live action remake but honestly who even remembers the 90s Jungle Book? Nobody, I don't even think it should count since it tries to stick more to the books and not do the animated film again. So this is the first technically, at least for me. It's...mixed, not so much on production or story but primarily on the tone. The tone in this movie is beyond scatter brained, it's almost inherint because the plain fact of the matter is, the story concerns a group of puppies being stolen with the intent of being killed, skinned, and made into a fur coat by the one and only Cruella DeVil as a rescue attempt is made to retrieve the pups. So it kinda has to tightrope a quite dark and screwed up main story, but still put the ha ha funny funny moments specifically for kids, young kids at that and it doesn't always pull it off. Now production wise, it's done really really well. Location shooting in London, screenplay by John Hughes and yes I'm still reeling from that revelation, a mighty great cast I mean the star power they have here is kinda unreal, the animal training is highly commendable, set design primarily for Cruella's places is wonderful, all the elements are there. It's just the flip flop between cutesy, and weird and f***ed up that bothers me. I mean this movie will put the fear of DeVil in you boy, Glenn Close is terrifying yet incredible in this role. There isn't a fraction of a shadow of a doubt in my mind's eye she is the only reason anyone watches this movie. She's just that good! But that's not at all to say the rest of the cast isn't good, hell I'd say easily the second best actor in this is Hugh Laurie, it really is like if the Prince Regent took up being an accomplice it's beautiful. Of course I have to shout out Mr. Weasely himself Mark Williams, I think him and Hugh work very well together. Even our main couple played by Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson do good work. And the more I think about it this was my first experience for so many actors when I was like 5, Glenn, Jeff, Hugh, Mark, actors I've come to appreciate and love in 2 decades time. I know I haven't talked much about the dogs and while the animals are trained really impressively, I didn't think they were that big a part of the story, strange though that may sound. Heck the 15 puppies birthed doesn't even occur until the 40 minute mark in this almost 2 hour film, and you get brief moments of cutesy stuff but I could not help but focus more on the dark stuff. I mean this movie freaked me out a fair bit when I was young, the skinned tiger was f***ed up and upsets me more now, Skinner was a creepy character and hasn't lost much of his edge despite his low screen time, Christ just hearing Glenn scream got a startle out of me often that woman is either go all or go home. There's flat out horror movie shots at times which I do kinda love but then I remember the title and audience demographic and I'm just like, yikes. True there were parts I didn't like, for instance our main couple decide to get married because the dogs have fallen in love. I see no faults in logic there. Plus the fact this movie brought a fair bit of 1995 to memory, I mean God I'm aging by the minute here at this point. I have no issue saying I watched the second movie more than the first when I was young so that will be fascinating to see so many years later. This film I give 3 stars, 7/10, catch you next time for 101+1 more doggos.

What Did Jack Do?

I don't care if this is considered cheating, I've been doing this for over half a decade now I'll do what I like.

For a 17 minute short, I can resoundingly say I did not need more than what was presented. With not directing a feature length movie since 2016, I'm just happy David did this. Shot in pristine black and white, a detective has sat down with a suspect in a murder case and starts putting the spotlight on him to try and figure out if he really was the killer or not. The dialogue is very classic cop interrogation here, there are no philosophical monologues like in The Dark Knight but brings originality to it in other ways. For instance instead of musings of the human condition we get treated to a musical number written by David Lynch and Dean Hurley, which I could have sworn I heard before somewhere, sometime in my life but it is just an original song made for this short film and I'd be lying to the world if I said I didn't kinda want it in my music library. The instrumentals are super lovely and though it is short I very much enjoy it, though it blind sides the entire story a bit but I don't at all mind. I know David has acted in front of the camera before like in Twin Peaks and he does good work here, playing it a bit stoic and basic as terms as detectives go but I love it because it's just him in the role. And there's a monkey, did I mention that? The detective is interrogating a monkey named Jack who fell in love with a chicken by the name of Toototabon. What? Too predictable? I actually find it hilarious that the way they animate the monkey speaking is just a more technologically advanced Clutch Cargo technique but it doesn't look bad at times. The plot thickens quick with Jack being a crafty devil in evading questions but the tea or should I say coffee, is spilled and justice is served. Final score depends on more so than any major motion picture I've covered on subjective viewing, you are just presented with a story and you either like it or don't. I did like it, it's not 10/10 but I'd give it 8/10, 4 stars. You are doing your life a cruel and horrid disservice if you are not subscribed to David Lynch Theater on the YouTube, he has short films, does daily weather reports and number picks, shows you what projects he's working on, it's one of my favorite channels to view quite possibly ever. Until next time, everyone have a great day!

The Exorcist III

Why am I doing 3 before 2? Two reasons, 1. The second movie is bad, and B. While both have connections to the first this felt like a proper sequel.

After the total maelstrom of shite the second Exorcist movie became, the original author William Peter Blatty took it upon himself to write and direct the third. That's how much he hated it. And to be fair I haven't read The Exorcist and I think he does competent work here but my heavenly stars does this movie get odd. Honestly, if this wasn't an Exorcist movie or have any ties to the supernatural at all this would be a great film. The plot centers on a police officer who is working on murder cases that are identical to a previous serial killer known as Gemini, despite the killer being dead for 15 years. He discovers that Damien Karris from the first movie was possesed by the spirit of the Gemini Killer after his climactic fall down the stairs at the end of the first movie and has only recently started to murder. It's a bit bonkers to say the least, but if you can look past the outlandish plot elements which are really few and far between this is a pretty decent movie. But do you see why I say this would make a superior crime film than horror film? It really plays out as that for the majority of the film with instances of spooky supernatural stuff peppered throughout. In the original script there wasn't even an exorcism scene and I hear tale that there is a director's cut out there that fits more to that script. I still quite liked this movie but I feel it all comes down to the shoulder of the cast. George C. Scott is our main character, do I even need to go on? He's great as always and his reputation only improves with every film I see him in. With Gemini, both Jason Miller returns but we also get Brad Dourif as the embodiment of the killer and you can imagine the faces of fear I had watching him. F*** me sideways, it has been a good damn while since any performance has hit me like that! If there ever was a reason to watch this movie it is because of Brad Dourif, I seriously could go on a tirade just about him because I just adore that man to the moon and beyond. It really and truly is scary good. I love how the film is shot, it does not rush things and builds that tension and suspense well through great camera work and editing. I can see if people call it slow but I never personally thought the movie dragged even a smidge. The exorcism scene is just as wild with so much visual flair to it compared to the practically subtle first one, it's kind of a trip but nevertheless fascinating and interesting. It's a bizarre combination of genre and substance but I'll take it over The Heretic any day of any year, I won't blame anybody if they just want to stick to the original and not venture further beyond into the myriad of sequels, but if you're feeling adventurous and want to see something odd yet quite good give this a shot. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10! Only two more movies to go before the bittersweet end, and needless to say in October it's a wonderful life.

Charlie's Angels Full Throttle

Shite. Well, thanks for joining this review. Bye!!

I can't decide what's f***ing worse, the first movie that was in it's own little world doing it's own thing or this movie trying so hard to do stuff and failing miserably! And to think, I dare thought that the first movie was bad. No no no no. This. This sucks. Every point of the last movie that was already bad and made me want to peel the skin off my face and then skull rape my own eyesockets gets worse! How??! Hot buttery biscuits, how?? Don't even attempt the damn drinking game cause you will die. There's no getting around it, you would be dead, there would be more alcohol than blood in your body and you would cease to breathe. I mean the first movie was at least a bit funny, and had decent effects, and good actors doing decent work! True the objectifying bullshit was bad, but this thiiiis is the worst I have ever seen. The effects are just, pssh I'm not even going to talk about it I'm just gonna ask you, the f*** is wrong with you? And somehow you squandered more talent in this than the last, you couldn't even get Bill Murray because he was either filming Lost In Translation or was too bleedin' good for this, you got Bruce Willis and the shittin' T-1000 in this movie and you do dick with them. You bring John Cleese...and you break him in this movie. Nevermind the fact I'm wondering what sin he commited to be in this movie, but you see his character just crumble and you know what? Damn you, damn you to hell and take your movie with you. I liked his character and you broke him. Thank God you at least had Bernie Mac, because I love that man and he was my eternal sunshine in this movie, he made me laugh so much and goddamn do I miss him! I know our main leads probably had a lot of fun and if for nothing else, made good memories shooting a movie with friends. That's fine, I have nothing against them even a teeny bit, if you can look back on it fondly it isn't too terrible. Oh God, I'm rambling. The story has some meat to it or at least highly processed meat to it, I mean you still got your whatever caper but then you get stuff like, backstory into Dylan and an old adversary of hers returns, you get a retired Angel coming into the fray, the possibility of Natalie moving on from the team and having a life of her own. These are not horrible concepts by any stretch, but the execution and style of the film is what completely shoots itself in the foot. Wait, I take that back. It is shoving a double barrel shotgun down it's throat and somehow pulling the trigger twice. I can appreciate trying to make this a more involved and important film, but it just doesn't work. It doesn't feel earned, it certainly doesn't match the tone and direction, this is shut your brain off entertainment action shlock. I like our lead actors, they're having fun so screw it let sleeping dogs lie, John Cleese and Bernie Mac are amazing and I love them so, but beyond that....no. You even brought my guy back, you brough skinny bollocks back still being played by Crispin Glover, but you gave him 3 scenes and I don't like that. Plus the kiss was just, f***ing hwhat??? When the most interesting part of your movie is a side character whose name in itself is a mystery to me because I have heard of several characters throughout my life with the moniker of The Thin Man but I don't know anything beyond that and I want to research it (and by research I mean spend 10 minutes and google it) just to learn more. That's it! And you would have to pay me sacks of money to review the new one. No. Non merci. I will be watching and reviewing something I actually love with a female lead this Friday, thank you very much. Do I give it a rating? It sort of defies ratings but okay. 1 star, 3.5/10, there's my meaningless scores. I'm done, bye.

Rush Hour 2

Okay I gotta level with you on this, I did not see the first Rush Hour until way after this, we're talking 2005 or maybe 2006. I got this movie on DVD in 2002, first time I ever met these characters, first time I ever saw Jackie Chan, this was the one that introduced me to martial arts films. If it wasn't Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings, I did not watch movies in order back then.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's get on to it. Unfortunately Rush Hour 2 did not surpass or meet the standards of the first, yet I still did enjoy it. So we pick up literally about 3 days since the end of the last movie with Lee and Carter going to Hong Kong for a vacation but very quickly accept the case of a counterfeit money ring run by the partner of Lee's dad, as they work with a Secret Service operative to figure out how they are smuggling the money and shutting the operation down. Pretty much by the end of the movie I realized how strikingly similar it was to Diamonds Are Forever. We start off in an asian country but quickly shift gears to Las Vegas, the villain supppsedly dies only to pop up again, the henchman or in this case henchwoman is one of the most memorable parts of the movie and even has a final go at our heroes before their demise at the end, and it has a bit of smut to it. I was kinda shocked and yet not surprisingly shocked at the fanservice with this, any opportunity to show half-nekkid ladies this film delivers to the point where I was like, okay damn put some clothes on before you catch a cold, and if you did your math I was about 7 years old when I saw this movie. And I watched it a lot, may have even fueled a particular taste in women....I've said too much right now so let's not dwell on that. To the technicals! I will say this movie upped the first with how many more stunts and hand to hand fights there were, with plenty of variety in location and inventive use of the environment. On the flip side, I didn't laugh as much but what it lacks in comedy it makes up for in action, so it's a fair trade off between the two. For an hour and a half movie it flies at almost lightning speed, I barely felt like I sat down when the third act rolled in which isn't a bad thing but it is something I noticed, and the first movie is like not even 10 minutes longer than this so it keeps you going quite quick. The cast again was quite good, with Jackie and Chris still having good chemistry and it's an appropriate shift to see Carter now in Lee's territory. John Lone plays a very cool headed and very smooth villain which he does quite well at, but Zhang Ziyi steals the show with a psychotic urge to kill and a striking look so she was easily the best new addition to the cast which speaks a lot about her acting talent as she didn't understand english and yet delivered a very good performance. Roselyn Sanchez I simultaneously liked her in the movie yet didn't, I liked her because she does kinda keep you guessing on who she's working for and even isn't half bad in an action sequence, but I just hated how the camera was leering at her with a few instances of let's just say undress, but she did fine work in the role. It's kinda weird how I remember liking this movie so much more than the first when I was younger, and was even expecting a little bit for it to still be my favorite and yet now I very much agree the first is still the best. I couldn't tell you how much I wanted to watch Rush Hour 3 after it was jokingly teased, and had to wait 6 years for it. Needless to say I do not remember much about it and I honestly don't think I cared for it much even back then. Only one way tonfind out where it stands. In the meantime, 3 stars, I give it 6.5/10, still worth a watch even if only once, and I'll see you next time.

The Helter Skelter Murders

This was a very different kind of picture.

The Helter Skelter Murders was an independently produced film centering around the Manson murders, with the rare distinction that the film was being made while the trial was still going on. It's a sort of grim reality when there's a mad rush to make the first film to capitalize on a tragedy, and the Manson murders were front and center on every newspaper at that time. But to be fair, it's really not entirely the film you would expect. It's this odd mix where it's 1/3 courtroom drama, 1/3 home invasion movie, and 1/3 student film. Eventually it does lead up to the Tate murders and you figure it will be a total bloodbath for just exploitation sake but the director takes a different approach. A lot of the film is silent, and the black and white cinematography is quite honestly handled really well, with great use of shadows and one of the best examples of a film turning to color since Wizard Of Oz and don't even ask me how they achieved that. It was impressive in the 30s as much as it is impressive in the 70s. The entire climax of the film follows the events of the crime very accurately, building a lot of suspense and tension before the brutality begins. I will say you pretty much need to know the case backwards and forwards, none of the criminals or victims are named so you could honestly show this to someone who has no real knowledge of the Manson's and get their opinions on it. I'll tell you this much, it warrants that R rating big time, there is plenty of nekkid parts to almost qualify this as softcore porn and the murders did actually elicit a strong gut reaction from me. I know we could argue on the moral dilemmas of making films like these, potraying real life crimes but to what end or means, but it seems to me the director wanted to document the event and put his own style and substance to it, which does make for a memorable film. The visual style is really damn good, the soundtrack is chock full of late 60s music some of which is worth owning, it treats the material seriously and doesn't shy away from the events, and I've just never seen a movie quite like this before. You can find it totally free on the Internet Archive, a majorly helpful tool in my review history and I do recommend it if only just to see something different. 3 stars, 7/10, and I will be back next time with quite possibly the best of the lot as we see a seamless blending of fiction and reality.

Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Yeah, it's my favorite. What a twist!

I'm pretty sure this was the first Jim Carrey movie I saw, might have been Batman Forever but I'm hedging my bets on it being this one. And I could be here all damn day telling you how much I love it, I was reciting lines left, right, and center through the whole thing and had a total blast with it, so it's gonna get the best rating even if I'm very nostalgically biased towards it. I can't even imagine how big the movie was in 1994, seeing as how I wasn't born yet but I can certainly imagine! I mean Jim got a one-two punch with The Mask and Dumb And Dumber, but this was just a knockout for that year. And while it is undoubtedly a comedy first it still has crime elements, with Ace Ventura the world's best and only pet detective called in to retrieve the Miami Dolphin's mascot and figure out who kidnapped the poor creature and why. Incredibly basic plot that I can attest that even a small child can understand, and to be fair the mystery/detective parts are handled well and keep you invested until the end. But the comedy is what gets people coming back, and Jim Carrey is on top form in this, though I've loved his performances in the previous movies of his that I've reviewed, this is just next level. I actually found out recently that Carrey built his Ace persona around birds, the colorful hawaiian shirts, the absurd yet glorious hair, the exaggerated neck movements, I certainly see it now. To be honest, his comedy hits every time for me in various degrees, from a quick smile to hard laughs, and I'll be honest his schtick never got old for me. These 3 movies I reviewed were the big ones for me, watched them constantly and never got tired of the antics, and while I've grown and my taste and sensibilities have changed there's still a part of me that loves these movies. But Jim isn't the only one who is good in this, Courtney Cox is fun and has quite good chemistry with Jim, Sean Young hasn't aged a day since Blade Runner and is friggin' fit as hell in this movie, I even liked seeing Tone Loc again though bless him I don't think he's been in much since the 90s. So cast is great, comedy is a blast, the crime solving aspects are handled well, and it even made football tolerable to me. Is there anything I don't like? Well I can see one thing about a certain aspect of the film that might not have aged well, if you know you know, and while I certainly can totally understand where people are coming from and even agree with them on points, I can also say that people shouldn't take it too seriously to the point you can't enjoy the movie. I'd blame more the individual for taking a certain mindset away from this movie than the movie itself, because the director and cast absolutely meant no ill will, but I totally get a bit of the concerns. Does it hurt the score? No. Do I think people should take a chill pill and not make everything an issue? Yes. All in all, it's still a favorite of mine, and not even like a guilty pleasure I unironically love Ace Ventura, I think it's a very funny and entertaining movie and I'll no doubt keep watching it in the future and just as a bonus I'm gonna review the sequel too. But in the meantime, 4 stars! I dare even give it an 8/10, and I'll see you next time when nature calls.

Knives Out

Well Rian I sorta liked it.

Now as just an entertaining little mystery movie I think this film does a good job, I don't think it's trying to be this great crime movie and just wants to be entertaining for 2 hours. And I can safely say I was very much entertained, I had a great time with this movie! The star power worked though even I was shocked how little time anyone got besides Ana de Armas and Daniel Craig, but they all have their individual moments to shine. I felt the mystery aspect was very involved and while you don't exactly need a pen and paper for it, it did take me awhile to learn names but that's because I forget things easily. It's your standard mystery fare, somebody finds the body of a very rich man in his mansion soon after a party, which soon leads to everyone becoming a suspect and a renowned detective tries to crack the case. This is very much a tribute to the movie Clue, which if you've read my review on it is one of my favorite movies but it by no means is a rehash of it, it does it's own thing and in it's own style which works very well. Rian both wrote and directed this movie, and I'll be honest I was totally running with everything and throwing my own theories and statements out which shows that he knows how to do engaging and interesting stories but there was one part....it was the smallest thing but it was the dumbest thing I've seen in a movie for a long time. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it and it made me utter one of my personal favorite quotes, "There's suspension of disbelief and then there's insulting my f***ing intelligence.". Yeah. I just, hwhat the french toast? But beyond that major/minor point, it was a good movie! I'm not sure what accent I like Daniel Craig doing more, the one in Knives Out or Logan Lucky, but he was easily my favorite character. Though Ana de Armas was incredibly likable and great too, very much the normal person in this cast of eccentrics. It's definitely worth a rental, the overall construction of plot works and not just with the reveals, it's a movie that encourages audience interaction, has good production and actors, and is worth your time to see if you can guess who did it. To be perfectly frank, I called the ending and yet still was a bit surprised. Now that's how you do it! 3 stars, 7.5/10, and I will see you tomorrow.

In Retrospect: Joker

I'll admit I only know one joke. No one gets it.

It still truly holds up for me, Joker is still the movie that could live in the regular world of movies and comic book movies. There's been tons of talk about the movie, implications, theories, studies, what have you and all from just a comic book movie with a realistic tone. It's really amazing to see this movie do so well and my boy Joaquin just got a Golden Globe for this movie now we take on the Oscars! Is there much more to say about it since last time? Partially, I did discover a crucial puzzle piece that countless individuals have not brought up before when they talk about the aspect of the film regarding the narration. People say Arthur is the unreliable narrator, he imagines things therefor the whole movie could just be in his head while he's banging his head on a door in Arkham. This is wrong. The truth is found in simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius, of each particular thing ask what is in itself? What do we see in these daydreams of Arthur Fleck? We see him happy. He's on Murray's show and goes up on stage to huge approval of the audience and Murray saying he wants a kid like him, we see him go on dates with a nice girl he meets who is there to comfort him in a dark and troubling time. We never see him unhappy, downtrodden, or a failure in these daydreams. Thusly, many aspects of the film's story happened. Meeting Thomas Wayne, finding his mother's file, his various crimes, all happened. We never once see a daydream turn into a nightmare. I always saw it as Arthur was once in Arkham but was released and lived with his adopted mother and the story plays out as it's told. No twists or misdirects. I know that may seem boring and uninteresting but I'm simply not one for fan theories or heavy speculation (which we'll talk about more when Episode 9 hits video). The film is simply there to simultaneously tell a new story and expand upon previous stories about how The Joker came to be and it does it incredibly well. Joaquin Phoenix does usurp the throne that Heath Ledger has ruled for over a decade for me, though of course I'm still in love with his performance in The Dark Knight. It doesn't feel like a comic book movie with it's tropes and peculiar ideas, but simply tells the story of a man who is beaten down by the city he lives in and starts taking action that plunges the city into chaos and makes him something more than just another person on the corner. It's a damn well made movie considering the script was practically being rewritten daily, and the direction by Todd Philips can be very funny at times, and down right heartbreaking and cruel at others. I'm still personally debating on how I feel about there being a good possibility of a sequel, on one hand I'd love to see Joaquin Phoenix broadening the role and see where the story goes next but on the other hand I'm incredibly happy how this film ended. The fact that the film ends on the Joker thinking about Bruce Wayne standing over his dead parents and having a good hard laugh is iconic in it's own right, and then proceeds to end Tom & Jerry style with a 'The End' title card is just about as great an ending as you can get. The film has broke many records and stands as the highest R-rated movie to date, put that in your pipe and overdose on it Deadpool, and has been making too many appearances on best films of 2019 lists to even count. I'm proud DC took a chance on something so different to the comic book movie engine of today but the results are speaking volumes to the public. Something different can be amazing, and maybe we shouldn't always have the same formula that Marvel has been cranking out for an ungodly period of time. In fact that's probably the only reason I liked Doctor Strange and Black Panther is because I'm not familiar with that style of movie, hell I'm pretty sure I could count all the Marvel movies I've seen on one hand (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Doctor Strange, Black Panther) so maybe my opinions will change if I ever intend to eviscerate, uh I mean dissect the Marvel movies. I really hope we see more movies like this one though, taking risks and changing the game a bit if only just to make movies more interesting again. Joker still gets a sterling 4 stars, 9/10 from me, and I'm sure this movie will be watched, talked about, evaluated, and enjoyed for years to come. So I guess I got to tell the joke right? Alright. There were these two guys in an insane asylum, and one night they decide they don't want to be in an asylum any more. They decide they're going to break out. So they bust out and make a run for the roof, and there just across the rooftops is the city. Freedom. The first guy jumps across no problem, but the second guy doesn't dare make the leap. He's afraid of falling. So the first guy says, "Hey I brought a flashlight with me, I'll shine it across the gap and you just walk across the beam of light and join me on the other side.", but the second guy says, "What do you think I am? Crazy?? You don't walk towards the light at the edge of a rooftop!". You didn't laugh.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Dear God I love my job sometimes.

I finally did it, I finally scratched another one off the list. To Kill A Mockingbird, it's the easiest film to talk about and yet so difficult to talk about. Do I even need to say I loved it? Do I even need to say it is one of the best films I have ever seen in my entire life? Of course not. Granted I knew next to nothing about the film, aside from it's one of the best films in american cinema and the line, you probably know the line. That's it. But I never allow such expectations, because you simply can never hear such praise of a film and set that as the benchmark, you must watch it for yourself and judge if it is indeed one of the greats or not. It truly is. It took maybe 5 minutes after the opening credits to where I was ready to be taken on this reminiscent journey of a young girl whose father is a defense attorney and is tasked with defending a black man named Tom who allegedly raped a white woman. But the courtroom scene is not the focus, it doesn't even start until a bit less than an hour before the film ends. The focus is on the young girl Scout, her memories and experiences of that time in her small town, and Mary Badham could not have been better in this role. I adore Scout to the moon and back, she's funny, she's inquisitive, she's a bit of a tomboy, and if I'm being absurdly real with you she is straight up future daughter goals for me. I cannot believe we got such a good performance from such a young girl, just 9 years old and was nominated for an Oscar. Hell to the yeah! But the most integral part of her story and her world is her father, Atticus Finch and it really does show. They have a great relationship together and you can tell he's a great dad and a very respectable and stand up guy. Gregory Peck is so godforsaken good in this movie, he just nails it he absolutely nails it! People have brought up to my knowledge only recently, that is Atticus Finch truly a good person? Does he truly believe in his defendant's innocence or did he just accept the case just to add another notch to his belt if he was acquitted? Was he possibly rascist? In my eyes, no. Granted the story is told from Scout's point of view, she has an immeasurable love and respect for her dad so could the case be made that she was just trying to make her dad seem better than he really was? I haven't read the book, but dear lord is it on my list now, but the film version of Atticus does not seem that type of person. He never judges people, he flat out tells Scout not to use the ugliest and most derogatory word in history though she's by no means a bad kid, he takes the time to visit Tom's family, and is clearly affected by the case. No spoilers of course, but I got choked up not once, not twice, but three times and I don't even know why. I was so heavily engrossed in the story and these characters that by the time the trial started I seriously could not sit still, I had to just pace around my living room I got that into it. It has been a good long while since I got that involved in a film. It's not a film renowned for it's technical aspects, it's shot well and everything, but the reason the film still has that punch over 55 years later is because of the story and the performances. There's one scene and it's genuinely making me well up right now, where Scout meets this young man named Boo who is kind of a recluse and there's a lot of bad talk about him and she's been trying to see him for the whole film, and they finally see each other and....it just went right through me. Not a line was spoken, he's barely on screen for maybe 5 minutes, and he never even says a word. It's just a visual performance by Robert Duvall, and that is some of the best acting I've seen yet. It tells you everything without saying a single solitary word. This movie made me remember why I love to watch movies, why I love to write review after review, week after week, year after year. It is because of just little scenes like that. It means the world to me. And I feel like such an unbelievable idiot for not seeing this film earlier in life. I really want to give it a 9/10 guys, I really do. An 8/10 is a disservice! It's a 9/10, 4 stars, if I forced my thumb to go up anymore it would break. This is mandatory viewing. Now you don't have to take everything I say to heart, just see the movie and judge it for yourself, you may not give it a 9/10 and that is fine, but regardless just see it. I gave so much disdain and hate for It's A Wonderful Life, and people just eat that movie up and I'm fine with that. Different opinions are okay, but you still need to see the movie for yourself so you can give your own input on it. Like God dang it, I want to watch it again! Right now!

I'll be back tomorrow, it's high time we get some foreign films in this month.

Taxi Driver

Took me long enough.

Yes I finally saw Taxi Driver, and damn that was a friggin' good movie. It was everything I expected and yet gave me even more. So our story follows a man named Travis who gets a job as a cab driver, and we slowly work our way through his mind and persona as a less than mentally sound person, as he tries to find some meaning in his life among the grimy streets of New York. I totally see the many aspects of this film in Joker now, but did it damage either film for me? Actually no, they are two different stories just with similar elements between them, it honestly reminds me a lot of Star Wars and The Force Awakens. Indeed there are many similarities in structure and moments, but there's enough new material to truly merit a original film. But it certainly didn't make me hate Joker or see this movie as something I've seen before, it still pulled me into the seedy streets of New York City with a man who has no purpose or real end goal and yet attempts to do something with his life. Robert DeNiro was ridiculously good, and this was right whenever he got very famous after appearing in The Godfather Part 2, but just the way he carries himself, his speech tendencies, and general outlook on life really hooked me and I wanted to see what was going to happen next. A lot of attention was drawn to a then 12 year old Jodie Foster as an appropriately aged 12 year old prostitute named Iris, and she is absolutely great with a surprisingly nice and somewhat even charming relationship with Travis. I can't even put it into words properly, they just really struck me as two people who would get along and even be friends. That is so damn bizarre, but it's true! Their screen chemistry is great together, but Travis has eyes for only one lady named Betsy played by Cybill Shepherd who is a campaign aid for an upcoming presidential candidate Senator Palpatine, I mean Palantine. I just kept calling him that through the whole movie, I'm a nerd, what do you want from my life? They hit it off for a bit, but it was simply not to be but it's a great look into Travis' mindset and mannerisms. The ending really blew me away, mainly just because I had zero idea as to how this would end. Is he going to assassinate a promising future President? Is he going to help out Iris and make her life better? You really have no idea until right before the credits roll and even then you can kinda judge for yourself. I absolutely loved that, because I do not see Travis as a delinquet killer, he saves a man's life, attempts to help a young girl get out of a bad spot and really genuinely says what she needs to hear, yeah he's a bit awkward and blunt, but certainly not evil. It's such an interesting film that made me know exactly what I was in for by the time the opening credits rolled. It's a stylized intro that brings us into this world that's all too familiar and was just part of the urban landscape at that time and place in the world. There's a lot more color and everyday visuals than you would expect, it's not all filthy back alleyways, rundown buildings, and murky visuals through the windshield of a cab. It really and truly does subvert your expectations, now more than possibly ever. This was Bernard Herrman's final movie score, and it takes a very slow and even kinda lovely jazz score which is a bit of a contrast to the content, but it works so well. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one from one of the greats. From Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver the man was a marvel. And hey, Scorsese did damn good directing this from perfomances to visuals and beyond, and it really wouldn't surprise me if people still said this was his best film. Bottom line, it's a great movie and I was thoroughly impressed. An easy 4 stars, 8.5/10, a true must own for any cinematic junkie.

Next time we hit one of the biggest and most acclaimed films from one of the best books ever written. So long.