The Invisible Guardian

The Invisible Guardian (Netflix) is a 2017 Spanish thriller film directed by Fernando González Molina based on the novel with the same name by Dolores Redondo. This one had atmosphere and much rain, but I confess I never got into it. I kept picking apart plot elements.

trailer:

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Songbird (2020 film)

Songbird (Hulu) is a 2020 dystopian science fiction thriller film based on the COVID-19 pandemic. I think its moment is over, but that may just be me. Professional critis hated it. I didn't finish it.

trailer:

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Kind of Blue

Kind of Blue:

a 1959 studio album by the American jazz trumpeter and composer Miles Davis, who died on this date in 1991 at the age of 65.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DVD) is a 1979 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The character of Sweeney Todd first appeared in a Victorian penny dreadful. Sweeney Todd opened on Broadway in 1979 and won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It has been revived in many productions as well as inspired a film adaptation. The video I saw starred Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Lovett and George Hearn as Sweeney Todd. Angela Lansbury is one of those actors I watch for.

One of Lansbury's songs:

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They Cloned Tyrone

They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix) is a 2023 science fiction comedy mystery film starring John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx as an unlikely trio uncovering a shadow government cloning conspiracy. Hilarious! It has a definite 70s vibe. This gets great reviews.

trailer:

*******

The Feast (2021)

The Feast (Hulu) is a 2021 Welsh folk horror film. "Folk horror" isn't your typical horror but focuses on using elements of folklore to invoke foreboding. This film certainly does a good job of that.

trailer:

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Gloria (1980)

Gloria (Tubi) is a 1980 neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by John Cassavetes. It tells the story of a gangster's former girlfriend who goes on the run with a young boy who is being hunted by the mob after surving a hit on his whole family ordered because the dad was skimming and snitching to the FBI. It stars Gena Rowlands, which is why I watched it. She died recently at the age of 94. I'm not seeing what the big deal is, but it's well-reviewed and on several best-of lists.

free via YouTube:

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Golden Kamuy (2024 film)

Golden Kamuy (Netflix) is a 2024 Japanese movie based on the manga series of same name. It tells the story of a veteran of the early twentieth-century Russo-Japanese War and his quest to find a huge fortune of gold of the indigenous Ainu people, helped by a young Ainu girl. This is a huge disappointment. I just don't see much there.

trailer:

*******

The Furnace

The Furnace (Netflix) is a 2020 Australian adventure drama film set in the Western Australian outback during the goldrushes of the 1890s. The film's characters include "Afghan" cameleers, a white gold thief, and local Aboriginal people. Definitely different, I was happy to find this one. It gets positive reviews.

trailer:

*******

Logan (2017)

Logan (Disney+) is a 2017 superhero film starring Hugh Jackman as the title character. I enjoyed this well enough. It was late, I couldn't sleep, and this was entertaining. It gets great reviews. I can see re-watching it.

trailer:

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The Time of Their Lives (1946)

The Time of Their Lives is a 1946 fantasy comedy ghost story film starring the comedic duo Abbott and Costello. Hilarious. Perfect if you're looking for something light for Halloween.

via YouTube:

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Dual (2022)

Dual (Hulu) is a 2022 satirical science fiction thriller film starring Karen Gillan as a woman who finds out she is terminally ill and arranges for a clone to take her place once she's dead. Then she finds out she's not dying after all. Thought-provoking. Reviews are positive.

trailer:

The Promised Land (2023)

The Promised Land (Hulu) is an award-winning 2023 epic historical drama film, a joint Danish/German/Swedish co-production. It is based on the 2020 book The Captain and Ann Barbara by Ida Jessen. It stars Mads Mikkelsen. Well-reviewed, I'm glad I watched it, but it won't go in my re-watch rotation.

trailer:

*******

Jesus Mentioned

Jesus Mentioned:

by Warren Zevon, who died of mesothelioma on September 7, 2003, at the age of 56.

Lyric excerpt:

I'm going down to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
I'm going down to Graceland
Thinking about the King
Remembering him sing
'Bout those heavenly mansions
Jesus mentioned

Crazy Blues

Crazy Blues:

recorded by Mamie Smith, who died penniless on this date in 1946 at the age of 55. She was interred at Frederick Douglass Memorial Park on Staten Island, on ground which remained unmarked until 2013 when a monument was finally erected.

The Big Chill

The Big Chill (free at Xumo) is a 1983 comedy-drama film directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring an ensemble cast consisting of Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. The plot focuses on a group of baby boomers who attended the University of Michigan, reuniting after 15 years when their friend Alex dies by suicide. I've seen this one three times now and probably won't return to it, but it is an interesting character study and perfectly cast. It's a generational touchstone for Baby Boomers or folks around that age. The soundtrack is wonderful.

trailer:

The Muppet Movie

The Muppet Movie (Disney+) is a 1979 musical road comedy film, the first theatrical film with the Muppets. It features cameo appearances by Bob Hope, Dom DeLuise, James Coburn, Cloris Leachman, Richard Pryor, Telly Savalas, Edgar Bergen (in his final film appearance before his death), Orson Welles, Carol Kane, Steve Martin, and Mel Brooks, among others. Delightful, a feel-good movie. I rewatch this every once in a while.

trailer:

*******

The Invitation (2022)

The Invitation (Hulu) is a 2022 horror/thriller vampire film inspired by but not based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. It follows a woman who, after her mother's death, meets long-lost family members and discovers the dark secrets they carry. I like vampire movies. That said, this isn't among the best of them.

trailer:

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Prospect

Prospect (free on Tubi -watch online or add the Tubi app to your TV) is a 2018 science fiction film that stars Pedro Pascal, Sophie Thatcher, and Jay Duplass. It's about a teenage girl and her father, who land on a poisonous forest moon to mine for valuable gems. I think there need to be more science fiction films and am happy to see this one, even though I'm only just now coming across it. It gets mostly positive reviews.

trailer:

*******

Poor Things

Poor Things (Hulu) is an award-winning 2023 film based on the 1992 novel by the same name. The film stars Emma Stone (as a young woman in Victorian London who has been brought back to life via brain transplant), Mark Ruffalo, and Willem Dafoe. This is an amazing movie, definitely different and fun to watch.

trailer:

*******

My Octopus Teacher

My Octopus Teacher (Netflix) is an award-winning 2020 documentary film about a year spent by a filmmaker developing a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest. I'm not a fan of documentary films in general but am a believer in broadening my horizons. This film is well worth watching. I highly recommend it.

trailer:

*******

Hunger (2023)

Hunger (Netflix) is a 2023 Thai drama film about a street-food cook who is invited to join a fine-dining restaurant under the infamous Chef Paul, who is a hard taskmaster. It is well-reviewed. I enjoyed following the cook as she made her way through the restaurant business.

trailer:

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Next Exit

Next Exit (Hulu) is a 2022 science fiction comedy-drama film starring Katie Parker, Rahul Kohli, Rose McIver, Karen Gillan, and Tongayi Chirisa.

from Wikipedia:

A scientific study known as Life Beyond, launched by Dr. Stevenson in San Francisco, allows people to commit painless suicide with the knowledge that an afterlife does exist. In New York City, two ready-to-die strangers, Rose and Teddy, randomly end up sharing a rental car for a cross-country trip to their respective Life Beyond appointments.

This is thought-provoking, a fascinating look at what assisted suicide would look like if you knew your consciousness would live on in an actual afterlife.

trailer:

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Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (film)

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (Amazon Prime) is a 2005 comedy-drama film based on the 1971 novel by the same name. The film stars Joan Plowright as an elderly woman who has moved into a hotel and has precious little contact from her daughter and grandson. Rupert Friend stars as the young man with whom she develops a friendship. Such a lovely film! Just the right amount of heartstring pulling and light comedic elements.

via YouTube:

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Underwater

Underwater (Hulu) is a 2020 science fiction action horror film about a group of workers at a drilling facility at the bottom of the Mariana Trench who encounter hostile creatures after an earthquake destroys the facility. It stars Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and T.J. Miller. Reviews are mixed, but I like it. The world needs more science fiction movies, and this is a welcome entry.

trailer:

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Strawberry Mansion

Strawberry Mansion (Amazon Prime) is a 2021 science fiction adventure romantic comedy film about a Dream Auditor who has been tasked with doing an audit on an artist who lives alone in a big, isolated house. Visually striking. This gets almost universally positive reviews. I loved it. It's easily rewatchable.

trailer:

*******

Triangle of Sadness

Triangle of Sadness (Hulu) is an award-winning 2022 satirical black comedy film that follows a celebrity couple on a luxury cruise with wealthy guests that end up stranded on an island and fighting for survival. It reminded me a bit of the Knives Out movies in tone.

trailer:

*******

Crimes of the Future (2022)

Crimes of the Future (2022) (Hulu) is a 2022 science fiction body horror drama film written and directed by David Cronenberg. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart. I lean away from body horror as a sub-genre but watched for Mortensen. This is not my kind of movie. It was fascinating, but I can't say I enjoyed it.

from Wikipedia:

It follows a performance artist duo (Mortensen and Seydoux) who perform surgery for audiences in a future where human evolution has accelerated for much of the population.

trailer:

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Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias (Tubi) is a 1989 comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. I'm one of the few Southern women who had never seen this film, and that it turned out to be a real tear-jerker confirms I probably should've stuck with that decision. It won awards, though, so YMMV. I have never known the South created in this film.

trailer:

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Perfect Days

Perfect Days (Hulu) is a 2023 award-winning Japanese-language drama film directed by Wim Wenders about the routine life of Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho), a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo. I had no idea what to expect with this one, but watched it for the director. Starting with The House of the Rising Sun and ending with Nina Simone's Feeling Good, the music that Hirayama listens to with his cassettes is a major motif in the film. Such a delightful and beautiful film!

trailer:

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