The Skolney Blog

1996: For many of us burgeoning film fanatics in the 90s, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction was a core text. It made him our idol.  But there was another movie, one not directed by Tarantino, that was almost as big a deal to me, and that was From Dusk Til Dawn. This movie was a collaboration between Tarantino and fellow up and coming director Robert Rodriguez. Tarantino had just appeared in Rodriguez's Desperado, and done a little script work, too. Desperado was cool, so it was clear Rodriguez was on his way, too. FDTD was a very highly anticipated movie for me. I actually saw this twice in theaters. First, I convinced my mom to take me. That, uh, got a little awkward. Then I saw it with a couple similarly film geeky friends. I technically wasn't even 17 yet, so I don't know how I got in. This is a film that any 16 or 17 year old is certain to be intoxicated by. Violence, gore, nudity, it's all there.  The trailer made no secret that this becomes a vampir...

The Top 20 Best Films: 1. One Battle After Another The overwhelming frontrunner to win Best Picture, and deservedly so. Paul Thomas Anderson's best film since Magnolia. A funny, tense, passionate film with bravura filmmaking and an incredible cast.  2. Bob Trevino Likes It I watched this on streaming again just to make sure. Yep, cried again. An unbelievably sweet, empathetic film that nobody saw (but I kinda like that the film feels mine). Wonderful performances by the inimitable Barbie Ferreira and the never better John Leguizamo. 3. Thunderbolts One of the best MCU films this decade. Great ensemble, led by the peerless Florence Pugh, and touching on issues that you never see in a comic book film.  4. Sinners Ryan Coogler cashes in on his franchise successes with a massively entertaining and richly detailed drama that then turns into a fantastic vampire movie.  5. Predator: Badlands My favorite film in the series, which I never would have expected.  6. Mission Impo...

VIKINGS 16 PACKERS 3 The Vikings won their season finale Sunday, giving them 5 straight wins to end the season. Believe it or not, this means the Vikings have had at least a 5 game win streak every year of the KOC era.  Didn't feel like it, though. This was an empty win streak to end a wholly unsatisfying season.  This finale was a glorified preseason game. The Packers were locked into the 7th seed, so had absolutely nothing to play for, and played reserves, including 3rd string QB Clayton Tune.  JJ McCarthy was back for the Vikings after the fractured hand kept him out on Christmas. You figured this game would be a good chance for him to play well, given the competition. But we saw more of the same from him. There was a smattering of good plays, but mixed in with a bunch of bad throws, and a ridiculous taunting penalty. And in an almost comically fitting end to his season, it ended just after halftime when he left the game due to the same hand injury. Max Brosmer, in alm...

1995: By 1995, I was getting pretty well versed in film, but I didn't quite get the hoopla surrounding Heat, Michael Mann's epic modern crime drama, which was to mark the first time legendary actors Al Pacino and Robert Deniro would share the screen together. (They were both stars in Godfather 2 but shared no scenes) Honestly, I probably hadn't seen either of them in much by then. I knew OF them more by reputation, and hell, I was many years away from seeing a Godfather movie. I didn't see this in theaters. I was dissuaded by the long runtime (and at the time I had to convince my mom to take me to anything R). Boy I wish I had seen this on the big screen though. Pacino is the grizzled LA detective. Deniro is the hard boiled criminal. They're on a collision course once Deniro's crew (including Val Kilmer) robs an armored car. The plot specifics are cool, but almost incidental to why the film works. The shootout sequence later in the film is great beca...

In theaters: WICKED FOR GOOD I had pretty much the same reaction to this movie, which is essentially the 2nd half of one large movie if we're being honest, as I did to the first. It's solidly made and mostly well acted (but Taco Grande is way out of her depth when she has to be dramatic here), but I don't think it should be in contention for serious awards. And while I'm sure it's the same in the play, what a cop out ending.  AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH The spectacle is still there, but this 3rd Avatar film disappointed me. It didn't involve me on a story level, as some of the narrative choices in the previous film that I didn't like figure in here in a big way. I simply will never care about Stephen Lang and his son, the eternally annoying Spider. James Cameron can still stage an action sequence like nobody else, but even there, this movie's action is kind of just a rehash of the original's sky fight and the sequel's water fight. This is also the longe...

VIKINGS 23 LIONS 10 The Vikings hosted a Christmas Day game for the first time in over 30 years on Thursday, and after a season of giving out a lot of.coal, they pulled off one of the weirdest wins in recent memory, eliminating the fraudulent Detroit Lions from the playoffs in the process. How weird was it? Well, the Lions had more turnovers than the Vikings had net passing yards.  With JJ McCarthy probably done for the season, it was back to starting Max Brosmer for the first time since the Seattle debacle. And, I mean, I guess he wasn't as bad as he was in that game. He at least didn't turn the ball over, but between his inability to throw the football or avoid sacks, the Vikings had negative net passing yards until deep into the 4th quarter. Brosmer was 9 of 16 for 51 yards, playing behind an OL missing 3 starters, and without a couple offensive weapons available (Hockenson & Mason). How the hell did the Vikings beat the high-powered Lions with such putrid offense? Well,...