Fall 2020 Viewings

Format: Blu-Ray
Viewing: 3rd (or 4th)
Thoughts: Seeing this again for the third or fourth time, I gotta say it's probably the artsiest midnight movie ever made. Refn has created such a unique atmosphere and aesthetic from the retro-wave soundtrack, LA noir themes, and Italian horror-like violence (practical effects, yay!). The sudden spikes of violence lose their impact upon repeated viewings, but the rest of the film is absolutely electrifying.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I was eager to see this film as I was a big fan of the original article from the New Yorker it was based on. The article was a real page turner for it's inside look into arson investigations and the science behind it. This movie focuses more on the life of Cameron Todd Willingham, played impeccably by Jack O'Connell (oscar-worthy imo). Aside from O'Connell's impressive performance, the movie was kind of disappointing as it left out most of the arson investigation that made the original article so memorable.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I binged this recently on Netflix and I gotta say, I was very impressed with what they did here. Shifting focus to Johnny, down on his luck and never fully recovering from where we left him at the beginning of Karate Kid II, was a brilliant move. Once again the philosophies behind each dojo are pitted against each other, however there's a bit of deconstruction and soul searching this time around. 2 seasons in and I'm excited to see where this series will go next. (Also, would love to see this type of revival show applied to other 80s films like The Goonies, Monster Squad, etc)

Format: DVD
Viewing: Umpteenth
Thoughts: Binging the Cobra Kai series on Netflix made me want to revisit the original movies so bad, especially the first film. Hard to believe it's been 36 years since the first film was released. What makes the original Karate Kid so great is the deliberate slow pacing that gives you a real feel for the characters and story. Much like Rocky, it's an underdog story and Daniel's long journey to the final victory is a joy to watch.

Format: DVD
Viewing: Umpteenth
Thoughts: Solid sequel that picks up right where things left off in the aftermath of Daniel's upset victory at the tournament. The Cobra Kai's are in ruin (love that scene when Kreese loses it and chokes out Johnny). The Japanese setting is a nice change of pace, with Sato and his top student taking over for Kreese and Johnny. It's got everything, a love story, redemption, betrayal, honor, justice, etc. Definitely not as memorable as the original but still an enjoyable film in its own right.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: This probably ranks as one of the most disturbing documentaries ever made. As a father of a young daughter, it was like a gut punch and deeply affected me. It was so disturbing because here you have this typical American family, with typical relationship issues anyone can relate to. Which made the outcome that much more difficult to understand. The filmmakers culled countless videos and pics to deliver a very intimate portrayal of this family in the period leading up to that tragic night. The question lingers long after the credits roll: how was this man capable of doing what he did?

Format: DVD
Viewing: 2nd
Thoughts: Of the original Ralph Macchio Karate Kid films, this is the one I remember the least. This time around we are deep into B-movie territory. So deep that you would swear this is a Cannon film. At this point the Teacher-student antagonists have grown a bit tired (here we have the most stereotypical evil rich guy ever slowly getting revenge for Kreese with his new protege, who looks more like a toughguy character from Beverly Hills 90210). The thrills are light and the cheese is heavy, "Macaroni and cheese, now that's what I like!"

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I tend to jump on anything crime doc related on Netflix. This had such a great story and setting. But unfortunately it is wayyyyy too drawn out and spends too much time on the legal vs illegal marijuana biz and not enough time on real evidence and facts. Everything is hearsay from a bunch of ne'er-dowellers. You will hear them say Murder Mountain around 100 times, but actual murder cases are never really fleshed out. As a series, this just didn't work. Having a disctinct focus on Garret Rodriguez' case and the subsequent deaths in a trimmed down 1.5 hour doc would have been so much better.

Format: DVD
Viewing: 2nd
Thoughts: Concluding my tour of the original Karate Kid movies (with absolutely no desire to ever watch the Jaden Smith reboot), I dared to answer the question: could the franchise get any worse after the shitshow that was part III? Well, unfortunately it does. But not by much. The Cobra Kai's have now been replaced by a brigade of high school mercenaries clad in black t-shirts and acid wash jeans. Mr Miyagi at this point has now become a tired cliche, and Hilary Swank is kind of annoying as the teen girl successor to Daniel-san. It's all just really lame and lacks the wacky Cannon film-esque antics that made Pt III somewhat enjoyable.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Excellent and exhaustive docuseries on the Challenger disaster. Really does a great job of humanizing a national tragedy and takes you back to a time when Space exploration was on the top of everyone's minds. Would rate it higher but does feel a little lengthy at times, still this has to be the definitive document of the tragedy inside and out.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Finally got around to seeing this as apparently it had originally aired on the Paramount network (had no idea they were capable of this level of content). The story of the Branch Davidians and their final days has been told countless times through documentaries and dramatizations (the one I recall the most is the overly biased 90s tv-movie with the father from the Wonder Years). Here we have a much more truthful depiction of the event. It takes a while to get going but once the siege begins you will be glued to the screen. Taylor Kitsch is fantastic as David Koresh, along with great support from John Leguizamo and several Boardwalk Empire alumni.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Normally I'm on board for Charlie Kaufman wackiness (it's definitely an acquired taste), but this just didn't work for me and kept losing my interest. Here he has ventured into some strange Coen Brothers/Stephen King territory. It definitely has its moments and offers a pretty interesting take on relationships in the modern world. But yeah it will be a struggle for most to get through it.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: Umpteenth
Thoughts: I don't know what possessed me to watch this again the other night but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it has held up over the years. Mainly for 2 reasons: 1. Molly and Jimmy's relationship is a very honest and realistic portrayal of couples in that type of dynamic (it's messy and doesn't always have the answers) and 2. Elias Koteas. He is 100% committed to this role as the extreme right-wing, down on his luck brother of Molly. He really steals the show and makes you wish he had more screen time. The baby talk grows a little tired at this point (hard to believe Mikey is not talking himself by now), but luckily the adults make up for it.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Fascinating look at the many flawed areas of our judicial system that leads to countless falsely accused men convicted of crimes they did not commit. The presentation is strong and the stories are riveting. A true crime must-see.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: Umpteenth
Thoughts: Weekend at Bernie's falls in that category of light silly 80s/90s comedy, similar to Police Academy and others of the like. It's basically like if you gave the Three Stooges a dead body and had them pretend it was alive. It's a fun ride but the nostalgia of it will make you like it more than it's worth. It loses a few stars for that horrible and abrupt ending, but gains a star for the coked out mob hitman who almost steals the show towards the end.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I think all of us continue to give these Adam Sandler movies a chance for one simple reason, we want them to recapture the magic of his earlier films. But sadly they never do. And they just end up feeling like you are watching the latest Steven Seagal movie. Everything feels forced, the laughs are never above a chuckle or two, and in the end you are left feeling unsatisfied and wondering why you even bothered in the first place.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: As a huge fan of the Inbetweeners series, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this the other night on streaming. This is a sleeper comedy hit, easily one of the funniest movies I've seen recently. I feel like this type of humor walks the line between smart comedy and gross out, and somehow it always delivers. Disappointed not seeing other cast members from Inbetweeners, but Claudia O'Doherty from Judd Apatow's Love series makes up for it. She almost steals the show as the motor-mouth Australian girl with a heart of gold.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Much like Murder Mountain, this was a fascinating story that was stretched and drawn out way too much, to the point that I ended up fast forwarding through a great deal of it. That being said, the courtroom scenes and twists and turns make it a must see. So again, this could have been trimmed down to about half the episodes and would have had a bigger impact. Guaranteed you will change your position on the case at least once or twice, and it will have you questioning every aspect of it.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: So it's been roughly 14 years since the original Borat movie premiered and the immediate thought is, how is he going to pull this off with so many people obviously being able to recognize him? The answer is a disguise within a disguise, so it's Sascha doing Borat doing other characters. Which is brilliant. He also introduces a side kick in the form of his teenage daughter, who adds an interesting new layer to it. Shocks and laughs are served up as can be expected, however there is clearly a more political message this time around. I haven't seen jabs at the Republican party this severe since Michael Moore's earlier stuff. Overall it doesn't quite have the same impact as the first moviefilm, but it certainly is a big cringe-inducing car wreck you can't look away from.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I decided to give this a shot, despite the fact that rarely do I find good series of this type (HBO's Rome and Starz' Spartacus are some greats that come to mind). This is a unique series as it's a German production where the Barbarians speak German and the Romans speak Latin (typically everyone is speaking some accented form of English). I was pleasantly surprised at how good this series is, solid production with great actors in memorable roles. Thusnelda is the most badass blonde I've seen since GOT's Khaleesi. The only downside is the plot twists are a little too rushed, however the rest makes up for it.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised to see this show get a revival on Netflix, as I remember the original series with Robert Stack as a kid. The format has changed slightly, with no host this time around and sticking more to the style and presentation of other recent true-crime docu-series. The lack of a definitive outcome or resolution may be difficult for some (my wife included), but I found all the episodes to be equally fascinating stuff.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Since it was Halloween weekend I was in the mood for some spooky, nostalgic fair which landed me on Gate 2. I'm a big fan of the original movie (see my review on the listal page), and was aware there was a horrible sequel which I never bothered to see. Tonight I gave in and finally watched it. Well I must say it lived up to its shittyness. It's very light on scares and the minions have lost their impact (my wife called them cute!). The whole thing is very lame and uneventful, lacking all the elements that made the original a classic. Bonus points if you recognize a young Pamela Adlon, who would later co-star in the series Louie with Louis CK.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 2nd (or 3rd)
Thoughts: It's Halloween night and I'm struggling to come back from the terrible choice of Gate 2 the night before and I had to pick something good to get back in my wife's good graces. So I went with the sure-to-please John Carpenter's Vampires. This movie is awesome and has it all: James Woods completely committed to this role (which is kind of like Fred Williamson meets Reservoir Dogs-era Steve Buscemi), KNB studios at their prime of practical F/X, and all the signature Carpenter touches we love. The whole thing has a fun, Tales From The Crypt vibe to it and ended up being the perfect popcorn movie for this Halloween night.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Netflix has officially declared itself the mecca of true-crime docu-films and docu-series. Okay maybe it was just me that did the declaring, but it seems like they are pumping these out weekly or even daily. Which is not at all a bad thing. This documentary focuses on the heartbreaking story of a mother's pursuit of justice for her murdered daughter against unbelievable odds. You will be in shock and disbelief at how insane the justice system in Mexico operates. In the US we are used to seeing law enforcement and the prosecuters bending to the families of the victims (even to the point of locking up innocent people, see #14 above), however Mexico has it totally ass-backwards. It's really just sad and infuriating, but the filmmakers do a good job of trying to make sense of it all. In Spanish with subtitles.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Do you like underdog stories? Well this is the Rocky of running for political office movies. It is inspirational and deeply moving to see these women take on the political establishment to try to make real change in their communities. The real star of the movie is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her humble beginnings and journey to become the youngest woman ever to be appointed to Congress is amazing. It restores some faith in politics knowing that people like this are out there really trying to make America better for everyone. (A great follow up to this would be watching some of Alexandria's highlights as Congresswoman, especially her putting the heat to Marc Zuckerberg)

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I was sold when I read the tagline "from the writers of Deadpool," indeed this is one nihilistic, subversive dark comedy series. I think what works best about this series is how you are along for the ride and have no idea where it will go next. And it's very difficult to pigeon-hole this into one type of series, which I think is a good thing and speaks to its originality. At a time when series are overabundantly mediocre, this is one I can get behind. It's edgy, pulls no punches, and makes no apologies.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I didn't really know what to expect from this movie and my expectations were very low going in, but I gotta say it was entertaining as hell. The wonder pill concept has been done before, but here I feel like they threw a new spin on it to add the super hero element to it. And it succeeds for the most part thanks to a break neck pace that makes the 2 hours breeze by. The action and thrills take front seat here, and the visual effects are pretty damn impressive. Jamie Foxx doing his best Denzel impression. Would have liked to see more character and story development, but in the end it was an enjoyable little popcorn flick.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Much like The Staircase, this was a long drawn out docu-series that gets so clouded and convoluted along the way that there is a disappointing realization that the truth may never come out. Many questions left unanswered, but I found it to be fairly enjoyable up until the point where the bodies were found and the initial suspects were taken in. After that the case takes you down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and other inconsistencies. But overall, it was fascinating to see what a media frenzy this case turned out to be, at a time in Spain when nothing like this was plastered on the television.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Yet another stellar true crime series from Netflix, that once again exposes the injustices caused by wrongful convictions. Here you have 2 cases linked because they both took place in a small town in Oklahoma and they both involved wrongfully convicting innocent men. Great presentation and will have you glued all the way through. It's sad, anger inducing, and riveting stuff.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: This movie had been on my list to see for quite some time, based on the fact that the make up department also worked with Peter Jackson on his early splatterfest films. So yeah, I was expecting something akin to Dead Alive here but unfortunately the whole thing was a bit of a disappointment. There's really only one impressive gore effect in the first half of the movie and most of it is boring and plodding. The finale is too little, too late, even if the effects are kind of cool.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 2nd (or 3rd)
Thoughts: The wife and I were looking for some quick laughs the other night when we came across this on streaming. I figured why not as I hadn't seen it in ages. Just to put some context on it, this was the Farrelly Bros follow up to their uber-successful There's Something About Mary. Well this definitely fails in comparison to that or even their earlier films. Mainly because the characters aren't very likeable. Charlie isn't some poor soul abused by bullies who finally gets revenge, he's just some sad sack pushover who finally grows a pair but even then he is only marginally successful. Also, Renee Zellwegger did not quite have the same charm and presence as Cameron Diaz. That being said, this is still a Jim Carrey movie and there is still a ton of laughs here. This time around it was the little trivial moments that made me laugh the most (the scene where he's at the station drinking from the water cooler and starts choking and spitting water everywhere, haha!). I would put this at the lower-end of Farrelly Bros movies and at the mid-level of Jim Carrey movies.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I was not familiar with the original UK series this was based on before I gave it a shot, it just looked cool and had a great concept. Well this turned out to be a helluva series. And man is it timely given what has happened in 2020. It's everything you want out of a conspiracy mystery/thriller, and you learn very quickly that no one is safe and nothing is what it seems. The cast is great, mostly unknowns except for John Cusack and Rainn Wilson. It moves along very quickly and twists and turns are aplenty. After seeing this and Wayne, I'm convinced Amazon is finally delivering some quality series that are right up my alley.

Format: DVD
Viewing: 2nd
Thoughts: I had seen this when it came out in the theaters and don't remember too much about it other than it having a few laughs but nothing special. Seeing it again I have to say it is pretty flawed but not as bad as the other reviews suggest. I actually thought Cameron Diaz was good in this role and something tells me it is pretty close to how she is in real life. But the real star of the show here is Brit Actress Lucy Punch as Ms Squirrel, the catty goodie-two-shoes teacher and rival of Elizabeth. She's totally committed to the role and it's brilliant. The rest of the cast is kind of underwhelming, I love Jason Segal but he doesn't do much here (his big shining moment is a Lebron/Jordan argument with a student). Bottom line, the movie is good for a few laughs but don't expect much out of it.

Format: Blu-Ray
Viewing: 2nd
Thoughts: Second time seeing this and damn is this a lot of fun. It's probably one of the best Burton flicks to come out in the last ten years. This time around I found the movie to be most enjoyable during Barnaby Collins' modern times (1972) culture shock (like when he calls Alice Cooper the ugliest woman he's ever seen, haha!). It's cozy in that Beetlejuice sense, gothic horror mixed with dark comedy elements. Eva Green lighting up the screen with her sexiness. Pass the popcorn!

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: I was very impressed with this film and will go as far as saying not only is it one of the best courtroom drama films ever made, but also one of the top films of the dismal 2020 film landscape. Mainly because Sorkin's whip smart writing and quick edits has the film soaring along and the 2 plus hours just fly by. I was somewhat familiar with the story and historical characters of the counter-culture movement, but had forgotten most of the details of this trial. Which I think enhanced my viewing experience as it had me glued all the way through. The cast is great, but the real standout here was Mark Rylance as Defense Attorney Bill Kunstler. Brilliant performance.

Format: DVD
Viewing: 3rd (or 4th)
Thoughts: I've seen this quite a few times and it still holds up well today and I'd go as far as saying it's probably the last quality Sandler comedy ever made. Main reason is that it's a great combination of his earlier typical gags and humor that we expect, but here they worked in a It's A Wonderful Life story that kind of sneaks up on you and dominates the second half of the movie. The shift in tone I think elevates the film a bit from Sandler's other comedies. It's just one of those movies that turns out to be more than you expected and by the end you are surprised it was actually a Sandler comedy you just sat through.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Despite being very juvenile at times, I found this little comedy slash backwoods baddies flick from Scotland to be pretty entertaining. It reminded me of Hot Fuzz and even The Inbetweeners series. It just had that charm that films from this neck of the woods has. It was very clever and the laughs kept coming. You definitely have to suspend disbelief for most of the movie and be able to stomach an impromptu hip hop concert in a hillbilly barn. But aside from that the production and acting is quality and you could do far worse with American movies of this type.

Format: DVD
Viewing: 2nd
Thoughts: The wife and I were in the mood for some holiday fair over Thanksgiving weekend and it just so happens I picked this up at a Good Will for 2 bucks. I think Bad Santa is the role Billy Bob Thornton was born to play, so much so that we would later see this character turn up again in the Amazon series Goliath. The movie is so delightfully wicked and dares to answer the question, "what if Leaving Las Vegas was a dark comedy with a Christmas setting?" Seeing it for the second time, I found the relationship between Santa and the pudgy boy to be very endearing and it's the real backbone of the film. Overall the film is not for all tastes, it definitely would not have been made in today's politically correct climate. But if you want to throw a zing in your holiday viewing experience, this is among the best.

Format: Streaming
Viewing: 1st
Thoughts: Closing out my Fall 2020 viewing list, I decided to watch this after seeing the trailer on Netflix. This was an emotional rollercoaster of a movie, punctuated by strong performances from Amy Adams and Glen Close. I would go as far as saying this is the best acting out of Glen Close in ages. Despite this getting average reviews from the critics, I found it to be a strong, impactful movie with a good message about how we raise our children and rising above the restraints of the environment we grow up in. Not something I would rush to see again, but still a solid movie.