What is there to say right now? More than 100,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the past 2 months here in America and things are getting worse. A man was killed by police as his last words were “I can’t breathe” as riots have ensued including one here in Atlanta in front of the CNN building. People are having parties during Memorial Day weekend as if nothing happened and our human septic tank of a dictator is saying “things are fine, all is well” while calling African-Americans thugs and question the idea of masculinity in his refusal to wear a face mask. Is this the end of civilization as we know it? Honestly, I’m starting to feel like the end is near and I don’t know what will kill me. An invisible disease, killer hornets, the police, racist motherfuckers who will kill you for jogging near some neighborhood, a fucking asteroid, nuclear missiles? If you’re going to tell me that I’m going to die tomorrow. At least give me the option to die on my own terms.
In all seriousness, this pandemic has definitely gotten troubling as my mother has really been troubled by having to be isolated and not really going anywhere or do anything. She’s quite active as she likes to go out and shop and such whereas I prefer to stay home. Online shopping is something that is really foreign to her as all she does on the Internet is watch stuff on YouTube or do on-line video chats with friends. Yet, being at home all day isn’t that much for me either as I’ve lost some motivation to watch and review films while projects that I’ve been trying to work on has been on hold. It has been difficult as I spend part of my time playing games either on my laptop or my phone as a way to cope with the boredom and uncertainty. Even as the idea that things could be re-opened in the fall doesn’t give me a lot of hope but rather dread after hearing from people such as Dr. Fauci that a second wave might be coming.
I know there’s movies going to come out in the summer as they will play in the theater but I’m really not eager to return fearing that someone might be infected with COVID and might infect everyone. I’d rather wait for a vaccine and then get everything back in order. I really think all movies that are set to be released in theaters are going to wait longer until a vaccine is ready and everyone can be safe.
In the month of May 2020, I saw a total of 27 films in 15 first-timers and 12 re-watches with two of the first-timers are directed by women based on the 52 Films by Women pledge. The highlight of the month is my Blind Spot Choice in Blind Chance. Here are my top 5 picks for May 2020:
1. The Rider
2. Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril
3. Foxtrot
4. The Great Buster: A Celebration
5. Targets
Monthly Mini-Reviews
Bad Boys
The first of two documentaries of the 30 to 30 series that I saw as it’s about the Detroit Pistons of the 1980s and early 1990s that featured a dangerous line-up of players that included Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Rick Mahorn, and many others. They were the bad boys of the NBA in their day and made no apologizes about it. For me as a fan of the Atlanta Hawks, I hated them as did my dad but we couldn’t help but realize how good they were. It is a fun documentary that also showed why this team were so good and why they were the definitive bad boys until 1991 when all of the players got traded to other teams as they weren’t the same afterwards.
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children
A documentary series that had been on HBO since April is a revelatory documentary about the Atlanta Child Murders from 1979 to 1981 and the troubling aftermath following the capture of Wayne Williams who was convicted of the murders. The five-part film series definitely showcase Atlanta’s troubled history before the murders and the arrival of Maynard Jackson as the city’s first African-American mayor which only created more tension between African-Americans and those affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. There is a belief that Williams didn’t kill the children as the film shows also how the FBI managed to not really do enough with the case with current mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Atlanta’s police chief Erika Shields made the announcement in 2019 to re-open the case and go more into depth over who killed these 28 young people. It’s something that for anyone from Atlanta must see as well as anyone interested in the way murder cases can be mishandled.
New York, New York
From Spike Lee is a short film he created on his Instagram page as it’s a tribute to the city but also to those working on the front lines in this time of need. To the tune of the Frank Sinatra song, it’s about the city and how it’s willing to keep going in these troubled times with the focus on the doctors, nurses, and volunteers who are trying to help the city as it’s being stricken hard by this pandemic. It’s definitely one of Lee’s most inspiring works as well as a film that showcases the good of humanity in these trying times.
Sole Man
The second film from the 30 for 30 series that I saw is about Sonny Vaccaro as a man who would be the one to make Nike big as well as have Michael Jordon be attached to the brand only to switch allegiance to Adidas after a fall-out with Nike by having Kobe Bryant sign with Adidas. It’s a film that explore the world of sport shoes and how it helped sell the name of basketball yet it also explore the dark side of college recruiting as it shows the corruption within the NCAA in how players get their likeness used in video games. It was something that Vaccaro was appalled by as he was hoping young players would get some money even if they didn’t make it into the NBA as he would fight the NCAA for what they did. Vaccaro is a polarizing figure but still a fascinating one.
The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson
One of the major downsides of this pandemic is insomnia as I have a hard time trying to sleep at night forcing to watch movies late at night and sometimes. I end up watching bad movies but this. Oh… this is definitely one of the worst films I had ever seen in my life. It’s not just the fact that people like Mena Suvari as Nicole Brown Simpson, Agnes Bruckner as Kris Jenner, Taryn Manning as Faye Resnick, and Nick Stahl as Glen Edward Rogers in a narrative that claims that Rogers killed Simpson and Ron Goldman are involved in this but I beg the question into who the fuck funded this shit? Daniel Farrands is someone who never should be behind the camera nor should be involved in cinema because what he’s making is obscene. Especially as it borders into awful attempts at comedy in a scene inspired by Nightmare on Elm Street to the scene of Simpson and Goldman being killed as I felt like I was watching a snuff film. This isn’t cinema, this is trash of the worst kind.
The Little Story of Gwen from French Brittany
From Agnes Varda is this 2008 short film about a young woman who lives in California as she runs a small movie theater in the town with her husband. It is a delightful five-minute short film that explores the simple life of a woman named Gwen with Varda making an appearance where Gwen hosted a mini-festival devoted to Varda’s films with Varda doing some Q&A as it’s a must for anyone interested in Varda.
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind
HBO’s documentary film that is produced by Natasha Gregson Wagner is a startling yet touching film about the life of Natalie Wood who is Wagner’s mother. Featuring interviews with Robert Wagner, Natasha’s younger sister Courtney, step-sister Katie, stepmother Jill St. John, Natasha’s father Richard Gregson (before his passing), and those who knew Wood including Mia Farrow as they all talk about Wood’s life and career which was sadly overshadowed by her mysterious death in 1981. Even as Robert Wagner discusses about what happened that night on the boat with actor Christopher Walken and the boat’s captain as well as the awful tabloid reporting about Wood’s death with Robert Wagner being a suspect as Natasha and others defend him as they also raise question about Natalie’s sister Lana and her pursuit to go after Robert Wagner.
Fire (Pozar)
An animated short film by David Lynch definitely play into his surrealist approach to storytelling as it’s more of a collaboration with musician Marek Zewbrowski. The animated short is really about the imagery of fire as it has this air of beauty but it’s also disturbing. It’s another gem from Lynch as it’s something fans of his work will enjoy.
Celebration Day
Airing for free during this weekend on YouTube, Dick Carruthers’ 2012 concert film showcasing Led Zeppelin’s October 2007 one-off reunion as part of a tribute concert to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. I had seen clips of the film through performances of a single song but not the film as a whole as it is just an incredible concert film presented in multiple film stocks that shows a band just killing it. With Jason Bonham filling in for his late father John, the reunion definitely shows what happens when Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones can do when they’re not being forced to reunite following two disastrous reunions for special events in the 1980s. On that night, they weren’t just in top form but they were in a moment that can’t be replicated and why it’s best that Led Zeppelin should never reunite unless it’s for something special.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
2. Police Story
3. Young Frankenstein
4. Commando
5. 9 to 5
6. David Bowie: Finding Fame
7. The Falcon and the Snowman
8. The Jane Austen Book Club
9. Starter for 10
10. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
Well, that is all for May as I’m not really sure what I’m going to do next month other than the films I have on my never-ending DVR list and whatever film I choose next from my Blind Spot Series. Other than Katy’s Movie Challenge blog-a-thon, I have no idea what to do as I’m trying to get back into the MCU is Cinema series as that’s something I want to finish and then return to the Auteurs series. This air of uncertainty and not knowing is starting to get to me as I’m just watching whatever I can find such as this piece about Woody Allen that is full of revelations about the accusations he’s been getting and why he’s really innocent of these false charges as it’s also an exploration of this disgusting social media culture who aren’t willing to listen or read the fact with Mia and Ronan Farrow are really among some of the worst people out there. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2020
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