A month and a half into no longer being an unemployed loser (several people hated when I said this, but I found it very entertaining), and my brain’s busting a bit at the seams with the new-job info dump, but it’s been solid! Did I almost get run over by a stretcher with a patient at a hospital? Yes. Was it my fault for looking at my phone while traipsing through the labyrinthine corridors of the university hospital? Yes. But I also played with a cutout of a long-dead surgeon for some surgery department Instagram content. Balance!
A solid first six weeks. It feels like ages have passed since I last touched this newsletter, but time flies in the world of surgery. It’s a little tardy (remember: brain’s a lil busted), and this isn’t a complete list of all the new-to-me movies I watched in May. I’m tired. I’m also moving — got keys to a new place today. So be grateful this isn’t even longer!!
On to the first movie! Spoiler: I ATE IT UP.
What a Way to Go! (1964) directed by J. Lee Thompson
My dear readers, this was a delightful, fun, colorful comedy with a fantastic costume closet. It stars Shirley MacLaine as Louisa, a four-time widow whose husbands find great success only to die in impossibly odd ways. The husbands: Dick Van Dyke (hell yeah!), Paul Newman (can you believe?), Robert Mitchum (my boy!), and Gene Kelly (legend!). Louisa just wants a simple life, but finds herself disgustingly rich and wrapped in extravagant clothes designed by Edith Head that are truly marvelous of art. I want to wear them ALL, even if it’s just for Halloween. Every performance was great, and it’s hard to pick a favorite — even with my soft spot for Mr. Mitchum. But SHIRLEY! So dynamic, perfectly glamorous, and she’s a natural comedian in that effortless kind of way that makes you a little jealous. But seriously — don’t be surprised if you see Halloween pictures of me in some of Lousia’s wares.
Stream it on: Criterion Channel or Youtube.
Mr. Vampire (1985) directed by Ricky Lau
Back back backula again on my vampire shit! This time outta Hong Kong with hopping vampires, Three Stooges-type slapstick comedy, and kung fu. An attempted reburial of a town elder goes sideways after the corpse is discovered to be a hopping, bloodthirsty vampire intent on killing everyone who dug the grave. So, a priest and his two lackeys have to save the day with some kick-ass moves, magic, and some sticky rice. There’s so much to say about this, but what a goofy little horror comedy! I love! Something else I love? Learning about new vampire lore — in this one, you can become a vampire by getting bitten, or if you die without releasing your final breath. Also, holding your breath makes you invisible to a vampire. There are like four or five more of these babies, so keep an eye out for more Mr. Vampire love in a future newsletter!
Stream it on: Criterion Channel.
Postcards from the Edge (1990) directed by Mike Nichols
Carrie Fisher wrote this, which was adapted from a sort of autobiographical novel she wrote about herself and her mother, and goddamn the woman could write great characters! Meryl Streep plays Suzanne, a big time actress and recovering addict, who goes to live with her mother Doris (Shirley MacLaine), who’s also a well-known actress with a substance (booze) problem of her own. The two push each other back and forth till they’re tottering on the edge, and it’s funny, sincere, and a pleasure to watch. Meryl and Shirley have fantastic chemistry together and they deliver such enjoyable performances. Dennis Quaid also shows up playing a charming dickhead. Meryl of any era is pretty great, but there’s something about 90s-ish Meryl I really love (in the same way 80s Nic Cage is my jam) — maybe it’s just because of Death Becomes Her and She-Devil, and now, this movie.
Stream it on: Pluto TV or Criterion Channel.
The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981) directed by Oldrich Lipsky
A comedy outta the Eastern Bloc! Czechoslovia, actually. Paraphrasing from the dust jacket on my DVD, describing this movie is difficult, but probably best summed up as a Monty Python-type comedy, steampunk technology, and a little gothic tale-telling. A count travels to Werewolfston on a quest to find his long-lost opera singer lover, Salsa Verde (her real name!), only to discover a fiendish Baron in a nearby castle stole her away. Also living at this castle? A mad genius scientist (the bespectacled man pictured above) whose inventions are fairly sophisticated for 1897. He’s also probably my favorite character in this — a beautiful nut, but that can also be said for the film itself. The Baron’s henchman “floating” through the woods, till you learn that he’s on some kind of steam-powered scooter covered by his scooter was a fantastic gag. I’m forever a screwball comedy fan*, so I love movies that bring a madcap energy to every frame, just like this one.
*I may have to make a screwball comedy list? More newsletter ideas!
Stream it on: Tubi (what a gift).
In Cold Blood (1967) directed by Richard Brooks
A chilling adaptation of a true-crime novel (the first one, I believe) of an absolutely brutal and chilling real thing that happened: the Clutter family murders. In short, two ex-convicts went to the Clutter family home in Holcomb, Kansas to rob and murder them. Told through flashbacks, the film follows the story of the ex-convicts, Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson) and Perry Smith (Robert Blake) before, during, and after the crime. It’s bleak and deeply tragic watching these men commit such an atrocious crime and watch them spin out in the aftermath. It’s also unsettling that Blake and Wilson look a lot like the real guys. And that the film was shot on location where the Clutter murders actually took place, which I have some…feelings about. But the photography and the performances pack a mean fucking punch.
Stream it on: Internet Archive*or Criterion Channel.
*If you’re not checking out the Internet Archive, oooh boy are you missing out!!
Yesterday (2019) directed by Danny Boyle
Jack (Himesh Patel), a struggling musician, wakes up from a freak accident to discover he’s in a world without The Beatles, and decides to perform their songs as his own and becomes an overnight sensation. An interesting enough premise, right? But this was tepid, and kind of boring considering it seems like it was supposed to be a jukebox love letter to The Beatles. But it’s not really that? Was it supposed to be? What was its relationship to their music, really? The Beatles have a lot of fun music, and this movie seems to shy away from that, and maybe is even afraid to commit wholeheartedly to anything. Maybe I’m just being too prescriptive, but I wanted some galaxy-brained kind of shit. The ancillary characters, played by Joel Fry and Kate McKinnon, were probably the most interesting part of this for me, which, uh, isn’t great.
Stream it on: Netflix.
The Women (1939) directed by George Cukor
With no men in sight ever, this truly lives up to its title! The high-society gossip mill churns up an ugly secret about Mary’s (Norma Shearer) husband having an affair with a shopgirl (Joan Crawford), which sets off a series of events with dressing room scuffles and trips to Reno and much more. Norma Shearer is sincere and undeserving of the shit hand given to her, and Joan Crawford is a sexy snake lady who’d get a gold medal for the way she croons into a telephone. Rosalind Russell is a DELIGHT as the snooty, busybody cousin to Norma Shearer with some pretty great clothes and a strong strong bite. Mary Boland as the fluttering, bubble-headed Countess, who can’t help but titter “L’amour, l’amour!” almost as often as she breathes made me light up every time. The movie is in black and white, but there’s one truly fantastic sequence of a fashion show that’s in color, and it’s perfect. This will definitely make it onto my rewatches list.
Stream it on: Tubi or Criterion Channel.
rEwAtCHeS i mUsT mEnTiOn
Cape Fear (1962) directed by J. Lee Thompson
Fueled by revenge, Robert Mitchum stalks Gregory Peck and it’s fucking scary. The man plays slow and sinister so well until…SNAP! He’s got you twisting in his trap, frantic to find a way out. If you love seeing Mitchum as a villain as much as I do, watch this. I need more people to fangirl over him as much as I do. Let’s start a Mitchum fan club, yeah? Also, it’s fascinating to me that J. Lee Thompson directed this and What a Way to Go! within two years of each other.
Stream it on: You’ll probably have to rent it, or check out your local library for a DVD!
The Birdcage (1996) directed by Mike Nichols
Essential. Simply essential. Mike Nichols’ work as a director is featured on this newsletter twice, and for good reason! The man knew how to make a comedy movie! Even better when combined with the writerly talents of Elaine May (former comedy partner, also absolute legend). And then you’ve got Robin Williams, Nathan Laine, GENE HACKMAN, Hank Azaria, Calista Flockhart, Dianne Weist, AND Christine Baranski? Throw in some drag queens too, and you got a magical movie that I could watch over and over and over and over and over again.
Stream it on: Tubi’s coming through once again! Also, Criterion Channel.
Polite Society (2023) directed by Nida Manzour
Nida Manzour is also the one and only creator behind the show We Are Lady Parts, a comedy I cannot say enough good things about. I assume the reason season 2 came out like 2 later was so that she could make this, so I can forgive the delay because this is SO FUN. A teenager girl/aspiring stunt actor is on a mission to save her older sister from an impending marriage. The result? An incredible comedy action heist movie that truly doesn’t hold back any punches (literally!).
Stream it on: Looks like you’ll also have to rent this one — also worth it!
Going to keep this brief, but I want to leave you with a TV show rec: Interview with the Vampire on AMC. It’s GREAT. A+ adaptation with a fantastic cast (Jacob Anderson’s Louis is more interesting to me than Brad Pitt’s ever was).
I love this playlist created by Julia Jacklin, who you should also listen to.
Aaand this end credit/producer card/whatever you call it from the show Cheaters, which I had the pleasure of discovering alongside a friend and we both nearly melted off our seats out of shock (and mirth).
LATER.