Coen Brothers, Hitchcock, and More

I promise I'm not neglecting this blog on purpose! We've been busy re-watching favorite films and also movies by the Coen Brothers, Alfred Hitchcock, and more. Look forward to special posts on these filmmakers in the coming year when we've finished viewing them all (or most of them, anyway).

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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Tim Burton, 2024)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Fantasy, Horror, Comedy

As a fan of the original Beetlejuice movie (I grew up watching it every year!) I had some expectations for this sequel-- I hoped it would be just as zany and crazy, not trying too hard to do something special or meaningful. After all, the best part of Tim Burton's classic was that it was just strange and unusual. It didn't try to do anything too deep. It was about entertaining. Well, in my opinion, the new movie succeeded. It is a fun re-entry to Burton's weird world for a new generation. I liked it quite a bit. It's not better than the first film, but it does stand on its own to a certain degree (but it is best with prior knowledge). A fun escape!

The Acolyte

The Acolyte Season 1 (Leslye Headland, 2024)

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Season 1 Rating: DSQ=4, SP=2 / Worst of the Worst

Scale A=3, Scale B=0, Scale C=1, Scale D=1, Scale E=1

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Oh how very, very sad. This was such a disappointing show. What I thought would be an interesting pre-Empire story with stimulating characters, settings, and themes, turned out to be an enormous FLOP. The Acolyte gives us the not-so-good Star Wars over-used troupes and gimmicks with little else. The acting is poor and the script is even worse. How did it get approved? None of the character motivations and decisions made make sense, to me, which just doesn't work. And overall, the show paints the Jedi in a pretty dark light. I get it, we are meant to question the so-called heroes, meant to see that everyone has dark and light in them...I guess? But we only one story from multiple angles. No other stories and no real depth. Honestly, the only characters I liked were killed. The main characters are annoying and confusing. Who wants to watch that? I gave the show a chance by continuing to watch, but each episode got worse. Sigh. Not worth it.

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Superman

Superman (Richard Donner, 1978)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Superhero, Action, Adventure, Comics

I've seen so many action and superhero films in the last eight years, but surprisingly I hadn't watched one of the first. Superman is fun and enjoyable, a somehow nostalgic film (even though I hadn't seen it before) that has aged but only a little. I liked the structure of the film--begin on Krypton (with Marlon Brando!), show his childhood on Earth, move on to his adult life with a mission, etc. There isn't anything special about this plot--it is straightforward but that is comforting and works. There are some silly, zany moments and fun effects. A good, old-standard comic book movie. 

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SPECIAL: Columbo, all seasons

Columbo (Richard Levinson; William Link, 1968-2003)

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Detective, Mystery, Neo-Noir

I adore mystery shows, and I had watched a few episodes of "Columbo" long ago and didn't really get into, for whatever reason. But just this year we started watching and...couldn't stop. Each episode is at least good, if not great. Peter Falk is iconic and so much fun to watch. There is something so reassuring about knowing how the crime was committed and then slowly watching the criminal's "scheme" fall apart. I loved so many episodes but picked a few favorites below.

Season Ratings and Favorite Episodes:

Season 1: "Short Fuse"

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Season 2: "The Most Dangerous Match"

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Season 3: "Double Exposure"

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Season 4: "Playback"

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Season 5: "Now You See Him..."

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Season 6: "Fade In To Murder"

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Season 7: "Try and Catch Me"

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Season 8: "Sex and the Married Detective"

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Season 9: "Columbo Cries Wolf"

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Season 10: "Undercover"

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

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SPECIAL: The Marx Brothers, Paramount Films

For Christmas I received the best gift ever: a collection of the Marx Brothers' first five films with Paramount pictures: The Cocoanuts, Animal Crackers, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers, and Duck Soup. Of course, I was thrilled. I started watching them nearly right away. I had seen all the films before, but some had been a while. And now I could watch them whenever I wanted.

The Marx Brothers hold a very special place in my heart and in the world of cinema, too. I would watch the movies when they happened to be on or when my dad was watching, but it was never really planned. Sometimes when I was home sick from school I would try to find one as watching the zany antics nearly always made me feel better. But my love affair didn't really start until I was in college and actually started paying more attention to classic films, through film classes and just voraciously watching everything.

No other performers created a bridge between the world of vaudeville and the silver screen like the Marx Brothers did. Some of the earliest films are like watching their stage shows, which is amazing to think about--we have a window into the world of vaudeville through these films. A window into a wholly different culture and time, now almost 100 years ago. Wow.

My favorite of the first five films is Horse Feathers. I love it because of the music, especially, but also because of the fantastic lines and gags. Monkey Business is my second favorite, it is nostalgic for me and has some brilliant scenes. The others are all equally great, too, just for different reasons. I can't get enough of them and am so glad I have them in my collection now.

The Cocoanuts

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Animal Crackers

Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Monkey Business

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Horse Feathers

Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Duck Soup

Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller, 2024)

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Rating: Q=7, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival, Neo-Western

My first viewing of Mad Max: Fury Road, which was not long after the film came out, gave the film an average rating. Let's be honest...I wasn't really into action movies as much back then. I've since rewatched that film multiple times and have a much greater appreciation for the genre and the filmmaking. I would give it a much higher rating now.

I went into seeing Furiosa with the expectation that it would be good, probably not as good or iconic as Fury Road, but I was optimistic it would be not only fun to watch but thoughtful and interesting. But I was also just along for the ride. I was blown away. This film truly exceeded all my expectations.

The film is more than just a backstory of Furiosa. The backstory part is quite good, too, but it fills in the universe a bit more and provides more motivation for the character(s). It has some very grueling and gruesome scenes, some hilarious moments, phenomenal performances by Chris Hemsworth (not typecasted!) and Ana Taylor-Joy. I was sucked into the world and wanted more when it was done.

Probably the most telling part of my reaction to Furiosa, was that I immediately wanted to rewatch Fury Road when it was over. And after I watched Fury Road again, I appreciated both of the films even more. They build on each other in unexpected ways, which is wonderful filmmaking. A fantastic story, escape, and film.

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Coming Home

Coming Home (Hal Ashby, 1978)

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Rating: Q=7, P=4 / Can't Get Enough

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Vietnam War, Drama, Complex Relationships, Grief

I have a hard time watching typical war films, because the majority of the story is usually set on the front lines or in the action. But few war films focus on the veterans when they return and/or the people they leave behind. Coming Home is perhaps the best film I've seen that truly discusses what war does, its impacts, its legacy. Jon Voight and Jane Fonda are phenomenal in their roles. Bruce Dern is also memorable. And the actual veterans in the film make this a pseudo-documentary, at times, with incredibly powerful effects. I was moved by the brutal honesty of this film and I think it is quite important to see.

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Topsy Turvy, revisited

Topsy Turvy, revisited (Mike Leigh, 1999)

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Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Biopic, Historical, Musical/Opera, Complex Relationships

It was fun to revisit Topsy Turvy, a film I watched in college when me and my roommate had a Gilbert and Sullivan phase. We saw a live production (students performed Rudigore) and then watched several film versions of the operettas and this film. It is still a great biopic with memorable performances of the duo. Great visuals and sounds from The Mikado, of course.

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Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3

Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3 (Jennifer Corbett and Dave Filoni, 2024)

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Science Fiction, Action, Adventure

Season 1 Rating: DSQ=10, SP=6 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=4, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=3, Scale E=3

I really enjoyed the darker, tenser tone of Season 3. Omega grows so much and we really see the undying loyalty that is the very essence and soul of a clone. The relationships between the clones and each other is also strengthened with the return and redemption of Crosshair. And the terrible experiments/trials of the Empire become somehow even more disturbing. I think Doctor Hemlock might be my least favorite character in Star Wars-- a truly awful villain. We also get more answers to many questions that kept arising in the previous seasons. Nothing completely explained, but that would never happen ;)

I loved The Bad Batch --in concept, each character, individual episodes in all seasons-- what a great part of the Star Wars universe.

Click here to see how I rated Season 1. And Season 2.

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The Pale Blue Eye

The Pale Blue Eye (Scott Cooper, 2022)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Based on Book, 19th Century America, Mystery, Grief, Macabre

I don't know much about the earliest decades of America, that time between independence and the civil war. It isn't a period that my history classes focused on, sadly. Especially not the culture. But I did spend some time reading early American authors as an English major in college and so gleaned some cultural and historical knowledge. The Pale Blue Eye is an aesthetically beautiful film. It is incredibly melancholic, greatly aided by the snowy, wintry setting. And though it is a mystery with undertones of the occult, cultural/political conflicts, and grief, it is also a story about young Edgar Allen Poe. They really made Harry Melling look exactly like Poe! I was captivated by this blending of history and fiction. And I was drawn into the world as much as (if not more so) trying to solve its mystery.

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Poor Things

Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2023)

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Rating: Q=8, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Whimsical, Sci-Fi, Philosophical, Complex Relationships, Historical Fiction (sort of)

This film is incredible. It is truly something else. Poor Things, much like its main character, is a new kind of film and story. It is quirky and bold, aggressive and offensive, unabashed and unashamed. Poor Things and Bella makes you question and reflect on what it means to be a human being. Bella begins as an experiment and perhaps she shows us that every part of the human experience should be an experiment, as we must try and do --despite the risks-- in order to say that we live.

In addition to the fantastic story, Poor Things has the most memorable and intriguing artistry. The costumes, sets, score, and lighting are all so palpable. And very quirky and weird. At times, even surreal. I loved the Frankenstein and Wizard of Oz references, too. I will certainly eagerly watch this again and again. What a masterful piece of cinema.

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Shogun

Shogun (Frederick E.O. Toye and others, 2024)

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17th Century, Historical, Based on Book, Japan, Action

Season 1 Rating: DSQ=12, SP=8 / Can't Get Enough

Scale A=4, Scale B=4, Scale C=4, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

It has been quite a while since I've watched a series that is this intense--intense in story, acting, and visuals. Peaky Blinders was also intense, but in a different way with a different feel. At times Shogun is quietly intense, so much so that you feel you might explode from the tension. Other times it is roaring. The story of Shogun is one of discovery, cultures in contrast, strategy and intrigue, politics and war, customs and rituals, and especially honor and loyalty. But it is just as much (if not more so) a crushingly cruel, beautiful tale of love and loss, of identity and purpose. This is a grand tale of the human experience. What cinematography, costumes, and design! What moments! I was instantly sucked into the mesmerizing world of Japan in 1600 and I just want more. Stunning is not a strong enough word. Go watch this as soon as you can.

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Past Lives

Past Lives (Celine Song, 2024)

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Rating: Q=7, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Romance, Complex Relationships

What if I had chosen a different route home? What if that friend had stayed in the USA? What if I had not gone on that trip? What if I didn't take that class? etc. The concept of In-Yun is one I've thought about a lot since watching Past Lives. The interconnectedness of events and the concept that everything happens for a reason is one I've always subscribed to. I found the story of Past Lives incredibly emotional. Not special or captivating, not particularly interesting even. But it was absorbing because it was real. And it made me cry and think because it is so human. Circumstances do create destiny and change the course of our lives. It's impossible not to think about that boy you used to like and what might have happened if you hadn't immigrated/moved away. A truly beautiful film..

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The Holdovers

The Holdovers (2023)

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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=4

Drama, Coming of Age, Grief, Complex Relationships

The best films I've seen all have an atmosphere that fits the story and meanings so well that the place essentially becomes a character of the film. And this makes the film stick into your memory--you can't shake that effect. It is palpable and immersive. The Holdovers does this for me. The setting of an almost empty prep school with snowy weather and dreary skies contains equally empty, snowy, and dreary people who are stuck...it is so much more than a story about misery loving company or unlikely friendships. This is a story about grief and loss and the very real need for human beings to help each other in their struggles. It is a story of humans who are stuck and need help getting out. Marvelous script and performances.

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Oscars 2024: The Results

And the winner is... Oppenheimer! It was another year of long-time actors and directors finally being validated for their work!

Dune: Part 2

Dune: Part 2 (Denis Villeneuve, 2024)

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Rating: Q=8, P=8 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=4

Fantasy, Science Fiction, Based on Book, Adventure

WOW. I left the cinema speechless...again. Just as I expected, Dune: Part 2 far exceeded my expectations. It was more than mesmerizing. This is a masterful second part to an epic set of films. Just like in the first part, the audience is instantly drawn into the world of Arrakis to a shocking degree--I still can't believe how immersive this film is. I felt the thumping, the heart beats, the sand and spice swirling around the characters, the fear and tension. The contrasting aesthetics of the Harkonnens and the Fremen is so striking. And watch a chilling and creepy performance by Austin Butler as Feyd-Rautha, one of the most disturbing characters ever created. 

Somehow, this second part is even more tense and exhilarating than the first. This is some of the best cinematography (maybe the best?) and art direction I've ever seen. Well done Greig Fraser! And Hans Zimmer's score is phenomenal. I could rant and rave about this film forever, but instead you should just go see it. But I do recommend watching (or re-watching) the first part right before. 

Read what I thought of Dune Part 1.

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Barbie

Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023)

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Rating: Q=8, P=7 / Obsession

Scale 1=4, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3

Comedy, Adventure, Philosophical

I played with Barbies when I was young, probably not as much as other dolls, but they were still beloved toys that my sister and I could dress and imagine with. We had a lot of them and even borrowed our babysitter's collection from time to time. Now my niece has a bajillion.

When I heard there would be a Barbie movie, I was first a little skeptical--would this be just another money grabbing movie? But then I learned that Greta Gerwig was directing. I knew it would be a big success and that I had to see it eventually. And what a success it was. And still is. I don't think anyone could really anticipate the enormity of the film's impact. It's a fun, satirical, silly film at the start that unravels into something so clever and thought-provoking. This film does everything a film should: entertains, provides escape, has twists and turns, makes you think a lot, leaves you feeling better for watching it. And so many of the lines are brilliant and hysterical and moving. I laughed and I cried. If you haven't watched it, you must.

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Captain Blood

Captain Blood (Michael Curtiz, 1935)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Swashbuckling, Historical, Adventure

I've been enjoying watching more classic films, especially from the early to mid-1930s. Errol Flynn will always be one of my favorites. It was a shame that he was so type casted and each of his most famous roles are very similar. But I could still watch them over and over again. Captain Blood is a great story with beautiful sets and great acting. And who can resist a renegade or pirate story? Blood is not my favorite character of Flynn's, but he has some wonderful lines. This is a fun watch that still captivates nearly a century later.

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Oscars 2024: The Nominations

It's that time of year again...The Oscar nominated films were released. Like last year, it's no longer an Oscar Dash for me, but I do hope to watch all the films eventually. And I do plan to post about each one once I do watch, so you can anticipate those throughout the year and beyond. And don't forget to watch the big event on March 10, 2024!

Here are the nominees for best picture:

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

    

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

    

The Zone of Interest

Happy 2024!

Happy 2024, everyone! This year's film watching was a lot of fantasy, adventure, and some excellent new shows and seasons. Probably my favorite film I saw this year was Oppenheimer. Favorite show was Ahsoka.

Other highlights were Everything Everywhere All at Once, watching nearly the entirety of Columbo, The Mandalorian Season 3 and Loki Season 2.

My goal for 2024 is to revisit more 1920s and 30s films, specifically the box-office successes (less critically acclaimed films), Marx Brothers, Shirley Temple, and silent era classics.

Best wishes!