Douglas

Douglas

High School English teacher, film and theater lover!

Favorite films

  • Sunset Boulevard
  • Clue
  • Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker
  • Grease 2

Recent activity

All
  • Mahogany

    ★★★★

  • The Wiz

    ★★★★★

  • Bugonia

    ★★★★★

  • Gremlins 2: The New Batch

    ★★★★

Recent reviews

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Mahogany
★★★★ Liked Watched

Try to describe this movie without using the word fabulous- I’ll wait.
This film from 1975 still holds up (except for all the cultural approbation in the fashions). The story focuses on women’s issues, race relations, and politics, and highlights conditions that have sadly gotten worse these days instead of better.

The Wiz
★★★★★ Liked Watched

This movie was one of my childhood obsessions and I have been wanting to revisit it lately so I was thrilled when TCM ran it a few weeks ago.
I was pleasantly surprised how well it holds up. I happily refer to this one as a masterpiece. Every performance in this movie is perfection, the songs are bangers, and the world building of Oz- sets, costumes, colors, and mis-en-scene are all perfectly beautiful or terrifying depending on the situation.

Popular reviews

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The Last of Sheila
★★★★ Watched

Full Disclosure- I have the hots for 70’s Richard Benjamin, but that only enhanced my viewing of what is a terrific movie!
I love all-star cast who done-its like this, a la Death on the Nile, etc. The Last of Sheila ads an extra bit of fun by having all the characters work in the film industry- Dyan Cannon understood the assignment.
This one totally holds up from 1973 and I think today’s audiences will still enjoy this one if they can sit still through some of the longer scenes. There certainly are enough fun scenes, amazon performances, and plenty of twists and turns.

Iced
★★★ Liked Watched

This slasher is not without its charm and good kills, but it’s what I call a “3rd Act Movie,” which means expect a slow (or in some case no) burn for acts 1 and 2- see Society, for example.
Iced has a Black Christmas vibe to it, in that all the kills are taking place in the same house, but this one falls short of being the masterpiece that Black Christmas is.
I would have opened it up a little, perhaps a neighboring lodge, for a few more kills or something to tide us over. Also- so many blonde guys! I couldn’t tell them apart!