In the 16th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We go into the subject of numbers in titles but not part of any franchise. Movies that have a certain number in these title that says something but could also mean other things. Here are my three picks:
1. The Seven Samurai
Akira Kurosawa’s sprawling epic about seven samurai warriors hired to protect a village from a group of bandits remains one of the touchstones of 20th Century cinema. A film that would inspire countless remakes takes a simple premise of poor farmers trying to hire warriors to protect them play into these seven samurai warriors finding a reason to help people and fight against these bandits. When it comes to Akira Kurosawa, there is no film that is the best place to start with than this one as it showcases Kurosawa’s approach to action and drama but also in setting as Kurosawa knows where to put the camera as well as place importance in parts of those locations.
2. 12 Monkeys
Terry Gilliam’s dystopian remake of Chris Marker’s short film La Jetee is a strange sci-fi film that revolves around a man dreaming about an image of what he saw as a child. He is sent into a world and then tries to figure out what is going on as well as meet an assortment of odd characters including Brad Pitt as the son of a revered scientist who also leads an underground movement. It’s a film that is quite timely considering that Bruce Willis’ character is trying to find the source of a virus that wipes out the human race with only 1% of humanity actually surviving.
3. 8 Women
An adaptation of Robert Thomas’ play is this strange mystery that is Agatha Christie meets Douglas Sirk with French pop songs. Francois Ozon’s film is definitely a murder mystery where a family patriarch is murdered and the eight women in the house that includes the wife, his two daughters, his sister, his sister-in-law, his mother-in-law, and two maids all try to figure out what is going on while they all get the chance to sing a song.
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the manga series by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is the story of an assassin who wanders from town to town for whatever job he’s asked to do while he’s accompanying his infant son as he seeks vengeance for the death of his wife. Directed by Kenji Misumi and screenplay by Kazuo Koike, the film is a samurai film where a man tries to protect his child while getting revenge on those who tried to destroy his life and disgrace his name. Starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Fumio Watanabe, and Shigeru Tsuyuguchi. Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is a gripping and exhilarating film from Kenji Misumi.
Set during the Edo era of Japan, the film revolves around an assassin-for-hire who was once a revered executioner until his wife was murdered and was then accused of a crime by a clan leader and an investigator leading him to become a ronin. It’s a film that play into a man as he treks through parts of rural Japan as he is willing to work as an assassin as long as he gets paid while raising his young son. The film’s screenplay by Kazuo Koike is straightforward with some flashbacks about the life of Ogami Itto (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his infant son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) as he would have him on a cart during their trips as they trek through small towns and castles as they would be hired by a chamberlain to kill a clan leader and his gang of thieves and bandits in a remote village near a hot spring spa pool. There he deals with these bandits but doesn’t attack them in order to be their hostage until things eventually become complicated as he also thinks about the past
Kenji Misumi’s direction does have a lot of unique style in terms of the presentation as well as creating something that stray from the conventions of a revenge film. Shot in these rural locations in Japan in the woods and in nearby locations of old castles, Misumi presents this world of a man living during the Edo period of Japan as it play into a moment in time when everyone worked for some clan or has a role relating to top clans in Japan. The role that Itto has is an executioner as the first scene of the film has him preparing the execution of a child who is the lord of a clan as it’s a role that Itto takes seriously and with pride though it has made him an enemy among other clans. Especially for one who has his wife killed but also puts a tablet in his small temple that makes him a criminal leading to a showdown with the investigator and his army.
Misumi’s usage of wide and medium shots aren’t just about capturing the locations but also the scope of some of the battles and how Itto handles those who try to kill him with the aid of fight choreographer Eiichi Kusumoto in showing how samurai warriors take careful steps into attacking someone as Misumi would use tracking shots and wide angles to capture where Itto is at as well as what he does to slay an attacker. Misumi also creates some stylish imagery as it play into the path Itto and his son are on including a flashback as its usage of close-ups and medium shot shows the path that Daigoro has chosen as it would relate to a scene of Itto watching two boys playing with a ball. There is also this air of intrigue that occur in the third act as it relates to Itto’s growing reputation as this mysterious ronin with others not knowing his true identity. The violence of the film is stylized with blood squirting out and body parts dismembered as it play into the brutality of samurai sword-fighting as well as Itto’s resolve to do what is necessary to survive and live for his son. Overall, Misumi crafts a riveting and evocative film about a ronin samurai warrior trekking through Edo-period Japan as an assassin-for-hire with his infant son.
Cinematographer Chikashi Makiura does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in capturing some of gorgeous colors of the daytime exterior scenes as well as use low-key available light for scenes in the right and low-key lighting from Hiroshi Mima for some of the scenes set at night. Editor Toshio Taniguchi does excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in its usage of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish cuts that help play into the action and suspense. Production designer Akira Naito does amazing work with the look of the places that Itto goes to including his old home and the house near the hot spring water pool and the design of the cart itself.
The sound work of Tsuchitaro Hayashi, with sound effects by Toru Kurashima, is fantastic for its sound work that include some creative sound effects for some of the sword swings and how body parts sound when they get dismembered. The film’s music by Hideaki Sakurai is incredible for its mixture of traditional Japanese percussive, woodwind, and string instrument flourishes with some grimy electric guitars to help set a mood for the scene as well as maintain that eerie air of discomfort throughout the film.
The film’s superb ensemble cast features some notable small roles from Keiko Fujita as Itto’s wife Azami, Reiko Kasahara as a madwoman who believes Daigoro is her son, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi and Yunosuke Ito as members of the Yagyu clan that has brought trouble to Itto, Fumio Watanabe as the aging Yagyu clan leader Bizen-no-kami who wants to destroy Itto’s life, Tomoko Mayama as the prostitute Osen who is treated with kindness by Itto, and Akihiro Tomikawa as Itto’s young son Daigoro who observes everything his father does while joining him on this journey of uncertainty. Finally, there’s Tomisaburo Wakayama in a phenomenal performance as Ogami Itto as a once-revered executioner who goes into a path of uncertainty as an assassin for hire as he copes with the death of his wife and being disgraced by rival clans as it is a performance of restraint but also terror whenever he’s being confronted as it is a fierce and chilling performance from Wakayama.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is a sensational film from Kenji Misumi that features an incredible leading performance from Tomisaburo Wakayama. Along with its ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, eerie music score, and story of vengeance and ideals. It’s a samurai film that doesn’t play by convention in order to study a man’s path of loss and disgrace as he tries to find redemption and justice for what he’s lost. In the end, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance is a spectacular film from Kenji Misumi.
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx – Baby Cart to Hades – Baby Cart in Peril – Baby Cart in the Land of Demons – White Heaven in Hell
© thevoid99 2020
Based on the novel by Emily M. Danforth, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is about a teenager who is sent to a gay conversion therapy center after her religious aunt learns about an incident where she is caught having sex with another girl. Directed by Desiree Akhavan and screenplay by Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele, the film is an exploration of the world of gay conversion therapy centers as it is set in the early 1990s at a time when the LGBT movement was becoming more open. Starring Chloe Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha Lane, Forrest Goodluck, Marin Ireland, Owen Campbell, Kerry Butler, Quinn Shephard, Emily Skeggs, Melanie Ehrlich, and Jennifer Ehle. The Miseducation of Cameron Post is an evocative and riveting film from Desiree Akhavan.
Set in 1993, the film revolves around a teenage girl who is caught by her prom date for having sex with another girl in a car prompting her aunt to send to a gay conversion therapy center where she is trying to cope with her situations and others who are struggling with their own identity and sexuality. It’s a film that explore the world of gay conversion therapy as the titular character (Chloe Grace Moretz) is sent to the center as she tries to find out what she might be gay but also others at this center. The film’s screenplay by Desiree Akhavan and Cecilia Frugiuele is largely straightforward with bits of flashbacks but also moments that are dream-like as it play into Cameron Post’s own journey as she meets other teens who are living in this camp with some just trying to become straight with a couple of teens who don’t want to play by the rules but act out in secret.
Running the camp is Dr. Lydia Marsh (Jennifer Ehle) who is trying to get the kids in line with the help of her brother Reverend Rick (John Gallagher Jr.) who used to be gay until his sister saved him. The script does showcase some depth in both Reverend Rick and Dr. Marsh as well-meaning people who believe they’re doing God’s work yet they’re unable to understand everything as Post begins to ask questions though she doesn’t think they’re bad people. The script also play into this air of temptation but also a struggle with identity as two of the teens in the hippie-raised Jane Fonda (Sasha Lane) and the Lakota two-spirit Adam Red Eagle (Forrest Goodluck) are both aware of who they are as they start to become unhappy with their time at the center.
Akhavan’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of its compositions yet it does a lot in exploring this period in time when gays and lesbians start to have their voices heard and people starting to come out. Yet, it is set in a world where not everyone is embracing this growing sense of change as Akhavan would shoot the film in various parts of Upstate New York. The location adds to the tone of the film where it does play into something where these young people are living somewhere that is almost in the middle of nowhere and sort of cut off from civilization. Akhavan’s direction doesn’t have a lot of wide shots except to establish the locations as she aims for something more intimate in her approach to close-ups and medium shots. Notably the latter as she focuses on what happens during group meetings as well as intimate moments involving Post, Fonda, and Eagle as well as exercises with her roommate Erin (Emily Skeggs). Akhavan also uses long takes to play into the conversations and group meetings in order to maintain the building friendship for Post and others at the center including a scene late in the film with Reverend Rick as it is clear that with all of these questions that Post has.
It is obvious that even someone like Reverend Rick doesn’t have all the answers but is at least trying to help these kids no matter how wrong he and his sister are. It all play into Post not just struggling with the world she’s in that is oppressive not just to herself but also to other teens as well as the people running it as they’re also struggling to connect with what is happening in modern civilization away. Akhavan also showcases Post’s own personal struggles as she’s trying to contact the girl she got caught with but also questions about whether she can come home as it raises her questions about her place in the world at a time when gays and lesbians are coming out yet acceptance is becoming hard to gain. Overall, Akhavan crafts a somber yet mesmerizing film about a teenage girl coping with her sexuality at a gay conversion therapy center.
Cinematographer Ashley Connor does excellent work with the film’s low-key cinematography as it emphasizes on naturalistic yet dark colors in some of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as low-key lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Sara Shaw does terrific work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some jump-cuts to play into a few bits of Post jogging on a track field as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Markus Kirschner, with set decorators John Arnos and Erin Blake plus art director Tori Lancaster, does amazing work with the look of the center and its buildings as well as the rooms that include decorations that teens put in the wall to motivate them getting straight.
Costume designer Stacey Berman does fantastic work with the costumes as it features some uniforms that the teens wear as well as a few casual pieces they would wear in the weekends or time to get out of the camp for a bit. Sound editor Ryan Billa does superb work with the sound as it is largely straightforward to play into the natural atmosphere of the locations as well as how music is heard on a radio or at a live Christian rock show. The film’s music by Julian Wass is wonderful for its mixture of low-key ambient music with elements of folk to play into the air of uncertainty that occur throughout the film while music supervisors Maggie Phillips and Christine Greene Roe create a soundtrack that does play into the period of the early 90s from the alternative music of the Feelies and 4 Non Blondes as well as music from Clarice Jensen, Melanie Ehrlich, Fredda Manzo, Irma Thomas, Wild Yawp with Justin Denis and Jack Reilly, and Timothy Blixseth.
The casting by Jessica Daniels is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Dale Soules as Post’s grandmother, Christopher Dylan White as a teen named Dane who has a lot of attitude and puts people down over their problems, Melanie Ehrlich as a teen in Helen who is really into Christian rock, Quinn Shephard as the girl Post got caught with before she is sent to the center in Coley, Kerry Butler as Post’s aunt/guardian, Marin Ireland as a math teacher/Reverend Rick’s girlfriend Bethany whom Post dreams about making out with, and Owen Campbell as a troubled teen in Mark who is Adam’s roommate as he offers to help Post out while dealing with the idea that he might not be masculine enough for his father. Emily Skeggs is terrific as Erin as teenage girl who loves the Minnesota Vikings as she believes she’s a lesbian due to spending a lot of time with her dad as she finds herself becoming attracted towards Post. Jennifer Ehle is fantastic as Dr. Lydia Marsh as the center’s head as someone who is trying to help these teens though she is at times strict yet is willing to give people a chance to explain themselves while thinking she might have the answer to help them.
John Gallagher Jr. is excellent as Reverend Rick as Dr. Marsh’s brother who used to be gay as he is someone trying to help these kids as well as be a guide to them but eventually finds himself having a hard time when he is unable to give them easy or hard answers. Forrest Goodluck is brilliant as Adam Red Eagle as a two-spirit Lakota teen whose father has converted to Christianity as he has trouble trying to understand what the people at the center are doing while often likes to wear his hair down in a small act of rebellion. Sasha Lane is amazing as Jane Fonda as a hippie-raised teenage girl who sports a prosthetic leg as she is also rebellious but in secrecy as she also grows marijuana outside of the plant as a way to cope with her surroundings. Finally, there’s Chloe Grace Moretz in a phenomenal performance as the titular character as this young woman who is sent to this gay-conversion therapy center as she struggles with the idea of why she’s gay while trying to cope with the therapy itself though she doesn’t think the people running the place aren’t bad but misguided as she also deals with herself and other things at the center as it is one of Moretz’s finest performances to date.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post is an incredible film from Desiree Akhavan featuring a mesmerizing leading performance from Chloe Grace Moretz. Along with its brilliant ensemble cast and exploration of sexual identity during a time when not everyone is embracing the idea of coming out. It is also a film that explore a woman dealing with her situation as well as being in a world that is strict and religious yet with people who have good intentions but don’t have all the answers. In the end, The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a sensational film from Desiree Akhavan.
© thevoid99 2020
In the 15th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We discuss the subject of films about animals suggested by Birgit. Films where the animals drive the stories and such as some are fun while others are scary. Here are my three picks all based on the one animal that I hate more than anything and is really scared of. The spider:
1. Charlotte’s Web
The 1973 animated film revolves around a pig who is sent to live at a farm owned by a girl’s uncle as the pig is afraid to be slaughtered only to then befriend a spider named Charlotte who is voiced by the legendary Debbie Reynolds. Charlotte would find ways to keep the pig Wilbur happy as well as be kept away from becoming food as they’re aided by the rat Templeton who is voiced by the always-underrated Paul Lynde. It’s a charming animated film that shows the good side of what spiders can do.
2. Arachnophobia
A film that I never want to see ever again and all of the reasons why I’m so fucking scared of spiders. It’s about a rare spider from Venezuela that travels to California where he meets a domestic house spider and mates with it where a shitload of scary little poisonous spiders emerge with mysterious deaths. It has some funny moments in the film largely due to John Goodman’s role as an exterminator that no creature should fuck with. Still, the idea of a venomous spider killing people and breeding house spiders that kill people is just too fucking scary for me.
3. Eight Legged Freaks
A horror comedy where an exotic spider farmer feeds crickets to his spiders unaware that the crickets were found at a toxic waste as the spiders become big and wreak havoc in a small town in Arizona. It’s an OK b-movie of sorts as it never takes it seriously. Featuring an ensemble cast that include David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson, Doug E. Doug, Rick Overton, Leon Rippy, and Tom Noonan in an un-credited role as the spider farmer. It’s just cheesy as fuck but it is still an entertaining film.
© thevoid99 2020
One of the unsung pioneers of cinema, Alice Guy-Blache made more than hundreds of films from 1896 to 1922 as several of them are lost with others being rediscovered thanks in some part to Pamela B. Green’s documentary film Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache. With that film, Guy-Blache’s contributions to cinema is now discussed as she left behind a massive catalog of films. Here are seven of the films that she made in her lifetime.
The Birth, the Life, and the Death of Christ
An ambitious yet multi-part 33-minute short film about the life of Jesus Christ is definitely Guy-Blache’s most ambitious work. Thanks in part to the attention to detail in the set design courtesy of art directors Henri Menessier and Robert-Jules Garnier as well as costume designer/assistant director Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset. Guy-Blache’s direction is largely straightforward in the composition as she doesn’t move the camera as she just puts the camera in a medium-wide shot to capture what is going on in the events of Christ’s life with the aid of cinematographer Anatole Thiberville. It goes from his birth and his time when he was this savior to then being crucified only to then be resurrected. It is a tremendous short that features a lush and bombastic orchestral score by Patrick Laviosa from its 2008 restored edition.
Algie the Miner
Starring Billy Quirk and Mary Foy, the 10-minute short film is a western-comedy about a man who is hoping to get the approval of his girlfriend’s father in order to marry her by going to the West. It’s a film that explores the idea of masculinity as a man goes to the West in hoping to become a man due to his quirks and such yet it is funny in some of the antics that occur. The film’s music by Marcus Sjowall, from its 2007 restoration, is playful in its approach to humor as well as its study of masculinity by Guy-Blache.
Falling Leaves
A young woman is ill with consumption as a doctor and believes she will not make it. However, the young woman’s adolescent younger sister believes it has to do with leaves as she finds a way in the hope that it would keep her sister alive and well. It’s a touching short film that explore what a young girl would do and inspire a doctor to help find a cure for consumption as it features a somber piano score by Tamar Muskal in its 2009/2010 restored edition.
Canned Harmony
Featuring music by Robert Israel from its 2009/2010 restored edition, the film is a whimsical comedy about a music teacher who refuses to have his daughter be with a young man whom he feels is unsuitable for her. In response, the young man pretends to be a revered musician to impress him. It’s a film that would feature the early usage of the Gaumont Chronophone as it has actors miming to music that is being played on set and then be re-used in post-production as an early idea of sound in silent film that showcases Guy-Blache’s approach to using music in film.
Matrimony’s Speed Limit
Starring Fraunie Fraunholz and Marian Swayne in their respective roles as a poor businessman and his rich girlfriend is a film that really diverts the idea of gender roles. The poor man breaks up with his girlfriend believing he isn’t worthy of her yet she would scheme to get him to marry her by creating a telegram claiming that an aunt of his had just died and is leaving him a fortune but he would only acquire it if he can find someone to marry by noon. It’s a funny short yet it is Guy-Blache’s approach to playing up gender roles and some of the visual gags despite a moment where the guy approaches a woman only to see what she is where it is an insensitive moment that doesn’t date well. It’s got a playful music score as it is one of Guy-Blache’s finest shorts.
A House Divided
Another short starring Fraunie Fraunholz and Marian Swayne respectively as Gerald and Diana Hutton, the 13-minute short revolves around a bickering couple who want to divorce but has to agree to live with each other for a certain amount of time while they run a perfume business. It’s a delightful comedy that showcases Guy-Blache’s usage of humor that is more about people reacting to another as well as try to live with each other as it is filled with gags that would become prevalent in comedies to come. The film features music by Christina Hunsack from its 2018 restored edition as its mixture of piano and strings help play into the humor.
The Ocean Waif
A young woman runs away from her cruel stepfather as she hides in an abandoned estate which was then purchased for rent by a young writer working on a novel as they meet and fall in love despite the fact that he’s engaged to someone else. It’s a short that showcases Guy-Blache’s approach to suspense and drama as well as humor while also featuring some incredible performances from Doris Kenyon in the titular role as well as Carlyle Blackwell as the writer. It also feature some inspired colored tints to display the feel of day and night as well as a playful and dramatic piano score piece by co-sound designer Maud Nielssen, in its 2018 restored edition, as it is one of Guy-Blache’s finest works though its presentation does feature still pictures considering that some of the footage is lost.
These seven short films by Alice Guy-Blache are some of the finest silent shorts created but also an example of Guy-Blache’s brilliance as a filmmaker. Especially in creating ideas and gags that would prove to be ahead of its time as they are shorts that anyone interested in film history must see. Especially from a woman who proved to be a real pioneer in the world of cinema as Alice Guy-Blache is a filmmaker that needs to be included in the conversation as one of its foremost figures in showing what cinema could be.
Related: Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache
© thevoid99 2020
In the 14th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We return to the subject of the Seven Deadly Sins in the theme of greed. A theme that play into the dark aspects of humanity as it’s more about wanting more and making sure no one else has anything. Considering the times we’re in and that here in America, we have a personification of greed who not only runs the country but is also putting its people down the fucking toilet. Here are my three picks:
1. Shallow Grave
Danny Boyle’s feature film debut isn’t just a fascinating subject on the theme of greed but also in its exploration of human nature. It’s about three flat mates from Edinburgh who take in a mysterious man only to later find him dead but with a suitcase full of money. It is where the film really takes hold as these three people figure out what to do as some are willing to spend while there is someone who becomes unhinged about where the money comes from and all hell starts to break loose. It is an incredible debut film from Danny Boyle which also features longtime Boyle regular Ewan McGregor in his one of his first film roles.
2. There Will Be Blood
Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s Oil! is a film that is dark representation of greed in how a man whose discovery of oil and the oil boom that would emerge in Southern California in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. Featuring Daniel Day-Lewis in a terrifying yet monstrous performance as a man who goes into the oil business is a study of obsession and power. It shows what a man is willing to do to succeed but also has to endure moments that would shake him but also the sacrifices he would make into his success but at the cost of his own morality and lack of compassion.
3. Knives Out
Rian Johnson’s mystery-comedy is definitely one of the finest films of the 2010s so far as it explores a family whose patriarch had died suddenly as they wonder who will gain his inheritance while an investigator wonders what happened. In the middle of all of this is a young nurse who was caring for this patriarch who created an empire of novels yet had plans about his inheritance as it leads to family members wanting that inheritance. It’s a film that is full of twists and turns that also include some dark secrets as well as revelations about members of the family and why they might’ve been cut off from the inheritance. Daniel Craig’s performance as the investigator Benoit Blanc is a joy to watch as is Chris Evan’s performance as the family’s black sheep in Ransom. Yet, it is Ana de Armas that is the real break out as the nurse Marta who cares for the patriarch played with such reverence by Christopher Plummer.
© thevoid99 2020
Well, this year absolutely, totally fucking sucks. I never thought I would see the day that a pandemic would emerge around the world and now that reality has happened and it really fucking sucks. I thought a lot about what my dad would’ve thought of this as the idea of him staying at home not doing anything. Not watching sports and not being able to go anywhere would really fuck him up as I’m glad he’s not around to live through this. Now I may not consider myself to be an out-going person as I don’t go out much except to the movie theaters, get groceries, buy a few things every now and then, and drive my mother to whatever she needs. Yet, having to be stuck at home with my mother even though we haven’t been infected with the coronavirus isn’t really that fun. The only time we go out is for groceries and stock up on supplies but that is really it. Other than that, we can’t really do anything and the worst part about is that I can’t see my nephew in person though my mother is fortunate to speak to my sister, her husband, and her grandson through her iPhone.
Being in quarantine with my mother hasn’t made things easy for the both of us as we’re bored and not really doing much other than do some cleaning around the house though Netflix has been a good distraction of sorts as we binge-watched the show Gentefied while my mom has been watching a lot of stuff on YouTube which she loves. For me, watching films hasn’t gotten any easier due to the fact that there’s a lot happening as the only other thing me and my mother watch is CNN and the local news on what is going on. So far here in Georgia, there’s been nearly 4000 cases with nearly 230 cases here in Cobb County. Things haven’t been good here in Georgia but around the country is really fucking bad and it’s hard to think about those who are dying as this country has more cases than anyone at over 180,000 cases with the state of New York at nearly 75,000 cases. I do think things aren’t going to get better and I’m not really surprised considering that we have our idiotic human septic-tank of a dictator who cares more about getting the economy going than saving lives as he insults governors, journalists, and others while not really giving a shit about what is going on.
It’s not just here that I’m looking on as I think about what is happening in Italy, Spain, and the rest of the world as this pandemic has really been a fucking kick in the balls. My mother talks to one of her friends who is stuck in Panama while her husband is stuck in Venezuela as they’re both in stay-at-home-orders while they have family in Spain and Italy who are also in quarantine. My mom would sometimes talk to friends/relatives late at night as we can’t really sleep considering what is going on as waking up in the early or mid-afternoon is starting to be regular. Things are getting bad as there’s no point in having anything happen. Sporting events, social gatherings, and all of that is not what should be done as we all need to distance ourselves and to try and get things better. I don’t see the point of just trying to get things back to normal at the moment as our moronic dictator wants to re-open everything by Easter as that is the day my nephew’s first birthday is going to happen but it’s very unlikely that things will get better as me and my mom won’t be there to celebrate as it really fucking sucks.
I’m doing whatever I can to just live and focus on writing as I’ve started on the fifth part of my MCU is Cinema series but I’ve now started to question about going forward with other projects as I’ve decided to push the Auteurs series on Kelly Reichardt until after I finished the MCU project. Then there’s the Cannes marathon as I cancelled it last year because of my dad and now I’m not sure if I want to do one this year as the festival has been postponed from somewhere around June or July but I don’t know if I want to do the marathon around that time. It wouldn’t feel right to do it at that that time and with the way things are. I don’t think doing a marathon would be the right thing. I’d rather just focus on being safe and stay home while working on my other projects.
In the month of March, I saw a total of 26 films in 10 first-timers and 16 re-watches with three of those first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Considering the circumstances, it’s not bad as the highlight of the month has been my Blind Spot Series choice in A Place in the Sun. Here are the top 5 first-timers that I saw for March 2020:
1. At Eternity's Gate
2. Shallow Grave
3. Closely Watched Trains
4. Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache
5. Blinded by the Light
Monthly Mini-Reviews
Johnny English Strikes Again
If there’s one film franchise that I’m willing to defend despite the poor reviews and bad Rotten Tomatoes scores, it’s the Johnny English franchise. Why? It’s because it never takes itself seriously and it plays into the strengths of Rowan Atkinson and this film is no exception. In fact, it was really damn funny as it plays into English trying to understand the modern world of technology as a tech guru tries to get the world to go with his security system. With Emma Thompson as the British prime minister and Olga Kurylenko as a Russian spy trying to thwart English only to later team up with him, the film is just a whole lot of fun with Atkinson always finding a way to bring in the laughs as he is one of the finest comedy actors ever.
Women of Troy
From HBO Sports is a documentary about the USC Trojans women’s basketball team where they were the not just the crown jewel of college women’s basketball but also the pioneers who would help pave the way for future women players to become pro and become the prototype players of the WNBA. In the spotlight is Cheryl Miller as many said women’s basketball can be sum up into two periods, before and after Cheryl Miller as women’s basketball wasn’t taken seriously until the early 1980s when the first NCAA women’s tournament emerged with Louisiana Tech starting to show what can be done until the Trojans would arrive lead by Miller. After Miller came the Tennessee Lady Volunteers under the tutelage of the legendary Pat Summit as Miller never went pro though some of her teammates did and eventually play in the WNBA as it is something sports fans should see.
Blinded by the Light
From Gurinder Chadha comes a film that is way better than it should’ve been in this adaptation of Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir about the life of a young British-Pakistani man during the late 1980s amidst the era of Margaret Thatcher, unemployment, and the National Front as he would discover the music of Bruce Springsteen. I consider myself a casual admirer of Springsteen as I like some of his music but this film made love the music a lot more than ever. Notably as it play into the plight of this young student who feels lost in the small British town of Luton and how he was able to connect with Springsteen’s music in ways that he never expected. Viviek Kaira’s performance is full of heart as this young kid that wants to be a writer yet has to contend with his father’s traditional values and such as it also feature great supporting performances from Kulvinder Ghir as the father and Hayley Atwell as Kaira’s writing teacher who saw promise in his work. It’s a film that is inspirational and touching as the music really says a lot of what this young man is going through and what he would become as it is a real gem.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web
Having enjoyed both the original and David Fincher’s version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I was skeptical about this film since it’s not based on the original trilogy by its original writer. Still, I wanted to see it as it’s an alright film but too conventional for my taste. It does play into Lisbeth Salander becoming a vigilante until dark secrets from her past emerges in the form of her sister. Claire Foy is solid as Salander with Sylvia Hoeks being the major standout as Salander’s long-lost sister Camilla who is just chilling. There are some nice thrills though the casting of Sverrir Gudnason as Mikael Blomkvist is uninspiring.
Top 10 Re-Watches
1. Avengers: Endgame
2. Black Panther
3. Avengers: Infinity War
4. Thor: Ragnarok
5. Little Miss Sunshine
6. Arthur
7. Aquaman
8. Happy Death Day
9. Enemy at the Gates
10. Miami Vice
Well, that is it for March as other than my MCU project that I hope to continue and finish. I have no idea what I’m going to do other than watch films from my never-ending DVR list as it will include the Lone Wolf & Cub film series. I’m just going to stay home with my mother and be safe only to go out for groceries and supplies and that is it. This is a strange time as it’s not just me and my family that I’m concerned about but also many others as I hope everyone stays safe and be well. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
© thevoid99 2020
Directed and edited by Pamela B. Green and written by Green and Joan Simon with narration by Jodie Foster, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a film about the life and career of one of cinema’s early pioneers who was also considered to be one of the first real auteurs who also owned and ran her own studio. The film showcases the woman’s career as well as the films she created as well as why she was often overlooked during her career and the re-discovery of her work. The result is an engrossing and wondrous film from Pamela B. Green.
In 1895, a secretary for engineer/industrialist Leon Gaumont attended a private screening of a film entitled Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory by Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The secretary that is Alice Guy saw a new medium as from 1896 to 1920, she made hundreds of films that would not just pioneer cinema as an art form but also would create techniques and ideas that would be the basis of cinema itself. Like the Lumiere Brothers, Georges Melies, and Edwin Porter, they would create short films that would showcase cinema’s tool in the world of storytelling yet it would be Guy that would take the format much further prompting others including Melies to step up their game. In 1907, Guy married Englishman Herbert Blache as he would be Gaumont’s production manager in the U.S. until 1910 when she and Blache formed the Solax Company to make their own films as she would use the slogan “be natural” to those who worked at the studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
One of Guy-Blache’s innovations in filmmaking was the creation of the Gaumont Chronophone system that allowed her actors to lip-sync to pre-recorded music and use the music to sync up to the film footage as it was the early ideas of sound heard in film. Guy was also ambitious as she made a 25-part series of shorts relating to Jesus Christ as it was quite bold for its time. Another form of innovation that she did during her time in New Jersey was make a film with an entirely black cast in A Fool and His Money as it was made because white actors didn’t want to work with black actors prompting Guy-Blache to just hire an all-black cast regardless of prejudice. She also made films that had gender roles reversed as well as tackle subject matters that not many were willing to go into.
Then came World War I as business started to hurt Guy-Blache’s studio but also this emergence of businessmen wanting to take over the world of cinema including Thomas Edison prompting many studios to move to California rather than work with Edison who wanted to have a lot of control on the world of film through his own equipment and such. Herbert Blache would also move to California due to his affairs with other women leading to the two to divorce in 1922 as she returned to France with their children never making films again. Especially as she wouldn’t receive the proper credit for her work with Gaumont becoming more of a businessman in running his own studio as things would get tougher during the Great Depression and World War II though Gaumont would try to rectify his faults in giving her proper credit despite people around him telling him not to.
The documentary also has Pamela B. Green who also serves as the film’s editor not just trying to find out more about Guy-Blache and her films but also asking many other filmmakers, historians, actors, and such including Julie Taymor, Peter Bogdanovich, Evan Rachel Wood, Ava Duvernay, Peter Farrelly, Andy Samberg, Julie Delpy, Lake Bell, Gillian Armstrong, cinematographer John Bailey, and many others about Guy-Blache as many of them admit to never having heard of her. There is also the story of Green not just trying to find information about her films and her life but also meeting those who knew someone who knew Guy-Blache including descendants of Guy-Blache such as her great-great granddaughter as well as descendants of Leon Gaumont as there’s a scene where the descendants of Guy-Blache and Gaumont would go to various locations where Guy-Blache made some of her films. Much of Green’s direction and editing is straightforward with a few montages of film archivists finding some of Guy-Blache’s work while also going into the difficulty of restoring her work.
The film also features archival interviews from Guy-Blache from the late 1950s and early 1960s with narration by Jodie Foster who reads some of Guy-Blache’s comments and letters with a rare audio interview between Guy-Blache and a film historian in Brussels who wonders why she isn’t credited for her work. Notably as historians dating back to the 1940s would often omit her as some claim there was a lot of resentment towards her because she was a woman as some even question the validity of her claims in the mid-1970s after she had died in 1968. It would be Guy-Blache’s daughter Simone and other historians that would keep Guy-Blache’s name alive while Green would also talk to relatives who found old letters, photos, and notebooks that lead to many clues that show proof of Guy-Blache’s claims. Upon discovering the shorts of Guy-Blache, cinematographer John Bailey and others at the Academy Arts and Science would try to recreate one of her shorts with comedy actors Chris Kattan and Horatio Sanz with the same camera that Guy-Blache used.
Sound editors Casey Langfelder and Daniel Saxlid, along with sound designers Marcello Dubaz and Kent Sparling, do superb work in providing many of the audio archives from Guy-Blache’s interview with the Belgian film historian that his grandson had kept all of these years while also capturing all of the people who are interviewed for the film as they all talk about discovering Guy-Blache and her importance in film history. The film’s music by Peter G. Adams is terrific for its mixture of low-key electronic music and ambient pieces as it play into the search for Guy-Blache’s films and everything about her. Even as Green showcases old photos of the studio she created in New Jersey as well as visual recreation of the studio itself and where filming took place in the studio.
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a phenomenal film from Pamela B. Green. It’s a film that anyone interested in film history or film itself must see as it not only does some correcting into some of the real stories about cinema’s birth but also in showcasing one of its pioneers and her innovative work. Especially as it showcases the woman’s work and her brief yet illustrious career that proved how influential she was. In the end, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blache is a sensational film from Pamela B. Green.
Related: The Short Films of Alice Guy-Blache Vol. 1
© thevoid99 2020
