It’s official, you guys: I have finally seen 100 complete films in the year 2016! And you know what? This means I’m a little behind. I’ll have to put in some overtime in the next five months in order to get to 250 like last year. It shouldn’t be too hard, though, considering I have three screenings this week alone. At any rate, you can see the two films I reviewed in that period, Batman: The Killing Joke and Suicide Squad, here and here.
Now, I have two weeks to make up for, due to vacation, so let’s get down to business (to defeat the huns…). Immediately after the last posting of this segment, my brother returned home from his musical tour of Europe. As all good brothers do, I took him to see Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. He enjoyed the film a bit more than I did, but his sentiments, as well as my own, still line up with my review, which you can read here. After that, it was time for a little vacation of my own, as I headed deep into the North for some well-needed R&R. I did get a few films in while up there, though. The most important viewing was my third time with Everybody Wants Some!!, which my family, for once, even agreed was excellent. This is a film that is probably going to end the year at #1 for me, and I consider it to be one of my All-Time Favorite Films. I’ll write something about this film in the future, but if you don’t see this film you are doing yourself a great disservice. I won’t, however, recommend Jiminy Glick in La La Wood, one of the most vile movie experiences I’ve ever had. Honestly, if it wasn’t for a killer David Lynch impression and editing style in the subplot, this film would be unsaveable, and would earn a spot on my list of Worst Films of All Time. In theaters, I managed to check out the new Jason Bourne film. I’m not sure if I’m going to write a review of this one, but my opinion is essentially “well made, but predictable.” Upon returning home, my brother requested we see The Blair Witch Project, in honor of the new one. I’d seen it once before, but my appreciation for it grew this time around. A few days ago, TCM showed the original 1933 King Kong, so I finally managed to complete that film. Plot-wise, it’s really a great little film. Effects…well, some hold up, while others don’t, and we’ll leave it at that. Later that night, my father put on the documentary The Wrecking Crew, which is a nice tour through music history, even if it’s a little light, but I mostly used it as background noise while I wrote. And speaking of background noise, my brother told me to check out Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, which I watched while writing this article. My brother watched it three and a half times in a row on his flight back, and the nicest thing I can say is that this is a film that objectively exists.
Television has really been a hodgepodge. I caught the ending to the Bachelorette which, meh. Although I wouldn’t have been on board with anyone but Chad, if I’m being honest. Maybe that’s why people like me are not supposed to watch that show. I also caught some Great British Baking Show and Girl Meets World, as well as the start of the Olympics. It’s been a light week for television, although I have The Get Down coming up this week, and I’m going to try to get around to Stranger Things sooner rather than later.
As I was on vacation, I had a lot of beach and pool time, and I even managed to get a little bit of literature in. Specifically, I read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which you can read my review of here. I also reread The Killing Joke, which obviously stands up not only as a comic, but as a novel in and of itself. And finally, I’m about halfway through Film Critic by Laremy Legel, which is essentially just a how-to book for film critics. Laremy’s my pal, so I’ll just sum the whole thing up by saying, “I like the cut of his jib.” That sums up my views on his book quite well.
What about you, dear readers? What have you been up to in the world of pop culture these past few weeks? Leave your answers in the comments below.
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