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Reviews
Gummo (1997)
A bizarre film
After every scene you have to ask "what in the flying f--- am I watching?" It IS unique art though and deserves some stars for that. Absurd to the nth degree with no particular plot or story line. Much of it could be described as hilariously entertaining in the same disturbing way that watching two dogs fight over a chicken bone could be. I laughed my a-- off through most of it, but near the end it got sad. You start to feel guilty for mocking these miserable people. But, mostly you come away asking "why do people reproduce?" and wonder how much better this planet would be without us abysmal creatures running around wrecking the place.
Flatliners (1990)
What's on the other side?
Saw this when I was a kid and it really holds up. It's creepy in a unique way, but suddenly tugs on your heart strings. An original concept unlike any other film that I know of. It's more scary than the usual horror slasher films because it's not really a horror film. It's something else, something paranormal. Great cast. Awesome soundtrack that comes out of nowhere. I don't believe death is anything more than nothingness, but this is worth a look.
Independence Day (1996)
The definitive summer blockbuster
Not only one of the best Sci-Fi movies of all time, but more broadly one of the best action movies ever. The very definition of a summer blockbuster, ID4 lived up to the massive hype campaign preceeding it. Solid cast, sweeping musical score, excellent special effects even today, great one liners, massive destruction of cities, fighter jets battling flying saucers, what more could you want? Sure, you could ask why aliens would even bother entering our atmosphere instead of just obliterating us from orbit first, but let's not spoil the fun.
Nomadland (2020)
This won best picture? Yikes.
A reminder of how far the industry has fallen. There used to be epic movies released every year or even every month. Now, we get the woman cop from Fargo dirt poor living in a van. Maybe she'll find a boyfriend. That's it. That's the entire movie. Sweeps the Oscars. And they wonder why no one watches anymore.
I can see why it won though. There is a deep gaping lack of systemic analysis. The people in charge love to talk about symptoms and never about the disease. Why is Frances McDormand living in a truck? Capitalism, of course. A handful of billionaires made a trillion dollars during the Covid pandemic while more and more of the rest of us can look forward to also living in a truck. Nope, not going to talk about that, just this fantasy of rugged individualism. Thanks, I'll pass.
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Great film
Watched this again after so many years I had forgotten it. Brad Pitt is spectacular. Julia Ormond is a dream. Hopkins kicks ass. Good soundtrack always on the verge of becoming The Last of the Mohicans. No expense was spared. All the filler scenes like the 1915 frontier town, trench warfare, the town fair are all bursting with life. Great writing. Epic.
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Horror!
The brilliant absurdity of this film has grown on me overtime. You can pretty much drop the dial anywhere and it's an interesting scene. It captures the insane, pointless violence of the Vietnam war, plus the psychological damage to those involved, without taking itself too seriously. Better than Platoon or Full Metal Jacket, IMO.