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Scanners (David Cronenberg – 1981) B+

Solid classic B movie entry from one of the masters of modern body horror. There is a community of people with psychic abilities, corporations would like to harness those abilities,…a story as old as time (or the mid 20th century, I don’t really know). The film is more focused than that generic plot though. CameronContinue reading “Scanners (David Cronenberg – 1981) B+”

The Pianist (Roman Polanski – 2002) A

Never seen Polanski’s highly-acclaimed WWII pic before. It is not what I expected. It is not a story of fighting the Nazis or a tale about resistance. It’s a story about survival told from the perspective of Wladyslaw Szpilman played by Adrian Brody. He was a Jewish pianist in Poland when the Nazis gradually startedContinue reading “The Pianist (Roman Polanski – 2002) A”

The Tomorrow War (Chris McKay – 2021) D

It’s bad. For a movie like this (action, sci-fi, popcorn fare) it should at least not be boring. This was boring. It also should have some decent CGI/creatures. It does not. Chris Pratt is overacting and his dramatic chops are just not there. Possibly needed some more solid direction.

What Happened Was…(Tom Noonan – 1994) A

It’s movies like this that make the annual Criterion Channel fee so worth it. I am not sure I ever would’ve heard of or seen this one anywhere else and it is a gem of a little film. Sure, it is just two people on a date, their first date, at the woman’s Manhattan apartment.Continue reading “What Happened Was…(Tom Noonan – 1994) A”

Army of the Dead (Zack Snyder – 2021) C

Really good first 15-20 minutes, plus the very likable Dave Bautista make this not a total waste and it has some fun moments. Unfortunately, it is overlong, with badly written characters and a total waste of a really cool premise (Las Vegas heist WITH zombies!).

The Guest (Adam Wingard – 2014) B+

He shows up saying he was a friend of the family’s son, who was killed in Afghanistan. He’s not really lying about that but he he has a bit more baggage than your average soldier. Dan Stevens plays this soldier called David and he does an excellent job as a dry, robotic killing machine. There’sContinue reading “The Guest (Adam Wingard – 2014) B+”

Stowaway (Joe Penna – 2021) A-

Fantastic slow burn of a space movie. Sure, I wanted to know more about the stowaway and why he ended up there. That plus the ending felt a bit short. However, the rest of this was tense and meticulous. All the actors are great in their roles especially Toni Collette and Anna Kendrick. The tenseContinue reading “Stowaway (Joe Penna – 2021) A-“

Grilled Sous-Vide Tri-tip, Kale Salad, Double Baked Potatoes

Combining grilling over charcoal with sous-vide precision cooking is the ultimate best-of-both-worlds approach. This is especially true for cuts of beef that are a little tricky to get right like the tri-tip. It has an uneven shape and thickness, it can also come out tough or dry if not cooked and sliced right. In thisContinue reading “Grilled Sous-Vide Tri-tip, Kale Salad, Double Baked Potatoes”