By: Henry J. Fromage –
This was another smorgasbord week as I did more flitting around with what I watched while working at home than anything.
257. Forrest Gump
I haven’t watched this end-to-end in a decade, if not two, so this rewatch was an interesting mix of comforting nostalgia and new context (namely, that this beat out Pulp Fiction for Best Picture back in 1995). Well, it’s still pretty iconic in its evocation of so much iconography of Americana, even if it’s sure as hell no Pulp Fiction. Three Beers.
258. The Unjust
This 2010 Korean dirty cop drama is a famous one there, memorably spoofed on their version of SNL among other cultural touchpoints. You’ll recognize so many faces if you’ve watched many Korean films that’ve broken through to the international scene, chief among them Hwang Jung-min above and the ascendant Ma Deong-seok (Don Lee in Hollywood). Anyway, this is a knuckle-bruising epic of corruption that ends prettily for nobody- a touch hopeless, but that’s the point. Three Beers.
259. Senior Year
I wish I had better things to report about this Netflix comedy starring Rebel Wilson as a cheer captain (played in impeccable impersonation by Angourie Rice in flashbacks) who wakes up from a coma 20 years later and rejoins high school to finish her Senior Year and all her prom queen goals tied to it. There are laughs to be had and there’s nothing outright bad about the film, but it feels like it should have been significantly funnier given the setup. Four Beers.
260. Operation Mincemeat
Netflix again, this time featuring a murderer’s row of British stars dramatizing Operation Mincemeat, an operation to plant a dead body with fake invasion plans to convince the Nazis that the impending invasion of Sicily was actually planned to take place in Greece. This is about as stolid and up the middle a recounting of this true life story that helped inspire young officer Ian Fleming to his more famous subsequent career as can be imagined, but sometimes that’s all the material really demands (alongside that cast). Three Beers.
261. Morbius
It’s perhaps unfortunate the surprising success of Venom emboldened Sony in this whole Spider-Man villain universe thing, but I don’t think this is going to end particularly well considering this film is no better than the first Venom without any of the anarchic humor of the second. I do appreciate Leto recycling his WeCrashed accent, though. Four Beers.
262. Dune, Part 1
For no particular reason, it was time to see how the first part of hopefully the full Dune saga plays on the small screen. Pretty darn well, as it turns out- there’s a reason why this film one basically every below-the-line Oscar available. It still feels like only part of a story, but that’s because it obviously is- can’t wait for the second part. Two Beers.
263. Red Rock West
Another Nicholas Cage role, this one much further along in his career, right before re-breaking out with Leaving Las Vegas, plays a bit like the archetype he’d play again many times- the drifter or man without a past who gets swept up in danger or criminality (or murderous animatronic creature slaying). Here he’s a man who’s just been turned down for a job who gets mistaken for a hitman and ends up tangled in a neo-Noir plot that of course features corrupt J.T. Walsh, manically vicious Dennis Hopper, and Laura Flynn Boyle as the erstwhile victim. Two Beers.
