• Books,  Movies

    A Few Thoughts About Doctor Sleep

    Mike Flanagan masterfully adapts King’s source material, and Ewan McGregor and Kyliegh Curran are perfect as Dan and Abra. Speaking of Dan Torrance, poor dude. What a life. McGregor inhabits him with sadness and heart. I like to think Abra will have a better go of it. Also, I’m always glad to see Cliff Curtis and Bruce Greenwood in anything, and they’re excellent in this one as Billy and Dr. John. And who’d have thought to cast Henry Thomas in the part he plays (no spoilers)? Not me, for sure, but wow. It isn’t for everyone, and some of the scenes, even as they faithfully serve the story and characters, are…

  • Movies

    The Man Who Invented Christmas

    For the first time in around ten years, I recently re-read Dickens’ A Christmas Carol with a group of friends, and I was surprised at how much I’d mis-remembered or plain forgotten about it. Mostly, I was reminded how beautifully it was written and just how dark, powerful, and revolutionary a story it is. Dickens catches a lot of flack—rightly so, at times—for “padding” his stories, but A Christmas Carol is lean and efficient. Inspired by that re-read, my wife and I watched this movie tonight, The Man Who Invented Christmas, a somewhat fictionalized account of Dickens’ conception and composition of A Christmas Carol in just about six weeks. This…

  • Movies

    A Few Thoughts on Duncan Jones’ Mute

    Last night, we finally got around to watching Duncan Jones’ Mute, and today I’m still processing it. It was densely packed with narrative, beautifully shot, and deeply disturbing. So, in other words, a productive way to spend a Saturday night. I’ve read quite a few negative reviews of Mute, most of them citing slow pacing, overwhelming visuals, and a confusing storyline as negatives. I can see their points, though I don’t entirely agree. It’s definitely a film that demands careful attention, which doesn’t always go over well these days. A few observations: -I enjoyed all the references to Jones’ other film Moon, complete with Sam Rockwells (not a typo). Also,…

  • Movies

    A Few Stray Observations on Knives Out

    What a cast. With the exception of Blanc (Daniel Craig) and Marta (Ana de Armas), no one cast member gets an inordinate amount of screen time, but they all make their scenes count. Michael Shannon is always a little terrifying, even when he’s not really supposed to be. Captain America notwithstanding, no one plays an entitled jerk like Chris Evans. Once Daniel Craig is no longer James Bond, I look forward to the Benoit Blanc mystery movie franchise. I quickly lost count of the memorable lines, but I honk-laughed at Blanc’s comment about what the Nazi child was allegedly doing in the bathroom.

  • Movies

    Movies: Ghost Light

    Pulling off horror and comedy without resorting to camp can be challenging, but John Stimpson’s Shakespeare performance piece Ghost Light pulls it off well. When an irritated actor ignores the legendary Macbeth curse—never, ever say the name of the Scottish king unless it’s in the performance of the play—all manner of spiritual hell breaks loose. The horror here is mostly just jump-scary, but the comedy is laugh out loud funny. Plus, it has Cary Elwes, Carol Kane, and a great cast of other actors.

  • Movies,  Television

    A Few Notes on The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

    Tonight, just under the wire between 2018 and 2019, my wife and I got to watch The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the Cohen Brothers’ latest flick. Once I’ve had some time to think about it, I’m sure I’ll write a more detailed review, but for now the short of it is I enjoyed it. Here are a few stray, spoiler-free observations: -This film has many messages for us, not the least being the importance of antibiotics, hot running water, and laundry detergent. -I’ll watch anything featuring Stephen Root and/or Tim Blake Nelson. -I now realize Tom Waits and Nick Nolte could easily play grizzled old twins. This needs to happen.…

  • Movies

    (Not) Watching the World End: Bird Box

    Last night, I skipped everything already sitting in my incredibly long Netflix queue and watched the new science-fiction/horror/apocalyptic/Sandra Bullock-in-a-blindfold flick Bird Box. Most of the reviews I’d read of it were favorable, and the negative takes seemed a little fussy for my tastes. The trailer was promising, and it seemed like something I’d enjoy. Here’s the basic premise: People around the world have started committing suicide, and no one knows why. Right away, we’re thrown into the point-of-view of the shockingly pregnant Malorie (Bullock), who falls in with a group of survivors sheltering in a spacious, well-furnished house owned by a guy named Greg (BD Wong). In short order, we…