The Films That I Saw: August 2015

Summer is coming to an end and thank goodness. Honestly, I thought this summer sucked on a personal level as I struggled to maintain finances as I was unable to see films in the theaters or really go anywhere. At the same time, I’ve been overwhelmed with a lot of things around me which prevented me from watching films as it relates to what is happening at home. That is why I haven’t been watching a lot of films as of late and many projects that I’ve been doing have taken longer than I thought. Most notably my Twin Peaks marathon which I will expand into the fall which will coincide with a project related to the marathon.

With election year coming up, it is clear that things are getting crazy as everyone wants to be the new president of the United States. I don’t consider myself political as I don’t like politics as there’s too many assholes claiming they’ll do this and they’ll do that and never do what they say. I may lean towards liberalist views, I refuse to define myself as a Democrat or as a Republican. I’m an independent and I haven’t voted since the 2000 election as anyone who follows history knows exactly what happened. I stayed away out of pure disdain for the electoral process and all of the messiness that goes on. Now, there’s one person that is bringing me back and the reasons are much bigger than myself. I won’t say that person’s name because I think he’s a Fascist asshole so let’s just call him the Fascist Asshole. He talks a lot of bullshit and he says very disgusting things about pretty much everyone. Yet, it astounds me that he has his supporters as this incident is the kicker.


As someone who is Hispanic and whose parents are from Honduras that came to this country legally. Having the Fascist Asshole say these horrific things like “anchor babies” and such really pissed me off. It becomes clear that if he becomes president, America is fucked. While I was born in the U.S. and my parents have lived here for more then 30 years and maintained their residency. If Fascist Asshole wins, it’s likely that I’ll be kicked out of this country and so will my parents and people in their family because of who we are. I ain’t going to stand for that and you can make damn sure if he’s running. He will not get my vote and I hope that fucking pendejo gets his ass out of the country and for good.

In the month of August, I saw a total of 31 films in 20 first-timers and 11 re-watches. Kind of surprising in a way though much of it was short films relating to Gaspar Noe. The highlight of the month was definitely my Blind Spot assignment in The Human Condition Trilogy. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for August 2015:

1. Hiroshima mon Amour

2. Red Desert

3. Cria Cuervos...

4. Intolerance

5. Trafic

6. Scandal

7. The Magician

8. We Fuck Alone

9. SIDA

10. Eva

Monthly Mini-Reviews

Back on Board: Greg Louganis

I’m a sucker for HBO sports documentaries as they’re just well-crafted docs that keep things engaging for someone who isn’t into sports. This one was no exception as it plays into the life and career of one of the greatest divers ever. It’s a film where Louganis would talk about his post-Olympic career and how he struggled with prejudice early in his career for being gay and how he became HIV-positive. It’s a very compelling doc that showcases one of the finest icons in sports who is now becoming a mentor to new divers while showing that he still can deliver on the diving board.

Veronica Mars

I haven’t seen the series though I have heard some good things about it. Yet, I saw the film as it had been playing on HBO for months as I thought it was really damn good. Notably Kristen Bell as the titular character who returns to her hometown as she tries to help an old friend who has been accused of murder. It’s a film that isn’t just an intriguing suspense-thriller but also with some humor as Bell is really the star of this film as she makes Mars a very fun and enjoyable character which is probably key to the success of the show. Plus, it’s got a very fun supporting cast that includes Gaby Hoffman, Krysten Ritter, Enrico Colantoni, Tina Majorino, and Jason Dohring.

Playing It Cool

I thought this was a pretty clever rom-com that plays into the world of a writer who falls in love with an engaged woman as he gets to know her but has trouble reconciling with his own ideas of love. With Chris Evans in the lead role and Michelle Monaghan as the love interest, it’s a film that deviates from conventions of sorts where there are moments that are very funny as well as blur the lines between reality and fiction. Add a strong supporting cast in Topher Grace, Martin Starr, Aubrey Plaza, Luke Wilson, and Philip Baker Hall. The result is a very solid and enjoyable romantic comedy.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

This was a pretty funny family film about a family who experiences probably one of the worst days ever and on the 12th birthday of their son who made a wish for his family to experience all of the bad days he had been through. Helmed by Miguel Arteta, the result is a family movie that is pretty crazy as it throws everything and the kitchen sink where it is a film with some slapstick comedy. Led by Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner as the parents, this film had a lot where Carell nearly burns his clothes, Garner talks about penises, and a mini-van getting destroyed. Oh, and there’s a hilarious scene where the eldest son’s junior prom is a disaster as his date is forced to listen to his family making music with their mouths because the radio died.

Top 10 Re-Watches:

1. Foxcatcher

2. Frantic

3. Dallas Buyers Club

4. V for Vendetta

5. Three Men and a Baby

6. Kung Pow! Enter the Fist

7. Fanboys

8. Charlie St. Cloud

9. Pootie Tang

10. Cool World

Well, that is it for August. Next month, my next Auteurs piece will be on Jacques Tati as I will do a thing about his short films while I will also review films by Akira Kurosawa, Jacques Demy, David Lean, Mike Leigh, Roberto Rossellini, and several others. The Twin Peaks marathon will return as there will also be an announcement that will relate to the 50th subject of my Auteurs series as I will do a piece about the series as it reaches its fifth anniversary. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2015