I rewatched this documentary prior to my tour at the Creative Engineering factory that built the Rock-afire / Chuck-E-Cheese animatronics.
Author: Dan Stalcup
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Trolls (2016)
Update Nov. 2023: Here’s a full review of Trolls.
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Summertime (1955)
The screenplay is unfortunately quite a bit prosaic. None of the characterization is strong enough for us to really buy into the romance or Hepburn’s self-discovery.
But the footage of Venice in over-saturated Technicolor? Holy moley. I fell in love with the city all over again. Lean captures it with an intoxicating, almost delirious, beauty. *nostalgic sigh*
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Babe (1995) – Capsule
This capsule review has been replaced with a full review.
I hadn’t seen this since I was a kid, but I watched with my daughters last night.
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Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
Film serials peaked in the mid-to-late-1910s, but their epic-yet-episodic storytelling mode didn’t completely vanish.
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Psycho (1960) (Capsule Review)
Edit: I’ve written a full-length review of Psycho, which you can read here.
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Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Howl’s Moving Castle is a bit discombobulated, but charming and lovely.
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There’s Something About Mary (1998)
The Farrelly brothers default filmmaking mode is gross-out humor
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Boogie Nights (1997)
Perhaps a bit too generous towards its characters and indulgent in its runtime, but goddamn what a movie. The acting, the extended flowing shots, the use of sound (firecrackers!), the sprawling ensemble… this is cinema at its most robust and vibrant, and I’m here for it.
When I was in high school, the Flash game called Quest for the Crown was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. (You can see a full playthrough here.)