THE DANMAN CAN

1.    Osees   Intercepted Message **** 2.    Jessie Ware   That! Feels Good!   **** 3.    The Damned   Darkadelic **** 4.    Alison Goldfrapp   The Love Invention **** 5.    Fever Ray   Radical Romantics **** 6.    The Chemical Brothers   For That Beautiful Feeling  **** 7.    Jaakko Eino Kalevi   Chaos Magic **** 8.    Peter Gabriel I/O  **** 9.    DJ Shadow   Action Adventure   **** 10. Blonde Redhead Sit Down For Dinner  **** 11. The Hives   The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons   ***1/2 12.  Metric   Formentera II   ***1/2 13.  The Go! Team   Get Up Sequences Part Two   ***1/2 14. Foo Fighters   But Here We Are   ***1/2 15.  Queens Of The Stone Age   In Times New Roman...  ***1/2 16. Allen Epley   Everything ***1/2 17.  Jonathan Bree   Pre-Code Hollyw...

I'm still processing Poor Things   (2023), so I'm going to wait for a rewatch for a full review, but it's definitely in  Yorgos Lanthimos ' wheelhouse. It can be a bit on the nose at times, but it's a very funny film with a great cast, beautiful colors and production design, an eerily unsettling and atonal score, and Terry Gilliam esque flavoring. Glad to see that Yorgos included another weird dance scene too. Yorgos Lanthimos Feature Films Ranked

I saw  Idle Hands  (1999) in the theater when it was released and on DVD at least once. But I hadn't watched it since then (more than 23 years ago, damn), so I didn't remember a good chunk of it. For the most part, the movie is silly stoner stuff, but I am amazed at what still passed muster at the tail end of the '90s. It's like some throwback to '80s teen/sex comedies—such as 1984's Sixteen Candles and 1985's  Weird Science  (sorry, John Hughes )—in the way it presents its female characters (basically as set dressing, to gawk at, and to be rescued), and the way its male characters talk about and treat said female characters (and what the female characters consider appropriate behavior). Which is all to say, this is very much a "dude" movie, very much a teenage male fantasy, and very clearly written by a man with a "dude" mentality whose key audience is teenage boys. I will admit that the characters are certainly accurate for the time pe...

My Life As A Zucchini  (2016) is a beautiful, existential stop motion film about orphans, expertly written by  Céline Sciamma , lovingly realized by director  Claude Barras , wonderfully voiced by its young French cast, and featuring a gorgeous score by  Sophie Hunger . Zucchini   strikes the perfect tonal balance—neither shying from nor wallowing in its dark subject matter. It has its lighter moments too, but never devolves to sappiness. Most importantly, it reminds adults what it's like to be a child. It's a film that can appeal to all ages, with a simple story, unique character design, and a short running time. Sometimes, when it's done right, animation can tap into emotions that often come across as trite in live action films. I loved this little gem even more on "Take 2". Recommended for fans of  Mary And Max   (2009) ( review ),  Coraline   (2009) ( review ), and  Frankenweenie   (2012) ( review ).

Scrooged   (1988) is kind of a sloppy movie (known for behind the scenes clashing between star  Bill Murray  and director  Richard Donner ) but it's very funny at times. The cast is wonderful but the tone is a weird mix of cynicism and sudden sentimentality that isn't entirely convincing. Overall though, it's highly enjoyable and rewatchable. You can find my  Richard Donner Feature Films Ranked  list  here .

The first time I saw  William Lustig 's Maniac Cop 2   (1990), I was really annoyed by  Leo Rossi 's goofy Mansonesque "no homo" serial killer sidekick, Turkell. I still don't love the character (sorry,  Larry Cohen )—though he is good for a few laughs—but I've learned to accept him in what is otherwise a very solid and entertaining horror action b-movie with a lot of replay value.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that  MC2 is superior to its predecessor , as many feel it is (not enough  Bruce Campbell  and no  Tom Atkins !), but there are aspects of it that are better than the original—the direction, for one, and (especially) the stunts, for another. Woo boy, the stunts in this movie—just absolutely insane. Of the kind which you mostly don't see anymore, as many things have long since been replaced by CGI (which is safer for the stunt people but way less impressive). Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood set the Guinness World Record ...

Though  David Cronenberg 's  eXistenZ  (1999) feels like a lesser version of his earlier body horror masterpiece  Videodrome  (1983) ( review )—utilizing a lot of the same elements but swapping television for video games—it's very rewatchable and offers plenty to enjoy. The technology and the fashion is dated at times (as is the fortunately sparing use of CGI) but the ideas are prophetic (especially now that we are inundated with AI).  Jennifer Jason Leigh  and  Jude Law  do good work here,  Howard Shore 's score is excellent as always, and the film does a commendable job of submerging the viewer in its "reality".  David Cronenberg Feature Films Ranked Top 20 Directors