THE LAST FEW THINGS I WATCHED (AND MY BRIEF THOUGHTS ON THEM, No.2)

I see a lot of films, but I don’t fully review them all. But here’s some capsule reviews! If you see a * before the title, it’s my first viewing. **** indicates recommending it. The rest are rewatches and are generally recommended.

*Transformers One (2024, Josh Cooley) - Link to my full review: https://www.zachhammill.com/moviefriend/transformers-one-review-1

*Strange Darling (2024, JT Mollner) - To say anything is to spoil it. To even reference movies it is like will spoil it. The performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gakllner, the craft (especially from actor-turned-cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi) and execution of the material is everything, but the subject matter is so lurid and the violence is so graphic that I can’t bring myself to fully recommend it. Standouts for me include Ed Begley Jr. and Barbara Hershey, and that decadent breakfast they make!

The Daytrippers (1996, Greg Mottola) - rewatched for the first time maybe since the 90s. A great road movie dramedy that delivers fun-fun-fun-fun-GUT PUNCH. Motolla’s debut, and crazy he didn’t direct another feature until SUPERBAD.

Beetlejuice (1988, Tim Burton) - rewatch in preparation for the sequel. Early Tim Burton is magic.

Robin Hood (1973, Wolfgang Reitherman) - Another piece of magic. Those Roger Miller and character voices (especially Peter Ustinov as Prince John) deliver the goods in this piece of rowdy fun.

*The Great Dictator (1940, Charles Chaplin) **** - My 7th grade math teacher was a movie lover, and showed us the opening of this film. 30 years later I finally finished it at a neighbor’s backyard movie night. Wow. The blend of slapstick, political satire and pathos shouldn’t work but does under writer/director/star Chaplin’s inimitable magic. A great film for dark times that provides a release of big laughs and hopeful tears.

What About Bob? (1991, Frank Oz) - What do the editor of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, the cinematographer of GOODFELLAS, and Yoda have in common? This Labor Day classic (directed by Frank Oz)! Not my favorite Bill Murray performance, but my absolute favorite non-JAWS Richard Dreyfuss performance. Apparently, this film was a nightmare to shoot, since Murray and Dreyfus really did not like each other. They made it work!

*Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024, Tim Burton) **** - Link to my full review: https://www.zachhammill.com/moviefriend/beetlejuice-beetlejuice-review

*Party Girl (1995, Daisy von Scherler Mayer) - Parker Posey’s character and performance are the reason to watch the movie. Everything else felt a little flat to me, but at least it was only 90 minutes.

*Minions (2015, Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin) **** - It’s a minion’s movie! It’s fun, whaddaya want?

*Brassed Off (1996, Mark Herman) **** - I wrote this off back in the day as just a charming little British Miramax programmer, cashing in on the goodwill from rising star Ewan McGregor. My wife is in a community band and was directed to this movie, and its marketing campaign did not prepare us for this rousing and angry character study of a mining community shutting down, and the ragtag community band barely hanging on by a thread to keep everyone’s spirits up. McGregor is barely in it, but it’s Pete Postlethwaite that shines brightly as the ailing bandleader.

The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996, Milos Forman) - A film I haven’t seen since it was released, but I was curious to revisit it, as the screenplay was written by two of my heroes, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who specialize in biopics about anti-heroes and weirdos in the margins of popular culture. The performances are aces (especially by Courtney Love as Althea Flynt). Also fun to imagine that this came out the same year as the Woody Harrelson movie KINGPIN.

*Big Eyes (2014, Tim Burton) - Part of my recent Tim Burton (and Scott & Larry)

deep dive. Another odd slice of history, and after the diabetic coma that was ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a nice palette cleanser for Burton, I gather, filmed beautifully by DP Bruno Delbonnel. Amy Adams is masterful, but Christoph Waltz goes too big here and almost sinks it.

Ed Wood (1994, Tim Burton) - Tim Burton’s best movie (with a crackling script by Scott and Larry, which rescued them from PROBLEM CHILD obscurity and propelled them as the go-to guys for weird biopics). Everything in this movie works.

Man On The Moon (1999, Milos Forman) - Jim Carrey, director Milos Forman, and writers Scott & Larry never quite get to the center of Andy Kaufman, and they all resigned to the fact that maybe there isn’t one, but damned if it isn’t fun watching them try. Alternately entertaining and deeply confounding film.

*A Different Man (2024, Aaron Schimberg) **** - link to my full review: https://www.zachhammill.com/moviefriend/a-different-man-review

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Zach is a proud member of the Minnesota Film Critics Alliance (MNFCA). For more info about Zach, the organization, or to read other great reviews from other great Minnesota-based film critics, click here: https://mnfilmcriticalliance.wordpress.com/