Friday, March 31, 2023

Films That I Saw: March 2023

 

“Our thoughts and our prayers are with the children and those who have been killed”. Oh fuck your fucking thoughts and your fucking prayers!!!!! Again, another fucking school shooting. This time in a small school in Nashville where six people are dead as it’s just another reason why politics have once again ruined everything. Of course, many of them are funded by the NRA who continuously make money off of guns including that ugly, shit-smellin’ Nazi cunt Marjorie Taylor Greene as I would like to apologize to everyone for having to deal with the fact that she’s from the same American state that I live in. Sometimes, I wish I had a rifle so I can blow her fucking head off. She’s been in my enemies list for some years along with so many people as I’m sure everyone here as an enemies list of people they wish they can just get rid of.

Things in the U.S. are bad with all of this awful weather due to climate change as it didn’t make things easy for me and my mother as we’re dealing with pollen allergies while there’s chaos right now in France as well as Israel. It’s all of this crazy shit that is just overwhelming which is why every now and then. There is this need to escape from the darkness of reality in the form of entertainment as I’m just happy there’s stuff like AEW, Ted Lasso, and The Mandalorian to watch at home. Yet, I will have to admit that even though I am a fan of the MCU. I’m starting to get a little tired of superhero movies as I kind of feel like Marvel needs to take a break every one or two years to think things through and such considering the lukewarm reaction they have been dealing with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as well as some of the issues going on behind the scenes that includes the departure of longtime producer Victoria Alonso as well as the recent arrest and allegations of Jonathan Majors which comes at the worst possible time as he is hot right now.

Then there’s DC and the chaos that is surrounding Warner Discovery as the recent release for Shazam! Fury of the Gods underperformed at the box office where there’s a lot of finger-pointing right now and one of the people that is being blamed is Dwayne Johnson because he refused to have a couple of actors make an appearance in that film forcing filmmakers to do a last-minute replacement for its post-credits scene. If this is true then it is clear that the person who was once one of my all-time favorite professional wrestlers has changed and he’s changed into someone that I don’t really like anymore. In fact, he’s become someone that a lot of wrestling fans have soured on for a long time as it is strange that in his prime. He was one of the most selfless wrestlers out there even to the point where he was extremely popular but had no problems doing jobs to other performers whether it was Booker T, Jeff Hardy, or even Gregory Helms when he was the Hurricane as they had one of the greatest talking feuds ever in which Helms made fun of the Rock by saying that the Scorpion King has a tiny ding-a-ling!!!!!

While there was no question that Johnson would go Hollywood and be successful there but something has been different where many do believe that Johnson is more concerned with becoming a brand rather than just take part in projects with other people and create something good. With these stories about him as of late, it is no wonder why Johnson and Vin Diesel never got along when it came to the Fast and Furious franchise where Diesel at least tries to make the films entertaining but also be generous with his co-stars. Johnson just ends up making films where he doesn’t put a lot of efforts into stretching himself as an actor and it feels like he’s making the same shit while the stories about him during the making of Black Adam is really damning about what he has become and how it has put DC into a lot of trouble just as James Gunn is trying to figure out what the DC Extended Universe should become.
In the month of March 2023, I saw a total of 21 films in 11 first-timers and 10 re-watches with 7 of these first-timers being films directed/co-directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. One of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot pick in John Ford’s The Quiet Man. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for March 2023:

1. Women Talking
2. Alcarras
3. City of Women
4. Turning Red
5. Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever
6. Vitalina Varela
7. The Great Sadness of Zohara
8. Tommy
9. Silly Little Game
10. There’s No Place Like Home
Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I’m Watching

The Great Sadness of Zohara
Part of a retrospective of films by Nina Menkes appearing on MUBI is a short film starring her sister Tinka as a woman living in an orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem as feels alienated by her surroundings as she ponders about the spiritual world. While it has a 39-minute running time, Menkes’ presentation and its exploration of this community in 1980s Jerusalem is still an entrancing film to seek out.

Tommy
One of three documentaries from 30 for 30 that I saw on Disney+ is about Tommy Morrison as I had seen most of the short years ago but never finished it because my DVR at the time didn’t record the whole thing. Another reason why cable TV has to go. Still, this is an excellent entry as it showcases the rise and fall of Tommy Morrison as this young fighter who had a lot of promise and got to be in Rocky V as well as win the world heavyweight championship for a brief moment. Yet, fame came to him too fast at a young age as he would be diagnosed HIV-positive just before he was to get the biggest payday of his career as he would go into a downward spiral. It is a somber film about someone who had a lot of talent but no real sense of control nor understanding about the dangers of decadence that would ultimately kill him in 2013.

Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever
The three-part documentary series from Disney+ and Marvel is about the collaboration between filmmaker Ryan Coogler and composer Ludwig Goransson and their approach to the music for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The film is a fascinating look into these two men and their willingness to up the ante when it comes to film scores as they travel to Lagos, Mexico, and other parts of the world to create a music soundtrack that isn’t just diverse but also making new discoveries. Especially as Letitia Wright and Tenoch Huerta Mejia would comment on the music soundtrack that include a lot of obscure and rare instruments including some that were considered lost but were rediscovered thanks to the film and the work on the soundtrack. It is definitely one of the best entries in Marvel’s ever-growing documentary series as well as making a great case for Coogler and Goransson as one of the great director/composer combos.

Silly Little Game
The second 30 for 30 documentary I watched on Disney+ is about the creation of fantasy sports and how its creators didn’t foresee what it would become. It is an enjoyable documentary that showcases a bunch of people just doing something for fun and not really thinking about making a lot of money yet they would be unprepared for the emergence of the Internet and how it changed fantasy sports. The mixture of interviews and dramatic re-creations are a joy to watch.

There’s No Place Like Home
The third and final 30 for 30 documentary I watched on Disney+ is actually one of the worst documentaries that I have seen probably second to the one about the XFL. It’s just about some asshole from Kansas University who tried to get a bunch of former alumni including former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams as a way to buy the original Naismith rules of basketball notes. A lot of it ends up being really boring as the guy in the film who is also one of its director is just unbearable to watch as I’m sure there’s many that would like to crack his skull.

The Mandalorian (season 3, episodes 1-5)
One of the most anticipated TV series to return as so far, it’s been really enjoyable as it plays into the titular character and Grogu going on an adventure with the former wanting to redeem himself with the Mandalore community. Even as he gets help from Bo Katana as the show also plays into the world of the New Republic from those who used to work for the Empire and why the New Republic failed. Especially as it plays in this element of bureaucracy that would frustrate an old ally of the Mandalorian who wanted to help Greff Karga over invading pirates. It is a show reminds me why I love Star Wars while also taking some narrative risks as I await for what the rest of the season will do. Plus, seeing Grogu walk is just so adorable. I also love the fact that they got Ahmed Best to do a cameo as the Jedi who saved Grogu from the events that is Order 66 as he just fucking killed it as that is a great thing that Disney did after all of the shit he got for playing Jar-Jar Binks.

Ted Lasso (season 3, episodes 1-3)
Three episodes into the first season and I’m fucking enjoying this while I am eager for the upcoming showdown between West Ham and AC Richmond as it’s Nate vs. Ted and Rupert vs. Rebecca. This is going to be round 1 in this showdown yet the show so far is about a team trying to prove to everyone that they’re not going to be relegated again. Even as there’s also a lot of things happening with Ted just trying to win the whole fucking thing but he’s away from his son who is back in Kansas and with a new male figure in his life and man, I want to kill that motherfucker. Michelle Lasso’s new man is her former marriage counselor and a lot of what Ted has said about therapy is true as both Dr. Sharon and Sassy think that what this guy is doing to Ted is unethical. I’m happy that Sam, Isaac, Colin, and Dani are now regular main characters as is Trent Crimm who is writing a book on the team and their season.

The arrival of this character in Zava is just fun to watch while I enjoy what it is doing to the development of Jamie Tartt who definitely has some legit concerns about him forcing him to train under Roy Kent. The Roy-Keeley break-up hurts as Phoebe is right about them being dumb while I really hope they get back together. Rebecca’s storyline that involved her meeting with her mother’s psychic is an intriguing one as there’s a lot that is happening that I’m enjoying as I await for what will lay ahead in the rest of the season though I hope it’s not the last one.

Daredevil (season 1, episode 1)
Having gained more access to content at Disney+ has me wanting to watch all of the shows from Marvel that I missed out as I saw the pilot for Daredevil as it was exciting and fun. Notably as Charlie Cox is just perfect as the titular character as the pilot did a lot more to establish his origins better than the film did. I’ve seen bits of the second episode so far but I want to catch up on the entire series but I like what I’m seeing.

Wrestling Match of the Month: The Elite vs. the House of Black for the AEW Trios Championship at AEW Revolution – 3/5/23
AEW Revolution is an amazing show that featured some amazing matches that included its main event between Bryan Danielson vs. MJF for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match, Jungle Boy vs. Christian Cage in a Final Burial Match, Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks, and the Lucha Bros. and Mark Briscoe vs. the Varsity Athletes and Ari Daivari. Yet, it was the trios match between the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega aka the Elite vs. the House of Black in Brody King, Malakai Black, and Buddy Matthews for the AEW Trios Championship match. It’s a match filled with a lot of high-flying spots but also some unique striking from the House of Black as well as bump from Julia Hart in her attempt to help the House of Black. It is a match that is just energetic as well as intense that showcases why AEW is going strong despite a few awful shit like… Blech… Jeff Jarrett and… QT Marshall and his stupid QTV bit.

Top 10 Re-Watches

1. The Band That Wouldn’t Die
2. Phi Slama Jama
3. Brothers in Exile
4. Fernando Nation
5. Party Central
6. The Hockey Champ
7. Cars
8. How to Play Baseball
9. Double Dribble
10. Rio
Well, that is all for March. Next month, I hope to watch John Wick: Chapter 4 and Kelly Reichardt’s Showing Up while maybe also watch Super Mario Bros. as far as theatrical releases along with whatever I have in various streaming services. My next Blind Spot will be Gentlemen Prefer Blondes while I will continue work on other projects including LIT20 which is starting to get off the ground. Before I leave, I want to express my condolences to those that died this much such as Lance Reddick, Paul O’Grady, Chabelo, Keith Reid of Procol Harum, Willis Reed, Bobby Caldwell, Junior English, Chaim Topol, Dave Wills, Tom Sizemore, Steve Mackey of Pulp, Wayne Shorter, and Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2023

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