Films That I Saw: August 2021

 

Summer is nearly coming to an end yet it feels like the heat isn’t going away literally but also figuratively. What’s happening in Afghanistan is awful as the Taliban and ISIS are creating chaos as it’s starting to overwhelm the world while the possibility of another pandemic is emerging thanks in part to a bunch of stupid people. You have to be a real imbecile to listen to the likes of Rob Schneider, Jenny McCarthy, Tucker Carlson and his cronies at FOX News and every other idiot that is spouting this rhetoric as they don’t give a fuck about the safety of others. Now Eric Clapton has released a song that spouts anti-vaccination bullshit as he is someone I’d rather not listen to these days as I hope he gets shunned by his peers who at least do express concern for the safety of others. Especially as tours have been cancelled including Nine Inch Nails who were planning to play two shows in Cleveland and festival dates as I’m glad they chose to put safety first rather than getting someone sick because some moron didn’t get vaccinated and is spreading COVID on everyone.

If I had money, I would love to go to concerts but I too prefer to be safe and keep people safe yet it is filled with a sense of melancholia with the recent passing of Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones. Two years ago, my dad was hoping to see the Rolling Stones in Jacksonville before he passed but the show got cancelled because of Mick Jagger’s illness as that put a real bummer for me as well. Now that Watts have passed, the idea of never getting to see the Stones has become more of a reality as I can’t imagine seeing this legendary band without the man who was their heartbeat. I am aware of who Steve Jordan is and I know he’s a great drummer but it’s not going to feel the same as Watts had a feel in his playing that is unique and of his own. This was a man that wasn’t about the solos but rather laying a certain foundation and groove to the songs as I can’t imagine the greatness of those songs without those drums. A great band is defined by those who bring something to a song as I knew the Stones were always evolving through those that played with them. They had evolved yet there was a constant in that sound and Watts was one of those individuals that defined them.



It really does make me sad that I will never see him play as he was my favorite member of the Stones because he was the coolest guy in the band. He didn’t just play the part but he dressed the part as well and kept everyone in check. To me, this is the end of an era in popular music as the passing of Joey Jordison of Slipknot, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, and reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry has shown me that a lot of the music that has defined my life and my father’s life is coming to an end. Not on digital music services as I just signed up on Spotify (which I’m enjoying) but rather on a live setting as I’m hoping to see some of these older acts sooner than later like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Elton John, Deep Purple, Bob Dylan, Genesis, and someone from Pink Floyd while also hoping to see Radiohead once in my life before I pass.

In the world of professional wrestling, I never thought it would happen as I was content with CM Punk not returning to the world of professional wrestling after everything that happened to him in Meekmahan-land yet there were reports he was coming back. I was like “yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll wait till I see it” as it then became more real as I watched AEW Rampage (which is a decent show so far) as the moment Living Colour’s Cult of Personality hit. I heard the loudest fucking pop ever on TV as I was like “WHAT!?” Then, he arrived out of the tunnel and in front of more than 15,000 people at the United Center in his home city of Chicago as it was a moment that wrestling fans will never forget. For all of the talk from Meekmahan-land and their Tribal Chief Roman Reigns claiming Punk never moved the needle. Well, in comparison to John Cena, Cunt Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Crock… definitely but he only became successful in that slop-shop in spite of them. The fact that more than a million people on TV saw him return is proof he didn’t just move the needle. He is the fucking needle.



I’ve been already enjoying AEW since its inception and I’m happy that pro wrestling is starting to feel important again with Bryan Danielson also coming to AEW as I feel like another god is going to arrive. NWA has also been making waves with their return to St. Louis in reviving an old tradition in doing shows at the Chase Hotel where they did a double-show with the first being an all-women’s PPV event produced by Mickie James that has gotten rave reviews and is proof that women’s wrestling matters as it brought people from different wrestling companies together while NWA’s follow-up 73rd anniversary show is already being a success with Trevor Murdoch defeating Nick Aldis for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship after Aldis’ reign of nearly 1043 days with Ric Flair being the one to present Murdoch with this prestigious championship that has regained its importance in the past few years. The top prize in pro wrestling in my opinion is the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from New Japan with AEW’s World Heavyweight Championship in second and then the NWA.



The fact that you have NWA, AEW, Impact, AAA, New Japan, and other companies including the independents and the hardcore wrestling scene such as GCW is making pro wrestling fun again while also wanting to ensure that audiences get vaccinated and be safe instead of being that slop-shop at Stamford who want to make a lot of money by making their audiences watch shitty shows and false advertise while knowing one of their performers was struck with COVID and didn’t tell anyone she wasn’t showing up until the last minute. It makes me hopeful that all of these professional wrestling companies come together and put Meekmahan-land out of business.

In the month of August, I saw a total of 26 films in 11 first-timers and 15 re-watches with three of those first-timers directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. An improvement over the past few months as it feels like a return to normal of sorts despite having to take care of a 5-month old girl who likes the Bee Gees and a two-year old who left pre-school because the school is shit as they weren’t ready for his energy. One of the highlights of the month has been my Blind Spot assignment in The Hitch-Hiker. Here are my top 5 first-timers that I saw for August 2021:

1. You Were Never Really Here

2. The Green Knight

3. Il bidone

4. Death and the Maiden

5. Obsession

Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I’m Watching

Once Upon a Snowman

A short I watched on Disney+ with my niece and nephew is a film that takes place during the events of Frozen but told from the perspective of Olaf after Elsa had created him. It is about what happened upon his creation and what he was doing before he meets Anna, Kristoff, and Sven where it is a short filled with humor but also fascinating ideas on existentialism. It is a short that is a lot better than it should’ve been but also with a lot of heart and humor with latter referring to Olaf trying to find his nose.

Junior



With the buzz surrounding the recent Palme d’Or win for Julia Doucournau and her film Titane which is set to come out in the U.S. later this year. The timing couldn’t be any better for her 2011 short film to be shown to a wider audience on YouTube. Starring Doucournau regular Garance Marillier as a teenage tomboy dealing with puberty. The short film is truly something that really needs to be seen as it deals with growing pains as well as what happens to a young girl when she starts to embrace her femininity with elements of body horror. For anyone that wants to see Titane and haven’t seen Raw, see this film now.

Let Me Come In

An experimental short film from Bill Morrison that I saw on Turner Classic Movies is one of the strangest yet fascinating short films I had seen. It is essentially a presentation of decayed reels from a lost silent film from Germany in Pawns of Passion where Morrison presents with some new music and uses the decayed fragments of this film. Yet, it is something that needs to be sought out as well as being a nice introduction to the work of Bill Morrison who uses fragments of lost silent films that are decayed to showcase cinema that is lost but also its history.

Linda and the Mockingbirds

A documentary short film by James Keach that serves as a follow-up of sorts to Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice as it follows Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and Eugene Rodriguez on a trip from California to Mexico as it plays into Mexican-Americans traveling to Mexico to explore the roots of the music. It also reflects on an album in the late 80s that Ronstadt made that was based on Mexican roots music and mariachi music. While Ronstadt is unable to sing due to her Parkinson’s disease, she does remain this guiding light for these young musicians as a lot of them are children with Browne being an outsider who was a crucial part to the film in bringing his own perspective. Notably as he talks about the similarities between Mexican and American folk music as it is something for fans of Ronstadt need to see.

What If…? (Episodes 1-3)

While it is so far the weakest show from the MCU, it is still an incredible animated show that Marvel has produced as it play into alternate ideas of what if this happened instead of what would really happen that audiences know and love. The first episode that involves Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter is a lot of fun as it does feature some humor thanks to the voice work of Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, and Dominic Cooper reprising their roles. Yet, it’s the second and third episodes that are so far the strongest with the former being about T’Challa as Star-Lord as it features an incredible voice performance from Chadwick Boseman in one of his final performances as he is a way cooler version of Star-Lord. The third episode is about Nick Fury’s recruitment of the Avengers and a mysterious assassin who is trying to kill them off where Fury has to make an uneasy alliance with Loki. It is a fun show to watch as I’m eager to see what else they can do.

Top 10 Re-Watches

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

2. The Birdcage

3. Body Double

4. Spider-Man 2

5. Beverly Hills Cop II

6. The Fury

7. Footloose

8. Thor: The Dark World

9. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

10. Winnie the Pooh

Well, that’s it for August. Next month, I will hopefully do a review of Annette as I also have a ticket to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings along with other new releases. Along with films in my new never-ending DVR list, I hope to watch some films from whatever streaming services I have along with a film from the Blind Spot Series. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…

© thevoid99 2021