Andy Warhol's 1970s/80s Journal Entries about Movies and Celebrities

Before the pandemic hit, I attended an exhibit of Andy Warhol's paintings at Chicago's art museum and it was really impressive; his paintings are often very simple but there was usually some deep meaning behind them. I followed up my trip by reading some of his books and one was a collection of his journal entries from the late 1970s and 1980s. I really dig collections like this because they are essentially autobiographies, and usually more personal and candid than a traditional autobiography which can be more formal and structured. 

The entries by Warhol gave me sense of his mind like I never knew.  He would write about going to church every Sunday. Or seeing mundane things like "saw a squirrel eating a nut" (8/20/79). Or who or what he saw at a party or a restaurant in New York. Or reminisces and brushes with movie star friends like Paulette Goddard. In some of the 1985 entries he wrote about his experience on the "Love Boat" tv show. And he even talked about meeting with Donald Trump and his wife who wanted him to do some art to be on display in one of his buildings. 

My favorite parts of the collection were any time he would reference or comment on a recent movie he had seen. 

I've included a few excepts/quotes as well as some of my own thoughts. It's funny - Andy Warhold would write in his diary in a very similar way that I blog....basically commenting on a few random things that stood out to him about a film or something. And I love how he philosophizes as well, such as "Life really does repeat itself. The old songs come back in a new way and the kids think they're new and the old people remember and it's a way of keeping people together I guess, a way of living". (8/2/78) I think he would have really used Twitter alot if were around back then. 

The following excepts come from the book The Andy Warhol Diaries, which is a printed collection of the artist's journal entries. The book is edited by Pat Hackett. 

Note: anything in red is written by me and not a quote from the book.

Jan 29, 1978 - There was a dinner for the New York Film Critics and celebrities were there. "Maximilian Schell was there and he'd gotten a supporting role award for Julia. I had  never met him before and I was disappointed that he was fat, but he was really sweet. He said that I did great things for him in Germany, that he'd seen Flesh and hated it and then gone back to see it again and again and loved it, and that he though, 'if this is a movie, then I can make a movie too.'

April 4, 1978 - a screening of Louis Malle's movie "Pretty Baby". "Interesting...strange....It was a cute idea for a movie, but nothing comes of it - like they had pickets picketing against the sin in New Orleans but nothing happened because of it."

May 30, 1978 - "I began watching The Valachi Papers on TV with Charles Bronson, and then I fell asleep, and then I woke up and ran to the window when I heard a voice say "Open Up, it's the narcotics squad" and then I realized it was on the TV".  

July 27, 1978 - Watched 20/20 and instead of saying, "In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" it was so funny to hear Hugh Downs say "As Andy Warhol once said, in fifteen minutes everyody will be famous". People on TV always get some part wrong. Like "In the future fifteen people will be famous"

Oct 12, 1978 - "I watched TV.... All Fall Down. When Brandon DeWilde kicks the picture of Warren Beatty and Angela Lansbury grabs it and holds it close - it's so good, you know? Who wrote the movie? Was it the one who committed suicide who was like Tennessee Williams? The one who wrote Picnic? Inge.

Nov 19, 1978 - "Went to the Coronet to a screening - The Deer Hunter was the new kind of movie - three hours of watching torture. It took place in Clairton, Pennsylvania, where all my cousins afe from, and in the movie they said was Russian-Polish, but that was just to make it more something, because it was really Czechoslovakian. It had John Savage, and lots of good looking kids".

"It starts off, it's three buddies drinking. For a whole hour it's the Polish Wedding, and they could have cut it, but it was fun. So real and so beautiful. It shows a new kind of people in the movies that haven't been shown before, so it's really good. Then they go shooting some deer, so you know that from there it's going to cut to Vietnam. In the end Chris Walken puts a gun to his head and shoots himself dead and Bobby DeNiro says "Oh Darling, I love you I love you" holding his bleeding head, something like that.  

Aug 2, 1979 - I started watching Brief Encounter and at first I thought it was really good but then I started thinking what a stupid story about a lady who would give herself a problem when she had a happy marriage, and it was just dumb and I hated it". 

Aug 17, 1979 - Went to Gulf  & Western building for a meeting with Paramount Pictures to do the poster artwork for their new movie Serial. I didn't realize it was such a big meeting. I was 15 minutes late and there were 20 people there.....the guy - his name was Cohen with a "K" - Kohen, he pointed out the window, he kept saying, "You've got to do a good job so I can keep the office". He saying, "I'll know it when I see it." He was so old fashioned.

Note: Warhol did not do the poster art for the movie.

Sept 16, 1979 - went to a party for the opening of Yanks movie. Met Richard Gere "(He) said ten years ago he came in on a bus from new Jersey and went to see our movie Bike Boy at the Village and he said from then on, he's been trying to be an actor". 

Jan 7, 1980 - went to see American Gigolo - "at the end of the movie there's a scene where a pimp is being thrown out off a balcony by Richard Gere and you see my three posters in the background - the Torsos. The scene is played against them"

May 26, 1980 - wrote about seeing The Empire Strikes Back. 

Aug 12, 1980 - wrote about meeting Sean Young..."she's in some James Ivory movie that's about to come out" (Jane Austen in Manhattan starring Anne Baxter in her last film). 

Oct 16, 1980 - he wrote that it was in the news that Mary Tyler Moore's son committed suicide. I didn't know that, that's sad. Andy mentioned the suicide in "Ordinary People" and wrote "everyone's going to hate her now because they will think that that's really her".

(I haven't seen that movie in long time so I'll need to check that out again.). A few months later, he met Mary for lunch and wrote about that too.

Oct 26, 1980. Andy wrote "I watched Sabrina on TV and William Holden and Audrey Hepburn looked so old. It seemed so old-fashioned talking about Long Island and the North Shore.....I watched Hooper on TV and my God, it was great. Just Burt Reynolds and his usual lines. He played a stunt man."

Nov 16 1980 - "watched Saturday Night Fever on TV and it was great"

January 13, 1981 - "watched Giant on TV from 1 - 5:30. It's so long. I even went to church in between and when I came back it was still on. James Dean's acting when he gets old is the worst thing. But they did a good thing - when he's drunk and talking into the microphone it's like a rock star...he's right on top of the microphone and it's just noises coming out and so it's abstract"...

Feb 22, 1981 - "Jerry Hall called...said that poor Mick (Jagger) has been down in Peru with the Herzog movie and it rains all day and he has to sleep on a wet mattress and Jason Robards was taken away with pneumonia to a hospital in NY" 

- Note: the movie they were talking about was Fitzcarraldo which came out in 1982 ....I haven't seen it. Both Jagger and Robards were re-cast.  

Later that day, Andy Warhol wrote that he went to a black-tie birthday affair (for lawyer Roy Cohn) with about 200 people. "Lots of heavies" he wrote, and noted that Donald Trump was there. That was interesting. Others he saw there were Gloria Swanson, Rupert Murdoch (TV mogul), Mark Goodson (TV mogul), and others.  Interesting how Trump has had TV connections going back 40 years; I think people forget all the media ties he has.  (in later journal entries, Andy writes about his meetings with Trump, but there was nothing too remarkable or unsurprising).

March 13, 1981 - Andy saw Jack Nicholson at a party...wrote..."I told Jack how great he was in Postman and that everybody thinks Jessica Lange is great".

April 14, 1981 - Worked until 5:30. Jon Gould invited me to a screening of Atlantic City that he was giving for his crowd. 

June 12, 1981 - "I watched Urban Cowboy and John Travolta just dances so beautifully. It was a really good movie

July 12, 1981 - "Saw a wonderful movie on TV - Coal Miner's Daughter, and I wish I taped it. Oh I wish I was married to a husband like that."

Aug 28, 1981 - "Paramount was having a screening of Mommie Dearest (cab $6).....it was absolutely great. Faye was really good. Really. Oh this movie affected me so much. Movies are really affecting me lately. What's happening to me?"

In January 1982, Andy wrote about meeting with Robert Towne, the screenwriter of Chinatown who was working on a new movie Personal Best, about to be released. Andy also wrote about going to see the play in NY Torch Song Trilogy (later would be a movie) and meeting with Harvey Firestein who created the play (and also acted in one of Warhol's plays years earlier).  

Jan 15, 1982 - he went to see the "new" Coppolla movie "One from the Heart" starring Frederic Forrest (who was in Apocalypse Now). I never saw One from the Heart. Andy wrote "was boring...stinkerroo..and Forrest is one of my favorite actors and he'd gained about 20 pounds for the role. It was pretty but looks aren't enough, it's not going to make it"

June 5, 1982 - "went to see My Dinner with Andre....I feel asleep....it was so boring. Hippie talk. I guess the kids are thinking this is intellectual because it tells about feelings". 

June 16, 1982 - He wrote about seeing "Grease 2" for the third time. He really liked that movie!

June 17, 1982. He wrote about seeing Blade Runner and wasn't sure what to make of it..."It's like Dick Powell playing Philip Marlowe. And if I ever saw this as a script, I wouldn't know what to think. And they say these lines seriously, it's all done like it's real problems". 

Sep 1982 - watched "Looking for Mr Goodbar....(Richard Gere) was so good in it....couldn't watch the ending because it was too crazy"

March 25, 1983 - "Decided to see The Outsiders which was just opening, and I loved it. It was like watching Lonesome Cowboys. You can't believe it - young boys with dyed hair reading poetry in the sunset. The Sal Mineo type. And then they're in this old church hiding and the boy says, "All I really want you to do is read Gone with the Wind out loud to me". And all the boys are so cute. And this schmaltzy music playing as if the boys are going to kiss. Things were all cut up so they didn't make sense. It was like seeing Bruce Weber photographs. Every boy was a raving beauty". 

May 15, 1983 - Went over to the Criterion to see Beathless (tickets $10). It's strange to see Richard Gere doing this. It\f it'd been somebody like Matt Dillon it would have been like a James Dean movie. It's that Satre way, the nothingness thing. You would think existentialism would be still modern, but it isn't. ....it's strange to see someone that age doing that, but maybe that'll bring back that kind of person...."

April 1, 1984 - "Decided to see The Ten Commandments (playing in a local theater)...And let me go on record: Cecil B DeMille is the worst director ever. We'd missed an hour but was still three hours to go and a half hour intermission. And all those actors were terrible. I mean Edward G Robinson, forget it. And forget Yvonne DeCarlo and Anne Baxter, too. Charlton Heston was okay, he was good-looking. The orgy scene was (laughs) people dropping grapes on each other - it sounds like an old Andy Warhol movie, right? And then they would lift their skirt two inches off the floor. That was it. That was the orgy. Edward G Robinson - you couldn't believe it."

Nov 12, 1984 - went to see Stranger Than Paradise...it's good"

Feb 1, 1985 - Andy went to see a film with his friend Tab Hunter - Lust in the Dust, a b-movie. "The movie was awful but I had to lie to Tab and say I loved it. He was literally trying to act. He tried to be Clint Eastwood when all he should have done was be Tab Hunter"

March 19, 1985 - he went to see Desperately Seeking Susan. "It's like those sixties movies but the opposite - the sixties movies had too much sixties and not enough story - and this has too much story and not enough eighties. It's boring"

July 22, 1985 - Went up to see Kiss of the Spider Woman...I liked the movie. And I guess people are wanting artsy movies now, or something. It's the right time. 

Aug 13, 1986 - went to see Stand By Me at the Coronet. These four little kids and there's the fat kid, and the brilliant kid, and the crazy kid."

Sep 29 1986 - saw Blue Velvet - "what a good movie, so weird and creepy. Alot of couples walked out. And Dennis Hopper was finally good."

Oct 8, 1986 - saw Color of Money "I slept through most of it. I just wasn't interested in pool, and nothing was explained". 

 

 

Sophia Loren returns to the screen in 'The Life Ahead'

In case you missed, just wanted to share a link to an article about Sophia Loren's new movie: https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/13/entertainment/the-life-ahead-review/index.html Haven't seen it yet but sounds interesting!!

Regal Theatres Closing All Cinemas

I was saddened to read news that the Regal cinema chain is closing all its theaters. Saw many movies at local Regal theaters before the pandemic hit. I don't think this is good news for other chains. Will the big-budget superheros be able to save these theaters?   CNN news | Patch local news | Business Insider

Disney movies ranked (vlog recommendations)

Ever since watching Mulan I think I may be on a Disney kick and have been digging into my Disney DVD collection for some re-watches; I just rewatched Jungle Book recently and it was better than I remembered. Will likely blog about it more to come.

Also I found some YouTubers who ranked Disney animated movies -- one I liked was Justin Watches Movies' video where the vlogger discusses and ranks all 58 (!) Disney full length theatrical films. Some of my favorites are in the to 10 so I think I agree with all of the ranks (except those I haven't seen of course). I'm not sure how I feel about the highly-ranked Sleeping Beauty; I remember it being colorful with some great musical sequences but other than that I don't remember much about it at all to rank it. Hmm...might need to re-evaluate it sometime.

In Brian's video (blow), Brian does a really great job using a drag-and-drop feature to place the cover artwork in selected rows according to favorites. I haven't ever seen any other YouTuber do that so this was pretty cool. I don't think I agree with his high rankings of Dumbo and Fantasia, though. I have never liked Fantasia. I agree with him on Pater Pan, though - that's one I just don't get. I can't imagine liking it while having to endure the "red man" song, which is really bothersome tome.

Kathleen (video below), also does a drag-and-drop ranking. I think I would agree with almost all of the selections except I haven't seen many of the movies including Hercules; will have to watch them one some time. I would probably place 101 Dalmatians higher because I really like that one. 101, Pinnochio and Zootopia are probably my favorites so I'd rank them higher.

New on Blu-Ray: Hitchcock 4 Film Set

A new blu-ray / 4K pack of 4 films has been released. I probably will not pick up the set since I have two of the films (The Birds and Rear Window) already in my collection. 

One of the vloggers I recently discovered is Films At Home. Recent videos include an unboxing and a review of Vertigo (embedded below). 

I ***may*** give Vertigo another watch one day (I really don't like that movie - it's one of my least-favorite of both Hitchcock and Stewart's!) 

 Unboxing and First Impressions of the new set:

   

 Review of Vertigo:

 

Mulan - the original one not the new one

Over the weekend I watched Mulan for the first time - the original animated feature, not the new one for $30 on the Disney Plus streaming service. It was really entertaining, my first time learning about the centuries-old Chinese story about the warrior who is a woman posing as a man. The DVD I purchased has a commentary track and bonus features, so one day I will check those out more as well. The film includes many moments where characters talk about the traditional gender roles and customs of the times, which I don't is common in many Disneys.  The movie certainly had plenty of comic relief from the talking dragon (Eddie Murphy), and I liked the cricket who doesn't speak but has some funny moments. It does seem very "Americanized" and "Disney-fied" but I suppose that's the point of it. 

The new Mulan seems to take on a more serious and darker tone without any songs or talking dragon (review from CNN.com here), but I won't be seeing it until the price comes down. 

Is Physical Media Dying?

During the pandemic I have been discovering some interesting YouTube vloggers, and I will share some of the videos in the coming days that really impressed me. 

I like Cereal at Midnight's video about the state of physical media (it was filmed about a year ago).

The vlogger talks about how physical media isn't dead--which is encouraging because I have so many DVDs and blu rays!

Call of the Wild (2020)

I rented this on Redbox last month - it was one of the new films released right before quarantine that I was most looking forward to seeing --- and I really enjoyed it, most especially the scenery which filled me with awe from my urban abode. I really felt transported to that period in time and felt as if I were journeying with the main dog character Buck - fully CGI. The GCI of the animals was one thing that I was concerned about since I  really enjoy seeing real animals in epic adventure stories (IE Milo & Otis, Homeward Bound, etc). But the character of Buck, and his personality, really grew on me and won me over. I was also worried there would be an excess of poop and flatulence jokes but mercifully there is none, which is refreshing. I enjoyed the mail delivery sequences and made me think of the days when sled dogs carried the mail. I liked the cast including Harrison Ford who is good. And I thought one of the characters who abuses Buck was played by Michael Shannon but I double checked and apparently it is another actor (who does resemble him a bit). 

I really wish the DVD contained some making-of features, or a commentary track (there's nothing extra on the disc I rented). Maybe one day. 

I was really curious about the location and sets because the views and scenery were so incredible. After doing a bit of research I found that most all of it was done with GCI and nothing was filmed in Canada or on location. Wow, I was completely fooled on this; the effects team did a pretty impressive job. 

Nevertheless, I did feel inspired to want to get out into nature more.

I think this movie was meant for a viewer like me who has not read the book nor seen any other film versions. I think it captures the essence of the story in my opinion, and would recommend it.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

This movie was available on Redbox recently and I decided to rent it for a night and rewatch it (after about 30 years). I had remembered some parts but not everything - I specifically remember the two lead slackers mispronouncing Socrates as So-Crates, which I thought was hilarious when I was in eighth grade. After all these years I really enjoyed this now-classic, which seems to hold up for the most part with the exception of a couple of unfortunate homophobic and sexist jokes. But there is alot I enjoyed; I really liked the ending at the school when they do their report - I had forgotten most of that sequence and it was cool to see again. Some of the time travel elements were a bit confusing to me and seemed like plot holes - for example if they become legends in the future, then why was there ever a need for them to fix their present situation? Oh well, I might have missed something so I won't question too much. As long as they had the time machine to bring back all the historical figures, the rest of the movie worked for me. 

There was a sequel from 1991 that I watched years ago as well, but have completely forgotten everything about it. I'd probably watch them both again sometime as a double feature.

And apparently there is a new, third movie that is coming out soon that I'm honestly not too excited about, but I heard an interview with the cast and they made it sound like it's fun so maybe I'll give it a watch some time.

Update: some other bloggers I follow have seen the new movie. I'll post the links here until I have a chance to see it myself.

Film Connoisseur |  Film Experience | Two Dollar Cinema

Drive-in theaters making a comeback

A few new (albeit temporary) pop-up drive in theaters are opening in Chicagoland area this month, and I think it's pretty cool. I haven't been to one yet but am hoping to try it out at least once this summer but it might not be easy to round up some people who would want to go. Everyone's into streaming these days and drive-ins are almost like a novelty to many people. 

Will blog about the experience afterward if I am able to go. 

Also read this article about some other drive-ins across the country.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2020/06/11/coronavirus-drive-movie-theaters-list-summer-2020/5328487002/

I only have been to a couple of drive-ins before; there just haven't been very many near where I live.

Poster for Call of the Wild

I don't know if the movie will be any good (the trailer shows the dog looking too CGI to me) but the poster is pretty awesome looking, and I might check this out later this month.

Roma coming to DVD (new home video release update)

I saw this post on Rupert Pumpkin Speaks, and was happy to learn Roma is coming to DVD since I never saw it when it came out last year. As I understand, Netflix has been stingy with releasing their films on physical media, but I don't have Netflix (and don't want it) so this is a nice thing, and am especially interested in all the features. I'll have to find this DVD one day; if I ever get around to it I will post more about the movie.

http://www.rupertpupkinspeaks.com/2020/02/new-release-roundup-for-week-of_10.html

Tatum O'Neal interview (video clip from CBS Sunday Morning)

It was good to see that her daughter appeared with her on this clip and that they are close; it sounds like she has three great and supportive children. I'm sorry to hear about her illness that she is struggling with. I think she would be a good supporting player if she ever made a comeback in acting. Paper Moon is one of my favorite movies and after seeing these clips I want to watch it again.

Difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing

During the Oscars last week, I once again found myself scratching my head about the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing.

I think I am starting to get it.....but will probably still be awhile until I fully get it....

So 1917 won the Oscar for Sound Mixing, but Ford V. Ferrari won for Sound Editing. Go I guess it seems like the movie with the most-effective use/mixture of crashes/screeches/sound effects is the likely winner? But "Sound Mixing" is for the overall sound of the movie?

I think that makes sense.

Here's a cool clip I recently watched to help me in my never ending quest to understand the difference.

https://nofilmschool.com/2018/07/watch-whats-difference-between-sound-editing-and-sound-mixing


 

New releases that look interesting

A few films that I am adding to my "maybe" or "to-see" lists; from RogerEbert.com

Drama

---

Ordinary Love
3.5 stars. "Ordinary Love" stars Liam Neeson and the exquisite Lesley Manville in the story of a couple who are navigating the world of serious illness, the euphemisms and delays, from initial tests that are "concerning" to the diagnosis: "the results weren't what we hoped."

Comedy

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Come As You Are
3 stars.  Seems like a new twist on an old tale, and sounds somewhat promising with co-stars like Gaborey Sidibe and Jeanne Garafalo - I can't imagine them being in an unredeeming lowbrow romp. "On paper, it might sound an awful lot like a raunchy, “American Pie”-meets-“Superbad” sex comedy we’ve seen a million times before. But you might be genuinely moved, and even in tears by the end of Richard Wong’s imperfect yet gradually disarming dramedy “Come As You Are,” which follows three men with disabilities as they take a road trip from Colorado to Montreal in order to lose their virginities at a brothel exclusively serving a special-needs clientele."

International

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I Was At Home But.... (Germany)
3 stars. "The title of Angela Schanelec's tenth feature calls to mind Yasujirō Ozu's 1932 film "I was Born But ..." (1932), but it's not just a tip of the hat to the Japanese master. The title, cutting off a sentence half-way through, speaks to how the film operates—the gaps in the narrative, gaps between scenes, timelines and characters, how moments trail off—as the ensuing silences reverberate somehow with what's not being said. Things don't fit together neatly (or at all). Even time is parsed out in strange ways: it's truncated or elongated or it stands still entirely. It's almost like the film itself blacks out periodically, and wakes up some time later, having no idea what happened in the intervening hours. "I Was at Home, But... " creates a space where questions are asked, but rarely answered, where things are suggested and never underlined, and every element—camera placement, music, blocking, sound design—is so deliberate that it pulls you into its vortex, and it makes you submit to its severe rhythms. "I Was at Home, But ..." is a very intriguing experience, one I am still thinking about."

Oscar rant for 2020

Ok. Now it's time for another rant. This time about the Oscars. I watched the whole show yesterday and mixed emotions as usual. There were things I thought were good, but there were lots of terrible moments.

First, the opening number. I like the performer who sang in it but this whole number reminded me of 60s-80s era kitsch, the kind that were nixed when Billy Crystal hosted (he's always poke fun of those numbers). Apparently some Academy programmer felt the need to bring it back I guess, but it didn't work for me.

What they should have done is opened with that montage of the musical moments from movies and Eminem's performance. That would have made sense. Also someone should have emphasized musical moments from the last 30-40 years, since that montage included nothing from classic Hollywood, not even a Judy Garland movie.

In future years, they should do something different with In Memoriam. Maybe make it longer, 5-6 minutes. Who is really looking at their watch during that segment besides commercial advertisers?

This year, the montage-makers started a new trend by including two people on the same screen to speed things up. But come on, is that needed? I saw Katherine Burns on the screen with Terry Jones. I think it's nice that someone remembered her; she had one significant supporting role in the mostly-forgotten 1969 film Last Summer and was nominated for Supporting Actress. However,  she was in virtually nothing since then and hardly anyone knows who she is or that film credit. On the other hand Terry Jones had more prolific credits. What they need to do is honor one person and show a clip of their film and/or a title/logo of the movie with it so people know what movie they were associated with. The Oscars used to do this years ago and it was a good practice.

I think it's time to admit that most people watching the Oscars In Memoriam have no idea who half the people are. That's why you need to include more movie clips with the person's picture, and not just 1 second of them. Show the title and logo too. People - especially groups of people watching at a viewing party - like to go "ooh" and "ahh" and have their memories jarred with movies when they watch these clips.

And as far as who was left out..... Someone needs a talking to. Not honoring Michael J. Pollard or Valentina Cortese seems really brainless. Sure, they didn't have many prolific credits but they were  Oscar nominees at least. How Katherine Burns was left in while those two - as well as Luke Perry who was in the Tarantino movie - were left out is a mystery to me.

Maybe in future years, just eliminate that segment - is it really needed?

I don't know. I don't think it's necessary, but it is nice to be reminded of movie history a little. When else during the ceremony do you see clips from older movies? Or even veteran stars? It was great that Jane Fonda, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks made appearances, but what about some other movie legends?

Were Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig there to plug a movie? If so, someone should have said so. Same with Will Ferrell and Julia Louis Dreyfus (they are appearing in one opening soon). Without an announcer or presenter/host we're left in the dark as to why some of those people - TV stars mainly - are there.

I liked seeing Shia LaBeouf and his costar from The Peanut Butter Falcon, the young actor with Down Syndrome. But please, plug the movie at least. It's a good movie. Someone should have been there to champion it and say, "And here are the two stars of one of last year's pleasant surprises, etc"

I could go on but I think that's it for now. Rant over....haha

1917 (2019) and some interesting articles about the Oscars

Last weekend I did go to see this and it was good; I liked it, even though it reminded me of Saving Private Ryan at times, but I like this movie much better. I'm not sure the "long take" style was absolutely necessary, but I did like this style because you feel like you're right there with the characters and see their point of view. I wish more movies were shot like this, actually. I don't think it's as easy to do as imagined.  My friend I was with said afterwards that it reminded him of Paths of Glory, a WWI film with Kirk Douglas (I haven't seen it yet). Both films might make for a good double feature.

It may win some Oscars this weekend and I think they'd be deserving. The set direction was very impressive.

Spoiler alert (skip this next paragraph if you haven't seen it). My main problem with the film is that I found it totally unbelievable that the things that the soldier carried in his pocket would survive everything he endured, including the trench collapse and the escape down the river (and the waterfall drop). No way the maps and letters and photos he had would survive after being water-soaked for so long, in my opinion. Unless they were in a steel case of some kind, but I missed that.

Also I liked seeing some soldiers of color in the film, though their appearances were brief. There was a Sikh soldier with a very small part and some speaking lines, which I appreciated seeing on film. His scene happens on the back of a truck which is one of my favorite parts. I like that scene because it shows the experience of one soldier - grieving the death of his friend -  coming into contact with another group with established comradery. Then he needs to jumps off the truck and we never see the others again.

It's a bit of an episodic film, and I liked that knowing that the film is based on the memories of director Sam Mendes' grandfather.

This is a good article from NBC News about the WWI contributions of Sikh soldiers.
Other bloggers who recently tackled this film
Just a Cineast - blog post
Two Dollar Cinema - blog post
Bobby Rivers - blog post

Cliched Monologues - blog post

Some other interesting articles I read recently:

Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot: '1917' Is "Gimmicky," Renée Zellweger "Nailed It"
(The Hollywood Reporter)
A male member of the Academy's producers branch, granted anonymity to speak freely, shares which films earned his precious vote (and why).

The Oscars' 'Harriet Tubman problem'
(CNN.com Opinions)
Joaquin Phoenix's impassioned BAFTA acceptance speech, in which he criticized the lack of diversity in filmmaking, showed the persistence of structural racism. Phoenix implicated himself before an overwhelmingly white, and largely stunned, audience -- and cast a strong spotlight on the lack of racial diversity in the nominations for this weekend's Academy Awards.

New releases that look interesting

I am adding the following films to my "To-See" list or "Maybe-See" list; the linked reviews and excerpts are from the critics at RogerEbert.com. 


Drama

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Promising Young Woman
3 stars. This looks like a compelling film from Carey Mulligan. Directorial debut (Emerald Ferrell) and a cast that includes Alison Brie, Adam Brody, and Laverne Cox. "at Sundance, a lot of films dissipate from memory on the way to the next screening. Not this one. Not for a long time."

Horse Girl
3 stars. A Netflix film. Alison Brie stars as Sarah, a socially awkward craft store employee whose mental health is rapidly deteriorating. The history of mental illness within her family, particularly that of her grandmother, is not on the forefront of her mind as images from her dreams start to blend into reality. Written by Brie and director Jeff Baena, "Horse Girl" ambitiously tries to show such a decline from the perspective of someone who can't tell the difference. 

The Assistant
4 Stars. Seems to be a compelling drama about an office worker and a suspicious boss.

Dark Comedy

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Downhill
2 stars. Only 2 stars, but I would see it; it is a remake of the 2014 Swedish film Force Majeur, which I really liked. It's interesting that the movie is being remade, but hopefully it will bring more attention to the original. The two stars of this film - Will Farrell and Julia Louis Dreyfus - are actors I think are ok but don't love; I'm familiar with their comedy work, mostly all lighter stuff compared to this subject matter. They seem miscast to me as the leads, though; I'll have to see the film, I could be wrong.



Thriller/Horror

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Gretel and Hansel
3.5 stars.  This looks to be one of the better horror/thriller films of recent months. "smartly conceived, visually stylish and genuinely creepy at times."



International

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Beanpoll
4 stars. Russia. Called an astonishing second film from the director, set in post WWII. Inspired by the oral histories of Soviet war veterans compiled by Nobel Prize-winner Svetlana Alexievich in her 1985 book, The Unwomanly Face of War, Balagov strove to portray the criminally underrepresented experiences of female soldiers grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

Jose
4 stars. Guatemala. This sounds like a film that I would like watching. With its engaging drama of a young gay man facing the challenges of coming of age in urban Guatemala, Li Cheng’s “José,” a prize winner and audience favorite at Venice and other festivals, might obviously be categorized as an LGBT film, one of a fairly familiar sort. Yet it also stands out for representing another branch of cinema: films combining the objectives of ethnography and drama, in which a filmmaker dives into a foreign culture and fashions a story to illustrate the discoveries he makes there.

45th César Award nominations - French films of 2019

The nominations for the French Cesars were announced, and a few of the titles I recognize and are on my list to see including I Lost My Body, By the Grace of God, and Portrait of A Lady On Fire. Another film that looks interesting is the movie An Officer and A Spy which centers around the Dreyfus Affair and stars the actor Jean Dujardin and Emmanuelle Seigner.

It was also directed by Roman Polanski who was nominated for Best Director; subsequently, many are protesting the nomination and the Cesars. Article here: https://www.france24.com/en/20200129-outrage-as-roman-polanski-s-new-film-tops-french-oscar-nominations

I have to say, the film and subject matter intrigues me very much, but I'm unsure where I stand on this issue of Polanski. I haven't seen any of his recent films beyond the 1980s, but not out of protest necessarily; I just haven't seen them yet. It's interesting, though, how so many actors have worked with him over the years since the scandal of the 1970s - Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Pierce Brosnan, Eva Green, Johnny Depp, etc. Why did they decide to work with Polanski? Do they have no moral convictions about working with an accused sexual predator? Surely that can't be the case. Alas, not everything is black and white.

New Releases that look interesting

The following films are ones I am adding to my "To-See" and "Maybe" lists. The ratings and synopsis below are from critics from RogerEbert.com

Documentary

The Amusement Park (documentary by George A. Romero)
4 stars. I really want to see this. A long-lost film by Romero that hasn't been seen in decades; a documentary about the elderly.

International

Only Cloud Knows
3 stars. The Chinese romantic-drama “Only Cloud Knows” is sappy, slow, and mostly effective. It’s also a notable change-up for director Xiaogang Feng (“Youth,” “I Am Not Madame Bovary”), the popular mainland filmmaker who’s sometimes called “China’s Spielberg” because of his melodramatic blockbusters’ inescapable popularity.

I Wish I Knew
3 stars. Looks to be an interesting celebration of Shanghai filmed 10 years ago; "the filmmaker mixes at-length reminiscences with older residents with contemplative, beautifully framed views of sections of the municipality, taking in both its urban sprawl and some of the more distinguished details of its architecture."

Drama

Clemency
4 stars. Set in a prison, Alfre Woodard plays a prison warden. Looks very good.

Three Christs
1.5 stars. Based on a true story of a psychiatrist and three patients who think they are Christ. An impressive cast includes Richard Gere, Bradley Whitford, and Juliana Margulies.

The Song of Names
3 stars. About a violin virtuoso; the span of his life from a young boy to an adult (Tim Roth) is covered. With Clive Owen as his friend. Looks good.

Little Women

4 stars. I haven't seen the other film versions and don't know the whole story but I'm definitely interested in Greta Gerwig's direction and performances.

The Last Full Measure
3 stars. This looks to be a really compelling drama, with a great cast: William Hurt, Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris, John Savage, Samuel L. Jackson and Peter Fonda is one of his last roles. "...covers the 1999 battle to obtain the Medal of Honor for deceased Air Force Airman William Pitsenbarger. Killed in combat in one of the bloodiest missions of the Vietnam War, Pitsenbarger saved many lives but was awarded what his family and the men he saved and served with considered a lesser commendation."

The Wave
Only 1.5 stars. Supposed to be a modern day Scrooge morality tale with some interesting cast members including Justin Long. I might try to see this on DVD. 

Action/Thriller/Adventure

Underwater
3 stars. Starring Kristen Stewart and is supposed to be a monster film crossed with a disaster film, like two "B" movies in one. Sounds like a dumb film but I might watch the DVD.

Little Big Man (1970) and Midnight Cowboy (1969)

I've been wanting to see this movie forever, and finally did and really liked it! It reminded me of Dances with Wolves from 1990, primarily because it's about a white man raised by an indigenous tribe. Dustin Hoffman was an interesting choice to play this part. He was a big box office star from this time period, and he brings alot of that everyman essence to this part which I think is important for this role.

At the start of the film we meet Hoffman's character - a 120 year old man being interviewed by a reporter (William Hickey) interested in his long life and his supposed acquaintanceship with Civil War General Custer in the 1800s.

The old man lives in a nursing home; I have a relative who just moved into such a place, and they can be lonely places. I could understand why this old man would want to talk and tell his life story to someone who will listen. And he's had a long life, a really long life. He talks about being raised by a Cheyenne tribe, and later befriends historical figures Bill Hickock and General Custer. These sequences are episodic, but I really seeing him brush with historical figures. This was an idea that was used somewhat similarly later in the movie Forrest Gump, but I think works really good in this film.

I like how the old man narrates the movie throughout; this gave me the feeling that I was always being told the old man's story and not someone else's. He talks about the various "stages" of his life.... "My Indian Years", "My religious years", "My Outlaw Days", etc.  Faye Dunaway has a small supporting part where she plays a religious man's wife who becomes a prostitute later on.

I couldn't believe that it was Richard Mulligan playing a dramatic role as General Custer; I only knew him for his comedy roles on TV but he is really good in this.

There is also great standout performance by a Native American actor in the film - Chief Dan George. His part is significant as Hoffman's father figure and wise mentor who has some interesting (and racy) dialogue. I imagine that the audience of 1970 would like his line where he says, "Does she show enthusiasm when you mount her?" (referring to Hoffman's spouse).

It's unfortunate that the movie's marketing posters (as shown above) make this movie to look like a comedy, with Dustin Hoffman made to look like Don Knotts in The Shakiest Gun in the West. This is a really profound drama (with occasional comic relief), that was ahead of its time showing the perspectives of both indigenous and white peoples. Equally unfortunate is the lack of accolades that year - no Oscars...not even a Best Picture nomination. In 1970, the big winner was "Patton", which was a more traditional war film with a hero that audiences could probably relate to more. Little Big Man was unfortunately overshadowed by it, and I don't think audiences were quite ready to embrace such a film yet. Not until Dances with Wolves 20 years later.

I also re-watched Midnight Cowboy which I haven't seen in more than 20 years but remember liking it overall, especially the chemistry of the two leads (Voight and Hoffman). I forgot that there was a sequence where they go to a hippy artists' party in New York, and there are some real cameos by Andy Warhol protégés. After attending a Warhol art exhibit recently, I've been reading some of his biographies and a book of his journal entries; interestingly in one entry he wrote that he wanted to do a cameo in Midnight Cowboy but couldn't do it because he was in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound (in the summer of '68).

I loved seeing all the on-location scenes of New York; I kept my eye peeled for any interesting posters that would have been of the times. I saw one poster/billboard with Jonathan Winters on it. And another poster was a movie ad for "Doctor Doolittle" starring Rex Harrison, which was interesting. Flash forward 50 years and we have yet another remake of "Doolittle" in theaters starring Robert Downey Jr (I'm planning to skip since it doesn't look all that appealing to me).

Another scene in Midnight Cowboy that I had forgotten about happens at the end where Joe Buck beats the old man in his hotel room, almost killing him (his actual death isn't shown but it's implied he might have killed him). This makes me feel less sympathetic toward the character, and even reminded me of what Brad Pitt does at the end of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (my least-favorite sequence in that movie); now I'm wondering if Tarantino intended that scene to be an homage to Midnight Cowboy.

Read a blog post about this movie by Avvaganda.com here

Oscar Nominations, Joker (2019), and Harriet (2019)

The Oscar nominations were announced on Jan 13, and there were a few movies I saw (Harriet was the only film nominated that I saw and liked) but most I haven't seen yet. The Farewell was one of my favorite films of last year but was shut out.

A couple of notable things I noticed: Netflix had a ton of nominated films; this article from Wired talks about that https://www.wired.com/story/oscar-nominations-netflix/

Also many of the nominated films this year are biographical or about real people or have characters that are real people. The Irishman, Ford Vs. Ferrari, Richard Jewell, Jojo Rabbit, Bombshell, The Two Popes, Harriet, Rocketmann, the Mr. Rogers movie with Tom Hanks, and Judy with Renee Zellweger. Even Tarantino's fantasy movie had Sharon Tate as a prominent character, even though she lives at the end which is not true to life.

Biographical/historical films are among my favorite type of movie so I think this is great that biographicals are getting recognized.

Harriet was the movie I was most eager to see in 2019. Here is a big-screen movie about Harriet Tubman --- her story never told on the big screen feature before in over 100 years of film history. It was exciting to think about! In my opinion I feel this movie is one of the most important films of last year. I think we need a film like this more than ever, with so much ignorance of our past history and with all the racism that still exists to this day.

I went to see it in the theater to see Harriet and really enjoyed it. The one thing that I didn't like about it was that it was too short. This film deserves three or 3.5 hours in my opinion. Earlier in the year I sat through 3 hours of a Tarantino fantasy that skewed history, but here was a movie about one of the greatest  people in history that could have been longer. I would watch a mini-series about Harriet if it were made; maybe one day. I do remember the tv film A Woman Called Moses but didn't have a chance to rewatch it yet.

My favorite parts of the movie involved the traitor who snitches on Harriet; I'm guessing this may have been a composite character but it I thought it really added to the drama and suspense. When Harriet makes it to Philadelphia her life takes on a new direction.

It's disappointing that Harriet wasn't nominated for Best Picture; up to 10 movies can be nominated nowadays, and only 9 made the cut this year, including Ford Vs Ferrari - really? Something is seriously wrong with this picture.

Back in 1993, I was in high school and had a black tutor, and we talked about the 65th Oscar nominations that were announced in February of 1993. He pointed out that Malcolm X only received two Oscar nominations (and later no wins) and saw something wrong with that picture -- and I'm feeling  the same almost 30 years later.

In a recent commentary, Mary McNamara of the LA Times observed:

“Harriet,” is the kind of historical epic that generally pleases motion picture academy voters (and one that defies cultural conventions predating film itself), got dinged in many reviews for being too formulaic. This is despite Cynthia Erivo’s astonishing, and Oscar-nominated, performance as a former slave turned verifiable action hero — a female character that somehow never made it to the center of a film before. It was never even discussed as a possibility for best picture, despite there being 10 slots available. If only filmmaker Kasi Lemmons had thought to follow Harriet in a single shot through a world war complete with cameos by British heartthrobs past and present; if only Tubman had been forced to have imaginary conversations with best friend Jefferson Davis. If only “Harriet” had been made and marketed by Netflix. Please do not willfully misunderstand. I’m not saying that “1917,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story” and “The Two Popes” are not great and/or awards-worthy films; I’m just saying that “formulaic” often wins big at the Oscars, but only when it’s a certain formula.

I think I understand her point. It seems like the movies that are being recognized this year for the major awards are more "showy" films. But really, Ford Vs Ferrari nominated for Best Picture? Even The Post was nominated for Best Picture a few years ago. I liked that movie alot. But it wasn't any more showy than Harriet.

And then there's Joker, a movie whose title conjures up memories of the comic book villain, my action figure I played with as a kid, my trading cards, Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson's portrayals (and Heath Ledger's too). Many have pointed out that it's not really about "The Joker" from the comics or TV....It's more a satire in the same vein as Taxi Driver that has a message about today's society.

But come on. Joker. I can still hear Jack Nicholson in my mind say "You can call me....JOKER!...and as you can see I'm alot happier!"  Not typically interested in comic book movies, I skipped the movie Joker when it first came out.

But then I heard filmmaker Michael Moore praising the film recently on his podcast recently, and he spoke with the director Todd Phillips. It turns out that they both have some similar connections going back almost 20 years, and I really enjoyed their conversation where they talk about their respective careers and movies in general.

Michael Moore talks about Joker and interviews director Todd Phillips in the clip below:



So I decided to give it a chance and watched Joker but I hated it. I didn't like the character, I didn't like the tie-ins with Batman characters. I didn't like Taxi Driver either so I probably should have known I wouldn't like this.

The the type of person that Joker is in the film might be the type that would shoot up an office building or a school.

It just seems so unnecessary to me to bring all the Batman lore and stuff, and there's no need to set in the 1980s either. Just set the movie in today's era. If you want to make a realistic movie, make it realistic. The moment you mention "Gotham City" or "Bruce Wayne" or "Wayne Manor", I'm rolling my eyes...

Which movie will be more remembered in 25 or 30 years? or 50 years?  Joker or Harriet? Or both? Or neither?

Judy (2019) and Factory Girl (2004)

I'm not sure how I feel about the movie "Judy". I read somewhere that Judy's family did not approve/endorse the film, and that Liza Minnelli never met Renee Zellweger and never gave her approval on the project.

Something about that seems unsettling to me...here we have the filmmakers devoting time and effort on a biographical film about a much-beloved celebrity, yet not even getting the approval of the family? Is it a movie critical of Judy -- or is it a celebration her life? What is the director aiming to do?

For example, the new movie "It's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" - which features the character of Mr. Rogers - did get the approval of Rogers's family, and the director was upfront by aiming to make this a celebration of Rogers.

But with Judy, I wasn't sure what to expect. There are some darker moments depicted in the film - such as her dependency on drugs and personal difficulties with people - but I don't think the movie introduces anything new that hasn't been written about before.

Having seen the film, I see it as a celebration of her life, and a tribute to Judy, even though it only focuses on the last year of her life. A few flashbacks go back to the late 1930s when she was filming Wizard of Oz and some other MGM films, and the beginnings of her drug addiction.

But it's not really an all-encompassing life story. It would be interesting to see more of 1940s Judy during the MGM years, or 1950s Judy. Bobby Rivers recently wrote on his blog that the 2001 TV biopic was far superior, and was endorsed by the family.

Renee has been getting rave reviews for her performance  in "Judy"; her acting is good but it is obvious to me that she is doing an impression of the Judy from interviews she gave on tv in the 1960s. Renee gives the character grandiosity, no question about that; I did get a sense that she was the most popular person in the world, and also got the sense that she was a very troubled person, insecure. But overall it is a rather average film. I think it should have been called "Judy in London", because the entire film is set there during Judy's tour during 1968 and 69, and also focuses on her relationship with her third husband Mickey Deans.

The best parts of the movie in my opinion are these scenes with Mickey and the scenes where she befriends a gay couple and spends time with them in their home. It's interesting to watch because you never expect a mega-superstar to mingle with fans like that.

There's one scene where Judy visits her twenty-something daughter Liza at a party; it's interesting but totally unnecessary. There's really no need for it because we never see Liza again in the film and it feels thrown in there. There is a character who is an assistant to Judy in London (played by Jessie Buckley), and I wish her character was explored a bit more.  There are several scenes of singing and they are ok but I wish the film were a bit more compelling.

A much better film in my opinion is Factory Girl, which came out in 2006 but I only recently saw. Sienna Miller plays the artist Edie Sedwick who becomes famous simply by being associated with Andy Warhol in the 1960s. It's an great movie because both characters are explored while the focus remains on Edie's character. Like Judy Garland, Edie was troubled and addicted, but her fame was a different kind of fame, and the movie explores that. Afterwards, I wanted to find out more about the director and writer; the writer doesn't have too many other credits but the director was co-director on the Hearts of Darkness/Coppola documentary from 1991, which is really impressive. I read somewhere that he initially set out to do a Edie/Andy documentary but ended up doing a feature instead. Interestingly, in the end credits (and in the DVD's Special Features) are clips of interviews from people who knew Andy and Edie so this really give the movie an extra punch.

Bob Dylan is depicted as a character that is obviously based on him - but only the name is changed. (I read he was not a fan of this depiction).

Some of these personal details are dark and seemingly trashy or sleazy, however they are real-life details about celebrities that we can relate to and try to understand.  The director does an amazing job of recreating Andy's art studio in New York. The costumes, makeup, and camera work / cinematography are really good; each shot looks really well-positioned and carefully crafted.

The movie only focuses on Edie's years in New York, and not her last years when she was institutionalized, although that might make for an interesting film or story as well, because she eventually marries someone she meets there (per the epilogue).

I suppose perhaps that Edie's last year was not unlike Judy's in some ways.

Additional articles:

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/12/andy-warhol-and-edie-sedgwick-a-brief-white-hot-and-totally-doomed-romance

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/edie-sedgwick-the-life-and-death-of-the-sixties-star-431412.html

https://www.npr.org/2014/02/02/251651304/a-suburban-teen-saw-the-sparkle-of-edie-but-not-the-pain

The Farewell (2019) and The Meddler (2016)

I recently watched The Farewell, which got great reviews last year and is commended as one of the top films to see of the year. I join in on the praises; I loved this film. I read that it is a semi autobiographical film about the writer-director Lulu Wang, and that the characters in the film are inspired by her and her relationships with her family and grandmother. The film is told from the main character's point of view (played by Awkwafina) and how she deals with accepting the sad news that her grandmother has a terminal illness.

A film about that alone would be enough to hold my interest, however the film is more complex and introduces many cultural complexities. The grandmother lives in China and speaks only Chinese, and fosters a strong family pride --- the actress who plays the grandmother is really fantastic, and deserves award recognition. In the film, you learn how this family's ways are very traditional, and how things are done in a traditional way -- for example how terminal illnesses are not talked about honestly and openly, and how secrets are kept.

These are relatable issues that many Americans or those in the West can understand if they have strong ethic family ties. I have some Eastern European in my family heritage and the immigrants and first-generation families were often very traditional just as this family. I liked all of the family dinner scenes, and seeing the family dynamics. There's one scene where the grandmother is commenting on how long a young couple about to married has been dating, and says (paraphrasing), "We can't let people know they've only been dating a few months...we have to say at least 6 months to a year....appearances matter...we can't have people talk about us".

That's just like in my family how older relatives think and behave. So concerned about what people think.

Awkwafina's character (an American) challenges some of this thinking, but also is respectful and goes along with some of it to keep the peace. I think that's the challenge that we need to face sometimes when it comes to family politics. I know that's what I have to do.

Kudos to the director and cinematography; I really like her style of directing and how realistic-looking the film is. This is the kind of movie that engages me and keeps me invested all the way through.

The Meddler is another very good movie about a family, directed by Lorene Scafaria. It's also semi-autobiographical -  a mom-daughter movie because it primarily focuses on the mom (Susan Sarandon) and her daughter (Rose Byrne); the director has said in interviews that the characters and events are based on true situations of herself and her own mom, who moved closer to her in Los Angeles when she became widowed.

Susan Sarandon is great playing an Italian-American from New York - Marnie Minervini - she's more liberal than traditional -- the opposite of the grandmother in The Farewell. Marnie desperately wants to start a new life. To do new things. To experience things she's never done. She's curious about iPhones and iPads and technology and loves to talk to any stranger she meets.

The film is -- unfortunately in my opinion -- called "The Meddler"  because that's how her daughter sees her, as a meddler; Marnie come across as being a busybody always calling/texting and wanting to spend time with her....when in fact, she's just lonely. My favorite sequence in the movie is a scene where they are together in a restaurant. The camera pans across several other tables with couples on dates until finally resting on the mom-daughter's table. I liked that because it expresses how the daughter wishes they both had separate lives apart from always hanging out together. That one shot really gets the point across well.

Eventually, by the end of the movie, that does happen - the mom does "get a life", and I liked seeing the evolution of her character. I liked the cop-boyfriend character played by JK Simmons who is really charming.

Another thing that I liked about the movie that is kind of different from other "movie moms" in the mom is independently wealthy, as a widow with an inheritance. So she basically has all the money she needs to live on for the rest of her life, a situation that is different from alot of other mom characters I've seen in movies; I can't think of another movie mom character quite like this one. The movie treats the mom respectfully and doesn't criticize her for having money....rather it explores what a person can do with their life and help their community to make it a better place if one were in her situation. She's not a woman who is using her money to exploit people, to do drugs, or to gamble it away.

It's a really interesting character, and a terrific performance by Susan Sarandon; I don't know why she was overlooked for award recognition that year. This is probably one of my favorites of all her movies and all roles. It's fantastic that she got to play this part.

And well-directed, too. Even-balanced showing us the mom's and daughter's perspectives.

As for the title, it's not the best title in my opinion - should have been called "Marnie and Lori". Or "Marnie's Adventures in Los Angeles". Or something similar. I think this film has the potential to become a real classic in years to come as more people see it.

More thoughts on these films:

Cinemascope blog (The Farewell) post here

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

So I did go to see the latest, and liked it, but didn't love it. It was OK. I thought it was better than the last. Spoilers ahead (don't read if you haven't seen yet).

My favorite parts are when C3P0 loses his memory and when Chewie gets Leah's medal at the end. I also liked seeing Han Solo (Harrison Ford) come back as a force ghost and I liked seeing Kylo Ren turn to the force/the good side. That was satisfying. Lando (Billy Dee Williams) was good to see but he's not really in it much. And I liked seeing the Emperor again revealing himself to be the mastermind.

There were alot of things I didn't understand about the movie. I watched Kevin Smith's review (below) and he had pretty much all of the same thoughts I had about things.

I didn't understand the "healing" powers that Rey and Kylo had, and didn't get all the mind-meld stuff and abilities to step into someone's space like when Rey destroy's Kylo's chambers with her lightsaber when she's not there.

Suppose I need to suspend my disbelief on some stuff, though. Oh well.




Now that the "Skywalker" trilogies are done, I'd still watch some other "Star Wars" universe movies.

- Would still like to see a "Solo: Part II" and show more of Jabba the Hutt
- Would like to see more Obi Wan Kenobi adventures
- Would like to see more of Yoda's life in-between Episodes III and V
- Would like to see a dramatization of Luke training Kylo