Sinners: Actually worthy of all the hype. I didn't know much about the plot, which I think is better going into it. Parts of it reminded me of True Blood and Lovecraft Country, but it was also its own thing. I was surprised how much I loved it as I thought with as much as it was hyped that I would be let down. It wasn't the case. (HBO Max)
Bottoms: Two high school girls (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) form a fight club to hook up with cheerleaders but end up having to save the high school from a rival high school's mischief. Another one that was worth the hype! It's not quite Heathers-Clueless-Mean Girls-Easy A, but almost is. (Library DVD)
Riff Raff: Jennifer Coolidge can make an otherwise boring film watchable just by being herself. A former conman (Ed Harris) is trying to have a nice New Year's, but his son opens up the feud with another criminal (Bill Murray). (Coolidge is Ed Harris' first wife/mother of the son, and Gabrielle Union is the second wife). It was okay thanks to the actors. (Hulu)
The Teacher’s Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer). A first year teacher accuses a school employee of stealing her wallet, and finds herself in controversy as she had illegally videotaped the incident. It was Germany's selection for the Foreign Film Oscar in 2024, and being a former teacher, I loved it as it showed just how much stress teachers are these days. (Library DVD)
We started Fountain of Youth on Apple TV, but it was so bad we stopped it soon after.
I'm working through the John Waters movies I haven't seen. Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble were fun (and crass, of course), and I definitely see how his early movies influenced early Almodóvar. They have a certain campiness that people either love or hate. The local libraries have most of them on DVD.
