**Note: The following content has adult wording. Discretion is advised
Two days ago, I did hint at a volume 129, as I compiled two more pending additions to the assessment/re-assessment roster. And not only did those two pending additions breathe this entry into existence because in addition, the combination of YouTube videos, movie evaluations and roommate recommendations turned that two into 23.
Let’s begin.
First up, the late Christopher Plummer contributed to the now 12-year run of A24, as he appeared in a very under-rated World War II era movie, entitled “The Exception”. However, that Tier 3 movie wasn’t his first venture into that company’s now expansive library, as he also appeared in the movie “Remember”, which is about a Dementia-stricken Holocaust survivor seeking revenge for the death of his family. Of course, I had little to no idea that this movie ever existed, but A24’s ability to make any of their movies come off as very tonal, along with me getting another chance to see another movie featuring the late legendary actor, makes this one a totally deserving addition to the very quality roster.
Next up, I was looking through Adria Arjona’s filmography again to see if there was anything else of hers that I can get accessibility to. And sure enough, there was, in the form of her second full-length movie “Anomalous”. However, the way in which I went about getting that accessibility cost me $25, as I had to purchase an eBay digital gift card [via the Best Buy website] to order the DVD of that movie from the former of the two websites, because I felt that that was the best option to assess it. Yes, I’ve shelled out money to get movies that are either near, at or over $20, only to regret such acquisitions via the likes of “Immaculate” and “The Boy And The Heron”. But after reading that the 2016 movie was very well put-together, I don’t think that I’ll feel regret this time around.
I’ve been dismissive about giving second [and sometimes] third chances to movies, such as “Spring Breakers” and “Stargate”, especially since I’m done granting pardons to movies that are on the Movie-Ocrity/Dishonorable Mention page. However, “The Green Knight” could be that other A24 movie [Marcel The Shell With Shoes On and The Florida Project come to mind] that I end up enjoying more upon a second [or third] viewing, as I like medieval movies and that talking fox alone is definitely worth another viewing. Plus, seeing CinemaSins’ video about it the day before I re-assessed both “Two Times You” and “Chasing Papi” could give it an evaluation sweet spot down the road.
Amy Adams is an actress that I don’t view the same way that I view both Nadine Velazquez and Melissa Barrera, thus I haven’t combed over her filmography as actively as I did with each of theirs. As a matter of fact, I don’t remember exactly when I looked through her filmography last, but I do remember seeing the trailer of her new movie “Nightbitch” via YouTube and per my sister’s recommendation at that, as we send trailers to each other as if we’re trading baseball cards. Anyways, I initially had a “WTF” reaction to that trailer and decided to maybe revisit the possibility of seeing that movie during the grind of deciding the final 99 Flickuum movies. But after seeing a bunch of dogs behind her character in the trailer of that movie recently, I decided to take a flier on it because maybe it will pleasantly surprise me. Stay tuned.
In the last volume, I cited a roommate’s recommendation, which was “Five Easy Pieces”. However, that same roommate also brought up an additional movie around that same time and it was a movie that got a lot of buzz in the late 1950s. And as to what that movie was, well it was “The Bridge On The River Kwai”, which I never heard of until that most recent time. But I’ve heard of it now, as my aforementioned roommate told me that I really need to check it out, thus it has been added to the assessment/re-assessment roster.
The wee hours of this most recent Friday morning marked my final foreseeable evaluation of a Quentin Tarantino movie, in the form of “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”, which was absolutely vintage Tarantino. However, I wasn’t ready to accept being done with evaluating his completed movies, as I want to re-watch “Reservoir Dogs” to simply see its locales again. And who knows, because maybe his first-ever movie directorial effort will be among the 3,000 when The Project is all said and done.
Staying in the arena of “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”, I noticed that they showed a Joe Namath-led movie playing, entitled “C.C. & Company”, which took me back to the times that I assessed/evaluated both “Hell Ride” and “Easy Rider”, two of my all-time favorite motorcycle-themed movies. Of course, Broadway Joe’s movie is most likely going to rank below the Dennis Hopper-Peter Fonda collaboration, from the standpoint of motorcycle movies released in the late 1960s/early 1970s, but I still want to see it, due to the memories that I was catching. Plus, who knows, because that movie could be an excellent running mate for “The Bounce Back”, as I assessed both that movie and the aforementioned “Easy Rider” during August 2017.
Every now and again, there’s a franchise or almost-franchise (a movie and one sequel) that I still haven’t hunted and that would probably surprise some of those that know me best. Yes, both the “John Wick” franchise and the “Ocean’s” franchise were once unseen until 2023, which begs the question, “Which other franchise or other almost-franchise remains unseen in my almost 41 years on this planet?”. Well, how about the “Now You See Me” movies, which I have heard are a lot of fun. Yes, I find Dave Franco’s over-reliance on striking while the iron is hot to be a bit much, but at least he’s not doing that troupe thing with his older brother (James) and Seth Rogen in either installment, so that could make my experience enjoyable with both installments. Plus, the latter of the two could be a strong chance for Lizzy Caplan to finally be a part of Flickuum lore, thus both movies have been added to the roster.
Evaluating “Do The Right Thing” during the wee hours of this morning made me realize that two more Spike Lee Joints each deserve another chance to make The Project, as one of them has the vibe that I thought that “Vice Squad” had, while the other gives me one more chance to possibly evaluate a Delilah Cotto movie. And as to what those two movies are, well they are “Summer Of Sam” and “Girl 6”, respectively.
When it comes to tidbit quotes of rave movie reviews on the packaging of physical media cases, I either roll my eyes at a piece of shit movie getting such praise or I smile and think, “Yeah, these quotes align with my way of thinking”. Of course, I won’t understand the context of some tidbit quotes, such as “Babe is the Citizen Kane of talking pigs”. However, I will re-assess the Orson Welles movie because a positive tidbit quote with those two movie titles together makes it almost impossible to be completely dismissive of the latter.
A movie that I thought was up its own ass was “La La Land” because it screamed media hype Oscar movie before, during and after the 89th Academy Awards. But after thinking that it has the potential to be neck-and-neck with the 2021 version of “West Side Story”, along with it being the movie that first brought both Jessica Rothe and Callie Hernandez to my attention, I decided to add the Damien Chazelle-directed movie to the roster for an eventual second re-assessment.
Sometime within the next five to ten years, those who have seen my rankings will wonder how Youssef Delara as a director took down industry giants, such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and James Cameron in The Project. Well, it will be because he made the genius decision of putting Shemar Moore and Nadine Velazquez as the two leads in “The Bounce Back”. And of course, with all of that being said, I decided to find out what other movies that he directed, in addition to both the eventual number one Flickuum movie and “Filly Brown”, a movie that he co-directed with Michael D. Olmos. And sure enough, I found out that he has four other full-length movies as a director to his name, so I certainly had options to choose from, in terms of what to add to the roster. However, I only chose one in this current Flickasbord cycle, with it being the 2019 movie “Foster Boy”, as I want to see if it will be a letdown or ride the momentum of “The Bounce Back” into The Project. Stay tuned.
Alright, during my multi-session re-assessment of “Den Of Thieves”, I gave more thought to what other Movie-Ocrity/Dishonorable Mention movies deserved pardons before I forever hold my piece about all of the movies that are on that page. And of course, with that being said, two more movies proved themselves worthy of getting pardons, along with the six that I have already cited. And as to what those two movies are, well they are “Awakenings” because I feel that re-assessing it in full will truly determine if it will make The Project or not, and “Under The Silver Lake”, due to it featuring both Callie Hernandez and Sydney Sweeney. Wow, so my final documented pardon features an actress, whose blasphemy in “Anyone But You”, popped into my head any time that I have reneged on certain rulings about The Project? Well, I didn’t plan it that way, but I guess it’s a full-circle moment the more that I think of it.
I honestly don’t like any of the Mad Max movies, as the prequel “Mad Mad: Fury Road” was an unfocused mess and the first two Mel Gibson installments were both hurt by that whimper, known as “Mad Max: Beyond Thunder Dome”. So, with all of that being said, why am I taking a flier on the prequel (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) of the prequel? Well, seeing that movie’s trailer before my theatrical assessments of “The Iron Claw”, “Love Lies Bleeding” and “Civil War” was a perfect build-up to those three A24 powerhouses, so maybe it can be in The Project as something that I’d evaluate before evaluating any of them, although that might be doing a disservice to the Anya Taylor-Joy movie. Stay tuned.
There are movies that give off a certain nostalgic vibe, such as “Wolfs” reminding me of “Tango & Cash”. And of course, there are many more examples that I can provide, such as “The Legend Of Ochi” reminding me of both “Gremlins” movies, particularly the first installment. However, the aforementioned “Gremlins” movies aren’t the only ones with their vibes infiltrating, as A24’s second 2025 release has also given off “Ewok” vibes, based on the forest aesthetic. So, with that being said, both “Caravan Of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” and “Ewoks: The Battle For Endor” will be re-visited all these years later like both “Saved By The Bell” movies were revisited back in 2022.
If you don’t count the “City Of Gold” miniseries as two separate movies, which Apple actually does, then the only Natalie Martinez movie that I haven’t seen is “Keep Watching”, which I was hesitant to see, due to a possible plot line of home invaders killing the family pet. But after seeing the trailer of that movie, I came away not noticing any family pet, so I’ll take a flier on that movie.
Melissa Barrera and Eiza Gonzalez have a few things in common, which are A] They’re both 5-7 or taller, B] They’re both Mexican actresses that were born in that country during 1990, C] They each had a movie get released simultaneously via streaming and theatrically in 2021, and D] They each had a movie come out theatrically on April 19 of last year. Now you can add each of them appearing in movies directed by Jon M. Chu to that list, as the latter of the two actresses appeared in “Jem And The Holograms”. Granted, the movie was pretty much panned when it came out in 2015, but I’m taking a flier on it, in support of the actress who has five enshrined Flickuum movies in nearly two years.
Staying on the topic of Eiza Gonzalez, I was able to track down her very first movie “Casi Treinta”, which translates to “Almost 30” in Spanish, and I tracked it down via YouTube. However, I’ll have no idea what the hell any of the characters will be saying in Spanish, as A] That movie is entirely in Spanish and B] The YouTube video of that movie doesn’t have the option of English subtitles. So, given that, it could be one of those “Manual De Principiantes Para Ser Presidente” situations, meaning that not knowing what the hell characters are saying could be the former’s downfall. But hey, at least I can say that I saw all of her movies before my eventual assessment of “Ash”, which is her next upcoming movie.
And finally, I noticed a movie that kept popping up on the Fandango website when I was looking for showtimes of my last two disappointing theatrical experiences in “Notice To Quit” and “My Old Ass”. And as to what that movie was, well it was “The 4:30 Movie”, Kevin Smith’s most recent directorial effort. Of course, Kevin Smith as a movie director is mostly miss with me, as I only like “Jersey Girl” out of the nine movies of his that I have assessed/re-assessed. But lightning could strike again in a positive way, as Genesis Rodriguez is among the cast of his most recent directorial effort and you know that I’ll never turn down an opportunity to assess/re-assess a movie of hers. Here’s hoping that she has a substantial role in this movie, as the less a dynamic actress appears in a movie, the stronger the chance that it’s going to tank, which was the case with “L For Leisure”.
Well, I’ve only cleared one movie from the assessment/re-assessment roster thus far in 2025, with that one being the pointless “Den Of Thieves”. But the number of movies will eventually reduce a bit more on the roster, as I’ll be putting myself on a pitch count for evaluations during the next three full weeks to meet my goal of 1,200 completed Flickuum evaluations on January 26, 2025.
Stay tuned.