Being injured has left me with a lot of time on my hands so I’ve taken the opportunity to catch up on some of my various watch-lists. Here’s what I’ve seen and what I thought about them:
This whole show was fantastical and strange and magical and horrifying. Your typical M. Night production, you might say. Nell Tiger Free is absolutely captivating and it’s a treat to watch her step into the role of Leanne and then really stretch Leanne. I’m excited to see her in more things, knock on wood. If you’re not into horror, this won’t be for you, and if you’re a new mom you might want to skip this one as well. [8/10]
We’ve just recently started another rewatch of David Milch’s masterpiece, “Deadwood.” We’re only halfway through season one so far, and I’m still blown away by so much. The attention to detail, the morsels of ‘hidden moments’ we see just off to the side of things, the incredible dialogue! I know we eventually got a movie but we deserved a few more seasons instead. This is a pinnacle of ensemble performances. [100/10]
Another rewatch. Hear me out. I just got another free trial for AppleTv+ or whatever and if “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is on there, I HAVE to watch it. It is one of my favorite movies of that year, but also of all time. It’s so bizarre and horrifying and stark and crisp. Denzel chews apart the scenery and his castmates and I am seated, eyes fixed, breath baited. And for what it’s worth, I’m not a huge fan of Shakespeare in general, but I have watched this movie an embarrassing amount of times and will continue to add to my tally at my leisure. [100/10]
I’ve been slowly working my way through Hitchcock’s films. Surprisingly, I’ve liked most of the ones I’ve watched so far… except this one. “Vertigo” sucks. It’s really boring. The pacing is abysmal. The ending is unsatisfying. Some of the visuals are trippy but they’re not enough to prop the whole thing up. [0/10]
Alternatively, this one from Hitchcock is really good and I will be rewatching it on a rainy day. It would absolutely sail on the stage and had my old directorial fangs feeling positively sharp. [8.5/10]
I didn’t give TRG a chance when it came out because truthfully, I don’t enjoy Danny McBride as an actor. But I wish I had given it a shot earlier because it is really funny and a strong ensemble effort. I’ve only finished season one so far, because I’m trying to pace myself and not just binge the whole thing in one go! [Season 1 = 8/10]
This was just as bad as everyone said it would be, if not worse. Even to throw on as background noise. Big fucking yikes. I’d really love to see less Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney for a while but I doubt that’s about to happen any time soon. [-100/10]
“I Married A Witch” is so much fun and the effects are, dare I say, spellbinding—especially for a film made in 1942. With a runtime of 77 minutes, it’s perfect for those of who you who have trouble with the pacing of older movies. And Veronica Lake’s a real dish! [8/10]
I’ve been going back and forth about going to see “Furiosa” in theaters, and wanted to rewatch “Fury Road” to see if it would help me make up my mind. It did—I’ll wait for “Furiosa” to come to streaming or maybe catch a cheap matinee if I can find one. I just don’t think it’ll be as good as “Fury Road” and you can add Anya Taylor-Joy to actors I’m just burnt out on right now.
As the old saying goes, “How can I miss you if you won’t go away?” [10/10 for Fury Road though because that movie still fucking slaps!]
Foe was just so fucking bleak. The characters were punishing each other and us and the final reveal was predictable and not worth the runtime it took to get there. [3/10]
We’ve been on a Studio Ghibli kick at my house as of late, and while this isn’t from that world, it’s just as absolutely bizarre and absurd. At one point a person is turned into and trapped as a three-legged-kiddie-chair. And that’s not even in the top five strangest things that happen. [10/10]
This was so cute and I loved seeing Kirby as “Death” again. I will never tire of the trope that heaven and hell are just full of red tape and office work. Lukas Gage was an adorable Cat King. The whole cast was full of scamps really! I’d definitely watch a second season provided it doesn’t take forever to materialize. [8/10]
Holy fucking shit. “The First Omen” was great. Creepy and unsettling and perfectly horrifying, this was a gross one that really invokes the spirit of classic horror movies. There is one particular scene that I’ll never forget, it was that fucking disgusting. Unsurprising to no one, Nell Tiger Free nails her role here, just like she did in “Servant” and I can’t wait to see more from her in the future! [10/10]
If you hate silly, junk food kinda movies, you will definitely hate “Vamps.” It’s blood-red, sugar-spun, candy floss and I personally loved every minute of it. [7/10] because while vampires are immortal, the references are hella dated.
“Good Boy” is fucking weird and scary and with the exception of the last 10 minutes or so, it’s great pet-horror. The ending just falls flat and feels as if the writers simply ran out of steam. [7/10]
Munch, munch, gulp. Oh Takashi Miike. [9/10]
A Place For Everything. 