weekend watchlist: is it good to be the queen?
Plus a teenage con artist, a skewering of late-night comedy, and more… (First published September 18th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)
Queen
The Princess documentary review: look back in anger
A portrait of Diana’s depiction in the press that is incendiary, incisive, and transfixing. A litany of horror, in retrospect, and an incredibly valuable look at how public stories are shaped by media.
Rocketman movie review: what makes a rock star, and what unmakes him
Joyful and rowdy, self-deprecating and vulnerable, absolutely electrifying as it deconstructs the sex-drugs-and-rock’n’-roll story. Taron Egerton is chills-inducingly good. Sheer cinematic magic.
Bohemian Rhapsody movie review: dynamite with a laser beam
Rami Malek brings warmth, humor, and a down-to-earth humanity to the larger-than-life Freddie Mercury. But it is the power of Queen’s music — the rousing good cheer, its sheer rock ’n’ roll joy — that fills up this pure brash entertainment.
Warcraft: The Beginning (aka Warcraft) movie review: guest review by a white male teenage nerd from 1987
Like all Frazetta fantasy posters came to life all at once. A masterpiece of cinema that truly speaks to the interests of white male teenage nerds from 1987.
Florence Foster Jenkins movie review: don’t worry that it’s not good enough for anyone else to hear
When FFJ sticks to farce, it works wonderfully, like something P.G. Wodehouse might have loved. But the longer it goes on, the more maudlin it gets.
Rush review: man + machine vs man + machine
A thoroughly magnificent film on every level, with astonishing performances by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl; one of the very best films of 2013.
Doctor Who thing: angels wanna wear the Doctor’s red shoes
The Tenth Doctor and his Converse mashed up with Elvis Costello’s “The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes”…
watch it: “The Muppets Rock Out in a Google+ Hangout”
Kermit and Beaker lip-synching to Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen…
watch it: “Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix”
On what would have been Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday, please enjoy this rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” as performed by various vintage computer peripherals.
