I’m dying to get the rotten taste out of my eyes, ears and mouth of two super lazy movies in a row. I won’t waste much of my precious time on Earth on these two clunkers, but will spell out what was the angle and the failure of each as concisely as I can. Mafia… Continue reading Calling Two Spades: Mafia Mamma and Renfield
Category: action/suspense
Avatar: The Way of Water…Ummmm, Yeh about that…
I didn’t hate it, let’s start with that (laugh emoji). Visually stunning, but not even close to Dune, Avatar The Way of Water is just a so so story, but exceptionally great for kids for the positive messages. A member of the cast is analogous to this year’s Batman where I go…Colin Farrel was The… Continue reading Avatar: The Way of Water…Ummmm, Yeh about that…
Emily the (Redundant) Criminal
Let me start with positives, Emily the Criminal (written and directed by John Patton Ford) is worth watching especially if you’re with a person hooked on action and suspense. Crazy the the Golden Globes have this first frenetic feature up against the quiet contemplative Aftersun. It’s like let’s have a vote on apples vs. oranges,… Continue reading Emily the (Redundant) Criminal
Triangle of Sadness was my Oval of Ecstasy
Ok, I admit my bias upfront. I think Ruben Ostlund’s movies are so unique and visceral that I already knew I’d love Triangle of Sadness, ESPECIALLY when you throw in one of my favorite people of all time, Woody Harrleson. Triangle of Sadness is not perfect, I would have trimmed a few scenes from acts… Continue reading Triangle of Sadness was my Oval of Ecstasy
Jaws 3D Worth Taking a Bite!
Jaws 3 D is totally worth the price of admission and since I had literally not seen it since it’s debut (age 12), I was skeptical about how good it would be. Certainly 3D helped, but the acting performances by the three male leads stand the test of time. Scene 1: Roy Scheider (two time… Continue reading Jaws 3D Worth Taking a Bite!
Three Thousand Years of Longing Left Me Yearning for A.S. Byatt’s Story Depth
I’m not going to change, but it’s always dangerous to read the book before seeing the movie. But danger in a marvelous way, since our brains are able to picture who we’d cast as actresses and actors, what hotel rooms we envision, etc… So with that being said, while I enjoyed the movie, it did… Continue reading Three Thousand Years of Longing Left Me Yearning for A.S. Byatt’s Story Depth
Nothing But Net: Hustle
Some body besides the Independent Spirit Award Committee (though God Bless Your souls) please recognize what PT Anderson saw TWO DECADES AGO (Hello?) in Punch Drunk Love: Adam Sandler is a legitimate dramatic actor. I promise not to gush too much about who I feel are cinematic masters (Safdie Brothers), since Hustle is still no… Continue reading Nothing But Net: Hustle
Need For Speed and Splenda: Top Gun Maverick
I thoroughly bought in by the second half of Top Gun Maverick (directed by Joseph Kosinski), the long postponed follow-up to the 1980’s machismo cult favorite. The dramatic pauses made me giggle a bit in the first half as did the intensely serious military explanations. But not a big deal, simply like jumping into a… Continue reading Need For Speed and Splenda: Top Gun Maverick
Jumpin Jake Flash, Bay’s Ambulance, a Gas Gas Gas
If only I could get paid for this, I’d be a wealthy woman…Now that I’m back to my normal Buddhist zero expectations, I had fun watching Michael Bay’s smash up extravaganza. Credit goes to Chris Fedak who adapted the screenplay from the Dutch original, who either added or maintained the perfect balance of melodrama with… Continue reading Jumpin Jake Flash, Bay’s Ambulance, a Gas Gas Gas
Worthy Story, Too Much Fighting, All at Once
Everything Everywhere All at Once is by the writer and director team of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinhert (Swiss Army Man, weird flick). I had the misfortune of hearing too many hyperbolic compliments beforehand, setting it up for the inability to live up to great expectations. First, great premise: the world is f’ed up (of… Continue reading Worthy Story, Too Much Fighting, All at Once