So many fools put together "Best Of" lists. But, c'mon, who is really qualified to determine what is "the best"? Especially when it comes to so,ething as subjective as movies. Sure a professional screenwriter with a degree in English can tell you if a script is well written and a professional cinematographer can tell you whether or not a film was shot well, but for the most part us lay type moviegoers like what we like.
So, I have no idea if these were the best films of 2019, but they sure were my favorites out of all the films I viewed over the course of 2019.
(FWIW, I paid to see just about every one of these films and felt I got more than my $ worth in each case)
Climax
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Us
Glass
Dragged Across Concrete
Shazam
Midsommar
The Art of Self Defence
Standoff At Sparrow Creek
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Under The Silver Lake
Peanut Butter Falcon
Monos
First Love (Takashi Miike)
Dolemite Is My Name
Zombieland: Double Tap
The Lighthouse
Jojo Rabbit
Parasite
Motherless Brooklyn
Knives Out
The Irishman
Pain and Glory
Honey Boy
Lucky Day
Little Monsters
Uncut Gems
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Friday, February 7, 2020
Fowl Play [Birds of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn Film Review]
Like its psychotic lead character, BOP: ATFEOOHQ is a manic, crazy, uneven, and over-the-top endeavor. Borrowing several chapters from Tank Girl (the 1995 film), plus a few pages from Deadpool (both films), and the 1960’s Batman television show, it unfurls as a loud, brash, and obnoxious film dominated by a blaring soundtrack and bravura performance from Margot Robbie. Sure, it has its moments, but more often than not gets bogged down by too many deja vu elements (both visually and story-wise).
But Robbie. Oh man. She is simply delicious, even though she’s channelling Lori Petty’s cinematic incarnation of Rebecca Buck something fierce (albeit as if jacked up on meth). Right behind Robbie is Jurnee Smollett-Bell, who smolders and kicks serious ass as Black Canary. The rest of the cast, however, just feels like generic filler. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the Huntress is wooden and Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain never really blossoms. And let me not fail to mention Ewan McGregor’s tediously one-dimensional villain; a whining, sociopathic man-child with nary an iota of originality whatsoever. Additionally there’s a parade of generic henchmen who populate the background adding scant flavor to the bland pot of tertiary characters populating the film.
Adding to this lackluster menagerie is a rather thin story-line, a ho-hum plot that mainly works as a thin veneer for Robbie’s antics; I personally expected a bit more sly humor and intellectual asides. What few “clever” jokes do exist often fall flat (the whole Rosie Perez 1980s bad TV cop schtick, for example).
Thankfully the film moves along at a brisk pace, rarely letting you take a breath to realize the mundanity of it all. Likewise, the look of the film is all neon pastel and vintage MTV music video excess (there’s a great “Material Girl” era Madonna dream sequence along with other kinetic visual flair).
And have I mentioned Margot Robbie? She’s a firecracker, that one.
Of course this wouldn’t be a “superhero” film without action and there’s plenty of that. At times the fight sequences are mildly ingenious in their choreography, though several smack of John Wick lightness; others just feel tepid and routine. That said, the roller derby finale is kinda cool, a PoMo punk update on the Indiana Jones truck chase (or perhaps it’s meant as an ode to Rollerball and Solarbabies?).
While largely trying a bit too hard to be snarky and mean-cute, overall it’s a somewhat mindlessly entertaining diversion, a hyper glossy film that slides by the eyes with ease and might just possibly gain minor cult status a few years from now.
One thing is for certain: it’s quite a bit better than Suicide Squad was.
Oh, and Margot Robbie; in the end, Harley Quinn has her way as Robbie saves the day.
Rating: 3 out of 5
RIYL: Tank Girl; Thor: Ragnarok; Deadpool
But Robbie. Oh man. She is simply delicious, even though she’s channelling Lori Petty’s cinematic incarnation of Rebecca Buck something fierce (albeit as if jacked up on meth). Right behind Robbie is Jurnee Smollett-Bell, who smolders and kicks serious ass as Black Canary. The rest of the cast, however, just feels like generic filler. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the Huntress is wooden and Ella Jay Basco as Cassandra Cain never really blossoms. And let me not fail to mention Ewan McGregor’s tediously one-dimensional villain; a whining, sociopathic man-child with nary an iota of originality whatsoever. Additionally there’s a parade of generic henchmen who populate the background adding scant flavor to the bland pot of tertiary characters populating the film.
Adding to this lackluster menagerie is a rather thin story-line, a ho-hum plot that mainly works as a thin veneer for Robbie’s antics; I personally expected a bit more sly humor and intellectual asides. What few “clever” jokes do exist often fall flat (the whole Rosie Perez 1980s bad TV cop schtick, for example).
Thankfully the film moves along at a brisk pace, rarely letting you take a breath to realize the mundanity of it all. Likewise, the look of the film is all neon pastel and vintage MTV music video excess (there’s a great “Material Girl” era Madonna dream sequence along with other kinetic visual flair).
And have I mentioned Margot Robbie? She’s a firecracker, that one.
Of course this wouldn’t be a “superhero” film without action and there’s plenty of that. At times the fight sequences are mildly ingenious in their choreography, though several smack of John Wick lightness; others just feel tepid and routine. That said, the roller derby finale is kinda cool, a PoMo punk update on the Indiana Jones truck chase (or perhaps it’s meant as an ode to Rollerball and Solarbabies?).
While largely trying a bit too hard to be snarky and mean-cute, overall it’s a somewhat mindlessly entertaining diversion, a hyper glossy film that slides by the eyes with ease and might just possibly gain minor cult status a few years from now.
One thing is for certain: it’s quite a bit better than Suicide Squad was.
Oh, and Margot Robbie; in the end, Harley Quinn has her way as Robbie saves the day.
Rating: 3 out of 5
RIYL: Tank Girl; Thor: Ragnarok; Deadpool
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
A Case Of The Crabs [THE HIKE Book Review]
The Hike - Drew Magary
This was a random purchase at the local used bookstore (Grassroots in Reno). The bright cover grabbed my attention along with the NPR pullquote likening it to "early, good Chuck Palahniuk..." (though, admittedly, I don't see that connection at all! 😎).
Within the first few chapters it gleefully mashes up elements of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jack and the Beanstock, Hansel and Gretel, The Wizard of Oz, Kafka, and The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and Robert Frost, amongst other allusions...
The writing can be clunky in spots, but the overall absurdity and genuine WTF? moments keep things moving briskly.
It's like a grown-up version of Ready Player One aimed at the married man with kids approaching a mid-life crisis. Granted, I am neither married nor have kids, but it still resonates as it is ultimately about getting older and dealing with harbored regrets.
This was a random purchase at the local used bookstore (Grassroots in Reno). The bright cover grabbed my attention along with the NPR pullquote likening it to "early, good Chuck Palahniuk..." (though, admittedly, I don't see that connection at all! 😎).
Within the first few chapters it gleefully mashes up elements of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jack and the Beanstock, Hansel and Gretel, The Wizard of Oz, Kafka, and The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and Robert Frost, amongst other allusions...
The writing can be clunky in spots, but the overall absurdity and genuine WTF? moments keep things moving briskly.
It's like a grown-up version of Ready Player One aimed at the married man with kids approaching a mid-life crisis. Granted, I am neither married nor have kids, but it still resonates as it is ultimately about getting older and dealing with harbored regrets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)