Film Buffa: Revisiting classics on the big screen is first aid during a strike

Let’s talk movies, and movies only.

For a regular film addict, the strike is an uncontrollable disaster zone. You can watch it unfold and collapse, without feeling like a shred of of responsibility will touch your shores. You stand with the writers and actors in their struggle, quietly waiting for the studios to rediscover compassion. Eventually, you start revisiting movies that passed you by.

The constant influx of releases can overwhelm a casual filmgoer, while making a hardcore cinema fan realign their interests. Suddenly, it’s not a good film or two releasing every other day. It’s times like these that you should look back, and I don’t mean revisiting the 2001 Fast and Furious original. That’s a fine (and actually grounded) action film. Go back further.

Here’s the thing. You don’t have to think Casablanca is the greatest film ever. You can even dislike it. The same goes for any popular top 100 selection. Find your own crazy jam. Venturing farther back than the 1970s isn’t necessary either.

1974 isn’t a bad place to stop in. Roman Polanski may be a colossally bad human being in real life, but he’s an Oscar favorite whenever the film comes out. This was one of his original calls to fame, right up there with Rosemary’s Baby. A young Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in a 1930s set crime thriller about a private detective getting in over his head on a case.

One could say that most of the movies shown in The Great Films St. Louis can be streamed, but there’s nothing like seeing a movie in a theater, especially an oldie. Proof that great movies never die.

Next month, The House on Haunted Hill and A Nightmare on Elm Street are slotted. I don’t know about you, but Freddy attacking us in our dreams is cruel and unusual punishment. Still, it’s worst a watch. Too bad that nightmares continue into adulthood.

What else can be discussed while billionaires decide when thousands of creators get to work again?

-It’s good to hear the late Ray Stevenson steals the show in the new Star Wars series. His presence would allots make me watch. He could steal quite a few movie scenes, including one where he threatens Mark Wahlberg. 2023 has taken its fair share of good actors, including Stevenson and Lance Reddick.

-Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies are a masterclass in adapting a classic Japanese samurai story for an American audience. Volume One and Two are on Amazon Prime.

-Production photos and a preview were released for an upcoming Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones movie that might make some good use out of the latter’s talent. It’ll be a big deal for Foxx, being that this is the first movie to be released after his health scare earlier this year. Details were never released due to some stealth work from his daughters, but it rocked him. Here’s to hoping the strike can end so he can promote the movie. Believe it or not, movie stars do inspire. The Burial comes out in October.

-Fast & Furious 10, or X, is a bad movie. There’s no need to quibble with a franchise that just won’t die. The 2011 Cardinals wouldn’t die either, but their big moment last mere weeks. F&F have been around for 22 years. At some point, you have to throw a towel. The movies still make money, mostly international, but the gross is declining with each entry. I won’t get into why and how the tenth film was bad. There was a time when these movies sung their worth out, creating detached yet exhilarating excitement. But every movie now is a bland rewrite, someone painting over the recently dried coat of paint.

The only crumb worth remembering is a credits scene where Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returns to the series. These films will not stop. Fans need to throw in the towel, but no one wants to tell another film lover how to roll.

-If they ever make a movie about Mark McGwire, it should be named “I’m not here to talk about the past.” I’d take that movie over another Fast and Furious entry. Instead of a quarter mile at a time, it’s one base at a time.

-Streaming service opinion: I’m not a fan of the preview that instantly plays when your remote rolls over its spot on the menu. I get that every platform has a big film or show to push, but let us decide to play the whole damn preview. Netflix started this shit, and everyone else picked up on it. What if it’s a movie you hated?

-The Tivoli opened back up this month. A few years after being sold to a church company and going through an expensive rehab, the landmark STL movie spot welcomed fans back this week with a showing of Top Gun: Maverick. Since it “saved” theaters, it’ll be the popular movie theater relaunch cheat code. Some Cruise, some action, and a little danger. Happy to see the Tivoli back in action, especially its switch from a three theater house to a solo theater house. Lean into it, or stay dead.

That’s all I have. I’m sorry the movie titles aren’t all italicized and that there may be some punctuation errors, but you’re reading a blog from a guy who delivers plumbing supplies. I care less and less about AP and writing rules that were written by crusty old minds. To read or not to read; that’s always the question.

Buffa, active yet may be dying from allergies.