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MY PERSONAL FILM FESTIVAL DURING THIS TIME - WEEK 06

I introduced my kids to the Hollywood Walk of Fame by creating our own street chalk version. Each person in the house contributed one celebrity name. Mine was, of course, Henry Mancini. Check out my Monday film below honoring Hank...

WEEK 06. TCMFF 2020 -Special Home Edition arrived and departed. With that sad news, 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, April 19, 2020 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Once again, I joined old friends online late Sunday night to play the Star Wars Role-Playing Game. Our ongoing campaign is set in the RESISTANCE era. Just like in Week 04 of this personal film fest, I continued my inspirational screenings with another movie in the sequel trilogy. Before the game, I took in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). So much has already been written about this film including a previous Digging Star Wars entry seeking its connection to Three Outlaw Samurai (1964). Every time I watch this movie, I try to make my mind up on how I feel about this film. I think I unlocked why I (and many more) struggle "liking" this movie. It's not that it's a bad movie (it's actually structured quite well); it's that it deals with frustration. Rey is frustrated with Luke Skywalker and her inability to see her parents. Finn is frustrated trying to complete his Code Breaker mission. Poe is frustrated with his own leadership-style AND his leaders. Small SPOILER ALERT: I was frustrated with how I fell in love with A-wing pilot Tallissan Lintra (played by the lovely Hermione Corfield) - only to see her die a fiery death 10 minutes later - IN THE HANGAR BAY! All that makes this a difficult watch, but still a worthwhile watch for any Star Wars fans.
Rating: 2.5 STARS
Week 04 I watched The Force Awakens before playing Star Wars RPG with old college buddies. I had to continue the research/inspiration before our next game held on Sunday 4/19/2020 and went into the wee hours of Monday, April 20, 2020.
Monday, April 20, 2020 - Victor Victoria (1982)
The final film of TCMFF 2020 - Special Home Edition, Victor Victoria (1982) aired on TCM at 3.30am ET on Monday, April 20th. I had just wrapped up the online Star Wars game with friends in LA (see above) but just couldn't find the strength to watch it at the time. Lucky for me, it was on the Watch TCM app. I knew Sunday night's game would go long and had prearranged Monday to be a vacation day. After sleeping in a bit, I wiped down incoming groceries with disinfectant wipes and helped my kids with Zoom classes. Then, I chilled in my room watching this film for the first time. Previously, I had tried to watch Victor Victoria a few times but just couldn't get past the first 8 minutes of the movie. However, this is the film that merited my favorite film composer Henry Mancini his fourth and final Oscar for Best Score. I just had to watch it this #ManciniMonday. While I often struggle with Blake Edwards' work, this film really did surprise me with how much fun it was to watch. Julia Andrews does an excellent job in her role of Victoria - a woman impersonating a man/female impersonator. Truth be told: Robert Preston really steals the show. This isn't a film for everyone, but if you ever worked in a dinner theater (like me) with an interesting assortment of characters - the film is worth one screening. Bare minimum, the soundtrack is most definitely worth a listen.
Rating: 2.5 STARS

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 - Knives Out (2019)
Two new-to-me films? In the same week? Back-to-back?! Well, I realize I can't keep this trend going. Or can I? My oldest son Luke saw Knives Out (2019) back when it was in theaters. Since then, Luke couldn't wait till he was home, owned a copy (which he got for Easter) and could watch it with my wife and I. I have to say: I was impressed with the film. It's hard to process that writer/director Rian Johnson made this movie right after The Last Jedi (2017). This murder mystery is constructed carefully with a great attention paid to comedic timing. The assemble cast is ideal. Everyone does an excellent job. The flick's only flaw is that it feels a bit long at 2 hours and 11 minutes. After all, the film is one continuous emotional roller coaster ride. Fun? Yes, but not when it's long...especially when viewed on a weeknight.
Rating: 4 STARS
One son's Knives Out (2019) Blu-Ray, another son's machete (amongst over knives).

 Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972)
Another new-to-me movie! Based on a magna series from Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (1972) is one of six films in a series about a rogue samurai's travels with his son. When samurai Ogami Itto (played by Tomisaburo Wakayama) isn't pushing his son's baby carriage, he's slicing and dicing bad guys (or waiting to slice and dice bad guys). This film is bloody, violent and racy (a lot of skin in this movie). While not perfect, the film has its moments (the end battle is pretty jaw-dropping) - and standard clichés of the genre, too. It also seems like a huge inspiration for the feel of Disney+ Star Wars series The Mandalorian.
Rating: 2 STARS
Thursday, April 23, 2020 - Some Like It Hot (1959)
This week's new-to-me movie chain is broken. My wife told the kids to stop their season-after-season binge of the TV "reality" show Survivor (a show I could never really get into). And so, after our little ones were tucked in bed, my twin teenager daughters were lying like slugs in the family room mindlessly staring at their phones. No one was reaching for the remote, so I went into my DVR TCM treasure trove and popped on Some Like It Hot (1959). Like most classic films, this one answers my kids' question, "What's the big deal with [insert Hollywood movie star]?" In this case, Marilyn Monroe. Once the premise of the movie was underway and Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) decide to dress as women, join the traveling all-girls band and escape mobsters to Florida, my one daughter goes, "This reminds me of that film we saw at that one sleepover. What was it? Oh, yeah: White Chicks (2004)." Imagine my eye roll.  Yet, both of my girls hung in there and watched the movie. Better yet, they liked it. I love it. Marilyn is unbelievably sexy, vulnerable and (as my wife put it) beautiful, too. Tony Curtis is hysterically funny as he does his Cary Grant voice as Shell Oil Junior. But the biggest props go to Jack Lemmon. He is so great at being both the nervous man (a common Lemmon performance) as well as his goofy girl persona Daphne. In one scene, he simply skips from the ocean to a gathering on the beach and it's possibly the funniest moment in a movie overflowing with funny moments. The rest of the cast is great, too. TCM was highlighting Joe E. Brown's performance in this DVR recording, but George Raft really impressed me during this screening. And, it has the best final line in a movie ever. Ever. If you haven't seen this movie at least once, you should. And, if quarantine has you down, watch it again.
Rating: 5 STARS

Friday, April 24, 2020 - Captain Marvel (2019)
My son's Marvel marathon continues and I made it quite clear since I hadn't seen Captain Marvel (2019) yet, I wanted to watch it with him. I've also been invited to join a Marvel RPG group, too - so, I was excited to watch some new-MCU-to-me. Oh, how I wanted to squash the haters and love this movie. I just can't. Now, I will say: there is a lot of good in this movie. Well intentions as far as themes and messaging. Excellent de-aging of Samuel Jackson. And there's funny bits with the cat and all (my favorite bit was several people watching a CD load in real time on 90's computer). It was just weak in so many parts and Annette Bening really phoned in her performance. Soundtrack is good but it could have been great. Not enough 90's in it as was promised in trailers.
Rating: 1.5 STARS

Below: My favorite line from Captain Marvel (2019). Yup, I realize this isn't much.

Saturday, April 25, 2020 - My Man Godfey (1936)
As a monthly supporter of the movie review website Movieguide, I received an email about Movieguide Premiere - a curation of movies and videos sure to uplift your spirits. Per their announcement: "...We are so excited to debut a special thank you for our monthly supporters. We’ve curated some classic programs from across the web to bring you 14 great movies and a few heartwarming classic TV programs for you to enjoy...". This curation has several new-to-me titles including My Man Godfrey (1936). I first discovered William Powell in The Thin Man series alongside my out-of-time screen crush Myrna Loy. In Godfrey, Powell is perfect as always - delivering well-written lines with ease and a wink of wisdom. The overall story is great - with a nice series of twists and turns to playfully navigate. Most importanty, the message is clear and continues to be clearly needed: be humble, help others, appreciate what you have. This is a solid classic movie.
Rating: 4 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):
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Comments

  1. PBFApril 27, 2020 at 2:22 PM

    I have to say it, pal. Jack Lemmon, in almost every film he ever made, is the male Audrey Hepburn. An overrated one-trick pony. And I'm not even sure what her trick is.

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  2. Digging Star WarsApril 30, 2020 at 8:09 AM

    I get it, PBF. While one of the most recognizable actors ever, Jack Lemmon's range is limited. I put him in the same category as Pacino and DeNiro. But that's a highly successful category, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete

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