22nd Hall of Fame

I, Daniel Blake can be interpreted as - and, in many ways, is - a commentary on the failure of the government in helping those in need, it more importantly boils down to a tale of love and acceptance. And how we should never judge those around us, instead extending a loving arm.

In that way, IDB is a warm hug. It is a tragic story, and there are some incredibly tough moments to watch (food pantry, shoplifting scenes come to mind) but in a way it's a comfort film. There are some genuinely beautiful moments here where people just do random acts of kindness towards Daniel or Katie. That's seriously inspiring to a grump like me.

I like how each likable character feels real, as in they have flaws and issues. We can sympathize with everyone in this situation. Even the government workers have people coming in every day who can't understand what is going. It is those workers' responsibility to take care of it with patience and understanding... but people aren't that perfect. IDB does not point fingers at people; it points fingers at the system. I applaud it for that.

The heartbreaking ending and powerful scenes are what elevates to this to be a great movie. While there are moments of dullness, and the message can sometimes be too in the face, they are small quibbles. This movie is both incredibly intimate and larger than life.

So it is with I, Daniel Blake in mind that I hope to get out there and help other people; whether it be "defrosting" computer screens or taking people around at a food pantry. I am so so fortunate in my social position right now, and this film shows that it is mostly all by mere chance. None of us choose what we are born into. But those of us who were a bit luckier can always extend that loving hand and help those in need.



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You're angry. So angry that the world is unjust. That you have to live in fear. You want to kill, but you only want to kill the right people. The people that harmed you. They only harmed you because you harmed then.

Violence is a cycle. Jealousy is a cycle. Power struggle is a cycle. Perhaps all the same thing, or at least play off one another. You will never be satisfied with what you have. You will want a piece of the other. But once you have committed your crime, that "other" will want their own revenge. It will continue. You will die alone, without friends, without family - they will all be long gone too.

The characters in Blue Ruin seem happy with dying. Or at least they're okay with it. They see themselves as part of a larger war. Dwight, while he questions his own skill and courage, never questions that what he is doing is "right". His sister, when she finds out what he has done, gasps but is not upset. She, instead, applauds him. By killing a man, he did what was morally "good".

(Mild spoilers in this paragraph) Of course, those morals get turned upside down later on as we realize the real man Dwight was after was already dead. He had been building up hate for Wade Jr. for twenty years. And now, to realize that it was all simply a cover-up. Imagine hating someone for two decades; and only after you have killed them finding out the truth.

Only at the end is there a twinge of absolute sorrow from Dwight at all of this bloodshed. It must stop. It must stop. Yet there are too many holes for it to be stopped. People crave justice, whether or not that justice is truly justified.

So, in many ways, Blue Ruin is one of the saddest movies I've seen. Death, here, is at its most in-your-face. Even in Tarantino or Scorsese movies, a death is something of reverence. Here, it is just another face in a sea of blood and bones.

Perhaps nothing can sum it up better than William Blake's poem (The Poison Tree):

I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears
Night and morning with my tears,
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,--

And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning, glad, I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree

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So sorry to hear about your mom, Thursday. I hope the future days are brighter for you.

Mildred Pierce



This one had always been on my radar but I had just never gotten around to it. Finally glad to see I was able to.

The film's strength is perhaps the way that the story is told. A rather bit unconventially and through mainly narrative through Mildred. I like how it goes through the life of the Pierce's and sets up for a very entertaining second half of the film.

While not pure noir, I liked the balance that the film had. And of course the acting was real good in my opinion. Joan Crawford won an Oscar playing Mildred and I think it was deserved. The supporting cast was impressive, of course the actress who played Veta was great but I also enjoyed the comic relief of the character Ida.

I really didn't see the film playing out the way it did either, that was a rather pleasant surprise and I always enjoy when things aren't very predictable. The relationship between Veda and Mildred was perhaps the overall showcase of the film, the two played great off of each other.

I'll definitely make sure to come back to this one some day. I really enjoyed it.

I rewatched Inglourious Basterds last night. Will try to get it written up tonight and maybe rewatch Joker.

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Mildred Pierce has been watched.

Now only 1 watch and 1 rewatch left... State of Siege and Dronningen. I’m severely behind on reviews though. Maybe that’s what I’ll get done in the coming weekend then.

I give you a lot of props for being able to review something that far after seeing it. I barely can say much even right after watching it lol.

One word:

Notes.

That said, the two reviews I’m missing outside this one are Joker and The Matrix - both of which I have seen more than 3 times and both of which had the previous watch less than half a year ago... so both are as bright as ever in my mind.

I'm following someone on LB who is like 1.5 months behind in reviews (https://letterboxd.com/reibureibu/ if you're curious), I'm like how do they do it???

Yes! finally someone really liked one of my noms Glad you liked it Raul, it's easily a top 25 movie for me. There's also a mini series based on the same novel, with Kate Winslet & Guy Pierce. I seen it and it's pretty good too.Mildred Pierce (TV Mini-Series 2011)

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Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
Imdb

Date Watched: 05/26/2020
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 22nd MoFo Hall of Fame
Rewatch: Yes


I remember watching this movie in the theater with my mom. She HATED it. She was not okay with its rewriting of history. I, on the other hand, loved it instantly. With its potent combination of heart-pounding dread, tragedy, humor and one hell of a bloody and satisfying tale of revenge, Inglourious Basterds is a hell of a fun ride and not once in the countless times that I've watched it have I ever felt its lengthy runtime.

That said, it's not a perfect movie. Like others, I certainly could have done without Michael Fassbender's character and performance and I would have liked to have seen more from badass Stiglitz. However, these are pretty minor complaints. The contributions of the other actors (especially Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Mélanie Laurent, and Daniel Brühl) as well as the getting to watch history play out the way it should have, more than make up for any shortcomings.

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We are at 53 reviews now. Please let me know if I've missed any of yours.

I thought I would need to break Waco up over the course of a few days, but I managed to watch it all earlier this evening. I did take some mini breaks, but only to walk around the apartment or stare out the window (...or into the fridge) for a few minutes. I have no idea what I'm going to write about it though, since most of the things I usually focus on don't really apply to documentaries.

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I, Daniel Blake (2016)


For whatever reason trying to tell stories of people in poverty has always been exceedingly difficult. In most cases it's reduced to melodramatic horror stories that are completely unrealistic. Also stories like this feel specific to certain regions. I had seen one Ken Loach film before Kes though this genre feels very specific to me.



Daniel Blake who's wife dies and he has a heart attack, he needs to work but his doctor won't allow him to do so. In his attempt to get benefits he fails in doing so because of a lack of computer literacy. Now as an American the story is ridiculous it's his responsibility to take care of himself the government does not help you. In America the dignity you're given is the cops might not murder you if you are lucky. The English entitlement system is a hell of a lot better than ours.


But I know that's not what I should be focused on, the lead performance by Dave Johns is great. I like how the film tries and touches on different types of poor people and the gig economy that we are now living in. I won't get into the ending but the final result felt really on the nose and somewhat manipulative.

Joker (2019)


I'm going to be honest here...I think it was a mistake to nominate this film. Some films really don't hold up on repeat viewings other films you need more time to revisit but for me this was a six month revisit of the film. I know I had positive feelings about it the first time I watched in on IMAX but it's flaws really come out on the second viewing. Also when you repeat view something you want to pick up things you missed...this is a film bereft of subtly.

Arthur Fleck is a psychologically damaged man living in 80's New York during a garbage strike. Fleck is not a trustworthy narrator but that sort of storytelling is very inconsistent his mental issues seem to come and go. He's pitiful one moment and then violent the next but we get so many moments of coherency so as a character study it doesn't really work for me.

Todd Phillips has a flare for creating an amazing Gotham city, it's not the best Gotham and I would have liked to see a slow transition to Burton's Gotham because they had the money but it's still a fully realized world. The soundtrack is also incredible, the choice of music is timeless picking up songs from a forty-sixty year period of time. Phoenix gives a hell of a performance it's his best work. It also has my biggest pet peeve in films this movie has a half dozen evil white men and a half dozen sympathetic minorities. It's just way too much of one note characters that exists solely for audience appeasement.

I thought you were going to say it's ridiculous because you didn't believe he'd be so inept at technology, but nope, you took that straight to the ugly truth instead.

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While in many ways Shine plays a by-the-books, cliche, and predictable rise-fall-rise plotline, there are a ton of things to applaud it for. Shine is about passion, and finding love when someone you dearly love(d) has forsaken you.

I'm not entirely convinced about the ideology of Shine, however. David, as a young kid, plunks out the notes of Rach 3, and his father comes and sits at the piano with him. "One day, you will play this and make me proud", father says. To him, Rach 3 is a symbol of absolute artistic achievement - being able to play the hardest, most complex, thing, is the highest honor. So in the movie, this concerto is a symbol of corrupted passion. Yet David, later, learns it and it becomes the center of his life. Is it his passion for music or his father's? That should be the burning question the movie asks but it skips over it.

I find criticism with the fact that, to this movie, being able to play the hardest, fastest, piece is being the best. No pianist or musician will tell you that - and no honest musician is out to prove how fast they can play Flight of the Bumblebee, or whether or not they can play "the hardest piece ever written". Many pianists consider Mozart to be one of the hardest composers to play due to the nuanced touch needed, yet in Shine the "professionals" condescend to it; "He'll start with Mozart" says the piano teacher when taking in David. In real life, many pianists would tell David to start with Rach 3 and transition to Mozart.

I'm now getting off track, but, despite these major issues with the film's ideology, it truly is inspiring and wonderful to see a human being get back on track with their life. Especially when played by Geoffrey Rush. His screen presence is certainly Oscar worthy (hey, they got it right that year!) and he controls every scene he's in. I know very little about David Helfgott but Rush pours passion and energy into him, and makes sometimes a poorly-written character pop out as three dimensional.

And, Rach 3 being one of my favorite pieces, it was delightful to hear. The soundtrack incorporated original score with classical tunes that I recognize and love. Some of them were irksome (Chopin wrote far more than one Polonaise) but I can't fault the movie and it doesn't detract much.

So Shine, despite its issues, is inspiring and beautiful. However cliched and predictable it may be, it will never cease to amaze me how people thrive and shine, especially when coming out of dark situations. I guess what I'm trying to say is, Shine reminds me that I really Do love people



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It's winter. As far as you can see, everything is covered in white. Sparkling, magical, snow. It lines the rooftop of every house, every street in the neighborhood. Every tree branch. Depending on the density of the snow, there might be snowmen outside. You see kid after kid come to sled at the hill across the street. You sledded there when you were a kid. Your parents sledded there, and their parents. The snow is another sign that; a second has passed, a minute has passed, a day has passed, a year has passed. Time has passed, and once the snow melts it will all pass again.

The Last Picture Show feels timeless because we experience it through three different times of American history. Our time of course; the time this movie was made; and the time this movie takes place in. On a technical level, this is very much a 70s movie. But on an emotional level, this feels like an authentic 50s movie. The cinematography, the script, the acting - you're there, back in time. And in a funny way, that makes it easier to relate to our own time. It's a small dying down. It could be mine, it could be yours. It's all blown away anyways by now. Those high school seniors are all probably dead, or in their 80s/90s. Out with the old, in with the new.

It's spring. Finally, the chattering of the birds returns. And yes, flowers really do bloom. Grass grows. The snow turns into slush, and then into mud, and then into puddles. Nature is stretching her limbs. Wild thunderstorms. And then beautiful soft rains to follow. During those night rains, you look out, across the parking lot right next to your house, at all those gleaming lights up the hill. You know every family in every house, but the "newness" of it all makes you feel dazed and lonely. The dead of winter is gone. Life has started again. And each blossoming bud is a sign that time is indeed passing. Spring is less wistful about it, though; it gets down to the business of living.

In the Last Picture Show all the characters pretend they're looking for sex and love and relationships. But they're all really looking for a way out. There's so much world out there, and to be cooped up in a Texas town all your life must be saddening and maddening. Duane joins the army, not out of patriotism or even money, but out of boredom and frustration. Jacey wants to go to college, but she really just wants to leave her parents and her memories. Both good and bad. Sonny doesn't even know what he wants, but he knows that his time is going by quickly. And if he blinks, he might miss it.

It's summer. Hot, but not just hot. The type of air that sucks all the energy out of your longs. You're trying to get to the swimming pool down the block, but you don't even have the energy to walk there. The grass is yellow and sick. The sun beats down relentlessly. Makes the shade seem like Heaven. You've got nothing to do; school's out. You work at the grocery store, couple hours a day. Your parents worked there when they were in high school. And their parents. Every hot summer night, as a shift ends, you look up to the stars above the store and wonder if your parents and grandparents did the same. If your kids will do the same. And then wonder if it's a bad thing. Change doesn't have to be good. You forget that time is passing during the summer. But it is. It still is.

So as they all split off to their own lives, they realize they'll all come back to Anarene someday. Everyone knows them, everyone talks to them. There's something both exciting and frightening about the big city. The small towns are boring but comforting. Dying, but going out with a smile and a wink. Sonny, and Duane, and Jacey, and the rest of them, have grown up together. Shared laughs and tears and beers and picnics and dances and test scores. Shared their lives. It's scary to go out there and face the real world.

It's autumn. So many colors, all furious reds and oranges and yellows. The trees are dying; but how can they make dying look so beautiful? In a way, autumn is both a death and a start. For those of us stuck in high school, the stress and the grades begin again. You were almost beginning to miss it as the summer came to a close. You see some friends who were away from the summer. Play flag football in the backyard. Go to crappy school dances. Go for long walks. Every day on the walk to school you wonder if your parents and grandparents had walked that same path. If it's their path, is it still yours? How to be independent, and be happy? How to please yourself and others? There's too much to do and too little time. Speaking of time, it's still passing. And now, you really feel it. Every second. Every minute. Every day. Every week. Life is passing by. Keep your eyes wide open, and you might not miss it.



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