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Recent Viewings.

January 13, 2023

Slumberland

This was a pretty fun kids’ movie. The effects are really cool, and the story is unique and interesting.
B

Emily the Criminal

It’s a slow burn, but it’s an enjoyable one.
B

Pinocchio

Pretty good. Looks cool. Too long?
C

Troll

A decent low-budget fantasy.
C

The Invitation

An interesting enough horror/thriller. Pretty unique story.
C

This Place Rules

Funny? Sad? I don’t guess it’s anything new. Dummies being dumb. Still enjoyable, in a very frustrating way.
B

The Menu

This is pretty cool. Great acting, interesting premise. The ending was a bit anti-climactic, but it’s worth seeing.
B

White Noise

So weird. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really like it, either. It has its moments. It’s difficult to rate, because the parts I liked, I really liked, but the parts I didn’t, I really didn’t. My favorite part was the grocery store dance during the end credits.
C

c.

My Top 10 Albums of 2022.

December 31, 2022

Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs

Pedro the Lion – Havasu

Pet Fox – A Face In Your Life

Pinegrove – 11:11

Pup – The Unraveling of PUPTheBand

The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention

Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever

Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa

Tomberlin – I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This…

c.

Recent Viewings.

December 28, 2022

Just some real quick reviews to get them out of the way. Mostly so I can remember if I liked them or not. Pfffft.

Marcelle

This was cute. If you like Marcelle, you’ll like it. Did we need a full Marcelle movie? Nah. But it’s worth a watch.
B

Nope

This is a pretty fun and unique movie. Got some scares and creepiness and humor. It’s pretty clever. I liked it.
B

Thor Love and Thunder

Not as good as Ragnarok, but it’s pretty fun. That’s all.
B

End of the Road

This is not a great movie by any means, but I enjoyed it just fine. Low budget thriller with a decent cast. Netflix, so why not?
C

Morbius

Don’t remember. Dumb?

Father Stu

Fine. Sappy?

Vengance

This was… fine. It gets better as it goes, and has a decent ending, but overall it’s pretty middle-of-the-road. The premise is kinda weak, which I think just starts the whole thing off pretty bland. There are some legitimately funny moments, and even some heart-felt ones, but never enough to make this feel like a good movie. I dunno, I wanted to like it, but meh. I did think Ashton Kutcher was fantastic. Best thing I’ve seen him do.
C

Bullet Train

This is a pretty fun time. My only real complaint is that it felt a bit too long for what’s essentially just an action flick. There’s a whole lot of characters.
B

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Overall, it’s fine. It’s sort of a who-done-it horror flick, which is cool, and the story is actually pretty unique, but the characters are just so obnoxious that it’s hard to care about anyone. I know that’s kinda the point, but it also just felt dumb. I dunno.
C

Vesper

This looks pretty cool. And the story is somewhat interesting. But it’s just way too long. It takes too much time for anything of substance to happen.
C

Hocus Pocus

I’d never seen this. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. And it was not what I expected. Who is this for?
C

Hocus Pocus 2

Don’t remember.

Barbarian

This is a really unique horror movie. I dug it.
B

Top Gun: Maverick

This was fun. Cheesy, but fun.
B

Glass Onion

I really liked it. It was somewhat predictable, but it was a really fun watch.
A

Black Adam

This was fine. I feel like every DC movie is trying to be as good as a similar Marvel movie, and it never is. The second tier heroes in this were just so blah. But overall it was fun enough.
C

Violent Night

This was pretty fun. I really enjoyed the Home Alone homage. Funny, gory, heartfelt.
B

The Green Inferno

This was obviously a low-budget movie, but it was actually pretty well done. The acting was hit or miss, and the writing and directing were pretty meh, but overall it was an enjoyable movie. Maybe not enjoyable, but a good watch. It’d be a fun one for them to do on How Did This Get Made?
B

c.

Recent Viewings.

August 16, 2022

Jurassic World Dominion

Honestly, this was better than I expected. It’s still not great or anything, but it was entertaining enough. To me, the best of the new trilogy, for what it’s worth.
B

Men

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really like it, either. Just kinda weird and creepy and slow.
C

Everything Everywhere All At Once

This is very good. It’s kind of a quirky Matrix. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, it’s got some really great fight scenes, and it makes you think. It’s just an all-around good time.
A

The Bob’s Burgers Movie

It’s like an extra long episode of Bob’s Burgers, what’s not to like?!?! Interesting story, good songs, and funny. Did we need a Bob’s Burgers movie? Nah. Am I mad about it? Why are you asking weird questions?
B

The Black Phone

This is a pretty good sort of horror/thriller. It’s mostly kid actors, and they all knock if out of the park. Especially Madeleine McGraw, who plays the younger sister. She’s incredible. It’s very unrealistic, but has some great style, some cool ideas, and overall plays out really well.
B

Prey

I really enjoyed this. Cool story, cool fight scenes, cool characters. And a cool dog. I haven’t seen the original Predator in a million years, but it didn’t matter at all. On Hulu and worth checking out.
B

Predator

Surprise, we decided to just go ahead and watch all of the other Predator movies. I hadn’t seen this since the early 90’s, and, honestly, it’s a good movie. The acting is surprisingly good, and the story and action are pretty fun. It’s definitely an 80’s action movie, but in all the best ways.
A

Predator 2

This is the epitome of early 90’s action movie. It’s so silly and over-the-top and I love it. Great actors, great action and gore, super ridiculous.
A

Predators

I’d never seen this. The cast is quite incredible. And it’s an interesting premise. Again, it’s just a good action movie.
B

The Predator

I’m not sure I even knew this existed. Pretty fun cast. Pretty cool story. Like the others, it’s a fun movie. It’s a bit more purposefully funny, which I liked. Keep ’em coming, I’ll keep watching them. Should we watch the Alien v Predator movies?
B

c.

Recent Viewings.

June 30, 2022

The Bubble
This… was… fine? There were a few laugh-out-loud moments (mostly from Fred Armisen), but overall, it’s just pretty bland. Which is wild with how great the cast is. I feel like the idea is there, but it just didn’t come together. Wasn’t a complete waste of time, but it’s nothing I’d ever watch again.
C

X
This was pretty good. Solid slow burn into a decent horror movie. It’s pretty risqué, so not for everyone, but it’s got some good acting and well done effects and gore. If you like that sort of thing, it’s worth checking out.
B

The Batman
Overall, I really dug this version of Batman. The more low-key, detective, less playboy aspect was cool. And for the most part, everything felt pretty realistic, which I appreciated. There were a few cheesy moments that could’ve easily been avoided and would’ve made the movie better, imo. I liked it a lot, though, and look forward to sequels in this series.
B

Interceptor
Pretty bad. The premise was meh, and the execution was even more meh. Some decent action at times, but also some terrible, ridiculous action. Almost a so bad it’s good, but just a little too in-between.
D

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
I really liked this. It’s super funny and clever, with lots of nods to my generation’s childhood. And the voice talent is top-notch. I laughed-out-loud quite a bit. Probably something I’ll watch again.
A

Turning Red
I did not care for this one. It just got weirder and weirder, and not in a good way. My least favorite Pixar movie so far.
D

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
This was just okay. It felt a little too cheesy and forced, and tried for horror, but didn’t quite get scary. It’s a cool idea, but just didn’t quite work.
C

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
SO GOOD. This movie is very funny, very action-packed, very meta. I really loved everything about it. Nicholas Cage is so good. And he and Pedro Pascal are so good together. Man, I love this movie.
A

c.

Recent Viewings.

April 11, 2022

Eternals

This was fine. Just fine. There’s a lot going on here, and none of it was all that interesting. And it’s so long. The look and style was pretty cool, and some of the characters are interesting, but overall I was just not that into it. It feels like a whole lot of added lore to the MCU that’s just going to make things way, way too confusing. We’ll see.
C

Kimi

Overall pretty good. It’s quick and interesting. The acting is good, it looks cool. It’s on HBO Max, so if you’ve got that, might as well watch. The (very) end is dumb.
B

House of Gucci

I didn’t care much for this. Everything seems just a bit too over-the-top. Time moves so fast, and yet it’s still just so slow. Not a whole lot really happens until the end, and at that point I didn’t really care what happened to any of the people. Nothing really to enjoy here.
D

The Adam Project

This was a ton-o-fun. It’s funny, it’s clever, it’s got action, it’s got heart. Not much else to say. It’s on Netflix, so check it out!
A

Miami Connection

I learned about this movie from the How Did This Get Made podcast. And they were right, it’s great. It’s a whole lot of HUH?, with pretty fun music, terrible fight scenes, and even worse acting. It’s a lot of fun. I will admit, it wasn’t quite as good/bad as I was expecting, but it’s definitely worth checking out. I actually think I’d probably like it more after a second viewing.
B

Voyage of the Rock Aliens

This movie is awesome. Another one I learned about from HTDGM. It’s complete nonsense in the best of ways. The music is great, the gags are great, the look is great. It’s a really, really awesome bad movie.
A

Spider-Man: No Way Home

There were parts of this movie I loved, and there were parts that, well, I didn’t. The idea of bringing in Peter Parkers from outside of the MCU was really fun. And every scene the three Spider-Men shared together were really great. But more than the other recent Spider-Man movies, this felt really cheesy. I also have a whole lot of questions about the ending. The way they solved the problem seems really problematic. But what do I know. Still a fun movie.
B

c.

Recent Viewings.

January 12, 2022

The French Dispatch

This is easily my least favorite Wes Anderson movie. Wes is probably my favorite director, simply because he doesn’t miss. I like his style and humor and casts. But this one just didn’t do it for me like all the rest. Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s a good movie. I still quite enjoyed myself. But it just wasn’t quite there. Maybe because it’s different stories? I dunno. The style is there, but nothing much stuck out as special or unique. I’ll definitely be giving it another watch, and maybe I’ll change my mind.
B

Don’t Look Up

Overall, I liked this movie. More than anything, I liked what it was saying. Well, not LIKED. You get it. The cast is amazing, it’s quite funny at times, and quite… depressing(?) at times. I do think maybe they tried to do a little too much with it, because it seemed to move at a really fast pace and jump around a lot. Or maybe I was just tuning out too much. I dunno, but it seemed scattered. Overall, a good film, though, and worth checking out.
B

The Unforgivable

This is a pretty interesting movie. Sandra Bullock is great, as usual. The plot is pretty unique. Sheena figured out the ending like right away, but whatever. It’s on Netflix and definitely worth a watch.
B

Encanto

I didn’t love this. I’m usually a sucker for a good animated movie, but I just couldn’t get into this one. The house being kind of alive, the weird powers… it was just a little too out there for me. The songs were really great, though. It’s fine.
C

Extinct

This thing is… not great. You know how most animated films are for kids, but there’s plenty of stuff for adults to like, too. This one doesn’t have that. It’s just kinda silly and makes no sense, really. The basic plot is fine, although weird, but there’s so much random stuff that just doesn’t add up. Whatever.
D

Back to the Outback

Now this is a fun animated movie. Good characters, good jokes, good plot. It’s the obvious winner of this recent batch. On Netflix and worth your time.
B

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

I really had fun with this. The plot is more interesting than I expected. It’s sorta kinda like a reboot, but it’s very tied in with the original. It’s just clever. It’s maybe not as funny as I’d have wanted it to be, but otherwise I have no complaints. The characters are fun and the acting is great. If you’re a fan of Ghostbusters at all, I think you’ll really enjoy this. 
A

c.

Recent Viewings – The Matrix

January 11, 2022

The Matrix

This is really the only movie of the series we need. It’s so cool, and interesting, and groundbreaking. It’s still its own thing, even 20 years later. The story is awesome, the characters are awesome, the fighting and action are awesome. It’s still just a great movie.
A

The Matrix Reloaded

Although the plot of this one is pretty interesting, I feel like they tried too hard with pushing technology at the time, and it all comes out pretty bad. Most of the action scenes are either super fake looking, or just silly. Overall, it’s not a bad movie, but it’s just no where near as good as the first one.
B

The Matrix Revolutions

This is the worst of the series. Because nothing really happens. The plot is super thin, and it’s just a whole lot of fighting and shooting and explosions. It looks better than Reloaded, but it’s just a shell of a movie. Meh.
C

The Matrix Resurrections

The movie I didn’t know I didn’t need. This thing wants to be a reboot and a continuation of the story at the same time, and it’s just confusing. More than anything I wanted to see what they could do with all the new movie technology to take this series to the next level. Nope. They pretty much used all the stuff that was so cool and groundbreaking 20 years ago, and did it the same. Weird. I did like the idea of the Matrix using humans as bombs to try and stop Trinity and Neo on the motorcycle. That was kinda the only cool/unique part of the movie to me. Overall, it was fine, but it just wasn’t necessary and didn’t give me anything new enough to even just make it cool.
C

c.

My Favorite Albums of 2021.

December 24, 2021

Julien Baker – Little Oblivions

Lucy Dacus – Home Video

Foxing – Draw Down The Moon

Idles – Crawler

Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God

The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore

Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny Haha

c.

My Favorite Movies of 2021.

December 23, 2021

Bad Trip

Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar

Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry

Carterland

Dune

Godzilla vs. Kong

Kid Candidate

The Kids

Nobody

Not Go Quietly

Pig

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The Suicide Squad

c.