{"id":14556,"date":"2026-01-04T16:46:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=14556"},"modified":"2026-01-04T16:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T21:46:52","slug":"weekly-movie-roundup-147","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=14556","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Movie Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last week, which spanned the end of one year and the beginning of another, and also marked the end of my long winter vacation, I watched 8 movies:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt18382850\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"If I Had Legs I&#039;d Kick You\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0030241\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"Holiday\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-672x1024.jpg 672w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-768x1170.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-1009x1536.jpg 1009w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2.jpg 1111w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt11214558\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-192x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Smashing Machine\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-656x1024.jpg 656w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-768x1198.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-985x1536.jpg 985w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-1313x2048.jpg 1313w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-scaled.jpg 1641w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0025346\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Key\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-694x1024.jpg 694w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-768x1133.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li>Rose Byrne is exceptional in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt18382850\/\">If I Had Legs I&#8217;d Kick You<\/a>, which smartly keeps you completely trapped inside her character&#8217;s point of view and her depression\u2014to the point that for most of the running time, you don&#8217;t even see, only hear, the child she shares many of her scenes with. It&#8217;s not an especially <em>fun<\/em> movie, but that&#8217;s kind of the point.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0030241\/\">Holiday<\/a> would be just pleasantly forgettable, were it not for the added charms of Hepburn and Grant. It&#8217;s not the best of their pairings, but it&#8217;s very entertaining nonetheless.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li>Dwayne Johnson is genuinely good in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt11214558\/\">The Smashing Machine<\/a>, but with all due respect to Mark Kerr, the movie never truly makes a good argument for why his story needs to be told. A late-credits title card comes close, when it suggests that Kerr and others like him built a sport that hardly remembers their names, but should, but the movie itself is so adamant about avoiding cliches that it&#8217;s told at such a distance and barely scratches the surface.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0025346\/\">The Key<\/a> isn&#8217;t either star William Powell or director Michael Curtiz&#8217;s best, but the two combined make it worth watching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt20222166\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Spinal Tap II\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><div id=\"attachment_14561\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0073373\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14561\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-211x300.jpg\" alt=\"Terror of Mechagodzilla\" width=\"211\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-14561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-211x300.jpg 211w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-722x1024.jpg 722w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-768x1089.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-1083x1536.jpg 1083w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-1444x2048.jpg 1444w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-scaled.jpg 1805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 211px) 100vw, 211px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-14561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Copyright HAG ?2007n Sized3000<\/p><\/div><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0031762\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/7-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"Only Angels Have Wings\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/7-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/7.jpg 658w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0073707\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/8-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Sholay\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/8-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/8-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/8-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li>I take no pleasure in saying this, but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt20222166\/\">Spinal Tap II: The End Continues<\/a> was one of my least favorite movies in 2025. That&#8217;s a shame, not just because of my fondness for the original, or sadness over director Rob Reiner&#8217;s untimely death, but because I think it&#8217;s heart is in the right place. But the fact remains that the movie did not make me laugh even once.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0073373\/\">Terror of Mechagodzilla<\/a> does exactly what it says on the tin. Most of what it says is written in Japanese, however, so I&#8217;m not entirely sure I have it translated right. It&#8217;s all a bit goofy, which I think is honestly how I prefer kaiju films of this era.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li>You could do a lot worse than Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in a Howard Hawks movie, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0031762\/\">Only Angels Have Wings<\/a> makes very clear.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0073707\/\">Sholay<\/a> is tonally all over the map, but that seems very much by design. It&#8217;s bold and silly and a lot of fun.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I also rewatched the Before Trilogy\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0112471\/\">Before Sunrise<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0381681\/\">Before Sunset<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt2209418\/\">Before Midnight<\/a>\u2014even though I&#8217;d rewatched the middle film just last year. They remain delightful and thoughtful and worth rewatching. I also rewatched Mike Flanagan&#8217;s first movie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1610996\/\">Absentia<\/a>, which feels very much like the crowdfunded debut film that it is, but also works exceptionally well, with smart direction, good acting, and an intriguing premise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week, which spanned the end of one year and the beginning of another, and also marked the end of my long winter vacation, I watched 8 movies: Rose Byrne is exceptional in If I Had Legs I&#8217;d Kick You, which smartly keeps you completely trapped inside her character&#8217;s point of view and her depression\u2014to &#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=14556\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14556"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14564,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14556\/revisions\/14564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}