[Baby Lee]

Went on a binge over Xmas

Star Wars - Stunning execution, but a little too much of a nostalgic revisiting than a stunning new work. Seemed like they were ticking off fan service beats more than telling an innovative new story. More applause for 'hey, there's that again' than 'wow that was surprising.' Reminded me of an Eagles or Journey reunion concert. Also, not entirely his fault, but I can't yet see Adam Driver without the mental image of him ass ****ing Lena Dunham on Girls. That's a big magilla of a brain scar to overcome.

Bridge of Spies - workmanlike, classic Spielberg. Hanks delivers. Didn't quite capture the tension of the actual events, despite overplaying the drama of the Red Scare. Maybe I'm just a few years too young, but the Cold War told through the tears of children watching 'stop, drop and roll' has never resonated with me. There's so much more drama inherent in the fears of the adults facing espionage embarrassments than kids being terrorized by annihilation. Raylance's Abel was the quiet star in his dogged resignation along with Hanks. For some reason, Amy Ryan playing a 50's housewife made me sad. She can be so much more dynamic than Spielberg gave her to work with.

Inside Out - Didn't catch all of it, but what I caught was very solid, and all the rug rats were entranced. Surprised so many of them made it this far without catching it. Very innovative and moving.

Mad Max - Conceptually not my cup of tea, but very expertly executed. Lots of memorable visuals, and a straightforward propulsive narrative. Liked it more than I expected to [punk apocalypse is not my scene], but not the 'best of 2015' so many have touted it as. Perhaps more accurately 'best version of this movie possible.'

Hateful Eight - Disappointed. More on this in the H8ful thread. Too much like a stage play, or campfire story time. Maybe if all the stories were as compelling as Walken's 'wristwatch up my ass' speech in Pulp Fiction, QT could have gotten away with so much of the movie being exposition. But this struck me as more 'Four Rooms' than Django or Kill Bill.