Films That I Saw: July 2024

 

Well, things here in the U.S. has certainly gotten crazy with a botched assassination attempt on Dookie Tank while Cunt Hogan did a stupid speech brother on how Dookie Tank will fix the country with the help of J.D. Vance who thinks childless women are stupid. What a shitshow this has become as Joe Biden has decided to drop out of the election which I think is a good thing since it is highly likely he is going to get killed by the polls anyway. Do I have faith in Kamala Harris? I do not know. Appearing at the BET Awards certainly does not help as BET sucks. Anyone who still hopes that things will change for the better in their belief in democracy needs a wake-up call as what just happened in Venezuela is proof that democracy sucks. It can be bought and rigged no matter for whom you vote.

Remember nearly five years ago when a question is asked about the Marvel Cinematic Universe being cinema and I made a response to it as it was meant to be a seven-part series with only four of the seven finished? Well, given the recent events at Comic-Con and toxic fanboy responses over the reaction to Deadpool & Wolverine towards those that did not like the film. I can now say that everything Martin Scorsese said is correct and I am wrong. I will love what Marvel did but recent events as it relates to the quality of their films and shows had me questioning my own fandom. I can admit that both Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania and Secret Invasion were duds while I was apprehensive about Deadpool & Wolverine not just because it is directed by Shawn Levy who is a filmmaker I really do not like at all. It is also because of my growing disdain towards Ryan Reynolds and him being a shill for either his own bullshit products or for other products that he is being paid to sell.



Reading about the numerous cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine had me questioning why some of these actors are doing it when they really did not need to as it really affects the quality of a film. What is next? Taylor Swift and Harry Styles making appearances in a Marvel film just for the sake of them saying “hi”? I do not want that shit in movies. I am already worried over the astronomical budget of Captain America: Brave New World that cost at around $350 million due to re-shoots and re-writes. Then came the events of Comic-Con where I was excited about the news over Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps and then the announcement for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars as I was hoping that it wouldn’t be helmed by Shawn Levy though bringing Joe and Anthony Russo back is a step backwards. It all leads up to the announcement of who will play Doctor Doom and it is none other than Robert Downey Jr. and I was like “what?” Honestly, this is a massive step backwards and a cry of desperation for Marvel as I do not think Downey needs to do this as he has already accomplished so much. I would have rather had another actor take the part as it just feels weird seeing Tony Stark playing Dr. Victor von Doom. With all this news and the questions about the quality of Marvel’s upcoming films and TV projects, I can now say that I am out of the MCU. The fatigue has set in, and it is time to find something else for a change.

In the month of July 2024, I saw a total of 22 films in15 first-timers and 7 re-watches with three of those first-timers being films directed or co-directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. A major highlight of the month is my Blind Spot pick for the month in Django. Here are the top 10 first timers that I saw for July 2024:

1. Kinds of Kindness

2. In Bed with Victoria

3. Pamela, a Love Story

4. Poison

5. When Blondie Came to Britain

6. Necktie

7. The Jericho Mile

8. Beau

9. Void

10. The Trip to Squashland

Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I’m Watching

When Blondie Came to Britain



This BBC documentary is about Blondie’s popularity in Britain from 1977 to their most recent performance at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival where they played to one of the largest audiences in their entire career. The documentary doesn’t just feature interviews with founding members in Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Clem Burke who are still in the band (though Stein is not part of the live version of the band due to health reasons) along with former members in Jimmy Destri, Gary Valentine, Frank Infante, and Nigel Harrison as well as others who were around Blondie’s entourage at that time. The film highlights the loyalty they received in Britain as well as this sense of change in the music scene in the late 1970s that included this great photograph of Harry with some of the women in the late 1970s punk rock scene that included Siouxsie Sioux. It is something fans of Blondie should watch as well as anyone who has a love for well-crafted documentary films.

Good Night, Dear



The first in a trio of early short films made by Lars von Trier when he was a child is an 80-second short that is a silent film. Notably a film about a kid who steals money and uses it to make someone else happy as it is a fun little gem. Especially in seeing Satan as a child just trying to create a crime film at such a young age.

Why Try to Escape from That Which You Know You Can’t Escape From? Because You Are a Coward



The second of three shorts by von Trier is one he made in his teens as it is about a boy being chased by a ghost. It is this 8-minute short film that displays many of the visual attributes that von Trier would later adopt into his work as a feature film director in the years to come.

The Trip to Squashland



For anyone that wonders why von Trier is so fucked up should watch this 2-minute animated short he made in 1967 when he was just a child as his very first film is a delightful one. It is about a trio of little creatures who are just singing and having fun until a group of bad creatures come in and ruin everything until a big worm and a whale come in to save the day. It also involves something that is not for the eyes and ears of children. Oh Lars!

Beau



The one short of Ari Aster that I had not seen prior to seeing Beau is Afraid is the short that the film is based on from 2011. It is a six-minute short starring Billy Mayo as the titular character who is trying to get ready to leave his apartment only to forget his dental floss and trouble arrives. It is this scene that Aster would later expand to in his 2023 film which does remain my least favorite film of his though I would say this short is better than the film with a hilarious ending.

Necktie



A short film made for the 2013 anthology film series Venice 70-Future Reloaded in celebration of the 70th Venice International Film Festival is pure Yorgos Lanthimos. It is this 2-minute short film about five kids taking part in a duel between two young girls. It is a film that plays into everything that Lanthimos is about in terms of his absurdity and view on violence.

Pamela, a Love Story

This documentary by Ryan White in which Pamela Anderson is allowed to tell her own story is a remarkable film that has the sex symbol taking control of her narrative. Even as she is supported by her sons Brandon and Dylan Lee who are given the chance to express their views of dealing with shit their mother went through. Anderson is aware that she is imperfect and flawed but she is not this dumb blonde that many in the media perceive her to be. While I may not agree with her association with PETA or support someone as vile as Julian Assange. She is a woman that has a good heart and just wants to be loved while going through so many relationships and marriages that never worked out as she needed to love herself. It is a film that ended up being better than I thought it would be as I am rooting for her newfound career renaissance.

Void



From Emma Seligman is this six-and-a-half-minute short film about a young woman’s crush on a classmate despite being addicted to pornography. It is a film that explores a woman’s idea of what being with this young man could be but also this reality in relation to her own addiction to porn. It is an excellent film as it is something worth seeking for those interested in Seligman’s work.

The Moon’s Glow



The first of two short promotional films by David Lynch for his upcoming collaboration with Chrystabell in Cellophane Memories has Lynch use non-copyrighted footage in which he would re-dub them and create some unique narrative about people talking about this upcoming album as it is fun to watch. Especially for anyone that loves David Lynch.

Will There Be Anything Else?



The second promotional short from Lynch is set in a diner where Lynch would once again use royalty-free footage and re-dub everything as it plays into a man not wanting to hear music as he is awaiting the release of Lynch and Chrystabell’s new album. Even as they mention the idea of an ant singing Row Row Row Your Boat as the ending of this short is the ultimate kicker.

The Acolyte (season 1 episodes 6-8)

The last few episodes of the season show certain points of views of what the Jedi and Sith sees things as the seventh episode is a big flashback episode that plays into what really happened the night Osha and Mae’s mother as it really shows the Jedi in a bad light where Sol really got what he deserved at the end of the series. As a series, I would not rank it highly though it is better than The Book of Boba Fett as there are some serious flaws in the writing and the fact that there were characters in the show that I was really getting into and then they are gone. Amandla Stenberg is great as both Osha and Mae while I would not mind a second season if the writing is better.

Community (pilot)



I have heard about this show for years and always see a bunch of memes that come from the show. I have been watching clips from the show as I decided to watch this pilot in which a lawyer loses his job as he must attend a community college to get his law degree back. He takes part in a study group filled with a group of oddballs in a pop culture nerd, a former athlete, an activist, a middle-aged Christian divorcee, an overachiever, and Chevy Chase. It was funny and I really liked it while some of the clips I saw really makes me want to see the show, but it is on Peacock and that streaming service sucks.

Top 7 Re-Watches

1. Parasite

2. Call Me By Your Name

3. The Edge of Seventeen

4. Blonde

5. Last Tango in Paris

6. Night Eyes 4

7. Object of Obsession

That is all for July. I have no clue on what new films that I will do for August other than start work on my Auteurs piece on Michael Mann by watching the rest of his filmography and then get started on David Lean for the next Auteurs piece. Now that I have access to all my remaining Blind Spot’s picks, I am unsure what to do next other than Berlin Alexanderplatz as I will watch the series for the duration of the year. Before I bid adieu, I want to express my condolences to those who have passed away this month that includes rock blues legend John Mayall, Shelley Duvall (fuck you Dr. Phil), Richard Simmons, “that bitch Brenda from Beverly Hills 90210” Shannen Doherty, Erica Ash, Chino XL, Sweet Valley High author Francine Pascal, Martin Phillipps of the Chills, Irish novelist Edna O’Brien, football player Jerry Simmons, wrestler Leo Burke, baseball player Denny Lemaster, Jim Ninowski of the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, baseball player Mike Ferraro, Italian film legend Aldo Puglisi, songwriter Jerry Fuller, costume designer Donna Berwick, actor Whitney Rydbeck, pianist/composer Sarah Gibson, James B. Sikking, that freaky German-American sex doctor Dr. Ruth Westheimer (she’s fucking awesome), video artist Bill Viola, singer/songwriter Dave Loggins, Polish film legend Jerzy Stuhr, Joe Egan of Stealers Wheels, film legend Yvonne Furneaux, film producer Jon Landau, writer/filmmaker Robert Towne, and Bob Newhart. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2024