#66: The House With A Clock In Its Walls

While we are in the midst of Film There and Back Again, there haven't been too many movies in the August- September months to watch, and October isn't looking any better.

So let's continue our Jack Black marathon!

I was curious about this movie because I have a weak spot for the "orphaned brunette white boy does magic in a movie adapted from a book" genre (See; Hugo, A Monster Calls, give or take The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Harry Potter) even if I've never read the book.

Anybody can learn real magic in this world, you just pop a squat, open a textbook, and put your own flair on shit. 

Though, it still seems to be a hidden mystery to the populace at large, a unusually-diverse town in middle America, circa the 50's.

(My mother was born in 63 and went to a segregated school for a year. This school would be segregated out of the ass, but hey, magic!)

This film is directed by Eli Roth, the man who brought us Hostel ten years ago. I wish this movie had come out ten years ago so Universal could have entrusted him with the Cirque Du Freak novels.

And you can see how he knows just the right amount of uncanny creepiness to inject so this isn't completely trite nonsense.

Trailer Thursday: If Beale Street Could Talk / Ralph Wrecks The Internet

The follow up to Barry Jenkins' iconic Moonlight is finally, almost upon us with If Beale Street Could Talk.

The second of four movies being distributed by Annapurna this award season - The other two, Vice and Destroyer, come out in December - it's the one with the most power behind in it's story so far. Just the trailer alone was enough to make me cry, and really root for these people.

The synopsis push a lot of emphasis on "The American Dream", which has never been anything helpful to black people, so we shall see.

The original is one of my favorite movies in the Disney canon, giving me my favorite Animated Canon Disney girl in Vanellope.  When they announced a sequel, I could hardly believe it - Finally, some decent merchandise.

I know people are concerned re: the amount of pop culture references, but trust Disney. You can't trust them to not make a black woman into a frog, but maybe we can rely on them to keep the time-sensitive jokes to a minimum.

Book Look: Star vs. The Forces of Evil; The Magic Book of Spells

Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.

Featuring fourteen entries of fourteen Queens of Mewni, with plenty of beautiful illustrations, lore, and clear, distinct voices for each.

My Hero Academia

I'm not a big anime fan, more from the format and story layout. Many of them are very, very long with only a vague description that doesn't quite entice me to keep watching.

The Last Airbender? Not an anime, but there was a clear goal to get to. I like that.

Cowboy Bebop? Great anime. They putz around in space. Didn't finish it. I did watch the movie.

Something with a very rhythmic title? "Yours is the drill that will pierce the heavens!"? It was pretty cool. Watched it all and it was concise enough to keep me interested. But it clearly left no impact.

Gatchaman Crowds?  Tiger and Bunny? Even Evangelion? Didn't last too long with me.

Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt? Absolute adore it. I've even got merch. I want a sequel.

Kill La Kill? I love Satsuki. Point blank. I enjoyed the hell out of this.

Hm.

Film in 2017: Fish Fry

#41: The Final Destination & #18: Ponyo

After a young man's premonition of a deadly race-car crash helps saves the lives of his peers, Death sets out to collect those who evaded their end.

It's the same as the other five or six movies. People die, people evade death, who cares. The only highlight is a man who says a racial slur being killed immediately afterward. Wish it was like that IRL.

A five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.

There is something extremely charming and cosy about this movie, a modified telling of The Little Mermaid. The bit where she runs on the waves is always super beautiful.