Melody has written 335 reviews for films during 2022.
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Christmas on Mistletoe Farm 2022
"Our dad won it in a Willy Wonka thing…"
"There's nothing wrong with wearing sparkly things, anyone can wear sparkles."
"This little dude's a boy."
"We don't mind. We want to call it Sarah."
"Welcome, Sarah.""I wouldn't put this on a goat."
"It wouldn't fit it.""I still smell of egg."
Two rules when it comes to Debbie Isitt… you need to know what you're in for, starting with her best, the first Nativity! (2009) and slowly work your…
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Better Off Dead... 1985
"Dying when you're not really sick is really sick, y'know?"
While not as magical a revelation and "holy fuck why haven't I seen this in my 42 years?" as I'd hoped, I mainly came to this for Diane Franklyn and once she gets her moments, especially when she speaks, she's a masterpiece… but it should be all her. I had hoped the rest would be as iconic as its fans present but, for me, it just wasn't ever as good…
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A Slightly Pregnant Man 1973
"What the hell have you been eating?"
"I wonder if the Pope will change his position on abortion, now that it affects him."
"Has the system changed now?"
"Sort of.""Masculine maternity…"
"That's paternity…"This is astonishingly better done than I expected. To compare it to how I felt about To Be or Not To Be yesterday, there are certainly plenty of laughs here but they absolutely rise out of the thoroughly serious and considered treatment of the bizarre situation.…
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To Be or Not to Be 1983
"I gave the greatest performance of my life… and nobody saw it…"
It's probably best to go into this knowing not to expect a Mel Brooks movie, but he doesn't make it easy, what with starring in it and surrounding himself with quite a few of his crew. It does have moments of his broader style of comedy and even 4th wall breaking but they mostly feel out of place and awkward compared to the moments at the other end…
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The Wild and the Innocent 1959
Short, sweet and slightly weird-headed western. Watched for Sandra Dee and I wasn't disappointed, she's adorable.
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Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical 2022
This was always gonna be a short review because there's so little to say if you've seen the show already (also, I've been eating and drinking far too much for 3 days n I'm on the verge of passing out lol)… as with Tick Tick Boom last year the mere fact of making it more available and accessible is the most special thing about it. Simply filming the stage production would've been more than enough, so for me I was…
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Rosie! 1967
"What woman your age drives a Ferrari?"
"Mrs Ferrari?""Happy birthday from my children and my life's over… what a fool to think I could start living again…"
"Plead that I'm not insane? How do I do that?"
"I didn't want to be noticed. I only wanted to be loved."
Old ladies who don't give a shit anymore will never fail to slay me. That poster gives nothing away. This shows more signs of being written by the Ruth Gordon…
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If a Man Answers 1962
As faux-french as a lot of things at the time (A Certain Smile, which I recently watched, comes to mind) - but I can't deny I'm a sucker, especially when Sandra Dee is involved. That's all I really have to say I guess. I love Sandra Dee. I'll never not be biased when it comes to her movies. I really only watched this (and the next two if I find the time this week) to make sure she's in my letterboxd most watched at the end of the year lol.
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Dr. Phibes Rises Again 1972
I seem from my old reviews to have enjoyed this one more than the first last time, but aside from the ending I wasn't as into it today - maybe just cos I'm winding down the year. Vulnavia's outfits are still supercute, though, if there were dolls I'd collect them I think.
4th July 2006:
Oh man ... as I set this movie up to record, remembering that I loved it the first time I saw it, I was racking…
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The Abominable Dr. Phibes 1971
"Easy does it… I think it's a left-hand thread…"
This is more eerily beautiful at times than it was in my memory I thought might have built it up too much (I watched both films with commentary last year but it's been nearly 20 years since I watched them proper). I love how there's so much death before we even know why. Not just Vincent Price but Joseph Cotten and Terry-Thomas? I just love the image of his robot band…
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Violent Night 2022
"The naughty list just grows and grows."
"Can I say butthole? … how about anus?"
The commitment to the magic of this combined with the level of visual effects supporting all of that is what puts this above average… for me it's not more than the sum of its major parts (Bad Santa, Santa Claus: The Movie, Die Hard and Succession?*) but it's still better than any of us deserve it to be. (*I haven't seen Succession but I get…
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From a Whisper to a Scream 1987
Completely lost me story wise but tonally and sonically just about everything I remember about the first horror movies I watched from the 80s and would've fully fit in in my formative years so I'm amazed this one passed me by for 3 decades… it would've definitely had more impact on me even half that time ago, but I'm still glad to find it now, if only for Vincent Price and the multitude of commentaries and extras I'm already digging…