It’s been more than a month since David Bowie’s passing and not only am I still not over it but I would often find myself losing it at times. Whether it’s through a song or the recent tribute at the BRIT Awards by Bowie’s band and Lorde who did a damn good version of Life on Mars? As I’m now currently finishing up the 29 Days of Bowie series with one more piece on his final album * which is probably going to be the hardest as it’s obvious that I’ll spend writing it in tears. I just didn’t expect it to hit me this hard as there’s days where I’m just a wreck but there’s moments where I’m just beyond angry and on the edge at times. The 29 Days of Bowie project definitely kept me from not just watching films but also kept me from writing about them as well as other projects as I needed time to come to terms with this loss.
The series has been helpful in not just discovering more about his music but also in uncovering gems as there’s certain songs of his that have stuck out. There’s still some compilations and live albums that I haven’t covered yet I plan to later on as I’ve also decided to revive my music blog for good but it will not be like what it used to be. I’ve decided to do a monthly review on new albums that I’ve been hearing and what to check out but I’m also thinking about doing a profile on a classic album rather than write an essay which has become too time-consuming and often ending up being unfinished. I’m also thinking of using the site to make lists on what albums by certain artists or bands to check out and what to avoid as I’m hopefully going to do one on Bowie for a similar project called 14 More Days of Bowie or something like that.
In the month of February, I saw a total of 25 films in 15 first-timers and 10 re-watches as I’m not entirely surprised considering that I just didn’t see a lot of films this month. Yet, one of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot pick in Le Voyage dans le Lune which is a must-see. Here are the Top 10 First-Timers for February 2016:
1. Cabaret
2. Schindler's List
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
4. Black Moon
5. Hearts and Minds
6. Hail, Caesar!
7. Furious 7
8. Michael Jackson's Journey From Motown to Off the Wall
9. Cinderella
10. Ryan's Daughter
Monthly Mini-Reviews
Pixels
I said I was never going to watch this and well, I did. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be as there were some funny moments thanks in part to Peter Dinklage who could pretty much do no wrong. I also loved the idea of Michelle Monaghan killing a fucking Smurf of all things as I actually laughed at that as well as the cameo from Hall & Oates. Other than that, it was just mediocre while I was more annoyed by a lot of the 80s anachronisms and some of the crude jokes made towards women in the film which was expected from someone like Adam Sandler.
San Andreas
This was actually alright as I’m not really into disaster movies but this was actually engaging. Thanks in part to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who provides some depth into his role but also some dramatic weight over the stakes in the film. I also enjoyed the performances of Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, and Paul Giamatti as they manage to rise above the material no matter how clichéd it is. Even in the fact that it’s a film that involves the death of a lot of people including a pop icon in Kylie Minogue who decides to do a big budget remake of her moment in Holy Motors.
Top 10 Re-Watches:
1. Zodiac
2. Inside Out
3. To the Wonder
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service
5. Kung Fu Panda
6. The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?
7. Super Troopers
8. Wimbledon
9. Hoot
10. Memoirs of an Invisible Man
That is all for February. March will be a return of sorts of regular film-watching as well as works on the delayed-Auteurs piece on Steve McQueen that will be followed by Terry Zwigoff as the latter will feature reviews of Bad Santa and Crumb. Along with some reviews of films from last year or recently, there are films that will be covered based on this list that I hope to watch. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2016
That Bowie project is a massive undertaking. Glad for your sanity that you're about done...sorta done, at least.
ReplyDeleteSome good movies in that group of films you did watch. So happy you finally got to Schindler's List and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. A pair of magnificent films right there, even if Schindler's List is a rather tough watch. I still need to see The Death of Superman Lives.
I heard about Bowie's tribute at BRIT Awards, boy that'd make me tear up! I look forward to your Bowie project.
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about the Superman Lives doc, is that available on streaming? I definitely will watch that one though I'm glad we never saw Cage as Supes, ahah.
@Wendell-For now, I'm going to take a break on Bowie and maybe come back to it in a few weeks to do live albums and compilations. Then maybe a ranking of his work as well as a guide into what compilations and albums to listen to. If you do have Showtime, The Death of "Superman Lives" I think is still on TV and probably available online in its website.
ReplyDelete@ruth-I lost it during parts of that tribute as it was certainly the one Lady Gaga did which I ended up not liking at all after seeing it a second time as I was more bothered by the fact that it was brought to you by Intel. Bowie may have done a few things that accused of him selling out but not like that.
I think Cage as Superman would've been interesting as I did read the final script that Dan Gilroy wrote and there was a great film in that script and I think Cage would've knocked it out of the fucking park.