Damn! Bava creates such a gloriously moody aesthetic in this one. Just so fantastic. It was fun getting to see Steele play two characters, as well. The fireplace in this house too! 😍
-
-
The Fantastic Four 1994
This is a bad film. But I enjoyed myself.
Three odd thoughts:
1. This somehow manages to have a more coherent narrative and better character development than the terrible 2015 film. It is also a lot more fun to watch than that lifeless garbage. (They clearly had a fun time making this.)2. This also has a better and more identifiable score than any of current the Marvel films. (Which is just shameful!)
3. I kind of think that this…
-
Daisy Kenyon 1947
Crawford is fantastic as Daisy. This is another great dramatic lead for her. Henry Fonda is quite charming, as well. Dana Andrews is an absolute piece of shit, however. Haha He completely ignores the fact that his wife beats their daughter. A pretty light-hearted noir, overall. I'd definitely argue that this is more of a melodrama than a noir, despite being included in the Fox Noir collection. Preminger did a great job of leaving the audience in the dark as…
-
King Solomon's Mines 1985
Woof! This somehow manages to make Temple of Doom look racially progressive and like an empowering feminist film. It’s astoundingly embarrassing how stupid they make Sharon Stone’s character in this film. I’d checked out both this film and it’s sequel from the library after watching Electric Boogaloo and I’m just going to stop with this one. Just a terrible, lifeless, and super racist Indiana Jones knock-off.
-
The Girl Can't Help It 1956
While pretty short on plot, Tashlin's film features absolutely dazzling visual musical moments from start to finish. This is a film solely meant to glamorize the edgy rock n' roll music of the time and showcase Jayne Mansfield in a number of stunning costumes. She is such a delight here, too. She's in on the joke and her comedic moments are top-notch. It's chock full of Tashlin's characteristic camp and color. Tom Ewell was okay here, but I would have…
-
Mona Lisa 1986
I’m not really sure what to say about this one. The racial elements are just so uncomfortable and poorly handled. Cathy Tyson absolutely steals the show in this one. Haskins does give a good performance, but damn! I really didn’t like him at all. Haha The moment where he’s watching a scene from behind a two-way mirror was incredibly effective and looked fantastic. Not Jordan’s best by any means.
-
-
-
The Sadness 2021
I really liked the two lead performances and the film features some really fantastic and gross practical effect. This is one that had been hyped up to be one of those films that’s supposed to make your stomach churn and all of that. And while it is gross at time, it was not nearly as disgusting as I was led to believe. That said, the film does a nice job of combining the story with very effective bursts of gore.…
-
-
Ambulance 2022
Drive-In Movie #2. This was really solid. The drone cinematography was fucking immaculate and just meshed beyond well with Bay’s aesthetic. They made it look completely effortless, when you know those shots were incredibly intricate and difficult to pull off. Dillahunt was really the only thing that didn’t work for me in this one. He just felt like a stale caricature while the other characters were actually decently fleshed out. Gyllenhaal was great and really matched the intensity of the film with his manic performance. Very enjoyable.
-
Firestarter 2022
Drive-In Movie #1. Confession time: I’ve never seen the original film or read the book. So I just went in expecting this to be trash based on what everyone’s been saying. And idk. I enjoyed myself. Dilf Efron was actually pretty decent here and Charlie was good, as well. Also, this John Carpenter score was wild! The film obviously didn’t deserve it, but wow! Did it help move the film along nicely.