Ulysses and the Giant Polyphemus (1905)
Although it doesn’t really take off until the giant appears in the second half, Georges Méliès’s, interpretation of the story of Ulysses and Polyphemus shows flashes of his astounding creativity.
Creed (2015)
I’ve seen all the Rocky films, I love Michael B. Jordan, and Sylvester Stallone was nominated for a Golden Globe
The original Rocky feels like an independent film. The sequel take on more of a studio film feel. The third film (with Mr. T and Hulk Hogan) feels like a typical franchise film. The fourth film, which many say is the series epoch, audaciously has Rocky win the Cold War by proxy.
In the fifth film, the series takes a dramatic turn. Rocky is retired, but finds passion in training another fighter.
The sixth film, Rocky Balboa focuses more on Rocky’s relationship with his son and coming to terms with his legacy.
This, the seventh films in the Rockyverse, follows Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (Michael B. Jordan) as he finds his way and makes a name for himself. It’s full of sly references to previous films, but wisely forgoes the over their tendency for over the top excess. Case in point:
Stallone has morphed from the young up and comer to the embodiment of Mickey, the role Burgess Meredith played in the original film. Stallone is excellent in the introspective role, there are moments of genuine pathos in his performance. The weight of the previous films and his four decade long relationship with American movie audiences serve as a stark reminder: all heroes will fade and die.
Director Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan previously worked together on Fruitvale Station, a powerful exploration of race relations in 21st century America. This film ensures both will have a voice in Hollywood for some time. Coogler’s instincts are solid; he knows when to go for a joke, when to remind viewers of the previous films without feeling derivative. The fight scenes are well-done.
I’ve loved Jordan since his heartbreaking work as Wallace in The Wire, although it’s difficult to reconcile my memory of that character with his work here. His career is still ascendant, but he seems destined to be a Hollywood mainstay.
This is how you reinvent and re-energize a 40-year-old franchise.
Mabel and Fatty’s Wash Day (1915)
Stuck in lackluster marriages, neighbors Fatty and Mabel bond over laundry. When the two couples go for a walk in the park, Mabel and Fatty leave their napping spouses to share a drink. When the sleeping spouses awaken, a frantic search begins.
Pretty, petite Mabel Normand and rotund, sloppy Roscoe Arbuckle were an unlikely, but effective pair, becoming huge stars in the silent era for Mack Sennett’s studio.
One hundred years later, it’s interesting to see the way this comedy deals with gender issues. Fatty is clearly the more domestic partner. Both protagonists are unhappy in their marriages, but are forcibly dragged back to their respective spouses in the end. It was apparently okay to imply a shitty marriage, but divorce was out of the question.
More American Graffiti (1979)
Set at the end of the 1950s, American Graffiti chronicled the end of the idealism and tranquility of the post war decade.
This sequel, by contrast, is meant to simulate the turbulence of the 1960s. It depicts the events of four consecutive New Year’s Eves, intercutting between the four timeframes liberally. To avoid confusion, each has a distinctive look and aesthetic. One is supposed to resemble Woodstock, one is supposed to replicate news reel footage of Vietnam
I loved it and found it amazingly inventive and funny, but contemporary critics did not, and now it’s mostly forgotten.
The Hunting Ground (2015)
This film indicts America’s colleges and universities as a hotbed for sexual predators and “rape culture.” I’m not inclined to be an alarmist, and I believe in the presumption of innocence, but it makes a compelling argument. There is a problem brewing in American universities.
However, the problem of collegiate indifference to sexual misconduct is only one symptom of a much larger issue. Colleges and universities in the United States are money making juggernauts. They cover up sexual assaults because of possible ramifications to their bottom line. Wealthy students from wealthy families who provide big donor checks get preferential treatment. Florida State doesn’t treat Jameis Winston like other college students, because most college students don’t make their university tens of millions of dollars.
We bemoan the influence of big money in politics, we complain about the explosive growth of student loan debt, but nobody investigates the obscene budgets of our most prestigious schools. Money has corrupted our post-secondary educational system which now routinely uses capital campaigns and endowment drives as the primary benchmark to determine their value. A successful college president is worried more about the bottom line than the school’s educational mission.
Blind Chance (1987)
Rushing to catch a train, Witek runs into a man holding a beer. As director Krzystof Kieślowski demonstrates in three different scenarios, how he handles this chance encounter will have a profound effect on his life.
In the first scenario, Witek almost crashes into the beer drinker, barely makes his train, and becomes an avowed communist.
In the second outcome, he knocks the beer drinker down and misses his train. Through a series of encounters, he becomes a deeply committed Christian and works with the anti-communist underground in Poland.
Finally, he avoids the beer drinker, but takes time to apologize for almost hitting him. He misses the train, but settles into a comfortable life with his girlfriend Olga only to die in a terrorist attack.
In this film, Kieślowki explores how much of our lives depends on chance and how helpless we are against the powerful winds of nature. This sobering, but freeing thought leads to a practical spirituality instead of meaningless platitudes.
Fatty’s Plucky Pup (1915)
Fatty (Roscoe Arbuckle) has two loves: his neighbor Lizzie and his dog Luke. He angers local dog catchers by thwarting their efforts to take Luke, then accidentally crosses paths with a local gang. In response, his enemies join forces to kidnap Lizzie. With Luke’s help, Fatty rescues his beloved.
Unlike Chaplin, Arbuckle didn’t create a character, his comedy subverted our expectations based on his appearance. The physicality of his comedy reminds me of Chris Farley in his famous Chippendale’s and Matt Foley routines.
Convicted of treason for treating a wounded man who had participated in the Monmouth Rebellion, physician Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) is sold into slavery and purchased by Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland).
Blood escapes, becomes a pirate, and, several years later, captures and imprisons Arabella. Despite their antagonistic relationship, the pair are soon romantically entangled. Eventually, Blood is persuaded to help the British fleet against a French invasion. Because of this service, the new king, William of Orange appoints Blood governor of Port Royal replacing Colonel Bishop, Arabella’s uncle.
With this fun adventure film, Errol Flynn became a household name as the successor to swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks, while a very young Olivia de Havilland established herself as a major Hollywood player. Their charming chemistry would lead to a second pairing a few years later in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Orphan Yuri Zhivago (Omar Sharif) is raised by his mother’s friends and marries their daughter Tonya (Geraldine Page). However, he falls in love with Lara (Julie Christie), who’s involved in an affair of her own with the older politician Victor Komorovsky (Rod Steiger) and married to Pasha Antipov (Tom Courtenay).
After the War, the idealistic Pasha joins the revolution, becoming an important Bolshevik general, while Yuri becomes a radical poet, ostracized by the government. Despite the danger, Yuri and Lara consummate their relationship, but are forced apart by the chaos of the era.
This is to the first World War and the Russian Revolution what Gone with the Wind (1939) was to the US Civil War, an attempt to personalize sweeping historical changes, suggesting people and individuals are more important than historical epochs. I’m not sure I completely buy its premise, and it may have watered down Pasternak’s novel too much, but it’s so beautifully composed and the performances are so good, I can forgive its minor imperfections.
Incredibles 2 (2018)
Before the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Incredibles paved the way. Syndrome remains one of the best super hero villains, and Edna Mode is a perfect creation.
Wisely starting with the cliffhanger from the first film, the sequel doesn’t disappoint.
In this movie, the roles are reversed, Bob struggles with family responsibilities while his wife Helen is away on super hero missions; their children deal with burgeoning adolescence and the accompanying awkwardness and rebelliousness. For good measure, the film highlights the revelation of Jack-Jack’s abilities.
The gender politics are dated, but the world director Brad Bird creates is full and expansive.
The introduction of the Deavors as super rich manipulators feels right in our current context. Winston’s origin is similar to Syndrome and once again reminds us of the dangers of obsessive fandom. Bob Odenkirk is wonderful, and Jonathan Banks as a sad sack FBI agent is a casting coup.
The overarching plot about electronic screens used to hypnotize and control everyone speaks to the fears of the digital age and the suspicions surrounding companies we rely on like Google and Amazon.
This film catches the zeitgeist of early 21st century with incredible characters and humor.