Midweek Movie Free Talk

Last week I watched both Barbie and But I'm a Cheerleader which was an interesting combination with two satirical comedies dealing with feminism and gender roles almost 25 years apart. But, I'm a Cheerleader deals more directly with homosexuality with its hilarious satirical mocking of conversion therapy, but like Barbie also tackles stereotypical gender roles and what is expected from society by men and woman.

Some things does feel a bit dated with But I'm a Cheerleader but also very progressive from a movie from 1999, in a way I don't quite feel Barbie does in the same way. I think Barbie maybe came out 5 years too late. It is merely catching up to a trend and not setting a new one. Of course time will tell how we view Barbie in 20 years, but I can recommend both movies for different reasons. I laughed way more at But I'm a Cheerleader but that may just be me more in tuned with 90s style of comedy.

I just watched the Kingsman movies for the first time, and I really enjoyed them!

I love the take on a spy movie that's both action-packed and no so serious. It was almost like a B movie script was given a AAA budget. The Free Bird scene and what followed was so unexpected.

Second one wasn't as good as the first, but I still enjoyed it. Watching the third one this weekend. I'm excited for it!

I don’t know why I got into the mojo of watching box office bombs. But I’ve just been watching a string of them.

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

It’s the dark and gritty version of Tarzan with Margot Robbie. It actually made quite a bit of money at the time (nearly 400 million worldwide!) but it’s budget was so big it wasn’t profitable.

I always forget about this movie’s existence. But whenever I do remember it I vividly remember the trailers and posters for this at the time as a 16 year old.

It’s wildly mediocre. The VFX is piss poor, the story is boring and none of the performances interesting in their roles despite the caliber of actors that they are. I had also forgotten Samuel L Jackson was even in this.

It’s one of the last “dark and gritty” reboots that studios tried doing after The Dark Knight.

It’s just bizarre that a movie can make this much money, get positive reactions from audiences, and then just be forgotten. I’m not even sure people remembered it a year later.

A Cure for Wellness (2017)

I like Gore Verbinski as a director. I love the Pirates trilogy, I love Lone Ranger. I remember this coming out but I didn’t really have any interest in it. And the reviews were really bad, so I didn’t bother it.

In recent years Wellness, along with all of Verbinski’s filmography, have been re-assessed into a much more positive reception.

I loved this honestly. I thought it was a weird and beautiful gothic horror tale. Visually rich, like Verbisnki usually is, with a great debut from Mia Goth. The weakest part is probably Dehan, who has never been that great of an actor, but honestly I think he kind of fits the setting. Even if just because of the way he looks.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2018)

The sort of sequel, sort of reboot, to David Fincher’s masterpiece.

I also remember this coming out. At the time I hadn’t seen Dragon Tattoo, but I remember enjoying the trailer for this.

I know it got pretty bad reviews and then debuted behind A Star is Born’s fifth weekend.

I watched Fincher’s film in 2021 and I instantly fell in love with it. And then came to learn that it’s regarded as a masterpiece by online film nerds. Which is not what I was expecting from its more muted critical reception at the time.

I think it’s because of how well regarded Fincher’s film is that this got a beating critically. With harsher reception on Letterboxd.

I don’t think it deserves that thrashing. I think it’s a solid pulpy thriller. It’s not elevated to prestige, which is what Fincher does with all his pulpy source material, but it’s entertaining. The technical craft is solid.

I think if this wasn’t so heavily attached to Fincher’s film it would have been received better. Foy does a great job in the role, although she maybe doesn’t have the subtleties or physicality of Mara.

I liked it. It’s much better than the Swedish versions of these films.

Mortal Engines (2018)

One of the biggest bombs of the past five years.

I remember this coming out but I don’t really remember the marketing campaign for it. All I remember is the main poster which is half of a characters face. I don’t really remember the trailers, or even what the premise was.

It’s mostly boring. It’s kind of a generic YA fantasy film with steampunk thrown in there. Nothing about it is memorable (except maybe the Minions being thought of as “American deities”).

Even though it’s not terrible it’s definitely the worst film of this specific bunch.

I mostly watch old films because new releases rarely grab me. There's plenty of hidden gems that were poorly received on release but in retrospect were better than they ever received credit for. This week I watched Sammo Hung's Mr. Vampire and Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce. You know, that movie that essentially bankrupted Cannon Pictures. It was far better than I expected, but like most of Hooper's movies it's...kind of a mess. Mr. Vampire turned out to be a genuinely funny action comedy and not a hyper-violent horror affair like most of the 80s Hong Kong action films I usually see. I learned that Chinese vampires have a tendency to hop everywhere.