July ended yesterday

The best movie I saw for the first time this month was Shanghai Express. You?

Aug 01, 2024

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

I think, in the past, I've only seen purely black&white versions of Caligari, but this one had the tinting and it added, I would say.

It's been long enough that I had forgotten most of the plot beyond the broadest strokes. But really, the plot is only incidental to the experience of watching Caligari. The 14yrold—who should know better—watched with us for a while but was mostly on the phone. And while I'm sure it's true that he was successfully "following it," following the story is barely relevant to experience of watching the screen second by second and the weird world of this movie fills your eyes and mind.

So while I can't say it's precisely "scary," I'm happy to admit I still find it effective. And affective.

I'd like to see some of the remakes. In order of my interest, I'd most like to watch the bizarro 80s version, followed by Doug Jones as Caesare, then the mom from Mary Poppins knocking on Caligari's door.

ps: did you know that caesar is also major strasser?? that's crazy!

HOME
Hoopla

Hundreds of Beavers (2022)

Watching it this time with the boys, I realize that although moments are very silent-film-like (mostly when the Trapper's interacting with other people), most of the movie (in addition to the gamelike elements) is more like all the cartoon shorts that are getting made these days in which there is no dialogue. It's actually a pretty old tradition now, but it's gotten to the point that you feel like college students and other calling-card makers think no-dialogue is a strict rule (this is the most recent one I watched). But it became a go-to because it can be great, and Hundreds of Beavers is proof.

The boys enjoyed it.

I can easily see this becoming the movie kids watch with their friends.

Assuming they do that anymore.

(They still do—at least a little bit. For instance, Son#3 and his friends have watched Kung Pow waaay more times than I have—and all since I first showed it to them.)

HOME
library dvd

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

Yes, this is a very Ghibli film (I felt connections particularly to Sp ir it e d A w a y and Po m Po ko) and it's clearly a fairy tale, but it feels more akin to something like The Tree of Life than anything else. It's a remarkably complex film, confusing in pleasurable ways, while also providing a simple and accessible experience.

I stand by my previous review. And commend it to you.

What a grand finale to Isao Takahata's career!

HOME
my brother's dvd via my mother

Inspired Guns (2014)

In the course of maybe a month I had more than one family member ask if I'd seen this movie then give it a strong endorsement. So hey! I'm amenable!

And I kinda loved it. It's extremely low budget but most (most) of tha acting is really good. The action is much better than I'd imagined it would even attempt, let alone pull off. The comedy was solid; we laughed a lot. Yes, when the plot starts explaining itself it stops making sense if you think about it AT ALL, but even the spiritual conclusion hits. I'm skeptical it will have the rewatchability my brother claims his family has found in it (see above complaint) but still.

This is a winner.

HOME
library dvd

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

Interesting to watch this the day after Inspired Guns because they have a similar balance of the good and the bad. Just a different mix.

For instance, this movie has an incredible adult cast (Julia Ormond, Stanley Tucci, Joan Cusack, Chris O'Donnell, Glenne Headly, Jane Krakowski, Wallace Shawn) but some of the reaction shots are as shoddy as Inspired Guns's. (Abigail Breslin, incidentally, carries the movie great. And this Max Theriot kid seems like he should have gone bigger.)

The movie's filled with great bits but the conclusion isn't really earned. It has this big It's a Wonderful Life-esque scene that doesn't make a lot of since, but certain aspects of the thiefs' behavior also failed the logic-and-consistency test if you paused to think. They tried to cover up / manufacture emotions and plot beats with the overbearing score.

But the creation of 1934 was wonderful.

I just wish Kit's reporting actually mattered to the plot. I think that's my biggest complaint.

But that said, everyone liked it. It provided a charming experience. If you'll forgive it its flaws and just go along with it? It's good enough to let you do it. But don't concentrate too hard. This script's not perfect and the direction can be sloppy.

BUT I HAVE NO DESIRE TO RUIN YOUR CHILDHOOD IF YOU LOVE THIS MOVIE. It's pretty good.

HOME
library dvd

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)

Add this to the list of movie's I never really considered watching before reading about it on BW/DR. While watching it, while I laughed and enjoyed myself, I didn't have a very high opinion. But within only a couple minutes of it ending, it started to reform itself in my memory and I'm already really liking it. I'm happy to hear they're considering a sequel because I'd almost rather know what they're doing now than they were only ten years out of high school.

ELSEWHERE
library dvd

The Inventor (2023)

This is the third movie this month that I kinda love even though it has many flaws. This wonderful thing is a mix of stop-motion and handdrawn (or fine facsimiles thereof) telling a, ah, not very historical story of Leonardo da Vinci (although more historical than I had realized). The animation is wonderful to watch and most of the jokes and voicework are strong. The physical gags could have used a few more drafts. The real problem with the movie, however, is that it really wants to give you a strong message but it's not real clear what that is. Even considering that it attempts to state it outright, more than once. Largely this is all last-act problems. Once the other kings show up, the movie loses its way, generating laughs by going against much of the work accomplished by the earlier scenes. But at least it doesn't try so hard that it gets saccharine or embarrassing. Just a little lost.

The 7yrold needed to think about it for a while but, in the end, she decided she will keep the poster we picked up at a theater back in February and put it on her wall. So that's a definite endorsement.

ELSEWHERE
library dvd

Shanghai Express (1932)

This is so close to being a truly great movie. Even so, it lives in the neighborhood of Casablanca—maybe they were too confident this time in the script? Anyway, it's dark and urgent. It's the perfect movie for me to be watching on the train because it's mostly on a train. The trains starting and stopping, its traveling and its failing to travel, all these things matter.

It falls short of Casablanca in a few ways. For one, the male romantic lead is kinda rude, but that doesn't engender enough blame or sin to even things out with his counterpart. There's an unfairness here. He commits the greatest crimes and the greatest heroisms and he's just kinda there needing to decide he loves her and that that matters more than everything else. It's not quite enough.

I picked up this film because we're in a bit of a Anna May Wong moment—Gail Tsukiyama's written a novel about her and we have two new biographies in stores. I've always found her an intriguing figure, but I don't think I've seen any of her movies and since this is the one Tsukiyama talked about at a recent library visit, I decided it was time to remedy that.

I had thought Wong was an equally important character as that played by Marlene (which I recently learned from Burns and Allen has three syllables) Dietrich, but not so. Yes, they are both high-end prostitutes who find redemption but otherwise, no. Wong hardly has any lines. She's pretty sullen. (Yes, yes, "pretty" and "sullen"; you're very clever.) But she does well with the little she's given. But giving her a little more would have helped.

This is another place that Casablanca comes out ahead. It's bit characters are both more varied and much more deftly drawn. The minister's turnaround, for instance, isn't quite earned, and it's vital to the plot and so it's a problem.

But I'm focusing on all these flaws because, as I said, this is really really close to being a masterpiece. Just a few tweaks here and there and we might still be talking about it the way we do a Casablanca. It has wise and useful things to say about the human condition and love. Dietrich is amazing in the lead. The film is shot and edited well and often in interesting ways. It's deeply entertaining and—almost—one step past excellent. They were so close to masterpiece. And I loved it.

ELSEWHERE
library dvd

Robocop (1987)

You can see that Verhoeven has certain satirical points to make. He gets more to the point in Starship Troopers but all the pieces are here including sad tv news and coed dressing rooms. He'll just push everything way harder in the next iteration. I can see failing to see this is satire but if you can't figure it out by Starship, shame on you.

HOME
library dvd

The Limey (1999)

This is one of many 1999 movies I'm seeking out now (reason). I had easy access to this film from 2002—2004 and never had interest. Even though starting in 2001 I became a big Soderbergh fan.

One of the things that made me decide now is the time is reading that the film's first, chronological cut was a disaster. And that evening Soderbergh took his notes and made plans and then the recut it into something other than pure chronology. I wanted to see it. And it does push the limits.

But it was the sort of movie we wanted insight on and so, this is what it's for, we turned to criticism. Lady Steed read the first two with me before rolling over and going to sleep: 1,2,3,4.

They make good points.

HOME
library dvd

A New Leaf (1971)

"Excuse me, you're not by any chance related to the Boston Hitlers?"

I've been wanting to watch more Elaine May movies. I have no memory of why I decided to have this dvd show up midway through the summer, but it did. There really aren't that many. She only directed four. And her rough go started with this one which, though admired, is not her cut. Her cut was apparently almost twice as long and had Walter Matthau kill a couple people on its way to its (now bloodless) happy ending.

The film is funny and it has a few sequences with quite innovative sound and editing. It's also quite dark. I also wonder if the original cut resolved a couple character arcs that seem truncated in this version.

I had no idea where the film would end up or how I would feel. That it ended where it does and that that ending works surprised me. But it did work. Largely because Matthau and May are ever better at bringing humanity to their over-the-top characters than I reailzed before the final scene. And then, suddenly, oh: they are people, not jokes. I hadn't noticed.

HOME
library dvd

Notting Hill (1999)

Not sure how it's possible, but this is my first time seeing Notting Hill. I do have a couple complaints. Even though the film seems like it might have been edited down quite a bit (I suspect the mother used to be a character), it was still about twenty minutes too long. Good news is getting rid of some of the awkward music cues that seemed mostly for padding the soundtrack would help.

But I still enjoyed it. And even though it was the only part of the movie I knew was coming ("I'm just a girl..."), that moment melted me. No wonder it's a romcom classic. That moment alone earns all the accolades the film's received. Honestly, it's enough.

THEATER
Cinemark Century
Hilltop 16

Migration (2023)

I know this is only the second Illumination feature I've seen through, but I'm comfortable calling it the best so far. It's far from a masterpiece, but it has good characters, nonstop action, and plenty of laughs. Props to making Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks the starring couple. It's crazy Kumail isn't doing voice work all the time.

Anyway, it was a good morning spent with the kids. I'm sure it will fade in my memory but maybe not?