What I've Caught Up With, May 2024 Part 1

For the first time in awhile, I watched more movies than there were days in the month, although not by much. Essentially, in terms of watching 400 movies for the year, I basically broke even; didn't lose ground, didn't catch up. In terms of the gigantic list of to-watch movies, I got through enough that I can't fit them all in a single post, so that feels good. The biggest movie event for me in May was the update of the They Shoot Zombies list, something that took up a couple of days of my time to readjust all of the lists, and all for just a handful of new movies to watch.

What I’ve Caught Up With, May, 2024 Part 1:
Film: The Roaring Twenties (1939)

There was a time when James Cagney could get top billing over Humphrey Bogart, and that time was the late 1930s. In The Roaring Twenties, three guys meet up during World War I. After the war, they wind up sort of in business together. Eddie (Cagney) becomes a bootlegger during Prohibition who eventually teams up with fellow crook George (Bogart). Initially, they are protected by their third friend, lawyer Lloyd (Jeffrey Lynn). Things go south when Lloyd runs off with Jean (Priscilla Lane), who Eddie’s had a crush on and George double-crosses him after the stock market crash. It’s a fine old-school gangster pic, but it won’t hold up to Little Caesar or The Public Enemy.

Film: The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956)

I enjoy Judy Holliday’s work, and her early death is one of the terrible tragedies of the Golden Age of Hollywood. I’d have loved another 40 years of her madcappery, but instead we have to content ourselves with films like The Solid Gold Cadillac. Laura Partridge (Holliday) causes a ruckus at a shareholder meeting of a company she owns a few shares in; she’s hired by the company to be in charge of shareholder relations as a way to keep her quiet. Unfortunately for her corrupt bosses, Laura is a lot smarter than they think she is, and so is the former chairman of the board and new Washington insider, Edward McKeever (Paul Douglas). It borders on screwball and works entirely because of Holliday’s skill. She’s a peach, and she makes this worth seeing.

Film: A Walk in the Sun (1945)

Propaganda films still got made even during the closing months of the war. A Walk in the Sun feels like a very different film in many respects. War, according to this film, is not glorious nor exciting. It’s a slog, and people die in ways that are far from heroic. That feels like the biggest difference between this and other films in the genre of this era. An American platoon lands around Salerno and starts moving inland in Italy with the goal of blowing a bridge and taking a farmhouse on the top of a hill. This is the entire film, and it’s a grueling bit of work getting to that farmhouse. A good ensemble cast and what feels like a realistic view of war make this a worthy watch.

Film: Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

A sort of kid-friendly version of Fantastic Voyage or more accurately Mysterious Island, a Disney-style mad scientist played by the always likable Rick Moranis creates a shrinking machine that ends up shrinking his children and the neighbor kids, who have an adventure as half-inch tall people in an overgrown backyard. As you would expect, everyday things like bees, water sprinklers, lawnmowers, and ants become existential dangers for the tiny kids, who are just trying to get back to safety and get full-sized again. It also features Marcia Strassman (Mrs. Kotter for those old enough to remember) and Matt Frewer (or Max Headroom, again for the older crowd). It’s harmless and fun, even if it’s pretty obvious where things are going.

Film: Special (2006)

A depressed, lonely man (Michael Rapaport) signs up for a clinical trial of an antidepressant medication. The drug has a massively adverse effect on him. In his mind, the drug has awakened a variety of superpowers in him—the ability to levitate, teleport, read minds, and walk through walls. In reality, all of this is a delusion, and what he thinks is happening is vastly different from what is actually happening. Rapaport is an oddball actor, someone who isn’t suited for a lot of roles, but he really makes this one work. Special sounds like it would be funny, and there are certainly moments of comedy, but this is actually quite poignant and heartfelt, and a bit sad.

Film: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

I am very slowly making my way through the F&F movie series, but it’s taking some time because I genuinely can’t stand to watch these more often than one every couple of months. For this, the third installment in the series, the action shifts to the titular Tokyo and to the titular drift style of racing, which involves oversteering the car through turns. There’s going to be all sorts of racing and explosions and appearances by the Yakuza, and eventually Vin Diesel is going to show up to tie this in to the rest of the films. Honestly, it’s hardly required viewing. I suspect that is equally true for the entire series, honestly.