{"id":14588,"date":"2026-01-25T13:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=14588"},"modified":"2026-01-25T13:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T18:30:15","slug":"weekly-movie-roundup-150","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=14588","title":{"rendered":"Weekly Movie Roundup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I watched six movies last week:<\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0062883\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Detective\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-667x1024.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-768x1179.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-1001x1536.jpg 1001w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-1334x2048.jpg 1334w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1-3-scaled.jpg 1668w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0079844\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-3-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"Salem&#039;s Lot\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-3-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-3-676x1024.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-3-768x1164.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2-3.jpg 858w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0076263\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"Killer of Sheep\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14586\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-691x1024.jpg 691w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-768x1138.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-1382x2048.jpg 1382w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/3-3-scaled.jpg 1728w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0062883\/\">The Detective<\/a> is largely remembered as a trivia point nowadays, a movie based on a novel whose sequel then went on to inspire <i>Die Hard<\/i>\u2014which is kind of a shame, because it&#8217;s pretty good all on its own. (There&#8217;s also no real point of comparison beyond Frank Sinatra also playing a New York cop.) Sinatra&#8217;s good in the movie, which, especially for 1968, takes an honest look at issues like police corruption, and while hardly flawless and certainly a little dated, is fairly progressive for the time.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li>1979&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0079844\/\">Salem&#8217;s Lot<\/a> is far from perfect\u2014it&#8217;s rushed in its second half and limited by its 1970s TV budget\u2014but it&#8217;s genuinely scary, works really well when it remembers to take its time, and fundamentally understands King&#8217;s novel in a way <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=13876\">the 2024 version<\/a> very much did not.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0076263\/\">Killer of Sheep<\/a> is a lyrical slice-of-life in a community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt5144174\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-210x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Dry\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14587\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-717x1024.jpg 717w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-768x1097.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-1075x1536.jpg 1075w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-1433x2048.jpg 1433w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/4-3-scaled.jpg 1792w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt34962891\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-3-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"The Perfect Neighbor\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-3-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-3-692x1024.jpg 692w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-3-768x1137.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-3-1037x1536.jpg 1037w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/5-3.jpg 1383w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt36871027\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Mother of Flies\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14590\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/6-3-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<ul>\n<li>The pieces, when they start to come together in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt5144174\/\">The Dry<\/a>, fit, but not in the most satisfying ways, and I&#8217;m not sure it ever really gels as a mystery. But the movie has a real sense of place and its characters, of old traumas buried and dug back up.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt34962891\/\">The Perfect Neighbor<\/a> does a remarkable job of piecing together existing footage to tell its tragic story. It&#8217;s not a <em>fun<\/em> watch, even if you&#8217;re unfamiliar with the tragedy it&#8217;s spiraling towards, but it is a sad document of this American moment.<\/li>\n<ul><\/ul>\n<li>I think it&#8217;s delightful that Toby Poser, John Adams, and their daughters Lulu and Zelda make horror movies together. And I think it&#8217;s terrific that so many of those movies are so interesting and creepy. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt36871027\/\">Mother of Flies<\/a> is no exception, though perhaps expect more strange and unsettling imagery than any real scares. I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s their best, but it grows on you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I also re-watched <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0072251\/\">The Taking of Pelham One Two Three<\/a>, which is a lot of fun, thanks largely to great performances by Matthau and Shaw, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0080100\/\">The Visitor<\/a>, which is, well, a thing that exists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I watched six movies last week: The Detective is largely remembered as a trivia point nowadays, a movie based on a novel whose sequel then went on to inspire Die Hard\u2014which is kind of a shame, because it&#8217;s pretty good all on its own. (There&#8217;s also no real point of comparison beyond Frank Sinatra also &#8230; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/?p=14588\">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-14588","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\/14588"}],"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=14588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14591,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14588\/revisions\/14591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unreality.net\/weblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}