Return of the Living Dead (1985): I’m surprised I’ve only written about this once, given that I watch it every couple of years. It is guaranteed to bring nostalgia joy, memories of a time before my time where campy movies had an authenticity to them that so many modern productions try to recreate if not straight-out copy. I think RoTLD had just an important an effect/twist on the zombie genre as something like Shaun of the Dead (2004), and it has gathered a cult following over the years. The movie is rife with memorable moments, one could even say iconic, and it is best watched with company. Good company. 8
A Room with a View (1985): One of the Merchant/Ivory classics, A Room with a View is pretty much a poster child of the duos romantic forays, but stands out by adding subtle nuances to its storytelling. It features your typical turn of the 20th century British lady-in-waiting, a girl of attitude but with no sense of romance. Her suitors are interesting enough, but this is not really a movie about true love – it doesn’t bestow it upon its characters. Rather, it hints at unfulfilled desires, though leaves that very much between the lines. Interesting more than engaging, but an aesthetic watch. 7
Twisters (2024): Glen Powell keeps delivering highly entertaining fares and here he bestows some karma to Daisy Edgar-Jones as well. In this remake of the 1996 movie starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, a decent mix of practical effects and CGI make for a showy weather bonanza. The movie relies on a series of tropes and doesn’t go all out on being campy, which makes way for some interesting moments – in a good way, I would say. Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was that Minari’s Lee Isaac Chung directed this, showing some flair for this big change of pace and direction. Entertaining stuff. 7
Le deuxième acte (2024): Quentin Dupieux’s movie opening this year’s Cannes – a movie about a movie about…a movie? This is all typical Dupieux, questioning our reality in clever ways, and I think everything comes together rather well here. We follow two pairs of actors heading towards a meeting at a diner, with each breaking character and the fourth wall ever more often, generating layers of reality that are usually at odds with one another. I think the ultimate claim of LDA is that the one undeniable real thing is what we feel, the effect we can have on other people, whether seen on unseen. The Fourth Wall Is an Illusion. 7
Hors-saison (2023) This French movie by Stéphane Brizé is a sensitive drama/romance, as old lovers meet anew in a different stage of their lives. I am somewhat torn, because its depiction of their (re)connection is well nuanced and plays true, while there are moments of subtle humor and cute interplays. For example, there is a wedding scene where two men “sing” (whistle) as birds to one another, conversing rather eloquently and magnetically – would watch this spin-off. However, the movie is painfully slow, emotionally terse and at almost two hours exceeds what would have made it a more effective runtime. Brizé’s build-ups and long-shots are beautiful, but rather barren, like the inner lives of its ailing characters, which is all aptly depicted, but lacks the weight to justify this outdrawn treatment. 6
tributary stu 