In general, I often find author documentaries lacking something compared to art or music documentaries. That said, currently on Netflix, I enjoyed Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold and Pretend It’s a City (limited series with Fran Lebovitz talking to Martin Scorsese).
1 Like
I understand 
I hope you like what I’m working on!
One of the greatest time travel paradox movies of all time is now on Tubi.
https://tubitv.com/movies/639804?utm_source=justwatch-feed&tracking=justwatch-feed
And pretty much everywhere else if you don’t want ads.
Ok, back in USAland. Watched/semi-watched a bunch of movies on the interminable trip:
-
Licorice Pizza: This was a slow watch that grew on me as the movie went along. I can definitely understand how someone would turn this off after 10 minutes, but I stuck it out and I’m glad I did. I wouldn’t say I loved this movie, but I found myself thinking about it after I watched it, and enjoyed listening to a couple of podcasts talking about it. The soundtrack was great and I can imagine myself watching it again, although maybe in the background while I’m doing something else. Had the vibe of Almost Famous, although I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much.
-
It (miniseries version with John Ritter): Eh, this was a nostalgia watch. I read the book several times, and it was nice to revisit, but this is not very good. The lead actor (Richard Thomas) is terrible or terribly miscast.
-
Unforgiven: Rewatch. I feel like movie paces must have universally quickened over the last 10-20 years, or my attention span has decreased, because so many movies just seem too slow to me now. That’s true of this one for the first half or so, then it really picks up. Gene Hackman rules, and even though I don’t typically think of him as one of my favorite actors, I’m not sure if I’ve ever disliked him in any part.
-
Raging Bull: I can see why this is considered a classic, but I also didn’t love it - I can’t imagine ever rewatching this. I think the biggest issue is that I saw so many Goodfellas echoes in it, and it made me want to be watching Goodfellas instead. I suspect I would have liked this movie infinitely more if I had seen it first.
-
The Menu: Man did I like this movie in the first half, and then less and less as it went on. Overall, still good, but it went from “I should have watched this at home on a big TV instead of my ipad” to “Meh, 2.5/4 stars”.
-
Chef: This was a pleasant bit of cotton candy. It was nice enough to watch, but I’m never going to think about it ever again.
-
Inglourious Basterds: Rewatch. I think this might be my favorite Tarantino movie.
-
Step Brothers: I barely even remember watching this, but this movie never fails to make me laugh. I was late on this one - I definitely didn’t see it in theaters and I’m not sure how many years it was before I finally watched it, but Reilly and Ferrell are fantastic together. (I still haven’t seen Talladega Nights and I’m not sure why.)
-
Casablanca: Rewatch. I intentionally turned this on because I was trying to sleep and wanted some background noise. So I only half watched it. I often wonder which of the old classics I should watch, and watch I can safely skip. This movie is a banger, and people should watch it because it’s still good, not just because it’s something to tick off a list.
-
Citizen Kane: I had never seen this, and after Casablanca I was in the mood to check out another classic. I probably won’t rewatch, but I still thought it was in the “classic worth watching and not just checking off”. I suspect that if I were more familiar with early cinema that I’d be even more impressed with how ground-breaking it was.
-
John Mulaney:
The Comeback KidEdit: Baby J. Holy shit this was hilarious. Stories of his rehab and addiction experience. I’m guessing that Mulaney isn’t universally loved, but if you like him, this is definitely worthwhile.
3 Likes
Hackman is an all-timer, that’s for sure. He makes otherwise poor movies watchable, and in a good movie his performances are iconic. He got (and deserved) Oscar noms for Bonnie & Clyde, The French Connection, Mississippi Burning, and Unforgiven, but I think his greatest performance was actually in The Conversation.
3 Likes
1 Like
This is what’s so amazing about his career, you can argue for a handful of his performances as being his best, including some supporting actor roles where he just takes a good move to another level. Dude was a LEGEND.
1 Like
He is also weirdly handsome.
If you really wanna scratch the nostalgia itch, the new documentary is amazing and free to stream everywhere. Features new interviews, including with Tim Curry after he recovered from a stroke.
I guess I’m one of the someones.
I wanted to enjoy Licorice Pizza, but the budding or potential relationship between an adult and minor as the core story is an immediate deal breaker.
I think you are underselling Chef. It’s a truly great feel-good movie with a great script and performances.
1 Like
He’s still alive btw. Not sure if “was a legend” just referred to his career or him in general.
I meant career. He hasn’t had a movie in almost 20 years.
Forgot that I also watched The Fabelmans, which I thought was really good. This was a pleasant surprise that really benefitted from low expectations going in. I hated both parents, which I think means that Paul Dano and Michelle Williams were excellent. But it’s also consistent with me thinking that Paul Dano has an exceptionally punchable face.
I was also happy to see Julia Butters of I Think You Should Leave fame (the Tammy Craps girl). It’s like when my family was watching UnchartedThe Lost City, and my sons and I burst out laughing when we saw the Tables lady.
2 Likes
in college I wrote a ninety-page paper on Unforgiven (shocking I know). Haven’t seen it in a while but I loved that movie. The first John Mulaney episode on Conan’s podcast (December 2019) was great. The second one was whatever but the first one was great.
1 Like
Glad to hear your thoughts, but these were 2 of my least favorite movies of the last 5 years.
Sometimes I hear an opposing opinion and I’m just stunned that someone could be so wrong. But this is totally understandable - It’s not like you’d put Licorice Pizza and The Fabelmans in the same area code as Boogie Nights or Raiders of the Lost Ark. I think I’m more of a sucker for nostalgia movies/music than the average person.
1 Like
How many l-b’s is she up to these days?
2 Likes
Mother of God
1 Like
I tried to watch it after watching Step Brothers and couldn’t make it. Nothing made me laugh for 30 minutes.
1 Like
I think Talladega Nights suffers from the same pitfalls as every movie wherein Will Ferrell isn’t acting according to a script: most of the movie is just a bunch of oners he improvised and then tied together into a hopefully comprehensible storyline.
If you watch him in Stranger Than Fiction, you’d swear he deserves an Academy Award. His acting is on par with a dramatic Adam Sandler or Tom Hanks. So good it stuns.
But most of the time Ferrell is hired for his creative genius. You want him to be him. It just means that his biggest swings have a huge variance and don’t always stack well on top of each other.
For example, if you watch just this scene outside of the movie and instead as a oner, it’s a 10/10.
1 Like