First Time Viewings: May 2022
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- DirectorJames BridgesStarsMichael J. FoxKiefer SutherlandPhoebe CatesA disillusioned young writer living in New York City turns to drugs and drinking to block out the memories of his dead mother and estranged wife.Viewed: 02-05-2022
Drama starring Michael J. Fox who works as a fact checker for a New York magazine during the day and then goes out every night partying using cocaine as his drug of choice. His wife has left him and he's struggling with his work, which he only took on as a stepping stone to becoming a successful writer but that has yet to happen for him either.
I love Fox as an actor but I struggle with him in this role. It's probably my fault because all I see is Alex Keaton or Marty McFly and this role is lightyears away from those roles but I just don't buy him as a coked-out down-on-his-luck writer. Kiefer Sutherland as his druggie mate is very believable and Dianne Wiest as his Mother is excellent in her short time on the screen.
There are many individual scenes which I enjoyed but it just doesn't come together as a whole. It all feels a little artificial but the effort is definitely there and the music from Donald Fagen (and the rest of the soundtrack) is a highlight.
6/10 - DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.Viewed: 02-05-2022
This film looks and feels like a film from the silent era except it has sound. And what great sound it has. The unnerving foghorn in the background and the music by Mark Korven acts as an extra character in this film that is essentially a two-man show. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe give two of their finest performances to date with a wonderful screenplay by director Robert Eggers and his brother Max Eggers.
A young mysterious man (Pattinson) takes up a job working in a secluded lighthouse with the lighthouse keeper (Dafoe). There's a lot of symbolism and mythology peppered throughout the film that will potentially turn some viewers off, but if you're already keen to watch a black & white film shot in 35mm with an aspect ratio of 1.19:1 then I don't think there will be an issue with the strangeness and the surreal nature of the material. This film is simply hypnotic to watch and highly recommended.
9/10 - DirectorFrank TashlinStarsJerry LewisMarilyn MaxwellConnie StevensA TV repair man must care for the newborn triplets of his former hometown sweetheart, now a famous movie star, so her career will not suffer.Viewed: 08-05-22
Standard Jerry Lewis film has him becoming a babysitter for a famous actress (Marilyn Maxwell) that he grew up with and in love with only to be friend-zoned. She has triplets but it will ruin her chance of getting a huge movie role so she uses Lewis to babysit the babies for a few months because she knows he will do anything for her. Though the movie doesn't make her into a villain thankfully. Meanwhile, her sister (Connie Stevens), who still lives in the small town they grew up in, is in love with Lewis but he doesn't think of her in that way, and then there is their father (Salvatore Baccaloni) who initially hates him.
There's a few funny skits, and a few that fall flat, and a few musical numbers that don't add much either unfortunately. The end is also very clunky. There are also a few scenes that would be seen as offensive these days, but it's certainly a Jerry Lewis film through and through and has its charms. All the main characters are three dimensional and relatable. Ida Moore absolutely steals her short scenes she's in as Lewis' landlady, in what turned out to be her final movie role. Far from Lewis' funniest but it's definitely quite likeable.
6/10