- Berlin Express does some interesting things, set (and filmed) in that narrow window of Allied-occupied Germany following World War II, even if its plot bounces around a little too much.
- I enjoyed Normal a whole lot less than I expected to. It’s too convoluted, despite what should be a fairly simple setup, and it throws away characters and jokes without a second thought, or doing much of anything interesting with them. I’ve often liked Ben Wheatley as a director, but much less so when he goes for the shootemups.
- Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is a sweet delight of a documentary, talking to just about all of the surviving cast, who all have wonderful things to say about the experience of the musical and movie, and looking at Rocky Horror‘s genuine impact in the world at large.
- I’m not saying Meteor is so boring as to make you welcome the collision of a cataclysmic fireball into the Earth, but I’m definitely not not saying that. It’s a remarkably unimpressive movie.
- I really enjoyed Project Hail Mary. Maybe it plays it a little safe, as far as science fiction goes, but it’s genuinely funny and affecting, and I had a blast.
- I don’t think I can say The Paradine Case is the worst Alfred Hitchcock movie, but only because I watched Under Capricorn a month ago. This one has some good performance, but they’re not in service of much more than a very stagey, overcomplicated plot and some unlikable characters.
I also rewatched two movies, the first accidentally, having not remembered I’d already watched it until midway through, and the other on purpose. The first was The First Deadly Sin, which is an unremarkable serial killer plot, some weird comic-relief side characters, but a fantastic, quiet performance from Sinatra, his last leading role and one of his best. The second was Kwaidan, which is just a remarkably haunting movie with beautiful staging and incredible sound design.
