| Characters to root for, creepy Purge masks, fucked up scenes of Purge violence, a protagonist who kicks ass -- these movies keep giving me what I want.
The "pussy-grabbing motherfucker" line was a well-placed jab at Trump. Loved that baby doll head face mask. The glowing contact lenses created a nice spooky effect. I enjoyed how one of the first crimes during the experiment was a dude taking out his anger about bank fees on an ATM. The second movie is still my favorite in the series, but if the coming TV show maintains a level of quality comparable to "The First Purge", then I'll have no complaints. The one thing I wish they'd explored more was the use of masks to hide identities; how shame factors in, or the reality of having to face your friends and family the day after you murdered people would be interesting, I think. Maybe the show will dig into that stuff. |
| "Smile, you son of a bitch."
One of my all-time favorites, but there's nothing like seeing it in a packed theater. My local theater shows "Jaws" every summer, and my favorite moment is when the whole crowd screams at the Ben Gardner boat scene! |
| As a kid, I loved both "Jaws" and "Jaws 2". Revisiting them in my twenties, I expected the sequel to not hold up as well as the original, but I was shocked by the vast difference in quality. Gone is the soulful story of the New York City cop who left the horrors of the urban world only to discover horrors of the natural world through a tragic decision to ignore his own instincts and kowtow to the local politicians. Gone are the fascinating relationship dynamics between Brody, Hooper, and Quint. Gone is the brilliant direction of Steven Spielberg. And what we are left with, I concluded, is a B-movie turd.
Now, rewatching this almost two decades later, I realize I was too harsh on this sequel. Sure, it's a cash in on the success of the first movie, but director Jeannot Szwarc does an admirable job taking a generic script and making it so much more visually interesting than it should be. In fact, I think there's a pretty good movie hiding in here somewhere. If I had the software (and the inclination), I might try a fan edit. By rearranging some of the scenes, I think you can paint Brody right from the start as obsessed and manic, maybe suffering from PTSD. He sees sharks everywhere (the shark tower scene). He's a helicopter parent, banning his son from sailing. He eventually brings those blurry photos to the town board insisting they prove there's a shark and gets fired. But then it turns out he was right, and there's no-one but him to save the day! Or maybe I just miss my Final Cut Pro. |
| One of the most beautiful perfume bottles of all time. The perfume itself is a somewhat underrated earthy blend of leafy woody chocolatey goodness. |