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Caught Rabid (1977) on Criterion, a lesser-known Cronenberg zombie movie. A motorcycle accident takes place outside an experimental plastic surgery facility and your boy David Cronenberg is off to the races. Wasnât a whole lot to this movie beyond zombies eating peopleâs faces, but itâs not terrible if youâre in the mood for a gorey zombie thing.
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The Magnificent Seven (1960)
As someone who didnât take to Seven Samurai nearly as strongly as everyone else did, I had my misgivings about watching this at all, as it felt like something of a negative freeroll: either I wouldnât like it, which is bad, or I would like it to an extent that I didnât like Seven Samurai, which may render me a simple American who prefers simple English-language adaptationsâŚwhich is also bad.
Thankfully, I think this experience threaded the needle pretty well by being enjoyable in a way that gave me more energy toward giving Seven Samurai a rewatch sooner rather than later. Essentially, this helped me latch onto the bones of the story a bit better in certain ways while still making it clear to me that it was a stripped-down version of a richer text.
On its own, itâs a very capable western with a strong cast, and I would expect most who dig westerns to enjoy it. Your mileage may vary if youâre already a Seven Samurai fan, but this adaptation certainly doesnât do anything to dishonor the work.
3/5 (could maybe give it 3.5/5 in a vacuum, itâs at least close to that quality level, but I feel handcuffed by my previous logging of Seven Samurai at 3/5)
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Have you seen The Dirty Dozen?
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Not yet. Itâs on the list.
I think youâll like it.
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I did a very cobbled together commentary for it, as well. Dale Dye was the star of it but legal had to cut out some of his choicer stuff.
Woman of the Hour on netflix
I am a serial killer dilettante but had not heard about this guy (played by Daniel Zovatto, who played the prophet in Station Eleven). Extremely slow, very disconnected storyline (there wasnât anything tying together the opening scene, the bulk of the story, and the âresolutionâ at the end except for one character sort of coincedentally being in all the scenes). Acting was pretty great all around though. 2 bags out of 5? idk.
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Incidentally, my mom pointed out that Sally Field had already starred on a TV show as Gidget when she went on The Dating Game. Feels weird that, unlike our protagonist in that movie, she went on there when she had already been put on the map.
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Youve never heard of the dating game killer? Im like, not a aerial killer afficianado and I know his story pretty extensively (which makes this movie so gross in my eyes) the opening scene where the woman confides in him about a bad relationship is just made up out of whole cloth. They try to make him out to be some suave smooth talker the whole movie when all evidence points to him being a fucking creep that can be spotted a mile away.
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well I have now
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Emily the Criminal is a GOAT movie. 4 out of 5 bags. Aubrey Plaza breaks bad into credit card fraud to pay off her student loans. Some people try to give her shit and she learns what sheâs made of. You find out in the first two minutes whether this movie is for you.
I gladly double feature it with Buffaloed, a 5/5 movie about Zoey Deutsch breaking bad into collections to pay off her debt.
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Alright, letâs all just settle down.
I liked that movie well enough though.
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https://x.com/darylandfilms/status/1852325944330998185
the apartment (1960) is the only romantic comedy iâve ever enjoyed. i only know of jack lemmon as a very old man, so seeing him so young is a treat. ditto shirley maclaine. all the comedic situations are humorous and enjoyable. several laugh out loud moments. acting was top notch all around. easy 4 bagger for me
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If this is saying that you havenât watched young Shirley MacLaine do her thing, I strongly recommend The Childrenâs Hour.
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There will be no settling down. We are moving back into the girl power era. #nopoliticsbutyousee
I like Zoey Deutch. Sheâs good in everything. She hasnât really done a great movie as far as I can tell. Buffaloed was pretty fun. The Outfit seemed like it was going to be good, but then it kept going. Set It Up is enjoyable (itâs my go-to example when people have referenced Anyone But You; I tell them âthatâs not even the best Glen Powell romcom of the past few yearsâ). Everybody Wants Some is pretty good, though it seems to be another one where the cult of Linklater insists on pretending a bunch of his movies are better than they are (the Before trilogy is as great as everyone says though).
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Fair points. I enjoyed this one too. I like her a lot but donât love anything else sheâs done as much as Buffaloed. I keep showing up though hoping for greatness again.
Sheâs going to be in the new, and I imagine final, Clint Eastwood movie (Juror #2). Iâm hopeful that might be a good one. Itâs getting an extremely limited theatrical release and then coming to streaming, so it shouldnât be too horribly long before itâs available.
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