Films That I Saw: July 2018

Well, this is so far been a pretty fucked up summer so far not just with this horrific heat wave going around the world but also here in Atlanta as my family home is dealing with falling leaves as if it’s autumn arriving early. It’s something myself and my parents are just unhappy with along with unpredictable weather which is becoming normal as of late thanks in part to climate change. It fucking exists. I don’t go out very much not just due to the heat but also just out of lack of interest other than go to the cinema or wanting to get something I need. Even if there’s a sale somewhere like Barnes & Noble as I’ve managed to acquire some DVDs though this past Saturday when I chose to get some Criterion DVDs on sale. Yet, I came home with the news that my fraternal grandmother had just died at age 92. It was kind of expected but it’s sad even though she has contributed to this ongoing turmoil within my relatives and often stirred the pot. My relationship with her was OK as I much preferred my maternal grandmother who died seven years ago that September.

Aside from the usual family drama that is happening around me which I have no involvement in for good reason. I just choose to do other things such as watching the World Cup as I was really rooting for England to make it to the finals. Sadly, they were beaten by Croatia who were really being the stars of the Cup. Especially Luka Modric as he is an unusual player that is more about making the plays that helps his team wins rather than be known as the goal scorer. For all of this talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar being the best players out there, Modric is someone I think deserves to be in the conversation. At the finals against France, I was rooting for Croatia but they lost to the French who played great in the Cup. It’s true what some in the press are saying. France may have won the cup but Croatia won our hearts. I hope they win one of these days though I’m not really looking forward to the next World Cup in Qatar as I’m still uneasy over the usage of slave labor at that country.

Then of course, there is that embarrassment in Helsinki, Finland in which our dictator chose to take it up the ass from Vladimir Putin as it just goes to show that this country is fucked. I guess if El Pendejo chooses to do things the way they are, we Americans are going to speaking Russian. The United States of Russia. Oh fuck, I have nothing against Russians other than their government and their religious leaders as they are the embodiment of corruption and tyranny. There’s been opposition but there’s also trouble as it just adds to this air of chaos we’re in. I’ve been reading about people trying to focus on 2020 but honestly, I’m hoping we get rid of El Pendejo as soon as fucking possible.

In the month of July, I saw a total of 35 films in 17 first-timers and 18 re-watches with one film directed by a woman as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. A pretty good month due to less distraction from the World Cup while I’m watching a couple of dogs for my sister and family friends. The highlight this month has definitely been my Blind Spot choice this month in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for July 2018:

1. Thief

2. The Lost City of Z

3. Dont Look Back

4. My Friend Dahmer

5. Pale Rider

6. Logan Lucky

7. Two Lovers

8. No Direction Home

9. The Missouri Breaks

10. Ant-Man & the Wasp

Monthly Mini-Reviews

Nile Rodgers: The Hitmaker

From the BBC is a documentary I saw on YouTube about one of the finest men in the world of popular music in Nile Rodgers. From his work with the disco band Chic that would provide the template for a lot of great dance music as well as the foundations for hip-hop to his work producing other artists such as David Bowie, Duran, Diana Ross, Madonna, and many others. Even as it has Rodgers, before he was to have this major comeback collaborating with Daft Punk, talk about his work and ideas into a song as well as just wanting to play guitar as the documentary also feature interviews from Bryan Ferry, Johnny Marr, John Taylor of Duran, and many others who praise the man for his work as a musician and as a songwriter.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

I really liked the first Kingsman movie so I was intrigued to see what the sequel will do and while it is an entertaining film. It does suffer from what usually happens with sequels is that it does try to do too much and it does get over-long where it tries too hard to be funny and exciting. Still, there’s enough moments that are enjoyable as the returning ensemble cast of Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, and Mark Strong are fun though I was dismayed by how underused Channing Tatum was though Jeff Bridges and Halle Berry were able to be important. Then there’s Julianne Moore who was a total delight as the film’s main antagonist as her character can be described as a far more psychotic version of Martha Stewart as if she was a drug dealer. Add Sir Elton John in the mix where he kills some people and it’s just a downright fun film.

Stronger

From David Gordon Green is this film based on the real life story of Jeff Bauman who lost his legs during the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing where was there cheering for his ex-girlfriend and deal with what happened to him and such. With Jake Gyllenhaal playing Bauman, it is a compelling and heartfelt film that has Gyllenhaal display the struggles that Bauman endures yet it is Tatiana Maslany who is the revelation in the film as Bauman’s ex-girlfriend Erin who would run the marathon but be in shock over what happened to him as she struggles to take care of him. For Green who has been hit-and-miss as of late does deliver as this is one of his better films.

Top 10 Re-Watches

1. Young Frankenstein

2. Love & Mercy

3. The Outsiders

4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

5. The Running Man

6. 7 Days in Hell

7. Taps

8. Tour de Pharmacy

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

10. Class

Well, that is all for July 2018. August will be focused mainly on all sorts of films based on the never-ending DVR list that is currently on my TV’s hard drive as well as films I have pre-written. Much of the focus on August will be on the films of Denis Villeneuve for his Auteurs piece along with some DVDs that I’ve purchased for some time while the only theatrical release I hope to see is Spike Lee’s BlackKklansman while I’m still unsure of what Blind Spot to watch. The NIN marathon in my music blog is still on-going though it’s going slower than I thought it would be. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2018