As always with this site, bad news comes with a silver lining. I know I did not get a chance to write a lot this week. I’m sorry for that. However, the reason for that is because I had two major screenings, two other films in theaters, and a whole buncha films that I will be writing about in the coming weeks. So basically I sacrificed this week for the betterment of this site. Many reviews I have promised you all will be coming soon, but I also got around to seeing two other films that I’ll be reviewing in the next two days: Moana and Loving. Both are excellent films, and I look forward to writing about them for you all.
On top of those two, I also finally got around to seeing Doctor Strange in theaters. I won’t be writing a review for that one-the point of a review is to encourage you to see movies you are either on the fence about or otherwise wouldn’t, and it seems I may have been the last to see the Benedict Cumberbatch Marvel movie. However, in case you haven’t, I’d say it’s worth seeing on the big screen. If you’ve been curious about a Rick and Morty live action movie, this is pretty much exactly that, with Cumberbatch basically playing both Rick and Morty. I’m on board.
On DVD, I watched a few different films over the past week. From 2016, I watched Love and Friendship, The Forest and Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Love and Friendship is a fascinating little experiment with Jane Austen novels, and while I’m not convinced everything worked out perfectly, it was still highly enjoyable to watch Whit Stillman try. And Tom Bennett is fantastic in it. Meanwhile, The Forest is every bit as terrible as you’ve heard. Somehow the “twists” are predictable AND so stupid you can’t see coming. I’m not sure how they managed to pull that off, but they did. Also, not scary. And finally I saw Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a New Zealand comedy. And God, is it great. Everything about it works flawlessly, feeling like a Flight of the Conchords-written Wes Anderson movie, in the best possible way. The actors, direction and script are all pitch-perfect. It’s definitely in contention for my Top Ten Films of the Year list. And I also got a chance to watch Stagecoach with my father. That one’s a classic for a reason, folks. It’s easily one of John Wayne’s best performances, and John Ford’s direction is near perfect. Side note, one of the scenes in the movie features the corrupt banker explaining to the stagecoach that “What this country needs is a businessman for president!” Not a statement one way or the other, just found that an interesting detail from a film in 1939.
As for TV, I didn’t get a chance to watch a whole lot. A little bit of football, my usual shows (You’re the Worst ended strongly, and I hope to write about that soon), and a bizarre episode of Girl Meets World took center stage for my weekly viewing pleasure. I also began to start Mad Men on Netflix for a second time, in order to get caught up for a friend’s podcast. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the pilot in its entirety, so I will say, as I’m currently halfway through it, that it’s understandable from the get-go why this is considered one of the best shows of all time. And the podcast in question is called No Excuses by Mike Shutt and Jenny Nulf, if you want to check it out.
Speaking of podcasts, I’ve been listening to them a lot more before and-on slow days-during work, and if you want some great suggestions, here’s a list of the ones I’m currently enjoying: Pop Culture Happy Hour, The Frotcast, Gilmore Guys, How Did This Get Made?, and The Awards Show Show, one of the newest ones I listen to, which is a good litmus test for the upcoming Oscar race. And I’ve been skimming the play Fences to prepare for the upcoming Oscar race.
What about you? Anything you’re watching or listening to? Read anything good recently? Leave your options in the comments, and I hope you’re excited for a review-filled week, and get ready for a whole lotta predictions!
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