Thunder Road is a heartfelt story that portrays the complex psychology of grief. Jim Cummings brings his chaotic, awkward comedy into a role that would usually be played straight for emotional resonance... but surprisingly it works, and it works well.
It’s wonderfully off kilter but still deep enough to leave a lasting impression.
Also, that instrumental version of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love was just perfection.
It feels weird to rate one of these so low!
This was my least favorite... Maybe since it was Donna’s last one? It had some chucklesome dialogue, but it was just a very mild watch compared to the rest.
I mean... it did still have everything that Sidaris loves: boobs, remote control helicopters, explosions, spies, ninjas, bugged tracker jewelry, boats, Hawaii, and men who can’t shoot... it was just missing something, I don’t know. It felt kind of low energy.
Even though this wasn’t my favorite, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of watching them.
A film where the good guys have swords and the bad guys have.... lasers?
The glaive is one of the top 3 best fantasy weapons ever though.
My main complaint is that the “big bad” design is TERRIBLE.... and they knew it! Every time he’s on screen the lens is smeared with some sort of vaseline like substance so you can barely see him. It’s the worst.
I should admit that I haven’t read the novel so I don’t have anything to compare this to. Regardless, it still felt very much like Stephen King.
The series opens as a crime drama but then it shifts with a nice eerie, creepy vibe and settles into a paranormal thriller. The horror aspect is less important than character development though, as with most of King’s work. Ben Mendelson and Cynthia Erivo are incredible, both performances are just so good and…
Undeniably the most well written/constructed Sidaris I’ve watched so far.
Narrative, characters, sleaze - it’s all kind of reined in and crafted to feel like an actual 70s action film (even the score is pure 70s funk) and not just an absurd exploitation flick.
Sure, most of the classic Sidaris traits are still here (the men can’t shoot and they’re all pretty sleazy, there’s tits galore and even jokes about blow up dolls and vibrators).. but it’s not nearly as laughable as the rest. I would legitimately rewatch this by myself out of pure enjoyment.
.....Or maybe I’m just biased because Martin Kove is in it.
I thought this was impressively unique and clever....it had that perfect quirky, dark comedic feel to it. Adam Brody is fantastic as the former, celebrated child detective who has now grown into a dejected adult still trying to make it as a PI. The atmosphere is great - the town feels whimsical but it’s still tangible enough to be believable.
I love mysteries.. but I am notoriously bad at figuring them out before the climax and this one was no…
I was soooo not prepared for that ending!
You could give me a southern, gothic / noir mystery dripping with occult any day and I’d be happy... but this was actually pretty great.
It’s a hallucinatory voodoo nightmare that surpassed any expectation I had and ended up surprising me a few times.
Can Rosamund Pike just play charismatic, slick con artists from now on? She was absolutely flawless in this role.
The film has such a brightly saturated color palette that serves as a perfect contrast to the dark subject matter. Exploitation of the elderly is something that is very real and rarely talked about.. and while it is one of the themes, it’s surprisingly not the main one here. Instead, it’s more of a “head to head” dark comedy / thriller…
I know we’re probably watching these in the wrong order but it’s fine... this might be one of my favorites so far. Somehow, this was campier and goofier than the rest.
Within the first 10 minutes we’re treated to two of the worst/best original songs Sedaris has included yet.
There’s a helicopter scene that is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever watched. (I’m still not over it) and there’s also a hitman duo named Wil E and Coyote…
Haley Lu Richardson and Barbie Ferreira are such a delight in this. I loved their chemistry as the ex best friends who revive their friendship. It does fall into some predictable tropes but it didn’t matter... as a whole the film is fun and charming.
The film does shine a soft glowing light on the pro-choice movement as inoffensively as possible and while I wish it was a bit stronger, any kind of de-stigmatization is better than nothing. It may…
I am so ashamed that I’ve never seen this before.
It’s a tremendously engaging corrupt cop narrative that’s anchored by fantastic, charismatic performances from both Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke.
Slick, intelligent and dripping with realism but it still had a pulpy undertone that I just live for.
Blue Ruin is a low budget, stripped-down revenge thriller that was just excellent.
I loved Green Room and Murder Party so I went in expecting to like this... what I didn’t expect was that it would also break my heart a bit.
Dwight is such a realistic portrayal of quiet grief from past trauma... but with a need for revenge bubbling right under the surface. It hurt my soul to watch him suffer.
This was a particularly tough watch, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes a slow, melancholic ride.