Thief's Monthly Movie Loot - 2022 Edition

The above quote is not from this documentary, but from 1975's Dog Day Afternoon, from Sidney Lumet. Most people will quickly associate the name with the chants of Al Pacino's Sonny in the film; "ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA!" (it even made the AFI 100 Years, 100 Quotes list), but as far as I know, that was the extent of my knowledge about the prison or the riot that Sonny's referencing and that serves as the basis of this documentary.

Attica chronicles the events surrounding a riot at Attica Correctional Facility in 1971. Sparked by the prisoners requests for better living conditions, it quickly spiraled into a 4-day mess with 40+ hostages and heavy socio-political implications for those involved. The prison had a 75% "black and brown population" at the time, while the guard force was entirely white, and occurring a few years after the civil rights movement, it's expected that racial tension would play heavily into what happened.

To take us in the journey, directors Stanley Nelson and Traci Curry interview former prisoners, employees at the correctional facility, relatives of the hostages, mediators and negotiators, and reporters that covered the event. Not being entirely aware of the events, I really appreciated the way that they unfolded everything until its unfortunate ending. Not every documentary filmmaker has the ability to build up tension as the film progresses, but this is what happens here. You feel the burden of things mounting up, until they inevitably break down.

This documentary was one of five nominated for an Oscar this year, and when Chris Rock was introducing the category, he said something witty about how we "feel smarter" when we watch a documentary. Which is true, in the sense that we're learning something. But more than knowing the facts, I'm glad that we can watch this and be painfully aware of things like this. That we can look back at them, not as a catchy quote, but as a real tragedy that happened and impacted not only the community it happened, and the prison system as a whole, but the individuals that lived it.

Grade:

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Halloween III: Season of the Witch follows Dan Challis (Tom Atkins), a doctor who finds himself in the middle of a deadly plot that involves a mysterious novelty company and its owner, Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy). Dan doesn't know what at first, but something's going down on Halloween night, and it has nothing to do with Michael Myers.

Yes, because in this universe, Myers is just another killer on the TV. Back in the 80s, after "killing" him in the second film, it was the intention to turn the franchise into an anthology series each featuring a different story. Thus came this third installment, the "bastard" child of the Halloween franchise. Needless to say, audiences didn't respond well to the absence of Myers, so this installment was pushed aside, bringing Myers back in the next one, and the rest is history.

I remember seeing this back when I was a kid, and the image of a masked child collapsing while his head melts and all kinds of critters pour out was etched into my brain. I actually thought that was the very ending in my memories, but the truth is that I hadn't gone back to it since the 90s, maybe even the late 80s. So when a podcasting friend brought it up, I thought "why not?" and after watching it now, I thought "why didn't I rewatched this before?!"

Season of the Witch ended up being quite an effective thrill ride. Not only does it ditch the Myers storyline, but also leans more towards some scifi elements (androids) and the occult, than it does to typical slashers, and that angle is more my jam. Putting aside how ludicrous it is that a regular doctor ends up ensnared in all this mess as if he was a detective, the film does a great job of handling tension, creating atmosphere, and building tension, with some neat kills to boot.

Atkins is effective in the lead, even if the romantic angle with the daughter of a patient feels unnecessary. But it is O'Herlihy the one that steals the show as the mastermind behind Silver Shamrock Novelties. Once he enters the plot towards the middle of the film, he owns it as he leads us to its inevitably eerie conclusion.

At one point in Halloween II, Dr. Loomis brings up the "Samhain" festival (the original Celtic "Halloween" celebration, perhaps?) in an attempt to embellish the mythology they wanted to attach to Myers. Here, Cochran brings it up again as he explains the reasoning behind his actions, and it makes a lot more sense in how it's implemented here than it does in the first sequel. It's a pity that the studio didn't decide to follow this formula, going back to the lazier Myers storyline instead.

Grade:

Yeah, that's how I've always felt. I've always liked Halloween III, and felt like getting Michael Myers back for sequel after sequel after that just killed any creativity that might have been stimulated by having the Halloween films become a franchise showcasing great horror stories like this one.

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Yeah, I remember kinda liking the premise of Part 4, but there's only so much you can do with the same formula and after 7 or 8 parts, it can't help but become a bore.

March had a lot of family stuff going on, so I only got to four categories. On the bright side, they were all some shade of good.

A film with a title that starts with the letters E or F: The Florida Project (2017) Cinematic examinations of "the poor" are in these days--this is one of the better examples of the subgenre. It doesn't unnecessarily ennoble or sanctify people living in poverty; it just takes us into (then out of, by way of fantasy) their lives with humanity and understanding.

A documentary: Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) There's maybe nothing truly new to learn here if you're reasonably familiar with the travails of the production of Apocalypse Now, but the background footage (shot in large part by Coppola's wife, Eleanor) tells its own story.

The third part on a film franchise: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) My family has been gradually inching back out into a world where Covid is endemic, not pandemic, and this was our second film in a theater (after last year's Shang-Chi, we we were the only ones in the audience) since March 2020. It's a bit overstuffed, as these things tend to be, but it manages the balance pretty well, and it's always fun to see Alfred Molina and Willem Defoe doing their thing.

A film directed by a woman (Int'l Women's Day, March 8): Turning Red (2022) My friend Noah wrote a good piece on why the movie's central metaphor doesn't really work; nevertheless, there is a lot of fun stuff in the film and while it falls short of recent coming-of-age animation films like Encanto and Moana (a true classic), it has enough value to justify itself.

I've only seen Hearts of Darkness out of those. I've heard very good things about The Florida Project so it's on my list, and I know I will eventually get to No Way Home.

The kids saw Turning Red and, as far as I remember, they had fun with it but haven't clamored to rewatch it as they've done others.

Robin Robin follows a young robin bird (Bronte Carmichael) raised by a family of mice. As she grows up, her differences start to interfere with their ability to sneak into "who-man's" houses. However, she is determined to prove to her family that she's not a terrible mouse by stealing a shiny star from a Christmas tree.

This adorable short film was developed by Aardman Animations and uses the same stop-motion animation that they popularized with the Wallace and Gromit series. It also features some great voice work from Richard E. Grant as a friendly magpie that helps Robin, and Gillian Anderson as the cat that threatens her. The main song is also catchy as hell.

Despite a relative short runtime, I love how the short develops the theme of identity and how to make the most of your differences. After all, Robin *is* a bird, but that's not a handicap for her to love her mice family and for them to love her back. Moreover, her journey teaches her how to embrace who she is, while also being a part of her mice family.

Grade:

Palm Springs follows the relationship between Nyles and Sarah (Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti), two strangers that meet at a wedding in the titular resort city only to find themselves stuck in a time-loop, endlessly repeating the same day. When the film starts, Nyles has been reliving this day for an undetermined time, but it is when Sarah accidentally gets "sucked in" that things go more or less awry.

The thing is that Nyles had already resigned to live and relive this day until whatever happens, a slave to his fate. Sarah, on the other hand, is reluctant at first to accept this, until eventually, she surrenders herself as well. The above is Nyles' advice to her. But the truth is that we don't have to be stuck in a time-loop to feel either the pressures or comforts of routine.

Early in the film, a friend of Nyles asks about his day to which he casually replies "Today, tomorrow, yesterday, it's all the same." To him, that bears a special meaning. His days are indeed "the same", but to everyone else *not* in a time-loop, days can feel like "the same". We engage in routine and go through the same processes day after day, even to our detriment. We "suffer existence", because we feel like we have no choice.

What Sarah brings to the equation is a desire to break free. She has her own reasons, ones that make this endless loop particularly unbearable for her, because it keeps reminding her of her "worst". But however painful our current "routine" is, it's not easy to step away from our "comfort zone", so we "learn how to suffer existence".

It takes real skill to take such a niche premise (being stuck in a time-loop) that has already been done so well previously (Groundhog Day and Source Code), and still find a way to do something that feels genuine and fresh. But that's what director Max Barbakow and writer Andy Siara have done with this. Their melancholic and profound approach to the premise strikes a perfect balance between heavy and light.

Samberg and Milioti seem also like a perfect fit, with the former perfectly embracing that carefree attitude that Nyles has in the first half, while Milioti does so much with her eyes and body language as she moves from chaotic desperation to deep regret, and everything in between. The cast is rounded out by the always excellent J.K. Simmons as yet another person that's accidentally sucked into the time-loop.

There are some small things, especially regarding some side characters that felt a bit forced, but other than that, I thought this was a very, very good romcom. One that manages to be earnest and sincere, while also being thought-provoking and profound, in how it illustrates the burden of routine, and that sometimes the best choice to get out of it is to blow things up and let the chips fall where they may.

Grade:

Set in the early years of the Salvadoran Civil War, Romero follows the life of Oscar Arnulfo Romero (Raúl Juliá). Despite being traditionally conservative, Romero became a very ardent and vocal critic of the military regime after being appointed archbishop, organizing peaceful protests and speaking against social injustice and violence in the country.

The film shows many of the events that led to Romero's shift, particularly the assassination of Father Rutilio Grande, a close friend of his, along with three other civilians. This, and many other human rights violations build up the anger and frustration in Romero. This is neatly portrayed by Juliá, whose performance, although a bit stagey, has the necessary emotion to convey those feelings.

My biggest complain is that this is a film that needed more time to properly develop. At roughly 100 minutes, the plot feels abridged, many of the events feel rushed, and a lot of the supporting characters end up underserved. This, in turn, strips off most of the emotional attachment one could have to the different stories in the film.

But as a vehicle for Juliá to show of his acting skills, this was definitely what I was looking for. Juliá starts the film by portraying Romero as restrained, and maybe even afraid of consequences. And although the shift from that to the ardent protestor he ends up as in the second half might feel abrupt, Juliá makes the most of it. This only serves to remind me of how great an actor he was, and how tragic it was to lose him.

Grade:

Photographs of a School Teacher is a short film from Bangladeshi filmmaker Mahde Hasan. With a runtime of roughly 7 minutes, it is comprised of a set of images and vignettes focused on his mother. Most of the images are from her youth, and Hasan's focuses on her demeanor as she examines them.

During the first minutes, the short establishes two things: first, that there is an "emotional distance" between Hasan and his mother, and second, that there's a sadness in her that wasn't there when she was young ("when I was young and used to take photos, then life was pleasurable... but now, I don't feel like that"). And although the reasons are never clearly established, you can feel the burden of time and regret in her.

The short takes its time to focus on her weary face and her wrinkled hands, as it moves through brief episodes of her life through these pictures; her sisters, her life in college, marriage. All showcasing a certain sadness about things that were and things that could've been. There's not much else to it, but it is a visually interesting short that carries significant emotion, and makes you feel "closer to each other".

Grade:

In case anyone's interested...

I do wish I had gotten to a Raul Julia film (I mean, I still will at some point, of course). His early death was a real loss for cinema.

"*ahem* Wherever liberty is threatened, you will find... the Three Amigos!". At least that's what they sell in their silent film's dialogue. But when Carmen (Patrice Martinez), a Mexican villager mistakes their film for the real thing, she requests their help to rid the village of Santa Poco from the threat of El Guapo (Alfonso Arau) and his gang.

The Three Amigos (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short), in turn, think they are being hired for a performance. Coming right after they've been fired by the studio boss, the opportunity to earn some "easy money" seems enticing enough. But after finding out the threat is real, they have to figure out how to use their "limited" abilities to help the town of Santa Poco and therefore uphold their reputation.

This is a film I remember seeing and loving back when I was a kid. I still remember me and some friends joking about the different sketches and setpieces in it. However, for some reason I hadn't revisited it in probably 20-25 years. Being in need of something breezy and light, it seemed like the perfect time to go back to it.

Predictably enough, what holds the film together are the performances and chemistry of the the three leads, and in that respect, they totally deliver. All three play extremely well off each other. They are also helped by a hilarious script by Martin himself, along with director John Landis and singer/composer Randy Newman. It is one of those scripts where they keep throwing things at you and fortunately, a lot of them hit the mark.

If anything, there are some characters introduced that end up being somewhat unnecessary (the German pilot and the German gun smugglers) and many of the bits feel like ultimately inconsequential vignettes in the actual story, like "The Singing Bush" and "The Invisible Swordman", to name a few. But they are so funny and the execution of the trio is so good, that you kinda forgive it.

I always had fond memories of watching this film and trading stories about it with my school friends back in the day. It was good to see that despite all the years that have passed, wherever there is sadness, wherever happiness is threatened, I can still rely in the Three Amigos!

Grade:

Definitely. Also, being a Puerto Rican myself, I'm always ashamed that I'm not as familiar with most of his films as I should be. Other than Romero, I've only seen...

• Kiss of the Spider Woman, which I saw a couple of years ago. Him and William Hurt are fantastic.
• Presumed Innocent, which I saw back in the early 90s and vaguely remember, if at all.
• The Addams Family, see above. Never even saw the sequel. Not sure why, cause I liked the first one.
• Street Fighter, unintentionally hilarious, but he's clearly the best thing in it.

I will definitely try to catch up with more.

FINALLY!! My end-of-month summary for MARCH 2022:

A film with the number 3 (Three, Third, etc.) in its title: Three Amigos!
A film with a title that starts with the letters E or F: Encanto
A film from the TSPDT 1,000 Greatest Films list whose ranking includes the #3 (i.e. 12, 73, 834): Midnight Cowboy (#336)
A film from the 1930s: Baby Face
A documentary: Attica
The third part on a film franchise: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
A film featuring the word "Spring" in its title: Palm Springs
A film directed by a woman (Int'l Women's Day, March 8): The Power of the Dog, CODA
A film with Raúl Juliá (born March 9): Romero
A film from Bangladesh (Independence Day, March 26): Photographs of a School Teacher (short film)

Freebies: The Tragedy of Macbeth, Nightmare Alley (2021), West Side Story (2021), The Godfather, Belfast, Halloween II (1981), Robin Robin



I almost bit more than I could chew with that stretch of Oscar-nominated films I did at the beginning of the month, but still managed to finish on time. Lots of solid, good films, but if I were to pick a favorite, I wouldn't know. I have eight sorta bunched up in the 4 stars realm, but right now, the one that has kinda stuck out with me is weirdly Palm Springs.

As for weakest, that would be West Side Story, but I really don't think I saw anything bad this month.

And finally, my categories for APRIL 2022

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 TSPDT 1,000 Greatest Films list whose ranking includes the #4 (i.e. 14, 401, 943):
A film from the 1940s:
A drama film: The Secret of Roan Inish
A Biblical film (Easter):
A film based on a book (National Library Week): My Dog Skip
A film about the environment (Earth Day, April 22):
A film from Senegal (Independence Day, April 4):
A film with Jackie Chan (born April 7):

I've only seen The Addams Family and Presumed Innocent, so yeah, I've got even more catching up to do!

"Heh heh, see guys, I thought he was Puerto Rican; I didn't know he was Cuban!":
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVo0dyjnWYo&t=507s

Huh, I seem to recall a poster at (I think) Rotten Tomatoes who went by the name Aram Fingal. Now I know where that's from!

"Cube-an!" Get it? Because his face is in a cube *snorts*