What I Watched in February, Part 3

Now that it's (damn!) April, I really need to finish the February movie wrap-up. So here goes, quick and dirty...


I've been obsessed with the National Lampoon to one degree or another since my college days, when the actual Lampoon was on its last legs as a magazine but the vintage humor of it's 1970s heyday was exactly the sort of dark, smart comedy I was craving. I've read just about every issue in one form or another, and I've read every book I could find about the magazine, including "A Futile and Stupid Gesture," Doug Karp's biography of Doug Kenney that formed the basis of this Netflix film. Kenney was a legit comic genius, a Harvard grad who helped found the National Lampoon and wrote some of its best pieces, then co-wrote "Animal House" and "Caddyshack," then either fell or jumped off a cliff in Hawaii in 1980 at the tender age of 33. (Harold Ramis legendarily joked that he fell while looking for a place to jump.) This movie covers all of that and more, with Will Forte as Kenney and a pretty amazing cast as everyone else, including Domhnall Gleason as Henry Beard, Thomas Lennon as Michael O'Donoghue, Matt Walsh as Matty Simmons, Joel McHale as Chevy Chase (nice bit of stunt casting there) and Martin Mull as the old version of Kenney that the actual Kenney never lived to be. It's fast-paced, fairly funny, and if you're a National Lampoon obsessive (like me), you'll have a good time watching infamous NatLamp moments brought to life. It does fall into the standard biopic trap of trying to make it all mean something in the end, but at least it tries to be different with constant breaks in the fourth wall and a sloppy, shambling vibe that makes the more cliched moments easier to digest. If you stumble on this and want more, I highly encourage you to check out the actual documentary "Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead" (also on Netflix, I believe) and then read Karp's book as well as "Mr. Mike: The Life and Work of Michael O'Donoghue" by Dennis Perrin, which covers some of the same ground but is even better. Then, for god's sake, dig up a copy of "The National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook," which Kenney co-created, which is, no kidding, one of the best things I've ever seen in print. No kidding.


As a lifelong horror fan, I love the fact that a no-kidding, honest-to-god monster movie actually won the Best Picture Oscar. Did it deserve to? I don't know, having only seen two of the nominees this year (the other being another horror movie," Get Out.") But I do know that, more often than not, the movies that endure, the ones people talk about decades later and the ones whose stories, visuals and big moments resonate throughout time? Those are the genre flicks, the films noir, the sci-fi epics, the comedies and, yes, the monster movies, so I'm more than happy that Guillermo del Toro has a gold statue on this shelf for this somewhat sexed-up reimagining of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon." It's a fine film, that's for sure, with gorgeous visuals, strong performances and just the right mix of melancholy, suspense and wonder. (Strangely enough, the one thing the movie isn't is scary.) I really loved the scenes del Toro just cut loose, like black-and-white dance number or the flooding of the apartment during our mismatched lovers' big night together. I've seen hundreds of monster movies over the years, but I can honestly say I've never seen one quite like this. (Oh, and near the beginning, we glimpse the name "Stromberg" on a plaque in the science facility -- that's gotta be a nod to the sea-obsessed villain from "The Spy Who Loved Me," right?)


It's solid, entertaining superhero movie, hitting that middle-of-the-road level of quality that Marvel manages to achieve with ease every time out. Good, strong villain from Michael B. Jordan, plenty of interesting side characters and the Black Panther himself has just enough sly humor to avoid the trap of being a boring-but-noble hero. The downside? Some surprisingly wonky special effects and an ending that, like a lot of Marvel movies, degenerates into a bunch of computer-generated characters fighting each other in a confusing crowd scene. (I'm already dreading something similar in "Infinity War.") If I sound a little lukewarm about "Black Panther," that's perfectly fine -- because clearly, this one wasn't made with me, a white, 50-year-old guy, in mind. If, on the other hand, I were a young African-American boy or girl, I think my head would've exploded with delight and inspiration. Those are the kids "Black Panther" is aimed at, and even if Disney is just targeting an untapped market, the effect is going to be a positive one. I've been looking at superheroes who look like me since before I can remember. Now it's their turn, and the fact that this is the most profitable superhero movie ever made has to mean something. Like I said about "The Shape of Water," it's the genre films, the one aimed at the crowds, the ones designed to entertain -- those are the movies that have a real, lasting impact.