Categories
Legacy Capsule

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

Listen, I get why most of you rate this lower than Spirited Away or Totoro or Princess Mononoke.

Categories
Review

Valley Girl (2020)

There’s a fine line between “carrying a movie” and “being completely wasted by a movie that you totally outclass,” and Jessica Rothe toes that line this entire musical as it bounces between bearable and dire.

Categories
Legacy Podcast Rating Capsule

The Circus (1928)

What a delight. Chaplin in fine form, with one sketch after another that plays to the setting well. (A high-wire monkey attack is, in particular, chaotic perfection.) There’s also a strong undercurrent of reflection on the life of performer and authenticity in entertainment, and an ending unusually bittersweet for early/mid-Chaplin.

Categories
Review

Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003)

When I was 21, I made a list of my 100 favorite movies and I put this at #93. Of course today, it would be nowhere near my Top 100.

Categories
Legacy Capsule

Flipped (2010)

I love the tone, aesthetic, soundtrack, and premise. I wanted to fall for this film. Such a shame about the script, though…

Categories
Legacy Capsule

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

This and Eighth Grade and Lady Bird are out here really making me feel how difficult and awful it is to be a teenage girl. I just want to be a dad who knows the right balance of space and support to give his girls when they’re this age.

I love that this movie did not hold back in making Nadine erratic and unpleasant, but still made you feel and root for her. Credit the rock-solid screenplay and, especially, Steinfeld’s amazing performance.

Categories
Legacy Capsule

The Boss Baby (2017)

Whoa, hold on… against every preconceived instinct of mine, Boss Baby is actually really good.

Categories
Legacy Capsule

September (1987)

September is a minor Woody Allen drama, though there is plenty to like.

Categories
Legacy Capsule

An American Tail (1986)

Saw this one with both my daughters at an Alamo Drafthouse screening. My almost-4-year old was shattered by the story of a kid separated from his family; it was the first time I saw her cry during a movie since Finding Nemo. Her palpable relief at their reunion in the ending was contagious to her daddy.

This is a surprisingly bleak and detailed look at immigrant life in late-19th century New York City. I found much of it quite good, especially in the first half when the story focused on Fievel. The second half, centered around an uprising against cats (kinda-sorta pro-unionization parable?) isn’t quite as rich or emotional.

The songs are hit-or-miss (“Somewhere Out There” is an all-timer, while the one with the friendly cat is completely disposable). The animation is quite good, especially the use of color. Hues range from gloomy bluish-brownish-gray to an almost amber-tinted warmth.

And the patriotic tone actually feels earned as the movie acknowledges the flaws and darkness of our country; that it could still settle on a message of hope is inspiring.

Categories
Capsule Legacy

Revenge (2017)

Bravura use of fake blood — like masterpiece-level artistry. Actually, everything about the movie looks amazing.

I haven’t seen too many exploitation revenge films, but this one is definitely on the less-misogynistic side (which is a low bar). It doesn’t dwell on her assault or humiliation, at least.

The gore is gruesome, a proper visceral transposition of the violence and violation against Jen — with lots iconography that can be read both literally and symbolically. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the movie should have subverted its male gaze even more than it did.