Ryan McNeil
This week was brutal. What is ordinarily the toughest week at the office was made infinitely tougher this year. Interestingly though, I didn’t come home and throw on ALMOST FAMOUS or RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Instead, I treated my stress with first-timers.
Strange that.
You’d think that the emphasis would fall on material where I could shut my brain off and refrain from thinking too hard. Instead, it was the opposite, and a want for something different. Admittedly, “something different” still involved things like Michael Keaton fighting with a washing machine, and Tim Meadows drinking Courvoisier, but still. As much as I believe in comfort food during crummy times, there’s also something to be said for taking such opportunities to do something new…see new faces, hear new voices. Something to be said for getting a fresh perspective.
Who knows – maybe one of these days I’ll even lick my wounds by doing something other than watching a movie!
Here’s the week at hand…
Screenings
BLACKHAT – Not bad, but I want more from my Mann.
SHORTS NOT PANTS‘ WINTER PROGRAM – There were zombies waiting for Noah’s ark, and a lake monster attracted to sex dolls. I think James is in a strange place.
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Never Seen
A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES – Something tells me he has a very specific set of skills…
THE ODD COUPLE – There are few things funnier than Jack Lemmon trying to clear his sinuses.
THE LADIES MAN – One of my brother’s guilty pleasures.
MR. MOM – My imagination or has this movie not aged all that well?
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE – I realized I’d seen the first half of this when I was younger. Nice to finally see how it turns out.
VIRUNGA – Jess reviewed this during Hot Docs…part of me thinks she undersold it. This doc is an incredible watch.
Streaming/Blu-Rays/DVD’s I’ve Seen Before
BREATHLESS – I want to live in a Goddard movie.
First-Timers: Inherent Vice, Room Service, The Trip (2010 film), Conrad and Butler in “Conrad and Butler Take a Vacation”, Whiplash, The Other Woman (2014), and later tonight, The Great Train Robbery.
Re-Watches: Before Sunset, A Fistful of Dollars, Aliens, The Incredibles, and Sleepover.
I still remember seeing Mr. Mom in the theaters with my parents when I was seven. I think that was probably too young, despite the fact that there are kids in the movie. Haven’t seen it since, but I wonder if it’s aged well.
This week was sort of random with movies (all first watches):
Bill Cunningham New York – watched this doc sort of randomly on Netflix after hearing good things, and he’s such an intriguing guy
The Machine – I thought the concept might be interesting, but this was not a good use of my time
Wait Until Dark – did my January blind spot since we’re heading to Disney World next week (woo!). It took a little while to get going, but the last act made it all worthwhile.
The Ladies Man is one of my guilty pleasures, too. I’ve only seen Mr. Mom in bits and pieces.
As for me, I’ve had a fairly busy week of movie watching. First timers: Tammy, The Getaway, Enter the Void, Lovelace, The Wedding Ringer. Re-watches: The Bourne Identity, Se7en, Training Day,
This week I watched the goose lay an egg. I’ve never seen Mr. Mom, but I did see pieces of it recently and I didn’t want any part of it. Hopefully next week I’ll actually watch something, and hopefully it’s not Mr. Mom.
My laptop broke down so I haven’t been watching much, but I did catch Edgar Wright’s first film A Fistful of Fingers – which is sooo much fun! And then I’m watching American Sniper tonight. For some reason. I really don’t know why actually, cause I don’t want to see it.