For this weekend’s releases, I was torn between Don Jon and Rush. (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 was right out. I don’t review kid’s movies because I almost always like them.) Smartly, I did an impromptu poll so I didn’t have to actually think for myself. The people voted and I was off to Don Jon.
Between seasons one and two of Twin Peaks David Lynch put out the film Wild at Heart. Thanks to Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, Lynch enjoyed a career high point and a level of fame he’d never achieved before and probably since although he came close with the Oscar nomination for Mulholland Drive. It’s unfortunate that the film he premiered at this point did not hold up to his two previous personal films, Eraserheadand Blue Velvet. I don’t mean to imply that Wild at Heart is an atrocious film; it’s not, certainly not like Dune. Wild at Heart just can’t keep a solid tone and the quality varies so wildly that viewers are left wondering what they just saw and not in a good way such as with Eraserhead or Lynch’s short films.
After last week’s movie theater debacle, I took advantage of a day off and went to see Prisoners at noon on a Friday. In case you were wondering, it was glorious. Just me and a dozen retirees. Fantastic.
My reason for going to see the 2005 remake of The Bad News Bears (did that movie really come out almost nine years ago?) was not because of Richard Linklater. I don’t think I even knew Richard Linklater was making it, although his name was certainly well known to me, by the time this update of a 1976 minor sports classic hit theaters on July 22nd. Nothing about the 2005 Bad News Bears really bothered me, and I guess that’s partially because at the time, I hadn’t seen the original.
Twin Peaks made television what it is today.
If you’ve never seen Twin Peaks then you’re missing out. Not only is Twin Peaks incredibly important to the history of television, but it also has some of the best moments to ever appear on screen.
Everyone is already writing a grim review of the summer movie season, and I suppose that’s fair enough. August is behind us, after all, and when you compare this year to last year, it’s not going to be pretty.
It’s hard to dislike a movie that tries so incredibly hard to look like it’s not trying. No, seriously. Riddick is the popular guy in high school who dresses and acts like he’s not trying at all, but is actually meticulous about every little detail. He wants everyone to think that all this coolness just comes naturally.
In terms of American films, “trilogy” and “franchise” are usually part of the same conversation. Of course, they’re not the same thing. Even though Richard Linklater now has three films depicting the chance encounter and subsequent relationship, between an American man named Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke) and a French woman named Celine, (Julie Delpy), franchise seems like a grossly inappropriate word.
A few days ago I went to my local theater to see what all the buzz was about regarding The Butler. Movies that release in August aren’t supposed to get Oscar whispers. Dramas released in August aren’t supposed to be noticed at all unless they’re some sort of indie counter-programming that, while decent, can’t stand up to the big dogs come Fall. But The Butler is the big dogs.