Thief's Monthly Movie Loot - 2021 Edition

A documentary film:

Shirkers (2018) Entirely charming movie about a young woman who with her friends and an expat weirdo make Singaporean film history, though not exactly in how they planned. Love of cinema shines out of every frame.

The third part on a film franchise:

Iron Man 3 (2013) It's a Marvel movie, so if you've seen any of them you'll have a pretty good sense of what you're gonna get (and this was a rewatch, so doubly so). I enjoy them, for the most part, and most of them have something particularly fun about them--in this case it's Ben Kingsley embiggening a small part.

A film directed by a woman (Women's History Month):

Meek's Cutoff (2010) Quiet, slow, intense anti-Western about settlers lost in the wilds of Oregon. It's a low-key masterpiece about power dynamics when people are reduced to the raw elements of survival.

So, five pretty solid movies this month, Emma. being the weakest of the batch and Shirkers and Meek's Cutoff the most rewarding.

I've heard good things about Meek's Cutoff. I need to check it out.

Had never heard of Shirkers.

__________________

For those interested, I'm still working on my final two reviews: Vampyr and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, but I'll try to work them out soon and post the new categories.

It's just as well if you don't know too much about Shirkers going in. There's an element of discovery to it that's part of the charm of the film (though I think it works even if you know all of its "secrets"). I watched it on Netflix.

The good things you've heard about Meek's Cutoff are true! Just be prepared for something contemplative, it's not a film that's racing to get somewhere.

Agreed!

I think that the biggest mistake people make when trying to "sell" Meek's Cutoff is trying to make it sound more action-y than it is.

Death has always been a mystery. What awaits for us after has been the subject of studies, theories, beliefs, and fantasies, particularly because, well, there's no way to tell. From established religions to cults, from attempts to bring people back from the dead or avoid it altogether. Perhaps those were some of the questions in the mind of Allan Gray, the main character in this film from Carl Theodore Dreyer.

Vampyr follows Gray (Nicolas de Gunzburg) as his studies of devils and vampires take him to the village of Courtempierre. It is there that he finds himself immersed in a dreamlike journey where death is not only a matter of investigation, but a constant threat to him, and everyone around him; especially the family that he's trying to protect.

Early in the film, as Gray arrives at an inn, we see a ferryman that's traveling across the river. His silhouetted image, with the sickle in hand, reminded me of the mythical Charon, the ferryman that carried the souls of the deceased through the river Styx and into Hades. And that image made me wonder about the reality of what we're seeing, how much of it is actually in Gray's mind while in an afterlife dreamlike state.

But that's the thing. Just like death itself, it is never clear what is real and what is a dream. Through the film, Gray himself steps in and out of his body, and experiences hallucinations of his own death. But even if the film doesn't really try to answer its own questions, what really stands out is the imagery that Dreyer presents; from the sickled silhouette that adorns most of the film's promotional pictures, to the images of ghastly soldiers and people marching or dancing; death is everywhere.

This is my second time watching this film and, even though I still find it hard to peg down, I still find it visually mesmerizing and captivating anyway. Much like Gray himself seemed eager to dive into this journey, I was looking forward to rewatching it myself.

Grade:

That's the power statement of Varla (Tura Santana), a go-go dancer turned criminal, as he faces young "All-American boy" Tommy (Ray Barlow) and his girlfriend Linda (Susan Bernard). Her statement might be born out of a general hatred and disgust towards specific men (like the ones screaming at them in the opening, "Go! Go!"), but it can also be seen as a statement of defiance against the established dominance of the traditional "All-American man".

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! follows Varla, Rosie (Haji), and Billie (Lori Williams), who end up getting rid of Tommy and kidnapping Linda. When they stumble upon an old man (Stuart Lancaster) and his two adult sons, they find out they might be hiding a lot of money, so they decide to con them.

This is only my second Meyer film, so I'm by no means an expert, but it does seem to include the two ingredients that he's mostly known for: voluptuous women and edgy violence. Whatever the story is, Meyer finds good excuses to have them shake their booties, roll around in the water or in the ground, and walk around topless after taking a shower.

I do find it interesting how in the midst of all these excesses, there seems to be an attempt to empower women, one way or another, while also putting men down, which you can see in the three main male characters: an old man with two sons, one strong, yet "dim-witted", and another smarter, yet "weak". After all, that's how the older one describes himself as he succumbs to the charms of Varla.

Although some of the performances are spotty, there are a few (especially Santana's) that are worth a watch, if anything for the scenery chewing. Williams is also pretty solid, but her performance is more muted than the other two actresses. Bernard also manages to hold her own. Unfortunately, her character doesn't have much to do other than run and scream.

One of my main problems with the film is that it doesn't really establish well who we are supposed to follow, which makes it feel a bit unfocused at first. Even though we start and finish with the three dancers, their motivations are never explored. Linda is the character that we might identify with the most, but her character behaves like the typical damsel in distress; and the man that ends up being her protector is "weak" and not well developed.

Regardless of that, if you're looking for a bombastic film with flashy performances and a good dose of excess, this might be worth a watch. In the words of Varla, "Wanna try me?"

Grade:

Alright, sorry for the delay... here is my final tally for MARCH 2021:

A film with the number 3 (Three, Third, etc.) in its title: The Three Caballeros
A film with a title that starts with the letters E or F: Fruitvale Station, Fantastic Planet
A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #3 (i.e. 13, 230, 830): Ran (#316)
A film from the 1930s: Vampyr
A documentary film: Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
The third part on a film franchise: Mission: Impossible III
A film directed by a woman (Women's History Month): Nomadland
A film with the word "Spring" in its title: Spring Night, Summer Night
A film from Russ Meyer (born March 21): Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
A film from Greece (Revolution Day, March 25): Dogtooth

Freebies: In a Glass Cage, Raya and the Last Dragon, Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph Breaks the Internet, The Whisperers


Great month. My favorite first-time watch was easily Ran, but The Whisperers and Dogtooth both left a really strong impression.

As for a least favorite, nothing awful, but there were a bunch of . I'll say Wreck-It Ralph, if anything for how disappointing that final revelation was. But like I said in my review, it's still a fun and creative animated film.

Here is the challenge for APRIL...

A film with the number 4 (Four, Fourth, etc.) in its title:
A film with a title that starts with the letters G or H:
A film from the Criterion Collection whose number includes the #4 (i.e. 14, 340, 714):
A film from the 1940s:
A drama film:
A Biblical film:
A film nominated for a Best Picture or Best Int'l Feature Film this year:
A film primarily set in a submarine (Nat'l Submarine Day, April 11):
A film with Anthony Perkins (born April 4):
A film from Iran (Islamic Republic Day, April 1):

Anybody can join, anybody can share recommendations as well.

And finally, dropped this a couple of days ago...

Episode 34 of Thief's Monthly Movie Loot, where I talk about the best films I saw in March as well as some brief reviews of everything else I saw. Pretty much the same I write here, but with the benefit of my sweet voice

Thief's Monthly Movie Loot 34 - The March Loot

As usual, it's also available on Spotify here.

Next episode with a guest will be recorded next weekend, and it will be about the Oscars! So stay tuned.

Sweet serendipity, I just watched a submarine movie on April 2. Nice.

__________________
Captain's Log
My Collection

Let me know which, so I can ride your coattails

It was Operation Pacific with John Wayne, which was sadly not worth the $4 rental.

Hmm, I just saw a recent one available on Netflix, The Wolf's Call. It seems to have a good rating.

I also would've liked to rewatch Crimson Tide and/or The Hunt for Red October, both of which I haven't seen in 20+ years, but I don't see them streaming anywhere.

A Twitter friend also recommended On the Beach, from the 1950s, but it's also not available streaming.

Criterion's got The Atomic Submarine, but it's been too long since I've seen it to say whether it's good or not.

It's . . . something.

I would recommend Below, the horror movie from like 2002. I really love its atmosphere and story development.

It's been a while, but I've seen Below.

According to JustWatch, it's also on Prime and Tubi, so it's definitely an option.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is on Disney+ and Pluto TV (free)

I went from having no options to now having too many options for the submarine one Here's what I got...

On the Beach - Not available streaming, but I'm putting it here cause it intrigues me
The Wolf's Call - Netflix
Black Sea - Netflix (Thanks to Apex Predator for reminding me)
The Atomic Submarine - Prime and Tubi (Thanks to @Captain Terror)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Disney+ (Thanks to Cap as well)