Coco (2017)

Dia de Los Muertos is Spanish for Day of the Dead, and always is celebrated in the two days after Halloween. Originating in Mexico and celebrated around the world today, it is a multi-day commemoration to celebrate the multitude of ways the living and dead can connect --

•     by telling stories about loved ones in our lives that are no longer with us
•     by displaying their photos on an "ofrenda" (elaborately decorated altars with flowers and candles and cherished family mementos)
•     by celebrating life with delicious food, brightly colored decorations, and festive gatherings.

Examples of food that are enjoyed include "pan de muertos" (bread of the dead), which is a tasty baked sweet roll, and atole, a hot drink of masa, water, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla.

Coco is a fantastic movie that captures of the essence of why people celebrate Day of the Dead. It's an animated music-filled comedy adventure, which takes place on Dia de Los Muertos in a town in Mexico. The story focuses on young, aspiring musician Miguel who manages to "cross over" into the land of the dead; he also meets his ancestors who he knows about from the photos on his family's ofrenda and from the stories that have been passed from generation to generation. His oldest living relative is his great-grandmother Coco.

I first watched this on DVD in 2018, and now enjoy watching this movie every year or so because it not only helps me understand why families celebrate Dia De Los Muertos but also reminds me of my own relatives and loved ones that have passed away and that I miss. 

It stirs my imagination and makes me think of what the afterlife could be like. It also gives me some encouragement that injustices that aren't settled on Earth can be worked out in the afterlife, and subsequently resolved on Earth. I'm referring to the character of De La Cruz the world-beloved singer that has evil secrets that should be exposed. 

I highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it. (Available on Disney+, DVD/Blu-Ray, and may be available from your local library). 

Surrender to the Void blog here

A Slate Article here "A Gringo’s Guide to Coco"

An article from Mental Floss blog here - "11 Facts About Día de los Muertos "

Another post from Order of the Good Death here - "Your Guide to the Movie Coco"

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and the real Blanche Barrow

It's been 50 Years since the release of this film. Its starts -Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway - have been receiving some attention lately for their recent Oscar Awards appearances. Bonnie and Clyde has always been one of my favorite movies ever since I was in high school and first watched it on TV.  I always enjoy the visual style of this movie - the close-ups, editing and dialogue (influenced by the French new wave), the music, and the performances.

On my latest rewatch, I became very interested in learning more about the real Buck and Blanche Barrow. In the film, Buck is played by Gene Hackman and Blanche is played by Estelle Parsons.

I went to my local library to see if I could find anything about them, and I found a biography written by Blanche Barrow called "My Life With Bonnie and Clyde". It's a fascinating book with a detailed chronology, photos, and dozens of pages of references and notes.

The real Blanche, who died in 1988, also had a few interesting things to say about the famous 1967 movie and about the actress who played her, Ms Parsons.

Also interesting to learn from the book is that that Blanche Barrow's name was never used in any of the other previous movies about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, such as You Only Live Once (1937), They Live By Night (1949), Gun Crazy (1949), or The Bonnie Parker Story (1958).

Some other takeaways from the book -

• Producer Warren Beatty wanted to use her name in the film and had to ask her for permission; she agreed to meet with him at her lawyer's office, and she read the script. After approving, she signed a contract allowing her name to be used in the film.
• One of Clyde's brothers visited the set one day, and jokingly said to Warren Beatty and Gene Hackman, "Howdy there, brothers!"
• Beatty came to Blanche's house a few times to visit and played the piano.
• She did not like the finished movie (claiming the script was rewritten), and said of her portrayal: "That movie made me look like a screaming horse's ass!"

Blanche never wanted media attention after the movie, yet she did ultimately make money from the movie's success.

Richard Donner interviewed on Leonard Maltin's podcast

A few weeks ago on Leonard Maltin's podcast, Richard Donner was the guest, and he talked with Leonard about his career. For about half of the podcast, they talk about Richard's TV career before he got started with films in the 1970s. Then they talked a little about The Omen, Superman, and then The Goonies. Lethal Weapon was discussed for a bit, too.

There was also a discussion about Inside Moves, which features some characters with disabilities. Donner talks about casting Harold Russell in that film because he was a fan of his performance in Best Years of Our Lives. Donner tells the story that Russell wouldn't do the film unless they changed his character's name from "Hooks" to "Wings". I haven't seen this film yet but am putting it on my list.

Here's a link to the podcast if interested:

https://nerdist.com/maltin-on-movies-164-richard-donner/

Phantom Thread (2017) and Satan's Brew (1976)

Phantom Thread is a very beautifully made film with a wonderful music score and great performances. Daniel Day Lewis stars as a dress designer Reynolds Woodcock, and describes himself as a "confirmed bachelor". Leslie Manville (so good in Another Year) plays his sister and business partner. A relationship starts between Reynolds and a new young woman (Vicky Krieps), which stirs some jealously in the sister character. Strange occurrences develop throughout the film and there's some mystery as to what's happening and why. It's not an easy film to encapsulate, but the two main characters are very interesting; Reynolds is very obsessive, while the young woman wants to break him of his mold; in one scene she wants to go out dancing on New Year's Eve, but he wants to stay in and work. What would happen with the sister character kept me guessing as well. The relationship in the movie is an unusual one to say the least, and was sort of reminded of a film that I've blogged about numerous times in the past, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I also attended a local screening of a German-language film Satan's Brew (1976) directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a very dark and bizarre comedy-mystery, which reminded me somewhat of Phantom Thread. The main character in the picture (Kurt Raab, star of Why Does Herr H Run Amok) is also an obsessive artist - a writer - who channels the German poet Stefan George to great lengths, to the point of even dressing like him and acting like him. I saw similarities between him and PT's Reynolds Woodcock, both controlling men with an unusual marriage relationship. Like that film, this film is also a mystery, and the truth is hidden from the audience until the very end. It's also has some elements that may be considered offensive to some, as the main character is so despicable; he's a womanizing, scheming, manipulative, greedy, selfish, rude, lewd, tactless pig, so it's not a film for everyone.

Another review of the film Satan's Brew from the blog Surrender to the Void

Endless Poetry (2017) and Wind River (2017)

Two of my favorite films from last year were not nominated for any Oscars this year, but to me they really had a impact. 

Endless Poetry (2017, French-Chilean) was released last year and is the latest film from Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, Santa Sangre). I absolutely loved this film because it struck me in a very personal way. It is partially an autobiographical film about Jodorowsky, and stars his son, Adan Jodorowsky.. The film begins with the young Alejandro learning about life and his passions - he loves poetry and art, but his father wants him to be a doctor. Throughout the film Adam meets some very interesting people - other artists, poets, performers, puppeteers - and he develops his creative talents. The ending moved me tremendously, as the son makes peace with his father and tells him that if it weren't for him, he would have never discovered his true calling. It reminded of my recent reconnection with my own birth father after 27 years in 2016.

Here is a review of this film from the blog Surrender the Void.

I also was really moved by the film Wind River (2017). It's a murder mystery done very effectively and is very engaging, with great scenery and a music score co-composed by Nick Cave.

The Rotten Tomatoes capsule summary of the film -

Wind River is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death.

It was written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote Sicario, if you enjoyed that film, you may also enjoy this one as well, and I recommend it.

Lady Bird (2017), Francis Ha (2012), and Mistress America (2014)

Francis Ha is an independent comedy that's filmed in black-and-white--I'm not sure why exactly the director chose black and white, but I like it, and generally I find any modern-day black and white film to be interesting. If I had to guess, I'd say that director Noah Baumbauch wanted to go for a classic movie look, which is OK by me. It's also considered Greta Gerwig's breakthrough role and perhaps the one that got her the most attention, maybe at least from independent film fans. The director had previously worked with her on the film "Greenberg" which I haven't seen yet. Francis Ha puts Greta in the lead, in a comedic role, and it's a simple film, basically just following her character around as she spends time with her friends and romantic interest (Adam Driver) and finding work as a dancer in New York. She also manages to get away and fly to Paris on vacation for two days. Who does that? Francis does. I actually knew someone who did that---go on some overseas trip for a weekend and come back, so I guess it's not entirely implausible. Francis is an interesting character, and funny because Greta is really funny. "Modern Love" by David Bowie is this movie's theme song. A blogger (can't remember who) wrote that they hated this movie, but I don't know why. I liked it alot.

Mistress America is the next film by Baumbach, and also stars Greta in the lead. Her character is almost the same as Frances, and when I watch this movie I think of this as the sequel. I really love this movie and liked it even better than Francis. We first meet the character of Tracy, played by Lola Kirke, who is starting her first year of college. She wants to be a writer. She doesn't know a soul, but she has a relative in New York played by Greta whom she befriends; Greta shows her New York. I love her character because she wants to do so much with her life; teach exercise/spinning classes, open her own restaurant. She has lots of dreams. I love her character because even though she's about 10 years older than Zoe, she's still looking to find her place in the world. The movie has a great soundtrack (You Could’ve Been A Lady by Hot Chocolate is this movie's theme song) and I love the writing. Greta is really kooky but likeable. Another review of this film from the blog Cinema Scope here.

Lady Bird is Greta's first directorial film, and she wrote it is as well (but doesn't star in it). It's semi-autobiographical, though. The lead role is played by Siaorse Ronan, who plays a teenager in high school who is coming of age, and the film focuses in on her last year of high school, climaxing in the senior prom. She has a best friend - I don't know the name of the actress - who decides not to go to the prom and feels like an outcast. I really liked this character, but I liked Siaorse's character too, as she deals with her family, her mom (Laurie Metcalf) and religious/Catholic traditions, and her romance with someone who may not be right for her. The film has a light comedic tone throughout, and reminded me of a John Hughes film of the 1980s like Pretty in Pink or Sixteen Candles; it just seemed to have a similar tone. Also, I imagined this character to be a younger "Frances Ha".

Even though all three of these films are not officially connected with each other, I like to think of them as a trilogy, with Lady Bird being the first movie. Francis Ha would be the second, and Mistress America the third.

If you've seen all 3, what do you think? Do you also see a connection with the three in a similar way?

Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

This is a nostalgic movie for me personally, it's the first classic movie that I ever saw on the big screen. I was in 8th grade, not yet in High School. I saw it at The Gateway Theater in Chicago in the spring of 1990 with my family, and it was a pretty awesome experience.  April 22, 1990.

This was the period in my life when I started to fall in love with old movies.

I was about 14 years old at the time.

I remember it being a huge, long epic, with lavish location photography, sets and costumes. The music by Victor Young was great too, enjoyable. The opening scenes with Passepartou (Cantinflas) riding the penny-farthing bicycle and meeting David Niven, I'll never forget those scenes. And then they go on their adventure, all over the world, and eventually to America. I remember the young princess in the movie and my mom whispering to me that this is Shirley MacClaine. I had only known her for her 1980s movie up to that point.

And I didn't recognize all the cameo stars, but I did know Frank Sinatra.

Also, there was an actual intermission, and it was a nice break. And the end credits; I was in awe. I love animation and seeing that on the big screen was so cool.

Alot of people criticize the film nowadays and don't think it should have won the Best Picture Oscar. For me, this film was awe-inspiring and impressed me like none other I had seen up until that point.

Another think I really like about 80 Days is the intro with Edward R Murrow when he talks about how travel has evolved. Watching that sequence with the hindsight we now have 50+ years later is really interesting.

Cameos: Charles Boyer, Joe E Brown, Noel Coward, Buster Keaton, Robert Morley, and Marlene Dietrich. Directed by Michael Anderson and Kevin McClory.

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For more about this film:

Gerald has shared some memories of seeing this film when it was first released.

Read the post here at his blog, Laszlos On Lex

The Shape of Water (2017) - an original story or an adapted story?

Last summer I saw a trailer for the film The Shape of Water, which really piqued my interest, as it seemed to be a mysterious and visually intriguing movie, with actors I really enjoy (Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer).

I watched the film in December, and though I found it watchable for the most part, I didn't think it was very a original story; as it was essentially a new twist on an old tale. One thing that especially didn't sit with me well was the dialogue; it felt as if the actors were all using language and speaking as if it were modern times and not early 1960s, and that was a bit distracting. I imagined what the film would be like if it were in a foreign language with subtitles, or set in another country, as it may have worked for me a bit better.

I was surprised that the film received so many Oscar nominations this year; it may win some technical awards, and possibly best picture, director, actress, and possibly Best Original Screenplay - emphasis on "Original".

Leading up to the Awards ceremony, there's been some controversy surrounding the film, with questions being raised as to whether the filmmakers are guilty of plagiarizing the story from another work - a play called Let Me Hear You Whisper by Paul Zindel. The play was also made into two films - 1969 version and a 1990 version. 

I was not familiar with the story or the films, but people who have been pointing out the similarities on Twitter and other social media since last summer. In this article from Hollywood Nerd, the similarities are pointed out, and they are remarkable.  There's also some people who are questioning that director Guillermo del Toro was influenced to write the film based on a story idea he heard from  novelist Daniel Kraus who may have been familiar with the Zindel story (article here). A few other similar court cases about plagiarism are noted in this article here.

According to a recent Deadline article, del Toro claims he's never seen nor heard of the original play, which may be true but quite a coincidence because the two stories are so similar. One would think that at least a credit such as "Inspired by a Story by Paul Zindel" would be appropriate. If the film wins Best Picture, I may be a bit miffed not so much because of this controversy, but because I still feel that in 1992, Beauty and the Beast should have won the Best Picture Oscar, and feel that was a far better fairy tale film.