November 2022
So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) — Pleasant enough, just not as funny as I remembered; but it has been 30 years. Trivia: First IMDb entry for Carrot Top. Hulu.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) — So much better than it has any right to be. Creative and funny. Roku.
Fletch (1985) — How come a comedy this good is so rare, but freakin’ Weird Al can come out of nowhere and co-write a gem? I know there are talented writers out there. It has to be the suits screwing everything up. Peacock.
Double Threat (2022) — Combination of Rom-Com and woman kills alll the men genres. And it works! A good time from the first minute. Amazon.
LifeRaft (2016) — Dreadful. Four obnoxious 50-something dudes are proudly showing their imbecility like the panel on The View, but with slightly less testosterone. The titular raft is on the ocean, but the dialogue sounds like it was recorded in my bathroom. I could only stand 20 of its 78 minutes. Tubi.
Friend of the Family (2022) — Well-done true story of a pedophile who kidnaps a little girl twice, has sex with both her parents, and is somehow out-weirded by Colin Hanks’ hairstyle. Peacock.
This Gun for Hire (1942) and The Blue Dahlia (1946) — Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake theme night with 2 OK B-Movies. Trivia: They both measured only 10′ 5″ laid end-to-end if that’s your idea of a good time. Both drank themselves to death at age 50. Where did they put it? Criterion.
The Good Neighbor (2022) — Distracted driver kills cyclist, but where’s the FUN!!! Sure, witnesses are murdered, but where is the WHIMSEY!!! It is such a somber affair that it is hard to care. Hulu.
Grimcutty (2022) — Reefer Madness, except about the Internet. Ignore the 24/25 at Rotten Tomatoes. A fine film with some scares, some ideas, some laughs, and –unheard of in horror — likable characters and a nice family. Hulu.
Come True (2020) — Very effective flick of an 18 year old girl whose dreams are projected onto monitors, and she is not alone in there. Atmospheric and creepy, but the double-zinger ending, though cool, is not supported by what precedes it. Hulu.
Project Skyquake (2022) — What is behind the mysterious sounds in the sky (a real phenomenon) and billions of disappearances? A great premise, and doable on a shoestring budget! Sadly, though it is fine, it doesn’t nearly fulfill its massive potential. Whoa, déjà vu! Tubi.
Call Northside 777 (1948) — Journalist Jimmy Stewart proves a man was falsely convicted, embarrassing the administration. I’ll bet this guy would have reported on Hunter Biden’s laptop. And not 2 years after the election, CBS. Criterion.
Confess, Fletch (2022) — This month’s second entertaining adaptation of a Fletch novel that again stars a dude at least 20 years too old for the role. Hey, Jon Hamm, you are a great actor, but the sneakers, baseball cap, and sheepishly shrugged shoulders are just embarrassing. Showtime.
Don’t Worry Darling (2022) — Oh, what a waste! Fun production design, good cast, unoriginal yet fine twist, but is botched in the execution. OK, but could have been great. HBO.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) — Civilian Nicholas Cage is impressed into service by the CIA to take on an insane bigshot in Latin America. The In-Laws (1979) did it better, but this was amusing. Certainly better than The In-Laws (2003). Starz.
Safety Last (1923) and Dr. Jack (1922) — Harold Lloyd twin spin. Classic silent comedies. Criterion.
The Truman Show (1998) — Dude red-pills before there was a Matrix. I have little respect for film acting, but holy cow was Jim Carrey amazing, and everything else was also just about perfect. HBO.
Run Lola Run (1998) — Lola has zwanzig Minuten to get einhundert Marks and save her dumbkopf boyfriend. Ausgeseichnet! Criterion.
Driver 113 (2021) — The titular driver maps roads for a Google doppelganger. I thought I had struck gold with this reviewed-nowhere low-budget film. After a great premise and engaging start, it just loses focus. Like this month’s Project Skyquake, a remake could be awesome. Tubi.
Game Night (2018) — If The Game (1997) were a comedy; a very funny comedy. TNT.
Roadgames (1981) — Duel / Rear Window in the Outback (not a Subaru Outback). Real Australian locations, real adult actors, real characters, real trucks, real good. No wonder it’s been on my must-see list for 40 years. Criterion.
I enjoyed the Weird Al movie but thought it got boring about halfway through when Madonna turned up. I gave up at that point. Did it get better?
It was so unexpectedly fun and original, that I guess it was impossible to sustain. I must say though, the ending is another bold move that I would have never guessed.