Moonlight

Moonlight is a 2016 award-winning coming-of-age film. I watched it on Netflix.

Reviews are glowing. Roger Ebert's site gives it a full 4 stars and calls it "masterful". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensus critics score of 98%.

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Trick 'r Treat is a 2007 award-winning anthology horror film where the stories are connected in an interesting way. I could've sworn I'd written a blog post on this but can't find it now. It's definitely re-watchable. I have the DVD.

trailer:

Paste Magazine calls it "the Ultimate "Halloween Night" Movie". Rotten Tomatoes has a consensu critics rating of 84%.

Wag the Dog

Wag the Dog is a 1997 political satire film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Anne Heche, Denis Leary, Willie Nelson, Andrea Martin, Woody Harrelson, and Kirsten Dunst. You can watch it at the Internet Archive.

trailer:

Roger Ebert has a positive review. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 85%.

Cadillac Man

Cadillac Man:

by The Jesters, a 1960s-era Memphis garage rock band

Iron Sky: The Coming Race

Iron Sky: The Coming Race is a 2019 science fiction film with the perfect amount of humor. It's a sequel to the 2012 Iron Sky, but you don't have to have seen that one to enjoy this one. What a hoot! It's great fun, with Nazis on the Moon and a hollow Earth with dinosaurs. I watched it on Netflix.

trailer:

Three on a Match

Three on a Match is a 1932 pre-code crime drama with Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart. You can watch it online here. Blondell's publicity photo was later banned:

Here's a trailer:

I'd enjoy the outing:

but not the cigarettes.

Pre-Code.com says, "Denounced by critics and ignored at the box office, it’s become a cornerstone for serious cinema students when exploring the movies of the early 1930s. It embodies the Warner Bros. style while showcasing strong women characters all with irrepressible momentum." TCM has an overview.

Please join me at the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

Coriolanus (2011)

Coriolanus is a 2011 film based on the Shakespeare play. Directed by Ralph Fiennes, it stars Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, and Brian Cox. You can read the play from a link in one of my previous posts. You can watch this one at Tubi at this link and at Amazon Prime with ads through Imdb.

trailer:

The Guardian calls it "a vivid, intelligent Coriolanus with powerful political relevance" and "magnificently filmed" and says, "At once visceral and intelligent, this beautifully acted, vividly staged film brings a powerful, challenging honesty to bear on class, political life and the demands we make on our leaders." IndieWire says, "it also has the hallmarks of an assured film from an actor who nonetheless clearly demonstrates he knows that it takes more than just the art of acting to create a work of cinematic art."

Empire Online concludes a positive review with this: "Exciting, ironic, with assured direction, accomplished performances and the tension of topical themes, this is Shakespeare as relevant as you like it." Roger Ebert admires it and says, "One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan ... makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 92%.

Hands of the Ripper

Hands of the Ripper is a 1971 Hammer horror film. It has atmosphere. It also has all the 1970s-era blood you would expect from Hammer.

TCM has an overview. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus rating of 86%.

The Point!

The Point! is a 1970 animated film, an adaptation that accompanied the release of Harry Nilsson's album by the same name. You can watch it at tubi tv or embedded below from DailyMotion:

Angel and the Badman

Angel and the Badman is a 1947 Western starring John Wayne, Gail Russell, and Harry Carey. I'm not a John Wayne fan, but this is a well-respected traditional western with a great cast. I watched it on Tubi at this link. It's also available on Pluto and the Internet Archive. Youtube has it:

TCM has an overview.

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain is a 1919 silent short. Giant monsters of the past brought to life on the big screen. Thoroughly enjoyable.

from Wikipedia: Author and explorer Jack Holmes tells his two young nephews about an adventure he had in the woodlands around Slumber Mountain, near the Valley of Dreams.

Ferengi 42

According to this website, which claims to list The Complete Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition, the 42nd rule is this:

Only negotiate when you are certain to profit

On the other hand, several sites list this one as Rule 42:

What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine too.

Other websites disagree, not listing a Rule 42, as they aren't fully disclosed within the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine canon. The Rules of Acquisition have their own dedicated Wikipedia entry.

Here's video of the rules which are stated during the TV series episodes:

Alas, Rule 42 isn't among them.

End of the Line

End of the Line is a short live action film by Jessica Sanders.

Brilliant. Shall we ponder the issue of abuse of power?

Here's a screenshot:

See the cup on the floor? Please join me for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering.

The Birds (1963)

The Birds is a 1963 Alfred Hitchcock horror film. It stars Rod Taylor, Tippi Hedren, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright. A classic, I have this on DVD and re-watch it every year or so.

trailer:

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 95%.

The Best Is Yet to Come

The Best Is Yet to Come:

by Frank Sinatra. lyrics excerpt:

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything's startin' to hum
Still, it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come

Best is yet to come and babe, won't that be fine?
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine

a-Wait till the warm-up's underway
Wait till our lips have met
And wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet

The best is yet to come and babe, won't it be fine?
Best is yet to come, come the day you're mine

Happy Valentines Day

Tesseract

Tesseract is a science fiction novel by Joseph Addison, another one of the books a friend gave me when her husband died last year. She knew we shared a love of science fiction in common. Information on this book and its author is hard to come by, as this was his only novel. It's cheaply available through Amazon if you'd like to try it out.

from the back of the book:

OCCUPATION: WORLD SAVER 

Tyson's Folly, Manhattan's newest building, was a windowless cube, an impenetrable fortress dwarfed by the taller structures of midtown. Even preoccupied by thr frightening news of escalating world tensions, people took the time to speculate about the purpose behind Tyson's Folly. But wealthy recluse Jonathan Tyson wasn't talking.

Until Mark Johnson, a young executive in Tyson's financial empire, was summoned to Tyson's Folly, the first outsider ever to glimpse the interior.

Deep inside the bizarre fortress, Mark learned of his new -and unusual promotion and the impossible assignment he was expected to carry out. Somehow he had to bring peace to one planet, and discord to another, to save two civilizations from destruction. His journey would span time and space and future and light-years of space. But he had Time itself on his side...

Draug

Draug is a 2018 Swedish horror film about a missionary who goes missing in the forest. It takes place in the 11th century. You can watch it online here. I liked this one. It was simple and straightforward without irrelevant subplots, and there was tension without gratuitous gore. It's based on the old Norse creature. from Wikipedia: "Draugar live in their graves, often guarding treasure buried with them in their burial mound. They are animated corpses with a corporeal body, unlike ghosts, with similar physical abilities as in life." They sound similar to the Tolkien barrow-wight.

trailer:

Touch Me, Lord

Touch Me, Lord:

Gospel music by the Mighty Kings of Harmony.

Paperman

Paperman is a 2012 black and white animated romantic comedy short film.

The Addams Family (2019)

The Addams Family is a 2019 animated adaptation of this remarkable family story. Delightful. If you enjoyed the Addams Family films or the 60s tv series, I'd highly recommend this. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

trailer:

Here's my pourover coffee:

for the T Stands for Tuesday blogger gathering. Join me?

Dead for a Dollar

Dead for a Dollar is a 1968 spaghetti western starring George Hilton, John Ireland, and Gordon Mitchell. It has a light tone, a fine cast, and a fun plot but is much too long. The minor subplots should have been cut entirely, and many of the individual scenes should have been a third as long as they were. A good edit would bring this one in at just over an hour and make it an enjoyable movie. As it is I can't recommend it. The Younger Son picked this one up for a quarter at a used media shop that has since closed.

The Vampire Doll

The Vampire Doll is a 1970 Japanese horror film. This is the first film in the Bloodthirsty trilogy. I watched it on Amazon Prime. I can't find a trailer with subtitles, but you can get an idea of what to expect as far as atmosphere goes in the original trailer:

Testament (1983)

Testament is a 1983 film about the collapse of civilization after a nuclear apocalypse. It focuses specifically on one family in California.

Roger Ebert opens with this: ""Testament" may be the first movie in a long time that will make you cry. It made me cry. And seeing it again for the second time, knowing everything that would happen, anticipating each scene before it came, I was affected just as deeply."

To the Land of Long Lost Friends

image from the author's site

To the Land of Long Lost Friends is the 20th book in the #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I read these as I'm able after they're released in paperback. They are easy reads with delightful characters.

from the back of the book:

When Mma Ramotswe reconnects with an old friend who's having problems with her daughter, she can't help but lend a hand. The young woman appears to be involved with a charismatic preacher -but are his ministrations entirely of a godly nature?

Elsewhere, Charlie is also dealing with a tricky matter of the heart. He wishes to propose to his girlfriend, Queenie-Quennie, but he needs to impress her father. When Queenie-Queenie's brother offers to help by giving him a job, it may not be quite what Charlie expected. As always, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni will share wise counsel, Mma Makutsi will weigh in with her opinions, and Mma Potokwane will be there with her welcome fruitcake. But in the end it will be up to Mma Ramotswe to reflect on love, family, and the nature of men and women in order to resolve familial dramas and remind everyone about all the good things they have in life -so many, in fact, that it would take far too long to count them.

Kirkus Reviews has a review. Publishers Weekly concludes, "As usual, the warm, humorous interactions among the characters count more than the detecting. Smith’s humanity shines throughout."

Voodoo Man

Voodoo Man is a 1944 horror movie starring Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and George Zucco. It's not breaking any new ground, but it's only an hour long, so...

DVD Talk concludes with this:

Voodoo Man isn't good in the sense of...well, anything, really, but part of me kind of loves it anyway. If nothing else, maybe you'll get a few solid riffs out of it. (RiffTrax and the earliest incarnation of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have both skewered it over the years.) If you've somehow managed to make it this far into the review, chances are that you'll find Voodoo Man well-worth seeking out on Blu-ray. Recommended as long as you know what you're getting into here.

Bloody Disgusting calls it "40’s Schlock With a Bit of Charm". DVD Drive-In calls it "Dreamy silliness" and says "As for Lugosi, he isn't asked to do anything out of the ordinary from his usual B efforts at that time, but he has one or two nice moments, such as his breakdown when his wife "dies" again, that remind you how his valid dramatic talents were often underutilized." The Spinning Image says it "paradoxically moves briskly under the prolific William Beaudine's functional direction, yet feels oddly leisurely." 1000 Misspent Hours has a review. Time Out calls it "pleasantly tacky".

Blood on the Moon

Blood on the Moon is a 1948 Western film directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Mitchum, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Preston. Walter Brennan is also in this one. I watched it at this link.

trailer:

50 Westerns from the 50s opens with this:

In a strict chronological sense, Blood On The Moon (1948) isn’t a 50s Western. But in other ways — look, themes, etc., it fits right in with the best the 50s came up with. It also stands as maybe the finest example of film noir creeping into a cowboy movie.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics consensus score of 100%.

Spider the Artist

Spider the Artist is a science fiction short story by Nnedi Okorafor. You can read it online here. It begins,

My husband used to beat me. That was how I ended up out there that evening behind our house, just past the bushes, through the tall grass, in front of the pipelines. Our small house was the last in the village, practically in the forest itself. So nobody ever saw or heard him beating me.

Going out there was the best way to put space between me and him without sending him into further rage. When I went behind the house, he knew where I was and he knew I was alone. But he was too full of himself to realize I was thinking about killing myself.

The main character plays this song on her late father's guitar:

It's cold here in Memphis, but nothing like the Big Storm they're having in the northeast! I'm drinking a hot cup of coffee while I visit with the Tea Stands for Tuesday folks:

Then I'll keep an eye out on my notifications so I don't miss the press briefings. It's been so delightful to not have any insults, demeaning name-calling, or wild lies. As I watch what's going on in Myanmar, I'm so grateful the January 6 insurrection here was unsuccessful.

A Hard Act to Follow

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1966 of Buster Keaton. He was a comic genius with a career beginning in 1898 and lasting until the year of his death.

Here's an 8-minute short appreciation of his style, The Art of the Gag:

Here he is in his final film role, the priceless A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum:

Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (below) is a 3-part documentary TV miniseries.

part 1:

part 2:

part 3: