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| Seed art - The Heights Theater |
This is a strange combination of movies, even for me. All I can say is blame it on the lists. Speaking of lists, I only have 8 more movies from the AFI list, 39 from the BBC list of 100 Best American films, 781 Oscar winners to watch (out of 1213). It's always good to have goals.
9/5/16 Dr. Strangelove, 1964, #39 AFI, National Film Registry, #42 BBC
Dr. Strangelove is yet another movie that I have watched before and didn't really get it or care for it, but wanted to watch again so I could write a fair review. I'm kind of glad I did. I think the reason I didn't get it the first time is because it is classified as a 'comedy', sometimes as a dark comedy. When I think of comedy, I think of Jerry Lewis or in 21st century terms, Bridesmaids, that is to say, thigh slapping, laugh out loud funny. I don't think that is Dr. Strangelove, and when I saw it more as satire, political commentary on the geopolitics of the time, then I appreciated it more. Peter Sellers was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his THREE roles in the film (he lost to Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, and looking back, I'm not even sure how that happened); he was Group Captain Mandrake, U.S. President Merkin Muffley and Dr. Strangelove. The rest of the cast is pretty amazing: George C. Scott is blustery, over the top general, General Buck Turgidson; Sterling Hayden is Brigadier General Jack Ripper who sets all of the events in motion through his extreme paranoia; Keenan Wynn is "Bat" Guano, an Army officer; Slim Pickens is Major "King" Kong, commander of the B-52 Stratofortress that is the instrument of doom. General Ripper has initiated the process to start a nuclear war with the U.S.S.R., setting the available bombers on paths to drop their payloads over the 'enemy'. The movie follows one bomber, led by Major Kong, as they try to check and double-check the protocols and code words, totally realizing the impending destruction; meanwhile, Group Captain Mandrake discovers that the code may not have been approved by the Pentagon and President and tries to deal with General Ripper. In his role as President Muffley, he tries to speak with the leader of the U.S.S.R. to defuse the situation and figure out the potential damage, and in doing so, he brings in an 'expert', in the form of Dr. Strangelove, a former Nazi, who has 'alien hand syndrome' which causes him to give the Nazi salute at the most inappropriate times. Stanley Kubrick directed and apparently used some interesting techniques to get the performances he wanted: he only gave Slim Pickens his scenes so he would totally play his role straight; he got Scott to be so outrageous by telling him those scenes weren't being filmed. Many of Kubrick's films are on my lists, some I have seen and others I will be seeing soon, and they seem to be different genres: action (Full Metal Jacket), science fiction (2001: A Space Odyssey), dystopian (A Clockwork Orange), horror/suspense (The Shining, you know I'm looking forward to that one), and I don't know if I have the words or the insight to give you an analysis of his work, but suffice it to say that he was one of the most influential directors of our time, along with Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder, they each have four films on AFI's top 100 list. If you are looking for a thigh slapping movie, I don't think this is it; but if you are looking for something that is funny, satirical, and strangely apropos (think if Donald Trump had the nuclear codes, this is what could happen), then this movie is for you.
9/7/16 The Gruffalo, nominated for Best Animated Short, 2010
If you are looking for something to watch with the kids, or something for them to watch on their own, you know, while you're trying to pay bills or whatever, I totally recommend The Gruffalo (in my head I kept hearing "Mark Ruffalo"), starring my favorite, Helena Bonham Carter as mama squirrel (sorry, as an animated squirrel), James Corden as Mouse, Tom Wilkinson as Fox, John Hurt as Owl and Robbie Coltrane as the Gruffalo. Mother Squirrel is trying to bring back an acorn for her family when she is harassed by a bird; this frightens her children, so she tells them a story about a little mouse who fends off various predators by creating an imaginary creature called a 'gruffalo'. It's a great story about a smaller, weaker creature outsmarting and outwitting bigger, scarier animals by using his mind. The film has a fun story that kids and parents can enjoy (it is based on the book by Julie Donaldson and Axel Scheffler), and I loved the animation. The gruffalo looked like it was inspired by Maurice Sendak's drawings. The winner this year was The Lost Thing which I liked quite a bit as I recall; otherwise, I think The Gruffalo should have won. I found The Gruffalo on Amazon Prime, and I think it was also on Youtube.
9/1/16 Gerald McBoing-Boing, Best Animated Short, 1950, National Film Registry
After you get done watching The Gruffalo, find Gerald McBoing-Boing on Youtube, it's only about 7 minutes long. Gerald is a little boy who can't speak with words, but makes the most fabulous noises: foghorns, whistles, beeps, anything you can imagine. Obviously, this isn't the best way to communicate in the real world, and he did have some challenges, until he met a man who could utilize his special talents, as a sound effects 'man' on the radio. The original story was written by Dr. Seuss, which you would probably figure out from the rhythm of the narration. The narrator is Marvin Miller whose voice may sound familiar as he was the voice of the PA announce in MASH, the voice in some Pink Panther segments, and the narrator for Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, among others. When kids struggle with where they fit in society and with their peers because they're 'different', this is good to watch; everyone fits somewhere and should be appreciated for their uniqueness. Go on, it's seven minutes of your life.
9/8/16 E.T The Extra Terrestrial, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, 1982, #24 AFI, National Film Registry, #91 BBC
E.T. came out in 1982, I was fifteen and earning my curmudgeon stripes at an early age. I saw this movie in the theater and have not seen it again until this past week when I decided to watch again and get it off of my lists. I didn't love it the first time, and I am so sorry, but I didn't love it this time either. I did really get into the last forty minutes of the movie, but the first hour left me disinterested. It's times like this that make me feel like my inner child is stuck in an alternate Dickensian universe where there is no joy. An alien spaceship lands in California and leaves one of its passengers behind (kind of like some parents leave their kids at the roadside gas station 'accidentally'). Anyway, this little being makes its way to the home of ten-year old Elliott and his family, including his mom (Dee Wallace), older brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and his little sister, Gertie (a five-year old Drew Barrymore). Adults, and anyone over 10, are portrayed as mean, idiotic or lacking imagination, or a combination. Over a brief period of time, Elliott and E.T. form a bond that becomes a physical type of empathy, Elliott feels what E.T. feels and vice versa. Eventually, the government (which consists of adults) discovers that E.T. exists and they try to take him away, but the symbiosis that it and Elliott have created has taken a toll, when E.T. falls ill. Of course, this is where I was interested and started caring. There are some incredibly iconic moments in the movie, Elliott flying on his bicycle with E.T.; E.T.'s glowing finger reaching out to Elliott; "Phone home", etc. The action in the last forty minutes did get my adrenaline pumping even though I remembered what was going to happen. The score by the great John Williams is electric and has some of his trademark flourishes. I think that the movie does still hold up thirty plus years later, not so much on the technology level (that within the movie and that used on the movie), but on the theme of alienation that Elliott feels, especially after his parents' divorce and how kids are with each other - brothers and sisters don't always get along, but they can come together when necessary, especially against adults, and our interest in alien life forms. So, while the entire movie still doesn't do a lot for me, I see how it can and does appeal to others.
9/10/16 Psycho, 1960 #14 AFI, National Film Registry, #8 BBC
Not gonna lie, I was dreading this movie, I even asked a friend if she would watch it with me. Turns out, I'm a big girl, and having watched several of Alfred Hitchcock's other suspense-filled movies, I realized I would be safe. Psycho is another iconic American movie; even if you have not seen the whole movie (like myself), you have probably seen the scene of Janet Leigh as Marion Crane in the shower getting stabbed. The movie is so much more than that, and it really does have such a great element of suspense; I can only imagine what audiences in 1960 thought as this psychological suspense movie played out in front of their eyes. It's possible I would have cried, well, maybe not cried. Marion Crane is real estate secretary who is entrusted with $40,000 in cash to be deposited in the bank, but instead she heads off to meet her boyfriend, Sam (John Gavin). Without spoiling anything, let's just say she doesn't make it. She stops to spend the night at the Bates Motel, run by Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) and his mother. Norman tries to engage Marion in conversation and seems very glad for her company. We never meet Norman's mother, but it's clear she has an influence on him. When Marion doesn't show up at her sister's house (played by Vera Miles), private investigator, Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam) is brought in to find her. So, even though the audience by this time knows what happened to Marion, the rest of the cast is still in the dark. And you will be too because I am not telling you the rest of the plot. What I will tell you is that Anthony Perkins is wonderfully creepy, but you still feel a little sorry for him, he seems so lonely and eager to make friends. Hitchcock does what he does so well and that is build the suspense with a story, and editing and camera angles. The acting isn't overdone, which I do think can happen in some of his films. I may have cheated because I watched the movie in broad daylight, so I didn't have the atmosphere of a dark theater and having to go to bed right after watching it, BUT I did watch it and I did enjoy it. I might even watch it again. It didn't win any Oscars, but it was nominated for a few: Best Director which Hitchcock lost to Billy Wilder for The Apartment, Best Supporting Actress for Janet Leigh and she lost to Shirley Jones in Elmer Gantry, and Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography.
9/10/16 Midnight Cowboy, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1969, #43 AFI, National Film Registry
I first watched Midnight Cowboy about ten years ago and hated it. I could not understand what was so great about it; my girlfriend's dad told me that at the time it was revolutionary in its content, it was originally rated X, mainly for its homosexual content. I suppose in the 21st century that is really not that revolutionary. Since I embarked on this project, I decided I wanted to re-watch to try and be fair in a review. I don't think that was necessary. I still didn't like it, although, I suppose I have a better appreciation for Dustin Hoffman's work as Ratso Rizzo (both he and Jon Voight were nominated for Best Actors in the film), but otherwise I probably could have spent those 90+ minutes cleaning. Jon Voight is Texan Joe Buck, a wannabe gigolo whose cowboy outfit seems to get him more attention in New York City's gay community. Joe Buck quickly finds himself out of his depth as he gets hustled by women and men alike. His only ally is Ratso Rizzo, a crippled hustler played by Dustin Hoffman. Directed by John Schlesinger, the movie uses flashbacks to suggest the kind of life that Joe Buck left, raised by a grandmother more concerned with her sex life than him; a girl, Crazy Annie, and I'm not sure what the hell was going on there. There are a lot of quick edits, giving a frenetic feeling to the movie. It is very much of the later 1960s, including members of Andy Warhol's entourage and the loose mores of that period. It was kind of like Shampoo; it may have been groundbreaking at the time, but for me, in this time, it doesn't hold up (sorry Roger Ebert, we have to disagree here). I did, and do, like the song that was used throughout the movie, sung by Harry Nilsson, "Everybody's Talkin' ". Personally, I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid should have won for Best Picture.
