huck-9 Reviews

The Eight Mountains (2022)

surmountable cynicism? well worth a try.

[8/10 · 3 May 2024]

Most of the modern world is so deeply immersed in cynicism, they can not register its absence. I had also forgotten until i had seen this movie recently.

If you are among the lucky unafflicted by insurmountable cynicism, then 8 Mountains is a rare gift.

Extra Life bonus if you EVER experienced such a deep friendship for any duration. Can this type exist only if developed in pre-teen years? Most of us imposed on by modern life lose any chance of sustaining these through long instance moves, shifts in interests, and just plain neglect.

I look forward watching this again in a few years on blu-ray.

The Young Visiters (2003 TV Movie)

wodehouse-ish with vibes from wes anderson

[8/10 · 12 June 2022]

Pay attention to minor roles of servants and royals...the gem within a gem. As was the introduction to the regal beale.

As expected , the bar is set by the major performances of nighy, broadbent, and beale. Laurie was just a step behind.

Which leaves us to the lone disappointment of marshal, who kept the plot going but just unable to keep pace with those at the pinnacle of dry british comedy.

Had they put beale as a key guest in the tiresome wedding scene, another star point was imminent.

The French Dispatch (2021)

from the 'chris ware' of cinema

[8/10 · 14 January 2022]

Appreciate meticulous framing, surplus context, offset temporal sequencing, and buried humor?

Look no further, this is the standard to beat for decades. (unless wes outdoes himself.)

Language Arts (2020)

beyond description

[6/10 · 28 December 2021]

No, not the above average heartfelt tale.

Never would have believed the best performance seen in 2021 comes from a child actor, but Lincoln Lambert as Dana is it. Be as skeptical as i was and take a chance.

Spaceship Earth (2020)

history rhymes

[6/10 · 26 March 2021]

But doesn't exactly repeat, much to the confusion of conspiracy-addled viewers. By which i mean : we have the vulture steve bannon taking a trial run by grifting a billionaire, spouting buzzwords, and having no ability to contribute or innovate, destroy the work of thousands of others. And of course, the mini-greenhouse effect via CO2. Any modern capitalist fanboy cannot disagree with the majority of innovation all begin with a startup having a whiff (or severe stench) of cult. In this case, the many stumbles seem to occur with errors due to inexperience in large scale project management. Many participants were actually very competent scientists in their own fields, and it was a sign of the times to participate in kooky social activities. Some of the most bizarre were not undertaken by the john allen crowd, but in the disturbing 1980's corporate world of 'team building/frat hazing' which were all given a jolly nudge&wink. (please have tony robbins flog me with wet reeds as i run over hot coals and take a snort at the finish line).

The Outpost (2019)

propaganda film...but for whom?

[3/10 · 23 September 2020]

Somehow this is in the same category as great films such as 'restrepo'? of course organizations in war are expected to be SNAFU, but the actions of individuals portrayed (if true) seem unrealistically irrational in the interest of self or fellow combatants. just to name a few:

• insurgents returning to the same ridgeline where they repeatedly get blown up?
• an officer risking his own men to return a useless vehicle infamous for wasting lives on the way in?

The Nightingale (I) (2018)

massive character inconsistency, otherwise tolerable

[5/10 · 5 August 2020]

Moment to moment, clare is inexplicably smart, stupid, brave, cowardly, physically strong and weak. for the first 70% of the film, she abuses and fails the only person trying to help her. which also leads me to question whether billy is steadily smart or stupid. otherwise interesting mainly due to rare taz setting, dialect, and historical backstory. still had to watch at 1.2X to get through it.

The Looming Tower (2018)

triple ham sandwich

[2/10 · 1 February 2020]

Massive daniels-camp-sarsgaard ham sandwich even dagwood would choke on. at first i thought 'at least they made some attempt to link the chain of events', but then did a little more homework and found this revisionist tale fiction.

Ruben Brandt, Collector (2018)

reference heavy

[8/10 · 8 January 2020]

A heavy stream of well-placed design, art, music, and modern cultural references. its not the fault of this highly original movie for those incapable of grasping and enjoying them. am thankful some part of my life exists outside of STEM.

Default (2018)

a different perspective

[4/10 · 2 January 2020]

A propaganda piece, probably effective in south korea. (as are many elsewhere, at local levels) multiple villains to choose from, but unsure whether blame is equal :

• corrupt politicians and giant chaebols
• IMF
• the U.S. pulling the IMF strings (for an economic annexation???)

the script attempts, and fails, in the explanation of the economic mechanisms. it ends on a note that the current situation, and every situation, is always bad or worse. (i always just assumed corrupt politicians and too much debt is bad, and bubbles eventually burst?) also not helping, as a watcher of many foreign films, i found the acting uniformly awful.

The Brink (2019)

Is Bannon relevant ?

[6/10 · 24 September 2019]

Like many populist supporters hoping for their own identity, Bannon found himself discarded and unable to continue as a hanger-on. Oh well, at least he was able to drain the expense accounts of right wing in Europe (albeit while demoting one of his own staffers of being interested only in the same). This movie has some weak areas, but is worthwhile just for the The Guardian's Paul Lewis' demolition of Bannon, Meloni, and a planted 'translator'. This shows how easily these figures are mismatched against a real journalist even in a rigged venue.

Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer (2018)

ms3k fodder

[1/10 · 17 April 2019]

Take all the cop\FBI\DEA dialog scenes of this fake film, then make a top 10 Mystery Science Theater 3k episode. (assuming similar quality after the the 30min. where i stopped). someone here is getting a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Small Town Crime (2017)

Top score...in USC Film school Cliche class

[2/10 · 16 January 2019]

This is the lowest score i can give a film that i managed to finish. on top of the plot and screenwriting, the unlucky viewer gets std tripe of :

• muscle car tires squealing on dirt roads.
• 90 lb. non-muscle protagonist lifting weights and pushing people around twice the weight.
• texan with high end rifle that can clip a rope but not hit any shooters.

...plus many more !

American Experience: The Boys of '36 (2016) Season 28, Episode 10

many more details on this forgotten story @ PBS am-ex website

[6/10 · 24 February 2017]

example... 1941: As the United States enters WWII, some of the boys do as well, but all will survive the war. Johnny White will work for Bethlehem Steel, and Chuck Day will earn his MD and enroll in the Navy, serving as a doctor in the South Pacific. Shorty Hunt will serve as an engineer also in the South Pacific, Don Hume will serve in the merchant marine, Roger Morris will spend the war years doing military construction, and Gordy Adam will work for Boeing. Stub McMillin -- too tall to enlist -- will take over Bobby Moch's job coaching at MIT, while Moch moves back to Seattle to practice law. Joe Rantz will also spend the war years working for Boeing, designing elements for the B-17, later working on technology used by NASA.

Trinity Is Still My Name (1971)

the childhood trilogy

[6/10 · 26 June 2013]

The trinity trilogy would play at least once every summer at the $1 (!) movies. parents in my hometown would use it as a child-watching service in the '80s.

the trilogy was great! the opening scene with the gun and boots dragging in the dust is my personal meme for all the spaghetti (w/cheese) westerns. and the gun/slap scene is the hallmark of the trilogy.

i enjoyed the hokey group battle action scenes as a kid, but not sure i could watch this as an adult w/out the nostalgia kick. if you have not seen these in 20+ years, put in a little effort to dig them out.