MY PERSONAL FILM FESTIVAL DURING THIS TIME - WEEK 03
There is no master schedule to all this and, for that, I'm sorry. As time marches on, I keep thinking of ways to program what I watch but, honestly, that's not going to happen. My schedule, my kids, the room that's left to me for an hour or two - that's what decides what I watch. And so, here's what I watched this past week and rated on a 5-star system (0 is the worst, 5 is the best) based on true worth-watching merit IMHO.
Sunday, March 28, 2020 - Airplane! (1980)
My 19-year-old son has Showtime; I don't. He's home now and asked if we could watch Airplane! (1980) together on his Showtime App. He's never seen it but heard it's good. But we had to hurry, the film won't be on the app very long. While we're a film family, we're also on the conservative side. When my older kids ask to watch things like Heat (1995) and Alien (1979) with me, I make it a point to give them an "out card." Basically, if it gets weird for them to watch the content of the movie with their Dad, they can bow out. No shame. No judgement. Just say "enough" and we're good. I love Airplane! but realized the humor is dated, sex-laden and playing with racial stereotypes of that era. So, I gave him the "out card" and was happy to say he didn't use it. Actually, once he saw Kareem ("KAREEM!?", he exclaimed) Abdul Jabbar was in it, he was hooked. He laughed and I found myself explaining a lot of jokes to him - which is perfectly fine. That's what Dads do - explain jokes, whether they're funny or not. The point of all this blabber? The film stands the test of time. Somethings like "Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?" just stay funny forever.
Rating: 3 STARS
Monday, March 29, 2020 - The Pink Panther (1963)
Monday came way too early. I couldn't sleep and I knew I was in for a long day with my work, my wife's work, the kids school-at-home stuff and online art and dance classes. I got up waaaaaay before the alarm was due to sound and threw The Pink Panther (1963) in the home office TV/VCR as I made coffee, fired up the laptop and started off my day. By sheer coincidence, I leaned into the ongoing #ManciniMonday hashtag experience. You see: I am a HUGE Henry Mancini fan. But have found only a handful of the films he scored to my liking. I just really like his music. And, for that very reason, I really want to love this movie (this is probably my fifth viewing of the film), but I can only say I find it mildly entertaining to watch. Oh, Peter Sellers is funny and the writing is witty - but it's really a so-what flick. But the music! That's another story. The score is so great - perhaps in my Top 5 Mancini soundtracks. Truth told: I listened to this movie today more than I watched it. Visually speaking, the best thing about this movie is the opening credits set to the wonderfully slinky Pink Panther theme.
Rating: 2 STARS
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
A right of passage in my house is watching Saving Private Ryan (1998) once you're old enough. It's different for each kid. My second oldest Peter has been waiting for years and we made it a point to watch it yesterday once I wrapped my upteenth work-from-home day. Peter is a HUGE history/military buff - so I was interested in seeing his reaction to this emotional favorite of mine. He liked it but still feel 1917 (2019) is better. That said, this Spielberg war epic holds up. The cast is amazing. Matt Damon. Tom Sizemore. Ed Burns. Dennis Farina. Vin Diesel. What?! Yes! Vin Diesel. And, of course, the patron saint of our times Tom Hanks is absolutely amazing. When Ryan (Matt Damon) asks him to describe his wife gardening, Miller (Tom Hanks) replies "No, no. That one I save just for me." Gets me every time. Listen to a previous examination of Saving Private Ryan and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) via our SoundCloud below.
Rating: 4.5 STARS
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - Stray Dog (1949)
Today would have been Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune's 100th birthday. To celebrate, TCM ran a bunch of his films back to back. While Digging Star Wars honored his birthday highlighting Seven Samurai (1954), I watched Stray Dog (1949) for the first time. I love both Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune and a lot has been written about both of them (just read our Seven Samurai write-up!). Like most of Kurosawa's work, Stray Dog is expertly-crafted, beautiful and strange. The film, undoubtedly, inspired the "Lightsaber Lost" episode of The Clone Wars (S2: E11) and parts of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001). This film is a marathon in grittiness and determination, but worth one focused viewing.
Rating: 3 STARS
Thursday, April 2, 2020 - The Killing (1956)
Another film I've been meaning to get to for years. A co-worker shared a link about Kubrick's non-linear storytelling approach, so I just had to watch The Killing (1956) for the first time. Quentin Taratino quoted this movie as his inspiration for Reservoir Dogs (1992). The Killing is dated but great. Leave it to Kubrick to fully embrace all the clichés of a genre to the point of making it a work of art.
Rating: 3 STARS
Friday, April 3, 2020 - Naqoyqatsi (2002)
Digging Star Wars has already posted an essay I wrote about Godfrey Reggio's QATSI trilogy. After such a stressful week (between COVID-19, a shooting in my neighborhood and work), I'm surprised I was pulled to watch Naqoyqatsi (2002) since it's pretty dark and heavy. But, as the aforementioned essay points out, Reggio's QATSI films are a call to prayer and meditation. And that's exactly what I got out of this screening - a connection to my Maker and humanity overall. I've seen this film approximately 5 times prior to this screening and this one was the most meaningful and beautiful viewing of it yet. Also, and I did not know this till after my screening, April 2nd is #NationalFilmScoreDay - which is really interesting since the ONLY sound in Naqoyqatsi IS PHILIP GLASS' SCORE featuring Yo-Yo Ma.
Rating: 3 STARS
Saturday, April 4, 2020 - The Aristocats (1970)
Family Movie Night and it's my pick! I've been wanting to watch The Aristocats (1970) for years. When @henrymanciniofficial on Instagram posted that April is #JazzAppreciationMonth, I googled "Disney+ Jazz Films" and found an article stating that The Aristocats was the #1 jazz-infused Disney film. After seeing it, I can only say to that endorsement...."ummm, okay." Yes, the small amount of jazz in this movie - along with the entire George Bruns score - is absolutely fantastic (and Mancini-esque). What I really loved is the animation/design of this film. Clearly, the 1910-era vehicles (cars, motorcycles, trucks) are rotoscoped. And while the characters are also rotoscoped to a degree as well, there a cool oddness in how rigid the vehicles are compared to the softness and "cartoony-ness" of the feline and human characters. The effect is similar to the mesh of CGI and hand-drawn animation you'll see in Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Treasure Planet (2002) and so on. Best of all, the film was fun and short enough (1 hr 18 min) to hold Mom and the kids' attention as well.
Rating: 3 STARS
IMDB links to what I watched so far (most recent entries listed at the top):
And here's links to my previous week recaps of
MY PERSONAL FILM FESTIVAL DURING THIS TIME (oldest to newest):
Sunday, March 28, 2020 - Airplane! (1980)
My 19-year-old son has Showtime; I don't. He's home now and asked if we could watch Airplane! (1980) together on his Showtime App. He's never seen it but heard it's good. But we had to hurry, the film won't be on the app very long. While we're a film family, we're also on the conservative side. When my older kids ask to watch things like Heat (1995) and Alien (1979) with me, I make it a point to give them an "out card." Basically, if it gets weird for them to watch the content of the movie with their Dad, they can bow out. No shame. No judgement. Just say "enough" and we're good. I love Airplane! but realized the humor is dated, sex-laden and playing with racial stereotypes of that era. So, I gave him the "out card" and was happy to say he didn't use it. Actually, once he saw Kareem ("KAREEM!?", he exclaimed) Abdul Jabbar was in it, he was hooked. He laughed and I found myself explaining a lot of jokes to him - which is perfectly fine. That's what Dads do - explain jokes, whether they're funny or not. The point of all this blabber? The film stands the test of time. Somethings like "Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?" just stay funny forever.
Rating: 3 STARS
 |
| My cat Fiona catches some rays next to my VHS copy of The Pink Panther (1963). |
Monday, March 29, 2020 - The Pink Panther (1963)
Monday came way too early. I couldn't sleep and I knew I was in for a long day with my work, my wife's work, the kids school-at-home stuff and online art and dance classes. I got up waaaaaay before the alarm was due to sound and threw The Pink Panther (1963) in the home office TV/VCR as I made coffee, fired up the laptop and started off my day. By sheer coincidence, I leaned into the ongoing #ManciniMonday hashtag experience. You see: I am a HUGE Henry Mancini fan. But have found only a handful of the films he scored to my liking. I just really like his music. And, for that very reason, I really want to love this movie (this is probably my fifth viewing of the film), but I can only say I find it mildly entertaining to watch. Oh, Peter Sellers is funny and the writing is witty - but it's really a so-what flick. But the music! That's another story. The score is so great - perhaps in my Top 5 Mancini soundtracks. Truth told: I listened to this movie today more than I watched it. Visually speaking, the best thing about this movie is the opening credits set to the wonderfully slinky Pink Panther theme.
Rating: 2 STARS
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
A right of passage in my house is watching Saving Private Ryan (1998) once you're old enough. It's different for each kid. My second oldest Peter has been waiting for years and we made it a point to watch it yesterday once I wrapped my upteenth work-from-home day. Peter is a HUGE history/military buff - so I was interested in seeing his reaction to this emotional favorite of mine. He liked it but still feel 1917 (2019) is better. That said, this Spielberg war epic holds up. The cast is amazing. Matt Damon. Tom Sizemore. Ed Burns. Dennis Farina. Vin Diesel. What?! Yes! Vin Diesel. And, of course, the patron saint of our times Tom Hanks is absolutely amazing. When Ryan (Matt Damon) asks him to describe his wife gardening, Miller (Tom Hanks) replies "No, no. That one I save just for me." Gets me every time. Listen to a previous examination of Saving Private Ryan and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) via our SoundCloud below.
Rating: 4.5 STARS
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 - Stray Dog (1949)
Today would have been Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune's 100th birthday. To celebrate, TCM ran a bunch of his films back to back. While Digging Star Wars honored his birthday highlighting Seven Samurai (1954), I watched Stray Dog (1949) for the first time. I love both Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune and a lot has been written about both of them (just read our Seven Samurai write-up!). Like most of Kurosawa's work, Stray Dog is expertly-crafted, beautiful and strange. The film, undoubtedly, inspired the "Lightsaber Lost" episode of The Clone Wars (S2: E11) and parts of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001). This film is a marathon in grittiness and determination, but worth one focused viewing.
Rating: 3 STARS
Thursday, April 2, 2020 - The Killing (1956)
Another film I've been meaning to get to for years. A co-worker shared a link about Kubrick's non-linear storytelling approach, so I just had to watch The Killing (1956) for the first time. Quentin Taratino quoted this movie as his inspiration for Reservoir Dogs (1992). The Killing is dated but great. Leave it to Kubrick to fully embrace all the clichés of a genre to the point of making it a work of art.
Rating: 3 STARS
 |
| I saw a similar rating system posted on Twitter on Thursday and thought it would be a good way to explain my 5-star rating system. |
Friday, April 3, 2020 - Naqoyqatsi (2002)
Digging Star Wars has already posted an essay I wrote about Godfrey Reggio's QATSI trilogy. After such a stressful week (between COVID-19, a shooting in my neighborhood and work), I'm surprised I was pulled to watch Naqoyqatsi (2002) since it's pretty dark and heavy. But, as the aforementioned essay points out, Reggio's QATSI films are a call to prayer and meditation. And that's exactly what I got out of this screening - a connection to my Maker and humanity overall. I've seen this film approximately 5 times prior to this screening and this one was the most meaningful and beautiful viewing of it yet. Also, and I did not know this till after my screening, April 2nd is #NationalFilmScoreDay - which is really interesting since the ONLY sound in Naqoyqatsi IS PHILIP GLASS' SCORE featuring Yo-Yo Ma.
Rating: 3 STARS
 |
| On Saturday March 28th, my oldest son ran a family March Madness Favorite Movie Bracket and I won. The prize? You get to pick the next movie for Family Movie Night! And my pick is listed below. |
Saturday, April 4, 2020 - The Aristocats (1970)
Family Movie Night and it's my pick! I've been wanting to watch The Aristocats (1970) for years. When @henrymanciniofficial on Instagram posted that April is #JazzAppreciationMonth, I googled "Disney+ Jazz Films" and found an article stating that The Aristocats was the #1 jazz-infused Disney film. After seeing it, I can only say to that endorsement...."ummm, okay." Yes, the small amount of jazz in this movie - along with the entire George Bruns score - is absolutely fantastic (and Mancini-esque). What I really loved is the animation/design of this film. Clearly, the 1910-era vehicles (cars, motorcycles, trucks) are rotoscoped. And while the characters are also rotoscoped to a degree as well, there a cool oddness in how rigid the vehicles are compared to the softness and "cartoony-ness" of the feline and human characters. The effect is similar to the mesh of CGI and hand-drawn animation you'll see in Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Treasure Planet (2002) and so on. Best of all, the film was fun and short enough (1 hr 18 min) to hold Mom and the kids' attention as well.
Rating: 3 STARS
IMDB links to what I watched so far (most recent entries listed at the top):
- The Aristocats (1970)
- Naqoyqatsi (2002)
- The Killing (1956)
- Stray Dog (1949)
- Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- The Pink Panther (1963)
- Airplane! (1980)
- I Married A Witch (1942)
- The Mole People (1956)
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Theory of Achievement (1991)
- Strange Brew (1983)
- When Worlds Collide (1951)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
- Siren of the Tropics (1927)
- High Anxiety (1977)
- Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
- Green Book (2018)
- The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
- The Family Jewels (1965)
- The Railrodder (1965)
And here's links to my previous week recaps of
MY PERSONAL FILM FESTIVAL DURING THIS TIME (oldest to newest):
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