This came up in a recent conversation about Halt and Catch Fire and I know it also previously came up in a Homebrew Website Club so I finally watched it. I think I expected to learn more about the actual machines since I have no actual connection to any of this hardware. The most interesting part to me was the final news report that summarizes the state of the companies and the wikipedia rabbit hole I went down afterwards.
We just watched this last month but they were showing this in theaters so it felt like a great opportunity to see this on the big screen with O and F. It went pretty well for a first movie theater experience for both of them.
This post is my entry for this month's IndieWeb Movie Club hosted by Thomas. All movies are magical in their own way. Whether it's the idealistic world view that they present, the wonderful characters that bring the story to life, the amazing locations that you can't help but wonder if they are real or not, the actual magical beings shown, or just the fact that almost against all odds a set of artists got together to do their art for everyone else to enjoy. Somehow, Local Hero does all of the above. It's a very quiet movie that before Mac arrives in Scotland you sort of feel like you know how things will play out. But as soon as Peter Capaldi's character gets introduced, things feel a little different. This film breaks all expectations time and time again. I would even argue that it does not really follow the traditional three-act structure nor does it really have an antagonist. Instead we get to explore Ferness with Mac and slowly through meeting the locals, and being welcomed as one of their own, fall in love with a different way of life. For me this is such an interesting example of magical realism in film which I was surprised to find out this film is was not even listed there. The ending is left open ended and it falls to us to think of who could the call be from. I'd like to believe that it's Mac calling to check in on his friends. I hope that Mac gets a chance to go back. Maybe even live there. But seriously: Whose baby?
The good: Fantastic 4, Silver Surfer, and Galactus are hard to do well and this film did them well. The bad: Friend who I watched this with would not stop referencing Renesmee.
I think this quote sums it up pretty well: I wish we could do that whole trip all over again. We'd be a little more deliberate this time. Drive a little slower, take our time. Take a good look at stuff. For an under 90 minute movie, this really builds a world and you learn so much about the characters. It's truly a wonderful film.
I got whiplash watching this. My expectations were high because Past Lives is probably in my top 10, but this is a very different thing. I think there is some interesting commentary about dating, class, and love but in the end it's just fine.
This post is my entry for this months IndieWeb Movie Club hosted by Mark Sutherland. Sometime in 2008, I bought a Nintendo DS Lite. I don't remember what games I bought for it when I first got it, but one of the games I got soon after was Professor Layton and the Curious Village. The Professor Layton series are puzzle point-and-click adventure games with a really fun story, characters, and music. There was a lot that drew me to the series but one of the things I liked the most was how unique the art was. I remember looking into it at the time and some of the media with similar art styles that were brought to my attention were the comics The Adventures of Tintin and Le bibendum céleste as well as this film. For whatever reason, I didn't watch this film at that time. I'm kinda happy I didn't as I don't think I would've appreciated it then as much as I did now. There's a lot of ways to read this movie, but I was very pulled in by just how loving and caring the grandmother character, Madame Souza, was. Raising a kid is hard work, but putting the love and dedication in trying to find ways to cheer them up, or paying attention to what little reactions they have to their interests goes a long way. It doesn't end there as she also helps him with his training, inventing all sorts of interesting contraptions to make sure he's the best athlete he can be, as well as going along with him for the actual competitions. And once he gets kidnapped, she goes to incredible lengths to get him back. Everything that happened post-kidnapping was like four movies rolled into one. I don't think I can even do it justice by explaining it so I'll just skip to the end. It is amazing that the films runtime is only 81 mins though. The last scene was a little heartbreaking because we see a much older Champion as he calls out to let his grandmother know the film has ended. I believe we are meant to take this as he's old and alone now. I choose to believe that it's not that much further into the future and that he's calling out to her in a different room. I started writing some notes for this post as the credits rolled and was surprised to find out there was a post-credits scene. I'm not sure if this was available for all depending on which version of the film you caught, and it's just a quick second, but it's a funny callback joke which this film does so well so it's worth a watch. I think this is a brilliant film which has to be watched to be fully appreciated. It probably needs a few rewatches to catch all the little details scattered throughout the film. But if you watch one thing, here's a short clip of one of my favorite scenes from the movie. It shows the first look we get as we enter the city of Belleville, about 30 mins into the film. Pan shot of Belleville Thanks Mark for choosing this movie.
I like that this movie didn't waste too much time explaining the backstory of every single character. This is something that even Captain America: Brave New World did recently which I did not enjoy. On paper, I should love David Harbour's character but it was one joke too many for me.
I'm unsure if this film is trying to tell us Jodorowsky is a genius or a fool. Regardless, he built one amazing team. It would be great to see the full book released or actually adapted to a comic or animation project.
Watched A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened, 2023 - ★★★
I think I get what this is trying to say but I don't like the way it says it. I also did not like the need to anthropomorphize mushrooms with the narrator as this felt like it was trying to do.
I'm happy I got to watch this so close after watching MI: Dead Reckoning. This film just puts the previous one in a weird spot since, other than introducing two characters and the evil AI, you could skip "Part One" and still get most of the plot with just this film. I did hear that people had issues with all the explaining and flashbacks but I actually liked that since it makes the film quite standalone. I watched this with someone that had never seen a Mission Impossible film and she got the gist. I still believe that you could cut parts one and two into a single film in 2.5hr and still have a pretty great film rather than two OK films. I honestly thought Ethan would die in the end but when he didn't, I hoped he would at least go dark and fake his death. He's done it all, saved the world a million times, and lost his family. He should rest now. I'm sad it didn't really end there. I also wish Pom Klementieff had more to do. Her prison fight scene is so great and then basically nothing. Finally, learning about what William Donloe has been up to since the first film was truly great.
This post is my entry for this months IndieWeb Movie Club hosted by Tantek. There's a moment where Hugh Laurie's character is talking about the state of things and how people are taking the message that is supposed to make them scared and instead "repackaging" it. It can be enjoyed as video games, as TV shows, books, movies. The entire world wholeheartedly embraced the apocalypse and sprinted towards it with gleeful abandon. I liked some of what this movie is trying to say. I really liked how this movie looks. But the overall message feels more bleak than optimistic given pretty much everything. Maybe I missed the part where they explain how people in "Tomorrowland" talk about how they are helping the other dimension? What is the purpose of invention and research without obstruction if the advancements in technology are kept to themselves without benefiting the rest. It's not helped by the fact that it ends where it begins. Recruiting even more "dreamers" which will continue to improve their world while failing to help the rest. I've read about and watched my fair share of Disney history, from the parks to Walt so I appreciated the trivia. I even found myself pointing at the screen and saying "I understood that reference" more than once. It's not personal. It's just programming.
Not sure when I'll watch part 2 but I couldnt remember the plot of this one so I thought I was due a rewatch. I think its still a fun action movie with some very Mission Impossible moments. In the end it feels like its missing something and doesnt quite work for me as a standalone film. Maybe someone will do an edit that combines pt1 and 2 into something less than 2.5 hours.
Me gusto las ideas de esta película pero partes se sintieron como que faltaba otra toma. Para mi, esta es una introducción al Ecuador por medio de sus personajes. La narración, que a veces parece fuera de lugar, nos cuenta suficiente de los personajes para establecer su identidad geográfica dentro del país. Es diferente ser de Quito, Cuenca o Guayaquil. Por lo menos eso es lo que creemos. Al poner a esos personajes del punto de vista de una turista da perspectiva a esas diferencias mientras ella aprende del país y quienes habitan ahí. Los estereotipos se sienten sobre actuados pero creo funcionan sobre todo para que gente no familiarizada con ciertas regiones o gente Ecuatoriana. El Ecuador, man, el Ecuador.
Oh boy. I was not ready for this today. Spoiler warning: There was a great moment where Akemnji Ndifornyen's character has words with one of the leads. It's such a refreshing moment in what in a worse film would've led to a much different outcome.
Watched Captain America: Brave New World, 2025 - ★★★
It was fine? I enjoyed the show more. This is a Captain America movie and it should focus on him more. I know it's the theme of these movies now but the MCU seems to be focus on the grand storyline rather than the characters. Anthony Mackie is doing great and I hope his next MCU film let's him do more.
Apr
Rewatched Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, 2005 - ★★★½
This was the only movie of the saga that I had not seen in theaters. I almost cried when Hayden Christensen showed up on screen to intro the 20th Anniversary release.
This post is my entry for IndieWeb Movie Club #008. Here's another new to me movie thanks to IndieWeb Movie Club. The movie poster made me think it would be a bit more 80s comedy and while this is a funny film, its a different vibe. Spoiler warning: I was a little worried that the film would end with them losing the land but get a big payout that would make it possible for them to relocate the castle. I think I just expected the judges to side with the airline and this would have given them a happy-ish ending. I was actually surprised and enjoyed them winning in the end. This one is going straight to the pool room.
Mar
Watched Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, 2024 - ★★★½
This post is my entry for IndieWeb Movie Club #007. Propriety? Noun. Conformity to established standards of behavior or manners, suitability, rightness, or justice. See “etiquette.” - Judy I had never heard of this film before Joe recommended it in the IndieWeb Chat sometime last year. I promptly watched it as I realized I had not seen many films starring Barbra Streisand and I felt I had to fix that. The first time I watched it I found myself playing close attention to the plot and the bags. I wanted to follow what everyone was doing and how exactly they would resolve it. This time I ignored the plot to focus more on the jokes. There were so many little reactions and background sounds that I completely missed the first time. Sometimes knowing where the joke ends makes the joke even funnier. As soon as Fritz (not Hans) tells the other guy to stop Mrs Van Hoskins with his "charm", it all played once in my head and again on screen. This happened again with the chase sequence. And as soon as the judge showed up, I officially could not stop laughing just remembering his lines and delivery. Thanks Joe for hosting this month's IndieWeb Movie Club as well as for recommending this originally.
It's hard not to compare this to A Real Pain. I did like what this had to say about the anxieties of becoming a parent. I just wish we heard a bit more from Kristen Stewart and Maya Erskine's characters.
Watched Muppet Guys Talking: Secrets Behind the Show the Whole World Watched, 2017 - ★★★★
This is not my entry for this months IndieWeb Movie Club. Person: "This is my line" Person 2: "Punchline" Me: groan I've never used the word cringe but I can find no other word that matches what this film is trying to do. Some scenes look pretty but that wasn't enough for me.
I technically liked this more than the first one but they keep reusing some stories which conclude the same way and makes them not as important in the end. But I'm happy to see Mr Barrow and Mr Molesley happy.
This is not my entry for this months IndieWeb Movie Club. First time rewatching this in 25 years. I remember it being a lot more like the first 20 minutes than it was, which is maybe why my rating isnt higher. Also don't remember the soundtrack being this good but I was also a kid that did not become aware of Prince or Radiohead until much later than this.
This is technically ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, but it leaves one or two things too open to interpretation that I find it hard to rate it that. It's the kinda film that will stay with you long after you see it. I'm happy I saw this in a theater and the 3h35m runtime was barely felt. There is a 15min intermission which was a nice break as it splits the two parts rather nicely.
I like movies that believe in themselves this much and go out of their way to shoot things a specific way, or do slam poetry in the middle, or toe the line of horror where the ideas are scarier than the visuals. I liked this movie a lot, but it made me sad. Read Jo's review as it articulates all of the good parts of this movie better than I can.
There was something very cool that this film did where I unknowingly held my breath for a whole sequence and only caught myself when Kieran Culkin did.
I did not mind this? My issue is the length. It could have been at least 30 minutes shorter and that's just when they get to Emerald City. Maybe they should have cut to black at the end of "Defying Gravity" for maximum effect.
This turned into something completely different and I did not expect it. The switch it does to borderline slapstick is amazing and speaks so much to the range of Mikey Madison and the rest of the cast. I'm still not sure about the end.
Kinda upset about this. Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón were great but everything else was not. Hire trans and Latino writers if you want to tell their story.
Nora Ephron sure knows how to write and direct a movie. Now I'm going to get a $2.95 Tall Decaf Cappuccino at Starbucks before getting my eyes lasered.
You would think I would've really liked this movie. The cute parts were real cute. It's just hard to believe the first kiss. Everything with the friend group was great and I would've enjoyed that a lot more.
