Now I have the mental image of Schwarzenegger beating the crap out of Laurence Olivier with a torn-off arm from the dentist's chair...

With opera playing in the background.

What's not to love?

So I saw the new Tarantino. I was underwhelmed. I enjoyed it just fine but somehow I expected to love it (or hate it) and so I guess I was disappointed in that I just don't see the passion for it either way.

And I did see it as a long-distance movie date which was pretty funny when they ended up at El Coyote, where I went on an early date with the Math Greek, though I think he was a bit creeped out by the fact they sat at his regular booth. Unsurprisingly, he was more moved overall by the nostalgia of the film than I was.

I saw the Tarantino over the weekend as well. Aside from the last act, it's like a shambling hang-out movie, which I enjoyed in its own way. I thought DiCaprio was marvellous -- best I've seen him in a while. The scenes he had with his young costar while shooting the new western pilot were probably my favourite in the entire movie. Had more mixed feelings about Brad Pitt's character for various reasons I'm trying to untangle. There is no denying that he is in an EXCELLENT shape, especially for his age though.

The feet thing grossed me out, but mostly because they were dirty. Yuck. It was very in-your-face.

Cereal:

For those looking for good counter-programming to Tarantino, I can recommend The Farewell wholeheartedly. I think it's out in a handful of major cities and opening widely this weekend. Caught a preview of that last week and loved it a ton -- it's gentle and moving and also surprisingly funny, and based on the real life experience of the filmmaker, Lulu Wang, who initially told this story in an episode of This American Life. The trailer: [link]

I was supposed to go see Midsommar for a second time last night, but it fell through. However, I was able to talk Mr. Loomy into watching Hereditary. Watching it a second time meant I got to catch all of the subtly done foreshadowing and link things together. Also, the movie is just as tense and unnerving on a second viewing.

Mr. Loomy liked it, but said he hadn't felt that tense during a horror movie in a very long time, and he had the "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT" reaction to the shot of possessed Annie scuttling across the wall of Peter's room, which is as it should be.

I prefer Midsommar , but damn, does Hereditary hold up to multiple viewings.

My brother saw Midsommar last night, and his comment was "Alright, I just saw ritual death, so I'm either staying here as a member, or as fertilizer. Fair's fair."

I vote for the middle ground between Tarantino/Whedon and Rob Liefeld? I don't object to the existence of feet in principle, but I don't want them waved in my face on a 30 foot tall screen either.

So feet exist and are occasionally seen while people wear only a mildly excessive number of pouches?

Sounds good to me. Hey, the cargo shorts I like wearing might come back in style if people see clothes with pouches on the silver screen!

The lineup for TIFF 2019 is starting to shape up: [link]

Barring last minute work shenanigans, I plan to be there (I think, my fourth year in a row). The film I'm probably most psyched to see is Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite," which by all reports is fucking brilliant and took Palme d'Or at Cannes. Interested in "Jo Jo Rabbit," in which Taika Waititi directs himself as an imaginary friend of a lonely little German boy, who is... um, Adolf Hitler (if anyone could pull off that premise, it would probably be Taika). And Makoto Shinkai, who made the gorgeous "Your Name," has another anime fantasy called "Weathering With You."

They are also World-Premiering Rian Johnson's star studded murder mystery, "Knives Out," the trailer to which I linked upthread. Itching to be there with BELLS ON.