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  • My last few movies were:

    • Furiosa: it was alright, but the music was really lacking for me which was a big part of why I like the first one. It was also slower which I think is a mistake for something so heavily focused on cars/speed 2.5/5
    • Mad Max Fury Road: Now this shit rocks. Action packed, great music, immediately to the point. Much better than the Mel Gibson films, including Thunderdome 4/5
    • Cloverfield: I was looking for some horror and heard good things about the other ones. This had cool parts, but even by horror movie standards these protagonists were so insanely stupid I couldn't focus on the movie. Every decision made was the wrong one 2/5
    • Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog: I was drunk and needed to kill an hour. I sang the whole thing and had a great time 4/5
    • I saw the TV Glow: This was a rollercoaster. I liked it, then was irritated, then it explained what was happening and I really liked what was happening, then it got to the end and lost me again. I think different editing could have made this better. Still very cool 3.5/5
    • Blackberry: I have no idea how close to reality this was but the story was compelling and people felt like a lot of the people I work with in tech. 4/5

    • Creature Features are the best! I rewatch Cloverfield and The Thing almost annually

    • Ah Dr Horribles. An underrated classic that all nerds should see, something that could only come out of the writers strikes back then. Such a unique and funny thing. Of course now the songs are stuck in my head

  • I recently watched LA Confidential for the first time. It's like a noir film except in color. Russell Crowe looks super young, and the setting of LA/Hollywood in the 50s is exquisitely realized. The plot is pretty intricate, it often expects the viewer to be able to connect the dots. Great film.

  • I moved my projector and screen into the back garden and watched Gladiator once it had got dark enough. It's really not quite good enough weather for it, but it was a neat experience nevertheless. I accidentally clicked the extended edition and the Blu-ray was too much of a ball-ache to go back: Ridley Scott introduces it with "this is not the Director's Cut ... you've probably already seen that at the theatre, this is just the film with some scenes we cut out that maybe you'll like". Way to sell it Riddles.

  • I think the latest movie I watched was the second installment of Dune, most times these days my attention span isn't long enough to manage a feature-length film. Series of 45-60 min per episode are ideal (and ironically then I can watch 4 in a row, no problem).

    The latest series I watched is called Unforgotten (UK crime series about bodies of long since deceased people recovered recently). Really well done with excellent character development throughout which almost requires starting from S01.

  • Decided to watch American Fiction today, because it was advertised on Amazon Prime and the trailer seemed interesting enough. Also, apparently it won an Oscar this year for best screenplay adaption. Basically, the protagonist is a black author (and professor of literature) who is frustrated because his ambitious and highbrow novels aren't selling too well, because literary critics seem to prefer more "ghetto" style stories that lean heavily on black stereotypes and ebonics as being a more authentic representation of the black experience. After getting hit with some unexpected bills, he breaks down and decides to write his own ghetto novel, with plenty of violence, crime, and gratuitous expletives, and releases it under an alias. The critics end up loving it and pretty soon he is getting inundated with interview requests and movie deals while having to lead a double life as a gangster turned novelist so as to not break his cover.

    Long story short, while I definitely enjoyed the premise, the movie turned out to be rather long-winded and boring, with lots of semi-relevant side stories that ultimately didn't go anywhere, while teetering erratically between the same two extremes the author finds himself caught up in, and it doesn't really have much of a satisfying ending either. Best I can say is there was an attempt to make a black American Beauty, but it ultimately lacked conviction and panache.

    • That sounds really interesting, I’d love to watch it. I still haven’t seen I am Not Your Negro yet, it seems pretty on point too

      • Like I said, the premise is solid, but don't get your hopes up too high, because it just sort of ends up haphazardly petering out without even being able to decide on a clear message.

    • Godzilla Minus One - absolutely fantastic (now on Netflix)
    • Civil War - really great and a lot less political than I expected
    • Fall Guy - meh
    • Bullet Train - meh
    • Monkey Man - alright
    • Latenight With The Devil - pretty good
    • Argylle - No...just, no
    • The Beekeeper - not sure if it was meant as a joke
    • Dune (Parts One and Two) - instant classics

    • I might get Netflix after almost a decade to watch Godzilla Minus One hah. Haven’t seen the Dunes yet

      Neat list, appreciate you sharing it!

      • It would cost you the same or less to just buy the Blu-Ray than it would to pay for a Month of Netflix if all you care about is that one movie.

    • I’ve been wanting to watch a zombie movie, will check it out. Your post reminded me of Boy Eats Girl (2005), it’s not very good though but has its moments

61 comments