Last movie you watched

[Zunu]

THE DAYTRIPPERS (1997) Finally got around to seeing this little shoestring gem about a woman who thinks he husband may be cheating on her, and drags her whole family from the burbs to downtown Manhattan to try and catch him at work and maybe in flagrante delicto. Stars Hope Davis as the possibly scorned wife, as well as Parker Posey (my sole reason for watching this film) as her annoying but sweet-hearted sister, Liev Schreiber as the sister’s comically pretentious boyfriend, and most notably, Anne Meara as the matriarch with a looming dark side. This movie is on The Criterion Channel.

[erilaz]

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) — Long overdue for a re-watch, since I hadn't seen it since its original theatrical run. I'd forgotten what an amazing cast this movie has.

Great music, too. Back in 1998, I mail-ordered a CD from Plumtree (the band that wrote and performed the song that inspired Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novel). Along with the CD, I got a sweet, handwritten note from guitarist/vocalist Carla Gillis.

[erilaz]

Alimuom (2018), presented via Zoom by Another Hole in the Head.

Alimuom (Vapours) a sci-fi thriller set in a futuristic Philippines where farming is banned and sections of the country are under heavily secured bio-domes, beyond which resistance forces continue to defy the militaristic state by growing food crops and herbal medicines.

The Filipino dialogue fascinates me from a linguistic standpoint. Not only are there lots of Spanish loanwords like anibersaryo (aniversario), engkwentro (encuentro), pamilya (familia), and even the conjunction pero 'but' mixed in with the Tagalog, there's also a mind-blowing amount of code-switching with English. It was interesting to observe the varying levels of it. The exchanges between Prof. Encarnacion (the protagonist) and Mr. Aguirre (the official from the Ministry of Agriculture) contained a particularly large amount of English, and when the Professor spoke to the computer, it was entirely in English.

[erilaz]

Danger Dolls (少女は異世界で戦った) (2014) — On an Earth where guns and nuclear weapons have been outlawed, a sword-wielding combat unit is tasked with defending the world from alien invaders — while posing as an idol group. But there's something important that they don't know about the invaders....

[rikkikow]

Alita: Battle Angel


ending credit song SWAN SONG music video


I'm ready for a movie sequel.
She is a kick ass!


Oh yes, I am so ready for another.

[erilaz]

Hercules in New York (1970) — The utterly ridiculous motion picture debut of a muscle-bound Austrian with a nearly impenetrable accent, credited as "Arnold Strong (Mr. Universe)."

[erilaz]

The Legend of the Stardust Brothers (星くず兄弟の伝説) (1985) — Chikada Haruo made a fake soundtrack album for a film that didn't exist, and he approached Tezuka Makoto (son of the God of Manga, Tezuka Osamu), a 22-year-old film student at the time, to make the movie to go with it. The result was this wacky new-wave musical that was ahead of its time. And a commercial flop.

[erilaz]

Streaming on Netflix: Rose Island (L'incredibile storia dell'Isola delle Rose) (2020) — Based on the true story of Giorgio Rosa, an Italian engineer who in 1968 built a platform in the Adriatic Sea and proclaimed it a sovereign nation — with Esperanto as its official language!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Rose_Island

[erilaz]

The Dig (2021) — Netflix dramatization of the 1939 excavation of the ship-burial at Sutton Hoo, starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, and Lily James. I got to see the Sutton Hoo treasures at the British Museum when I was in London in 1992.

[erilaz]

Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (DESTINY 鎌倉ものがたり) (2017) — A writer brings his new wife home with him to Kamakura, where supernatural creatures live alongside the humans.