Reviews of films
Billa, had it reached the right audience at the right time, could have been immortalized as a cult hit in the vein of Kung Pow: Enter The Fist. It is badly written, badly acted, badly budgeted, bad to look at, … Continue reading WTF Asia: Billa (2009)
Welcome to my weekly discussion of the animated films of the Walt Disney Studio. I’m proceeding mostly chronologically. Since we did all the animated films, we’re moving on the the live-action films. The title comes from a quote from Walt, … Continue reading Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. Live-action Edition. Darby O’Gill and the Little People
Robert Mapplethorpe was a groundbreaking photographer who rose to fame in the 1970’s and 80’s. When he was diagnosed with AIDS he increased his artistic output and his market value rose. He would achieve a new level of infamy after … Continue reading LGBT Movies: Mapplethorpe (2018)
In Which it Feels Good to Feel Again The influence of The Matrix is monumental. Nearly every action movie released in the last 20 years is in conversation with it in some way. Either aping its stylistic techniques directly or … Continue reading Millennial Malaise 14: Equilibrium
As the seasons change, so do sometimes my plans for this feature. I hadn’t originally planned on writing this review. I was going to do at least a straight month of nothing but European cinema, encouraged as I was of … Continue reading Made Overseas: Supercop (1992)
Sometimes, it may be difficult to understand the true significance of the moment that changed your life forever. Available online. Approximately 119 minutes. The movie starts out peacefully enough. Black and white footage of a tree waving in the … Continue reading WTF ASIA 51: A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Welcome to my weekly discussion of the animated films of the Walt Disney Studio. I’m proceeding mostly chronologically. The title comes from a quote from Walt, “I never called my work an ‘art’ It’s part of show business, the business … Continue reading Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. Live-action Edition. The Shaggy Dog
Welcome one and all to the third installment of Bagel Over the White House, my ongoing series looking at American political film and how our art can tell us something about where we are as a nation. Last week, we … Continue reading Bagel Over the White House: The Siege (1998)
With Avengers: Endgame less than a month away, I decided to continue the rewatch of the MCU. You can find my other articles on this site as well as reviews by A Winged Potato. https://the-avocado.org/2018/07/05/movie-reviews-ant-man-and-the-wasp-2018/ Title: Ant-man and the Wasp Director: … Continue reading Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Three Rewatch: Ant-man and the Wasp
In Which it’s Turtles All the Way Down. With a few rare exceptions it’s a bad sign when a movie focuses so much on architecture. Now I’m not talking about the camera lingering on intricate production design or focussing in … Continue reading Millennial Malaise 13: The Thirteenth Floor
There have been complaints that the small-scale Belgian movie, Let the Corpses Tan, is difficult to follow. It’s not that complicated of a plot, even. To wit: criminals hide out in a bohemian community. The cops show up looking for … Continue reading Made Overseas: Let the Corpses Tan (2017)
A long time ago, the evil Empire held hostage countless lives. With the fate of the future in the balance, one man joins the Rebel Alliance and realizes his destiny. And through a mysterious power known as the Force, he … Continue reading WTF ASIA 50: The Last Supper (2012)
Welcome to my weekly discussion of the animated films of the Walt Disney Studio. I’m proceeding mostly chronologically. The title comes from a quote from Walt, “I never called my work an ‘art’ It’s part of show business, the business … Continue reading Building Entertainment: The Animated Films of the Walt Disney Studio. Live-action edition. Old Yeller.
Welcome all to the second installment of Bagel Over the White House, an ongoing series in which I look at the effect of political context on American film and the effect of American film on politics. Today, I decided to … Continue reading Bagel Over the White House: Dr. Strangelove and Fail Safe (1964)
Avengers: Endgame is around the corner, so I am continuing my rewatch. Also check out A Winged Potato’s review. Title: Avengers Infinity War Director: Anthony and Joe Russo Writer(s): Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely Characters created by: Stan Lee and … Continue reading Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Three Rewatch: Avengers: Infinity War
A little sincerity goes a long way. A movie like The Mustang sounds like, if it had been in the wrong hands, could have been the schmaltziest thing you’ve ever seen: A violent, convicted prisoner named Roman (Matthias Schoenaerts), is given a … Continue reading Movie Review: The Mustang (2019)
I love movies like Gloria Bell. Little character studies, slices of life with a great, relatable main character are hard to fuck up, because it doesn’t rely on plot, but rather on charm, but when one is particularly good, it’s a … Continue reading Movie Review: Gloria Bell (2019)
The Rutles. A legend that will last a lunchtime. An inspired parody of The Beatles, The Rutles, quite apart from their music and comedy, were notable for three reasons. They were the first “mockumentary”, several years before This Is Spinal … Continue reading The Rutles: Movie Review—All You Need Is Cash
In Which We Go Down the Rabbit Hole This article won’t be about The Matrix. No, you don’t need another thousand words dissecting the filmmaking, the performance, the philosophy, or the themes. The past 20 years have provided a veritable … Continue reading Millennial Malaise 12: The Matrix
In a way, I started this column because of a fascination with international iterations of the superhero formula. I’d done a few open threads looking at Filipino superheroes, which have a pedigree that extends way back to the 1950’s. I … Continue reading Made Overseas: Krrish (2006)
TEENAGE PUNKS!!! Available online. Approximately 115 minutes. A group of high school girls had planned to play a couple of cover songs for the school festival, but an injury to the guitarist and subsequent fallout between two of the … Continue reading WTF ASIA 49: Linda Linda Linda (2005)
