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2024 Movie Diary

31. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY (1966)

Just saw this recently. Don’t get its reputation. I think I saw an extended cut, and it was just too much time for too little story. Also, you really, really have to love Eli Wallach and his brand of scene-chewing to really appreciate this film, and, well, I really don’t.
Verdict: I’ll stick with “Once Upon a Time in the West” if I want to see a spaghetti western.

2024 Movie Diary

32. JAWS (1975)

Still one of the greatest movies ever made. I think it’s Spielberg’s best. There I said it.
Verdict: Inductee, Laurie’s Cinematic Hall of Fame.

2024 Movie Diary

33. ATTACK FROM SPACE (1965)

There’s lots to love about this awful Japanese sci-fi flick. It’s brutally incompetent in every respect, yet somehow this makes it kind of lovable.
Verdict: I can’t explain it. It’s a dumpster fire, but it has some heart.

28. Oppenheimer (2023).

In a word, overrated. The parts about the development of the bomb, and of Los Alamos, was quite well-done and interesting. The rest was kind of a mess. Robert Downey Jr. was entertaining, but that’s about it.
Verdict: Overall, a bloated “meh” from me.

29. The Holdovers (2023)

Just when my Christmas movie rotation was getting a tad stale… What a delight, and what a joy it is to see Paul Giamatti in a role worthy of his enormous talent. Verdict: It’s nice to know they still make movies like this.

30. The Gorgon (1964)

Decent Hammer fare about a gorgon possessing people (there’s one female character so, you know, there goes the mystery) and turning people to stone. In Germany, for some reason.
Verdict: It’s fun to watch good actors having stupid fun with this stuff. I liked it.