Feb 1, 2022

Monthly Media Recap - January 2022

 I somehow managed to movie myself out early in the month. About halfway through, I just didn't feel like watching movies! That was kind of an odd feeling for me because I'm almost always down for something.

Anyway, here's what I did watch last month. If you saw something worth mentioning, let me know in the comments.


Series

Cobra Kai (S4, Netflix)
The dude soap opera continues with more fighting and more drama! How many more Under 18 Tournaments do these kids have left in them? Not extremely familiar with the movies so the end of this season was a mystery but I'll figure it out.

80s Top Ten (Disney+)
Each episode of the series covers a specific Top 10 topic like Ads, Fashion, Toys, etc. If you weren't around in the 80s, I don't know if you'd even find this interesting. So much of this is being in the culture at the time. I suppose it'd be good for younger folks to laugh at their parents.

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer (2021, Netflix)
This is split about 40/60 between the titular killer and how sleazy Time Square was back in the 70s. Oddly, the murder part wasn't as interesting to me as the history of Times Square.

Movies



Slime City (1988, Tubi)
This is like a low budget smashup of Street Trash and The Stuff delivered the way only a cheezy 80s horror flick can be. Something about slime on people grosses me out, not like Ghostbusters slime but people oozing slime and there's plenty to be had here. Bad 80s horror at its...well, not best but pretty good-est. While looking for the trailer, I found there's also a 2016 sequel.

Rating: 5/10
 
Matrix Resurrections (2021, HBO Max)
aka The One Awakens. I'm not the biggest fan of this franchise but I think I liked this better than the last one, which isn't hard. A lot of this one felt like it was going down the checklist of "cool Matrix stuff". Things were happening and a lot of the time I wasn't very invested and was thinking how cool it was the first time they did it. One of the fight scenes in particular could give Michael Bay's Transformers a run for its money with how confusingly shot it was.

Rating: 6/10

Psych 3: This is Gus (2021, Peacock)
Despite my never having watched an entire episode of the show and barely knowing the characters, I really enjoyed this! They did a good enough job laying things out that I wasn't completely lost and the writing was pretty smart and definitely funny. Mrs Dex has been after me for years saying I'd like the show and this proved her point.

Rating: 8/10

The First 100 (2021, YouTube)
This is a documentary about the original Star Wars figures. I'm pretty sure the voice over is being done by a text to speech program and the public domain music sometimes overpowers the narration. If you were around during the original movies this is a great nostalgic compilation of commercials and news clips of the time. If you're a fan and weren't around then, this is essential history! 



Fatal Exam (1990, Shudder or free up there on YouTube)
The only thing fatal here is the movie itself. It's a Masterclass in how not to make a movie. This went from "so bad it's good" to really bad and back to "so bad it's good" again. Just when you think it can't get worse (more hilarious) they pull out this thing for the end that rockets it to a new level. Definitely one to watch with friends.

Rating: 3/10 but I absolutely recommend it for how bad it is

Vicious Fun (2020, Shudder)
A loser whose life is passing him by accidentally stumbles into a secret underground self-help group for serial killers.
Sometimes you just need a decent horror comedy to cleanse the palette. Something about this one just really jived with me. The main character being dragged kicking, screaming, and wincing into a world of serial killers is so much fun. Plus, it's got some good kills.

Rating: 8/10

Jennifer's Body (2009, Amazon Prime)
I guess this wasn't received well when it was released? I get Fox isn't the greatest actress of our time but I think she did good enough here. What really makes her better in this is Amanda Seyfried. Honestly, I'd sooner believe she's become a murderous demon than fallen in love with Shia LeBouf. The premise of a sacrifice gone wrong is an interesting one.
 
Rating: 6/10 



I watch a lot of horror but I don't consider myself a "horror nerd". I've watched some Argento flicks and generally they're not my thing. But this had enough of a Western influence to make it a decent, if not great, slasher. One of the things I did really like about it is the sort of vignettes of the characters all having their own stories going on in this one place. The other thing is the soundtrack.

Rating: 6/10, also it's called Last Matinee but definitely takes place at night
 
There's a lot to like here: the culture, family dynamics, music, and fairy-tale like story. I think it can also be enjoyed on a couple different levels.  It felt more like a live action musical than an animated movie with musical numbers. I found out after watching that choreographers were involved from the start instead of only coming in to help with musical numbers so that makes sense. 

Rating: 8/10

Month/Year to Date Total
 
New: 9

6 comments:

  1. I get the burn out. Hard to imagine but it happens. At least it does to me. Just chill and do something else until movies sound fun again. You still had quite the list!

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    1. Everything but the last two was in the first two weeks of the month :)

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  2. I may need to watch Jennifer's Body again. I remember watching it when it first came to DVD. Don't remember much of it but seems to be a growing cult classic.

    The funny thing about Cobra Kai is these kids become black belts and adept at fighting in tournaments within six weeks. Ah - the magic of Hollywood.

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    1. Jennifer's Body was always one that was on my list but just never got around to it. Figured I'd knock it off since it was on Prime.

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