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High-Rise (2015) - This is one of those avant-garde contrivances that seems likely to generate a cult following. I think I may be past the point in my life of joining one of those. At least, this movie did not engage me at all. I'm sure it was trying to raise a metaphor or two about societal class structure, and the inevitability of chaos if we continue down our current path - and whatnot - but I just found it a yawn.

And I must add that I now finally have a male addition to my list of actors that just don't work for me - at all - despite being well reputed. I have seen enough of this guy to make it official. Joining Jennifer Lawrence and Keira Knightly and Anne Hathaway and Julia Roberts is - TA DA! - Tom Hiddleston.

2.9 out of 10 for the flick.


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The Shallows (2016) - There are many interesting and wonderful ways for human females to look - and Blake Lively has definitely found one. Having said that, thumbs down to this movie depiction of surfer babe versus shark.

It cruised along at a somewhat okay level for awhile but got increasingly absurd as it took the final steps to the climax. Throw in some contrived emotional schmaltz - ---> no.

At least it had the good taste to not be particularly long.

3.9 out of 10.


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Arrival (2016) - As of now (but with still some good candidates to view) this has my vote for Best Picture of 2016.

Director Denis Villeneuve has become, for me, the king of making movies that seem to be about something but are really just thrillers. Prisoners seemed for a good while to be about the philosophical question of the okayness of torture. Would you? In the most extreme conditions? But that question ended up being peripheral. Likewise Sicario seemed to be about the inherent impossibility of policing the war on drugs - and it seemed like it was going to say something deep about it - but it was really just a thriller in the end.

Nothing wrong with a good thriller and those are both decent thumbs up movies. Just not quite what they seemed to be advertising.

Arrival is a movie that seems to be about the paramount importance of clear communication - and I'm not going to say that wasn't an important part of things - but it also had a structure that reduced the importance of that in the end. Not totally though. A nice point was made. I'm avoiding spoilers and will just leave it at that.

But it's really good. Just a thoroughly thoughtful, intelligent, absorbing production. Amy Adams is truly one of the best out there. You look at this and then you remember Junebug and Enchanted ---> chick has got some ridiculous range.

8.2 out of 10


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Watched all of Red Oaks. T'was excellent. Beyond the cheesy 80's sex comedy tropes, the show is really good at portraying imperfect relationships in a way that feels genuine, vs the cartoonish way characters were developed in the actual 80's.

Hope there's a Season 3.

9.1 Matty Rains our of 10
 
Baskets

Not sure if I've talked about it yet. It's a TV show on FX in its 2nd season I believe.

It's very different. You will get LOL's from this show that are unlike any other LOL's you gotten from your other 30 min TV shows that you LOL at.

S2 got off to a rough start, though.
 
Those limericks occur in the first episode of the Netflix series The Crown. Despite what you may surmise from that, it is a very classy, engaging, educational production which I am enjoying.

King George VI liked his bawdy limericks - it's a historical fact.