In January of 2019, I started keeping a spreadsheet to track the movies I watch. I assign a rating from 0 to 10 (with 5 being the average, or expected value) and write a little snippet with some quick opinions on the film in question. Here, I’ll post a few of those snippets at a time for your enjoyment.
Good Time (2017)
7.20/10.0
I'll be honest and own up to the fact that even though I've never seen any of the Twilight movies, I've always just taken everyone's word about them and written them off entirely, up to and including the actors involved. After seeing this film, I must admit that I was wrong about Robert Pattinson. He's absolutely amazing in this tight little thriller about NYC, LSD, and a bank robbery gone awry. It’s because of this film that I’m not completely skeptical of his ability to do Batman justice. But I'm still never gonna watch a Twilight movie.
Action Point (2018)
3.95/10.0
Based on an actual NJ amusement park that was around in the 70s and 80s. The real life story that inspired the movie would have made for a great film in the right hands, but instead we get this Johnny Knoxville/Jackass vehicle. My biggest gripe is that I never felt like Action Point was a real place inhabited by real people. Instead we have what appears to be a random collection of props haphazardly arranged in a southern California backlot and characters pulled straight from an 80's ski movie (the nerd, the bully, the stoner, etc.) Someone else should take another crack at the story of Action Park because it’s amazing. In the mean time you can read the many accounts of what it was really like on the internet.
Dressed To Kill (1982)
8.35/10.0
De Palma's ode to the Italian Giallo movies of the 60's and 70's. This is a very good approximation of the genre, save the absence of the funk or prog rock soundtrack. It's insane, sleazy and undeniably fun even if it’s what we would probably call "problematic" in 2019. They just don't make them like this anymore because well, they can't make movies like this anymore. Nancy Allen was nominated for a Razzie, which feels weird because she's actually very good here. I like to consider this movie an unofficial companion piece to Body Double.