Movies I Watched in September

This month a wonderful thing happened. My tv provider - Spectrum - was finally added to WatchTCM!!!! Which means I no longer have to dvr every movie I want to watch on TCM and can discover movies that I would have originally passed over!

Another awesome discover was scans of Old Hollywood Photoplay magazines! I've made a separate page for them at the top of my blog where I linking them in chronological order. Check it out!

1. The Beast of the City (1932) - Walter Huston, Jean Harlow
2. Brief Moment (1933) - Carole Lombard
3. The Gay Bride (1934) - Carole Lombard & Chester Morris
4. Love, Honor and Behave (1938) - Wayne Morris & Priscilla Lane
5. Topper Returns (1941) - Roland Young, Carole Landis, Joan Blondell, Billie Burke, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
6. Out of the Fog (1941) - John Garfield & Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell
7. The Mysterious Doctor (1943) - John Loder, Eleanor Parker
8. Dead Men Walk (1943) - George Zucco
9. The Unsuspected (1947) - Claude Rains, Audrey Totter, Constance Bennett
10. The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947) - Harold Lloyd 
11. State of the Union (1948) - Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn, Angela Lansbury, Van Johnson, Adolph Menjeu 
12. At Sword's Point (1951) - Maureen O'Hara
13. Escape from Fort Bravo (1953) - William Holden & Eleanor Parker
14. Code Two (1953) - Ralph Meeker, Keenan Wynn
15. It Should Happen to You (1953) - Judy Holliday & Jack Lemmon, Peter Lawford
16. Phffft! (1954) - Judy Holliday & Jack Lemmon, Jack Carson, Kim Novak
17. Miracle in the Rain (1956) - Jane Wyman & Van Johnson
18. A Hole in the Head (1959) - Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Thelma Ritter, Eleanor Parker, Carolyn Jones
19. The Scapegoat (1959) - Alec Guinness 
20. Murder She Said (1961) - Margaret Rutherford (based on 4:50 From Paddington, which I've read)
21. Cairo (1963) - George Sanders
22. Spencer's Mountain (1963) - Henry Fonda & Maureen O'Hara, James MacArthur
23. *Ride the Wild Surf (1964) - Fabian, Tab Hunter, Shelley Fabares
24. The Nanny (1965) - Bette Davis
25. Walk Don't Run (1966) - Cary Grant, Jim Hutton, Samantha Eggar
26. Titanic (1997) - Kate Winslet & Leonardo DiCaprio (first time watching!)
27. The Cobbler (2014) - Adam Sandler, Dustin Hoffman
28. Beauty and the Beast (2017) - Emma Watson & Dan Stevens (better than I expected)

Least Favorite Film: I did not like The Nanny at all. When a movie starts with kids chanting or singing, I probably won't like it. Those kind of movies creep me out. I also *gasp* did not like Out of the Fog. If you've followed me for a while you might know I'm kind of obsessed with John Garfield - I hosted a blogathon in his honor this year - but I sincerely hated him in this film. That just goes to show you what a fantastic actor he is, to make ME hate HIM!

Favorite Film: Hands down It Should Happen to You (1953) followed closely by Phffft! (1954). Walk Don't Run ended up better than I thought. It doesn't compare to the original of course but I still enjoyed it and wouldn't mind owning it on DVD (and btw, Cary Grant is more physically appealing at 62 then Jim Hutton is at 32). I also enjoyed The Unsuspected, Topper Returns, and Miracle in the Rain (which made me cry).

Lombard in The Gay Bride (1934). I took way too many screenshots from this movie.

Bride of Chucky (1998)

Genres

Comedy, Horror

Director

Ronny Yu

Country

USA

Cast

Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile, Alexis Arquette, Gordon Michael Woolvett, John Ritter, Lawrence Dane, Michael Louis Johnson, James Gallanders, Janet Kidder, Vince Corazza, Kathy Najimy

Storyline

After his old-time sweetheart Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) revives him, Chucky (Brad Dourif) kills her and brings her back in the body of a doll and together they embark on a killing spree.

Opinion

Because of the two disastrous sequels to Child's Play, I watched Bride of Chucky expecting the worst, but it was kind of fun.

The story is pretty dumb like it has always been in the franchise but for the first time Chucky is not obsessed with Andy which makes for a very pleasant news. There was also something else that was more than welcome, the plot development. It isn't great or anything like that, but it's pretty unpredictable (because of all the silly things going on) and you don't really know where it's going. Also, the pace is nice.

That's not the only good thing Don Mancini (the screenwriter) did. He also wrote some paper-thin characters that are somehow interesting because they are basically two couples of lovers who are the opposite from one and other, there are Tiffany and Chuck, and Jade and Jesse. And the contrast between them is nice. By the way, the chemistry between Jennifer Tilly who plays Tiffany and Brad Dourif who plays Chuck is pretty awesome.

And I still haven't mentioned the best part of Bride of Chucky. What I loved the most is that the film never, not even for a second, takes itself seriously. Instead of focusing on making a scary horror, Ronny Yu focused on making something fun and he succeeded. Most of the lines and situations are funny because they are supposed to be funny and they are delivered in a way that they can't be anything but funny.

Sure, it isn't a masterpiece, but it's easily my favourite of the franchise. (By the way, what is wrong with me? Why am I starting to enjoy these films?)

Our Souls at Night Netflix Movie Review

Our Souls at Night (2017)

Watch Our Souls at Night on Netflix // Read the novel 
Written by: Kent Haruf, Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Directed by: Ritesh Batra
Starring: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, Judy Greer, Matthias Schoenaerts
Rated: TV-MA

Plot
A neighboring widower and widow having lived next door to each other for years, begin a relationship.

Verdict
This has a very narrow focus, exploring the dating dynamics of a septuagenarian couple. This is a relationship built on compassion and loneliness, not desire. It's a well executed movie, but it's not a premise will clamor to see. The characters are explored well as they encounter their children's reactions and the small town pitfalls, but fans of Redford and Fonda aren't the same segment that predominantly uses Netflix.
It depends.

Review
Redford and Fonda previously collaborated on The Chase (1966), Barefoot in the Park (1967), and The Electric Horseman (1979). They both bring a lot to the screen as it's difficult to divorce who we perceive them to be in their movies with who they are in this movie. We know they've reached the twilight of their careers. He was 80 and she 78 while filming this.

It's is a small story that jumps right into it. Addie (Jane Fonda) asks Lewis (Robert Redford) to stay the night in her bed. It isn't a sexual thing, she's just lonely. Both their spouses have passed some time ago. The compact premise isn't a bad thing as this examines loss, loneliness, and dealing with past demons. They start spending time together out of loneliness. It's refreshing that a love story isn't centered around passion and arousal. The relationship progresses as they get to know each other, recounting their lives and what they've done, not what they want to do with their lives.

So many moments it captures really well, like Lewis's friends and the dynamic with the children. Lewis's breakfast with other guys his age is something I've seen in real life frequently. They joke about his relationship and he leaves, desiring not to discuss it. He's afraid people will talk. Addie's son doesn't approve of it, and we discover Lewis has a past that despite the decades, hasn't been put to rest. Even septuagenarians can be gossipy.

There's a plot line with Addie's grandson that unpacks more of Lewis's back story. Who he is has been built on his past mistakes. This isn't a happily ever after ending, but it's a satisfying conclusion all the same.

Gerald's Game Netflix Movie Review

Gerald's Game (2017)

Watch Gerald's Game on Netflix // Read the novel Gerald's Game
Written by: Stephen King (based on the novel by), Jeff Howard, Mike Flanagan
Directed by: Mike Flanagan
Starring: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas
Rated: TV-MA

Plot
On a getaway weekend at a remote cabin, a woman's husband dies while she is handcuffed to the bed with little hope of escape. She must battle memories, hallucinations, and physical barriers to survive.

Verdict
If you're squeamish, watch out for that scene towards the end. While this primarily takes place in just the bedroom, that doesn't constrain the movie. It's dire and intense. This isn't just an escape movie, we delve into emotional baggage and how the past shapes you, not always for the better. You could easily call the movie a metaphor.
Watch it.

Review
This is based on Stephen King's novel from 1992. From the premise I wondered if this would follow a similar plot of the Ryan Reynolds movie Buried (2010). That was surprisingly good despite taking place in primarily just a coffin. Gerald's Game is not attempting the same gimmick.

Opening with an overhead shot of the couple packing, it sets up a dynamic that's only reinforced when they encounter a stray dog en route to their cabin. Jessie is compassionate while Gerald is controlling. We see that in full force when he pulls out the handcuffs. As he notes, they are the real deal.
I've seen the handcuff thing in movie before, but this isn't playing it for laughs. There is some weird psychology behind Gerald's motivations. There may be weird psychology on both sides. You get the feeling that this is his idea, but she quickly calls him out on his weird game. He's less than pleased.

This is where we dive head first into the main plot. Jessie becomes trapped. She's handcuffed to the bed alone, save for her dead husband. There's also a dog. The movie had established the dog and I was thinking that's a pretty hungry dog, but according to Google, dogs have eaten parts of their dead masters.

As Jessie panics, we get a great dynamic of an encouraging and confidant version of herself while she also imagines how condescending Gerald would be. Gugino does a great job of fully inhabiting two completely different head spaces.
I wondered how this movie would fill ninety minutes, and we delve into Jessie's past. There's a reason she married a controlling man like Gerald. We burrow into Jessie's head, and it isn't a pleasant place. She even envisions a demon type thing which seemed out of place, even for this movie. I get you see weird things when you're dying, but I was surprised to see that plot point comes full circle.

The pinnacle of this movie is her last ditch effort to escape. I won't tell you whether she does or not, but the attempt is graphic. This gambit might save her, but it could also kill her in the process. It's just an ugly scene. It's a level of graphic that rivals most anything I've seen.

You think this is just an escape story, but Jessie comes face to face with traumas of the present and past, unpacking a lot of emotional baggage. You could call it a metaphor, an escape from her trauma. Being a Stephen King adaptation, I assumed we'd get a twist and we certainly do.

Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Genres

Action, Animation, Comedy

Directors

Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Nev Scharrel, Pierre Coffin, Steve Googan, Andy Nyman, Adrian Ciscato, Julie Andrews, Jenny Slate, John Cygan

Storyline

After being fired from the Anti-Villain Leauge, Gru (Steve Carrell) has a major identity crisis. But things turn around when he discovers he has a long-lost twin brother named Dru (Steve Carrell) who desperately wants to follow his twin's despicable footsteps.

Opinion

I have a soft spot for Minions. But who hasn't? I mean, they are cute and adorable, and their made-up language is funny (sometimes). That's why I put myself through Despicable Me 3, and as someone who would love to see Minions everywhere, I think they should really stop making these films because they don't have anything new to offer.

I really liked the idea of Gru finding out he has a long-lost twin brother and I was quite interested to see what the filmmakers would do with that. Unfortunately, they did nothing with it. The relationship between the two brothers doesn't have a lot of development and it doesn't have anything to the plot. Just like some of the subplots - Ramsbottom being replaced by a Donatella Versace look-alike, and Dr Nefario accidentally freezing himself in carbonite. The homage to Star Wars was nice though. Some of the subplots were nice though, like Lucy trying to be a good mom or Agnes trying to find a unicorn. But there are just too many of them and it's very confusing. I didn't even mention all of them. Just saying.

The characters were kind of meh. The villain, a former 80s child actor turned into a supervillain who looks just like Freddy Mercury, is decent. His motivation is silly, but at least he's got a reason for wanting to destroy Hollywood (but who doesn't? Am I right?). Still, he's far from the smart villains of the previous movies. The others, they are just not so special. I'm referring to the Minions as well. While they are still cute and adorable, the role they have in the story is too big. And this ain't Minions 2 but Despicable Me 3 which means they should be the focus of the film.

In spite of that, the film still manages to be humorous and the credits go to Trey Parker who steals the show as the supervillain. And also to the Minions and they funny language. I still laugh if I think about that Minion saying "C'est Gru con boobs".

Badlands (1973)

Genres

Crime, Drama, Romance

Director

Terrence Malick

Country

USA

Cast

Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri, Alan Vint, Charley Fitzpatrick, Gary Littlejohn, John Carter, Bryan Montgomery, Terrence Malick, Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez

Storyline

Impressionable fifteen-year-old Holly Sargis (Sissy Spacek) and her boyfriend Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen), a twenty-five-year-old garbage collector, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota badlands.

Opinion

Someone (I don't remember who) suggested me this film after I watched True Romance, and I was immediately put off by the fact that Terrence Malick directed it. His films are so long and tedious, and don't make a lot of sense, so who's got time for that? Then a few days ago I saw it was only 1 hour and a half long, I gave it a chance and something I never thought would happen happened, I loved it. And that's simply because Badlands is nothing like the other Malick movies I've seen. It is a stunning and fascinating (and slow paced but not boring) crime story.

The film tells an incredible story about two lovers going on a killing spree. What is it so incredible about it? The fact that Malick was able to turn what really is nothing more than a simple and quite shallow story into something much better with a wonderful, calm and friendly narrative by Sissy Spacek that is disturbing and poetic at the same time.

There isn't any character development and for the first time, I wasn't bothered by it. Sure, the story unfolds, tragic, funny and frightening events happen, and there isn't much of a change in neither of the two main characters. In fact, we probably know less about them at the end than we did at the beginning, and yet there's something charming about it.

Maybe it's the fact that Malick uses his characters only to explore the concept of good and evil. The film consistently portrays Kit as an evil man who just does what he does. He doesn't have a motive or a reason to kill, he just does that as if it was the most natural thing to do. He doesn't feel evil. Actually, he doesn't feel anything at all. He doesn't have any kind of rage outbursts. He's just numb and I think that's what's truly haunting about him and doesn't allow you to really see him as an evil person. Pretty much the same could be said about Holly. She isn't like Kit, she's just his accomplice, but she is equally numb. They both look like they are detached from their lives.

And the performances from Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek emphasise that even more. They both give brilliant performances, especially Spacek who plays her character well both on screen and on narration, managing to be emotionless on both.

At last but not least, there's the cinematography. It's probably the only thing I always like in Malick films. It's just breathtaking, each frame is stunning, and it conveys a mood of despair beautifully through its colours.

65th San Sebastian International Film Festival Award Winners

Awards ceremony was right down to its raison d'être as with no frills the two presenters started to name winners to later call jury members to present awards.  Can't say that like this format as find it the less entertaining of all.  Know many wish most festivals (and others) awards ceremonies were like this but believe we need a balance, a little entertainment with winners being announced.  Sigh.

My spontaneous reaction to winners is to feel great about the many female directors winners, including the Best Director award going to a female director for the first time ever in the 65 years of festival existence. Great.

Have no idea why top award went to the wining film as I'm no fan of Franco's films or performances, consequently not really interested in watching anything by or with him.  Sigh.  Still, there are a couple of films that absolutely became must-be-seen for me.

As was covered by all kinds of media, many films in all sections of festival came from Argentina so it's no surprise that many winners came from that country productions or co productions.  Still the most puzzling news came from Lerman's speech as was not aware how fragile the Argentinean film industry could be right now and honestly, if something negative happens will be a disgrace to Latin America and world cinema as there are many outstanding directors that have done extraordinary films and yes, wish they can continue doing them.  Sigh.

---///---
As festival has already started to announce awards winners will do post with all winners but will be in progress until after the festival awards ceremony tonight.

Official Selection

Golden Shell for Best Film: The Disaster Artist, James Franco, USA

Silver Shell for Best Director: Anahí Berneri for Alanis, Argentina

Silver Shell for Best Actress: Sofia Gala Castiglione in Alanis, Anahí Berneri, Aragentina
Special Mention: Anne Gruwez in  Ni Juge, Ni Soumise (So Help Me God), Jean Libon and Yves Hinant, France and Belgium

Silver Shell for Best Actor: Bogdan Dumitrache in Pororoca, Constantin Popescu, Romania and France

Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: Diego Lerman and Maria Meira for Una Especie de Familia (A Sort of Family), Diego Lerman, Argentina, Brazil, Poland and France
Jury Prize for Best Cinematography: Florian Ballhaus for Der Hauptmann (The Captain), Robert Schwentke, Germany, France and Poland

Jury Special Award: Handia, Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño, Spain

Kuxta-New Directors Award: Le Semeur (The Shower), Marine Francen, France
Special Mention: Matar a Jesús (Killing Jesus), Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia

Horizontes Latinos
Best Film:  Los Perros, Marcela Said, Chile and France

Zabaltegi Award
Best Film: Braguino, Clément Cogitore, France
Special Mentions
Darya Zhovner in Tesnota (Closeness), Kantemir Balagov, Russia
Spell Reel, Filipa César, France

Other Awards

FIPRESCI Award: Life and Nothing More, Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spsin and USA

Signis Award: Life and Nothing More, Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spsin and USA
Special Mention: Ni Juge, Ni Soumise (So Help Me God), Jean Libon and Yves Hinant, France and Belgium
60 Years Anniversary Special Award: Matar a Jesús (Killing Jesus), Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia

Fedeora Award: Charmøren (The Charmer), Milad Alami, Denmark
Special Mentions
Matar a Jesús (Killing Jesus), Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia
Pailalim (Underground), Daniel Palacio, Philippines

Eroski Youth Award: Matar a Jesús (Killing Jesus), Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia

6th Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum
Best Project Award: Planta Permanente (Permanent Staff), Exequiel Radusky, Argentine
EFADs-CAACI Europe-Latin America Co-Production Grant:  El Agente Topo (The Mole Agent), Maite Alberdi Soto, Chile, France and USA
Euroimages Development Co-Production Award: Las Consecuencias (The Consequences), Caludia Pinto, Spain and Mexico
Arte International Prize: Akelarre (Witches' Sabbath). Pablo Agüero, Spain and France

Feroz Zinemaldia Award: The Disaster Artist, James Franco, USA

Films in Progress 32 Industry Awards
Film in Progress 32 Award: Ferrugem, Aly Muritiba, Brazil
Film Factory Award: Ferrugem, Aly Muritiba, Brazil
CAAC/Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award: Ferrugem, Aly Muritiba, Brazil

Glocal in Progress Awards
Glocal in Progress Industry Award: Dantza, Telmo Esnal, Spain
Glocal in Progress Award:  Dantza, Telmo Esnal, Spain

Greenpeace Award: An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk (documentary)

Ikusmira Berriak Award:  Las Letras de Jordi (Jordi's Letters), Maider Fernández Iriarte, Spain

Irizar Basque Film Award: Handia, Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño, Spain
Basque Best Screenplay: Ximun Fuchs for Non (No), Eñaut Castagnet and Ximun Fuchs, Spain

Spanish Cooperation Award:  Alanis, Anahí Berneri, Aragentina

Sebastiane Award: 120 Battements par minute (120 Beats per Minute), Robin Campillo, France
 Special Mention: Soldatii. Proveste din Ferentari (Soldiers. Story from Ferrentari), Ivana Mladenovic, Romania, Serbia and Belgium
Sebastiane Latino Award: Una Mujer Fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), Sebastián Lelio, Chile, Germany and Spain

Solidarity Award: Au revoir là-haut (See You Up There), Albert Dupontel, France

TVE Another Look Award: Jusqu'à la garde (Custody), Xavier Legrand,  France

Audience Awards
Audience Award: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh, USA
European Film Audience Award: Jusqu'à la garde (Custody), Xavier Legrand,  France

16th International Film Student Meetings Awards - Short Films
Panavision Award: 212, Boaz Frankel, The Sam Spiegel Film and TV School - Jerusalem (JSFS), Israel
Special Nominal Mention:  Ziet Der Unruhe (News 23/06/2016), Elsa Rosengren, Deutsche Film -und Fernsehakademie Berlin - DFFB, Germany
Orona Award: Ziet Der Unruhe (News 23/06/2016), Elsa Rosengren, Deutsche Film -und Fernsehakademie Berlin - DFFB, Germany

Donostia Award: Agnès Varda, Ricardo Darín and Monica Bellucci
Jaeger-LeCoultre Latin Cinema Award: Paz Vega
Zinemira Award: Julia Juaniz