Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words (Thorsten Schütte, 2016)

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Rating: DOCQ=5, DOCP=4 / Quite Legible

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

Biopic, Music, Controversy, Social Commentary

I've always admired Frank Zappa as a musician and as a citizen. He was often misinterpreted, stereotyped, and attacked for being opinionated and speaking truth. His music is utter genius and incredibly entertaining. This documentary was a fun way to hear his thoughts and views, his contributions to music and our society, and is philosophy of life. A nice film.

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Oscar Dash 2018: The Nominations

It's Oscar Dash 2018!

Well, this year I'm way behind again--only seen one of the best picture nominees. But as I get older and further away from my film studies college days other things take priority to fall/winter movie-going. But I hope to see most of them by the end of the year. Don't forget to watch the big celebration on March 4. Here are the nominees for best picture:

Call Me By Your Name


Darkest Hour


Dunkirk


Get Out


Lady Bird


Phantom Thread


The Post


The Shape of Water


Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri


Click here to see pictures and all the other nominations!

Free State of Jones

Free State of Jones (Gary Jones, 2016)

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

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

Civil War, Race, Class, Freedom, Law, Crime

It's hard for me to fathom how many wars this world has seen--and the regularity of those wars. There is so much greed and death caused from that greed. It brings some comfort to my heart knowing that people like Newton Knight lived and fought against the greed and hatred. I fear that soldiers will never stop saying that it is "somebody else's" war and people will never stop suffering from oppression. This film shows a side of the confederacy that I did not know about. Definitely worth a watch, if you can stomach the violence.

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Peaky Blinders Seasons 3 & 4

Peaky Blinders Seasons 3 & 4 (Stephen Knight, 2013-)

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Season 3 Rating: DSQ=8, SP=8 / Obsession

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

Gangster, Power, WWI aftermath, Race, Class, Philosophical, Crime

The third season, while I still rate it full points, has a few little quirks that I didn't like as much as the first two seasons--namely, the Russian involvement. I've never disliked a character more than the evil priest in this season. What acting. The writing is still brilliant and the artistry is second-to-none.

Season 4 Rating: DSQ=8, SP=8 / Obsession

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

WOW. Simply incredible, beautiful, stunning, unexpected, total escape. Adrien Brody's performance blew me away. The whole cast continues to amaze me and the writing is even better than the first three seasons, in my opinion. The Peaky Blinders and Shelby Company Limited show a new kind of strength through loss and grieving.

There are so many reasons I love this show, but I think the one that stands out (especially now after the fourth season) is that the Shelby family, while incredibly rich and violent and feared, are actually quite vulnerable, repentant, and afraid. They lead fractured lives and show us the dark and light side of what it means to be human.

Here's how I rated the first two seasons.

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Happy 2018!

It's hard to believe that 2017 is over...that went by fast! Probably my favorite film that I watched this year was Miss Hokusai.


I re-watched many favorites, which was my goal, and tried to go to the theater more than in the past. I'd like to keep up with those two goals for this coming year. In addition, I hope to watch more period dramas, especially from the Ancient and Classical Eras. I might also re-watch I, Claudius.

It's also hard to believe that since just before starting graduate school (2008) I've rated 2,030+ films on Netflix. And since starting this blog (2011) I've posted 340 times. Whew.

Happy movie watching!