The Great, Big, Quarantine Catch Up

I'm not going to get political or anything on here but, with much of the world shut down it's safe to say that I've had a bit more time on my hands than usual. Now, with so much time I have been able to catch up on some T.V. shows that I had pushed to the back burner and luckily Nintendo has blessed the world with the gem that is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, that doesn't mean I haven't been watching a whole bunch of movies. It's been a little while since my last post (again the world is in a weird place right now) and I thought it might be an interesting change of pace to do an overview of what movies I've watched lately. 

Of course, being stuck inside it's been the perfect opportunity for a few marathons. This past weekend rewatched the three Godfather films. The first two are obviously considered great movies but, I'm starting to gain more appreciation for the often disregarded third film in the trilogy... It's still not great but, I liked it more since the last time I saw it a few years ago. I also went on a little bit of a Tim Burton kick for a few days and rewatched some of his early films. Beetlejuice, Batman, Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands... these are all good movies and got me thinking "What happened to Tim Burton? All he makes is crap now". Maybe that'll end up being the topic of a separate post in the future. 

In terms of movies that I hadn't seen before, I finally got around to watching Rocketman. I didn't have time to see it when it was in theaters last year but, better late than never. When the movie goes into big musical numbers it's a lot of fun but, the rest of the time it's a pretty paint-by-numbers biopic. Overall, liked it and it's probably in that 3.5 out of 5 range for me. I also watched Mirrors 2. I never saw the first Mirrors but I found this one in a bargain bin and with the quote on the back of the blu-ray case " They can't run... they can't hide... the can't even look in the mirror!" Well, that's all I needed. It's a schlocky horror movie. Not good but, I had fun with it. Another horror movie I decided to watch was The Exorcism of Molly Hartley. It's far from the worst exorcism movie I've seen (that honor is held by Exorcism of the Dead) but, I still wouldn't recommend this one. Turning away from horror, I finally watched a film that had been sitting in the stack of movies on my desk for months, Machine Gun Preacher. The film is based on a true story about an ex-biker gang member who starts helping poor kids in Africa. It's fine. The title is way better than the movie.

Finishing up, here are a few miscellaneous favorites that I've rewatched over the past few weeks. I highly recommend all of these so if you're like me, stuck at home waiting for the world to go back to normal, these are some solid films to help pass the time. 

- Field of Dreams, a feel good movie and there's no real baseball on T.V. right now. 

- Gone with the Wind, it's an all-time classic and the 4hr-runtime isn't a big deal when there's nothing else going on. 

-Top Gun... I just really like this one.

- The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese movies are always worthwhile.

- Spartacus, like Gone with the Wind, it's a long one but, worth it. 

- The Muppets from 2011. Good songs, and funny jokes. A perfect distraction.

- The Man Who Knew Too Much, I personally prefer the 1956 version with James Stewart and Doris Day but, the 1934 original is a great movie as well. 

-And finally Moon. It's great, I love it, and more people need to see it.

Passion Play

Well, they can't all be winners...

Passion Play is a 2010 movie starring Mickey Rourke, Megan Fox, and Bill Murray. I had never heard of this movie before seeing it but, it sounded like it had some promise. Normally I'm not a huge Mickey Rourke fan but, he's been in some good movies and this came out just two years after The Wrestler (which I really enjoyed and is one of my favorite sports movies) so I saw his inclusion as a positive. Bill Murray is usually good, and Megan Fox is... also in the movie.

The story is about a recovering drug addict and jazz musician named Nate (played by Rourke) who ends up at a carnival one night. While walking around the sideshow area, he is drawn to a beautiful performer with wings on her back named Lily (played by Fox). After Nate tries to convince Lily to leave, the sideshow's owner threatens to kill him, and the two flee in a stolen truck. Over the course of the film the two form a relationship. Matters become further complicated when a gangster named Happy Shannon (played by Murray), whom Nate had previously wronged, enters the picture.

This movie is not good. If the premise that I described sounds really intriguing to you, then maybe you'll get something out of it but I don't recommend seeking it out. The movie was directed by Mitch Glazer. I believe that it is the only film he's directed up to this point, and it shows. The movie feels WAY longer than it's 1hr 34min runtime, and none of the characters are well developed. It's a shame too because I think that in the hands of a better director, and with a few script tweaks, this could've been something. 

I'll give this one a 1 out of 5 because I was able to make it all the way through without turning it off or falling asleep, but that '1' still feels pretty generous. 

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

A critical and financial flop, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone had potential but, just couldn't deliver the laughs. Released in 2013 and starring a decent cast of Steve Carell, Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi, and Jim Carrey it would go on to only make about $27million off of a $30million budget and currently holds a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The films plot is about two friends-turned-magicians, Burt Wonderstone (played by Steve Carell) and Anton Marvelton (played by Steve Buscemi). After ten years of performing the same act in Las Vegas, Burt and Anton's friendship has become strained and the act has gotten stale. Matters are only made worst by the fact that there is a new, hot, magic act on the scene. Jim Carrey plays a street-magician named Steve Gray, a character obviously inspired by guys like Chris Angel and David Blaine. Gray's tricks are meant to be shocking and gross and gritty as opposed the Vegas glitz and glamour of the Wonderstone act. With this fame and attention that Gray is receiving, Burt and Anton decide to try their own stunt-trick called "The Hot Box". The trick would involve the two me being locked in a class box, lifted up by a crane, and left to sit in the hot Vegas sun for a week. Of course, the whole thing goes horribly wrong and this leads to Anton leaving the partnership. Humiliated, out of money, and with his longtime partner gone, Burt needs to rediscover why he fell in love with magic to begin with and hopefully revive his career. 

Despite a few moderately funny moments, this film plays it way too safe. Carell is a decent actor (I like The Way, Way Back which he was in and that came out the same year) but, I've always thought his comedy was kind of bland. The movie is competently made and certainly not unwatchable. However, the story and the comedy just didn't work well enough for me to give this one a recommendation.
1.5 out of 5

First Man

Released in 2018, First Man was a hit with critics but underperformed a bit at the box-office. Some of this was likely due to some buffoons who criticized the film for political reasons even though they hadn't even seen it but, that's not what this post is about...

First Man was directed by Damien Chazelle and stars Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, and Kyle Chandler. The film centers around Neil Armstrong (played by Gosling), the early years of NASA, and the events that eventually lead to the moon landing. While I usually try my best to go into a movie without any expectations, I did have high hopes for this one. As a kid I was fascinated by the space program, I think Ryan Gosling is a great actor, and I thought that both of Chazelle's previous films (Whiplash and La La Land) were home runs. First Man did not disappoint, I found it thoroughly enjoyable. That being said, it's not a movie that I would recommend to everyone. If you're looking for the next Apollo 13, where everyone always says the right thing or has a great speech and the movie makes you want to cheer by the end, this isn't it. It's much more focused on the sacrifices involved and risk to human life that came with attempting a feat that no man ever had. 

It's well directed, well acted, I found the story compelling and the musical scores is terrific. Overall, I think this is a really solid movie and I give it a 4 out of 5.

Today's Movie: Zombie Night

Originally airing on the Syfy channel, and later receiving a home video release, 2013's Zombie Night provides that that certain level of schlock that I've come to expect from such productions. The film stars some familiar names like Daryl Hannah, Anthony Michael Hall, Shirley Jones and Alan Ruck but none of them are actually good in the movie.

Unfortunately, to go along with the half-hearted acting, the film's plot is about as bare-bones as they come; One night, for seemingly no reason at all, the dead come back to life and start wreaking havoc on a small town. About a halfway through the film Alan Ruck's character tells the others that he heard somewhere that the zombie attack will only last until sunrise. There is no proof or further explanation, just a ticking clock. Stay alive until sunrise. Some of the characters do make it until the sun comes up and all of the zombies have, in fact, collapsed without explanation. Then it ends.

If you're a horror fan and happen come across this one, it's not the worst movie but I wouldn't call it good either. I found my copy in a bargain bin for $1 (no joke) and I think that's probably a fair price for what I got. The whole thing is just an hour and a half of people running from, and being eaten by, zombies. While there is basically no story, if you're just looking for some mindless gore then I guess it's satisfactory. To end on a positive note, the makeup effects are decent and better than I expected going in.
I give Zombie Night a 1 out of 5.

Quick Takes

I wanted to try something different with this post. Obviously since I write a movie blog, I watch a lot of movies every week. Sometimes, whether it be because I don't have a ton to say about a particular movie, or I watched a few films in one day, or because I'm working on a more time consuming project (like the '10 Movies Everyone Should See' series) there are movies I just don't get around to dedicating a full blog post to. So, here are some quick thoughts on the things I've watched recently.

First off, Splice. 

This 2009 sci-fi/horror film stars Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley and Delphine Chaneac. Despite owning the Blu-ray for quite awhile, it wasn't until this week that I got around to watching it. I thought it was ok. Cool concept about a gene-splicing experiment gone wrong, and the acting throughout is decent. It just didn't quite stick the landing for me.

2.5 out of 5

Next up, The Last of the Mohicans.

I watch this movie probably once every year or two, so it is surprising that I never wrote about it in a blog post. It's a terrific movie, especially if the you're into films that take take place during Colonial-era America. It's not my favorite film that Daniel Day-Lewis has starred in but, I highly recommend it.

4.5 out of 5

Here's one that I actually had to watch twice because I wasn't sure if I loved it or hated it. 2013's Under the Skin is an oddly mesmerizing movie, which stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien that is seducing men around Scotland. After the second viewing, when I knew what I was in for, I ended up really liking the film.

4 out of 5

Here's a movie that is bad: 2018's 7 Guardians of the Tomb starring Kelsey Grammer, Li Bingbing, and Kellan Lutz. I wasn't expecting anything great from this baragain bin pickup but, I was just hoping for a decently entertaining adventure flick. It's pretty boring, with a weak plot, and people just running away from spiders for three-quaters of the film. Skip this one if you come across it.

1 out of 5

And finally the last film I want to mention is the 1997 comedy Liar Liar starring Jim Carrey. I've always thought this was one of Carrey's better movies but, I hadn't seen it in quite a few years. Yes, it's a dumb movie built around a simple premise; what if a guy who lies constantly suddenly can't for one whole day. That being said, despite the thin plot, it still holds up and I got a lot of laughs out of it. It's a good pick if you're looking for a light-hearted comedy.
3 out of 5


Those are a few random movies that I've watched over the last week or so. I'm always trying to experiment with different ideas for posts here, so let me know if you like this or not. I'm still going to be doing regular reviews, 10 Movies Everyone Should See, I might bring back Western Wednesday's, and maybe another decade themed month pretty soon (I've already done the 70's and 80's).

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Right off the bat, for context, my two favorite film franchises are Mission:Impossible and the Bond films. So, an action-packed espionage thriller is usually something that I'll have a good time watching. 2015's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. wasn't a hit at the box-office and recieved mixed reviews from critics, but I think it's actually pretty good.

 The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, and Alicia Vikander. While I'm not a Hugh Guy Ritchie fan, I think this is actually one of his better movies. Like many of his other films, this one is bit more style over substance. However, I think the slick production and editing, along with the likeable characters, makes this an overall entertaining experience. 

The plot is a bit formulaic in that two rivals are forced to work as partners in order to stop the the villain's plan. In this particular scenario, it's the 1960's at the height of the coldwar, the villain wants a nuclear warhead, and our unlikely team is the CIA's top agent (played by Cavill) and Russia's top KGB agent (played by Hammer). Also thrown into the mix is German woman named Gaby (played by Vikander) who's father is a former Nazi scientist, and the man who's nuclear weapons research is so valuable.

Overall, I like the three lead actors, I think the film is pretty well paced with a few little twists along the way, the musical score is solid... it's a fun movie in my opinion. Not great, but fun.
3.5 out of 5