Rate the last movie you watched.

I rewatched The Lord of the Rings trilogy for the first time in at least a decade and those are still some fantastic movies.

I’ve flipped from thinking that Two Towers is the best to liking Fellowship the most, largely because it’s the tightest of the three and the stuff I like the most about the films is the real sense of camaraderie you get from the core cast, and that’s the film with the most of that, largely by necessity.

But Two Towers probably has the lion’s share of the best moments, from Brad Dourif’s great slimy performance as Wormtongue to Serkis’ still revelatory turn as Gollum, to the Battle of Helm’s Deep and Sam’s speech about the meaning to stories. It’s amazing how well Jackson manages to hold all the threads together, and how fast everything moves considering it is a long-ass movie, especially in the Extended Edition.

Return of the King suffers from watching it right after Two Towers because some of the major plot beats - Gandalf tries to convince a recalcitrant leader to join the battle, there’s a huge siege that takes up a lot of the movie, Frodo, Sam and Gollum make their way to Mordor - feels repetitious, and while everyone makes it feel fresher than it has any right to be (John Noble really, in Blank Check terminology, bathes in the river of ham as Denethor and the film is all the better for it) it does lack a certain punchiness. Maybe the biggest revelation this time for me was that I now prefer the movie ending to the ending of the book; back in 2003, I was really disappointed that they didn’t do the Scouring of the Shire, and thought that it was a poor choice to not allow the Hobbits their chance to be heroes in their own home, but now I think the quieter ending of them returning and no one knowing what they did is sweeter and more in keeping with the themes of the other films, which put so much emphasis on their quiet bravery in the face of overwhelming darkness.

Fellowship - 10/10

Two Towers - 9.5/10

Return of the King - 9/10

Sorority Row 8/10

Recently watched this movie again after many years and still like it. It's a cliche horror film in a lot of ways, but that's what I like about it. It's a nice mix between I Know What You Did Last Summer and Prom Night. The movie is about a prank gone tragically wrong and a slasher killer seemingly getting revenge against those responsible months later.

@maian1: I pretty much agree. Fellowship is almost a perfect movie, with great pacing and a satisfying, well-earned conclusion that makes it stand on its own as a film (unlike the recent Dune, which while great, did not end on a high point.) The other two are great as well, but Fellowship is the tightest and best told story.

Midnight Mass. I'm five episodes in, and I'll just say, go watch it. It is VERY compelling, albeit quite slow at times, particularly at the beginning. Without any spoilers, I'll just say that it's disturbing religious-themed horror with excellent acting; if that sounds like your thing, just go watch it. I'll probably have more to say about it later after I've had time to finish it and to let it stew in my brain for a little bit, but I'll put some spoiler-y thoughts here. PLEASE don't read if you haven't seen it.

My god, if Hamish Linklater doesn't win, like, ALL the acting awards I'll be sad.

After finding out that the new MCU Spider-Man movie would be pulling some multiverse bullshit, I was like, 'Fine, I'll go rewatch the Raimi SM movies' (plus it'll give me an excuse to finally get around to watching the Andrew Garfield versions, which I've always heard were fiiiiiiiiine).

I can't be bothered to do proper deep dives on each one that no-one in their right mind should read, so here's just some stray thoughts:

Spider-Man 1,2 and 3:

- I forgot how delightfully camp these movies are. Maybe I've just been tainted by the 'gritty' and 'realistic' superhero mostly MCU movies over the last nearly 15 years, but in some of these fight scenes, I was half expecting an Adam West Batman-esque 'KAPOW!' graphic to pop up occasionally.

- There's a pretty decent amount of notable people who show up as cameos/minor roles, including:

1. Joe Manganiello as Flash, the class bully (in apparently his first real film role according to the behind the scenes commentary I had on during the movie)
2. Lucy Lawless (Xena, Warrior Princess) in 1 as a punk doing a vox pop
3. Bruce Campbell in all 3 (which is to be expected considering it's a Sam Raimi film)
4. Elizabeth Banks as Jameson's assistant
5. Randy 'Macho Man' Savage when Peter is trying to make some quick money as a wrestler
6. Macy Grey
7. Joel McHale as an asshole bank teller in 2
8. Emily Deschanel (Bones)

- Sum 41 do a nu-metal song over the end credits which isn't half bad?

-Spider Man 3 wasn't as bad as I remember it, but yes, the Peter Darker stuff is still hilariously dumb.

The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2:

- Andrew Garfield as a bit of a socially awkward loner is a bit of a harder sell than Tobey Maguire because let's be honest here, he is an objectively gorgeous man. However he and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy are pretty good in both these movies

- The 1st person shots are pretty fun, and of course make sense considering there were 3D versions of these films released

- You gotta love all the Sony branding that shows up in these movies, although there's a weird shot where they use Bing instead of something neutral like Google

- I can definitely see why people were a bit iffy on Jamie Foxx's Electro, because he's a bit all over the place. Hopefully he turns out better in the upcoming MCU Spider-Man

- Props though to actually committing to the original comic book storyline and killing off Gwen at the end of 2 (even though I read on Wikipedia that they were just going to bring her back to life for one of the upcoming sequels that never happened)

I suppose I need to actually make this post worthwhile and rate them, so off the top of my head I'll go:

Spider-Man 3.5/5

Spider-Man 2 4/5

Spider-Man 3 3/5

Amazing Spider-Man 3-3.5/5

Amazing Spider-Man 2 3/5

I went and saw some movies in theatres yesterday, all three of which were among my most anticipated of the year and two of which would be leaving the arthouse cinema near me after this week so I felt I had to cram them all in.

West Side Story (2021) - Fantastic. It's got a real urgency to it, like Spielberg has been waiting his whole career to make a musical and he's determined not to waste his chance. The cast of mostly young unknowns (at least as far as movies go) are all really great, and it feels like you're discovering new, vibrant talent after new, vibrant talent every time someone shows up on screen for the first time. Special mention for Mike Faist, who is not only great as Riff, but also looks and sounds exactly like John Mulaney if he got into Muay Thai. The only knock against it is that Ansel Elgort is extremely boring and bland as Tony, and while he's not bad per se, he is way less interesting than everyone else on-screen with him at any given moment. A testament to how good everything else is that it manages to overcome what should be a fatal flaw. [9/10]

C'Mon C'Mon - I'm a big fan of director Mike Mills' previous low-stakes but lovely indie comedy-dramas Beginners and 20th Century Women, and this as good as if not better than those. Joaquin Phoenix is on great, quiet form as a radio journalist who finds himself having to look after his nephew (the incredibly good and brilliantly named Woody Norman) when his sister has to care for Woody's father (Scoot McNairy) who is bipolar and suffering through a paranoid episode. There's not much more to the plot than that, it's really just scenes of the two hanging out and getting to know each other, and Phoenix's character being forced to deal with responsibilities that he is utterly unequipped to deal with. It's nice to see Phoenix giving a subtle turn after a few years where he has gone big (and also just nice to see him looking healthy after he got so thin for Joker) and Woody Norman is really funny and charming and authentic, giving one of the best child performances in a film I think I've ever seen. [9.5/10]

Benedetta - I was not expecting this to be as restrained as it is, given that all anyone says about it is that it's Paul Verhoeven's lesbian nun movie. Not that it doesn't deliver on that premise - it is very much a lesbian nun movie from man who gave us RoboCop and Showgirls - but it mainly uses that aspect to interrogate the relationship between faith and corruption, as much of the conflict is driven by the willingness of some people to believe that the title character is miraculous because it could benefit them monetarily (there's one very funny throwaway line about how Assisi was nothing until St Francis showed up), while others refuse to believe because it threatens the power and money they have already accrued. But then again, it's by no means a stodgy or serious movie, tonally, since it's extremely entertaining and provocative, but it offers an exploitation movie's view on the sort religious ideas that Verhoeven has studied for much of his life. [9/10]

OK, finally finished Midnight Mass. Overall, I'd give it an 8/10 or a solid B+. It was excellent. If my thoughts below are more complaints than praise, it's because, well, complaints are a bit more interesting.

Here are some more spoiler-y thoughts.

Anyway, it's good, go watch it.

Onward 5/5

I guess I missed this one when it came out last year. This movie is a absolute gem. One of Pixar’s best, in my opinion. I thought the film had a fun concept of the brotherhood theme went a bit deeper emotionally than other films.

Another write-up dump!

The Matrix Reloaded - 4.5/5

"Again, whenever the dialogue seems stilted or baffling, remember: these are level 9,000nerdsplugged into the internet, hanging out in Oculus Quest chat rooms wearing the dope cosmetic NFTs they picked up from their favorite Snapchat influencers while waiting for the bots to try and hack their mailing lists."

The Matrix Revolutions - 2/5

"Let me get this straight: Neo got banned, but he's hooked in via a Wi-Fi enabled VPN? For a quarter of a movie? Why did no one ever tell us those damn nodes had G5 service? Couldn't Mouse have lived?! In any case, while the original lobby gunfight is iconic, nothing can top realizing it's just a bunch of a code monkeys trying to save their CDN Jesus from sex club Dionysus' fantastical purgatory."

Inside Llewyn Davis - 4.5/5

"I was really ambivalent on this movie first time around. Devastated now. Sometimes it hurts to be seen. Babysitting a cat for a former partner and wishing my life were music, wondering what my life even is. I'm sorry Llewyn."

The Harder They Fall - 3/5

"Sometimes this movie finds the quippy desperation of Def Jam's 1990s movie run butting up against stellar displays of violence. Some scenes can't help but feel like contractual obligations. But again, it seems like everybody gets what we got here: a Western less interested in subversion than paying tribute to the history of both Black cinema and Black outlaws."

Django Unchained - 4.5/5

"I just think it's pretty evident that this movie had no interest in being comfortable, yet neither did it want to succumb to the usual guilt theatrics that these movies are so palpable for. Just because Sam Jackson and DiCaprio are having a hell of a time with their line reads, for one example, does not make the hot box any less terrifying."

The Card Counter

Very easy to watch effort from Paul Schrader. Oscar Isaac is solid (effin' dude is everywhere these days) and everything creeps along at a haunting slow pace. Willem Dafoe, always good to see and brings a nice performance in a small part.

Then the end happens and it's the *exact* same ending that Schrader has already done twice! Heh, won't go into it because spoilers but it was pretty funny.

If you like card-game films like Rounders it's worth a whirl. 8/10.

Oh wow...watching Matrix Resurrection on HBOmax and fifteen minutes in there's a guy...that...well...you'll know exactly what I'm getting at when you see him.

EDIT: Worst of the series.

The Good: Nearly everything outside the Matrix. New Morpheus. Jessica Henwick.

The Bad: Nearly everything inside...especially Neil Patrick Harris.

The Ugly: The movie lacks the unique visuals of the originals, the super stylized slow-mo might've been downplayed because of Zack Snyder abusing it recently...but it's sorely missed.

Just really poorly shot in comparison, bullet time looks awful, like worse than CW Flash bad. No iconic moments outside of maybe one bit in the climatic action scene.

Lily Wachowski had no involvement on this one, which makes me wonder if she is the sibling with the most talent.

Oh, and it ends with a Rage cover by Brass Against The Machine...and well, I wouldn't advise Googling them...unless you're into kinky shit.

SPOILER!!!

There's a game developer dude that looks like Jeff!

Another day, another bunch of poorly written and unstructured reviews of movies I’ve seen in cinemas over the last couple of weeks:

Spider-Man: No Way Home:

‘Yo dawg, I heard you like fan service, so we put a fan service in your fan service so you can fan service while you fan service!’

After Mysterio reveals to the world that he is Spider-Man at the end of Far From Home, Peter Parker quickly finds himself embroiled in a level of fame and notoriety that he is not prepared for. When his friend’s futures start to be derailed due to their association with him, he decides to hit up the MCU’s resident wizard Dr Strange to conjure up a spell that’ll make everyone forget he’s Spider-Man. When it predictably goes awry, villains from Peter’s ‘past?’ get pulled into his world and he has to find a way to stop them. Or does he?

Maybe I was influenced by the fangirl-esque crowd I saw this with, but holy shit this movie is fan servicey as fuck. It’s probably to be expected considering what the plot set up is, and I’d be lying if I said I was immune to it, but I could definitely see how some people could see this as a bit much.

Still, it was pretty fun seeing all these characters being thrown together and just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Willem Dafoe hamming it up as Osborn and Alfred Molina as Doc Ock are again solid (I hope there’s just some software that can do this automatically because man it must be a pain in the arse to digitally de-age every shot those two are on screen). Jamie Foxx’s Electro is better than his turn in the Amazing Spider-Man 2, but probably does a bit too much pontificating. Rhys Ifan’s Lizard and Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman don’t get a ton of screen time, but is understandable considering they weren’t the most interesting characters in their respective films. Zendaya is still good as MJ and Ned is still playing the comic relief role. And yes, there’s no Topher Grace’s Venom for obvious reasons.

Now depending on how much preview stuff you’ve seen, yes, the Tobey McGuire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Mans do show up (cue the fan service as people literally cheered when they showed up on screen). There’s some fun banter and feels between the three Spider-Men, along with Tobey’s ‘I’m too old for this shit’ Peter and Andrew’s ‘still feels terrible for letting Gwen die’ (although there is a hero moment where he gets to save Zendaya’s MJ that the crowd again cheered at like a bunch of homers) Peter comparing notes on how much of a burden it is to be a superhero. (Also, this is unfair considering I had just recently watched the Tobey McGuire movies, and the fact that he’s currently 46, but man McGuire sounded old in this).

But at the end of the day, the film is about Peter’s desire to do good no matter what the cost, and I can’t lie, I did quite enjoy the movie. There’s also a surprising amount of finality to this movie (yo, they straight up merc Aunt May) that might play into the talk about Tom Holland saying he doesn’t want to play this role much longer. That being said though, the post credit scene is a trailer to the next Doctor Strange movie, which I 100% believe will just retcon most of these things back into roughly the status quo.

Overall, I’d give the movie a solid 4/5.

Dune:

First let me preface this by saying that Dune is one of those books that I’ve always been meaning to read but haven’t gotten around to yet, so I don’t know how closely the film follows the book, but I thought as blockbusters go, this one was pretty spectacular. The visuals were very impressive, and the Hans Zimmer score is as Zimmery as ever. I’ve seen other people on this post write that some characters have gotten short thrift in the leap from book to movie, but I thought that everyone was pretty good (Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica is the MVP here, also Jason Momoa without a beard looks so odd nowadays). There’s some decent exposition dumps here, but that’s probably to be expected considering that this is only Part 1 (side note: it must be painful spending all this money on half a movie with no guarantee that you’ll be able to do the second part).

Overall, if the point of this movie was to get me excited for a Part 2, then they’ve succeeded pretty well. Based on this part 1, it gets a 4/5, but I’m willing to go higher when I’m able to see this story as a whole.

No Time To Die - 2/5

At almost 3 hours in runtime, this is a bloated mess of a movie that hugely overestimates how much the audience cares about Bond's feelings. The plot remains paper-thin and it spends too much time retconnecting the mistakes of the previous movie rather than moving it along. Much could be forgiven if the action was good, but it isn't. Despite another madman trying to take over the world, the action lacks any kind of spectacle that the series has been known for, instead Bond is mostly brawling in tight spaces that makes the movie feel cheap.

I will give props to the cast, especially Rami Malek and Lea Seydoux give amazing performances even though their characters stink. If Malek had been utilized better he could have been one of the all time memorable Bond baddies.

The movie makes some controversial choices (some of which have been openly talked about in the marketing), but overall it feels the movie uses controversy to shield itself from critique. It wants people to feel conflicted rather than disappointed, and judging by the mixed reception it seems to have succeeded in that.

Oh, the cinematography is excellent, for the most part the movie looks very good.

Red Rocket

A look into the lives of the senior superlatives for “prom king and queen,” after the football game. Thought it would be a movie with a male under the female/gay gaze. It kinda was and kinda wasn’t. Basically a look at the lives of every 6th house in your neighborhood. And probably every 3rd house in Texas or Florida. Post-pandemic I care less and less for the simulated world. Symptoms: falling asleep in every movie seen at theatres or finding myself oddly compared to multitask when watching a movie at home. Only playing games that are tie ins to movies are from properties that have always been there but I’ve never dabbled fully in (Zelda) or are generic enough to give me predictable tingles like COD single player. Red Rocket, I’d say yeah Simon Rex’s biography that he’ll eventually own up to on Fallen.

A Fall From Grace 8/10

A very solid suspense thriller by Tyler Perry studios on Netflix. The story is about a successful middle age woman accused and put on trial for murdering her younger lover, but of course, the story is not that simple. There are many reveals with the big plot twist at the end and its worth seeing.

Matrix Resurrection 7/10

Got around to seeing the latest Matrix movie and I personally think it was the best they could do with the narrative they had. Of course, the biggest problem they had was explaining how Neo and Trinity lived. They do it in an interesting way. They also try to explain the Morpheus situation as well, but I still fault them for not bringing back Fishburne. The overall story is decent, the action is what you'd expect. The new characters they introduce fit the universe well. A solid movie. Enough to make me watch the sequel when it happens... if or when it comes to home streaming video. I won't pay to see it in theaters like I didn't pay for this one. Watched it on HBO Max.

4/10, and that's being generous. Films honestly aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Here are a few more that I can remember from the last month or so.

Dune (2021) (3/5)

A very cool sci-fi movie with awesome visuals and sound design. Even though I can't find almost any actual faults with the movie, it just didn't grab me much at all and I've already sort of forgotten most of it. I'm still happy that big budget science fiction like this still gets made and I'll surely go watch the sequel.

Pig (4/5)

Nicolas Cage in his best performance since Adaptation. A sweet movie with a nice balance of comedy, drama and societal critique. Not at all what I expected from the premise "I gotta get back my pig", but in the best way possible. Would happily re-watch this.

Prisoners of Ghostland (2/5)

A mostly unsurprising Nic Cage romp set in a dreamworld which combines the aesthetics of old cowboy westerns and Japanese martial arts movies. Most of the weird and fun of the movie was very front-loaded in the first third and after that the latter parts of the movie felt quite boring. Some cool set designs which do end up being overused. Not a terrible watch if you've got a friend and a six-pack with you.

Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (4/5)

A smaller Japanese drama where a cafe owner discovers a set of time-warping televisions in his apartment and cafe. The cinematography was very creative for a movie shot on an iPhone and I was genuinely left scratching my head over how some of the time-travel sequences were filmed. Bits of warm comedy and drama and a nice atmosphere all around. A unique movie which I'll probably remember for a long time.

The Matrix Resurrections (3/5)

I don't really know how you reboot a franchise like the Matrix, but this probably wasn't the worst way to do it. The first half of the movie was pretty enjoyable and really felt like an elongated internal monologue of the director, which I didn't mind in the context of the Matrix. The more traditional action sequences were a letdown however as none of it felt impactful or well choreographed. Overall I feel like this was a better sequel than any of the new Star Wars movies for example.

Ikitie (3/5)

A movie focusing on the experiences of Finnish-American immigrants in the Soviet Union as well as the violent expulsions of Finns into the USSR. It was interesting to have a refresher on this segment of the Great Terror and some of the stories were honestly quite touching. A decent movie all-around apart from the horrible fake American accents portrayed by a few central actors.

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) (3/5)

I've recently been going through the saga of Godzilla movies and this is probably my third favorite one so far. It feels like the quintessential B-movie with bad dubbing, hacky special effects and a plot thinner than paper. Despite the negatives the overall package manages to be very entertaining. The movie progresses at a good pace, there are interesting scenes and even some legitimately haunting moments. It felt like everyone had a lot of fun making this movie.

As Tears Go By (4/5)

It's fun to see the distinct style of Wong Kar-Wai beginning to bloom in this crime thriller from Hong Kong. The beautiful cinematography, punchy use of music and thick atmosphere are all there. The fight scenes felt brutal and especially the final sequence was very memorable. However the acting and editing are uneven and I found it impossible to find any of the characters or their motivations relatable. Even with this major flaws it's undoubtedly tent-pole directorial debut.

Don't Look Up (4/5)

It's been interesting to see how divided people are over this movie, especially when you consider how the divided opinions reflect on the messages of the film. In some ways it feels like the discussion and reactions to the movie are an extension of the movie itself.

The movie is not subtle by any stretch and in most parts not that funny either. I did however find it very captivating to watch and am still thinking about parts of it. It's funny to see how some people wanted this movie to be more entertaining, even when a large part of the message here was that not every piece of media needs to entertain us and that sometimes we need to stare at some cold truths.

The Green Knight - 4 out of 5

I will admits that I had read excerpts of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in high school and a college class on Historic English. But what I remember of it was likely just as enigmatic as this film. In high school I read part of its translated and in college it’s was in Middle English will glossary, so my memory was really just churning through it for the test! (Oh, university degree...what were you for?) The film captured the feeling you were seeing a fable or epic poem unfold, so from the start I just liked how this film was telling this story. The casting of Dev Patel with his macho bravado, innocence, and just dude who 'misses the point of the advice' everyone around him is trying to teach him was great. And, call me a dummy, but I didn't even notice that his girlfriend Essel and The Lady were played by the same actress (Alicia Vikander). All the actors where quite good in fact, there was a edgy dark ages pagnaism by the king and his queen played by Sean Harris and Kate Dickie. (Kate played Lysa Arryn in GoT)

Yet, I think in certain spot the film is too subtle by half even if it was good. Just as an example when Gawain meet the woman missing her head I don't think the story sold the fact that it was out of place for him to ask a 'boon' or 'payment' for his task. Sure, in 'chivalric Europe' asking a lady to pay you for a heroic deed seems out of bounds; but if you ask me to retrieve your head from a cold lake deseved a boon. Yes, yes, the poor lady was treated abhorrently (raped and murdered), but her chastisement of Sir Gawain still does not mesh with fair play in any age - she asking for a lot more than a favor. The analogy today would be some Instagram model asking not to pay. Oh, she won't pay you, but you will get A LOT of heroic exposure from her followers. Exposure? I don't need expsore, lady!

It costs that much cause hero shit takes me fucking hours (fucking hours)
It costs that much cause I don't have super powers (super powers)
You need to pay for my skills cause soon a Green Knight will slit my gills
It costs that much cause it takes me fucking hours…

Maybe, that is why chivalry is dead; all that fawning over a woman by doing her free favors that are mostly hard labor was always a bit suspect. That said, I liked the movie - it was trippy. The moral of the story was well executed. Get it? He was going to have his head cut of, get it? Oh, never mind! It was a good movie and the cinematography was amazing.

@shiftygism: I couldn't stop thinking about that guy when watching the movie. Like, if Lana Wachowski went back in time and brought back Jeff from 2003, and her direction to him to was just, "act like the most annoying & slimy gamedev bro you've ever met at a press event", that dude is exactly what the result would be.

Pig: 5/5.

This is a tightly controlled tone piece with a well of emotion just under the surface in each scene. It struck me deeply in a way that's difficult to explain. It's not fantasy, but it exists in a kind of heightened reality with suffocating tension throughout. I have a lot of questions about the backstory which the movie is loathe to answer, possibly for the better. It's good, go watch Pig.

Don't Look Up (2021) 4/5

Let's just start this movies depressed me and is un-subtle to the extreem. It actully reminds me of an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network...The Day After

The story is fine, but I think gets lost in the middle as they add charcters and slow the story down. Fortunately, the core cast is doing good work, especially leads DiCaprio and Lawrence, both undertsnd why thye are there and what their charctaers are there for. The story plays out frighteinly realisticly, in my opinion at least, if only because people are actully this stupid. This film is correct our polticals are this corrupt, our nationl is this ignornant, and the science behind our deaths is boring. If we are honest this movie is both facicala dn super reliatic because we are THIS stupid as a species.

In the 1983 we had "The Day After", in the same way in 2022 we have "Don't Look Up". Both we hokey. Both had issues. Both look at hwo thsi afters American more than they should. But, these films are trying to say something...maybe they bungle their stories...but they tried. "Don't Look Up" is worth a watch.

Don’t Look Up is far too long and adds charcter mid-film that is just a diustraction. With that said the film looks good for a NetFlix production with fantastic editing and the emmotional ending. I think the ending saves it for me. I was depressed until the end where the scientist stopped caring about being vidicated, but end their time with family - both real and found.

Behind the Curve - 4/5.

This is a documentary about flat earthers. It makes me sad.

The most interesting thing is how normal many of these people are. Particularly the "lead characters", Mark Sergeant and Patricia Steere, seem like good, well-balanced people: funny, charming, loving, well-spoken, intelligent. The fact is, the truth of a person's beliefs is not well-correllated with that person's intelligence or good will. It's completely, highly, *very* possible to lie to yourself in the face of all evidence, especially if it's in the service of a community to which you belong. The roundness of the earth is an interesting test-case because it's something you can convince yourself of without relying on scientists; just observe the motion of the stars, etc. In other cases, like climate change or evolution, it's not as easy to verify yourself; to some extent you are probably going to rely on some expert opinion to help interpret the evidence for you. If we lose so much faith in society that we do not believe any experts or the evidence that the present to us, we can believe almost anything. And that's the way the USA seems to be headed.

The film is highly empathetic. Flat-earthers aren't crazy and they're not stupid. Flat-earthers are me and you. What's the thing in our lives that's most important for us to believe?

Joker - 3/5.

Once you get past the first half, it's alright. It's trying to be interesting with the class warfare but it really wants to hammer home how Arthur's having the worst week of his life. Joaquin Phoenix acts his arse off and kind of carries it. Has its moments but also feels very Taxi Driver for Nerds.

I watched two Disney+ movies on New Years Day.

Frozen 2: 6/10

The first Frozen is one of the best animated Disney films to come out in years IMO, but the sequel is clearly a cash grab designed to capitalize off the first films popularity. The film isn't completely bad, but nothing like the original. For one, the story is a rehash "undo a long ago wrong" plot line, and you find that out during the last 30mins or so. The rest of the film is filled with singing every 5mins. Too much singing for my taste. As if the only lesson the makers learned from the first film, was how much people liked the "Let It Go" song. One of the things that made the first Frozen good, was that the plot relevant songs were well timed. Honestly, this has the same quality as the straight to video Disney sequels of their other big films, but they put it in theaters, again for the cash grab.

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of Ten Rings: 8/10

I actually put off watching this movie, because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to the hype, like Black Widow. But I was wrong, this movie delivered the goods. Cool action, well timed funny segments, and a pretty good overall story. I liked how the villain wasn't one dimensional and kind of sympathetic in his actions. I also like the main character and his "not my girlfriend" friend. They worked well together and the ending suggest a sequel with them two on the way. I'm looking forward to it.

I decided to watch the original Planet of the Apes movies since I had previously only seen the first one, and I remember reading a post bout them on The Dissolve years ago that made them sound really intriguing.

Planet of the Apes (1968) - A classic. A really great, entertaining science fiction film that treats its premise with just enough seriousness to be taken seriously as drama, but isn't above having fun with lines like "You know the old saying, 'Human see, human do.'" [9/10]

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) - Not particularly good, but pretty interesting. It feels like they're trying to do three different ideas for a sequel at once, including a perfunctory retelling of the first film (but with a different astronaut who looks almost identical to Charlton Heston's Taylor), an expansion on an element from the first film by having the back half take place in the ruins of New York, to a whole new, wild idea like a cult of psychic mutants who worship an unexploded atom bomb. All of these are fine on their own, but none of them are done particularly well. Points for ambition, and for an hilariously bleak and abrupt ending. [5/10]

Escape from the Planet of the Apes(1971) - Very much the Star Trek IV of the series, seeing as it involves time travel and is largely a culture-clash comedy. It's very funny in its depictions of how contemporary American society at large would respond to the arrival of intelligent, talking apes from space by having them become celebrities who are ultimately hounded by the government. A pretty massive reinvention for the series, but a successful one, and unlike the previous film it commits to a single idea and delivers on it with confidence. Another incredibly brutal ending, too. [8/10]

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes(1972) - The second-best of the series. Really nightmarish in its vision of a dystopian 1991 where apes have been turned into slaves. Focuses on Caesar, the son of the two apes from the previous movie, who after a life of being shielded from mankind's cruelty by Ricardo Montalban finds himself experiencing it firsthand, and ultimately leads an uprising to overthrow the brutal and exploitative system. Really oppressive and bleak in tone (again, marking a sharp change for the series) and the most clear and unambiguous expression of the series' central metaphor. The extended version is slightly better because the theatrical release has a haphazardly edited finale that softens the ultimate message - that oppressors do not deserve forgiveness from those they oppress - and is also a visual nightmare. [8.5/10]

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) - A real bummer to end on. Not narratively, since it's probably the most hopeful film in the whole run, but purely in terms of quality. It reuses a lot of footage from the previous films, which exacerbates the sense that everyone involves was running out of steam, and just doesn't bring much new to the series thematically. It is at least interesting in terms of the more recent Apes trilogy, since a lot of elements from it were repurposed much more successfully in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War of the Planet of the Apes, so I got a renewed appreciation for how the team behind those movies were able to pick out what was worth saving from even the most tired entry in the series. [4/10]

I watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico yesterday. It was the first time I had seen it since it originally came out in 2003. I remember at the time that I thought the movie was pretty awesome, like in a 7.5/10 kind of way. But rewatching it yesterday, it was definitely a lowered 6/10. It was still good, but not as good as I recalled. And maybe I just forgot, but the Mariachi seems hardly the main character even though he's central to the trilogy. This entry seemed more like Johnny Depp's character's movie. The movie spends more time with the side characters than they do with Mariachi. It made the whole story feel disjointed.

Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

3.5/5

I was mixed on this movie, but enjoyed it overall. It has a serious case of the marvel tropes, with the hero and villain being similar, the plots pacing, and a climax resulting in a giant war (again). I did enjoy the kung fu action, the mythical world building, and the return of one of the funniest marvel 'villains'. It was not the best Marvel movie, but its insistence on being a fun and interesting movie won me over in the end. It did feel like a good base movie for the Shang Chi franchise. I am looking forward to the sequel.

Dune (2021)

4.5/5

Never watched any of the previous incarnations (although I am intrigued by the Lynch version) I still found this movie very captivating. Its absolutely gorgeous, the cast is absolutely stellar. There is not much I can find to fault in this movie, I only wish some of the characters and groups were defined a bit more. I believe this would have made a really great series instead of a standalone film(s). I enjoy the lore of Dune, and I absolutely want to see the follow-up. Might be the best of 2021 in my opinion so far.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

2.5/5

The movie starts strong, showcasing the Soprano family and their endeavors during Tony's adolescence. I enjoyed this movie going into it, mostly because the casting and acting is incredibly strong. Seeing the gang as younger versions of themselves brought back the feelings I have forgotten, considering I have not watched this show since it ended. I ended up sort of feeling underwhelmed. I asked myself "Is that it?" and "Why would he be motivated to do that? Because of that?" The movie is not written very well, and Tony Soprano, of all characters, feels really underdeveloped and unimportant. This is supposed to be his origin story, and it just feels incomplete. I think most people who were anticipating this film expected a solid origin for Tony, and this misses the mark.

Youth of may - I think I have spent at least the 3 last episodes tearing up every now and then, and actually sobbing in the last episode. I have to give it to the show, the viewer is warned, I mean you pretty much expect what’s going to happen, but even if that’s the case, it is still heartbreaking. And also, infuriating, seeing what happened to so many people not so long ago, for absolutely no justification.

Juha (3/5)

A silent movie by Aki Kaurismäki and one of the last Kaurismäki movies I had not seen. The leading character Juha gets tied up in a love triangle and before his romantic issues are resolved the familiar Kaurismäki themes of class struggle, poverty, alcoholism and depression are put on full display. A nice movie but not one of Kaurismäki's finest.

American Pickle (3/5)

Seth Rogen plays a New York app-developer and his long pickled great-grandfather. Cultures clash, pickles get sold, some light pokes are made towards modern society and a few decent laughs provided on the way. Overall a pretty fun light comedy.

Mothra vs. Godzilla (2/5)

The subplot with the twins from Infant Island didn't do much for me and Mothra is not the most interesting nemesis for Godzilla. Not a bad movie as such, but just a bit boring compared to the previous Godzilla movies. The bukkake attack at the end was funny though.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (2/5)

Very much a direct sequel to Mothra vs Godzilla, this movie is the first in the series to bring a multitude of enemies for Godzilla to battle with and against. Godzilla joins forces with offspring of Mothra and Rodan to fight off the threat of Ghidorah. Some interesting subplots with the cult leader and gangsters trying to assassinate the princess of a small nation. Even the twins from Infant Islands make a return. Plenty of decent rubber suit era kaiju action and even some romance. A much better movie than Mothra vs. Godzilla.

Arctic (3/5)

Mads Mikkelsen is the survivor of a plane crash in the arctic and has to fend of the elements in order to survive. The movie relies heavily on Mads' acting to bring life and emotion to the mostly dialogue free movie. Luckily Mads is a great actor, so I felt invested in the movie throughout. Some gorgeous arctic scenery and genuine thrills.

Batman (1989) (3/5)

I re-watched this movie for the first time in maybe 15 years. Nicholson's Joker remains my favorite take on the character and the cinematography of Tim Burton fits this franchise very well. The movie could have used a heavier edit and the action scenes don't pack much punch.

Who Shot Roger Rabbit (4/5)

Another movie I re-watched after a decade or more. This movie holds up incredibly well against any CGI productions from modern times. The animation is spotlessly fluid and interactions with live actors and their animated counterparts are uncanny. Acting is generally good throughout with standout performances by Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd. Overall a great movie. Oh, and those bits with "the dip" and melting characters remain unnerving.

Conquest of Everest (4/5)

A facinating documentary about the first expedition to reach the summit of Mt. Everest in 1953. The film crew was there to witness the long trek and most of the climb towards the summit. The challenges involved with this vast endeavor during that era are put into stark perspective. It's all very nicely filmed and narrated and holds up very well to this day.

The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (3/5)

Since the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos been very much in the news lately I decided to check out the much praised documentary. It's impressive that the filmmakers had such access to the Theranos facilities during the time of their rise and ultimate downfall. The documentary does a good job showing the cult of personality which evolved around Holmes and the overall bubble mentality inside Silicon Valley. A decently interesting documentary if perhaps too long in parts.

Reporting 3 movies this time.

Eternals: 5/10

The movie started off strong, but started to drag in the middle parts. The Eternal cast was not that likeable to me. I didn't see myself caring about their issues. In fact, I began rotting for the Deviants once the mid-film plot twist revealed how and why they were created. The story has a lot of plot holes, like where were they during the whole MCU situation with Thanos. They tried to explain it with some lines early in the film about how they can't interfere with humans, yet they chose to live among them, enter relationships with them, etc. It doesn't make much sense. How the Eternals pretty much rip off DC Superhero characters is also kind of silly, especially the whole Superman turned evil plot twist. Yeah, I spoiled it. I don't care either. I'm doing you a favor people, trust me.

Jungle Cruise: 8/10

After the disappointment that was Eternals, I decided to see if I could find another Disney+ film worth watching. Then I remembered that I didn't watch Jungle Cruise yet. Glad I finally did. It's a decent adventure movie, more on the style of The Mummy instead of Indiana Jones. The Rock shines once again on screen. He might not win an academy award anytime soon, but the man knows his place in what he can do on film and he does it well. The film is a good time with the family, as long as you have a child old enough or mature enough to understand some of the concepts in it, though I did watch the film alone.

Saints of Newark 6/10

I actually seen this movie not long after it premiered on HBO Max, but quickly forgot about it, because the movie is forgettable. We're told it's supposed to be Tony Soprano's origin story, and that his real life son would play as young Tony. While the boy does look like a spitting image of his late father in some ways, he wasn't used well enough in this film. Because the film really wasn't about him. It was about Christopher's father and what ultimately led to his demise. They claim this is the reason Tony enters the life since they were so close, but that's kind of funny considering what happens in the main series between Christopher and him. The only good thing about the movie, is the so called rival, who once worked for Christopher's father, gets his happy ending.

The DocPoint festival in Helsinki was organized as an online even this year. The convenience of watching these movies at home was nice, but I still missed some of the movie festival atmosphere. Still, here's the four documentaries I saw from the lineup.

President (3/5)

The documentary follows the 2018 presidential election in Zimbabwe where Nelson Chamisa was attempting to win a victory against the establishment candidate Emmerson Mnangawa. Cameras are able to follow Chamisa and his crew through the election battle and paint a painful image of the struggles for democracy in Zimbabwe. It's rare to see such access being granted to a documentarian at a historic moment such as this. A very thrilling political thriller throughout.

Ascension (5/5)

I've seen a lot of people compare Ascension to Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka. Whilst Ascension does borrow from the visual styles of these movies, the narrative in Ascension is mush more straightforward and even includes plenty of dialogue. Ascension takes people on a journey through the capitalist ladders of the Chinese economy from unemployment and factory jobs all the way to the gilded dining halls of the millionaires. The cinematography and audio work is fantastic. Skilled editing makes the somewhat medial premise progress with good pacing. It's one of the best depictions of modern China I've seen and a great companion for this years' winter Olympics. Maybe the best documentary I've seen in a couple of years.

Where Are We Headed (4/5)

Shot entirely in the Moscow metro system, Where Are We Headed shows the multitude Russian people, culture and society. It's really impressive how close the crew was able to bring their cameras and the intimacy of peoples' lives they were able to capture. A nicely comprehensive portrayal of Russia from such a small vantage-point and a very well filmed movie.

Trenches (4/5)

Trenches serves as a good reminder of how little warfare has changed since the days of WW1. Ukrainian soldiers in Donbass still spend most of their time digging trenches, hiding from bombardments and peering through binoculars at well hidden enemies in the opposing trenches. The movie is shot mostly in black and white, which nicely exaggerates the similarities to older conflicts. One of the best portrayals of war on screen in recent memory.

Interstellar: 7? / 10

I enjoyed this movie. It's worth seeing for the spectacle and the mind-bending ideas and to me it was very unpredictable. Despite the nearly 3-hour running time, it did not feel long to me, and it always kept my full attention. I have to say, though that it hits in somewhere in the "uncanny valley" of suspension of disbelief, in the sense that there's enough real science to be grounded while it also has enough bad science to put me off. If it had gone full Star Trek, with a very high-tech civilization capable of doing amazing (basically magical) things, I wouldn't have minded; or if it had been more realistic NASA-ish science that would have also been interesting. But it cuts a weird compromise, beginning with a seemingly realistic near-future world and getting very high-tech in the middle. It's also weird how Cooper seems to take it all in stride without too much shock or wonder. Like when it seems that aliens or ghosts are sending signals via gravity his response is basically "oh neat, let's check it out" instead of it triggering any particular existential awe at having his previous world-view upended. At one point he says "Couldn't we just slingshot around that neutron star?" as casually as Data might have in TNG, despite living as a farmer for decades and having no idea that the neutron star was there before that moment. None of the characters talk like scientists or engineers - they're constantly explaining things to each other that everyone in the room would know. I get it, you need to explain it to the audience, but you can be more subtle and realistic about it. Again, I'm not a stickler for scientific accuracy, but this movie fails for me on worldbuilding.

Toward the end the movie gets *really* weird and mystical, and this was what I appreciated more. Once it abandons the scientific milieu and goes whole-hog into spirituality it became more interesting to me. Also, I found Anne Hathaway's speech about love less corny and more affecting than I thought I would. I mean. Who knows?

Flee (2021)

Doing some Oscar catch up now that the nominations are out so I started with this three-time

Nominee (Documentary, Animated, International Feature).

The animation is a little basic, but very effective at communicating the story of Amin, a man living in Denmark who recounts his family’s escape to Russia after the Mujahideen took over Afghanistan, and how he eventually was able to build a new life for himself, even as he remains haunted by his old one.

The strongest moments for me are the more impressionistic ones, such as an early dream-like sequence representing Amin’s sense of his whole world falling away around him. But even if the film mostly sticks to a realistic approach, it maintains a strong focus on the emotional toll of Amin’s childhood and how that has shaped his entire life. [8/10]

Bloodsport (1988)

Watched for the first time purely because the poster plays a pivotal part in Flee. I can see why this made Van Demme a star since it’s a good showcase for his physicality, but it feels like a blurry copy of a lot of better martial arts films from the same period. It’s not as well-shot or choreographed as the movies that were coming out of Hong Kong at the time, nor does it manage to be as brutal or funny (the sequence where Forest Whitaker and Norman Burton chase Van Damme through the streets is something that Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung or Tsui Hark could have really done something with, but it falls totally flat). However, it’s still pretty fun for the most part and it’s hard to resist the profoundly dumb energy driving the whole thing. [6/10]

I saw Nightmare Alley recently. It was fine. *shrug* A complete lack of freaky monsters in this one, which is weird for a Del Toro movie. You know... unless you want to argue the whole "man is the real monster" thing. I don't know. It's a lot of slow buildup, to a story that takes up less than half of the movie's length, and ends on a cliché, but I didn't hate it either. It'd probably bored the hell out of most people though.

Matrix Resurrection: 7/10

Brings up some interesting questions but doesn't really explore them in a meaningful way, but the very meta narrarive made me laugh quite a bit in the first half. It was also fun watching Gerstmann making his Hollywood debut. The new characters are OK, nothing special. Most of the action is underwhelming. I enjoyed the ending but it feels like any new movies would just repeat what we have already seen so I'm fine with this as a cute epilogue.

Even if it dragged in places and I won't ever do a rewatch I enjoyed it more than the other sequels.

The Wolf of Wallstreet is one of the best movies about the financial market. Gives me an insight into how stock traders do their magic to become among the most wealthy being on the planet.

I've recently watched a lot of movies, but I'll only highlight the ones I think are meaningful.

Free Guy: 7/10

It's a nice film that the family or a single person can enjoy. It's the one about Ryan Reynolds playing a NPC in a video game who suddenly becomes aware of himself and falls in love with a real human female player. One of the things that stand out is how well the CGI in the film is done. It really seems like you're seeing a video game world though the eyes of a background character. Also, the film is both available on HBO Max and Disney+. If you can, watch the Disney+ version, because that's the one in Dolby Vision 4K if you have a television that supports those features for a better viewing experience.

Ouija: 7/10

A horror film famous for getting destroyed by the critics, but still making a huge profit of over 50 million dollars against its 5 million dollar budget. I actually watched the prequel they did years later first, which got a lot more praise by critics, but not so much by the audience. I think both films are decent. Though I kind of see where the critics were coming from with the first film. There is nothing unique about how it's executed. The film is filled with every horror stereotype you can think of, but it's well done and keeps you watching until the end.

Scream 2022: 7/10

Another decent entry in the Scream franchise. One good thing you can say about Scream is that there has yet to be a bad film in the series. Even the TV series was decent. This one targets the concept of requels, which aren't sequels, but also aren't remakes or reboots either. It's something in between, which one character explains as they always do before the real terror starts. I'd give more details, but that might give away spoilers because of how the plot is set up. I'll say this much, if you like the Scream films, you'll probably like this one too. If you never liked them or think they have been over done, then this one won't change your mind.

Zombieland: 7/10. I know, a lot of sevens. This score means the film was good enough, but there is nothing about it that stands out as special or must see TV. I actually put watching this movie off for years, because I thought it was way overrated in its praise. And while I still feel this way after watching the film, it was entertaining enough in its comedy zombie theme. I see why some people would love it, but it was just an acceptable average zombie film to me. I heard the sequel is supposed to be better, I'll see for myself someday. And speaking of zombie films...

28 Weeks Later: 6/10

The sequel to the impactful first film from the UK. The film starts out strong with one of the best openings in a movie ever, much less a zombie movie. It's very powerful and intense and it leaves you pumped for what will happen next. Then the film get kind of silly with the plot. I'm sure a lot of people seen this one already, but I won't go into details for the few who didn't.

There are a couple of other films, but I'll leave it here so the post doesn't get ridiculously long.

THE BATMAN (2022)

The broad plot outline is Seven Lite and the trailers showed too much in hindsight. The story is tight, however it contains elements that are highly derivative/influenced by the aforementioned Seven as well as other Batman media (I spotted two easter eggs but there are probably many more). Regardless, the cinematography, sound & music, and worldbuilding sets this movie apart from previous Batman films. It's a throwback crime noir, not an action movie, and doesn't really become a superhero movie till the final act where Batman is literally & figuratively baptized a superhero. I also found it quite romantic. This is not a fun movie, yet I cannot wait for the sequel because it's setting up something that will hopefully be more original. Darkness! No parents! 4/5

Resident Evil : Welcome To Racoon City (2021)

2.5/5

I will have to give the movie credit; it definitely does its best to respect its source material. The costumes and set designs are 100% just like the video games, and many of the characters look exactly like their video game counterparts. I enjoyed the W.S. Anderson RE films, but they could have taken out the RE elements and it would have stood on its own as something else. This truly had some key story beats from the games. The issue is that it crams the stories of RE 1 and RE 2 together, so it can be a bit awkward and strange in how the plot develops. My biggest gripe with the film was the cinematography. Sometimes the "action" is just zoomed in shots with blur effects and shaking of the camera, it just doesn't work for me. I think a lot of this was filmed during the pandemic, and it just feels low budget. The zombies look funny, and it doesn't have a level of grit I was hoping for. It feels much more campy and comic bookish. I did like the cast, and I was not mad at some of the changes they made to the characters. I believe they actually improved Leon. He really is a nervous, first day on the job rookie, and sort of musters the courage and becomes the cool Leon in the games. There is character development in these films in a sense. I know this sounds vague, but I do think there was effort in this film, and it has soul. Sometimes I feel like I was watching a fan made film, but by the time it was over, that was not such a bad thing. Its worth a watch if you like Resident Evil, but for a horror movie its a flop.

@dad_is_a_zombie: I just loved Marvel's Avengers. I thought it was smart and the impressive cast really delivered! This movie works on so many levels and makes you draw on just about all of your emotions. I don't remember when I enjoyed a movie this much!

@shagge: "Bill Plympton amazes and amuses yet again in his latest feature animation. I kept thinking, while watching the movie unfold, that I was seeing things I'd never seen before...a marvelous mixture of black humor, otherworldly wonder, and pathos.

@eviltwin: Beautiful, tragic, haunting and nightmarish

The Last Duel (2021) - 4/5

I wasn't expecting Ridley Scott to make a movie this good, so late in his career. It famously flopped at the box office, but I'm sure it will find the audience it rightfully deserves over time. This is a 14th century courtroom drama, and it is definitely a drama so don't come looking for another action spectacle. There are moments that are leading up to battle and the camera just cuts to the aftermath as if Scott saying "We've already done this type of scene before".

It is a bleak movie, although there are bits of dark humor here and there. I don't blame people who don't want to watch it, yet at the same time maybe that's exactly why they should watch if. The parallels to modern day society are obvious, you don't need a film degree to understand that. This movie getting zero Oscar nominations is the biggest snub perhaps ever in Oscar history, and clear proof that Hollywood is not ready to have painful discussions about abuse within in.

Adam Driver once again shows that he is perhaps the best young-ish actor in the business right now. Jodie Comer is also phenomenal, though you won't see much of her in the first half of the movie. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are fine, though I can see how some might find Damon's performance boring (it is, by design) and a blond Affleck more distracting than you might expect (I didn't even recognize him at first), but I though his performance was also fine.

There is very little to complain. The first third of the movie can be a little distracting, but it eventually makes sense in the non-linear narrative. Some say that certain scenes are needlessly gratuitous, but in my opinion the movie wouldn't work any other way.

Criterion Channel have a collection of concert movies available at the moment so I filled in some blind spots.

The Song Remains The Same (1976)

It’s a testament to Led Zeppelin’s - entirely warranted - arrogance at this point in their career that they can start this off with ten minutes of absolute bullshit, including a scene of gangsters machine gunning each other (one of whom seems to be a werewolf?) for no good reason, and as soon as “Rock and Roll” kicks in all irritation immediately vanishes. The various fantasy sequences throughout (basically proto-music videos with the concert audio playing over) are almost universally dreadful, but the music is so good and the performance is so electrifying that it just doesn’t matter. The one exception is the fantasy that plays out during the performance of “Moby Dick” which feels like such a sweet tribute to John Bonham (even though it was shot and edited years before his death) that it becomes great in hindsight. [9/10]

Sign O The Times (1987)

One of the greatest concert movies ever, probably only equaled by Stop Making Sense in how it captures the essence of its star at a particular moment. Prince is absolutely incredible as he tears through some of the biggest songs from the record, but he also makes room for a great drum solo from Sheila E. and works in a Charlie Parker cover for his band to let loose without him. The story elements feel a little tacked on, but the performance and presentation are otherwise immaculate. [9.5/10]

Dance Craze (1981)

This one I watched on YouTube after looking up what other movies the directors of The Song Remains the Same did and seeing that one of them made a concert movie about the 2 Tone ska scene. It’s pretty much nothing but performances from The Specials, Madness, Bad Manners, The (English) Beat, The Selecter and The Bodysnatchers, but those bands were all so good, particularly during that window of time, that it doesn’t need anything else. As someone who has been a lifelong fan of The Specials and Madness but only glancingly aware of the other bands, it was wonderful getting to see them all in their element and get a renewed appreciation for what a vibrant, exciting mini-movement 2 Tone was. The VHS rip used for the YouTube video is unsurprisingly fuzzy, but that really adds to the experience. [9/10]