By Donna Bourgois. Well, it’s that time again, and this time I managed to maintain my delinquencies. You bet I’m still behind schedule, but I didn’t slip further behind. Hey what’s twenty-odd movies? Nothing, it’s October now, and that’s like the easiest time to gobble up movies. I love Halloween and I’m already deep into the horror movies. (Oh I love it. There is no better way to ring in October (and kick off Horror Marathon October) than Fantastic Fest.
Fantastic Fest is a film festival here in my hometown (and conveniently right down the street from my house). The festival is known for huge horror, sci fi, action, and fantasy film premieres, and I’ve been fortunate to attend the last few years, and I’ve always had an amazing time. This year, I missed a lot of movies on my list do to some unforeseen issues, but the movies I was able to see this year were amazing and I hope that you get a chance to watch them. If you want to hear more about my adventures at Fantastic Fest, the films I missed, or the buzz surrounding it, hit me up on Twitter or in the comments.
Call Me Lucky
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.
Running time 106 min.
Screened via PSN Streaming.
A funny and touching documentary about Barry Crimmins. Goldthwait does an excellent job of covering Crimmins’ comedy career and the traumatic events that unfolded during his childhood. Goldthwait does an excellent job of weaving through Crimmins life, creating an engaging and heartfelt story.
The Warriors
Directed by Walter Hill.
Running time 92 min.
Screened via Netflix.
A quintessential Seventies film that near everyone has seen. The Warriors is a classic due to nostalgic tugs on ye olde heart strings. However, is the film actually good? I think not. Sure, it’s a film that could never be made today, it’s incredibly racist and sexist, and in a post 9/11 world it seems impossible to depict New York in a post apocalyptic light.
True Story (2015)
Directed by Rupert Goold.
Running time 99 min.
Screened via PSN Streaming.
James Franco and Jonah Hill take the screen together in a serious role. Unfortunately, I don’t think I realized I was in the mood for a laugh and ended up feeling uncomfortable trying to laugh at any and every thing. Once I was able to get over that hurdle I found the film pretty enjoyable.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Directed by George Clooney.
Running time 113 min.
Screened via Netflix.
Directorial debut of George Clooney comes in hot starring Sam Rockwell. Clooney interrupts the film with documentary-style interviews that shed light on the legitimacy of Chuck Barris’ involvement with the CIA. Regardless if the ties were real or not, the movie is entertaining and impressive.
Time Lapse
Directed by Bradley King.
Running time 104 min.
Screened via Netflix.
Oftentimes travel movies are a jumbled mess with a ton of plot holes. Surprisingly, Time Lapse cleverly avoided all of these usual traps with their incredibly small cast. The plot was interesting enough to keep you captivated the whole time, but the acting was a little too community theater.
There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane
Directed by Liz Garbus.
Running time 101 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
This documentary covers a tragic 2009 crash on the Taconic Parkway and a grieving family trying to get answers. While the story is unbelievable and difficult to imagine, and in that sense the film is captivating, there’s little to no actual resolution to the story, a lot of buildup with no payoff.
Dumb and Dumber To
Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly.
Running time 109 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
Finally Lloyd and Harry are back together and back to their old wacky hijinks. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where this movie went wrong. It’s not terrible by any means, however the timing is off. And timing, with comedy, is everything.
Lone Survivor
Directed by Peter Berg.
Running time 121 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
As far as hour-long military propaganda films go, this one is pretty enjoyable. The film is action packed and quickly paced. Naturally, there are some serious issues with developing the characters, making it near impossible to care about any of them, if you make it beyond the Navy Seal hype.
The Theory of Everything
Directed by James Marsh.
Running time 123 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
A beautiful and fairly accurate film about the Hawking family. I found the film enthralling and thoroughly enjoyable, and could not contain my happiness when the story began to shift focus to Jane Hawking. This is easily one of my top Oscar films of this past year and I would absolutely recommend everyone watches.
Mulholland Dr.
Directed by David Lynch.
Running time 147 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
I’m more of a Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks kind of guy than a Mulholland Dr. bro. It’s like a lot of people on Tumblr: random for random’s sake. The film itself is of course interesting and surreal in the way it is weird and strange. The film however is otherwise way too long and incredibly dull.
I Am Chris Farley
Directed by Brent Hodge and Derik Murray.
Running time 96 min.
Screened via PSN Streaming.
This is an easy and obvious choice for any fans of the late Farley, which seems to be anyone that was alive during the Nineties. Hodge and Murray bring together old SNL castmates, family, and school buddies to rehash stories of Chris and how hilarious and sweet he was.
Predator 2
Directed by Stephen Hopkins.
Running time 108 min.
Screened via PSN Streaming.
At some point in your life of co-hosting a podcast, people are going to be angry that you’re only watching “shitty” movies. Not since Lethal Weapon has the screen been graced with Danny Glover and Gary Busey. Unfortunately, despite this power duo teaming up again, the magic of the Predator is lost.
The Cell 2
Directed by Tim Iacofano.
Running time 94 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
There are so many terrible things about this film: the acting, the plot, the fact that it is nothing like the original. There’s such a struggle to make this like the original, they even mix in cuts from the original. It’s a real “wool over the eyes” situation that’s just insulting.
Plato’s Run
Directed by James Becket.
Running time 96 min.
Screened via Vulcan Video.
Some people will try to tell you this is a “bad” movie; some of those people might also try to tell you that it “lacks a story”. Well those people are fools: Plato’s Run stars one of the greatest actors of our time, Gary Busey. Unlike my GBTM co-hosts, I believe films only released on VHS are a sign of good quality. Dust of your VCR and fire up this bad boy.
Goodnight Mommy
Directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz.
Running time 99 min.
Screened via Alamo Drafthouse.
I’m still not entirely certain how I feel about this film. I can tell you it was interesting and that I was captivated. This film is interesting, but not amazing. I wish I understood the native language of films; I feel like I’m missing something. At the same time, I’m not sure how I can be missing anything when I can’t shake the story.
The Harvest (2013)
Directed by John McNaughton.
Running time 104 min.
Screened via Netflix.
I was having some trouble with the Destiny servers and I was thinking to myself, Donna you piece of shit, you’re twenty movies behind schedule, treat yo self. So I watched this. The acting in this film ranges from clinically dead, to full blown seizures. Overall the film falls flat, with it’s terrible casting, awkward dialogue, and boring plot.
Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie
Directed by C.B. Harding.
Running time 105 min.
Screened via HBO Go.
Alright, I know I’ve made some questionable choices in the past, but I swear I watched this as a joke. I thought it would be a nice bow on a shitty day, it’d be hipster funny, you know? Well boy did I goof, the movie wasn’t funny, ironically or otherwise, it was just stupid.
Bølgen (2015)
Directed by Roar Uthaug.
Running time 104 min.
Screened via Alamo Drafthouse.
The Wave, as you might expect, is a disaster movie, and easily the best given the recent resurgence of this once dead genre. I was fortunate to have caught it at Fantastic Fest, and it was awesome. I’m always impressed when a director manages to build up an intense, almost tangible tension. The audience was squirming.
Poltergeist (2015)
Directed by Gil Kenan.
Running time 93 min.
Screened via PSN Streaming.
Certainly, we can all agree that this isn’t as good as the original, but why? The CGI is a little off putting sometimes, sure, but the movie isn’t terrible, but it’s not great either. People love romanticizing the original regardless of the quality. The first one isn’t that great either, in my opinion.
Roar
Directed by Noel Marshall.
Running time 102 min.
Screened via Alamo Drafthouse.
This movie is mental. If you haven’t seen it, stop what you are doing and watch it right now. For those of you unfamiliar, this film is about a family visiting their insane father in a lion house. Yeah, that sentence is just as crazy as the movie.
The Invitation (2015)
Directed by Karyn Kusama.
Running time 100 min.
Screened via Alamo Drafthouse.
The final film of this year’s Fantastic Fest, luckily the movie was so engaging I didn’t have time to get bummed. An intimate glimpse into a shattered marriage, a rocky friendship, and a cult. I’ve told you before, I love a good movie about a cult, but this film isn’t about a cult. It’s about letting go.
Hey! Are you on Letterboxd? You should be. Follow Donna’s daily progress over on her Letterboxd page.
