Its been a long time coming, that’s a truth I can handle, but good, goddamn was this an overdue view on my part. Some flicks are regarded as classics for a specific reason, and this one, down to the ancient plastering of “The End” over the closing moments lives up to that moniker #IdBuyThatForADollar
Tag: film criticism
Debt to Cinema 101: The Jerk
How sweet it is to bring Steve the gift that keeps on giving: trashy comedy gems from my list of favorites. This one is whacky, romantic, and too centered on getting a chuckle to be too offensive, right? Despite Carl Reiner’s first collab with the poor black child of this film being highly regarded, I found myself wondering if this was going to be another Bio-dome or Freddy Got Fingered.
Debt to Cinema 100: 100 Rifles
Contrary to common belief, the longer you do something doesn’t make it easier to do. Join us for our second triple digit episode where I chronicle just how tiring certain screenings can be despite having fun moments. Burt Reynolds, Jim Brown, Raquel Welch, and Jerry Goldsmith’s score go a long way here, but this one’s a #DimeADozen (or 10 of them depending on who you ask).
Dollar Reviews 043: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets/Dunkirk
Things start off with the culmination of our Luc Besson Debt to Cinema chain, his long gestating, must see in 3D, comic book adaptation then segue into Christopher Nolan’s larger than life, humanistic war flick (20:30) and my horrible experience watching it. Next Steve tries to lighten the mood with A Ghost Story (46:50), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Little Hours (49:10). Finally I dipped into the anime again with Food Wars (52:47) and Inuyasha (54:50) + my first impressions of my New Nintendo 3DS XL (57:38).
Debt to Cinema 098: Shadows
Independent filmmaking is what brought life back into cinema, and given that we primarily sought our educations in the medium based on the exploits of artists working outside the constructs of the studio system, its only fitting that we would finally get around to watching the first of John Cassavetes’s canon – possibly the first indie film #SilverDollar
Debt to Cinema 097: Léon (The Professional)
Inspired by Steve’s pick the week before and doubly so once Ashley decreed we would watch Valerian together, I decided to give Luc Besson another go. Whereas Nikita was a deep cut, Leon is the film that made his career and I finally gave it the view it deserved #IdBuyThatForADollar
Debt to Cinema 096: La Femme Nikita
Leave it to America to make a proudly Parisian film even more French, this Luc Besson romantic thriller bleeds angst and oozes style. Before the two remakes and equally as many American TV adaptations, this is the breakthrough international piece of cinema which made the EuropaCorp president an action impresario and household name #IdBuyThatForADollar
Dollar Reviews 042: The Big Sick/Spider-man: Homecoming/War for the Planet of the Apes
Welcome to our first triple feature, starting with the true romcom of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s lives #IdBuyThatForADollar, followed by Sony’s third go at Spidey (24:23), and finally Matt Reeves’s conclusion to the Apes trilogy (48:23) #IBTFAD. Also, Steve shares thoughts on The Exception (1:20:07), Kirikou and the Sorceress (1:24:19), and a double feature of The Philadelphia Story/Palm Beach Story (1:27:06). Meanwhile, I caught This is John (1:32:04) and Videodrome in 35mm (1:36:37) – then my Goodwill Corner featuring a surprise announcement (1:41:08).
Debt to Cinema 095: Detention (2011)
Its not everyday that a piece of media aims to de(con)struct the genre/subcategory it falls into, but of the last 20 years, most of the best satire has come from films of that ilk. Scream, Last Action Hero, Cabin in the Woods, Scott Pilgrim, and now Joseph Kahn’s crazy, fast, smorgasbord of the milennial high school experience cements weird is good and 90s nostalgia is better! #IdBuyThatForADollar
Dollar Reviews 041: Baby Driver
Having done the UK proud and Canadian manga fans one better, what has Edgar Wright brought to musically inclined getaway drivers of the South? #SilverDollar – I also played plenty of rhythm games in our month long absence headlined by DJ Hero (27:46), went to the cinema for Captain Underpants (31:47) and Transformers: The Last Knight (34:30) in 3D, and stayed home for Adam Sandler’s The Cobbler (43:17). Meanwhile, Steve caught Cars 3 also in three dimensions (52:03), Collateral Beauty (55:10), and The Girl on the Train (59:37), before I close with my many Goodwill finds featuring an ad for the org (1:03:42).
Dollar Reviews 