The 27th General Hall of Fame

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Women will be your undoing, Pépé
I despise Adam Sandler.
F@ck yes.

F@ck him. F@ck his dad for dribbling his genesis into the crippled, half-blind, down-right just stupid farm denizen; he got blindly drunk to birth him.


There will be NO retractions.
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Siddon's post gives me an idea: what about a Personal Revenge Hall of Fame? We could all be paired with someone who chose a film we didn't like. One person then chooses a movie they know the other person won't like to spite them while the other does the same for the bad review they received.
I'm not interested in watching Cannibal Holocaust, but thanks anyway!



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.

Speedy recovery.



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Sorry to hear it. Hope you get well soon.



I just watched Cure (1997) for the first time. Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Cure is about a series of violent murders with the only link being an x carved on the victim's neck. The murderer doesn't remember doing the calling and there appears no obvious motive. A detective must try to solve the killings. I thought this was an interesting premise,but for me the execution wasn't great. There are some good moments, but the film is not as compelling or interesting as it should be. I found it slow at times and it felt longer than it was. Performances were alright, but I wasn't that impressed with anyone. This film seems to be very acclaimed and well liked, but it didn't do much for me. I didn't find it as chilling or scary as others did and it wasn't completely satisfying.



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Naaauuurr not Vic too! Get well soon



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Keep up posted and hope all goes well.



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Ugh. I'm sorry, Vicky. I just had two more students go out with it today, and my teammate had to leave school this morning with symptoms and will probably be out the whole week. It does feel like it's everywhere.

I hope your symptoms stay mild and that your recovery is quick and uneventful.





The Secret of Roan Inish, 1994

Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is sent to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother. As she comes to know the area, and a nearby island called Roan Inish, Fiona's imagination is captured by the story of her younger brother, Jamie, who disappeared into the sea. This is all bound up in the myth of the selkies, magical creatures that can transform from seals into people. Along with her cousin, Eamon (Richard Sheridan), Fiona works to rehabilitate the abandoned island and get to the bottom of the story of her lost brother.

I've seen this film before, and it's a wonderfully charming little film. I really enjoy movies like this where there aren't "bad guys" or even necessarily overt conflicts. Instead it's about a young person figuring out who she is, making connections with her family, and, yeah, there's some gentle magic in there.

I remember really wanting to see this film when I was younger, but just never managing to rent it from the video store. This definitely would have been a favorite of my elementary aged self. It's the kind of story that you just see yourself in: a visit to relatives, exploring a wild space. It's a film that takes relatable childhood experiences and gives them a little magical boost. Anyone who ever toiled over a backyard treehouse (or, um, groundhouse if you didn't have a big enough tree) will appreciate the "fixing the cabins" montage.

Fiona is a great protagonist. She is full of questions, but out of genuine interest and curiosity. This is not a "movie child", full of sassy comebacks and adult-sounding dialogue. There's a lived in feel to her conversations with her grandparents and cousin.

The film also makes great use of the island and the seals in generating that slightly-magical atmosphere.

My only very slight complaint is that I've always found the selkie myth a little icky. A character steals and hides a selkie's skin, trapping her in human form. The film really hits on the idea over and over that she thinks he's really cute and she really loves him, etc, etc. But there's something inescapably a bit gross about a romance being based on one person taking away the other's autonomy.

All in all a really charming, sweet film that I was more than happy to revisit.




Women will be your undoing, Pépé
Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
take care, darlin, enjoy the time off.



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Sorry to hear that. Get well soon.
__________________
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé


The Secret of Roan Inish, 1994

Fiona (Jeni Courtney) is sent to live with her grandparents after the death of her mother. As she comes to know the area, and a nearby island called Roan Inish, Fiona's imagination is captured by the story of her younger brother, Jamie, who disappeared into the sea. This is all bound up in the myth of the selkies, magical creatures that can transform from seals into people. Along with her cousin, Eamon (Richard Sheridan), Fiona works to rehabilitate the abandoned island and get to the bottom of the story of her lost brother.

I've seen this film before, and it's a wonderfully charming little film. I really enjoy movies like this where there aren't "bad guys" or even necessarily overt conflicts. Instead it's about a young person figuring out who she is, making connections with her family, and, yeah, there's some gentle magic in there.

I remember really wanting to see this film when I was younger, but just never managing to rent it from the video store. This definitely would have been a favorite of my elementary aged self. It's the kind of story that you just see yourself in: a visit to relatives, exploring a wild space. It's a film that takes relatable childhood experiences and gives them a little magical boost. Anyone who ever toiled over a backyard treehouse (or, um, groundhouse if you didn't have a big enough tree) will appreciate the "fixing the cabins" montage.

Fiona is a great protagonist. She is full of questions, but out of genuine interest and curiosity. This is not a "movie child", full of sassy comebacks and adult-sounding dialogue. There's a lived in feel to her conversations with her grandparents and cousin.

The film also makes great use of the island and the seals in generating that slightly-magical atmosphere.

My only very slight complaint is that I've always found the selkie myth a little icky. A character steals and hides a selkie's skin, trapping her in human form. The film really hits on the idea over and over that she thinks he's really cute and she really loves him, etc, etc. But there's something inescapably a bit gross about a romance being based on one person taking away the other's autonomy.

All in all a really charming, sweet film that I was more than happy to revisit.

This is something that has been continually on my radar any time it comes up so and my anticipation continually grows. Even more so after reading your review.



Just tested positive for Covid. **** Got a cough and sore throat. No fever. Sense of smell and taste intact. Am vaccinated and boosted but I’m also diabetic.

On the plus side I guess I will have lots of time to watch movies.
Sorry to hear that, Vicky. Get well soon.
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This is something that has been continually on my radar any time it comes up so and my anticipation continually grows. Even more so after reading your review.
It's a bowl of chicken soup kind of movie. It won't get your heart rate up, but it will warm your soul.

So many movies that feature kids expend a ton of energy on external conflicts (bullies, caricatured villainous adults), but this one just softly and patiently takes you through an empowering, magical experience from the point of view of a child.

And I really can't emphasize how nice it is to have a kid-centered movie that walks just the right line without getting cutesy.




Cure (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 1997)
I hadn't thought about this film in awhile and was wondering why I'd rated so highly the first time around. I'm not crazy about Kurosawa and its a genre I don't really like so it was a blast to rediscover why this movie rules so much. I love the vague, spacious feeling the film has and I don't actually know how it was achieved since the narrative is really straight-forward and they pretty well tell you exactly what's going on immediately. I just love that there is no mystery to the film whatsoever and as a result the pacing is just perfect. The film never feels like it has these beats it needs to get to so it just gets to meander about () and it fits the mood so well. The big selling point is obviously the colour. Everything looks like it had just a little bit of life sucked out of it and the sickly, sour green hue everything has is *chef's kiss*. I wonder it that's meant to tie into the title. Also want to mention how dope those quick cuts are. They're so much faster than you expect that kind of cut and it feels so unhinged paired with the longer, leisurely shots the film is built on. Such a distinct looking and feeling film. I don't think I really have anything negative to say about it, takes all the bad parts out of a bad genre. For an extremely garish comparison its like if you combined Oldboy, Mother and Se7en except it was actually good.




Safety Last! (1923)

I laughed out loud and I rarely do that with most comedies. I had fun watching this and that's saying something, it's saying alot. I've only seen one other Harold Lloyd film, the comedy short Never Weaken. So I was glad to see this nominated.

What I liked most was how different of a persona Harold Lloyd had cut out for himself, compared to the other biggies of the time. Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are of course legends, but unlike them and their walk through celluloid history...Lloyd is full of enthusiasm and positivity. When the make believe world of the silent film gives Lloyd lemons, he slyly makes lemonade and does it with something close at hand that one would never dream of using for a citrus squeezer. I like that about Lloyd.

I was wowed at the climb up the building I mean damn that was crazy stuff and you'd never see that done today. But what I loved most was the little cleverties that Harold pulls off so effortlessly and with a sly little smile on his face.

Count me as a fan. Thanks Allaby






Dolores Claiborne, 1995

Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) is caught standing over the body of her dying employer, the wealthy Vera (Judy Parfitt). Dolores's daughter Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) returns home when she learns that her mother is being accused of murder. As a smarmy detective (Christopher Plummer) tries to prove that Dolores is guilty, the events bring up another death from the past: the death of Dolores's husband, Joe (David Strathairn).

Another rewatch, and another film I quite enjoy.

On the surface, the film is a story about a woman who, despite being strong-willed and resourceful, finds herself put upon the subservient role that her gender and circumstances demand. But while the film has a lot of overt themes and content related to Dolores being a woman, for me the real heart of the film is the tragedy of what we'll do for those we love, and the fact that we cannot control the way that they love us back. At the same time, we also see the pain that is the pressure of being an object of love.

Everything that Dolores does---from the physically demanding work for Vera to enduring the verbal and physical abuse doled out by Joe--is for the sake of her daughter. She is determined that Selena will not share her fate. Selena will make something of herself, she will get off of the island, she will be happy.

Only that last piece is something that no parent, no matter how loving, can guarantee. And we see in Selena's misery that her mother's desperation, expectations, and even her pride create a weight that Selena cannot at times bear. Every ounce of pride in her mother's face only makes Selena feel the agony of her failures (or perceived failures) all the more.

I absolutely love Kathy Bates in this film. I'm not a fan of the phrase "real woman," but Kathy Bates both looks and feels like a real human being. She is an incredible anchor for the narrative, walking the edge of abrasive and vulnerable in the same breath. Leigh is pretty good as well, but Bates absolutely towers over everyone else in the film. Plummer is sufficiently hatable as the detective who is determined to see Dolores punished, and a very young John C Reilly is on hand as a police officer. Parfitt is at turns hilarious and tragic as the wealthy employer.

I'm always a bit mixed on stories where there are frequent flashbacks, though here I think they mostly work. I do find some of the dialogue to be a bit on the nose. There's a throughline of the line "Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman has to hold onto." Unfortunately, I feel like it's only when Dolores says it---in response to Selena wondering why she so willingly needles others---that it actually feels appropriate. It's meant to show a kind of passing down of wisdom between generations, but I think it's only medium successful. Likewise, some of the dialogue in the final showdown is a bit clunky to my ear, though it still hits some good emotional beats.

One plot element that always bugs me a bit is the idea that
WARNING: spoilers below
Selena would have forgotten so many details about her father's molestation AND her mother finding out. Maybe if she were younger. Maybe if it was a one-time thing. But we are supposed to believe that she has repressed repeated abuse? Being given gifts for her silence? Being confronted by her mother on the ferry? Despite being presented in a very compelling way (that mirror moment on the ferry is *chef's kiss*), it doesn't quite pass muster for me.


Altogether a solid mystery and character study.