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MY PERSONAL FILM FESTIVAL DURING THIS TIME - WEEK 08

It's embarrassing that, up until now, I haven't thanked on my blog all those people on the front lines during this time while I get to work-from-home, be with my family and watch a movie-a-day. THANK YOU to the medical staff, scientists, Police and Emergency Response Teams, Delivery People, Truck Drivers, United States Postal Workers, Caregivers in Nursing Homes and additional facilities, Teachers, Utility workers and everyone else that have been and continue to put themselves in harm's way so that we all can have some kind of normalcy and get through this time!

Artwork by my daughter Clare, Age 10


And with that said, here are the movies I watched from the safety of home during Week 08. I rated them using my  5-star system (0 is the worst, 5 is the best) based on true worth-watching merit IMHO.
Sunday, May 3, 2020 - Rock & Rule (1983)
May 3rd is the birthday of former Digging Star Wars guest and my good friend Josh Taback. With years of experience in the animation industry, Josh was the inspiration for today's pick: Rock & Rule (1983). A cult classic, Rock & Rule was produced by Nelvana - the same Canadian animation company that made the cartoon in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) and the 80s cartoons Droids and Ewoks (1985). This film is so much fun and has an awesome soundtrack.
Rating: 4 STARS

Monday, May 4, 2020 - Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars Day! And since Disney+'s The Clone Wars has come to an end today AND they expertly incorporated ROTS into their finale story line, I had to choose Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) today.
Rating: 3 STARS
Me, in Jedi attire, on May the 4th.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 - The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Yesterday was also my Dad's birthday. He passed away in 2011 and every May 4th since then has had a touch of sadness for me. To honor him, I chose to watch The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). This is the film my Dad was watching in the Hospital Waiting Room while I was born (back then, dads sat in the waiting room, cigars at the ready). The doctor kept leaving my Mom to join Dad in the Waiting Room to watch the movie. The doctor's biggest concern was to make sure he saw the film's climatic finale onscreen. I shared this story (in greater detail) when I was a Guest Programmer on TCM in 2017.
Rating: 5 STARS

Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Watching a film with my good friend and Digging Star Wars guest writer Peter Fey is always a treat. Years ago, he upgraded his personal copy of The Man Who Would Be King (1975) from DVD to Blu-Ray. He was kind enough to pass the DVD to me for my personal film library. I tried many times before to watch it and life would always get in the way. Luckily, I was able to orchestrate a watch party with him late Wednesday night. It was nice to add a new-to-me film to this week's mix. From the same director that gave us The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The African Queen (1951) and Chinatown (1974), The Man Who Would Be King is epic in the style of Gunga Din (1939). Sean Connery and Michael Caine play Britist sergeants Danny Dravot and Peachy Carnehan. These two men have a dastardly scheme to make themselves rich by using their military know-how in a far-flung corner of the world on unsuspecting tribes and civilizations. The have a code and contract with each other to keep all things in check but we soon learn that there is little honor among thieves when a beautiful woman enters the scene. This isn't a film for everyone, there are a couple racial slurs and questionable philosophies BUT if you like films where you find yourself a little surprised to be rooting for the bad guys - you may enjoy this tongue-in-cheek, Indiana Jones-esque romp.
Rating: 2.5 STARS

Thursday, May 7, 2020 - The Bellboy (1960)
In my home office, I have a 13" Zenith Color TV/Video Cassette Recorder - Model No. TVSC1320. According to the factory sticker on the back of the set, it was manufactured in July 2000. I still have PLENTY of VHS tapes in my library including store-bought films, home movies and TV show recordings that aired my own videos/films. Back in March, I kept the set on my desk but left it off for my Zoom and other video conferencing. My co-workers loved making fun that I still had a TV/VCR...until, of course, I started playing movies on it during the meetings. Now, before my regular, everyday 10am meeting, I need to remind myself to throw a movie in for "the game." The game is this: anyone else in the meeting wins IF they can guess the movie playing on the Zenith. Sometimes I have to give clues. So far, the release dates of the movie have ranged from 1946 (A Night in Casablanca) to 2002 (Signs). The Bellboy (1960) is one of the films in this noble experiment. This may be my favorite Jerry Lewis movie. Stay tuned: I will be testing other Jerry Lewis titles soon to see if they are my all-time favorite Jerry film. And you can bet your bippy that you'll see those titles here on this blog!
Rating: 4 STARS

Friday, May 8, 2020 - Sabrina (1954)
Like most Audrey Hepburn films, she is considerably younger than her leading man/romantic interest in this film. In short, at the release of this film, Humphrey Bogart (54) was more than twice her age (24). Even William Holden, who character David Larrabee is the 'other' and first romantic interest of Hepburn's titular character, was 36 at the time of the film's production. An yet, with a cast like Bogart, Hepburn and Holden, you can ignore all that and get on with the show for two reasons: Taylor and Wilder. Samuel A. Taylor, the original writer of the theatrical play was also the film's co-screenwriter. Taylor's story banks on the age gap and how a starry-eyed chauffeur's daughter can't help but fall in love with a rich playboy who kissed her in her youth. Billy Wilder who co-wrote and directed Sabrina (1954) wastes no time employing his trademark comedic irony capitalizing on film-worthy elements of high society parties, officeland Xanadu,  teenage melodrama, working class views and 1950's chivalry and chauvinism.
Rating: 3 STARS

Saturday, May 9, 2020 - New York New York (2020)
When I discovered this beautiful short film last night, I knew it had to be today's film. With New York New York (2020), Spike Lee masterfully combines newly shot Super 8 film and HD video (shot on phones and other cameras?) into what he calls "A Love Letter To It's People Plain And Simple." It also looks like there's found footage in there, too, and I love that I'm not sure about that. And, not to argue with Mr. Lee, but it is also a really colorful thank you to medical staff and those her remain on the front lines in dealing with the pandemic. To those and all those mentioned at the top of this post, THANK YOU.
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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