#the funniest fact about their filmographies

[iaal]

Hi there, this is probably quite an odd request but how about Adultrio + Pariston with a S/O who is horrible in bed? Like, the S/O in question makes tons of dick deflating comments & jokes. Can’t give a blowjob to save their life, touches like they are patting a dog or horse etc?

Thanks for the ask that was fun to write!The hc takes place after the first night with the reader, not a crush anymore but not a s/o yet because for most of them I don’t imagine them letting the situation last. It’s a tad crackish, except for Pariston, I always end up writing him darker than what I had planned.

Hisoka:

*Cracks knuckles*

Looks like there’s a lot of work awaiting him.

He would only put up with it with someone he was interested for others reasons, mostly fighting, and he’d think it would be a waste to just walk out of the door and never come back.

He just can’t believe how someone can be THAT bad at something supposedly instinctual.

That in itself would amaze him, to be this atrocious it’d almost be an art form.

Bluntly, after your first night together he would tell you that for the first time in his life he was genuinely unsure if he could finish.

Of course he did, it’s Hisoka, but the admission coupled with his dumbfounded expression would make a point of how arduous it was because of you.

But worry not, his ego just can’t let him pass on the opportunity to show his worth as a teacher so it’s not game over yet.

Sure, he could just gag and bind you and do all the work but it wouldn’t fix the core of the problem.

Besides, it’d get old fast if that was the only option.

He’d be surprisingly diligent in his lesson.

Sex, even the fun kind he likes, is serious business.

Hisoka would start from the very start, not even the touching part yet.

The first lesson would be how to not absolutely murder the mood with your remarks.

For that he’d put his hand between your legs, caressing you very slowly to work you up and building up a rhythm, encouraging you to be vocal.

If you make any comments that break the mood he would stop for a bit and resume from the beginning, going back to his sluggish pace and gradually increasing the movements of his hand again.

For the next part he’d not shy away to show you directly how he wants to be touched, explaining his favorite spots and the right way to handle him.

The only thing left would be to put your newfound knowledge in practice.

After a few days and many trials and errors he’d at least make a decent lay out of you.

Now that you’ve got a grasp on the basics the real fun would begin.

He stills has a lot more to teach you until you’re ready to pass his class.

Chrollo:

He’d try, really try, to not say anything at first.

After all, a first time with a new partner is rarely great, maybe you were nervous and it’ll get better after a few try.

But as you didn’t show any sign of improving he’d have to face reality: you have no idea what you’re doing –  worst, you seem to unintentionally sabotage his own effort to show you the right way.

That would pretty much kill his libido for a while and Chrollo would weight the pros and the cons to just end it here and there.

The choice wouldn’t be easy, he wouldn’t have wanted you to begin with if you didn’t interest him and you had no value outside of the bedroom.

And when the balance tilts more towards the pros than the cons he’d decide that it’s time to put some efforts in the relationship.

Without saying that you’re awful, he’d tell you that the sex isn’t great for him and if you’d be okay with letting him try some different things.

Namely absolute obedience in bed.

Normally Chrollo already tends to be dominant but he’d still be flexible and wouldn’t have a problem giving up control, or at least as much control as he’d allow.

Not with you. You can’t have nice things.

He’d direct your every moves and the only words authorized out of your mouth would be the ones he asked you to repeat.

Once he sets a goal for himself he invest himself a hundred percent in it and he’d be a strict instructor.

Of course he’d make it enjoyable for you too, not wanting you to end up disliking sex with him but going halfhearted would lead to punishment.

The problem would be that Chrollo can easily deal with someone who’d fight for dominance, he can deal with brats, he can deal with a shy inexperienced partner… but you… you’re just bad.

Even when you try your earnest to follow his instruction the result would somehow still be terrible.

As if you were tone deaf, but for sex, like sex deaf.

He’d still intend to finish what he had started and he’d have faith in himself, he know that with enough time and dedication he’d get the results he wants.

If you have to spend 3 hours a day with his cock in your mouth until you suck him right so be it.

Illumi:

The least bothered of the lots.

He doesn’t really need you to be an active participant and he’s selfish enough in bed to get his own pleasure as long as your legs are open for him.

Your comments and jokes would met his deadpan gaze and an order to shut up if it’s too distracting but he himself would be well versed in the art of awkward remarks.

Illumi only really shines in bed when he’s a bit pushed to make effort.

If you don’t challenge him out of his comfort zone he’d do the absolute minimum as foreplay and piston inside you to finish.

So it would be a match made in heaven but not a very enjoyable one.

Sure you could ask him to get you off but he wouldn’t put much effort into it.

You’d have to get better in bed by yourself if you want to be satisfied and that means finding the words that would work on him and how to get him really worked up.

Enough for him to really get in the mood and not use you as a glorified fleshlight.

Without guidance the road would be strenuous to say the least, not only you but you’d have to make Illumi follow suits.

With both of you being the bottom of the barrel in term of sexual prowess, and Illumi being fine with that, you’d have to carry the both of you.

Porn and online forum would be your only help with various degree of success, it’s not like you still had friends to call and you’d be too mortified to ask the butlers.

You’d want to give up more than once, to just lie on the bed and take it but after a few weeks you’d start to see changes.

Illumi would let you suck him off for more than a couple of minutes, he would insist a bit longer on the zone that just earned him a sweet sound from you…

A few month in and your hard work would really start to pay off.

You’d start to know some of Illumi’s button to push and he’d pay enough attention to get you off without you asking.

There would still be a long road ahead but you did it, you can finally stop counting the cracks on the ceiling.

Pariston:

He would be delight with the fact that you’re a disaster in bed.

Never in a million year he’d have imagine that you, the target of all of his attention and affection, would be that big of a disappointment.

And that alone would make it even more worth it.

Pariston would be torn between the need to humiliate you immediately or playing the long game to be sure to make maximal damage.

Eventually he’d want to play with you longer.

He’d put all this heart on making you feel good, making you cum as long as your body can take it, not stopping for your cringy lines, even encouraging you to do as you please.

He’ll be sure to be prepare for all the next times.

Without you knowing he’d start to film you.

Even if the sex was lacking, the thought of the shame you’d feel when he’ll reveal that you had an extensive bad porn filmography and had no idea would be enough to make him hard.

In your everyday life he’d already start to show subtle signs of abuse and would solidify his control on you.

In bed he’d make no effort to guide you, you’d be as bad as your first time.

When he’s sure that you’re irremediably hooked he’d show you his videos collection and you’d have no choice but watch it all.

Not only it would be mortifying to know he has immortalized all of your intimate moments on tape you’d be horrified to see by yourself how bad you are.

The worst being the Pariston in the videos.

In all the positions where you couldn’t see his face he’d be stifling a laughter or biting his hand to not let you hear his hilarity.

You’d be completely floored to notice that more that once he’d use his phone to look at porn to finish, that would explain why he loved doggy-style and blind folding you so much.

It would be shattering and you’d spent all night watching, with Pariston beside you making comment on the funniest part, this time laughing openly.

He’d fuck you at the end of the last video.

You’d be silent and motionless, the perfect broken doll.

[thewingedwolf]

Okay hot takes/weird Andy Dwyer style confessions for my birthday you guys are WELCOME

The office isn’t that good

Superstore is the superior comedy show yes I am including everyone’s favorites here

I don’t understand how ripping tin foil/cling wrap works and at this age I’m afraid to ask

The animation for she-r@ is too ugly for me to ever watch it on my own

No sci-fi show in recent history has ever touched Farscape

Bananas are the inferior foc (fruit of color)

Oscar Isaac is a brilliant actor but his filmography is a snooze fest

TFA wasn’t actually that good, we were all just watching with Loving John Boyega tinted goggles (it’s still leaps and bounds better than the other two monstrosities tho)

The funniest meme on this site was moc (meme of color) and sneme (snail meme) and it’s bc adding a parenthesis to anything makes it 10x funnier inherently

It’s been years but I’m still depressed Dev Patel and freida pinto broke up but I will get over it if he starts dating me

Sophie Okonedo should have been the 13th doctor and I will die by that opinion

I always say I don’t care about rich people despite the fact that I’m a tad obsessed with Meghan markle and prince harry and I feel marginally Class Traitory over that akskdkjdjs

I saw my middle school best friend’s mom at work the other day and both of us pretended we didn’t know each other

I understand all life is precious but I think the world would be better off if all centipedes died immediately

Sloths are ugly little gremlins and if u like them ur also ugly

My mom and both my grandmas (and I think most of my great grandmas) were divorced with kids by my age and I’m still getting my associates and still don’t understand how to iron clothes and that’s not like a confession, it’s just a little fun fact that I find mind boggling.

HAPPY MY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE IM OFFICIALLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OLD

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Magnolia

I don’t know much about Magnolia or Paul Thomas Anderson, but I do know that it takes someone paying me to get me to watch a 3-hr+ drama that doesn’t star Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a really big boat. This is one of my mom’s favorite movies which is why she requested it for me to review. It’s packed with a balls-to-the-wall star-studded cast (Tom Cruise! Julianne Moore! Phillip Seymour Hoffman! John C. Reilly! William H. Macy! Felicity Huffman!) and I’m genuinely excited to see how they all fit together. Cause they have to all fit together in some coherent way, right? Well...

Do you remember in Sorry to Bother You when the Equisapiens came out and things just took like...a real turn? That’s kind of what this was like. Whereas StBY pushed a thought to its most extreme, but logical, conclusion, what Paul Thomas Anderson has done here feels like a magician doing a lot of impressive illusions - sawing a lady in half, making a motorcycle disappear, pulling smaller things out of bigger things - and then for his final trick, walking onstage amidst a grand plume of smoke, dropping his pants, taking a gigantic shit, and then saying, “You’ve been a great audience, thanks a lot and goodnight!” It’s not like you can say the experience was BAD. Everything up to the finale was a really great time! But when you’re left on a note that is that bafflingly odd, it kinda colors the way you’ll remember the whole thing.

Magnolia is the story of one long day in the life of 12 people living in Los Angeles who are all connected via an extensive web from acquaintances to married couples to parents and children to paid caregivers and beyond. It’s a day that has the same kind of ups and downs as any other day until it, well, turns into something else entirely. I’m not sure how else to explain it, but if you want to know more, spoilers will be spoiled below.

Some thoughts:

Patton Oswalt cameo! I am a massive fan and thought I knew his whole filmography and OMG how did I not know that he was in this!!

Ok, in spite of my skepticism this entire opening sequence about coincidence had me hooked IMMEDIATELY. Like, this is some damn good storytelling, if this were a novel, I would not be able to put it down - that pull, that’s what it feels like.

Am I the only person whose encyclopedic memory of character actors/roles gets distracted when they see someone from something that is wildly disparate compared to the role you’re currently watching? For example, I had to pause the movie and confirm via IMDB that I did just see Professor Sprout from HP scream “Shut the fuck up!” at her husband while brandishing a shotgun.

Would people really recognize a grown ass man from being a successful child game show contestant? I’ll tell you the answer, no they wouldn’t, because no one realizes that Peter Billingsley (aka Ralphie from A Christmas Story) is the head of the elf production line in Elf.

I knew this was a stacked cast, but holy SHIT this is a stacked cast. If I had $1 for every fantastic character actor I recognize in this, I would have at least $37, and these are people in the film who have maybe 2-3 lines each. It’s a deep bench is what I’m saying.

This makes me miss Phillip Seymour Hoffman so, so very much.

Watching PSH care for and be so compassionate and gentle with his hospice patient, Earl (Jason Robards),makes my heart ache terribly. All of the people who have been unable to perform this kindness, this type of compassionate care for their closest loved ones as they lie dying in isolation of Covid...it’s overwhelming.

OMG I’m counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Very Good Dogs in the old man’s house!

I know Scientology is evil and he’s undeniably a complicated and morally grey person. I know all that. But goddamn I just love watching Tom Cruise COMMIT. Particularly when he commits to just absolute fucking sleazebag slimeballs. And boy oh boy is Frank Mackey an absolute fucking sleazebag slimeball.

Related - I know Frank looks like Tom Cruise, so he could get people to sleep with him no matter what, but I honestly feel like as a human being, this flesh suit is WAY more attractive balding and fat in Tropic Thunder than he is in this shiny brown shirt/leather vest/long hair combo.

I’m getting an uncomfortable vibe about these black characters being written by an artsy white dude, because I don’t know any young black kids who want to hang around with cops and offer up information about who committed a murder in their building. In fact, the way all of the black characters are treated in this film - as liars, criminals, the disingenuous “main stream media,” and thieves - feels rooted in some racist ass bullshit. We see a lot of nuance in our white characters, but even in a film that has, shockingly, more than one key black role, we don’t get that spectrum or nuance.

There is nothing I would love more than to learn that Frank Mackey is 1) gay 2) impotent or 3) both. He’s so disgustingly over-the-top misogynistic, it honestly feels like it should all be a complete act.

I confess I am on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how all these narrative threads tie together. It’s compelling as hell, even though half the time I don’t know why these people are having these long, meandering conversations. The pacing feels so deliberate, like a puzzle coming together. There’s real craftsmanship in how every scene is plotted to feel connected rather than manic or disjointed.

This pharmacist is being unprofessional as hell. Judgy McJudgerson, mind your fucking business, Julianne Moore’s father is dying! [ETA: ope, that’s embarrassing, Earl is actually her husband.]

NO THE DOG IS EATING THE PILLS OH NO VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DOG.

I think I knew this, but this soundtrack is fantastic. All Aimee Mann and Supertramp, and Jon Brion’s score is this thrumming, anxious thing full of strings that underscore all these nervous conversations, and then it shifts into these low, mournful horns when things start to take a turn and everyone is reaching their lowest points.

I love this interviewer (April Grace) who is taking Frank (Tom Cruise) to task. I think it’s particularly noteworthy that she is a black woman, because the kind of misogyny Frank peddles is rooted in white supremacy.

Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) is breaking my goddamn heart here. I think he and Phil (PSH) are my favorite characters.

Jim (John C Reilly) is the perfect example of how even a cop with the best intentions, with absolute kindness and love is in heart, is abusing his power and sexually harassing a woman he encountered in the line of duty, who is eager to appease him because she doesn’t want to be charged with a crime. This movie reads a LOT differently than it did in 1999.

I normally really love Julianne Moore, but she is a screeching mess in this. I can’t stop staring at her mouth and all the contortions it makes as she delivers every line in hysterics. She’s one of the few weak spots for me here.

Listening to Frank go on his whole diatribe about what society does to little boys to break them and victimize them HAS to be the source of where Keith Raniere got at least half of his NXIVM bullshit. Like, some of these points are word-for-word.

Also if Frank makes as much money as he seems to, there’s no way he would drive a shitty Saturn sedan.

It feels like the common thread of this movie is everyone is terrible and cheats on their spouses, and you should come clean when you get cancer so you can die peacefully. Weird moral, but ok.

If Jim is a cop, how does he not see that this woman he’s interested in (Melora Walters) is coked out of her mind?

Y’know for being a quiz kid, Donnie (William H. Macy) sure is kinda stupid.

I confess I’m not taking many notes throughout this because I’m just kind of sitting breathlessly still watching all these conversations unfold because I am on the edge of my fucking seat to find out how all this is gonna come together.

Secret MVP of this movie is the mom from A Christmas Story (Melinda Dillon) who is giving the performance of her goddamn life as Jimmy Gator’s wife.

Did I Cry? On the surface it appears ridiculous, but when Tom Cruise is having his breakdown at his dying father’s bedside, I admit, that really got me. If you’ve ever been faced with that kind of hysterical, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening, it feels like the whole world is ending kind of shock and hurt and anger, that’s what the crying looks like.

Are those......frogs?? That landed on Jim’s car? It’s raining fucking frogs???? OK for those of you sensitive to frog harm, this movie is going to take a real hard left turn for you, because I swear that came out of NOWHERE.

Um.

What.

Pray tell.

The fuck.

The climax of this movie - is when literal frogs rain from the sky.

And we finally got resolution about the dog, and the dog DID die, and I’m pissed about it. It’s offscreen but still.

I'm sorry - I know I’m fixating. But how is it possible that I knew about all the characters performing a sing-along to Aimee Mann’s (excellent) song “Wise Up” but I did NOT know that the climax of the film involves literally thousands of frogs falling to their death from the sky? How is that something that escapes entry into the cultural zeitgeist? I’m with it, you guys. I have been Very Online for over a decade, and before that, I read a lot of Entertainment Weekly, and like it just seems that this is something that pop culture really should have told me.

I think the funniest moment of this movie might be the credits in which I discovered that not only is Luis Guzman playing a man named Luis, he’s actually playing himself. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop laughing about it. That was a 189-minute setup to one dumb punchline.

I think I loved this movie but I don’t quite know. The frog thing really threw me. What I’m taking away from it is that even when it doesn’t feel like it or seem like it, we are all connected to each other, always, in ways we can’t see or know. As Wife astutely pointed out, it’s reminiscent of the pandemic - we’re all in the same storm, but we each have our own boats and our own experiences within that storm. And it’s kind of nice to remember that right now, that connection still exists even when it feels so far away. Just not if you’re a frog I guess, cause they really got the short end of the stick here.

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2018) - #81: Going the Distance (2010) - dir. Nanette Burstein (52 Films by Women 2018: #22)

Every now and then I think about the fact that I haven’t seen nearly enough of Drew Barrymore’s filmography, and since I’ve been loving her work on the Netflix series “Santa Clarita Diet” so much (I’m currently halfway through season two), I thought I should give some of Barrymore’s other comedic ventures a try. Going the Distance is a decent, if unsurprising, rom-com. It’s the cinematic equivalent of spaghetti and meatballs, satisfying without going too far outside the box.

Manhattan music company executive Garrett (Justin Long) falls for San Francisco-based journalist Erin (Barrymore) during her summer internship in the Big Apple; they decide to turn their fling into a long-distance relationship when Erin returns home to the West Coast, but of course those thousands of miles cause as many emotional concerns as physical ones for Erin and Garrett. Cue the inevitable ups and downs, plus an annoying subplot involving Garrett’s fascination with British indie band The Boxer Rebellion.

Barrymore and Long have sufficient chemistry to make their characters’ feelings seem real; that makes sense since the pair actually were in a relationship around the time that the movie was made. (I thought that they broke up prior to filming, but another website said they got back together during production, so I’m not sure of the chronology.) Anyway, the brightest moments in Going the Distance come from the supporting actors: Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis play Long’s best buddies, Dan and Box (no clue why Sudeikis has that name), two dudes who are strange yet appealing in their individual ways, while Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan score as Barrymore’s sister and brother-in-law, Corinne and Phil, and one of the funniest scenes in the films involves dinner at Corinne and Phil’s house with their friends Ron (Rob Riggle) and Karen (June Diane Raphael). I also would have liked to see more than brief cameos from Ron Livingston, Natalie Morales and Kristen Schaal, but I guess there’s only so much character development that can occur in a major studio rom-com that runs 102 minutes.

[wazafam]

With there being so many absurd characters crawling around Albuquerque, the population of Breaking Bad is part of what made the show quickly become the gold standard of television. Thankfully, with the spin-off, Better Call Saul, many of the recurring characters can live on, as not all of them were given the screen time they deserved the first time around.

RELATED: Better Call Saul: 5 Reasons Kim Is The Best Character (& 5 Why It's Still Jimmy)

Between drug addicts doing anything they possibly can to score, old friends of Walt’s who are way too condescending, and well-meaning friends of Jesse’s who went down the wrong path, there’s so much depth to even the smallest of recurring characters. But not all of them are as lovable as Skinny Pete.

10 Best: Badger

From taking out a crossbow into the desert on his first crystal meth cook, to pointing a laser pen at Gretchen and Elliot as if it’s a sniper rifle, to theorizing about Star Trek, Badger is possibly the funniest character on the show.

The self-proclaimed Lord of the Dance and his incredible sign flipping skills might come as a package with Skinny Pete, as the two are inseparable, but Badger stands on his own as a great character.

9 Worst: Bogdan

With the Breaking Bad universe going on to consume a giant criminal underworld that includes a sketchy billion-dollar conglomerate and neo-nazi compounds, the expansive world is one of the highlights.

But it all started with a little car wash and it’s owner, Bogdan, who is one of the most arrogant characters in the whole series. Bogdan always spoke down to Walt, which is why it felt great when he got his comeuppance, even if Walt had turned full Heisenberg by that point.

8 Best: Kuby

The introduction of the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman is one of the reasons season two is one of the show’s best seasons, and if it wasn’t for Saul, fans would have never gotten Kuby.

RELATED: Better Call Saul: Jimmy's 10 Best Schemes, Ranked

Kuby is one of Saul’s henchmen and somewhat of a handyman, as he can be hired for any odd job and expertly get it done, whether it’s explaining to Bogdan about the land that the car wash sits on, or transporting Walt’s money (or most of his money, that is). When Kuby shows up, the scene is instantly more entertaining.

7 Worst: Combo

Combo wasn’t necessarily a bad character. In fact, he was actually pretty good, and his death was one of the most hard hitting of the series.

However, his character is completely unnecessary, as between him, Badger, and Skinny Pete, there was just too much comic relief in the show, not to mention that none of them are that smart, making for some frustratingly mind-numbing scenes.

6 Best: Huell

Along with Kuby, he and Huell were known as Saul’s A-team, and though their first appearances on the show were completely separate, when they were together it was so enjoyable.

Though he did become more of a funnier character towards the end of the show, Huell was more of Saul’s muscle but didn’t do very well as he isn’t the fastest bodyguard around. One of the most iconic shots of the entire series is Huell and Kuby laying on the bed of money in the final season.

5 Worst: The Pinkmans

Every single time The Pinkmans showed up, it was so mentally frustrating for viewers, as the characters would never give Jesse, their first child, the light of day. They had basically abandoned him at the first sign of disobedience, and any time he appears, they act like he’s such a burden on them, which is one of the saddest things about Jesse.

But what’s even worse is that his younger brother could be slipping down the same path, but his parents are too blind to see it.

4 Best: Skinny Pete

Skinny Pete was the most well rounded recurring character and had more depth than any of the others in the entire series, as not only was he funny and full of fascinating pop culture knowledge, but the character had amazing piano skills too.

RELATED: Better Call Saul: The Most Memorable Scene From Each Of IMDb's 10 Top-Rated Episodes

Though viewers don’t know much about Pete’s backstory, the mystery is the most captivating part. It could very well be that he had a similar middle-class upbringing to Jesse and that he just got involved with the wrong people. And though audiences almost didn’t get to find out what happened to him after the finale, his feature in El Camino was thankfully one of the loose ends that was tied up in the movie.

3 Worst: Gretchen And Elliot

With Walter not accepting Gretchen and Elliot’s offer to pay for his cancer treatments being one of the most questionable decisions he made, the two millionaires meant well, but they did it in such a condescending way.

And given the way that Walter cut ties with the company that the married couple owns, it only took him getting cancer for his oldest friends to throw out a lifeline, which really showed their true nature.

2 Best: Old Joe

Old Joe is a peculiar character, as he’s the king of his domain; the junkyard. Larry Hankin portrays the character, who is known for playing the grumpy old man in shows such as Friends, Malcolm in the Middle, and so many more, but Breaking Bad is the crown jewel in his filmography.

What makes him so great is that not only is he king of the junkyard, but he’s somehow extremely well versed in law too, which he put to good use during one of the times Hank almost caught Walt.

1 Worst: Ted Beneke

Ted was the biggest idiot on the show, of which there are many. Every time Ted appeared on screen, viewers just knew he was going to do something stupid. Though the character didn’t exactly deserve the shocking fate that he suffered, he definitely had something coming, as he made mistake after mistake.

Not only did he get himself into over half a million dollars worth of fraud debt, but he even blew the money he was given to pay it off on a BMW.

NEXT: Better Call Saul: 10 Predictions For The Final Season

The 5 Best Recurring Characters In Breaking Bad (& The 5 Worst) from https://ift.tt/3ifEpl1

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior Home and Drive-In Edition June 26, 2020 – MY SPY, IRRESISTIBLE, THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS and more!

June comes to an end as we passed through the summer solstice over the weekend. The 4th of July is next week, and the opening of movie theaters in New York and L.A. is edging closer, yet it still feels like the summer of 2020 will be forever known as the summer that never happened. I’m not even sure if I’ll be trying to predict the box office until things settle down, and we get into some semblance of normalcy, and that may never happen if scientists are to be believed that COVID will return in the fall.

The big release for the week isn’t actually coming to theaters but to Amazon, and it might be the biggest movie to air on the streamer to date. As you may have guessed from the title, I’m talking about the STXfilms action-comedy MY SPY, starring David Bautista, which was one of the first movies to be delayed when COVID hit back in March, but that was after it was already delayed a number of times before that. The simple high-concept premise has Bautista playing super-spy JJ, who is demoted to keep an eye on the wife of a suspected gunsmuggler with his tech assistant (Kristen Schaal). No sooner do they start this surveillance mission, the woman’s 9-year-old daughter Sophie (Chloe Coleman) catches them and she blackmails JJ to teach her how to be a spy.

Yup, this new comedy from Peter Segal (Get Smart, Second Act) is as high concept as you can possibly get, and yet, and quite surprisingly, My Spy is rated PG-13, as opposed to be a straight-up kiddie friendly PG, but you can read more about that in my review.

Mini-Review: It seems like every potential muscle-bound action star has to have one of these movies in their filmography where they’re teamed with a young child co-star that inevitably steals all their scenes – I won’t bother to list them all. Former WWE star and Marvel regular, Dave Bautista, has a precocious co-star in Chloe Coleman, who is so delightful as Sophie you can easily forget that this is straight-up formula comedy  

I’ll be honest about the fact that totally unironically, I’ve been looking forward to seeing My Spy since I first saw a preview at Cinema-Con back in 2019. It was a bummer to miss the press screening in March, because it meant having to wait three extra months to finally watch it on my computer. Surprise, surprise, the movie more than met up to my expectations, as I found it funny, cute and from time to time, it even throws in a few unexpected surprises.

I’m definitely in the camp that Bautista hasn’t done anything particularly great as an actor outside playing Drax in the MCU, and JJ isn’t that much smarter or less muscle-bound. The set-up for his character to connect with Coleman’s Sophie is pretty obvious, but there’s no denying that Bautista and Coleman are so adorable and hilarious as an on-screen duo that it more than makes up for any of the misgivings one might have about what is meant as an accessible movie with mainstream appeal.  (In other words, this was never meant as an artfilm, so if you’re one of those snobby critics who gushed all over last year’s Uncut Gems, and you refuse to accept that there’s an audience for My Spy, then you’re a fucking hypocrite, plain and simple.)

Speaking of the F-word, I have to mention My Spy’s rating, which is not the PG one might normally expect, though it’s not due to violence or bad language or anything that awful that you couldn’t watch and enjoy this with your 8 to 10 year old. I felt I should get that out there in case any parents have misgivings.

Besides the main duo, there’s some nice added comedy from Kristen Schaal, as well as the seemingly obligatory gay neighbors, played by Devere Rogers and Noah Dalton Danby, who somehow manage to avoid stereotypes while providing a recurring bit of humor.

The movie starts getting a little predictable when Sophie pushes JJ to start dating her now-single mom, and things start losing a little steam as the movie gets away from the JJ/Sophie bonding and back to the actual plot, and that’s where the movie’s biggest problems lie. When the “villain” of the piece shows up, things get back into the usual formula that most will be expecting anyway. I will add that director Peter Segal seems to be particularly well suited at directing this, particularly when it gets into some of the action in the last act.

Sure, some of My Spy’s funniest jokes have shown up in various trailers, but turns out that it’s a fairly warm and funny movie that does its job in providing solid family entertainment.

Rating: 7/10

Jon Stewart returns to political comedy with his new movie, IRRESISTIBLE, (Focus Features), starring his former “Daily Show” correspondent Steve Carell as Gary Zimmer, the Democratic strategist who failed so horribly running the 2016 Presidential election. Undaunted, Zimmer hopes to revive the party by rallying behind a likeable everyman, Col. Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper), as he runs for mayor of the small town of Deerlaken, Wisconsin. It would seem like an odd decision but clearly, the Republicans know that Zimmer has something bigger planned so they send their own strategist, Faith Brewster (Rose Byrne), to get behind the incumbent Republican mayor.

It’s pretty obvious this movie is probably more in Stewart’s wheelhouse than his previous film, Rosewater, but it also has more mainstream appeal and could help Stewart continue to get directing work in the future. Sure, there have been many similar political comedies like this that have tried to find the audience -- Bob Roberts, Primary Colours, Wag the Dog,Swing Vote -- but I’m not sure any of those came out when the country has been as divided as it is now.

It’s pretty nice seeing Stewart reuniting with Carell, who does a decent job in this fish-out-of-water comedy that mostly relies on how a DC bigwig might acclimate to a sociable smalltown – think Groundhog Day to the Nth level – which makes this comedy fall more into the vein of  Matt Damon and John Krasinski’s Promised Land, which I thought was a very underrated political film.

I’m a big Rose Byrne stan, and once again, we can see how delightfully funny she can be when playing such an awful person like Faith Brewster, but there’s quite a bit of fun awkward sexual tension between her and Carell. Another part of the equation is Hastings grown daughter, played by Mackenzie Davis, and most people watching this will probably hope this doesn’t go too far into that romantic realm, and thankfully, it doesn’t.

Irresistible may be a little predictable at times, but there’s a nice turn towards the end that makes up for some of the more obvious aspects of the storytelling, and Stewart certainly seems to be enough in his element to make this not too horrible an experience.

This week’s “Featured Film” is Peter Medak’s documentary, THE GHOST OF PETER SELLERS (1091), about how Hungarian filmmaker ran into problems with Sellers while trying to make the 1973 pirate comedy Ghost in the Noonday Sun, an experience that almost ruined the filmmaker’s career. It’s kind of interesting for a filmmaker to take an in-depth look back at his own failures, but Medak’s story is particularly touching, only because it didn’t seem like he stood a chance when Sellers refused to show up on set and then brought in his equally eclectic best friend Spike Milligan to work on the script and create even more chaos.

Honestly, I have never seen Ghost in the Noonday Sun, but I enjoy a lot of Medak’s films that followed, including The Changeling and the excellent Romeo is Bleeding, so I went into this doc knowing that this incident didn’t completely kill Medak’s career, but obviously, it had a huge effect. It ends up being a fairly emotional film as Medak interviews some of the producers on the film as well as Milligan’s widows and others who were around during that period. He also learns new things about how he was dismissed from the project and used as a scapegoat for all the problems faced by the production, which began when the boat built for the movie crashed upon arriving in Cypress.  I generally like movies about the making of movies even when I haven’t seen the original movie, and Medak finds a way to offer some true sentiment and emotional insight into his tenuous relationship with Sellers.

Out now on VOD is Laura Holliday’s DADDY ISSUES (Gravitas Ventures), starring Kimberley Datnow as a Henrietta, a 20-something stand-up who has moved from London back to L.A. to take over the family business after her father dies and leaves her the company. She takes on this challenge in hopes of earning her now dead father’s approval.

I knew from almost the minute this started that I was going to hate this twee high concept indie that seems like so many other indie movies where the person putting it together had so many ideas but not enough actual story glue to hold all those ideas together. It’s fairly obvious from the slice of “Henry’s” stand-up set that begins this movie that she isn’t particularly funny. On top of that, she seems like another one of those spoiled and entitled Millennials who just isn’t happy unless she’s getting her own way. When the story quickly shifts  to L.A., and she’s surrounded by even more annoying Millennials, it gets even worse, especially because it feels the need to follow her best friend and housemate on their own journeys as well.

I have to say, as someone who didn’t automatically hate the recent Valley Girl remake, that Daddy Issues is infinitely worse, not only because it doesn’t have the fun musical numbers but just because it seems like such a precious endeavor that doesn’t seem like it will really be able to connect with anyone other than the filmmakers.  I found Datnow’s Henrietta to be so pathetic and again, not very funny, so getting through this movie was grueling, to say the least. At one point, Henri falls for an asshole named Hunter whom she had one date with. When that doesn’t work, she tries to reconnect with a couple other idiotic guys, but then she goes back with Hunter, and the whole time I was watching this movie thinking, “What’s the point? Are there really people this stupid and annoying on the planet?” (That’s rhetorical.)

Jon Swab’s RUN WITH THE HUNTED (Vertical) stars Michel Pitt, Ron Perlman and Dree Hemingway, and it will premiere On Demand this Friday. At first, it follows a young boy named Oscar (Mitchell Paulson), who commits a murder and runs away from home, leaving his childhood friend Loux wondering where he went after saving her from an abusive father. Oscar joins a band of misfit kids who pick pockets and commit crimes, but 15 years later, Loux goes looking for Oscar (now played by Michael Pitt).  

I’m not even sure where to begin with this indie crime-thriller that’s so flawed from beginning to end, it was tough to get through most of it.  The first hour deals with the younger Oscar and much of it deals with him getting in with a teen girl named Peaches and a young gang of hoodlums, led by Mark Boone Junior and Ron Perlman. It’s kind of interesting seeing Perlman playing the leader of a group of young pickpockets and thieves since he played the protector of those sorts of kids in one of my favorite movies, The City of Lost Children. That’s really the only thing those two movies have in common, as this feels like another poorly-realized attempt at… possibly modernizing Oliver Twist? (I mean, the band le by Pitt’s character are even referred to as “The Lost Boys,” so it’s obvious that Swab didn’t care too much about originality.

The sad truth is that Pitt has been fairly mediocre as an actor lately, after showing so much promise in his early days, and Run with the Hunted doesn’t really offer anything particularly new to what’s generally a pretty tired genre. Perlman is one of the better parts of the movie along with Isiah Whitlock (last seen in Da Five Bloods), and they have a fine scene together, but otherwise, the material is weak, and it leads to a dull and often outright dumb offering.

I still haven’t figured out what Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is, but apparently, it’s a spoof comedy starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams that will debut on Netflix this Friday. It also reunites McAdams with her Wedding Crashers director, David Dobkin, so I’ll definitely check it out, since it looks very funny. 

Mini-Review: I have to admit this movie seemed to come from out of nowhere. I really felt like I only started hearing about it when the trailer debuted last week, but otherwise, I had no idea that Ferrell had reteamed with his Wedding Crashers director and with that film’s romantic lead, Rachel McAdams. What this spoof comedy has going for it is that it combines a number of things I enjoy, including music and Iceland.

Will Ferrell plays Lars Erikson, one half of the synth duo Fire Saga, with his childhood friend Sigrit (McAdams), the two of them having the life-long dream of representing Iceland in the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Lars also has to contend with his disapproving father, played by Pierce Brosnan, but in general, everyone in their Icelandic town thinks they’re awful. They seem like longshots to represent Iceland in the song contest but an unfortunate incident leaves them as the only option.

We might as well get out of the way the fact that this is essentially a one or two joke comedy that follows the formula of so many other Will Ferrell movies, including Blades of Glory, but if you’re a fan of his comedy, then you’ll probably enjoy his latest offering, which he also co-wrote and produced. When Dan Stevens shows up as the Russian competitor, Alexander Lemtov, who has machinations for Sigrid, it’s pretty easy to figure out where things are going.

Either you like what Ferrell does while in full-on “idiot mode” or not, and Fire Saga’s on-stage mishaps probably offer the biggest laughs. The other level of humor involves just how silly the actual Eurovision is, even though it’s obviously more of a European thing than it is something that Americans will understand. I’ve always loved Rachel McAdams, and I generally think she’s better when she’s doing comedy, as she makes for a great counter to Ferrell’s zaniness.

In general, the movie allows actors like McAdams, Stevens and Brosnan to goof around and have a fun time being as outlandish as Ferrell.  (Just watching Brosnan trying to pull off an Icelandic accent may be worth the price of admission alone.)

Make no mistake that this is not a small movie, and it’s quite a huge production when you consider all the enormous musical numbers representing the different international contestants. I could have easily seen this doing decently in theaters, although its 2-hour run time does seem a bit frivolous since there’s also quite a bit that could have been trimmed.

As much as Eurovision Song Contest leans heavy on its main overall joke about Fire Saga being quite inept, particularly Ferrell’s Lars, I generally enjoy this type of spoof of comedy even when it ventures into very predictable territory. In the end, Eurovision Song Contest offers as many laughs as Popstar: Never Stop Stopping, even if it’s not quite as heady as a movie like Walk Hard.

Rating: 7/10

Former lawyer turned filmmaker, Cam Cowan’s documentary, Madagasikara (Global Digital Releasing), takes a look at three women in Madagascar fighting for the survival of their families and education of their children amidst domestic political instability and the poverty that’s been caused by it. Cowan made his first trip to Madagascar in June 2014 and spent four years filming and doing post on the documentary which will debut on Amazon Prime and Docurama Friday after its festival run, but will be available platforms down the line.

The Blind Melon/Shannon Hoon doc All I Can Say (Oscilloscope) has the singer returning from the grave by compiling the many videos he filmed of himself between 1990 and 1995 before his death at the age of 28.  Co-directed by Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould and Colleen Hennessy, it will hit virtual cinemas as well as record stores and music venues this Friday.  (Not quite sure how that all works, but hey, I was never really a Blind Melon fan anyway.)

Coming to Virtual Cinema on Friday is Ina Weiss’ The Audition (Strand Releasing) that follows a violin teacher named Anna Bronchy (Nina Hoss) who finds talent within Alexander, a student at the music-focused high school, neglecting her own family in the process.

Opening in Virtual Cinema Friday through almost 50 arthouse theaters across the country, including Brooklyn’s BAM, is the British-Nigerian drama, The Last Tree (Artmattan Films) from filmmaker Shola Amoo, which received a number of awards at the British Independent Film Award after its Sundance 2019 World Premiere.

Film at Lincoln Center’s Virtual Cinema will present Three Short Films by Sergei Parajanov (FilmLinc), featuring work by the Armenian-Georgian filmmaker that range from 1967 through 1988. FilmLinc will also premiere Bora Kim’s 2018 South Korean film, House of Hummingbird (West Go USA/Kino Marquee), a Berlinale prize winner set in that country I 1994, as it follows a 14-year-old through a series of romances and indiscretions.

Film Forum’s own Virtual Cinema will conclude its Alaistar Sim trilogy with the 1951 comedy, Laughter in Paradise, directed by Mario Zampi, as well as screen Zhang Yimou’s 1995 film Shanghai Triad, starring Gong Li. (There’s actually a lot of movies available via Virtual Cinema that will end this Friday, including two series of Kid Flicks shorts, so definitely try to go through the listings and catch what you can!)

This week also sees the third and final volume of Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time with Volume 3 looking at “Comedy and Camp,” once again hosted by Joe Dante, John Waters, Ileana Douglas and Kevin Pollak. Some of the movies covered in this volume include Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Rock and Roll High School, Office Space, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Showgirls with guests that include Gina Gershon, John Cleese, Fred Willard, Jon Heder and many more. I really have enjoyed this documentary series, and if you’re a fan of movies that are just a little outside leftfield, this is a great addition to your library.

Available on DVD this Friday is the documentary No Small Matter (Abramorama), co-directed by Danny Alpert, Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, which looks at early childhood education and how that has changed how kids learn, now at an earlier age than ever.

This week’s big virtual festival is the 25th Nantucket Film Festival, which will be running from June 23 – 30 with a combination of films and events like a number of “In Their Shoes..” talks with Norman Lear and screenwriter Eric Roth (both hosted by my pal Ophira Eisenberg), as well as one with improv comics, Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, that one moderated by Michel Ian Black. Also, the Oxford Film Festival will screen two features virtually starting on Friday, Mindy Beldsoe’s The In Between and Braden King’s The Evening Hour, although the latter can only be viewed in Mississippi.You can get tickets for both on Oxford’s Eventive site.

Also this weekend, there are a few returning shows, but they’re coming to HBO Max only, and that includes the third season of Search Party and the second season of Doom Patrol, which originally premiered on DC Universe. So yeah, there’s definitely a lot to watch this weekend.

Netflix will also release George Lopez’s new stand-up special, George Lopez: We’ll Do It In Half on Saturday and the third season of the German series, Dark.

Next week, it’s the 4th of July weekend, and we’ll have more movies not necessarily in theaters!

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

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Wes Anderson's Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes | ScreenRant

Wes Anderson has one of the most distinctive voices in cinema today. It can be described (or even dismissed) as “quirky,” but it’s more than that. He has a strong grasp of symmetry when composing his scenes and framing his shots; he casts Bill Murray in even weirder roles than he usually plays; and he makes movies that, however strange-looking, focus on very real human relationships and how we handle various different emotions.

RELATED: Wes Anderson’s 10 Most Memorable Characters

Most of Anderson’s movies are acclaimed by critics, but some have been more universally adored than others. So, here are Wes Anderson’s Movies, Ranked By Rotten Tomatoes.

9 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (56%)

Drawn from a screenplay written by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou has a pretty large budget for an Anderson movie ($50 million), but it’s no less quirky. This is probably the reason for the fact that the movie failed at the box office. For any fan of Anderson’s, it’s business as usual.

Bill Murray stars as Steve Zissou, a parody of the famous French explorer Jacques Cousteau, as he heads out into the deep sea to get revenge against the jaguar shark that ate his partner. It’s a Wes Anderson-helmed take on a Moby Dick-type story.

8 The Darjeeling Limited (69%)

The Darjeeling Limited is easily Wes Anderson’s most underrated movie. This is probably due to its critical reception being weaker than most of his others. But it’s actually a very interesting movie, with some entertaining set pieces and character moments.

It has a simplistic premise, following three brothers on a train journey across India, but what the lack of real plot opens the movie up to do is explore the relationship between these brothers. It also gives the cinematographer, Robert Yeoman (Anderson’s long-time go-to guy), plenty of room to capture the beauty of India. The Darjeeling Limited is a road movie on one of the most spectacular roads in the world.

7 The Royal Tenenbaums (80%)

Arguably the movie that defines Wes Anderson’s career, The Royal Tenenbaums is the powerful story of a dysfunctional family; sort of like a Noah Baumbach movie with extra quirk. The ensemble cast – from Gene Hackman as the patriarch to Ben Stiller and Gwyneth Paltrow – is impeccable, anchored by voiceover narration by Alec Baldwin.

RELATED: 10 Quirky Comedies To Watch If You Like The Big Lebowski

With its curiously inventive structure and compelling character dynamic, this may be Wes Anderson’s greatest script (co-written with Owen Wilson), while the use of music creates poignant moments like Luke Wilson’s attempted suicide scene set to Elliott Smith’s “Needle in the Hay.” The Royal Tenenbaums walks a tonal tightrope between comedy and tragedy deftly.

6 Bottle Rocket (85%)

Wes Anderson’s directorial debut Bottle Rocket wasn’t a huge hit at the box office, but it was praised by critics enough to launch his career, and Martin Scorsese would eventually call it one of his favorite movies of the ‘90s. It also launched the career of Owen Wilson, who co-wrote the script with Anderson and also made his film debut acting in it.

The crime genre and the comedy genre have rarely been balanced this well – Anderson takes joy in the simple interactions that people have, bringing a human element to a wild premise. Rotten Tomatoes calls it “Reservoir Dogs meets Breathless.”

5 Rushmore (89%)

Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson’s script for Rushmore is a fascinating three-hander focusing on the relationships shared by a disparate trio. Jason Schwartzman (in his debut role) plays Max, a quirky teenager; Bill Murray plays Herman, a wealthy industrialist; and Olivia Williams plays Rosemary, Max’s teacher.

The story becomes about a love triangle when Max and Herman both fall in love with Rosemary. As it turns out, she’s not interested in either of them and dates a doctor played by Luke Wilson instead, driving them both crazy with jealousy. Rushmore is so culturally significant, capturing a piece of the ‘90s, that it’s been preserved in the Library of Congress.

4 Isle of Dogs (90%)

Wes Anderson returned to his distinctive style of stop-motion animation last year to helm this unusual tale set in a dystopian Japan in the near future. While the movie was accused of cultural appropriation for its use of Japanese imagery and a mostly white cast, there’s no denying that this is a gorgeous work of big-screen animation.

It might not quite stack up with the rest of Anderson’s filmography, but it is an interesting addition to his overall body of work. Isle of Dogs was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but it was beaten to the prize by the admittedly superior Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

3 The Grand Budapest Hotel (91%)

Wes Anderson was nominated for both Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars for The Grand Budapest Hotel. The framing narrative sees Jude Law playing a writer who is documenting the wacky escapades of the staff and guests at the hotel, but it’s clear that Ralph Fiennes is the star here.

He plays Gustave H., the concierge, and the actor’s deadpan delivery style makes sure every line is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Tony Revolori (now best known for playing Flash in the MCU’s Spider-Man movies) also provides excellent support as his young sidekick, the lobby boy Zero. The Grand Budapest Hotel is quite possibly Anderson’s funniest movie.

2 Fantastic Mr. Fox (92%)

In a dream casting akin to Quentin Tarantino getting Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in the same movie, Wes Anderson managed to pair up George Clooney and Meryl Streep in his animated adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl book Fantastic Mr. Fox.

RELATED: George Clooney's 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

While it wasn’t as big a box office hit as a live-action movie starring Clooney and Streep would’ve been (or even an animated movie with a less quirky and more digestible style of animation), it was showered with praise by critics, and rightly so. The movie is as delightful and heartwarming and filled with starry-eyed innocence as its source material.

1 Moonrise Kingdom (93%)

This coming-of-age tale about kids attending a scouting camp does something interesting that few on-screen love stories do. It tells the parallel stories of a pair of bright-eyes tweens falling in love and an old married couple falling out of love, tackling the full spectrum of romance in a way that few romantic movies manage to do.

Anderson’s trademark use of symmetry in his cinematic composition is on point here, and his personal stamp can be spotted in every scene, line of dialogue, and character moment. This is the work of a filmmaker at the height of his powers, for better or for worse.

NEXT: The Ultimate Wes Anderson Gift Guide

source https://screenrant.com/wes-anderson-movies-ranked-rotten-tomatoes/

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The Best Films of 2018, Part IV

Scroll down for Parts I, II, and III. VERY GOOD MOVIES THAT STILL AREN’T TECHNICALLY GREAT--SEE, I LIED, NEW CATEGORY, WHICH REALLY SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TIER IN 2018 AND MAYBE HINTS THAT THERE WEREN’T MANY MOVIES THAT I GENUINELY LOVED

44. Hotel Artemis (Drew Pearce)- It should be illegal to watch this movie before midnight because it is an exploitation flick to its core. Is it a problem that it's shaped like a triangle, that it starts wrapping up its answers the minute we understand what the questions were? Yes. Is that a problem that Jeff Goldblum, playing the Wolf King, wearing a double-breasted camel's hair coat like a shawl, can't fix? No.

43. Sicario: Day of the Soldado (Stefano Sollima)- Considering how much I liked Sicario, I'm impressed by how close its sequel came to its chilly hardness. Strangely enough, the craft suffers more from the absence of Jóhann Jóhannsson than it does from the absence of Denis Villeneuve. Aside from a lull at the two-thirds mark and the pulling of exactly one punch, this entry feels as vital and astute as the last one.

Which means the real auteur must be Taylor Sheridan. His script mimics the structure of the original while twisting its characters just askew enough to breathe new life into the material. His screenplays just sort of unfold in a way that I find organic--it's hard to even say what the conflict is until halfway through most of the time. And if he wants to write five more of these, I'll gladly take them.

42. The Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles)- Like almost anyone else, I'm grateful that The Other Side of the Wind exists at all. The fact that it's so more personal and experimental than I expected is a bonus. It's kind of a mess until it congeals at the drive-in, but every choice still seems labored over. (The claustrophobic nature of the party versus the wide open spaces of the film-within-the-film, for example.) Nonetheless, it's hard to go to bat for a movie whose backstory is more captivating than the final product.

41. The Mule (Clint Eastwood)- Besides the breezy glide of the pacing, the performances stand out. Eastwood's is the type that we haven't seen from him in a while. He smiles a lot. He sings and dances and flirts. He's generally carefree and loopy. And he's contrasted with* a nervy Bradley Cooper in one of those humongous-star-taking-the-back-seat performances, sprinkling charisma the way Sean Connery did in The Untouchables.

But there is no elegance at all. Besides Chekhov's cough and the cheesy elbowing of "If only somebody had $25,000 to save the VFW Hall," we get the messy racial politics of Eastwood once again. Whereas Gran Torino worked for me because it's aware of its own racism, this one thinks that it's doing some good. The subtext is that an old White man would never catch trouble from police, but the text is a Hispanic man getting pulled over and nearly pissing himself for laughs. Hard to argue this isn't a fun time at the movies though, despite the fact that it's almost entirely about regret.

40. If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins)- Too theatrical and outre for my taste, but it's easy to get lost in its cosmetic pleasures: the lush colors, the lavish costumes, the immaculate close-ups, the best score of the year. I liked it, especially the Brian Tyree Henry tangent, but as the movie is swooning over itself, it's easy to catch yourself thinking, "What is this even about?"

39. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Marielle Heller)- Can You Ever Forgive Me? hits every beat you would expect from an "in over her head" crime movie, but the time that the film dedicates to the central relationship creates a rare intimacy. If you stopwatched it, I imagine the majority of the film would be McCarthy and Grant talking to each other. That focus, along with a resistance to smoothing over the characters' rougher edges, elevates a kind of boilerplate story.

38. Blockers (Kay Cannon)- Even if the ending is kind of exhausting, desperate to give each character his or her moment, this is hilarious. Not so much in the setpieces showcased in the commercials but frequently in an expression or line reading. The Blu-Ray has a line-o-rama gag reel that is funnier than some entire movies. It's pretty progressive and fair in its portrayal of young female sexuality too.

37. Game Night (John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein)- It gets a little tidy and full circle for my taste, but this movie has some great laughs while being a good example of a film that nails both the characters' "want" and the characters' "need." Rachel McAdams is winning, and Jesse Plemons steals all of his scenes.

Game Night also has way more of a filmic identity than one might expect, since it doubles as a sort of Fincher parody. Besides Cliff Martinez's insistent electronic score and some CGI-for-no-reason establishing shots, Daley and Goldstein borrow the auteur's desaturated palette, locked-down camera, and narrow light range. There's even an elaborate one-r. The visuals elevated a premise that had the potential to be really dopey.

36. First Man (Damien Chazzelle)- I think this is exactly the movie Chazelle wanted to make, but, to match my expectations or his filmography, it's not quite good enough. Cool to the touch, though anything else would be antithetical to who Armstrong was. In the shape of suspense, but with an outcome that is obviously never in doubt. Flipping to the IMAX ratio the second the crew docks onto the moon is a cool trick, but it's as innovative as things get.

The cast is game. Gosling's fastidious brooding resists any of his Movie Star charm but still holds every scene, and the framing of Armstrong's motivation works very well. Foy's reading of "a bunch of boys" is about to become a t-shirt. Kyle Chandler and Jason Clarke and the suddenly mature Patrick Fugit all get their moments. The final scene places the film into the Chazelle tradition of people whose calling is greater than even their most transcendent relationships, and a protest sequence is a welcome break from the eraser-streaked perfectionism.

I'm sorry that I wanted Apollo 13 instead of a hipper Apollo 13.

35. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman)- Within the course of one year, we got two possible solutions for the "problem" of inspiring but self-serious origin stories. At the beginning of the year, Black Panther mastered the form and presented it so solidly that it couldn't be argued against. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse goes the other way, so impressionistic that the final sequence is people flying through abstract shapes and colors, so irreverent that a character cuts someone off mid-sentence as he says, "With great power comes..." Though I would have trouble explaining the film, all of the dimensional comings-and-goings make sense in the moment, and it's easily the funniest Marvel movie ever made.

Maybe purposefully, it is overstuffed though. Six different iterations of Spider-Man is enough to juggle; I definitely didn't need a cadre of villains that was even less defined. I have to admit, even though I couldn't tell you what to cut, I was exhausted by the end, even if I was huffing and puffing fresh air.

34. Boy Erased (Joel Edgerton)- Many characters do bad things in this movie, but they're people trying to help and doing their best, justifying the pain that they're causing. This is a film that easily could have been drawn in caricature, and it never is. It does, however, draw the characters as fairly as they deserve, so the Joel Edgerton gay conversion therapist does wear bad ties and pronounce some words incorrectly. The Russell Crowe character, especially in the powerhouse final scene, is more complex and real, at least if I'm to judge by my own father, who has disturbingly similar moral authority and power moves k thx bai.

33. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Morgan Neville)- This one is more cohesive than 30 Feet From Stardom, but these Morgan Neville docs are sometimes too slick for their own good. If you've never made the "jerking-off motion" with your hand, then you'll be tested when he asks his subjects to close their eyes and imagine someone special to them.

That's not to say that the nearly pornographic reverence of Fred Rogers is not deserved or effective. And one of the most daring notes of the film is the suggestion that, in our hostile times, Rogers's message might not have stuck. The jabs at Trump aren't overplayed, but the president is sort of a pall over the entire film. When Rogers says, "The most essential things in life are invisible," it's hard not to imagine the person on our TV daily who is the antithesis of that idea.

32. Hearts Beat Loud (Brett Haley)- This is a heartwarming movie that ends on a high note with solid music. (Important because, if the music that the father and daughter made had been bad, the whole thing would have fallen apart.) Occasionally, it falls into that ensemble problem of "Good news: We got Ted Danson. Bad news: We have to find something for him to do." And it's a weird sideways ad for Spotify. But if I gave Begin Again three stars, then I have to kick this Once-core entry up to three-and-a-half.

If I may, though, I would like to analyze a recommendation that Offerman's record store owner makes to Collette's character. Since she's buying Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney, he puts her on to Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, an album she has not heard of. Which is absurd. Forget that Animal Collective should not be recommended to any woman ever. Any person who knows Sleater-Kinney also knows Animal Collective. She would have heard of them if only because they would be a bad match for someone who likes Sleater-Kinney. But here he is all like, "Check out 'My Girls'--killer song." You're going to recommend the lead single, fam? You're not even going to go out on a limb and push "Bluish"? No wonder your store is shutting down if you're pushing free folk/art-punk onto riot grrls.

31. Western (Valesta Grisebach)- While I was watching Western, I can't say I was having too much fun. It seemed like an adequate story told in a patient, austere way. But in the days since then, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The way that Grisebach gets so much out of non-professional actors, the way that each character seems to exist not so much as a person but as a totem for something like aggression or labor or exploitation or occupation. Like few other movies--though Beau Travail comes to mind--it's a portrait of masculinity that seems really resigned about its conclusions. 30. American Animals (Bart Layton)- I worry about the potential Boondock Saints effect of this movie: Do I want to be in the same number as the college dorm crew attracted to it only for its style? Is it only style? I don't think it adds up to much ultimately.

But it does have style, and it's way too fun of a caper flick to resist. It presents an interesting bridge in Bart Layton's career, from non-fiction that is a bit too fictional to fiction that is a bit too factual. The segments with the real people involved in the heist serve as decisive punctuation to the florid sentences of the narrative. I also appreciated that the film didn't dwell too much on the trial, since we know exactly where the boys faltered and what evidence did them in.

29. The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener)- I loved the rich characterization of the first half, which resists hand-holding as it plops the viewer into a post-divorce setting that is familiar but specific. The film bounces off into tangents from there, some of which are great, but Edie Falco seems to draw the short straw. There are three actors on the poster--weird-voiced Ben Mendelsohn, Thomas Mann, and Falco--but her character is left undeveloped, a bit unfairly, as the proceedings favor the men. The film is still another ground-rule double for Holofcener, a filmmaker who gives the impression that she has no idea what a ground-rule double is.

28. Private Life (Tamara Jenkins)- I don't know anything about Tamara Jenkins's personal life, but there's no way that the details and emotion of the central couple's infertility don't come from her own pain. That frustration and obsession take center stage, and we get filled in with the rest of the details patiently as the film goes on. I don't think we even know what Giamatti's character does for a living until forty-five minutes in, and that's okay. The movie cares more about the supporting characters than I did, but I appreciated the lived-in realism of an apartment with books filling up the fireplace.

27. Flower (Max Winkler)- Although I didn't believe Zoey Deutch as a seventeen-year-old, I was impressed by this script, which moves slowly until it doesn't. I guess "Flower" is good branding since there doesn't appear to be a movie called that already, but I kind of wish this had just been called "Erica." It builds that character carefully, plants her in an impossible situation, then unleashes hell upon her.

An advantage of a movie with teenage characters is that they don't necessarily have to make the most logical decision in a given moment, so even when these characters are being dumb, they're being true to themselves. As the most prominent Zoey Deutch stockholder in North America, I actually thought about bumping this up an extra half-star.

26. Leave No Trace (Debra Granik)- Leave No Trace is partly about how existing outside of society can be as much of a contrivance as buying in, but the way the movie delivers that message is less ham-fisted than my description due to the intense performances at the center. Ben Foster, uncharacteristically restrained here, reportedly worked with Debra Granik to excise 40% of his dialogue, and that choice speaks volumes about the trust the film has for the audience in limiting the exposition.

The only thing holding me back was how exclusively internal the father-daughter story is. Unlike Granik's Winter's Bone, which functions as both a (similarly compassionate) coming-of-age story and a race-against-the-clock thriller, Leave No Trace is tracking only emotional growth. Will and Tom aren't headed anywhere in particular, which is part of the survival-versus-living point. But, you know, get you a Debra Granik movie that can do both.

25. Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham)- Socially terrifying when it isn't being effortlessly funny. Sometimes the protagonist is downright frustrating, which the film doesn't shy away from, but the vulnerability of Elsie Fisher's performance grounds everything around it. Besides nailing adult condescension, Burnham's script works because the big social disaster is always averted until it suddenly isn't, and that's when the moment hits the hardest. Somewhere in the back of my mind though, I kept thinking that perceptive realism is easy to do if that's your only goal. To quote the kids: "Some shade."

I spent most of the movie thanking God that YouTube channels didn't exist when I was thirteen.

24. Three Identical Strangers (Tim Wardle)- I'll be the millionth person to write "truth is stranger than fiction" with regard to this movie. And sometimes having no idea where a movie will go is enough. 23. Green Book (Peter Farrelly)- When a dramatic director makes a comedy, it often feels self-conscious and overt. I'm thinking about Von Trier's The Boss of It All, in which the technique is more important than any audience joy or release. Or Michael Haneke explaining tirelessly why he thinks Happy End is "actually a comedy." Unsurprisingly, the results work a lot better when a comedy director of twenty years decides to go more serious. He knows what audiences want, he already understands how to wring tension out of each scene, and all he needs is the right subject.

The last item is where Green Book suffers. In the end, this is still a movie in which a White guy learns not to be racist. The first third, there seemingly to insist that Tony is the main character, is shaggy. I would wager the men don't get into the car inside of forty minutes. But once we're on the tour? Man, is this a crowd pleaser. The men's respect for each other grows gracefully, and the film's proud sentimentality powers its best moments as they fly by at a clipped pace. I had given up on Farrelly after Hall Pass, which felt amateurish, so a work of such professionally manicured (manufactured?) emotion was a shock.

On a different note, are any of you interested in a thousand words on Linda Cardellini's posture?

22. Den of Thieves (Christian Gudegast)- Despite the February release date, a director with no track record, and the most #basic studio lead there is, Den of Thieves is a caper film as sprawling as it is humane. Even Potato-face Butler is perfect for his role.

I watched the unrated version, which should be called the "depressing version," since I know exactly what was cut. (Hint: The wordless scene of Butler's jilted family ignoring him when he sees them in the grocery store, not anything from the shoot-out.) There's a spot where I would end the movie, and it's way before the Keyser Soze epilogue, but this was a welcome surprise for me. The movie seems to find its star in O'Shea Jackson, Jr. as it goes, and I completely agree. Many more like this please.

21. The Front Runner (Jason Reitman)- Reitman starts with a complicated oner that cranes up and down, zooms in and out of new characters, and times itself perfectly to catch snatches of conversations about "how can you even lay this much cable?" And in all of its Altman-esque indulgence, it's kind of the movie in a nutshell. Something simple--a scene shot with one take--commenting on how damned hard it is. What seems like a straightforward thesis moves at a breakneck pace with a game ensemble until you realize that it was all more complicated than it seemed.

Hugh Jackman has the challenge of playing someone essentially unknowable, but he has an amazing moment in the first third. On the chartered boat called Monkey Business--such a bad look, dude--Gary Hart is composed and dignified until a woman we don't see* sits down across from him, and his whole affect changes. His guard drops, and he seems absorbed by her, giggly. We can't hear what he's saying, but he's asking her about herself and joking about himself. Both or one or neither of those personalities is the real guy. The Front Runner is a movie about a tragic Great Man, and they're always described as if they can't help themselves, as if they're fighting their demons until the magic moment when they aren't. Jackman made that magic real for me when Hart's personality fell out.

20. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)- Patently uneven and bizarrely sequenced, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs doesn't stack up to the Coens' major works--though it demands another viewing. I did think, in all of its bleak absurdism, that it belongs in their neighborhood. To me, there's a dichotomy that most of the brothers' films trace. We're all doomed, but the force that does us in is sometimes fate (A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hudsucker Proxy, No Country for Old Men) and sometimes the stupidity of other people (The Big Lebowski, Blood Simple, Burn After Reading, Miller's Crossing). This new movie seems to start with the latter, waver sometimes in the more interesting middle stories when Zoe Kazan and Tom Waits break my heart, then end up at the former. Tracking such a thing in miniature can be really instructive.

19. The Tale (Jennifer Fox)- If you can look past Common's goofy voice and the more afterschool special aspects of this movie, then you can realize that it should actually, as disturbing as it is, be an afterschool special. It spins its wheels sometimes, but the questions that this movie asks about memory and abuse are invaluable. Presenting a downright shocking portrayal of grooming and secrecy, it avoids easy answers and over-sympathizing with the protagonist all the way through. (Especially notable because the character is "Jennifer Fox," and the director is Jennifer Fox.)

Laura Dern remains Laura Dern, but I loved Jason Ritter in this. Exactly because he has been in a hundred failed sitcoms, he is terrifying here as a devilish knock-off of the type of guy approachable enough to be on TV.

18. Paddington 2 (Paul King)- At first, during the extended introduction, I was worried that Paddington 2 was falling prey to the curse of the sequel: more, not better. But as each family member pays off what we learned about him or her in the introduction during a sprightly train setpiece that owes more than a little to Keaton, I realized that I shouldn't have doubted the Paddington empathy machine. This one carries over the humor and sweetness but goes even harder on the pathos in its attempt to convince us to have good manners and care about the people around us. I'm not sure any other movie this year hit me harder than when the Browns don't show up for their weekly meeting at the jail.

Hugh Grant, an actor who always seems to be having fun, has never seemed as if he is having more fun.

17. Set It Up (Claire Scanlon)- I guess I believe in true love now.

16. Blindspotting (Carlos Lopez Estrada)- The stylized climax is going to be polarizing, but I thought it was a heightened, artful moment whose seeds had been sown throughout. The film meanders, but its angles on subjects like gentrification and probation and identity show tenderness and openness, and Estrada's visual energy recalls early Spike Lee or Jarmusch or Aronofsky. It's worth seeing if only for its fresh sense of place.

The two leads play off each other especially well. If Daveed Diggs is the fourth lead or whatever of Hamilton, then I guess I finally have to see it.

15. Incredibles 2 (Brad Bird)- Incredibles 2 is a good example of a sequel rhyming with the original in a way that doesn’t feel like a retread. Accidentally topical in its subtext about just rule of law, the film hits upon some of Brad Bird’s ideas of exceptionalism and hope for the future while being slightly more cogent in that messaging than the original. (Slightly. The villain problem is still there. If superheroes are already illegal, then why employ and promote them at all if your goal is to make them even more illegal?)

This entry is a bit more overstuffed, less timeless, and less funny than the original. There’s nothing on the level of “Honey, where is my super suit?” which I still say to my wife fourteen years later. But the fight choreography and the textural animation take advantage of the gap in between films. The Paar family dynamic is altered only slightly, but it’s enough to re-invent the proceedings. Violet has more confidence in herself, Dash is more in control of his powers, and it’s the, yes, thicc Elastigirl who is working solo this time. Especially in the opening sequence, we see how each character’s skills complement the others’. If Finding Dory is the bar for “sequels to Pixar movies that didn’t need sequels,” then Incredibles 2 leaps over that bar.

14. Chappaquiddick (John Curran)- "We need to tell the truth. Or at least our version of it."

After the Kennedy Curse claimed JFK Jr., it seemed as if the culture reached a saturation point with Kennedy coverage. Aside from the occasional "Look who's dating Taylor Swift," we gave them their space. Who would have thought that twenty years later would be the perfect time to dust off the coldest case in the dossier?

See, now that we're having a national conversation about who gets the breaks, there's a little bit of extra weight lent to a scene of Ted Kennedy waiting for a sheriff he summoned as he drafts a statement at that absent sheriff's desk. A sheriff who then helps Kennedy to escape through a backdoor lest he answer any untoward question about his manslaughter. The film is delivered with an even pitch--especially the Jason Clarke performance that could have been overdone--but it makes no mistake about its real subject: privilege.

The attempts to keep Kennedy safe become more brazen as the film goes on, and each dodged consequence--getting Teddy's driver's license renewed on the low, for example--is balanced by Ed Helms's desperate performance as a voice of integrity. In all of the best tragedies, we know what's going to happen in the end. All along, the Kennedy Curse was that they are not like the rest of us.

13. Love, Simon (Greg Berlanti)- Can we all agree that an anonymous gossip web site for a high school is a bad idea? And that, though the film doesn't pursue this angle, the vice principal is the one maintaining it?

This propulsive, observant, and witty movie is an outright pleasure from beginning to end. Hocking spitballs at its PG-13 rating, its greatest strengths are having the courage to get dark and having the wisdom to give every supporting character his or her own moment.

[myhahnestopinion]

THE AARONS 2016 - Best Film

Thanks in part to a competition with a friend, I saw 79 new releases in 2016, more films than I have seen from any other year in history. While this large grouping certainly ran the gamut in quality, there were a lot of films that I greatly enjoyed. However, only a handful can receive top remarks, so these are my picks for the absolute best of a solid year for movies. Here are The Aarons for Best Film:

#10: Captain America: Civil War

The Marvel Studios films are consistently some of the most entertaining action blockbusters currently being released, and the Captain America movies have routinely stood out as the best of the pack. Civil War once again succeeds thanks to the diligent directing of the Russo Brothers, who return from the magnificent Winter Soldier, its fantastic ensemble cast, and some relevant, thought-provoking themes that are treated with surprising nuance. While the highlight of the film may be its high-octane airport brawl, a pure delight for comic book fans, Civil War also expertly builds on the now long-standing history of the MCU to deliver a powerful climax, grounded less in special effects and more in meaningful character dynamics. Plus, the film introduces two exciting new heroes into the MCU fold, including the best live-action Spider-Man to date, all adding up to make Civil War the top blockbuster of the year.

#9: Moana

As mentioned in my initial review, Moana feels like the perfect culmination of a long gestating reinvention of the Disney Princess archetype. While the film has the requisite animal sidekicks (including the hilarious Heihei), Moana has no love interest in her story, which makes her journey of self-discovery all the more impactful. The film also features absolutely gorgeous animation that uses a wide variety of vibrant colors, has a killer soundtrack of top-notch Disney tracks from composer Lin Manuel-Miranda, and contains a fantastic voice cast, comprised of both veteran actors, like the immensely likable Dwayne Johnson and Jermaine Clement, and newcomers like Auli’i Cravalho, who certainly leaves an impression. A surprisingly inspiring movie, Moana is probably the best of the recent string of great films from Walt Disney Animation Studios.

#8: Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings was largely ignored at the box office, which is a real shame consider just how much care clearly went into making it, and how amazing the final product is. The meticulously crafted stop-motion animation is a non-stop parade of awe-inspiring visual spectacle, including some extremely impressive scale in the action scenes. While Kubo could arguably deserve a spot on this list for its animation alone, its true strength comes from its moving story that, although being a children’s tale, doesn’t shy away from dark elements or exploring heavy themes like grief. The all-star voice cast is also great, specifically Matthew McConaughey as Beetle and Rooney Mara as both of the deeply unnerving Sisters. 

#7: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

It was clear that Taika Waititi was a director to watch after last year’s What We Do In The Shadows, which was number nine on my list of best films for The Aarons last year, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople just cemented his status as a comedic genius. With an unexpectedly hilarious performance from Sam Neil, who shares immense chemistry with his partner-in-crime played by the amusing Julian Dennison, Hunt for the Wilderpeople delivers plenty of hearty laughs through its dry wit. The film also look incredible, having been shot on location in the beautiful New Zealand wilderness, and is bolstered by some unexpected emotional heft. 

#6: Moonlight

Moonlight is one of the most elegantly poetic films ever made. The performances of the lead actors (Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, and Alex Hibbert) who portray main character Chiron at three different points in his life, are incredible when taken on their own, but, when woven together into a singular image of this man, form something profoundly magical. All the elements of film are in top form here, from the stunning cinematography, to the beautiful score, to the outstanding supporting performances by Mahershala Ali and Naomi Harris. Moonlight’s deeply moving, powerfully human story was exactly the kind of story that 2016 needed more of.

#5: Everybody Wants Some!!

Richard Linklater is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors of all time, and Everybody Wants Some!! is another excellent entry in his impressive filmography. The film’s talented young ensemble cast, including Blake Jenner, Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, and Tyler Hoechlin, all have fantastic chemistry with one another, which helps make Everybody Wants Some!! the most irresistibly charming film of the year. The movie perfectly captures its 80s aesthetic, but what truly makes Everybody Wants Some!! one of the best films of the year is the empathetic touch of Linklater’s writing/directing. Linklater completely rescues the kind of “sports jock” humor that has grown increasingly off-putting in recent years, transforming it into a hilarious and deeply affecting movie experience.

#4: The Lobster

After hearing about The Lobster’s absurd premise, which revolves around a society where people are transformed into animals if they do not find a romantic partner in time, I knew that it would be unmissable. However, I didn’t realize just how profound the film would be, using its bizarre world to take a hilarious, poignant, and occasionally uncomfortable look at the state of modern relationships. The film boasts an impressive cast, including phenomenal work from Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, and the always reliable John C. Reilly, and, while it may not be to everyone’s liking, the film’s dark humor provides some of the funniest moments of the year.

#3: Arrival 

In a year where a lot of blockbusters disappointed, Arrival delivered one of the most thrilling and fascinating movie experiences through its low-key nature, which shunned action in favor of thought-provoking themes and a powerful humanitarian message. Reminiscent of The Day The Earth Stood Still, Arrival’s exploration of the importance of communication and value of nonviolence was especially timely in 2016, and the film’s visuals are a cavalcade of breathtaking moments. Fantastic performances, a beautiful score, Denis Villenueve’s mesmerizing directing, and a story which enthralls the audience with a sense of discovery also contribute to making Arrival exemplary sci-fi and one of 2016′s best films. 

#2: La La Land

Damien Chazelle’s absolutely stunning ode to classic film musicals was in a very close race for my number one spot, and, since I did not see it until very recently, may in fact move up to #1 if I’m given time to mull it over some more. Certainly the most technically impressive film this year, La La Land delights with multiple perfectly executed dance numbers, including an already iconic opening scene, as well as its set of catchy, dynamic songs. Co-stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone once again demonstrate their tremendous talent and chemistry with one another, sweeping the audience off their feet, right into the film’s magical, dream-like L.A. setting. A tribute to all the artists who risk everything to pursue their dreams, La La Land is a powerfully inspiring film for aspiring young talent, and its gorgeous cinematography and lovably retro set-design transforms the film into pure movie magic. La La Land is an impressive and endlessly enjoyable film that is sure to become as iconic as the classic films it emulates.

AND THE BEST FILM OF 2016 IS…

#1: The Witch

In my initial review for The Witch, I said it was not an instant horror classic. I was wrong, and I realized that when I discovered that the film’s downright petrifying ending was still seared into my brain months after I had seen the picture. The Witch is one of the most deeply unsettling movies I have ever seen. It burrows under your skin through its haunting re-imagining of a supernatural colonial history for America, where one must be ever vigilant of every animal or person’s ability to be a conduit for the Devil, and failure to do so bodes unspeakable consequences. The film is overflowing with a chilling atmosphere, due to Robert Eggers’ expert directing, which quickly transforms the woods into a claustrophobic and seemingly malevolent setting, and is rich in tension, through both the heated conflicts of the paranoid family and the film’s portrayal of an overwhelming, insuperable struggle between man and nature. Anya Taylor-Joy makes an immediate impression in her debut role, and the film perfectly captures the 17th century setting through the archaic language of its script and its magnificent costume design. The Witch, much like last year’s It Follows, is a delightfully disconcerting film experience, whose themes paint it as a twisted morality tale that will rattle the viewer to their core. Thanks to its masterful film-making, copious thematic depth, chilling score, adept acting, and the insurmountable dread conjured up by its atmosphere, The Witch is my favorite movie of the year, and one that I’m sure will continue to haunt me for a long time yet. 

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable  and classic comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby There's Something About Mary) while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with The Big Lebowski. Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with Clerks and Dogma, while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with Black Sheep and Tommy Boy.

The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby "There's Something About Mary") while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with "The Big Lebowski." Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with "Clerks" and "Dogma," while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with "Black Sheep" and "Tommy Boy." The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby "There's Something About Mary") while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with "The Big Lebowski." Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with "Clerks" and "Dogma," while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with "Black Sheep" and "Tommy Boy." The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby "There's Something About Mary") while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with "The Big Lebowski." Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with "Clerks" and "Dogma," while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with "Black Sheep" and "Tommy Boy." The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby "There's Something About Mary") while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with "The Big Lebowski." Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with "Clerks" and "Dogma," while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with "Black Sheep" and "Tommy Boy." The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby "There's Something About Mary") while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with "The Big Lebowski." Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with "Clerks" and "Dogma," while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with "Black Sheep" and "Tommy Boy." The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[barbosaasouza]

The Funniest '90s Movies

List of the funniest 90s movies. The best comedies of the 1990s make up the titles on this ranking page. Nineties nostalgia exists for a reason. One of the main reasons is the unforgettable comedies that came out in movie theaters. It is also why we still constantly replay them in our homes today. Thanks to the Zucker brothers, we got the Farrelly brothers (and thereby "There's Something About Mary") while the Cohen Brothers furthered their epic 80s comedy filmography with "The Big Lebowski." Adam Sandler became one of the richest actors in all of Hollywood history as a result of the 1990s. In fact, his popular 90 comedy movies "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" make up his production company name today: Happy Madison. And who can forget Austin Powers' catchphrases spreading like wildfire? Kevin Smith also had two slam dunks with "Clerks" and "Dogma," while the David Spade-Chris Farley funny, unforgettable, onscreen duo did the same with "Black Sheep" and "Tommy Boy." The Funniest '90s Movies published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/