Not much plot, just vibes. Richard Linklater gives us a look at the teenage years with doses of refreshing honesty, but keep in mind, this movie is still plenty problematic. But maybe that’s the point? Matthew McConaughey, Parker Posey, and Ben Affleck star in this time capsule of the teenage years. Jim and A.Ron reflect on the cultural shifts between now and the setting of Dazed and Confused.
This movie poses the question, “How do we feel about vigilante justice?” Carl Lee Hailey, played by Samuel L. Jackson, faces trial for taking revenge on the men who brutalized his young daughter. The movie treads multiple fine lines about race, justice, and hatred in America. Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, and Donald Sutherland round out the cast in this time capsule of Hollywood’s take on justice in 1996. Does it still work?
We have seen The Dark Tower, being the latest attempt to adapt the works of Stephen King to the big screen. How did it fair? Well… Neither of us have read the novel series that the movie is based on, which seemed to be a plus, because I think we liked it more than most, certainly more than die hard Tower fans. Idris Elba is very, very good, and looks the business as the Gunslinger, and has excellent chemistry with the young boy who holds the fate of multiple worlds in his hands, while Matthew McConnoghey is… fine. Turns out that it’s super hard to adapt 7 books worth of lore and world-building into 90 (!!!) minutes of film. Who knew?
Jim and A.Ron give their thoughts on a terrible, no good, boring film starring Matthew McConaughey, Bryce Dallas Howard, Édgar Ramírez and directed by Stephen Gaghan; Gold. It’s the definition of a mediocre film that half-asses themes that much better films have done very recently, including The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, and The Big Short. We also discuss the upcoming lineup of first run Bald Movies, before getting to the Club only spoiler section. See you in a few weeks for John Wick 2!