Month: May 2022

Posted on 2022-05-16 | No Comments |

Knock on Wood (1954)

After another failed relationship, ventriloquist Danny Kaye takes his anger out on his dummies. Unfortunately the doll maker he hires to do the repairs is a member of a spy ring and unbeknownst to Kay, hides secret plans inside the dolls’ bodies. Ever since being surprised by The Court Jester, I’ve been wanting to check out more films with Kaye in the lead in hopes of finding a similar vibe. There are some bright moments in this film that match that zaniness with tongue twisters and gags, but the spy aspect is dragged down by Kaye’s visits to a Swiss therapist and the love interest he finds there. It is appealingly bright visually and while I don’t know if Danny has experience as a ventriloquist, he is committed in the scenes where he is required to mimic the activity.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay

Posted on 2022-05-16 | No Comments |

Enemies of the State (2020)

Matt DeHart and his family claim that he has been targeted by the United States government because of documents he possesses that detail misdeeds by the CIA. The government alleges he is al predator who solicited photos and possibly sex from minors, which he has now served time in jail for. It is fairly easy to come to an opinion, certainly based on biases, as to which is true. The film picks one side at the beginning but then chooses to switch to the other, perhaps to challenge those biases. Unfortunately that also means it jumps back and forth through the timeline of events, even bringing forth new evidence at the very end, perhaps to obfuscate what objective truth is available. It only leads to a frustrating experience where it’s hard to care either way which side(s) is true.

Posted on 2022-05-15 | No Comments |

Peter & the Wolf (2006)

Similar to the well-known 1946 Disney version, this is an animated rendition of Prokofiev’s similarly titled musical composition. Young Peter disobeys his Grandfather’s directive to stay out of the forest and plays with his animal friends only for the party to come face to face with a large wolf. The story is told completely through the music without any narration. While I appreciate some of the clever changes made to the story, I was less enamored with the stop motion animation style.

Oscar Win: Best Short Film, Animated

Posted on 2022-05-15 | No Comments |

Things to Come (1936)

Written by H.G. Wells based on his own story, this follows approximately 100 years of human history from a decades-long, devastating war to a scientific age that leads to a mission to the moon. It’s a very weird film that quickly jumps through the ages but then just as suddenly drops into a very basic narrative involving generations of the same families. It’s incredible in scope, especially the futuristic sets in the last third, but if I’m to understand correctly, it fails in messaging. A post-war dystopia led with force by a intellect-less dictator leads to a different type of dictatorship pushed by science and progress, willing to gas the populace to get them to follow the ‘right’ path. It does have an interesting view for the future, especially fashions that make everyone look like some type of futuristic Roman gladiators.

Posted on 2022-05-15 | No Comments |

Heavy Metal (1981)

The embodiment of evil known as the Loc-Nar hitches a ride to Earth with an astronaut. After murdering the astronaut, the being regales the astronaut’s terrified daughter with an anthology of tales where he defeated the forces of good. While there are some interesting bits in the various stories, the majority of the film fits firmly into a horny teenaged boy’s fever dream. There are a ridiculous amount of naked breasts and women willing to drop trou for anyone with a penis. The soundtrack is incredibly kick-ass featuring the likes of Black Sabbath, Journey, and Cheap Trick.

Posted on 2022-05-15 | No Comments |

The Cove (2009)

Every year in Taiji, Japan, dolphins and other cetaceans are driven into a small bay where the attractive ones are culled to be sent to marine parks all of the world and the rest are then indiscriminately slaughtered. A group of activists used hidden cameras and microphones to record the otherwise secretive practice. The practice is undoubtedly barbaric (the film does not hold back in graphically showing the event), especially as the dolphin meat that is recovered from the murdered animals has an inordinately high amount of mercury, cadmium, DDT, and other poisons and shouldn’t be eaten, but the way it is presented does feel a bit like Westerners preaching to another culture. There is throwaway moment in the film that touches on the fact that without places like Sea World paying big money for the culled mammals, the hunt probably wouldn’t happen. While ending the hunt is a noble goal, it seems focusing closer to home to end the inhumane treatment of more intelligent creatures works better in the theory of cleaning up your own backyard before preaching to others on how to clean theirs.

Oscar Win: Best Documentary, Features

Posted on 2022-05-15 | No Comments |

Blue Skies (1946)

Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire again team up as friends who fall in love with the same woman. Here Astaire dances for the stage while Crosby is a night club owner who is never satisfied with the success he experiences. There are some highlights, especially Astaire’s Puttin’ on the Ritz performance, but it’s outclassed in all categories by the superior Holiday Inn. The narrative supposedly moves through decades of time, but the film doesn’t feel like it changes at all. The main love interest Joan Caulfield is serviceable, but even she is dull when compared to supporting player Olga San Juan.

Oscar Nominations: Best Music, Original Song; Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture

Posted on 2022-05-14 | No Comments |

Sing 2 (2021)

Set some time after the events from Sing, this sequel has the group of talented misfits successfully staging local musical productions while producer Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey) aspires to make it bigger by performing in their version of Las Vegas. The story follows similar notes to the first with its large cast of characters and the portrayal of their various struggles interspersed with renditions of popular tunes as if it were an extended episode of Glee. New to the cast Pharrell Williams is somewhat wasted as a love interest for Tori Kelly’s elephant character Meena, while other newcomer Bono surprisingly brings heart to the story as a rock legend who retired after the death of his wife.

Posted on 2022-05-14 | No Comments |

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

This version of the well-known Robert Louis Stevenson story of a man who experiments in dividing himself into two distinct personalities is the earliest I have thus far seen. Being closer to the publication of the original story, it feels much less like a period and more a contemporary work. I had watched this to see John Barrymore’s portrayal and it really is a sight to behold. His gyrations and contortions, particularly during that first transformation are an incredible commitment to the craft.

Posted on 2022-05-14 | No Comments |

C’mon C’mon (2021)

Gaby Hoffmann must help her ex-husband Scoot McNairy who is suffering from a manic episode, so she calls her semi-estranged brother Joaquin Phoenix to care for her nine year old son. The two males get to know from each other while Phoenix travels around the country interviewing kids for his job as a journalist. It tenderly encapsulates the tentativeness of any new relationship with the missteps and lessons learned. It’s striking that while Phoenix spends his work hours talking to children, he didn’t seem to really understand them until living with his nephew. While the focus is on male bonding, motherhood isn’t short-changed as Hoffmann, even from a distance, is guiding and holding it all together.