Film

Movies! The Best of A24 (2019 Edition) / February 22, 2020 by Joel Goodman

It was a banner year for the best production and distribution company in film, A24. It seems like everything they released was pure gold, but I unfortunately didn’t get to catch all of it. 2019 (and especially the last half of the year) was absolutely bonkers for me and my family, and I had to carefully choose what movies I watched because free time was so scant. Whenever I could, I chose the movies that were best received by critics I like and trust, and the lion’s share of those films were A24. I’ve talked about a few others already, but I’ve saved the best for last. Here are my 3 favorite A24 film of 2019. Cheers!

The Lighthouse

8.95/10.0

A "Hell is Other People" movie that takes place at, you guessed it, a lighthouse. It sort of functions as a better, more stylish and surreal version of The Vanishing. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe star, and I think it's Dafoe's best work. But the real star of the show is the cinematography. It's shot in inky black and shades of silver, with night scenes lit so perfectly with pools of candlelight that it almost distracts you from the story. The 1.19:1 aspect ratio is a great choice, as well. Really makes the experience that much more claustrophobic. From Robert Eggers, who wowed us all a few years back with The Witch, or The VVitch if you prefer.

Midsommar

8.5/10.0

Ari Aster is back with another story of family tragedy disguised as a horror film. This time around we have a young woman that takes a trip to a Swedish commune with a group of friends following an event that leaves her as the sole survivor of her immediate family. Of course, things are not as they initially seem and things go very bloody, very quickly as relations between the commune and their visitors sour. While not as strong as Aster's previous film, Hereditary, which was a defining moment in modern horror, there is plenty to like about Midsommar. It's well shot and directed, and almost constant daylight provides an interesting backdrop to the happenings on screen. Highly recommended.

Uncut Gems

9.15/10.0

My pick for the best film of 2019. From the Safdie brothers, who previously gave us the pleasantly surprising Good Time. Adam Sandler plays a gambling addicted jeweler that constantly makes the wrong decisions and winds up in a terrible situation involving Kevin Garnett (who plays himself) and a rare uncut black opal. Uncut Gems is a singular accomplishment that everyone should see. This movie made me feel like I was on the verge of a panic attack for the entirety of its running time. It's very strange that I'm typing these words, but here it goes: Adam Sandler was robbed and he deserved the Academy Award for best actor. This is a truly great film that I believe will come to be thought of as one of the great suspense films of all time. Yes, it is that good. I get the feeling I will rewatch this frequently.

Movie Snippets / June 9, 2019 by Joel Goodman

In January of 2019, I started keeping a spreadsheet to track the movies I watch. I assign a rating from 0 to 10 (with 5 being the average, or expected value) and write a little snippet with some quick opinions on the film in question. Here, I’ll post a few of those snippets at a time for your enjoyment.

Good Time (2017)

7.20/10.0

I'll be honest and own up to the fact that even though I've never seen any of the Twilight movies, I've always just taken everyone's word about them and written them off entirely, up to and including the actors involved. After seeing this film, I must admit that I was wrong about Robert Pattinson. He's absolutely amazing in this tight little thriller about NYC, LSD, and a bank robbery gone awry. It’s because of this film that I’m not completely skeptical of his ability to do Batman justice. But I'm still never gonna watch a Twilight movie.

Action Point (2018)

3.95/10.0

Based on an actual NJ amusement park that was around in the 70s and 80s. The real life story that inspired the movie would have made for a great film in the right hands, but instead we get this Johnny Knoxville/Jackass vehicle. My biggest gripe is that I never felt like Action Point was a real place inhabited by real people. Instead we have what appears to be a random collection of props haphazardly arranged in a southern California backlot and characters pulled straight from an 80's ski movie (the nerd, the bully, the stoner, etc.) Someone else should take another crack at the story of Action Park because it’s amazing. In the mean time you can read the many accounts of what it was really like on the internet.

Dressed To Kill (1982)

8.35/10.0

De Palma's ode to the Italian Giallo movies of the 60's and 70's. This is a very good approximation of the genre, save the absence of the funk or prog rock soundtrack. It's insane, sleazy and undeniably fun even if it’s what we would probably call "problematic" in 2019. They just don't make them like this anymore because well, they can't make movies like this anymore. Nancy Allen was nominated for a Razzie, which feels weird because she's actually very good here. I like to consider this movie an unofficial companion piece to Body Double.

Movie Snippets / June 5, 2019 by Joel Goodman

Blood and Black Lace (1964)

7.95/10.0

The movie that invented the Giallo genre, black gloves and all. It also influenced every notable filmmaker (especially the Italian ones) for 50 years. Off-the-charts amazing photography and production design. Bava’s use of primary colors was way ahead of its time. What would Suspiria (1977) look like without Blood and Black Lace? Probably alot more like Suspiria (2018). Watch this movie however you can (it’s on Amazon Prime if you don’t want to buy the Blu Ray), but be prepared for a sub-optimal experience because a good transfer doesn't exist yet in the digital era. This movie is ready for a restoration.

Cameron Mitchell costars, which is hilarious.

Suspiria (1977)

8.50/10.0

Critics and bloggers are always referring to this movie with some variation on the phrase "candy-colored nightmare", which is understandable since it’s just about the most apt description of Suspiria that I can think of. Argento's best movie (or is that Deep Red?) stars Jessica Harper in a role that she passed up the title role in Annie Hall for. Pretty crazy, right? Just chew on that for a second. Anyhow, the murder scene that opens this film up is one of the most over-the-top, brutal things ever committed to celluloid and sets the tone for the best Italian horror flick of the late 70's. This film is an atmospheric horror classic that drips with style (which makes up for the fairly thin story) and it must be seen by all genre afficianados. The "remake" from 2018 is also very good but very different to the point that it's almost unrelated. Trivia: Suspiria is the last film to be shot on Technicolor.

Suspiria (2018)

8.70/10.0

This isn’t a remake at all, more like a retooling. It hits some of the same beats as the 1977 classic and keeps the same setting, but the story is much more thoroughly fleshed out and Suzie’s role is very different. Additionally, Argento’s flashy primary colors have been traded for muted earthy tones and the rock score is replaced with something more moody and traditional.

None of this is bad in the least, in fact it’s an altogether better film than the original. Is it as memorable? Will it become a classic in the same way Argento’s movie did? The answer to both of those questions is no. What I can say is that there’s nothing else quite like it. Maybe it’s the first art house occult horror movie? Either way, it’s a great film.

Movie Snippets / June 2, 2019 by Joel Goodman

Deadwood: The Movie (2019)

8.90/10.0

This marks the end of HBO's best series that isn't the Sopranos. Set ten years after the show's third and final season, this film ostensibly chronicles the assassination of Charlie Utter at the hands of George Hearst and all the drama that follows, but it's true raison d'être is to give us fans the closure we've been denied for the past 13 years. All the characters that were alive at the end of the show make an appearance and we get to see the conclusion to all of their stories. It lives up to the show's standard of excellence, but when the credits roll it's hard to shake the feeling that there should be another 10 or 11 episodes left to watch. Nevertheless, superb movie.

It (2017)

6.65/10.0

I recently watched this at home in my living room and it definitely wasn’t as fun as it was in the theater. That said, I must admit that this is a pretty entertaining flick, and much better than the TV miniseries from the 90s. "That scene" from the book was (mercifully) omitted. No really what I would call "high cinema", but it is never boring and the Swedish feller that plays Pennywise is really good.

The Dirt (2019)

3.30/10.0

Based on the book of the same name, which is an oral history of Mötley Crüe. When the book came out, everyone I knew made the trip down to Powell's Books to pick it up and it's all everyone talked about for weeks. Sadly, nobody will do the same for the adaptation. This movie sucks. It's got the worst acting I've seen so far in 2019, perhaps with the exception of Gotti but it gets pretty close. Netflix could have put more money into this movie and gotten a better script and better actors but they didn't and the product shows it. It's not even that entertaining. At least Gotti was entertaining.

Movie Snippets / May 26, 2019 by Joel Goodman

Gotti (2018)

2.50/10.0

Hoo boy, now this is a really bad movie. Like, unbelievably bad. Imagine a garbage truck, loaded to capacity with soiled adult diapers, that has been set on fire and whose brakes have failed. This is the cinematic equivalent of that. Everything about it is bad, but the acting and script are the worst of the year. It's verges on, and at times crosses over into "so bad it's good" territory. It feels at times that this movie might be a prank on all of us; that the possibility exists that this is some kind of postmodern masterpiece that is really laughing at us even as we laugh at it. A hard movie to rate; this is either a 2.5 or a 9.5. I'll go with the former.

Black Rain (1989)

4.95/10.0

Just look at the poster. Look at it.

Michael Douglas's mullet stars in a dated police thriller-cum-fish out of water movie that actually has some very impressive cinematography and neat set pieces, but whose story is contrived and performances are just about a shallow as they come. Andy Garcia is especially flat. I mean, you hardly notice he's even there before he's beheaded and his death motivates everything Michael Douglas and his mullet do in the last half of the movie. Cocaine was definitely involved in every step of the process during the making this film. Bookended by two very, very bad 80's radio rock jams.

Nightbreed (1990)

8.65/10.0

I get funny looks when I tell people that this is one of my favorite movies, but I really think this is an amazing film. It’s a deeply misunderstood dark fantasy/horror masterpiece that has never quite gotten the respect it deserves. This is the best thing Clive Barker has ever done and he'll probably never match it. The 90s being what they were, the studio reportedly demanded Barker include a real slasher-style villain (played by none other than David Cronenberg!) and cut the film by something like 30 minutes. As it turns out, the former was a blessing in disguise and the latter was only temporary, as a director's cut was released in the 2010's after floating around on VHS bootlegs for nearly 20 years. Both cuts are great (although the longer cut is better by a mile), and this movie is a must-see.

Movie Snippets / May 19, 2019 by Joel Goodman

The Nun (2019)

3.85/10.0

Boring cornball of a horror flick that leans on jump scares and "creepy" halloween store mise en scène. This takes place in the same universe as the Conjuring movies, which although not perfect are generally above average mainstream horror films. This one, however, leaves the fog machine turned on a little too long and uses one too many pairs of white contacts for me to be able to recommend it.

Tales From the Crypt (1972)

6.25/10.0

Entertaining anthology film produced by Amicus and starring Peter Cushing as the Crypt Keeper. I’m a sucker for Amicus and Hammer horror films, and this is right up my alley. The first story is a fast paced Christmas story about an escaped mental patient dressed up as Santa Claus stalking Joan Collins and just might be my favorite Christmas horror story. It also predates Silent Night, Deadly Night by 10 years, and is much more effective. The other stories are also very good. Based on the same EC Comics as the Tales From the Crypt of the 90's.

The Legend of Cocaine Island (2019)

7.5/10.0

Fairly well produced documentary that resembles the work of Errol Morris. Basically a story about a tobacco chewing Floridian that got his hands on the location of $2,000,000 worth of cocaine and set off to find it. It's funny and well made and the characters are absolutely unforgettable. It's worth your time if you've got Netflix and you have the 90 some-odd minutes to kill.