Wow, things have gotten crazy all over the world. Venezuela is inches away from civil war while things here in the U.S. are just as fucked up. Even as Fuckhead made a national emergency that is just for his stupid wall while everyone is trying to fight for that stupid wall to not happen. There was also news about some dumbass faking a hate crime to get money and attention as I think the little fucker should be beaten by the community he’s hurt. There was also the Oscars which was a mess as I only watched some of it as I was happy for Alfonso Cuaron, Regina King, Lady Gaga, Olivia Colman, Spike Lee, and the people involved in films such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Black Panther yet I felt like the show was a mess and the wrong film won Best Picture.
In the month of February 2019, I saw a total of 39 films in17 first-timers and 22 re-watches with 2 of the first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. One of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot assignment in All About Eve as here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for February 2019:
1. The Favourite
2. Kitbull
3. Love in the Afternoon
4. Purl
5. Midnight Express
6. Claire's Knee
7. My Night at Maud's
8. Smash and Grab
9. Fyre
10. La Collectionneuse
Monthly Mini-Reviews
Deion’s Double Play
The most recent new episode as part of the 30 for 30 series is about one of the most talented yet polarizing figures in sports in Deion Sanders who was known for playing both baseball and football as he was largely famous for being in both the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Falcons at the same time. The documentary is about the 1992 season which focuses on the time he had to play for both teams in the span of 24 hours just as the Braves were in the playoffs at the time. Sanders manages to play up the persona of “Prime Time” as a man who is a star but also as himself as someone who is humble and can take some criticism. Some of it was unfair from sports analyst Tim McCarver who was just a straight-up racist piece of shit that we in the ATL still don’t like. It’s a fun entry that has the man tell his story as well as not mention that whack-ass rap album he did in the 90s.
Truth or Dare
This was an alright horror film as it play into a group of college students who travel to Mexico for spring break only to play a deadly game of truth or dare that eventually becomes out of control. It’s a film that has some decent performances from Lucy Hale and Violet Beane as well as some moments that are comical in the deaths that include an Asian student struggling to come out to his father who is a cop. It’s got some gore and silly moments but it’s still a fun horror film that at times doesn’t take itself seriously which is the cast with a lot of horror films in recent years.
Purl
The first in a series of short films from Pixar’s SparkShorts program that allows young filmmakers to make short films on a limited budget as the first of these shorts involve a ball of yarn trying to stand out and make something of herself in a world of corporate executives that is mainly filled by men. It’s a delightful short film that does play into the theme of inclusivity but also what one must do to stand out and be herself without having to compromise.
Smash and Grab
The second short film from the SparkShorts program is about a couple of robots working inside a train as they’re connected to the train as they yearn to be free like the robots living outside of the train. Even as they discovered a way to have some fun but are constrained by their lack of freedom as it’s just a delightful and touching short film about friendship.
The Fate of the Furious
A film that I’ve been watching sporadically since it was on HBO/Cinemax last year, I finally got to see it in full as while it’s a step down from its predecessor. It is still a fun film as well as a turning point for the franchise. While Paul Walker is definitely missed in this film, the void that is filled by Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson does make it fun where the team has to deal with Dom Torretto turning on them when he’s really been blackmailed by a mysterious figure in Cypher (played with such glee by Charlize Theron). While there’s a fun cameo from Helen Mirren, the one new bit of casting that doesn’t work is Scott Eastwood as Mr. Nobody’s son as he’s just fucking bland.
Uncle Drew
A comedy that I watched with low expectations ended up being much better than I thought it would be. It’s about this guy who loves the game yet never feels he’s good enough as he’s trying to get a team for the Rucker Classic as a rival stole his best player. This forces the man to get some old guys to play as hilarity ensue while seeing Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, and Nate Robinson in elderly makeup while being chased by Lisa London is just a hoot. Add some funny stuff from Tiffany Haddish as it’s just a nice and funny comedy.
Kitbull
The third film from the SparkShorts program is a traditional, hand-drawn animated film about a stray cat who befriends an abused pit bull. It’s a short that manages to do a lot by saying little as it’s just simple and rich while raising awareness on animal abuse. As someone that used to own a dog and a few cats, this one is extremely touching in terms of the friendship between a dog and a cat. It’s so far the best film of 2019 as if this is what the SparkShorts program is all about. I want more.
Top 10 Re-watches:
1. Once Upon a Time in the West
2. Apocalypse Now
3. Black Panther
4. Pauline at the Beach
5. Witness
6. Inception
7. Toy Story 3
8. Captain America: Civil War
9. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
10. Manhunter
That is it for February as next month will begin the 2019 season with reviews of theatrical releases in Us and Captain Marvel as the latter will have me start work on the next Auteurs piece on Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Along with whatever film that is part of my Blind Spot Series, there’s several films from my never-ending DVR list that I hope to see though my stupid cable provider has taken away the Cinemax and ePiX channels unless they get extra money. Before I end this piece, I want to say something about the passing of Mark Hollis of the band Talk Talk who is probably one of the finest artists that not many people have heard other than the song “It’s My Life”. Yet, Talk Talk offered a whole lot more as I recommend listeners to get the band’s last three albums in The Colour of Spring, Spirit of Eden, and Laughing Stock as well as Hollis’ own eponymous release from 1998 as it was music that was really ahead of its time. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2019
So many things, I don't even know where to begin! I think it has to be with Deion. I had forgotten how good he was back then, when two sport stars were kind of a thing, and he probably turned out to be better than Bo (due mainly to poor Bo's hip exploding, of course). Thanks for the reminder! Also, thanks for a long list of movies I should watch again, especially the Toy Stories in advance of #4!
ReplyDelete39 films is pretty impressive for a short month of 28 days. I didn't even manage ten films.
ReplyDeleteRIP Mark Hollis. I've been discovering Asides Besides this week. Some beautiful b-sides on disc 2(tracks 12-16)
@Sean-I prefer Bo as I think he's a more natural athlete and never came across as smug compared to Deion yet Deion has shown that he can be humble and what he did in the span of 24 hours is incredible.
ReplyDelete@Chris-That is a good compilation as there's a lot of great music that he's done. It's a shame he never did more though that one track he contributed to the show Boss is a great final piece. I forgot what it's called.