Films That I Saw: April 2017

Well, this has certainly been an interesting time as anyone who is following the world of politics know how fucked up it is. Thankfully, Saturday Night Live was able to entertain me with Alec Baldwin as Il Duce and Bill O’Reilly and Melissa McCarthy spot-on as Sean Spicer. It’s among the things to keep me distracted as well as games I’ve managed to download through my new laptop. Sure, I haven’t been able to go out very much but I’ve been able to entertain myself with all sorts of things including films. Besides, these are very dark times as we’re in a world where so much shit is happening while we the masses are forced to hear about what the fucking Kartrashians are doing and stupid rich kids getting a hard dose of reality in what happens when you spend $12,000 on a music festival run by some has-been rapper.

In the month of April, I saw a total of 37 films in 23 first-timers and 14 re-watches. Definitely a solid month as I saw a lot more than I expected as the highlight of the month was my Blind Spot choice in Akira. Here are the top 10 First-Timers that I saw for April 2017:

1. Godzilla

2. The Beguiled

3. Hour of the Wolf

4. Army

5. Samurai Rebellion

6. And the Ship Sails On

7. Wings

8. La Ronde

9. The Big Boss

10. Le Plaisir

Monthly Mini-Reviews

Jordan Rides the Bus

The first of two films of the 30 for 30 series follows Michael Jordan’s brief sabbatical from basketball following the tragic death of his father in the summer of 1993 as it was a chance to fulfill his father’s dream of seeing his son play professional baseball. It’s a documentary that showcases Jordan’s search to find joy again in playing sports and not be consumed by the world of celebrity and all of its trappings as it would eventually get him back to playing basketball. It’s a fascinating piece that shows a man that was in need to rediscover himself and have fun playing sports.

The Day the Series Stopped

The second film from the 30 for 30 series follows what happened on October 17, 1989 on the third game of the World Series in San Francisco where the San Francisco Giants were playing against the Oakland As. Much of the film largely features footage of what happened on that horrible day where an earthquake shook up both San Francisco and Oakland as well as places in the Bay Area as it scared the hell out of everyone. There were people that died and some who are still shook up by what happened including players for both teams.

Easy Money

I’m a longtime fan of Rodney Dangerfield as he was one of my idols growing up. This is a film I’ve only seen in scattered bits but never in its entirety as I finally watched it during a late night. It’s a very funny film in which Dangerfield plays a guy who has a lot of bad habits where he is given a chance to make a change in his life when his late mother-in-law would give him a big inheritance if he cannot smoke, drink, gamble, and eat fatty foods for a year. The idea of Rodney not be able to do those things is very funny as the film also features an early film appearance from Jennifer Jason Leigh who copes with being married as it also some funny supporting roles from Joe Pesci and Tom Noonan as Rodney’s buddies.

The Legend of Tarzan

This was actually an alright film about Tarzan. Sure, the usage of computer visual effects were a little much and the plot was predictable but it was fun to watch. Notably for the performances of Alexander Skarsgard in the titular role as well as Margot Robbie as Jane, Samuel L. Jackson as an American sidekick of sorts for Tarzan, and Christoph Waltz as the antagonist. It’s entertaining and fun as well as feature characters that are actually engaging.

Mechanic: Resurrection

Jason Statham is awesome as he’s just a badass that is always fun to watch. Sadly, this isn’t one of his better films as it’s just kind of typical of what is expected in action films. Despite the performances of Tommy Lee Jones as an arms dealer, it’s just very sub-standard with Michelle Yeoh kind of wasted as a friend of Statham while Jessica Alba once again plays a damsel-in-distress who is just a cock-tease. Plus, who the fuck would have a swimming pool on the edge of a building? That is just fucking stupid.

Top 10 Re-Watches:

1. The Bling Ring

2. Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me

3. Slumdog Millionaire

4. Cherish

5. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

6. The English Patient

7. Grumpy Old Men

8. Australia

9. The Wraith

10. The Incredible Hulk

Well, that is all for April as next month will be the month where I will do my Cannes Film Festival marathon as the announcement of what films I will see for the marathon will be unveiled tomorrow. Aside from that as well as another Blind Spot and the Thursday Movie Picks, I hope to see some theatrical releases. Most notably Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and maybe I will get a chance to finish up on Twin Peaks in anticipation for the third season. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2017