On Golden Pond (1981)

On Golden Pond is a film that I never thought I would enjoy watching because as a young person, I never thought I could identify with the characters or story. But in recent months I've been seeking out films dealing with reconnecting with one's parents, as I've been faced with reuniting with my own birth-father after many years of estrangement (this may likely be a topic of another blog post or two in the future...). My reunion experience has been difficult for me to discuss with other family members; it was a very emotional experience. I have an older relative who has expressed disagreement with me reconnecting with my birth-father because of his abandonment of my mother and I. The difficulty I've had with communicating with certain family members has made me feel as if there's something wrong with me, and that I'm the only one who has trouble communicating with family members; this personal experience has affected me so much that I've even had to take some time off from blogging for a long time as well.

I knew of some of the main themes of On Golden Pond, including reconnecting with your elderly parents/relatives, but it's only been in recent days that I felt ready to watch the film.

The main character, Norman Thayer, played by Henry Fonda, has a cranky, stubborn, and blunt personality that rubs people the wrong way; that becomes clear as we see him interact with several characters at the start of the film. For many of us, if we meet someone like that, we might likely not want to be friends with them. However, one person who loves him dearly is his devoted wife of over 40 years played by Katherine Hepburn. Her character is very interesting and ultimately inspiring because she demonstrates by example how to have to patience with him, and we understand through her character that the Fonda character has flaws, and is not perfect. He's having memory problems, and is slowing down, and at one point almost accidentally burns their New England summer cottage down, their cottage on the lake "Golden Pond". I have relatives that live near a lake in suburban Chicago, and it's not too unlike Golden Pond, so I could imagine what life is like for the characters.

The other characters in the film all have to deal with Norman in their own way, including his daughter Chelsea (Jane Fonda), who is very busy with her career in Los Angeles yet finds the time to come to visit her parents at the cottage after many years. After she arrives, Norman, always an overbearing father, makes her feel like a child again. I've felt the same way when I visit older relatives. I have a relative who is 87 and can say some embarrassing and hurtful things, and can make me feel like a child at holiday gatherings.

There's a poignant scene in the film where Chelsea has a heart-to-heart talk with her mom, saying how she wishes to be friends with her father, and wishes they could be more compatible. But her mom reminds her that Norman is a man of 80 years old, and that we need to accept him as who he is and tries to encourage her to not be so disagreeable with her past. "Life goes on", she says. "Get on with it."  It's a reminder to me when I relate to my own older family members, as their personalities are theirs and will not change.

There's also a great sequence in the film where Norman takes Chelesa's soon-to-be-stepson out on the lake to go fishing, and they have a great time trying to catch a legendary elusive fish. Norman isn't really such a bad guy after all; he's really a hero to the members of his family.

I was really amazed to learn that the film (and the play it was based on) was written by a young man (Ernest Thompson) who was in his 20s at the time. That's fascinating to me because the characters are much older, and complex.

All of the characters in On Golden Pond are ones I could either identify with or are ones that remind me of real people in my own life, and after watching the film I now feel as if I'm not alone in my familial plight. For these reasons, I consider the film to be a very inspirational one to me personally, and I hope you have a chance to enjoy it sometime too if you haven't seen it.

TCM Remembers 2017

TCM always does a very nice job of putting together a memorial tribute of those that passed in the last year; when watching the 2017 tribute I was saddened to learn of the passings of Danielle Darriuex, Anne Wiazemsky, Dina Merrell, Clifton James and Bernie Casey; I did not know they passed.

Interstellar (2014), Solaris (1972), and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

This past summer I was able to catch up with two science fiction films that played here in Chicago in 35 MM at the Music Box Theater. The first was Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris a very slow paced and mysterious film set on a space station where members of the crew succumb to the planet Solaris' control of their minds. It was a visually beautiful film to watch, but felt long; I may need to watch it again a second time to fully comprehend its meaning. Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, also set in the future, left me with a bleak feeling at the end, as most of the characters in the film fell prey to a great deception. I also felt a bit exhausted at the end of it as well. Visually, the film was also beautiful to watch, with stunning visuals. It's another film that I may need to watch again to pay more attention to details, as I feel much went over my head, but I feel I caught the main ideas throughout. In, both films, the comic relief was limited.

Which brings us to one of the year's most anticipated films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. "Part 8" in the Star Wars saga, this film has its share of suspense and surprises, but perhaps what surprised me the most was the amount of comedy in the film; this film contains probably the most comic relief of all of the Star Wars films put together, which seems unusual since this film was meant to answer some serious questions about the fates of some of the best-known characters in the series such as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Whenever an actual Star Wars film's comedic tone would fit well in Mel Brooks' Spaceballs (1987), something seems a little out-of-place.

I can only imagine what Interstellar and Solaris would be like with the amount of comedy that was in The Last Jedi.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I went to see this film over the weekend but I was not blown away by it. I thought it was okay, especially the visual effects and sets. I liked the protagonist's quest to solve the mystery of the film, which pretty much remains a mystery up until the very last minute, and even when its over there are unanswered questions.  I was left to wonder if there will be additional films in this series, and whether I would be interested in the characters enough to want to see additional films in a possible series (I might skip them if they come out). The original Blade Runner from 1982 was a great film that stood alone well by itself, and in my opinion this new film isn't necessary. There were also some awkward comedic moments in the film, especially with Harrison Ford's character Deckart, who has been in hiding for 30 years since the original film's ending. You would never expect a futuristic thriller like this have "cameos" by Elvis and Frank Sinatra, but they do appear, and it's feels awkward. Also, a few more familiar faces from the 1982 film make short appearances in this movie, but they probably didn't need to be in it, really. The movie is long, almost 3 hours. I wouldn't recommend unless you are a huge fan of the first film and absolutely want to see more to this story. This is the kind of film where you really should see the first movie to understand the second.

Quest: A Portrait of An American Family (2017)

The Rainey family 

I had a chance to watch this documentary, first screened at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, at a screening in downtown Chicago this past summer at the Siskel Film Center. The film was shot over 8 years in Philadelphia and focuses on an inner city family's music studio; the official website describes the studio as "a creative sanctuary from the strife that grips their neighborhood".  The filmmakers document a number of musical artists who work in the studio run by Christopher "Quest" Rainey and his wife "Ma Quest". Their daughter becomes a victim of gun violence during the course of the documentary's filming, which shifts the tone of the film but is never exploitative; rather, it's incredibly moving and ultimately inspiring portrait of a family's journey. 

The director and editor were present at the screening for a post-film Q&A. They said that the film will have more screenings throughout the US and even will be broadcast on public television next year.

Highly recommended if you have a chance to see it.

The film's website is here:
http://quest-documentary.com

Get Out (2017) and I am Not Your Negro (2017)

Get Out is a new film by Jordan Peele, who has done comedy in the past (I'm not familiar with his work, though). This movie has been getting alot of buzz and is hailed a modern day horror classic. I've totally been into the modern horror revolution, having enjoyed The Guest and It Follows most of all lately. Get Out isn't so much a slasher film but there are some violent parts, it's more a psychological thriller focusing on a young interracial couple (the man is black and the woman is white).  The white woman wants to introduce her beau to the fam, who turns out to be cultish and I had flashbacks to when I got involved in a cult-like group. I won't get into all those details but let me just say I'm really sensitive to the kinds of stories that involve cults. I still haven't seen The Master because I feel I'm not ready to handle it. The film is also a commentary on race; one of my favorite lines in the movie is when the young man (I forgot the actor's name) calls his friend and says "these people missed the movement". It's a freakish film and really well-done; the cult aspect of the film definitely got me unnerved.

I Am Not Your Negro is an engrossing documentary on James Baldwin, brilliant writer and activist who unfortunately died too soon - in the mid 1980s. The film is combination of his television interviews (with Dick Cavett and others), historical footage, and movie clips (including some Sidney Poitier and Doris Day movies that contrast the white and black experience on film during this period) from the 1960s through the 1970s. There is narration by Samuel L. Jackson, who reads the words of an unfinished manuscript by Baldwin. All of the compiled interview clips are definite highlights. Baldwin is very candid and honest about the real attitudes black Americans of the time, and how for example the media and Hollywood were not accurate depictions of real life. In one segment, the film The Defiant Ones is analyzed, and Baldwin talks about how he and others felt that in real life, the black fugitive would have and should have escaped and fended for himself but instead he's shown befriending and helping the other white fugitive. It made me think about that film in another light.



The film also shows clips of 1960s demonstrations and interviews that included hollywood celebrities like Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte and Charlton Heston. Heston is usually dismissed as a racist and right-wing nut and in his later years because his rapid gun activism didn't win him universal favor. His early involvement with civil rights movement is typically forgotten. In Heston's biography I
n the Arena he talks about his involvement in the Civil Rights movement in the '60s, and then talks about what happened once he became president of the Screen Actors Guild. Martin Luther King Jr met with him to ask him about the lack of people of color in the union and in technical fields in general. Heston explained how he felt he couldn't do much of anything. Dr. King then met with members of other film unions and eventually persuaded them to allow people of color; there had been an rule in place where only children of the members of SAG could be admitted to technical unions.

In August of 1963 King lead a March on Washington which welcomed delegates from Hollywood. Heston was one of those who came and who gave a presentation; in the book, he mentions that his statement to the press was written by James Baldwin (Heston calls him "Jimmy" in the book and describes him as if the reader knows nothing about him). Heston was upset because he wanted to write his own speech, but ultimately praised Baldwin for his writing skill.

After seeing this I Am Not Your Negro, I wanted to read more of  Baldwin's work, and have begun to read Giovanni's Room, The Fire Next Time, and Go Tell It On the Mountain, which deals with religion. It's so fascinating to me that Baldwin had an early interest and exposure to churches and gospel music, which he often writes about, reflecting on the spiritual lives of people in society. I wonder what he might think of the film Get Out, which delves into the manipulation of the mind. And often what he would say about today's cultural landscape? His voice lives on and speaks to us today. The documentary feels so contemporary. Read Bobby Rivers' post on both of these films,

Read a blog post by Cliched Monologues on the documentary


 

Cafe Society (2016) and A Star is Born (1937)

I saw Cafe Society in January of 2017. It's Woody Allen's latest film, set in Hollywood in the 1930s. I really liked it. It slowly turns into a love triangle story involving Steve Carell's agent character and two young people (Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart) at the start of their careers. The movie then ends on a bittersweet note, kind of reminding me of the ending of La La Land (2016) because I felt the characters were asking themselves "I wonder what might have been?"

Besides the period costumes and sets, one of my favorite things about the movie is that every now and then a character will name-drop a real-life actor or filmmaker from that era ("in Gable's last picture..." or "Did Selznick produce that one?..."). It becomes something of a running gag that I really got a kick out of.

It's really interesting to see actors like Kristen Stewart and Blake Lively appear in a Woody Allen film. They're not bad actors, it's just that some of their previous work has been geared to a younger audience.  Jesse Eisenberg was in To Rome with Love.

Another Hollywood-themed movie I saw was the original 1937 version of A Star is Born, with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March.  It's also set in the same time period, the 1930s. A starstruck Janet moves from her farm town to Hollywood to become an actor, and finds love and support from March. They eventually get married and are one of the most famous couples in Hollywood (but of course she is more famous -- a star on the rise, and he's on the way down). The strangest part of the film was the trailer-in-the-woods honeymoon sequence, which seemed a bit out of place and questionable destination for a honeymoon for two big name stars.

I liked the scene where a drunken March makes a speech in front of the crowd; he does something similar in front of a crowd in The Best Years of Our Lives during a dinner scene.

If you've seen any of the A Star is Born movies then you know what happens at the end, but I won't spoil it if you don't know what happens....just that it ends on a sad note.

I think these two movies - Cafe Society and 1937's A Star is Born - would make for an interesting double feature centering around 1930s Hollywood.

Under the Sun of Satan (1987) and Silence (2016)

The common thread is that these two movies are about priests. And they both have endings that stuck with me long after seeing them. I'll go into that at the end of each post - spoiler warning.

The first is the 1987 French film Under the Sun of Satan (Sous le soleil de Satan), starring Gerard Depaurdiu; he plays a priest in a small French village. I saw this at a revival screening in Chicago.

Movies about priests can be depressing. This is one of them.

At the very start of the movie, Gerard has a long tedious conversation with his superior (Maurice Pialat - the film's director) who is disappointed in him. Then we see Gerard whipping himself after having sinful thoughts.

Then the director focuses on a different story about a young emotionally tormented woman who may or may not have killed someone.  After a constant struggle with his faith and worthiness, the priest finally meets face-to-face with the woman (which seems to take forever), and we realize that the priest is almost as emotionally tormented to the same degree as the woman.  By the end of the film, the priest is looked upon as a something of a saint by the villagers.

I like the last scene of the movie, when the priest dies in the confessional -- he's laying there dead while Catholic after Catholic pass through and confess their sins, unknowing that a corpse is on the other side of the screen.

There's some deep meaning in that. After all, there are a lot of dead people in churches, even if they are alive.

Another blogger's perspective:

Surrender to the Void

Silence, directed by Martin Scorcese

Silence is also a dark film, but it has a different tone, an epic scale (nearly 3 hours), and set in Japan.

It is 1633 in Japan, and Christians and priests are being murdered and live in fear, as Christianity is outlawed. Liam Neeson plays a priest who survived persecution; he now lives in Japan but has renounced the priesthood. Two of his mentees (Adam Driver and Adam Garfield) travel from Portugal to Japan on a mission to find him, but they risk their lives every day they stay there. They meet a group of secret Christians who befriend them and want them to be their priest. One character they meet continually proves to be untrustworthy. Eventually both of the priests come to a crossroads where they are faced with the decision to renounce their faith.

The focus of the story is on Andrew Garlfied's  priest. We follow him throughout the duration of the film, and hear his narration throughout; frequently commenting on what life is like as a priest, providing a sense of his mind.

Having been raised Catholic and hearing about missionaries of the past who went out to other countries to bring Catholicism, this movie interested me.

The film is based on a book by a Japanese Catholic,  Shūsaku Endō, and directed by Martin Scorsese, also a Catholic who has tackled God and spirituality in some of his other films such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Kundun, about the life of the Dalai Lama. I read somewhere that Scorsese himself wanted to be a priest before he became a filmmaker. I think this film was his way to explore what life as a priest is like. It certainly gave me some further insight into the devotion of such priests.

Essentially what happens in this movie and in the book is that the priests have to renounce their faith, and end up living the rest of their lives in Japan. I'm guessing the book goes into more detail. But we learn that the priests eventually help officials identify Christian symbolism in the society where it is not allowed. I wish the film focused more on this part of the story.

At the end, Adam Garfield's character dies, and he's buried with a Christian cross in his casket, even though he could not practice his religion most of his adult life. It's an interesting image, and profound. Makes you wonder if a person leaves the faith tradition they were raised in, is it still a part of you until you die?