Film Blog (3/15 - 3/21)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
This movie is out of its goddamn mind. I was not expecting it to be so nasty, bloody, and cynical. You know exactly what you’re getting into in the first 5 minutes when, mid-play, a drugged-up running back pulls out a pistol and shoots the defenders on the other team in order to score a touchdown. I have to applaud any movie that announces its tone and identity in such a bombastic way.
This whole movie has cocaine in its bloodstream. It feels chopped to pieces in the cutting room (3 credited editors!), and it looks like most of the budget was spent on haze. No idea is too crazy, no explosion too big, no shootout too bloody, and there’s zero limit to how many times Bruce Willis can get punched in the face. And that’s why The Last Boy Scout ultimately works because you can’t go wrong with Willis as a hungover, deadbeat action hero. He and Damon Wayans make for a great contentious buddy duo, and the quippy Shane Black dialogue—even at its most absurd—feels so natural coming out of their mouths.
★★★
Blue Moon (2025)
Blue Moon’s one of those films I hate writing about because I didn’t vibe with it, and I have a hard time explaining why beyond personal preference. This is not an era of musical theater I enjoy, and I find the central figure a tough hang. The sentimentality dips too far into schmaltzy territory for my taste, with all of the Marvel-esque reveals of tertiary real-life figures too cute by half. And if I had to see one more reaction shot of the blue-collar bartender giving an amused smirk to the kooky, self-involved artist, I was going to strangle this movie.
That said, I do appreciate the film’s willingness to showcase our most awkward and pathetic emotions. Ethan Hawke does a fantastic job embodying a completely different human being whose jealousy and desperation are on full display. There were times he was so off-putting that I had to look away. But Blue Moon feels small in ways that make it slight. It doesn’t dig deep enough into the destructive nature of self-loathing and one-sided love. If this were a play, I wouldn’t be satisfied with having to pay a theater ticket price.
★★★
The Last Wave (1977)
This has to be one of the most unsettling movies I’ve ever seen that’s not strictly horror. Peter Weir takes similar themes he explored in Picnic at Hanging Rock and creates a haunting, dreamy mood piece to rival David Lynch. The culture clash between ancient and colonized Australia is on full display as a buttoned-up, pragmatic lawyer takes on a criminal case defending a group of Aboriginals who’ve seemingly murdered one of their own. But when the lawyer begins experiencing apocalyptic nightmares involving the Aboriginals and a catastrophic flood, he digs into ancient customs and rituals beyond his understanding.
There’s a supernatural undercurrent throughout The Last Wave, but it’s always waved away (apologies) with multiple characters, including the Aboriginals, saying, “There are no tribal Aboriginals in Sydney." As everyone around the lawyer denies his visions, they grow more frequent and vivid, creating a feverish waking nightmare. The water motif is super effective, with everyday occurrences like a running faucet or a leaky pipe charged with foreboding. It also helps to have such eerie sound design and music underscoring every scene. I never thought the didgeridoo could be so creepy.
★★★★
Paterson (2016)
I know it’s a cliche to call slow indie films “meditative,” but there really is no better word for Jim Jarmusch films. Paterson is a film that embraces the little moments and romanticizes day-to-day routine. As Adam Driver’s bus driver goes through what we assume is a typical week, he spends his free moments jotting down poetry inspired by his quaint existence. He finds comfort in small, human interactions, soaking in every discussion between his passengers. There’s no artificial drama to heighten the stakes; he simply lives his life and contemplates its nature through his writing.
I think if I watch this movie again, I’ll give it a higher rating. It takes some patience to get on board with its vibe, but by the time it reached the wonderful final interaction with another poet, I was completely locked in. Maybe another watch with the full knowledge of where the story’s going will give me a greater appreciation of the first half.
★★★½