When your bf's such a good baker he even has a built in apron~ 😌👌
My sweet boy Barley after a long day at the little bakery/cafe he works at, it gets pretty toasty working near ovens all day so he wastes no time trying to cool off once he gets home XP
He's just such a soft and comfy shape man AAACK
(featuring his lovely boyfriend Ambrose thirsting in the corner BFIDSHGLSJ)
Ambrose belongs to my buddy @homebrewedmonster
“Things used to be better back then.” “I would have to agree.” A parody cop movie may appear egregious in big 2025 considering that parodies, cops, and movies occupy little space in the current cultural imagination. In what little conversation is had of them, these are often met with rampant pessimism or total grief over their complete collapse. The parody genre is dead; all cops are bastards; movies nowadays.
Much hindsight on today’s social disorder may be gleaned from reviewing Obama-period relics such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine whose laundered and deodorized infantilized agents of criminal justice have proven horrendously dated in an America post-George Floyd and mid-Alligator Alcatraz. This summer’s addition to the Naked Gun franchise is however an antidote to the cynicism and escapism which has so marked the recent cultural malaise.
The film follows the son of the franchise’s Sergeant Frank Drebin, corrupt but affable Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., portrayed by Liam Neeson taking over Leslie Nielsen (+). Eager to have things his way, he is demoted for his antics but nevertheless persists obstinately in investigating a bank robbery, leading him to run into true crime fiction writer Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson) and villain Jeff Bezos-Elon Musk-Peter Thiel amalgamation Richard Cane (Danny Huston).
Opposite to Brooklyn Nine-Nine which skirts around the many intensely felt issues with the country’s police, the film instead features it as its focal point. Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. is incompetent in his job, unapologetically corrupt, inhumanely violent, and is time and time again cushioned and protected from any real consequences by the Los Angeles Police Squad; hence why he is so hilarious. The film not only honors the old-age lampoon of the police force, it also targets the new Leviathan in Drebin’s foil Cane, standing in for the tech utopian billionaires who yield capital in the service for themselves and grand visions for society in their Mencius Moldbug fantasies.
By way of the parody genre, all the characters are Dickensian in their motivations and personalities (simple, archetypic). Unlike far lesser films such as the recent Deadpool and other Marvel titles, however, the film never relies on irony or appeal to detached coolness. Rather, the emotional arc of the film is played straight; no annoying winks or nudges necessary. Such an effect was achieved by a stellar script, but most all by the fantastic work of the cast.
Not only do veteran leads Neeson and Anderson possess lethal comedic timing but they both draw from intensive industry experience working as action star and blonde bombshell (respectively) and so do respect and intimately understand the genre films they are spoofing. Thus, in scenes such as when Beth fights to avenge brother or when Lt. Drebin appeals to the intercession of his father, their hope for justice is felt b both genuinely and effusively.
The Hollywood duo’s portrayal of troubled officer and author-vigilante proves far more compelling than the pallid and hammy performances too often featured in today’s pseudo-independent landfill cinema, lazily regurgitating sanctimonious ideological platitudes in drab sets for which they are generously lauded in the international film circuit. In contrast, while Lt. Drebin and Beth may find themselves in increasingly absurd and surreal situations, the stakes and catharsis are unceasingly earnest.
In this respect, among many, the film most resembles the work of David Lynch (+) in theme, style, and story. Visually Akiva Schaffer’s Los Angeles so resembles Lynch’s America to near-homage such as in one of the film’s most stunning set-pieces, where you could easily picture Beth performing Blue Velvet; opposite her Cane who appears at times a splitting image of a white-haired Leland Palmer. Barring a running gag about coffee, the film apes Twin Peaks most fundamentally in its narrative device of a criminal investigator in revealing the social underbelly of American mainstream society. Where Lynch found a nightmare however, the movie instead finds a dream.
The movie’s dreamworld of Los Angeles was built from the movie’s visually irresistible film language which at select points borders on the euphoric. The most arrestingly beautifully composed sequences from any Hollywood feature within the last decade, such as a winter weekend getaway or a scat performance at a jazz bar, are adjoined by Looney Tunes-John Wick and Howard Hawks dialogue. Not only does the film continue the franchise’s penchant for visual gags, but it is also able to playfully weave different new cinematic modes to great comedic effect. Which other films have so effectively without gimmick viewed the world through a policeman’s body camera or with thermal binoculars?
The film’s greatest eye-candy however is its leads. As he had done in many a movie, Neeson has the rugged appearance of a vigilante willing to break the law for the benefit of higher divine justice. The Sancho Panza alongside him is the dashingly charming Paul Walter Hauser who provides much contrast in the character of the jovial and caring Ed Hocken Jr. But ultimately the movie is more than willing to remind the audience repeatedly of the presence and splendour of Pamela Anderson who assumes a Jessica Rabbit in Beth both in cartoonish beauty and in cartoonish antics. They are all so appetizing to watch on screen; the moviegoer may have to return for repeated watches lest they lose the plot on first viewing from simply admiring what they witness at the silver screen.
Losing the plot in this film in the first place would prove difficult as the plot chugs along straightforwardly like a train straight through a dessert. Building upon the conventions of the Hollywood movie, the story itself follows a beat-by-beat three-act structure serving more as a conveyor closet from which the movie elegantly hangs its quips and episodes; not fired in rapid succession as if by a machine gun, but more so as a volley between two tennis players. The action paces like a Bach concerto, chains of gags are braided effortless and seamlessly punctus contra punctum through the movements and in eighty minutes of your sustained attention concludes satisfyingly, like a good homily, “short and to the point.”
Naked Gun 4 (2025) stands out as immaculately capturing this moment in time as well as being to the point of timelessness. It towers over the heaps of slop, like an angel sent in a time of great distress. In its conclusion, Lt. Drebin Jr. and Beth ,after having made fallen by the evils of the world, ultimately choose mercy over retribution and thus attain the love that many in the world today so desperately lack and seek.
The simplicity of the final message does not detract from its power either. That man is capable of truly loving one another (whether by choice or via P.L.O.T. device) is as timeless as it is relevant in the current antagonistic political environment that characterizes our time and which the film so imaginatively portrayed. Rarely have films of late inspired in me a genuine hope in a Civilization of Love, very few nowadays even aspire to do so.
☕☕☕☕☕/☕☕☕☕☕
NB: This is not a family friendly film as mature themes of sex and violence are present. Absolutely no Generative AI was used in writing this review. Death to Letterboxd.
Three movies set in America, a movie about a cat, a movie about Catholic cardinals, and and a book about walking
🎥Being John Malkovich (1999, dir. Spike Jonze)
The 1999 high-concept springy American eccentric cinematic cult classic packs as many situational bits and visual gags into a story of a trio of confused NYC residents who control titular actor John Malkovich through a portal. Kaufman's playful screenplay suits the Jonze's whimsical near-storybook direction that incorporates styles and media as eclectic as animal POVs, corporate training videos, giant marionettes, and TV news reports. Among the leads, Diaz's performance as animal-lover Lotte sparkles as both earnest and absurd while Malkovich and Keener provide a good deadpan counterweight.
Although the portals use differ among Craig (status), Lotte (gender affirmation), and Maxine (financial success); the three are first motivated, bound, and informed by their desire for love. As a result of their disordered manifestations however, the trio's sexual and relationship adventures lead to ruin in the film's final shot; the child imprint with the scars of their parents. It is no mistake then the portal is found to be a means for sustained self-preservation; or John Berger put it, to be desired is the closest one could feel to immortality.
🎥Paris, Texas (1984, dir. Wim Wenders; remastered in 2024)
The sprawling Paris, Texas shines as a highlight of the American spirit as it internal and external wandering of Travis Henderson against a setting of California spaghetti suburbia, dessert vistas, skylines of glass and metal, and deserted parking lots. Familiar scenes of Americana abound - a child nestled in a Star Wars blanket, long walks from the school to the home, car rentals and drive-in ATMs, encounters with the homeless, and highways that seem to go everywhere, anywhere, and nowhere.
The almost eternal scale and breadth of the country is captured in cinematographer Robby Müller's extreme long shots; you could nearly feel the Texas dust blow through the screen. A road movie, the foggy travels induced by Travis's struggles are carefully drawn-out and occur in slow succession. It is paced like a drive on a long highway at night.
Delightfully, the film does periodically remind us of its age as when Travis and his brother disembarks from the plane on a whim or when they play home movies on a projector. This together with the fantastical motivations of our main characters and the colorful visual palette lends the film a sense of dreamlike unreality (rendered in a lush projected digital 4k remaster) - a more grounded anticipation to the work of Texan director Wes Anderson.
Paris, Texas while about America could have only been made by a foreigner as revealed by its heightened display of its nation's features; I don't think I've seen a film that so prominently displays the road system that most Americans take for granted, for example.
🎥The Substance (2024, dir. Coralie Fargeat)
The Substance rounds out the last of our triad of American films. Like John Malkovich, it is Hollywood science-fiction in that it is about public figures in the entertainment industry terrorized by the ability to assume the body of another; like Paris, Texas, it is an American story filtered through its European director. In this case, Fargeat directed, co-edited, and co-produced the film in viscerally French style.
Striking is the film's sheen of pessimism. Once Elizabeth Sparkles manifested her craving for worldly youth and bodily, the results were rapid and brutal. The temptation of the flesh in this case is a lust of all things worldly such as fame, external affirmation, thrill - all visualized by Sue's gaudy new replacement for Sparkles's show. When Elizabeth fails to control these desires, they ultimately control her through Sue.
While John Malkovich suffers from the expressed libidinal desires of those who control him, Elizabeth is a tragic figure as this desire is expressed internally and thus the pain is self-inflicted.
🎥Conclave (2024, dir. Edward Bergers)
Conclave is a fun romp featuring ,as Bishop Barron described, "a hotbed of ambition, corruption, and desperate egotism" in a papal conclave tasked at electing a new pope. Any discussion of the liturgical and social issues brought up in the dialogue of the film would fail to appreciate the lively Gossip Girl-esque patchwork of rivalries, cliques, and animosities displayed.
While the film bears little resemblance to the actual more dignified proceedings of the church, the siblings did enjoy its snarky energy and captivating series of power plays. Critics may decry its hammy preoccupation with liberal-conservative politics and portrayal of a disorganized and Vatican, but such descriptions are exceedingly similar in online discussions about even the most benign features of the contemporary church such as latest ecumenical council or the Synod on Synodality. Michael Knowles would welcome a Conclave-style film about Vatican II that frames as Karl Rahner or Pope John XXIII as cartoony villains in the same vein as Cardinal Tedesco. At least Conclave is entertaining.
🎥 Straume or Flow (2024, dir. Gints Zilbalodis)
Flow is a triumphant display of the potential of independent animation. Each frame displays a great care in rendering the contours of world obviously shaped by humans, but inhabited by the creatures they left behind. As the name suggests, the film is pushed forward by movement - movement of the camera, movement of the characters, movement of the setting.
To survive a rising tide, a black cat is accompanied by a diverse host of animals each with their own expressive personality and temperaments. Each character is designed so faithfully to their psychology; the loyal and calm capybara is strong and soft while the secretarybird is majestic but aloof. While similar to 00s French program Miniscule, Flow is notably more stylized and mannered - almost like a video game at times. The story as well features a time-bound struggle to survive the threat of natural elements.
A scene from the Wim Wenders movie Paris, Texas [1984]Travis picks up his son Hunter from school. The two of them walk home together.Filmed
📕Frédéric Gros's 2008 A Philosophy of Walking (2023 2nd Ed., trans. by John Howe)
A Philosophy of Walking is mistitled. Every chapter reads as a short pithy vignette in a casual and conversational tone; each could recall the life of famous walker-philosopher like Gandhi or Rousseau, examine a defining character of a walk such as repetition or simplicity with respect to some philosophical concept, or describe notable cases of walks such as the Long March or Camino de Santiago.
What the book doesn't do however is provide a unified or overall thesis on the subject of walking, only a smear of interrelated anecdotes and short musings of certain schools of thought. There is breadth - we travel from Enlightenment France to Transcendentalist America to Ancient Greece - and we sometime contrast these different schools, such as Kant's discipline opposed to Nietzsche's freedom but for the most part the content feels like an intellectual buffet where most of the ideas and passages only happen to involve walking instead of being primarily on walking. A more accurate title would be Philosophies About Walking.
While there are few novel ideas explored in the book and the language is accessibly plain and in spite of the liberal slant on the ideas described, the read is enjoyable enough and could likely introduce and redirect the reader to much weightier reading. After all, the peripatetic style lends itself well to the subject matter. Just imagine walking with Monsieur Gros as he rambles.
🎥 Až přijde kocour or Cassandra Cat (1963, dir. Vojtěch Jasný)
The Czechoslovak social fairy tale delivers a strong visual punch in full theatrical 2.55:1 the same way its titular cat and his band barges into our sleepy socialist village. The film only weakens its potency when treating the idealistic protagonist-teacher Robert (Vlastimil Brodský) whose questionable romance between perpetual gymnast Diana (Emília Vášáryová) culminates in a frolic montage that borders on cloy. Such issues however are trivial; the film is exceedingly charming.
Each scene makes not expense in playfully satirizing the actions of the adult characters. This is anchored by a stellar Janus performance by Jan Werich who plays double immortal magician and indigent watch tower narrator Oliva. The film reaches its most inspired during the black back-dropped magician scenes when aided by the charmingly bold wonderful mid-century VFX care of cinematographer Jaroslav Kučera. Finally, an adorable ensemble cast of the elementary school pupils provides the heart of the film with their final march into the city being the grand indictment of the faults of adult society.
It closely resembles last year's Megalopolis (2024) or the 2005 Fairly Odd Parents episode School's Out!: The Musical in its gesturing of childhood innocence; but the execution, stakes and arguably sincerity of Cassandra Cat far exceeds these. Oliva's feline fable may be fantastical but the desire for freedom against liars, cheaters, hypocrites, and taxidermists are as real as can be.
📕Sander L. Gilman's 2004 Fat Boys
Sander Gilman makes a crucial distinction between the 'fat' and the 'obese' that colors the rest of his 2004 book. The distinction lies within the reception of such a body regarded as 'fat' without reference to the actual body itself. The such as John Bull who is "stout but never obese"; but how the culture delineates between the two he never interrogates or acknowledges fully. He simply takes for granted the negative connotation of fat in men as a simple negative.
Who decides what is fat? What exactly distinguishes the angelic chub of Sistine Chapel cherubs and Pope John XXIII from that of the implied religious anorexia of St Augustine, for example? How exactly John Bull received in one way in France and another in Britain?
There is also a real dearth in breadth. There are thick detectives and burly baseball players, but no fat friars or corpulent cops or adipose rex or gay bears or anything else found over a cursory overview of TV tropes?
Considering then these limitations, he could have just as well titled it 'Fat Hated White (& Some Jewish) Boys'. He readily admits this- hence the subheading 'A Slim Book.' To his credit, when the book does examine the disparate topics such as the fat Oriental Jew or the development of the idea of obesity from antiquity to the Renaissances, he tells it through a compelling structured narratives with many resources to build. Without important context or interrogation of the concept of a 'fat boy' to begin with, the book at its end feels incomplete and the speculation of future development from 2004 ring hollow. Weightier analysis is necessary.
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