Well, this has certainly been a very interesting start to a year that is likely to be pretty bad. With the passing of John Hurt, Emmanuelle Riva, and Mary Tyler Moore, it has been a strange month as we Americans get a new president in the form of Il Duce. Yet, it’s been a real fucking mess considering that not a lot of people showed up at the inauguration while Michelle Obama gave the new president the death stare. The next day was fun as there were a lot of people protesting the whole thing and stand up for women’s rights. Right on ladies!!!! Then we got the Muslim ban which hasn’t been good but there has been protests yet again. I’d say that it’s time for those that have the idea of what is good in the world to make things very difficult for Il Duce.
In the month of January, I saw a total of 37 films in 23 first-timers and 14 re-watches which is a good start so far for the new year. One of the highlights this month was my Blind Spot assignment in Swing Time as it helped kick off the Blind Spot series with a bang. Here are the top 10 first-timers I saw for January 2017:
1. Zabriskie Point
2. La La Land
3. Lady Snowblood
4. Postcards from the Edge
5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
6. Giant
7. High Anxiety
8. Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
9. Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance
10. David Bowie: The Last Five Years
Monthly Mini-Reviews
Catholics vs. Convicts
In the first of three entries of the 30 for 30 series that I saw, one of the newer entries to emerge revolves around the famed rivalry between Notre Dame and the Miami Hurricanes in the 1980s. The documentary revolved around the legendary 1988 game between the two where an infamous t-shirt only fueled the fire of the rivalry as it feature interviews from the individuals and fans of those teams. It’s a great entry of the series as well as showcase how a t-shirt can cause a whole lot of trouble.
The ‘85 Bears
Who is the greatest football team that ever lived? Many believe it’s the 1985 Chicago Bears led by coach Mike Ditka, defense coordinator Buddy Ryan, quarterback Jim McMahon, and other legendary names such as Walter Payton, William “the Refrigerator” Perry, Steve “Mongo” McMichael, and many others. It can be debated but can’t be denied into the impact that team had in popular culture as well as the 46 Defense created by Ryan. It is also a very somber documentary considering that some of the players are suffering from the after-effects of the game with McMahon dealing with early-dementia as the film also shows some of the final footage of Ryan in his final days.
I Hate Christian Laettner
The Duke college basketball team is definitely the most polarizing team in college basketball yet none was as divisive as its star player in the early 1990s in Christian Laettner. While he’s perceived as someone who is privileged and has everything coming to him, the film shows that isn’t exactly the case but it also display that he is a bully and can be arrogant. Still, he doesn’t apologize for it as it helped make his teammates better as several of them including coach Mike Krzyzewski talk about his methods and skills on the court. The film also feature comments from rivals and fans including pro wrestling legend Ric Flair as well as his detractors as they state every reason why he’s hated as it’s all narrated with such style by actor Rob Lowe.
Top 10 Re-Watches
1. The Squid & the Whale
2. Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars
3. Galaxy Quest
4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
5. What We Do in the Shadows
6. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
7. Hail, Caesar!
8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
9. The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?
10. Run, Fatboy, Run
Well, that is all for January as the Oscars is coming as I hope to see a few of the films that are nominated as well as some new releases if I ever get to see them. There’s also the Super Bowl as it’s big deal as I hope the Atlanta Falcons beat the New England Patriots. Based on my DVR list, there will be some films I’ll be watching as well as try to finish Twin Peaks as I’m currently re-watching the first season. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2017
6 comments:
I could barely remember what I saw this past month as I'm so preoccupied w/ my short film project. But I did see 'Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds' and that was bittersweet.
I did’t know about Riva, that’s sad news. The Squid & the Whale is the film that got me interested in Noah Baumbach and encouraged me to follow his career.
I have Lady Snowblood on my watchlist, is the sequel a stand-alone story or a continuation of the first film?
That last picture of Simon Pegg made me laugh out loud! Perfect choice there! It sounds like you're off to a great start this year :)
@ruth-I can understand that you have other things to do but that's cool. At least you're doing something big that means something.
@Chris-It's kind of a continuation of the first film but it's really more of a stand-alone thing w/ the same character. I'd totally recommend watching both films.
@Allie Adkins-Thank you. I hope it's a decent year at best despite the political climate we're in. Ugh...
I've seen a few of these, including that Laettner doc. I need to see those other 30 for 30s you have here. I also really need to watch that Superman doc. Been meaning to for a while, now. Good stuff, here.
@Wendell-I still don't like Christian Laettner but I respect him. That Superman doc is something every fan of the superhero needs to see. Besides, it has me wanting to see Jodorowsky's Dune all over again in the recent announcement over Denis Villeneuve helming Dune which I'm sure will be good but it just won't be as awesome as what Jodorowsky was going to do.
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