The District of ColumbiaForniaTicut Alien Siege, 2018 If you haven't seen 2018's Alien Siege, you haven't lived life. Please don't confuse this brilliantly written and acted movie with 2005's Alien Siege, which I have not seen. Do I have your attention? Good. Now listen to me closely: that first paragraph was a … [Read more...]
Mystic Pizza (1988)
Pretty Women Mystic Pizza, 1988 There are a lot of movies on my Connecticut Movies list, but you'll be hard-pressed to find one that more Connecticut than 1988's coming of age flick, Mystic Pizza. It was almost entirely filmed in Stonington and Groton and anyone with a passing familiarity with the area will … [Read more...]
The Lifeguard (2013)
Zero Life The Lifeguard, 2013 "The Lifeguard is a painfully dull (alleged) drama utterly lacking in originality or self-awareness," said Jordan Hoffman of Film.com who gave the film a 2.7/10. I should have listened to Jordan Hoffman. I like Kristen Bell. She seems like a good egg, and I really love "The Good … [Read more...]
Rising Star (2013)
A Long Walk... Rising Star, 2013 Rising Star is not a good movie. And yet... And yet it is the exact type of movie for which I created my massive "Connecticut Movies" list. Therefore, I love it. I love its earnestness and its commitment to Hartford. And goshdarnit, they got me with the triple title pun. The … [Read more...]
The Other Woman (2014)
The Other Other Woman The Other Woman, 2014 In a strange happenstance, the last "Connecticut" movie I reviewed was called "The Women" It was awful. The Women features a well-dressed steely woman from New York City (Annette Bening) and a preppy housewife with a cheating husband who live in a giant house in … [Read more...]
Wordplay (2006)
Word Up Wordplay, 2006 Full disclosure: I'm a New York Times crossword fanboy and have been for decades. Therefore, any halfway decent movie featuring the NYT crossword will be considered excellent by me. That reminds me of an old beer review I wrote about a beer called “Blanc de Blanche" by Overshores Brewing. … [Read more...]
Bristol Boys (2006)
Bristol Deserves Better Bristol Boys, 2006 Which one of you said I should review Connecticut movies? Because whoever you are, your suggestion then led to a friend making me aware of the 2006 independent film, Bristol Boys. And now I’m just mad at you all. Because this movie suuuuuuuuuuucks. The whole … [Read more...]
The Women (2008)
Nope The Women, 2008 When I began formalizing my list of Connecticut movies, I had to leave off a ton of pre-1950 or so options - simply because there's no way I can find them to watch. You'd probably be surprised at how many old movies take place in Connecticut. The Women is a poorly conceived 2008 remake … [Read more...]
The Quiet (2005)
Shhhhh The Quiet, 2005 You’ve likely never seen The Quiet, nor have you likely even heard of it. It did have a national theater release and it wasn’t universally panned, but The Quiet was just a quiet little movie. It’s also very disturbing on a few different levels and most importantly for us, the whole thing … [Read more...]
CT Books, Movies, People, & Stories
Connecticut Books, People, & Essays I probably shouldn’t have ever begun reading and writing about Connecticut books. It’s just one of those lists that I can’t possibly “finish” in any meaningful way. But that’s fine, I don’t mind. If you’re into books, I also review non-Connecticut hiking books and the Modern … [Read more...]