#brandon trost

[pinkieroy]

Sarah Snook as Sarah Greenbaum An American Pickle (2020) dir. Brandon Trost

[movie-titlecards]

The FP (2011)

My rating: 2/10

You see, it's funny because everybody is saying the bad rude no-no words a lot.

[fabioemme78]

[facesofcinema]

Halloween II (2009)

[tailschannel]

Director Jeff Fowler teases Shadow the Hedgehog in new Sonic Movie 3 post

"Off and running," said Sonic movie director Jeff Fowler, as he teased Shadow the Hedgehog in a new image uploaded on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, today.

The picture, featuring Shadow’s rocket shoes and inhibitor rings, has sent the Sonic fandom into a frenzy. Next to Shadow is a film clapboard, revealing an updated logo for Sonic 3, with Jeff confirming the movie's 20 December 2024 release date. Cinematographer Brandon Trost, who previously worked in the same role for Sonic 2, returns for this film.

The tease came after the end of a historic labour dispute between the studios and actors, which will enable the resumption of regular filming operations in Hollywood as early as December 2024. It is currently unclear if this tease marks the start of actors being involved in filming.

(via newsfeed)

[satoshi-mochida]

Knuckles live-action series premieres April 26, trailer

From Gematsu

The Knuckles live-action series will premiere on Paramount+ on April 26, Paramount Pictures announced. It will consist of six episodes all released simultaneously, and is set between the events of the movies Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Here is an overview of the series, via Paramount Pictures:

The new live-action series will follow Knuckles (Idris Elba) on a hilarious and action-packed journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train Wade (Adam Pally) as his protege and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior. The series takes place between the films Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. In addition to Elba starring as the titular character, Adam Pally reprises his role from the film franchise as Wade Whipple. The ensemble cast includes guest stars Stockard Channing (The West Wing), Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones), Scott Mescudi (Don’t Look Up), Ellie Taylor (Ted Lasso), Julian Barratt (Mindhorn), Rory McCann (Game of Thrones), Cary Elwes (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Paul Scheer (Black Monday), and Rob Huebel (Childrens Hospital). Special guest star Ben Schwartz will reprise his role as Sonic, as well as special guest star Tika Sumpter, reprising her role as Maddie. Colleen O’Shaughnessey will also return as a special guest star in her role as Tails. All of the key creative team from the previous films have returned for the series, including the films’ director/executive producer Jeff Fowler, who directed the pilot episode and helped transition the film’s signature cinematic animation style to television, as well as Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, John Whittington and Toru Nakahara, who serve as executive producers along with Idris Elba. Additional directors for the series include Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone and Carol Banker. The series was created for television by John Whittington and Toby Ascher, who is showrunning during production. Whittington, who wrote Sonic the Hedgehog 2, serves as head writer and wrote the pilot for the series. Additional series writers include Brian Schacter and James Madejski.

Watch the official trailer below.

Official Trailer

[demifiendrsa]

The live-action Knuckles series starring Idris Elba at Paramount+ has assembled its cast.

In addition to Elba reprising the role of Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Adam Pally is set to star in the series, once again playing the role of Wade Whipple from the film franchise.

The film takes place between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which is slated to hit theaters Dec. 20, 2024. In the series, Knuckles “agrees to train Wade as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior,” per the official logline.

Edi Patterson (“The Righteous Gemstones”), Julian Barratt (“Mindhorn”), Scott Mescudi (Kid Cudi), and Ellie Taylor (“Ted Lasso”) will recur in the series. Rory McCann (“Game of Thrones”) will guest star, as will Tika Sumpter, reprising the role of Maddie from the films. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Production on the series is now underway in London. John Whittington, who worked on the screenplay for “Sonic the Hedgehog 2,” wrote the pilot for “Knuckles” and serves as head writer and executive producer on the series. Brian Schacter and James Madejski are also writers.

Jeff Fowler, who directed both “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, will direct the pilot episode and executive produce the series. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher of Original Film and Toru Nakahara — all members of the films’ creative team — serve as executive producers, as does Elba. Ged Wright, Brandon Trost, Jorma Taccone, and Carol Banker are also directing episodes. Paramount Pictures and Sega of America produce.

[movie-robotnik-positivity]

So, how many episodes do you expect the Knuckles miniseries to have?

We know for a fact there's at least five: the pilot directed by Jeff Fowler, and individual episodes directed by Ged Wright, Brandon Trost (the cinematographer of both this series and Sonic 2), Jorma Taccone and Carol Banker

[mediamixs]

Nightbitch, a comedy horror you must watch

The upcoming comedy horror film Nightbitch is directed by Marielle Heller and stars Amy Adams in the lead role. The movie is based on the 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder and is scheduled for release in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on December 6, 2024. The story follows a woman who pauses her career to become a stay-at-home mom but soon finds her domesticity taking a surreal turn. As she navigates the challenges of motherhood, she begins to experience bizarre and undeniable signs that she may be transforming into a canine. The film features a talented ensemble cast, including Scoot McNairy, Mary Holland, Jessica Harper, Zoë Chao, and others. The production team includes Brandon Trost as the cinematographer, Anne McCabe as the editor, and Nate Heller as the composer. The development of Nightbitch began in July 2020 when Annapurna Pictures acquired the film rights to Rachel Yoder's novel. Amy Adams was attached to star and produce the film alongside Stacy O'Neil of Bond Group Entertainment. The project went through several changes, including a shift from a straight-to-streaming release on Hulu to a theatrical release by Searchlight Pictures. Marielle Heller, known for her work on "Can You Ever Forgive Me?", connected with Yoder's novel during the COVID-19 pandemic and began quietly developing the film alongside Adams. The film's production was completed in October 2022, and it is now set for a wide theatrical release in December 2024. Nightbitch marks a significant release for Searchlight Pictures, which has a strong lineup of upcoming films, including romantic fantasy "The Greatest Hits" and Yorgos Lanthimos's new film "Kinds of Kindness". The film's darkly comedic horror elements and unique premise are likely to generate significant interest among fans of the genre.

Marielle Heller was inspired to adapt Nightbitch into a film after connecting with Rachel Yoder's novel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Heller found the book to be "darkly hilarious" and felt that it captured the surreal and primal aspects of motherhood in a unique way. She was particularly drawn to the novel's exploration of motherhood and the transformative experiences that come with it. Heller's involvement in the project was quiet during the development phase, but she eventually began working on the film alongside Amy Adams, who was attached to star and produce.

Marielle Heller incorporates humor into the dark themes of Nightbitch by using a blend of dark comedy and absurdity. The film's premise, which involves a mother transforming into a dog, is inherently surreal and humorous. Heller's direction leans into this absurdity, creating a tone that is both unsettling and comedic. Heller has stated that Rachel Yoder's novel resonated with her because it captured the darkly hilarious aspects of motherhood. Heller's own experience with motherhood and her connection to Yoder's work likely influenced her approach to incorporating humor into the film. Heller's use of humor is not just about making the film more palatable but also about exploring the primal and feral aspects of motherhood in a way that is both unsettling and relatable. The film's dark humor is also enhanced by its use of satire and social commentary. By exploring the absurdities of motherhood, Heller is able to critique societal expectations and the pressures placed on mothers. This satirical approach adds depth to the film's humor, making it more than just a simple comedy. Overall, Heller's incorporation of humor in Nightbitch is a key element in making the film both entertaining and thought-provoking. By balancing the dark themes with a sense of absurdity and satire, Heller creates a unique and engaging cinematic experience.

[noloveforned]

my son just finished third grade and the university just finished spring term which means it's officially summer! i'll continue producing a radio show tonight and every friday night on wlur from 8pm until midnight and we'll continue with our jim white theme through most of the summer.

for those of you that can't stream in realtime, you can check out last week's show on mixcloud and find its setlist reproduced below!

no love for ned on wlur – may 17th, 2024 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label jim white and marisa anderson // aurora // swallowtail // thrill jockey rose mercie // sweet place // ¿kieres agua? // celluloid lunch bad bangs // palace // out of character // blossom rot autocamper // blanche // blanche / budge cassette // safe suburban home ducks limited // when you're outside // when you're outside digital single // carpark phil and the tiles // not today // double happiness // legless gee tee // drag race mag // prehistoric chrome // nailbiter ramones // chain saw // the 1975 sire demos // rhino tuff bluff // do you feel it? // tuff bluff // snappy little numbers les savy fav // world got great // oui, lsf // frenchkiss old 97's featuring exene cervenka // four leaf clover // too far to care // elektra eli winter, tyler damon and sam wagster // davening in threes (live in chicago) // a day behind the deadline // three lobed rosali // rewind // bite down // merge l. eugene methe // hours // maybe tomorrow // grapefruit tilth // four corners more // rock music // round bale the messthetics and james brandon lewis // three sisters // the messthetics and james brandon lewis // impulse! peter brötzmann and paal nilssen-love // ant eater hornback lizard // chicken shit bingo // trost luke stewart silt trio // baba doo way // unknown rivers // pi sathima bea benjamin // i'm getting sentimental over you // memories and dreams // ekapa tha god fahim and oh no // art official // berserko // nature sounds yaya bey // chasing the bus // ten fold // big dada lionmilk // lagoa azul // sauna saudade cassette // (self-released) rapsody featuring bee-b // dnd (it’s not personal) // please don't cry // jamla gipson [the matelot] // elohim // rivers of babylon // forward is the mantra blu and nottz featuring versis and scienze // creme of the crop // gods in the spirit ep // coalmine system exclusive // carry on // click // mt. st. mtn. comité balnéaire // station des iles // split screen (split cassette w/ walk home drunk) // hidden bay the avocados // brandi // by the end of the night 7" // yay! parsnip // turn to love // behold // upset! the rhythm fidel // downey, california // fidel // (self-released) soft covers // every week // soft serve // little lunch nerdy girl // casa nova // twist her // no life

[excusethequality]

My 2024 in Film: March, part. 1

It would seem that I watched too many movies in March for Tumblr to handle!

By which I mean that it turns out there's a limit on the number of images you can attach to a single post and I watched more than that.

But I've been liking having a picture to go with each entry, so I'm gonna have to just split this one into two posts. Which means that you get two big posts instead of one monstrous post.

So really this is probably for the best?

Anyways, it was a month of extremes. Some soaring highs and some rage inducing lows.

So join me as I ramble about such things as: classic documentaries, experiments in gender, why the Academy can die in a fire, the difference between bad movies that are interesting and bad movies that make you wonder why you did this to yourself, and more!

* = rewatched

37.

Scream VI

(2023)

— Meta Horror Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

The people who were still alive after Scream 5 are back, weirdly not harboring any sort of PTSD from what they lived through, and living in NYC. That's right: Scream is lost in New York.

Both these new Screams want to create a new franchise with a new cast of characters. Cool. I always appreciate when someone tries to move the timeline forward instead of just remixing the original.

But it's hard for me to care about these new characters, because there's shockingly little character development. I'd swear the last movie never happened, because the new crew seem utterly unfazed from having narrowly survived being brutally slaughtered and having witnessed the deaths of close friends and family.

And the two main characters are the most boring of them all!

I know a lot of people would disagree with me and love this one. So clearly there's a difference of opinions out there.

I will say that I liked this a LOT more than 5. Moving the location from Woodsboro was a great move and was a lot more fun than I was expecting.

And, I know this isn't what I should have been focusing on, but the Halloween costumes in this movie?! They are fantastic. There are so many great ones lurking in the backgrounds of shots. Far and away my favorite part of the movie was trying to identify all the Halloween costumes.

38.

An American Pickle

(2020)

—Comedy Fantasy Drama Directed by: Brandon Trost Based on: “Sell Out��� by Simon Rich

An immigrant to America falls into a pickle vat in 1919 and is preserved until it is opened 100 years later. Now lost in the strange new world of the present he tracks down his last living descendant and the two try to find common ground.

There's actually a really interesting idea at work in this movie. But more often than not the whole thing was just played as a bit instead of really developing the metaphor.

I'm not really the target audience for this one though, so I'm open to the idea that parts of it were just going over my head.

39.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

(2022)

—Animated Fantasy Adventure Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Based on: Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino by. Carlo Collodi

A woodcarver's drunken wish is granted when a godly being brings one of his creations to life.

Eagle-eyed readers might be thinking, "Hey! Didn't you previously say that you had beef with Netflix and would never give them money? Then how, pray tell, did you watch this Netflix original?"

Well, dear readers, it's because my local library had it due to it being released in a physical format from the Criterion collection. So there!

I'm going to be upfront and let you know that I am biased against this, because I have never liked the story of Pinocchio. In fact, that's why I never went to see it in theaters even though it was playing at the theater I worked at and thus could have watched it for free.

[In a particularly memorable day at the theater I made a man cry when I had to tell him he couldn't bring his dog to this movie. Then he went around telling everyone in the lobby that I broke his heart and ruined his day. So...yeah, that was a weird day.]

But I digress! [surprising no one]

I still don't love Pinocchio, but I will say that this is far and away my favorite adaptation. del Toro adds a lot of depth to the story by setting it in Mussolini-era Italy. Plus I love when people attempt stop-motion animation.

That being said, I have some issues on the animation in this though. I really love the animation of the non-human characters, but the human characters faces didn't match the level of emotions the voice actors were giving and the result was a discrepancy that had me convinced I was watching a dub.

I looked into it and it seems to be because the non-human characters were generally done by swapping the model's face plates between frames [a style of animation you might recall from films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline]. Meanwhile the human characters had models with faces that were built to be physically manipulated to change their expression [like in Fantastic Mr. Fox].

There's pros and cons to both methods, but I can't say I'm a fan of them both being used simultaneously. It was really breaking my immersion when different characters had completely different limits on their ability to emote. And there were so many times a voice was giving tons of emotion and the character's face was giving like 20% of it.

Okay, I'll stop ranting now...

Ewan McGregor was miscast in this and they had Tom Kenny in the movie and gave him like a line or two? What's the story there?!

Okay, okay, I'll be done for real now.

40.

Dick Johnson is Dead

(2020)

—Documentary Directed by: Kirsten Johnson

Having already lost her mother to Alzheimer's and with her father now beginning to succumb as well, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson seeks to create a record of who he is while also trying to document what it's like dealing with the inevitable death of a loved one.

"Netflix again!" you say to yourself. "Truly he is lying to us and doesn't want people to know that he actually has Netflix!" Wrong! Once again I got this from the library, because once again it had a physical release from the Criterion collection.

Suck it, Netflix!

Libraries for the win!

In more relevant news, Kirsten Johnson is ruling the top of the my movie rankings for the year. First there was Cameraperson and now this! She is out here doing fascinating things with the medium of documentaries.

I wish it was easier to say why you loved something than it was to say why you disliked something. Because this is such a hard movie to convey the tone of.

It's funny and heartbreaking, morbid and sweet, reverent and irreverent all at the same time.

Johnson is like a magician who tells you exactly what's up her sleeves. She'll show you what the trick is and how she's gonna do it. Then somehow she still manages to surprise you when she does it.

And it's not a true documentary in the sense that she's basically going in the exact opposite direction of cinema verite style. But she's also always documenting her process of breaking the rules.

In someone else's hands this could be a mess, but she's just such a master of the form that she knows exactly what rules she can't break, which ones she can bend the shit out of, and which ones she can ignore altogether.

41.

Dioses de México

[English title: “Gods of Mexico”]

(2022)

—Documentary Directed by: Helmut Dosantos

An unspeaking look at the resistance to modernization in Mexico as we witness the people still versed in the old ways.

This was one of my roommate's picks for our theme of: "Oh!...So That's a Thing".

The fact that there was no narration or really any dialogue made the whole thing rather fascinating. There were times I was dying for someone to tell me exactly what people were doing in a scene, but then again that's kind of the point, isn't it?

It's so easy to take modern machines for granted, that when you see someone making something the old fashioned way it almost makes the steps seem like a kind of magical alchemy.

42.

Oklahoma!

(1955)

—Musical Rom-Com Directed by: Fred Zinnemann

A woman gets mad that her pseudo boyfriend assumed she was going to the local dance with him instead of asking her and tries to make him jealous.

Although I watched a lot of musicals growing up, this was one that I was aware of, but never saw.

I know that this is true of many older musicals, but there's a lot of crazy shit going on in this. And yet there is practically no story or character development at all...and the movie is over 2 hours long?

How does almost nothing happen in nearly 2.5 hours?

And then against the grain of everything else in the movie, you've got this girl [woman? how old are they supposed to be?] having a whole subplot about how she just wants to sleep around?

Probably a good one to watch with a friend, because you can talk to each other and not have to worry about missing anything.

43.

Grey Gardens

(1975)

— Documentary Directed by: Ellen Hovde & Albert Maysles & David Maysles & Muffie Meyer

A look into the lives of a reclusive mother and daughter, who once belonged to high society, but now live by themselves in a dilapidated house of questionable safety.

Since documentaries have been dominating the top of my best of the year list, I've been making an effort to watch some of the famous documentaries that I've never bothered checking out before.

I never bothered with this one because it sounded a little bit cringe.

One of the inherent questions of journalism and documentary filmmaking is what is the ethical line for documenting something as it is instead of trying to change it? For instance is documenting someone dealing with mental illness encouraging their delusions? Or is it bringing to light the ways a detachment from society can have on a person's life?

I don't have the answers. But you can find some very interesting arguments as to whether or not this documentary crossed an ethical line.

But I do now understand why this has had such an impact on people. I don't even know what to say about it. It is one of things you have to see to truly understand.

44.

Dating the Enemy

(1996)

— Sex Shift Rom-Com Directed by: Megan Simpson Huberman

A former couple wakes to discover they have swapped bodies and are forced to try and navigate lives in the other person's shoes.

So on a whim a started making a list of movies I've been calling "Experiments in Gender." Because an esoteric subgenre of movies I love is movies that play around with ideas of gender. Things like Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, She's the Man, Titane, etc.

And so sex shift fantasy movies are likely candidates for the category. HOWEVER, a lot of them are Freaky Friday style movies that aren't about learning about life in a different gender, but specifically learning about life in someone else's shoes. Which interests me considerably less.

The trouble is that the specific nuance of how this is tackled is usually not apparent from just a trailer or a synopsis. So the only way to find out where they land is to watch them.

"Why are you telling me this?" some of you might be wondering. Well, if you plan to keep up to date on these movie lists o' mine this is relevant information, because there's more of them coming.

Anyways, it turned out that this is not an experiment in gender, it is just a Freak Friday body swap scenario.

And there was no point in a Freaky Friday scenario because their relationship failed, not because of mutual misunderstanding, but because the dude was TERRIBLE and treated her like shit.

Also I think it made me realize that I don't like Guy Pearce.

Post swap, Claudia Karvan is acting like Guy Pearce's character is in her body. But Guy Pearce is just acting like his generic idea of a woman is in his body. He's not even trying to act like her character at all! And this made me start to question everything I've ever seen him in.

I will give it bonus points because they do have sex with other people while in their swapped bodies. But minus the bonus points again for the film moving right past this and ignoring the fact they both technically just had gay sex.

Things like this are why you aren't on the list. You gotta deal with the nuance of the situation!

Further proof that it doesn't count is that he didn't even get a period while in that body. Because, as previously discussed, the movie is a coward.

45.*

Waiting for Guffman

(1996)

—Mocukmentary Directed by: Christopher Guest

Cameras follow a small town's attempts to create a play about the history of their founding.

Rewatching Best in Show last month gave me a nostalgic taste for mockumentaries, so here I am.

I think I've only seen it once before so my memory on it wasn't the best. But when I heard the stool song I specifically remember watching that with my best friend's family back in the day.

It's definitely not the best of Christopher Guest's movies, but it's also not the worst. Although I will say that I've noticed that a bad habit of Guest's is making native american jokes. And I know he's not specifically making jokes at their expense per se, but through them he is still perpetuating the racist stereotypes from old westerns and they haven't aged well at all.

On the brighter side Parker Posey is in it and every scene with her is a delight.

If you love mockumentaries I think it's definitely worth watching. But if you only watch one Christpher Guest movie this isn't his strongest outing.

46.

The Aggressives

(2005)

— Documentary Directed by: Daniel Peddle

A look at the subculture of masculine presenting people of color in New York City.

I combined my documentary kick with a @gayverlyearp recommendation, because I am a master of efficiency!

Anyway it was a quality recommendation and a really interesting movie. It's especially interesting when you see the ways that gender expression has changed over the years. I hear the director made a follow up movie somewhat recently and I'm really curious to see if I can find that somewhere.

47.

Pachyderme

[English title: “Pachyderm”]

(2022)

—Animated Drama Short Directed by: Stéphanie Clément

A woman looks back at her childhood through memories muddled by time and trauma.

I attempted to go down the rabbit hole of watching the Oscar nominations for Best Animated Short. I couldn't find them all, but I did find the majority.

And I started off strong, because this one was my favorite of the lot. It's just beautiful and heart breaking and sticks in the crannies of your brain after you're done watching it.

And can we talk about the way it uses a picturebook illustration art style? That was such a brilliant choice. The way they use it portray childhood memories that have faded with time and become these stories we tell ourselves? The subtle way they use the composition to give scenes nuance?

It's so friggin' good. Highly recommend giving it a watch.

48.

Ninety-Five Senses

(2022)

—Animated Drama Short Directed by: Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess

A man on death row reflects on his life through each of his senses.

Another best animated short nominee.

It didn't hit with the weight that Pachyderme did, but I like how they both use really creative ways of talking about memories.

Specifically looking at a life through the lens of memories you associate with a particular sense is such an interesting prompt. I have some issues with this one that I can't go into without entering spoiler territory, so I didn't l love it, but I do respect it.

[I do get chatty about the films on these lists, and one can't talk about a movie with "spoiling" something. But I do purposefully steer away from just telling you the entire plot.]

49.

WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

(2023)

—Animated Short Directed by: Dave Mullins

Two soldiers discover that war is bad by playing a game of chess via carrier pigeon.

Don't even talk to me about how the Oscars handles the category of Animated Shorts unless you want to hear me rant at length. I'm still not over the fact that they give the tritest, most Hallmark Card-iest, cliche Inspirational Poster-iest entry the Oscar last year.

And they did it to me again!

Is this some sick joke on me? Is this personal, Academy? Did you hear me talking tons of shit about you and decide to get some revenge using a smaller category that the average viewer doesn't care as much about, but that I love?

Please keep in mind that I hold nothing against the animators who had to work on this project, because the animation is not on trial here. But this short SUCKS.

Some nepo baby pulled the sentiment "War is bad, okay? Don't do war" out of their ass...and they gave it an Oscar?

It is LITERALLY the worst entry in the category!

50.

Our Uniform

(2023)

—Animated Short Memoir Directed by: Yegane Moghaddam

The filmmaker reflects on the ways her uniform shaped her past.

Using the uniform as the animation medium to talk about uniforms is a truly brilliant move. It lacked the real emotional depth that Pachyderme and Ninety-Five Senses had, so I didn't think it would win. But I really liked it. And for a directorial debut? For a filmmaker that wrote, directed, and animated it herself? Fantastic work. Really curious to see what she makes next.

51.

Poor Things

(2023)

— Fantasy Drama Adventure Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos

The result of a bizarre experiment goes on a grand adventure of self discovery.

I have a love-hate relationship with Lanthimos' films and I never know if I'm going to love them or just be utterly baffled by them. But with all the Oscar noms and wins I figured I had to check it out.

I actually don't have anything of note to say about this. As an asexual I felt thoroughly out of my depth here. The film has such a strong focus on sexuality that I can't really relate to most of it. I asked a couple ace friends what they thought of it and they had similar takes of enjoying elements of it, but feeling disconnected from it on the whole.

So yeah. I dunno! Go ask an allosexual if you want an in depth take on this.

52.*

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

(2004)

—Comedy Directed by: Adam McKay

A local anchorman in the 70s has his world flipped upside down when the station hires a woman to be his co-anchor.

I loved this movie back in the day. But it doesn't make me laugh nearly as much these days. There's still some parts I love, but it just doesn't hold the same magic for me that it once did.

53.

The Sex Trip

(2016)

— Sex Shift Comedy Directed by: Anthony G. Cohen

A womanizing pickup artist is cursed with a new body by witch until he can learn to respect women.

Ohhhhh, what to say about this one...

I kind of want to force someone to watch this with me, because it is just so wild and I want someone else to stare into the abyss and witness the madness that I have seen.

One nice thing about sex shift movies is that in most of them if you don't like the person playing the main character, you can wait a little while and they'll get a new actor in there.

And that's something you can't say about most movies.

There's this weird thing that can happen when bros accidentally wander into queer territory, because sometimes their extremely "no-homo" way of thinking can lead them into accidentally nuanced territory. And other times it will just be dumb and offensive.

But you know what? I'm counting it as an experiment in gender. Our protagonist gets a period, he realizes how annoying breasts can be at times, he experiments with his new set of genitals. He's got a best friend who is either secretly bi, or possible straight but specifically gay for his friend? I certainly don't think the writer/director was aiming for the best friend to be queer, but no straight man would be so eager to accept a threesome with his best friend. You can't convince me otherwise.

Would I recommend this to the average movie fan? Uh, no. It is not a great film. It is a weirdly interesting film, but I wouldn't say it's by any means a film of quality. In spite of it accidentally wandering into interesting territory, it's still very clear that some bros wrote this movie. There's plenty transphobia and misogyny and just plain cringe.

But I've learnt that while most people watch movies to enjoy them, I watch movies like a field researcher. I'm like a biologist in the field, looking under rocks and climbing trees to see what kind of weird stuff I can find. So if you're like me, well, this a fascinatingly fucked up little specimen for sure! You can see such odd little features such as: Tom Hanks' brother, Sylvester Stallone's brother, a man getting cursed for having the gall to not want to kiss a stranger he just met, a man try desperately to sleep with his best friend in a way that won't be gay, the worst blooper real I have ever seen, and more!

54.

Rubber

(2010)

— Meta Horror Directed by: Quentin Dupieux

An audience gathers in the desert to watch the live performance of a story about a tire coming to life and killing people with its psychokinetic powers.

While I love movies that are so bad they're fun, I hate movies that purposefully try to be bad movies. I assumed that that is what this was, and thus I never bothered with it.

However, it turns out that this is not really a movie trying to be a bad movie...it's...

I don't really know what this is actually. And I'm not entirely sure what it was trying to say....

But I do know that I didn't like it and don't plan to ever watch it again.

55.

Grizzly Man

(2005)

— Documentary Directed by: Werner Herzog

After Timothy Treadwell was killed by a bear while creating videos to help protect bears, Werner Herzog used his footage to create a documentary about Treadwell himself.

Another classic documentary that I had never bothered watching. I was slightly uncomfortable with the concept potentially being a little too close to a snuff film.

But I get it now. I get why it's acclaimed. This was not what I was expecting.

I was especially certainly not expecting Herzog to just periodically drag this dude? I was also not expecting that this dude clearly has issues.

56.

Victor/Victoria

(1982)

— Musical Rom-com Directed by: Blake Edwards

A female singer creates a hit act by pretending to be a male female impersonator, but along the way learns to love the lifestyle.

Oh ho ho, dear reader, this one came close to glory. If I liked the songs in this more, and if they didn't force a weird romance angle in there? This would truly be top tier.

That being said I still love it. Definitely an experiment in gender. It goes so much harder on the subject than I was ever expecting.

And the cast? The cast is exquisite!

Do I wish it was just sliiightly different? Yes.

Did I have a great time regardless? Yes!

57.

Tootsie

(1982)

— Monstrosity Directed by: Sydney Pollack

After burning every bridge he ever came across, a pretentious actor finds that he can no longer find work. Instead of bettering himself in order to repair his image and professional relationships, he decides to pretend to be a woman and steal some jobs from them.

Now do you see why I spent that time all those movies back explaining my quest to create an experiments in gender list? Has it not given you a peek into the process and important context for multiple films on this post?

Anyway, this is not an experiment in gender. This is just a fucked up movie.

I've heard about this movie a fair bit over the years, but all I've heard was that, A) it was really funny, and B) that Dustin Hoffman is amazing in it.

I was surprised to learn neither of those things is true. I was too busy being horrified to laugh at the terrible jokes. And Dustin Hoffman is either terrible in it, or doing an amazing job portraying a terrible, terrible person. You be the judge!

I hate this movie so much, y'all don't even know.

It's so fucking reductive, yet it acts like it's progressive. The whole movie is based on the premise that of course he's able to get the role, because he's a man while everyone else auditioning for the role were mere women.

Oh! And don't even get me started on the bizarre headgames and manipulations this dude pulls on the women in his life.

Ugh...I could rant about this movie forever. Truly terrible. I feel personally offended for having sat through it. And look at some of the weird shit I've watched so far this year! I watched a movie where a pack of people ravenously consume a rotisserie chicken with their hands while watching a tire kill people in the desert!

And the fact that I seem to be the minority in thinking it's terrible drives me even crazier.

We are 57 movies into the year and you better believe I threw this into dead last so fast.

And the very bottom of the list is the stuff that I wouldn't even watch with a friend. I would have to be bribed extensively to even consider seeing this again. You better be bringing plenty of booze and food or some cash and even then I'd have to really think hard about wanting to do that to myself again.

——————

——————

Previous Month's Posts:

Jan | Feb

[jmovielover]

Max Originals (Part 1)

A tribute to the scripted Max Originals that aired from May 27, 2020, until now. Not including documentaries, specials, foreign language programs, or kids shows. Unfortunately, most of these early originals were removed from the service for greedy purposes, but I hope this series shines a light on these projects. I'll post in groups of 5 so be on the lookout for more in the future!

Love Life (May 27, 2020) "Love Life is about the journey from first love to last love, and how the people we're with along the way make us into who we are when we finally end up with someone forever." (Created by Sam Boyd)

Close Enough (July 9 2020) "A couple in their early 30s, Josh and Emily, and their young daughter, Candice, live in a Los Angeles duplex with their divorced friends Alexander and Bridgette. They get into what seem like normal domestic crises, which tend to escalate in surreal ways." (Created by J.G. Quintel)

An American Pickle (August 6 2020) "The film stars Seth Rogan as an Eastern European Jewish immigrant who gets preserved in a vat of pickles and wakes up a century later in modern-day New York attempting to fit in with the assistance of his last remaining descendant (also played by Rogen)." (Directed by Brandon Trost)

Raised By Wolves (September 3 2020) "Raised by Wolves centers on two androids, Father and Mother, tasked with raising human children on Kepler-22b after the Earth was destroyed by a great war. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task." (Created by Aaron Guzikowski)

Unpregnant (September 10 2020) "The film follows a pregnant teenager, Veronica, who discovers that she cannot get an abortion  in her home state of Missouri without her parents' permission and subsequently convinces her former friend Bailey to take a road trip with her to Albuquerque so she can get one there." (Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg)

[vivian-bell]

The Righteous Gemstones 1.01 dir. Danny McBride

Cinematography by Brandon Trost

[sslimbo]

An American Pickle (2020) dir. Brandon Trost

[now-watching]

Recommendations 21-25:

21. BLACKKKLANSMAN (2018), dir. Spike Lee

“INFILTRATE HATE.

Colorado Springs, late 1970s. Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer, and Flip Zimmerman, his Jewish colleague, run an undercover operation to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan.”

Availability: Available for rental on GooglePlay, AppleTV, VUDU, Amazon, and YouTube

22. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (2002), dir. Joel Zwick

“LOVE IS HERE TO STAY… SO IS HER FAMILY.

A young Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.”

Availability: Available on HBO Max with a subscription and available for rental on Amazon, Youtube, GooglePlay, AppleTV, and VUDU

23. AN AMERICAN PICKLE (2020), dir, Brandon Trost

“An immigrant worker at a pickle factory is accidentally preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern day Brooklyn. He learns his only surviving relative is his great grandson, a computer coder who he can’t connect with.”

Availability: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

24. CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR (2007), dir. Mike Nichols

“BASED ON A TRUE STORY. YOU THINK WE COULD MAKE ALL THIS UP?

The true story of Texas congressman Charlie Wilson’s covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets had some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.”

Availability: Available for rental via GooglePlay, AppleTV, VUDU, Amazon, and YouTube

25. STAND AND DELIVER (1988), dir. Ramón Menéndez

“AT A TOUGH SCHOOL, SOMEONE HAD TO TAKE A STAND…AND SOMEONE DID. TOGETHER, ONE TEACHER AND ONE CLASS PROVED TO AMERICA THEY COULD…

Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighborhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country’s top algebra and calculus students.”

Availability: Can be rented GooglePlay, AppleTV, VUDU, Amazon, and YouTube

[The American Experience Film Recs]