The O.G. Ghostbusters
-
-
Judy 2019
It's a simple film. A simple script with simple direction. Simply written supporting characters, appropriate lighting, costuming, etc. If it didn't have Renee Zellweger throwing herself into the stratosphere channeling an icon that's difficult to channel without seeming as though it's a riff or a hackneyed impersonation, the film would be a forgotten one-off like so many that would be relegated to the Musical Biopics line back catalogue on Netflix within a few months (let's face it, it still will…
-
The Body Snatcher 1945
Joseph: "You can't build life like you put together blocks, Toddy."
Robert Wise was just getting his legs here, Karloff shows how underrated of a commanding presence he was could be and Lugosi chews up and spits out every scene he's in leaving nothing for anybody else, yet overall it's really a simple picture, elevated by producer Val Lewton's love of atmosphere and lighting and the darker side of the human heart.
-
Steamboat Willie 1928
The one and only Mickey Mouse, in his first short, plays a nursing pig like an accordion to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw", before using its nipples to do the same.
Aaah, 1928. -
Return to Oz 1985
Strangely dark and gothic sequel to the one and only we all know and love. It's aged a great deal better than I thought it would have, especially those Oscar nominated special effects. It's a special kind of weird and yet, it's cohesive for the most part. All its weirdness comes together somehow, except for the ending which feels rushed, forced, and doesn't give it a proper payoff.
Also, the Gallery of Heads will haunt me for eternity. -
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2005
Gay Perry: Look up idiot in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?
Harry: A picture of me?
Gay Perry: No! The definition of the word "idiot"! Which you fucking are!
-
-
How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming 2019
The more baby dragons the better! A fitting and festive extension to the series following the third film.
-
I Lost My Body 2019
A wonderfully odd, elegiac, maudlin trip that is achingly beautiful in its animation. What it represents best through the main protagonist - a hand... and the person it belongs to - is that sometimes you have to lose a part of yourself in order to find yourself.
-
Black Christmas 1974
A 70's camp classic for all the right reasons. Bob Parker directs the hell out of it, using Peeping Tom's POV example, as well as a wonderful use of shadows, to give the audience chills for days. It's also a perfect balance of humor and horror that's been mined again and again with the passing decades. And the ambiguity of the ending gives it that cult status it so rightly deserves.
-
Meet John Doe 1941
So, apparently, Capra's original ending had Cooper's Willoughby actually killing himself on Christmas Eve... Now that's how you end a holiday classic!
-