All my free time was taken up with the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series 🙂
4:30 a.m.
Turbo (2013)
Netflix, original English
Both Mr Radish and I remembered seeing this one–also on Netflix–when I still lived in Indianapolis, but we’d forgotten just about everything except (spoiler alert) the titular snail wins the Indy 500. (Not really a spoiler; it’s a kids’ film and the main character always wins in kids’ films. Which might explain a few things about the world today, eh?)
It’s cute. The snails’ work at “the plant” had me giggling so hard I nearly spilled my beer. For the adults, there are copious references to the Fast and Furious franchise (I am told; I’ve never seen any of them) and Ricky Bobby. The human protagonists represent different cultures found in contemporary Los Angeles in an organic way, which was refreshing.
I also enjoyed the animation. Humans avoid the Uncanny Valley by being obviously CGI, but the backgrounds were realistic. It might be a time capsule, the plot and character development rely heavily on the technology and social mores of the era, most of which have been discarded.
Starman (1984)
Netflix, original English
Definitely a time capsule, as the protagonists drive an orange Mustang that actually looks like a unique sports car and not like every SUV on the road. *cough* Jeff Bridges is an alien who lands in Wisconsin, shapeshifts into a dead dude, and forces his widow to drive him to a meetup point in Arizona, conveniently near the giant meteor crater). Meanwhile, the US government is hot on their trail, eager to do stuff they deny doing.
I can’t decide if I like this one or not; I probably should have seen it when it was fresher (Mr Radish liked it when he was a teen). Good mix of practical effects and CGI, decent acting. But during the chase sequence, I lost my suspension of disbelief when the pair managed to blow right around a roadblock in the desert–everyone saw you going around, guys. Also, possibly because I have encountered actual hay, the sex scene felt contrived. Yes–it’s an alien film *and* an enemies-to-lovers road trip film, and I think that’s the only way it could be made these days.
If you’re interested in this sort of thing, Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen made a music video inspired by a scene in the opening act with some footage.
