I’m going to be completely honest: I was real disappointed with this film. I’m a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson, as both a writer and a director, but Licorice Pizza was not it. Right from the start, I was uncomfortable. Our two main characters, Alana, played by Alana Haim, and Gary, played by Cooper Hoffman, have a ten year age difference. Alana is twenty-five years … Continue reading Licorice Pizza (2021)
A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter. I find it very fitting that, as I sit down to write this post, it looks as if it may rain outside. I have only ever watched Mike Nichols’ The Graduate twice in my life: once as I was ending high school, going into college and the other in my junior year of … Continue reading 17. The Graduate (1967)
After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines. You know what’s funny? Every single synopsis that I’ve read for Buster Keaton’s 1926 film The General has put emphasis on the civil war aspect of the film. And, … Continue reading 18. The General (1926)
You know, I don’t know that I would classify Adam McKay’s new film Don’t Look Up a comedy, only because it emphasized that already hopeless feeling that I have for the state that our world is in today. Did I find it funny, though? Oh, of course I did. If I can’t laugh at the state we are in, then I’ll just end up crying … Continue reading Don’t Look Up (2021): So Close to Home That it’s Almost Hard to Watch
After two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in. Some Like it Hot, written and directed by the great Billy Wilder, is, in fact, one of my favorite films. However, I’m trying to figure out how the film has aged. I’m trying to figure out if this classic romantic comedy … Continue reading 22. Some Like it Hot (1959)
A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn’t back down. Screenplay by Sidney Buchman, directed by Frank Capra and starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur and Claude Rains, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is still as relevant today as it was in 1939. Honestly, it’s probably more relevant now than … Continue reading 26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
If I’m being completely honest, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was one of the Marvel films that I was least excited to see. I had accepted the fact that I was going to have to watch it, so that I don’t miss out on anything that connects the film to the larger picture, but that was about it. After viewing the film on … Continue reading Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
I remember first hearing about this film and it’s premise in 2018/2019 and, needless to say, I was very excited about it. Then, everything was put on hold due to the Disney/20th Century Fox merger. AND THEN everything was put on hold further due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. So, I’ve been waiting to watch this film for nearly 3 years. Was it worth the wait? … Continue reading Free Guy (2021)
Written and directed by James Gunn (Slither, Guardians of the Galaxy), The Suicide Squad is a reboot of sorts of the 2016 David Ayer Suicide Squad. You know, the one that Warner Brothers just couldn’t keep their hands out of? ANYWAY. James Gunn clearly had a vision and he was not going to make the film unless he had 95% of the control. And, I’m happy … Continue reading The Suicide Squad (2021)
Have any of you ever watched The Matrix while high? How about Videodrome? Or even Godspell? There is something completely different that occurs when watching a film under the influence of good ol’ Mary Jane. In some cases, I’m utterly lost within the first 10 minutes while in others I’m not only following along with the film, I’m absolutely enthralled by everything about it. In some cases, watching … Continue reading Films to Hold in HIGH regard
