The Denim Record

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“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

" You don't catch wolves looking where they might be, you look where they've been. "



Wind River (2017)


What an intense movie this turned out to be. I had heard all the reviews, but I didn't expect this movie. Brutal. Beautiful. Sad. Easily one of the best movies I seen in a while. Jeremy Renner shows why he is leading man material and Elizabeth Olsen is perfect as a "city slicker" thrown out of her orbit.










“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Infinity War
Wheelman



Average and forgettable. Good in the moment.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”



Hotel Artemis (2018)



This landed on my radar when it hit the 2nd run. My friends had mentioned it previously, but I didn't take much notice. The immediate thought I remembered having, was that this was gonna be a theft of John Wick intellectual property. It seemed like a good idea, a bunch of crims in a sanctuary and stuff happens...violent stuff.

Well there are bad guys and stuff happens, but there was very little action. It could have worked if the story and dialogue were better. It ended up being a bunch of prattle and not much else. And when did Jodie Foster become a horrible actress?









“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018)
Netflix



Never let me fool you into thinking I know anything about movies or how to construct a proper sentence. The same ethos could be applied to this movie, that is easily the weakest entry to the summer of Brolin.


I can't say I have ever disliked anything Danny McBride has been involved in, but this is really stupid. Not Step Brothers stupid, bad and not funny stupid. Try stretching out a gimmick (80's style outdoor/ sportsman videos) fit for a youtube clip, add Josh Brolin and a kid who is possibly the worst child actor I have ever seen.


I'm just gonna stop there. No redeeming qualities. Plus I lost a little respect for Carrie Coon even being involved in this .










“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Deadpool 2 (2018)




The original Deadpool was a nice entry into the comicbook movie world. Violent, irreverent, and absurd. Wade Wilson's 4th wall demolishing fits perfectly with this type of film. Ryan Reynolds put his everything into getting the movie made and it showed.


The sequel. Eh... I floated between giving this a 2.5 and a 3. I ended up with a 3, because a 2.5 is the ceiling of bad movie ratings. It just felt like too much was going on, with none of it paying off. For brevity, I will sum it up with the unadvertised villain
WARNING: spoilers below
Juggernaut.
If you are going to use him, use him. Make him the focus of the movie. Not only is he wasted onscreen, but he is used in a way that doesn't even vibe with with his history.




Comic fans will enjoy this, but the magic isn't there the second time around.












“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Super Troopers 2

I always had fond memories of Super Troopers. Then again, it came out over 15 years ago and I was a different person. Maybe it still holds up, but its sequel can't even hold a liter of cola.


There isn't much going on here but a couple of random cameos, poor running jokes, and Will Sasso is better than this.






“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)



This movie was never gonna be the best thing ever, but for 2/3 of the film it was headed that way. Like a lot films that could use a few more cuts, the clock gazing starts towards the end.


I'm not a big post 80's Cruise fan, nor have I ever got out of bed for a MI movie. Something felt different from the trailers on this one. Fallout manages to clip along at a brisk pace from action piece to action piece, until the exposition vomits all over the final act.


The bathroom scene and motorcycle scene(Arc de Triomphe) were superb. I've haven't seen a movie that made me feel like I was gonna be in a wreck that many times before. Everything was chop, chop until we get to the end.


They seem to dump all of the story (which really wasn't needed) on the end and it drags down the film. The helo chase could have been a few minutes shorter and it seems like the scene from the trailer (helicopter on the road headed towards truck) was cut.


If it wasn't for the loss of momentum at the end, this would have been a near perfect action ride. Nevertheless, a great summer vacation available at the local cine.










“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Tully (2018)



This spring, every movie I saw at the not-for-profit cinema showed this trailer. It seemed charming and humorous. Buyer beware.

I had the windows open last night, so I watched this with headphones. Maybe the sound being in my brain, increased the annoyance factor. The young boy and his screaming fits, the baby crying, was all done to such a point of excess that it was really grinding my gears. I figured there was an obvious point being made with the sound, but it's lost on me why.


Overall, I kinda checked out after that. I think that the direction it ended up going was unimpressive.









“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Eighth Grade (2018)



Being an ardent fan and critic of standup, I think I was looking forward to finding things to dislike about this because I don't care for Burnham's act. Swing and a miss. Burnham shows an ability to capture what many of us went through and his eye for this is the true talent.


I will say, I don't think it is revolutionary or too insightful. How many of us grew up with a sibling going through puberty? I recognize most of these scenes, through the eyes of a child seeing his older sister grow up. I really give him credit for knowing what works and what doesn't and doing the research to make the most current movie he could at the time.


That last dinner scene was one of the greatest things I have seen in cinema. Burnham as a director has a new fan in denim.









“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Revenge (2018)



I remember hearing about this and what a good movie it was. If that was because of its empowerment message, it's great. If it was because it's entertaining, musta been that fake news dey all talk about.


There were some nice shots, but I didn't really care for it. I didn't know that rape/revenge is a genre, but it seems to be. I can embrace a woman falling off a cliff, being impaled and exacting bloody retribution. It just broke this movie the way it was constructed.








Pits and bieces-


- French guys, amirite?
- "others retailers don't want you to know about ShopClubUSA.com"
- This dvd looked great. Maybe it's common knowledge, but all these dvds are not the same. HiFi vs. LoFi is a thing. Why though?






“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

The Death of Superman (2018)


Maybe if enough people keep repeating it, it will come to fruition. Please Mr./Mrs. Warner Bros., just make the live action like your animated. The Death of Superman is the best one I have seen in a while and it is dark in some spots. Yeah, it's PG-13, but there is some serious blood and head trauma going on.



There are great little side nuggets to the action, Bruce Wayne as a dad, Lois Lane and Superman's relationship, etc. The only drawback is some of the voice work. Jerry O'Connell is not right for Superman and Rain Wilson sounds like a bad James Wood impersonator. Also, Martian Manhunter is portrayed like a fool as usual. Arguably the second most powerful member, he is an also ran like rest of the League waiting for the Superman cavalry as usual. That beat gets old.








Revenge (2018)



I remember hearing about this and what a good movie it was. If that was because of its empowerment message, it's great. If it was because it's entertaining, musta been that fake news dey all talk about.


There were some nice shots, but I didn't really care for it. I didn't know that rape/revenge is a genre, but it seems to be. I can embrace a woman falling off a cliff, being impaled and exacting bloody retribution. It just broke this movie the way it was constructed.








Pits and bieces-


- French guys, amirite?
- "others retailers don't want you to know about ShopClubUSA.com"
- This dvd looked great. Maybe it's common knowledge, but all these dvds are not the same. HiFi vs. LoFi is a thing. Why though?



Sean Baker has a theory that after she was impaled, all the revenge stuff after was like a dream she had while dying.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Sean Baker has a theory that after she was impaled, all the revenge stuff after was like a dream she had while dying.

That makes more sense to me than a literal interpretation. I just have a hard time figuring out how you are suppose to know stuff like that other than a "shot in the dark" guess.



Of course, I think it's a way to rationalize it because otherwise you have to suspend your disbelief to such a degree that might not be possible.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Hardcore Henry (2016)



Intense is a good word for this movie. Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, choppity, chop. Non-stop. Did you know it was made for $2 mil in Mother Russia? That helps explain a lot. All those stunts that look crazy dangerous and were done without a net or safety device, Russia.



I always enjoy Sharlto Copley and he puts on every wig (literally) in this one. His manic energy makes it easy to remember why they cast him as Murdock a while back.


The only downside is FPS 365 didn't work for me. I'm of the thought that you need a controller and a micro second of lead time to know where you are going to look. Without that buffer, it made me feel like I was being jerked around by my nose the whole time.


I enjoyed Hardcore Henry, but a disorientating first-person view point kept me from loving it.











“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

BLACKkKLANSMAN (2018)

I should have known better than to think this was gonna be a Soderbergh style movie. My bad. I bought the trailer and it looked like a bunch of slick lines, from slick individuals, with a wink in their eye. Not to say it is devoid of humor, but it's not very light.


Through no fault of his own, the son of Denzel sounds a lot like his father. My problem is it causes me to think his dad should be there and he's not. It's a weird experience.


It didn't real make much of an impression on me other than Paul Walter Hauser is probably past the point of typecast.








More denim...


My old man came down to North Carolina in the 70's. He knew that Jesse Helms was his senator and there were KKK billboards on the highways in the eastern part of the state. "Where the hell am I ?" was his thought on his new home.


Well, in the movie Ron Stallworth is assigned to protect David Duke when he comes to town. The one black cop in the department, assigned to escort the "darn tootin'est" leader of the Klan.


Upon talking to Dad Jeans today and sharing that bit, he had his own story to tell. My father use to work for the government in matters of labor law. There was a co-worker of his who was a young black lawyer. One day they were presented a case involving a secretary and a wrongful termination from her employer. Lo and behold, this young black lawyer was assigned to the case. Who did the secretary work for? The North Carolina state office of the Ku Klux Klan.








“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (2018)




Yet another offering from WB that makes me wonder why Marvel can't get these animated film right. Just like Warner can't get their live-action act together.


This isn't one of the better offerings, but it is worth a spin. It could have easily been a half-hour shorter, but I imagine these have to be 1.5 to make the money work. I have yet to use the McGuffin term, but there is one that gets worn out. The end basically turns into follow the bouncy ball.







Scrabblins'


- of course Batman makes a cameo, come on
- R rating gets you animated nudity and male strippers
- gory kill shots abound, still seems strange in these WB offerings
- Christian Slater breaks voice acting




“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Upgrade (2018)



In all fairness to this movie, I watched it at the end of a long day after a big meal. It was a good watch, but like the food, I probably ingested a little too much hype.


The story and twist are cool and I think they did a good job with what little background they put in for a quick movie. The calling card action scenes were not that impressive, short of trying to figure out how they rigged the camera. Good, but nothing to lose sleep over.














“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”

Searching (2018)



Part of me feels that a big deal was made out of the way this was shot. It made me feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable, begging to get a regular camera angle so I could stretch my legs.


The story is solid and Cho is as good as he ever was as Harold .