In case you haven’t noticed, we talk about movies an awful lot around these parts. In fact, I dare say we have more movie content on the site than anything other than football. During the early onset of the covid-19 pandemic, back when the streets were bare, and things were really locked down, the team got together and came up with a list of a bunch of random movies that you should take the opportunity to see if you hadn’t already. It was a way to add some entertainment to your quarantine, and we had a lot of fun that was much-needed at the time. I was thinking about doing this again some time soon – not sure why the idea popped back into my head, but I figured it’d be a fun bit to launch here on Patreon…just completely random movies that we love. Also, I have no idea where you can actually stream/watch these. That’s on you – otherwise, this would be one of those “what’s on Netflix this week” kind of articles…
Random Movie Journal, Vol. 3
Adaptation – Watched this one for the first time last week after years of it coming up in conversations about Nic Cage, which happen a lot more often than I care to admit they do. And honestly, I can get both sides to this one. I can certainly see how it doesn’t bring out good emotions – it’s dry, it’s a little sad and lonely, a little hopeless even. But, man…to me, it was a masterclass in storytelling. It was intricate in its broader commentary on society and human emotion. it was a masterclass in acting from Cage and a stellar cast. And, there was plenty to savor – it was at its core a fine example of the purest writing excellence. I savored this one like a fine wine or a profound poem.
The Night Before – It’s time to fire up the Christmas movies and, maybe because of the people involved in this one, The Night Before stays slept on. It’s not exactly family friendly, so it’s not going to be making the run on Freeform or The Hallmark Channel. But, in my eyes, it’s a classic. This one has a heartwarming story with all of the Seth Rogen humor you can handle.
Wicker Park – We’re going to the “so bad it’s good” well with this one. Every respectable critic I know shat on this movie, but I’ve been banging the drum for its mindless self-indulgence ever since it came out in 2004. Plus, it’s peak Josh Hartnett! If you need a cheesy romantic thriller in your life, give this one a shot.
Master of Light – Okay, maybe this one isn’t exactly random in the true sense of what this column is supposed to be. It just dropped on HBO MAX last week. But, I watched this one back in the spring as apart of the 2022 Atlanta Film Festival, and let me tell you, folks – it is illuminating and inspiring. One of the best documentaries I’ve seen all year.
The Slammin’ Salmon – I always try to put at least a little bit of a lighter option in the Random Movie Journal, and folks, this is about as light as it gets. I make no apologies for it. I found my mind drifting the other day, and somehow, I landed on “man, I wish Broken Lizard would make another movie.” I don’t know if it’s as much their actual humor still being funny as it is the nostalgia of simpler times in my teenage years, but those films helped to define my sense of humor. I was stoked to find that one had slipped through the cracks earlier this year, and well, when I found The Slammin’ Salmon streaming (on Tubi, I think?), I had to check it out. Everyone says the Broken Lizard movies got worse and worse with each release, but I found this one to be a pleasant surprise, even watching it for the first time in 2022.
If you check any of these out this weekend, be sure to let me know what you think!
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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