Hello all, I watched a bunch of movies recently, and I thought just to "splatter" them all in a blog post with brief comments for each of them. Someone I know does something similar (see here).
As a general warning, I cannot say that I remember all of these movies very well. So these are to be regarded as general "impressions" of the film. If I get details wrong, I don't care. I was probably writing or reading something else while watching these, anyway.
The Fifth Element (1997)
The world (earth?) is going to end, and that's gotta' stop. And it's sci-fi.
I remember things happening, but I was mostly writing my last blog post while watching this. Something something ancient alien prophecy, something something Bruce Willis, something something Chris Tucker, something something robot woman (divine). Four elements? Erotic show? Meteor?
I don't even remember what this movie was going for. Maybe you should watch it and remind me.
There's Something About Mary (1998)
A lady who attracts stalkers attracts stalkers, but we like one of those stalkers because he's Ben Stiller.
The only Ben Stiller movies I've seen are Zoolander and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Obviously, one of those is better than the other, but I had always put Stiller in the "Adam Sandler" part of my brain (AKA, not in high regard). So I was pleasantly surprised by this movie's interesting, yet straightforward and fun plot. It had a decent amount of good humor, and two entertaining twists.
If you are going to watch Ben Stiller, watch this one and Zoolander. Deducting points for not having Owen Wilson in it. Recommend.
Meet the Fockers (2004)
It's Meet the Parents (2000) 2, and this time it's with Stiller's character's parents. They are weird, but they are Dustin Hoffman (but why not Jerry Stiller?) and Barbara Streisand. And Robert DeNiro is an overbearing, judgmental parent. Is Stiller keeping secrets from DeNiro? Will DeNiro's grandchild do something inappropriate? Oh no! Shenanigans.
For whatever reason, all the kids in grade school loved this movie. Having watched it last week, I think I get the appeal. It is just playing on the meeting the parents bit (which I, admittedly, think is a solid trope) and this time in a tropical environment. I also really liked the smooth trip Stiller and Fiancée had getting to her parents, and it all going to shit immediately after.
Owen Wilson appears suddenly at the end, so I'll have to deduct points for that. Recommend, but only if you've watched the good Ben Stiller movies.
Meet the Parents (2000)
Stiller meets the parents. Shenanigans.
There's nothing really to this movie, but the "meeting the parents" trope is good. I am a little surprised that Fockers has a much lower rating on IMDB than this one. I remember not quite understanding how Stiller redeemed himself at the end of Parents. With Fockers it was more obvious that DeNiro was being a wacko, so Stiller's shenanigans leveled out with his. Despite Focker's more "absurd" approach to comedy, it felt more realistic in the plot department. That being said, Parents was more "down to earth."
Owen Wilson is in the movie, so I'll add points for that. Recommend, but only if you've watched the good Ben Stiller movies.
Review of Ben Stiller (born November 30, 1965)
Some readers might have realized I watched three Ben Stiller movies in a row. Why did I do that? And some readers might also realize that my enjoyment decreased with each subsequent film. Why did I watch them all in a night?
He seems like a decent guy who is funny. Apparently he directed Severance (2022), and after splitting with his wife (Christine Taylor) reconciled with her. That's pretty good for an actor. Cool dude. Would want to meet. Although, he keeps on getting paired with blonde lead actresses and his wife is Christine Taylor. He's got a type.
Recommend watching the good Ben Stiller movies.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Insurance investigator (cool job?) played by man with a weird accent (John Trent, the Jurassic Park guy, a Kiwi) gets all wrapped up in a horror author's disappearance. Eldritch shenanigans ensue!
I read Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space (1927), Kieren Setiya's take about it as an affective response to the problem of induction, and really wanted to watch the Nick Cage movie of the same name (2019). But it wasn't free on Tubi. Instead, I got to enjoy John Carpenter's suspenseful, engaging and (oftentimes) funny take on Eldritch horror. Seems like it was supposed to be a jab at Stephen King, but the actor who plays King's counterpart looks more like Neil Gaiman. As a side note, I think it would be funny if there was a movie where Neil Gaiman suddenly appears and then he is killed violently.
This is the only Carpenter movie I've seen, and I'm excited to watch The Thing (1982). I don't think there's much to Madness, but it has fun with Lovecraft tropes and keeps the watcher guessing for what is next. I'm a fan of Eldritch horror too, and just seeing it done in a movie is always a treat.
Highly recommend.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
Some "reformed" hippies try to survive the titular body snatchers from outer space. That's all you need to know to get going.
Fantastic movie. There was an essay written by Christian Knöppler, nicely summarized by this film's Wikipedia page, which understands this film as mourning the end of the 60s counterculture movement. Particularly, the themes of assimilation and emotionless productivity are brought to bear as the body snatchers represent counterculture's subsumption into the "system." Such a solid and interesting analysis of the film that anything interesting to say about it should build off of Knöppler's analysis, I think. Or maybe this is just my lack of imagination.
On the topic of lack of imagination, or more generally about my shortcomings as a media analyzer, I seem to be blind to themes about control and assimilation in media. This film and horror game Inside (2016) brought this to my attention.
Interestingly, the main actor, Donald Sutherland, played President Snow in the Hunger Games series. And this movie also features Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum, which I thought was fun.
Must watch.
Stephen King's Sleepwalkers (1992)
Some skinwalkers want to "consume" that one lady from Twin Peaks (the young girl from the diner). And the skinwalkers hate cats, because cats are their only weakness.
I've never really understood the hey-day of campy horror films, but I am one step closer with this one. It's just not that good. At least it is short.
Do not recommend.
Suspiria (1977)
Jessica Harper wants to learn ballet, so she goes to a ballet academy in Germany. This academy is obviously a front for some supernatural evil. It is a witch coven.
I remember watching Suspiria (2018) with friends, and enjoying it enough to try and watch Suspiria (1977). However, we could only find a version with botched audio. So I've been meaning to watch the original for some time. It was good, although the ending was kind of quick. I really like witch tropes (they are my favorite type of D&D enemies), so I'm clearly biased there. I also love Jessica Harper, so I'm clearly biased there.
Highly recommend.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
Who would have thought that the best movie ever is a mix of Faust, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Phantom of the Opera? And it is campy and eerily similar to Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), despite no (alleged) interaction with the London theatre production?
I've seen this movie five times, and I make all my friends watch it. I was in a production of Rocky in college, and I just love this campy, cult-classic, musical shit. There was a lot of love in this movie, and the trivia list on its IMDB is fascinating. The Phantom inspired Griffith from Berserk! Inspired Daft Punk! Paul Williams is in it! Jessica Harper's in it!
Watch this movie!
Get Out (2017)
Weird white people makes for some perfect black horror. Daniel Kaluuya is visiting his girlfriend's family, but it's all a ploy! Shenanigans ensue!
I'm losing steam writing these reviews in one go, so I can't do justice to all the subtext and themes of this film. My friend and I were chatting about random shit throughout it too, so we likely missed a lot of it. I'm obviously a white guy (if you couldn't surmise by now), so I'm sure some of it was lost on me as well. I can't figure out the deeper meaning of the deer (white people hunt them, kill them, something something). But there are more obvious ones (the "slave" auction, the dehumanization and objectification of black people and the focus on the body). If I ever wanted to write anything more about this movie, I'd have to watch it again.
Should white people watch this movie so that they'd "get it" more? If that's the case, it's a must watch for white people. And also for black people. So why be stingy? It's a must watch for everyone!
Zombieland (2009)
Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Emma Stone (and her character's sister) navigate the zombie apocalypse (but it's funny).
It's kind of funny. I was engaged throughout. Eisenberg is like a mix of Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Cera, and I find that entertaining. My only gripe is that the big third act scene put Emma Stone and sister at the top of a fair ride with no path of escape. This is silly, and a real blunder from the "smart" characters in the story. Look: I understand implausible situations in movies have to happen. But if you linger on such an implausible scenario as the final act's centerpiece, it just feels bad.
You don't need to watch it.