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About maw447

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  1. maw447

    Episode 122 - The Tingler (w/ Witney Seibold)

    I'm a soft no on The Tingler. I did enjoy watching this one, but I think the short run time had a lot to do with that. Much more than 80 minutes of this could be a very different story. I appreciated the meta elements, and I'd love to see The Tingler in a theater with the full Percepto experience, but I don't think I can vote in a movie based solely on a gimmick and I feel like that's what I would be doing here.
  2. maw447

    Episode 112 - Footlight Parade (w/ Bryan Cogman)

    I had a really hard time getting into this one. It could just be me, but I felt like a lot of the dialogue felt very throwaway, as if they just put in some lines to fill time between the performances. I laughed the first couple times Cagney pitched a prologue based on something in the room without a seconds thought, but after a while it felt like the writers hadn't put any more thought into the script than Kent put into his numbers. I will agree that the "prologues" themselves were amazing to watch, but I don't think I can give it a yes vote based solely on about a third of the running time.
  3. maw447

    Episode 96: THE BAD SEED

    I'm having a hard time putting my finger on just why I didn't love this one. I thought it was good enough, Mrs. Daigle almost makes it Canon worthy all on her own, but I just can't get very excited about it making it into the Canon. I think my biggest problem is with the ending; not necessarily killing Rhoda, but the tacked-on feeling that it has after what could have been a pretty chilling end with the reveal that Rhoda survived. The pop-psychology bothered me a bit too; each of those scenes struck me as slightly pedantic and really killed the momentum. I'm glad I watched it (my favorite episodes are the ones on the lesser known movies that I've never seen), but I have to go with no this week.
  4. maw447


    I'm really on the fence with this one. I'm not a Trek guy. In fact, this is the first Star Trek anything I've seen that wasn't from Abrams. I will say that Devin and Dave were totally right about this being an easy film for non-Trek people to get into. The history of the series is there, but it doesn't overwhelm the film and alienate outsiders. I liked the film, but I just didn't connect with it much beyond that, and while I fully recognize Treks historical and cultural significance, like Amy, I question whether the films should get much credit for that significance. I think I'm a soft no on this one, but I won't fault anyone for voting yes. And if nothing else, watching Khan might be the push I need to dive deeper into the Star Trek universe.
  5. maw447

    Episode #90: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

    I liked a lot about this movie and I'm glad I watched it, but I don't think I can give it a yes vote. I think Steve Martin is great, and I actually think his reputation as a comedian works well with the film. At first I was kind of amused by him, but as the film went on I realized more and more how sincere the performance was and what a scum bag he is. But I do agree that everything feels rushed, and (even though I shouldn't judge the movie against a miniseries I haven't seen) I suspect the story is better told over a longer running time. Soft no for me. The performances were great, I loved the fantasy musical sequences (especially Walken's), but the story is just too rushed to push it over the edge for me.
  6. maw447

    Episode 85: BOOGIE NIGHTS vs TWBB

    Oof this is a tough one. I think I'm going to come down on the side of Boogie Nights, but just barely. I think, like Amy, I've always felt that TWBB was clearly made to be a masterpiece in many ways, and it is one of the rare movies that lives up to those expectations. However, I think it looms so large that it actually leaves itself kind of distant from me. I've never connected to it the way I connected to Boogie Nights the first time I watched it. I also think, just from a purely preferential point, that I often like ensemble movies more than a 2-hander like TWBB (although DDL as Plainview is clearly one of the greatest performances ever put to film). Both are Canon-worthy, and I'm trying to look at this like a no-lose situation rather than a no-win.
  7. maw447

    Episode 82: THEY LIVE

    This was my first time watching They Live, but being a human being who's been alive with eyes and ears for the past two and half decades, I was obviously aware of it. I always assumed it was a very campy/silly movie, which it largely is, but I actually found it to have a surprisingly self-serious tone at times that clashed with the campier elements for me, and while I get that it was intentional the painfully unsubtle "black and white" propaganda kind of bothered me for some reason. Its definitely a fun watch, and maybe rewatching it would give me a better opinion of it, knowing what to expect, but I have to give it a soft no.
  8. I am really on the fence with this one. I'd never seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes before, and I was prepared for Some Like it Hot to run away with the win for me, but I was totally blown away when I watched it. I think I have to look at this as a Marilyn head-to-head and go with Gentlemen because, while I love Some Like it Hot, I've never really considered it her movie. The historical impact of launching one of the biggest stars of all time gives Gentlemen the (very) slight edge, but I hope Some Like it Hot comes back for reconsideration if it doesn't make it this time around.
  9. maw447


    Same for me Patrick. An ex actually tried to watch it with me, and I only made it about 15 minutes in before I made her turn it off. Granted, my overall taste in movies was very different back then too. I loved this movie. The love story at its heart is of course beautiful and heartbreaking and completely captivating, but what really sets it apart for me is how it deals with the passage of time. The time jumps go by without comment. Several times throughout the movie I found myself halfway through a scene before some little detail showed up to indicate how much time had passed; a song on a jukebox, a new hairstyle, the kids growing up. Most movies would have thrown up title cards with the year each time a jump happened, but Lee lets time do what it does in life... just slip by sometimes without our noticing it until we suddenly realize just how long its been.
  10. maw447

    Episode 74: PATHER PANCHALI

    Thank you so much for turning me on to this film. Foreign cinema has always been a big hole for me, and I had no idea what I was in for when I started it. Like Devin, I started it less than enthusiastically, but I was hooked in minutes. Durga and her mother are two of the most captivating female characters (or any characters) I've seen in any movie. It definitely reminded me of Linklater, and I feel confident in saying that Ray has joined him as one of my favorites filmmakers. A definite and enthusiastic yes for the canon.
  11. maw447

    Episode 73: THE LOST WEEKEND

    Amy hit the nail on the head for me. It's good, but I can't really get excited about it. Like a lot of the comments above, I'm saying yes based on the historical and cultural impact, and I'll leave it at that.
  12. maw447

    Episode 69 - The Christs

    Just wanted to chime in as a practicing Catholic, and more generally, as a person of faith. I definitely have to go with The Last Temptation (gasp, blasphemy!). The dual nature of Christ is one of the most important aspects of Christianity, and for me, it is one of the most difficult aspects, and one that I have struggled to fully grasp as I've gotten older. I've never seen it dealt with like Temptation does, and I like to think that any religious person would be better for seeing this movie and coming away with deep questions about their faith. Much deeper questions (I think) than are raised by Passion.