Pencilstorm Hall of Fame Nominee: Pink Floyd / The Wall (The Movie) - by Wal Ozello

I know what you’re thinking. Of course Wal is going to nominate The Wall. But allow me to walk you through what I consider as one of the greatest marriages of music and cinema…..

FADE IN on a luxurious art deco hotel hallway. The camera ever-so-slowly floats down the hallway. In the distance we see a maid using a canister vacuum to clean the muted green carpet and we make our way towards her. The camera plane is skewed a bit, leaning towards the right, to give us a feeling of instability while floating towards the maid. When the camera reaches the end of the hallway, and as the maid steps to the canister vacuum to turn it on, we cut to the perspective of the floor looking up at the maid. Her foot comes into frame and covers the camera lens as we CUT TO BLACK.

Thus starts the cinematic masterpiece known as “Pink Floyd - The Wall.”  This is not a two hour music video. It’s a work of art, a beautiful blend of rock music, film, and animation – steeped in a story attracting the same audience of rock n roll.

Birthed out of Roger Waters’ neurotic mind, filled with the dark animation of political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, and directed by the sensationalism of Alan Parker (Commitments, Mississippi Burning, Angel Heart), Pink Floyd – The Wall debuted in 1982. The story follows Floyd “Pink” Pinkerton’s (Bob Geldof) journey through life fueled by the soundtrack of the album by the same name. Albeit his glorious rock n roll stardom, Pink wallows in depression due to the loss of his father in the war and doting and controlling mother. His relationships continually falter throughout the film as he takes a one-way trip on the crazy train. Metaphorically speaking, he builds a wall between himself and the world and fills his inadequacies with the euphoric drug of performance.

I encourage you to rent this disc and watch it. You’ll discover a brilliant film that easily stands on his its own, but is brought to another level with the music of Roger Waters. Even if you’ve already seen it, this is film to re-watch as an adult. Sober.  It’s in my Top Ten all time movie favorites.

Some memorable parts:

  •  An extreme close-up of his Mickey Mouse watch. The camera slightly pans to reveal a cigarette with a lengthy ash, then tilts again for a full shot of Pink’s face. It slowly moves into an extreme close-up of his eye
  • A scene where concert go-ers rush into a stadium to get great floor seats. It’s intercut with soldiers rushing into battle.
  • A touching scene where Pink is on a playground as a child. He see another child playing with his father and tries to “adopt” the dad as his own.
  • How seven minutes of editing magic can sum up Pink’s relationship with women during the song “Mother.”
  • The flower animation scene which follows, underscored by “Empty Spaces.”
  • Watch for the cameo from Bob Hoskins. 


Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

Pencilstorm's Most Popular Stories - February 2016

Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt, part three: Movies 37-51

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Ratings key:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ = I can’t see giving anything that I’ve seen once five stars
★ ★ ★ ★ = get to the theater / move it up in your queue
★ ★ ★ = “three stars is a recommendation” - The Empire [magazine] Podcast
★ ★ = if the remote is too far away, you could do worse
★ = if the remote is too far away, get someone to move it closer then throw it at the TV

037
Race (2016) ★ ★
stars: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons
director: Stephen Hopkins

The biopic of Jesse Owens and his participation in the 1936 Olympics.

If you didn’t know this was a true story, the bland, by-the-book presentation would be your first clue. A welcome subplot involving Leni Riefenstahl, the German director who filmed the games, received more screen time that I would have guessed.

watch Jesse Owens win the gold medal for the 100M dash instead

038
The Pawnbroker (1964) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Rod Steiger, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Brock Peters
director: Sidney Lumet

A Jewish pawnbroker in New York City, has repressed the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp and walled away everyone around him. Sooner or later, the pressure will be too much to ignore.

An amazing use of editing shows how everyday images trigger horrific memories. Steiger is great.

double feature pairing: Marathon Man

039
The Salvation (2014) ★ ★ ★
stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffery Dean Morgan
director: Kristian Levring

A Dutchman is reunited after many years with his wife and kid in the old west. The wife and kid are almost immediately killed. Revenge! Then the bad guy’s kin wants revenge!

The movie looks great. A little heavy handed with the “It’s about oil!” subtext. Good performances. And it looks great. ★ ★ if it didn’t.

double feature pairing: High Plains Drifter

040
Silent Running (1972) ★ ★
stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin
director: Douglas Trumbull

Earth can’t sustain plant life anymore, so there are greenhouses flying around space. One of the botanists ignores the order to destroy everything and return to Earth.

Rated G, eh? So, a sweet, bio-friendly, space adventure with cute helper robots, then? There won’t be anything too... OH MY GOD! He just strangled that guy to death and blew up those other two guys!

I understood this to be one of the all-time classic sci-fi movies. It should be taken off the list. The lead character is more psychopath than ecological hero. He parades through his paradise, also filled with small animals, as a terrible song plays, invoking a live action Disney scene. He takes the time to catch an eagle on his arm.

watch Moon instead

041
Meru (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, Renan Ozturk
directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

Climbing Mt. Everest is nothing compared to The Shark’s Fin of Mt. Meru. Three guys show you why.

Beautifully shot. I was surprised to learn that climbers have a following and work within mentor/mentee relationships. I thought they just gathered in groups of crazy. I’d like a climbing documentary to explain how these people make a living. Chin directs. What do the others do? And what’s wrong with a little more detail of climb strategies and technique?

double feature pairing: Cliffhanger

042 The Witch (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
writer/director: Robert Eggers

The best acting by an animal since the dog in John Carpenter’s The Thing.

double feature pairing: Black Death

043
Futureworld (1976) ★.5
stars: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, John P. Ryan
director: Richard T. Heffron

Westworld was a hit. Here’s its sequel.

This movie is a bore that doesn’t know what it wants to be until it is almost over. Two reporters investigate a colleague's murder at Futureworld. What they learn is a great story that isn’t resolved. The ending is the equivalent of the Duke boys crossing the county line and the Hazzard police department slamming the brakes, shaking their fists and screaming, “We’ll get you next time!”

watch Westworld instead

044
Tell No One (2006) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, André Dussollier
director: Guillaume Canet

Eight years after Alexandre’s wife was murdered, she sends him a note.

It’s a decent thriller. The kind of thriller where the main character, and the audience, are completely in the dark, so there’s a long scene at the end explaining it all. Early on we meet an acquaintance of Alexandre’s. We know he’s street because he has The Godfather logo tattooed on his shoulder. I can’t decide if it’s a worse if it’s real or if someone from the production decided that’s what the tattoo would be.

double feature pairing: The Vanishing

045
Charley Varrick (1973) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr
director: Don Siegel

A gang of small-time bank robbers accidentally steal from the mob.

A good low stakes crime movie. A small strike against it for a tone deaf scene in which Varrick becomes a sex pot out of the blue, clearly thrown in because someone thought the genre demands it.

double feature pairing: Disorganized Crime

046
The Hitch-Hiker (1953) ★ ★ ★
stars: Edmond O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
director: Ida Lupino

Escaped prisoner Emmett Myers hitchhikes and murders his way from capture.

The movie warns at the onset that this is a true story and could happen to me, and if not me then the nice couple sitting across the aisle. But there wasn’t an aisle nor a couple, so that means it’s going to happen to me? Old movies can be very confusing.

A montage of Myers killing the passengers of his two previous rides before finding the ride that will take him into Mexico is artful. There are a few scenes spoken in Spanish without subtitles. Nothing is lost; the content is easily discernible. It’s a little surprising that a movie of that time would trust the audience in that way.

The You Must Remember This podcast profiled Ida Lupino. It’s a worthy listen.

double feature pairing: A Perfect World

047
Greased Lightning (1977) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Richard Pryor, Cleavon Little, Pam Grier
director: Michael Schultz

Based on the life of Wendell Scott, the first African-American to win a race in NASCAR’s Grand National Series.

All the clunky dialogue of a biopic is here. But there is also the talent of Pryor and Little rising above it. I wish those two had made more movies together. A buddy comedy would have been great. The final race is thrilling.

double feature pairing: Stroker Ace

048
Vanishing Point (1971) ★ ★ ★ 
stars: Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, 1970 Dodge Challenger
director: Richard C. Sarafian

A guy just wants to perform his job of transporting cars from Colorado to California as fast as he can. Why won’t The Man let him?

Amazing driving and photography. Like The Pawnbroker, flashbacks are triggered by reminders. Even though they aren’t as powerful, they still make the driver a character rather than Guy Driving Fast.

double feature pairing: The Hitcher

049
Seven Days in May (1964) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March
director: John Frankenheimer
screenwriter: Rod Serling

The nuclear disarmament treaty between the United States and Soviet Russia provokes a U.S. general to organize a coup.

A solid political thriller full of meaty speeches that are performed to perfection.

double feature pairing: The Conversation

050
Steve Jobs (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen
director: Danny Boyle
screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin

What makes this biopic unique is how many of the events are talked about in the aftermath rather than a literal presentation of them, allowing more personality and character to come through.

double feature pairing: Love & Mercy

051
Don’t Look Now (1973) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie
director: Nicolas Roeg

The accidental death of their daughter leads John and Laura to send their son to boarding school while they, well, John takes a job in Venice. Not sure what she’s doing there, really. I guess it’s to meet the psychic.

Much of the story is expressed though a visual grammar. It’s uneasy tone and connection of images builds as patience is tested, looking for meaning and wondering if time would be better served doing something else.

There is a lot to chew on. There’s no way to fully appreciate it in one viewing. It’s a movie worth studying. ...I won’t, but there is a lot to think about.

Maybe those people who classify this as a horror movie, a stretch of the conventional meaning, could also tell me why it shouldn’t be recalled to the title factory. Don't Step There would make as much sense.

double feature pairing: Valhalla Rising

Counters:
51/366 movies (nine movies off pace)
9/52 movies directed by women

THE TOP THREE

Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt, part two: Movies 18-36

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Ratings key:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ = I can’t see giving anything that I’ve seen once five stars
★ ★ ★ ★ = get to the theater / move it up in your queue
★ ★ ★ = “three stars is a recommendation” - The Empire [magazine] Podcast
★ ★ = if the remote is too far away, you could do worse
★ = if the remote is too far away, get someone to move it closer then throw it at the TV

018
The Big Short (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling
director: Adam McKay

‘member when the banks were pullin‘ that shady shit with the mortgages? Trick question! They still are. This is the story about the guys who saw it coming the first time. (the next time: TBD)

The trailer made the movie look like it’s an Ocean’s 11 kind of gang heist. It’s really a story of three sets of people who either predicted the mortgage crisis and created short trading on the housing market or heard of it and took advantage of their good timing. There’s some interesting sound design in a few scenes where the horrible truths are fighting to be heard through crowd noise and music. It’s also playful with the idea of how “true story” movies dispense their facts.

double feature pairing: The Other Guys

019
The To Do List (2013) ★ ★
stars: Aubrey Plaza, Alia Shawkat, Bill Hader
writer/director: Maggie Carey

Brandy is anxious about going to college with no sexual experience, so she make a list of things to do.

eh, it’s fine. She blindly breaks a guy’s heart and strains a friendship, but no one takes her to task for being promiscuous. That seems unique. It shouldn’t but does.

watch The Diary of a Teenage Girl (movie #27) instead

020
Wild Card (2015) ★ ★ ★
stars: Jason Statham, Dominik García-Lorido, Michael Angarano
director: Simon West
writer: William Goldman

Jason Statham is Nick Wild, a security consultant in Las Vegas. What else do you need to know?

That’s about all I knew, which set me up for a little cinematic whiplash. The first third is what you’d expect. The middle swings around for a character piece about a guy with a gambling problem. The final third swings back for more punching. Oversimplified, of course, but the movie could have integrated the two halves better.

Remember Heat? No, not the good one. No, that’s The Heat. The one starring Burt Reynolds. Yep, this is the same story. I tried to watch it last year during my Burt Reynolds retrospective. Terrible. Stopped watching after 15 minutes. I never bought into the “hard boiled” Burt.

double feature pairing: Saint John of Las Vegas

021
Laura (1944) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Cifton Webb
director: Otto Preminger

Detective Lieutenant McPherson investigates the murder Laura, a swell gal by all accounts.

What a great movie. Even though it’s effect is lessened by the countless thrillers that have followed in the 72 years since its release, it holds up incredibly well. The finale is still very effective. I suspect McPherson is a relative of Columbo. He engages in questionable police procedures, like bringing one suspect along to question another.

double feature pairing: Murder by the Book

022
Busting (1974) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Elliott Gould, Robert Blake, Allen Garfield
writer/director: Peter Hyams

Vice detectives Keneely and Farrel do their best to fight corruption in New York City.

Some cop movies of the 70’s don’t look too fairly on anyone not straight, white and male. This one is something of an exception. While gay bars are raided and names are called, the movie takes time to run a parallel to the struggle Keneely and Farrell will soon face. During the arraignment of the gay men, where the judge openly mocks them, we meet the lowly defense attorney who shouts above the gallery’s hysterical laughter his objections to police harassment and the abuse of his client's civil rights.

There are some great action sequences, in particular a foot chase that leads to a marketplace shoot out. I'm still humming the score. It ends in the strangest way. Really, I've never seen a movie end like that.

You can read the highlights of the bluray’s commentary at Film School Rejects.

double feature pairing: Cutter’s Way

023
The Enemy Below (1957) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens
director: Dick Powell

It’s World War Two! Ship versus submarine! Place your bets!

It’s good. Some tense moments. The internet says this was the first movie to show a German soldier in a more complimentary light. The U-boat commander has no love for Hitler and there isn’t a swastika to be seen. Reminds me of Das Boot in that way.

double feature pairing: The Hunt for Red October

024
Hot Pursuit (2015) ★ ★
stars: Reece Witherspoon, Sophia Vergara
director: Anne Fletcher

Uh, there’s a by-the-book cop... and the wife of a drug lord... and they are on the run because corruption? And... the mob doesn’t want her to testify, I think. I don’t know. It’s been a couple weeks between watching it and writing about it. In one eye and out the other. I was hoping it'd be funnier. It wasn’t, even though Witherspoon had a moment or two. I also know it cost me a dollar to rent.

watch Smokey and the Bandit instead

025
Mississippi Grind (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Ryan Reynolds
writers/directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Gerry meets Curtis at a casino. There’s a bond and soon a plan to earn enough money to enter a high-stakes game in New Orleans.

A really good movie that makes you as uneasy as you think it might, as well as providing a turn or two you might not expect. Boden and Fleck, makers of Half-Nelson and It’s Kind of a Funny Story, are proving to be names to follow.

At this time, I’d like to address my new pet peeve: the whistling tea pot. Used to represent tension, presentation of the whistling tea pot is rarely anything less than forced. The last two times I’ve seen it used, I saw no pot, just a sound added to the mix that was preceded by someone asking "do you want some tea?" If there is tension in a scene between two people, the actors should be able to do it themselves. In both recent cases, Mississippi Grind and Love & Mercy, they didn’t need the help.

double feature pairing: The Color of Money

026
Pay the Ghost (2015) ★ ★
stars: Nicholas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies, a g-g-g-ghost!
director: Uli Edel

Mike and Kristen’s kid is abducted on Halloween. It might not have been a human that did it.

*sigh* Of the recent Nicolas Cage VOD dumps, this isn’t the worst. It’s a decent ghost story. Sadly, the opportunities for a spooky tone are ruined by cheap jump scares. I was eventually bored and found myself rooting for the ghost. She had a pretty good case to be upset. Sure, she took it too far, but still...

watch The Ghost and Mr. Chicken instead

027
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig
screen writer/director: Marielle Heller

MInnie, a teenager and aspiring artist, starts an affair with her mother’s boyfriend.

Sounds like a pretty creepy movie to watch, right? It isn’t. All because of Minnie’s narration. Her struggle to understand relationships as well as her artistic and sexual growth are presented in an honest way. A great cast. Nice use of illustrations.

double feature pairing: Memoirs of an Invisible Man

028
Anomalisa (2015) ★ ★ ★.5
stars; David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan
directors: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman
writer: Charlie Kaufman

Michael is bored. He sees nothing that inspires him. Until he meets Lisa.

Charlie Kaufman’s play is presented in stop motion animation. It is a story of minimal plot and an expansive exploration of human behavior. And a puppet penis.

double feature pairing: Up in the Air

029
A New Leaf (1971) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jask Weston
screenwriter/director: Elaine May

Trust fund baby Henry Graham has no more money. He resolves to fix this to marry a rich woman then kill her.

It took me a bit to get used to Walter Matthau as a rich snob. Doesn’t really fit, but he made me laugh. I read afterwards that the studio took the movie away from May and cut it down considerably, excising an entire hitman subplot. While what we were left with is dark, the original cut sounded much darker. No sense in crying about it. It doesn’t make me like it any less. There’s one visual that will make me laugh forever.

double feature pairing: I Love You to Death

030
Infinitely Polar Bear (2015) ★ ★.5
stars: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana
writer/director: Maya Forbes

A portrait of growing up with a bi-polar father.

Can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to watch Ruffalo break off some acting. Sadly, this movie doesn’t have much else going for it.

watch It’s Kind of a Funny Story instead

031
The Late Show (1977) ★.5
stars: Art Carney, Lily Tomlin, Bill “Damn These Glasses!” Macy
writer/director: Robert Benton

Ex-gumshoe Ira Wells is drawn back into the P.I. racket when his old partner is murdered.

Was Art Carney a bad actor? I only know him from The Honeymooners. Or was he miscast? That guy was very unconvincing with film-noir speak. The story is pat and not very interesting. After a while I was just watching for Lily Tomlin. I was amused that she was served a Pepsi after she asked for a Coke, and she could tell the difference. Because you can! Pepsi is gross.

watch Brick instead

032
The Third Man (1949) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Wells
director: Carol Reed
writer: Graham Green

At the request of his friend Harry Lime, novelist Holly Martins arrives in post-WWII Vienna to learn Harry has died. Martins thinks something is rotten in Vienna, so he looks into it.

Holt shit, this is great. They were right. Orson Wells has one of the greatest entrances in movie history here. They were right again!

double feature pairing: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

033
Klute (1971) ★.5
stars: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Roy Scheider
director: Alan J. Pakula

John Klute goes to the big city to investigate his friend’s disappearance. First stop, the prostitute he frequented.

Why is a movie called Klute not about a character called Kulte? This is a Jane Fonda vehicle. It's her movie. She monologues more than engaging in conversation, while Sutherland, aka: John Klute, aka: the title role, says very little and isn’t a very good detective that I could tell.

This was a struggle to watch, and it gave me a lot to think about. It’s a decent character study of Bree, aka: the true focus of the movie, and could be better if remade today.

watch the remake of Klute whenever they make it instead

034
Deadpool (2016) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
director: Tim Miller

Wade Wilson is a mercenary. Wade Wilson has cancer. Wade Wilson undergoes an experimental procedure. Wade Wilson is now virtually indestructible. Wade Wilson is Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth.

I can’t remember the last time I went into a movie not knowing how I was going feel about it. The preview showed a go-for-broke attitude (good) and a sense of humor that relied on quantity over quality (concerning). Well, context is everything. There are a lot of jokes, and they work for an overall tone. Some times you can’t capture a movie in two and a half minutes. There is charm and terror, and it’s just fucking fun.

double feature pairing: Super

035
The Accursed (1957) ★ ★
stars: Donald Wolfit, Robert Bray, Christopher Lee
writer/director: Michael McCarthy

It’s the evening of the annual dinner for a group of former resistance fighters during WWII. They honor the passing of their former leader and learn it was one of them who did him in.

Nothing to get too excited about, and yet it’s a decently made who-done-did-it confined to the mansion’s grounds.

watch Clue instead

036
Hail, Caesar! (2016) ★ ★ ★
stars: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich
writers/directors: Joel and Ethan Coen

It’s the old trailer bait and switch. The trailer thinks this is about a star’s kidnapping and the studio head who pulls together a group of actors and directors to find him. Nope. It’s a movie about an overworked studio head who tries to manage fires during a 27 hour period. There are music numbers, gossip cover-ups, an actor’s remaking. Sometimes funny, sometimes not, generally interesting.

double feature pairing: The Big Picture

Counters:
36/366 movies
7/52 movies directed by women

THE TOP THREE

A Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt Report: Movies #1-17

I am attempting to watch 366 movies this leap year. The behind-the-scenes particulars are in the Q&A introduction. The documentation of my progress begins below. You will see my top three suggestions of this particular batch at the bottom.
- rob.

Ratings key:
★★★★★ = I can’t see giving anything that I’ve seen once five stars
★★★★ = get to the theater / move it up in your queue
★★★ = “three stars is a recommendation” - The Empire [magazine] Podcast
★★ = if the remote is too far away, you could do worse
★ = if the remote is too far away, get someone to move it closer then throw it at the TV

001
The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? (2015) ★★★    
stars: Tim Burton, John Peters, Kevin Smith
writer/director: Jon Schnepp

Tim Burton directs Nicolas Cage as Superman. It almost happened. It could have been great. Insane, but great. Maybe. The doc is strengthened by Burton’s involvement. If only Cage said yes, too. His costume test footage is a nice consolation.

double feature pairing: Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films

002
The Hateful Eight (2015) ★★★★
stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
writer/director: Quinten Tarantino

A blizzard interferes with a bounty hunter’s transport of his prisoner, forcing them to take shelter in a surprisingly overcrowded way station.

I love movies that take place in one location, largely or in total. Despite some questionable story elements, I still enjoyed it a lot. It is worth seeing a second time to watch the characters react in ways unnoticeable before.

double feature pairing: Wind Chill

003
The Winding Stream (2014) ★★★
stars: Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash
director: Beth Harrington    

The story of The Carter Family.

Turns out what I thought was The Carter Family was actually The Carter Sisters. Ol‘ A.P. Carter swiped hisself a whole bucket full o‘ songs from dem dar hills. I’m guessing he never went back to pass out royalties. A good documentary. (Never mind the animation of the old photos that turned the Carter’s into the Chuck E. Cheese house band.) I only wish the commentary track of the two old men behind me could be heard by all. I pictured them sitting on a porch, sharing whatever came to their minds...

“Would you look at those clodhoppers he’s got on.”
“I’ve been to that grave.”
“Johnny Cash [gave that interview] before he died.”

double feature pairing: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

004
The Revenant (2015) ★★★
stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleason
director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Bear attacks dude. Other dude kills dude’s kid. Dude left for dead. Dude crawls back for Revenge!

That’s fucking it. Very little else happens in in two hours and forty minutes. It looks amazing and should be seen in the theater. But, man, what a grind to sit through. Tom Hardy is great as Other Dude. He's doing more than crawling on the snow and grimacing.

double feature pairing: The Edge

005
Capricorn One (1978) ★★★★    
stars: Elliott Gould, James Brolin, Hal Holbrook
writer/director: Peter Hyams     

So your mission to Mars isn’t feasible, and your funding is in jeopardy. What do you do? If you’re NASA, you fake it and hope everyone plays along.

1970‘s conspiracy in full effect. Holds up pretty well after nearly 40 years. Some great car chase POV shots and a dogfight finale that’s a sight for tired CGEyes.     

double feature pairing: Wag the Dog

006
13 Sins (2014) ★★
stars: Mark Webber, Ron Perlman, Pruitt Taylor Vince
director: Daniel Stamm

Elliot receives a phone call telling him if he completes 13 tasks, he will receive six million dollars. If the tasks didn’t escalate, then we wouldn’t have a story. Horrible things are in store for Elliot.

This movie’s fault lies with it expanding the game into a larger conspiracy. It’s better to keep the circle small. That’s what Cheap Thrills did right, in addition to being funnier and better.

watch Cheap Thrills instead

007
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) ★★★
writer/director: Kurt Kuenne

Judging by the interviews Kuenne collected of friends and family members about his friend Andrew, we all should have instinctively felt the moment he died. He was murdered by his girlfriend, pregnant with his child. Then it got worse.

double feature pairing: something to remind yourself there is still good in the world

008
The Americanization of Emily (1964) ★★★
stars: James Garner, Julia Andrews, Melvyn Douglas.
director: Arthur Hiller
writer: Paddy Chayefsky (screenplay, based on William Bradford Huie’s novel)

Lt. Cmdr. Charles Edward Madison is a coward. He says so himself. It’s why he got a job as a gofer to Adm. Jessup to get through WWII. It's because of this position that he meets Emily and the focus of Jessup‘s desire for battlefield glory.

Garner and Andrews are charming in this military satire that fights the idea that dying in battle is a glorious death.

double feature pairing: Birdy

009
Monte Walsh (1970) ★★★★
stars: Lee Marvin, Leanne Moreau, Jack Palance.
director: William A. Fraker

The Old West is disappearing. Time for cowboys to decide how to live the rest of their lives.

An interesting examination of a changing landscape and some people's inability to change with it. Lee Marvin is great in this. Didn’t know he was anything more than action-tough.

double feature pairing: Unforgiven

010
Child’s Play (1972) ★★★.5
stars: James Mason, Robert Preston, Beau Bridges
director: Sidney Lumet

A former student returns to his alma mater as a teacher to find his former instructors still at each other’s throats and the student body in a violent state.

To me, Sidney Lumet means solid acting and meaty characters. This one doesn’t change that.

double feature pairing: Heaven Help Us

011
The Station Agent (2003) ★★★★
stars: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale
writer/director: Tom McCarthy

A friendship is formed among three people living in isolation, two by choice, the other by circumstance. Can’t pepper the story up more than that. Sometimes a sweet story told calmly is just that simple.

double feature pairing: Trees Lounge

012
Mean Streets (1973) ★★
stars: Harvey Keitel, Robert De Niro
director: Martin Scorsese

Charlie is in line for more responsibility within the “organization.” Johnny Boy, his cousin and best friend, is the anchor that could keep him from rising through the ranks. 

I’m guessing in ’73 this was a movie that demanded you remember Martin Scorsese’s name. Had I seen it then I probably would feel differently about it. Now, it’s like watching a first draft of a great filmmaker.

watch Goodfellas instead

013
Spotlight (2015) ★★★.5
stars: Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo
director: Tom McCarthy     

“I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for those meddling reporters!”
- many Catholic priests.

To witness the acting chops of a great cast is the reason to watch this horrific example of institutionalized religion run amok.

double feature pairing: Shattered Glass

014
Ride Along 2 (2016) ★★
stars: Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, Oliva Munn
director: Tim Story

guh, the movies I see for friends. It’s like the first one but in Miami, and Olivia Munn is in it. I liked the first one OK. There was nothing funny in this one, except for a line reading or two. Well, the gag with the bulletproof vest was funny when I saw it in the trailer. The way the audience howled at it they must not have seen the trailer. Hard to believe. The other big laugh from the crowd was the ceiling fan gag. Again, in the trailer.

watch Another 48 Hrs. instead

015
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) ★★★★
stars: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
director: David Lean

Yes, I’d never seen the story of T. E. Lawrence banding together the Arabic tribes to fight the Turks during WWI. Since I didn’t watch it in the theater, some say I still haven’t. Still, I could appreciate it’s beauty. The mirage at the watering hole is mesmerizing. The attack on Aqaba is breathtaking. We watch from a hill as horses and camels race into the city, filling the streets and pouring onto the shore. If made today, it would have been a computer composition, filling me with nothing more than “that looks OK, I guess.” The Gateway Film Center will be showing this in 70MM later this year. Maybe I will see it after all.

double feature pairing: Sahara Hare

016
Urban Cowboy (1980) ★
stars: John Travolta, Debra Winger, Scott Glenn
director: James Bridges

Bud moves from the ranch to the big city. He quickly marries Sissy, who he met at the biggest shit-kickin’ bar you’ve ever seen. She has an opinion and wants to ride the mechanical bull too, so he fucks off with another woman, and she shacks up with an ex-con cowboy.

You know Bud is the good guy because when he smacks his woman he doesn’t leave a mark. Bud eventually misses his wife and says his jealous days are over, so he enters the mechanical rodeo to win her back. A movie of its time, for sure.

“Looking for Love” came from this movie's soundtrack. I’ve only known the Buckwheat version, “Wookin‘ Pa Nub.”

watch The Cowboy Way instead

017 -- Sisters (2015) ★★★
stars: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler
director: Jason Moore

Maura and Kate’s parents are selling their childhood home. There’s a house party. 

Funny things happen. Formulaic things happen, too, but it’s funny so who cares. People walked out during the end credit gag reel. Who does that?! People who spit on comedy tradition, that’s who!

double feature pairing: House Party

Counters:
17/366 movies
1/52 movies directed by women

THE TOP THREE

Monte Walsh

Monte Walsh

CO2.jpg

Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt: A 366 Movies Project

My friend Rob is going to watch 366 movies this leap year. I asked him questions about it. -Colin G.

What inspired you to take on this project?

Listening to the Doug Loves Movies podcast, mostly. Doug Benson took this challenge last year. He made it seem fun. I’d heard of people doing it before for blog content. But one movie a day felt like a chore. However, I watched 157 last year without trying. With a little focus and planning, 366 movies in as many days isn’t out of the question.

What is your strategy? One a day? Weekend marathons?  

It’ll be a mix of both. I decided to do this a week or two ago, so there was some catching up to do. In doing so I learned a valuable lesson: Don’t follow a double feature with a 4-hour movie. The 4-hour movie goes first, then more if I feel like it.

A new rule! Do you have any others?  

When watching at home, the phone and tablet are set out of reach. The point is to watch the movie. Not have it playing in the background. 

Are you counting new movies only or also ones you choose to re-watch?  

Only ones I haven’t seen will count. This is an opportunity to see movies I’ve been meaning to see, “classics” I probably should have seen by now and whatever else crosses my path. I’m looking forward to my Netflix queue getting cut down in a substantial way. Now all the “I’d like to see that” titles will stop collecting dust. 

Is Netflix your main source outside of the movie theater?  

Mostly, yeah. The rental and streaming service. There are a few on my initial list that aren’t available in either form but can be rented from Amazon digitally. The Hulu stream has many movies from the Criterion Collection. Though, being Criterion, I think they prefer I call them “films,” but either way, I got plenty of movin’ pi’tures ta take a gander at. [laughs hysterically]

[stares blankly] Getting back to strategy, is your initial list mapped out to the day?  

No, it’s whatever I feel like at that moment. I think forcing a schedule would take the fun out of it. If I don’t get to a title after this, chances are I wasn’t too keen to watch it in the first place.

Are you planning any themes, spotlight a particular director or performer? 

A few days ago I came across a pledge to watch 52 movies made by women. I’ve got room for that and more. There are four lists of great suggestions at womeninfilm.org. Beyond that, nothing officially planned.

Finally, we’re almost through January. How are you doing?  

I’m on pace. Might even be a movie ahead. 

What has been you favorite so far? 

Monte Walsh. Lee Marvin and Jack Palance are cowboys at a crossroad. The Old West is becoming The Settled West. They have to decide to settle with it or contiune with the only life they’ve known. It’d make a great double feature with Unforgiven. 

Sounds good. Will you keep us updated on your progress?

Yeah, I'll check in every couple weeks or so.

Cool.

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index