OK, I really fucking hate 2016. The drought away from movie theatres continues yet this was small compared to something more personal. Last year on October 9, 2015, my dog Prissy died having been with the family for nearly 17 years as it’s something I’m still not over. Well, a year and a day later. My cat Smokey would die all of a sudden as this was a big fucking blow. I knew my cat hadn’t had a good summer as he couldn’t jump as well as starting to urinate around the house. Recently, he had been sleeping in the living room on towels so he can eat and drink water as he was still able to do that. To hear the news from mother that morning that he died just sucked.
This was one of three cats I inherited from a family friend as those 3 cats in Smokey, Stripe, and Pretty Girl had been in the house for six years. Pretty Girl would unfortunately die around Xmas 2010 and two years later in November, Stripe would be gone leaving me with just Prissy and Smokey as it was something that had given me something to do and care for during tough times. Now that is gone and I don’t think I’m going to have another pet for a very long time. This is just a bunch of things that has made this year probably one of the worst that I’ve experienced as I’m just getting burned out by all of the bullshit that is happening around the country and hope things will calm down after Election Day. I really want this year to fucking end and never live through it again.
In the month of October, I saw a total of in 37 films in 25 first-timers and 12 re-watches. Definitely a major improvement from last night as I had fun watching films this month than any other month as it was largely devoted to horror as the best film of the month was definitely my Blind Spot choice in The Exorcist. Here are the Top 10 First-Timers of October 2016:
1. Halloween
2. Roar
3. Dracula
4. The Neon Demon
5. What We Do in the Shadows
6. Bride of Frankenstein
7. The Evil Dead
8. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
9. The Green Inferno
10. Lifeforce
Monthly Mini-Reviews:
Dean Smith: A Portrait of Greatness
If there is a Mount Rushmore of college basketball coaching, it would be these four names. John Wooden of UCLA, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Pat Summitt of the University of Tennessee, and Dean Smith of the University of North Carolina. This documentary made by ShowTime sports is about the career of the late coach who would give North Carolina two NCAA title wins including one of which with the aid of a young kid named Michael Jordan who is in the doc as well as longtime UNC rival in Mike Krzyzewski. It’s something fans of college basketball must see as it shows a man who was willing to not take his team to greatness but also gave his players the chance to give meaning to their lives outside of sports.
Freaks of Nature
This was a pretty fun film that features an array of people such as Mackenzie Davis as a young vampire, Vanessa Hudgens as stoner slut, Patton Oswalt, Denis Leary, and Werner Herzog as the voice of an alien. It’s a film in which an alien invasion has emerged into a small town shared by humans, vampires, and zombies where three teens of that kind work together to deal with the aliens as it is quite gory but also kind of funny. It is flawed and kind of all over the place at times but it is still a very enjoyable film.
Careful What You Wish For
This is a pretty awful thriller as it features the likes of Dermont Mulroney and Paul Sorvino in wasted supporting roles in favor of having Nick Jonas and Isabel Lucas in the leads as it’s just a limp erotic thriller about a kid who is seduced by a spoiled young wife and gets him in trouble for killing her husband. While Isabel Lucas has a nice body as well as a gorgeous barenaked ass, she is not a very good actress as her Australian actress pops up at times while Nick Jonas at times comes off as smug and never sells the awkwardness that his character is supposed to carry. Why is Hollywood trying so hard to make him an actor as he can’t act for shit and isn’t willing to really show the goods for a film like this as it’s just a very predictable and boring thriller.
The Swap
This light-hearted gem from the Disney Channel is a film that is meant to be entertaining and funny about two high school friends who accidentally swap bodies through a mysterious phone app. Yet, it’s a film that showcases the pressure kids have to do to fit in or succeed as it play into the themes of growing pains where both Peyton Roi List and Jacob Bertrand both display some charm and personalities to their characters as well as some depth as both characters also endure loss. It’s maybe inconsistent tonally but it’s got something that manages to appeal to a wide audience as well as something of substance to teenagers.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. House
2. 28 Days Later
3. Crimson Peak
4. Evil Dead II
5. Toy Story of Terror!
6. Spider-Man 2
7. Spider-Man
8. The Ruins
9. Speed Racer
10. Monsters vs. Aliens
Well, that is it for October as I hope everyone has a good Halloween. For November, I will finally see some 2016 releases that are on TV including recently-released documentaries in 13th and Before the Flood. With David Fincher being the next subject of the Auteurs series as I will review a few of his films that I’ve seen before as well as the films of Sam Peckinpah and films from this list. During this time, I will work on a couple of long-term projects as one will be for towards the end of the year and another for next year as I will also make an announcement for the list of films I plan to see for the 2017 Blind Spot Series. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2016
Quite an impressive haul of films you watched. I need to see that Dean Smith doc, especially since I live only a few miles from UNC. By the way, thanks for including Pat Summit on that Mount Rushmore. She more than deserves it. Waiting to see a doc on her, as well. Really looking forward to your post on David Fincher.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your loss of the two pets! I don't have any right now but it was a sad week when I lost my pet dog growing up.
ReplyDeleteNice roundup of films, I definitely saw a ton this past month thanks to TCFF! I have a tie for movie of the months too as it's impossible to pick just one. 28 Days Later is an excellent film and one of the rare zombie film I wouldn't mind watching again, as it's SO much more than just about zombies.
Nice list! So this was your first time seeing Halloween and Evil Dead? Two of my all-time horror favorites. Also interesting to see you actually re-watched Speed Racer. I gotta admit I fall into the "hate it" category on that film.
ReplyDelete@Wendell-As someone who lives in the South. Pat Summit is a fucking legend. People will say "what about Bobby Knight?" Fuck Bobby Knight. He was a whiny little bitch. Pat was someone who didn't just knew what it took to win but created a fucking dynasty with Tennessee. She should be in there with John Wooden, Dean Smith, and Mike Krzyezewski.
ReplyDelete@ruth-It's going to take a long time before I decide to have another one. I'm just trying to get used to not doing the kind of activities as it had been a major part of my life just feeding and taking care of them.
@keith71_98-Yep, those 2 films were first-timers as I'm glad to finally see them as October is often my favorite month in terms of the films that I see.
I may check out Careful What you Wish For just for that barenaked ass. Haha, you did make me laugh with your comments surrounding Nick Jonas.
ReplyDelete@vinnieh-You could also see her naked in Knight of Cups as she also bares her ass in another film. She is quite beautiful despite her poor acting skills. And yes, Nick Jonas is a chode and I can totally kick his ass as well as his no-talent pretty-boy brothers.
ReplyDelete