Rather than the typical twitter thread where I never have enough space to fit all my thoughts, I figured I’d try to make habit of posting my thoughts on stuff I watched each month here. I gotta tell someone about it. Whether or not I’ll keep up with this we’ll see, but this is probably the closest to my older stuff I’ve done in while.

Been trying to watch more comedy movies. Technically, “funny” is my job (irrespective of my ability…) so I can consider this an educational experience.

The movie is incredibly memorable in the way it’s able to craft these very specific archetypes (particularly Lumbergh and Milton). It does seem like the kind of movie to stick with you. The casual realism to the dialogue and slow slice-of-life approach to comedy felt reminiscent of Superbad. While a very different entity, there’s a certain energy to it that seems similar. With that movie, while its mannerisms were initially off-putting, it ended up growing on me a lot in retrospect.

I do feel somewhat conflicted. Setting aside the comedic merits, the arc of the movie is a satisfying story of personal growth…is what I want to say, and yet a part of me can’t escape the general feeling that the ultimate conclusion is mildly cynical. Ultimately, the act of “rebellion” is somewhat futile – there’s no actual change made to the system, and the implication is rather one that you need to learn to accept the way things are or find somewhere you can get the most out of your own life. It’s a great message in a practical sense. The moral is directly actionable. Accept that sure, “work is work,” but you can still find a place in the world you’re satisfied with and things outside of your job that give your life meaning. On a whole, though, the ending left me with the feeling that the entire nature of this dehumanizing corporate culture is to be left unchallenged. It’s a rebellion, but only one of the self. In the end, that might just be me wanting something from the movie it couldn’t possibly offer, nor was it aiming to. 

I was also deeply distracted the entire movie by the fact that the lead looks and talks exactly like a guy who went to my church as a kid.

6.5/10(?)

“It’s literally is live-action Looney Tunes,” a line uttered by my friend (and bandmate) Hec seconds before they played the Looney Tunes theme as a parodical nod. 

I absolutely loved this one. It’s funny. So many great sequences and memorable lines. Compared to Young Frankenstein (which I watched last year), I thought the joke-to-joke hit rate was a lot higher in this one. 

What makes it all the better, is despite how insane and inane the movie becomes, breaking the fourth wall and trampling on its grave, there is a heart to it that I wouldn’t expect in such a gag-driven feature. The central relationship of the movie, Bart (Cleavon Little) and Jim (Gene Wilder) is never undermined. Their bond gives the feature a striking sincerity and had me not just laughing along, but genuinely emotionally attached to the leads. Impeccable acting on both ends, the chemistry between them is electric from the very first moment they share the screen. This is my crack ship.

“Where the white women at?”

8.5/10

I can’t really offer a particularly profound or in-depth analysis as while I did watch it, I wasn’t really paying that much attention. It was on and it was cute. As someone who has never been a fan of pokemon, or rather one who seemingly missed the window to become one, I enjoyed it.

Cute/10

There is so much to rant about with this movie, and I can’t even find the energy to try and give it some structure, so here it is in all its disconnected glory.

You would think Timothée Chalamet was cast as Augustus Gloop with how hard he’s chewing the scenery. This is a personal bias, but I’ve always found something about his general affect kind of annoying and this movie turns it up a thousandfold. I saw this (and the next three movies on this list) with my friends BlueEyes and Jack. Before going in I told them I thought Chalamet had an extremely punchable face. They were shocked and confused. Then we watched the movie. I think by the end they hated him more than I did.

In principle alone I am against this movie’s existence. I hate this incessant need to “explain” every single character with any semblance of pop culture relevance. Is there really a single reason to justify this backstory that isn’t money? Especially for a character in which a fundamental part of the appeal is their mystique. That mystery, laced with just enough information to give some direction, is exactly why the book (and Wilder film) stimulate the imagination so effectively. It’s part of the reason I absolutely despise Solo, a movie that turns a character having an odd name in an alien fantasy story into something they need to be given because they’re a “loner.” Where seemingly almost every major event in this character’s life happens over the course of a weekend or two. To put it simply, it makes him terribly boring. Could you imagine if they tried to make a backstory where they explain that the Cheshire Cat is actually a diagnosed schizophrenic who lost his family in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge and now trolls little girls because he longs for his lost children? Maybe I should copyright that before they actually make it. 

The movie purports to be a direct prequel to the Gene Wilder feature despite completely eschewing every vital element of that movie’s style beyond the barest of the surface level. Roald Dahl famously hated that movie, in large part because Willy Wonka’s character was too nice. While I disagree, it’s a hilarious complaint given how Wonka takes that foundation and completely sugarcoats it. Chalamet’s Wonka is the nicest boy around, here to make chocolate for the world and oh so sad because his mommy died. There’s not even an ounce of cynicism, not a drop of edge. While I can’t say I like Tim Burton version at the very least that iteration still had some sense of unnerve, of unpredictability. Chalamet’s Wonka is like if the phrase “goody two shoes” grew a pair legs and a shit-eating grin. One key conflict is when Wonka is tricked into working at an inn as an indentured servant through a slimy contract. This is a direct nod to the contract he has the kids and their parents sign in the Gene Wilder movie. And that makes exactly as much sense as you think it does. It’s a reference for reference’s sake, not something that feels spawned out of any desire to explore the character.

The music is annoying and terrible. Okay, it’s not the worst but I just did not almost enjoy any of it, the singular exception being the song they sing right as Wonka seemingly achieves his dream of a successful candy shop. Directly preceding a hilarious and dramatic tone shift in which the candy is sabotaged, poisoning the customers who then proceed to burn it to the ground in a furious rage. It’s interesting how every successive iteration on Wonka seems to push the musical aspect further and further. In the 70s film it was a few brief moments, and I think the fact they saved the music made those moments all the more striking and unexpected. I also think that precisely because it is so iconic and memorable, when trying to recapture that same feeling people fixate excessively on the musical element, missing all the necessary pieces surrounding it that made it work. Also, Timothée Chalamet is not a very good singer. Or at least I imagine he must not be, because every song is laced in so much autotune it sounds totally lifeless. I don’t know if this is a crazy take, but one million to one I would rather just hear a middling talent sing with personality than listen to a perfectly on pitch version that filters out every ounce of character to their voice. The Muppets all sing constantly, in character, and even if their voice is weird or pitchy it works because it feels like the character singing. That said…please for the love of god just cast broadway talent when you make musicals. The most egregious is the end of the movie, which retreads old ground with a rendition of “Pure Imagination” in one of the most painful covers I’ve heard in my life. It’s full of unnecessary pauses and confusing pacing, those times where the singer is told they can “take time” and “be expressive” without clear direction. Like terrible pop covers of classic Christmas tunes, that feel the need to “make it their own” lacks any clear musical intent behind those decisions besides simply being different. In a movie full to the brim of original music, for the emotional climax they had no faith that they could create something new, instead relying on every possible trick to wring as much emotion out of the viewer as possible. It feels cheap.

Yet, as much as I dislike a litany of creative choices in this movie, I can’t entirely hate it. Because this movie has creative choices. It’s not soulless. The movie is full of baffling things with way too many plot threads and characters. It’s a messy film from start to finish, but I kind of love that the movie could be so unusual and over-the-top in those ways. The movie is about Wonka trying to open a chocolate store with his chocolates (that are definitely not drugs) in a town where a chocolate cartel shuts down any competing business. They also water down their chocolate and siphon off the extra into a giant storage vat located underneath the church because they are also in cahoots with Mr Bean and his group of chocolate-loving monks. Wonka and his friends are on a quest to get into the cartel’s hidden underground base where for some reason they keep a meticulously logged record of all their evil activities in a single book. The entrance is inside of the church, so what’s their strategy? Releasing an elephant into the church right before a funeral procession followed by a sequence of the monks running in terror inside while they pretend to be animal control. Insane.

Or towards the very end of the movie, where Wonka and Noodle (dont ask) are bested by the comically evil cartel. They trap them in a vat to drown them in chocolate. Wonka and Kraft Mac n Cheese despair, but seeing a small glass top they plan to float up and bang on the glass for help. And then the three big bads show up right as they reach it, smiling gleefully as they plan to watch their final moments. Their levels of hater are honestly inspiring. 

Timothée Chalamet’s performance and the general writing of his character is the biggest issue. Besides the music…and the story. Okay, it has plenty of other problems, but I would have at least hoped they could get the Wonka part of “Wonka” down. I can admire its creativity but I can’t admire its spirit. Gleeful with no reason, utterly full-of-itself like a distillation of artificial whimsy.

4/10

I remember seeing the teaser for this movie like a year ago and being really excited as a huge fan of the director’s other original film Maquia. Then I was surprised to see it drop on Netflix seemingly out of nowhere.

While an immensely entertaining experience, in retrospect I should have tempered my expectations. Mari Okada is a writer who more than any other is deeply polarizing for me, writing in equal measures stuff I like and dislike. This movie narratively and stylistically skews more towards Anohana, which might be a plus for some. I do not care for Anohana. 

It’s a film well worth analysis from someone with more understanding of Japanese culture than I. So many decisions feel really specific from a thematic angle. The fact that it’s set in a dying town that has been trapped in some kind of strange magical pocket dimension after an explosion on the oil rig. A town where they have to stay within their designated roles or they’ll disappear. It’s interesting, but as the movie continues it gradually feels more and more like the entire runtime is essentially the movie explaining its own premise, eating into the characterization and making the ultimate emotional climax ring rather hollow for me. Setting aside the rather baffling Freudian elements. I won’t spoil anything more since seeing the concept unfold is the most entertaining part.

Also I really hate the vocal performance of the “wild girl” Itsumi. I watched the Japanese version (I always watch original language unless it’s unavailable) and the actor plays her with such a painful level of over-the-top cuteness it feels completely out of place and I could not buy her being a real kid at all. And the visuals kind of fall apart towards the end of the movie. Still, it was pretty entertaining, had some interesting ideas, and I’d probably rewatch it if the opportunity presented itself. Definitely get the sense there’s more here if you’re willing to dig for it.

6/10

I hate gross out humor. Comedy that seems purely designed to be unpleasant. I’m a big fan of structured comedy, setup and payoff, witty comments and intellectual satire. Which is exactly why I think I loved Freddy Got Fingered.

I watched this movie during my trip to visit Jack in Canada. It got put on initially as something to watch for a little bit as we got ready to go out for dinner, but we ended up watching the whole thing, and I stood next to the couch equal measures mesmerized and baffled the whole time. I did have some context. I’d heard RedLetterMedia comment on its subversive brilliance, and even earlier than that saw Lindsay Ellis (when under Channel Awesome) give some thoughtful commentary that I don’t remember any of and listened to Nostalgia Critic shriek in befuddlement.

The thing is, the movie clearly knows how to be funny. Besides the obvious graphically shocking material where the only reaction you could possibly have is to laugh or to leave, there are a good number of jokes that are set up and paid off. There was legitimate thought put into it. The cheery kid getting repeatedly injured in progressively more insane ways while staying completely positive the whole time is such a well executed, funny joke. There’s so many odd but extremely specific choices of line delivery that refuse to leave my mind. I don’t think of myself as the type to incessantly quote things, but I almost can’t help myself with this movie. 

“Daddy would you like some sausages?”

The way every character acts is so surreal, the way the protagonist Gord sort of floats through the story even more so. The “real-ness” with which people respond to his insane actions varies dramatically, making it feel almost like a dream. Or a nightmare. Gord’s girlfriend is skilled at flipping coffee creamers, wants to suck dick, and is trying to make her wheelchair rocket-powered.

“Yeah, my record’s seven in a row.” “Oh! Wow. Are hospitals always this fun?” “No. Sometimes… Sometimes people here die of cancer.”

It’s brilliant. The movie encapsulates a certain level of “lol random” humor, but unlike most others the randomness never became predictable. It continuously caught me off guard the whole way through, and at a tight 87 minutes doesn’t overstay its welcome. 

I almost want to be apologetic for enjoying the movie…and yet I can’t deny it was funny, and I don’t think it was funny by accident. The movie is, in a way, one giant joke. A joke on the producers, the viewers, and itself. The very existence of it is kind of ridiculous. And you know what? I laughed.

8/10 (we’ll see how well I like it when I rewatch it…)

I love the Muppets. I love the Muppets. They have always captured my heart and tickled my imagination, and that felt magic has never faded. It can barrage you with joke after joke and never lose its heart, something that I think truly captures the idea of “general audiences.” While Muppets can be targeted at kids, it doesn’t have to be. It’s universal, and something that has never tried to talk down to its audience. It’s childish, in a strangely mature kind of way. You can tell that Jason Segel holds a similar reverence for the series. The Muppets (2011) was a passion project pitched by him right off the back of work in the world of raunchy adult comedy. It models itself closely after the formula of the original Muppets, especially their early theatrical ventures. Filled to the brim with nods to as many bits of Muppet history as one could manage, where many such ventures fail it actually manages to successfully capture the spirit of the original and leave an impact on the franchise. The entire “Man or a Muppet” sequence is divinely inspired. 

It’s a genuine, genuinely funny film, that while deep in the shadow of its predecessors isn’t necessitated by them. You could enjoy this movie without any context but that context enhances the experience tenfold for any fan, and besides the very first film it might actually be one of the best entry points to the franchise. That said, with all my love for the movie it is caught in one trap. That reverence for the Muppets bleeds in a little too deeply. The Muppets has always been far from self-serious. It is earnest and genuine but never full of itself, and this movie does venture a bit too near to Muppet worship. Not to say that I wouldn’t join that cult, but the irreverent spirit is a key part of the Muppets’ style that it does lose touch with on occasion. Something that does feel totally appropriate though, is the choice to fixate so heavily on the Muppets’ current lack of relevance in pop culture. It’s such a simple choice but feels totally obvious for a modern installment and makes for endless humor, completely in line with the tongue-in-cheek meta stylings of the Muppets. One last nitpick: it’s a bit funny how Jason Segal’s subplot is so thoroughly sidelined by Muppet ventures that he often ends up sitting awkwardly in the background with little to do. I don’t know that they should have focused on him more, but the two sides of the story in Segal’s character and his Muppet brother Walter do end up feeling rather lopsided. 

It’s missing a few things. Perhaps things that could only exist with Jim Henson at the helm. As a whole though, it really taps into almost everything I love about the Muppets and keeps that magic alive. There’s something beautiful to me the fact that Muppets against all odds continue to cling just barely to this modern media landscape, even though it seems a world that should have long since passed them by. To me, it’s a miracle this movie happened, and even more so that it ended up as good as it is.

8.5/10

After seeing a lot of posts about this Chinese picture from the excellent animation account Catsuka and discovering it was being screened in my area, I went to see it with my roommates with basically no knowledge of what I was getting into besides it being vaguely Ghibli-esque. I only skimmed through the trailer enough to see that the visuals were good enough to be worth getting a ticket.

It was sick. A very compelling setting, great animation, and an effortless humor. While it might seem overly dense and confusing (especially, if like us, you miss the first 10 minutes) the simple story of the central character wandering through these complicated surroundings makes the world feel real. A boy driven by a simple universally understandable love, searching for his father as the messy world of the adults tries repeatedly to pull him away. While the world feels cyclical and cynical, that central human connection is what’s centered as truly important, and I think it works really well. It has a lot of things I like about Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away while maintaining its own clear identity. All presented with some fantastic animation, creative visual ideas, and an incredible score. The biggest critique I would pose is some questionable compositing decisions, especially in the fusion of 2D and 3D elements, but even in those moments I still have to give a nod of appreciation to the insane ambition behind what they’re attempting to do. While the year has only just begun I think there’s a good chance that this ends up being one of the better animated features to drop during it.

I hope this eventually finds a good dub and streaming service, as I could easily see this finding a much wider audience. Also really wish this had a less generic name, it’s annoying to search for.

8/10

I listen to way too much music to have the time or energy to write about it (check out my other channel which will soon have lots of videos coming for music thoughts). That said, I would like to leave a few recommendations from the highlights of what I’ve been listening to recently:

Havana Exotica – 踊ってばかりの国 (Odotte bakari no kuni) (1991)

Pizzicato Five – On Her Majesty’s Request (1989) & Bellissima! (1988)

Janis Ian – Who Really Cares (1969)

They Might Be Giants – Flood (1990) & The Else (2007)