Colin Wessman

Shocktober: Day Shift

Day Shift

There are a lot of movies and TV shows about vampires. However, there are slightly less movies and TV shows about vampire hunters, one of which I had the pleasure of starring in alongside a fellow Mildly Pleaser. Day Shift seems to be somewhat aware of this, as it digs a little deeper into the specifics of the vampire hunter lifestyle than that of the actual vampires they spend their time killing. Still, the movie is ultimately less concerned with world-building than it is with constructing some gruesome, gun-slinging action sequences paired with a decent amount of buddy-comedy laughs. In the end, it’s a bit of an uneven grab bag of styles, but one that hits the spot if you’re in for some bloodsucking fun readily available on Netflix. Continue reading →

The Pick: The Transformers: The Movie

There wasn’t any specific tie-in or reason really for us to be talking about the 1986 animated Transformers movie, other than the fact that Sean and John bought the movie on blu-ray a while ago and have needed a reason to watch it. Regardless, it gives us an opportunity to talk about the history of the Transformers toys and cartoon show, and how this is such a weird-but-memorable extension of those ’80s childhood mainstays. Also discussed is the eclectic assortment of semi-household names featured in the movie’s cast as well as its undeniably rockin’ soundtrack. We’ve got the touch! Continue reading →

The Pick: In The Line of Fire

After a summer break from podcasting, we’re back with The Pick to talk about one of the more acclaimed movies directed by the recently departed Wolfgang Peterson, 1993’s In The Line of Fire. It’s a movie that somehow we had all not seen until now and that despite being nearly 30 years old, features a lot of characters inferring that Clint Eastwood is too old to be starring in movies. We get into plenty of Clint talk as well as how this pick reflects and plays against a lot of other movies in the actor/director’s filmography. Additionally, there’s an extended conversation about Baz Luhrmann’s delirious Elvis biopic that came out in theaters earlier this summer and is now available to stream. Continue reading →

Colin’s Favorite Albums of Summer 2022

As you may or may not have noticed, it’s been a little bit since I did one of my monthly album roundups. Some of this was due to Criterion Month taking up all of my attention on this blog in late June and all of July. Also, some of it was due to the fact that after a really great first half of the year for music, there haven’t been a ton of albums I loved that came out this summer. Still, there have been a few stand-outs, while I’ve also found myself unable to resist the charms of what will almost certainly come to be regarded as The Album of the Summer.

So as Memorial Day weekend beckons its call for the end of summer, let’s take a look back at some of my favorite albums of these past few sweltering months. Continue reading →

The People’s Bonus Album: Human Clay

We’re very close to finally breaching the Top 10 People’s Albums and I probably could’ve just skipped doing another bonus entry in order to keep moving forward. But, this is the most drawn-out countdown of all time, so of course I have to do another bonus entry so I can end this thing with an even 50. Also, this particular album is one that I was dreading whether I would have to eventually write about, but I’m choosing to bite the bullet and admit that me and this album have more of a history than I’d like to admit.

Album: Human Clay
Artist: Creed
Release Date: September 28, 1999
Copies Sold In The U.S.: 11.7 million

Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 29: Cold War

Cold War (2018)

As we close out this year’s Criterion Month, it seems that we’ve hit upon a theme that all of our last few movies share. Namely, we’ve been reviewing a lot of movies about relationships spread out over a long period of time, which allows us to see the ways in which time and the growth of these characters impacts their relationships. This is quite a literal aspect of the Before trilogy, as we see how the actors/writers’ experiences with love and the passage of time influenced the series. However, Love & Basketball, The Worst Person In The World, and today’s entry Cold War, also explore this same idea, as we see the ways in which people fall in love over the years, then out of love, and then re-enter each other’s lives in one way or another. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 26: Love & Basketball

Love & Basketball (2000)

Love & Basketball is one of those Criterion movies that you always love to see enter the Collection, since it is a bit more of a crowd-pleaser, if a very well-made one. It’s also the type of Criterion movie that we rarely review during these months since our fairly mainstream tastes mean we’ve probably seen something like a Love & Basketball. While I’m not sure there’s anything revolutionary about this movie, it’s impressive in that it manages to inhabit a few different genres and pretty much nails all of them. This is a romantic movie that is pretty romantic, a sports movie that’s often insightful and thrilling, and a coming-of-age movie that evokes those bittersweet emotions of finding your way in the world. You would think it would’ve immediately established director Gina Prince-Bythewood as a new reliable force in studio filmmaking, but of course, that’s never an easy path for a young woman in Hollywood. Continue reading →