Probably the best one out of the numbered ‘Mystery mixtapes’ volume 5 seems to get the balance of variety pretty solid and it keeps things chugging on at a good pace. Put it this way, out of all the numbered ones. This would be the one I’d show to Intro people to the concept.
Not *quite* as solid as the latterday mixtapes, this one likely helped set the mold for later entries, and I really enjoyed it!
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/agfa-mystery-mixtape-5-haunted-lives/
Q
Psychotropic, mind melting, VHS Vision.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/list/the-agfa-mystery-mixtapes-ranked/
Q
Psychotropic, mind melting, VHS Vision.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/list/the-agfa-mystery-mixtapes-ranked/
Another day, another ‘AGFA Mystery Mixtape’ and this one’s kind of middle of the pack for me. The framing device is a condensed ‘key scene’ version of the TV movie ‘North Star’ which we dip in and out of in between a handful pf movie ‘behind the scenes’ some commercials and random TV moments.
I feel this is a step above the first 2 mixtapes as it has a lot more variety and a much more ‘self aware’ editing style, which I really enjoyed. But, I feel like it’s a bit of a step back after ‘mix tape 3’ in terms of diversity and edit speed.
It’s fine enough, good background fodder. But not quite the ‘high point’ of these mystery tapes.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/agfa-mystery-mixtape-4-follow-your-own-star/
Q
Psychotropic, mind melting, VHS Vision.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/list/the-agfa-mystery-mixtapes-ranked/
Definitely a step in the right direction over the previous 2 mystery mixtapes. Volume 3 seems less oriented around the ‘behind the scenes’ of horror movies, and more interested in horror movie as a culture.
With the main framing being exerpts from the Universal horror awards (hosted by Robert Englund) we see here a much faster paced mixtape that’s more in line with the more recent offerings and showcases a much larger variety of clips ranging from old commercials, to parodies from comedy shows to even some public access materials.
I really enjoyed this one, even with it being a bit more ‘Freddy’ oriented tha I’d have liked, it’s definitely a much more solid offering and one I could absolutely see myself revisiting in future.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/agfa-mystery-mixtape-3-sequelitis/
Volume 2 of the AGFA Mystery Mixtape series still isn’t quite where I think the series should be, but is definitely taking a step in the right direction.
Here? We have an extended interview with Tim Burton (around the time ‘Batman Returns’ was released) as the framing to once again showcase extended behind the scenes footage from movies like ‘Life Force’ and ‘The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Coming out of their shells tour’.
Once again my criticisms are more or less the same, while this is VERY Likely to be fascinating for horror/Sci fi fans or just people interested in BTS work. I found it a little sluggish and slow going. Not unenjoyable, but I think a bit more variety would have gone a LONG way.
I will say on that note, there are at least signs of this happening as volume 2 features a lot more retro commercials and random cutaway bits…its early days, but hopefully volume 3 will really begin to lean into that a bit more.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/agfa-mystery-mixtape-2-later-in-la/
The first ‘AGFA Mystery Mixtape’ was a bit of a bumpy start to a series I really rather enjoy. Before the fast paced editing and rampant mind melting psychotropic look into the world of strange TV and cinema, we had this.
What is this? Well. Its basically 58 minutes where the ‘USA Up all night Bmovie awards’ act as a framing to showcase some rare extended snatches of behind the scenes footage from the ‘Reanimator’ films, ‘Don’t open till christmas’ and fangoria video issues with footage from conventions in the late 80s and interviews with the likes of wes craven, tobe hooper and Stuart Gordon.
It’s fine enough, but when I think of the mixtapes, this isn’t really what I want out of them. Like, it’s cool seeing all this rare footage. But I much prefer the editing style and tone of the later editions.
A bit pedestrian, this is almost certain to appeal to horror fans, and BTS followers. But people who like the weirder more demented editions, may want to look elsewhere.
source https://letterboxd.com/tytdreviews/film/agfa-mystery-mixtape-1/
Growing up, it felt like ‘Rocky 3’ and ‘Rocky 4’ were pretty much on constant rotation in my house, My dad was a huge fan of the series (we dont talk about Rocky 5 onwards…) But while 3 and 4 played endlessly, the first 2 films didnt get *quite* the same traction in our household as the latter two…Well, I hadnt watched ‘Rocky’ from start to finish since 2016, and the missus had NEVER seen ANY of the ‘Rocky’ movies, so it seemed like as good a time as ever to revisit them. And I honestly wasnt dissapointed in my life choices.
‘Rocky’ follows the sudden and unexpected rise of ‘Rocky Balboa’ a down on his luck ‘muscle’ for a loan shark who makes ends meet by boxing no league challengers with crazy names like ‘Spider Rico’ and ‘Boxcar Mike’. When the heavyweight world champion (and biggest America fan) Apollo Creed loses his headline fighter for a grand new years day heavyweight match, and there IS no suitable replacement from the leagues. Apollo hatches a crazy idea. A match that gives a non league fighter a chance at the top. lining up with the American ideology of it being ‘the land of the free’ and the place where anyone can do anything. After scouring the local listings, their finger lands on ‘The Italian Stallion’ (aka Rocky), and after an initial rejection. Rocky accepts setting the scene for an epic fight between a cocky and ‘in his prime’ heavyweight, to challenge a plucky, down on his luck ‘half bum’.
While this is the A-plot (technically) the REAL plot follows Rocky as he lives his day to day life in the slums of Philadelphia and the blossoming relationship he begins to have with a local Pet shop employee ‘Adrien’ who is ALSO related to Rockys best friend ‘Paulie’. and the ups and downs of living in a rundown American town at a time of hardship.
Right off the bat, one of the main things I HADNT noticed about this film on the last watch was just how blatently Autism and ADHD coded the whole film is. Both Rocky and Adrien are clear representations of different sides of the spectrum and their awkward, but ultimately sweet and genuine romance is probably the biggest indicator of that. Indeed, pretty much everyone in this film (to me at least) comes across as some flavour of autistic or ADHD coded. Whether its Rocky as a somewhat awkward, good hearted and at times almost childish lead, Adrien as a border non verbal, incredibly shy and physically awkward love lead, Apollo as a ‘million thoughts a minute’ ‘fake it till you make it’ over confident firecracker (ADHD blatently) or Paulie as a substance addicted ‘needs everything to be exactly as he needs it’ autistic who has meltdowns. Even Micky has some traits of it with bluntness and inappropriate social cues.
Realising this now, it makes a lot of sense WHY my dad (and me, and my partner) all REALLY loved this film growing up, its basically a love in for Neurodiverse people.
What I love most about ‘Rocky’, and the thing a lot of parodies of this franchise miss is that the boxing element, while a core element of the plot, is actually not really the point of this film. Its a drama about lost people trying to find their place in the world and most importantly, trying to find people who understand them and take them for their genuine self, not who people THINK they should be. Which I think is a wonderful variation on what could have been a fairly uncomplicated and uninteresting narrative.
Im going to be completely honest here, my criticisms for this movie are pretty minimal.
The script is probably the biggest gripe that I have, we have a clean cut 3 act structure here thats pretty nicely distributed, dialogue is arguably some of the most naturalistic and unserious dialogue I’ve heard in a VERY long time, but married up to that unseriousness is some ‘straight to the heart’ level genuiness on the part of Stallone, such as his 3rd act admission that he’s worried about losing, and worried about winning. and uncertain of what his future should or could be. these small moments where incredibly emotional concepts break through the discussions about turtle food and small talk on an ice skating rink hit the audience like a dagger and are probably the thing that makes me love this film so much.
The characters are all largely well rounded with complex and multi layered backstories that leave the audience feeling like they know this world intimately and the struggles all these characters have had up to this point.
My only criticism of this film is that the 2nd act is maybe just a *tiny* bit too long and slightly overpadded as a result. and that the ending is a little bit abrupt, and seems to almost undercut the intencity of the message of the film. I know that ‘Rocky 2’ goes some way to picking these missing threads up. But as a standalone film, i’d have left the theater with that ending feeling just a little bit dissatisfied honestly. These are however small gripes in the face of what is ultimately a rare thing in cinema these days, a personal and honest feeling script that actually has the budget and talent behind it to realise it in such a way that DOESNT feel like its cheap or trying to be something its not.
Direction and cine are pretty flawless, a STRIKING picture with clear creative vision that brings the slums of philly to life in border ‘smell-o-vision’ quality. I love the look of this film, I appreciate the rough around the edges, handheld nature of the cinematography, I feel like it pitch perfectly captures the spirit and period that was mid 70s philly. with a tremendous colour palette and scene structuring to boot. No notes on my end. I’d say its pretty flawless in what it wants to do, and does so pretty effortlessly.
That being said, another minor gripe I do have sits in the edit, which is that I dont feel like this movie is the most polished cut in the world. some sequences do feel a little ‘thrown together’ for lack of a better descriptive, and its a shame really because theres sunch brilliant footage captured, I feel like maybe just one more pass through would have really gotten it to the perfect sweet spot, maybe just a smidge more B-roll or some sequence reordering…I cant quite put my finger on it, but it just feels a little bit messy to me at times.
Performance wise, Sly is…interesting. Im going to level with you, I dont think he’s a particularly fantastic actor, and here I wouldnt even go as far as to say he’s good, especially when he’s surrounded by such unblemishable talent as Burgess Meredith, Burt Young and Talia Shire (who for the record ARE absolutely incredible in this film and bring a lifeblood to this production that I sincerely believe NO other cast could have)
But what Sly lacks in physical presence and acting ability (I always thought he’d make an excellent ‘Frankensteins monster’) He more than makes up for with genuiness and sincerity. I might not believe his perforamance here at all, but I can DAMN well believe he’s lived this life or an approximation of it. and that heart and believability trumps any kind of actual acting ability he may (or may not) have been able to bring to the table.
Throw in a superb soundtrack that perfectly suits the tone and pitch of this film and is edited near flawlessly into the picture. and I honestly have very little else to say about this that hasnt been said by people much better and much closer to this than me.
‘Rocky’ has earned its ‘Classic’ status for a good reason, its an underdog picture that, much like its lead character, came from nothing and went on to take on the big leagues, challenging audiences and ultimately (and rightfully) earning the recognition it rightfully deserved. I had a blast with Rocky, its a lot more amusing than I remembered it being all those years ago, and if you havent seen it in a while, or havent seen it at all, I definitely recommend checking, not just this one, but the entire series (up to part 4) out!
After a few days of seeing random clips from this movie floating around on my ‘For You Page’ on TikTok, I finally caved and myself and the missus sat down to watch ‘The Founder’ A…lets just say less than entirely truthful drama depicting the relationship between Dick and Mac Mcdonald and travelling salesman Ray Kroc.
In the film we see Ray trying and failing to sell milkshake mixers to ‘Drive in’ Restaurants. That is until he meets the Mcdonalds brothers, who give Kroc a tour of the restaurant and its unique ‘at the window’ delivery service.
Fascinated, Kroc tries everything in his power to join the brothers in taking Mcdonalds mainstream and cross country…Something the Mcdonald brothers are reluctant to do, but ultimately give Kroc a shot at…Leading to rising tensions between the humble country folk. who wanted their restaurant to reflect high quality food and efficiency. Vs Krocs vision for Mcdonalds to form a kind of ‘founding pillar of the community’ across the country or even..THE WORLD!?
Almost immediately after watching the film, I was left with a sense of wanting to know just how accurate the movie was vs real life events and it seems like while most of the first act is accurate, from the second act to the finish that ‘Dramatization’ label really starts taking some heavy lifting.
This reddit post is probably the most enlightening –
www.reddit.com/r/FoodHistory/comments/zef1ut/after_research_i_now_know_the_founder_2016_was/
But for folks who dont like to read too much:
*The film portrays the McDonalds brothers as semi eccentric, hard working and dedicated to their beliefs brothers, when the reality is by the time Kroc was involved in them, they’d already kind of made the money they wanted and were just happy to slip shortly into retirement with the earnings they had.
*The film depicts the brothers as being stuckfast in their ways, refusing to sign off on any changes Kroc suggests as it went against their beliefs. When the reality was the brothers were basically just really bad at communicating, and didnt want the trouble of having to review/sign anything off…So they were consistently passive to Kroc.
*The Speedee system shown in this film is showcased as some kind of revolutionary invention created by the Mcdonalds brothers. But very similar systems were already in place at ‘White Castle’ some 2 decades before this movie picks up.
*The 2nd act largely revolves around Kroc attempting to get a milkshake powder subsitute into restaurants, rather than using fresh milk and ice cream to save on production time and electrical costs, which the Mcdonald brothers are horrified by. In reality, non of that actually happened.
*In the 3rd act theres a moment where, on a handshake, Kroc agrees to pay the Mcdonald brothers 1% of all profits made in perpetuity from Mcdonalds as part of a proposed sale. Which the film then shows him never fulfilling. In reality the Mcdonald brothers only mentioned the alleged ‘deal’ YEARS after it was alleged to have even taken place, one Mcdonalds had really truely taken off and was making serious cash. Kroc and witnesses to where the alleged meeting took place all denied that agreement ever happened. and its now largely considered the case that the brothers had become quite bitter about recieving 1 million dollars (equivilent to 10 million in todays money) for the rights to their business that, by that time was earning hundreds of millions. The film also fails to note that to pay the brothers 2 million, Kroc ended up going nearly 10 million (in 1950’s money) into debt because he had to take out multiple loans and credit cards to pay them.
While I dont think these facts really change my perceptions of the film perse (Im still firmly of the belief that Ray Kroc was a petty ‘drunk on power’ and VERY nefarious buisiness man) It does somewhat concern me to see folks treating this dramatisation as the gospal on what happened. When the reality seems less like ‘Shrewd door to door salesman becomes corrupt and evil and ruins two brothers dreams sending them to an early grave’ and more like ‘Two old farts who didnt know they were onto a good thing inadvertently enable a narcissist into a position of power, are checkmated into selling their business in a VERY arseholey way, and then get kind of bitter when the thing they were never going to do anyway suddenly becomes a multi BILLION dollar empire’.
but enough about history, the film. Which I really liked! The scripts nice and punchy, the act structuring is really well balanced and at just shy of 2 hours it REALLY didnt feel it! The tone is a wonderful work of contrast balancing some sincere and gentle comedy moments with some genuinely impactful soul crushing drama. I thought the dialogue was rock solid with some real nice and genuine pieces that I felt managed to be VERY believable with just the right side of polish to it.
The ‘characters’ while not entirely accurate to their real life counterparts, were very engaging, had a strong sense of depth and complexity to them with even side characters feeling very nicely fleshed out. Most crucially of all, all the character FEEL natural within the world the makers are building, noone feels ‘off’ or out of touch with the vibe. its just a very solid attempt at 50s recreation that works REALLY well.
If I had any criticism, I think the depiction of Krocs fall from hopeless door to door salesman to cartoonish villain is a little steep, it would have been nice to have maybe seen a more gradual slip into Kroc losing his morality while chasing the bottom line. I appreciate however that they had a lot to cram into not a whole lot of time. But I still think a more gradual shift from the off would have been a better feeling outcome, as; as it stands, Kroc seems to go from ‘George Bailey’ to ‘Frank Shirley’ in the space of about half an hour in the 2nd act.
other than that its pretty much a clean sweep for me in every other regard, the direction and cine are superb, clean crisp and striking visuals that very much capture that nice contras that occured in the mid 50s, where seedy smokey back room offices were crashing up against ‘The new generation’ and the colourful, clean and vibrant aesthetic the mid 50s to mid 60s would unleash. I feel like John Lee hancock excels in reallly getting to the heart of the story he wants to tell and the ends results are a riveting visual piece that kept me firmly in my seat from start to finish.
The soundtrack, a hybrid of swelling orchestral pieces and jukebox hits of the 50s again is period perfect for this kind of movie and really gets utilised well. Though a critique I will offer here is that, it isnt anything new or different to what any other kind of ‘based on a true story’ style drama does. and as such, while its consistent and well handled. It isnt anything new and does kind of fall into the trap of being a little bit ‘stuffy’ ultimately.
And the performances are really the main reason to check this film out honestly, Michael Keaton is a tour de force here as Ray Kroc breathing life to the character that I feel would have been significantly lesser in the hands of any other actor. Keatons ruthless, relentless and at times genuinely unlikeable as ‘The Founder’ of the Mcdonalds corporation. But its a great dual role, because not only does he get to play the ‘ruthless businessman’ but it also shows the determination Kroc as a character had on the ‘up’ when he would essentially LIVE at the Mcdonalds restaurant he was trying to establish, emptying trash bins and flipping burgers with the employees. Keaton plays it wonderfully giving an all round performance that really gives him some meaty work and versitility to work with.
Not to leave out Nick Offerman or John Carol Lynch as the Mcdonald brothers, who are essentially character pieces (and not much of a stretch for Offerman), but thats not to do them a disservice, because they play the parts really well, match Keatons energy blow for blow and deliver not only some of the more lighthearted and entertaining moments in the film, but also some of the more tragic and depressing moments. they’re both superb and I could have easily just watched a movie with these two trying to found the first restraurant.
That ALSO isnt to downplay the supporting cast, with AMAZING turns from Laura Dern, B.J Novak, Linda Cardellini Griff Furst and Andrew Benator. This is as tight a casting as they come and I honestly dont think there was a bad performance in the lot.
‘The Founder’ is a great work of drama that had me enthralled from start to finish. I hadnt intended to watch it all the way through as I had other work to do that night, but it was just such an entertaining and engaging work that, while I said id ‘just sit and catch 10 minutes…’, when the credits rolled I was genuinely surprised to find myself still in my seat. While I dont think i’d say it was an ‘essential’ watch, I would recommend it. if you have an interest in docu-dramas or ‘rags to ritchs’ style stories, I think you’ll really like this one.
TYTD Reviews 