My wife is 10 years younger than me. As we get older, that difference seems less and less like a thing. It probably helps that she is still way more mature than I am. I know this. She knows this. … Continue reading A Continuing Education Series…of sorts
Star Wars Episode IV came out the year before I was born. That awful, infamous holiday special was released four days after I was born. Return of the Jedi was one of the first movies I was old enough to see in a theater. I still remember the day I discovered my mom sold my still-in-the-shrink wrap Millenium Falcon at a rummage sale. STILLINTHESHRINKWRAPMOM! All of this is to say, I’ve never lived in a non Star Wars world. So…the Saga came to an end this weekend, with the release of Episode IX. And yeah, I went opening night for … Continue reading Let’s Get Reel: The Rise Of Skywalker, and the End of a Saga.
I have a Thanksgiving tradition. Every year, I rewatch The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese’s look at the final concert of The Band, Thanksgiving 1978. It is my favorite concert of all time. Well, I broke tradition this year, partly out of necessity and partly out of “oh look, something new and shiny”. I digitized my DVD collection a couple years ago, and don’t even have a DVD connected in my house any more. And my Macbook is still down, so I don’t have access to my movie library, because it is on a Mac-formatted external drive. Luckily, Scorcese has something … Continue reading Let’s Get Reel: The Irishman
For several years, I had what could be considered an unhealthy obsession with the movie The Crow, released in 1994, my sophomore year of high school. I was 15. It is the greatest love story ever told. Fight me on … Continue reading A Chance Find Re-Ignites An Old Fandom
The Joker character works extremely well as a comic book character. He works pretty well as a side piece to a larger story as the villain, but because he was such a bizarre character, it worked best in doses, without examination of the back story. Well, Joker, out now in theaters, is that intense, dark look at the back story. Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, the man behind the drawn-on smile. Fleck is a mentally ill man lost in a broken system who routinely gets kicked when he is down, literally on occasion, figuratively always. Going in, I expected there … Continue reading Joker Is No Joke: A Disturbing Look At Mental Illness
Billed as a visual album, country rocker Sturgill Simpson released last week what I hope becomes an actual thing going forward. Part anime, part new album, all kickass, Sound & Fury is just a fun, new way to do things. That Sturgill took the leap is not a surprise at all. The dude gives zero shits what most of us mere mortals think. And I love him for that. Pigeon-hole this man at your own peril. The film follows an inscrutable samurai driver on a path to a showdown with the big bads of a post-apocalyptic world. With a skater … Continue reading Sturgill Simpson’s Fire & Fury: A New Way To Consume Art, And I’m On Board
It took me a couple weeks, but finally made it to Hobbs and Shaw, the latest installment in the Fast & Furious series, whis is the best documentary series this side of Ken Burns’ Baseball and Step Up 2-5. This movie is, well, what you would expect it to be. Banter between two charismatic badasses, ridiculous hijinx at fast speeds and a kickass baddie, this time played by Idris Elba. Seriously, when are we going to get Elba as Bond? I’ve wanted few things in the movie world more than I want Elba as Bond. Hobbs & Shaw spins off … Continue reading Let’s Get Reel: Hobbs & Shaw
I assume the ellipses are necessary. Probably…maybe. Caught the Sunday afternoon showing of Quentin Tarantino’s newest film, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood at the AMC 16 in Evansville. Had a few drinks at brunch before hand, so I was ready to go full food coma, my favorite type of coma, before the movie started. Once it did, however, the yawns went away quickly, despite the typical slow start of a QT film. My favorite part of QT films is usually the witty conversations and banter between the main characters. His story lines generally don’t drive the movie for me. … Continue reading Weez Watched: Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood
