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Hit Man (2023)
Thin, repetitive but well made
I am baffled by the critical praise for this movie. The much lauded "chemistry" between the two leads was either pushed by the studio or the result of the female lead acting as if she was on the verge of orgasm for most of her screen time. The movie is undeniably well made, the leads are enormously attractive, and there a few chuckles. The scene with the cellphone texts tipping off the female leads as the cops listened was amusing for sure. The female detective was great throughout - great comedic timing. But this is definitely a wait-until-its-free-on-your-favorite-streaming-channel kind of film. You'll be pleasantly entertained.
Spoiler: how are you supposed to root for the couple after they kill the detective in a most horrific way, the detective being only character smart enough to see through them? Was he supposed to be the bad guy instead of the actual two-time killer because he is made to appear unattractive and she is....pretty?
Would have been better with a little more Double Indemnity, a little less Hart to Hart.
The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)
What a bore!
I love Hollywood. I love documentaries. I love old movies. I'm a TCM regular. I've heard about this documentary for years. I'm thinking it's going to be like The Celluloid Closet. Or docs on DePalma and Spielberg. Just...interesting Hollywood history.
This guy is insufferable. Maybe there is an interesting story there, but Evans narrating his own life story makes it unwatchable. What a giant ego. What a living anachronism. What bad storytelling. Love Story is an aphrodisiac? Mia Farrow is a woman scorned?
Did someone just put his bio on screen without any thought to translating it for a different medium?
And I paid to watch it!
Oppenheimer (2023)
Boring!
Yes technically great filmmaking. But sooo boring. Why is the central conflict around the appointment of a potential secretary of commerce? Weren't there richer moral issues to mine in the creation of the bomb? Politicians. Courtrooms and conference rooms.
Murphy was excellent. Robert Downey Jr a disappointment. Blunt did what she could with a small part. Damon lit it up and energized the screen in his small part. Pugh's character inessential to the plot but I guess that's how we got the nudity in?
I was really looking forward to this as a Nolan fan and a history lover. What a slog. Do not recommend rushing out to see this. Wait for it to be free on Max.
All That Jazz (1979)
Dated Musical with Great Acting
Whew. I remember seeing this as a kid and loving it. I still appreciate the acting and dancing - there is a lot of talent on display here - but I had a hard time looking past the "tortured brilliant man who is a hopeless yet irresistible womanizer" trope. I mean, it's just too....predictable. Women giggle and bay their eyes while he misbehaves. A male fantasy that feels icky in 2022.
And the whole Jessica Lange part should have been edited out. It didn't work.
That said, if you are an aficionado of musicals as I am, this is a must see. This got the raves but A Chorus Line with Michal Douglas as more fun.
Licorice Pizza (2021)
See it for the 70s nostalgia
If you want to immerse yourself in the 1970s, this movie is for you. Pinball, references to Streisand, Japanese food as a novelty, and even a motorcycle stuntman. It's an enjoyable experience.
And Alana Haim in the lead is a true screen presence; I couldn't take my eyes of her! She made the movie and is perfectly cast. The film is steeped in close-ups, so you'll see every expression and blemish on the characters faces, and hers is magnetic.
But I couldn't get past the ending, in which the movie finally seems to endorse a romantic relationship between a 25 year old woman and a 15 year old boy. I was vaguely bothered by the depiction of the two main characters friendship as normal throughout the film, but went along for the ride to see where PTA would take it. Ultimately it was just....another male fantasy on screen. This one has a pimply-faced, chubby, obnoxious teenage boy state that he is going to marry the girl based upon nothing but her looks, then pursues her without charm, and miraculously ends up getting her in the end. I had to reevaluate the two hours I'd just spent rooting for Alana, and ended up thinking the movie betrayed her character.
Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2017)
Surprisingly dull
I'm a huge fan of classic Hollywood. Watch movies, consume documentaries, listen to podcasts, and read books on the subject. I was looking forward to this documentary, having heard so much about it. Not particularly well made nor revealing. Really, more a portrait of this one man than it is about Hollywood - and since I didn't find Scotty particularly interesting or likable, I turned it off.
Watch The Celluloid Closet instead.