Coming Soon to Colin’s Review – 8/2/24

For the most part, there is no method to my madness when deciding what to write for Colin’s Review. I watch random movies and TV shows, listen to random music, read a random book, and then blog about it. But one thing readers (if there are any) can now count on are these weekly updates of what to expect. For instance:

• I recently watched Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which is either a work of genius or a work of utter madness. I honestly might need to see it again just to fully comprehend what I just witnessed. Is it a visionary classic or is it accidentally avant-garde? Like much of Coppola’s post-Apocalypse Now output, Dracula is a very strange movie in the weirdest way possible: abrupt tonal shifts, incomprehensible acting, nightmarish effects. I’m still trying to determine whether it’s good or bad. Expect a Movie Review soon.

• I also just watched Billy Wilder’s 1944 film noir classic, Double Indemnity, starring Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. There’s no debate on that one: it’s a masterpiece worthy of an A+. And it also reaffirms my position that Robinson is perhaps my favorite actor of all time. An incredible film that will be added to the Great Movies section of Colin’s Review.

• Other Movie Reviews on the docket (my latest haul from the library): Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Juliet of the Spirits, Knowing, A Hard Day’s Night.

• I’ve started watching the What We Do in the Shadows TV show, which will be entering its final season later this year. I recently reviewed the 2014 film, which I definitely recommend (a solid B+), and I hope to churn out a few TV reviews as well. Instead of each individual episode, I’ll be reviewing each individual season. And, yes, I know I’m behind on my Sopranos reviews (a project which has taken me 8 years and counting), but I vow to finish those before 2025.

• I’m currently working on my 50 Best Songs of the 1940s list, which is about halfway finished. The list is pretty much set; I just have to complete the write-ups for each song. In the meantime, please check out the 50 Best Songs of the 1920s and the 50 Best Songs of the 1930s.

• Should I start making daily updates on Twitter or X or whateverthehellit’scalled? I’m looking to reach as many readers as possible, which is why these weekly newsletters seem like a good idea. Maybe Mr. Musk’s platform will help get the word out, too.

• I went on vacation to New York City over the weekend and took in some great architecture (Architecture Reviews??), went to the Village Vanguard to see the Marcus Gilmore Quintet, and then came back home to see Two Door Cinema Club perform live at ArtPark in Lewiston, NY. Some form of review(s) will be coming in a couple of days.