This month, we’ll be doing the slow move into our new place. Tomorrow, the cable guy comes by – between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. – during which I’ll be sitting on the floor, hopefully completing the rewrite on this series overview. And maybe reading another book. Tuesday, it’s the cleaners after which (and outstanding rewrites notwithstanding) I am free and clear. I’m thinking of catching up on some movies by taking in a few matinees. Recently saw Deadpool 2 with Akemi who absolutely LOVED IT, and I’m wondering if we can repeat that magic with another recent release. Probably not, but I’m curious nonetheless…
Solo: A Star Wars Story – Full disclosure = I loved the original Star Wars movie. As a kid, I must have seen it at least a dozen time in theaters. Empire Strikes Back blew my mind. It was perfection. And then, halfway through Return of the Jedi, the ewoks came prancing across the big screen and effectively destroyed my love for the franchise. Heard not good things about The Phantom Menace and skipped it. Accidentally went to see Attack of the Clones and wished I’d missed that, but the experience ensured I’d miss Revenge of the Sith. Considered going to see The Force Awakens but heard it was just a reboot of the original. Didn’t see The Last Jedi. Which brings us to Solo: A Star Wars Story. The reviews have been mixed but, from what I’ve heard, the reasons a lot of people love it leads me to believe I would love it too. Conversely, the reasons a lot of people hate it also leads me to believe I might just hate it too. Well, there’s only one way to find out. I have no doubt that, regardless of how amazing the visual effects, how awesome the performances, how spectacular the stunts – it will, for me, as always, come down to the script. Does the story make sense? Are the characters believable? Is the dialogue any good? I’ll submit my review later this week.
Avengers: Infinity War – Man, as a kid who grew up reading comics – and The Avengers in particular – there was nothing I loved more than a good comic book movie. Of course, actual good comic book movies are few and far between, but that never stopped me from seeing them. Until, of course, Avengers: Age of Ultron came along. I don’t think I’ve ever hated a superhero movie more. Sitting through it was like watching somebody else plays video games for three and a half hour. Thirty minutes in, I turned around to explain the plot to Akemi and discovered her curled up in her seat, fast asleep. That movie nearly killed my love for the genre and, in fact, it was years until I actually sat down and watched another superhero movie (Deadpool, which I loved and then, most recently, Logan and Black Panther, which also pleasantly surprised). While I’ll probably never get around to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in this lifetime, I have heard good things about Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Wonder Woman so they sit on standby pending my Infinity War experience.
Isle of Dogs – I didn’t realize until somebody pointed it out – Isle of Dogs = I love dogs! And I do, but the lack of any pug or french bulldog representation relegated this one to a strong “maybe”. It looks a little weird (which, admittedly, could end up delightful or annoying as hell), but since it’s still playing, I might just check it out.
You Were Never Really Here – When I first saw the trailers for this brutal-looking movie, I was all in and patiently awaited its release – only to eventually discover said release was surprisingly limited. It’s like that Vince Vaughn prison movie I heard great things about that snuck in, hung around for a few days, then disappeared before I could see it. Well, fortunately, You Were Never Really Here is still playing – at one theater near me. My desire to see it has, however, been somewhat tempered by a friend who informed me “It’s really art house.” in a way one might warn against reuniting with an old friend who had lost their mind.
Hereditary – I love me a good horror film and my matinee screenings have proven surprisingly rewarding in that respect: The Quiet Place, Green Room, The Babadook, It Follows, Get Out. The only thing that gives me pause is all the buzz this movie has been receiving, with some proclaiming it one of the scariest films ever. Whenever superlatives like this are thrown around, I’m inevitably disappointed – so I’m expecting to be pleasantly surprised.
2001: A Space Odyssey – “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi masterpiece, TIFF Bell Lightbox screens a 70mm print struck from new printing elements of the original camera negative. This is a true photochemical film recreation, with no digital tricks or remastered effects — the unrestored film as experienced by audiences 50 years ago.” I’m in!
Anything else I’ve missed or should be looking forward to? Do tell.
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