I Do Movies Badly

Monkey Shines starts out as an inspirational tale of a man overcoming adversity with the assistance of a super smart monkey and turns into a horror story of a man trying to overcome the adversity of his super smart monkey. Its problem is it commits to fully to neither.

Is the pursuit of witchcraft the reason behind Joan finally taking control of her own life or was it just the decision to pursue it that finally gave her agency? More importantly, does it really matter?

After an unintentionally long delay, I Do Movies Badly is back with a new setting, new theme, and new guest! Allie Kroeper of Bit Lip: A Teen Movie Podcast stops by to discuss her love of Spider-Man, her appreciation for Paul Robeson, why nostalgia is such a significant factor in fondness for rom-coms, and how Romero brought his trademark cynicism of humanity from his Living Dead films to the recommendations she makes: Season of the Witch (1972), Monkey Shines (1988), and Two Evil Eyes (1990).

The final favorite being revisited during this March hiatus involves a conversation with I Do Movies Badly hall-of-famer Gavin Mevius recommending me some double features of Universal classic monster movies, which led me down a controversial path of questioning how much the filmmaker's intent is unknowingly influenced by societal factors like sexuality (or, more specifically, its suppression).

This walk down memory lane takes us to May 2016 where I talked with Jenni Miller, recent recipient of a failed tongue lashing from a totally not racist Green Book producer, about the films of English director, Andrea Arnold, the only director whose entire catalogue I've seen. All of her films from Red Road to American Honey explore the themes of class and struggle, with her approach applied most effectively in her unique adaptation to the literary classic Wuthering Heights. 

Reaching all the way back to September 2016 comes this favorite episode featuring a conversation with Kristen Sales, who would later return to the show to discuss the films of Jim Jarmusch. The film-noir titles she discusses in this episode are all directed by women who took the conventions and archetypes of the genre to tell and manipulated them to tell worthwhile individual stories. Happy International Women's Month!

Just because I'm on hiatus doesn't mean I'm not giving you something to listen to! Revisit some of my favorite conversations from I Do Movies Badly's past beginning with the Introduction to Guillermo del Toro featuring NYC-based filmmaker, Sean Meehan! This discussion and the subsequent month helped me to develop a new appreciation for the Mexican writer/director's work, including his gothic horror Crimson Peak, which I had so foolishly written off upon first viewing.

Your enjoyment of The Freshman can be perfectly predicted based on the tried and true formula that Harold Lloyd laid out in Girl Shy and Safety Last! previously: tell the perpetually true story of someone who wants to be more than they are. 

Safety Last! may only last a brief 1 hour and 7 minutes, but that was long enough to create an image that would resonate with film audiences almost 100 years later!

I was expecting a gag film and I got a character story instead. Luckily, the characters of Harold Meadows and Mary Buckingham were so relatable and likable that I was fully invested in their story.

Tyler Smith becomes the first member of the BP Fleet to guest on I Do Movies Badly since it returned to discuss the films of silent film actor, Harold Lloyd. The recipient of an MFA from UCLA talks about how Harold Lloyd stands apart from - and, in his opinion, stands above - the other "big three" silent film pioneers, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and what makes a "Harold Lloyd film" even when he was not the credited director. The value of studying silent film for more than just academic purposes is also discussed before delving into the three recommendations: Girl Shy (1924), Safety Last! (1923), and The Freshman (1925).

The Tree of Life kicks off with a Bible quote from a book that should signal to you that - surprise! - there will be no easy answers. But when it comes to themes like creation, existence, significance, and memory, there shouldn't be.

According to David Sterritt, The Thin Red Line is a film about the harmony of the universe. According to me, it's a film about mankind's existential insignificance (and why that's beautiful!)

Was Terrence Malick a genius with a clear directorial vision or a newcomer with no clear idea on what he wanted to do? It's perfectly understandable to derive one or the other - or both - when watching Badlands, the directorial debut filled with existential stagnation.

In this, the longest episode in I Do Movies Badly history, the conversation between Jim and guest, Andrew DeSelm, emulates the tone of its subject in its meandering, grandiose, and occasionally poignant (purely by accident, of course) nature. If you're into navel-gazing, superfluous tangents about Gus Van Sant, and two men bloviating on what obviously the definitive spirit of a Terrence Malick film is, then you'll love this introductory episode on the reclusive auteur and the discussion of Andrew's 3 recommendations: Badlands (1973), The Thin Red Line (1998), and The Tree of Life (2011).

Trapped in Paradise may not be a great film - it may not even be a particularly good film - but it's quite a solid Christmas film if you, unlike Roger Ebert, can overlook all the police car crashes. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from I Do Movies Badly! See you all in 2019!

As you can clearly see, 3 Godfathers isn't Less Than Zero. 3 Godfathers also isn't a great metaphor for the story of the 3 Wise Men. That doesn't mean, however, that it isn't a fine Christmas film.

In order to understand Millions, one must first understand Danny Boyle. Once one appreciates the latter, one will see how his directorial trademarks brought out the best in this script.

It's December and you know what that means: twinkling lights, jolly carols, and Alonso Duralde. The co-host of Linoleum Knife stops by IDMB again to rehash what he loves about the holiday season and its films from It's a Wonderful Life to Mingle All the Way. The two also discuss why the magic of the Christmas season endures despite rampant commercialism as well as how the quintessential "Christmas" film has evolved over time. Alonso then throws Jim for a loop with his recommendations of 3 offbeat Christmas films, which all make with the holly while perhaps dispensing with the jolly: Danny Boyle's Millions (2004), Marek Kanievska's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero (1987), and John Ford's 3 Godfathers (1948).

Ealing Studios Comedies month comes to an end with The Ladykiller, a film that doesn't re-invent the wheel cinematically, but which is still an absolute delight that goes to show not every film has to be a game changer - sometimes it just has to be good.