Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Rev. Powell]

I am an English teacher and I run a theatre camp every summer and sometimes during the year. Thanks for asking!

 

P.S. I like I SAW THE TV GLOW a lot better than you did. I found it one of those movies that gets better as you think back on it. I originally gave it a 3.5 and later bumped it up to a 4.5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Who's Harry Crumb?" (1989)
A bumbling detective with a knack for disguises (John Candy) is summoned to L.A. to find a kidnapped heiress. Slap-sticky silliness ensues. Candy seems to be enjoying himself but the movie was not one of his better efforts. At times, "Harry" feels like a knock off of Leslie Nielsen's "Frank Drebin" character from the Naked Gun series.
Watchable, but not a must-see.

[Rev. Powell]

LUCE (2019): A high-achieving adopted African high school senior develops a grudge against a stern teacher; is he plotting an elaborate revenge, or is there an innocent explanation for the bad things that happen to the teacher? A decent dramatic thriller that supplies an uncommonly nuanced look at racial issues. 3.5/5.

Mainly logging this because this was a rare re-watch from me, and even rarer, a re-watch of a movie I didn't remember I'd already seen! I kept thinking this is familiar, but I don't quite remember all the details... I decided I had probably just seen a very spoilery trailer. When I went to log it into IMDB/letterboxd this morning, I noticed I'd already rated it! I orginally gave it a 4/5 but decided to mark it down to a 3.5; if it had really been a 4 I surely would have remembered it more firmly. Is this normal, or is Alzheimer's coming early?

[M.10rda]

I am an English teacher and I run a theatre camp every summer and sometimes during the year. Thanks for asking!

 

P.S. I like I SAW THE TV GLOW a lot better than you did. I found it one of those movies that gets better as you think back on it. I originally gave it a 3.5 and later bumped it up to a 4.5.

I searched for the title but your review didn't pop up, nor did anyone else's, or I would've read and replied to it. I think the director has some talent and I have been thinking about it. My initial instinct was 3.5 and I thought myself down to a 3! I'll let you know if I think enough to re-inflate it!

EDIT: I imagine you meant on Letterboxd or another website, not this one. I lurk on Letterboxd but posting reviews on two sites....... too much extra work!

[M.10rda]

LUCE (2019):a re-watch of a movie I didn't remember I'd already seen! I kept thinking this is familiar, but I don't quite remember all the details... I decided I had probably just seen a very spoilery trailer. When I went to log it into IMDB/letterboxd this morning, I noticed I'd already rated it! I orginally gave it a 4/5 but decided to mark it down to a 3.5; if it had really been a 4 I surely would have remembered it more firmly. Is this normal, or is Alzheimer's coming early?

This happens to me quite often and it's why I try to log everything again (after not doing that for about 15 years). I've wasted countless hours re-watching stuff I never logged w/ a low-enough number to discourage future viewings!

[Rev. Powell]

M.10orda: yes, my rating on Letterboxd, my ratings here tend to be just first impressions.

And I'm glad I'm not the only one with the accidental rewatch problem. The unusual part here is that it's a pretty good movie with famous actors, and it can't be more than 6 years ago that I watched it! Maybe I just watch too many movies? Yeah, that's it....

[M.10rda]

Maybe I just watch too many movies? Yeah, that's it....

Blasphemy! 

[lester1/2jr]

African-American Psycho: the Hip Hop Freak (2024) - Hell yeah, I finally made it through one of Tubi's "urban" offerings. This is a (very) thinly veiled biography of P Diddy, here he's called B City or something, that randomly also includes some references to American Psycho. As best as I can tell, Diddy and his wife occasionally had other people join them in bed and he was also super fixated on success and was constantly hyping up everyone around him in a goofy way. They don't get into the freak parties and massive amount of lube. I guess that's for a later installment ( Fear of a Black Naked Planet?).

The lighting is always a little off and honestly, he seems like he's probably a pretty typical music business executive: throwing his money around, treating waitstaff poorly, and being dominated by his wife. There's really no big there there in terms of crime, except the American Psycho inspired murders of course. It's more than long enough at 58 minutes. The director also made "The Actor That Got Chased Around The City" and of course "The Rapper Who Got Shot In the Heel".

4/5 something different anyway

[FatFreddysCat]

"Trenches of Rock" (2017)
The history of 80s Christian metal stalwarts BLOODGOOD is laid out in this documentary loaded with interviews, vintage pix and videos, and testimonials from friends like Oz Fox and Darrell Mansfield. A cool trip down memory lane for longtime fans, and an effective history lesson for newcomers (like me). Worth checking out even if you're unfamiliar with Bloodgood.

[indianasmith]

Weekend Double Feature:
KILLER KATE (2018) - A young woman joins her estranged sister and three of her sister's friends for a bachelorette party and an AirBnB outside Los Angeles.  Suddenly they are stalked by killers - no one seems to know why - a pizza delivery guy shows up in the middle of the spree, people die, Kate rescues her sister and goes after the mastermind of the whole scheme, whose rationale for murder is as mundane as this film. 2/5

BERMUDA ISLAND (2022) - An airplane crashes due to a freak storm that doesn't show up on any radar; the survivors come ashore on an island where they find a hoard of carnivorous reptilian humanoids ready to devour them all, and one badboy survivor who has been stuck on the island for a long time.  He's willing to show them how to survive, but his aid comes with a price tag. Some good kills and the reptile costumes were cool; also one of the most purely gratuitous nude scenes I've seen in any movie lately. Plot was lame.  3/5