Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2020

Charade (1963)

I came into this movie knowing it would be kind of corny, and it was, though not overbearingly so - and it did have some decent jokes and good camera work, and of course Audrey is always delightful... the real problem was that the twists in the plot were obvious from the second scene. 

Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)

It would be simple to call this a derivative Rocky Horror for straight people, but in fact between the great cast (geena davis, jeff goldblum), solid comedic relationship pairings, and a young kozmo kramer's antics, it's a good silly movie for silly move night. 

Black Reconstruction in America (1935) by W.E.B. Du Bois

Though it took me months and was at times a more difficult read, in terms of density, thoroughness, archaic language, and sadness of subject matter than anything I've read before, Du Bois' masterpiece is more relevant today than it has any right to be, than anyone would want it to be, probing the deepest of philosophical nerves while remaining rooted, all the while, in impeccably researched history.

Saint Jack (1979)

There must be a German word for when you come across a work of art so unexpectedly brilliant that you feel almost nervous to discover some defect, some reason why you hadn't heard of it until now - and then another German word, for when you realize there is none, and that we must always take care not to forget the gems of our past.

A New Leaf (1971)

This is a fun and frequently hilarious romantic comedy about some stupid rich people, but watching Walter Matthau play a bumbling (and maybe closeted?) rich loser was the real treat, since I'm so much more used to him as the hard boiled detective. 

monkey kingdom (2015)

an uplifting tale of a lowborn monkey (with a cool haircut) who triumphs against all odds to rise to the top of her highly hierarchical monkey society; make sure you watch it within 48 hours if you rent it on amazon prime tho bc after that bezos be coming to get his monkey documentary back

Vice (2018)

a powerful, interesting, moving, educational look at Cheney's life and influence on the world, yes, and fascinating at that, but also a successful exercise in alternative styles of storytelling. 

Nashville (1975)

Nashville (1975) is a long, challenging movie, with arresting imagery, overwhelmingly believable acting (with some early roles for Shelley Duval and Jeff Goldblum), and an important point to make - but if you aren't steeped in the history of the 70s you might never really get there. 

Set It Off (1996)

this movie rocks for portraying a mostly believable friendship between four black women in the US, and for its heavy heavy 90s vibes, but unfortunately it tries too hard to be dramatic and comes off pretty cheesy.