July 13, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Andy Samberg, Camila Mendes, Cristin Milioti, Dale Dickey, Groundhog Day Loop, J.K. Simmons, Max Barbakow, Meredith Hagner, Palm Springs, Peter Gallagher, Tyler Hoechlin
Palm Springs (CREDIT: NEON/Hulu)
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, Meredith Hagner, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin, J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher, Dale Dickey
Director: Max Barbakow
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Rating: R
Release Date: July 10, 2020 (Hulu and Drive-In Theaters)
Time loop movies are surprisingly robust. You might think Groundhog Day has perfected the formula, but then all these newbies arrive in its wake, and they’re all, at the very least, not half bad. Case in point: the pretty dang good Palm Springs, which finds Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti stuck at a wedding. So I have decided to review Palm Springs by comparing it to all the other Groundhog Day-style time loop movies I’ve seen:
–Palm Springs isn’t as transcendent as Groundhog Day, but it has a deeper conversation with eternity.
–Palm Springs doesn’t have the sinister undertones of Source Code, although there is a random appearance from a certain extinct species that makes me think that maybe you could theorize about something like that lurking beneath the surface.
–Palm Springs is more rooted in theoretical science than sci-fi when compared to Edge of Tomorrow, though it doesn’t flaunt it.
–Palm Springs is a whole heck of a lot more fun than Before I Fall.
–Palm Springs doesn’t have as much time for death montages as Happy Death Day. But both of them have plenty of time for fun and are thus the most kindred of spirits within this subgenre. The former takes place at a wedding and the latter at a college, and college friends are often invited to weddings, after all.
–Palm Springs is not a sequel, unlike Happy Death Day 2 U. Perhaps one day Palm Springs will get a sequel, though I doubt it. But if it ever does, I’ll watch it.
I give Palm Springs 4 out of 4 out of 4 out of 4 out of 4 out of 4 Dinosaurs
July 10, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
30 Rock, Andy Samberg, Brave New World, Charlize Theron, Cristin Milioti, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Greyhound, My Morning Jacket, The Old Guard, The Waterfall II, Tom Hanks
BRAVE NEW WORLD (CREDIT: Steve Schofield/Peacock)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Greyhound (Streaming on Apple TV+) – Tom Hanks joins the Navy.
–The Old Guard (Streaming on Netflix) – Starring Charlize Theron and directed by Love & Basketball‘s Gina Prince-Bythewood!
–Palm Springs (Streaming on Hulu) – Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti relive a wedding reception over and over again.
TV
–Brave New World Series Premiere (July 15 on Peacock)
–30 Rock Upfront Special (July 16 on NBC)
Music
-My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall II
July 7, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Cam, Daniel Goldhaber, Devin Druid, Imani Hakim, Madeline Brewer, Melora Walters, Patch Darragh
Cam (CREDIT: Netflix)
Starring: Madeline Brewer, Patch Darragh, Melora Walters, Devin Druid, Imani Hakim
Director: Daniel Goldhaber
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Release Date: November 16, 2018 (Netflix)
Cam is a very sex-positive movie.
That might sound like an obvious thing to say. ESPECIALLY if you’re familiar with the synopsis. Madeline Brewer (the star of the film) plays Alice, who works as a webcam model. That is to say, she puts on live shows on the Internet of herself performing in a sexual manner. But then her feed is commandeered by someone (or something) that looks exactly like her, and she has to do her darndest to recover it.
There’s no tsk-tsking about Alice’s chosen profession, even during moments when you think there might be. Sure, there are a few bozos who overstep boundaries, but that’s more than counteracted plenty of support. For example, when the truth about Alice is revealed to her mom, you’re primed for her reaction to be, “You have brought great shame to this family.” But instead, she recognizes an increased confidence in her daughter as she slips into her online persona and basically says to her, “I’m so proud of you.” There’s actually a bit of miscommunication in that moment, but it’s nevertheless nice to have that boost when you’re in the fight of your life against a ghost (or whatever the doppelgänger is).
Human beings are sexual creatures. Supernatural entities that steal our identities can’t stop that. But it sure is scary when they try to.
I give Cam 400 Tokens.
July 2, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
documentary, Good Trouble, John Lewis, John Lewis: Good Trouble
John Lewis: Good Trouble (CREDIT: Magnolia Pictures)
Starring: Congressman John Lewis
Director: Dawn Porter
Running Time: 96 Minutes
Rating: PG for Reminders of Real-Life Prejudice
Release Date: July 3, 2020 (Theaters and On Demand)
If you want to demonstrate how the American civil rights movement that reached its apotheosis in the 1960s continues to this day, you could do much worse than making a documentary about John Lewis. This man marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, and he’s gone on to represent Georgia in Congress for over 30 years. Over the course of his life, he’s been present for important change that has already happened, and he continues to fight for important change that still needs to happen. Just showing footage of where he’s been and where he’s headed ought to be galvanizing, especially in a time of a great national reckoning with race. But John Lewis: Good Trouble never fully captures the fighting spirit of its subject.
The trouble with Good Trouble, particularly for any viewers who are generally tuned into the trends of cinema and current events, is that the topics it touches upon are covered more thoroughly in other recent documentaries. If you want a historical outline of what has led to so much of America’s racial prejudice, check out Ava DuVernary’s 13th. Or if you want to be on top of voter suppression, Slay the Dragon is essential viewing. Good Trouble, on the other hand, works mostly as a reminder that these problems exist. It’s nice to know that Lewis is still around in these battles, kicking up the sort of stir that the title refers to, but the inspiration can go only so far if you already knew that about him.
There is one interesting episode that covers the 1986 Congressional election. In the Democratic primary, Lewis squared off against Julian Bond, a close friend and fellow African-American activist. It was a bitterly fought contest in which Lewis implied that Bond used cocaine and emerged victorious thanks to his strong performance among white voters. The strain among these two clear allies must have been significant and surely dramatic enough to devote more than the few minutes that Good Trouble allows it. The fact that the film so quickly switches back to focusing on Lewis’ accomplishments doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s meant to cover up any faults so much as it comes off as cinematic carelessness. Even the most righteous among us have complicated stories; Good Trouble struggles to make that clear.
John Lewis: Good Trouble is Recommended If You Like: Biographical inspiration, but don’t mind some repetition
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Marches
July 1, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Movie Reviews
Dan Stevens, Demi Lovato, Eurovision, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Fire Saga, Graham Norton, Melissanthi Mahut, Pierce Brosnan, Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: The Story of Fire Saga (CREDIT: John Wilson/Netflix)
Starring: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens, Melissanthi Mahut, Demi Lovato, Graham Norton
Director: David Dobkin
Running Time: 203 Minutes
Rating: PG-13 for “Full Nude Sculptures”
Release Date: June 26, 2020 (Netflix)
I have decided to judge the success (or lack thereof) of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga by whether or not it made me want to watch the actual Eurovision competition.
So, did Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga make me want to watch the actual Eurovision competition?
Yes! Very much so!
And that’s significant because previously my interest was in the “Hmm, maybe” vicinity. So that’s got to be an increase of about 50 percent.
I get the sense that a lot of the real-life Eurovision entrants are like Will Ferrell characters, particularly the sincere variety that includes the Icelandic dreamer Lars Erickssong. Or at least I hope that’s the case! Every time I’ve ever heard people talk about Eurovision, they make it sound like the singers are genuine heart-fueled dreamers. So while watching The Story of Fire Saga, I realized, “Oh right, of course, the appeal is obvious.”
Contests like Eurovision can also be counted upon to reveal up-and-coming talented individuals who make you go, “Why am I only now just hearing about you?” That happened for me in Eurovision the movie in the form of Melissanthi Mahut, who plays Greek hopeful Mita. I predict and pray for big things for her in the coming years.
I give Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 3 Knives out of 4 Elves.
June 29, 2020
jmunney
Cinema
Alien, Alien 3, Alien vs. Predator, Alien: Covenant, Alien: Resurrection, Aliens, Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, Predator, Predator 2, Predators, Prometheus, The Predator
More than a few people have called me spacey, so I thus feel a spiritual connection to the extraterrestrial creatures from the Alien and Predator franchises. I daresay we’re kindred spirits in many ways (except for the parts about killing lots of human beings). Therefore, it has always been part of my destiny to rank every film in these series and share my rankings with all of you, my lovely readers. I’ve split the rankings up into sections for the two franchises proper as well as the “Versus” films, and then there’s a combined list at the end. Please enjoy all the camouflaged, chest-bursting fun!
More
June 26, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, Haim, Rachel Matthews, Rachel McAdams, Will Ferrell, Women in Music Pt. III
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: The Story of Fire Saga (CREDIT: John Wilson/Netflix)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Streaming on Netflix) – Starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as an Icelandic pop duo, just as the Fates predicted.
Music
-Haim, Women in Music Pt. III
June 24, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Cinema
Alex Garland, Ava DuVernay, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Bong Joon-ho, Christopher Miller, Christopher Nolan, Damien Chazelle, Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, David Robert Mitchell, Denis Villeneuve, Drew Goddard, Edgar Wright, Greta Gerwig, James Wan, Jaume Collet-Serra, Jeff Nichols, Jennifer Kent, Jordan Calloway, Jordan Peele, Justin Lin, Marielle Heller, Martin Scorsese, Mike Flanagan, Paul Feig, Phil Lord, Quentin Tarantino, Rian Johnson, Spike Lee, Stephen Chbosky, Steve McQueen, Steven Soderbergh, Terrence Malick, The Safdie Brothers, Wes Anderson
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
I’ve got another extra-innings Best of the 2010s for ya. This time, the focus is on Film Directors, those folks who hang out behind the camera and let everyone know how they would like the movie to go.
Based on the eligibility rules of the poll that I submitted my list to, each director had to have at least two films come out between 2010 and 2019 to be considered. I made my selections based on a combination of how much I enjoyed their output and how much they influenced the medium and the culture at large.
My choices, along with their 2010s filmography, are listed below.
More
June 22, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Cinema
Alicia Vikander, Amy Adams, Barkhad Abdi, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Daniel Radcliffe, Denis Lavant, Elisabeth Moss, Ethan Hawke, Florence Pugh, Hugh Jackman, Isabelle Huppert, J.K. Simmons, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Franco, james mcavoy, Jennifer Lawrence, John Goodman, Judi Dench, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lupita Nyong’o, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Pierre Coffin, Rosamund Pike, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tom Hardy, Uma Thurman
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
Back in April, I revealed my lists of the best podcasts, TV shows, TV episodes, albums, songs, and movies of the 2010s. I declared that that was it for my Best of the Decade curating for this particular ten-year cycle. But now I’m back with a few more, baby! I’ve been participating in a series of Best of the 2010s polls with some of my online friends, and I wanted to share my selections with you. We’re including film performances, TV performances, directors, and musical artists, so get ready for all that.
First up is Film Performances. Any individual performance from any movie released between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019 was eligible, whether it was live-action, voice-only, or whatever other forms on-screen acting take nowadays. For actors who played the same character in multiple movies, each movie was considered separately.
More
June 19, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Comedy, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Amanda Seyfried, Billy Porter, Bob Dylan, Eric Andre, ESPYs, Gillian Jacobs, Homegrown, Joel McHale, Kevin Bacon, Legalize Everything, Matthew Rhys, Neil Young, Perry Mason, Rough and Rowdy Ways, Search Party, Sherman's Showcase, The Twilight Zone, You Should Have Left
Eric Andre: Legalize Everything (CREDIT: Brian Roede/Netflix)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–You Should Have Left (On Demand) – Blumhouse horror starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried.
TV
–Sherman’s Showcase Black History Month spectacular (June 19 on AMC and IFC) – Just in time for Juneteenth!
-2020 ESPYs (June 21 on ESPN)
–Perry Mason Series Premiere (June 21 on HBO) – The classic defense attorney returns to TV in the form of Matthew Rhys.
–Search Party Season 3 (June 25 on HBO Max)
–The Twilight Zone Season 2 (June 25 on CBS All Access) – Guest stars include Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, and Billy Porter.
Comedy
-Eric Andre: Legalize Everything (June 23 on Netflix) – Legalize “everything”? Including … ranch?
Music
-Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways
-Neil Young, Homegrown
Older Entries
Newer Entries
Jmunney's Blog 