I have fallen behind on my writing, but not my watching. I'm hoping to catch up over the next couple of weeks. Next post will be another normal one, and then a special edition post will be coming after that. Today's films are:

131. Valley of the Dolls
132. Cache
133. Hunger
134. Darjeeling Limited
135. A Touch of Sin
136. Captain America: Civil War
137. Running Man
138. Futurama: Wild Green Yonder
139. Futurama: Bender's Game
140.Coming to America

Valley of the Dolls (1967)

This film amazes me. It is strange how something can be so ahead of its time yet so conservative in its worldview. While frankly discussing the issues of women in show business, it still falls into the exact same tropes that were used to pigeonhole women in film (and often still do). There are some amazing performances in this movie, and although it is overall very hammy and melodramatic it is still entertaining. It is also incredibly unique for a mainstream film of its time.

Standout Moment: Patty Duke.

Cache (2005)

I will not write much about this film for fear that I might give something away. I will say that it is thought provoking, disquieting, and at certain moments, utterly shocking. This is a must-see film. It is the kind of art that sticks with you for days and weeks after you see it.

Standout Moment: The complexity hiding underneath the seemingly bland cinematography. There is a lot hidden in plain sight in this film.

Hunger (2008)

Hunger is more visceral experience than it is story, and I say that with the highest praise. Steve McQueen is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today, and this, his first feature, demonstrated the immense amount of talent that McQueen has to offer. Instead of approaching an historical drama in any of the usual ways, McQueen tailors a very specific and soul crushing experience. Instead of learning about a single man or movement, McQueen is interested in teaching his audience about the indignity of how people are treated when they are no longer considered people.

Standout Moment: The 20 minute single shot conversation is an incredible feat of filmmaking.

Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Like most of Wes Anderson's films, Darjeeling Limited is a great study of what it means to be family. I think his films actually explore the family dynamic better than most anything else in film history. He captures the worst and best aspects of belonging to a group of people that you wouldn't spend time with if you were to meet in any other type of situation. He captures the love and pain of family in a fresh and honest way. I really enjoy this film. Although it is not my favorite from him, I still end up watching it at least once a year.

Standout Moment: The two funerals are touching and enlightening.

A Touch of Sin (2013)

This is a fairly muddled film, and most of it did not flow very well, but there were moments that demonstrated an inspired view of what cinema could accomplish. I think the main problem that I had with this film is that there was too much happening. It is an anthology film, where several stories are connected by theme and not much else. There are a few stories that are really great, and then others that feel like they should have been cut. The opening story is especially engrossing. I honestly would have rather watched a full movie about the first character than watch the rest of the shorts in the anthology. Although I did not care for the film, there was enough here to warrant watching more from the director.

Standout Moment: The first story is the best.

Captain America Civil War (2016)

This is what a fun, big-budget, popcorn film should be. It was exciting, easy to follow, fun to watch, and equally full of pathos and humor. I took my kids to watch this and they were completely engrossed throughout the two hour run time. It was also great how the film decided to address the human loss that is often overlooked in movies like this. This was the first comic book film that I've seen that truly understood the implications of its form.

Standout Moment: The big chase between Black Panther, Captain America, Falcon, and the Winter Soldier is amazing.

Running Man (1987)

As entertaining as this film is, it seems as if the filmmakers had no clue what they were actually trying to say. Running Man falls into the same trap that The Hunger Games falls into. While making an anti-capitalist, anti-media statement, both films simultaneously take advantage of a typical capitalist and media saturated society in order to make a ton of money off of something that is marketed to the fullest extent possible. I am not sure if there is a way to actually make a big-budget movie anti-capitalist. There will always be an inherent issue in its execution.

Standout Moment: The one liners in this movie are just perfectly cheesy.

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)

This is my favorite of the Futurama films. It has a really great structure and a much clearer understanding of its characters and what the fans love about them. The ending is great, and the lead up to it is earned.

Standout Moment: The Striped Biologist Taunter.

Futurama: Bender's Game (2008)

This, in my opinion, is the weakest of the films. I just cannot get into the extended LOTR riff. There are some good gags (like the reflection turning into a QVC-like commercial for a knife), but what is happening outside of the fantasy is much better than what is happening inside of it. In the end, it doesn't seem to matter much that it happened at all.

Standout Moment: Lela's shock collar is a great running joke.

Coming to America (1988)

Anyone who wonders "what happened to Eddie Murphy?" should watch this film again. Although it is one of his best, and thoroughly enjoyable, you can see the seeds of what would become the biggest downfalls in his later work. Although the multiple characters that he and Arsenio Hall play are usually funny, you can tell that he learned the exact wrong lessons from the experience. Instead of making characters that were complex and likable (like his prince from this film) he instead decided to play more characters and make them much more one-note and wacky than they ever were before.

Standout Moment: James Earl Jones is wonderful in this film.

365 Films- Post 19