This January, I started to write again on my Letterboxd account. As a result, doing this blog post felt a bit redundant. I think I’ll not doing it again soon. I may write about my readings from time to time to cover that part. Also, I don’t watch a lot of TV, so if there is something of note that happens in that domain, I’ll also write about it.
Ringu. The original 1998 J-Horror classic was a bit scary back then, but I didn’t rewatch it until the opening of this new year and it was still a fine movie, but not that scary. It’s a good supernatural thriller.
The Spirit by Darwyn Cooke. I’m a big fan of Darwyn Cooke’s comics (RIP) but I totally skipped the fact that he did a short run on a revival of the Spirit.
I fixed that and was happy to read those fun stories full of action, mysteries, humor, and drama. And obviously, I spent a lot of time just looking at the art, because it’s always that gorgeous.
All About Eve. Some movies are classics and, when you watch them, you immediately understand why. This is one of them, of course. One that I probably should have watched earlier, but I’m still alive, I have time to watch a lot of those classics, I hope.
Anyway. Great movie, a great Bette Davis performance, great dialogs, and great directing. You know, it’s great.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? A rewatch of this almost unusual Melissa McCarthy vehicle, a movie that makes you feel sad and alive about small people who just wanted to feel seen. I understand Lee Israel more than I should probably admit publicly, that’s maybe why I connected with her story.
Letterkenny Season 12. The show probably should have ended a few seasons ago, it seems that it was just a tired formula on autopilot. But for the last one, they went back to try things and introduced a little theme and a recurring subplot.
Even on the technical part, it was almost a renaissance. Also, there were some really hilarious moments. A good way to say goodbye. Yes, a nice ending. Happy to have watched it.
Hellboy. The 2019 live-action movie adaptation is a mess. There were a lot of references for the readers, but that was not enough to save the over-bloated script, the odd writing choices with the characters, the flat direction, and the bad CGIs. David Harbour was good though.
From All Mankind Season 4. Nowadays, TV seasons are short, 10 episodes here, but it still takes 5 of them to set up the story properly.
By the end, there were some good ideas, but it was not that captivating–and too many characters were underdeveloped. For a show that was at one time quite thrilling, it felt a bit mundane.
Sabrina. The 1954 Billy Wilder version is a good-looking movie with a great cast full of charm and wit. Another classic.
The Old Man & the Gun. Strange for a movie about a bank robber to be this feel-good, but it’s mostly about Robert Redford being happy by doing what he loves most in life.
It makes you think about your own life and, yes, Robert is probably living it to the fullest, unlike me. Those charming criminals!
The Thing. This is my favorite movie, so I rewatched it once again. Still a perfect movie.
Hollywood: An Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson. It’s a big volume, a nice, heavy 750-page hardcover, the kind you need to sit comfortably to read. Two-thirds of it is dedicated to the studio era of Hollywood, from silent movies to the New Hollywood.
It’s not about the movies, but about how they are made. I find some parts fascinating, others not so much. But if you want to know how those big studios worked, from the establishment of the system to the impact of CGIs on the industry, this book is for you.
I thought it was going to be more about the movies, that I’ll maybe be tempted to watch some I never heard about, but that’s not the case. The goal was clearly to establish some truths about this business, how those classics were made, and why, but also what changed and how we ended up where we are right now.
It was a big read to start the year, not a bad one, but it took me more time to go through it than I’d thought. No regret though. Time well spent.
The Killing. Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 noir is an entertaining movie with a well-executed concept, but not much of a story. The non-linear narrative is what makes it stand apart. Good enough.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The 2011 movie adaptation. I wanted to rewatch this one for a long time and was not disappointed by this second viewing. It’s subtle, beautiful, and intelligent. A great spy film that treats you as an adult with a few brain cells.
Charade. Another rewatch. This time, it’s the classic spy/rom-com with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It’s fun, tense, and charming. An extremely good time at the movies! (well, in my living room, but who cares?).
Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge “Trick or Treat.” Carl Barks was apparently censured by his editors, but this led him to produce more work (unpaid!). The bright side is more Halloween fun for us.
This book also delivers some Easter fun, a bit of Christmas, and a Thanksgiving tale. Also, a bit of Scrooge being Scrooge, and a few more stories. A particularly amusing book.
And Then There Were None. The 1945 movie version of Agatha Christie’s classic story is like the book, but different. The end is a bit different and the whole vibe is globally lighter. It’s fun to watch in fact.
The Beekeeper. An always fun Jason Statham doing his thing, but The Beekeeper is only watchable for the moments where he kicks ass. The rest of the movie is stupidly dull and the direction is sometimes strangely amateurish.
