Here is what I am watching (so far) during the quarantine for COVID-19
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Goodfellas
I'm not sure how I went this long without seeing this mafia classic. Martin Scorsese's film adaptation of Henry Hill's memoir, Wiseguy, about how Hill became part of the mob while growing up in Brooklyn, is just so good and so outrageous in the way that all mafia films are. There's a lot of screaming, crying, shooting, drug use, etc. Ray Liotta turns in his career-defining performance as Henry Hill, who starts out as a kid just running errands for the local mob boss and works his way up the ladder, only for it to all come crashing down--forcing him to go into witness protection after becoming an FBI informant.
This is such a well-known, well-respected film that I don't think I have to relay the plot. To be honest, it's not my *favorite* mafia movie (that would be Scorsese's The Departed), but it's really worth a watch for any film buff. Plus it's where that Liotta laughing gif came from.
Grade: A
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Scare Me
I have to say, this movie was a true disappointment. This "Shudder Original", starring Aya Cash, Josh Ruben, and Chris Redd, got pretty good reviews when it came out. Cash and Ruben play Fanny and Fred--two writers who are staying in neighboring cabins for a weekend away so that they can focus on writing. During a power outage, they hang out together and decide to pass the time by telling scary stories.
This is really a movie about male fragility, as it becomes clear that Fanny--already a published author--is simply better at storytelling than Fred. His resentment grows and grows until it reaches a crescendo at the end of the film.
But in general, the film is not only not scary, it's actually pretty boring. The acting is certainly great and the story had promise, but I feel that it did not deliver.
Grade: C+
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The Beach House
Another mediocre Shudder original, The Beach House is about the horrors of infection. A young couple, Emily (Liana Liberato) and Randall (Noah Le Gros), are looking forward to a weekend alone at Randall's parents' beach house. Unfortunately, they find that an older couple, Mitch (Jake Webber) and Jane (Maryann Nagel)--friends of Randall's parents--are already staying there. Not wanting to be rude, the couples decide to share the beach house...and, uh, share some mind-altering substances as well.
But lack of privacy isn't the biggest problem these couples will face. While the foursome are high from edible marijuana, they note the strange texture of the ocean water, as well as the thick fog all along the beach. The next morning, Jane appears to be very ill, and covered in skin sores. It's not long before it becomes obvious that the beach is infected with something--something that can make humans very sick.
The Beach House has some really gnarly body horror and it is indeed scary in the unique way that "end of the world" type films are. But in general it's not particularly memorable, in my opinion.
Grade: C+
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Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
To be clear, this was not my first time watching Walk Hard, though it is my first time reviewing it. Walk Hard is an above-average comedy that parodies "rise and fall of a musician" movies, and specifically Walk the Line. John C. Reilly (one of the most underrated and gifted actors alive, in my opinion) plays Dewey Cox--a talented musician from a poor, Southern family. Dewey is estranged from his parents after he accidentally cut his younger brother in half while playing with a machete as a kid. As Dewey's dad reminds him about 50 times throughout the movie, "the wrong kid died".
Dewey shoots to fame as a rock n' roll star, only to get caught up in drug addiction, as well as an addiction to ripping bathroom sinks out from the wall when he's in a fit of despair/rage. Still, with the love of a good woman, Darlene Madison (Jenna Fischer), Dewey is able to get clean and sing his way to the top. Fun note: that's really John C. Reilly singing!
Walk Hard is chock-full of celeb cameos, ranging from Jack White as Elvis to Jason Schwartzman as Ringo Starr. The film came out in 2007, riding the coattails of the Anchorman/40 Year Old Virgin train, but I believe it stands on its own as a great comedy. It's one of those movies where so many jokes are crammed in, you can actually miss a few because you're laughing so hard the whole time.
Grade: B+
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