For the umpteen times since this most recent June 25, I’ve vowed to no longer grant pardons to movies on the Movie-Ocrity/Dishonorable Mention page. But after seeing a couple aspects in “Once Upon A Time In Mexico”, along with being triggered by Wanda Sykes in “The Hot Flashes”, I’ve decided to grant three more exceptions during this post-June 25 grace period. Let’s begin.
First up, I’m a fan of a lot of Latin actresses, with such a list being longer than either of my arms. And of course, with that being said, Salma Hayek was one of those actresses that started that list. But this paragraph isn’t about her, as it’s instead about her “Once Upon A Time In Mexico” castmate Eva Mendes, whose gorgeousness was/is impossible to ignore in that movie. So, for that reason, I have decided to pardon “Hitch” for a re-assessment, despite the fact that I found Amber Valletta to be miscast as Allegra Cole in that movie.
Watching the video of Trev’s favorite 2023 movies sometime between my assessment of “Toxin” and the writing of this entry prompted me to watch that video again, as one of his honorable mentions stood out to me for its 2-Dimensional animation style. And as to what that movie was, well it was “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia”, thus I have decided to add it to the assessment/re-assessment roster. But before I can assess that movie, I have to assess its predecessor because I like to assess/re-assess first installment before second installment, the latter of which is what this particular honorable mention of Trev’s is.
In the other item pertaining to “Once Upon A Time In Mexico”, I noticed that the dog of Mickey Rourke’s character was named “Moco”, which was the name of Bucho’s underling in “El Mariachi”. And of course, with that being said, it made me think that it was either A) A total coincidence, B) A homage to Moco or C) A reincarnation. So, given that take your pick scenario, I have decided to pardon “The Art Of Racing In The Rain” to Tier 8 for a re-assessment, due to two of those points being possible for a character named Enzo in the latter of those three movies.
Prior to my September 2023 assessment of “Carmen”, I had no idea who Paul Mescal was, but he fed off Melissa Barrera perfectly in the movie that is currently number six on The Flickuum page, and that will no doubt set him up for more Flickuum movies. However, one of those movies won’t be “All Of Us Strangers”, due to that one giving off the vibe of a movie that will be a chronological post-Carmen letdown, thus it has been added to the Movies That Mega Tat Refuses To See page.
And finally, Jennifer Lopez has been a punchline since that self-indulgent “This Is Me…Now” movie came out via Amazon two days after this most recent Valentine’s Day, and has probably been a punchline even before then. And of course, all the stuff that has come to light about her, following that movie, has also made her a punchline. So, given all of that, I have decided to pardon “Monster-In-Law” to Tier 8 for a re-assessment to see if it’s A) A movie that can match up against the Nadine Velazquez movie “Within” March Madness style, and B) A movie that can make an example out of her in The Flickuum rankings like “The Matrix Resurrections” has been doing with Jada Pinkett Smith. Oh yes, and the second of those four movies did show that it can be a good complimentary movie to two enshrined Flickuum movies in “The Wedding Ringer” and “Flight”, so it’s not a complete zinger to the woman who was once rumored to follow in the monogamous footsteps of the late Elizabeth Taylor.
Well, I still haven’t made any progress in rounding out the minimum of 131 movies for the 2,101 through 2,301 selection protocol. But I have regained my momentum in completing Flickuum evaluations, as I’ve put nine on the board in not even 48 hours. And depending on my energy level for the rest of today, the protocol will either get something worthy for the first time since “Despicable Me 4”, or that nine could have three new inductees come right after them via the combination of “Renfield”, “Biker Boyz” and “Inglorious Basterds”.
Until the next time.