Sit back and enjoy as I regale you with tales of the first five movies I watched in October.

86. (1024.) The Sugarland Express (1974)
Steven Spielberg's first theatrical movie! It's not what you've come to expect from the master of mainstream schmaltz. In fact, despite having some very comedic elements, it's really a tragedy. Besides Goldie Hawn, what this movie really has going for it are some fantastic shots of Texas landscapes. It's far from Spielberg's best, but it's also much, much better than his worst.

87. (1025.) Foul Play (1978)
This movie is mostly a comedic take on the noir thrillers of yesteryear. The first two-thirds is pretty entertaining (it's easy to see Chevy Chase's eventual Fletch character here), but it runs out of steam by the last 30 minutes. By then, the ending was no longer in doubt and the long car race through San Francisco (more Blue Brothers than Bullit) felt like a tedious waste of time.

88. (1026.) Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
How was this only in theaters for two weeks? This is very much Spinal Tap for the Millennial generation. I know that my father's mother would have hated the foul-mouthed, uncouth lyrics, but I loved every satirical moment of it (even though I'm an Xer myself).

89. (1027.) Station West (1948)
Dick Powell stars as a hard boiled detective in the old west. It's not quite as good as that pitch sounds, but it's worth a watch if you like RKO detective movies. And I do.

90. (1028.) The Star (1952)
Hollywood sure loves stories about the dark side of Hollywood. There's some great writing and acting in this film (though not from Natalie Wood, who acts as well as her namesake). The film closes with a pointed slap in the face from the screenwriter. I found it a clever and effective ending to this depressing character study. Well done.

More to come.

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