27 January 2019: The Alchemist Cookbook

There was a lot to like here - the economy of dialogue, the unconventional, low key story & especially the excellent performances. I particularly liked the actor who played Cortez. I’m excited to see where he & the filmmaker go from here.

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25 January 2019: Housewife

Weird as shit, but what would you expect from the mind who brought us Baskin? We tread in similar territory here, but he falls back on some tired plot conventions in this one where Baskin felt wholly original. It’s still worth watching for it’s bat-shittery alone, but let’s hope Evernol’s next one is better.

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20 January 2019: Glass

Listen, give M. Night a break. Sure, this was messy, & the pacing was weird, & a lot of the dialogue was crappy. But isn’t that the case with every single other superhero movie that has come out in the past 20 years? At least these characters are fully realized & unique, & the story is heartfelt & doesn’t just seem like a marketing vehicle. Yes, this is the worst of the trilogy, but I’d watch it over an Avengers movie 10 out of 10 times.

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1 January 2019: Terrified

The makeup & sfx are great, the lead is charming, & the humor works well. American horror filmmakers could learn a thing or two from this guy.

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27 December 2018: The Gift

What a satisfying movie for anyone who has been bullied. There’s nothing I enjoy more as a viewer than having my expectations subverted, & this movie does that with expert control. This is Joel Edgerton’s best film by far.

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24 December 2018: Dumplin'

I expected something precious & wholesome that I could safely watch with the in-laws, & that’s exactly what I got. Not surprising, considering the heavy Dolly influence. That woman is a goddamn saint. The lead here is charismatic & sweet. I knew I’d seen her in something very recently, then about halfway through I realized she plays Olympia in Bird Box, too.

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21 December 2018: Bird Box

Much better than early reviews had me expecting. I was fine with most of the changes from the book, simply because it would’ve been difficult to translate the suspenseful moments to the screen without taking a lot of time to build tension. And there’s too much plot to get through for that, what with the duel timelines. I preferred the character of Malorie as she’s portrayed here to the Malorie of the novel, since we also didn’t really have time to let her character change over the course of the film. 

The most significant change for the better from the source material is John Malkovich’s character. The book paints him as almost totally unsympathetic & without merit, but here he’s just a person who’s sometimes at odds with the rest of the group, but whose motivations are understandable. 

One last thing - I haven’t seen Sandy B in anything in a while, & I was upset to notice that her face is looking a little immobile. I wish actresses wouldn’t feel pressured into getting filler, etc. They must know it limits their expressiveness. How sad that they consider it a fair trade-off.

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19 December 2018: Crazy Rich Asians

Watched on a flight. A fine, inoffensive romantic comedy. If that’s your thing, you could do worse.

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19 December 2018: Prevenge

Alice Lowe is a real talent. The screenplay here is incisive & very funny, there are some lovely, visually arresting shots, & the film moves along at a good pace. I didn’t much care for Sightseers, which I think is why I put this one off for so long. After finally checking it out, I’ll gladly watch anything else she makes.

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15 December 2018: Hereditary

Holds up very nicely to a second viewing, but with Aster’s attention to detail I would expect nothing less. You get the feeling everything you see & hear in the film matters, if you could only put the pieces together correctly.

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14 December 2018: The Favourite

This is my favorite of Lanthimos’s films so far, & I don’t usually care for period pieces. The performances are flawless, especially Olivia Colman. Damn, where’s she been hiding? Or am I just out of the loop? The humor worked waaaay better here than in his previous films. Because he didn’t write the screenplay this time? If so, let’s have him continue adapting other people’s words. Also, how lovely are those wide-angle shots inside the palace? I even got Barry Lyndon vibes at times with all those candles. In closing, if Rachel Weisz could kindly make out with me, that would be great. Thanks.

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8 December 2018: Wildling

I was all ready to give it three stars, then that god awful Linda Perry song came on. Bel Powley has great screen presence. As much as I love Liv Tyler, I just don’t buy her as a sheriff. She seems so... gentle. Decent, but kinda cornball. Worth a watch if you like werewolf movies. Or Brad Dourif.

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7 December 2018: Madeline's Madeline

This just solidifies for me that, as much as I love movies, I never want to be around actors. Too much, man! Very interesting story, creatively told. Great cast, great performances, excellent score. A teensy bit self indulgent, but hey, it is about actors, after all.

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6 December 2018: Annihilation

This time around some of the cgi looked a little fake, but I noticed how amazingly creepy the score is, so it’s a wash in terms of rating change. Still love it.

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2 December 2018: The Witch in the Window

The strongest aspect of this one is the relationship between father & son, which is beautifully written & portrayed. The lead here was my favorite character in YellowBrickRoad, & he’s even better when given a bigger role. I’d love to see more from him. I would liken this to a pared-down Haunting of Hill House, though it works better than the series in both the interpersonal relationships & the ghost stuff.

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