Inside Out

Inside Out (Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen, 2015)

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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession

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

Animation, Coming of Age, Psychology, Tearjerker

My sister sent me more than a few messages to see this movie from the time it came out in theaters. "Have you seen it yet???" she'd text on a random evening. "Go see it!!" the next morning. Well, I finally did and was so thoroughly pleased. I usually have mixed feelings about Pixar movies. Sometimes the animators try to hard to make their characters look like the voice actors (which irritates me, somehow). Sometimes the narratives get cliche or the jokes are totally unfunny. But in this case everything worked. It was a perfectly imagined inside view of the human mind, the emotional workings of the brain.

We can't have just a few emotions and succeed in the world. Our strongest memories aren't just happy ones. New environments, new people and challenges will breakdown the old you and pave the way to a new one, with much more complex feelings and thoughts. Inside Out really makes the "growing up" concept understandable. And so importantly it shows the sadness is integral to life. I cried many tears at the end of this one.

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I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story

I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (Dave LaMattina & Chad N. Walker, 2014)

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Rating: DOCQ=6, DOCP=7 / First Rate

Scale K=3, Scale L=3, Scale M=4, Scale N=3

Documentary, Biopic, Puppeteer, Children's Education, Tearjerker

Puppets hold a very important place in my heart. I remember running home from elementary school every day and watching Mister Rogers followed by one glorious hour of Sesame Street. While Big Bird wasn't my favorite character (I liked Telly and Ernie) he is undeniably the icon of the show. It's wonderful to watch the behind-the-scenes of the truly great entertainers/storytellers that puppeteers are. They are magicians with big hearts. And the love they have for children is sincere and ceaseless. Caroll Spinney is an amazing person and you if you ever watched Sesame Street you definitely need to know who he is. Watch this.

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Spellbound

Spellbound (Alfred Hitchcock, 1945)

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Rating: Q=8, P=6 / Can't Get Enough

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

Thriller, Psychological, Suspense, Romance

One of Hitchcock's most marvelous films. Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck deliver wonderful performances but the real star, in my opinion, is the artistry and camerawork. Symbolism takes center stage as it leaps from the mis-en-scene into the narrative, too. So much texture and detail fill each frame. There's even a Salvador Dali dream-sequence. Complete with eyes on the curtains! If you like mysteries, I guarantee you'll like this one.

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It's A Beautiful Day

*Sorry for the lack of posts during October and November. I've been very busy at work and have re-watching favorites during this time.

It's A Beautiful Day (Don Hertzfeldt, 2012)

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

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

Animated, Drama, Philosophical, Coping

A very poignant collection of stories about coping with life, illness, the depressing realities we all face, the haunting past, the uncertain future. I found it both sad and uplifting, quiet and very heavy. A good reminder of how fragile and complex each person's existence is.

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