Category: Movie Review

  • Movie Review: Knives Out

    Movie Review: Knives Out

    I am not sure who recommended it, but the title that came across was Knives Out. I had just finished the Peacock original, “Poker Face” that was absolutely delightful (seriously, it is worth starting a trial to binge it, it is that good), and the director of Poker Face had just released a new movie on Netflix (Glass Onion) and I wanted to watch the original, so I wanted to rent Knives Out. I ended up buying a copy, and I am glad that I did.

    Set in the northeast, it begins with the birthday party of the patriarch of the family, an author of not in the genre of mystery. Clearly the author isn’t enjoying the party (for reasons that become evident later), and after the party begins to wind down, he finds himself in his room with his private nurse (played by Ana de Armas) where she makes a mistake in administering morphine, putting Thromby on a direct path to an OD. Naturally she can’t find the safety dose of Naloxone in her kit. Thromby, a facile creator, hatches a scheme to keep his trusted nurse from being blamed.

    (more…)
  • Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

    Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

    Last week, I was doing a little Amazon shopping, the main purchase was a TC Electronics Polytune 3 Mini pedal, and an $8 copy of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Blu Ray fell into my cart.

    I hadn’t watched this in a long time, but it was a movie that I enjoyed.

    It arrived and I ripped it and copied it to my Plex server.

    Some spoilers:

    (more…)
  • Movie Review: Night of the Living Dead

    Movie Review: Night of the Living Dead

    I grew up in the SF Bay Area, and one of the things that helped make me who I am was a Saturday night slot of horror films broadcast on the local channel, KTVU called “Creature Features” (not to be confused with the series of the same name). This was a weekly show of horror films hosted by Bob Wilkins, a glasses wearing, cigar smoking aficionado of the genre of horror that was growing.

    The one movie that I remember from this time was the original “Night of the Living Dead”, one of the first “zombie” movies, it remains an exemplar of the style.

    Shot on 16mm B&W, it is a low budget, yet entertaining film. The premise of the near dead coming back to life, chasing the protagonists into a house, where they regroup with others who are in the same situation.

    It is rather crude, but an effective movie, well executed, and a timeless classic.

    What made me think of this? I heard that a high quality 4K print was made into a Blu-ray disc, and that combined with nostalgia made it an easy impulse purchase.

    Sure, I could have streamed it, but I like having the physical media, so it is now in my library

  • Classic Movie – The In-Laws

    Classic Movie – The In-Laws

    As a Comcast subscriber, I just got an email that we have access to Peacock streaming service. Something about some sports no longer on their broadcast packages, but we can get some of those back on Peacock.

    But Peacock has a lot of cool content, including some classic TV shows. And one of them is Columbo… I had binged it about 5 years ago, but I still have a fond memory of Peter Falk, and his quirks… And that fired up my memories of a comedy staring him and Alan Arkin. The In-Laws.

    (more…)
  • It’s a Wonderful Life

    It’s a Wonderful Life

    I know that a lot of people watch Christmas movies during this season. I have my favorites, including “A Christmas Story”, “Life of Brian”, and “Die Hard”.

    This year, we watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” the classic with James Stewart. I last watched it as a child, probably 45+ years ago, so I really had no fond reminiscences of of this movie.

    (more…)
  • Show review: The Alienist

    Show review: The Alienist

    On the advice of a colleague and a few others, I signed up for HBO Max streaming. A bit pricey, but dang, do they have an amazing catalog.

    One of the shows that caught my eye is an adaptation of Caleb Carr’s outstanding novel, “The Alienist”. Produced by TNT, it is a period piece, set in New York city circa 1896, and has a cast of characters that reads like a who’s who of the times.

    (more…)
  • Favorite Movies: Grosse Pointe Blank

    Favorite Movies: Grosse Pointe Blank

    As I was checking out my Apple account, I discovered that I had purchased Grosse Pointe Blank way back in 2007, when I was traveling a lot. It still sits in my account, so I had to watch it again.

    (more…)
  • Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

    Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

    Since I re-created my Plex server, I have been spending time watching some of my favorite films.

    Today is Breakfast at Tiffiany’s.

    (more…)
  • Movie: Ford v Ferrari

    Movie: Ford v Ferrari

    It is not often that I am blown away by a movie, but this is one of those cases. If you are at all a gear head, and enjoy tales of the man and machine versus the world this is one you have got to see.

    (more…)
  • Terrible Movies

    Terrible Movies

    I have been grabbing a bunch of movies off of the TCM channel lately. Just browsing, and having my Tivo record them. Some absolute gems (Casablanca in HD is better than my DVD copy), and – to put it bluntly – turds.

    (more…)