ph: Damon Baker
Saturday, December 22, 2018
First Lines: Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory.
Friday, December 21, 2018
The Jungle Book (2016)
The man-cub Mowgli flees the jungle after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan and, guided by Bagheera the panther and the bear Baloo, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, though he also meets creatures who don't have his best interests at heart.
Highly entertaining updated version of Kipling's classic, mixing excellent CGI animation with a real (good) actor playing Mowgli, resulting in more realistic and in parts dark and upsetting sequences for a child audience.
On renewed viewing: I still enjoy this version very much.
Murder, Smoke and Shadows (1989)
An egocentric wunderkind director murders a childhood friend who threatens to expose his negligent complicity in the death of his sister years earlier.
Above-average Columbo murder mystery offers some behind-the-scenes Hollywood tricks and delightfully presents one for the final conclusion.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
First Lines: Diana Gabaldon - Outlander
It wasn't a very likely place for disappearances, at leat at first glance.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Creepshow (1982)
An anthology which tells five terrifying tales based on the E.C. horror comic books of the 1950s.
Nicely reimagined homage to 50s horror comics balances humor with some nasty bits and is generally enjoyable, although the quality of the episodes vary considerably.
Halliwell (no star): "Supposedly funny, but mainly rather nasty recreation of a famous 'comic' style; far too extended for its own good."
Maltin**: "Romero nicely captures the look of a comic book..., but Stephen King's five "fantastic tales"...are transparent and heavy-handed..."
Matinee (1993)
A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Loving homage to 50s nuclear-scare monster flics is a bit pedestrian and harmless, but full of enjoyable details, a genuine-looking film-in-film and a great performance by John Goodman.
Halliwell*: "An enjoyable celebration of the nuclear-inspired, gimmicky horror movies of the 50s, brilliantly parodied; but it is hampered by a teen romance, presented without apparent irony, which might have been lifted from any drive-in movie of the period."
Maltin***: "Goodman is delightful...Sweet-natured film, full of nostalgia and in-jokes for film buffs, but a little slow (and soft) until it gets rolling."
