This summer was marked by the passing of my favorite author, Cormac McCarthy and one of my favorite directors William Friedkin. Sharp stabs to the heart. If that wasn't enough, an uppercut to the chin in the form of Paul Reubens' death.
Barbie/Oppenheimer was on the tip of everyone's tongue. I saw both in the theaters. Twice. A movie produced by Mattel wasn't the liberating movie I thought it would be. Who knew. Oppenheimer on the other hand had me thinking about it for days. The third act was some of the strongest stuff Nolan's done.
The soft, lapping waves of Action and comedy continually hit me this season. The bulk of what I watched consisted of revisiting old classics like Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, Last Action Hero, Bringing Up Baby, Coffy, Falling Down.
Some new movies of note were Carl Franklin's Devil In A Blue Dress, Arthur Bressan's Buddies, Godard's Pierrot Le Fou, Zemeckis' debut I Wanna Hold You Hand. My favorite new discovery of the summer was Five Elements Ninjas. Japanese and Hong Kong action films are something I keep on returning to this year.
On the TV front, there were old loves I reacquianted myself with. I jumped back into watching Justified. Season 5 reaffirming Elmore Leonard's voice as something I would like to hear more and more. Peep Show became medicine for me. Painfully funny medicine with exruciatingly uncomfortable situational comedy that ranks with anything Larry David produced.
Soderbergh released Full Circle, harkening back to his geopolitical epic scope of Traffic. The Righteous Gemstones saw Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green collectively craft some of the best work they've done. Something that surpasses Eastbound and Down in ambition and writing. Speaking of third seasons of comedy shows, I Think You Should Leave filled in the whole Tim and Eric/Steve Brule adjacent hole in my heart. White House Plumbers and Telemarketers were two miniseries I got invested in and proved worthwhile entertainment.
All of that said, The Bear reigned supreme over all. It doesn't quite topple Succession as my favorite show of the year. But it comes close. Particularly episodes 6, 8 and 10.
I'm a horror fiend. It's a genre I hold so close to my heart, every year I dedicate September and October exclusively to horror movies. What I've found this year more than any other is I almost don't want summer to end. So much so, I breathed a sigh of relief when I remembered August had 31 days instead of just 30. I'm usually jonesing for the fall to bring the leaves crashing down with the chilly bursts of wind.
Two episodes of television I ended my summer on are Summer Song from The Wonder Years and Summer of 4 Ft. 2 from The Simpsons. There's some startling similarities. Both use songs from The Beach Boys. Paul is basically Milhouse in this scenario. What I've found in both episodes is how simple the story structure is and how other elements guide the story. Whether it's pop music and score to accent the mood. Or just a well placed joke that rings true because of how universal the situation is. It reminded me of why these shows still hold up today.
It's a bittersweet farewell. A last look at the beautiful ocean scenery.
Before we transition in the next season, I would like to do something a little different. The last post I made on this blog was how I was going to spend the summer. During that time, I have been writing. A lot. The fruits of these labors will be unleashed in the coming month. Of what I can reveal about these pieces is this: don't expect all of them to be movie centric. This is Between the Reels, yes. But lately I've been feeling a little confined within that title. Or maybe I should say the next handful of posts go Beyond the Reels.
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