weekly digest: am I back? maybe!
everything that happened at Flick Filosopher from Monday, Apr 10, to Sunday, Apr 16
I posted three movie reviews last week. Three! Feature-length reviews, too. Incredible.
Am I back? Maybe! I honestly still do not feel like my old self, but maybe I’m getting there?
I don’t know. I am still facing so many challenges to my health, both physical and mental. The months ahead are going to be tough. I really am worried that I am never going to be fully, truly well again, and that scares me.
But it felt really good to lose myself in writing.
I’ll try to do that again this week…
—MaryAnn
new at flick filosopher, Apr 10–16
daily stream: a sister act in the smartest sort of chick flick
2005’s In Her Shoes is on Hulu in the US, Disney+ in the UK. [read more]
daily stream: it’s unholy how much I love this movie
2014’s What We Do in the Shadows is on Prime and Apple TV on both sides of the Atlantic. [read more]
Renfield movie review: it mostly sucks
Nicholas Hoult is lovely. Hammy Nicolas Cage is amusing. But everyone in this movie is in a different movie; the tonal mismatches are baffling. Was it the first draft of this script that was greenlit? [read the review | cinemas US/UK]
Rare Objects movie review: broken things, on the mend [pictured]
It’s overstuffed and often jarring. But it’s also honest and unassuming, never insipid or sentimental, with a rough power, a generous spirit, and performances that are warm, wise, and perceptive. [read the review | cinemas/VOD US]
daily stream: no, the Devil did not make them do it
2012’s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is on HBO Max in the US, on Apple TV in the UK. [read more]
The Pope’s Exorcist movie review: ham and cheese on why?
More of the same old religious-horror hoohah, plus Russell Crowe hamming it up, complete with terrible Italian accent. Its only twist on the usual exorcist-movie nonsense is genuinely pretty appalling. [read the review | cinemas US/UK]
daily stream: the most beautiful movie of 2022
2022’s The Quiet Girl is on Prime and Apple TV on both sides of the Atlantic. [read more]
loaded question: what are the best standalone episodes in TV shows with big arcs or mythologies?
I have so many examples, but I’ll just mention the X-Files episode “Humbug”… [reply at Flick Filosopher | reply at Substack | reply at Patreon]
what I’m bingeing
The Mandalorian [Disney+ globally]: big Mad Max vibes this week, plus Grogu gets his own droid-walker — cute…
Old Enough! [Netflix globally]: still have not gotten back to this, I’m a terrible person
Picard [Paramount+ US (via Prime)/Prime UK]: nostalgia is a drug, and I am inhaling it
The Power [Prime US/Prime UK/and globally]: starting to come into its own, maybe? I’m still on the fence but sticking with it for now
Beef [Netflix globally]: I have two more episodes to go, and alas that the ending was spoiled for me by a tweet by Mashable, the bastards; Ali Wong and Steven Yeun are great, but it deeply sucks that the show has also cast an admitted and seemingly proud rapist and everyone involved has known about it for ages, WTF
Tweet of the week…
…is on hold for now, because of the beef between Twitter and Substack (which was totally instigated by Elon Musk). Tweets no longer embed here, and it’s not worth the hassle to screengrab, edit the image, etc.
Rich assholes are ruining everything.
coming up at Flick Filosopher…
French dramedy Other People’s Children
John Wick: Chapter 4
Owen Wilson in dramedy Paint
newly minted Oscar Best Picture Everything Everywhere All at Once
British indie rom-com Rye Lane
rom-com What’s Love Got to Do with It?
action comedy Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
hippies turn religious freaks in historical drama Jesus Revolution
Cocaine Bear, which will surely be the film of 2023
animated flicks Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Amazing Maurice
as many Oscar nominees as I can get to (including the shorts)
#MeToo dramas She Said and Women Talking
indie horror Skinamarink
And more!
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so glad you were able to use writing as a coping mechanism/receive some good feelings from it amidst everything. I've really enjoyed reading your posts and reviews!