Joey Magidson
Welcome back to my Home Movies! It’s Election Day today, so perhaps you’re looking for something to watch as a distraction? This week, Kevin Smith‘s lovely new film The 4:30 Movie leads the way. There’s also M. Night Shyamalan‘s Trap, as well as Godzilla joining the Criterion Collection. Read on for more…
Joey’s Top Pick
The 4:30 Movie
Kevin Smith gets nostalgic with The 4:30 Movie, the most purely sweet he’s ever been. There’s some of his trademark blue humor in evidence, but this is a different flavor from Smith, which works very well. Had more people been able to see this one, I believe it would have been one of his most widely acclaimed films. I spoke to Smith here about the flick. My review of the film here begins like so:
A Kevin Smith film is a warm embrace to me from an old friend. While there are those who have long dismissed the auteur as unserious, I consistently find his work to be compelling, emotional, and a genuine reflection of his creative spirit. More than that, Smith has a tendency that flies under the radar to defy expectations. Who would have guessed that Clerks III would tell the story it ultimately told? So, while a teen romantic comedy would seem like an opportunity for Smith to be as crude as ever, The 4:30 Movie is actually one of his sweetest flicks ever. I’m an easy mark for him, but regardless of that, I smiled and had a great time for about 90 minutes.
The 4:30 Movie is a love letter to the multiplex. It’s also a tribute to young love and summer romance. Smith doesn’t completely avoid going blue or working in raunch, but in many ways, it’s as pure and experience as we’ve seen from him since Jersey Girl. Even a raunchy effort like Zack and Miri Make a Porno was still covering up a huge mushy heart from the filmmaker, so here, he’s just letting it beat even more out in the open. He loves love, to be sure, but he also loves movie theaters.
Also Available This Week
Afraid
Blink Twice
The Crow
It Ends with Us
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Orphan Black: Echoes (TV)
The Wizard of Oz (4K)
Criterion Corner
Godzilla
From The Criterion Collection: “Godzilla (a.k.a. Gojira) is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning more than thirty sequels. A thrilling, tactile spectacle that continues to be a cult phenomenon, the original 1954 Japanese version is presented here, along with Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the 1956 “Americanized” version.”
Stay tuned for more next week…
Comments
Loading…