evanston_dad

See "Friendship" in a theater with an audience if you can. Preferably at the Music Box Theater in Chicago, which is where I saw it, and where the audience was all in from the first shot. It's one of those movies that's constantly hilarious, but that if I had been watching by myself at home I might not have realized is as hilarious as it is. Based on what I'd read, I thought it was going to go to some darker places, and I guess where it does go is fairly dark and, again, probably would have felt even darker had I not been with an audience that laughed at everything and made me laugh too.

I wasn't familiar with Tim Robinson or his brand of comedy before seeing this, but he's giving a little comic gem of a performance in this movie.

Grade: A.

Points to Ryan Coogler for creating something bold and original, but this movie didn't totally land for me. I was really digging it for the first hour or so as Coogler introduces the characters and builds the world they all live in. But the transition from realistic period piece to vampire horror movie, even though I knew it was coming, felt awkward. I think I would have liked it more had the first hour leaned into the supernatural a bit more. As it is, it feels like two different movies stitched together. My 16 year old son said he could have done without the vampire part altogether and just had a movie about the drama between the cast of characters, and I kind of feel the same way, even though it's the vampire part that has made it such a breakout hit.

That scene is brilliant though, and if you've seen the movie you know which one I'm talking about. It's that white whale cinephiles live for -- that rare moment that briefly transports you somewhere else entirely.

Grade: B+

"They Were Expendable" is I guess a pretty solidly made WWII film, but these kinds of movies just aren't my jam, which isn't the movie's problem, but still.

I did appreciate this one for being different from the rah-rah let's all serve god and country morale boosters from earlier in the war. This one highlights the tedium of being a cog in the war machine, and there's something cynical and tired about it, no doubt because it came out so far into the war. It's far too long, mostly because of a love story jammed into the movie that goes nowhere and is entirely forgotten. I'm never going to be a John Wayne fan, but he's ok in this, though Robert Montgomery is the MVP.

Nominated for Best Sound Recording and Best Special Effects at the 1945 Academy Awards.

Grade: B.