I miss the communal experience of bad movies…maybe more than the communal experience of good ones. So, because I’m me, I went on a hunt for a brand new, January 2021 release on VOD that looked so bad that I might hopefully be able to recapture that lost feeling.
Screen
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Apocalypse Right Now
Spike Lee lights a fire with “Da 5 Bloods”
At 156 minutes, “Da 5 Bloods” is messy, frenzied, vital and astoundingly timely. He draws a perfectly straight line from the Vietnam of the 1970s to the Black Lives Matter movement of today and releases a howl of frustration, pain and rage throughout every second of the film’s runtime.
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BendFilm Buying Tin Pan Theater
Local film fest hopes to expand its reach by incorporating the independent theater space
BendFilm is expanding its outlets and ways to spread film throughout the community with the announced purchase of the Tin Pan Theater in downtown Bend.
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Mommy Dearest
Five complicated moms in cinema
I know lots of people have complicated relationships with their mothers, but mine has always been pretty laid back. The first time I was pulled over by a cop, she randomly drove by, hopping out of her car like it was on fire and getting all up in the cop’s face. Priceless. Regardless of your relationship […]
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Queen Mom
“Tully” is a surprising gem
We take Charlize Theron for granted. I mean, sure, she’s been nominated for awards and is definitely on the Hollywood A-list, but her versatility should put her among greats including Daniel Day-Lewis, Meryl Streep and Joaquin Phoenix. If the U.S. had a queen, Theron could pencil in some time for crown fittings. Start by looking […]
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Five Days in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Do try this marathon at home
A theater in Portland was going to do a marathon of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, leading into the opening of “The Avengers: Infinity War.” I was excited to sit in a theater for close to 42 hours straight and mainline Marvel while forgoing showers, decent food and the love of a good woman. The […]
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For Love and Dogs
“Isle of Dogs” is a charmer
You either like Wes Anderson or you don’t. His critics use words like “twee,” “smug” and “calculated” to describe his very distinct visual style; filled to bursting with formal compositions and meticulously detailed frames…and they’re not really wrong. His films are like dioramas where the audience is invited to sit outside and marvel, without necessarily […]
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May the Source Be With You
What to binge this week: Russian state security, killer robots and the genius of Donald Glover
There are so many cool things happening in pop culture right now, or in the next few weeks, that it’s almost ridiculous. The year 2018 has already had several fantastic movies (“A Quiet Place,” “The Death of Stalin”) and shows (“Atlanta” and “The Terror”), but it’s not even the tip of the iceberg when it […]
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Tomb with a View
Vikander saves the day
I don’t think I’ve ever had a video game spoil a movie for me. I’ve certainly read plenty of books that colored my enjoyment of their film adaptations, but video game movies are an entirely different beast. Terrible adaptations such as “Super Mario Brothers,” “Street Fighter” or “Assassin’s Creed” took just a few plot points from […]
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Wild Horses
“Thoroughbreds” changes the rules of the race
Lily is a teenage girl who lives with her unnamed mother and stepfather, Mark, in his ornate and massive mansion. Lily hates Mark, who rapidly alternates between barely restrained hostility and cold disdain for her. He’s a fitness freak with a rowing machine upstairs in his bedroom, which sounds like a churning and anxious stomach, […]