The Weekend Fallout is an unsafe place to discuss most things in the reel and real world.
Let us know what you have been watching recently on the big and small screen. Excited about any upcoming releases? Doing anything fun this weekend? Simply sitting around in your underwear eating dang quesadillas while watching movies and endlessly scrolling through social media? Let us know below!
Please go to the spoiler thread to talk about IT: Chapter 2!
MOVIES WATCHED THIS WEEK
Toy Story 4 (2019)
“When a new toy called “Forky” joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.”
I’m just over these. The first three are arguably one of the best trilogies where all films were equally great. This just felt like the same thing all over again but with a few new characters thrown, who are all fun except Forky. All the same technical qualities are there except the heart of the first three. It would have been better to move on from the original characters and have some new toys carry the franchise. Duke Caboom and the plush animals (Ducky and Bunny) were the best and I would want more from them. I didn’t hate it but it’s no where near the first three. The end credit scenes were better than anything in the actual movie. (3.5/5)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
“Through his bond with his owner, aspiring Formula One race car driver Denny, golden retriever Enzo learns that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate the journey of life.”
This was cute and I enjoyed what it tried to do by telling the story through the dogs POV. However, I think it had stuck with that 100%, it could have been more unique rather than just another sappy melodrama. It has some heart wrenching moments though and I would say it’s worth a watch and Kevin Costner does a fine job as the voice of the dog. Ultimately, it’s a Hallmark movie with better quality. (3.25/5)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
“When Lee Israel falls out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception.”
There was enough here to keep me entertained through the movie and Melissa McCarthy was really solid as the lead. It’s just steady throughout. There are no valleys but there aren’t any peaks either which lends to a perfectly average movie. It’s worth a watch just to see McCarthy do some acting besides being a comedy act. (3.478/5)
Prisoners (2013)
“When Keller Dover’s daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.”
I think this is my third watch of this film and it just keeps getting better each time. With this watch I wanted to focus on Jake Gyllenhaal and he really is a fantastic actor. I don’t think he is talked about enough with today’s upper echelon of actors. He conveys numerous emotions throughout the movie, but what really stood out this time was his continuous blinking twitch. There are a lot of cop dramas where the detective involved tries to act like they are taking the case personal and the actor isn’t able to deliver. Jake makes you feel like his character is invested by acting like he is just doing his job at times. (4.25/5)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
“While vacationing on a remote Scandanavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.”
First watch and it was definitely interesting. I enjoyed the Gothic nature and I have always appreciated Max Von Sydow being on my screen. There have been so many movies made about the isolated artist losing their grip on reality that it was refreshing to see one of the early examples of this narrative. I wasn’t blown away by anything here, although there are a few haunting images. It’s definitely worth a watch for people serious about cinema. (3.75/5)
WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS
Here are some articles from this past week that we encourage you to check out and jump in (or start) the conversation.
The RetrOscars 1999: Vote In Our Academy Awards Redo– SAW decided to go back and change Oscar history and you can vote for the nominees we thought should have been recognized from 1998.
Think You Know ‘American Pie’?– Take a quiz to see how well you know this 1999 comedy.
Films I Saw in August 2019– Check out what our resident obscure movie master watched in August and find some films you’ve never heard of to add to your watch list.
What to Stream – September 2019– Check out one of our new features from our newest writer Mitch Roush. He will help navigate the endless scrolling game during streaming by listing some gems and where to find them each month.
Weekend Wasteland launches in 3, 2, 1…
