The Bandwagon

The Bandwagon (Vincente Minnelli, 1953)

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Rating: Q=5, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Musical, Romance

Song, dance, color, frivolity! The Bandwagon is a classic musical that showcases two of Hollywood's finest dancers: Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. And they are incomparable. The story isn't special, but that's OK because the point is to watch a variety show. A good escape!

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Miss Fisher's Mysteries Seasons 1-3

Miss Fisher's Mysteries, Seasons 1-3 (2012-)

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Seasion 1 Rating: DSQ=9, SP=8 / Sweet Treat

Scale A=3, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

     Favorite episode from season 1 = "Queen of the Flowers"

Seasion 2 Rating: DSQ=9, SP=8 / Sweet Treat

Scale A=3, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=4, Scale E=4

     Favorite episode from season 2 = "Murder A La Mode"

Seasion 3 Rating: DSQ=8, SP=7 / Sweet Treat

Scale A=2, Scale B=3, Scale C=3, Scale D=3, Scale E=4

     Favorite episode from season 3 = "Blood and Money"

Australia, Murder Mystery, 1920s, Romance, Witty, Based on Book Series

I'm a fool for a good mystery series but so many of them in the last decades have been too gory, horrific, or grueling. So, it was refreshing to stumble across Miss Fisher's Mysteries. Phryne Fisher decides to be a detective and then bands together all the people she trusts to help her. It feels like The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and Agatha Christie's Poirot stories blended together. Glorious.

The series is also set in Melbourne in the 1920s, which I find incredibly interesting. I know nothing about Australia in that time period. It's also way too fun to watch Phryne and Detective Jack Robinson's three season flirtation.

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42nd Street

42nd Street (Lloyd Bacon, 1933)

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Rating: Q=4, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=2, Scale 2=2, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Musical, Romance

I've said before that musicals are not my favorite genre of film, so I have lots of catching up to do. But I enjoy many of the early films--from the 1930s--because they are light-hearted and the placement of the songs make sense. 42nd Street is a fun diversion, a nice escape during the Great Depression. And it's a treat to see some of the famous faces/voices of a bygone era, like Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell. While watching, it is hard not to think about how vastly different the world is today.

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I Am

I Am (Tom Shadyac, 2010)

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Rating: DOCQ=8, DOCP=8 / Quite Legible

Scale K=2, Scale L=3, Scale M=3, Scale N=2

Documentary, Philosophical, Political, Spiritual

How I feel about this film can be summed up by one quote that stayed with me long after viewing:

"There's one fundamental law that all of nature obeys that mankind breaks every day. Now, this is a law that's evolved over billions of years, and the law is this: Nothing in nature takes more than it needs."

"An ocean, a rain forest, the human body, are all co-operatives. The redwood tree doesn't take all the soil and nutrients, just what it needs to grow. A lion doesn't kill every gazelle, just one. We have a term for something in the body when it takes more than its share, we call it: cancer."

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In A Lonely Place

In A Lonely Place (Nicholas Ray, 1950)

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Rating: Q=6, P=4 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."

This film takes its place in the library of classics because of the script. Each line is meaningful, there is no filler. And the lines are delivered with impeccable timing by two stars: Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame. Even though the story and characters are not new--the volatile writer, the mysterious and beautiful woman, an unsolved murder--the way it is told seems fresh. For the time and even now. It has a feeling of a stage production, as many films of the 1950s do, but it is enhanced by beautiful film artistry, especially lighting and angles.

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Killer of Sheep

Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1978)

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Rating: Q=6, P=4 / Obsession

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Docudrama, Race, Class, Complex Relationships, Philosophical, Cerebral

"Day in the life" films are hard to get right, but this one is poignant and heartbreaking, beautiful and quiet, difficult and simple. It encompasses everything about being African American in Watts in the late-1970s. It is certainly a film centered on race and class but it is so much more--the scenes make us ask ourselves why we work or why we choose not to, what makes us love and strive, how we react to hard times, etc. Killer of Sheep gives you perspective.

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Safety Last!

Safety Last! (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, 1923)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Comedy, Silent, Romance

The classic scene of Harold Lloyd dangling from a clock twelve stories up--I'd seen it countless times. So why did it take me so long to watch the whole film?

I really love silent films and I've never quite figured out why people won't give them much of a chance. I suppose it's because lots of sound seems to rule the big box office films. But comedy can be spot-on with just a well-timed piano soundtrack. Harold Lloyd was a genius of comedy, not far behind Chaplin and Keaton, but he doesn't have that legendary status like the others. Maybe because he always plays characters that seem real, the average guy in a tricky or messy situation. In Safety Last! he's just the new guy in the city trying to impress his girl. Of course, everything he plans goes awry.

If you don't normally watch silent films, take a chance on this one. It's short, truly funny, and has classic moments you'll somehow recognize (Oh, that's where that gag came from!). Then try other greats like Sherlock Jr. and City Lights.

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Boy & The World

Boy & The World (Ale Abreu, 2013)

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Rating: Q=6, P=5 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=2

Coming of Age, Philosophical, Social Change, Environmentalism, Technology

This film is enchanting, at times even mesmerizing. I was absorbed by animation style--simple but vibrant with unexpected techniques at every turn. The story is beautiful, too: we watch a little boy (Cuca) take an adventure in search of his father but soon discover that isn't really what's happening at all. It is always about the journey in Coming of Age stories, never the destination, and this story is the perfect example. I felt like I was taking a ride through a kaleidoscope and across the imagination of a mind taking everything in for the first time.

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Anomalisa

Anomalisa (Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, 2015)

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Rating: Q=6, P=4 / Average OJ
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=2, Scale 4=2

Complex Relationships, Human Condition, Philosophical, Enigmatic

Charlie Kaufman has brought us so many strange and beautiful stories over the years: Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and now Anomalisa. This film is just as symbolic, layered, and surreal at times. But the stop-motion animation style is new and fits the story absolutely perfectly.

From the very beginning I was drawn in by the way the viewer is allowed to enter the mind of the main character, Michael. Everything we see and hear is from his perspective, which is crucial as the story unfolds. While it seems likely that Michael has a mental disorder--like Fregoli delusion or Prosopagnosia--it isn't important. His character forces us to think about the complexity of relationships, attraction, and expectations...we can all relate to some aspect of his situation. This is definitely a film for anyone interested in psychology.

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The Martian

The Martian (Ridley Scott, 2015)

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Rating: Q=6, P=6 / Average OJ

Scale 1=3, Scale 2=3, Scale 3=3, Scale 4=3

Sci-Fi, Adventure, Survival, Space Travel, Human Spirit

I really enjoyed this film, for its uplifting and inspirational quality. Yes, it's about astronauts and space exploration but it is really more about survival and endurance. Matt Damon's performance is one of his best ever, bringing you to tears of sorrow and joy almost in the same instance. And he's really funny.

We owe it to ourselves to reflect on human existence-- the impact we make as a species and as individuals. This film makes definitely does this...and still lets you escape.

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I'm Back!

I'm Back! Sorry for the hiatus in posts but this summer was a busy one! A busy work schedule in June and early August PLUS a long vacation abroad for much of July and August means not much movie watching. But I do have plans to watch many classics, animation, new award winners, etc.