First Post Round-Up

My last four movie theater experiences have been:

Baby Driver
I loved it when I saw it opening weekend, and the more I think on it, the more I enjoy it. It'll probably be high on my top ten list, if I make one. I added most of the songs from the soundtrack to my phone, and still listen to them from time to time; I think that helps. The tone of the movie is what stays with me. It's dark and cruel at times, but there's a lot of hope and idealism. 🍿🍿🍿  & 1/2 (scored out of four bags of popcorn...to steal from Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington)

The Big Sick
Mostly I agree with John's points, but my reaction to it is definitely a bit kinder. I find the light, airy approach to the modern comedy to be refreshing. Think about this: it's not overly crass and/or a gross out comedy--those have been bombing at the box office lately, whereas this film grew and grew. I think the time was right for a story like this, given everything that's going on in the world. Not to mention that it's rare for muslim characters to be given that much screen time, and to be portrayed in that way. There isn't really a villain in this one--Kumail's mother is probably the closest thing we have to one; I get that that raises the stakes of the story, but her reaction to Kumail's revelations was way too strong for my liking. Lastly, it's nice to see Michael Showalter do more directing. I enjoyed The Baxter and Hello My Name is Doris, and I'll always love him because of The State, Stella, and Wet Hot American Summer. 🍿🍿🍿

Dunkirk
The sound design is pretty great and makes it worth seeing in the theater. But I'm fully aware that if I'm leading off with the sound design, that doesn't bode too well for the actual movie. Honestly, it's just okay. It probably is one of Christopher Nolan's better films, but it didn't do too much for me. I enjoyed the aerial sequences the most. There are some dumb Nolanisms in the movie, but mostly it's pretty clean and straightforward. I'll always support the guy and it's nice to see him try out different things. 🍿🍿 & 1/2

The War for the Planet of the Apes
I went to see this just to get out of the apartment that I'm subletting for August. My roommate, Grant, wanted to see it, so I figured I'd tag along with him and his friend, Nelson (a talent manager out here who reps Malcolm David Kelley and other actors I didn't get the names of). Anyway, the thing that stands out the most to me is the 2hr 22m running time. 2+ hour films are fine, but there were too many scenes that were either repetitive or didn't offer anything in this. I'm not a big fan of the franchise (simply because I didn't grow up with it, not because I hate it or anything), but I like that Caesar's son is named Cornelius. That was a fun nerd moment.

I'd rather see humans killed than animals, but when the animals are so clearly CG, it takes me out of it. I say that and will also add that I'd rather see fake animals in film than real ones, but with a movie like this, my reaction is mostly just "who cares?" Dawn is the only one I haven't seen, John, so I'll probably check that out at some point. 🍿 & 1/2

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Watched at home (all of these were first time viewings):

Logan
Darker and more violent than most Marvel movies, which I can appreciate. The performances from Dafne Keen, Hugh Jackson, Patrick Stewart, and Stephen Merchant got me to invest in it a little more than I normally would have. It's definitely not a waste of time, but there's a good chance I'll forget everything about it a year from now. 🍿 🍿

Escape From New York
Snake Plissken is the perfect Kurt Russell/John Carpenter character name. I also love Russell's costume in this. I think I like the premise more than the execution--not that it necessarily fails or comes up short. No one asked me to choose between the two, but I just prefer Big Trouble in Little China. At some point I'll download Escape from LA, which I've never seen. I should probably revisit this again in a year or two. 🍿 🍿 🍿

The Thing (1982)
Really well done and enjoyable. Body horror as a subgenre just sounds so much worse than what you ultimately end up seeing--though I'm sure there are more intense examples out there. As stated above, I had never seen this before, but I was familiar with the story, thanks to The X-Files. Great concept. 🍿 🍿 🍿  & 1/2

They Live
Goofy, though not overtly, and enjoyable. I think this was my first Roddy Piper movie. I hated him when I watched wrestling as a kid, but he's a great fit for Carpenter. Jeff singled out the subversive nature of the story to me before I watched it. I, too, appreciate that about it. The use of the sunglasses is a cool story device. 🍿🍿🍿

Halloween II
Not as good as the original but still enjoyable. I like that a majority of the film takes place in one setting; a graveyard shift at a hospital is a great time and place for a horror movie. Still, there are one or two moments from the original that really stand out to me: the opening scene and the bed sheet/ghost scene. There's not much from the sequel that stands out to me, to be honest--maybe the jacuzzi scene, but that's mostly because it's gratuitous and silly. 🍿 🍿 1/2

Free Fire
Couldn't wait to watch this (based on the trailer) and then it slightly disappointed for some reason. I can't even put my finger on it--it pretty much gives you what the trailer hints at. And maybe that was it...the trailer was too long and did more than hint; it gave all of the story away. At first it felt fresh and cool, but didn't offer enough to keep me buzzing about it. Still need to see Sightseers and A Field in England. 🍿 🍿 1/2

Kong: Skull Island
About what I expected, which wasn't much. I like the cast--even down to the supporting roles, but it's mostly just a way to kill a couple of hours. I will say that I felt more invested in the well being of Kong than any of the apes in War for the Planet of the Apes. Maybe it's because I can definitely relate to Kong's isolation right now. 🍿

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Such a scummy, dirty movie and I mean that in a positive way--this is so well-made and creepy. I guess I prefer my horror movies to be low budget like this. There are no missteps on the part of Tobe Hooper. There's something to be said of the Leatherface's and Michael Myer's of the genre--I think I prefer those monsters to the ones that speak and have a ton of backstory. Feel free to weigh in on which sequels I should catch. 🍿 🍿 🍿  & 1/2

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
...which brings me to this movie. I like Wes Craven and there are some great scenes and effects in this. Still, for whatever reason, it felt too familiar. I'll give Craven credit for creating different tropes within the genre and being an innovator, but at this point and time, it didn't hold my interest in the way that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre did. Jeff expressed his fondness for the third film, but again, let me know which of the sequels are best. 🍿 🍿  & 1/2

Alien
This is a rare Ridley Scott film that I enjoyed. It's also very well done and innovative. It's a nice slower burn. I enjoyed the heightening of it. Great cast. 🍿 🍿 🍿

Aliens
I'm definitely not alone in suggesting that this is better than the original, though I do feel that it's close. Love Bill Paxton in this. RIP. Paul Reiser makes for a great corporate stooge/villain. 🍿 🍿 🍿

Die Hard
Again, had never seen this before. There's an episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! that is a brilliant parody of this movie. All I did was think of that as I watched this. But I did enjoy Die Hard. I know many people love it, but I'm not there yet. I've never been a big Bruce Willis fan but I understand the appeal here. I enjoy the fact that he's a bit of a goofball. I love the partnership between him and Carl Winslow. 🍿 🍿 🍿

Evil Dead (1981)
I've clearly been on a big 80s and/or horror movie kick for the past few days. It's the mood I'm in right now, and it's preventing me from watching my next pick for my top 100 list. I'll get to that eventually. The only thing that I had heard about this movie before was that a tree rapes a woman. To be honest, that kept me away for a long time. I think the film is really well made and I enjoyed it, but I still feel conflicted about that scene. I do plan on seeing both of the sequels. 🍿 🍿 🍿

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Lastly, I really enjoyed Green Room and 10 Cloverfield Lane, and yet, Brandon's got insightful critiques of both that I found myself agreeing with: http://musabran.blogspot.com/2017/08/back-again-though-still-deadbeat.html. Great stuff.