Logging

Film: Zoolander and Get Shorty

Zoolander holds up better. This movie works so well because the big joke is that Ben Stiller is "really, really, really good looking." This would not have worked with a handsome actor or even a semi-handsome actor. Ben Stiller looks like an ape man, so it plays.

Get Shorty was a lot worse than I remember it. I remember it being cool. It's more like a cartoon. Compared to Pulp Fiction or Out of Sight, similar films from the era, it comes out quite far below.

Film: Reptile

I enjoy mediocre procedurals. What can I say? Still, it feels like something was forgotten or left out in this film...the bite mark? What happened with that? The final scene was confusing. I guess Benicio (who co-wrote the script) loves Pat Garret and Billy the Kid, but the scene was completely misplayed. The Knocking on Heaven's Door sequence was between two people who loved each other - and Pat needing to witness that. Here...it doesn't make any sense at all. 

Film: The Little Things

See above. I haven't finished yet, but why have they revealed the killer so soon and so easily? I'm confused where this movie intends to go.

Film: The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Awesome 70s flick...Mitchum incredible. Some great dialog scenes, but I imagine for most people the plotting is a bit difficult to follow. I can, but I've seen the film, read the books, and know the world. Perhaps I just love certain scenes and the vibes of the film -- and perhaps the way it (and other films) capture a place and time. Like a thing I noticed was how shitty Mitchum's kitchen was...and it made me think - man, it would've sucked to be a small time gangster in the 70s. The guy had 3 kids! 

Film: Malcolm X

Need a longer space to write about it, but my contention is that it strives to be a masterpiece but does not quite achieve it. I'm still thinking about why... one of my theories is that Lee tries too hard to connect it to the "present" - meaning the 90s - with Rodney King and Mandela. Those parts felt the least relevant upon rewatch. I wish he strove for a timelessness. My other theory is that Malcolm X lived an incredible life but did not accomplish incredible things. What I mean by this: ultimately the Nation of Islam is basically a small minded cult with very little to say. It vaguely speaks to a black tradition of self-reliance and empowerment, so on one level it is connected with US History - Marcus Garvey, etc and you still see a thread of it in Charlamagne tha God and other public figures/ideas. But when is the last time NOI accomplished anything? I mean, it seems about as relevant (and maybe even less) than Alcoholic Anonymous for the work they do in rehabilitation. No one is making an AA movie, I hope.