The Rest - February 19, 2023

Every audience 5 minutes into Mac and Me.

A quick wrap up of everything else I watched this week.

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) - I'd been putting off this beast of burden passion play for decades, and rightly so. This story of a donkey enduring the cruelty of man is devastating. It's powerful stuff, but don't put it on if you're already feeling antisocial.

Cunk on Britain (2018) - Good news! This precursor to Cunk on Earth is available on YouTube. Same structure. Same sense of humor. An absolute gift to idiots like me who love to laugh.

Mac and Me (1988) - E.T. had Reese's Pieces. Mac has Skittles. And Coca-Cola. And McDonald's. And Sears. Shout Factory released a lovely Blu-ray of this bad miracle a couple years ago, and I'm finally getting around to it. In the director commentary you can hear Stewart Raffill describe rear projection as "movie-making at its best," and I think that's kind of sweet.

Pillow Talk (1959) - This was my first Doris Day/Rock Hudson picture... And I can't believe anyone thought they paired well. Would have been better if Hudson and Tony Randall ended up together; those dudes had some serious chemistry.

Le Pupille (2022) - A sweet Italian fable about how awesome it can be to be just a little selfish every now and then. Currently streaming on Disney+.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) - There's a Jiminy Cricket character with the voice of Jimmy Stewart, and that's only like 15% of the reason to see this. This very late sequel to an unnecessary spinoff of a dead franchise is so much better than it it ever needed to be.

A Room with a View (1985) - A Merchant/Ivory production that leans into how goofy the prim-and-proper set are. It's a light romance, with some lovely performances from Helena Bonham-Carter, Denholm Elliott, Maggie Smith, and Daniel Day-Lewis in a role that makes Reynolds Woodcock look like a slob.

Spanking the Monkey (1994) - Might be David O. Russell's most emotionally honest film... But as it's David O. Russell, it's probably best if he just leaves everyone alone. Don't watch with your mom.

Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) - Rewatched for Monday Movie Club. The most slept on movie of 2022. Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba are doing some very good acting here. If you missed it and like your epics intimately whispered to you, I can't recommend it enough.