Script review - "Female Trouble/Desperate Living" by John Waters

 Getting through these audio readings by Waters of his scripts. Both are crime-ish melodramas - like most of these early Waters films he takes a series of wacky characters and haves some way-out exchanges. For me Desperate Living worked better - the insults felt funnier, an "innocent" in a trash town, though Female Trouble is fun too

Movie review - "Survival of the Dead" (2009) **

 George Romero's last feature. It looks ugly, shot in bland digital, the acting isn't much, the encounters tiresome. It's about some National Guardsman who stumble on a feud. Lots of Irish accents and people being shot in the head. There's a decent amount of action and no character I cared about or found interesting.

Movie review - "The Dark Half" (1992) **1/2

 Solid. Steven King wrote an interesting book based on his own work as Richard Bachman, and the voices in his head. Tim Hutton isn't convicing as a writer. A really great star would've made this sing. Amy Madigan must be so sick of playing wives. Michael Rooker solid as a cop.

Not sure they got the POV of this right. Maybe better via Rooker? Or be upfront about Hutton? 

Good story though. 

Movie review - "Day of the Dead" (1985) ****

 Tight. Music propels it. Well acted. Tries to be different. They're studying zombies, in a bunker. Builds logically. Enjoyable crazies. I liked it. Solid gore. Love that it's on film.

Script review - "Pink Flamingo" / "Forever Flamingo" by John Waters

 I listened to Waters do an audio version of these. They have similar structure. I enjoyed the first more than the movie - Waters is so fun doing the voices. The second was fine, just repetitious. The cast would've made it work.

Movie review - "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974) ****

 Really fun. Smart. Funny. New York-y. The four robbers have different personalities. Walter Matthau and Jerry Stiller are hugely entertaining. Shows how it's done.

Movie review - "Robocop" (1987) *****

 Just a wonderful film - tough, violent, gutsy, political, well acted (right down to the bottom). Ronny Cox, Peter Weller, Kurtwood Smith... all so good. Nancy Allen a little dull.

Book review - "Disclosure" by Michael Crichton

 I appreciate all the research that went into creating the computer program and it's not Crichton's fault it was about CD Roms which became obsolete. But I hated all the characters. 

Also Meredith the baddy - I get she wanted to bring Sanders on side. But she's a psycho - to try to seduce him then assault him. Here she's seducing him for leverage but she also does it at other firms, is that right.

I'm not sure middle aged white men who've been divorced a bunch of times and are multi millionaires shouldn't write books about sexual harassment. 

The book does hold as a story, just a regular corporate melodrama. It's long - a lot of the interrogations, cross examinations and editing could have been trimmed. As per the editorial about how tough it is men can't pick up kids in the bath. 

Script review - "Hairpray" by John Waters

 Audio version of the script read by Waters himself. Lots of fun, he's an engaging performer, the dialogue is bright. The story of thing is stronger. All Waters' work is political, this is more accessibly political (with integration). But very enjoyable.

Movie review - "Masters of the Universe" (2026) **

 I can see what they were going for - tongue in cheek a la Guardians of the Galaxy. But there's no heart here and the actors aren't up to it at least not the leads. 

Movie review - "Last Night in Soho" (2021) ***

 Edgar Wright's love letter (well, a letter) to swinging sixties Britain has some wonderful moments and a mangetic lead in Anya Taylor Jones (who is so perfect) plus a charismatic Matt James. Thomasin McKenzie is a little dull. Slow start but satisfying at the end.

Movie review - "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" (2018) **1/2

 Look, not a great movie - as pointed out by Honest Trailers it copies the structure of The Lost World, continually references back to film #1 (and the Alien franchise), and the characters are just types. Also it's not as fun to see dinosaurs running amok in a mansion as opposed to an island or a city.

But the action is well staged and consistent; it doesn't pause. I found the subplot about the girl realising she was cloned quite effective. 

I wish they'd kill some of these raptors with poisoned eggs, like in the book. 

Book review - "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton (1990)

 Crichton's masterpiece. It's got everything - a big concept, a world that is well thought out (he fleshes out the theme park more than he could do in Westworld), fantastic sequences. Crichton's description of action wasn't always the best in his novels but it is here - it must be because he wrote it first as a screenplay. The initial attack of the T Rex, the aviary sequence, Grant poisoning eggs to kill raptors...

The violence is quick, brutal, terrifying. The films were so jokey in comparison.  I wish they'd do a film with the violence and terror of this, and the intelligence. You can't aruge with success though.

Movie review - "China Passage" (1937) **

 I only watched this because it starred Jocelyn Howarth, here retitled Constance Worth. 

It's a not bad B from RKO about shenanigans on a boat from China, searching for a missing jewel. It's a great part for Worth - she seems to be a shady lady but is revealed to be an agent, and has to bust the mystery with the lead guy Vinton Haworth. She gets to round up the suspects at the end and be active.

He's a little dull. Worth isn't that amazing it must be admitted. She's fine. You can see why she couldn't get out of B pictures. 

There's a drunk character who keeps thinking the boat is going to Sydney. That has novelty. 

Movie review - "Jurassic World" (2015) **1/2 (rewatching)

 I respect the money this film made. It passes the time. Decent effects. But it's silly. So light. Dinosaurs on a rampage and no one seems to care. Chris Pratt camps it up as does Bryce Dallas Howard. Lauren Lupkus and Jake Johnson play it too light. That kid Nick Robinson is a sulky teen.

I just didn't like it. 

Good to have the park up and running though. 

Movie revie - "The Nice Guys" (2017) ***1/2

 Fun, easy, loved the period detail. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in fine form, ditto Angourie Rice. Maybe it would've been more popular had Crowe and Gosling been more different - they are both tough guys.

Movie review - "Project Hail Mary" (2026) ****

 Warm, clever, fun, positive. Lord and Miller really have the goods. Ryan Gosling is fine. Love a sci fi movie that doesn't talk down to its audience but is still broad appeal.

Movie review - "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985) ****

 Wonderful movie. A tight script from a mysterious writer Leora Barish (what happened to her) directed with life, joy and flavour by Susan Seidelman. New York is a wonderland, full of colour and characters - magicians and their sidekicks, hunky cinema operators, MCs, blonde assassins. The macguffin is Egyptian artefacts - how cool is that?

Many talented people at the beginning of their careers including Steven Wright, Will Patton and Jon Turturro. Aidan Quinn is the perfect male romantic lead, Rosanna Arquette was never better as the innocent wife, Madonna is electric in the perfect role.

Movie review - "There's Always Vanilla" (1971) **

 Romero's least known film? A story of an fboi (Raymond Laine) who drifts around post-army, trying different jobs, annoying his dad, sleeping around, writing. He sleeps with Judith Laine, who is lovely (she was in Night of the Living Dead); she gets pregnant, he's tempted to sell out, can't do it.

This wasn't bad. It's the sort of movie that might play with a super charismatic star - Laine doesn't have that, he's not good looking enough for Laine.  

The movie has an intelligence, talks about big issues. It's indulgent but not terrible. It just lacks a charismatic star. 

Movie review - Maisie#5 - "Ringside Maisie" (1941) ***

 Maisie winds up at a boxing camp where the boxer's manager George Murphy assumes she's a tramp which is fun, as is Maisie jitterbugging at the top.

I liked the third act melodrama and Maise having more of a sex drive. Maybe the presence of Robert Sterling, Ann Sothern's husband as the boxer?

Murphy is a prat for forcing Sterling to box and the film doesn't redeem him - it sets up a Southern /Sterling clinch at the end which would've worked. Still, this was strong.