What did you cornballs watch this week? (02/04-02/10)

Who you calling a cornball, you sausage butt!

Brain Damage 8/10
The ABCs of death 5/10
Nemesis 4/10

I watched:

Baldwin’s Nigger 1968 7/10 This is basically a filmed lecture with some q&a, but it is well done and remains interesting and thought provoking.

Say Amen, Somebody 1982 7/10 Some wonderful moments and beautiful music, although it feels a little too long and could benefit from being a little more focused.

When Strangers Marry 1944 6/10 Decent acting, but not overly interesting.

Orion and the Dark 2024 8/10 I liked the characters and really enjoyed the way they told the story.

Lift 2024 5/10 This was generic, mediocre and forgettable.

Sex(ed): The Movie 2014 8/10 This was funny, entertaining, and thought provoking. Well worth a watch.

American Fiction 2023 9/10 American Fiction is a really well written, funny, smart, surprising film with a career best performance by Jeffrey Wright. I would rank it 2nd out of the best picture nominees.

Embrace 2016 8/10 I thought this was a really interesting and beautiful documentary about body positivity.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken 2023 6/10 This is generic and predictable, but it isn't bad. There are some cute and amusing moments.

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives 2013 7/10 This was interesting and informative.

The Marvels 2023 6/10 This was okay, but feels mostly unnecessary and underwhelming.

The Greatest Night in Pop 2024 8/10 I thought this was enjoyable and interesting.

Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones 2019 5/10 A few laughs, but most of the jokes don't land. I didn't find Chappelle funny or entertaining or insightful here. He is just being edgy for the sake of edgy and that isn't enough.

Wonderstruck 2017 7/10 A lovely looking film with fine performances, but the story isn't as engaging or effective as it could be. For me, this is Todd Haynes' weakest film, but it is still pretty good.

The Scarlet Hour 1956 6/10 The story and the performances are not up to what I would expect from Curtiz's films. I liked the look of the film, but it just wasn't all that interesting. This is Curtiz's weakest film out of what I have seen and feels longer than it is.

Allo! I prefer corn fritters!

I gave Slaughterhouse a 6/10

My Week:

Cinderella (2015) 8/10
Upped my rating this time around. Blanchett made it so difficult to hate Lady Tremaine. Still evil, but with charisma. I really enjoyed this today.

Hackers (1995) 9/10
Like Curtis, this movie just looks slick all day. I miss the 90s! I miss my youth in the 90s. I don't care about any of the issues with the plot. I don't care about the accuracy of anything. I don't care that the tech is so dated. I do remember being jealous of a 28.8 bps modem though. I only had a 14.4 at the time this came out. Watching this today brought me joy, and a huge hit of nostalgia, and that's where this rating comes from.

Paging Mr. Darcy (2024) 6/10
So I'm a sucker for anything Austen. I can't say that I really enjoyed this at first. The interactions seemed really forced, and just strange. The sister was really over the top, and ridiculous. It was nice to see Will Kemp not having to do an American accent, but I felt that once or twice Mallory Jansen's accent did slip.
So, once I got past the first 15 minutes, I really started to warm up to it. (Well except for Mia). I can't say that it's a great movie, despite the leads, who I do like. I thought they did have chemistry, but they and Jane Austen deserved a more interesting story. It wasn't bad, I did finish it, but it's most likely not going to be one I will watch again.

Dogma (1999) 7/10
Haven't watched this one in years. I used to love Kevin Smith films, and then I just felt that I had outgrown them. They just weren't as funny as they used to be. This one mostly held up for me as it did have a bit of a more mature message. I still enjoyed it, but I'll probably leave it for a few more years before I watch it again.

In Fabric (2018) 7/10
This was one weird WTF movie that I enjoyed watching. I did find the tonal shift in the last 3rd ish of the movie a little more on the blah side, so I'm thinking that if the film had been maybe about 30 minutes shorter I could have stayed a little more engaged.
Now that that has been said, the atmosphere was amazing, as was the cinematography. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is always a pleasure to watch, and Fatma Mohamed was so quirky. There was a lot here to like, but I did feel let down by the ending a bit.

Ever After (1998) 7/10
On a bit of a Cinderella kick lately. I'd liked this one in the past, but I wasn't feeling it as much today. Angelica Houston makes this movie. I think I found parts of it just silly today. It is a decent Cinderella adaptation, and more believable than some of the others.

Eaten Alive! (1980) 6/10
This was better than I remembered it being. It does have all the Lenzi cannibal traits like animal killings, and rape, but it has a bit more to it too. Obviously taking inspiration from Jonestown, but not fully exploiting it as much as it could have. I liked the cast. Not as trashy as some of the others out there in the genre.

When Harry Met Sally… (1989) 10/10
I can't believe I've never reviewed this movie before. I usually watch it at least once a year. I'm not saying that this movie is perfect by my score, I'm just saying that it's probably my favourite romcom. I can watch it over and over again and still get joy from it. That's pretty perfect in my opinion.

Nemesis (1992) 4/10
Can't really say I was a fan of this one. A lot of the action was fun to watch, and there were some pretty women to look at. The men, not so much. The film itself was pretty boring, and there wasn't much to pull me in. Plus, they made me fall in love with a puppy just to break my heart just minutes later. Bastards!

Didn't review
Crazy Rich Asians (2018) 9/10
Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway (2008) 9/10
Class of 1984 (1982) 6/10 previously rated 7/10

Brain Damage (1988) - A nice companion piece to From Beyond (1986) with quasi-sexual color-fused brain jacking. 7.5

Class of 1984 (1982) - It's like The Warriors (1979) with a notable increase in rawness, wit, and dimensional characterization.

The ABCs of Death (2012) - All the charm and variable quality of a film festival lineup without the perfunctory award ceremony afterwards. 6

Nemesis (1992) - A crunchy cyberpunk popcorn classic with appealing production design and rough-and-ready energy. 7

Also this week:

American Fiction (2023) - This movie presents a few strong themes in identity shaped by consumable media, artistic compromise, and professional frustration. It doesn't develop any of those threads, unfortunately - so what might have been a hard-hitting piece of satire ends up soft pedaling by the end. Could've used some more dunks on Long Island/Hamptons people. 7

Murder Blues (1991) - Final Judgement this ain't, but Brad Dourif still brings the goods in a movie that looks like it was shot in a warehouse primarily booked for music videos. There's a dirty mattress and two TVs permanently tuned to The Static Channel. I don't know what this movie is really about other than an extended interrogation that was probably filmed in a couple days, but it's passable fare. 6

The Garden of Eden (1980) - Very educational! 6.5

Lots of other stuff to catch up on...

The Holdovers
13 Cameras
Corner Gas
Brain Damage
Class of 1984
The ABC's of Death
Nemesis

Check out my podcast, Another Day, Another Podcast, on Spotify for Podcasters: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/joseph-papp

Fast Charlie (2023) - brosnan is too old to play the tough guy anymore. you can really tell from this movie. james caan's last movie role. 6/10

The Blair Witch Project (1999 - finally saw it. i am not a fan of the found footage/shaky camera movie genre. this is really short at 77 minutes. the movie ends too quicly and without satisfaction. 6.5/10

The Scarlet Hour (1956) - watched with brandewposter. a michael curtiz movie i hadn't seen. this is beautifully shot but the plot is plodding and the femme fatale is not too bright. the movie had trouble getting a big name lead and i can see why. 6/10

Nyad (2023) - good drama. a story from 2013-2014 which i do not remember being in the news. the lead is not a very likeable person and the movie leaves out the controversy over her swim from florida to cuba. 7/10

Fear in the Night (1972) - a hammer movie i hadn't seen. one of those comfortable horror movies with few characters and everyone in an isolated old house. i figured out what was going on but this is entertaining with peter cushing and joan collins. 7/10

Binged on DareDevil

Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii

Investigation Discovery “See No Evil” Fascinating to watch how law enforcement nab murderers by piecing together segments from the many security cameras.

Tron Legacy

Started “Infinity Wars” again, but I’m staying up til 3 & 4 so I’m sleeping in everyday and not getting a damn thing done. I’ll finish it tomorrow. It is now 2:20 AM. Not doing very well with my resolution to get to bed earlier.

I don’t need to review as y'all know the movies & they’ve been reviewed to the nth degree.

Pink Cadillac (1989) - 7/10
Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - 7.5/10

I was in the mood for some crazy old b horror movies this weekend, the best kind of b horror movies.

Bloody Birthday - 6/10 Three kids born without souls not because they are gingers, but because they are born at the same moment during a full eclipse. They are on a killing spree. A lot of things don't make sense in this one, but it goes pretty hard from the beginning.

The Children - 5/10 Kids get exposed to some kind of industrial waste which turns them into zombies that can electrocute people with their touch. It's got a certain goofy charm.

Necropolis 3/10 - Kind of seems like a student film. A few different ideas thrown together, but they forgot to include even a rudimentary story.