Started a new job in May and I can no longer visit SI on my work computer, let alone post about movies. Now when I get home the last thing I feel like doing most nights is spending time typing more shit. But today I have the time and willingness so here's a recap of the last 4 months of viewing...
Contamination - [dir. Luigi Cozzi, 1980] - My second viewing... I guess I remembered the gore and action that bookends the film and forgot the long and mostly boring mid section. While there are some fun effects I struggled to pay attention. Casting Louise Marleau as the lead female does not light my fire and the overall chemistry between the leads is nearly non-existent. This is worth a watch but probably not two.
The Mummy - [dir. Stephen Sommers, 1999] - My family and I loved this movie when I was growing up. I must have seen it at least 15 times on VHS. Coming back to it a decade at least after my last watch it's extremely enjoyable. The definition of a romp. Yeah it helped usher in the overuse of CGI and gore-less action but it's soo damn fun in a corny, old Hollywood way. If you didn't grow up with it it'd probably fall flat but I'd take this over bad horror any day.
Mulholland Drive - [dir. David Lynch, 2001] - 4K screening at the theatre with Rebekah Del Rio doing a live performance before the show, this was a great night out. My wife's favorite Lynch film and one I admire strongly. The performances are so good and there's a lot of laugh out loud humor too. I was told by another Lynch fan that when this movie originally came out he asked theaters to play the audio at some heightened volume. Well that definitely seemed to be honored at my screening because this ear-splitting at parts. As far as time-loop nightmares go I still prefer "Lost Highway", but I'll get to that in a minute.
The Northman - [dir. Robert Eggers, 2022] - Really enjoyable but my least favorite Robert Eggers movie so far. It has a lot of visual flair, the budget is clearly on display and there are more personal, idiosyncratic flourishes that make it feel like an Eggers film, but the "epic" scope takes away some of the intimacy and interest for me. It reminded me of Valhalla Rising and Revenant but I didn't like it as much as either of those films. I think a second viewing will improve my opinion. That being said, it's in no way bad, just not the revelation I was hoping for. I will say it's bullshit we never see Alexander Skarsgård's dick though. Missed opportunity.
Ex Machina - [dir. Alex Garland, 2015] - Second viewing. This is a compact and perfect little sci-fi story. I'm willing to call it faultless.
Dune - [dir. Denis Villeneuve, 2021] - A little bit of the brain-melting effect is lost when watched at home compared to my theater viewing, but otherwise I enjoyed this just as much on second viewing as I did on the first. A technical note, I watched the 4K blu ray and apparently there's this awesome thing that happens with most 4k players where the movie freezes and stops around 1hr 41min mark because of a layer change on discs of a certain size. This forces you to restart the player, restart the movie, skip to the next scene and then rewind from there. Glad they've got this consumer technology shit all figured out...................
Men - [dir. Alex Garland, 2022] - Absolutely loved this. If you watch this and all you get out of the film is "all men are the same" or "all men are bad", you're a fucking idiot. It seems most people who reviewed this are fucking idiots. Also, one of the most legitimately haunting and effective horror scores I've heard in ages.
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh - [dir. Sergio Martino, 1971] - Peak Fenech and Martino. A wonderfully twisty whodunnit which has received more noise tributes than most giallo or horror. The new(ish) Severin release looks great!
The Evil Dead - [dir. Sam Raimi, 1981] - still my favorite Evil Dead movie by a mile. it's absolutely cuckoo-bananas without getting too dumb or too silly. And the stop motion putrefaction is so awesome. My wife's first viewing, about a million references and homages finally made sense to her.
Death Walks at Midnight - [dir. Luciano Ercoli, 1972] - a fun and labyrinthian giallo that's impossible to predict. could've used a bit more murder but Nieves Navarro's performance is so much fun she manages to carry things through the dull spots. I probably liked this a little less than the sister film Death Walks on High Heels but it's a solid romp regardless.
Lost Highway - [dir. David Lynch, 1997] - went to see the new 4K transfer in the theater on Saturday and it was easily the best looking I've ever seen the film. It may not be Lynch's best but I'm starting to think Lost Highway is my favorite, or at least favorite to watch. It's the most '90s take on LA noir, there's so much sex, angry saxophone, big American cars, seedy crime guys, and violence. Bill Pullman looks a lot like late 90s early 00s Trent Reznor when he's walking through dark hallways. Robert Loggia cracks me the fuck up. And the big fat titties swing so free, so often. It is the infinitely less classy version of Mullholland Drive, but all the more fun for it. So happy to see it in theaters for the first time in my life.
Phenomena - [dir. Dario Argento, 1985] - New 4K transfer by Synapse looks amazing. I've reviewed this too many times here but needless to say it's become a real favorite of mine in the Argento oeuvre.
And that's all for now...
