What I Watched In July

OCEAN'S 8 (2018) is a very entertaining slice of star powered fun. The idea of continuing the saga of Danny Ocean's family focused on his sister (Sandra Bullock) is clever enough but it's the twisty script that wins the day. Every actor gets several chances to shine and there are so many tense turns and smart ideas in this heist tale that I suspect I missed a few. The good news is that this was so much fun I won't mind watching it again to see if there are any amusing details that I lost in the rush. The cast is superb and I would love as many sequels as can be produced, please.

After the third Purge film I thought the next one would detail the messy downside of ending totalitarian rule in the United States. Or perhaps it would continue the rebellion against military control that I suspect would be the natural next step in destroying such a fascistic government. Instead the creative team behind the series decided to back up along the dystopian timeline and show us the way the Purge became accepted. It was a smart move as it perfectly fits our current times. As we watch many democracies around the world start the sad slide into despotic rule having this tale told about a fictional USA rubs our faces in reality. Here we can see how easy it is to, little by little, tolerate awful actions against others until it's too late to save anyone. THE FIRST PURGE (2018) explains that it is only by pulling together that we can save ourselves and our society  from descending into chaos and anarchy. And also  that an authority that advocates any other path is consciously or unconsciously working to destroy humanity. It's almost as if the writers saw 2018 more clearly than most others. We much pull together rather than pull apart. Glad to see the tradition of violent exploitation films providing blunt social commentary has returned. 

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) lets Marvel fans know why Scott Lang's shrinking and growing superhero missed out on the Infinity War. It seems that he was serving a house arrest sentence after helping out Captain America in Civil War. Turns out that his little trip to Germany was illegal which has also put Hank Pym and his daughter Janet on the run as well. Our ankle-braceletted ex-con is suffering through the last few days of his incarceration when events take control of his life again. The Pyms have been working to find a way to rescue the original Wasp from the subatomic realm that Scott visited in he first film. They need his cooperation to finish this project meaning finding a way to escape detection when out of his house. Adding to the trouble is a ghostly woman capable of moving through solid matter who is interfering with the Pym's plans. Before you can say Rube Goldberg the plot is twisting several different characters and problems into a speed-freak ride of blissful fun. This isn't the best of the Marvel films but it is damned fun and funny - until that final scene! Whoa!

THE LIST

VENGEANCE (1968) - 7 (rewatch)
THE IN-LAWS (1979) - 7 (rewatch)
OCEAN'S 8 (2018) - 8
NO NAME ON THE BULLET (1959) - 8 (sharp western by Jack Arnold)
TARZAN, THE APE MAN (1959) - 4 (weak Jungle Lord film with Denny Miller)
THE FIRST PURGE (2018) - 8
GIRL SLAVES OF MORGANA LE FAY (1971) - 8
BULLDOG DRUMMOND ESCAPES (1937) - 7
ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. (1940) - 6
CITY OF THE DEAD (1960) - 8 (rewatch)
STEP BY STEP (1946) - 6 (interesting crime tale with Laurence Tierney)
THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES (1940) - 7
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018) - 7
SUPERBEAST (1972) - 3 (boring and pointless)
SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943) - 7
THE SNOW CREATURE (1954) - 2 (grindingly awful Yeti film)
DEVIL'S ISLAND (1939) - 6 (Karloff prison tale)
SON OF PALEFACE (1952) - 4 (Bob Hope comedy)
THE BANDIT OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1946) - 6
TARZAN'S PERIL (1951) - 6
THE MYSTERIOUS DOCTOR (194)- 6 (convoluted fog-bound British chiller/war-time propaganda)
THE SHADOW (1994) - 8 (rewatch)