Tag Archives: Movies in Bed
Movies in Bed: Wet Hot American Summer: first day of camp
Post by Mark T. Locker.
This is where it all begins, people! I’m sure everyone has taken my advice and ran home to watch Wet Hot American Summer to prepare for this much-anticipated follow-up.
Fourteen years have elapsed since the camp counselors oversaw the last day of camp. Fourteen years later, we are given a prequel. It is a pretty clever concept: the counselors, who were all too old to be believable in the first place, are now in their 40s and posing as teenagers. What’s amazing is they got the entire crew back together to put this eight episode miniseries together. All the questions you never had will be answered here: what happened to the cook that unhinged him so? Why is there a can of vegetables that talks to him? Why on earth does an astrophysicist live next door to the camp?
As far as reboots go, this one is not terrible. I’ve made it further than I did with the Arrested Development reboot, let’s put it that way. It’s still a fun and silly show and they are doggedly averse to plotlines which is good and bad. There seem to be about ten different subplots and I keep forgetting about some and then there are others I wonder about that aren’t being addressed again. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe they are doing it on purpose for their own entertainment.
Everyone has fallen nicely back into their old roles, and clearly everyone is having a fantastic time. It’s fun enough to watch all the way through, though it can’t possibly hold a candle to the original. Still, it’s worth watching and makes a fun and ridiculous way to wrap up a long day before going to sleep.
Movies in Bed: Harry Potter for Grown-Ups?
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Way back in 2004, debut novelist Susanna Clarke introduced us to the world of 19th-century English magic in the wonderfully long and dense and fantastic novel Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. And now, 11 years later, the BBC has finally graced us with a series based very faithfully on the nearly 800-page novel.
The world of English magic in the 19th century is a magical world vastly different than the one we imagine. While magic indeed existed and had been practiced widely in the past, no proper gentleman would deign to do such a thing now. This did not mean, however, that there were no magicians’ societies. On the contrary many learned men were members of such societies. However, these were devoted to the study and appreciation of magic. Never for the practice!
There was one man who continued to practice in his deeply secluded and book-laden home. This man was Mr. Norrell. Once discovered, he became something of a celebrity, despite his rather unpleasant demeanor. When he takes on an apprentice, one Jonathan Strange, he is greatly troubled to realize this man’s intuitive skills far outmatch Mr. Norrell’s highly academic approach.
The BBC television series has released seven episodes. So far, they have remained very true to the story and the tone of the original book. Filled with awesome displays of magic, lots of repressed Victorian-style drama and strange, mysterious, dark forces, this series has quickly become my favorite bedtime watching. It’s captivating enough to keep me awake but not too flashy to keep me up past by bedtime trying to quiet my brain. Highly recommended for lovers of period pieces, miniseries, and awesomely unique approaches to magic.
Movies in Bed: Men in Black
Post by Mark T. Locker.
It was a moment of great excitement when I realized that my kid was old enough to appreciate the 1997 alien comedy, Men in Black. If you haven’t seen this movie, I’m surprised. But, there are worse ways to spend a blistering hot summer evening.
With what one could call an all-star cast of Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub, and more, it’s a funny take on the 90s comic book series.
Jay is a streetwise NY cop who has an encounter with an unusual individual. He comes to learn this individual was an alien, which leads Jay down a path to discovering the Men in Black, a secret semi-governmental organization dedicated to keeping a quiet peace between earth and its otherworldly visitors. Kay, who intervened in his investigation, invites him to join. And so Will Smith becomes the young cheeky counterpart to Jones’s clipped, no-nonsense philosophy. Together they set out to determine why aliens are fleeing and where a hidden galaxy is so they can get to it before the bug in human skin (D’Onofrio) can get to it.
It’s a fun, silly, action-filled movie. There is some strongish language, but nothing too terrible. Good movie for a lazy Sunday in bed.
Movies in Bed: Ernest and Celestine
Post by Mark T. Locker
Are you looking for a good family-friendly movie that isn’t riddled with product placement and CGI and won’t have you obsessively checking how many minutes are left in the film? Check out the adorable animated movie Ernest and Celestine and rejoice. Based on a series of French-language picture books by Gabrielle Vincent, the movie tells of the relationship between Celestine, a tiny mouse who just doesn’t fit in with her mouse kin, and Ernest, a misfit bear.
In the French and Belgian tradition, mice are the ones who find children’s teeth and replace them with gifts. Such is little Celestine’s lot in life, a life she is not well suited to. Ernest, meanwhile, performs music for money but is told that it’s not allowed. Due to desperation, he finds himself at odds with the law. When he finds Celestine trapped in a trash can, he nearly eats her but she convinces him to let her live. However, colluding with the outlaw bear has brought Celestine into trouble as well. Despite being brought up to fear bears as vicious killers, Celestine learns that Ernest has a kind and warm heart. Two lost souls who never knew they needed each other are brought together in the most unlikely way and together they learn to love themselves for who they are.
It’s a refreshing movie with charmingly simple animation and a sweet story it would be hard to dislike. Good for all ages.
Movies in Bed: Wet Hot American Summer
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Summer’s here, folks! My kid’s last day of school was yesterday. Let the era of summer camps and family vacations commence! Summer always puts me in the mood to watch this classic summer camp comedy with an all-star cast. Even better, Netflix is reviving the movie with a series of episodes based on the movie, coming July 31. What better way to prepare than by watching the movie?
Janeane Garofalo plays Beth, director of Camp Firewood. It’s the last week of camp and she is trying to get everything off to a smooth finish. With a staff made up of Michael Ian Black, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper, you can only imagine how it is going to work out.
This hilarious pokes fun at all the summer camp movies out there while still being a great movie in it own right, not relying on a running gag to make it awesome. Some of the humor is edgy and may not be appropriate for younger audiences. But if you are looking for something that will keep you laughing from beginning to end, this is a great choice.
