Spitball Army

9.2
[streaming, Netflix]

Steve is even more self-absorbed than he was the first time I saw this (if that’s possible), and Rob even more endearing: the scene where Steve is mansplaining the history of the Moors in Spain to their two female companions while Rob (in an obvious attempt to deflate Steve’s pomposity) gives an overlapping running commentary as Roger Moore is absolutely hilarious. Of course, a TRIP movie would be nothing without the pair’s duelling impersonations: Marlon Brando as the Grand Inquisitor and Mick Jagger performing “Hamlet” are two standouts.

5.3
[blu-ray]

I so wanted to love this movie, which is perhaps why I liked it less than if my expectations had been absent. But Walter Matthau has rarely been more drolly wicked and funny without actually cracking jokes. The scene where he walks around the city saying farewell to all the trappings of his privileged life, accompanied by the sounds of tweety birds and a sappy string orchestra, is priceless.

9.2
[blu-ray]

Wow.

The portion of this film that most closely resembles the previous work of Bill Morrison (such as DECASIA) comes at the very end and is relatively brief. But it is a dramatic coda to a “you wouldn’t believe it if I told you” tale that begins in the unspoiled Canadian frontier of the 1800s and ends at the Library of Congress in the late 20th century, managing to encompass the Yukon Gold Rush, the science of nitrate film, the displacement of an indigenous tribe, the meteorite rise and eventual decline of a mining boom town, the origins of the Trump family fortune, the early formative days of cinema showmen Sid Grauman and Alexander Pantages, the fate of hundreds of forgotten silent films, and the fortunate caution of a backhoe operator. This is one heady swirl of an historical documentary and, by its end, I wept.

4.1
[DVD, Netflix]

Quaint and slight and redeemed in small measure by a chase through an over-abundant record shop – the record stacks completely out-classed the chase.

8.5
[on-demand]

I remember seeing a pre-release DOGTOOTH in a packed theater at a film festival several years ago, and remarking on what a twisted and bleak view of humanity the director must have. He has only strengthened that view in my mind since then, for only in a Yorgos Lanthimos film (this one) is an adult likely to threaten a child with the punishment of shaving his head and then forcing him to eat the hair (this, after attempting to force-feed the kid a box of doughnuts – and, yes, there is an absurd humor in that, but it exists only to push us to laugh AT the characters, not laugh with them). The script’s awkward, stilted dialogue resembles that of later Kubrick films, probably a conscious choice, as the long static shots and extremely slow zooms do, as well. Fascinating to watch, disturbingly emotional, puzzling but admirable.

8.2
[on-demand]

This film is elevated above the usual staid period Brit-drama mold by the performance of Ali Fazal, who, as Abdul, nearly out-acts Judi Dench with his humane facial expressions alone.

8.0
[theater]

I was able to avoid reading ANYTHING about this film for nearly two weeks before finally seeing it. As such, I feel like the last person on earth to see it, as many people I know have gone a second and even a third time. I will see it again, but feel that a re-watch of THE FORCE AWAKENS prior to that might help, for a fuller perspective. Even so, there are several wonderful moments and touches to THE LAST JEDI that wowed me, including the visual POW of the red salt surface of the rebel planet, and Snoke’s crimson throne room, which took on the weird tone of an MGM musical set, especially once the inevitable balletic fight scene broke out within its domed walls.

6.4
[blu-ray, library]

It’s STAND BY ME lite, clearly an attempt to capitalize on the tone and popularity of Rob Reiner’s film, right down to a parallel vomiting scene. But there’s lots of baseball, so…

6.5
[HBO]

Six Sondheim songs are singled out to represent the breadth of his career, and they are each recreated in collaborations by contemporary singers and filmmakers. But none of them hold a candle to the extended clip of Dean Jones completely inhabiting “Being Alive,” from the D.A. Pennebaker documentary of the recording sessions for “Company.” Now I need to watch the Pennebaker doc again.

7.3
[blu-ray, Redbox]

Because it wears its campy intentions proudly for all to see, KINGSMAN 2 is a heck of a lot of fun. Nothing serious to see here, and Elton John gets to sit around and say “fuck” a lot.