Last movie you watched......

JoJo Rabbit; that was funny

 

The greatest 87 seconds in film history

 

Eighth Grade. I liked it. The girl did a really nice job and captured the awkwardness of that age.

It's a few steps above an after-school special but still important enough I think for girls 5th thru 8th to watch.

I liked a lot of the camera work and decisions with cinematography.

 

Crazy Rich Asians was as good as everyone said. It's pretty much a Hallmark movie plot you know by heart, yet the performances are what make it work.

The MEG could have been ridiculous gory fun, but they pulled too many of their punches.

 

I watched two docs on Netflix last night (with my girlfriend so it appears less sad): Woodstock and The Other One (about Bob Weir). Both were really well done. I learned a ton from the Woodstock one and I came away liking and respecting Weir even more.

 

Weir > Jerry in that he's more my speed and I love the stories he tells in his songs.

Me and My Uncle is fantastic little story.

 

The Other One was great. I liked where he was touring their old house and pointing to where people slept.

 

Saw “Parasite” last night in a small theater. Was very good, funny, but it was at least 20 minutes too long. Should have ended at an earlier point. The birthday party just dragged and then the ending was mainly done with a voiceover. Still it was much better than Once Upon a Time.

 

I’ve now seen Parasite twice and I’m more convinced that, had it been an American film, it would have been viewed as rather unremarkable. I liked it, but there was nothing about it to me that was Best Pic worthy. The acting was good, not great. The cinematography wasn’t particularly noteworthy. The music wasn’t memorable.

Spoiler: Spoilers

I also didn’t really buy the idea that he murdered Mr Park because he was so offended by the smell stuff and the income inequality.

And the deus ex machina that propelled the plot — the girl slipping on the stairs and everyone tumbling into view for the maid to record — was pretty simplistic and, frankly, silly.

 

That seems to be a feature, rather than a bug, of US-Chinese co-pros (see: The Great Wall). Gotta be as broad as possible to tap into the American and Chinese audiences while also tip-toeing around the Chinese censors. There is ample demand for big, dumb summer fun, of course, but expecting anything envelope-pushing from such projects is a fool's errand.

 

Aaaaaand now that’s what I’m watching after work. Saw it in the theater and not since. Just remember enjoying it very much.