We look back at one of the biggest hits of 2022, “Smile”, and review what it sure to be one of the best films of 2023, “BlackBerry”.
BlackBerry
A pair of interesting trailers dropped this week, and we discuss them at the top of the show. With a sequel coming soon, We reflect back on how Bird Box took the world by storm — and how much we did not care. And for those who have not seen the trailer for Meg 2, rush to check it out. We saw it and were dumbfounded and amazed.
Then it’s on to our featured new movie review.
It is hard to believe just how popular the BlackBerry was. It is even more surprising that its rise and fall happened within the past quarter century. Starring Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel, the film about the world’s first smartphone, the titular BlackBerry, promised some entertainment.
The film exceeds all expectations with great writing and outrageous characters.
BlackBerry is less about the phone and more about the people behind it. There is some nostalgia, but the movie offers much more. It is an early contender for one of the year’s best movies.
In our horror spotlight, we take a look at 2022’s surprise horror hit Smile.
Horror is constantly looking to its past to tell new stories. Smile is one of the most formulaic ones out there. It works, however, thanks to great performances, scary moments, and fantastic imagery. We discuss its near-perfect finale, how it deals with mental health, and how even old-school storytelling can be a breath of fresh air.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Last week, we talked about a couple of compelling new releases, Artifice Girl and Sisu.
ABOUT THIS PODCAST:
Every week AIPT Movie Editor Nathaniel Muir and his cinema partner in crime Blake Heath discuss indie and genre movies you have have never heard of, the ones you cannot hear enough about, and the ones you never want to hear about again.
Episode 270: Bruceploitation Month: ‘The Coffee Table’ (2024)/’Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave’ (1976)
A few weeks ago we talked about The First Omen and how it needed to make cuts in order to avoid an NC-17 rating. Blake brought up an interesting point. What if the movie was horrible and was relying on being over the top to garner word of mouth? And cinema history has shown that an entire film being gross just for the sake of it is not usually a good thing.
The first movie we review this week is The Coffee Table. Quotes from critics talking about how uncomfortable it will make audiences feel uncomfortable. The director has stated he wanted to make a “cruel” film. And there it definitely succeeds with both. But does that make it good? It is one thing to make people watching a feel rethink their positions on things; it is something else entirely when the goal is to just to make people feel ugly.
It can be argued that Bruce Lee Fights Back from the Grave is just as disgusting, though for completely different reasons. Released just three years after the death of Bruce Lee, the U.S distributors added a tasteless opening and title that have nothing to do with the actual plot. This was simply about capitalizing on someone’s death in the most crass way possible. The fact it stars Bruce K. Lea may be the most sensitive part of it all.
The actual movie has nothing to do with Lee or anything supernatural. It is a straight up action movie about a man trying to find his missing brother. It is filled with the wackiness that is expected of a martial arts movie from the 1970s. Unsurprisingly, it does not live up to anything done by Bruce Lee. The question is, should you spend an hour and a half of your life with it?
Adventures in Movies! is a part of the Morbidly Beautiful Podcast Network. Morbidly Beautiful is your one stop shop for all your horror needs. From the latest news and reviews to interviews and old favorites, it can be found at Morbidly Beautiful.
Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel and Blake. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror. You can reach us personally or on Twitter @AdventuresinMo1.
Music in the background from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com
Episode play icon
A few weeks ago we talked about The First Omen and how it needed to make cuts in order to avoid an NC-17 rating. Blake [...]
April 19, 2024
Episode play icon
Decades ago, Anne Rice showed us that placing vampires in the southern United States usually leads to great storytelling. While it is all rumors, there [...]
April 12, 2024
Episode play icon
We have franchises on our minds this week. We did not think The Pope’s Exorcist was a big hit. It underperformed at the box office [...]
April 5, 2024
Search Results placeholder
Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel and Blake. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror.
Follow Us!