May 28 - June 4
All three LOTR extended, The Wheel, Our Flag Means Death, Prisoners of the Ghostland, Tickled, The Hole in the Ground
- The Fellowship of the Ring [2001] - 9.5
-The Two Towers [2002] - 9.5
-The Return of the King [2003] - 9.3
"My friends... You bow for no one."
It's been years [probably over a decade] since I've sat down and watched these movies. This time around I finally committed myself to the extended editions and I did not regret a single moment of their combined 686 minute [11.5 hour] runtime. These films, to put it shortly, are absolutely astonishing. There had not, nor has there been since, a fantasy epic that comes anywhere near the weight these stories bear. Many films/ books/ games take on the "it's the end of the world" theme, but none have ever done it as well as TLoR and the extra runtime of the extended editions really sells that point even further. There's something about the tranquility of the first 2/3 of the opening film and the inspiring grandness of the rest of the adventure that is truly masterful at exemplifying the weight of events and the ever growing shadow of Sauron's power. Most stories that deal in the end-times do so without the sense of meaning that TLoR brings or the truly liminal state of the world. Through these stories you feel that shifting of the sands and can really get a sense of the odds and stakes and losses. There's so much to say about each of these films that I could go on for pages and pages, but the long short is that even in 2023 this trio of films stands as one of the greatest achievements in film history and there's a reason that Tolkein's Middle Earth has inspired nearly all fantasy as we know it. If there's ever a time the end of this series doesn't make me cry, I've simply seen too much and need to put down my hat.
"Come, Mr. Frodo! I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!”
- The Wheel [2021] - 9.1
It's too bad that Amber Midthunder has become popularly known for the mostly mediocre 'Predator' reboot from 2022, 'Prey', because she is an excellent dramatic actress. 'The Wheel' is a fairly trite story: A young couple who married even younger takes a getaway to a cabin to try and fix their marriage. Said cabin is owned by a slightly older couple who is happily on the eve of their own wedding. Guess what happens... Where the story goes very, very right despite it's transparent setup, is grabbing onto the stellar performances of the leads, Amber in particular, and by allowing characters to be genuine; to be human. So, even though elements of the plot won't shock you if you've ever seen a Hallmark movie, the overall experience is truly excellent.
- Our Flag Means Death [2022] - 6.8
If you like Taika Waititi's other projects even just a hair, you're going to love this show. If you aren't sold yet, this isn't going to change your mind. This newest adventure from him is fun, frivolous, and fabulous in all the right connotations. While it handles all of its subjects with an incredible elegance, its lack of weighty narrative or genuine laughs brings it down as an overall experience for me. There were a handful of moments where I chuckled slightly, but nothing ever made me chortle, guffaw, or hoot. It's got a great baseline of humor, but it rarely exceeds that level. There's certainly nothing wrong with the show and it's a truly fantastic production in terms of performances, quality, and passion... There's just not much to it beyond "fun".
- Prisoners of the Ghostland [2021] - 1.5
I watch a lot of movies [as of June 6, 2023 I've watched 129 this year alone]. With that in mind, 2021's 'Prisoners of the Ghostland' is one of the most incomprehensible, pointless, and boring films I have ever had the displeasure of watching. A rating of 1.5 is not a typo on the graphic, it's truly horrendous. Even worse? It has a wacky-zany sense of style that makes you think it might end up being some sort of kooky-crazy cult film that's fun despite its total nonsense plot and idiotic, unbelievable characters. There's plenty of movies I don't like, but understand how they got made or who they're for. This "film"? I don't understand a single thing about any of it.
- The Hole in the Ground [2019] - 6.3
If you've seen one Irish horror film, you've seen them all. This isn't a dig on Hole specifically, but there's a common thread among Irish horror and, unfortunately, it makes them all pretty samey. I've seen 4 different films of this type now and each one deals with the same lore, though in slightly different ways. Hole is a perfectly competent horror film with a few great visuals and some fun plot elements and I'd love to see something else the direct does, because Hole's biggest issue is being stuck in the same... well, hole, as everything else that's similar. If you've never seen an Irish horror, check this out. If you have, you can probably say you've seen this one too.
- Tickled [2016] - 9.5
Welcome to the world of men's competitive endurance tickling. If that sounds like exactly the kind of movie that belongs in Pride, well... give it a watch and see what you think. This is a documentary that, like all good documentaries, ends in an entirely different place than where it started. This was an absolutely wild ride that I totally recommend to anyone, even people that don't typically enjoy documentaries, because it really showcases some excellent journalism, some insane true happenings, and some absolute failures of the justice system. Hugely fun and wild ride.
