Coraline (2009)

Coraline (2009)

Director:

Henry Selick

Writers:

Henry Selick

Starring:

Dakota Fanning

Teri Hatcher

John Hodgman

Blurb:

An adventurous 11-year-old girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets.

Review:

Coraline reminded me of Into the Spiderverse in that it was visually stunning. I was struck several times by how amazing this movie looked. In the opening scene, it looked real until you saw the dude climbing on the roof. It was beautiful and I loved that aspect of it.

I realize Coraline isn’t technically a Halloween movie but it’s definitely scarier than your average kid’s movie. I was freaked out more than once and while I’d love to watch this with my kids I’m not sure how they’d react. There were people with button eyes. They wanted her to gouge her own eyes out and sew buttons in their place. It was a trip in places.

Poison oak is a vine, not a tree.

Dowsing is a pseudoscience.

I was an annoying little shit while I watched this movie with a friend. Yet, I’m pretty sure she’ll still watch movies with me. Friends are awesome.

I enjoy Neil Gaiman’s works, Good Omens is one of my favorite books and the TV show was amazing. However, I have not read Coraline. After watching this I’m not sure if I will. It could be one of those rare instances where the movie is better than the book. I’ll let you know when I finally get around to it.

4/5

Pulp Fiction(1994)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Pulp Fiction(1994)

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Writers:

Quinten Tarantino

Starring:]

John Travolta

Samuel L. Jackson

Uma Thurman

Bruce Willis

Ving Rhames

Tim Roth

Amanda Plummer

Blurb:

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Thoughts:

I have to be in a certain mood to watch a Quinten Tarantino movie and that mood rarely strikes. He loves to see people say the words he’s written and they’re often too much for me. I like a lot of them, but again, I have to be in the right mood. I wasn’t in the mood for Pulp Fiction. I kept putting off watching this and it was only my husband wanting to watch it that got me to sit down. It’s a fine movie, but definitely not one of my favorites.

Vince is a dick and I’m glad he gets what’s coming to him. Jules’s storyline is the one I like the most. Mia and Vince’s whole story is downright boring until the end. I just don’t like Butch’s story, but I couldn’t tell you why.

I think what bothers me the most is there really isn’t a single likable person in the movie and I need that to enjoy a film. I am definitely not a film snob lol. I can appreciate that it’s a well-told story and Tarantino has a clearly identifiable way of directing. This movie was just not for me and that’s okay.

Boss Level (2021)

Boss Level (2021)

Director:

Joe Carnahan

Writers:

Chris Borey

Eddie Borey

Joe Carnahan

Starring:

Frank Grillo

Naomi Watts

Michelle Yeoh

Will Sassa

Mel Gibson

Blurb:

A retired Special Forces officer is trapped in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death.

Review:

Boss Level snuck in under my radar and I didn’t know it was even a thing until I was mindlessly scrolling through Hulu. It was a victim of COVID and despite costing $45 million ended up on Hulu and not in theaters. It was an entertaining action movie with the added bonus of the repeating day trope. Someone at Hulu seriously loves that trope and I am all about it. More, please!

Anyway, an incredibly dehydrated Frank Grillo does a great job portraying an ex-military man stuck in a loop where he dies every day. He has no idea what’s going on at first and spends the first 80 or so loops just fighting to survive before he tries to figure out what’s going on.

Surprisingly, Naomi Watts is also in this film. I was not expecting that, though, she isn’t in the movie a huge amount. She’s Grillo’s ex and the mother of his child. She also doesn’t seem to understand PTSD and just wants him to go back to being the man she loved before all the military killing and whatnot. It doesn’t go into his military background, much, so that’s just an assumption on my part.

Mel Gibson was a good bad guy, which makes sense considering who he is in real life.

The biggest surprise, for me, was Will Sasso being the heavy henchman. I’ve only ever seen him in comedic roles and while this wasn’t a super serious role it was definitely not a comic relief character.

Michelle Yeoh was in Boss Level as well. I’m so happy with her current popularity. She’s popping up in so many movies that I watch and enjoy. I will always love seeing her.

Boss Level was a nice break from my movie re-watch and I’m glad I checked it out.

3.5/5

Timecop (1994)

The Great Movie Re-Watch

Timecop (1994)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers:

Mark Verheiden

Starring:

Jean-Claude Vann Damme

Mia Sara

Ron Silver

Bruce McGill

Gloria Reuben

Blurb:

Max Walker, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel, must fend for his life against a shady politician who’s intent on changing the past to control the future.

Thoughts:

Timecop is an amazing title and one I use whenever I’m making books in The Sims. It’s one I’d love to use to write my own pulp fiction novels. Alas, time is not on my side with that (my hobbies totally have nothing to do with that lol). This movie gives you everything you would expect from that title starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The plot makes no sense and is filled with so many holes it barely stands up. There are massive explosions. An ass shot, that I sadly missed, however, I did not miss the boobs. There was also, of course, a splits shot. What more could you ask for?

All that aside, this is not one of my favorites. It never lives up to the image in my head that the title creates. It’s such a cool concept, but it comes off as a by-the-numbers story. It’s directed fine, but it suffers because of the story. Yes, yes, I know it’s an action movie, the story shouldn’t matter. In this case, though, I can’t move past it.

Timecop came in a Bluray case paired with Bloodsport so I won’t be getting rid of it, but it’s definitely not one I plan on re-watching. At least not anytime soon.

New Disney Toybox Figures

In time for Halloween we’ve got a new Jack Skellington figure and a double pack of Miguel and Héctor. This time Miguel has no face paint, so he is different. Héctor looks the same, though, he doesn’t come with his hat or guitar.

I love the first Jack figure, but it was sold out before I started collecting and I wasn’t able to purchase the original reissue. Not sure if I’ll splurge and get this one either. Especially since it looks like they’re going to be releasing a Captain Carter figure soon. Still, once again nice to see new figures, especially in the neglected Disney and Pixar lines.

All lists have been updated.