What Else I Watched, 2025Q3

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)
I was a huge fan of Steve Martin from his stand-up days. I was in the theater to watch The Jerk first run. I also saw Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, but I didn’t get it. I hadn’t seen the old movies and just didn’t find it funny. Forty three years later, I enjoyed how the old films (a couple of which I had only recently watched) were incorporated into a new narrative. I appreciated it much more this time, but I still didn’t find it very funny. AMRU 3.

Hackers (1995)
Hackers is a very influential film in the computer hacking world. It brings in real hacker culture material (the Hacker Manifesto) and includes an excellent demonstration of social engineering. However, it’s silly and the story makes no sense. AMRU 3.

The Philadelphia Story (1940)
One of the greatest screwball comedies and always a pleasure to revisit. Some elements didn’t age particularly well, but they are easily ignored.

The Great Buster (2018)
Compassionate documentary of Buster Keaton’s life. I had seen it before, but it was worth the re-watch. AMRU 3.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
I watched this after seeing The Shootist and realized that I watched consecutive films where the main character goes to Nevada to die. Leaving Las Vegas is a tough watch but very much worthwhile. AMRU 4.

Saturday Night (2024)
A fictionalized account of the events leading up to the first episode of Saturday Night Live (then just called Saturday Night). A lot of SNL lore is included, even if the real events happened much later. I really enjoyed it. The performances were eerily spot-on. AMRU 4.

A Disturbance in the Force (2023)
A documentary about how the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special came about. New interviews with principal people and celebrities are interwoven with historical clips of many of the people responsible for this abomination. Quite entertaining. ARMU 4.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
An almost technically perfect film. The story is made up of puzzle pieces that perfectly fit together. Film nerds will spot many homages to classic films. Great all around. AMRU 5.

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
Filmed in 1980 at the famed Hollywood Bowl amphitheater, in between the release of The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life. The skits should be familiar to modern fans but many had not been seen outside of the UK at the time. I’ve long known about this film, but never could find a copy. AMRU 3.5.