Noir Watch: The Locket (1946) - recommended

Watched:  09/11/2018
Format:  Noir Alley on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1940's

The Locket (1946) gets name dropped a lot in noir circles, but not always with a lot of context.  It starred no particular favorites aside from Mitchum, and didn't happen to cross my path til it aired on Noir Alley, so I'd not made a tremendous effort to watch it.  Turns out, The Locket is a hell of a movie with some terrific qualities, from the performances to the direction and cinematography, but it starts with a story and script that - while maybe a bit rudimentary in applying psychology as a science (a common trope of this era) - tells a unique, engaging, tragic story via unconventional techniques - and puts a new spin on the "femme fatale" (if that's accurate here, and I'll say it is) that's fascinating to watch unfold.

PODCAST! HIGH SCHOOL WATCH! John Hughes, no less! "Sixteen Candles" (1984) and "Pretty in Pink" (1986)

Watched:  Sixteen Candles 08/28/2018 & Pretty in Pink 08/31/2018
Format:  Amazon Streaming
Viewing:  Unknown.  A lot for both.
Decade:  1980's.  Obviously.  Duh.

Laura and Ryan return to high school movies and grapple with some of the difficulties in the narratives of Gen-X staple, John Hughes. We take a look at two Molly Ringwald-starring films, and try to sort out what the hell was going on in the 1980's when these movies were made, and what the movies were trying to do and say.





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Spy Watch: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Watched:  09/09/2018
Format:  Amazon Streaming
Viewing:  First
Decade:  2010's

Sometimes you watch a movie and something about it just doesn't click with you.  On the heels of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, we decided to take in Henry Cavill's last outing as a spy, a movie I'd just not felt compelled to watch previously, The Man from U.N.C.L.E (2015).  And, yeah, that was absolutely a stylish spy movie directed by Guy Ritchie.

Rogers Watch: Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Watched:  09/07/2018
Format:  Streaming Amazon
Viewing:  First
Decade:  2010's

Burt Reynolds Has Merged With The Infinite

By now all the world knows that Burt Reynolds has passed beyond this veil of tears. 

Here's to you, sir.  I have spent more of my adult life re-watching Smokey and the Bandit than I really should mention, and once captivated/ hijacked a social event at a libraries conference by laying out the tale of that movie to a table full of people who admitted they'd never seen it (and detailed why it's important film making). 

All of us down on Earth always wished we could be as cool as you, and now you'll just have to enjoy the envy of every single person in the afterlife. 

We'll miss you, Burt.

Marx Bros. Watch: Room Service (1938)

Watched:  09/06/2018
Format:  TCM on DVR
Viewing:  First
Decade:  1930's

Today is the 30th Anniversary of Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Peepshow"

According to Slicing Up Eyeballs, today marks the 30th Anniversary of the release of Peepshow by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Siouxsie and the Banshees | 'Peepshow' | Released 30 years ago today | @satb_official pic.twitter.com/FB48GBnqxQ

— Slicing Up Eyeballs (@slicingeyeballs) September 5, 2018

IMPOSSIBLE WATCH: Mission Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Watched:  08/29/2018
Format:  Alamo Slaughter
Viewing:  First
Decade:  2010's


SimonUK and Ryan go to see a "Mission: Impossible". Spoiler: Simon is a fan of the franchise and Ryan's a bit cynical about the M:I flicks he'd previously seen. And probably Tom Cruise in general. But that doesn't stop them from talking stunts, action and whatnot, with the usual meandering side conversations.





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AMAZING WATCH: Streets of Fire (1984)

Watched:  09/04/2018
Format:  Austin Film Society screening with PaulT
Viewing:  Fifth?
Decade:  1980's

I think it's fair to say that Streets of Fire (1984) is one of those movies you either get behind or you do not.  Like, I'm not sure there's a lot of gray area in how people react to whatever it is this movie is serving up - but despite the fact that I am well aware that Streets of Fire is not a very good movie, I am also of the opinion that Streets of Fire is an amazing movie.

Kubrick Watch: 2001 - A Space Odyssey (1968)

Watched:  09/02/2018
Format:  4K restoration at Alamo Slaughter
Viewing:  8th?  9th?  10th?
Decade:  1960s