Hi friends! I hope you are having a wonderful Labor Day. I have a few random films to update you on as I enjoy my day off.
FLY-
First up we have Fly. This is a documentary from the National Geographic Documentary folks about base jumpers from across the globe attempting to try and dive into why they love the sport even with the risks. I was impressed with how honest and frank the movie was about those risks. Death and injury are frankly discussed and you could certainly never get me to jump off these mountains!
There are some incredible visuals and it was neat to see them unfold on the IMAX screen. In many ways this type of documentary is why the IMAX format was made and where it can shine the most as a cinematic experience. My only gripe with Fly is that it is probably 30 minutes too long and some of the points it makes feel repetitive as do the jumps. Still I’m glad I saw Fly and if it comes on Disney Plus I would watch it on the biggest screen you have available.
Smile Worthy
BEETLEJUICE (1988)-
Before the new sequel comes out this week (I see it tomorrow) I had the chance to see the original Beetlejuice on the big screen. I had seen it once before but it had been a bit so I’m grateful to the folks at Brewvies for giving me the opportunity, even if the projection was off! Anyway, I got a chance to see it and I found it quite entertaining. The jokes for the most part work and the creepy atmosphere is effective.
What surprised me the most, however, is how little Beetlejuice is actually in his own film. He doesn’t appear for about 50 minutes and even then he is only sporadically involved. I have a feeling the new movie won’t take this lesson and we will see tons of Beetlejuice which would be a mistake. A little of that character goes a long way. I guess we’ll just have to see but it’s a fun film. I particularly like the way they are always making fun of Delia’s art. Glenn Shadix is underappreciated as the cutthroat interior designer Otho Fenlock. Very funny. Why can’t we have this Tim Burton back? Please…
Smile Worthy
KNEECAP-
I actually saw Kneecap a few weeks ago but I forgot to include it any of my reviews. That’s not because it isn’t a good film just a clerical error on my part. Anyway, it’s an interesting film because it’s about a band called Kneecap in Ireland played by the band members themselves, which is usually a recipe for disaster but this turns out pretty well. For non-actors they all do a good job in their roles and do help you root for them to succeed by the end. Michael Fassbender is also excellent as one of the band member’s Dads. The ending particularly concerning his character had me grinning from ear to ear.
That said the movie can be grating at times with the continual shouting that never lets up. I get that’s part of this bands style but I would have loved to have gotten to know them better. A few softer subtler moments to endear you to the characters would be nice. As it is it can be exhausting but I still say the good in Kneecap outweighs the bad. If you see it on streaming and can handle a hard R film give it a shot.
Smile Worthy
Make sure you check out the patreon for perks, exclusive reviews and to be part of our monthly events and watch alongs. Find out more here.