movies
- I watched LOOP TRACK (2023)
- I watched 31 John Candy movies in 31 days
- I watched THE SUBSTANCE (2024)
letterboxd || trailer
I'm gonna be perfectly honest, the only reason I watched this is because I found star/director/writer Tom Sainsbury delightful on his series of Taskmaster New Zealand.
Now it's one thing to be charming on a light panel show, it's another thing to pull off the lead role in a slow-burn horror. Good news is he managed both!
I really don't know how much I can say without giving away too much. It's about a guy who's really going through it and needs to spend a couple days in the woods. Been there, buddy!
This is one of those movies where nothing really happens for the first hour or so, but it's so captivating that you don't even notice or care. And then when the plot actually kicks in, you're so caught off-guard that you feel just as disoriented as the characters. It rules.
Five points to Tom!
Did you know that comedy icon John Candy was born on Halloween, the biggest day for candy?
As a tribute my husband and I are watching 31 John Candy movies over the course of October 2024.
- 1. Cool Runnings
- 2. It Came From Hollywood
- 3. Spaceballs (idgaf this is a MASTERPIECE)
- 4. Canadian Bacon
- 5. Who's Harry Crumb?
- 6. Wagons East! (give me a six episode miniseries about the John C McGinley character)
- 7. Volunteers
- 8. The Rescuers Down Under (some jaw-droppingly beautiful animation here)
- 9. The Great Outdoors (i love you Dan Aykroyd)
- 10. Rookie Of The Year (holds up surprisingly well for a light family movie)
- 11. Uncle Buck
- 12. Armed and Dangerous
- 13. Delirious
- 14. Heavy Metal
- 15. Once Upon A Crime (featuring a weiner dog named Napoleon)
- 16. Boris and Natasha (Dave Thomas doesn't even attempt the accent)
- 17. Nothing But Trouble
- 18. JFK (he plays a smooth-talking southern lawyer who wears sunglasses in court. it rules)
- 19. Splash
- 20. Going Berserk (some solid gags but this is barely a movie)
- 21. The Last Polka
- 22. It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (there's a pug in this one! and not much else.)
- 23. 1941 (however racist you think this one is gonna be, add 10%)
- 24. Hot To Trot (I would recommend this as a fun goofy kids movie if the horse didn't drop a homophobic slur)
- 25. Home Alone
- 26. The Blues Brothers (greatest film of all time)
- 27. Brewster's Millions (some of his best facial reactions here)
- 28. Stripes
- 29. Only The Lonely (based on the beautiful Marty (1955), watch that one too if you haven't)
- 30. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
- 31. Little Shop of Horrors
Superlatives:
- Best Movie Overall: The Blues Brothers
- Best Candy Performance, Lead: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
- Best Candy Performance, Supporting: Spaceballs
- Best Candy Wardrobe: Splash
- Best Candy Character Voice: JFK
- Best Candy: Junior Mints
- The BFF Award for Most Frequent Costar: Eugene Levy
letterboxd || trailer
This is not a subtle movie. In the final shot, she is literally a washed-up star.
I'm not complaining! It feels like a 2+ hour Tales From The Crypt episode, which I think is what they were going for. I understand why people are drawn to more subtle psychological thrillers, but as someone raised on horror anthologies, I don't mind something going campy and beating you over the head with their message.
This is one of those movies that doesn't work without the performances. Thankfully every performer, from the leads to the one-line extras, they're all fully committed and entertaining as hell to watch.
Demi Moore heartbreaking, Margaret Qualley terrifying, Dennis Quaid nasty. His whole performance felt like he was auditioning for Ryan Murphy's inevitable take on Vince McMahon.
Ultimately I loved it. But I definitely see why it's a divisive movie. I feel like I'm saying this about every movie these days, but it did not need to be 2 hours and 20 minutes long. I think if it was a snappy 90 minutes, it would've been much more positively received. But what would I cut? Every scene was so good...
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