50/2482. Fighter Squadron (1948)
The episodic adventures of a squadron of American pilots in England contains the first on screen role for Rock Hudson, but I was much more enamored by the fact that it's also the first screen role for Jack Larson, television's original Jimmy Olsen, whose boyish character is very eager and gleeful about killing Nazis (as we all should be).

51/2483. Oppenheimer (2023)
I don't share the general public's appreciation of Christopher Nolan films, which is why it has taken me this long to watch this. I should have waited longer. To its credit, the cinematography is beautiful, and the cast all deliver top notch performances. However, Nolen can't decide if he wants a biography celebrating its title character for building the device that has doomed the human race or a screed against Cold War paranoia and political egos for failing to come to terms with opening Pandora's Box, and the whole endeavor would have benefitted greatly by picking just one of those lanes and cutting out an hour or more. I did not care for Robert Downey Jr's mustache twirling plot-device of a villain or Florence Pugh's unnecessarily lingering nudity or Emily Blunt's underwritten to the point of nonexistent character. And the Academy of Motion Pictures should be allowed to take away Oscars for sound design this bad. If I wanted to read subtitles to understand what everyone was mumbling underneath the oppressive sound effects and heavy handed orchestration, I would have read the Pulitzer-winning book the movie was based on, American Prometheus. I suspect that it is much, much better than this. (And yes, Randy, I spotted the Coke bottle. But since they were careful not to show me a label, I'm not going to include a screenshot. This movie doesn't deserve that.)

52/2484. The Fuller Brush Man (1948)
I watched this Red Skelton film despite the fact that I'm not a big Red Skelton fan specifically because I had already watched the sequel, The Fuller Brush Girl, which starred Lucille Ball. This is a case where the sequel is better. The physical gags in the third act were clearly based on silent comedies, but the exaggerations and Skelton's mugging for the camera drain all the humor. At least The Fuller Brush Company gets some high quality product placement here.

53/2485. Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
This French New Wave film follows a spoiled singer for a couple of hours in real time as she waits for test results for a cancer diagnosis, and I thought I was going to hate it, but instead I somehow found it deeply engrossing. Recommended.

54/2486. Mountainhead (2025)
Not recommended. There are really only four characters, and they are all just the worst types of human beings: Silicon Valley tech bros who literally only care about themselves and profit. (All the supporting cast are arguably worse: sycophantic enabling employees and spouses.) There's literally no one to cheer for, even as they prove their ineptitude struggling to murder one of their own. I hated it more than Oppenheimer, though maybe that's because I could understand what everyone was saying. (You win this round, Nolen!)

More to come.

Comments (0) | Leave a Comment | Tags: movies