My Favorite Albums of 2023.
boygenius • Bully
MJ Lenderman • Ratboys
Slaughter Beach, Dog • Slow Pulp
Sufjan Stevens • Wednesday
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Recent Viewings – Sidewalk Edition.
A real quick reminder of what all I watched over the past few weeks, and during the fest weekend.
Sidewalk Weekend
Art For Everybody – Overall I enjoyed this. I think I just expected it to get more sinister than it actually did. I guess I’m glad it didn’t?
B
Restoration: The Life and Stories of the Lyric Theater – Interesting backstories on the theater.
B
Past Lives – Really beautiful and kinda heartbreaking. A bit slow, but I guess it needed to be.
A
Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure – How had I never actually sat down and watched this? So silly and funny.
A
Birth/Rebirth – This was good and creepy. I liked the ending.
A
Bottoms – So dang funny. I can’t wait to see it again.
A
It Lives Inside – This was a fine scary movie. Kinda tame and maybe dragged a bit, but I liked the Indian aspect of it.
C
You Hurt My Feelings – Really good and really funny. Another one I’ll watch again.
A
Lynch/Oz – There were good points and there were meh points. It was fine.
C
A Disturbance in the Force – Really funny and fun.
A
Medusa Deluxe – Well made and good acting, but just kinda blah. For a murder mystery of sorts, it was boring.
D
Theater Camp – Really funny. I’ll watch this one again, too.
A
Tech Check – The Rest
Earth Mama – This was really good, and really sad.
A
The Cut – This is really well done and pretty interesting. Would be great if it were a subject I was interested in.
B
Poetic Justice – Was this really good or really ridiculous? I’m not sure.
B
Mississippi River Styx – A terminally ill man decides he’s going to float down that Mississippi before he dies. Really interesting with some twists and turns. NOT JUST ON THE RIVER HA HA HA.
A
Last Flight Home – I really enjoyed (enjoyed?) this. It’s really sad, but also uplifting.
A
Buzzard – It’s silly. It’s weird. It’s fun. Just too long.
B
Ship Happens – A big ship tips over in St. Simon’s Island, GA. I’ve been there. That doesn’t matter. It took them forever to move the ship. Kind of interesting.
C
The Philadelphia Eleven – About the fight for women to be able to preach in the Episcopal church. Good stuff.
B
Sorcery (Brujería) – I really enjoyed this. Creepy and beautiful.
A
Variant – One of the worst things I’ve ever watched. Aliens and blood and dumb
F
Night Catches Us – Pretty good.
B
Don’t Die – I have to appreciate the work that went into this and it’s a small-budget, local film. But I didn’t love it.
C
45365 – Just a lot of little stories and character in a small town. Fine.
C
Periodical – Didn’t think I’d like a doc on menstruation. I did.
A
All American High: Revisited – I liked it.
A
Carpet Cowboys – The carpet center of the universe is in Dalton, GA. Neat. Overall this is about one character, and he is definitely that: a Character. Interesting, and kinda sad.
B
Finding Lucinda – A musician finds people and places that Lucinda Williams has played and recorded with. Pretty interesting.
B
The Coming – I did not like this movie. The acting is pretty meh, it tries to be funny (badly), and tried to be smart (badly).
F
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Recent Viewings.
I really wanted to love this, but I just didn’t. It was good. But it wasn’t great. It’s probably my second to least favorite Wes Anderson film at this point, right after The French Dispatch. To be fair, I need to give both of those a rewatch, having only seen them once, and all the other ones at least a handful of times, if not much more. There were a whole lot of fun and funny moments, and I really loved the aesthetics of the whole thing, but I could’ve done without the “behind the scenes” parts. I think if they would’ve just stuck to the main story, as if it were the whole story, I would’ve liked it more. Adding the different layers just didn’t do anything for me. Overall, good, worth seeing, and I’ll definitely watch it again, but I was a underwhelmed.
B
I dug it. It’s not exciting or action-packed or anything, but it’s a cool story. The acting is great, it’s got some great emotional moments, and some pretty funny scenes. It’s not something I’ll go back and watch again, but I liked learning the backstory of how Jordan and Nike partnered up.
B
I’d never seen this. I have no idea why. It’s WEIRD. But I kinda loved it. It doesn’t feel like an 80’s movie, at least as far as the subject matter goes. I’m not sure why I think the strangeness of it all seems more like something that would be made now-a-days, but it just does. It’s so strange and funny and dark and surreal. I really did think it was pretty awesome.
A
This is another one I’d never seen so I thought I should give it a shot. It’s wild. I genuinely don’t know who this movie is for. It’s got a very cheesy, cartoony looking main character. And is rated PG (somehow). But it’s a VERY sexual movie. It’s pretty much adult themed throughout. It’s just plain weird. But also so silly. I can totally understand why it tanked. I don’t think anyone really knew what they were making. I’m glad it exists, because it was quite a fun/funny watch, but not because it’s a good movie.
C-
I loved it. It’s very silly and weird, genuinely funny, but also thought-provoking and emotional. It’s a feat, really. I went in thinking I’d probably enjoy myself, but I honestly can’t wait to see it again. About halfway through the movie, I really had to pee, and I just kept putting it off and getting more and more uncomfortable because I didn’t want to miss even 2 minutes of the movie. I was that invested. Impressive.
A+
I liked this overall. My only real complaint is that it just felt really slow. I liked the look of it, the acting, the story. It was all top-notch, but I just kept wanting everything to move along. I’d definitely recommend it, though.
B+
Is this movie a game changer? No. Did I enjoy it? Yep, sure did. It’s mostly just silly (Adam DeVine is great at being silly), but it’s also kind of a heist movie, which is kinda cool. I’m pretty sure this is the only movie I’ve ever seen (ever made?) that has a car chase scene through a cemetery. So, if that sounds exciting to you, check it out! Yeah, it’s a fun movie.
B
Sidewalk Tech Check
Along with watching over 100 short films (so far), I’ve watched these five full-length features. They’re all great and worth checking out during the fest (August 25-57).
I’ll be honest, the first maybe 1/4 of this movie, I thought it was going to be a complete dud. I just wasn’t into it. By the end, I was fully invested. It’s an interesting story about a Muslim guy who isn’t religious at all, but kinda wants to be? So he decided to interview some monks about their faith. A lot more goes on than that, but it turned out to be a really emotional and inspirational movie.
B
This is a doc about Phil Thomas Katt. You may not know that name, but I bet you know some of the stuff he’s done. He’s known for making really low-budget music videos (and a lot more). This is a really fun movie. It’s about his process, and drive, and friendships. It’s just a fun, happy, interesting doc. I loved it.
A+
This is a well done doc about Fred Shuttleworth and the civil right movement. It was quite eye-opening and inspiring. The thing that stuck with me the most was the plan he and other leaders had to eliminate poverty in the United States, without touching the precious defense budget. And how those in charge just said “nah.” Wild. Really great movie, especially if you’re from Birmingham.
A
A doc about a pretty obscure folk artist. The story is wild and his art is really interesting. He’s a Jewish man who guarded Nazis while they awaiting trial for their crimes. His art comes mostly from his memories of his time as a soldier. It’s a very interesting and emotional movie. I really, really enjoyed it.
A
A doc that follows a girl who’s face was used to make deepfake pornography. It follows her finding out, finding out it’s happening to other friends of hers, and ultimately who’s been doing it. It’s very eye-opening about how easy this stuff is to do, and how prevalent it is. And how it’s mostly legal as of now. It’s wild. And sad. And enlightening. Hard to watch at times, but worth seeing.
A-
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Recent Viewings.
A real quick catch up on all the stuff we’ve been watching lately. I’ve been bad about writing stuff right after we watch, so these are mostly just to remind myself if I liked something or not. Sorry.
M3GAN
Obviously campy, but had a little of everything: funny, scary, gory, heart… this was actually pretty dang entertaining. It doesn’t seem to take itself seriously, which really helps. I dunno… I enjoyed it.
B+
Strange World
This was fine. The animation was really cool, and all the creatures that were created for the world were really neat and imaginative. The story was decent, but didn’t really pull me in completely.
C
The Banshees of Inisherin
I really loved this. It’s maybe the driest funny movie ever. I mean, I thought it was really funny. Oh, and it’s sad. But it’s really funny. It’s a slow burn in the best of ways. Good stuff.
A+
You People
This was fine. It’s pretty cringe, which I get is on purpose, but it’s just not all that fun to watch. I guess more than anything it just wasn’t as funny as I was hoping it would be. It’s fine.
C-
Wakanda Forever
This was good. I liked that they payed so much more homage to Tchalla…
B+
Plane
This was a pretty decent action flick. Plane crash in a bad place. Hostages. Rescue. It’s nothing all that crazy or new, but it was well done and a fun watch.
B-
Pearl
I liked this. It’s very bright and cheery and campy in the best ways. I liked that they leaned so far into the style. And then things just start to go downhill. It’s a fun watch, whether you’ve seen X or not. I look forward to the next installment.
B+
Candy Land
Overall, this was okay. The style was pretty cool, and the overall story was kind of interesting, but it was mostly just kinda boring.
C-
47 Meters Down: Uncaged
This is pretty dumb. We knew it would be. And it was. Everything’s just pretty obviously low-budget. The acting is fine. The story is okay. I’m not sure how long it was (not long), but whatever it was, it could’ve been shorter. Maybe even a short film. But it was entertaining enough.
C-
Smile
Pretty creepy pass-it-on style movie. More creepy than scary, but I enjoyed it. Obviously pretty unrealistic in a lot of ways, but if you can get past that, it’s worth watching.
B
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
I liked it. It was fun and funny. Nothing all that special in the Marvel world, but overall a fun movie.
B
Avatar: The Way of Water
Better than I expected. Obviously too long, but it was a pretty fun movie overall. Cheesy and unrealistic quite often (even in a make believe world).
B
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Pretty fun, nostalgic movie. Not amazing, but clever and fun.
C+
Renfield
I really liked it. The acting was great, it was funny, and really gory (in a good way). Nicholas Cage as Dracula was just perfect. Only negative was Aquafina or whatever. Not a fan.
A
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
It’s got a lot of solid funny moments and is a pretty good adventure movie. I never would’ve expected to like it, honestly. It’s definitely a bit too long, but I’d be cool with them making some more.
B
Blackberry
I liked this. A good bit. It’s got a very cool style to it. The acting is great, the story is interesting. It’s probably not something I’d go back to, but I enjoyed myself, and look forward to seeing what else this director does.
B
Fool’s Paradise
I really wanted to like this. I tried to convince myself I liked it. But it’s just not great. I love Charlie Day. And I want to root for him. But this just fell flat. It has some bright moments, and there are amazing actors and characters, but it never really gets good. I see what he was going for. And I think maybe it could’ve worked, but it just didn’t. And that makes me sad.
C-
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Recent Viewings.
This was a pretty fun kids’ movie. The effects are really cool, and the story is unique and interesting.
B
It’s a slow burn, but it’s an enjoyable one.
B
Pretty good. Looks cool. Too long?
C
A decent low-budget fantasy.
C
An interesting enough horror/thriller. Pretty unique story.
C
Funny? Sad? I don’t guess it’s anything new. Dummies being dumb. Still enjoyable, in a very frustrating way.
B
This is pretty cool. Great acting, interesting premise. The ending was a bit anti-climactic, but it’s worth seeing.
B
So weird. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really like it, either. It has its moments. It’s difficult to rate, because the parts I liked, I really liked, but the parts I didn’t, I really didn’t. My favorite part was the grocery store dance during the end credits.
C
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My Top 10 Albums of 2022.
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs
Pedro the Lion – Havasu
Pet Fox – A Face In Your Life
Pinegrove – 11:11
Pup – The Unraveling of PUPTheBand
The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention
Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa
Tomberlin – I Don’t Know Who Needs To Hear This…
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Recent Viewings.
Just some real quick reviews to get them out of the way. Mostly so I can remember if I liked them or not. Pfffft.
Marcelle
This was cute. If you like Marcelle, you’ll like it. Did we need a full Marcelle movie? Nah. But it’s worth a watch.
B
Nope
This is a pretty fun and unique movie. Got some scares and creepiness and humor. It’s pretty clever. I liked it.
B
Thor Love and Thunder
Not as good as Ragnarok, but it’s pretty fun. That’s all.
B
End of the Road
This is not a great movie by any means, but I enjoyed it just fine. Low budget thriller with a decent cast. Netflix, so why not?
C
Morbius
Don’t remember. Dumb?
Father Stu
Fine. Sappy?
Vengance
This was… fine. It gets better as it goes, and has a decent ending, but overall it’s pretty middle-of-the-road. The premise is kinda weak, which I think just starts the whole thing off pretty bland. There are some legitimately funny moments, and even some heart-felt ones, but never enough to make this feel like a good movie. I dunno, I wanted to like it, but meh. I did think Ashton Kutcher was fantastic. Best thing I’ve seen him do.
C
Bullet Train
This is a pretty fun time. My only real complaint is that it felt a bit too long for what’s essentially just an action flick. There’s a whole lot of characters.
B
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Overall, it’s fine. It’s sort of a who-done-it horror flick, which is cool, and the story is actually pretty unique, but the characters are just so obnoxious that it’s hard to care about anyone. I know that’s kinda the point, but it also just felt dumb. I dunno.
C
Vesper
This looks pretty cool. And the story is somewhat interesting. But it’s just way too long. It takes too much time for anything of substance to happen.
C
Hocus Pocus
I’d never seen this. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. And it was not what I expected. Who is this for?
C
Hocus Pocus 2
Don’t remember.
Barbarian
This is a really unique horror movie. I dug it.
B
Top Gun: Maverick
This was fun. Cheesy, but fun.
B
Glass Onion
I really liked it. It was somewhat predictable, but it was a really fun watch.
A
Black Adam
This was fine. I feel like every DC movie is trying to be as good as a similar Marvel movie, and it never is. The second tier heroes in this were just so blah. But overall it was fun enough.
C
Violent Night
This was pretty fun. I really enjoyed the Home Alone homage. Funny, gory, heartfelt.
B
The Green Inferno
This was obviously a low-budget movie, but it was actually pretty well done. The acting was hit or miss, and the writing and directing were pretty meh, but overall it was an enjoyable movie. Maybe not enjoyable, but a good watch. It’d be a fun one for them to do on How Did This Get Made?
B
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Recent Viewings.
Honestly, this was better than I expected. It’s still not great or anything, but it was entertaining enough. To me, the best of the new trilogy, for what it’s worth.
B
I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t really like it, either. Just kinda weird and creepy and slow.
C
Everything Everywhere All At Once
This is very good. It’s kind of a quirky Matrix. It’s funny, it’s heartfelt, it’s got some really great fight scenes, and it makes you think. It’s just an all-around good time.
A
It’s like an extra long episode of Bob’s Burgers, what’s not to like?!?! Interesting story, good songs, and funny. Did we need a Bob’s Burgers movie? Nah. Am I mad about it? Why are you asking weird questions?
B
This is a pretty good sort of horror/thriller. It’s mostly kid actors, and they all knock if out of the park. Especially Madeleine McGraw, who plays the younger sister. She’s incredible. It’s very unrealistic, but has some great style, some cool ideas, and overall plays out really well.
B
I really enjoyed this. Cool story, cool fight scenes, cool characters. And a cool dog. I haven’t seen the original Predator in a million years, but it didn’t matter at all. On Hulu and worth checking out.
B
Surprise, we decided to just go ahead and watch all of the other Predator movies. I hadn’t seen this since the early 90’s, and, honestly, it’s a good movie. The acting is surprisingly good, and the story and action are pretty fun. It’s definitely an 80’s action movie, but in all the best ways.
A
This is the epitome of early 90’s action movie. It’s so silly and over-the-top and I love it. Great actors, great action and gore, super ridiculous.
A
I’d never seen this. The cast is quite incredible. And it’s an interesting premise. Again, it’s just a good action movie.
B
I’m not sure I even knew this existed. Pretty fun cast. Pretty cool story. Like the others, it’s a fun movie. It’s a bit more purposefully funny, which I liked. Keep ’em coming, I’ll keep watching them. Should we watch the Alien v Predator movies?
B
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Recent Viewings.
The Bubble
This… was… fine? There were a few laugh-out-loud moments (mostly from Fred Armisen), but overall, it’s just pretty bland. Which is wild with how great the cast is. I feel like the idea is there, but it just didn’t come together. Wasn’t a complete waste of time, but it’s nothing I’d ever watch again.
C
X
This was pretty good. Solid slow burn into a decent horror movie. It’s pretty risqué, so not for everyone, but it’s got some good acting and well done effects and gore. If you like that sort of thing, it’s worth checking out.
B
The Batman
Overall, I really dug this version of Batman. The more low-key, detective, less playboy aspect was cool. And for the most part, everything felt pretty realistic, which I appreciated. There were a few cheesy moments that could’ve easily been avoided and would’ve made the movie better, imo. I liked it a lot, though, and look forward to sequels in this series.
B
Interceptor
Pretty bad. The premise was meh, and the execution was even more meh. Some decent action at times, but also some terrible, ridiculous action. Almost a so bad it’s good, but just a little too in-between.
D
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
I really liked this. It’s super funny and clever, with lots of nods to my generation’s childhood. And the voice talent is top-notch. I laughed-out-loud quite a bit. Probably something I’ll watch again.
A
Turning Red
I did not care for this one. It just got weirder and weirder, and not in a good way. My least favorite Pixar movie so far.
D
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
This was just okay. It felt a little too cheesy and forced, and tried for horror, but didn’t quite get scary. It’s a cool idea, but just didn’t quite work.
C
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
SO GOOD. This movie is very funny, very action-packed, very meta. I really loved everything about it. Nicholas Cage is so good. And he and Pedro Pascal are so good together. Man, I love this movie.
A
c.
Recent Viewings.
This was fine. Just fine. There’s a lot going on here, and none of it was all that interesting. And it’s so long. The look and style was pretty cool, and some of the characters are interesting, but overall I was just not that into it. It feels like a whole lot of added lore to the MCU that’s just going to make things way, way too confusing. We’ll see.
C
Overall pretty good. It’s quick and interesting. The acting is good, it looks cool. It’s on HBO Max, so if you’ve got that, might as well watch. The (very) end is dumb.
B
I didn’t care much for this. Everything seems just a bit too over-the-top. Time moves so fast, and yet it’s still just so slow. Not a whole lot really happens until the end, and at that point I didn’t really care what happened to any of the people. Nothing really to enjoy here.
D
The Adam Project
This was a ton-o-fun. It’s funny, it’s clever, it’s got action, it’s got heart. Not much else to say. It’s on Netflix, so check it out!
A
I learned about this movie from the How Did This Get Made podcast. And they were right, it’s great. It’s a whole lot of HUH?, with pretty fun music, terrible fight scenes, and even worse acting. It’s a lot of fun. I will admit, it wasn’t quite as good/bad as I was expecting, but it’s definitely worth checking out. I actually think I’d probably like it more after a second viewing.
B
This movie is awesome. Another one I learned about from HTDGM. It’s complete nonsense in the best of ways. The music is great, the gags are great, the look is great. It’s a really, really awesome bad movie.
A
There were parts of this movie I loved, and there were parts that, well, I didn’t. The idea of bringing in Peter Parkers from outside of the MCU was really fun. And every scene the three Spider-Men shared together were really great. But more than the other recent Spider-Man movies, this felt really cheesy. I also have a whole lot of questions about the ending. The way they solved the problem seems really problematic. But what do I know. Still a fun movie.
B
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casey patton 