Clash of the Titans (1981)

    Cover art for the 1981 movie Clash of the Titans, directed by Desmond Davis.

    Man, this thing kind of holds up. I went in thinking it’d be totally crap and dated, but it’s not all that bad. In fact, it’s pretty cool.

    This was another childhood favorite. I realize more than ever how much I gravitated toward these super dude-driven ego movies, but a few of them are more than total camp. This one is kinda there. Here’s why



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    Arthur Christmas (2011)

    The cover art for the 2011 movie Arthur Christmas, directed by Sarah Hall.

    Awesome surprise. I hadn’t heard of this movie until about five minutes before hitting Play, and had no idea even then what it was going to be. It was great! The cast is filled with great voices and the movie has really great jokes.



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    December 22, 2023
    Tags: holiday movie | jim broadbent | bill nighy | james mcavoy | hugh laurie | arthur christmas | sarah smith

    A billion dollars

    I am going to take a lot of heat in the very limited circles I talk baseball in the near future. The Dodgers have committed over a billion dollars to two players for the next decade.



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    December 22, 2023
    Tags: Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Los Angeles Dodgers | Shohei Ohtani | baseball

    Colorado State Supreme Court bars Donald Trump from 2024 ballot

    Holy smokes.

    But, you know, the United States Supreme Court still has a say, so America is probably still fucked.



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    Charlie Chaplin

    As I undertook this plan to familiarize myself with a wide range of movies, I knew I’d eventually have to grapple with silent films. Enter Charlie Chaplin.



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    Blade Runner (1982)

    The characters in Blade Runner are set in a composite photo

    Since listening to a review of this on We Hate Movies a couple of weeks ago, I have been itching to watch this. My problem was that I only had a DVD copy, which I thought was really difficult to follow. The picture quality made the movie really, really dreary, which made me drowsy every time I watched. So, after a week or so of thinking about this, I ordered a copy of The Final Cut in 4K. It’s a movie I should own, so I figured now is as good a time as any to grab it.



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    The most annoying UI to show up recently is the one where a search (with Siri, say) displays results that once you click disappear forever. I need the back button. The first result almost never works.

    On the Waterfront (1954)

    A drawing of a man sitting against a chimney on a rooftop overlooking the docks with pigeons flying by

    I’m a bit torn by this and not sure if I even know enough to form an opinion on Elia Kazan.

    I watched this without having any idea of the context. I prefer that if I can do it. Then I like to read up and at least form a basic picture of the world in which the movie was made. The message here was a very strong one—anti-corruption, power to the workers over those who have power. Plus, the opportunity to do something both righteous and empowering because of its righteousness.



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    December 12, 2023
    Tags: criterion collection

    Miller's Crossing (1990)

    A man pleads for his lifefrom his knees  among some trees as another man holds a gun at his side.

    I was taken in by this movie. I think about 30 minutes in I stopped writing notes down because I didn’t want to stop the movie. A gangster noir with all the right characters, played exquisitely, with a pretty great wrap.



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    December 08, 2023
    Tags: criterion collection

    Tokyo Story (1953)

    A man and woman sit on a ledge and look away into the distance

    It’s a movie where not a lot happens, but you really understand some family dynamics that represent all of us. I came away from the movie feeling sad.



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    December 07, 2023
    Tags: criterion collection