February seemed to zip by. Shorter month means less things watched but still working through some of the Oscar nominations, IMDB top 100, and some one-offs.
Train Dreams
A period piece showing how fast America was developed in the early 20th century. Following a simple man beautifully acted by Joel Edgerton with some of the most masterful cinematography I have seen in a while. Its sound design is stunning and you feel immersed in the forests and the ‘trains’. I have not had something make me feel like this movie did in a long time. Reflective and appreciative.
4.5 out of 5
Knights of the Seven Kingdoms
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a fresh take on medieval drama by soaking it in dark comedy. The opening shot as Duncan lays his mentor to rest, slowly fades to black and you hear the Game of Thrones main theme begin to play being interrupted by Duncan relieving himself. It sets the tone very early on.
Only six episodes and you are left wanting more. More from the characters, more from the time, and yet here we are with this short little taste and we will never visit it again. A wonderful return to the universe I have sunk so much time into. Between the books, shows, and games I have consumed as much Game of Thrones as Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.
4 out of 5
Parks and Recreation Season 2
Just a solid watch. It makes me laugh every time and I don’t need to give it 100% attention.
4 out of 5
Licorice Pizza
This was on my radar when it came out but some people I trusted said not to bother. It got added to Netflix and after the enjoyment of One Battle After Another, I figured I would check out another movie created by Paul Thomas Anderson.
While I was not a huge fan of the larger plot arc of the ‘will they/won’t they’ between the two main characters, the world they built was raw, authentic, and very chaotic. I very much enjoyed it.
4 out of 5
The Secret Agent
1977 Brazil is not a cultural time I was familiar with going into The Secret Agent. So many unique characters and story lines were introduced it was difficult to keep track. Wagner Moura does a fantastic job. My only gripe is how fast everything is thrown at you and if you blink you may miss a plot point due to it not being in english. We watched this at home and paused multiple times to discuss what we thought was going on.
3.5 out of 5
Waynes World
Holds up pretty well. I didn’t remember such an ambiguous ending. Many laughs were had, solid SNL movie.
3 out of 5
Fantastic Planet
A psychedelic french cartoon from the 70’s. Far out man …
A few pieces of media have replicated since but using Aliens as a mirror for our society and how we treat animals/pets and the less desirable. Carries a message without overpowering. Trippy to look at all the alien tech before it existed on earth (video chat/cell phones/remote control watches.)
3 out of 5
Happy Gilmore
This did not hold up like I remember it. Gilmore comes off as a despicable character far more than I recall. In my head it was a guy who needed money for his grandmother who was just trying to ‘make it’ - instead he comes off like an asshole and a grifter.
3 out of 5
The Lost Bus
This came off like middle class hero porn. While based on a true story the movie itself would be an epic fire fighting movie WITHOUT the lost bus. McConaughey plays a down on his luck, single father, just scraping by, all american hero - a trope we know all too well when it comes to disaster movie cliches.
The fire was well done and the effects were top notch.
2 out of 5
The Investigation of Lucy Letby
New documentary on Netflix about the most ‘prolific’ infant serial killer. Would be 3 out of 5 but they utilize AI generated characters to replace identities of people who do not want to be included. It’s a real uncanny valley, look at a few people and then you don’t know what to believe since half of it is not real. This also suffers from the fact there are 5 other Lucy Letby documentaries before this came out.
2 out of 5