There is a lot happening with the world as I do keep my eye on what is going on but also not become overwhelmed by it. I distract myself from the news by playing video games or watching silly things on YouTube. Films are also a distraction as I have been fortunate to get access to certain things as well as new means to watch films as I recently has started cultivating a digital collection as a way to watch films in my room. Still, it does not replace the idea of having a physical collection as that is something I still cherish even though I need a new bookshelf because my collection has gotten bigger and richer. Though it has been a welcoming distraction as well as being around my niece and nephew as they are growing though it does worry me about what future holds.
I admit that I do not watch as many films as I used to, nor have I posted more frequently on this blog. Even though I am still working on my Auteurs essay on David Lean that is half-finished, it has taken a lot longer than I realize as plans for other Auteurs profiles will be delayed though I do hope to get to them this year.
1. Anora
Casino Moon
From Gia Coppola is an 11-minute short made China’s Millennium Advertising Company about a gambler who meets and falls for a young woman who works the roulette table as they trek around Las Vegas while evading a couple of men to whom he owes a debt. It is a fun short that Coppola did as it starred one of her cousins in Robert Schwartzman as the gambler and Zhang Jingchu as the young woman as they both give solid performances in the short. It has style and amazing visuals as it is worth looking out for anyone who is a fan of Gia.
Memory Film
Made in 2012, this short film by David Lynch is a simple short in which he presents the idea of what he would think from time to time. What happens is typical of Lynch not just in its surrealism but also in humor. The things he think about are strange but not surprising as it all relates to his idea of art. Given his passing last month still feels fresh, it is something that fans of need to see as I hope to watch everything he has done in his lifetime.
Touch of Crude
A Lien
One of the films nominated for the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film is a timely one given what is happening here in America. This short film is about an American woman accompanying her husband for an interview with immigration to get a green card as they are with their daughter. What happens is that ICE appears and takes a bunch of undocumented immigrants including this woman’s husband as it plays into this harsh reality that people go through. Even as the idea of a child would be taken away from this horrific force of authority who really do not care about the well-being of other people. In all honesty, FUCK ICE!
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The second documentary short nominated for Best Documentary Short in the Oscars is similar in the power of music, but it is set in an entirely different in Japan. Notably as it is about a young girl who joins the school band as part of an orchestra to welcome the new first grader with everyone else in the orchestra moving into the second grade. The film highlights Japan’s approach to education and how patient they are. They are strict but at least they care about their students as well as knowing how hard it is for children to get a part right. Practice is a key element, as well as students supporting one another as I got emotional in watching this short. I widely recommend this film as it really highlights the importance of education which is something our dumbass dictator does not share which explains a lot.
The Substance: Inside the Screenplay
One of two films by Coralie Fargeat that appears on YouTube this month is a showcase for a woman who is getting a lot of deserved acclaim as she is a nominee for Best Director at the Oscars for The Substance. This 7-minute documentary short from MUBI’s YouTube channel is about the making of the screenplay including descriptions and notes on what Fargeat wanted in the sound as well as her emphasis on creating storyboards and visual references into what she wanted. Notably as it focuses on a key scene in the film with Demi Moore also making commentary from a Q&A that she, Fargeat, and producer Eric Fellner did for the film.
Les guerre des etoiles
The second short by Fargeat that I saw is the first short that she ever did at the age 16/17 as it was presented by Letterboxd on their YouTube channel. Given that this was made by someone in her teens with a love for Star Wars. This is a short film that has a lot of imagination as it is shot on a home video camera with footage from the films along with sound clips from those films including something from the Indiana Jones films. Honestly, this was a joy to watch and if Fargeat is ever going to get the chance to make a Star Wars film. Give her anything she wants including a planet full of blood!
Snodgrass
From a British short film anthology series in Playhouse Presents is a short film by David Blair starring Ian Hart who reprises his role as John Lennon having played him in the 1991 short film The Hours and Times and the 1994 film Backbeat. This short film presents a fascinating scenario on what if The Beatles had recorded the song How Do You Do It? as their first single. The short revealed that Lennon would have quit the band out of protest as it is set entirely in 1991 in which Lennon is unemployed and bitter about his life. He constantly talks to himself and comments on everything while the Beatles are just another band that had success but not as the influential group they would have become. It is an excellent film although I did have a few issues with some of the music that is played considering that if the Beatles were never this influential force. Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit would never exist as a brief snippet of that song is played.
Top 10 Re-Watches
1. My Neighbor Totoro
Before I bid adieu, this month has been sad with some of the people who had passed on with Gene Hackman being the most recent as he along with his wife Betsy and their dog all died mysteriously at their home in New Mexico. This death is shocking and sad as Hackman is one of these rare actors that can never give a bad performance as he always deliver at the fullest no matter how bad a film could be. Dying at the age of 95 would not have been a surprise but the bizarre circumstances that he, his wife, and their dog is a surprise as I would like to express my condolences to the families and friends of Gene and Betsy Hackman.
I would also like to express my condolences on those who have passed away this month including Michelle Trachtenberg, Boris Spassky, screenwriter Roberto Orci, Rick Buckler of the Jam, Jamie Muir of King Crimson, Roberta Flack, Lynne Marie Stewart, Violetta Wallace, Jerry Butler, filmmaker Souleymane Cisse, Snowy Fleet of the Easybeats, Paquita la del Barrio, Kim Sae-ron, Kevyn Major Howard of Full Metal Jacket, Biff Wiff, Peter “Navy” Tuiasosopo, writer Tom Robbins, Tony Roberts, music producer Dave Jerden, Sal Maida of Sparks & Roxy Music, Omasu Nishimura, and filmmaker George Armitage. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2025
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