While I don’t think this is the best movie I’ve watched this year, it may be my favorite movie of the year. The retelling of Maleficent’s story is bold, in a way that few movies about women are. It also introduces the trauma story into the fairy telling narrative, which opens the door for children to be able to talk about pain in a way they haven’t before.
Cost: $4.00
Where watched: The Academy Theater with Matt.
Round two was just as good as round one which is saying something because we only saw this a month ago. I managed to stay mostly awake for the whole thing and that’s also saying something because I was up long past my bedtime. I was looking for a specific quote to end this review but was distracted by this one instead:
Gamora: I’m a warrior, an assassin. I don’t dance.
Peter Quill: Really? Well, on my planet, we have a legend about people like you. It’s called Footloose. And in it, a great hero, named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that, dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.
Cost: Free, if you apply all $8.00 of the entrance fee to Blazing Saddles, which I did in the last post.
Where watched: Newberg Drive-in with Matt.
I think Lili Von Stupp’s song “I’m Tired” would make a wonderful karaoke performance, if someone were so inclined. This is packed full of boy humor (Matt contributed to the farting scene and tried to convince me it was the movie) and many gags. I found it very meta, decades before meta was a thing.
Cost: $8.00
Where watched: The Newberg Drive-In with Matt.
Yes some of the dialogue is cringe-inducing, and sure the movie totally changes the big speech at the end by the boyfriend, missing the point entirely that was made in the book. But despite all that, I really enjoyed this movie much more than I thought I would* and particularly enjoyed the happy family scenes.** However, the realization that songs that were hip and cool when I was in college have become campfire sing alongs was a harsh reminder that I’m the same age as the parents, not the teenagers.
Cost: some part of $8.50 because I used the last of my gift card.
Where watched: Regal Lloyd Cinema 10 with Tara, Perri and Sunita.
*Though admittedly, I went in with low expectations.
**The parents are perfectly cast and So. Much. Fun.
If only this movie hadn’t gotten draggy in the middle, I wouldn’t have had time to ask a whole bunch of questions that the movie couldn’t provide me with satisfactory answers for. However, when not dragging, it was an interesting film that kept me guessing. I loved the cast, although there was a rather egregious black lady thanking the white man scene that was a bit cringe-y.
Cost: $3.00
Where watched: Laurelhurst with Matt. We were headed to the Academy Theater, but running late. Driving by the Laurelhurst I noted that the same movie was playing and would start in 10 minutes. We parked and watched.
This was the second in our Richard Linklater double feature and I still loved it as much as the first time. I think Jack Black would have made a great musical picture star* if that was still happening in the movie world today. I think the scene where the guy at the lunch counter explains the different parts of Texas to us is my favorite of the locals.
Cost: Netflix DVD prince
Where watched: at C & M’s. M declined to watch this one and actually didn’t watch it.
*As observed by someone, perhaps Richard Linklater.
During a discussion of Boyhood, my friend mentioned she had never watched Dazed and Confused and we made plans to remedy that situation, pronto. While I had seen this several times in the 90s and early 2000s* it had been a good decade since my last viewing. This time around I found the soundtrack incredibly intrusive,** but I loved the passage of high school knowledge among the “generations”*** and really enjoyed the amount of detail packed into every frame.****
Cost: free via Netflix on demand.
Where watched: at C &M’s with C. M said he would just watch a little, but ended up staying for the whole thing. Good thing too, because he was the one who finally pointed out Renee Zellweger to me.
*I owned it on VHS and lost it when I brought it to my job at Bread and Circus to lend to a friend. He left it on the counter in the Bakery and when he next worked his shift it was gone. Crappy thieving Bread and Circus coworkers. I paid $5.00 for that previously viewed at Blockbuster.
**does EVERY single scene change need to be introduced by another 70s rock classic?
***Senior to sophomore.
****”Is his belt buckle a bong?” C said to me after the famous scene. It was.
I’m going to start by saying this is a horrible title, so bad that even after I saw the movie I kept seeing the title and thinking, “What’s that movie about?”* However, aside from the forgettable title, I greatly enjoyed this movie that let Daniel Radcliffe be his very short self** and did me the great favor of introducing me to Zoe Kazan who was so very good I would like to see her in a multitude of things in the next decade before she ages out of the female actress demographic. If you enjoy witty banter and can recognize the Toronto skyline,*** this movie is for you.
Cost: free due to gift card.
Where watched: Lloyd Center 8 (the one in the mall) with maybe 4 other people because it was a sunny and warm August Sunday.
*Not only when I would see it in movie marquees, but even when it was in my own blog roll! So I knew I’d seen it, but couldn’t quite remember what movie it was.
**First time I’ve ever seen that for a male lead.
***It turns out I cannot recognize the Toronto skyline, so I spent a good 45 minutes driving myself crazy trying to decide in which big city they were living. When I recounted this trouble to the clerk at Fred Meyer, he said, “Doesn’t Toronto have that unique round building displayed prominently?” And I had to admit that I did not at all associate that unique building with the Toronto skyline. But now I do.
Much like the people in Spring Breakers, these people did not share my values, but in a much more fun and accessible way than the girls in Florida. While the characters in this movie were fairly unlikable, the film itself was quite likable giving a remote perch from which to view their poor choices. I found this to be a much more chatty film than more Sophia Coppola films, and I enjoyed the uptick in dialogue.
Cost: free due to magical movie viewing at home
Where watched: At the Wolf Pack’s house with Heather. Patrick made us popcorn.
Not a bad film, for what it is, namely a popcorn flick that was designed for adolescent viewing on cable. Enjoy identifying child actors who are still working, and also enjoy the plot. Get angry that the “fat” girl is barely even normal sized.
Cost: free via some magical thing that lets you choose movies from a list.
Where watched: At the Wolf Pack’s house in Kansas, where they have several choosing movie things that I don’t understand. It was like living in the future.