Rachel’s Big Movie Update (Over 35 Movies)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well and having a nice holiday week. Lately I must admit I have let written reviews get a little away from me. Aside from the Moana 2 review and blind spot I haven’t done much since the beginning of November. Sorry about that but I have been posting reviews onto rotten tomatoes mostly through doing live streams on my youtube channel. Make sure you are subscribed to get all of my content here. I also post all of my out of theater reactions for both theatre and film on my instagram so make sure you are following me there as well here.

I also recently posted my Worst Movies of 2024 video and will have much more end of the year content coming up.

All that said let me catch you all up on everything I’ve been watching.
Here we go

Animation-

Let’s start with animated films. Memoir of a Snail has incredible animation by Adam Elliot but is so dour and sad it’s tough to watch. I admired it but it’s heavy-handed imo. Flow is a sweet and peaceful film that has a realistic feel without losing its artistry or unique aestethic. I was so pleased to get to interview its director Gints Zilbalodis which you can find here. Spellbound is a disappointment especially given all the talent that’s involved. Ends up being just another generic bland offering from Netflix. I talked about it with the rotoscopers here. Wallace and Gromit: Vengence Most Fowl was a delightful entry from Aardman which I enjoyed as much as their previous film Ware Rabbit. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 starts to take itself a little too seriously trying to be the next superhero movie but the characters are still so cute and Jim Carey is fun enough as 2 villains that it’s a fun watch (my least favorite of the 3 but still decent.) Mufasa: The Lion King has all the expected problems of a prequel explaining stuff we don’t care about and providing almost no entertainment for kids. Do kids really care about a supposed love triangle between Scar, Mufasa and Sarabi? This critic didn’t. I think my expectations were too high for The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim and it ended up just being a run-of-the-mill high fantasy anime with a few Lord of the Rings elements tagged on. Disappointing. Almost a Christmas Story is a delightful short on Disney Plus with the friendship between an owl and a little girl in New York City. That Christmas is endearing with Richard Curtis’ talent of merging different stories together to tell an entertaining story. Hitpig wastes a talented voicecast and premise with unfunny jokes and a story that goes nowhere and finally The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is an enchantingly animated story of Santa Claus meets Wonderland. Definitely a hidden gem for 2024.

Comedies-

According to the Golden Globes Heretic is considered a comedy, which is bonkers but it does have a good Jar Jar Binks joke. This isn’t perfect but I really liked the performances and it spoke to me and my life experience so I’d recommend it. I did a whole podcast on it with my friend Rebecca which you can find here. Red One had potential to be a fun holiday action film but the poor filmmaking and lack of witty banter put it on the naughty list. Hot Frosty, on the other hand, took its zany premise and had a good time with it. Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point had the family feels but not enough story to leave a lasting impression. Dear Santa took its uncomfortable premise of a child selling his soul to the devil and does nothing funny with it. It’s one of the worst movies of the year. Nutcrackers is conventional but endearing. Kiss Me Kate Live on Stage left me wondering why anyone thought this production was proshot worthy? Y2K had nostalgia in droves but needed more laughs and scares to be effective. A Sudden Case of Christmas is well-meaning but dull. I watched The Fabulous Four on a plane and it was passable but fails to utilize its talented 4 cast as well as it could. Nightbitch will be comforting to stressed out Moms but I found it unpleasant and lacking in real insight beyond being a Mom is hard. I knew that! The End is a musical with little to no plot and no memorable songs. Finally Hard Truths is an exhausting watch but Marianne Jean-Baptiste is so good it’s worth seeing for her performance alone.

Dramas

The most impressive of the Oscar bait dramas I saw is The Brutalist a sweeping nearly 4 hour epic about a man and the American dream. One watches it and marvels such a film can still be made in 2024. Wicked gave me everything I wanted from the musical adaptation with 2 dynamic lead performances and some great songs. I’m still not convinced it needed to be 2 movies but I was entertained. I talked about it with my friend Jacks here. Gladiator II had enough spectacle and gravitas to entertain me but I’m not a die-hard fan of the original (it’s alright but not a particular favorite.) Nickel Boys made me nauseous with its first person shooting style and I left the screening early. I also felt the style oddly made it harder for me to imagine what the characters were going through (maybe because I was nauseous) than easier. The Snow Sister is a beautiful but sad holiday tale out of Norway that is worth a watch. Sing Sing is well-acted but lacks the emotional punch I was hoping for. Nosferatu is stunning to look at and director Robert Eggers most approachable film. If you like the Dracula story you’ll probably like this movie. All the performances are also excellent as is the cinematography. Mary takes some narrative risks but I liked the fresh take on the Virgin Mary story. Red Rooms is gorgeously filmed thriller that any true crime fans will find chilling and mesmerizing. The Room Next Door may not be top-tier Pedro Almadovar but the performances from Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton are great and it ends up being a insightful friendship story. A Complete Unknown is a standard musician biopic with lots of Bob Dylan songs and a great performance from Timothee Chalamet. All We Imagine as Light is an intimate and moving slice of life type story of 2 women in India and their various love stories. Very well acted and beautifully shot. Worth your time. Finally Babygirl is a movie with a lot of sexy scenes but no emotional connection between the couple. Nicole Kidman’s character made no sense and so it didn’t thrill me the way it wants to.

So there we have it! My thoughts on all the movies I’ve seen in the last few months! In the New Year I should get back to writing more long-form reviews but hopefully you find this post helpful. Thanks so much!

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.

2025 Blind Spot Picks

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends! I’m excited to announce the 2025 Blind Spot picks! This will be my 10th year doing monthly blind spot reviews but will be my 2nd year with the podcast component with my friend Manda. What a joy it has been talking about these films with her each month and it was so much fun to make our selections for 2025 together (and gratifying that she enjoyed the experience enough to want to continue.)

The announcement for next years films starts at around 29 min mark after the ad.

As is usually the case we tried to have a variety in our Blind Spot picks with some classics, cult classics, critical darlings, and commercial hits in a variety of genres and styles. Here’s what we came up with for 2025:

Jan- DR NO by director Terence Young

James Bond is a franchise I have a lot of blind spots for. I have seen the recent Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan films but that’s about it. With this gap it only makes sense to start with the first film and watch Dr No starring Sean Connery as our suave Agent 007

Feb- PUNCH DRUNK LOVE by director Paul Thomas Anderson

As a comedian I must admit I am not a big fan of Adam Sandler. Most of his comedies have been miserable experiences and it caused me to not take him seriously as an actor especially before I became a critic. I know he has been highly praised in more serious roles including his turn in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love. I know it has some quirky attributes so I’m looking forward to seeing it.

March- XANADU by director Robert Greenwald


Of course you all know I am very forgiving of musicals- even bad musicals. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to finally watch the cult classic much-maligned musical from 1980 Xanadu. I know my friend Stanford thinks it’s one of the worst movies ever made so that has me intrigued!

April- A ROOM IN TOWN by director Jacques Demy

By this point I have seen the high profile movies by Jacques Demy so I thought it would be fun to dive a little deeper into his filmography with A Room in Town. We may also do Umbrellas of Cherbourg to introduce Manda to that one. I’ve heard this one described as a “cinematic cousin” to Cherbourg so that’s promising. Either way it’s sure to be beautiful.

May- HEATHERS by director Michael Lehmann

Heathers is an interesting blind spot because it’s a rare case where I have actually seen the musical adaptation twice before seeing the movie. I’ve seen the proshot from 2022 and saw a live production of it this year. It should be very interesting to see the differences with the musical and what makes this very dark horror comedy work as a movie and 1989 cult classic.

June- RUSH by director Ron Howard

One of the reasons I love doing this Blind Spot series is it helps me find time to see movies I missed that I’ve heard good things about. Such an example is Rush, which I didn’t see back in 2013 but heard is really entertaining. It should be a fun star-studded movie to start off the summer months.

July- BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE by director Richard Quine

I’ve heard a lot about Bell, Book and Candle over the years. Particularly as it was the name of Cassie’s shop in the show Good Witch which I covered for Hallmarkies Podcast. I’ve heard about it but just never had the chance to see it so this should be a lot of fun to check off my list.

Aug- FIGHT CLUB, PANIC ROOM directed by David Fincher

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Because his movies are so violent I actually have a lot of David Fincher blind spots. In August we are going to double up (Manda had seen Fight Club) and cover Fight Club and Panic Room. I know especially Fight Club is quite iconic so it should be fun to talk about both films with my friend.

 Sept- WUTHERING HEIGHTS directed by William Wyler

I must admit I am not the biggest fan of Wuthering Heights as a novel so I haven’t been that motivated to see all the film adaptations over the years. There have been so many and I’ve seen several of them but I have never seen the iconic 1939 version by director William Wyler. 1939 was one of the most amazing years for film so will be interesting to see how this stands up to other movies like The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach and Gone with the Wind.

Oct- POLTERGEIST directed by Tobe Hooper

One of the blessings of this Blind Spot series is I’ve been able to check off a lot of horror classics off of my list usually in October. Next year it will be Poltergeist which I know some people think Steven Spielberg actually directed but he was a writer and producer of the film and given a story credit. I’ve heard it’s not too scary so hopefully won’t be too much for me.

Nov- I AM LOVE directed by Luca Guadagnino

Director Luca Guadagnino has become one of the most highly praised and significant directors of our age and I Am Love is one of his earlier films I still haven’t seen. I love Tilda Swinton and the premise sounds intriguing. She learned to speak Russian and Italian for the movie so that’s impressive.

Dec- KISS KISS, BANG BANG directed by Shane Black

Given my work with Hallmarkies Podcast it’s getting increasingly difficult to find holiday blind spots I do have. One director who almost always sets his movies at Christmas is Shane Black so our 2025 final pick is his comedy crime movie Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. I’m honestly not the biggest fan of Black’s style (for example, reviewed Lethal Weapon for this series which he wrote, and I didn’t love.) However, I am excited to see a young Robert Downey Jr in Kiss Kiss and it will hopefully be a nice break from the rom-coms I typically watch in December.

So there you have it! Our 2025 Blind Spot picks! What do you think of these picks? Do you think we have a good variety? Are they favorites of yours? Let us know! I’m so happy to be doing this series with my friend so please subscribe and keep an eye out each month for our episodes as well as my monthly posts. Enjoy!

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.

BLIND SPOT 107: IT HAPPENED ON 5TH AVE

| Rachel's Reviews

Merry Christmas! I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas day. I am having a chance to get some rest and feel rejuvenated after a very stressful last 3 months. Covering all the Christmas movies for Hallmarkies Podcast and getting Oscar screeners watched was a daunting task combined with everything I have to do to make a living and be a theatre critic. Anyway, I’m glad to have a quiet Christmas and some time to think about the wonderful year of 2024.

One of my favorite parts of 2024 is beginning a podcast arm to this monthly Blind Spot series with my friend Manda. Not only do I get to check movies off my list but I get to talk about them with one of my best friends. It has truly been a joy. Our final film for the year is the 1947 classic It Happened on 5th Ave.

It’s interesting because it seems like this film has quite a following from folks who love classic films, particularly TCM buffs. On one hand I can see why because it can be quite charming and speaks to themes of equity and friendship that still ring true today. However, it’s also a little surprising because it lacks huge star power and  doesn’t have the emotional punch of many films of its era. It particularly reminded me of a Frank Capra film like Meet John Doe or Mr Deeds Goes to Town. In fact, as I was researching for the podcast I learned this film was at first planned for Capra but he ended up doing It’s a Wonderful Life instead.

I’m a sucker for a friendship story and that was my favorite aspect of It Happened on 5th Ave. I love the idea of these interlopers all becoming friends through sharing this mansion together- even the actual owner in disguise becomes friends with this group of people. That’s a lovely concept. I just wanted the filmmakers to do more with it. It all felt relatively sitcom-like failing to get the emotional intensity to make it truly memorable.

Still It Happened on 5th Ave was pleasant enough and I think you will enjoy Manda and my discussion in the video above. Let me know what you think of this classic and what are some of your favorite Capra-esque Hollywood films?

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.

MOANA 2 OR YOU’RE NOT WELCOME FOR THIS SEQUEL… (DISNEY MOVIE 63) (SPOILER FREE)

| Rachel's Reviews

I don’t think anyone would argue that Walt Disney Animation Studios is going through a rough patch the last few years. Films like Wish and Strange World have failed to connect with viewers while Encanto and Raya and the Last Dragon were victims of the pandemic. With this track record it makes sense for them to return not only to the extremely profitable sequels of the 2010s but to their huge hit Moana from 2016. I have no doubt Moana 2 will be highly profitable for them especially given that it was originally going to be an animated series for Disney Plus; however, whether it is good is another question.

I have been more forgiving on some of these sequels when compared to other animation fans and critics. You can read my review of Frozen 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet here. I went into this screening for Moana 2 with an open mind and even did a video about the reason I had to be optimistic

Unfortunately all my high hopes were for naught because Moana 2 proves to be another misfire from a studio that seems to have truly lost their way particularly in the story department.

Without giving spoilers it’s hard to talk about the particulars of the story but basically Moana is sent on a mission to find other human settlers. I realize Moana’s island nation is a fictional land but my understanding is it was within the bounds of Polynesia. While there are some more isolated islands in this area it’s unlikely they would have absolutely no interaction with other humans. It was like they were on an alien planet instead of a fake island on Earth. It reminded me of Themyscira in Wonder Woman which is just a bizarre way to approach a story like this.

Things get even weirder when a long sequence is spent in the underworld facing off against a goddess Matangi. I realize Maui was a demi-god in the first film but that was just one character on an otherwise relatable journey. This doesn’t even have worldbuilding that we can understand or connect with. If we don’t understand the world she’s facing how are we supposed to feel tension or any stakes from this kind of villain?

As the movie goes on the plot becomes more convoluted and the challenges Moana faces more confusing. Things aren’t helped by Moana surrounding herself with a troupe of supposedly quirky characters that only distract from her relationship with Maui and go nowhere leading to frustration rather than pleasantness.

Compounded on to these problems is the constant remember berries from the original film. They even have lines about how Moana has to see ‘how far I’ll go.’ Yes exact lines from the first film are repeated expecting to get a response. Characters like the kakamora resurface for no reason except they are in the first film and pretty much all the songs are warmed over retreads of the original songs. For example, instead of “How Far I’ll Go” in the first film we get “Beyond” in this. Instead of “You’re Welcome” we get “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” in this. Come on Disney you can do better than this!

At least when Disney used to do a rare sequel it would try and be something different. For example, Rescuers Down Under moved all the events to Australia with a completely different tone, setting, villain and everything else than the original. In this you even have a cameo I won’t spoil as if to say ‘see we brought him/her back too…’

In the end Moana 2 is a convoluted mess when it tries to tell a new story and a bland forgettable retread when it leans on the original. Basically it’s a Disney sequel I will quickly forget about which is very disappointing as I really did enjoy the first film. Oh well. Hopefully they can be inspired by the work of their contempories and climb out of this hole. I am sure this film will make a boatload of money so I suppose they will at least have that to buoy their spirits. Either way it’s certainly not getting a recommendation from me.

Frown Worthy

BLIND SPOT 106: MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi everyone! I figured with the stress of the election everyone could use a laugh in November so it would be fun to have a comedy blind spot pick for this month. I love Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but I’m very sensitive to vomit scenes so had avoided their final film Monty Python’s the Meaning of Life. Now I have seen it and was right to be nervous about the vomit scene- it is a doozy! However, it is also very memorable and while uneven the film has enough laughs to be worth a recommendation. Here is our episode on the film:

Both Manda and I agreed the middle of the film is the strongest especially a series set in war with a very funny gag about the soldiers giving their captain inappropriate gifts for a battlefield (like a grandfather clock!)

There are other jokes that either go on too long or fall flat for a modern audience but I do appreciate the irreverence of all of the pieces. It doesn’t feel safe or scrubbed clean like much comedy does today and even the vomit scene is exhilarating for how bold and crazy it is.

I would definitely recommend other Monty Python films and episodes over this one but if you’ve seen those than give this a watch. It’s wild but entertainingly so.

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.

Rachel’s Mammoth Movie Catch Up

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. I am so behind on film reviews I’m afraid I am going to have to cover a ton on this post and hopefully go back and do some longer reviews later this week. For now the mini reviews will have to do:

ANORA-

Unfortunately having not been admitted into NYFF this year I’ve had to watch the film festivals from a distance and looked with anticipation as I get a chance to see some of the movies getting buzz from these festivals. One such a film is Anora directed by Sean Baker. I recently reviewed his film Tangerine for Blind Spot series.

Going into it this film had been sold for me as an ‘indie Pretty Woman.’ I like indies and Pretty Woman so this seemed promising. I was also told it is a comedy, which after having seen it is completely baffling. I will make sure to not trust any of those people for comedic advise going forward.

Yes, Anora proved to be another movie from 2024 that is highly praised which I did not enjoy. Mikey Madison can be quite charming in the lead role but the plot proved both uninteresting and repetitive, and I was completely uninterested in the relationship between Anora and her new husband Ivan.

I also think the movie ends in a way that was strange and not in an intriguing way. I won’t spoil it for you but it seemed like it was supposed to be empowering in tone but it actually was quite troublesome and bizarre.

Others seem to be enjoying this film more than I do. It looks nice and has some engaging performances but the story was just not something I cared about or became invested in.

Frown Worthy

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER-

I was very curious how director Dallas Jenkins would bring together a new adaptation of the classic play/book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to the big screen. I’ve seen it several times in person and was especially concerned about the portrayal of the Herdmans and how it might be watered down for 2024 kids. Fortunately Jenkins and his team have created a wonderful family film, loaded with heart that seems destined to become a new holiday favorite.

What surprised me the most is how accurate to the play the screenplay was. They even had the Herdman’s smoking cigars which shocked me. Now-days you can barely have villains smoking cigars so that’s surprising.

They also kept the events of the film set in the past and didn’t modernize or update it much to pacify modern audiences. It ended up with big heart and a Christmas message that actually focuses on the sweet and simple message of the birth of Christ. How refreshing is that! I know some can feel anxiety about seeing a faith-based film but this one does it right and I can’t imagine any religious person or Christmas celebrator disliking it. Go see it!

Smile Worthy

HERE-

I don’t think there is a director who has fallen more out of my favor over recent years than Robert Zemeckis. Nobody can take away his incredible win streak in the 80s but movies like his recent Pinocchio or The Witches were so disappointing. Unfortunately his latest Here can be added to that pile of frustration.

Here starts out with an intriguing premise. The idea is a the point of view of the storytelling is looking into the living room of a house over several millennia (going all the way from the dinosaurs to a modern African American family in 2020.)

Unfortunately the whole experience becomes so cloying that after about 30 minutes I found myself ready to leave the theater. It’s liike Zemeckis saw The Carousel of Proect at Disney World and decided to turn it into a feature film. There isn’t enough exploration of the various eras or people we get introduced to so it becomes frustrating and shallow.

Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reteam up with Zemeckis for this one but I just wish they had better material to work with than the thin gruel Here presents. No thanks

Frown Worthy

EMILIA PEREZ-

Anyone who knows me knows I am usually a huge softee when it comes to musical movies. Even if the plot and the characters aren’t perfect I often feel the music helps elevate things to be watchable. That’s why I was intrigued when I heard about the new film coming to Netflix, Emilia Perez. In the film director Jacques Audiard has a million creative ideas that alone could have made for an intriguing movie. The problem is he combined them all into the same movie.

Zoe Saldana plays a lawyer who gets an offer from a cartel drug Lord who needs her help to retire and transition from being a man to a woman. In addition to this premise the movie is also a crime drama, a relationship melodrama and most surprising of all a musical.

Unfortunately despite the Saldana giving the performance her all the experience of Emilia Perez feels muddled and frustrating. It also doesn’t help that the characters are unlikable and give us little reason to root for them and the songs are uniformly forgettable and bland. It all amounts to a tedious 132 minutes I cannot recommend.

Frown Worthy

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE-

Believe it or not I’ve actually been a fan of the previous 2 Venom movies. I enjoyed the buddy comedy elements between Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his Venom creature. They were short and sweet and good for a laugh which in this day of bloated comic book movies was quite refreshing. Unfortunately this latest entry forgot that tradition and became another self-serious bore that is frankly no fun.

Tom Hardy is still enjoyable as Eddie and there are some amusing scenes like a sequence where they take over a horse and fly through the Nevada desert but the film expects us to feel sentimental and even weepie at the end as if this had been an emotional set of films with real stakes. Juno Temple is not engaging as a scientist with an obvious and bland character arc and Chiewetel Ejiofor is given nothing to do as boring grumpy army guy trying to stop the symbiots. There are so many tedious sequences including a long section where Eddie hitches a ride with a group of hippies led by Rhys Ifans and long sections of action I’ve seen a million times in better movies.

I watch these movies to laugh. How can they not understand that? Unfortunately laughs are few and far between in Venom: The Last Dance.

Frown Worthy

THE CARPENTER-

As a critic I try and be open to as many genres as possible including faith-based films. In fact, I recently recommended Faith of Angels by director Garrett Batty. I even interviewed him for Hallmarkies Podcast and enjoyed getting to talk with him and actor John Michael Finley for that film. Unfortunately I cannot be so accommodating for his new film The Carpenter. I hate to be harsh on a small production like this but it truly was a bizarre experience to watch this strange combination of MMA style fighting and Biblical settings. It might be for some people but it definitely wasn’t for me.

I can’t overstate how much boxing is in this Biblical film and yet Jesus is a major character and it includes a long period including seeing the resurrected Lord. I get that the Romans had boxing and sometimes quite brutal fighting but combined with the tone of an inspirational family drama it just felt off. It also didn’t help that all the performances felt modern as did the script and almost no attempt is made to be historically accurate in customs and traditions. For example the lead female Mira is seen at the boxing matches surrounded by the men unchaperoned, which seems highly unlikely.

I am sure the intentions are all for the best with The Carpenter but it was simply too strange a combination of elements for me to recommend.

Frown Worthy

CONCLAVE-

I try to always be authentic with my response to movies but there are times when I wonder why my reaction is different than many of critic friends. Such is the case with the latest Oscar hopeful Conclave. While the performances are well done and the film looks nice I found the picture to be an experience that left me cold and I am completely baffled at anyone calling it a ‘thriller.’

In this fictional tale the Pope has died and Ralph Fiennes is responsible for running the conclave to select the next pontiff. The problem is the script only allows us to really come to know Fiennes’ character and everyone else is only presented intermittently making the whole thing feel procedural and bland. I literally saw almost nothing in this that could be called a thriller.

I guess this is one of those Oscar bait films I just don’t connect with and that’s alright. If it sounds like something you’d enjoy give it a shot. Conclave wasn’t for me.

Frown Worthy

So there you have it. My movie update. Let me know what you think if you’ve seen any of these movies. 

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.

BLIND SPOT 105: VAMPIRES, THE THING

| Rachel's Reviews

Another Halloween has come and gone and I hope you had a great time with your friends and family. My friend Jacks was in town, and we went to a lot of theatre and had a blast. We even had a theatre themed costume (angel and devil Evan Hansen lol)

This month for blind spot I actually ended up checking 2 movies off of my list from director John Carpenter: 1982’s The Thing and 1998’s Vampires. You can hear my discussion with Manda about both movies below:

The Thing

It’s interesting how certain films can grow and evolve over time. This is certainly the case with John Carpenter’s The Thing. When it was first released it received mostly negative reviews including a thumbs down from Roger Ebert (Siskel gave it a mild recommendation.) Since then it has grown in estimation but I had heard it is a very gross movie so I put off seeing it. Now the blind spot series was the perfect chance to check it off my list, and I’m so glad I did. The Thing is a movie that keeps things simple but is extremely effective in that simplicity.

In the film Kurt Russell plays a man named MacReady who as a scientist at Antarctica comes across a parasite-like alien that when implanted in an organism becomes a deadly mimic of its host. This is what makes the film scary because the things they trust are actually infected and the characters don’t realize it until too late.

It’s hard to believe The Thing wasn’t at least respected for the craft on display. The incredible creature designs by Rob Bottin and cinematography from Dean Cundey immerse the viewer in the experience and we are never left bored or distracted from the experience with Bill Lancaster’s incredibly tight screenplay.

That said, I don’t know that the film is saying anything profound like most good scifi horror like this does but sometimes its perfectly fine for a movie to just be a fun time and that’s what The Thing is. I really enjoyed it.

Smile Worthy

VAMPIRES

I would say John Carpenter’s Vampires is less successful than The Thing but it is still overall a fun time for fans of vampire flicks. In both movies Carpenter keeps things simple and entertaining. The Thing just has better central characters than Vampires.

In Vampires James Woods leads the cast with a lot of charisma as he and Daniel Baldwin seek to take down a vampire leader named Valek. There’s some fun action set-pieces and fights that go down and Thomas Ian Griffith plays Valek with a lot of energy.

The problem is so much of the plot depends on Baldwin’s infatuation with a bitten woman he just met named Katrina played by Sheryl Lee. He’s supposed to be a master vampire hunter; thereby, making a lot of his choices nonsensical and frustrating when it comes to Katrina.

Still, Woods has a ton of fun with the role and at under 2 hours Vampires doesn’t wear out its welcome.

Smile Worthy

At this point  I have seen 4 Carpenter films and have recommended all of them (Halloween, Big Trouble Little China, The Thing, and Vampires.) I am sure he has his clunkers but he is definitely one of our strongest directors and certainly one of the best in the horror genre. What’s your favorite Carpenter film?

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.

Current Mini Reviews (SMILE 2, GIRL HAUNTS BOY, THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE, MY HERO ACADEMIA: YOU’RE NEXT)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi everyone! I have some fun updates for you. I know at times I can be perceived as a tough critic but I am going smile worthy on all 4 films I’m reviewing today. What can I say? Sometimes a critic goes through rough patches and then other times we like everything we are seeing. So let’s talk about the movies!

SMILE 2-

Believe it or not I had never seen the first Smile movie before deciding to go to the screening of Smile 2 this week. I’ve been trying to expand out of my comfort zone lately and after watching the first Smile movie I really enjoyed it. It has all of the surprises and scares someone wants in a scary movie but it also has something to say about trauma and mental illness and how quick we are to dismiss people who try and explain what is going on in their heads.

Now we have the sequel in Smile 2 and it’s a pretty different movie so if you didn’t love the first film I’d still give this one a try. On the downside I missed the grounded quality to the original film and feel it is a more thoughtful introspective horror film but that said Smile 2 is a more fun experience. They go for bonkers crazy in this horror film and I was mostly here for it, even if I was squirming in my seat through much of it (I’m a horror wimp!)

Naomi Scott plays a pop star named Skye Riley who comes into contact with the curse from the first film through a drug dealer who we meet in a crazy opening sequence. What’s interesting about Skye is she is a recovering addict so there is a lot of unreliable narrator happening so we as an audience are never sure what is fantasy, reality, drug-induced or an unrelated delusion from her. Either way I found it wild and fun for most of the run time and Scott is excellent in the role, creating a character that we empathize with but also don’t fully trust (like I said unreliable narrator.)

The ending is a little cynical for my taste and some of the scares feel telegraphed but Smile 2 is a fun time. I really enjoyed it.

Smile Worthy

THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP: A LOONEY TUNES MOVIE-

I was able to see the latest Looney Tunes movie virtually through the Animation is Film Festival. If you are in or near LA this weekend I highly recommend attending the festival in person- especially if you get to see incredible films like this and take part in panels. I should have several more films to review soon from the festival and I want to thank them for letting me attend virtually. I hope I can go next year.

Anyway The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a gem that made me so happy to watch. I love the Looney Tunes and even the weaker Space Jam movies give me some joy because I love these characters so much. Fortunately this latest entry is much better than either Space Jam movies and has the zany energy you want from this franchise.

The setup is that some aliens are planning to take over earth with a mind-controlling chewing gum that turns its chewers into zombies. We then have our leads Daffy Duck and Porky Pig taking on the evil plot; however, before that we get lots of bits about Porky and Daffy’s childhood and early days. My favorite bit is a segment with all their failed jobs. That’s just funny to have Daffy Duck trying to be a barista and losing it with someone’s overly-complicated latte order.

This does stay focused on Porky and Daffy so if you are looking for Bugs Bunny or Tweedy Bird you might be disappointed, but I loved it. I can’t wait for kids to get reintroduced to The Looney Tunes and everyone to have a wonderful time together. The vocal performances are all excellent (and not distracting celebrities like we sometimes see.) Look out for it to come out in February. It’s delightful.

Smile Worthy

GIRL HAUNTS BOY-

I’m grateful to my friend Kristen for profiling Girl Haunts Boy on her content and interviewing the stars because it probably would have gone under my radar otherwise as I don’t always watch many YA Netflix films. I’m so glad I did because this is a very sweet and endearing little coming of age romance and perfect for this Halloween season.

In the story Cole moves into a new apartment in 2024 and meets a ghost from the 1920s named Bea. She is stuck in limbo because of a magical ring she took before unexpectedly dying in an accident. Cole has stopped singing or being happy because of his grief from the loss of his Dad and Bea reminds him of the power of memories and living your best life by making more of them. It’s a very tender and lovely little script and story.

I love friendship stories and that’s basically what you have here. Both of the leads are extremely likable and we even get a song from star Michael Cimino at the end. I am sure some might be skeptical but trust me. Girl Haunts Boy is one of the good ones on Netflix.

Smile Worthy

MY HERO ACADEMIA: YOU’RE NEXT-

I believe I have seen each of the My Hero Academia movies and managed to enjoy all 4 but still have yet to start watching the show. This latest My Hero Academia: You’re Next may be the final tipping point to get me to watch once the holiday season is finished. I just really like the characters, lore and story. They also do a pretty good job making these entries approachable for non-TV watchers with a little prologue at the beginning to fill us all in. Not all anime does this and I appreciate it.

In this entry we have Giulio and Anna are taking on a power-hungry villain named Dark Might who is imitating All Might but only as a lust for power not to help anyone or be a good person. He also creates a fighting arena that leads to a lot of fun action.

One of the nice things about My Hero Academia is even if one doesn’t enjoy the plot the action and animation is so well done there is plenty to enjoy. Particularly the opening and closing action setpieces are as good if not better than anything we have gotten from Marvel for some time. This You’re Next entry doesn’t have the gravitas of some of the other films but it is still entertaining and well animated.

If you are looking for a gateway into anime My Hero Academia: You’re Next is a great place to start.

Smile Worthy

So there you have it! 4 more reviews. Let me know if you’ve seen any of these and what you think.

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.

Current Mini Reviews 10/12 (SATURDAY NIGHT, PIECE BY PIECE, MEGALOPOLIS, WE LIVE IN TIME, SIX DAYS IN AUGUST)

| Rachel's Reviews

Hi friends! I’ve been super busy this week starting a new part-time job at a local school but still managed to get lots of movies and live theatre in. You can read my theatre reviews and logs here. Today I have 5 movie reviews to catch you up on. What have you been watching? I hope you have been catching some of the big and small releases that are worth seeing. Here we go:

SATURDAY NIGHT-

I’ve long been a big fan of director Jason Reitman with his film Juno being an all time favorite. Naturally I was pretty excited for his new film Saturday Night about the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live and for the most part he delivers a pretty fun movie.

While it is directed well by Reitman the true star of the film is the terrific cast including Kim Matula playing Jane Curtain. It was fun for me to see her because I interviewed her a couple of years ago for Hallmarkies Podcast. The various impressions of the original cast are spot on with Ella Hunt playing Gilda Radner, Dyla O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd and JK Simmons in a memorable turn as comedian Milton Berle.

The main aspect holding Saturday Night back is the decision to present the film in real time as the 90 minutes before the first episode airing. This requires us to believe an outlandish number events all happened within this 90 minute time period. Because there is so much it makes things happening feel a little phony and fake but it was all done with such energy and personality that it didn’t bother me too much.

Smile Worthy

PIECE BY PIECE-

Next up we have the new animated documentary, Piece by Piece, about the career of Pharrell Williams. Director Morgan Neville has taken the creative approach to interview Pharrell and then present the footage in a Lego animated style. This is fresh and fun and gives energy to interviews that frankly would be pretty dry on their own. I was surprised how nuts and bolts the interview is sticking mostly to the business-side of recording tracks and releasing albums. Kids might find it boring after a while.

Still, it’s fresh and unique enough that I’d recommend watching it. There are also other good animated documentaries you should check out like The Tower, Waltz with Bashir, and Flee.

Smile Worthy

WE LIVE IN TIME-

I always try and judge a movie within the genre that it is trying to be in. For example, is a horror movie good at scaring, is a comedy funny? In the case of We Live in Time I ask myself is it good at being a romantic weepie in the spirit of Nicholas Sparks adaptations or even something like Love Story or Penny Serenade?

I would say it does a good job of telling a story within that genre. It’s very predictable but the key elements are all there for this kind of story. Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh have terrific chemistry and there are amusing scenes with a meet-cute car accident and some steamy scenes as they fall in love. There is also one of the most memorable birthing scenes of recent memory.

It all leads to Pugh’s character getting cancer which is par for the course for this genre. They give it some A24 touches with a non-linear storytelling structure and some more nudity than you typically see in these movies, so there’s that.  We Live in Time is a movie that is exactly what is advertised. If you like this kind of film you’ll like it. It’s as simple as that.

Smile Worthy

MEGALOPOLIS-

I’ve long made the argument that cinema is more a branch of literature than it is a branch of art. At least successful cinema. It is much more story dependent than it is visual dependent. I know many disagree with me but then we get projects like Megalopolis from director Francis Ford Coppola and he proves my point. I’m not sure what Coppola was trying to say with this bizarre self-funded mess but a coherent story was clearly not a priority.

I guess it has something to do with America being like the Roman Empire full of avarice and greed. But this isn’t Rome or America it’s New Rome and there’s a special new metal called Megalon that can stop time. Adam Driver plays a man named Cesar and he has various relationships throughout and is also an architect (I guess.)

Anyway, I have no idea what Coppola is trying to say with Megalopolis and it was so incoherent I was mostly bored and disengaged. The other couple in the theater with me got up and left after about 45 minutes and I don’t blame them one bit. Let’s just say some art projects should just stay within a family.

Frown Worthy

SIX DAYS IN AUGUST-

Finally I have a new film for Latter-day Saint members called Six Days in August. While it is not officially made by the church it has history and doctrinal content that will be confusing for non-members. For example, a whole section at the end is about members waiting at the temple to get their endowments before they leave Nauvoo. Non-members will have no idea what this means or why it is so important to the characters they are seeing.

I don’t have a problem with a film being made for a target demographic as long as it is made well and I’d say this one is. The filmmakers do not shy away from darker elements of this part of church history and this keeps it from feeling like a propaganda piece. For example, Joseph Smith (Paul Wutrich) and his followers are shown destroying the press which was printing unfavorable things of them. We also see early polygamy in a pretty honest uncomfortable light (even if I’m sure some against the church would go even further.)

I wish screenwriter Mark Goodman got to the 6 days of the title sooner and built up Brigham Young (John Donovan Wilson) more as opposed to spending so much time with Smith. Why was he more worthy by God than Sidney Rigdon (Joseph Carlson)? Nevertheless, I think for the target demographic Six Days in August is well made and tells an interesting period of LDS church history.

Smile Worthy

So there you have it! If you’ve seen any of these films let me know what you think.

 

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.