Movies I Have Seen Lately

[The Baron]

Saw a Takashi Miike picture called The Great Yokai War. "Yokai" is a Japanese term for monsters from folklore, as opposed to the more familiar kaiju. It's a kids' picture, about a young boy from Tokyo sent out to live in the countryside with his older sister and his intermittently senile grandfather. When a vengeful spirit appears, the boy gets caught up in a war between warring groups of yokai and must find his courage to become the "Kirin Rider", the hero who will set everything to rights. It's not a bad picture - nothing deep, but an amusing story. Some of the yokai are really trippy, Japanese folklore can get pretty "out there", apparently.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Finished my Lord of the Rings re-watch last night with The Return of the King. I remember really liking these movies when I saw them in the theaters, but they've grown a lot in my estimation since then. In my decades-old memories, they'd flattened out into the battle scenes -- all spectacular, but also feeling somewhat like the Best Warhammer Session of All Time. But there's so much more to love in these movies, particularly in the extended editions, which I just saw for the first time. There's so much character there, displayed by everyone onscreen, from the stars and co-stars to every hobbit or orc you see for just a shot or two. And so much richness of setting, courtesy of the army of set and costume designers and special effects people. Everyone brings their A game, and together, they made what's still probably the best adventure series of this century.

I haven't tucked into any of the extras on the Blu-Rays yet. If there's one I shouldn't miss, let me know.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Holy cow, Jeff, congratulations! And I'm with Tracy, too -- get a different movie pack and do that one! And maybe place your reviews of the first pack into one centralized location online! A project like this deserves a website of its own!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I have been trying to coax Tracy out of the house (other than work) with little success.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY (2019): This is the animated version which serves as an "origin" for the Addams Family. I'm not sure the Addams Family needs an origin, but it was enjoyable. A couple of days later, Tracy wanted to watch The Addams Family 2. I told her to start it an I'd be in soon, but it must have been a short film because by the time I finished whatever it was I was doing at the time, the film was over.

GHOSTBUSTERS (1985): I have enjoyed Annie Potts in Young Sheldon but, other than Corvette Summer, I have never seen any of her movies. Actually, I don't remember the circumstances (although I know I didn't see it in the theater), I did see Ghostbusters back in the '80s, although I didn't remember her in it, so we watched it again. I remember it as being okay, but not having much to do with ghosts. I came back to me as I watched it, but I still think it's only okay.

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016): Watching the original made Tracy want to watch the reboot. the only thing I knew about that movie is that it is almost universally despised, but I don't know how I "knew" that. I certainly never read a review of it; I must have just "absorbed" it somehow. It was actually quite good. I don't necessarily have "warm fuzzies" about the original so I was able to approach it objectively. In the original, only two of the "Ghostbusters" are funny, but in the reboot all of them are. I laughed out loud more than once (okay, twice) at the reboot, but not at all during the original. the best part of the movie was Chris Hemsworth who, I must admit, is better than Annie Potts in the original. Funny, though... my favorite Ghostbuster is Tracy least favorite, and vice versa. All of the original cast members have cameos except, ironically, the one who is a ghost.

GHOSTBUSTERS II (1989): After that, Tracy wanted to watch Ghostbusters II, which she had seen before but I had not. It was enjoyable. Oddly, though, Bill Murry plays a thoroughly unlikable character in both the original and the sequel. This one has slightly more to do with ghosts than the original. 

[The Baron]

I find that most characters that Bill Murray plays are thoroughly unlikeable.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Oddly, though, Bill Murry plays a thoroughly unlikable character in both the original and the sequel.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I liked Tripper in Meatballs. 

[JD DeLuzio]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

I liked Tripper in Meatballs. 

I have a great deal of fondness for that very silly movie.

Here is the Swedish Meatballs poster:

[Jeff of Earth-J]

GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (2021): This is the one Tracy refers to as "the one with the kids." That didn't sound very interesting to me, but I was poking around online early today while writing the post about the others and I found out most of the original cast was in it, so we watched it tonight. I'm a sucker for sequels made decades after the original. Whereas Harold Ramis didn't get a cameo in the reboot, his character plays a large role in this one... as a ghost. It also stars McKenna Grace from Young Sheldon and Finn Wolfhard from Stranger Things. "Ghostbusters" in general is a nice little trilogy plus reboot, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"I'm with Tracy; get a different movie pack."

"And I'm with Tracy, too -- get a different movie pack and do that one!"

SUBMITTED FOR YOUR APPROVAL: How about this one?

[JD DeLuzio]

That is some fine programming-- and I've seen surprisingly few of those.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I felt the same way. Unfortunately, it was a single production run product and is no longer in inventory.

[Richard Willis]

It's  available on eBay, FWIW.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

I felt the same way. Unfortunately, it was a single production run product and is no longer in inventory.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

The Hustler - I can't remember the last time I saw this movie, and I think for the most part it holds up. Just the length, its around 2 1/2 hours which seems way too long for the story being told. I had actually forgotten that George C Scott was in this, and I thought he was great. Jackie Gleason gives an understated performance, and lets the other actors shine.

Emily the Criminal - Aubrey Plaza plays a college drop-out who is saddled with ton of debt. She is unable to find a better job than delivering food, because of a felony conviction. If the title of the movie doesn't tip you off, she eventually turns to crime to make money. Here it is one of those "slippery slope" scenarios. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and I thought the cast was great. The story took some unexpected turns. I recommend it Available only on Netflix I believe.