Movie You're Watching Tonight

This feels a lot like Primal Fear meets Smile so far. Very engaging.

Twin dragons 1992

__________________

[ J ] - [ S ] - [ F ]

About a third of the way through, and finishing Escape from Mogadishu tonight. Had no idea the Koreas didn't officially join the UN until 1991. This is fairly well done, "based on" the experience of diplomats trying to gain endorsement from African regimes.

__________________
Scarecrow: I haven't got a brain ... only straw. Dorothy: How can you talk if you haven't got a brain? Scarecrow: I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they? Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.

Watched Nomadland last night. Such a naturalistic piece of worked helped by the use of non-actors/real nomads. Frances McDormand is such a talent that she manages to integrate herself into scenes with non-actors without it feeling like you're looking at a pro and an amateur. There isn't that disconnect. Terrific.

__________________
Looking for a bigger boat | My latest movie lists and reviews | Find me on Letterboxd

Haven't heard of this. Putting on my to-watch list.

It has stayed with me, and that’s saying something. It’s not particularly original, and some bits have rather obviously been lifted off recent successful stuff, but it does have a certain vibe, pace and bizarre flair. It almost partly feels like a giallo? Not sure how else to put it.

I did have it on my watch list but only because I was purposefully researching new horror films.

I better give Cocaine Bear a go.

Still not watched it but just seen it listed in Allaby's top 20 of 2023 so feel I better check it out.

Oh I really loved that, it was ridiculous how much I loved that. Probably embarrassing but I found it hysterical at the time.

Think I am going to watch "Land" tonight (film4 at 9pm) the directorial debut of Robin Wright, very interested in the story and the reviews are generally favourable.

I was a bit mixed on this one, but mostly positive.

Cocaine Bear is, at times, incredibly funny and a wonderful example of camp done right. The wheels come off a bit in the last act as they try to bring the plots together. The first third suffers from spending too much time with the kid characters (who don't quite have the right grasp on the dialogue's tone). But it stands as one of my favorite theater experiences of 2023. I was supposed to meet a friend, but he got confused about the day, so I showed up to the theater and was like, "Dang it! I'm going to watch SOMETHING!". I picked Cocaine Bear and it was a great choice.

For me, personally, it really benefits from not including much animal cruelty----yes, the CGI bear is very high and sometimes falls down or whatever, but clearly isn't really being hurt---and from making it really a "nature is wild" antagonist instead of implying the bear is evil or something. It's just high! It just wants more of that sweet, sweet cocaine!

I am at my wits’ end from lack of good horror, so looked up some relatively obscure stuff I hadn’t seen that’s meant to be like some of my favourites. This… isn’t super-engaging, but ah, well. Even I with my anti-feminist worldview though setting up the contrast between the more ‘hotter’ and the less attractive actress was a bit lame. Obviously, that’s not the most fundamental difference between them, and in many ways I like that it goes there, but at the very least I’d rather the less conventionally attractive actress be the successful one (and the ‘sexier’/desired one). Anyway. It’s fine, but something about it seems so simplistic, it totally lacks nuance.

I mean, I liked that the kids swore. I thought they were believable and likeable. But yeah, I mean, it’s no masterpiece, but hilarious it sure is.

I so agree on animal cruelty. I can’t quite recall what, but I wasn’t able to properly watch some wartime thing recently because a horse died on screen. I also still haven’t seen Napoleon for that reason. I love The Nest, but find it so depressing, mainly because of the horse storyline.

Have you seen She Dies Tomorrow? I mean, you might totally hate it, but I thought it was interesting.

I didn't mind that they swore. It's more---and I don't want to drag kid actors---that I didn't think that some of their line readings were very good. There was more than one time where I thought, "That was the take they went with?!". And when you combine medium line readings with kids swearing, it starts to come off a bit contrived.

Yes, I actually saw that the moment it came out, I always make a point of following what Amy Seimetz does. It was pretty good. I’m yet to see Sun Don’t Shine, though.

That’s a fair point, yes. I did somehow think it would be at least tangentially related to them swearing because it did come off as somewhat strange. Oh the whole, though, I’d rather there was more stuff like it.

Same! *high five*. I thought Sun Don't Shine was pretty good. It's been a few years, but I know I enjoyed it and how off-kilter it was.

There are kids who sound like they actually swear in real life, and kids who sound like they are thrilled and a little uncertain about getting to swear. I thought the kids in the movie sounded more like the latter. (I have a few kids in my classroom who are very much in the former category!)