Belated anniversary posting - Mister Rogers, The Quiet Man, From Here to Eternity, Night of the Living Dead

Before I launch into the reviews, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the 6th anniversary of the blog. I should have compiled some statistics, but failing any accurate count, I can safely say I have blogged about over 1,000 movies: full length, short, documentary, science fiction, award winners and losers, wonderful films and not so wonderful films. I have around 728 Oscar winners left to watch; two left from the BBC list (down to one after this writing); one left on the American Film Institute list; and 486 on the National Film Registry. At times, it seems insurmountable, other times it feels like I'm making great strides. So, without further ado, let's make some great strides.

7/21/18 Won't You Be My Neighbor, 2018, not yet nominated

After watching Won't You Be My Neighbor, the documentary on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and its creator, Fred Rogers, left me with a greater appreciation for the man and his care, insight and sincerity in working with children. It was almost a crusade, and that's not meant in a negative way; he truly believed that children deserve to be treated with respect and not talked down to with the typical condescension found in children's programming. Mr. Rogers broke all kinds of barriers (the episode where he cools his feet in a wading pool and invites Officer Clemmons (black actor Francois Clemmons) to join him, it spoke volumes in a country struggling with the Civil Rights Movement. Rogers and his puppets addressed other issues in a way children could understand. There was a period of time when it was fashionable to mock Mr. Rogers, I mean, nobody could be that good and kind, could they? And while our world has moved at a crazy pace, and it's common for children to watch shows with violence, sex, swearing, innuendo, and maybe Mister Rogers would be out of place in 2018, I'd like to think he wouldn't be. I think Fred Rogers and the Land of Make Believe is sorely missed. Won't You Be My Neighbor is worth watching for the insights from the actors, the crew and his family.

8/26/18 From Here to Eternity, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing - Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography (B&W), Best Film Editing, Best Sound, National Film Registry, 1953

We have all probably seen the scene of Burt Lancaster rolling in the surf with Deborah Kerr, but there is so much more to From Here to Eternity than that. Set in Hawaii in the weeks leading up to Pearl Harbor, the movie follows three men and their struggles and challenges in the same Army company. Lancaster is First Sergeant Warden, an efficient, cool, tough leader, who has no desire or love for commissioned officers; he does have a desire for the wife of his captain, Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr). Montgomery Clift is Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a man who does things for his own reasons, including take a demotion and taking abuse from others in his company for refusing to box on the regimental team. Frank Sinatra is Maggio (Sinatra won the Best Supporting Actor for his role), a seemingly happy go lucky private, who is Prewitt's only friend. Maggio takes Prewitt to a private club off base where Prewitt meets Lorene (Donna Reed in her Oscar-winning role); Lorene and her co-workers are paid to dance and socialize with the members, but they start seeing each other. In addition to the leading actors, the cast is filled with actors in smaller roles that would go on to become stars themselves: Ernest Borgnine as Fatso, a sergeant who gives Maggio a hard time for being Italian and sets in motion one of the key plot points; Jack Warden; George Reeves (televison's Superman); and Claude Akins. Nineteen fifty-three was a great year for films (Shane, The Robe, Stalag 17, Roman Holiday), and I can't imagine having to pick winners from those films and the others of that year, and I have found that looking back, sometimes there's more hype than quality. I would not say that here. I really enjoyed the different story lines in the film, and the characters; the more I watch of Burt Lancaster, the more I love him; and Sinatra seemed like a natural for Maggio. I'm glad I finally watched it.

8/26/18 Ant-Man and The Wasp, not yet nominated, 2018

Well, like I told a couple of my friends, it was okay, not great; I didn't feel compelled to tell people they HAD to see it, like I did for Wonder Woman or Black Panther. The story line is not even worth me trying to recount to you; it did sort of answer some questions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, sort of. The 'big' thing is this is the first Marvel movie to have a female superhero in the title (why that wasn't the Black Widow, I don't know). The science and the cinematography are very well done, and there's some funny quips. Maybe because I was so shocked that I liked the first Ant-Man so much, I just felt a little let down.

8/26/18 The Quiet Man, Best Director, Best Cinematography, 1952, National Film Registry

In The Quiet Man John Ford directs John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in one of their several collaborations, and won an Oscar for it. It's definitely not the typical John Wayne Western, being set in rural Ireland in the 1920s, and Wayne is retired boxer Sean Thornton who has returned to the land of his parents. Thornton makes a big impression on the locals, including Mary Kate Danaher (O'Hara), but most of them do not know who he is. It's not really a boxing movie or a farming movie, it's romantic comedy, complete with misunderstandings and romantic subterfuge. Danaher is an independent, spitfire of a woman, who battles her brother, Squire Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen) as well as Thornton. I don't think there's anything very deep or sophisticated in the story itself, it's just enjoyable to watch O'Hara and Wayne go head to head, and there is a comedic aspect to the film, especially from Barry Fitzgerald as Michealeen Flynn. The scenery and cinematography are beautiful, and I almost felt compelled to book a trip to Ireland.

9/1/18 Night of the Living Dead, 1968, BBC #85, National Film Registry

I have not made any secret  of the fact that I really do not like horror movies, and after watching cult-classic Night of the Living Dead that hasn't changed. For one horrific night, all over America, dead people are coming back to 'life' or a state of animation, and killing and eating other people. Mmmm, delish. George Romero directed the first in his series of zombie movies on a small budget, with several actors playing multiple roles, and pretty minimal effects (compared to what we are used to in horror movies). Set in western Pennsylvania, brother and sister, Johnny and Barbra, are visiting their father's grave when a strange man comes towards them; he grabs Barbra when Johnny comes to her rescue (a noble, but fatal decision). Barbra runs off towards a house where she meets Ben. Ben is determined to fight off the zombies, even as he tries to engage Barbra in their own survival. They discover there are other people hiding in the house, and there are different ideas as to how to defeat or escape the zombies. I am certainly not going to spoil it for you. It was scary, suspenseful and gross and gory. If that's your thing, you have probably seen it already. I am just so thrilled it is off the lists.

Oscar noms are out and I have so much work to do: Darkest Hour, The Greatest Showman

1/7/18 Darkest Hour, nominated Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, 2017

Winston Churchill is one of the most confounding personalities of World War II, or maybe even the first half of the twentieth century. I say this not just after watching Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman as Churchill, but after reading a biography of his wife, Clementine Churchill. Churchill was in charge of one of the most devastating failures of World War I, Gallipoli, and it was a long road to regain the faith of his party, Parliament and the British people. This is important to understand the film, because it references it several times as Churchill's enemies try to dislodge him from his role as Prime Minister. Joe Wright directs this occasionally claustrophobic film, set in the Cabinet War Rooms, that were located underground, and from where Churchill directed the war. The timeframe for the film is the week or two leading up to the evacuation of Dunkirk, and Churchill's constant battles with former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Ronald Pickup) and Viscount Halifax (Stephan Dillane). Churchill can be vitriolic and immovable in his manner, which is tempered by his unflaggingly faithful wife, Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas) (who played a significant role during the war, not covered here, due to scope creep only, I'm sure). Oldman is terrific as Churchill, and he's barely recognizable under the makeup; he captured the power of Churchill's oratory, especially in his last speech, when even Chamberlain is forced to admit defeat. I would suggest watching Darkest Hour and then Dunkirk, and then reading Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell, which provides great insight into Mrs. Churchill, but also Churchill himself.

Photos from the Cabinet War Rooms in London

1/7/18 The Hero, not nominated, 2017
Okay, here's a quick review because nominations just came out and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I saw a clip for The Hero starring the mellifluous voice of Sam Elliott (well, all of him, but you know his voice best of all), and the reviews were great, and it was at Sundance, and I thought perhaps Elliott would be nominated for an Oscar. Well, as I found out today (and guessed after watching the movie), there were no nominations forthcoming. Elliott is Lee Hayden, an actor who hasn't done a lot lately, smokes way too much pot with his fellow actor buddy and drug dealer, Jeremy (Nick Offerman), when he meets Charlotte (Laura Prepon) who is buying drugs from Jeremy. There's a lot of existential angst as Lee deals with his mortality and his damaged relationship with his daughter, Lucy (Krysten Ritter). I wanted to care, but I couldn't.

1/20/18 The Greatest Showman, Nominated Best Original Song, 2017
Faithful readers (raise your hands) may remember my review of last year's multi-nominated film, La La Land was less than enthusiastic. It just didn't move me, in spite of all the hype. In The Greatest Showman, my response was the absolute opposite. I loved the music ("This is Me" is nominated for Best Original Song); I thought the set designs were gorgeous; the message was powerful and positive; Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum was a force, and yet, only one Oscar nomination. I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of the film and Barnum's life or the beginnings of his circus, but this isn't necessarily about history, it's about people, and being different, and an outsider, and finding strength in being unique. Sure, it sounds heady and perhaps a little overreaching for a musical, and maybe I'm buying the hype, but I am not the only one. One of my movie friends saw it with me for the second time (I missed out original date with a yucky cold) and she loved it just as much. Michelle Williams is Charity Barnum, P.T.'s supportive and tolerant wife; Zac Efron is Phillip Carlyle, Barnum's partner, whose goal is to bring in more highbrow clientele. Of course, there are a few bumps in the road: people in the city don't like 'the freaks' and get violent and hostile; Barnum sees dollar signs when he brings Swedish singer, Jenny Lind to America for a tour, but loses sight of what's important; Carlyle and Anne (Zendaya) face the racism of Carlyle's family. All of these obstacles are overcome with nary a swear word, no bloody bodies and no uncontrolled sex, making it the perfect PG movie for family night. I'm glad I saw this on the big screen, and I urge you to go before it's gone.

Rope, A League of Their Own, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Woman of the Year

9/8/17 Rope, 1948

Rope isn't on any of my lists, which kind of surprised me, at first, but after watching it, I guess I'm not. Two things intrigued me about it; one was the subject matter, which was loosely based on the killers Leopold and Loeb; the other was the way director Alfred Hitchcock filmed it. First, the two main characters are based on Leopold and Loeb who killed fourteen year-old Bobby Franks in 1924. Brandon and Phillip are 'roommates' (the homosexual subtext is very subtle) in a very swanky New York City apartment, and as the movie opens they are murdering David, a former classmate of theirs. The rest of the movie is Brandon and Phillip (mostly Brandon) trying to carry off a dinner party with the body of David in the same room in a chest; Brandon (John Dall) is smug and pompous, and poor Phillip (Farley Granger) is a bundle of nerves, snapping at Brandon and other guests, including their former housemaster, Rupert (James Stewart), as well as David's father, aunt and girlfriend. The acting was horrible, a lot of overacting; Stewart was the only one who didn't annoy me. Dall was almost a caricature. The other thing about watching this movie that is not on a single list was that I read Hitchcock filmed this with longer takes than usual, some of them going seven and a half minutes or longer, and I guess I thought that would be interesting. It didn't really help. So, I don't know, but what's done is done.

9/9/17 A League of Their Own, 1992 National Film Registry

I saw A League of Their Own when it opened in theaters 25 years ago, and every one in a while I catch it on television, but for a fresh perspective, I watched with some friends last weekend. I love this movie: it's got baseball, women playing baseball, humor, history, and some good acting. It's a cast of stars, and new and unknown actors directed by Penny Marshall. During World War II, women stepped into formerly male-dominated fields, like factory work and baseball. Yep, baseball. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a real thing from 1943 - 1954, with teams scattered throughout the Midwest, and the movie focuses on the Rockford Peaches and the Racine Belles. The movie opens in current day (1988 to be exact) as Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) reluctantly prepares to head east for a reunion with former players of the AAGPBL. As she heads to the airport, the movie goes back to 1943 and Oregon, where she and her kid sister, Kit, play fast pitch softball for the local dairy team. A wise-cracking, somewhat insulting scout, Ernie Capadino, (played by Jon Lovitz) wants Dottie to try out for this new league started up by Walter Harvey (based on Philip Wrigley; played by Garry Marshall); Dottie isn't interested, but Kit is desperate for the chance. No Dottie, no Kit, so Dottie agrees to go. Capadino drops the girls off at Harvey Field where around 100 girls are trying out for the four teams. Here is where we meet Doris (Rosie O'Donnell) who cannot be quiet to save her life, always with the wisecrack and her pal, Mae (Madonna) among others. Dottie, Kit, Doris, Mae and several others are on the Rockford Peaches. As they practice baseball skills, they are also put through etiquette classes, including grooming, eating, and walking. They may be baseball players, but they are also women, and there are still certain expectations and requirements. You can't have a baseball team without a manager, and the Peaches don't stretch too hard to find one, pick Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), a drunk, washed up ballplayer, who is less than thrilled about girls playing baseball. Eventually Jimmy sobers up, and takes an interest in the team; the scene where he fights with Dottie over giving signs to the bewildered Marla is one of the funniest in the movie. The movie follows the first season, as the league builds momentum and popularity, on one hand, 'selling' the sex appeal of the women (who play in skirts) to the men; but also inspiring young girls. Throughout the film, Kit and Dottie have a typical big sister/little sister rivalry, which usually doesn't end well for Kit (Kit is a pitcher and Dottie is the catcher, which can also have its prickly points); the rivalry boils over when Kit is pulled from a game, and she blames Dottie when she is later traded to the Racine Belles. There is more that goes on, but if you've seen it, you know, and if you haven't seen it, I don't want to ruin it for you. I really love pretty much everything about the movie.

9/10/17 Woman of the Year, 1942 Best Original Screenplay, National Film Registry

I'm sure I'm committing some kind of blasphemy or someone is going to say I'm really missing the point, but I hated Woman of the Year. I understand that movies made seventy years ago have a different perspective, a different reality, and that society was different - I get that, and a lot of times, I can overlook that, and watch a movie 'in its time'. Not here. Katherine Hepburn as Tess Harding is a liberated, educated and opinionated woman, which are normally characteristics I love and admire, but she is also incredibly self-involved and annoying as hell. I'm not sure how Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) puts up with her, or why. Tess and Sam are writers at The New York Chronicle, Sam covers sports and Tess covers world events, hobnobbing with politicians of the day; they have a spat and are ordered by their editor to make up. They do more than that, they fall in love, despite a bumpy start. I really felt bad for Sam, who gets run over by Tess. It was directed by Oscar-winning director, George Stevens (Giant, Diary of Anne Frank, Shane) and written by Ring Lardner, Jr. (MASH, Cincinnati Kid) and Michael Kanin. I found it shrill. This was the first collaboration between Tracy and Hepburn, and not one of their best I'm afraid.

9/10/17 The Charge of the Light Brigade, 1936, Best Assistant Director

It turns out that this is the first of several movies I will watch over the next few weeks featuring Olivia de Havilland, and one of a handful of movies to ever get a nomination and Oscar for Best Assistant Director. The Charge of the Light Brigade is based on the poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, which was based on a battle during the Crimean War; for those of you with a more populist leaning, it may be familiar to you through Alfalfa's recital in a Little Rascals episode. Errol Flynn stars as Major Geoffrey Vickers of the Light Brigade who is stationed in India; his brother, Captain Perry Vickers, is also stationed there, as well as their love interest (their, unknowingly to Geoffrey), Elsa (Olivia de Havilland). The fort/town where the 27th Lancers are stationed is brutally attacked by the Russians and their allies, led by the treacherous Surat Khan; Vickers survives to fight another day, which ultimately is to lead his men in the charge of the Light Brigade to avenge his friends. In addition to starring Flynn and de Havilland, the movie features David Niven, Nigel Bruce, and Donald Crisp. Both major battle scenes are pretty intense, but the last one featured dozens of horses which, according to Wikipedia, experienced extremely dangerous and fatal conditions (Errol Flynn protested to the director Michael Curtiz, to no avail). The 1930s seem to be a time where movies celebrate the rise of the British Empire like The Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Gunga Din, but sometimes they don't translate so well into the 21st century. I liked Flynn in this role, I thought the whole love triangle thing was unnecessary (but I usually do). This isn't a must-see by any stretch.

Last of 2016 winners The Salesman, along with Alice in Wonderland and Saving Private Ryan

8/11/17 The Salesman, Best Foreign Film, 2016

It took me so long to watch The Salesman, I think I had it at my house for over a month (ugh) and I wish I could say me delay or wait was rewarded with an inspiring or moving film...and I wasn't. The Salesman was surrounded by controversy because it was an Iranian film and the President of the United States (god that makes me gag) signed an order banning citizens from Iran and six other Muslim countries, and director Asghar Farhadi threatened not to attend (and he did not). In 2012, Farhadi's film A Separation won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (I liked A Separation much more than this film). The main characters are Emad and Rana, a married couple who are acting together in a production of Death of a Salesman, which is supposed to act as a frame for the film. Rana is raped by an unknown assailant, and in addition to the stigma of being raped, Rana has to deal with Emad trying to find her rapist. I found the utilization of the play to be a distraction and unnecessary to tell the story. I didn't think this was the best foreign film of the nominees, I think Land of Mine, A Man Called Ove or Tanna were better. 

8/19/17 Alice in Wonderland, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, 2010

Tim Burton makes movies that are wonderful to look at, sometimes he makes movies that are also fun to watch, and Alice in Wonderland is one such movie. The visual components are so striking that they can overwhelm the story, but I don't think that's true here, it's close, but the Lewis Carroll's story of that impertinent Alice and her friends in Wonderland is engaging, with fun and sometimes nonsensical dialog. Mia Wasikowska is Alice; Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter, decidedly over the top, eccentric and definitely mad; Helena Bonham Carter (one of my favorites) is the tantrum-prone Red Queen; Anne Hathaway is the White Queen; Crispin Glover is the Knave (Jack) of Hearts the late Alan Rickman is the Caterpillar; Stephen Fry is the Cheshire Cat; and that's just some of the cast. I will admit that sometimes I get distracted trying to keep track of who is doing what voice, but that's not just for this movie. Alice is desperately unhappy about the imminent proposal of Hamish Ascot to be his lovely, quiet and well-behaved wife, and she is lucky to escape down the rabbit hole where she meets the above mentioned cast of characters and has many mind altering adventures. The actors seem perfect matches for their roles; it's hard to imagine anyone else but Johnny Depp as the Hatter or Rickman as the voice of Absolem. I think Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton were made for each other. If you're looking for a family night movie, and you haven't seen this in a while, or at all, I recommend making a double feature with this and Alice through the Looking Glass which did not fare as well critically, but I liked it.

Alice in Wonderland display at Minnesota State Fair 2017

Alice in Wonderland display at Minnesota State Fair 2017

8/19/17 Saving Private Ryan, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Cinematography, Best Director, 1998, #71 AFI, National Film Registry

Here's another film that I'm a little behind the times on, like twenty years or so, but in fairness to me, I have tried on and off for the past three years to watch it, but either the DVD wouldn't play or some other reason. Anyway, the good news for YOU is that I finally watched it and it's off of three lists. BAM! Being serious for a second, I felt more compelled to watch Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg, after my disappointment with Dunkirk. I definitely got what I was hoping for in this case. The movie opens with US forces landing on Omaha Beach as part of the D-Day invasion in Normandy, France. Tom Hanks stars as Captain Miller of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, Tom Sizemore as Sergeant Horvath, and a cast of familiar faces, including Giovanni Ribisi, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper and Vin Diesel. The first 27 minutes are incredibly intense and chaotic and you get some small (very small) sense of what it was like to be on that beach. It was interesting to read some of Spielberg's comments about how he decided to film those shots. Once the men get to relative safety, Captain Miller is given another assignment, to find Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), who has been airdropped but nobody is sure where he is, and bring him back so he can be sent home. This is in response to his three brothers being killed in action. The movie follows Miller and his hand-picked team as they move across France, encountering different obstacles along the way; almost like Odysseus and his men. Spielberg paints a pretty horrific picture of battle, nothing is sugar-coated, men, boys really, cry out for the moms as they are dying on the battlefield; men vomit with nerves, seasickness; death is not some peaceful endeavor, although it gives a permanent respite to the bullets and bombs. The acting was more of an ensemble piece as opposed to a starring vehicle, even though Hanks was probably the biggest name in the cast, and Damon doesn't show up until over an hour into the movie, but you really needed all of the different characters to tell the story. I'm glad I finally watched it, and not just because of the lists.

National Film Registry - Looney Tunes, Frank Capra's Why We Fight, Greed

National Film Registry

7/15/17 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

I watched a few Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, you have probably seen at least the first two. 

One Froggy Evening, 1956
You may recall One Froggy Evening: a man, down on his luck, finds a frog...a frog who can sing. Hoping to make his fortune, he takes the frog to different agents or theater people, only to have the frog stubbornly refuse to sing. The man opens his own production, promising free beer to his all male audience (this doesn't seem kid friendly, does it?), and still the frog refuses. That's pretty much how it goes. It's funnier than my little explication may lead you to believe.

What's Opera, Doc?, 1957

"Kill the Rabbit, Kill the Rabbit" as sung by Elmer Fudd in full opera regalia is possibly one of the most memorable scenes from What's Opera, Doc? This may encourage you to give opera a try. Elmer and Bugs Bunny are antagonists until they become lovers...? What? Yeah, opera is funny that way. It's clever in its incorporation of opera, and it has a 'tragic' operatic ending. It's only seven minutes long and I've probably told you too much.

Porky in Wackyland, 1938

Porky in Wackyland is probably very innovative in several ways, its animation techniques, maybe the concept. I really didn't like it; it seemed stupid and annoying. It's very surreal and has a thin (to me) story line of Porky hunting a rare bird, and he goes through these strange and exotic locales. Eh. Two out of three isn't bad.

Luxo, Jr., 1986

Luxo, Jr. was the second animated short from Pixar, and its first to receive an Oscar nomination. Luxo, Jr. was a small desk lamp that is trying to play with a larger lamp, but seems to be annoying it. The smaller lamp, which had the characteristics of a little kid, was 'kicking' a ball, and bouncing it, and ultimately, deflating it. This brings a 'look' of disapproval from the 'older' lamp. The film was only two minutes long, but it was paired with the first Toy Story and went on to have a significant impact on animated films for years.

Duck and Cover, 1951

If I was reviewing this short film a year ago, funded by the Federal Civil Defense Administration and released shortly after the end of the Korean Conflict, it would be a 'fun' piece of nostalgia from the early nuclear age. Unfortunately, it seems eerie as we seem on the brink of some kind of pissing contest between the US and North Korea that may or may not involve nuclear armaments. 

Let's All Go to the Lobby, 1957

This may be the shortest 'film' on any list at 38 seconds. It's a commercial for the concession stands at movie theaters. Let me put this earworm in your head "Let's all go the lobby, let's all go the lobby" (imagine dancing popcorn boxes and cups of soda). 

8/8/17 Greed, 1924 #22 BBC and National Film Registry

Directed by Erich von Stroheim, Greed tells the tale of love: love of money and romantic love, but mostly love of money, and how it can destroy one's humanity. According to Wikipedia, the original version of Greed was seven hours long...seven hours. He was forced to edit it down to a little over two hours (which is the version I watched); there is a restored version, but that is still only about 3 1/2 hours ('only'). The story is about McTeague, Trina and Schouler; an unholy trinity; originally Schouler and Trina are engaged, but somehow and for some reason, Schouler lets McTeague date Trina, and they get married. Trina has also bought a lottery ticket, which is a winner, but instead of sharing the money, or at least spending the money, she keeps it away from McTeague, who, in turn, gets violent with her. Schouler thinks he should get some of the money since he was engaged to Trina at the time she purchased the lottery ticket. Schouler and McTeague are not very likeable, but Trina is unlikeable and very creepy; you can almost see the greed eating away at her soul, and I'm not exaggerating. It's an age old story, and Stroheim tells it to great effect. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but the film itself is a piece of cinematic history that might make a great movie one day.

8/11/17 Why We Fight, 1943-1945

Like Duck and Cover, my timing in watching this collection of documentary/propaganda films was unintentionally prescient given the events of the past weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. Why We Fight is a series of films that provide some historical context for what would become known as World War II, but given seventy years of hindsight, there is also obvious propaganda and some pretty uncomfortable stereotyping of our 'enemies' who are now our allies. The world has been turned on its head. The films are broken up into the different theaters of war: China, Russia, England, Europe, and the United States. Up until Pearl Harbor, the US was maintaining a stance of isolationism, and there is a film dedicated to presenting the reasons why the US ultimately got involved. The films are interesting from a historical perspective and what they must have meant seventy years ago. I was telling a friend at work that while the films could have some valuable educational content, in these days when it seems few people have any ability to perform critical thinking, I would be concerned they couldn't understand the difference between someone reporting something and someone endorsing the anti-Semitic or racist comments that were included in the films. There is value to be found, but I would say handle with care.

Lacking some enthusiasm for Dunkirk, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Days of Heaven

The blog will soon be celebrating its fifth birthday. I was thinking about a day out at Chuck E. Cheese, but that might be a little strange. Or, I could actually get back to writing. That's less strange. For some reason, the writing is a little labored and it's been a struggle, but damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.

7/19/17 Sherlock Jr., 1924, #44 BBC, National Film Registry

I don't mind silent films, and some of them I have really enjoyed. Buster Keaton starred and directed Sherlock Jr. and it's counted among the best films, on several lists, including the BBC 100 and the National Film Registry. But, you knew there was a but coming, it did nothing to me. I think I'm more of a Chaplin fan. I was exceedingly bored, even though I know some of the stunts were quite difficult; I just could not muster up the appropriate amount of appreciation for this classic.

7/28/17 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004, Best Original Screenplay, #87 BBC

I tried watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind shortly after it came out on DVD and didn't make it longer than 30 minutes. I just couldn't. I even rated it on Netflix as "not interested" because I just didn't care. I'm not sure my feelings have changed all that much, except, because it's on two of my stupid lists, I had to finish watching it. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are star-crossed lovers, Joel and Clementine. Instead of just moving on from a relationship that doesn't seem to be working, they seek out a specialist in removing memories, Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson). Except, it doesn't go quite as planned, when Joel's mind fights against the cleaning. It seems to turn into one kind of weird infinite loop; they fall in love, fall out of love, get memories wiped, fall in love, rinse and repeat. Charlie Kaufman wrote the script, and that might explain why I didn't like the movie and everyone else in the world did: very unintentionally, I don't like any of the movies he has done: Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and most recently, Anomalisa. He doesn't write stories or characters that I care about, in the least little bit.

7/30/17 Dunkirk, not yet nominated, 2017

Exhibits from Churchill War Museum

I was so excited to see Dunkirk after seeing the trailers; a movie about an episode of World War II that not a lot of Americans know about, but is a critical part of English and French history. I liked it, but I didn't love it, and when some people asked me about it, I couldn't recommend it as enthusiastically as I have other movies, but I couldn't exactly say why. This was another movie with very sparing dialog, and we didn't know the names of many of the characters or any background. I think the idea was to be 'in the moment' and be connected to this experience rather than what village or town the character grew up in. Okay, I get that, and I don't think you need a lot of extensive backgrounds, that's what makes movies three hours long, but I needed something. The movie is not told in a linear, chronological fashion, but in three storylines beginning one week - Land/Mole , one day - Sea and one hour - Air; I liked the idea of the three perspectives, but I'm not sure the leaping timeline helped or was necessary. There was a lot of suspense, and I won't ruin it since it is still out in theatres, but I did get very choked up when the armada of recreational and fishing boats pulled onto the beach in Dunkirk. That was tremendous. The citizen sailors were represented by Oscar winner, Mark Rylance as Mr. Dawson, and his performance was tremendous. He brought the same quiet strength to this role that he did to Bridge of Spies, and I felt like I knew Mr. Dawson by the end of the film, and he was a man I would like to have known. Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy and Harry Styles also had roles in the movie. If you're a World War II buff, you've probably already seen it, but if you're not, and war movies aren't your thing, I think you're fine if you wait for DVD or skip it. It probably will be nominated for an Oscar or two, sound editing and mixing, possibly film editing and maybe a nomination for Rylance; if it's nominated for the bigger awards, I don't give it much chance, because to my recollection, those awards go to movies released in November and December. I'm sorry I don't have a more enthusiastic review for you.

8/6/17 Days of Heaven, 1978, Best Cinematography, #49 BBC, National Film Registry

In 2011, I had to watch The Tree of Life (for the list, pre-blog), also written and directed by Terrence Malick, and that was my first experience with his films, and it left me leery of his other movies. It was over two hours that I will never get back. So, I was not excited about watching Days of Heaven which is on three of my lists. Damn it. The movie features Richard Gere and the late Sam Shepard, along with Brooke Adams and Linda Manz in the main roles. Like in The Tree of Life, there is very little dialog supplemented by narration by Linda Manz's character, Linda. The movie is set in 1916, beginning in Chicago where Bill (Gere) kills his boss and he, his little sister Linda, and his girlfriend Abby (Adams) take off to Texas to work in the fields. In order to keep away the gossip, Abby and Bill pretend to be brother and sister; and all I could think of was, why didn't they pretend to be married, it's not like anyone would have asked for the paperwork. Except it would not have worked for the rest of the story, which is where Abby flirts with the lonely farmer (Shepard, his character is not given any other name) and the two get married. The farmer is given a terminal diagnosis and Bill and Abby plan for Abby to inherit the farmer's money after he dies. Sadly, for everyone involved, nothing goes as planned. The cinematography was stunning, but I didn't care at all about the story (similar to my not caring about The Tree of Life); I'm fine with limited dialog, but at least give me something to care about and get invested in for 90 minutes. I think improvisation can be great in a film, but other times it seems lazy on the part of the director/writer, and can lead to a sense of incoherence.

It really seems like this blog entry is a tribute to just doing it and getting it done. Looking forward to movies that I can strongly recommend.

The BBC list with 25th Hour & Red River, and two more nominees from 2016: Land of Mine, Silence

6/3/17 25th Hour, 2002, #94 BBC

If you've read recent entries here, you know that my relationship with the BBC 100 list is very hot and cold, sometimes it's downright confounding. That's probably the reason I'm always so pleasantly surprised when I like or really enjoy a movie from it. 25th Hour was directed by Spike Lee and stars Edward Norton as Monty Brogan, a young drug dealer on his way to prison; Barry Pepper and Philip Seymour Hoffman as his two best friends Frank and Jake; Rosario Dawson is his girlfriend, Naturelle; and Brian Cox is his dad. Most of the movie follows Monty as he spends his last day of freedom, hanging out with his friends and his girlfriend, settling up with Russian mob that financed his drug business, and re-thinking his life. It's not a big ideas or big statement movie, it just tells a story, and Norton is understated, in a wonderfully engaging way. I don't normally pull for the drug dealer to come out on top, but I was really hoping Monty would make it out of prison okay. He shows his soft side early in the movie when he rescues a dog that is near death, and then takes him home. Maybe Doyle (the dog) is the beginning of Monty's redemption (I don't know, just thinking out loud). Monty is definitely not your stereotypical drug dealer, that's for sure. The movie is set in New York City and the shadow of 9/11; there are references to the first responders who died in the towers (Monty's father was a fireman); Frank's apartment overlooks the pit that was the World Trade Center; and there is a provocative inner dialog that has Monty raging against all of the immigrant/non-white groups living in New York. New York is Spike Lee's 'space' if you will, as much a character as one of the actors. The one character or storyline that didn't seem to go anywhere was with Anna Paquin as Mary D'Annunzio, who is one of Jake's students. She flirts with Jake, and he is not able to completely resist her charms. I would have liked more time on Naturelle and Monty, or Jake, Frank and Monty. There are no real 'special effects', not too much violence (it's there, but part of the story, not gratuitous), no nudity, the only sex is whatever Mary is trying to do; the emphasis is on the characters, and that is what made me want to watch this movie and care about the characters. You may not have heard about this movie before, but you have now.

6/9/17 Red River, 1948, #66 BBC, National Film Registry

Director Howard Hawks has four films on the BBC list of best American films; he probably should have had more, and his movies have won Oscars and are embedded into our collective film psyche (His Girl Friday, The Big Sleep, To Have or Have Not, Bringing Up and dozens more). So, combine Hawks with John Wayne and a host of other Hollywood names, like Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan, and Noah Beery, you are likely to have a pretty good movie. Or an absolutely fabulous western, if you prefer. Thomas Dunson (Wayne) is a headstrong, and not entirely likeable, cattle rancher, looking to make a life out west in Texas. He's joined by his trusty cook and hand, Nadine Groot (the original) (played by Walter Brennan), and eventually a young boy, Matthew (Clift plays the older Matthew), who has lost his family in a raid. Dunson and his men build and grow a huge cattle operation, but because of the Civil War and the new laws of Reconstruction and the carpet baggers that have down from the north, the price of cattle has been driven way down. Dunson embarks on a massive cattle drive to Missouri, and it's the cattle drive that makes up most of the film. This ain't no City Slickers, that's for sure. Before the men set off, Dunson makes them sign a contract saying they won't leave the drive before it's finished (which is ironic, because that's kind of what he did in the beginning of the film), and he's very strict and tough, and there is only his way; he and Matthew, whom he has adopted, often disagree on the best way to do...everything. There is a bitter parting of the ways when Matthew and some of the other men suggest heading to Kansas instead of Missouri; but Dunson insists on Missouri and Matt and the others rebel, beating up Dunson, and heading to Abilene. It's not that they want to steal anything from Dunson, they just do not want to go his way, and are tired of his dictatorial behavior. The cattle drive took over 100 days, and a lot of things happened, like rain, and heat, and stampedes, a mutiny, and a girl. Yes, a girl. Dang it. The film opened with Dunson's love interest trying to follow him, unfortunately for her, that didn't go as planned. The other woman of the story, Tess Millay (Joanne Dru) is a dance hall girl who almost immediately falls in love with Matt, and he with her, I suppose. But, of course, he doesn't want her to follow him on the cattle drive. They do meet up again in Abilene as Matt and Dunson square off against each other, and, it seems the reason they make up is because of Tess. Honestly, that whole story line was weak and really not needed. I'm not an expert on Westerns, so I just go by if I enjoyed the movie or not. I did; it was different from the cowboys and Indians westerns, although there were Indians as part of the story, but not the whole story; there was some comedy provided mainly by Walter Brennan and the teeth he lost in a card game; this was one of Clift's very early movies, a few years before his Oscar-nominated role in A Place in the Sun; and John Wayne was mostly unlikeable, which I don't think happened that often (although, I could be wrong). I will say that the makeup, especially for Wayne was HORRIBLE; they had to age him fourteen years, so they put on a terrible hairpiece that looked so fake, it was ridiculous. The film score is magnificent, done by Dimitri Tiomkin, who did so many movie scores, but a few are Rio Bravo, High Noon, and Dial M for Murder.  I don't know exactly why this is on the BBC 100 list, but it is (I don't understand what makes it so special).

6/9/17 Silence, nominated Best Cinematography, 2016

If I didn't know that Martin Scorsese directed Silence, I don't think I would have guessed it in a million years. It is a film set in 16th century Japan focusing on a few of the Jesuit priests who went to Japan to spread Christianity, and the resistance they encountered from the Japanese rulers. It wasn't just resistance, but brutal torture and often, death, inflicted on their converts and the priests. Andrew Garfield is Portuguese padre, Sebastiao Rodrigues and Adam Driver is fellow priest, Francisco Garupe who head to Japan looking for their teacher, Cristovao Ferreira. Along the way, Rodrigues and Garupe meet many converts who are hiding and fear for their lives. They are sold out to the local samurai, and wherever they go, they bring danger to the people and themselves. These are tests of faith for both men, who had no idea or true understanding of what happened to the followers of Jesus. Rodrigues and Garupe often quarreled about the extent and depth of belief that the villagers should embrace; if they renounced Christ and stepped on an image of him, that was often enough to 'renounce' the faith, and save their lives. This would be practical, but many refused and were put to death. The two men split up to reduce the risks to the villagers and hopefully find Father Ferreira. Rodrigues is the main protagonist, and we follow him as he is captured by the chief inquisitor, and has to watch as faithful converts are murdered in front of him, and the bloodbath will continue until he commits apostasy. Father Ferreira is brought to try and convince Rodrigues to renounce his faith, to save the others. They debate the value and importance of spreading Christianity to countries like Japan. Ferreira, who committed apostasy years before, believes it's hopeless and pointless, and that there is much to learn from the Japanese. The movie is beautifully filmed, but it is brutal, there is no shying away from the varieties of torture that were used. I know there is a lot of controversy around the church, and the role of the Jesuits in converting the native inhabitants, sometimes just as forcefully. I thought it was interesting that Andrew Garfield was in another role that saw him persecuted for his faith (Oscar-nominated Hacksaw Ridge also from 2016); in this film, however, his faith was shaken and he questioned it and himself more than in Hacksaw Ridge. I liked the movie, but it took me forever to even watch it because I was so afraid of its almost three hour run time (in fact, I could have seen it in the theater, but the thought of sitting there for so long frightened me). I don't think it's one of those 'must-see' movies, but if you're the least bit interested, I say go for it.

6/10/17 Land of Mine, nominated Best Foreign Film, 2016

Land of Mine is a kick in the stomach. Even though it's set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, the message applies to the ongoing wars, and society, today. It made me think of All Quiet on the Western Front, and the senseless deaths of young men, boys, really. The movie takes place in Denmark, a country that was occupied by Germany during World War II, except after the war, Denmark was one of the victors and used young German soldiers to clear German land mines. On the one hand, you could say, good, that's what should be done, and Sergeant Rasmussen seems to agree. He is merciless and, seems to me, very cruel; but, he and his countrymen have been released from the German oppression. On the other hand, the young men in front of him are boys, maybe 18, not more than 20 years old, and they didn't plant those land mines. At some point the madness has to stop. Rasmussen doesn't flinch when the boys ask for food; he simply says no, he doesn't care if they starve or die, and tells them that. One of the boys makes the point that it would be 'better' if they died out there, clearing land mines, than from starvation; Rasmussen doesn't budge. Clearing the land mines is a dangerous business; if you're not killed outright, you could be maimed; the mines are fickle, and even when they are disarmed, they can still explode. This is a true story that has not been told, and writer/director Martin Zandvliet did his research and pulled facts together from different sources. Zandvliet shows the humanity of the young men as well as their principle jailer, Rasmussen. He keeps the viewer off balance, even when you think you know what is going to happen, it still jars you. This probably isn't at the top of anyone's list to see this summer, with so many blockbusters out there, but it's a movie that makes you think and feel, and that's more than a lot of movies can say.

This leaves one more film from 2016 to see (out of winners and nominees, The Salesman).

Come Back, Little Sheba,Conscientious Objector, I am not your Negro

5/11/17 Come Back, Little Sheba, Best Actress, 1952

Wikipedia categorizes Come Back, Little Sheba by William Inge as a "romance", but I think that may be a little misleading to those of us used to romances where the leads woo each other and make goo goo eyes, or fire witty barbs at one another. Nothing like that here. Shirley Booth is Lola (if you're a fan of 1960s sitcoms, you may be familiar with her as Hazel from the eponymous series), the devoted and dependent wife of "Doc" Delaney (Burt Lancaster), a recovering alcoholic, who has watched life pass both of them by. It's hard to know how many friends the Delaneys had before Doc succumbed to his alcoholism, but it seems pretty clear that they are fairly isolated a year into his sobriety. Lola tries, but Doc is reluctant to let anyone into their lives. However, Lola is determined to let out a room to one of the local college girls, and after a false start, and against Doc's wishes, she rents the room to Marie. Marie is a cute co-ed, who has a long distance beau, but flirts with Turk, a student athlete at the same college; and she is very flirtatious with Doc. Doc fights an internal battle with himself as he tries to resist his desire for Marie, and it's not a battle without its victims. Doc falls back to drinking, and many ugly truths about his marriage to Lola come out; it's pretty brutal to watch as Lola is devastated by Doc's cruelty. Doc goes into rehab and comes out appreciative for Lola's devotion to him. "Little Sheba" of the title is Lola's dog who runs away before the movie starts, and whom Lola misses quite a lot, and she never gives up hope that she will return, until the end. I sense that Sheba's loss is a metaphor, but I don't know if it's for Lola's innocence, or for their love, or something else (which I don't want to reveal, because that is part of the story I haven't told you). Shirley Booth was perfect for this role; I feel like I know people like her, lonely, but so eager to have a good friend; her husband is on a pedestal and she is very insecure within herself. It would have been easy to overact, and I don't think she did at all. Lancaster as Doc is also very good; he cares about Lola, but is clearly unhappy and tends to be aloof and brooding. The movie is heartbreaking, but there is an element of redemption, and being the optimist, that's what I hold on to. There are no special effects, no dance numbers or costumes, just a story of two people and a few moments in their lives. If you're looking for something off the beaten path of familiar movies, I would recommend Come Back, Little Sheba.

5/12/17 Conscientious Objector, 2004

Hacksaw Ridge was the dramatization of the life of Desmond Doss, and it was a fabulous movie (you can believe me, because I was pretty ready to hate it), and if you watched some of the special features on the DVD, you saw interviews with the real Desmond Doss and some of the men with whom he served. It turns out that there is a documentary, with in depth interviews with Doss, those men and others, his brother and sister. Doss talks about his decisions not to pick up a weapon, even if it meant he could not go on leave; you get to hear that he still had the courage of his convictions, and also how despised he was for them. But those same men, even one of his officers, recall how he won them over with his determination and bravery. I don't know if this country could have ever properly honored or repaid Doss for the sacrifices he made, but that doesn't seem to be anything that crosses his mind. He was a simple man, with a simple and straightforward philosophy of life, and a belief that God would provide (and that is said without callousness or snark) and that he would do the right thing. If you haven't seen Hacksaw Ridge, I suggest putting it on your list, and add Conscientious Objector (if you can find it, I got it through Interlibrary Loan) as well. Desmond Doss was a true American hero and more people should know about him.

5/13/17 I Am Not Your Negro, nominated Best Documentary, 2016

I Am Not Your Negro is the last of the feature documentaries for 2016, and when you put it together with 13th and Oscar-winner OJ: Made in America, you get a very comprehensive look at civil rights and race relations in America over the past 75 years. Sadly, it's almost like time stood still, and while there has been progress, it hasn't been enough. I Am Not Your Negro was based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript Remember This House and it includes footage of Baldwin at various debates and on television shows, like Dick Cavett; Samuel L. Jackson provides the narration. Baldwin was a novelist and an essayist, and the documentary feels (to me) more like an essay than a hardcore investigative or historical documentary. Baldwin talks about (through Jackson's voice and his own in speeches) his thoughts on race; the difference between living in the north versus the south; his friendships with Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X, all three of whom were assassinated; living in Europe while so much turmoil was happening in America. I appreciated the film for Baldwin's perspective, and I liked that there was so much actual footage of him speaking. Baldwin died in 1987, but I think he would have a lot of insight for everything that has happened recently, in fact, the director includes news footage from the past couple of years.

2017 Oscar nominees: Trolls, Allied, Loving and Fire at Sea

3/12/17 Trolls, nominated Best Song, 2016

I am pretty sure I was not the target demographic for this movie, and I'm just as sure my feelings weren't helped by watching it at 1:00 in the morning. But, I needed to get it back to the library and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I can't even really explain the premise of this animated, soon to be franchise, but here's a brief attempt: the Trolls are good and happy and they are hiding from the Bergens, who are mean and grumpy, but eat Trolls once a year to be happy. Yeah. Voices are provided by Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Zooey Deschanel and a cast of dozens; it seemed like the director/writers were trying to pack in as many 'top' or hot voices as possible, even if it was for only one line. The music was great; remakes of many 1970s and 1980s hits: "Sound of Silence" by Paul Simon; "Hello" by Lionel Richie, "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire (all the songs have been adapted/remade) and the Oscar-nominated song "Can't Stop the Feeling", which was so much better live and on the Oscars. I can't give you any more of a synopsis, because I stopped caring.

3/18/17 Allied, nominated Best Costume Design, 2016

I feel like I should have enjoyed Allied a lot more than I did: a drama set in World War II with an element of mystery, but it fell short somehow. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard star as Max Vatan and Marianne Beausejour; Max is a Canadian intelligence officer who falls in love with Marianne, a member of the French Resistance as they participate in a dangerous mission in Casablanca. They get move to London, get married and have a baby. Something about Marianne doesn't sit right with Max's bosses in the intelligence branch, and they think she is working for the Germans as a spy. Max, determined to protect the woman he loves, starts to dig into Marianne's past, and is shaken by what he finds, and what his duty requires him to do. I think I would have liked more suspense and intrigue; for me, it came too little and too late. I usually love Cotillard (Two Days, One Night and La Vie en Rose), and I liked her here, but there were moments when her performance seemed forced. Pitt was good, as well, and the two had a chemistry, but...I don't know if it was the writing by Steven Knight or the direction of Robert Zemeckis, but I think a good opportunity was lost. It's not a terrible movie, just not as good as I hoped.

3/19/17 Loving, nominated Best Actress, 2016

This is a hard review to write, because I think the story of Richard and Mildred Loving is an important one in our nation's civil rights history, and I liked the movie, but it's a subtle, modest, quiet movie, and I'm not sure many people rush to the theaters to see those movies anymore, or at least not as much as they used to. Some of this country's most important moments have come about because of ordinary people trying to live their lives, even if it's against the current 'norms'; Rosa Parks, Annie Lee Cooper and the Lovings. Joel Edgerton plays Richard Loving and Ruth Negga (in an Oscar-nominated role) plays his wife, Mildred Loving. Richard is white and Ruth is black, and in 1950s Virginia, they are having an illegal relationship; they go to Washington, D.C., where they can legally be married, but come back home to Virginia where they are arrested in the middle of the night. The Lovings move to Washington, but Ruth misses the open spaces of home where she wants their children to play, and they move back, but they have to hide. Eventually, the law finds them, and arrests them again, harassing them, until Ruth writes to Attorney General Robert Kennedy and he recommends the American Civil Liberties Union to help them. The case makes its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated laws prohibiting interracial marriage in 1967. The Lovings both seem to be quiet and private people, even their 'opposition' in the form of the sheriff isn't as violent and explosive as he could have been, like in Mississippi Burning. There is really only one moment where Richard seems out of character, and it's after a night of drinking with his brothers-in-law and friends (all black), and one of the men says to him (my paraphrasing) 'You're not black. You can go back to being white if you get a divorce'. Richard doesn't say anything at the time, but the next scene is him at home, drunk, crying, telling Mildred that he can take care of her. It broke my heart. All he wanted was to be with the woman he loved, raise their children and take care of his family. There is a quiet strength in Mildred, and at times, she seems to be the one holding everything together. When I was telling people about the movie after I watched it, I made the comparison to Selma, another Civil Rights movie, but on a larger scale, with big marches, riots, speeches, big, impactful scenes, and you needed that movie for that event, and people went to see the movie, and it won a lot of awards. Loving, as I've mentioned, was a quiet film, and maybe for that reason, not a lot of people saw it in the theaters. And I think that's a damned shame. The dignity and strength that these two people embodied should have more of a celebration (although June 12 is known as Loving Day, the day of the Supreme Court decision), and hopefully the film will experience a new life on television and in schools (there is virtually no violence or profanity that I can recall). Ruth Negga was up against a pretty tough cast of characters for Best Actress, and the lack of fanfare around the film probably didn't help her odds, but doesn't diminish her role or the film in any way.

3/22/17 Fire at Sea, nominated Best Documentary, 2016

I hope this doesn't sound too callous, given the nature of the documentary, which "supposedly" was to follow the plight of refugees from Africa and the Middle East coming to a Sicilian Island, but this movie did nothing to move me emotionally. I think an opportunity was lost to show the impact of the refugees coming to this small Italian island on the islanders and the people rescuing them or helping them. This could have been a long form companion to the documentary short 4.1 Miles, which did an amazing job, in less than an hour, of showing the stress and heartache of the men rescuing refugees from leaky boats, and villagers of trying to help them. It seemed to me that Fire at Sea was two movies that never quite synched up; one looked at the refugees coming over on dangerously ill-equipped boats and briefly examined the refugees as they were brought to Italian ships or on to shore; and the second, and the one that dominated, followed a young boy as he went through his daily life, playing with friends, going on a boat with his father, getting his eyes examined and treated for lazy eye. The two did not ever seem to meet up with each other. I found myself asking what was the point? Reviews said this was a powerful look at what was happening in the world with the influx of refugees and the humanitarian crisis, but it didn't seem that way to me at all. I was very disappointed.

The last of the Best Picture nominees: Fences, Hacksaw Ridge, Moonlight, Lion, Manchester by the Sea

2/19/17 Fences, nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, 2016

August Wilson wrote his Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fences in 1985 while living in St. Paul, Minnesota. A little over thirty years later, the movie, based on his screenplay was brought to life by Denzel Washington as a director and actor, playing Troy Maxson, and Viola Davis, his wife, Rose. The story is set in 1950s Pittsburgh, where Troy is a garbage collector and Rose stays home and cooks and takes care of their son, Cory. Troy and Bono, his oldest friend, collect their pay packets on Friday, buy a bottle of gin and share it in Troy's backyard. We learn that Troy likes spending time down at the local bar where he is flirting with Alberta (whom we never see), and also that Troy played ball in the Negro Leagues, and is resentful of not being given a chance to play, even though baseball is now integrated. Rose says it's because he's too old, Troy says it's because he's black. In addition to caring for his wife and son, his older brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson) has been severely brain-damaged during the war and now has a steel plate in his head and can be found wandering the streets of the neighborhood selling fruits and vegetables and blowing his trumpet. This is the 1950s and the understanding and treatment of brain injuries is very limited, but his family does the best they can, and he clearly loves them all. Troy carries around a harmful combination of anger, guilt and resentment, and will lash out at his sons and Rose at the least provocation. This combination of feelings alienates his son Cory, causing him to leave home; carry on an affair with no regard for Rose, even though he mentions she is the best thing to happen to him; seems offended that Rose is hurt at the affair; and break off his friendship with Bono. You might feel like you know what's going to happen, it doesn't matter, because don't know how it's going to happen exactly or what will be said. The performances by the entire cast is incredible; the love and attention they give the characters is joyful. These are roles that most of the cast played before in 2010 on stage. The story is an American story, and it reminded me a lot of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, which was written at the end of the 1940s, so it shares the post-war feel with Fences, as well as a leading male character who is utterly disappointed in his life, and seems to blame those around him. It has a long suffering female character, and two sons who cannot see eye to eye with their father. I honestly hated Denzel Washington for those two hours; I also tried to understand his behavior, just as Rose did. There is a scene towards the end of the movie where they are arguing after Troy tells Rose about his affair, and he's yelling about his stale, boring life and she yells right back at him, telling him she's been right with him, and I just loved her for that. She stood up for herself, and didn't give him that easy out for his actions. I silently cheered her. For me, I loved the movie for the story as much as I did the actors and what they did with August Wilson's story. I think Viola Davis should have been nominated for Best Actress, but I am wondering if that was a strategic point for the studio, and they didn't want her to go up against Meryl Streep again. I'm not sure I agree, because her role was a lead in my mind and I don't think Streep's Florence Foster Jenkins is Oscar worthy, but I suppose you don't want to take the chance. I'm pulling for Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) and Viola Davis.

2/23/17 Hacksaw Ridge, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, 2016

I love documentaries, and the next best thing to a documentary (when they're done well) is a biographical film or something based on real events. I was not a fan of Mel Gibson's Passion, but I have liked other movies he directed, so I tried to approach this with an open mind. Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield, nominated for Best Actor), a Seventh Day Adventist conscientious objector who was determined to join the Army as part of the medical corps. The movie spends a good amount of time, maybe half the movie (?) providing us with the appropriate amount of background information on Doss on his pacifism and the lengths he would go to in order to stay true to his beliefs, even missing his own wedding because he refused to hold a gun, much less shoot one. His commanding officers and fellow soldiers try to get rid of Doss, challenging his mental faculties, but his father, a World War I veteran, surprisingly comes to his rescue. After training, his infantry company is sent to the Pacific theater and to Okinawa. Gibson has plenty of experience staging war scenes, granted mostly pre-20th century, but still, the battle scenes are intense, and to my non-combatant eye, accurate and realistic. The results are not necessarily a secret, you can look Doss up online, and learn that he received the Medal of Honor for his heroics, but to try and explain them here does the movie a disservice, I think. You really have to watch it for yourself; it's gruesome, but it has to be less so than in real life. Doss's courage and inner strength to do what he did is simply amazing; don't turn the DVD off too soon, because there are interviews with Doss, his brother and one of the men he rescued. I didn't expect to like Hacksaw Ridge as much as I did, but if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Garfield was very good, conveying this strength that is belied by his slight stature, and bringing this American hero to life; Gibson is back in top form, and he is in the top three in my mind.

2/24/17 Moonlight, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, 2016

I'm not really sure how to describe Moonlight; it's a movie told in three parts in three different time periods, featuring the main character, Chiron; his mother, Paula; his surrogate mother, Teresa; and his unlikely mentor, Juan. Chiron is a young, black man, growing up in a pretty tough neighborhood in Miami, getting teased and beaten up by the other boys for being gay, even though he doesn't really know what that means. He is discovered by Juan (Mahershala Ali in his Oscar-nominated role) hiding in a boarded up house; refusing to speak, he goes with Juan to get some food and then Juan takes him home to meet his girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae), who takes a shine to the young boy. Juan takes Chiron home where his mother (Naomie Harris, nominated for Best Supporting Actress) has been worried, but she isn't grateful to Juan at all; we find out why a little later. Chiron's only friend, Kevin, tries to get Chiron (or 'Little' as he is called) to fight back against the bullies. Chiron is really on his own, except for his new found safe haven with Teresa and Juan, but this only serves to anger his mother. The second part has Chiron in high school, and his mother's drug problems are worse as is the teasing and bullying he receives in school. Kevin meets up with Chiron in the hallway as Chiron is trying to avoid the bullies, and Kevin is in detention for allegedly having sex with a girl in school. The look on Chiron's face gave away his feelings for Kevin; later that night, Kevin and Chiron meet up on the beach and share a moment of closeness that Chiron has not shared with anyone before, and he allows himself a moment of vulnerability. I cringed as the next day as Chiron was badly beaten by his nemesis Terrel and his friends, and he was unable to defend himself. Chiron avenges himself, but at the cost of his freedom. The last part of the movie introduces a grown up Chiron, who looks eerily like Juan, driving the same car (I think) with the same crown ornament on the dashboard. If you didn't know it, you would not recognize Chiron: he's buff and tough, not the scared little kid we met earlier. His mom is now in a rehab center and tries to apologize; it's still a tense relationship, and Chiron seems very much alone. Out of the blue, he gets a call from Kevin, and he's not sure what he wants, but he drives back to Florida (Chiron is living in Atlanta) to meet his old friend. Kevin is pretty surprised at how Chiron has changed. They go back to Kevin's apartment where Chiron, in one of his very few expository moments, tells Kevin that nobody has touched him the way Kevin did that night so long ago. I got the sense that Kevin felt the same way about Chiron. The movie ends and I wonder what happened to the two of them. Would they be together, or go their separate ways? Would Chiron finally find happiness and love? The movie turns stereotypes on their head; Juan, who is a drug dealer, becomes the male role model for Chiron, and with Teresa, they try to give him stability and love and guidance. Gay, black men are stereotypically played very effeminately and flamboyant, and Chiron is neither of those. Moonlight is a story that hasn't been told (at least not in any mainstream fashion) and it was told with a lot of love and care. The three actors who played Chiron were all wonderful, and did most of their communicating with body language and facial expressions, because they really didn't speak that much. That's tough to do, but I think they were up to the task. It's not a happy film, but it's not angry or totally sad either, but somehow strangely affirming in how Chiron beats the odds to survive and be stronger than anyone could have anticipated. The name 'Chiron' sounded familiar, so I looked it up, and Chiron was the eldest and the wisest of the Centaurs, and he was a mentor to heroes of the myths, like Jason of the Argonauts. I don't know if there is any connection to what becomes of our Chiron, or the hopes his mother may have had for him when he was born. This was a 'small' movie that has had a huge impact; I'm not sure of its odds for any of the awards, but I'm sure we're going to hear more from the director and screenwriter, Barry Jenkins, and the young men who were Chiron: Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes.

2/24/17 Manchester by the Sea, nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, 2016

The only thing I could think of before I saw this movie was that a co-worker took her 80 year old mother to see this on Christmas...and it was not the Yuletide experience in the reclining movie theater seats she had hoped. This didn't encourage me in the least; then when I saw some of the more negative reviews, I moved even slower. But, I watched it. I don't get the hype on this. It's a good movie, but I didn't think it was great. I found it hard to care too much about any of the characters (that may make me a cold-hearted cynic to some). Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck in an Oscar-nominated role) is a morose loner, who is named by his older brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler), as guardian of his teenaged nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges, nominated as Best Supporting Actor). Flashbacks are used to show us what happened to put Lee in his current state of misery. It is definitely tragic, and he cannot put it behind him. Even though Lee and Patrick used to be close when Patrick was much younger, time, their mutual sadness and adolescence make their reunion challenging. Patrick is a bit of an asshole, and I would wager that he was one when his dad was alive. Lee was previously married, but since the tragedy, he and his wife, Randi (Michelle Williams in her Oscar-nominated Best Supporting Actress role) have barely spoken, but Randi reaches out to Lee and tries to talk with him and help him to move on, but Lee isn't interested. In some ways, the characters of Troy Maxson and Lee Chandler are similar; they are men who carry their pain and disappointment deep inside and have cut themselves off from the people who care about them. The difference for me in liking/loving/not caring between the two films is I care about the people around Troy; I cared and cheered for Rose and for Cory; I didn't care a whole lot about Patrick, and we don't really get to know about Joe and his marriage; and I did care about Randi, but not enough to make me love this movie. Casey Affleck may be the front-runner for the Best Oscar, but I would vote for Denzel Washington or Andrew Garfield, or Ryan Gosling.

2/25/17 Lion, nominated Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, 2016

I am so glad I ended my quest to see all of the Best Picture nominees with Lion. I did cry a little, but it was ultimately uplifting and ended on a high note. Lion is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley and his journey from Khandwa to Calcutta (Kolkata) India, over 1500 kilometers to Tasmania and back to Khandwa. It's a long journey in terms of distance, but also emotionally. The movie starts out in 1986 with five year old Saroo (played by the incredibly adorable Sunny Pawar who won everyone over at the Golden Globes) stealing coal with his older brother, Guddu. They steal coal to sell it back in their village. The family is extremely poor and struggles to get by with what the boys' mother earns collecting rocks and what Guddu might earn at odd jobs. Saroo is devoted to his big brother and wants to go with him on his next job, which involves late nights and trains; the two boys are separated, and Saroo is left on his own, falling asleep on a train ride that takes him to Kolkata where a different language and huge metropolis await him. Through machinations that I'm sure I don't totally understand, it's determined that Saroo can be adopted by an Australian couple, John and Sue Brierley (David Wenham and Nicole Kidman in an Oscar-nominated performance). The film jumps ahead about 20 years and Saroo is now played by Dev Patel, and he is on his way to study hospitality management where he meets other students from India and he feels self-conscious about being from India, but not feeling Indian, and shares that he was adopted. This begins his quest to figure out where he was from; he was so young, he didn't know his surname or what his village's name was (he kept saying a name, but nobody knew what or where it was) and he wasn't exactly sure how he got to Kolkata. The Internet and Google Earth play a huge role in helping him trace the possible routes. As Saroo becomes almost obsessed with finding his Indian family, his relationship with his American girlfriend, Lucy (Rooney Mara) and his family suffer. He is very reluctant to tell his parents about his quest because he is afraid of hurting them and appearing ungrateful, but he finally tells his mother and she gives her blessing and insight into why she and her husband chose adoption to add to their family. Saroo makes the trip home and that's really where the tears flowed. You'll have to watch this one to see how it turns out. I really loved this movie, which I cannot say about half of the Best Picture nominees. My pick is Dev Patel for Best Supporting Actor. I don't think it will win Best Picture, but I would be happy if it did. It is in English, Hindi and Bengali, but don't let this deter you. The subtitles were easy to read (at least on the mega movie screen) and it's so worth it. India is a vast country, filled with contradictions of epic proportions, and I know people like to characterize it in a negative way, but it's a place I'd like to visit again. I was reminded of another 'adoption' movie from a few years ago starring Judi Dench, Philomena, where the reunion didn't go as planned, but nevertheless it was an emotional journey based on a true story.

2/25/17 Jim: The James Foley Story, nominated Best Song, 2016

James Foley was a war correspondent take hostage by ISIL in 2012 and whose execution was videotaped and shown on television and the Internet. The documentary, made by his friend Brian will Oakes, tells us up front that the documentary is about Jim and shows war footage, but will not be showing his execution. What Oakes does show is home movie/video footage, interviews with his three brothers, sister, parents and the men with whom he was held captive. Foley was originally a teacher, but he felt he was missing something and decided to be a journalist, focusing on conflicts and war. The interviews with his family and fellow independent journalists give us a deeper look into what James was like, but also what it is like reporting from war-torn countries, the danger faced by the reporters as they bring us the stories from the front lines. Foley was taken hostage in Libya, but was eventually released; the turn in Syria didn't end so well. A few of the men held captive with him relate the deprivations and torture they experienced, and how James helped them all get through it. I think it has become very easy for us to expect our 24 hour news coverage without a lot of thought about how we get it, the risks that the reporters and photographers take to get us the news from war zones like Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, even closer to home and the domestic unrest we've seen in Ferguson, Chicago or Baltimore. The documentary is nominated for Best Song "The Empty Chair" by J. Ralph and Sting, so that's why I watched it, but it really is a very powerful documentary by HBO.

This wraps up the reviews before the Oscars. I have 16 movies to go, and I expect most of those to appear in the next month or so.

A weekend of movies: Suicide Squad, When Harry Met Sally, the original Ghostbusters, Terminator

12/31/16 Suicide Squad, 2016 not yet nominated

Ambivalent, half-hearted, reluctant. There are the words I would use to describe my feelings about watching Suicide Squad. I believe it was while waiting for Batman versus Superman that my brother and I saw the trailer, and he asked me what I thought. I said "I think it's stupid". That may sound harsh, and I may modify it a bit, but not much. Perhaps this gives you an idea of what I thought: around the middle of the movie I said to my friends, "All I can think about is pancakes." My hosts did nothing to help my craving.

Here is what I did like: there were probably more strong, leading female characters than I recall seeing in any other super hero movie, Marvel or DC, including Amanda Waller (Viola Davis channeling her ruthless side); Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn (who was so good I think I recall reading she may get her own stand alone movie), Cara Delevingne as Enchantress (who was terrible, by the way); and Karen Fukuhara as Katana (who intrigued me and I would like to see more). I also liked seeing so many characters with whom I was not familiar, including El Diablo and Killer Croc. I also liked seeing a different aspect of Will Smith's acting as Deadshot, another character I kind of liked. Oh, and as my young friend mentioned, the soundtrack was pretty good.

What I didn't like: a lot of the acting and writing was really not very good, even for a superhero movie. The actor playing Rick Flag, Joel Kinnaman was not great. Jared Leto took a big chance, playing the first Joker incarnation since Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar, and it's hard to judge the portrayal in a vacuum; essentially, he creeped me out and I thought he was more of a distraction to the story line than a bonus.

I only paid a dollar to watch it, so I may have gotten off cheaper than most people, and the only reason I wanted to see it was in case it was nominated for any effects Oscars and in case the spinoff movies are forthcoming.

12/31/16 When Harry Met Sally, 1989

As I was watching this with my friends on New Year's Eve, we were sure this won an Oscar for something, or was on the National Film Registry. It had to be; hell, The Breakfast Club is on the National Film Registry. But no, it's not on any of my lists. We were shocked. We had seen the movie before, but it has been about ten years for me, and unlike a lot of movies, it holds up twenty five years later. The writing from Nora Ephron, Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal is so good at portraying the relationship between men and women (is there a gay version, because that could be funny too). Reiner directed and kept the movie at a good pace; I never felt we stayed in one place for too long. Billy Crystal as Harry Burns is cynical, sarcastic, jaded, but also hilarious; and Meg Ryan, America's sweetheart, was a good sparring partner as Sally Albright. These two are so perfect together as actors, that as viewers you yell at the screen telling them to figure it out. It was a little bitter sweet watching this though, because Carrie Fisher is Sally's best friend, Marie, who marries Harry's best friend, Jess. We first meet Harry and Sally as they leave college and Chicago and head east to New York. They begin their relationship debating whether men and women can just be friends, or does it have to end in sex, and maybe dating (although, not a necessary component). It follows the pair over several years as they meet at different times before reconnecting as 'friends'. Intercut in the movie are interviews with older people, some of whom have been married for decades, and those scenes are fun to watch. I don't know if Billy Crystal is as appreciated as he should be for his incredible talent; back in the 1980s and parts of the 1990s, he had quite a streak going: movies, hosting the Oscars, live shows. Meg Ryan was no slouch either. Definitely glad I watched it again. And now I would like some pecan pie.

1/1/17 In Darkness, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, 2011 

In Darkness is not the movie to watch if you're looking for whimsy or levity, but director Agnieszka Holland's film about Polish Jews hiding in the sewer system during the Holocaust shows us another story, and a true story at that. In Lvov, Poland, Jews are being harassed, tortured, killed in the streets and those that aren't killed outright, are sent to camps. There is a small group who decide to try and tunnel into the sewer system to hide. As they dig their entrance, they encounter Leopold Socha, a plumber who has a side business stealing and hiding his loot in the sewers. At first he agrees to help them hide if they agree to pay him, but after a while, it stops becoming about business and becomes about humanity, theirs and his. He does this at the risk of his and his family's life, as well as those he is aiding. It is a very hard movie to watch, visually, because so much is 'in darkness', underground, and the topic is very heartbreaking, and for me, it makes me angry and sad, and I felt very tense, until the end. I've only seen three of the nominated films for this year, including the winner A Separation, which I thought was very good, and Monsieur Lazhar which broke my heart. I know a lot of people avoid foreign films in general, and Holocaust movies in particular, but if you can, I recommend watching all three of them (although, not in a row, that's too much). Holland also directed Europa, Europa, another Oscar nominated film set during the Holocaust.

1/1/17 The Night of the Iguana, Best Costume Design, 1964

I love Richard Burton, he could be reading the phone book, and I'd still listen, enthralled, but I could not deal with him, Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr in the John Huston-directed The Night of the Iguana. I was telling a friend it was just too much yelling, and he said, it's Tennessee Williams, what do you expect? Burton is a shamed priest who is hiding out in Mexico giving cheap tours, and during the film, he happens to be taking out a nice ladies church group, with a lovely young lady among them. She makes some moves on him, and he struggles against all of his inner demons to control himself. After that, I actually started drifting in and out and could not bring myself to re-watch what I missed (which I usually do). All I could think of was when I watched Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? also with Burton as well as Elizabeth Taylor, and the yelling. Is that what 1950s drama was all about? I'm sorry if I've offended any theatrical sensibilities, but consider this one crossed off the list.

1/1/17 Ghostbusters, 1984 National Film Registry

So, I watched the original Ghotsbusters for the very first time ever. Apparently that just surprises people. I'm sorry, but I didn't love it. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I laughed harder at the remake, but that may have been because I really wanted the remake to succeed. Anyway, we s lowly get introduced to the ghostbusting team, which is Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), Peter Venkman (Billy Murray) and Ray Stantz (Dan Ackroyd). Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) seeks the help of the ghostbusters, but gets extra attention from Venkman. Rick Moranis is Louis Tully, kind of a nudgenick, who would love to get to know Dana better, but instead gets possessed by a demon, the Keymaster; Dana is also possessed by the demon, Zuul. The Ghostbusters, plus their new member, Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), fight the demons, pretty much destroying the city in the process. There is something about movies like Ghostbusters, The Terminator or When Harry Met Sally, that if you know anything about cultural references, you know something about these movies, they are part of our collective cultural history. If someone says "Who ya gonna call?" You say "Ghostbusters". You might not even know why. I may not have loved it, but I did appreciate finally seeing it, and seeing/hearing the references in their context. And you get a sense of the immense comedic talent on the screen (I did forget to mention Annie Potts was hilarious as the less than helpful secretary, Janine Melnitz). I'm reviewing this because it's on the National Film Registry, because most of you have probably already seen it.

1/2/17 The Terminator, 1984 National Film Registry

I honestly do not remember watching this before, but I did watch Terminator 2, and you would have thought that I would have watched 1 before 2, but I guess not. This is not a great movie; the acting is terrible, it's like a bunch of amateurs, but, like a friend said, it sets the table for the rest of the franchise. Arnold Schwartzenegger is the Terminator of the title, and is his most iconic role (sorry for those of you that thought it was Conan the Barbarian), and he is after Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Poor Sarah has no clue what's happening, especially after Reese (Michael Biehn) also starts chasing her, but to protect her. Reese and the Terminator have come form the future to prevent something from happening in the future. Does your head hurt? Yeah, don't think about it. Just enjoy the special effects (which do seem a little dated thirty years later), and enjoy this as one of James Cameron's short movies, and less pretentious to boot.

Woody Allen, The Chronicles of Narnia, Love Streams

11/25/16 Crimes and Misdemeanors, 1989 #57 BBC

Crimes and Misdemeanors is one of the few Woody Allen films I saw in the theater; I think the only other one was Scoop, which I saw in Paris (in English, thank god). I remember liking it and the moral questions that Allen raised, and loving the performances by some of my favorite actors: Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach, Martin Landau and Alan Alda (the rest of the cast is stellar, but I will watch almost anything these guys are in). Martin Landau is Judah Rosenthal, a successful ophthalmologist who has a very big secret; Woody Allen is Clifford Stern, a documentary filmmaker. I found the story about Judah and his secrets and lies (the name of a film by a totally different director, Mike Leigh) more interesting than Clifford's. Judah is having an affair with a flight attendant, Dolores (Anjelica Huston), and while it seems to dying out for him, Dolores wants to tell Judah's wife, Miriam (Claire Bloom). Judah, who is receiving a big award as the movie opens, is scared of Dolores spilling the beans and ruining the myth and illusion that he has created of being the perfect husband and citizen of the world. Judah brings his brother, Jack (Jerry Orbach) into the picture, to 'take care of things'. For a while, Judah suffers pangs of his conscience and feelings of guilt and fear of a different secret coming out. Clifford, who is struggling to make pet documentary film on a Holocaust survivor, takes on the job of doing a documentary on his brother-in-law, Lester (Alan Alda), a successful, obnoxious television producer. Saying that Clifford has zero enthusiasm for his subject is a minor understatement; Lester is everything that Clifford isn't, nor does he want to be. Clifford tries to begin a relationship with Halley (Mia Farrow), Lester's assistant producer. Clifford is about as successful at that as he is at everything else. Clifford's other brother-in-law, Ben (Sam Waterston), is a rabbi who is slowly losing his sight, and is a patient of Judah's. If you are waiting for the boors and bad guys to get their comeuppance, you may be waiting for a long time. If you think that guilt will eat away at Judah like he is in a Dostoevsky story, I hope you're not too disappointed. Sometimes, the good guys don't win. This is more of a drama than a comedy, but it does have its moments, especially when Clifford and Lester share the screen. Ingmar Bergman is one of Allen's influences, and this definitely could have been something that Bergman did, in fact, he probably did (without the Jewish influence), but I cannot come up with a specific movie at the moment.

12/2/16 Mighty Aphrodite, Best  Supporting Actress, 1995

 I was beginning to think I would never get to watch this 1995 Oscar winner by writer/director/actor Woody Allen. The first time I got the movie from the library, it wouldn't play; I think it might have even been a VHS tape, not even a scratched disk. Then it was gone from circulation, and it's in the 'unknown' category on Netflix. But, ta-da, Interlibrary Loan has come into my life and all kinds of things I thought I would never see are now possible. Mira Sorvino won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Linda Ash, a call girl with a heart of gold, or at least acting ambitions. Linda has a baby and gives him up for adoption. Max's adoptive parents are Amanda Sloane Weinrib (Helena Bonham Carter) and Lenny Weinrib (Woody Allen); Amanda is an art gallery curator and Lenny is a New York sportswriter. Lenny seems far more obsessed with learning about his new baby's birth parents than Amanda, and he goes to some questionable lengths to do it. In a Woody Allen movie, questionable very often means funny, and that is true here. Allen uses the idea of the Greek chorus to help tell his tale and question Lenny's motives and actions, in a very humorous way, I was reminded of Mel Brooks. F. Murray Abraham is the Chorus Leader, and we also get commentary from Cassandra and Tiresius, both prophets, and others from Greek mythology. I thought it was a clever and unusual way (in films, at least) to break the wall between the audience and the actors. Lenny winds up tracking down Linda and goes on 'dates' with her, but not for sex, to learn more about her, but he doesn't tell her why. I'm not overly familiar with Sorvino's other films, so I don't know if this is a typical performance, but in the context of the film, she was really good; she was funny, she wasn't overshadowed or overpowered by Allen. Allen was not overly annoying, either; sometimes his 'schlemiel' characters can be too much, but not in this case. Being a fan of Bonham-Carter, I did think she was kind of wasted here; maybe 'wasted' isn't the right word, but I didn't get enough. I would love to see her in the type of role that Cate Blanchett played in Blue Jasmine. But anyway, that's a different story. I think this movie has probably been forgotten by a lot of people, but it's worth a look (if you can find it). An interesting tidbit: Dianne Wiest won the Best Supporting Actress the year before in Woody Allen's Bullets over Broadway.

12/3/16 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Best Makeup, 2005

I never read the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis even though a lot of my classmates did. I don't know why, but I just didn't, so in some ways I'm not tied by emotion or nostalgia to them. When I watch the movies or television representations, I just enjoy them for what they are, which are wonderful, fantastic adventures. The movie starts off in war time England, with bombs raining down on London, so families begin sending their children off to live in the country, many times with total strangers. That is the case for the four Pevensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. During a game of hide and seek in the large house owned by the reclusive professor Digory Kirke (Jim Broadbent), Lucy falls through the wardrobe and into the magical world of Narnia. Narnia is made up of fauns, talking animals like beavers, foxes, wolves and a really big lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson). Oh, and the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). Lucy comes back from her visit to her skeptical older brothers and sister, until the next time, they all go through to Narnia. The Narnians refer to the siblings as Daughters and Sons of Adam, and it seems that the children may bring with them a changing tide in Narnia, perhaps ridding them of the evil witch. Of course, nothing is as straightforward as that, and there are crazy escapes from the witch's rabid wolves, coming of age for the children as they learn more about themselves and the world they now inhabit, and battle of epic proportions. Neeson was made to be the voice of Aslan, who I think may be one of my favorite characters. Swinton is so fun as Jadis, the White Witch. She totally embraces the role and Jadis's villainous nature, but shows her campy side as well. After watching her in many different movies and roles, I'm convinced she could play any type of role or character she wants. Lewis's Christian theology can be seen in his writings, and much is made of the use of allegory and symbolism in The Chronicles of Narnia, but I honestly cannot intelligently comment on how that comes through in the film, or if it even does. If it did for you, then I missed it. Please don't interpret the previous comments as pejorative or anti-theological; they are not, I just enjoyed the movie as a fun, fantastiscal interpretation of a childhood classic. I think it's a wonderful cinematic experience, with beautiful visuals, very talented actors, and a story that I think a lot of children will enjoy. There were two subsequent movies, but I seem to recall that they were not necessarily as successful at the box office.

12/3/16 Mississippi Burning, Best Cinematography, 1988 

I would love to say that Mississippi Burning is a snapshot from a long ago time, and that we have moved forward in this country to a point where your race is as little a factor in daily life as whether you are right-handed or left-handed. Maybe that is naive or just plain dumb, I like to think that was hopeful. Sadly, as events have played out over the past 18 months, racism in this country is not a thing of the past. Perhaps I will just say I hope things never get as bad as they were in the South in the 1960s as the Civil Rights Movement was gaining momentum, and civil rights workers, as well as ordinary citizens, were subjected to harassment and violence in pursuit of equality for black Americans.  Mississippi Burning is a dramatization of the murder of three Civil Rights workers in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. Gene Hackman (in an Oscar-nominated role) and Willem Dafoe star as the two lead FBI agents looking into the disappearance, later determined to be murder, of three college students trying to register black voters in the deep South. Hackman is Rupert Anderson, born and raised in Mississippi and Dafoe is Alan Ward, a northerner who is by the book and seemingly unaware of how to navigate the social and political minefield they have entered. The movie is as much about Anderson and Ward's relationship as it is about examining the events of the day. The two agents run into a brick wall made of up of corrupt law enforcement and politicians, who may also be Klansman, who have no interest in finding the missing students or getting justice for them. Director Alan Parker (Fame, Birdy, Evita, Bugsy Malone) does not sugarcoat the violence that the black community experienced, or the fear people had in speaking out. There is an element of a mystery story as Ward and Anderson peel back the layers on the onion: who knew what, who did what, where are they in the power structure of the town or the Klan. The cast is comprised of many familiar faces: Frances McDormand and Brad Dourif are Mrs. Pell and her husband, Deputy Sheriff Clinton Pell (McDormand was nominated for Best Supporting Actress); R. Lee Ermey played Mayor Tilman; Michael Rooker (now in the Guardians of the Galaxy films) played Frank Bailey, a particularly violent man; Darius McCrary, is Aaron Williams, a young man who preaches and tries to encourage his community. It's not an easy movie to watch, but it is very well done and should be seen and used as a platform to discuss the Civil Rights Movement then and now.

12/9/16 Love Streams, 1984, #63 BBC 

I seem to question myself and my chosen hobby of movie blogging when I watch a film that is critically acclaimed, called inspirational, and I can't stand it, don't get it and want to turn it off. Am I missing something? Would I 'get it' if I studied film? These were my thoughts as I slogged through over two hours of (in my opinion) self-indulgent, wandering film-making called Love Streams. The later actor, writer and director John Cassavetes filled all three roles in  Love Streams. For film savants (not me), that should be all you need to know to bow down and be inspired by the lack of pretense, the laying bare of the soul, the raw nature of the main characters, Robert Harmon (Cassavetes) and his sister, Sarah Lawson (Gena Rowlands). Sadly, I am not one of those people, and it didn't resonate with me at all. Harmon is a playboy, writer, who uses women as his muse; he drinks too much, is a reluctant father and unreliable boyfriend/lover. His sister, Sarah, is at the tail end of a divorce, and is not handling it all that well, in fact, previous visits to mental institutions are referenced by her soon to be ex-husband. Sarah takes a trip to Europe to try and get better, but comes back a little more lost, confused and unfocused, and without her daughter, who makes it clear she would rather live with her father. Sarah heads out to California to be with Robert. Sarah goes through manic episodes, and Robert is not all that certain how to handle them, but he is afraid of losing her and upsetting her. As an example, Sarah takes a cab out somewhere, a small farm or something, looking for something cuddly, and comes home with miniature horses and a goat (I think) - all in the cab. It seems the cab driver didn't think any of this was weird. Rowlands' Sarah reminded me of her performance in Woman Under the Influence, also directed by Cassavetes, and the woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown persona. There were a few moments where I felt some compassion, but very few; most of the time I just found the whole thing unbelievable (I know it's just a film), and rambling. These two people are hurting and lost and need each other, but to me, the poor dialog and lack of focus (I'll put that down to the improvisational techniques used) just didn't reach me. This is not the first time, and certainly not the last, that I have disagreed with the BBC 100 list.