Letterboxd Loose Ends 2013

Double Indemnity

A noir as classic as they come. Drink every time Fred MacMurray strikes a match with his thumbnail.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Somehow I never noticed the US foreign policy allegory happening here.

Dallas Buyers Club

McConaughey is excellent, but the redemption story is pretty by-the-numbers, and is ultimately overpowered by a rather shrill anti-FDA polemic.

Trading Places

This was good for a few chuckles, but I expected more from the collective comedic pedigree involved. There are plenty of gags reminiscent of other John Landis classics like The Blues Brothers and Three Amigos, but Trading Places just doesn’t have the same heart. That said, as a Philadelphia area native, I did appreciate the many location shots as a great snapshot of the city in 1983.

Computer Chess

Computer Chess is a paradox. It appears to be a (successful) attempt to be as dry and impenetrably arcane as its subject can be, even for people who might be interested in that subject. In theory, it’s a compelling experiment, but its very definition requires that it offer no rewards, and for the most part, it meets that requirement.