Movie Month: July and August 2017

The Media I've Consumed

Summer 2017

Flicks

July 1st-11th

"The Beguiled"

"Jerry Maguire"

"Clerks"

"Sleepless in Seattle"

"Blade Runner"

My wife was finally feeling better from her surgery, so we got out to the movies and saw Sofia Coppola's version of "The Beguiled," on which we were both pretty high. Just a great piece of cinematic atmosphere with stellar performances. Ran across "Blade Runner" (Final Cut version) for cheap on Blu-Ray at Wal-Mart. Finally made it through. Do enjoy it. Still...very slow though. We randomly decided to subscribe to STARZ, so that would explain the 90s trio in the middle. Greatness.

June 12th-15th

"Logan"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"Crazy Stupid Love"
"Punch-Drunk Love"
"The Big Sick"
"The House"

Re-watched "Logan" and loved it even more. Good God! Ended up with a 2017 comedy double-feature. I wrote a great pan (if I say so myself) of "The House," which just failed on so many levels. Can't go wrong with a Wes Anderson interlude, especially when closely followed by the Crazy Stupid Punch-Drunk double feature, inspired by my recent purchase of both on Blu-Ray. That Punch-Drunk Criterion is sweet! 

June 20th-28th

"20th Century Women"
"Dunkirk" (IMAX70)
"Dunkirk" (70mm)
"Big Daddy"
"Midnight Run"
"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Dunkirk" twice (see: THIS). "20th Century Women" is still great. "Big Daddy" is not as much. And "Silver Linings Playbook" is still one of my favorites ever. I'll spend the rest of the time talking about my July Blind Spot, "Midnight Run," which I DID see and DIDN'T write about (because I suck at keeping up with my Blind Spot movies this year!). It is so freakin' awesome! De Niro and Grodin a perfect together in what is just a fully confident action buddy road comedy. A true all-timer that I am so glad I caught up with.

August 1st-7th

"The Dark Knight"
"Atomic Blonde"
"Inception"

Got back to work for the school year just after a brief trip to Philadelphia for a baseball game. So very much needed and a great way to spend my wife's ___th birthday. I also started in on this great podcast called "Blank Check," which is two dudes (the film critic David Sims and actor Griffin Newman), who go through director's filmographies one movie at a time. They're doing Nolan right now, so I played along. Such an experience. Directed by... post on Nolan on deck. "Atomic Blonde" was good enough. Great soundtrack and action sequences. 

August 8th - 14th

"A Ghost Story"
"Insomnia"
"Interstellar"
"The Prestige"

"A Ghost Story" can't be more underrated (or under-seen) this year. And I couldn't have personally underrated "Interstellar" more than I did back in 2014. That movie is a goddamn masterpiece, and I adore it. It will be up there in my decade ranking without a doubt. "Insomnia" doesn't hold up as well. And, to be honest, neither does "The Prestige," for all its trickery is not as good on so many re-watches. No doubt it is certainly an amazing film.

August 15th-August 21st

"The Dark Knight Rises"
"Dazed and Confused"
"Everybody Wants Some!!"
"Logan Lucky"
"Wind River"

I so wish I could have had the time to really write about Taylor Sheridan's "Wind River," which is just a powerhouse of a little movie. Renner and Olson are so great, and the writing in that thing, ultimately a tale, like "Hell or High Water," of simply a forgotten American people, is nothing short of awe-inducing. Not a single line or moment is wasted. "Logan Lucky" is unfunny bullshit that makes fun of Southern people while being completely tone-deaf about life in the South, and the heist is as much a bait-and-switch as the movie's marketing campaign. "The Dark Knight Rises" is better than you remember. 

August 22nd - 31st

"Ocean's Eleven" (2001)

To wash the "Logan Lucky" out of my brain. 

Tunes

So, yeah, Haim's new album came out, and it is amazing. Not near as good as their first album, but they are continuing to make pop music like nobody else. Just great great stuff. I also found myself deep into Beck's "Morning Phase" again. Such a stellar album. Beautifully melodic and soulful. Great acoustic guitar work on that thing. 

Reads

I wish I was reading at a bit of a stronger rate, but Jeff Vandermeer's "Southern Reach Trilogy" is mad brilliant. I am loving the second book. I'm nearly done. It is just a superb blend of erudite and mysterious.