Watching
My last 10 watched from Letterboxd.
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Only Lovers Left Alive
Loved this slow-burn, kinda punk rock vampire film. Exceptionally cool hanging out with Hiddleston and Swinton as an old vampire couple. Great supporting cast as well. Feels like a fresh take on the vampire genre, which is saying a lot in a year where Sinners came out. Haven’t seen a ton of Jarmusch’s films but what I have seen are usually a good hang and this is no exception.
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The Phoenician Scheme
After Asteroid City I wasn’t sure I’d ever watch another Wes Anderson movie. His whole shtick of what I described in my review of that movie as “a bunch of (mostly) white famous people saying words in meticulously crafted shots” has worn pretty thin. But I found this to be pretty entertaining, largely thanks to the trio of actors in the lead roles, particularly Michael Cera, who steals every scene he’s in. There are several laugh out loud moments, even if the plot is completely nonsensical.
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Perfect Days
More like Perfect Movie, amirite? I, too, just want to read books, listen to tapes and not worry about the rise of fascism while I clean a toilet for the hundredth time this week.
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The Batman
I was compelled to watch this after Superman. The Batman is the antithesis of modern superhero movies. I don’t know how they will incorporate Batman into Gunn’s new DCU but it almost certainly won’t be this Batman. Where Snyder seemingly took Superman into the dark, Gunn seems certain to bring Batman into the light. I miss when things could just be a thing and didn’t have to spawn endless sequels or crossover with every other IP owned by a megacorp. That said, I’m looking forward to The Batman 2. lol
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Superman
I am admittedly not a DC comics guy. But Superman (1978) was one of the first movies I ever saw in the theater and it left a lasting impression on me. None of the Superman movies or shows since have come close to giving me that same sense of wonder. So my expectations going into James Gunn’s take were pretty low. And this is pretty much what I expected it to be. Lighter and more fun than the Snyder films, but overstuffed with characters and quips. There’s sooooo many characters here. From the room full of tech dweebs that work for Luthor to the staff of the Daily Planet, many of whom add little to the story outside of Lois (and Jimmy’s bizarre connection to Luthor). Corenswet strikes a great balance of earnestness and playfulness, and his chemistry with Brosnahan’s Lois worked well. But there was just so much other stuff going on. The nascent Justice League is shoehorned in to setup future DCU installments, only adding to the glut of characters. Not a bad movie by any stretch but it just felt like a missed opportunity to have a bigger take on what it means to be Superman in 2025, where having empathy is considered either “woke” or punk rock, depending on your perspective.
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Heads of State
Fun cast, terrible script. Some fun action scenes but, as Idris Elba says, “I prefer real cinema.”
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I'm Still Here
A remarkable film. As Americans we like to think something like this could never happen here, but it already is. This film serves as a necessary and dire warning. Brave performance from Fernanda Torres, whose character Eunice says to the press, “I think it’s necessary to compensate the families, and do the most important thing, clarify and judge all crimes committed during the dictatorship. If that doesn’t happen, they will continue to be committed with impunity.” Hoping I live to see this happen in the U.S.
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Lethal Weapon
Not sure this 80s smash hit holds up very well. The action is ok but it’s really the chemistry between Glover (who was 10 years younger than I am now when he was “too old for this shit”) and Gibson that makes the movie. Gary Busey is woefully miscast as the lead henchman who dukes it out in a blurry mess of a hand-to-hand combat scene with Gibson in the climax. The plot is pretty incomprehensible, even by 80s standards. Some fun writing by Shane Black though not on the level of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or The Nice Guys. Overall kind of a disappointing rewatch.
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I'm Gonna Git You Sucka
I’m Gonna Git You Sucka holds a special place in my heart. My best friend Eldridge, who passed away last year, introduced me to it in high school. My friends and I must have watched it dozens of times. Even all these years later I can practically recite the whole thing. Plus it paved the way for In Living Color, in which many of the cast here would go on to star. This is a brilliant spoof of blaxploitation films in the same vein as Airplane and The Naked Gun, and arguably as funny or funnier than either of those movies. Shoutout to legendary costume designer Ruth E. Carter, whose incredible work here adds so much to the humor.
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Sneakers
In hindsight, Cosmo was right.